Hamsikker 3 (3 page)

Jonas was alarmed, but he had to know. Dakota’s brown eyes looked dark in the dim light. She brushed her hair behind her ears, and whispered to him.

“Jonas, they’re gone. Anna and Mary, Tyler, Cliff, Terry – they’re all gone. We ran into some trouble. The garage was a long time ago. We met this man who said he would help us, but he turned out to be someone he wasn’t. We trusted him, but he let us down. He took what we had, and left us to die. You would be dead now, you
should
be dead, except…look Jonas, it’s just you and me now. I hate this, I really do, but we have to stick together. We’re all that’s left.”

‘We’re all that’s left.’ The words stuck in Jonas’s head like a record going round and round. Was it true? Had he been out so long that he had forgotten all of this? He couldn’t believe they were all dead. It seemed like only yesterday that they had been in Erik’s house, looking for a way out of the city. He could still remember going into that garage with Tyler and Cliff.

Cliff.

An image flashed through Jonas’s mind, a horrible picture of Cliff with his face bashed in, with his eyes burst open, and his teeth smashed to pieces, of his skull cracked open, and his brains oozing out onto a bloody floor.

Jonas felt sick. Dakota was right. Something bad had happened. Not just to Cliff, but to the others too. Why couldn’t he remember?

“Dakota, we can’t be all that’s left, surely? Tell me Erik and Pippa are okay? They’ve still got the kids, Peter and Freya, right?”

Dakota’s lips were trembling, and he could see from the look on her face that they weren’t okay. Nothing was ever going to be okay again. He felt cold, despite the thick blanket covering his body. Fear and cold ran through his body.

“Pippa and Peter are dead,” said Dakota as tears began to fall from her eyes. “Erik and Freya are…somewhere else. I don’t know where, but they’re in trouble. Jonas, I’m so sorry. I love you so much. I just want you to get better, and then we can raise our child, find some place safe where we can…”

“Our child? You’re
pregnant
?”

Through her tears, Dakota let slip a smile. Despite all the terrible things that had happened, despite all the friends they had lost, she still felt hope. “Yes. I did tell you, but I think you’ve forgotten a lot. You took some nasty blows to the head. Javier…”

As Dakota continued to talk, explaining what had happened, Jonas felt the dots begin to connect. Somewhere within the recesses of his brain the fragmented memories were being put back together. Javier’s face flashed into his mind instantly, and he saw the man grinning at him. There were others too. Pictures flashed before his eyes, the things he had seen scattered across his mind like a jigsaw demanding to be put back together. He remembered Javier shooting Mrs. Danick. He remembered killing Cliff. He remembered a strange man wearing a purple shirt and carrying a sword. It was all a bit of a jumble, but he knew he would get there. Suddenly he felt tired, and the last thing he recalled was Javier laying into him, kicking and punching him as he curled up on the ground.

“I love you too,” whispered Jonas. It was as if his mind was overloaded, and suddenly he needed to sleep. His left arm was terribly sore, and it was bandaged up tightly. Had he been shot?

“Hey, man, you should rest up,” said Bishop.

The man in the purple shirt. Jonas recognized his face, and the old man appeared behind Dakota with a bottle of water in his hands.

“Glad you’re able to talk. For a while I wasn’t so sure you were going to make it. I’ve done what I can. I bandaged you up, reset your shoulder, strapped up some broken fingers, and cleaned out your arm where you were shot. I’m no doctor, but the best I can recommend for you right now is bed rest.”

Jonas tried to raise his hand, to shake the hand of the man who had saved him, saved Dakota, but it was too heavy. Everything was too heavy. His legs, his neck, and even his fingers wrapped around Dakota’s ached. Bed rest sounded perfect.

“Dakota? Are you going to be okay?” Jonas asked.

She nodded. “Bishop is nothing but a gentleman. I’ll be fine. We’ll talk more in the morning.” Dakota leant into Jonas and kissed him lightly.

As she bent down, Jonas saw another figure lurking in the background, just on the edges of his peripheral vision. It was too dark to make out any of the man’s features, but Jonas wasn’t sure he recognized him. Who was that?

Dakota must’ve seen the frown on his face, as she answered his unspoken question.

“That’s Lukas. He’s cool. Don’t worry. Just sleep now. I’m, right here if you want anything.”

“Where are we?” whispered Jonas. “Did we make it?”

“We’re safe. We’re outside of Munroe, and far enough away from the town to not be bothered by anything or anyone. Don’t worry. Just get some sleep, Hamsikker,” said Bishop, and he retreated from Jonas’s vision.

Jonas gripped Dakota’s hand. “Dakota, tell me, did we find out if Janey is okay? Did we make it? I thought I saw her, but my head has got a lot of things mixed up, and for all I know, it was just a dream. It was strange. I really thought I was there, at her house in Canada.”

