The Carnage Trilogy (Book 2): Humanities Contingency [You Will Lose Yourself] Read online

  Humanities Contingency

  Book 2 of the Carnage Trilogy

  Matthew Birch

  A note from the Author

  While this story takes place within the real world, the place in which its set is a complete work of fiction, built up from the imagination and creativity of my own mind.

  Also, I want to say thank you to all the friends, family and loved ones who supported me, helped me and were there for me throughout the entirety of my time when planning, writing and rewriting the second book in this trilogy. It wouldn’t have been possible without you.

  © 2018 Matthew Birch ALL RIGHTS RESERVEd

  Contents

  Chapter 1 – Divided

  Chapter 2 - Rest and Relaxation

  Chapter 3 - Reality Hits Hard

  Chapter 4 - On the Road Again

  Chapter 5 - Inside Turmoil

  Chapter 6 - West

  Chapter 7 - Dark times

  Chapter 8 - Pick and choose

  Chapter 9 - Wasted potential

  Chapter 10 - Relics of the past

  Chapter 11 - Rivalry

  Chapter 12 - Training

  Chapter 13 - The Monster within

  Chapter 14 - The Breach

  Chapter 15 - Our mistakes

  Chapter 16 - Brother...

  Chapter 17 - The Stages of Grief

  Chapter 18 - Breaking

  Chapter 19 - Finally

  Chapter 20 - The Sound of Silence

  Chapter 21 - The Port Town

  Chapter 22 - Valbury’s Last Defender

  Chapter 23 - Last message

  Chapter 24 - Leave me Alone

  Chapter 25 - King of the Jungle

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1 – Divided

  Tense, frightened, and most of all – prepared; the northern group from the Ranger station and the southern group from the bustling Capital city work together as one collective. Their pasts are full of baggage that contains all the pent-up guilt and anger that resides inside the very darkest deepest depths of their hearts.

  Travelling through a large, dense town, that most likely once housed thousands of people, now houses them and them alone. The silence is their enemy. Every sound is a candidate for a fight. Human, creature, monster, or worse...

  It doesn’t matter now. Their experiences have tailored every moment they have spent in this world to make them who they are. They are alive because they are among those who could adapt to survive in this world.

  Joey Ziegler walks alongside his brother Callum, the father of one who has come to be known as the leader of their group. Closely, the two men share quietened words to one another as they discreetly discuss what the possible death of Ryan’s brother was. He never came back, and the disappearance alone is enough to tell the tale of his unfortunate demise.

  He played the lone wolf and donned the consequences. Though, they feel remorse in the fact that they did nothing to stop him from merely scouting ahead. He did it as a reckless way of preserving the group if any other violent, unforgiving human groups still residing out in the country happened to befall them a second time. He tried to spare them a harsh fate, only to perish instead.

  Unbeknownst to the southern group, the northern group hold a secret that aims for the possibility of destroying everything they have built. Awkwardly divided, the two groups keep a short distance between one another as they stay with their respective flock.

  “Why do they still stay so close together?” Joey notes the distance between their groups. Callum pays attention to this detail but passes it off as something minor. Maybe he doesn’t care, or he just doesn’t want to associate with that group any more than they already have. He has people to protect, and he won’t risk more than he previously has. Memories of his fallen son Tommy loom over his head like an enraged storm that threatens to eat away at the very pieces of his personality that make him a man.

  “They stick to their origins... We need to work together-” Joey is immediate to make his opinion heard to his distant brother who says no more than is needed.

  “Do you truly think we can ever reliably get along?”

  Joey’s sweet smile throws Callum off, and the two brothers are confused at one another for a moment. “Well, with time, we will be okay” Joey speaks his mind, and with that, their conversation ends.

  Callum nods, smiling slightly at the prospect of something brighter than the state their divided group is in. This is now something that is rare for the burdened, grieving father...

  “About Ryan’s missing brother?” Callum brings up their main topic.

  Joey goes into a dark place. His mind shuts off; his face disconnects all feeling and thought.

  Made of stone, the stoic man simply murmurs under his breath, “It might be them... the group who k-killed...” He can’t finish as his words stutter from the weight of the name he can’t bear to speak.

  Little Tommy, so innocent and young, why oh why, did you leave us so early? Gritting his teeth in resentment, Callum refrains from lashing out in a vengeful driven rage that would tear them both to cinders. Behind them, the rest of their group converse amongst themselves as the chatter of the previous group they met before Ed and his friends crosses their minds.

  “Hey, is everything okay up there!” A familiar voice calls out, and it is none other than Ed who waves some distance behind them. Almost as if he could sense the rain cloud lingering above their heads, he checks in on the group he couldn’t care less for.

  Even when you couldn’t care less, you still try to get along and put in the effort...

  Retaining that humanity is what will keep you alive...

