The Fourth Phase

THIRTY-ONE

The sun hugged the horizon, kissing the land as it sank away, ushering in the night. Dee breathed a sigh of relief as Mayor Island grew larger before the chopper finally began its descent. Every part of her body ached from the exertions of the past few days.

She looked out at the village. Dozens of lights had been strung up along the boardwalk, linking all the buildings, trees, and tents together. It looked like the Milky Way had been pulled out of the sky and laid across the village.

George pushed up off her lap and looked out the window. He turned to smile at her. Maggie had cleaned his damaged eye and bandaged it. Dee kissed his cheek, happy that he had something to smile at after his torture at the hands of the Trophy King. The chopper bumped to the ground and the pilot switched off the engines. Dee heard the whine drop and shuffled along her seat, eager to exit. She wanted a shower, food, sleep, and Jack.

She dropped down out of the chopper and looked up. Alice and the kids stood there, watching.

“Dee! Maggie!” Alice yelled.

Dee helped George and Boss out of the chopper, then waved at them. Jack helped Boss stand, and the Renegades moved away from the still-spinning rotor blades and into the waiting group.

Dee lost herself in the hugs and cries of joy. It was worth all the effort to see the utter joy on everyone’s faces, knowing they were all safe for now. A few days ago, she never would have imagined all that they had been through since then. She was experiencing new emotions, emotions she didn’t have the words to express. She looked around at all the kids and adults, lost in the moment, caught up in love. After so many years of running from the responsibilities of motherhood, Dee felt that she was ready. She exchanged a glance with Jack and saw the warmth of his smile as he held George close and hugged Alice. She knew that he was feeling it too. Dee stepped over and pulled Alice into an embrace, and let the tears flow. They were tears of joy. Of happiness and relief. She pulled away and hugged Ben.

“Thank you, Ben.”

“You’re welcome, Dee. We look after each other.”

She smiled. “Still, you didn’t have to. I’m worried about what the Colonel is going to do.”

Ben pointed at all the lights. Dee could see that several tables had been set up along the boardwalk outside the FOB. Fires had been lit in braziers.

“You let me worry about Mahana, Dee. Let’s enjoy Matariki and savour this small victory.”

“All right, Ben.”

Ben patted her arm and moved away, joining the soldiers standing away from the group. She reached down and grasped George’s hand. Jack took his other hand and the trio moved away from the group. Two nurses had brought Boss his crutches and were helping him walk. With their aid, he turned away from Beth and followed Dee and Jack. Soon the group broke apart and walked with them. Dee looked around and smiled. She never would have imagined this scene. Before the Variant apocalypse, she and Jack had been hermits, enjoying their own company. Now, as the group trudged up the hill to the Walsh Villa, she was happy to have all the company she could get. With what lay out there in the world, it felt good to have human contact.

Dee sat down at the kitchen table. She felt clean and fresh after her shower. Jack joined her and handed her a cup of tea. She clasped it in her hands and inhaled, savouring its earthy scent. Things almost felt normal again. But, gazing out the window, she knew they weren’t. She caught Alice’s eye and beckoned her over.

Maggie and Alice broke away from the kids playing in the lounge and sat down opposite them. No one spoke for a few minutes. Dee assumed everyone was lost in their own thoughts, just as stunned as she was. She glanced over at Boss and Beth, holding on to each other, lying on the couch. Dee looked up at Jack. “Is it over?”

Jack sighed and ran his hands across the table. “I hope so. For now, I guess.”

She watched as he took another sip of his tea. He grimaced slightly. She knew it was from the taste of the goats’ milk. Cows were a rarity nowadays.

He glanced back at her. “I mean, you killed the Trophy King like you were The Bride.”

Dee smiled at him. Reaching out, she stroked his hand.

Maggie plonked her cup down on the wooden table with a dull thud. “You killed that Alpha, yes, but another will take its place. It kind of reminds me of this movie…”

Dee arched her eyebrow at her. “Not you too?”

Maggie grinned, glancing between her and Jack. “Yeah, me too. So, in this movie, there’s this kid in high school who’s being tormented by the popular kids. They’re merciless in their bullying. He snaps and starts to kill them off, one by one. Each kill is gruesome. By the end of the film, he’s feared and the other kids do anything he says. He enjoys the power. He realises that he has become the bully, the one everyone fears and hates.”