“We never made it, Jonas. I don’t know how she is. I’m sure she’s fine.” Dakota needed to ask what Jonas had been talking about earlier when he had thought he had been talking to his sister. “Jonas, I think you were probably dreaming. You said something earlier, as if you were talking to her. You said you were sorry. Something about your Dad?”

Jonas closed his eyes. So it had been a dream. It had felt so real. He could practically see her, yet it was nothing more than a hallucination. Javier had really messed things up for him, for all of them. What had he said? He had started to apologize to Janey, but from Dakota’s questioning he could tell he hadn’t said much.

“It’s nothing. Nothing to worry about at all.” Jonas yawned. “I think I’m going to rest some more. Like you said, I feel pretty beat up. Literally.”

Dakota could tell Jonas wasn’t telling her something, but she let it go. There was more to worry about now, like the baby. She was done pushing Jonas. If he wanted to tell her, he would in his own time. She kissed his lips gently and then lay down beside him on the floor.

“Okay then. I love you, Jonas.”

She waited for an answer, but all she heard was his breathing. Evidently he had fallen back asleep which was a good thing. Quite what they were going to do tomorrow she had no idea. She was tired herself. Her conversations with Bishop and Lukas bad been interesting, but she hadn’t broached the subject of what they were going to do long-term. Did Bishop expect she and Jonas would stay with them? He kept telling her how he helped people move on, so perhaps he wanted them gone in the morning. She knew she had little choice. This was Bishop’s place. He seemed to be on the level. He talked of his wife, Annalise, as if she was there with him, even though she was dead. Dakota guessed it was just his way of dealing with it. She turned over onto her side and closed her eyes. She could feel the tears coming again, but her head was throbbing, and she didn’t want to cry anymore. She couldn’t help but think about Pippa and Mrs. Danick. They had been killed and left out on the road to be devoured by those things. It wasn’t fair. Javier had kidnapped Quinn, Erik, and Freya, and right now was on his way to Canada. Should she tell Jonas? Would he remember anyway? There was so much to consider that her mind wrapped itself in complex thought, her grief for her friends and her concern for Jonas and the baby slowly overwhelming her, and finally she slipped into a restless sleep.

CHAPTER THREE

Jonas took the carton from Bishop and sucked up the warm orange juice through a clear plastic straw. The juice was so sweet that he couldn’t help but scrunch up his eyes as he drank. It had been a long time since he had tasted anything with such flavor. As it slid down his throat, he took a tentative step forward. The ground was only a foot beneath him, yet it looked like a mile away. He squeezed the last of the juice into his mouth and contemplated what lay ahead of him.

Since waking he had managed to get up, with a little help from Bishop, whilst Dakota continued to sleep. It was early, but Jonas was restless, and as sore as he was, he didn’t want to lie around feeling sorry for himself. Bishop wanted to wake Dakota so she could help him, but Jonas knew she was as exhausted as him, and wanted to let her sleep as long as he could. The peace also gave him a chance to get to talk to Bishop one on one, man to man. Quite what had happened yesterday was still a blur to Jonas. Most of the events had come back to him, and Dakota had filled in the blanks last night. He could remember being beaten by Javier, but between then and now all he could recall was a fleeting vision of Bishop astride a horse, and a brief conversation with Dakota last night. Evidently he had spent most of yesterday sleeping. His body ached all over, but he wasn’t about to start complaining. Jonas was lucky to be alive, and he knew it.

“You sure you don’t want me to get Dakota up for you?” Bishop looked on with concern as Jonas stared at the ground. He looked unsteady on his feet, and Bishop wasn’t sure if it was wise for him to be up on his feet this soon. Hamsikker’s left arm was still wrapped in bandages, and he should probably be resting.

“No,” said Jonas firmly. “Let her be for a while.” As Jonas planted his feet on terra firma he looked back up at Bishop, smiled, and raised his fist triumphantly. “See, nothing to it.”

Jonas looked at his new surroundings, and was happy to see no sign of the dead. It was an unusual home, but it clearly worked for Bishop. All around Jonas could see what he could only describe as a desert. The ground was hard and dusty, and a horse was tied up to a wooden fence. Some way off in the distance was the burnt out remnants of the town of Munroe, its buildings reduced to rubble, its roads and sidewalks charred and scarred. Bishop had assured him there was nobody present, alive or dead, and it felt like they were truly alone. The morning sky was a perfectly clear blue, and Jonas patted the side of the airplane.

“Sure is a big beast,” he said, impressed at just how large it was when he was standing so close to it. Jonas ran his hand along the smooth grey aluminum. Its flying days were over, and the landing gear was buried somewhere in the ground, but the plane was largely intact, and in good condition. It looked like it had landed on its belly, and Jonas was quite sure they were nowhere near an airport. It appeared as if the plane had come to rest in the middle of nowhere. “I’m guessing it’s a 747. How on Earth did you end up here?”

