Hunters
October 17th, 2049
Isaac woke me early this morning so I could take next watch and he could get some shuteye. I’m writing by what little firelight is left. It’ll be dawn soon. I’ve been keeping a close eye on Stephen and Casey. So far, they haven’t given me a reason not to trust them, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to sit back and let my guard down. I don’t like that we’re traveling together. It draws too much attention. They’re definitely talkers, too, and they’re putting some stupid ideas in Isaac’s head. I suppose the boy’s old enough to make his own assumptions about people and things in general. I just don’t want him to get his hopes too high. Right when you think everything’s looking up, life has a habit of kicking mud in your face.
just as a glimmer danced in the corner of her vision. Lifting her head, she studied a stained-glass window on the east side of the building. The smallest sliver of light beamed through the colored panes, casting a glow of dappled greens, blues, and purples across the wall. It wasn’t often she saw such vivid colors in the dull, gray ruins all around. She appreciated its fleeting beauty for the moment, but in the end, it only served as a reminder of what she had lost.
The mottled lights swirled through her mind as it wandered, images of friends and family—whose faces she had nearly forgotten—settling behind her eyes. It was possible some of them had lived through the initial invasion. Maybe they were still out there somewhere, hunkered down in a place like this. Or … maybe they weren’t. She couldn’t help but feel envious of them sometimes—of the ones who had long since departed this world. They hadn’t left much behind. Yet, she still wondered what their lives might have been like if they had survived as long as she had.
Jacklynn rubbed her eyes, pushing the thoughts away. It was pointless to dwell on it, so she shifted her focus to something more productive. Reaching into her bag, she pulled a wrinkled page from an old road atlas into view. She unfolded it and squinted in the dim light, tracing her finger along their route to calculate how much time remained before they reached their destination.
She and Isaac had been traveling south along the Elkhorn River for a while since setting out from the West Point area. They stayed off the road where possible, before eventually crossing over the water near Dead Timber. Further down was the area Stephen and Casey showed up, a ways outside of Scribner. Jacklynn continued to trail her finger over the page to get her bearings. They were getting closer to Nickerson. She guessed they might reach it in about six hours once they got started. From there, they would continue south to Fremont and check the area for supplies. After that, they would head southeast toward Omaha. Pretty much a straight shot, she mused as she scanned the faded lines on the map. A frown tugged the corners of her lips.
For a couple of years, her nephew had been talking about going to Omaha for the winter. After hearing all the rumors that it was one of the safest, best resourced towns in Nebraska, a part of her understood his reasoning. But to her, it sounded like a sham. She had been to Omaha in the past. She failed to see how it was safer than any other town within walking distance. The maunderings of other townspeople seemed to convince Isaac, though, not that it took much. The boy was so desperate to find a working computer so he could look at that memory drive. Jacklynn was doubtful that Omaha would have what he wanted, and even if it did, she wasn’t sure the old device would be worth much. So she had vehemently fought the idea. Omaha was too far out of the way. The trip, too perilous.
But her nephew refused to let up. After years of enduring his ramblings, Jacklynn finally decided it might be worth the risk of traveling there, much to Isaac’s delight. Still, she had conceded against her better judgment. The only reason she had allowed it at all was because she knew the area already and was confident they could reach the city before the snowfall began.
Shifting her gaze, she looked at where Isaac, Stephen, and Casey lay huddled on the floor beneath their blankets. Sighing, she pushed her book and map down into her bag, then stood, the floorboards creaking under her weight.
The noise caused Isaac to sit upright, bleary-eyed but ready for action. When he realized there was nothing wrong, he relaxed, yawned, and squinted up at his aunt.
“It’s time to pack up,” she whispered. “Do me a favor and wake the others. I’m going to check the perimeter and make sure there won’t be any trouble for us when we leave.”
Isaac nodded. “Okay,” he replied before slowly standing to stretch.
Jacklynn zipped up her coat and walked to the door, stepping out into the chill. The morning temperature had been dropping at a steady rate over the previous weeks. It was all the more reason to cover as much ground as possible each day. Being caught outside a town during the winter months was almost as deadly as being hunted by the renders. Frigid winds and harsh storms were common problems, not to mention it was easier to be tracked in the snow.
Stealing her attention away from the cold, Jacklynn patrolled the outside of the church, checking around each corner and keeping one hand on the holster at her thigh, just in case. She circled the entire building once and, satisfied, went back inside to gather her gear.
“Good morning, Jacklynn,” Stephen’s chipper voice greeted her.
