Black Out

My eyes pop open from a nightmare and I can feel the stick of sweat upon the back of my neck, and limbs. Grazers grip loosens and he turns over still sound asleep. I put on my boots and step out of our tent and take a breath of fresh air. The sun has just kissed the horizon so I assume its dawn. Everyone is still sound asleep and the peaceful snores adorn me. I reach back in the tent to grab a sweater and my gun and set out to search for fire wood. I love the smell of the morning forest, the dew on the trees and grass is still fresh, and I almost wonder if there is a heaven does it smell as fresh as this. I trek along an imaginary path that I’ve created to keep myself from getting lost; I’ve gotten better at this whole tracking in the woods thing. Up ahead I see a squirrel trying to crack an acorn he just found. I pick up a stick and try to call him near me but suddenly as if I can hear the wind of the arrow that’s whipping past my head and into the squirrels heart, the squirrel falls dead in front of my eyes.
“Ready for breakfast?” David says as he brushes past me to retrieve his arrow and the squirrel.
“You could’ve warned me.” I said rolling my eyes chucking the stick.
“Sucker would’ve run off. I figured you’d move.” He says so nonchalantly as he picks up the squirrel, slices his stomach, and guts him. “Why you up so early anyhow?”
“I was looking for fire wood.”
“Don’t look like you was doing much looking to me.” He says looking at my empty hands. I smacked my lips and continued to walk off deeper in the forest, but David’s hand grabbing mine stopped me. He pours water on his hands and accesses the wound on my forehead from last night’s events. He rubs is fingers up my cheek and to my temple so delicately. “We can go find medication for the pain… and the night mares.” I flinched away from a hard press of his fingers and then resettled back into his hold.
“How did you know I was having nightmares?” I asked.
“I can hear you at night, twisting and turning. Sometimes I see you get up and walk around.” His eyes lock into mine for a split second and then he suddenly backs away from me as the arrival of Grazers’ footsteps come into hearing range. Grazer, with his long elegant stride appears from the trees, armed with his gun and knife. His blonde faint beard is glistening in morning sun, along with his deep blue eyes.
“Hey, I was looking for you guys.” A smile appears on my face as a smile disappears on David’s.
“Yea, this one almost let breakfast get away.” David says pointing at me and retrieving his bow and arrow of the floor. “Well I’m gonna go prepare this thing.” And David walks off back to camp.
“Hey,” Grazer grabs me in his arms and kisses my forehead, the part without the bruise. “I woke up and you were gone.” He says lifting my chin to look at my cut.
“I went out for fire wood.” Annoyed that I had to repeat a story that no one believed to begin with. Grazer smiles at my frustration and kisses my lips gently at first then more intensely.
“One day at a time, right?” He says, sighing heavily. I place my head on his chest and for a moment I felt safe, as if no one could hurt me. “We have to go, address the group, talk about yesterday.” He whispers into my hair softly.
“Can’t we just stay here forever?” I groaned loudly, tightening my grip around him. He laughed gently and kissed my head once more.
“I wish.” He says as he pulls away from me, grabs my hand, and leads me back to the group.
Most of the group was awake when we came back. Esmeralda tending to the children, David finishing the preparation of the squirrel, Carlos cleaning the barrels of the guns, Joanne and Glen are gathering and counting our supplies, and Harold still sleeps in the tent exhausted from the day before. As we walked up the groups attention turned to us. David stuck a large stick through the squirrel and stuck it over the fire and silence fell upon the group.
“Alright everybody listen up.” Says Grazer. “Last night was scary this I know, but there are a lot of things worse than a couple of hungry dogs. Luckily the wounds on Rosanna and Harold are not that serious, but now we see we have to be more careful.” I stand next to Grazer as he addresses the group and even his stance speaks leader. His tall long legs are strong, his back is straight, he never slouches, his head his high, his shoulders pulled back. The group looks upon him in admiration, and in respect. Their eyes fall on me as he says my name and they look at me in the same way. I grabbed Grazer’s hand because I couldn’t handle the pressure of everyone’s eyes.
“I apologize for putting everyone in danger. I shouldn’t have gone in that house, I wasn’t prepared for the dogs. Harold’s blood is on my hands.” I say my head lifted high so they knew I was sincere. Grazer looks down at me confused and pulls me closer to him, he hadn’t realize the depth of my despair.
“We’re just glad you’re okay.” Says Joanne with an added smile, “We had enough materials to clean and bandage Harold’s bite, but he’s going to need antibiotics for the next couple of weeks to avoid infection.” Continues Joanne, she digs around her medical bag, she used to be a nurse.
