The Charred Lands: Apocalypse of Fire Page 13

  Then a second bullet hit home. The back of his head exploded outwards as he collapsed, face first into a heap in front of my feet. A blood puddle instantly spread around his head. I couldn’t help but stare at the golf ball sized hole in the back of his skull. Blood and brains matted his greying hair. I let out a scream, a scream as loud as my lungs would allow as tears erupted from my eyes. I almost felt like I had lost my father all over again. I turned away from the grisly sight and slammed my eyes shut. Right there and then, I accepted defeat. I didn’t want to get up and run. I just wanted to stay exactly where I lay and cry. All around me, men lay dead or dying; why was I any different? I had let them down by hiding and cowering away like a child. I should have been gunned down with them. I should have died alongside Conrad. But no, I hid. And here I lie, alive and well. I didn’t deserve life.

  But then I thought about Lizzie. She was all alone now in a place she desperately wanted to be free of. She had been completely reliant on Conrad, even more so than me. She may have been a mentally stronger person than me, but she was nothing without her protector. I needed to get out of here alive, for her.

  I gritted my teeth, took a deep breath and jumped to my feet. At first I didn’t hear any gun shots, but a moment after I took off running towards Warrington, they began. I heard bullets whiz by my ear, I couldn’t tell how close they were, but I could have sworn I felt them fly past. Sparks shot off of cars as bullets missed me and hit their metal. Only when I reached the Warrington border and the woodlands fell out of view did the attack stop. I leant against a building wall, hot and sweaty and turned around to face the road. Dozens upon dozens of bodies littered what now could only be described as a graveyard, or a massacre zone. I took one last hard look at Conrad’s body, thinking back to all the things he had done for me. All the things he had sacrificed to help me, all the advice he had given me, and most of all, how he had gone out of his way to save me, a complete stranger. I owed my life to that man. I wouldn’t let his death be in vain. I would complete my mission – not for me, but for Conrad and everyone else that had died over the past few weeks.

  Chapter Twenty

  The walk back to Warrington’s town centre was a sad, lonely walk. I didn’t see a single other survivor from the roadside massacre. I kept checking behind me for signs of any other survivors, but the further I progressed into the town, the less I began to believe I’d see anyone. As far as I was aware, I was the only one to escape the massacre. I felt somehow guilty for surviving, but I forced these thoughts to the back of my mind as I arrived at the towns walls. The guards atop looked nervous, they had clearly heard the gunshots.

  “Stop there, boy.” A rough women in her fifties yelled to me, raising a bow and arrow. I stopped dead in my tracks as I began to feel tears well up in my eyes.

  “Who are you?” Another guard atop of the wall yelled out.

  “My name’s Zachary Jefford. I was with the men who went out to attack the Saviour of Man. I’m the only survivor.” I called out, my voice breaking with sadness as a lump grew in my throat.

  For a few moments, everyone fell silent – until the gates slowly swung open. The wood creaked as someone on the inside pulled them open; waiting for me on the other side, was Lynette.

  “My God, boy. What happened?” She asked, her mouth wide with shock. She quickly came walking over to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

  I didn’t know what to say.

  “Come with me.” She said, patting me on the back and taking me by the hand. As she led me through the streets of Warrington town centre, everyone fell silent as they spotted me making my way towards the town’s library. It wasn’t until I saw people pointing and whispered amongst each other that I realised just how I looked. I was painted from head to toe in blood. Some of it was from the numerous pieces of broken glass still embedded in my arm, but most of it belonged to fallen soldiers. Knowing I had their blood on me made me feel sick.

  “It was a massacre.” I eventually said, as we neared the library. Lynette didn’t reply, instead she took a long, hard look at me. I sense a hint of sadness in her eyes.

  “Somebody get this boy inside and find him some clean clothes. He’s going to need a medic for that arm too. Hurry up!” Lynette nearly screamed as we arrived at the library. I leant against the building’s wall, suddenly feeling light headed. My eyes became heavy and my legs weak, without warning I collapsed to the ground.

  I don’t know how long I had been out for, it felt like hours, but I soon found myself coming to in the same bed that I had stayed in the previous night. There were three other people in the room with me. One of them was Lynette, the other two I didn’t recognise. One of them was a doctor, or Warrington’s version, at least. My arm was wrapped up in bandages, though some blood had seeped through the white fabric.

  “How are you feeling?” Lynette asked, her voice soft and smooth.

  “Where’s Lizzie?” I asked, worried that she wasn’t in the room with us.

  “She’s in the next room, mourning.” She sighed.

  “Does she know about Conrad?”

