Mirage

Chapter 8

Hope County, 1 ½ years later

The scavenger rummaged through the remains of the burnt down house, trying to find anything salvageable. Her hands and arms worked tirelessly, the tips of her fingers raw from non-stop friction against the burnt debris. After a few hours, she fell back onto the hinds of her legs, crying in defeat.

There was nothing left. Nayeli Lamb had lost everything.

After the raiders had taken her daughter over a year ago, her husband Jacob went in search of her. She remained here on the off chance that Mai would somehow find her way home, and have someone here to return to. Except Jacob never returned, and neither did Mai. As if her life wasn't fucked enough, just a week after Jacob left, Hope County had a new issue to contend with.

The Highwaymen.

Like the Raiders who took Mai, they came out of nowhere. Unlike your stereotypical raiders, however, they were organized, or as organized as you could be in the post-apocalypse. They did not hesitate to take or kill who or what they wanted. They started along with the smaller settlements, then proceeded to Prosperity, shaking them down for whatever they had. Nick was one of the few who stood up to them, and from what Kim had told her, they beat him to a pulp before hauling him off to who knows where. Nay wondered if Jacob had suffered the same fate. Not knowing what had become to her family made her a volatile, anxious, short-tempered mess, a very unfortunate combination. Particularly when the Highwaymen came knocking on her door next.

Their response, as evident by her burnt-down home, was quite the fiery one. Everything had been inside: their weapons, their clothes, food, supplies...even if she did level herself out she had nothing to go in search of Jacob or Mai except the clothes on her back. As she was about to call off her little search, she pulled up a piece of plywood, discovering the walkman Mai had been gifted on her previous birthday. Nayeli picked it as if it were some sacred artifact; gentle and cautious. Tears streamed down her face as she held it to her chest.

She remembered the day when she left Hope County for the first time, she had given her own walkman to Jacob, nearly twenty-seven years ago. It was a somber thought to think of the time stolen from them, and now she was pained with the fact that she may never see her own daughter grow up into adulthood. Lost in her own trainwreck of a mind, she was vulnerable to the presence that approached from behind.

"Nayeli?" the voice spoke, deceptively masked in genuine concern.

Nayeli's body tensed up so bad she felt like she was going to lock her joints into place. She was already trembling, too terrified to face the ghost that had been haunting not only her dreams but her daughter's reality over the last decade. She began to stand slowly, but she still kept her back to him, her eyes sealed shut.

"You're not here. You're dead. I watched you die." she murmured more so to herself but the man responded regardless.

"I told you God would not let you take me."

There was no indication of a condescending tone, instead, it was like a child speaking meekly to their parent, afraid of being reprimanded after the child's point had been proven right.

"Where is Mai?" he continued to speak, not knowing that every word he spoke simply fueled her anger and disbelief.

She whipped around finally, still grasping onto the walkman like it was her lifeline, her last connection to her daughter. She was ready to rip into him. If she had to she would strangle him with the cord of the headset. When she took a good look at him though, she gave pause. He looked as if he had lost a quarter of his body mass, his tattoos embellished with new add-ons, and of course, wearing nothing but a pair of what looked like a burlap sack for bottoms. The eyes though - the eyes never changed.

Getting over the initial shock, Nay stared him down, "After you tried to murder her, you really think I'd tell you anything about her? Do you really think that you deserve that information?

He appeared hurt by her comment as his sight drifted to the side, "After you...left me...I had time to reflect on my mistakes...and my own sin."

He looked back to her, "God gave me the strength to rise from my would-be grave because he had one more task left for me. I need to speak with Mai."

"Well...you're shit out of luck. Raiders took Mai over a year ago." her voice trembled, "She's gone. And so is Jacob."

If there was any bad blood between the two brothers that still remained, Joseph gave no hint of it when he heard Jacob's name, "I see."

He gazed at the burnt-down house. There was a time he had actually fixed it up as a form of bribery towards the little lamb, shortly before the Collapse. It was just one more failure staring him in the face.

He began to approach her, hand outstretched. Nayeli took a step back for every step he took, stumbling along with the debris as she did so.

"You are still the most magnificent creature I have ever seen..." he spoke longingly.

Nayeli shook her head, and panic ensued. The memories of their time in the bunker came to the forefront of her mind. Instantly, she was paralyzed with dread, watching as the images replayed over and over. The many nights she had to feign making love to him, the arguments, the lies, the starvation, the moments where he eagerly attempted to murder Mai...this was too much...and still too soon to begin remembering.

"You are not safe here." his hand was on her face now, wiping away the tears that continued to stream, "I beg you to come with me."

Mustering up some sanity, she pushed his hand away, "I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm waiting for my family."

"I am your family," he retorted, and with a quick motion of his hand, he grasped hers, holding her palm out.

"Joseph-what the fuck-" she yelped as he slit her palm with an arrowhead.

Nayeli began to feel the effects of whatever it was coated in. The blurriness, the lightheadedness, the illusion of tiny little stars floating about. This was Bliss. She tried speaking, but her words were a jumbled mess as her body collapsed. Joseph threw his arms under her, the walkman resting atop of her stomach as he hauled her up.

"We will await Mai's return together." he murmured as he pressed his lips against Nayeli's forehead, "And she shall be our shepherd."