Welcome to Mayhem - Updated Often

Chapter 3

With the barest of light provided by the sliver of moon in the sky, Garrett and Emersyn crept back towards Mayhem. Garrett led the way through the tall grass and weeds of neglected plots near the edge of town. He paused for a number of long minutes, listening and assessing the situation. Then he signaled Emersyn to wait while he moved forward slightly to gain a better view of the expanse of the small town.

Emersyn was getting impatient after waiting for what seemed like an eon. Finally Garrett moved back towards her and pulled her into a small depression a few feet away. Indicating the need for silence, he remained watchful. Satisfied that they would remain undetected there, he softly spoke for the first time since leaving the bunker.

"Emersyn, they have the entire town surrounded. It doesn't look like any of the other members survived the onslaught. We need to get to the nearest stash and move to Mischief to see how many of our people made it," Garrett said quietly, outlining the town's contingency plan.

Their sister village, Mischief, had never grown into an actual town and was eventually abandoned, but due to its close proximity to Mayhem, the Town had acquired it shortly after its demise. They used the buildings for storage and haunted houses on Halloween, due to the unkempt appearance of the place. Just after the world fell apart, the town decided to exaggerate the derelict presence of Mischief to ensure it stayed "occupant free" and could be used as a bunker for the residents of Mayhem, in case of emergency.

The townspeople could hide out there for a long time. They had also stashed a number of necessities and resources in and around the little village. Emersyn, Jackson, and their Pawpaw Frank had stashed even more in case they couldn't make it to Mischief. Whenever strangers came to Mayhem, anyone not on guard duty or part of the welcoming committee was to vacate to Mischief with as much stealth as possible. The Sheriff and others made sure they were safe prior to engaging any outsider.

Emersyn did not want to give up on the possibility there might be survivors. In truth, she was still holding out hope that Jackson was alive, even if gravely injured. She refused to move, ready to make her argument. Garrett seemed to know what she was going to say before she did.

"No! We are NOT going to attempt to check on anyone left in the town square!" he whispered emphatically. "Emersyn, Jackson is dead. Don't you think I would make sure before I just left him there? He was dead before he hit the ground. There is no way he survived."

Tears sprang to her eyes and it felt as though her heart was literally breaking; as though it was shattering into a thousand pieces and would cease to beat at any moment. A sharp, low sob erupted from deep inside before she could prevent it. Pressing her hand to her mouth, Emersyn tried to silence the sound. The pain was so bone deep that she felt a visceral keening begin to build. Her need for vengeance also rose from the same deep well of emotion; only her concern for Garrett's safety prevented her from shrieking like a banshee and attacking Kane and company, consequences be damned.

Garrett grabbed her hand and gave her a gentle squeeze to bring her back to the present. Emersyn turned to look at him and was captured by his blue eyes and the empathy and understanding emulated there. It nearly undid her. So much so that she feared she could not continue; she reached for the hatred and vengeance beating in her heart. She needed them both in order to push forward to Mischief, to survive; hell, to draw in the next breath and the one after that and the one after that.

"I'm ready," she said simply as she crept along the bottom of the miniature vale. She didn't stop or slow down, but eventually felt Garrett's presence following behind.

Thus the journey began. About a quarter of the way to the tiny village, they heard a great deal of shooting. The pair considered going back to lend aid; however, Garrett's injuries made that impossible. Each jarring step caused him excruciating pain and though he was silent, the lines on his face spoke loudly. Leaving those in Mayhem to deal with the peril on their own weighed heavily on both of them and added to the tension of the night.

The trip to Mischief usually took a little more than 5 minutes by car or about 15 minutes walking through pastures; tonight it took Garrett and Emersyn close to an hour. The constant backtracking, the heightened awareness of their surroundings, and stopping whenever they heard the now sporadic gunfire prolonged the trip exorbitantly, especially with Garrett's wound. Emersyn was meticulous in her care of it to prevent a blood trail. When they finally reached Mischief, they were both exhausted, but did not relax their vigilance. They couldn't risk alerting any outsiders who might be observing this location.

Garrett began to use hand signals to indicate that he would proceed to get a better view. Emersyn speared him with a truly contemptuous look. With a pointed glance at his wounded side and an exaggerated imitation of his labored breathing, she then turned and crept forward. Sticking to the tall grass and shadows, she was able to draw very close to the first building.

At that point, she just stopped and listened to the world as her Pawpaw Frank had taught her when she was learning to hunt. There is a certain music to it when the rest of the world is asleep leaving nature undisturbed. Most people cannot be motionless enough to hear it. If someone was out there, chances were that they would give themselves away due to their own restlessness.

When she was finally satisfied that no one was lurking nearby, Emersyn motioned to Garrett before proceeding to the second house from the end. This held the entrance to Mischief's "bunker." The elders felt that the Post Office/Drugstore was too obvious as was the first house. Entering the kitchen, they moved an old Hoosier cabinet that looked as though it was about to disintegrate. Behind it was a small closet that's floor lifted to reveal a ladder leading down to a subterranean dwelling completed after the Plague took over.

Emersyn watched Garret as he was consumed by the darkness. She paused to take a deep breath. This was the beginning of her new existence; one in which she no longer had an older brother. She was about to discover if her Pawpaw Frank had survived. Emersyn feared that she was going to suffer from a sorrow unlike she had ever known; that it was waiting for her below. Steeling her spine, she allowed herself to be absorbed by the darkness too.