The Watcher

She watched through the binoculars as she had for years, but this time it was different. This time she didn’t think they were going to make it. They had been caught by Riley's men and this was bad. She knew Riley’s men all too well. They were not interested in helping, in negotiation or even survival. It was all about power and domination. Kill or be killed, take, steal, rape without mercy. It wasn’t about the Drones, whose only mission in their forsaken undead lives was to eat the living. It was about the worst of humanity. Riley and his men epitomized the worst of the worst, nothing was taboo. There were no rules except listen to Riley, his word was as God’s and his men treated him so.

In a world without compassion, without family, without government and law, Riley and his men flourished, exploiting the situation for their own purpose. And now some of those she had watched and held so close to her heart were caught. She didn’t even really know why she watched. For her own self-preservation she had isolated herself from the real danger, people, but for some reason she felt a connection to this group. So she followed them and she watched.

That connection is what pulled at her now, should she help or stay put? They had proven over the years they were very capable of protecting themselves, but this seemed different. Not that she had not helped in her own way, ever so subtly, never letting her presence be known. On occasion she had taken out some Drones who headed toward their camp, other times she had left some water to be found. They had lost some of their people along the way and she had lost track of them a few times, but she always managed to find her way back to them, her secret family. The one she kept at a safe distance to protect herself, because you could never truly trust anyone in this world; but close enough that she felt a human connection of sorts.

There had been a few close calls, especially with the Hunter who had sensed her presence while in the woods, but she always managed to sneak away undetected. In her world she had created a life with this family, created stories, had given them all names and that was her existence. She never had gotten close enough to get their real names, except for Glenn. She knew his. She had met him in the woods with Shane, the day Riley took her back. Shane let him take her. He chose his group over her. Glenn was quiet. He was just a kid back then, but she still felt the pain she could only describe as betrayal, while at the same time she could not blame them. They had just met her; why should they help her. They tried, but in the end they made a choice.

She was too far away to hear what was being said, but she could see that Roger, Riley’s right hand man was tautening them. Only four family members were there, none of the women thank god. She had followed the four of them from their safe home into the woods, which she knew was odd right away. It was out of character as they normally left their refuge in vehicles, on roads to gather supplies or some other sort of “mission”, except for the Hunter who was prone to outings by himself. This time it was different, they moved on foot and headed deep into the woods where they had not gone before. Something had drawn them there, but she did not know what.

Roger had separated the Hunter to one side and the Leader, Glenn and Big Red were all in a row on the other side. Roger paced between them, waving his arms animatedly as he talked. He had bound their hands behind their backs and they were all kneeling on the ground. They had been caught unprepared. She knew the situation was bad. She had not been this scared for them since Terminus. They were lucky to make it out of there alive. She had helped. She had planned on helping more and was making her way to break them out, not exactly knowing how, when an explosion sent Drones flying in all directions, knocking down the fence and allowing them access. As far as she was concerned it was a miracle. She entered Terminus and fought her way through Drones and people, blood splattering and bodies everywhere. Then she saw them, running, shooting, killing, making their way to the fence. They had gotten out. Her family was still alive and surviving. She continued shooting those who tried to stop them, unseen in the chaos. She had helped, again, invisible, safe, and free to continue watching.

Now she was faced with a similar situation and she knew it was precarious. She knew they would all see her. Riley’s men would recognize her and she would again be hunted unmercifully and her family would see her. They would not know who she was, but it would be known that someone had helped.

Roger was becoming more animated and agitated. His movements became more exaggerated with each word he expelled with ferocious testimony. The Leader tried to move to stand up and Johnson, an ever so geeky, skinny individual with missing teeth and a big nose used his rifle butt to smack the Leader’s head, forcing him back down. The Leader fell forward, his face brushing the dirt of the forest floor. The Hunter lunged to help and was held back by another of Riley’s men in a choke hold. She didn’t know the man who held the Hunter and assumed he was new to the group. Her family was outnumbered by ten. Their weapons had been taken from them. There was no negotiating with these men, no reasoning, no logic that would save her family. She had to try.

She lifted her guns, two nine mils, from their holsters and held one in each hand. Guns were not the usual choice because the noise attracted the Drones, but in this case she wanted them to come. The more Drones that came the more of Riley’s men were distracted with killing them rather than her family. She ran quickly through the brush, navigating gracefully through the trees and fallen branches. It was a long way to go, but she moved quickly, jumping athletically over ground obstacles in her path. As she got closer she fired, both guns, several times into the air. The noise echoed through the forest like a fire cracker. She could not see Riley’s men, or her family anymore as she had lost her vantage point, but she knew they heard it. Roger would send some of the men into the woods to check out the noise and she slowed her run to a cautious pace, listening carefully for footsteps. She could tell a Drone from a person by the noise they made. A Drone moved with a shuffle, a slow repeated pattern with no attempt at concealment or quietness. Humans moved with purpose, a calculated awareness of their surroundings framed in cautious ever changing steps. There was no shuffle.

