Chapter 6: On the Highway to "Home"

Hey guys, I'm back! Next chapter in The World Ended Silently and we're back to Dallas' POV. I realized I do put more work into Dallas than Lyra, don't know why hm... Anyways enjoy y'all!

Chapter 6: On the Highway to “Home”

            The road was clear, as was the sky giving way to a glaring sun. No one from the small group was able to see anything for the next mile. In this case that was a good sign, no bandits nor lurkers waiting to take advantage of the travelers. Though, that could also be a bad sign. Bandits could be hiding behind the rocks and cliffs that sparsely dotted the road. Lurkers could be hiding in caves and shade, out of sight and out of the sun’s rays. So, even with the clear road, Dallas and Dodge traveled carefully on a few feet ahead of Delilah and Kael, keeping an eye out for even the slightest hint of danger.

            ‘We’re only about an hour away from the Fortress’, Dallas reminded himself. ‘I’m not going to die that close to home.’

            Although, nowadays, home was a subjective term. There was really no such thing as “home” anymore, just a place to survive until one needed to move on. Shelter would be a better way to describe it, but the small town Dallas and Grant started was looking a lot like a home to everyone, now. That could change in an instant and that was the exact reason Dallas had spent as little time as he did there. He wanted to make sure he didn’t treat it as home, and the moment he did something was bound to take it away from him. He chastised himself under his breath for thinking of it as such.

            Dodge sensed what Dallas was thinking about and put his head under his hand to help comfort him. When he did this, the pair looked at each other. This small sign of friendship showed that, no matter what, Dallas and Dodge would stick together through thick and thin.

            “There’s no way I’m going to lose you, bud”, Dallas remarked quietly to his four-legged companion.

            Dodge gave an enthusiastic bark in response. Shortly after the small exchange between the two, Delilah and Kael came up to Dallas’ side, stepping into the same pace as them.

            “So, exactly how far are we from this town?” Delilah questioned.

            Dallas gave a small grin, “We’re about an hour out, not much further. We should be there well before the sun goes down.”

            “Good… good…” Delilah repeated the word a few more times with a nervous tone.

            Dallas knew exactly what she was worried about, “Don’t worry, I’m sure Grant will allow both of you to stay at the Fortress.” His grin grew bigger, trying to reassure her.

            In response she gave him a weary smile. “I hope you’re right, it’s just… Well, you know why we need this, right?”

            Everyone needed a place to stay that was like the Fortress. It was strong, had a budding a community and no threat of lurkers, but Dallas knew why Delilah and Kael needed it more than some.

            Over the past week they had gotten to know each other quite well. Talking about likes and dislikes, exchanging stories about the past, and watching Dodge and Kael play in a comfortable silence. A friendship was quickly budding between the two. And soon, it came to Dallas asking why Delilah and Kael were cornered by the lurker he saved them from.

            Death had led them there, as it did with many people in this time. Their uncle, who took care of them after they lost their parents to a street mugging, was killed saving them from a pack of lurkers. Or turned into one, Delilah didn’t know. They had been on the run ever since, living off scavenging and the few supplies Delilah grabbed before they left their uncle’s farm.

            Running out of supplies drove the siblings to the ruins of Colorado Springs. They had heard tales from scavengers that they could find almost anything they needed in there. Food was abundant, weapons were thrown everywhere and warm clothing for the winter could be found in any store ruins. Most of what they said sounded like rumors, a false truth passed on to those with little hope. But they had to take the chance, and they did.

            Delilah and Kael entered the city with little equipment, all they had were the clothes on their backs, a days-worth of food and a hand axe for defense. The older sibling knew that it would prove little help against bandits or, worse, lurkers, but it gave the younger one a sense of protection. Though, he found out quickly it wouldn’t do anything. That first day they were in the plagued ruins, they were corned by a lurker.

            It quickly smacked the hand axe out of Delilah’s hand, almost scratching her and spreading the terrifying disease. All she could do was shelter Kael from the impending doom that would soon follow. She closed her eyes, ready to accept the penalty of death, but it never came. Instead she heard a shriek come from the creature, and when she opened her eyes its back was turned to her. Immediately she saw what the creature was shrieking about: an arrow, dug deeply and painfully into its neck. After a couple more arrows, the creature fell and the siblings were safe.

            A week later, here they were, following a man both brother and sister quickly formed a bond to. Kael looked at him like he would at her uncle, recognizing the care he had for both of them and knowing that he would protect them no matter what. He saw him as a mentor, a teacher, someone who could guide the little boy through this world.

