The Promise

Pushing their bodies to the breaking point, the brothers ran as fast as they could. “Keep going Nicky, don’t look back!” The two boys were badly shaken, full of fear, and desperate to escape from the vicious hounds and the two odious men hunting them, who were relentless in the pursuit of their lethal vengeance.

Liam, the older of the two brothers, was losing all hope they were going to survive. His lungs ached as he gasped for air, streams of sweat running down his dirt caked face, singing his eyes. He was starting to become light-headed, blood running down his arm, dripping off his fingertips as he ran. Liam vainly clutched his left arm, trying to slow the bleeding.

He knew time was running short, they managed to gain a little bit of distance from the acidic shouts of the hunters and the barking of their hounds, but Liam was losing too much blood. He was moving slower by the minute and had begun to stumble over the fallen branches and brush. Soon he’d be so fatigued he wouldn’t be able to keep going.

When he first felt the bullet tear through the flesh of his arm, the pain had been nearly unbearable but with the mixture of fear and adrenaline, it had all but numbed. Now only the thought that if they stopped or slowed, they were surely going to die was unbearable. The image of them being shot in the back as they ran and then being torn apart by those monstrous dogs kept replaying in his mind.

Nicky was only a few feet ahead of Liam, he hadn’t looked back or slowed like he’d been told. Tears started to form in Liam’s eyes, making it even harder to see in the still dimly lit wilderness. He wiped them away quickly just in case Nicky did look back. He didn’t want his baby brother to see, Nicky was already terrified as it was, seeing that Liam was just as scared would only make it worse.

Liam thought to himself, I’m sorry Mom, I’m going to fail the one thing you asked me to do. He had made a promise he had told himself he would keep no matter what the cost was, a promise to protect his baby brother, the only person he had left in this world. Thinking about his promise renewed his strength, he wasn’t about to break that promise, not if he had anything to say about it.

None of this would be happening now if he had just paid attention that morning and kept a closer eye on Nicky. The morning had begun just like any other, the brothers had woken up well before dawn, ate a breakfast consisting of jerky they’d found the previous day, and packed up their meager camp from the night before. Nicky always insisted on leaving a message with their planned heading carved in one of the trees, he had never lost hope their mother would come for them, a belief Liam had never had the heart to try and stop.

When they finally began their day's journey, it was nearly pitch black and the forest was thick with a dense fog. The terrain had become coated with an early morning dew, droplets clinging to every blade of grass and leaf. As they walked, the approach of dawn neared, the night sky was now giving way to hues of crimson and gold that started filling the horizon. The forest seemed to be curiously void of sound other than the brothers’ steps on the forest floor.

Liam had become lost in thought about where they should go next and how long they could keep moving everyday like this. There had to be a way for them to find a safe place to stay. They rarely stayed more than one night anywhere they slept, it was far too dangerous to get comfortable, not since the Fall, as their mother had liked to call it.

Liam looked up at his brother, who had ventured a little too far for comfort and was about to call out for him to hold up when it happened. What seemed like the beginning of the end, Nicky walked directly into a trip line. The loud clanking of cans and glass bottles broke the silence. Liam’s heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. Both the boys stopped frozen in place, staring at each other, listening.

The morning’s sun had started clearing the fog, Liam let out a deep breath and started scanning the surrounding area for anything that might be a threat to them. To his horror he noticed the tree a few yards in front of him had a “No Trespassing” sign on it, in fact many of the trees around the brothers were littered with them. Nicky was thinking the coast was clear and was attempting to untangle his foot from the trip line which caused the loud clanging again.

That’s when the dogs started barking and out of the corner of his eye Liam saw the flicker of a light from a small dwelling that blended almost perfectly with the landscape and trees around it. Just as the door swung open, revealing three rabid hounds with two grizzly men, Liam quickly grabbed his bow and drew it back tightly as he could, preparing for the worst.

“Can’t you boys read?” one of the men yelled. Liam noticed they were both armed and were furious. Liam looked over at his baby brother, Nicky had frozen at the sight of the three massive hounds going wild and two mountain men now screaming threats of death for being on their land.

By the time Liam looked back towards the men cursing them he realized that they had released one of the hounds. It was charging at Nicky with incredible speed, hungry for the kill, ready to tear him to pieces. Liam still had his bow drawn tight, without a second thought, he let loose the arrow.

Just feet away from Nicky, the beast let out an awful cry and then fell to the ground. Liam had hit his target almost perfectly. The dog lay on the ground with an arrow through its chest, struggling to breathe. Just as Liam was lowering his bow, he felt the bullet go through his arm, it was the most painful thing he’d ever felt in his life.

Liam ran to Nicky, who was still frozen, grabbed his brother by the arm and yelled, “Run, Nicky, Run!” The two started running the direction they had come from. In his haste to collect Nicky, he had fumbled and dropped his bow. He knew if he tried to stop and retrieve it there would be no escape. Gunshots were going off behind them as they ran as fast as they could to get away.

All Liam could think about was the promise he’d made to his mother to take care of and protect her baby boy no matter what. She had protected Liam many times over the years when he would decide to venture too far and put himself in harm's way. Each time she would scold him with tears in her eyes. “You have to be more careful, I might not be there next time to save you.” He'd always felt the immense love she had for him, never once doubted that she would lay down her life for his.

His mother had been a physics teacher at the local high school and his father a police officer. All Liam could remember before the Fall was the happiness and love of his parents. Right before the Fall, there had been a virus that was killing the young, the old and the weak around the world. In their haste governments started mandating the disbursements of vaccines that hadn’t been properly tested, or so their mother had told them.