Bishop smiled. “I found it, simple as that. I was looking for a place to spend the night a few months back, and just as the stars were coming out I was getting ready to give up. I thought me and Black Jack would be spending the night out in the open again, which wasn’t the most reassuring of thoughts. So I looked around, and I saw the setting sun just bounce off this thing. I checked it out, and lucky for me it was empty.”

“No sign of anyone at all? No zombies strapped in their seats? Nothing?”

“No, sir, it was nice and quiet, just how I like it. I figure they ditched it here and everyone left. Don’t know whether they meant to or not, but I guess the folks on board weren’t sticking around. The hull’s intact, apart from a break in the mid-section, so it’s pretty secure at night. I can draw the shutters down so even at night I can light candles without worrying about being seen. No one much ventures out here, so I’m on my own by and large.”

Jonas scanned the horizon again. Bishop seemed to think they were clear of danger, but it still felt unreal, being able to stand out in the open and not having to watch out for zombies. “What about Lukas? How does he fit into all of this?”

Bishop came closer and dragged a couple of suitcases with him. He sat down, and Jonas sat down beside him. “Lukas won’t be with me forever. I found him a couple of weeks back on the fringe of Rockford. Such a shame what happened to that place. After the tornado of 2015 it had only just got back on its feet, and then this. The town suffered badly. There was a war there between the living and the dead, and nobody won. The whole area was decimated. The military, in their wisdom, decided to carpet bomb the whole area. Now there’s not so much as a blade of grass left.

“Lukas was in pretty poor shape. Poor kid had been through a lot. Getting out of Chicago took a lot out of him, and he lost a lot of friends. I’m just making sure he gets strong enough to carry on like you. I’m lucky enough to be able to be in a position to help, so why wouldn’t I? There’s enough shit going on without me adding to people’s problems.”

“What about family? You been out here all this time on your own?” asked Jonas.

Bishop scuffed his feet in the dirt as he answered. “Not at first. I had Annalise with me. She’s still with me, God bless, just not in the same way. We ran into some trouble. Some folks picked us up after the dead started coming out of Chicago, and we thought we were going to a safe house. They told me they could protect us. It was a small military group, about half a dozen of them, so we went along. I should’ve listened to my gut. Things were bad for a while there, but I managed to turn things around. Anyway, if I can help people on their way, then I do. When I saw you and your wife left like that, there was no way I was going to leave you too.”

“Thanks for that. It’s fair to say we were fooled too. Ran into some people we thought would help us, but turned out we were wrong.
I
was wrong. My naiveté let a lot of people down, got a lot of people killed. I can’t take that back, and to be honest, I’m not apologizing for it. I didn’t kill them myself. It has opened up my eyes though. I think I see now. I see it’s impossible to live with a group. This world just doesn’t allow it. There are too many people to watch, to think about; too many that need protecting. I should be concentrating on my own family. It’s easier to be alone. You don’t have to worry about anything or anyone. You’ve got it right, Bishop, just you and your horse, Black Jack. You’re better off that way.”

Bishop let out a small laugh. “I don’t know about that, friend. If you take that attitude, then what’s the point in going on? You want to spend the rest of your life alone, without friends, without support, or help, or someone to come home to? You need more than Dakota. When all this was just a bad dream, when you still had a job and a real life, did you lock yourself away with her? Did you close yourself off from the world, not interact? I’m sure you had more than just Dakota in your life. What about Janey? I heard you say something about her last night? You can’t shut yourself away from the world. By all means, have your guard up, but don’t try and convince yourself that everyone out there is an asshole.

“I don’t see this as the end of the world. Nothing of the sort. It’s just a reboot; a fresh start for those that are strong enough and brave enough to make it. You just have to be wiser. Don’t rush headlong into situations you can’t control. There ain’t no law and order anymore. No cops. No jury. Not even a pretty young thing in a miniskirt standing outside of Walmart waiting to ask my opinion about chocolate milk or the latest country we invaded. No sir, the end of times meant the end of our way of life. There’s good and bad to that. Mostly bad. Let’s be honest, as shitty as things were, they weren’t as bad as they are now. Once things changed, though, once I lost Annalise and I sorted my head out, I saw a hell of a lot of people around who, quite frankly, didn’t deserve to be. Got me to thinking that maybe someone should make a stand.”

Bishop cleared his throat before continuing. He had Jonas’s undivided attention. Black Jack was standing placidly by the fence, calmly looking around at the rising sun, and Bishop felt good. He was pleased Jonas was going to pull through. Getting through the night was important. He and Dakota seemed like good folk. They had gotten themselves into a messy situation though.