Jacklynn barely offered him a glance, then began to pack up her things. When she finished, she nodded to the others that she was ready to leave. She led the group out of the sanctuary doors and down an old dirt path that wound around the outcropping where the church was settled. Isaac caught up with her. He was smiling.
Jacklynn gave him a stern look. “What on earth are you grinning about?”
Isaac’s smile only broadened. “I just had a good night’s rest, that’s all. Best I’ve had in a while.”
“Good,” Jacklynn said. “You’ll need your energy.”
“How did you sleep?”
Jacklynn sent him a narrow sideways glance. “I slept. That’s all that matters.”
Isaac stared down at his feet as they carried him over the ground, his expression thoughtful. “I think being inside a church just made me feel safer, so I slept easier.”
Jacklynn’s pace faltered for a moment before she picked up speed. It was a long time ago, but she recalled feeling the exact same way in a crowded church shelter back when the invasion started. She forced the thought aside. There were too many painful memories linked to that time.
“I’m glad you feel good about it, but let’s just try and focus on covering some ground today, alright?” she said as she moved ahead of him. “I don’t really feel like talking right now.”
Isaac’s eyes dropped. “Sure,” he murmured.
Jacklynn didn’t speak for the rest of the day. Isaac, Stephen, and Casey chatted idly a few paces behind her. She ignored their conversations, lost in her own thoughts, but still alert to her surroundings. The long march through overgrown fields and sparse trees kept her on her toes, as suitable cover would be hard to find. When night fell again, they set up camp, rested, and started over the next morning.
Around noon, the four of them approached an abandoned town. It looked like a small suburban area, one that had been built recently in the days before the invasion. Jacklynn could tell because the buildings were still in decent shape twenty years later. As they drew closer to the town border, they passed a sign that read, “Welcome to Salvaton, Population 2,026.” Jacklynn stopped when she noticed something peculiar over an area of the sign. In black spray paint, the letter “i” was added in between the “t” and the “o” of Salvaton, and above it was the word “no.”
“No salvation,” Stephen murmured, walking closer to examine the writing.
“That’s bleak,” Casey said in a quiet, somber tone. “Whoever did that must have been feeling pretty hopeless.”
Jacklynn arched a brow at her. “No crap,” she muttered before stalking off down the road. She overheard Isaac say something to Casey about not taking the remark personally, but didn’t care enough to stay and listen to their conversation. It wasn’t her job to coddle the newcomers.
Jacklynn moved on ahead toward an old gas station, the smell of stale gasoline and motor oil in the air. She checked the doors of some abandoned vehicles. Many were locked, and the ones that weren’t didn’t have keys in the ignitions.
“Isaac,” she called to him as she climbed out of a car, watching the boy jog away from the others to meet her. “Go inside and check for the usual stuff.”
“Food, water, medkits?” he asked.
Jacklynn nodded. “And stay sharp.”
As Isaac walked off to do as he was told, Stephen and Casey approached. Jacklynn shut the car door behind her and brushed off her hands, looking up when the young woman spoke.
“Is there anything we can do?”
“Just stay close,” Jacklynn ordered. “Let me and Isaac handle it.”
“We could help you find supplies,” Stephen offered.
Jacklynn glared at him. “Do either of you have a weapon?” The two of them glanced at one another but didn’t answer. “That’s what I thought. So, stick close. Don’t let the look of this place fool you. Someone could jump us at any moment. Never let your guard down.”
Stephen and Casey nodded and followed Jacklynn around to the different stores down the street. They stopped in a trashed market to pick up any remaining food and general items like matches and medical supplies, then worked their way over to a pawnshop where Jacklynn found some ammunition for her 9mm pistol. Once she was done, they went out into the street where they met up with Isaac, who had gathered some things of his own.
“What’d you find?” Jacklynn asked, tucking her new box of ammo into the side pocket of her bag.
Isaac looked pleased with his armful of items. “I found this bag of rice crammed behind a shelf, and I got a couple cans of chicken. Plus, this elastic bandage roll. It’s a little dusty, but still usable.” He walked over to his aunt so she could take a few things from him, and she knelt to sort them into their bags. When his hands were free, he said, “Oh, and I found this.” He dug into his pocket, pulling something small and metallic into view.
Jacklynn glanced up at what he held and smirked. “Nail clippers?”
“It’s the little things, right?” Isaac said with a grin before stuffing the clippers back into his pocket.
“Sure,” Jacklynn replied, then stood and shrugged her pack over her shoulders.
“You know, we could stop here for the night,” Stephen said, gesturing toward the end of an intersecting street. “There’s plenty of houses for shelter. We might even be able to sleep in some actual beds.”