Jack laughed. “I remember that one!” He sobered, and nodded. “There is always someone to take the mantle. To become king. If you really want to stop it, you have to break the cycle.”

Alice glanced between Jack and Dee. She gripped her mug tighter, her hands turning white.

“Maggie is right. After we left you, Dee, we were captured by the Variants. They killed Austin and ate him.” Alice paused and looked down at the table. Maggie put her arm around her friend. “They were led by this big ugly bastard. Before I was taken to the prison, we were dragged along to this meeting. Four of the Alphas together.”

Alice glanced at Dee, tears welled up in her eyes. “They ate Matt, Dee, right in front of me. Then children… kids…”

Dee reached out and grasped her friend’s hand. She didn’t know what to say. They had all seen terrible things. Comfort was what Alice needed.

“Well, let’s hope that case the scientist gave us helps,” said Jack.

Alice exchanged a look with Maggie. “Case?”

“We rescued a scientist. She had been working on a cure. Her research was in the case. It’s a story for another time, I think.”

Maggie cast her eyes down to her tea. “A cure would be good. This new world sucks worse than before. And I’ve seen the worst of it.”

Dee chuckled. “Hell yeah.” She glanced outside. “Let’s go and enjoy Matariki. Forget about all this stuff for a while.” She looked up at Jack as she spoke and he smiled, nodding in agreement.

Dee pushed herself up from the table and moved into the lounge. She squatted down and lifted George into a hug. Alice called the other children, and they made their way down into the village.

The night air chilled her as she made her way along the shell path. Dee was thankful that the soldiers and other survivors had pitched in and cleaned up the mess from the attack. The strings of lights twinkled, beckoning her to the festivities. Dee was surprised at how much she wanted to join in. She was exhausted, but she loved Matariki. Tonight was a time to remember those lost, a time for renewal, a time to pause and be thankful.

The smells of BBQ cooking wafted over the bay as Jack and Dee led the others to the tables. Ben had posted soldiers around the camp at intervals, wary of another attack. Dee reached down and patted her Glock at her hip, its presence reassuring. She sat down at one of the tables and leant back, taking in the view. All around her people stood, enjoying the company of others. Music played softly in the background. Dee recognised the song Thank You by Led Zeppelin. That was fitting. She swivelled her head to her right. A microphone had been set up on the steps of the FOB.

Ben walked up to the microphone and tapped it a couple of times. An amplified thump rang out. “Good evening, everyone.”

The gathered party grew silent, and there was a shuffling as people took their seats. Jack reached over and laced his fingers through hers.

“Good evening. Tonight, is Matariki, our new year. This year it is bathed in sadness. A few weeks ago, the Hemorrhage Virus changed the world forever. Yet it was amongst this chaos that you survived, found refuge and each other. Yesterday we were attacked, and we lost a lot of good people. But even then, we found hope. Let us take this time to honour those who sacrificed their lives, so we could go on.”

Then Ben pointed to Dee. “Dee killed the Alpha that killed so many of us.”

Thunderous applause broke out and a huge cheer erupted.

Ben held up his hands and the party grew silent. “Tonight is a time to remember those that we have lost. I know we have all lost loved ones, and so much else besides. Let’s rise up from the ashes of this world and make a new one! A better one.” Ben stood, smiling at everyone, and applauded back. “Thank you to all those that pitched in to make this night happen.”

Ben turned away from the microphone and made his way to Jack and Dee. Applause broke out again, and the music volume went up a notch. Dee stood up and hugged Ben, indicating the seat next to her. She turned and watched as plates of food appeared, carried by soldiers and people from their small village.

Dee smiled and looked at Jack. “I love you.”

Jack grinned. “I know.”

Dee chuckled, reached over, and speared some steaming pork, heaping it onto her plate. Ben was right. They had to make this new world a better one. They had to right the wrongs of so many. Dee had hope, but she also had doubt. They had escaped the horrors of the mainland. They had survived. But at what cost? How soon before a country with more firepower looked to New Zealand and decided to take it away from the remaining few?

She brushed aside her fears and dug in to the food on her plate. Time to enjoy their victory and remember all those they had lost.