“Okay, I’ll go to the pharmacy before we head out today, grab everything I can.” States Grazer.
“I’ll come too.” Says David.
“Yea, Me too.” I say. I can feel Grazer staring down at me, but I don’t look up in fear of seeing the look in his eyes.
“Okay,” He continues “We leave at noon, everything should be packed up before then. David?” He waits for David to pry his angry eyes off me. “We’ll leave for town in a couple of hours.” Grazer storms off to start loading the car and detaches himself away from me. I go to say good morning to Esmeralda trying to translate what just happened to best of my high school Spanish class ability. I kissed Marlow, Charlie, and Darren on the forehead before I left to tend to Grazer.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” Says David as he storms up to me, I kept walking towards grazer.
“Not right now David, I already know what you’re gonna say.” He grabbed my arm but I snatched away quickly and walked faster. I slowed and continued cautiously to the car that Grazer was standing at with the hood up. He was banging around something and completely ignored my presence. I walked around him and wrapped my arms around his back. He stopped his working and sighed heavy. I kissed his back, shoulder blades, arms, and watched every muscle relax and tense again. His chest moved in out from deep and heavy breathing and I moved with him. He grabs my hands, squeezes them tight and pulls me around to where his front is facing mine. He cuffs his hands around my face and kisses it gently.
“I can’t lose you.” He whispers. I grab his hands and kiss them, staring into his eyes.
“You won’t.” He fastens his grip around my waist and pulls me to him.
“I just want to protect you.” He says. I wait a couple seconds before I respond.
“You can’t.” I whisper. He sighs heavily again, and ruffles his hair with his hands again; his signature move. He looks me in my eyes and once more, a pleading stare.
“Okay.” He says. He closes the hood and calls David over. “You ready?” He asks David. David flashes an angry stare at me then back to Grazer.
“You’re not seriously going to let her come are you?”
“It’s none of your business David.” I hissed at him.
“The group is my business, in which you keep putting in danger!”
“David!” yells Grazer. “That’s enough.” I stood there appalled. David prepared to speak again but didn’t. He hopped in the back of the pickup and waited. Grazer turned to me preparing to speak, I threw up my hand and walked to passenger door, got in, and waited.
* * * * * * *
I hate seeing the Apple logo everywhere I step; everywhere we go as if it’s a reminder of how stupid we all were. It sounded like a good idea. First it was buy Apples’ products; Phones, T.V.’s, Stoves, Refrigerators, electric heaters, electric showers, game consoles, cars, washer and dryers. Then it was buy their bundle programs, Phone, internet, and Cable, or All Electric appliances for one good price. All the big companies were doing it, fast food restaurants, grocery stores, little apple logos on the cash registers, security systems. After it was vote prop 156 and Apple would control and invent a whole new automated security system, automated weapons, for the whole country. Next thing you know that Apple logo was posted on the side of the pentagon, in the white house, on important government buildings. Apple had controlled 85% of the world’s electricity, electronic devices, automated security systems, and automated weapons. “How could anything go wrong?” we all asked. Taxes were being raise so that this exact thing wouldn’t happen, a black out was inevitable in Apples eyes, in the public’s eyes, and in the governments eyes, until it happened. And then there was nothing, no message on the T.V., static on the radio, no phone calls, no anything. Even the newspapers came to a holt, its as if the government just gave up and disappeared. Rumors began to spread that the US Army was defenseless against its attackers, Every defense Mechanism built was under Apple control.
We were the first to experience the blackout but definitely not the last. It was Canada, Mexico, most of South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and all the rest. Food began to spoil, non-perishables were scarce, most couldn’t shower, couldn’t cook, people began to move into homes that stuck with the original gas stove and water heater, but still no T.V.’s, no phones, no internet, and no radios. Satellites were ran by apple, phone lines were ran by apple, all the other major companies fell and closed down. For the most part people remained positive, optimistic about everything. But there were those who started going crazy, and took others down with them. Then there were rumors of “Looters” Groups of people with weapons and torches raiding people’s homes at night, murdering innocent people, and children, and after livestock perished looters turned cannibals. Police were useless, the weapons were dead, so in a world with no laws all civility and humanity was lost. They attacked my home and I was forced to hide, and watch my family die. Looters were the new authority of the land, and there was nothing we could do about it, but hide.
“Rose…” Grazer whispered softly as he shook me gently, my eyes fluttered open to blur of passing trees and abandoned houses.
“Where are we?” I asked, sitting up straight in the pickup.
“Close to the Washington.” He says.