  Slowing his pace, Joey automatically takes the role of the messenger as he decides to walk with Ed’s group. “I’ll be the one to explain. Callum shouldn’t have to talk about it...” He trails off as his eyes gaze ahead at his distraught brother who tries to hide everything he feels. “We met another group... This group killed several of our own, including my brothers youngest child...” Joey looks up at the sky to hide the feelings that warn of the overflow that his eyelids cannot prevent. Ed sees this and softens as he tightens his grip around Maya’s hand.

  “Your nephew?” Maya chips in, asking a simple question in a low tone of voice to show her sympathy for the depressed uncle. Alice turns to Chloe, her mind racing about her younger brother. Chloe tries to intervene in the conversation, except she can’t fit in when they butt her out, so instead, she deliberates her and Alice’s pace down enough so that they may talk privately. Alice is still just a young girl growing up in a disastrously unfair world. Not only does her brother’s death reside in her mind, but the deceased family who died for her to get this fair scream at her from her fragile heart.

  “This group... I promise we’ll be ready” Narrowing his eyes, Ed turns to face Joey properly instead of contemplating out into the nothingness.

  Despite her anxiousness, Maya throws her false confidence into the mix by saying in a tone that reveals her true feelings all too much, “Yeah, we will be as ready as can be!”

  Ed looks behind them; Joey and Maya copy, all three look back to see Chloe hugging a sobbing Alice a while back. Ed sighs, his mood sinking instantly. “Bless her heart...” Ed says while he releases his firm grip on Maya’s rough hands. She kisses his cheek and sends him a look Joey cannot decipher. He nods, and she leaves, rejoining with the other two members of their group.

  “So, about Ryan’s brother?” Ed quickly moves onto the next hot topic, and before Joey can even muster the smallest amount of what would p
ass as a reply, someone interrupts all too rudely-

  “He has a name you know! Besides, why would you care?” Ryan, the man whose brother has gone amiss, comes out of nowhere and gets up in Ed’s face. Joey sees this sooner than later, bolting into place, he gets in between them in seconds. In fact, Ryan’s outburst is enough to have the entire pack stop; moreover, instinctively they home in on the brewing argument.

  “Because I won’t lose any more than we already have, it’s us, versus the monsters! We can’t lose our humanity fighting each other!” Sensible, but unsure, Ed fights back, his voice rising as he gets dangerously close to Ryan. Pushing them apart, Joey breaks them away from one another. Being given the choice, Joey has to pick between each group he could walks with. As if guided like a disgruntled pack of wolves, they separate into their respective groups.

  Joey, annoyed, throws himself at Ryan with a hushed tone. “Seriously, what are trying to do? That man will kill you in a heartbeat!” Irritated, Joey lays down a resolute law about Ed Jones, the man who had their entire group pinned down at one point...

  “Why are you taking his side? He had a knife to your throat if you don’t remember!” Ryan turns on his own pack now, and thus the blade that digs deeper into their backs is twisted as their own respect for one another is tested. The respect wavers; nevertheless, Callum saves the moment.

  “Ryan, may I ask that you back off. I know you’re feeling upset, and I understand, we will find your brother. But for the time being, keep in mind that if their group wanted to kill us, they would have done it there and then on that night if you remember...” Callum is so precise, factual, and disturbingly kind with his way of speaking. Because of the choice of words Callum spoke, it causes Ryan to instantly retreat; backing down with a huff as he shifts aside into his own little group of one. He leaves the crowd; still, he stays close by just in case for his safety and theirs if needed.

  Callum sighs, placing a hand on Joey’s shoulder. “I know you’re trying to do good brother-” Callum says as they are overtaken by Ed and his group that shelter the weeping Alice who is currently hyperventilating. The blue cap atop her head sits lop-sided.

  “Are you going to apologise for the upset Ryan caused?” Joey replies solemnly. Callum does not respond. His pride is at play, and the game is a dangerous one. He gambles it, and the answer is that he won’t.

  Frustrated now, Joey catches up to Ed’s group. Catching his breath, the tired man, who is mentally and physically drained from their hard day of marching and fixing problems that aren’t his own says, “I’m sorry for that, if you want then-” Joey is abruptly cut off as Ed shoulders him as he passes. Having been shoved aside, the southern group barge past, uncaring for the feelings of the only person willing enough to console, talk to, and be kind to them.

  Fed up, and ultimately done with today’s ramblings, Joey keeps to himself at the side of the groups walking path, away from everyone else where he can be with his thoughts and his thoughts alone. Having to fix all their problems, do all the heavy lifting, and worst of all, having to apologise in the stead of a prideful leader is just a poisonous potion waiting to spill its contents of disaster everywhere. Weakness - fragility, you name it, this sad excuse for a group has it all. But, they need to survive this world one way or another. They have the same objective and goal in mind, and they will reach it no matter what the cost. Teamwork is the key, let’s hope they never forget that...

  Chapter 2 - Rest and Relaxation

  Joey

  Honestly, if I have to walk any longer then my legs are going to collapse on themselves. Living my live crippled isn’t going to be fun, especially when the world is out to kill me. You know, if I really had it my way, I’d drop my ridiculously large hiking rucksack and use it as a half-assed pillow...

