Black Death (TNN)

A Cure?

A black flag with the image of a red spider on it blew in the light breeze. A small camp stretched out hidden among the trees. Not far away, hidden in nature, was the small group of survivors.

"There aren't many of them," Carly said quietly.

"Probably an outpost... or they got separated from the larger group," Sorscha said.

" We should get out of here quickly." Beth looked nervously at her wife.

Sorscha thought for a moment. "Or we could try to steal something from them."

"Sorscha!" warned her wife.

"What, they stole their stuff somewhere too, what's the problem?"

Reece now spoke up. "The problem is that there are five of us, and they're probably armed to the teeth. Besides, I'm crippled and you're half blind."

Sorscha did not answer. She continued to observe the camp. "We need ammunition and food."

" Sorscha is right." Carly spoke resolutely.

Reece sighed. " All right."

Carly began to creep closer to the camp, Reece and Sorscha quietly following her. When Max tried to join them, he was held back. "We're staying here," said Beth.

The group split up to surround the camp. From her position, Sorscha had a good view between the tents. There was a campfire in the centre, with a group of six men sitting around it. All wearing black armour. But when Sorscha saw who was under the helmets, she briefly doubted whether they should really attack them.

They were all young men, perhaps in their early twenties. It was clear to her that they were inexperienced.

Beth lay in wait with her rifle, she hated it when Sorscha put herself in danger like that, but if she had learnt anything over the years with her, it was that when Sorscha had her head set on something it was hard to get her away.

"Aren't you scared?" Max asked cautiously.

"Of course I'm scared. But I know that Sorscha is hard to stop."

Max bit his lip. "Carly has told me a lot..."

The blonde sighed, Sorscha's past was like a shadow that always seemed to catch up with her. "That was all a long time ago, Max. People change. There's nothing you can't come back from if you try."

Before the young man could answer, a shot echoed through the forest.

Sorscha lowered her revolver again. They had managed to overpower the men, which was not difficult. They knelt in front of Sorscha, Reece held his rifle firmly in his hand behind the kneeling men. Carly was searching the tents for useful items.

Sorscha used the opportunity to get some information about the black army.

"Who is your boss?"

None of the men answered. The Irish stepped closer. One of the men was very young, perhaps a little older than Max. She could clearly see his fear. She crouched down in front of him. "Who is your boss?" she asked in a dangerous voice.

" I don't know.... we've never seen him before..."

" Then why did you join him?" asked Sorscha.

"..... They have a cure..."

Surprised, Sorscha looked at Reece. A cure. After all this time.

" Boy, listen to me. I witnessed the beginning of the apocalypse. I had a chance to talk to doctors and nurses. There is no cure."

Carly came out of one of the tents with a backpack that contained ammunition and water. In her hand, she held a map.

It showed England. Birmingham, Oxford, and Luton were circled in black. Around London, however, was a large red circle. In front of London, around a small village called Whitfield, was the symbol of a spider.

"The Black Army seems to be heading for London," said Carly, handing the map to Sorscha.

"Why?" asked Sorscha, scowling at the men.

But they remained silent. The Irish woman sighed, she hated resorting to violence, but there was probably nothing other she could do to get hold of the information. She handed the map back to Carly. Before she grabbed one of the men by the scruff of the neck and dragged him to the campfire.

She held him dangerously close to the flames. "Spit it out now! Why London?!"

" I don't know! We should go to Whitfield to gather there! Please!" the man cried desperately.

Beth let out a sigh of relief when she saw Sorscha with Reece and Carly again.

Night fell, and far away in a small suburb, a man was standing in front of a map when the door opened behind him.

" Commander! Some soldiers came to us and reported that they were ambushed by a group!"

The man didn't turn round. " What group?"

" They don't know. It was a blond man and two women. One of them was wearing an eye patch."

Now the man stirred. " An eye patch? So this tick is still alive after all..."