The Ruins

Chapter 32

Mal reached to ground level and found the field. She could still see her directions, remembering what path to take the place. The pit-stop was a monk station with Brother Jack, Sister Suzanne and Sister Shanti. They were a group that were all over the Ruins. When she met Brother Jack she thought he was nuts, being 'touched by God'. And the Children don't believe in violence of any kind.

Instead of calling or what they think as an insult, Infected or Runners they call them the Children of God or the Children of Lazarus. A name comes from Lazarus of Bethany, a man who was raised from the dead by Jesus. The monks keep Infected and Runners; their teeth shattered, eyes missing, and the fingers clipped off at the primary knuckles. They disapproved Mal of killing Infected, thinking of her misguided but well-intentioned. She thought it's stupid yet she thinks the Children are people who didn't survive the Black Night. Oh, sure, their bodies did, but some fundamental part of them was broken by what happened.

The sky was a distant blue, and massive white clouds sailed across it. The image was so lovely that Mal's mind saw. She reached the creek and turned north; walking in silence for several miles.

She came down another slope and there, nestled between a long tumble of boulders left over from a glacier thousands of years ago. She picks up some loose bits of dirt and leaf debris and threw it into the air, watching where the wind took it. It was blowing towards her so she stays on the side of the creek, entering the thickest part of the forest. Under the roof of leaves the air was cooler. Without the canopy of cool leaves, the heat returned like a curse. There were so many songbirds singing in the branches that it was impossible to pick out a particular voice.

She led down the grassy lane. The soft green of the grass as it ran along the glistening blue water, and the constant birdsong all around her, gave the moment a fairy tale feeling that Mal found hard to shake. It was unreal, even surreal in its gentle, unhurried beauty. So at odds with everything that was real in their immediate world of hurt and harm and hurry.

Around the bend, the view opened up, and Mal gasped, but immediately clamped a hand over her mouth. The bed forest were crowded with five Calvary Boys, all covered in blood and black and blue in bruises, shambling over to Mal's direction.

Immediately she picks a tree carefully. A willow, not terrible tall but set in a clump of other willows, offering concealment in those long, flowing tresses. She climbs up, sticking to the stronger branches close to the trunk, and find a sturdy fork for laying on. She actually loves to climb up trees, to sleep when she was young and bouncing off rooftops. She places her backpack on her lap as she brings out her gun just in case. However, many people never do look up.

"God dammit! It was a trap." Magnus hollered in frustration.

"Where should we go? We have to-"

"Go where!? The Saviors have been taunting us, cornering us as mice. They're coming after us!"

"How about we find that whore Mal? Maybe try a negotiation on her for the Saviors to spare us."

She heard the loud smack of a hand colliding flesh. "The Saviors know that we did it. If we find her, kill her. I don't care what Charlie thinks of her. She deserves it."

The Calvary pack sets off at a run just as the birdsong fills the air again. She remained in her awkward position, muscles trembling in exertion for a while longer, then hoisted herself back onto the branch.

She hits the ground and saw a few Infected in a far view so she wasn't worried although, still goes behind the tree when they raised their withered faces. She kept looking at the Infected as they wander away from the field in the deep parts of the forest.