Delilah, on the other hand, saw him as more than a mentor. She didn’t know exactly what it was, but she knew she had never felt it before. Over the past week, they quickly became friends, but every time she remembered the moment he saved them, she caught herself focusing on the short pause they had when they looked into each other’s eyes. It felt almost blissful in the fear that encompassed her only minutes before when the lurker almost ended her earthly being. She didn’t know what exactly to think about him. Every time she had someone close to her, they would be taken away somehow, Kael was the only exception. She was scared to act on any feelings she had for her savior lest she lose him to the world. Until she figured everything out, she was happy enough to call him her friend.

Kael and Dodge sped up a little bit, getting in front of Dallas and Delilah and playing while also making their way closer towards the Fortress. For a moment, the two watched the pair play, it made it seem like there was nothing wrong in the world. That life was progressing normally, that Kael may have a chance at living to see past his teenage years, that everyone that was lost wasn’t. Dallas was the first to break out of the trance, he noticed how Delilah was looking at this spectacle of innocence with emotions of happiness and sadness mixed together. He put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump in fright a little as she came back to the present.

Dallas looked at her with understanding eyes. “I know”, he began “and someday, life will go back to normal, you’ll see.” He ended his sentence with a smile that was becoming all too familiar to the young woman.

She looked into his eyes and saw faith and truth in there, showing he really thought that, someday, lurkers would be a thing of the past. Delilah pulled the rest of his arm around her, needing someone to hold her, someone to comfort her. Dallas didn’t know what to do, but he saw that she needed someone to be there. So, he fell into a comfortable position, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder while he held her with his arm.

            Just then, they heard a gunshot echoing from up the road. It was loud, showing the sound was relatively close to where the group was. Once they heard the sound, Kael and Dodge ran back to the pair behind them; Kael hiding behind his sister and Dodge putting himself at his master’s side, growling at the same time. Dallas put his hand on Dodge’s head to calm him down. Then, he looked over at the slightly frightened siblings.

            “Listen”, he started to Delilah “I want you guys to go hide over by those boulders, and Dodge and I will go ahead to see if there’s any immediate danger.”

            Delilah looked over at him, now fear becoming more noticeable on her face. Even though she was scared that something might happen to either of them, she nodded. “Okay”, she eventually managed to get out “just be careful, promise?”

            Dallas let out a small laugh. “I’m always careful”, he exclaimed in an uplifting tone. He then turned his attention to Kael. “Keep your sister safe for me, okay?”

            Kael turned to the positive scout. He stammered out, “O-ok-k-kay…”

            Dallas gave them another smile to encourage them. Before he left, he gave Delilah his pistol. “Just in case”, he added. Then he ventured ahead with Dodge to scout out any possible dangers while the brother and sister hid behind the boulders Dallas pointed out.

            They only walked about 300 yards before another shot was heard, this time Dallas was able to isolate the sound. From what he could tell, the sound came from beyond a hill off the side of the road. He and Dodge made their way towards the incline, coming to a stop at the top. Slowly, they peered over the summit and looked at the small clearing below. What Dallas witnessed was disturbing, yet not uncommon in these desperate and dark days.

            Two corpses littered the area, recently shot in the head and still oozing blood from their fatal wounds. Along with the two dead men was a gang of four bandits, each armed with a rifle or shotgun. Two of them were watching for signs of trouble, one was looking through, what could be assumed were, the bags of the deceased men. The last of the group was walking back and forth in front of bound man, forced to the ground by the threat of the gun being waved wildly in front of his face. It wouldn’t be long before he joined his friends.

            Quickly, Dallas formed a plan in his head. He motioned for Dodge to go around the hill and approach the clearing. This would distract one or both, if he was lucky, of the guards in the area. That would give him enough time to deal with whoever was left over. Dodge whined a little bit showing he was not sure if he agreed with the idea.

            “Look, I know it isn’t the greatest idea”, Dallas argued “but it’s the best I’ve got, and I don’t see you coming up with any "“

            Before he could finish his sentence another shot was fired. He looked over the summit, only to witness a second shot following the previous. Both bullets lodged themselves into the man’s thighs, a pool of blood starting to appear around his legs. The fact that this man was going to die was cruel, but the bandits wanted to have a little fun with him, they wanted to see him suffer.

            “See your friends over there?” Dallas overheard a taunting Irish accent say. “You’re going to end up just like them! But first, I’m gonna make sure you suffer!”

