The Cave

Chapter Two

Alec, who had the most effective weapon, was leading the meeting.

“Does everyone have a weapon?” Alec asked everyone as they all came in. Both Micah and Jaclyn replied with a shake of the head. Alec handed Jaclyn a fire axe, saying:

“I found it in the main office. Should be pretty sharp.”

Alec handed Micah a six-shooter revolver. Alec explained it was from the security office. An awful lot of weapons were in the security office, it seemed.

“Jaclyn, do you have all of the food?” Alec asked. Jaclyn nodded, pulling out a single tomato.

“Micah, do you have the map?” 

Micah pulled out the map from his back pocket, saying: 

“I think the airport is a good place to stay for the night.”

“Great insight, Micah,” Alec said slightly sarcastically. “Jessica, what’d you find?”

Jessica pulled out the five dollars and the BB Clip.

“Good job, guys. Top notch. I guess. Now, shall we get going?”

Alec was setting out of the gymnasium, but was stopped by Micah.

“How do we know what’s out there? What if there’s like zombies or something?”

Alec gave him the look that universally meant Are you kidding me? Micah threw his head in shame before walking with Alec and the rest of them out of the school. Because the doors were locked, Jaclyn fit the axe through the openings and sliced down the mechanism. The glass doors quietly clicked open. 

A wave of cool air, something none of them had experienced in a long time, shot over them. Micah, paranoid from his time in such isolation, tightly held his revolver to his chest. He noticed the others doing similar things. Alec didn’t speak, but merely pointed to the bike rack on the other side of the schoolyard. As they walked, nobody made a sound.

It was easy to break the bike locks, as they had been left out in the elements for so long. All of them took different varieties of mountain bikes, all but Jessica’s in bad condition. Alec motioned for them to go down the avenue to the plaza crossing.

As they biked, Jaclyn noticed that a lot of them looked scared. After being in such a small space for so long, they must’ve been scared to be such in such a big area so suddenly. Jaclyn tried thinking that this was really stupid, but she eventually began feeling the same way too. 

As they approached the plaza, Alec finally spoke, albeit stuttering. 

“Jaclyn, p-p-please go into doctor’s office to the left and get some asp-p-prin. We may n-n-need it.”

Jaclyn complied without saying a word. She came back out with two bottles. 

“It was all they had, Alec.” Jaclyn said as she put them in the backpack. She threw it over her shoulder before setting off again. Alec pointed to go left down the long road.

As they traveled down, Micah saw a green sign at a big crossing labeled “Windsor”. He used to always go there after school to go hang out with friends. They were almost all somewhere else now. As he pedaled closer to the sign, surpassing everyone else, he noticed something had been painted on the road ahead.

A big, red A, with a circle around it. The symbol of Anarchy.

“Uh...guys?” Micah started, “Do you think we should be going this way? It might be...ya know…..dangerous?”

Jessica shot him a look. “What on earth makes you think that? We’re the only ones that are out here for fuck’s sake!” She ranted.

“Micah, may be right here. We don’t know anything about what’s out here.” Jaclyn said to Jessica.

“See, Jaclyn’s on my side!” Micah exclaimed.

“We’re not having a moment, Micah. Don’t get any funny ideas.” 

Micah frowned and turned to Alec.

“Alec, there’s a big spray-painted Anarchy sign up ahead. Looks pretty goddamn fresh. I’m not sure about what’s over there, and I am not going there.”

Micah drove off to the sidewalk.

“Micah, I’ll go check it out. I’ll be back in a sec.” Alec said. He ran off to where Micah had said the sign was.

Alec started feeling sort’ve scared. He wasn’t used to this kind of stuff back in his old life. He sure wasn’t now.

He called out, “Is anyone here? A trader maybe?”

No one answered. Alec heard the crackling of sticks. 

A gold-painted pistol cocked right behind Alec’s head.

He put his hands up.

“Who the fuck are you.” A grimy, tobacco-chewing voice sounded.

“Alec. Alec c-c-c-Campbell.” Alec muttered, more scared than he ever has been.

“Give me everything you got right now.”

Alec didn’t budge, frozen in fear.

“Let me say it again, fucker. Give. Me. Everything. Now.”

Alec still didn’t move.

“Ya know what, I’ve had it with all these fuckin’ youngins coming around my turf.”

What turf? Alec thought.

“No more Mr. Nice Guy for the youngins from me. You either give me all your shit now, or a bullet goes through your skull. Either way, I win.” The faceless shooter said, with obviously more tobacco in his mouth.

Alec heard running footsteps from behind.

“Give me the stuff now. One.” 

The footsteps were louder now.

“Two.”

Alec heard a swoosh of air behind him.

“Thre-”

A loud scream of pain echoed. The shooter had a face now, a man in a farmer getup, with an unshaven face and raggedy hair. His gun-wielding hand was now bleeding like a broken water pipe. Jaclyn was standing above him, holding the fire axe. She began kicking him as hard as she could.

“Get away from Alec you murderous little prick!” She screamed.

The shooter got up without another word, huffing and puffing, and ran away, clasping his half-stub of a wrist. 

“Jaclyn…..thanks.” Alec said, breathing heavily. He couldn’t think of anything more to say, as he was still recovering from the fact he had been close to having his head shot off.

“I really don’t want to do that again…” Jaclyn muttered, going back to her bicycle.