Colony Z: The Complete Collection (Vols. 1-4) (3 page)

When he was finally finished, the dead were once again throwing themselves at the closed wall. But the sheet did not give. Owen could hear the ripping and tearing of the flesh of the two bodies that he had slain. Though he knew the other group would soon be dead, he wished he had left them their leader, so that they may have had a chance of escape at least. It was the only other civilization he had ever seen out here, and he knew in his heart it would be the last. After tonight, they would be the only ones left.

Jonathan Franklin’s colony was lost.

Albion
Camp- America - 2032

Helen and
Aaron held hands on the beach long after the sun went down. She knew her father would be lighting a fire and readying himself for the companionship of the entire clan. They met each night there, to tell stories and talk about recent discoveries.

Tonight Owen would tell the Warriors to pack their things.

“I don’t want to be married, Aaron,” She whispered, her voice full of disdain and selfishness. “I don’t want to make a choice. Dad told me yesterday I have to choose by my fifteenth birthday but…but, Aaron, do you know what that means for me?”

Aaron squeezed Helen’s hand in a comforting way. It was still a wonder to Helen that the boy could be gay. It occurred to her now that he was just as lonely in romance as she was. And she could do nothing to help him.

“I know, Helen,” Aaron said back, his voice soothing. “I know.

They walked to the water’s edge and sat on a rock stuck in the sand. Aaron slipped his arms around Helen admiringly.  She sighed and pulled away from him.

“Aaron, don’t tease me like that. It doesn’t do me any good if you just…”

“Helen, I want us to have a life together.”

The words came out so quickly, so matter-of-factly, that Helen did not know how to respond. It took her several minutes to mutter anything at all.

“But…Aaron, you’re…”

“I know. And that’s never going to change. But, Helen, you’re lonely. And I am too. Maybe we’re not the perfect match, but we can save each other, can’t we? I know you don’t like to lie,” Aaron took Helen’s hand in his own as he spoke. “But maybe we can learn to love each other differently. Maybe something will come. Maybe my feelings will change. I’ve certainly never felt so close to a woman before.”

“…Aaron?”

“Yes?”

“What do you remember about…about the real world?”

“You’re starting to sound like your brother, Helen…do you really want to know?”

“Do you remember anything at all?”

Aaron nodded. “I remember a lot of things.”

Helen sat closer to Aaron on the rock and laid her head on his shoulder.

“Tell me about America.”

And so, as Michael stalked about the island searching for a place for his first cabin, and as Owen began to tell a story to the remaining children of the colony around the bonfire, Aaron and Helen exchanged their first vows in the form of a memory. A memory of a land long past, but not entirely forgotten.

“In America,” Owen’s story began. “We passed through many towns while traveling south to get here. We sat through many a fire at night, just like this one.”

Amber, Eliza, Alex, and Shane listened closely to Owen’s every word. Their faces were almost burning from the fire in an attempt to take in every syllable. When Owen told a story, it was always a good one. He had a natural storytelling ability, a trait that seemed to help him often in his role as leader.

“One night, after I sent my wife and children into a large building we were taking shelter in, I did a check around the camp to make sure none of the zombies could get inside.”

“Are you sure this is a good story to tell the children?” Hannah asked, her voice shrill. “I don’t like this one myself.”

“It’s time they learned the dangers that lie outside this island.” Owen responded. And that was the end of the discussion. Hannah took the baby and went into the house.

“As I was doing the perimeter check,” he continued. “I heard a voice coming from outside of the fence. When I looked ahead of me, there was a hole!”

The children gasped in shock.

“A lantern was thrown through the hole and the grass caught fire beneath it. There was yelling and screaming, and I knew the people outside were trying to break through. I ran to the opening as quickly as I could. I told them they could stay with us, learn our ways, and be part of our people. But they did not want any of it. Their leader pulled out a gun and pointed it at me. I dived to the ground, but I knew if they got through the hole, they would kill anyone in their way.”

