15 Years Later: Wasteland (10 page)

They had been walking for hours. The heat was as unrelenting as every day he had been awake in this hellish scenario. Sweat dripped down his face, and he could not help but feel disgusting. What he wouldn't give for a shower.

"There much water around these days?" he asked Rave.

"Enough."

"Where does it come from?"

She didn’t answer, and he was starting to wonder if it was worth asking any more questions, but he wasn't going to give up just yet.

"Stop right there!" a voice boomed.

It echoed around the area, and they couldn't work out where it had come from.

"We're not looking for a fight!" Zed yelled.

"Turn on around and head back the way you came!"

"I...I can't do that!"

He looked around. Rave was anxious and wanted to move to cover and close in on whomever it was that seemed hostile.

"No, we aren't fighting," he whispered to her.

She froze, and he could only hope she would stay put.

"You aren't welcome here! Move on!"

"You don't even know us," he replied.

"Don't need to, no strangers."

"Mmm, sounds familiar. I guess folks round here aren't all that neighbourly?"

"What?"

He didn't want to have to explain it to Rave right now. He started to walk forward very slowly and made no attempt to reach for any weapons.

"All I'm trying to do is find my family, is that so much to ask for?"

A man arose from the rocks. He was of a similar age to Zed, but looking nothing alike. He was black with curly hair, a little thinner and taller than he was. He didn't have the murderous eyes that Zed had gotten so used to seeing lately. This was just a man trying to do his job.

"You know Johnnie, don't you? And Lannie?"

He could tell from the change of expression in his face that he did.

"Just take me to them. They will know who I am."

Or at least he hoped they would.

"I can't do that."

He had a gun in his hands, a pump shotgun. Looked like police issue or at least that simple and workmanlike. He lifted it and pointed it at Zed, but he didn't look all that confident or sadistic enough to use it.

"I didn't come here to hurt you, and I don't want anything from you. I just want my family back. That is worth dying for. So I am coming forward. You can either shoot me or let me pass, because there ain't no other way this is gonna end."

He kept going forward and raised his right hand slowly and in plain view.

"What are you doing?" demanded the jumpy looking man.

"It's okay. I just want to show you something. I am not going for a weapon, you can see that," he said, stopping for a moment as if to wait for approval.

"Ain't nothing you got to show me that is gonna change my mind!"

"Then it won't do any harm, will it?" he replied calmly.

He reached in slowly and drew out a single photo. He turned it round to show the guard.

"Lannie, do you know her?"

He could see immediately in his face that the name meant something. He stepped a little closer so he could see her face on the photo.

"You do, don't you?"

"Ye...yeah, I suppose I do."

"She means an awful lot to me, and I am going to her whether you like it or not. But I can sure tell you she won't be too happy if you fill me full of buckshot."

The man groaned. "But I have..."

"I know, I know. You aren't allowed to let people pass. But I am not here to rob you. I don't want anything from you or your town. I just want to know Lannie is safe and to see her with my own eyes. I am not trying to trick you."

He could see he didn’t want to shoot him. He wasn't a violent man at heart.

"I can't take you there. I have to stay here a while longer."

"All right, then tell us where to go."

He still looked uneasy, but it was obvious that he was going to help them, one way or the other. He huffed one last time and finally pointed to a narrow path at his back.

"Just head on up. Tell them Frankie sent you, and that I'm watching TV."

"What?" Rave asked.

But Zed didn't argue with the man. He only hoped they were being sent with the right code; the one that would get them entry, and not the one that would get them shot. They would have to take the chance.

"Just don't raise any kind of trouble or it'll be on me."

Zed smiled.

"You see, Rave, there are some good people left."

They carried on past Frankie, and as soon as they were far enough away, Rave did not hesitate to comment on him.

"Useless, he ain't stopping anyone."

"You think that gun was even loaded?"

"Probably not."

"I guess nobody ever wants to take the chance?"

She grunted in approval.

They followed a narrow trail that got steeper as it rose between two large rocks, and finally they reached civilisation. A wooden shack at first, but nobody insight. They could hear voices up ahead. It struck both of them as more than a little strange that there was so little attention to guarding what they had. The area around them opened up into a communal area. Shacks were built on each side, many in such a regimented and machine like manner they were clearly something from before this life began. Others were more rudimentary affairs.

A number of people went back and forth, but Zed's eyes were fixated on just one, a woman carrying a bundle of firewood. He recognised her instantly. She looked barely any older than the photo he had in his pocket. She soon noticed his gaze and stopped dead. She seemed to stop breathing for a moment before she dropped the logs at her feet.

"It can't be? Zed?"

He nodded. She approached with a little hesitation.

"Johnnie said you were dead."

He just stood there, rooted on the spot, for he didn't have any answers. Finally, as she drew nearer, she leapt at him and threw her arms around him. She began to weep, but that relief soon turned to anger, and she pushed away.

"Where have you been all these years? Why did you leave us?"

He shook his head as he tried to find his words.

"I...I don't remember."

"You don't remember?" she quivered as she wept.

She slapped him and kept hitting him, but he didn't respond.

"Do you know what you put me through? You weren't even here for your daughter when she was dying."

That hit him even harder. She looked into his eyes for a moment and was not surprised to see no remorse, and yet that was not his intention. He was too shocked to find a sensible way to respond.