“I talk to Annalise quite a bit now, but the first time I truly listened to her was a good few months back now. I had a run in with a chap who I left to die. I could’ve helped him but I didn’t. I can’t do much for him now except listen when she tells me things, and make sure I do my best to help people get where they’re going. After my encounter with this man, I was looking for a new place to stay, and this young couple helped me. They took me into their home. Real nice it was; fortified, strong, and apparently safe. The husband had a basement full of canned food. Turns out they were preparing for world war three. Smart move. I was pretty beat up, so I didn’t ask too many questions, and they never questioned me. Pays not to be too nosy sometimes. The wife was the sweetest woman you ever met, real cute. She gave me such a good meal, that I never stopped to ask questions. I went with it. Couldn’t believe my luck. I guess, like you, I was naïve. So they cleaned me up, fed me, and let me get a good night’s sleep without asking for a cent in return. The next morning I woke and found they’d shot through. Disappeared. Funny, huh? So I took a look around their place and found they had an extension built out over the back yard, a sleep-out of some sort.

“They’d got three kids tied up back there. Shit. They were…well I had to put ‘em out of their misery. I couldn’t let ‘em come back, so I found a hammer in the basement, took it back upstairs, and smashed their brains in. I thought one might pull through, but she practically begged me to do it. She told me what her parents had done, both before and after the start of this whole undead thing. You’ve got to realize, there’s no way of fixing broken bones any more. The cuts on their bodies were infected, and…well, that young couple had been abusing them for weeks, I reckon. You would’ve thought looking at the photos in the house that they were a happy family, but I guess you never know what’s going on behind closed doors.

“I found a note on the front step when I left. ‘Dear Bishop,’ it said, ‘we decided to leave you in charge. Don’t try to follow us. We need a fresh start.’ Some crap like that anyway. Fresh meat was what I was thinking. I wouldn’t say I had an epiphany, but suddenly all the things Annalise had been whispering to me made sense. It was like an awakening. I had a choice. I could go back inside, see out the end of days down in that basement, with those three kids rotting away out back, or I could do something about it. Those parents didn’t have the right to call themselves that after what they’d done. So I tracked ‘em down.

“They hadn’t gotten more than a mile before they’d come across some zombies. They were hiding, poorly, in a house, hoping the zombies outside the front door would leave them alone. So, I did what the girl wanted me to do, and I paid Mom and Dad a little visit. It wasn’t hard getting past the dead. I just let them be and slipped around back. Once I got to the husband I broke his legs and threw him outside; I let the dead eat him alive. The woman, well, she should’ve known better. Pleaded with me for her life, but it was too late for that. She practically threw herself at me, started ripping off her clothes, saying she’d do anything I wanted, just as long as I let her live. How a woman could do what she’d done to her own kids I’ll never know. It seemed only fair to give her a taste of her own medicine, so I found a broom, snapped it up into pieces, and shoved into every hole she got. I made damn sure she felt it too. While she was balling, I had a look around the house. I knew I was going to need more than my own cunning to get out of that house and past those damn dead zombies. Whoever lived there had a collection of swords and knives, so I took the biggest one I could find. Then I had me a smoke, found a neat drop of whiskey to steel my nerves, and left her there. I opened the door as I left. Made sure she went the same way as her husband. I can hear her crying now.”

Bishop chuckled.

“She deserved everything she got, believe me. Shit. I don’t want you to think I’m some sort of sadistic fuck. I took
no
pleasure in what I did. But it was the right thing to do. Annalise agrees with me. I just gotta help people get where they’re going. Some go up, some go down; I just give ‘em a little push. Lukas is a good man, I could tell right away. I’m glad I was able to help him. Doing what I do, it takes it out of you. Those two deserved what they got, and don’t you think otherwise.

“Anyway, after that, I kept my eyes open. Just because the authorities are gone, doesn’t mean people should be allowed to get away with shit anymore. It was bad enough back then, what with the corruption, the violence, and those racist bastards giving us a bad name. After what went down with those kids and their parents, I didn’t feel much like being myself anymore. When I lost Annalise part of me died with her, and when I started to focus on what lay ahead, I realized it didn’t matter anymore. I can barely remember my real name anymore. Bishop just seemed to fit. Annalise likes it.”

Jonas noticed Bishop was grinning. It wasn’t the tale he told that made him happy, it was talking about his wife. Clearly Annalise was dead, and yet sometimes Bishop talked about her as if she was right there with him. Jonas didn’t doubt that everything Bishop told him was true, yet it was almost unbelievable. He had good intentions, but Jonas was a little nervous knowing that Bishop liked to dish out his own justice. What if Bishop decided they needed moving on too? What if Bishop didn’t appreciate the way he and Dakota lived their lives and decided to dispense his own sentence on them?