            All that was heard in response was a muffled scream of agony.

            “So, you want to know why I’m doing this to you?” He added a cackle after he heard another attempted yell of pain. “It’s simple: I enjoy others’ pain, boy-o!”

            Once he finished his monologue he continued to cackle and went over to look through supplies with the other bandit, while the bound man continued screaming himself deaf. There was no time to lose, Dallas sent Dodge to distract the guards. A few seconds later a loud bark was heard, followed by a scream of pain as Dodge jumped on the closest guard and ripped his throat out. One down, three to go. Dodge ran for it as the torturer and the other guard went after him, guns blazing.

            After they were clear out of sight, Dallas knocked an arrow and snuck up closer to get a better shot at the remaining bandit. He sled down the hill as silently as he could and crawled over to a bush in the clearing. As he was making his way towards the bush he tripped over a rock, making enough noise to receive the attention of the remaining bandit. From his fallen position Dallas made a wild shot, hitting the surprised marauder in the right shoulder and making him scream in pain. He knew his companions would soon return to see what was wrong, so Dallas wasted no time.

            He sprinted towards the bandit, knife drawn and ready to be plunged into the flesh of its foe. The bandit was still screaming when he was tackled to the ground by Dallas. They both hit the dirt hard, knocking out whatever wind was left inside of the bandit’s body. Before Dallas managed to bury his knife in the man’s neck, his wrist was met with the bandit’s hand. It was now a contest of strength, basic survival: he who is strongest will survive. In this case, Darwin was not on the injured man’s side. He could barely move his right arm while Dallas was able to get both of his hands on the hilt of his knife. With this advantage he was able to dig his knife into the man’s chest, spilling his life blood and interrupting the beating of his heart. It was only a few seconds before the man’s frightened breathing came to a halt. Out of respect, Dallas closed the man’s eyes with his hand. He hated killing, but he had to do it to protect those he cared for.

            ‘It was them or us’, he tried to comfort himself. ‘Survival of the fittest.’

            As he withdrew the knife and stood up to see his work, he heard the familiar cocking of a gun behind him.

            “Oh you’re in deep trouble now, me boy”, an angry Irish voice said behind Dallas. “But death will be an escape for you, so I’m going to make you suffer!” A cackle followed this, as well as the ringing of a gunshot and pain. He shot Dallas square in the shoulder.

            ‘Where is Dodge?!?’ he thought, almost out loud. He screamed in pain and frustration instead, realizing it was the end of the line for him. It was only the beginning, though.

            “Now, to make you squirm Irish style, eh? You ever hear of “kneecapping”?”

            “Oh yeah, I have”, Dallas answered “it’s what I did to your mother after I had my way with her. You should be ashamed, she was w***e! You could be my son for all you kn-”

            Before he could finish his taunt he was met with a swift punch to the face.

            “My mother was a saint, you b*****d! You hear that?! A SAINT!” He screamed angrily. “You know, I was gonna forgo the kneecapping for a little while and dig my knife under your fingernails first.” He twirled his knife between his fingers as he muttered the last part of the sentence. “But now, you’ll be receiving the five star treatment. I hope you like it!”

            He grabbed Dallas by his hair and drug him next to their prisoner. The prisoner was in worse condition than him, having shallow breathing from the loss of blood, he could be blacked out for all Dallas knew. The Irish bandit threw Dallas face first onto the ground, causing pain to course through his shoulder and screams to ring out from his mouth. He turned around, only to see a gun being pointed at his knee.

            “Well, this is a painful beginning for a painful end, eh? Boy-o?” He finished the sentence tauntingly.

            Dallas closed his eyes, thinking the immense pain he would soon feel would be lessened if he didn’t see it. He knew it was futile, but it was nice to think it would work. He waited, ready for the pain that would race through his body. Then, he heard a gun fire and his body began to clench due to the pain… But there was no pain. Dallas opened his eyes to see the Irishman looking wide-eyed at a blood stain on his shirt where his heart was, slowly getting bigger. With one last breath, he fell to the ground.

            Dallas was shocked, how could this have happened? Then, he looked beyond the fallen man to see Delilah, gun pointed right where the bandit was standing only seconds ago. Beside her was Dodge, panting and barking happily to see his master safe. On the other side of Delilah was Kael, staring at the corpse that was just alive. Delilah lowered her gun and went over to hug Dallas. Immediately, he yelped in pain.

            “I’m so sorry, Dallas! Are you okay?” she questioned, though she knew the answer.