Jacklynn turned to face him. “What are you talking about?” she scoffed.
“Those houses over there. We can look inside for supplies and then—“
“Then what?” Jacklynn interrupted. “Get cozy in suburbia and risk someone else with the same idea barging in on us?”
“It was just a suggestion, Aunt Jack,” Isaac said in the man’s defense, but she turned a harsh stare on him.
“Well, it was a stupid one. This place might as well be a magnet for other travelers, and that’s not even including cultists and renders possibly rolling through. We got what we needed out of this place, so we keep moving.”
“Before we go,” Casey spoke up, “could we check over there for some shoes?” She pointed a finger toward a large parking lot with several connecting storefronts, one of them being a clearly marked shoe store. Then she looked down at her and her husband’s feet. “Ours are looking pretty rough,” she said before lifting hesitant eyes to meet Jacklynn’s. “If you don’t mind?”
Jacklynn glared at her, then turned her eyes down to the young couple’s boots. The shoes did look worse for wear. They had probably been overdue for new ones several months ago. Sighing, Jacklynn turned and stalked off toward the old strip mall, muttering, “Fine. But make it quick.”
The group walked to the abandoned store and stepped inside, broken glass crunching beneath their feet at the entrance. Stephen, Casey, and Isaac fanned out to search the racks and shelves for anything useful while Jacklynn remained close to the door, keeping an eye on the street outside. She stood with arms crossed, listening to the others walk around and speak in low voices, before Isaac returned to join her.
“Nothing in my size,” he said, staring out one of the few windows still intact. He was silent for a while before turning to look at his aunt. “Do you have to be so hard on them?”
Jacklynn glanced at him, then shifted her gaze back to the road. “They need to learn how things work out here. I don’t know what they were doing before this, but it’s a wonder they’ve survived this long.”
“Maybe you could just ease up a bit,” Isaac said quietly.
Jacklynn shook her head. “There’s no point, anyway. They aren’t traveling with us forever.”
Footsteps from behind drew Jacklynn’s attention, and she turned as the couple approached. They both wore different boots than before, looking brand new save for the dust that had accumulated.
“I think we’re good to go now,” Stephen said with a grin, lifting himself up on his tiptoes to test the new shoes.
Jacklynn nodded at them, then stepped back outside. Having acquired what they needed, they made their way back into the street and through the rest of the town. Jacklynn continued to check some other vehicles along the way. None were usable.
“Looks like we’re walking all the way to Omaha at this rate,” Stephen said.
“That’s nothing new,” Jacklynn replied. “Let’s get going. We don’t want to waste what little daylight we have left.”
There were no objections, so the group continued, leaving the town borders and heading off from the highway. Jacklynn always made it a point to travel away from the open road. Over the years, she learned that renders often patrolled areas surrounding highways or freeways. Many people who were inexperienced would travel on these roads and unwittingly make themselves targets.
They trekked onward, moving southeast and traveling through large pastures or overgrown fields of what used to be wheat, corn, or potatoes. As dusk approached, the group neared another forested area. Jacklynn suggested they stay in the woods. It would shelter them from view and be a little warmer, since the trees could effectively block the worst of the freezing winds.
Once they reached a suitable spot where the trees clustered around a small clearing about twelve yards across, they unpacked and settled in. As they worked, Casey wandered off, gathering sticks and twigs for kindling. When she returned, Jacklynn shook her head at the woman.
“No fire tonight.”
“It’s freezing, though,” Casey protested.
“There’s been too much render activity in the area,” Jacklynn explained. She used her hunting knife to pierce the top of a can of chili and peel back the metal lid for easy access. “The light will attract them. It’s too risky. You’ll just have to make do until morning.” She ate just less than half of the chili before handing it off to her nephew. They usually shared a single can to help ration their meals.
Casey sat next to her husband and pressed her shoulder against his, shivering. “We might be icicles by morning,” she mumbled.
“Stay close to each other, and you’ll be fine,” Jacklynn said. “And if you have to talk, keep it to a whisper. We don’t want to draw unnecessary attention.”
“I can take first watch again, Aunt Jack,” Isaac chimed in, then used his sleeve to wipe some of the food from his lips.
Jacklynn nodded to him. “Sure.”
She was secretly grateful for the offer. Her limbs felt heavier than usual after such a long day of travel and she wasn’t certain she could handle taking the first stretch of the watch. Without hesitation, she laid her sleeping bag out on the ground and crawled inside, drifting off in minutes.
