Love Bug (10 page)

-23-

The Reds stood atop the waterfall screaming with primal ferocity. Cora could count at least seven and
saw movement in the surrounding woods. They were closing in on her and Remmy.

“Cora, you ne
ed to listen to me,” Remmy said, his eyes wide and panicked. “We’re going to run, but if we have to fight, don’t let yourself get too angry. Keep breathing. Remember, in through your nose, out through your mouth. Think about the pine needle. Think about something calming. Don’t get angry, okay?” Fear of losing Cora was superseded by the fear of her becoming infected, becoming a Red.

“Okay. Okay,” Cora said quickly as she grabbed Remmy’s arm and began moving away from the stream. The truth was th
at Cora was barely listening to Remmy’s words and definitely was not thinking about the pine needle twirling gently on the currents. All she could think about was running, getting away from the Reds. Panic wound itself around her heart, shortening her breath and making her head swim. Cora’s vision began to narrow to a pinpoint.

“Breath
e!” Remmy shouted as he took the lead and pulled Cora along behind him. “Keep breathing! Just keep breathing!”

“I’m trying!” Cora gasped. “Can’t we just climb a tree?”

“No time,” Remmy wheezed. “They’d grab us before we got high enough. Just keep moving.”

The Reds were close behind. Ten of them spilled out of the woods and onto the narrow path. The
y moved as a pack. The Red in the lead, a large man holding a short axe, set the pace for the others. They were all smeared with dirt, hair hanging in large, tangled knots. Bright red paint streaked across their faces and bodies. At least, Cora hoped it was paint.

Remmy had screwed up, could feel it in his bones. How had he been so
careless with Cora? Why had he taken her somewhere that was so far from the camp and the watch? But Remmy knew why. He wanted to be alone with Cora, to have her to himself, away from Xander, away from the others. But this greed now threatened to end both their lives. Remmy would do whatever he had to keep Cora safe.

“Cora
, run for the camp!” Remmy shouted. “No matter what, don’t stop. Get to the camp!”

“What about you?” Cora panted as she pushed her legs to move faster and faster.

Remmy grunted something that sounded like ‘slow them down’ and skidded to a halt. Cora stumbled, realizing that Remmy had stopped. She turned to go back, but the look in Remmy’s eyes stopped her.

“GO!” Remmy yelled
as he grabbed a heavy rock from the ground. “Cora, go!”

Cora’s vision blurred as tears welled in her eyes
. She ran faster. Remmy was going to take on an entire pack of Reds with only a rock. He was going to die and it was all her fault. Why had she let him lead her so far from the safety of the camp? Why had she been so selfish?

“Help! Help!” Cora screamed even though her lungs felt like they would burst at any moment. “Reds! Help!” She prayed that someone would hear her.

Remmy steadied his legs and prepared to fight. Every fiber in his being screamed for him to run and get as far from the Reds as he could, but he had to buy Cora time, and he had to keep her safe, no matter what.

As the Reds closed in on
Remmy, he was shocked to find that his thoughts were not on living, dying, or even fighting. All he could think of was that stolen moment with Cora and that soft kiss, the feel of her lips gently brushing against his, the feel of her hair between his fingers. Cora was the last thing he would think of before he left this earth. Whatever was going to happen, Remmy was determined that Cora would be the last thing he would think about. He would die with love in his heart, not fear.

The lead Red raised his axe as he came close to Remmy, his eyes
narrowed and angry. Remmy could see strings of thick saliva strung between the Red’s yellowed, pointed teeth as he screamed.

Pointed teeth?
The thought flashed through his mind. No one had ever spoken about the Reds having fangs. Granted, Remmy had never cared to look, but he couldn’t help but feel something was missing from everyone’s understanding of the Reds.

Waiting a few more seconds, a few more heartbeats, Remmy pulled back and fired the stone directly into the face of the approaching Red. The rock collided with the Red’s nose with a hollow
thunk
, collapsing him to the ground. Remmy ran forward, shocking the other Reds and causing them to hesitate long enough for him to deliver a vicious kick to the face of the downed leader before grabbing his axe. Remmy raised the axe.

“Come on!” Remmy snarled. “Come on!”

The Reds slowly circled Remmy, their own weapons raised and ready.

