Affliction

Chapter 8

Once the others woke up, we made our way closer to civilization. That thought was, in a way, disturbing. The mercenaries weren't exactly anyone you would want to take lightly. They wouldn't hesitate to kill a man if they deemed it necessary. And considering the world we live in, killing most people is necessary, us included.

The path leading to the faction wasn't clear, and that's what was most worrisome. We had no idea where they were, or how close we were to them. But what we did know was that if we didn't stay close to the faction, we may go off course entirely. Because of that, the three of us thought it best to carry our weapons in front of us, ready to be attacked at any second.

Of course, being in a world like this, there isn't any media to tell you what kind of weapons each faction has. Only word of mouth and the hope that you're talking to someone who cares about you just as much as they put on. Because if not, then you may just believe whatever lie you were told. And sometimes they can be the cause of your death.

Avery, who had taken the lead a few miles back, put her hand up to signal us to stop. Our breathing had gone silent because of this, and we held our weapons close to our chests. I can only imagine what the others were thinking. Most likely praying to whatever God that exists that we can live another day. Hell, I wouldn't blame them for wishing that at least they can even if it means death for the other two. I would probably wish the same if it weren't for the fact that I don't care anymore if I live or die. All I care about is if the other two survive.

Maybe that's why I walk closer to Avery, planning to take the lead, to take a look at what she sees. Or maybe even hear what she hears. Maybe then, if something happens to them, it will be on me. At least that way, I would be the one feeling guilty, not her. I couldn't live with that. Especially knowing that I'm older than her. That I must be the bigger person as someone would in the world that no longer exists.

Avery was only two steps away from me when I was stopped dead in my tracks by the barrel of a gun being pointed at my head. The cool of the metal startled me, but I didn't show it. A gruff voice spoke next to me, though I couldn't see the man just yet. "Put the axe down, kid," he said, sympathy playing a small role in the sentence, hinting at the fact that it may not be the last words I ever hear. I would hope so.

But of course, with a gun pointed at my head, I'm not about to drop my defenses just yet. I tighten my grip on my axe, not moving an inch. The man must have adjusted his stance, because I felt the gun shift, but not move away, nor move closer.

The man chuckled, low and deep. It sent a shiver down my spine. It reminded me of... him. The way he chuckled that night before it all went to hell. If only I hadn't stood up to him. If only I just let him off easy like every single other time. Like my mom did, like my sister did, like the neighbors, the cops, the teachers, like absolutely everyone did. Maybe if I hadn't been the hero, I wouldn't have disappointed my mom while she was still alive.

"Look, kid. I don't want to kill you, but you're in our territory now." As he said it, two more sets of footsteps appeared, as if on cue. One of which, I could see. A man who looked younger than Dawson, but older than me walked up to Avery, appearing from behind a tree. I could only imagine what was happening to Dawson behind me. Avery put her hands up, dropping her machete. The man next to me continued. "All we have to do is make sure you aren't a threat to us. Then you can go on your merry way, alright, Son?"

It might have been the way he reminded me of him, or maybe just the thought of the others dying because I was too stubborn to listen, but I dropped the axe and followed the man as instructed. A few other men came out of the trees, carrying our weapons with us and following from behind. Everyone stayed quiet, not daring to say a word, myself included.

We had been walking for what felt like forever, stepping over rotting logs, maneuvering around trees that seemed too big to be natural. But after a long time, we had eventually come across civilization. Buildings that seemed to have been in place for way longer than two years, much less built within that time. But it was obvious that it had been, because there were no lights, no electricity, no street signs, nothing modern. If I'm being honest, it reminded me of a town in a cowboy movie. I half expected to come across a tavern with older, bigger men drinking and laughing with music playing in the background.

The men lead us through the town, in a way, giving us a tour. Not many people were out in the open. We passed maybe 10 on our way, each one staring at us with judgy eyes. Most of them were men, but two were women. All of them looked as if they believed themselves to be superior. They stood as if they had some kind of power that we couldn't possibly possess.

The three of us were brought to a shabby, wooden building that looked very similar to all the other buildings, yet this one was bigger than most. The wooden door creaked as it was opened, dust tainted the air and so did a stench of mildew. I rushed to fix my mask, making sure it was tightly secured. I itched to test the air, but I didn't want the men to become aware of my possessions. I was already lucky that they hadn't thought to check for more weapons. Maybe that was stupidity, or maybe they just knew we wouldn't attack since we were vastly outnumbered, especially now that we were in their territory, not our own.

The man in front of me brought us to a room in the back of the building, having us pass through a corridor with many more rooms, but with metal doors. I couldn't even imagine how they could have gotten a hold of those doors. It occurred to me that maybe these men had a lot more connections than I initially believed. The man grabbed a keychain from his pocket before sifting through each of the millions on the metal ring. He picked one and unlocked the door, opened it, and stepped to the side. Only then did I get a good look at the man's face.

The man had black hair cropped short and neat with streaks of white and gray through many of the strands. His face had many wrinkles that came with both age and stress. His eyes were a piercing, pale blue, though something about his look told me that he wasn't planning on harming us. It seemed that he shaved his face often, and I can only imagine how they all got a hold of such nice supplies. The same supplies that I would happily kill for if given the chance. This man was taller than me, even Dawson. Considering that Dawson was the tallest man I had ever met, standing at 6'5, this man towered over me.

He smiled, motioning toward the open room. Through the room, I could see a bed, a small, square opening on the top, left wall, a small, wooden coffee table, and the filthiest floor I've seen in years. The man opened his mouth to speak but paused before continuing. "My name is Saul, if it makes you feel any better." He motioned behind us, at the many men. "And the others are less important, but I can assure you, we are only going to help." He sighed, then went on. "All we have to do is make sure you are not going to infect us, we will feed you, guide you, then we will help you on your way."

Saul rolled his shoulders and straightened his posture. "Once you get in the room, we will have someone to assist you shortly." His eyes flickered from me to Dawson. "I can see that two of you are injured. you're still bleeding, so you probably need stitches. We can take care of that."

I shook my head. "How are we supposed to trust you?" I glanced at Avery and Dawson, only able to hope that they would help me stand up for each of us. They didn't. They looked at me, showing their fear and uncertainty.

Avery stepped closer to me, putting her hands on my shoulder. I frowned, confused. "Mason, maybe he's right," she said quietly. She waved her hand slowly toward Saul. "We don't have much of a choice anyway. Saul is much bigger than us, not to mention everyone else, and the fact that we're unarmed." The way she looked at me showed that she urged me not to mention my knife, and so I didn't.

I sighed heavily before turning back to the older man. "Fine. I'll bite."

I walked through the doorway, the others following closely behind. Once the three of us were in, I turned to look at Saul. He smiled at us, the corners of his eyes creasing. "Good choice. I'll be seeing you three very soon."

And so, Saul closed the door, and a click echoed across the room, signaling that we have been locked in.