  Compromising among the moon, the two astral beings in the sky equal one another as a mediocre sunset is cast. Beside it grows the disadvantage of the duskiness. Sunset warns us all of the anxiety that comes with night-time. Funny thing is, that creatures and monsters alike don’t care what time of day it is. If they can, they will attack as long as you are in sight. Though, I am starting to feel like monsters are a different story. Their minds are hard-wired differently. They can think and feel, and whilst their animalistic instinct drives them, they are nonetheless smarter than most. They can strategically design an attack; we need to be cautious because they could still be roaming anywhere...

  “Hey, wait up!” I hear Zack call out to Callum who stops in his path. My eyes scramble about between everyone as we all come to a halt in one big puddle of people. We all crowd around Callum and Zack who eagerly talk about something? I barge through, and I find them looking at a map?

  “I swear all we need to do is go a few clicks east of here!” Zack seems convinced of himself. Callum seems to raise an eyebrow, and I haven’t got the slightest clue as to why.

  “What’s going on?” I ask shallowly. With my little understanding of the situation, it’s difficult to piece together what is happening.

  “Not far from here is a holiday camp for scouts and explorers. You know that stuff. Next to it is also a mini zoo. We could probably rest up there for the night” Zack explains the situation and his premise for stopping us. Thinking about it, I would love it if we could just stop with the whole marching without end thing we got going on here. Please don’t become a trend. I know we do not want to die, but exhausting ourselves isn’t doing us any good.

  Of course, it is Callum who shuts him down. “Did you say east?” His dull, monotone voice has already suggested he is going to say no...

  A shadow creeps over Zack’s face as he peers down at his feet. “Yeah...”

  What’s the problem exactly...?

  Oh, yeah, that means we’d have to travel backwards... We are meant to be heading west to the ports there; east won’t do us any good.

  “Well, it’s not far back, and we’d only have to travel into the forest a bit...” Zack fights his case, and now that everyone has caught on, I see we have our real first taste of a debate. Passing it a little while ago, I can tell that it must have been out of sight. I never remember us walking by a mini zoo. Surely, we would have seen it. Peering down at the scrubby map, I see it is indeed east of our location, all you’d have to do is also move slightly north into the surrounding forests.

  Everyone is mixed, some of us preferring to keep moving, and some of us just wanting rest and relaxation. I myself have got to say that, since everything went to hell, one has to note the fact that the animals bit by bit disappeared on the island. Hunting became irrelevant after some time. Tinned foods are generally the only real food to go on now. I can only guess the world has still got a ways to go before everything really goes down in flames...

  Maybe we’ve barely even started...

  “Wait-” My voice is loud, my voice is heard, with my uprise, the crowd goes quiet. I bring everyone in and step above my brothers glaring looks. I cannot always take your side. His dictatorship like mind is about to be overhauled by a democratic view. “Hear me out. Everything spread stupidly fast, so, wherever you go, there tends to always be an overflowing amount of food. We should go to the zoo. Even if it sets us back, at least we’d be able to stock up on more resources?”

  Nods, murmurs, and eventual jousts of an agreement are sent my way. Callum steps aside, annoyed, but understanding that the group comes first. Ed leads the way, walking side by side with Zack as they guide us back to the holiday camp. I will admit, even though my legs burn from the march, it didn’t take long to get there. That’s probably why Zack really wanted to go back before we went any further.

  We near the holiday camp, and find ourselves having to take the long route around. With a huff, our grumpy group amusingly curses the marshland that has swallowed what would have once been a beautiful place for scouts and explorers. Once we circled the swamp, it didn’t take long until we got to the zoo. The suns still setting, except, at least now I feel much safer in the security of an actual loca
tion that feels like home once we anchor down. Moving past the entrance, we begin to scour the main reception building. Everyone explores, laughing, talking and cracking jokes. At least until Maya says, “We should stay near the entrance in case something worse is inside the zoo... You know, just for safety”

  I give her a smile, though I know she says what she says out of fear, not safety.

  “I completely agree, so everyone will stay in the reception slash gift shop area!” Callum shouts out, laying down some ground rules as we begin to unpack for the night.

  Ed steps forward to say, “No one better go wondering off either” His warning feels more like a command that has an air of punishment lurking in whatever it implies...

  Then, I see Ed smile? “Nah just kidding, let’s go explore!” Grasping Maya’s delicate, roughened hand, they depart with haste in their childish like mood to investigate? I kinda smile at the two, while everyone else watches on in bewilderment before parting.

  From my side of the room, I can watch observantly to see what each person does. Firstly, I see Alice and Lola, the two youngsters of our group’s band together for a moment despite their ignorance toward one another. Immature, expected, cute. Literally like watching secondary school relationships unfold. Chloe wanders by with a grin. “So, you two noticed how the gift shop is untouched?” Those words alone speak of the barbaric raid they are about to perform. In fact, upon getting here, I noticed this place is desolate, don’t get me wrong, it is fairly untouched... Which is a nice touch?