The Rule of Three: An Extinction Cycle Novella

EPILOGUE

Jack stood on the cliff top, watching the sun sink below the New Zealand mainland. The cooling salt air brushed against his healing skin.

For two weeks, he had stayed in the makeshift infirmary. When they’d first arrived, the Army medics and surgeon worked tirelessly through the night to save Ben and Boss. Both of them had required long surgeries and liters of blood. Dee had stood vigil next to Boss, refusing to leave his side until he was in the clear. Jack visited Ben as much as the nurses allowed him; the tough old goat was sitting up in no time. Jack discovered he was a fellow WWII enthusiast. Discussions about a familiar subject had helped the healing process for both of them.

Ben gave him some information about how bad it was out there in the world, while Jack told Ben of his experiences in the dam. He explained how he had made it out. They discussed the men they’d seen helping the Variants. Collaborators, Ben called them.

On the long walks Jack took to calm himself, his mind replayed how he had killed the man with the red trucker’s cap. Even though he had no remorse, it haunted him. He had killed someone. Snuffed out a life.

He reasoned that the man was a traitor. He’d betrayed his own kind to save his skin. Perhaps he deserved to die. In Jack’s opinion, they all had to band together, man against monsters. They had to stop all this petty racial bickering, because they were one race. The human race. These Variants were now the apex predators. If we want any chance to survive, we have to do it together.

One thing still bugged him, though. How had he and George regained consciousness when no one else in that corridor had? He mused over this for days, but couldn’t come up with any plausible explanation. Jack decided to let it go for now. They had bigger things to be concerned about.

Thinking of George, he smiled. George had adapted well to his new surroundings, even finding a few new friends in the camp. They had him running around squealing in no time.

Dee, Jack, and George had spent the morning collecting manuka flowers from the many trees that dotted the hills surrounding the bay and camp. George had asked why they were doing this several times, and Dee had patiently explained that it was a way of remembering people. If truth be told, she and Jack had seen this ritual in a movie with Native Americans in it, and had loved the sincerity of it. When Dee’s father had died, she and Jack had honored him with the ritual.

As they had no bodies to bury, this was the only way they could think of to honor those lost.

Jack and Dee had discussed at length about trying to find Jack’s family. No one they knew had made it to Mayor Island, or any of the other pockets of survivors they had radio contact with. Jack insisted that his family were smart. They knew about the cabin, so there was a chance.

Jack could feel the sea breeze picking up as it came up off the ocean and met the volcanic island. Perfect, he thought, smiling.

Crunching on the pathway behind him warned of people approaching. Turning, he watched in admiration as Boss, using crutches, his lower right leg bandaged at the stump, walked along behind the others.

Boss had stayed in the infirmary for a further two weeks. The nurses had finally let him out, for a short time, at least.

“You guys ready?”

“Yup,” they chorused.

Jack let out a nervous sigh. “We are here today to honor and remember those that we lost. We lost friends, family, pets, everything. But amongst it all, we found each other. We drew strength and courage from each other. These brave men and women on this island, and Ben, who helped us; they give us new hope so that we can carry on. Because, we owe it to others’ sacrifices that we carry on, not only for them, but for ourselves.”

Jack, Dee, Boss, and George raised up their arms and opened their palms, allowing the wind to carry away the crushed flowers. Dee reached over and slid her hand into Jack’s.

George clung between them, leaning out over the cliff to watch the flowers float toward the sea.

“A fine speech, Jack.” Jack turned around. Frowning, he watched Ben hobble toward them. “A fine speech indeed.”

Ben reached out and grasped them all in a hug.

“Benny!” George squealed.

Ben ruffled George’s hair with affection. Smiling at Jack and Dee, he nodded at each of them. “Sorry I’m late. The Colonel’s meetings tend to drag on. But we’ve a heap to do and little manpower to do it with.” He stroked his long bushy beard. “Did you guys mean what you said? About letting me train you?”

Jack and Dee exchanged a look. “Hell, yeah!” they answered in unison.

“Good, I’m glad. We need everyone we can get. Especially people like you. You both showed real courage under fire. I think that, with some training, you two will be real handy in what's to come.”

“What is to come?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, look I can't give details yet, but we’re going to fight back. The Colonel’s been on the horn to the Americans. That's all I can say at the moment.” A pondering look flickered across his face. Jack searched his twinkling brown eyes for anything else, but Ben’s face remained a calm mask.

Ben nudged Boss on the shoulder.

