In the Aftermath: Burning of the Dawn Read online

  As soon as the thin man fell, Serena instantly spotted his killer. A dark-haired woman barely over five feet tall was perched over the back of Serena’s car. Resting upon the truck was a massive crossbow. The weapon had tremendous firing power, but a quick reload was out of the question. That did not matter; this strange woman seemed to have a backup plan ready. She picked up a brutal looking hatchet lying at her feet and rushed towards the remaining reprobate.

  “It’s you…” The large man spoke in a voice possessed by a myriad of emotions: surprise, rage, and fear among them. He charged towards the girl as she swiftly approached him. “About time you came outta your hole, you little fuck!”

  The strange woman was fearless. She was small in stature, but she was also incredibly quick. The large man took multiple swings at her with his machete, but she easily avoided them all; all the while mocking him with a menacing smile and an occasional high-pitched laugh. Serena was still processing the quick sequence of events that had just transpired when she felt her son pull something from her belt. It was the kitchen knife.

  Anthony’s rage outweighed his fear. That evil man had grim intentions of doing unspeakable things to his mother. The boy did not hesitate; he took the knife from his mother’s belt and charged in as the man continued to swing his machete wildly at the mystery woman. Serena immediately chased after her son, but he was too fast. Anthony closed in on the man and drove the knife right between his shoulder blades. The knife was flimsy and the man’s clothes were thick, so the wound was far from fatal. Nevertheless, it still hurt. The man spun around with the machete already in motion. Serena arrived just in time to pull her son, and herself, to the ground just inches out of harm’s way. She looked up and into the vindictive man’s eyes. He could have taken another swing and killed them both, but he hesitated. Serena could see the sudden fear in his countenance; the sight did not displease her. The large man turned back around only to be greeted by a hatchet to his face. The man fell to the ground with the strange woman on top of him. She ripped her hatchet from his skull and brought it down again, then again, then again. The girl not only had speed, but her strikes had power behind them as well. The sixth consecutive hatchet strike obliterated the large man’s head, sending blood, skull, and pieces of brain in all directions. Serena and Anthony were not spared the gore; though the hatchet-wielder herself received the brunt of the carnage. She stood from the man’s body, winded, but very much satisfied with her work.

  Serena and Anthony stood as well. Serena still held her gun, but she was uncertain if she should point it at the bloody woman in front of her. The strange girl was dressed in an odd attire of cutoff shorts, a small white shirt, and rugged combat boots. However, the most distinguishing aspect about her appearance was the plethora of tattoos drawn all over her skin. Serena spotted what appeared to be a barbed-wire noose tattooed around the girl’s neck. Both of her arms and her left leg were also completely covered with various tattoos. Some of the art was tawdry and juvenile, but much of it showed the mark of skilled artistry. The smooth, pink skin of her right leg was free of any markings. She was left handed and currently held her hatchet in that hand; Serena noticed the phrase fuck you etched upon her middle finger. The woman had not spared her face either: four small stars were tattooed just beneath her left eye, though currently they were covered in blood. Heterochromia iridis had also given the girl strikingly divergent eye colors: one dark brown and the other a light green.

  “Hi!” The bloody, tattooed woman eventually spoke. Her voice was high and child-like, and she sounded genuinely friendly. “I’m Mary Murder.”

  “Hello…” Anthony responded timorously.

  “Mary what?” Serena asked, confused and frightened.

  Maribel Rosemarie Hartless, also known as Mary or Mary Murder, was a twenty-four-year old former pin-up model from Denver, Colorado. She had spent the last few months harassing roaming bands of marauders, such as the two men she had just killed, who were steadily pushing their way further to the north. Mary pestered them mostly out of necessity, but the simple sport of it also appealed to her. What she lacked in rationale she often made up for with quick-wittedness and bursts of brutality. Even though rage and bouts of despair occasionally plagued her mind, more often than not, Mary lived contently within her own whimsical world.

  “Meh, just Mary is fine,” Mary replied. “But I do have a very important question for you both: do either of you have anything sweet to eat?”