About four hours later Isaac woke her, and she sat up to take over, rolling up her pallet as she watched him make his and lie down. Stephen and Casey, unmoving in their slumber, remained that way for most of the night. Just as the first light of dawn crept through the trees, Stephen stirred. He stumbled to his feet, rubbed a hand over his eyes, and mumbled, “Got to go take a leak. I’ll be right back.”
Jacklynn gave a nod as he walked to the opposite side of the clearing to be swallowed up by the shadows and thickets. All was quiet after he vanished. She scanned the trees for movement. For a while, the only thing she heard was the sound of her own breath. Even the birds hadn’t started to sing. Shivering, she pulled her coat a little tighter over her shoulders and waited in the morning’s chilling hush.
When Stephen finally reemerged, shambling out of the brush, she squinted at him through the gloom. Something was off. Quickly, she nudged Isaac’s sleeping form with her foot. He was alert and on his feet in an instant, looking at his aunt for an explanation.
“Something’s wrong,” Jacklynn whispered, nodding in Stephen’s direction. The man stumbled toward the camp, a panic in his eyes that they could see from across the glade, even in the dim light. He choked out his wife’s name as he staggered closer. Casey sat up at the familiar voice and her face drained of all color when she saw her husband. Crimson liquid seeped through his clothing, saturating his chest to leak down and leave a trail in the dirt. The man collapsed with a violent cough and blood spurted from between his lips.
“Oh, God!” Casey said shrilly as she scrambled to her feet. Before she could take a step, Isaac snatched her by the arm.
“Don’t, Casey,” he warned, but the woman squirmed free of his grasp and darted toward her bleeding spouse.
“Stephen!” she sobbed, frantic, as she turned the man over in her arms. “What happened to you?” She looked up at Jacklynn and Isaac. “Please, help him!”
Jacklynn and Isaac stood frozen like statues, staring wide-eyed directly behind her. Features twisted with fright, Casey peeked over one shoulder at a huge, shadowy outline looming over her. She quivered, gaping at the ominous figure.
An icy light radiated from the creature and pierced the darkness, illuminating its full, horrifying form. Before Casey could react, the nine-foot, armored monster wrenched her off the ground and clamped its razor mandibles around her upper shoulder. The woman’s shriek made Jacklynn’s blood run cold.
A gunshot echoed through the trees, and the render jerked at the wound in one of its four arms. It turned its abysmal, black gaze on Isaac, who held his smoking gun with trembling hands.
Out of nowhere, another render barreled through the treeline toward Isaac. Adrenaline surging, Jacklynn shoved him out of the way, and it tackled her instead. Coarse, bony fingers wrapped around her neck like a vise, hammering her against a tree. Pain erupted across her back.
“Jack!” Isaac screamed, then fired his weapon again. The bullet struck near the base of the alien’s spine, and it let out a watery roar of agony before dropping to the ground in a heap. Jacklynn gasped as she careened away from the dead creature, winded and trembling. She lifted her head in time to see Isaac scramble toward her. He pulled her arm over his shoulder and helped her stand, only to freeze.
They both watched the other render drop a motionless Casey to the ground. It stalked toward them with rage clear in its movements. Jacklynn grimaced as Isaac lowered her down beside a tree.
No, she thought, wishing she had the strength to protest. She needed to get up—to fight—but the pain spiking through her body made it hard to focus. If she could do anything, she could tell her nephew to run.
“Isaac,” she rasped.
He didn’t reply, his hands steady as he leveled his pistol. Just when the beast reached its four long arms out, he pulled the trigger, the bullet ripping through one of its eyes. The alien screeched and faltered, half-blind. Isaac took his chance.
Rushing forward, he skidded behind the render, trained his gun, and fired again. The creature collapsed as the projectile tore through its lower back. It didn’t move again.
Panting, Isaac crawled back over to where he had left Jacklynn. She braced herself against the tree, pressing a hand to the back of her head before pulling it away to reveal blood-stained fingers.
“Aunt Jack?” Isaac said shakily.
Jacklynn met the teenager’s terrified eyes, his features tense in the morning’s red light. It was surreal. Maybe it was the head injury clouding her thoughts, or the surging adrenaline, or the shock of having barely survived a render attack. But despite all of it, an inexplicable sense of pride fell over her at the realization that her nephew took down two of those monsters on his own. The thought was gone in an instant when another wave of throbs pounded through her skull. She hissed, squeezing her eyes shut.
“Aunt Jack, are you alright?” Isaac asked as he placed a quaking hand on the side of her face.