It was at this part of the story that Michael, who had given up on his work in the dark, came home to turn in. The fire in front of the cabin drew him in. He listened from behind his father.

“I was left with no choice. I had to stop them before they could get through to my people and my children. I pulled my own gun. Their leader looked at me, and I looked at him. In that moment, I knew what you all need to know now. Other men, other people, are not good. They will kill you if you let them. If they find you, if you leave this island, they will want nothing but to use you as a diversion. They do not have to help you escape. They only need to run faster than you.”

“What happened then, Dad?” Michael stepped forward into the light of the fire. His tone was almost angry. He knew that, when his father was lying, his eyes would grow bright and excited. He used to do the same thing when Michael would ask a question his father would not or could not answer.

Owen paused, reading his son’s tone. He knew he was caught, but Michael would not dare mention it. Not now.

“The smoke from the fire caught me. I passed out. The next thing I remember, it was morning and the colony had disappeared. All that was left were some detached limbs. I assume the dead got to them before they could push their way through the hole in the wall. I patched it up. But I learned a lesson that night. And you all ought to remember it. You can’t trust anyone outside of this colony. They aren’t interested in helping you. Only hurting you and saving themselves.”

“Did you not notice the fire going on beneath you? Did you not attempt to speak to the man? Did you not hear the zombies murder each and every one of your people?” Michael asked these questions without remorse. He had no intention of saving his father’s soul tonight - He had no right no lie.

“It was over twenty years ago, son. I did what I did to save you, your mother, and Judith Marie. Do you call me a liar?”

Michael paused and thought about the words he wanted to speak before he did. But he knew in his heart that they were true, and so he let them loose.

“I call you an insult to her memory.”

The circle of men and women of the colony erupted into loud voices as Owen sat in shock. Michael did not wait for the reprimands of his people. He turned and walked back down the beach, toward where Aaron and Helen sat on their rock a mile and a half down.

The companions eventually calmed themselves and Owen was able to restore order.

“I’m so sorry your son would speak to you that way,” Phillip chimed in. “If a child of mine ever did that…”

“It’s truly okay, Phillip, but I thank you for your kindness,” Owen said. “As long as the children here understand the truth of my story, I am happy.”

The children nodded their understanding, and the adults mumbled about ‘kids these days’. Not because there were any specific types of children on the island, but because their parents used to say it about them.

And, just like that, Owen once again passed down the lie he had told the morning after he murdered two innocent men. The lie that would keep anyone in his colony from ever finding out the truth.

The fire across the sea seemed to Michael a beacon of hope, of courage, and of honor. But it was really a call for help, and Michael supposed he knew that too.

Several times in the history of the island, a fire had been lit across the ocean to call for help from the colonists. But each and every time it had been the call of the Warriors to the colonists, for lack of proper transportation back home. It was an S.O.S. signal, recognized by all on the island.

However, the Warriors were not out tonight.

There were humans across the ocean. And the dead were prepared to feast if something was not done.

Michael saw this and ran back to his father’s camp, where he found the fire doused and the colonists scattered to their own beds. He almost ran headfirst into Helen, who seemed tired and was trudging back to the cabin herself.

“What are you doing out so late, Michael?” She asked him sleepily. “You know you should be inside.”

Instead of pointing out that she herself was breaking the rules tonight, Michael stopped and took his sister by the shoulders, shaking her like a madman.

“There are people across the ocean, Helen. People who need our help.”

“…people? What are you talking about, Michael? Did you have a dream?”

Michael turned his sister to the water and pointed her head in the direction of the flames.

“Look out there, Helen. Look to the light. That is more than a mistake made by the dead. There are people there and that fire is keeping the zombies away. But not for much longer if we can’t get to them to help.”

Helen escaped her brother’s clutches and examined him closely.

“Is it really our job to save them, Michael?”

