Death After Death (#2)

Chapter Four

"Shall we head inside?" Max suggested, taking a sip from his warm beer. "I doubt that lot will head back this way."

"Sounds good to me," Dawson said, ushering her team through the pub doors.

Max allowed himself a subtle grin. He hadn't been part of a group like this since the Jennings'. He just wished Lizzie was here with him.

"So, I guess we should actually introduce ourselves," Dawson grinned. "I'm Dawson, and these are-"

"Karl! Leader of the group, pleasure to meet you," Karl chimed, barging Dawson out the way who merely rolled her eyes.

"You're a confident little fuck, aren't you?" Max laughed.

"Yeah, sorry about him, he was born with a rare condition called 'annoying prick'," the second twin joked, extending his hand to shake Max's. "I'm JJ, nice to meet you...?"

His brother thumped him on the arm before Max could respond.

"Max. My name's Max."

Dawson stepped back in front of the boys and resumed control of the situation. At times, she felt like a mother dealing with two five-year-olds.

"And this one over here is Rodney," she finished, pointing over to a nervous-looking man sat on a barstool.

Rodney nodded and raised a hand in the air, which Max reciprocated.

"We just wanted to say thank you for what you did back there. Not many people would risk their lives to save a bunch of strangers, especially now," Dawson said sincerely.

"Don't mention it," Max replied.

Dawson continued, "Seriously, since everything went to shit, it's rare to find someone not just looking out for themselves, thank you."

"You're very welcome," Max nodded. "Where are you guys heading anyway?"

"Oh, you know. Nowhere in particular. Just keeping our heads down, surviving, hoping this all blows over," Dawson explained. "What about you?"

"I never stay in one place too long," Max chuckled.

"Well, you're more than welcome to tag along with us, I could use some help with this useless lot," Dawson joked.

"Thanks, that's a nice offer. But I really just stopped in for a drink, I should get going."

"Well at least stay the night here," Dawson insisted. "It's never safe travelling at night, too many corpses and crazy people out there."

"And those insane brotherhood bastards," Karl added, his anger hidden beneath the grumble.

Max's nostrils flared. "What did you just say?"

"Just that it's really dangerous goi-"

"No, not you, Karl!"

"Err, the insane Brotherhood bastards?" Karl repeated uneasily.

"What do you guys know about the Brotherhood?" Max questioned.

"What do you know about them?" Dawson retorted, tensing up slightly, and subtly sliding her hand down towards her pocket.

"Oh, relax! I'm not one of them! I was their bloody prisoner for weeks!"

"What do you mean their prisoner? I thought they ate anyone they could round up? Either that or they send them to the-"

"Exactly," Max said.

"No! You mean?"

"Yep, unfortunately."

"Can someone fill us in on what the fuck you guys are talking about?" Karl called out, waving his hand in front of Max and Dawson's faces.

"He's from the pit! He survived the bloody pit!" Dawson stuttered.

All eyes suddenly perked up at the mention of the pit. Even Rodney leapt to his feet in shock.

"I didn't think anyone got out of that place," Karl said, mouth wide with amazement.

"You know what this means, right Daws?" JJ chimed in.

Dawson nodded. "Tell us exactly how you got out."

Max proceeded to explain how he and his friend had been captured at the shopping centre, and hauled off to the pit the next day. He told them how they were forced to fight clickers and humans for their right to survive, and for the amusement of the crowd. He told them about Joey, and Paulo, and the plan to escape. He told them everything.

Apart from Lizzie's name, or who she was.

"I'm sorry," Dawson whispered softly. "What they did to your friend was barbaric."

"Is no one else going to ask?" Karl cried. "We all want to know!"

"Maybe some of us were being a bit more delicate, Karl!" JJ growled at his brother.

"What's he talking about?" Max asked Dawson.

Dawson sighed, "A while back, there were five of us, not four. Our friend Han went out on a scavenging mission, he preferred to do that stuff on his own you see. Said he could work quicker that way. Well one day Han didn't come back. We waited and waited, stayed in our camp for days, but he never came back."

She looked at the ground, blinking away a tear so as not to wear her weakness on her face. She clearly felt responsible for the lives of her group. She thought she'd failed Han.

"How are you so sure the Brotherhood took him?" Max queried.

"We can't be certain," Dawson admitted. "But we were well into their territory, and we've heard so many stories of the Brotherhood and their ways. Han was too quick and clever to be pinned by corpses, I think someone living got him all right. If you can even call them living."

"Do you recognise the name?" JJ asked.

"I don't think so, no, but there wasn't a whole lot of time for chatting in that cell. There must have been a couple dozen of us, but we mostly sat in silence," Max replied.

"But you might know his face?"

"Potentially kid," Max offered.

Kid. Max hadn't used that word since Lizzie. It stung.

"Asian guy, shoulder length black hair, about six-foot, quite skinny, any of that ring a bell?"

Max racked his brain, there were so many helpless faces in the cell at the pit. So many faces devoid of any hope or life, but that description did sound familiar.

"I can't be one hundred percent sure, but I think he was there," Max said calmly, desperately trying to not get their hopes up.

All four of their faces lit up and swapped joyful glances across the room.

"Did he get out?" Dawson pleaded.

"I don't know."

Their hearts sank.

"I'm sorry guys! It was carnage back there, an every man for himself type situation. I saw plenty of people running for the exits, but I saw quite a few who didn't make it too. I just don't know."

It took a few seconds for this information to sink in before Dawson nodded and spoke.

"You're planning on going back to kill this Joey guy, I assume?"

"Well, it's compli-" Max began to explain.

"We're coming with you."