  Serena was slow to respond; she was noticeably disturbed and a little dumbfounded. This woman appeared to be marginally on the abnormal side. Anthony responded right away. He removed an item from his back pocket and held it out towards Mary.

  “I have some gum.” Anthony declared.

  “Goddamnit, kid,” Mary spoke as she snatched the gum from Anthony’s hand. “You just became my very best friend!”

  Anthony smiled as Mary winked at him while she unwrapped the gum and tossed it into her mouth. As she did, Serena noticed something odd about Mary’s hatchet. A small, reddish-pink bow was tied, bowtie-like, at the top of the handle. The level of this woman’s madness was concerning, yet something else was bothering Serena a little more at that moment.

  “There’s another one somewhere?” Serena spoke up.

  “Hmm?” Mary questioned.

  “Another man,” Serena answered anxiously. “They called him Hodge… I think he has a gun.”

  “Oh, him,” Mary smiled playfully. She did not sound concerned. “Yeah, don’t worry; ol’ Hodge won’t be troubling anybody else anytime ever!”

  “I’m Anthony, and this is my mom, Serena.” This woman was a little weird, but Anthony liked her instantly. She had saved their lives, she had an awesome crossbow, and she was the first friendly face he had seen in a very long time. An introduction was the least he could offer her, besides his gum.

  “I’m pleased to meet you both!” Mary declared. “You’re a big, brave lad, Anthony; comin’ to my rescue… very chivalrous.” Anthony replied with a diffident smile.

  “Who are they?” Serena asked motioning towards the dead men with her gun.

  “Assholes,” sneered Mary. “You kill one and a dozen more come and take their place. Worse than rats they are!”

  “And the other one, Hodge, he’s dead? “ Serena asked. “They mentioned a gun.”

  “Yep, dead as dog shit… if there were any dogs left. Got his gun, too.”

  “That was a good shot,” Anthony stated as he examined the remnants of the larger dead man. “But I think I woulda aimed for the bigger guy first.”

  “Nah, I knew the big fuck would wanna fight. The skinny dude might’ve made a run for it… and I really don’t like to run if I can help it.”

  “You have a gun now, don’t you? You couldn’t’ve just shot them both?” Serena posed an interesting inquiry.

  Mary pondered over Serena’s question for a moment; she placed her bloody hatchet under her chin as she did. “That probably would’ve been the wiser way to go…” Mary conceded. “But bullets can’t be retrieved now can they?” Mary winked again as she walked past Serena and Anthony and over to where her arrow stuck in the motel room door. She pulled it out and twirled it between her fingers. “Plus, Amy wanted some action.”

  “Amy?” Serena inquired. “Who’s Amy?”

  “This is Amy.” Mary held up her hatchet as she replied. “Amy the Axe!”

  Serena was a little perturbed; her son was mostly amused. Anthony chuckled out loud to Mary’s introduction of Amy. He thought Amy was an interesting sidekick, and told Mary exactly that. Mary blew him a kiss from her bloody hand as she headed over to Serena’s car. Serena and Anthony followed.

  “What the hell did they do to my car?” Serena spoke, mostly to herself, as they neared her vehicle.

  “Unhooked your battery,” Mary replied as she lifted her crossbow from Serena’s trunk. “That’s all I saw ‘em do.”

  “You were watching?” Serena asked.

  “Yes I wa
s.” Mary spotted Anthony admiring her crossbow. “Would you like to hold Isabeau?” She asked him.

  “Sure, if you don’t mind.” Anthony delightedly took Isabeau, the crossbow, from Mary. The weapon was nearly four feet long, but not as heavy as the boy had anticipated. The upper portion of the weapon was an aluminum, tactical crossbow resting on an attached bipod, but it had been modified to attach to an assault rifle lower portion which functioned as the trigger mechanism. The crossbow also had a ratcheting crank mounted to its left side which drew back the string to cock the weapon. Isabeau was large, cumbersome, and not much good after one shot, but there was no denying her power.

  “I think she likes you,” stated Mary.

