章 16: Revelations
"T-t-there is no scout team." Her voice is hesitant as she stutters to admit the truth.
"So, you've been messing with me to screw me over, or what?" I'm taken aback as I distance myself from the upset Jackie.
"It's not me…" She inhales deeply to hold back the tears, "I need help."
It turns out that leading her small group wasn't her idea at all. The older men that were with her in the apartment building had put her up to the task. The sudden revelation confuses me, 'Why now?'
"In the beginning... there were at least 30 of us, but things changed…" She cuts off her explanation and starts at the beginning of the outbreak, recollecting better times.
Initially, an organized group had survived the world's transformation, owing it all to the first leader. He was a former military officer that had access to weapons and the skills to keep everyone in line.
It was this officer, James, that established the separate groups and allowed them to fight back to reclaim the street.
"I started on a team with the men you've met. As long as James kept them in line, things weren't so bad. Until it was too late." Her head drops toward the floor as if she's lost her strength, "They're cowards!"
Jackie was resting after a supply gathering mission when the men screwed her over. A large number of people had arrived at the apartments in a makeshift convoy and were looking for people to join them. They had weapons and supplies, so it seemed like an obvious choice.
"James had given everyone a choice." Her hands ball up into fists as the memory returns, "Everyone except me."
Because Jackie was asleep in her apartment, James had left the duty of informing her to her "squad" leader, Mike. All he had to do was wake her, and she would have been able to join the convoy with the others, avoiding her current prison.
"The bastard never woke me up!" She raises her voice as her cheeks turn flush with anger, and her fist drives into a cereal box on the ground.
The more I listened to her circumstances, the more upset I became. My blood boiled at the thought of keeping someone from potential safety and what that could mean. She is young but not stupid; I know she sees it too.
"As soon as they left, it began." Jackie's body quivers at the thought of the old men.
"At first, I thought they were just being nice by appointing me the leader and including me. It felt like they were trying to make up for deciding to stay…" Tears begin to fall from the young lady's face, streaming toward the ground, "But their eyes…"
It started with leering and vague comments. Eventually, though, Jackie couldn't ignore what was happening. The men had separated her from her group, forced her into a role, and even dressed her to fit their mindset.
She doesn't know what direction everything is heading but is concerned for her safety. They even recommended killing me just because I was approaching the building. It feels possessive.
"It became obvious when they took my clothes," she says as she looks at the skirt she's wearing, "This is all I have…"
The three men did everything they could to set Jackie up to be their victim. They even went as far as destroying everything in her closet so that she would wear the camouflage uniform they provided.
Everything except her school uniforms.
I reach my hand out and lift her chin, raising her wet eyes to meet my gaze, "Don't worry. It's over."
Connecting the dots before me, I assume that Mike and company were trying to force this young woman into a corner. The thought of it disgusts me. What kind of creeps would risk their lives just to abuse someone?
They could have exited with the convoy, too!
I promise Jackie that we won't be returning to the apartments as I pull her into a hug to comfort her. We would continue gathering the supplies, but we wouldn't be returning to that building. As long as the creepy bastards remain afraid of entering the streets, she will be safe.
She holds nothing back as the floodgates open, and her crying intensifies.
As I hold the helpless Jackie, I can't help but compare her situation to Ali's. Both girls are in a rough spot and will suffer each cycle. 'I need to find a way to help them.'
The perks that I unlock between each cycle are supernatural powers. I will acquire the strength needed to save them both. I can do this.
My mind falls back on my apartment and whether I can bring her there. I need to save Elaine, but we would also need a safe place to spend the night. It is too dangerous to move in the dark.
'Did I clear the door?'
As I'm lost in thought, I feel a warm pair of lips press against my own.
"Thanks," She quickly breaks off the peck on the lips before I have a chance to return the kiss, "But… I don't think you ca—"
Her sentence is cut off by a sudden crash and intense scraping of metal outside the abandoned store. I immediately stand between Jackie and the unknown threat and retrieve my knife, gripping it in one hand while I wait to view our interruption.
'Should I go for it?' From the corner of my eye, I spot my bat propped against the entrance to the store. Setting it down to gather supplies may not have been my most brilliant moment.
"Alex? What do we do?" Shaking from fright, my companion places her hand on my shoulder, reminding me that I'm not fighting alone.
"You still have that handgun, right?" I'm hopeful that she didn't make the same mistake I did.
"O-of course! But…" The handgun appeared over my shoulder as her cracking voice confirmed our safety. She trusts me.
I reach my free hand toward the pistol as I crouch down and tuck my knife into my sock, my intense focus never leaving the storefront as a destroyed car flips into view. Whatever it is, it's huge.
'Maybe it won't notice us.' Remembering the limited range of the slug from earlier, I place my last hope in the presence of the monster being a mere coincidence.
The steps of the beast cause my heart to tremble as each one echoes through the silent stage. It takes all my strength to remain standing, knowing that crouching behind the shelves won't save me. At any second, the creature will be fully in view.
My mind shifts to the cold metal I feel in my hand, giving me strength. I raise the handgun into my vision and inspect the chamber quickly, still not glancing away from the front windows.
A giant leg enters my sight and causes me to freeze.
"That's twice the size of any I have seen," Jackie whispers into my ear, confirming that I wasn't wrong.
'It's like big daddy back in my apartment building…' It has been a while since I've struggled with the beast, but I'll never forget my first evolved fight.
This time would be different.
'As long as I can damage the head, we should survive.' I release the magazine on the handgun and confirm how many attempts I'll have in the upcoming battle.
My confidence drops.
Turning to the young lady behind me, I hold back my urge to raise my voice, "You only have one bullet?"
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