“What are you talking about? What if it was us?”

“But it isn’t, Michael. And Dad is going to tell you the same thing.”

“Helen, you have to help me. Please, you have to.”

“Why should I?”

Michael sighed a great sigh and looked at his sister in a way he never had before. Pleadingly.

“Because I have a feeling about this, Helen. This is not normal. I need your help.”

The beach was silent for a minute. Helen looked straight into her brother’s eyes, but he did not look scared or crazed. He looked determined. He looked like a man for the first time in his life. It would be a sin not to help him now, in this state.

“Dad’s not going to be inside,” Helen said, taking Michael’s arm and leading him beyond the house.

“He’s going to be sleeping out tonight.”

“How do you know that?”

“He’s had a rough day, and Mom’s been grumpy lately.”

Helen took him to the spot where their father often laid to think about his current troubles and, just as Helen had said, he laid in the sand, snoring away.

“Dad, wake up.” Michael shook him and his father gave a start and was soon on his feet.

“What’s wrong?” Owen asked, shaking the sleep off. When his children were together and getting along, it means something bad was happening, and urgent action would be needed.

“There are people out there, Dad. Look.” Michael pointed to the orange glow across the ocean. Owen stared intently at it, wanting desperately to pretend like he saw nothing, but knowing he could not afford to lie about something so drastic. After taking in the sight for a moment, Owen finally spoke.

“What do you want me to do about it, Michael?”

“We have to help them, damn it!”             

But it wasn’t Michael who spoke these words. It was Helen, and Owen was taken by complete surprise.

“
You? You
want me to help them?”

“Dad, what kind of a colony are we if we don’t help others? I know you always say they don’t mean well but…what kind of people are we if our beginnings are their ends?”

“We have to help them,” Michael said. “And I’m not letting you say no.”

“This isn’t a decision we have the right to make alone. This is a decision for the Warriors and myself.”

“We don’t have time for a meeting, Dad! This needs to happen now!” Michael was excited now, and ready for action.

“You don’t understand. It doesn’t matter what’s happening, no one leaves this island without the consent of the board. Now, the two of you, go get the Warriors.”

The Warriors consisted of the five strongest men on the island. Aaron was a Warrior, as was James, and three other partnered men: Nathan, Robert, and Carlos. It took the two teenagers half an hour to pull all five men from their sleep and bring them to their father’s home. Hannah was awakened and told to take the baby and go to another woman’s home.

Once the men gathered, Helen and Michael were told to leave. They refused.

“We won’t have this meeting until those two are gone,” Robert told Owen angrily. “I don’t care whose children they are.”

“The two of you, go!” Owen snarled, with more anger than Helen had ever seen him. He seemed almost scared.

“I’m not leaving.” she said simply. And she realized in that moment that she had every intention of staying put. And Michael was right behind her.

“Aaron, tell your bride-to-be that she needs to leave this room before we remove them both.” James sneered at his companion. Aaron did not flinch in surprise or anger. He did something no one in the room expected of him.

“I don’t want to be a Warrior anymore, Owen.”

Silence.

“Do you think now is really the time to decide…” Owen began.

“I said I don’t want to. I’m marrying your daughter,
Owen, and I have no intention of leaving her. Not now, and not ever. That being said, I resign from my place as a Warrior. And as a Warrior, I have the right to pass my torch on, and I gladly give it to Michael.”

After speaking these words, Aaron walked to the teenagers, pat Michael on the back, took Helen’s hand, and led her out of the cabin. She went willingly; the satisfaction of Michael’s remaining there being enough for her as she traveled out into the darkness.

Finally, Owen’s voice cut through the stunned silence.

“The question stated is this,” Owen began, ignoring the scene that had just unfolded in front of him, as though his son was not there. “Do we help those across the sea who ask for it, or do we stay?”

“I don’t think it wise to risk our people to save theirs,” James chimed in. “Who decides that we have to die for them?”