            “Agh… Feeling peachy, thanks for asking”, he answered jokingly.

            Though worry was written all over her face, Delilah gave Dallas a small grin to recognize his sarcasm. It was then his turn to ask the questions.

            “What are you doing here? I thought I told you to hide behind those boulders and stay safe!” He almost yelled, but restrained himself before he ended his sentence. He wasn’t angry at her, just worried.

            “I… I was just scared… You hadn’t returned for a while and we heard three more gunshots, so Kael and I walked a little ways. Eventually, we came up to Dodge being cornered by two men and then heard screaming. One of the men took off and told the other to take care of the dog. So, I went up behind him, quietly, and… Struck him… With my axe…” Those last words had a hint of sadness in them. Delilah looked down solemnly at the bloody axe hanging from her belt. It was probably the first human she had ever killed. She continued her story. “Then, Dodge dashed towards the hill close by. When we arrived at the summit we saw you being shot by the man who went to see what the screaming was about. And, well…” She looked at the Irishman. “I think the rest is self-explanatory.”

            Dallas looked at her, slightly surprised that she was able to accomplish such a feat; he hadn’t pegged her for someone who would kill another human being. Although everyone had to kill someone at some point in this world nowadays.

            “Well, thank you. For saving me”, he began. “I guess we’re even now.” He added an exhausted laugh to the end of his sentence.

            Delilah began to blush a little. “O-of course” she stammered. Then, making a sly grin, she added, “’Dodge would never forgive me if I didn’t.’”

            Now both Dallas and Delilah were laughing, remembering the first joke they shared together only a week earlier. Then, Kael came up to them.

            “Dallas… Are you okay?” he questioned, worried about his friend’s well-being.

            “I’ve been better”, he said staring at his wounded shoulder “but, nothing I can’t handle. I’m proud of you, you know?” He quickly changed the subject. “I asked you to keep your sister safe and you did. I’m glad I left her in your care.”

            Kael beamed a little, but only a little since he could tell Dallas was only doing this to make him feel better. Even though he could tell it wasn’t that good of a compliment, he was happy to know Dallas was proud of him.

            “We need to get you out of here”, Delilah said urgently “you’re injury needs to be treated right away.”

            The injured shoulder was getting worse by the minute. She was right. Quickly, they got Dallas up on his feet and began to leave the corpse littered field. Before they left, Dallas took a quick glance at the bounded prisoner. His breathing had halted completely, he lost too much blood from the bullet wounds. In a way, Dallas was sad; he was able to live and protect Delilah, rather she protected him, but he couldn’t save the unknown man, and Dallas did not like to let people down, even if they were strangers.

            It was only a few minutes before they were back on the road again, and the Fortress was not too far away. They had to hurry, though, for Dallas was beginning to get light headed due to the blood loss he was suffering. The rest of the journey was made in silence as Delilah was still trying to come to terms with what she did. While Kael was still shocked from seeing several corpses and Dodge was standing silently and dutifully by his master’s side. Soon, they came up to a dirt road that branched off of the interstate. Dallas immediately signaled the others to stop.

            “This is it… We’re here…” he let out wearily, “we just need to… follow this dirt path… come on…”

            “Do you need to rest? You look like you’re about to pass out…” Delilah said in a worried tone.

            “I’m… I’m fine… We just need to walk… A little… Ways…”

            Delilah stared at him worriedly, but eventually agreed. They traveled down the dirt path and soon came to a small forest. After trekking through the forest for a few minutes, it emptied out into a large clearing which was littered with several houses. In the center of all of the houses was a large mansion surrounded by a wooden wall. They had finally arrived, they were at the Fortress.

            “This is… it…” As these words left Dallas’ mouth, he collapsed from exhaustion and blood loss.

            Dodge ran over to his master and immediately began to bark in panic.

            “Dallas… Dallas!” yelled Delilah

            “It’s okay… We’re… We’re here… Someone will come get us… It’ll be okay…” Dallas said bouncing in and out of consciousness.

            Delilah was scared and surprised, he was still comforting her while he was on the verge of death. This helped, though, making her feel surer that everything would be alright. Kael was beginning to cry, scared out of his mind, but Delilah comforted him while looking at Dallas.

            The last thing Dallas felt was Dodge nudging his hand with his nose. The last thing Dallas heard was Kael’s sobbing. The last thing Dallas saw was Delilah’s worried face. Then, darkness.

Author's Note

Any and all reviews and critiques thanks! Hope y'all enjoy!