A Creature of War, Book 4, CH22

As Vee said, things got worse. The community was divided in two.

On one side those who wanted nothing to do with Anthros, on the other the Anthros and those willing to help. Vee didn’t say it, but the number on the opposing side surprised him. El held himself at fault for that. The fire had scared many people and there had been no doubt he had been the caused of it.

It was impossible to get exact numbers, but even including the all the Anthros on their side, they had no more than half the surviving population. The humans included the people Vee had saved from dying in the cold where Artell had left them. The parents, since their children had been targeted just for bring in proximity of the Anthro babies, and, much to El’s surprise, most of the doctors. He’d expected them to resent all the people Vee had healed, but it seemed they respected someone willing to use any skill or talent, or power, he had to help others.

What that meant was that in spite of their lowering numbers, they had the soldiers, the doctors, and controlled the food supply. But all that would make the other side fight that much harder to get at it, even if, against El’s advice, Vee still provided food to anyone who didn’t get directly involved in the fighting.

As the month progressed, the fighting just got more vicious. From the defectors, Vee and El learned that the leadership took everyone’s food, redistributing only the smallest amount to those who didn’t want to fight.

El tried to convince Vee to stop handing over food to the other side again, but the bull wouldn’t hear of it. He wouldn’t let non-combatant suffer any more than he could.

Two weeks after the Division. The name given to that day, the enemy launched a frontal attack. They fought them back easily, but learned afterward it had been a diversion. The Greenhouse had been destroyed.

Vee no longer had a choice. The reserve would barely see them through to the Spring, if it came when they expected it, which was by no mean certain. He stopped feeding the enemy.

The viciousness increased again. Enemies sneaking in and killing people in their sleep. Never soldiers, always civilians. After an attempt on the children was barely thwarted, El had enough.

He threw one of the oil caskets in the square, the dividing line between the sides, then a torch in it. He pushed the fire through the enemy’s side of the mall. By the time Vee found out about it the fire was solidly set and no matter how much the bull screams, El didn’t extinguish it.

While they argued, the fire spread. And the distraction prevented El from controlling where it went. By the time it burned itself out their side had also lost ground, forcing them to retreat too.

They no longer had much of a buffer against the cold as they had to spread closer to the outer wall to accommodate everyone, and more defected to their side every day. The fighting continued, but the other side lost people every time, and their side barely lost anyone.

El, kept away from everyone for close to two weeks. Guilt ate at him. But it took him that long to work up the courage to confront his punishment. It wasn’t a pleasant thing, but he endured it and while it would take a long time before he and Vee would be fine again, they were now in the way there.

They were almost completely out of food the day El felt the snow begin to melt. A full week before the expected spring. He told Vee, but they agreed not to tell anyone. Their decision was proven justified when the next day the cold returned with deadly force. But after that came three days of snow melting heat.

Winter was over.

But not their problems. With the melting snow came flooding, and they had to evacuate the underground rooms. Fortunately, with the warmer temperature more of the rooms were usable. The other side launched a few attacks during that time, but they were pitiful. They continued hating them out of stubbornness.

When the warmth had removed all traces of snow, Vee announced he was leaving, and anyone who wanted to was welcome to accompany him.

No one looked at El, but the consensus was that there was nothing left to justify staying. Guilt ate at him particularly hard that day. It took a week to find or make carts to carry their belongings, and then they left the husk of the mall behind.

    *

The trek north was easier than the one east. Just the size of their group was enough to discourage most bandits, and the large number of armed Anthros meant the settlements they came across, while not always willing to trade with them, treated them with respect.

A week out, before encountering other settlement, or bandits, they came across a herd of animal, and anyone who knew how to use a bow was hunting. That day was the first celebration that felt like hope was something worth having again.

They still lost people to sickness, or injuries and, El suspected, bandits. The size of their group also meant it was difficult to keep track of everyone, or for Vee to reach those hurt in time.

El felt the wrongness in the air long before they reach where New York City had stood. It reminded him of how the air had felt right after the explosion in Peru. They went wide around it.

The detour took them along a mountain range and a few of them traveled high enough to see what might have happened to the city. Whatever it had been, had removed the city entirely, leaving only an irregular body of water where tall buildings should have been.

EL had been to New York City once, more than a century before. The scientist had decided they needed a sense of who they were defending, the people, the society.

The only thought the Specialist had been left as they returned to the Freak Lab, was that the city would be impossible to defend properly. The towers were perfect targets for missiles and the explosions would send debris down to kill even more people. And that could be done without ever setting foot in the city itself.

He looked at the water and wondered how it had happened. A bomb? An accident? A side effect of the world changing? He would never know.