“Why haven’t we stopped yet?” I asked noticing it was almost sunset. Grazer shifted in his seat uncomfortably.
“…I don’t know where to stop” He said after a few seconds. “There’s red marks everywhere. The looters are here.” He said, fear in his eyes. We both knew we couldn’t stay out for much longer, the sun would set and the looters would be alive and well, hunting. “We drove through a few towns but you could almost smell the stench of them. There was no way we could…”
“It’s okay.” I said trying to reassure him that it wasn’t his fault. “What if we pulled off on the side of the road, drove deep in the woods… slept in the cars.”
“We could but that risks everything. We’d have to pull off somewhere with very little marks. Somewhere they wouldn’t go.” He says eyes on the sun. I pulled out the map and saw a creek a few miles away.
“Here.” I pointed. “Looters usually stay close in townm far from bodies of water.”
We pulled up to the creek after 30 minutes just in time to get off the main road. We parked the cars behind a thick of trees and bushes and decided to hike up a hill to get as far as away from the main road as much as possible. We found a bald patch free of trees at the top of the hill and figured it would have to be good enough. I helped everyone set up their tents. Esmerelda fed the kids and made sure they were tucked in their sleeping bags tight. I admired their strength through all this, they never once complained about sleeping outside in the cold. They called it “Camping Trips”, Marlow would even say that the outside was our home, and the stars were the lights. Glenn shuffled around helping out with tents trying to be as much use as possible, especially with Harold out of commission for a while. Joanne sat on a log trying to organize all of her medical supplies, and Grazer stood in what little moon light we had looking at the map, probably organizing the plan for tomorrow.
“He’s something else ain’t he?” Says David sneaking up behind me, placing himself on a nearby rock. “Some might even say heroic…My brothers always been the better half.” I stalk over to the rock and take a seat next to him.
“There’s no ‘better half’ Dave, There’s you and there’s him, two different people both with good sides and bad sides.” I say taking a piece of the orange he had just got done peeling.
“You know even when we were younger he’d always get the girl. Sure we both had the looks, and I had the whole bad boy thing going on, but all he had to do was flash that shy smile and the girls would swoon.” He said laughing. “Even stole one or two of my girls.”
“Yea, well I’m sure you stole plenty of his too. Girls always go for the bad boy type” I said.
“Not you.” He said this time turning to look at me.
“I’m a different type of girl.”
“You got that right.”
“David…stop.” I said lowering my voice. “Why do you keep doing this to yourself?”
“Doing what huh? Oh I get it you can’t handle my feelings for you when it’s in your face, but your fine with it as long as it closed up in bottle inside right?” He said obviously getting more irritated.
“David, I am in a relationship with your brother. What do you want from me?” I said keeping my voice low.
“Yea I know. Can’t wait to be at your wedding in this shit hole of a world we got going on. Where’s it gonna be Holiday Inn? You want me to be your best man, or ring bearer?” He grumbled getting up and walking away, but he stopped just enough to hurt me. “I get it Rose, I get why you love him, but don’t sit here as if you’re oblivious to my feelings for you, as if you don’t care about me, and as if your life being in danger doesn’t affect me!” He said his voice still low but more stern.
“That’s what this is all about, the shit with the dogs?” I said. “I’m sorry David, I’m sorry that you and your feelings weren’t my first concern when we needed food, and water to survive!”
“You could’ve been killed!” He said this time his voice as clear as day. Grazer snapped out of focus and now laid his eyes on David and I. “You could’ve been killed,” He said his voice back low and husky “And that’s all that mattered to me.” He stormed off and over the hill.
“David!” I yelled out but no one responded. I chucked a few small rocks sitting beside me and ran my fingers through my hair.
“What was that all about?” Said Grazer, scaring me as he placed his hand on my shoulder.
“That is David being David. Only thinking about himself.” I said. Grazer sat down next to me and cradled me in his arms. “You got a good plan for tomorrow?” I said desperate to change the subject. He sighed heavily into my neck his beard tickling my chin. He laid a smooth kiss on my jaw then down to my neck again.
“I got a plan… don’t know if it’s any good.” He said lifting his head.
“You always figure out a way, I’m sure it’s perfect.” I said turning into his chest and letting his warmth surround me.
“You’re perfect.” He said kissing my shoulder, laying kisses up and down my arm, on my neck, to my cheek.
“Don’t you start” I said pleadingly, knowing what his mind was leading too.
“I know.” He said I could feel the grin on his face as he laid more soft kisses on me.
“They’ll see, and they’ll hear.” I spoke silently.