Remmy swung the axe with all of his force at the nearest Red, but three more fell on him from the sides. Remmy vanished underneath the savage attack
s of the Reds.

-24-

Eldritch couldn’t feel happy, but he imagined that he might, given what he had just accomplished. Why waste time with messy elections and politics when he could simply seize control? The ERC Council had stood in his way for far too long and now they were gone. It really had been the Council’s own fault. Had they recognized his greatness, Eldritch never would have been forced to take control of the ERC in such a dramatic fashion. Then again, had the transition not been so theatrical, the citizens might not have fallen in line as beautifully as they had.

The days following
the televised downfall of the ERC Council had been tenuous, the citizenry uneasy and difficult to control. Once they saw Captain Ortiz and the his ERC Special Forces sweep through the streets, clearing the cities of both Reds and ‘Emos’, the citizens fell in line. After all, like all sheep, they wanted the security and routine provided by a strong shepherd. Eldritch was more than happy to step into this role and provide that much sought after sense of order.

The cities were bruised, some buildings destroyed, a few fires lit, and of
course, the countless dead, but these were just growing pains, nothing more really. Eldritch didn’t have time to think about these things. He was tasked with the far more important business of setting things right. And the first place to do that was in the ERC Council room.

Eldritch had the room scrubbed, removed all the archaic furniture and overpowering lights. He was going to govern as a citizen, in plain view, protected of course by Captain Ortiz and his men.

“Mr. Eldritch, sir?” Captain Ortiz asked as he entered the room. The tang of cordite and disinfectant still hung heavy in the air, but new furniture had already been moved in. Eldritch sat behind a large, highly polished oak desk, which sat directly in front of a large, semi-circular window. It was odd that Eldritch had never even known the window existed, having been hidden away behind heavy black curtains that covered the walls. Ortiz had cautioned against sitting near such a large window, Eldritch making himself an easy target, but Eldritch insisted. The window provided him with the ability to survey his city, and more importantly, for his citizens to see him, and remember that he was always present in their lives, always watching.

“Is this about the window again
, Captain?” Eldritch mumbled as he rifled through a stack of papers. “Because I thought that we had cleared all of that up with the installation of bullet proof glass? Or is there a problem with the Reds?” Eldritch would pretend to love his citizens, but he was a long way off from trusting them.

“No sir,” Ortiz responded. “
The window is acceptable now. We have reports of Reds moving on the outer edges of the cities, but they’ll be sanitized soon.”

“Then what is it
, Captain?” Eldritch’s Em-Pak chirped. He was growing impatient.

“There is still a small pocket of Council supporters holed up in one of the outer cities,” Ortiz answered. “They have a very visible position, so I think it would be prudent to try
to get them to surrender without a show of overwhelming force. A public execution might have some unwanted effects.”

“
Hmm, yes, I guess that would be best,” Eldritch nodded. His transition to power had been relatively smooth, but some small bands of people still stupidly clung to the old ways of doing things, insisting on the creation of a new Council. But their refusal to accept Eldritch’s authority would be their undoing as well. “No need for violence, Captain, at least not yet. Have we determined who this rebellious lot is composed of?”

“Some
sir,” Ortiz nodded. “We have them under surveillance. They don’t appear to be making any major plans, not really doing more than barricading themselves in a small ERC office.”

“Names
, Captain,” Eldritch grunted. He waved his hands impatiently.

“We have positively identified two people within the office,” Ortiz answered. “One is a low level assistant named Brian Christophe
r and the other is Assemblywoman Toni Marsh.”

“Marsh? Really?” Eldritch chuckled. “I didn’t think that woman had the sand to do something like this. Shame really, she could have been useful.” Eldritch moved to the computer atop his desk and began punching
keys. “Perhaps, she will still be able to contribute to the cause.”

“Anything further
, sir?” Ortiz asked.

“No, I think we’re good now
, Captain,” Eldritch said absently. “With Marsh and her aide’s Em-Paks turned off, they’ll take care of that little pocket of resistance for us. Just have your men on standby to clean it up.”

“Understood,” Ortiz grunted.

“Oh, and Captain,” Eldritch looked up from his computer, “one more thing.”

“Yes, sir?” Ortiz stopped at the door.

“No survivors,” Eldritch stated coldly.

“Understood, sir,” Ortiz saluted and left the office.

