But I was grossly underprepared for this journey. I had no idea what had happened to my pack. In a way that almost felt like losing an arm. I would have been just fine if I’d had that. Now I had no food, no water. I had no extra clothing and I was nearly soaked through. I had none of my familiar firearms and this shotgun Tristan had given me wasn’t exactly in prime condition.
I was going to have to raid one of these towns. And search for gas before too long.
As badly as I wanted to deny it, my body was exhausted. The raid would have to wait. I didn’t last much more than a few minutes before I drifted off.
A bird squawked. I opened one eye and saw it standing on the branch above me. It looked right at me, so focused and so precise it didn’t even really look like a real bird. I didn’t recognize its species; he must have been native to this area. But he was big.
My stomach rumbled. I had no idea if the people in Seattle had starved me those fourteen days they’d had me under or not, but I was famished.
And that bird looked like a meal.
Moving very slowly, I pulled the knife from my pocket. I opened the blade and pinched it very carefully between my index finger and thumb.
I flicked the blade and threw it before the bird could even blink. The knife embedded itself in the creature’s throat and he dropped from the branch.
A smile threatening to cross my face, I pulled myself half into a sitting position, about to jump off the branch and retrieve my meal when I froze.
At least twenty Bane stood at the base of the tree. Just staring up at me.
A curse slipped over my lips as I scrambled higher up the tree. Branches and bark scraped my skin, but I felt nothing as I fled, trapping myself in the tree. I leveled my shotgun at the nearest Bane.
But they didn’t move. They didn’t blink.
They just stood there staring at me.
My heart thundered in my chest. My breaths came in quick spurts. My hands grew slick with sweat.
Why weren’t they attacking?
Why weren’t they acting like Bane?
What were they waiting for?
And then one of them raised an arm, straight up towards me. Clutched in its hand was a water bottle.
Another one raised its arm as well. It held a can of baked beans.
Another held up a handgun and another a box of ammunition.
And another gripped a backpack.
One held up a gas can that sloshed.
“What is going on?” I whispered. My eyes grew wide, my grip on the branches I clung to tightening. “How…?”
They continued to stand there, looking up at me with their empty eyes.
I’d thought about every one of these things before I’d fallen asleep. I knew I was going to have to go after these supplies if I was going to survive.
And these Bane had brought every single thing I’d needed.
“Put them on the ground,” I said, my voice cracking on the word ground.
Every one of them put their items in the dirt at their feet.
“Back up,” I said, climbing down one branch tentatively.
The entire group stepped back exactly ten steps.
“What…?” I whispered. I’d been able to control one or two Bane at a time before. But there were twenty-four of them here, and they’d obeyed me precisely.
And somehow they’d known exactly what I’d needed.
I climbed down a few more branches, watching them the entire time I moved. I kept my shotgun aimed at them, but they just stood there, watching me as I descended.
I dropped to the hard ground, just in front of their stash.
They just continued to stare at me.
Had I finally become enough like them that they no longer felt the need to try and infect me? Were they recognizing me as one of their own?
But they wouldn’t bring supplies to one of their own. The Bane would have no use for them.
“Lift your arms,” I said hesitantly, keeping my shotgun pointed at them.
Every one of them instantly raised their arms to the sky.
“Holy…” I breathed, shaking my head. I took another step closer, stepping over the backpack. “Turn around once.”
They all turned in a full circle before facing me again.
“Now leave,” I said, keeping the shotgun pointed at them. “Head north, and don’t come back.”
Instantly they turned as one and marched north. I watched as they retreated through the woods. None of them looked back.
I stood there, stunned, long after they disappeared from sight.
This was new. This was game-changing in a way that I didn’t really understand yet. This could either hurt us or maybe save us.
Either way, the world of the post-Evolution was changing once again.
Turning back to the scattered supplies, I grabbed a can opener one of the Bane had brought and opened the beans. They felt cold and slimy as they went down, but they calmed the rumbling in my stomach.
More than one of them had brought water. I counted six water bottles. I drained one and packed the rest into the backpack. I tried to ignore the math homework and diary I had to pull out of it and discard.
I grabbed the handgun and checked the ammunition. They’d brought the right kind. The Bane really were getting smarter. They’d checked to make sure it was the right caliber.
There was other food as well. Granola bars, all of which were moldy and rotten when I opened the wrappers. Guess the Bane weren’t smart enough to make sure the food was edible. But there were two cans of green beans that were still good, as well as three cans of soup. I loaded it all into the backpack.
Peeling off my soaked clothes, I changed into the dry ones. They were too big—men’s—but they were military grade and durable.
I left the dead bird, now sorry for needlessly killing it, and collected Tristan’s knife.
I walked back out to the road and my motorcycle, gas can in hand. I looked both ways. The road was empty.
Judging from the position of the sun in the sky, I would guess it was four in the afternoon. I’d slept for a long time. I shuttered to think how long the Bane might have waited below me, watching me while I slept with supplies I needed, but hadn’t told them to collect.
I couldn’t sleep any longer and there was no way I was going to sit around and wait until dark. Strapping the pack to my back tight, I topped off the motorcycle with the gas. It didn’t require much and I had plenty left over once it was full. Finding some ties in the tiny storage compartment in the back of the bike, I strapped the gas can on for when I would need it later.
The motorcycle growled to life and I took off down the coast.
This had to be an advantage for me, for New Eden. The way the Bane had listened to me was precise. There was no hesitation in their obedience. They’d gotten exactly what I’d needed without me saying a word.
There had to be a way I could use this to help me get home. To protect those around me.
It started raining not five minutes after I got back on the road. I was soaked once again in under a minute. It was a relief to not have my hair sticking to my face from the rain, but my head was freezing cold.
The rain would start and stop for the next hour but the gray clouds overhead never left.
Something loomed ahead and I wiped the water from my eyes, trying to see what was coming up.
It looked like there was a big river or maybe a bay ahead of me. A bridge stretched over a huge expanse of water and on the other side there looked to be a town. I started across.
Just then, the sun broke from the clouds and the rain stopped.
And as soon as the sun broke, Bane erupted from every building, every car, and every overhang.
I screeched to a halt on the bridge, the back tire of the bike lifting slightly. My chest bumped the fuel tank as I slid forward with my abrupt stop.