The lost people to heat stroke as the summer assaulted them with the same strength winter had. Vee wanted to travel at night, but too many people were afraid of the darkness.

Vee wanted everyone to move faster as they got closer to the Lab, and the group's inability to do so made him irritable.

Much faster than they thought it should, the weather turned cool again. And the fear became they wouldn’t reach the Lab in time. El did his best to keep Vee and everyone calm. He wasn’t as accurate as the computer had been at predicting the weather, but with all the traveling they’d done and how his senses expanded, he had learned how to interpret the weather patterns.

It wasn’t until they got onto Highway 2 that Vee cheered up again. This was the last stretch.

Two weeks later they reached the gate that marked the entrance to the property. The automated gate had been replaced by a bar on a fulcrum. A scarred German Sheppard exited the gatehouse to stand in their way.

He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword as he looked them over. He couldn’t stop them, the fear in his eyes said he knew he couldn’t stop them, but there was also resolve there.

“Stop. This is private property. I’ve been authorized to kill anyone who tries to enter.”

Vee stepped forward. “I’m Specialist VDK-56, returning from the Peru mission. This is Specialist LRK-87. With him are what is left of our unit as well as other units we picked up on the way and civilians.”

The dog looked the bull over. “Anyone can claim to—” he doubled over, clutching his stomach.

Vee crouched next to him. “Is this enough of a demonstration?” his tone was hard. “If you need more, I’ll be happy to turn your insides around for you, and I don’t care if you survive the experience.”

“Go,” the dog gasped, “Ahead.”

Vee raised the bar and proceeded. As the dog caught his breath and stood, El walked around him, followed but everyone else. Halfway to the barracks Rod came running down the road.

The donkey hugged them. “We thought you were dead.”

Vee wrapped his arms around the donkey. “No, we were just forced to take the long way back. Is everyone else back?”

Rod stepped back. “Anyone who could come back. Chem and Mick were in Russia when everything went nuts. No one expects them to return. Everyone else was on the continent, you two were the furthest away.” Ron bit his lip and looked behind him.

“What is it?”

“It’s Eek. He’s in a bad place. Bear didn’t make it.”

Vee cursed. El ran. The two of them had been devoted to each other to a level none of them understood. If she's dead…

“Look after the others,” Vee yelled and El heard him run behind him.

“What do you expect me to do?” Rod yelled back.

“Welcome them! They’ve been through a lot too.”

“El!” Kess yelled as she saw him. “Vee, you’re alive!” the ostrich hugged them.

“Where’s Eek?” the lynx asked.

Her face clouded over. “He isn’t good.”

“I heard, where is he?”

“Building three, the old decontamination room.”

EL ran, Vee on his heel.

The old decontamination room had been named that for as long as El had lived at the Lab. Even the scientists he’d question hadn’t known where the name had come from, other than the sign on is said ‘decontamination.’ It had to be a leftover from the time of biological warfare was the best guess anyone had come up with.

Since it wasn’t used for that, it had served a variety of purpose, but no matter what else the scientist tried to turn it into, invariably, it became a storage room again. It had held weapons, equipment, food at one time. If there was a surplus of something, it would find a way to end up there.

The room was empty now. No boxes, no cases or crates. Just a cot and a thin, dirty looking rat huddled in a corner. He looked up at them, his eyes distant, then back at the floor, as if he hadn’t registered who they were, or that they were there.

El crouched next to him. “Eek, we’re back.”

“They killed her.” His voice was hollow. “We were just trying to help them, and they killed her. They tried to kill me too, but,” he looked at his hands, “they couldn’t. I stopped moving, and they just left me there, next to her body.”

Vee crouched and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“I brought her back.” The rat fell silent. “I thought Death could bring her back, but too much time passed. She offered to animate her, but it wouldn’t be the same, it wouldn’t be her. I couldn’t do that to my Bear.” The next words were barely audible. “I lost my Bear.”

“Eek,” El said, keeping his voice soft. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll help you.”

The rat looked at Vee. “I need you to do it.”

“What? I can’t bring her back, you know that.”

“I need you to kill me.”

“I—Eek, I can’t do that, we need you. You’re our leader.”

“I can’t live this way. I have this pain inside me and it won’t go away. I need it to stop. I tried to do it myself, to starve myself, but I’m not strong enough. When I get hungry, I eat the food they bring me.”

He turned his gaze to the lynx. “You’ll have to take over for—” he stopped as El shrank away. He wanted to explain, but the words wouldn’t come. He wasn’t fit to lead, not after Savannah.

