Chapter 18: The Darkest Shade of Black

We all stared blankly at each other, wondering as to what had awoken us. In the still of the night, something had begun banging on one of the tower's support legs. We waited, hoping that the sound would just go away, but the metal reverberations quickly became a disconcerting annoyance. Ben was the first to investigate, creeping stealthily towards the railing. He flattened himself and slowly peeked out below. All sound became hushed, and with every minute second that began passing, the tension grew exponentially.

Charlie: "What is it?..."
Ben turned his head, but remained stationary in his prone position.
Ben: "........One of em's down there...it's just...slapping on the steel..."

Sarah arose and picked up her bow along with a single arrow. Curious, we all began slowly approaching the outer railway. I sent my attention towards the ground far below, and there it was welcomed by a sickening sight; A bloody mess leaned against the steel leg, its head drooping down as it rested upon its shoulder. It certainly looked like one of "them"; a boy, no more than seventeen, with gashes all over his face and chest. The blood trickling down his ravaged face was disguised by the moonlit sky, its color morphed into the darkest shade of black.

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Charlie: "It's just a kid..."

Sarah bent to a knee, and cocked her shot. Her breathing became rhythmical as she steadied her hands...one shot was all she was looking for...........

Nicole: "Wait!.............Listen..."

Sarah released her grip, and we all honed in on the weak, pitiful yelping coming from the figure beneath us.

???: "....................hhhhhelp......me....................heh....help.............me........"

Sarah: "My god..."
Ben: "...Shoot him, Sarah."
She looks at him, confused.
Sarah: "What?...Are you mad? He's alive!"
Charlie: "Psh yeah barely... look at him..."
Sarah: "We....we've got to help him."
Ben: "Sarah, do the kid a favor, shoot him."
Sarah: "I can't BEN, he's not...fucking...dead!"
Charlie: "Still... look at him, all we have are first aid kits...he needs a hospital..."

The boy's pleading voice interjects their bickering.

???: "...please....hhhelp...."

I look around at their faces, and come to the conclusion that action must be taken upon soon, otherwise the majority will vote on condemning this poor kid to the cruelties that surround him. Time, logic, and the need to survive dissolves all notions of humanism.

Peter: "...I'll go down and check on him myself. Sarah, you can cover me from up here."
Ben: "No, this shouldn't even be..."
Sarah: "Ok." She, interrupted.
Ben: *sigh* "...fine...but, if things get fucked, its on you two, you understand?"
Sarah: "Completely."


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I took the rope in hand and slowly descended. "What are you doing again?" I asked myself, quickly finding my courage and brushing the self-doubt aside.

Trey: "Damn...this is stupid..."
Charlie: "Careful, man."

I jump to the ground, and cautiously approach the boy. As I get closer, his injuries become more and more heinous looking. The wounds have a distinct "cleanliness" to them; they aren't sporadic marks, but smooth, painful lines running over his skin...you could almost say that they looked identical to injuries that a well-kept knife would make...

Peter: "Heyyy there bud...I...I'm here to help you."
He doesn't answer me...he just stares at me with a look of sadness. He is so weak, he can barely keep his eyelids open, a trait indicative of serious blood loss. A loud thud behind me forces me to turn around; Trey had climbed down, he too wanted to see what the fuss was about. He walks closer, shaking his head in disbelief, shocked and appalled by the severity of the boy's wounds.
Trey: "There's a stretcher in the Humvee; we can hoist him up...maybe Sarah can address those wounds."


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Trey carries the boy over to a floater and sets him down gently. His groans of excruciation validate the futility of Trey's gentleness. Ben sat far in the corner, eying the kid with concern. Sarah, Trey, and I crowd about the boy, accessing what little, if anything, we could do to help ease his suffering. Sarah begins softly padding the blood off of his face.

Sarah: "What in god's name happened to you?"
???: "They..took her..."
Sarah: "...What?... who took who, sweety?"
???: "Four men.......they came.......they...they did this....to me...they have my big sister...they have Carla...."

His words confuse us at first, but we soon come to the realization that the perpetrators of this savagery were not zombies, but vile men. Ben begins to stir, intrigued by the disturbing revelation.

Ben: "What men?"
???: "...Quail Lakes...Quail...Lakes Ranch....please, help her.....please...."

Suddenly, he begins convulsing, his body twitching violently every which way.

Peter: "Hey!...Hey, c'mon now!! Stay with me!!!...Hey, kid!!!!"

He stopped convulsing, and a long silence followed shortly after; it took me awhile to accept that it wasn't because I willed him to; the boy had died.

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I readied my things and began for the rope ladder.

Ben: "What do you think you're doing?"

I didn't know how to answer him; I had no answer for what I was doing, or what I was about to do. The only answer I had at that moment was for the question of where I was headed...I gave him that answer in reply.

Peter: "Quail Lakes."