She stopped and could hear a set of purposeful steps coming closer. There was an attempt at being quiet, but the person was not successful. She stood perfectly still. It was late afternoon and the sun had begun its slow decent, casting shadows that provided cover allowing her to blend in with the brush.

She could see him now, he was looking to the west and pointing. There was another man in that direction nodding, possibly Johnson, walking parallel to the man closest to her. She allowed him to move ever so close. She never moved, barley breathing and then just as his eyes allowed him to focus on the shadows, she fired. The surprise was evident in his face just before the bullet hit him in the head and he fell to the ground. Just as quickly she turned her attention to Johnson. He had lifted his riffle to fire and as he pulled the trigger she jumped, rolled to the ground, and from a laying position fired her guns, one shot hitting him square in the chest the other in the leg. He fell with a loud scream and lay moaning on the ground. She got up and walked over to Johnson and as he saw her recognition filled his eyes.

“Katie?” was all he said before she fired another shot, straight into his head. She showed no mercy, had no thought, no remorse. It was just the way the world was now.

Katie’s attention was caught by the commotion coming from not so far away. Her family and Riley’s men were fighting. She ran towards the noise pulling the canister out of her bag. As she approached she could see the Drones coming from the other direction. Katie had to move quickly. She pulled the tab from the canister and lobbed it into the mealy of men fighting for their survival. It was tear gas and it would impede all involved, but the smoke would also offer good cover to run away. Katie stopped and covered her face and nose with a scarf. There was not much she could do about her eyes, but it was better than nothing. She ran into the fray, shooting at Riley’s men as she saw them.

Then she saw him, the Leader on his feet, coughing, but fighting the best he could, using his whole body to charge at a rather large man with a pony tail, whose gun tumbled from his hands as he fell to the ground, the Leader falling on top of him. Katie ran toward them and as the pony tail man began chocking the Leader she fired her gun into the side of his head, showering the Leader’s face with blood and brain matter. She pulled her knife from her boot sleeve and cut the ropes binding the Leader’s hands. He looked at her bewildered and she handed him her knife.

“Go” Katie screamed. There was no time to discuss. One of Riley’s men came out of the smoke charging at them, firing his gun. They both moved in different directions and lost each other in the fog. She could hear the Leader as he said “Glenn” and knew they had found each other. Just then she was grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground. Katie was having trouble seeing as the smoke had begun its work on her eyes and the burning was setting him. She could see a shadow and what appeared to be red hair, it was Big Red. She heard “Abraham” and he turned to look in the direction of his name, then he was s gone. She pulled herself to her feet. The Drones had made their way into the fray and she stumbled over a body that was being gorged upon by at least three. Katie pulled herself up and stumbled towards the forest. She pulled her flask out her bag and washed her eyes as best as she could with the scarf that had been covering her face. Katie coughed loudly as her lungs tried to expel the foreign particles that chocked her breath away. She washed her eyes again and she began to see slightly better. Shapes were no longer blurred details, clearer forms began to appear and if she was close enough they were not fuzzy. She half stumbled through the forest.

Katie had not seen the Hunter and hoped he had found his companions as the others had and that they had all gotten away safely. She had no way of knowing, only that she had given them a chance, clinging to that hope she made her way further into the forest.

Then she saw them, two men by a tree. Katie moved closer and they did not appear to see or hear her. Soon she was able to make out the Hunter who was covered in blood and dirt. Then she saw “him” and her stomach dropped. It was Roger, standing in front of the Hunter. The Hunter staggered trying to remain on his feet and it appeared they had been struggling, the Hunter’s hands still bound behind his back. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she saw Roger pull the long knife from the sheath on his hip. Katie began to charge Roger, just as he lifted the knife and slashed at the Hunter who let out a guttural scream and bent over falling to the ground. Roger turned and saw her running at him and she knew by the look on his face he recognized her. He half smiled, until he saw her gun which she held out and fired. Roger moved quickly and ran away from her, grabbing at his leg. She thought she may have hit him, but wasn’t sure. In a split second he was gone. She chased him, but not far, just long enough to know he was not staying around. If felt like minutes, but all of this was seconds.

Katie went back to the Hunter who had fallen to the ground, half in a fetal position. She grabbed her other knife from another sheath in her boot (she always carried at least to knives) and cut the Hunter's hands free. She saw the blood oozing from the wound. The Hunter pushed her hands away as she tried to help and he tried to move away.

“Stop, I’m here to help” she said. The Hunter looked at her cautiously but allowed her to tend his wound. He was weak, and fighting loosing consciousness. She knew she had to get him somewhere safe quickly. She could not go back in the direction of his community because some of Riley’s men might be back that way and who knows how many Drones were roaming that area with the abundance of now decaying food source lying on the ground. She had to take him home with her.

“Get up, it’s not safe, we have to go.” He complied. This was not going to be easy. He was heavy and weak. She had to take most of his weight and half drag him through the forest.

“Just don’t die” is all she said as they walked deeper into the woods.