Eek nodded and looked at Vee. “It falls on you to lead them. They’re going to need a strong leader.”

“Then it should be CM, she’s always been—”

“It had to be you.”

“Boss,” Vee said, “Are you sure about this? I do this and you don’t come back, you know that, right? Even Death can’t bring by the people I end.”

The rat smiled. “I can’t stand this pain anymore. It’s eating me alive. I need it to end, Vee. You have to end it for me. Maybe Bear is waiting for me, like Blink things. Maybe the human God’s real and he’ll reunite me with her. I can hope for that, but all I want is for the pain to end.”

El took the rat’s emaciated hands in his. “Eek, please, we need you, there had to be another way.”

“I’m no good like this. I haven’t led anyone in years. I’m not getting better El. Vee can’t fix what’s wrong. If he doesn’t end me, I’ll just stay here and continue to try to die.”

Vee placed a hand on El’s shoulder. “It’s his choice.” The bull gently picked up the rat and moved him to the cot. “This is your last chance Boss. After this there is no changing your mind.”

Eek smiled. “All I want Vee, is peace.” He closed his eyes.

“Then be at peace.”

Eek stopped breathing.

El cried. He wasn’t angry, Eek had wanted this, but he already missed his leader and friend.

Vee’s eyes were wet, but he didn’t cry. The lynx too his hand. “It’s okay, you can miss him too.”

The bull shook his head and dried his eyes. “I can do that later. He put me in charge that means I have work to do.”

Outside the building he ordered the first Anthro they saw to pass the word he wanted the First Specialist Unit to assemble in their barracks.

Within minutes of El and Vee getting there, everyone else was there. After a quick round of hugs and greetings they settled down. Including the two of them, there were only fifteen left. Nine dead or missing over two centuries wasn’t much, but El felt each loss deeply.

“Eek is dead,” Vee stated.

The news surprised no one.

“He left me in charge.”

The surprised them. They might have looked at El, but he was looking at the floor, unable to meet the expected gazes.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us. It’s late in the season, but we need to make sure we’re prepared for the coming winter. From what I can see there hasn’t been any civilians here, but I brought some and we need to—”

“No we don’t.” The tigress stood.

“CM, we have to—”

“We don’t have to do shit. Especially not for them.”

Vee took a breath. “CM, we’re soldiers. Our job now is to make sure the civilians are safe.”

She raised an eyebrow at him, “Really? Have you bothered to look around Vee? There’s no army anymore. Have you heard any of the stories about the brass just abandoning the soldiers under their command? They were left to die. That’s what those humans think of us. We are just good to die.” She paced “Those precious civilians of yours? They’re the one who killed Bear, not an enemy soldier, civilians. Why should I ever do anything for them?”

“CM,” Vee was trying to keep his tone reasonable, but the stress was audible. “This is what we were made for.”

“And we were made to die after fifteen years. You see anyone here doing that? No. You want to lead this merry band? You want to continue playing soldiers when there’s nothing to defend against anymore? You go right ahead. I’m done.” She headed for the door.

“CM, stop! That is an order!”

“Go fu—” the tigress doubled over.

Vee flew across the barrack to land among the useless electronics piled there. The bull stood, and they glared at each other.

“Fine,” Vee snapped. “Abandon your post. Just remember what’s done to deserters.” He looked around. “Anyone else wants to follow her, while I’m feeling generous?”

A squirrel hurried to join the tigress.

The wolverine rubbed her hands together when Vee’s gaze fell on her. “I don’t give a damn who I’m killing, just tell me I’ll have people to kill and I’m sticking by you.”

“Can you even see anything of what’s going to happen, Suff?” the vixen next to her asked.

Suff grinned. “Nope! Way too much stuff in flux, this is great!”

The otter looked around. “What I can tell you, Vee, is that CM and Death aren’t the only ones who feel like that. A lot of the Specialist here have had enough of being at the humans’ beck and call. And some of the others too. I doubt you’re going to believe me after what she just did, but she’s been the one holding us together. Eek never told her to take charge, but well… she was always the one to do it after him and El.”

Rhine looked at the door. “Now that she doesn’t have to deal with the responsibility….” He sighed. “Without saying one word, she’s going to take a lot of the others with her. Or at the very least give implied permission to leave.”

“Let them leave then. Let all of them forget their duty and go do whatever they want. I’m going to make sure history remembers who deserted their post when this is all said and done.”

The anger in Vee’s tone made the other still. They hadn’t seen everything the bull had been through, El reminded himself, they hadn’t seen him gain the edge he was now showing.

That was for the best. Vee was the one they needed, the one able to make the hard decisions they’d need to survive this coming winter and the one after that.