“I’m fine,” she croaked. “Help me up.”
Isaac did as he was told, pulling her to her feet. The two of them shuffled their way over to where Casey and Stephen had fallen, seemingly lifeless. The man lay sprawled on his side in a pool of his own blood, his once friendly eyes now gazing into oblivion. Turning their sights to Casey, they were shocked to find she was still breathing—barely. The poor woman, soaked in crimson, hyperventilated as she clung to life with what little strength she had left. The wound near her neck was deep and bled profusely. Isaac and Jacklynn lowered to her side. Casey reached up and grasped Isaac’s arm with a weak hand, opening her mouth like she wanted to say something. But before she could, the light vanished from her eyes, and she exhaled for the last time.
Isaac’s face twisted in grief as he turned to press his forehead against his aunt’s shoulder. Jacklynn didn’t allow it for long.
“We have to keep moving, Isaac,” she said with a cursory glance around the clearing. “Other renders could be nearby. We can’t stay.”
Isaac shook his head, blinking back tears. “We can’t even bury them,” he whispered, his voice tight.
Jacklynn released a sigh upon seeing the teenager’s heartbreak. “I know,” she began in a softer tone. “There’s nothing we can do for them. We have to go now, alright?”
Isaac nodded reluctantly, then helped his aunt over to the campsite. They gathered their things in silence. Jacklynn dug through Casey’s pack, searching for anything useful. She grabbed a pocket knife and a few cans of food, spinning to place them in her bag. As she did, she heard a sniffle. Lifting her gaze, she glimpsed Isaac kneeling by Stephen’s backpack, the material gripped between his fists as tears rolled down his cheeks.
“Keep moving, Isaac,” she said, then turned to buckle her own bag. She listened as her nephew shuffled around behind her, collecting his belongings.
Jacklynn’s teeth clenched. She could almost feel his grief projecting to meet her, but she said nothing. What could she possibly say? Getting to her feet and ignoring the shake in her legs, she looked at Isaac and whispered, “Come on.”
The two of them left the clearing and the bodies behind without looking back, the quiet weighing heavily as they trudged onward through the forest.
Hours wore on. Every once in a while, Jacklynn heard Isaac sniffle behind her and would glance back to catch him rubbing away tears. He was trying to be strong, to suppress his grief and take the situation like a man. Jacklynn knew him well enough to recognize that he didn’t like showing weakness. I guess he gets that from me, she thought, turning her face to the path ahead. She took a deep breath and swallowed her own sadness.
She may not have been a fan of traveling with Stephen and Casey, but in the end, they proved to be no threat, and she knew that her nephew had grown fond of them. They were good people, which seemed to be few and far between these days. They didn’t deserve to die at the hands of those monsters.
An unexpected spike of anguish pierced her thoughts.
Long suppressed memories roiled to the surface like they were choking for air, stirring up painful images of her family being slaughtered eighteen years ago. A crushing sensation filled her chest.
She and Isaac should have died that day, along with his parents. There should have been no way around it. But fortune seemed to be on their side over the years, the two of them having survived multiple face-to-face encounters with the hunters—the most common and most feared among the render species. Isaac, at least, was too young to remember the first attack that claimed the lives of his mom and dad. But now he had witnessed the renders kill two people who he might have considered friends.
Jacklynn looked back at her nephew, brows creasing with sympathy for a moment before she drew a breath to break the long silence. “Isaac?” He lifted his head, his blue eyes glistening. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
Isaac averted his gaze. “It’s not like it’s your fault,” he whispered, glaring at the ground.
Jacklynn saw right through him. She stopped walking and allowed him to catch up. Even though he refused to make eye contact, she placed a warm hand on his shoulder. “You shouldn’t have had to see it, though,” she said softly. “You shouldn’t have had to experience a lot of things, and I wish I could have saved you from that pain.” Isaac finally met her brown eyes. “But you were brave,” she finished with a hint of a smile.
Isaac brushed his sleeve under his nose and nodded. “Thanks. I just tried to do what you taught me.”
Jacklynn rubbed his shoulder reassuringly. “You did well.” She let go of him and started forward, this time with Isaac walking at her side.
“How’s your head?” he asked after a brief pause, concern evident in his tone.
Jacklynn reached back and touched the tender area with her fingertips, flinching. Her dark brown waves were matted with blood. “It hurts like crazy, but I think I’ll live. What about you? Did you get hurt?”
“I’m alright,” he answered. “You took all the hits for me, I think.”
Jacklynn smirked through her pain. “Yeah, pretty sure I did.”