-25-

Cora led the others from the camp back towards where she and Remmy had been ambushed. Xander meandered down the trail beside her, not out of a sense of concern, but more out of boredom.

“This is what happens,” Xander mumbled as he walked next to Cora. “I could have told you that this would happen. Nothing good is going to come from being outside the city walls.”

Cora turned a fiery glare on her brother. “Are you serious? Right now, Xander? Of all times to be a jerk?” Cora snapped. “Remmy saved my life and all you can say is
I told you so
? Why the hell are you even here if you care so little?”

“What else am I supposed to do?” Xander shrugged. “I can’t sit in that smelly tent all damn day. Looking for your little boyfriend at least gives me something to do for
a while.”

“Just go away,” Cora barked. “I don’t need your help. Remmy doesn’t need your help.”

“Whatever,” Xander said flatly. He turned off the trail and began walking through the woods. “Remmy doesn’t need anyone’s help…because he’s probably dead.”

Cora ignored her brother’s words. She was out here to find Remmy, not fight with Xander.

“Should we follow him?” one of the camp guards asked.

“No,” Cora shook her head
, “Xander is a lot of talk, but he’s not stupid and won’t go too far. He’s got no idea how to survive out here alone and has no idea where he is.”

“Okay,”
the guard said with more than a little concern. “Even so, maybe we shouldn’t let him get too far out of sight.”

“Good idea,” Cora responded. “I just don’t want someone who should be looking for Remmy to be wasting time babysitting my bratty little brother.”

The rest of the walk was done in silence, everyone listening for Remmy, Reds, or both. The woods were silent, expect for their usual noises. How could birds sing at a time like this, Cora wondered? How could their songs sound so happy when things were so wrong? Hadn’t the world noticed that Remmy was missing? These questions and countless others whipped through Cora’s insides like shards of glass caught in a windstorm. By the time she arrived at the spot, Remmy had made his stand. Cora felt as if her insides were little more than a tattered tangle of ribbon, the pieces of herself, only recently fit together, now frayed and torn apart.

A large dark spot covered the ground. Numerous sets of foot
prints circled the area. A rock, smeared with clotted blood sat discarded near the tangled bramble that edged the small clearing.

“Looks like the kid put up one hell of a fight,” one of the other Emos said to Remmy’s father. “I’m sorry.”

Remmy’s father tried to say something, anything, but the words, fragile and only partially formed broke apart and lodged themselves in his throat. A wet choking sound was all he seemed capable of producing. Remmy’s father fell to his knees, his head on the ground and shoulders heaving as he sobbed.

Cora knelt down and touched the stain. The ground was still wet. She looked at her fingers, red and gritty. Was this the last memory she would have of Remmy? How could
fate be so cruel to allow the memory of Remmy’s kiss to be followed by something so terrible? How was this fair?

Three men helped Remmy’s father from the ground and promised to keep looking for his boy, but right
now, they thought it was best if he went back to the camp. They would stay out here all night if they needed to. Remmy’s father nodded. As she walked past, the bloodshot eyes of Remmy’s father momentarily met Cora’s. His eyes were ringed in red and shot with veins. He suddenly looked frail, as if a sudden breeze might carry him away.

“I’m sorry,” Cora said in little more than a whisper. She waited for Remmy’s father to yell
, blame her, and tell her that his son never would have been out here if not for her. This was her fault. She had killed Remmy. Cora waited but it never came.

“Don’t,” Remmy’s father’s voice cracked. Cora was unsure if he meant don’t even try to apologize or don’t even speak to him, but he continued. “Don’t blame yourself
, Cora.”

“But I…” Cora’s words pained her and refused to be spoken. “If I hadn’t…” Tears began to stream down her cheeks.

Remmy’s father pulled Cora into a hug. She tensed, unsure of what this meant, but relaxed as the man began to sob. “My son loved you. I could see that. Thank you for giving him that gift. Thank you, Cora.”

“Remmy loved me?” Cora asked, her words trembling and voice cracking. In that moment
, Cora realized that what she had felt near Remmy, holding his hand, kissing him, must have been love. That strange and terrifying, but completely addictive and wonderful rush of emotions was love. Remmy loved her. She loved him. Now, she would never be able to tell him.

Cora and Remmy’s father walked
back to the camp in silence.