  “I like her, too!” Anthony replied as he admired the contours of the crossbow. “She’s very sweet.”

  Mary was right: the battery was disconnected. Serena could correct the problem with little effort. She surmised that the two men more than likely not only wanted her, but her car as well; which was why they did not disable the vehicle more thoroughly. Serena kept watch around the hood; Mary Murder still concerned her. Despite her name, Serena assumed that the girl was probably not a cold-blooded killer, so she hoped. Still, the girl could have some instability issues that need be closely monitored. Mary was a small person, even Anthony could easily look down on her, but Serena saw what the woman was capable of. It was frightening, yet impressive.

  “So much for this outfit,” Mary seemed more concerned about the mess on her clothes than she did about the mess on her body, where pieces of the dead man’s brain and drying blood were plastering themselves to her hair and skin. “And it ain’t like there’s a Macy’s in this fuckin’ town.”

  “Is that your only clothes?” Anthony asked. He had no issues with Mary’s attire.

  “I don’t know… I guess not.” Mary answered as she walked out onto the highway. “When I’m done with something I don’t really keep up with it, be it clothes, cars, pets, men… it’s a habit I’ve been meanin’ to break for some decades now.”

  “We have clothes you can borrow, or have, I mean… until you find something else.” Anthony still held the crossbow in his arms as he followed Mary onto the highway.

  “Well, aren’t you a sweetheart.” Mary spoke with a smile as she brushed pieces of human head from her hair.

  Anthony was startled by the boom from his mother slamming the hood to their car. Serena had finished reattaching the battery. She walked around to the driver’s side door and placed her keys into the ignition. The vehicle started up and a wave of relief flushed over her. Thank God, she silently praised. Now she and her son could get out of this place. But what about Mary? This young woman had just saved them. Serena had her concerns about the girl, but could she really just leave Mary behind?

  Serena shut off her car and then made her way over to her son and Mary. She looked to the girl and spoke, “Thank you, Mary, for helping us. There’s no way I can ever repay you, truly, but you’re welcome to whatever we have.” Except for my car, Serena added without words.

  “Blah,” Mary scoffed with a wave of her hand. “What are bosom buddies for, right?”

  “My son is right: we do have clothes if you want them. We don’t have much food, but there’s some potted meat and some crackers… they’re yours, too, if you want them.”

  “That’s nice of you, but really, not necessary. I was gonna kill those guys anyway, you just bettered my opportunity. Thanks for that, by the way.”

  “We owe you, I owe you…”

  “Potted meat and crackers?” Mary interrupted. “How long’ve you been livin’ on that shit?”

  “Too long.” Anthony answered.

  “You want something better?” Mary asked with a beckoning smile.

  “Like what?” Anthony implored eagerly.

  “All kinds of nice things. I’m a master thief and my booty is amazing!”

  Anthony laughed. Mary’s words then brought a sudden realization to his mother. It was fairly obvious, but with all that had gone down Serena had barely a moment to gather her thoughts.

  “Those men, they were looking for you weren’t they?” Serena stated more than she asked.

  “In their defense, my charm is very difficult to resist,” answered Mary.

  “You stole from those guys?” Anthony was impressed.

  “Indeed I did.”

  “How long have they been after you?” Serena asked.

  “A while, I guess. I’m not much for keepin’ track of time – kinda like my clothes.”

  “At least they’re dead now.” Anthony added. He looked back to the dead men lying in the parking lot. The fear was not affecting him yet, but he knew it would come eventually. That was the way it always went; more nightmares and more bad memories. In time, however, they would fade… hopefully.

  “For the moment,” Mary spoke. “Like I said, they’re like rats: more will come sooner or later.”

  “How many more?” Serena was earnestly regretting not bypassing the state of Nevada completely in her journey to somewhere on the north-west coast.

  “Many more, south of here, on the other side of the mountains,” Mary paused to blow a bubble gum bubble. “They’re low on loot and only have one decent vehicle. They’re a persistent bunch of pricks; they’ll keep searching ‘til they find me.” Mary smiled.

  “We should leave then.” Serena stated.