“Boss, the Colonel has agreed to teach you radio operations. He’s dying to know how you reached the Americans on some amateur ham radio. You begin as soon as the Doc gives you the all clear.”

Boss grinned at him, barking out a laugh. “Did I leave that part out? “

“Yes!”

“Guam. He said he was in Guam. Wherever the hell that is?”

Boss smirked at Dee, glanced at Jack and Ben. “You guys know I’m the hero in this rule of three, eh?”

Frowning, Jack exchanged a look with Dee and Ben. “Hero? In the rule of three? Boss?”

“Yeah, you know, teenage guy or girl ripped away from his home, orphaned. Meets old wise man. Gets trained and fights back.”

Jack laughed. “Ah, you mean the classical hero's journey. And it’s twelve steps, I think.”

“Yeah, that’s the one, but whatever.”

Ben, now laughing, held his injured side. “Kid, don’t make me laugh, I’m still healing. Just so you know, the rule of three is a survival guide. Basic guide at best.”

Dee, laughing with Ben, wrapped her arm around Boss and held him close.

Jack smiled as he turned back to see the last of the sun dip down over his homeland. Despite all the horror and trauma he had been through, he was happy. He had survived. He had escaped the Variant nest. He had saved George. Amongst all the chaos, he had found Dee. He was determined not to let this second chance go to waste. To find his family. To give George, Boss, and everyone a world to live in.

He wrapped his arms around Dee, feeling her warmth as they watched the first of the stars appear on the horizon.

Not just my stars, but everyone’s. They belong to everyone. To shine a little light down on this dark new world. George squealed, the noise bouncing around the cliffs. Jack looked over and smiled. The child was chasing a cicada.

He could be forgiven for thinking everything was normal. It felt as if the last couple of weeks hadn’t happened. As if Dee and he were on a camping trip enjoying nature. Jack sighed as he looked back at the mainland.

Three weeks without food, three days without water, three hours without shelter, and three minutes without air.

The Alpha made his way through the field, his subjects following a short distance behind. He could smell the others approaching from the north, west, and east. He stopped in the middle of the field and bellowed up at the moon. Three bellows sounded out in answer. They were close. Soon his plan would be put into motion. Soon the remaining humans would be corralled into their nests. They needed to breed again, provide him with food.

A human fragment tugged at him. Didn’t he used to do this with animals?

He shook the memory away. The anger, the hunger, gnawed at his soul. First, he wanted to find the little one that had taken his eye. He wanted to feel the satisfaction of ripping the flesh from its bones and sucking out its marrow. The humans had escaped from his grasp in the thumping beast that sent stinging, burning rain on him. He had lost many of his tribe chasing them.

He watched as the others approached, the Alpha leaders towering over their minions. The other three stopped around him. Together, they bellowed up at the moon, their packs joining in.

He assessed the other Alphas, and grunted, “Where?”

The Alpha who had come from the north signaled behind him. Two Variants pushed two humans forward, shoving them to the ground at the feet of One Eye.

He looked down at them. The blonde hair of the female was matted against her head. He fought the urge to sink his teeth into the curvature of her neck and taste her blood. The last remaining human part of his brain bubbled to the surface. She’s a real looker.

Bellowing angrily, he grunted, “Where?”

One of the Variants kicked the male. One Eye looked down at the slightly overweight man, with his shaved head and beady eyes. He hissed at him, shoving his face closer. “I… I… I don’t know where they are, please…”

One Eye sniffed him. He could definitely smell them on him. With an angry bellow, he lashed out and speared the man through the head with his claw. With a satisfied hiss, he lapped up the spilling blood and brain matter.

One Eye turned to the Alpha that had come from the east. “Where?”

The Alpha from the east pushed a skinny male out onto the ground. Skinny held up his hands in surrender, pleading, “ Please… please don’t kill me… I know where they are.”

He pointed east, toward the mountains.

One Eye snarled in satisfaction. His anger barely contained, he let out a deafening bellow.

One Eye hauled on four chains, pulling the terrified prey at the other end toward them. Four children appeared, covered in filth. They were sobbing.

The four Alphas smacked their suckers. The small ones tasted so much sweeter.

Handing over his offerings in chains to the Alphas, he grunted, “Eat.”

The four gathered Alphas sank their teeth into the children’s throats, tearing them out, and forever silencing them.

The surrounding packs screeched and howled at the smell of the spilt blood.

Now that the Alphas had shared a meal, they were joined in blood. Bonded in evil.