“I know... I didn’t do anything.” I lifted my body to cradle him with my legs and laid my head on his shoulders. His hands slid up and down my legs, cuffed my behind, and pulled my legs tighter and closer around him. My legs were straddled around his waist and face to face we stared into one another’s eyes. He trailed kisses from my lips, to my neck, to my chest. My back arched and I threw my head back but I pushed him away before it went any further. I nibbled on his bottom lip, his hands explored the body underneath my shirt, and before we could go further I saw the light of a torch out of the corner of my eye. I stopped Grazer immediately and pointed to the light not so far off in the corner, and what seemed like one light, appeared 10 more, and multiplied after that.
“It’s the looters.” Grazer and I stood up and told the group to settle down and be quiet.
“Stay low, no sudden movements.” Whispered Grazer.
“Where the hell is David?” I said a little panicked. Looters had never gotten this close, I wondered if they had spotted us.
“He’ll see the lights and he’ll turn around.” He stopped for a second. “Nothing irrational Rose.” He said glaring me in the eyes. Glen crawled beside Grazer and I asking where David was. Grazer and I just stayed silent our eyes on the looters, our ears to the wind. Joanne, Esme, and even Harold prepared armory and weapons for an attack, the kids stayed asleep. There was no since in waking them if the Looters hadn’t even seen us.
“What do we do?” Asked Joanne, her sandy blonde hair was pulled back into ponytail and she had her medical bag strapped around her shoulder.
“We wait… and pray this isn’t one of their hangout spots.” Said Grazer his eyes still on the group of Looters walking our way.
“Should I wake the kids?” Asked Esmerelda whose shotgun looked odd in her hands. Esme the mother of our group would fight to the death to protect the kids.
“No. I don’t want to wake them till we know for sure.” I told her. We waited and waited for minutes that felt like hours. Watched the group move closer and closer to us but we couldn’t know for sure until they were closer. The silence was unbearable, waiting for any sound to indicate we were in danger and then suddenly the yell of David was heard from afar. We all hopped up trying to figure out where the sound had came from, but it was too late. The ball of light immediately switched directions towards the yell. I grabbed my shotgun and headed towards the noise, but I was stopped by Grazer almost immediately.
“No.” Grazer said eyes intense.
“No? That is your brother! Why aren’t you running with me?” I said appalled.
“You can’t just go running into the dark like your robin hood! We have to think.” Grazer yelled through closed teeth, and then there it was again, a sound so odd it didn’t sound like David. “It might not be him.”
“Who else is it, huh? Casper the friendly ghost?” I tried to storm off but Grazer grabbed my arm again, this time tighter.
“No.” Said Grazer his eyes piercing into mine. “We wait.”
“You better hope you’re not wrong.” I said removing myself from his grasp and staring at the Looters now going to the right of us.
“They’ll miss us.” Said Glen.
“They could have David.” Said Joanne, panic in her voice.
“If they had him they would turn around and go back home.” Said Grazer trying to reassure the group.
“Not necessarily.” I said. Grazer sighed and rolled his eyes.
“If he hasn’t come back by morning… We’ll go and look for him.” Stated Grazer.
“Morning? He could be dead by morning!” I said to Grazer my voice in a low whisper.
“What do you want to do huh? Go down there and face a village of looters in the night? They’re weaker when the sun is up and you know this.” Grazer and I stormed off in unison. We all sat low on rocks watching the looters and their lights fade away slowly as the night went on. No one really slept except the kids and Harold. We all watched as the moon passed and the sun started to rise, saying nothing.
“Ya’ll up awfully early.” Came David’s voice from behind us with two freshly dead squirrels in his hand.
“You’re alive!” yelped Esme putting down her shotgun and throwing her arms around David, Grazer and I looked at one another and let out a long sigh. I was ashamed at the way I reacted.
“I miss something?” Said David confused about the amount of attention he was getting.
“Looters…about 8-10 miles away, headed our way last night. You didn’t see him?” Asked Grazer.
“No, afraid not. The hill must’ve blocked them.” Said David dropping the squirrels on the ground, appearing ashamed that he wasn’t here to help protect us.
“Yea, well, we uh heard someone scream… sounded like you. Scared us all to pieces.” Said Grazer is voice husky and low.
“Jesus… ya’ll I’m… I’m real sorry. Just needed a walk you know, time to myself.”
“Yea well you doing that puts all of us in danger David.” Said Grazer.
“It doesn’t matter…” I said walking up to Grazer placing my around him. “We’re just happy you’re okay.” I gave David a reassuring smile. “We leave in an hour. We should get as far away from here as possible.