  “What kind of car do they have?” Anthony asked. The prospect of fuel was enticing, though he was in no hurry to try and steal any from that rowdy bunch.

  “No car,” Mary answered. “A big, ugly semi with spikes on the tires, a machine gun on the roof, and a dead, rotting, naked woman strapped to the grill. It’s kinda fucked up, and that’s sayin’ somethin’ comin’ from me.”

  “Good God…” Serena spoke low, but her son still heard her. He agreed with her sentiments.

  “They got a few bikes, too, but anyway…” Mary showed little concern. “Wanna see my stash?”

  “I don’t know,” Serena answered. “This place isn’t safe.”

  “No place is safe, honey, but I have some things that you might like.”

  “How far from here is your… stash?”

  “Not far, just up the road in the church. You can see it from here.”

  A few steps down the highway and the white steeple of Mary’s church came into view. Serena was reluctant. Mary seemed kind enough in her own unique way, but the ease in which she had killed those two men was not something that would soon fade from Serena’s memory. Nevertheless, she followed the strange girl, for now. Anthony was quickly by Mary’s side; he was eager to see what she had stolen from the wretched men that were hunting her… or was she hunting them? He was also keen to speak with her a little more.

  “Why’d you hide your things in a church?” Anthony asked as he reached Mary’s side. He still carried her cumbersome crossbow; it was a task he was more than happy to undertake.

  “Who the hell goes to church anymore, right?” Mary jested. “No real reason; it just seemed fitting.”

  “Have you killed many of those men? If that’s all right for me to ask.”

  “Today’s three brings my total to eleven now. Pretty respectable, no?”

  “Yeah,” Anthony answered with a feigned smile. “Pretty respectable.” It wasn’t an easy question to answer. He did not doubt that the men Mary had killed surely deserved to die, but was killing them something to take pride in? Such musings might make him look weak to Mary, so Anthony dared not voice his thoughts. He continued to converse. “We’re from Texas, my mom and I, but we’ve been, or we were, staying in Utah.”

  “I was in Utah for a while,” Mary reflected as she walked along. “I didn’t like it very much.”

  “Me neither,” Anthony’s reply was only partially true. While he did not much care for the strange houses and occasionally cramped living conditions, he did enjoy the company of the other people that he and his mother had stayed with. They were once family and fr
iends; now they were gone – gunned down by strange men who killed them for no discernable reason. “It wasn’t a very fun place.”

  “That’s putting it too kindly.” Mary’s time in Utah was spent in the northern half of the state, mostly in or around Salt Lake City. Her stay there was not very long; the Sayona quickly overtook the city. “Alien bitch-monsters ran me outta town. Same for you guys?”

  “Nah, guys with guns came for us. I don’t know why.”

  “Because they can, my boy, because they can,” Mary had a pretty good idea of who the guys with guns were. “And I use to be an anarchist… stupid, young, naive, little me.”

  “Anarchist huh?” Serena queried. Anti-government sentiments were not uncommon before the war and Serena had little affection for those individuals lashing out at authority. More often than not they caused more problems than they solved, in her mind. “I’m sure you had your reasons.”

  “Liars, thieves, and murderers, all hungry for power – turns out that wasn’t just limited to politics, unfortunately.”

  “I think they’re still out there,” Anthony added. “The President, senators, governors… I think they’re hiding out down in a giant bunker somewhere.”

  “No doubt,” Mary concurred. “That’s the way the world works: the big guys make a bad situation worse and then let the locals deal with the dirty work. History is pockmarked with political arrogance… true history that is.”

  “That’s probably true,” Anthony spoke. “But we’re the ones who put them into power, right?”

  “Touché,” Mary acknowledged. “Still, those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

  Not if there is no future, Serena noted silently. A moment later she was standing on the threshold of the big, stone church with her son by her side. Mother and son were apprehensive by habit now. Mary paid their reluctance no mind as she proceeded on towards the entrance. Anthony’s habitual hesitance was short lived. After a quick glance to his mother, he then followed Mary into her church. Serena followed as well.