  “Yes.” Lynette replied, with a twinge of sadness in her eyes, and her voice.

  “Did anyone else make it back?”

  “No. I sent a scout out to check the area out – everyone’s dead. You’re the sole survivor.” She explained. Hearing that made me feel twice as bad about surviving; I knew I didn’t deserve it. Though I hardly knew a single solider on that battlefield, I felt somehow connected to them.

  “I take full responsibility for the massacre. And for your brave efforts, I have drawn up a detailed map with precise directions to The Church of Fire, assuming you still wish to head there, even without Conrad.” She sighed. I didn’t know what to say. Getting there was hard enough, even with the help of a tough, experienced survivor – but now I didn’t know. I couldn’t do it alone, never mind with Lizzie. I wasn’t anywhere near as strong as Conrad had been, there was absolutely no way I could carry around Lizzie with me too. My task suddenly felt impossible, once again.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Let’s not worry about that for now. You lost quite a bit of blood from your arms, but nothing too major. You’re going to be a little weak for a while. Make sure you eat up whatever we bring you and do your best to relax. I’m sure this is very hard for you, but take your time and consider your options wisely.” The doctor said, before rising to his feet.

  “I have to go now, I need to make a speech to the citizens regarding todays incident.” Lynette explained, before departing the room. The two men with her quickly followed her out.

  And then I was alone. I stared at the ceiling for what must have been an hour, lost in my own self-pity and sadness, until I heard Lizzie calling my name from the other room. Her voice was dry and mumbled. I slowly sat up and placed my feet on the floor below. I felt light headed, but nothing to serious. I carefully, and slowly stood to my feet, careful not to send a rush of blood to my head, before I stumbled out of my room. Across the hallway, Lizzie’s door stood wide open. I entered to find her sat up in bed, her eyes red from crying.

  “How are you?” She asked, trying to force a smile for me. I almost collapsed into the small chair besides her bed.

  “A little weak, but they said that’s to be expected.” I informed.

  “What are you planning on doing?” She asked me, I sat in silence, staring at her as though numbed by her question. Her blue eyes stared back, never had I seen so much pure emotion in them. She was a tough girl, a guarded girl – the kind that never let her guard down. But right now, she was showing her true self.

  Before I had a chance to offer a reply, she spoke once again, “I know what I’m doing.”

  “What?” I asked, dreading her response.

  “I’m staying here. Lynette explained that she felt responsible for my loss. She thought having Conrad on the field would help the troops with the assault, but she was wrong. She said that I’m more than welcome to stay here for as long
as I wish, and she would support me and help me the entire time.” She explained, struggling to fight back her tears.

  “That’s fantastic news.” I said, wiping away a single tear from her soft cheek as it trickled down her face. She smiled and thanked me.

  “She said you can stay too. She said you can live here, with me.” She asked, I could tell from the expression on her face that she wanted me to stay.

  “I can’t.” I reluctantly sighed.

  “Why?”

  “How many of the town’s men do you think were killed out there? I would say a large percentage. The enemy seemed smart, they waited for us and ambushed us. Lynette made a terrible decision sending us out there. She hasn’t got a clue. The towns defences are weakened, and it’s only a matter of time until the Saviour of Men take this place!” I snapped, the built up emotions of the battlefield finally spilling out.

  “Lynette knows what she’s doing. The people of this town have a passion that can’t be broken. They will defend this place, it won’t fall.” She cried.

  “Then stay here. I need to go and complete my mission.” He sighed.

  “Alone?” She asked, almost gobsmacked.

  “I know, I know. I’m not cut out for The Charred Lands. But I would like to think that I’m getting better. Lynette has given me clear instructions and directions. If I follow them and avoid populated areas, I should be fine. She’s going to give me plenty of supplies for the journey too. As far as I can tell, it’s going to take me a little over week to get there on foot. I should easily be able to carry enough supplies to see me there. I think I can do this Lizzie.” I said, sitting up in my chair with a new found abundance of confidence.

  “What if you stumble across more people like Phil and Oliver?” She asked. Even hearing their names filled me with rage, but I kept my cool – I could see where she was coming from. I didn’t know if she wanted me to stay so that she wouldn’t be alone here, or if it was because she was worried about my safety, but either way, it didn’t matter. My mind was made up.

  “I’ll face that when I come to it. The things you and Conrad have taught me are invaluable. I’m tougher now, I know more about surviving and what it takes to survive.”

  “Alright, fine.” She finally submitted, looking down in defeat.

  “I really can’t thank you enough, for everything.” I said, deciding to make the most of Lizzie’s rare nice mood. It was strange to have a conversation without her dropping in sly digs.