"Where have you been?" she demanded.

It was too much for him. He dropped down to his knees and was stone faced as he stared blankly forwards.

"Why even come back now?"

She again came forward to slap him, but Rave stepped nearer and scowled at her. It was very clear she wasn't going to let it happen again.

"I see how it is."

"He doesn't remember. He already told you that."

"I am sorry if I ever did anything to hurt you, and I will do all that I can to make it right, but I just...just don't know anything. I woke up a few days ago, and the last memory I had was of a barbecue with you and our daughter when these photos were taken," he said, pulling out the image of them.

Once again she wept as she saw the photo, and as she looked back to his blank face, she was starting to believe him.

"I don't know why this happened or where I have been. All I know is I woke up with a few photos in my pocket, and knew that somehow I needed to find you."

She lashed out once more. It was quick enough that Rave couldn't stop her. This time it was not a slap, but a punch. A diamond ring on her finger cut deep into his cheek, and he keeled over for a second before getting back up. The cut went right across his cheek and nose, and the moment she saw it, she seemed to show remorse.

"I am so sorry," she said, kneeling down to check the wound. He didn't say a word and stared into her eyes.

"I...come on, let's get that cleaned up."

He got to his feet and followed her over to a bench. She pulled out a wad of cotton, poured just the smallest amount of water onto it from a flask at her side, and began to wipe down his wound. He was still blank and speechless. There were so many questions he wanted answered, and yet no words were coming to him.

"Johnnie will be so glad to see you. He won't be long now," she said, "He was good to me after you left, and has been all the way through."

A boy who was close to ten years old approached them.

"Who is this, Mommy?"

"This is your daddy’s brother. He is your uncle. Say hello to your nephew, Wyatt," she said calmly.

It had not been what Zed had expected to hear at all, and it was starting to dawn on him now just what that meant. He turned back to Lannie as if looking for answers.

"You've been gone a long time. Your brother looked after me, protected me, and loved me."

"But...we..."

"Don't, you have no right. You weren't there for me, so you have no right to an opinion on this."

He was in no position to argue, and he still wasn't sure of so many things that were going on. Despite this, he couldn't help but feel lost. All his hope of finding his old life seemed to be seeping away. She was done cleaning the wound and sat down on a bench opposite him.

"Why did you come here, Zed?"

He struggled to speak.

"I had nowhere else to go. I don't even know who I am."

He could see she was sympathetic.

"You must have some idea? It's been years."

He didn’t answer.

She looked past his shoulder.

"Hey, Johnnie, look who's back!" she shouted.

He got up and turned to see the man he knew to be his brother approaching. He was a little shorter and thinner than he was. He had long hair and a beard, but he could still tell from his eyes. They were not the welcoming and friendly eyes from the photo and his memories. They were the violent and aggressive, those of a man who wanted to do him harm.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.

He rushed forward and swung a heavy hook into Zed's face. The impact was enough to launch him off his feet. He landed hard on the flat of his back and felt the wind come out of him for a moment. He didn't understand the hostility. His brother came forward to go at him again. Rave looked down as if to ask if she could intervene, but he shook his head. Instead, Lannie stepped between them.

"What are you doing? He's your brother!"

It was just enough time for him to get back onto his feet before Johnnie pushed her aside and came at him once again. This time he ducked under and then brushed aside another punch, but he was reluctant to strike back. He jabbed forward with a more controlled strike. That caught Zed on the jaw and snapped his head around. He recovered to find another coming at him, but he wasn't quick enough to avoid it. Once again his head snapped around, and he staggered back.

Zed could hear Lannie screaming at them both, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. The strikes to the face had stunned him slightly, and he was trying with all his strength to recover and survive. Johnnie came at him again, but this time he was ready. Zed ducked aside, and his brother came forward off balance. He let him go past and trapped him in a vice like headlock. Johnnie tried to fight it, but it was no good. But as his brother began to gasp for air, he felt his hold release. He couldn't do it. He pushed him a few paces away and waited for his response.

Johnnie coughed and spluttered as he tried to get air back into his lungs. He looked on at Zed with a bitter resentment, but he couldn't understand why. There was clearly a lot going on that he didn't know about.

"Why would you ever come back? Why?" he screamed.

"Because you're my brother, and she's my wife."

"Not anymore! My brother died long ago!" he snapped.

Zed just couldn't understand his hostility, but once again he came forward aggressively. He jabbed forward, and Zed blocked it. The second was a feint, and he soon felt a heavy blow land against his ribs. It was a shock, and as the next strike came for his head, he lashed out for survival. He snapped a quick punch to Johnnie's nose before stepping under his punch. He grabbed his arm and threw him over his shoulder so that he slammed down flat on his back. Zed stepped away a few paces and let his brother recover.

"Stop it, both of you!" Lannie shouted, as she intervened and placed herself between them.

"I didn't want this. I didn't come here to fight. I never wanted to hurt either of you," he pleaded.

He could see Lannie wanted to believe him, and it wasn't him that was the aggressor. But more than anything, she wanted it to stop. He saw the genuine concern in her face for both of them. She seemed to show even more sympathy towards him than Johnnie. He knew they were married, but he could still not feel anything for her but a lingering sense that for some reason he should.