“You selfish pig!” Michael bellowed. “What if it was my sister out there, about to be destroyed by the dead? Would you deny her safety, you yellow-hearted snake? Would you leave her there to die…or worse, to become infected?”

“Being a Warrior isn’t all about bravery, son,” Nathan spoke up. “We have to think about our wives and children. Robert, Carlos, and I all have children on the way. If we leave them, who will provide for them? Who will be our Warriors if we do not survive?”

“Come on, Robert. Carlos? One of you has to understand. Dad?” Michael looked at the others desperately, praying someone would come to his aid. “We have to help them!”

“I’m sorry, Michael,” Carlos said sadly. “But Nathan is right. I won’t risk my child’s life when I know nothing of their situation. What if we bring back one who is infected? And risk the virus reaching into our land?”

“It can’t be done.” Robert said softly.

“There you have it, son,” Owen said loudly. “I assume, then, that we have made a final decision?”

“Not without me, you haven’t! Now listen to me for just one minute. What if it was us out there? Your children, your family? What then? Have you been so brainwashed by Dad’s stories that you truly believe they’ll harm us? Maybe they’ll be help to us!” Michael ranted and raved, but it made no difference to the Warriors, who simply ignored his logic.

“It’s too risky,” Owen said finally. “I don’t want any talk of this being spread to the children or the women. Keep it quiet. I don’t want anyone getting any funny ideas. Meeting adjourned.”

With that simplicity, the men began to file out of the home. Michael stood in complete and utter despair. When the room was again quiet, only he and his father remained.

“…why are you afraid of telling the truth, Dad?” He asked quietly, as his father turned away from him.

“Do not accuse me of being a keeper of secrets, son.”

“You’re terrified of those people and I want to know why.”

“I would not lie to you.”

“I think you’re hiding something. And I think you don’t want us to know what really happened the night you met those colonists.”

At this, Owen wheeled on his son with a rage none had ever seen of him before.

“Do not ever speak of that night! I saved your life and now that I look back I wish I’d thrown you through the damn hole so the zombies could eat you too!”

“…that man never pointed a gun at you. Did he?”

Owen’s face fell. His excitement went away. He fell to the floor in a heap of tears and agony. His stance was broken. He was caught up and could not escape.

“…no.”

“What did you do?”

“…I didn’t mean to kill the first one. I thought it was a zombie pushing through our wall…but when they found him…they threatened to come through. They didn’t see me. I couldn’t let them. What if they hurt you?”

“…what did you do, Dad?”

“I shot. I shot and I killed their Leader. And I watched as the zombies devoured the bodies and heard as they went after the rest.” The tears Owen cried were violent. Michael didn’t know how to comfort him or what to say. He could hardly believe the words he was hearing, and yet he felt he had heard them all along.

“You lied to us so we would never find out. You told us to hate people.”

“I wanted you to look up to me, son. That’s all I’ve ever wanted from you.”

Anger grew in Michael such that he’d never known before.

“You would have let those people die because of your own selfish cowardice? You expect me to look up to that? What is there left in you to look up to? What is there left?”

“Son, I…”

“I am no son of yours.”

Michael stood and stalked out of the cabin, slamming the door behind him. Helen, whose ear had been against the wall, cried in Aaron’s arms as the truth of her father was discovered. She pulled away to talk to Michael, who was walking with a purpose toward the boats.

“What are you doing, Michael?”

“I’m going to save those people. And be damned what the other Warriors think.”

“Michael, no, you’ll get yourself killed!” Helen ran to her brother, but he pushed her away.

“I don’t care anymore.”

When Michael got to the boats, he untied their fastest canoe and climbed inside. He had no plan for escape, no plan to fight the zombies away. His mission was a suicide mission, and he knew it. But he couldn’t have cared less. He would die with a colony less corrupt than his own, and that was happiness enough for him. There was nothing for him here.