  “Just don’t die out there. And if you do sell the egg, come for me please. Take me with you to The Legion of Light.” She managed to smile.

  “Of course I will.” I leant in and kissed her on the forehead, her pale skin felt surprisingly nice against my lips. I was about to pull away when I felt her hands pull me closer; she closed her eyes and kissed me on the lips.

  Before long she ushered me into the bed with her.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  We spent the rest of the day in bed together, kissing, cuddling and enjoying each other’s company. It was a strange feeling for me – I didn’t quite know how to feel for those hours spent in bed with Lizzie. Up until we had kissed, I had no idea that she looked at me in that way, or that I even felt for her like that. It was a complete surprise to me, I wanted so desperately to ask how she felt too, but didn’t have the guts. Instead I remained silent and continued to gently stroke her as she slept in my arms. Before long I drifted off into a sleep, only awaking in the morning.

  The night was filled with nightmares; only these were different. Usually, the nights consisted of horrible creations of my mind, showing me family members dying or suffering, but not last night – instead of dreamt of Florence. In my dream, she appeared through the doorway, interrupting me and Lizzie. She stared at me, with cold, lifeless eyes. Before me, her skin began to rot and decay. I snapped from my sleep, sweaty and guilty. I had spent my entire pubescent life imagining that the first girl I ever slept with would be Florence, but she was dead now. Instead I had been with Lizzie. I had shared that experience with her instead. I felt overwhelmingly guilty. Though I had never acted upon it, I loved Florence deeply, it was only now that I had realised that. I didn’t know what love was, how could I? But after last night, it all became clear. Florence is, or was, the only girl that I had ever loved. She may have been gone, but it didn’t stop me feeling like shit.

  As quietly, and as gently as I could, I slipped my arm out from under Lizzie’s head. I quietly tiptoed out of the room, picking up my clothes as I left. Once in the hallway I quickly got dressed and headed for my room. I made sure that the map Lynnette had given me was safely stored inside my backpack, along with the precious dragon’s egg, before sneaking my way down the stairs.

  I slipped out of the house and made my way down the quiet Warrington street. The sun had barely risen in the sky, it couldn’t have been any later than six in the morning. I couldn’t even hear any distant gunfire. I took one last look at the house where Lizzie remained, sleeping and oblivious to what was happening.

  I felt like a piece of shit, but I knew this was for the best. If I was going to complete my quest, I couldn’t risk Lizzie stopping me, and after last night, I didn’t know if I would have it in me to turn her down if she pleaded with me to stay. Leaving her like this was my only option.

  I felt tears begin to fill my eyes as I rounded a corner and left the street. Truthfully, I didn’t know if I would ever see her again. But one thing I did know was that I would never forget her. No matter how long, or short my life turned out to be, she would always be a part of me. I had to bite my hand to hold back the tears as the guards opened Warrington’s gates and let me slip away.

  Once Warrington had disappeared into the distance, I stopped and leant against a car. I carefully pulled out my map, doing my best to make sure it remained in a good condition for as long as I could. I spent a while scanning it, following Lynette’s directions with my finger.

  The route she had highlighted for me ran straight through Manchester. I had already been told countless times of how the city had become overrun with dozens of different species of deadly creatures. Hardly a single human had what it took to even so much as step inside cities like Manchester anymore, yet here I was, preparing to travel all the way through the thing.

  Alternatively, I could walk around it, but that would add an additional five days to my trip. I simply didn’t have the supplies for that. I knew that my only option was to travel through the infested city. After I was done with Manchester, only a few miles would separate me from The Church of Fire. That’s where I would see if my journey was worth it. I could either join them, spend the rest of my days raising the dragon inside my egg, or sell it and make my way to The Legion of Light. Once again, I didn’t know exactly where that was, but I knew all about it; a large, underground community some eight thousand strong, with enough sustainable resources to last generations. People who lived there had the best lives in all of The Charred Lands. It’s only there where I could live a safe, comfortable life. I guess the time for deciding between the two options would come later; right now I had to focus on getting to The Church of Fire in one piece. All that stood between me was an entire city crawling with thousands of deadly creatures, murderous marauders and anything else The Charred Lands felt like throwing at me.

  I took a deep breath and set off on the second phase of my journey, alone and scared.

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for taking the time to check out my first novel! The Charred Lands: Apocalypse of Fire is the first book in what will be a three part series following Zach’s journey to find peace and safety in this harsh world. Keep an eye out on my Author’s page for any details regarding the second part of the series. – Josh A. Murphy

  Contact

  You can contact Josh A. Murphy on his Facebook page.

 

 
<
br />