Their mother had gotten the virus and had been just fine after keeping herself locked away from her family for a couple of weeks. Their father and mother decided to hold off on getting the vaccine until it was tested more thoroughly. A few months after the mass vaccinations were being distributed to the public, people started not only getting sick and dying from the virus but were dying by the tens of thousands from the vaccine.

The government tried to maintain order with a curfew but supply chains were failing, making food and supplies scarce. Their father had died a week after news of the deaths was broadcast to the world. He’d been killed during the riots that were now happening around the world.

Not even a month after the broadcast, there was no order, no protection, no governments. Most of the world was dead and the rest were killing each other to survive. This is what their mother had named, the Fall. Life was never the same after.

The day their mother got the call her husband was killed in the riots, she gave Liam the heart-shaped locket that she’d always worn since before he could remember. Inside was a picture of Liam standing in front of his mother and father who were holding Nicky when he was a baby. His parents looked so happy, so in love. Liam hadn’t taken the locket off since that day, not even when Nicky would pester him to see it.

As soon as their mother had given Liam the locket, she began packing. At that time Liam was nine and Nicky was only six. As their mother was packing Liam could tell that something was terribly wrong. She loaded the car with their tent, camping gear, all the food in the house. She only packed a couple of winter outfits in each one of their bags, even though it was the middle of summer. He also noticed her packing her father’s guns with plenty of bullets and the bow she’d always taken hunting.

Their mother’s parents had died long before the Fall but she would always remark that, “she had been the son her father never had.” Though to Liam this was hard to imagine because she had always been so beautiful and lady-like in his eyes. Liam soon understood what she’d meant.

She taught Liam and Nicky everything there was to know about camping, trapping, hunging, and living off the land. She had grown up in the Midwest on a farm and had loved her father dearly, learning and excelling at all that he’d taught her. It always brought a smile to her face every time she would tell her boys about her lessons as a kid. Their mother was the strongest woman Liam had ever beheld and he loved her more than the world itself.

The boys and their mother got in the car the day their father died and never looked back. Somehow she’d known how humankind would act during this time, everyone was killing each other, trying to get what others had, especially in the larger cities, which they rarely ventured near. They drove, never staying anywhere long until finally there was no place left to find gas and the car eventually came sputtering to a halt.

From that day on they walked everywhere they went and set up camp every night, never staying anywhere more than a few days at most. At first, Nicky and Liam had whined and complained about having to constantly walk and carry their own bags. Their mother put an end to that quickly, on the first day she stopped, facing the boys and said firmly but compassionately, “I’m sorry, my loves, that you are being forced to grow up so fast but if you don’t I fear we will all die and I love you too much for that to happen. You hear me, I won’t let it happen! Now let’s go.” By the time she’d finished her talk she had tears welling up in her eyes that she wiped away quickly.

Without another word of protest the boys did as they were told, never again complaining about a thing. They could see how hard it was for their mother and didn’t want to make it any harder. They knew she missed their father, at night when she thought the boys were asleep she would talk to their father and cry. They never let her know they had heard her because she was trying to be strong for them.

For five winters that followed they would set up camp and move on a few days later. They rarely went hungry or felt the harshness of nature. She was always there to teach them, to provide for them, to shelter them. Only once or twice a year would they happen upon other survivors and when they did their mother would let the strangers know she had no interest in them. She would say, “We want no part of whatever it is you’re selling,” in an almost threatening tone. She was like a mama bear protecting her cubs and the boys could tell there was something in her eyes that would always deter any further interaction with the strangers. The face that she was always well armed probably didn’t hurt either.

During the sixth winter everything changed. One day their mother had gone out to hunt but had been gone far too long for the brothers to not worry. It was nearly dusk when she returned limping with a deep gash on her forehead and her leg soaked in blood. Terror flooded the boys as they first laid eyes on their mother.

Then Liam helped his mother next to the fire and tried his best to dress her wounds while Nicky stared in horror. She had been out hunting rabbits, snared one in a trap and slipped on some wet rocks. She fell into a small trench full of brush and fallen branches. She had no idea how long she was unconscious but when she awoke she found she’d landed on a branch that punctured her calf. It took her hours to get out of the trench and back to their camp to the boys. By that night she had a constant cough and was burning up with a fever.

The brothers didn’t know what to do but, like with the Fall, she seemed to know exactly what was going to happen. After Nicky fell deep into his slumber, she called Liam over and had her son take a seat next to her. She had become so pale and was sweating profusely.

She looked straight into Liam’s eyes and tears started running down her face as she struggled to speak without coughing. “Baby, I love you. It’s not fair that I’ve always counted on you to be there for me. I have expected you to show the maturity of a man even though you still are only a child.” She began crying which caused her to go into a coughing fit.

After a few moments the coughing subsided and she took a minute to regain her composure barely being able to stop herself from crying when she continued, “It’s not fair but I’m counting on you again, I’m not going to survive this. I’m sorry I can’t protect you or your brother anymore. I need you to make me a promise.” Liam was about to object but the sadness in his mother’s eyes wouldn’t allow it so instead he began to cry.

“Promise me you will take care of your baby brother and protect him, no matter what the cost is.” she was beginning to wheeze as she spoke. “Don’t trust anyone, never stay anywhere too long, I’ve taught you two everything you need to know, you can survive without me. You will survive without me. I’m sorry you must carry this burden at such a young age, I wish we had more time but we don’t. So I need you to promise me you’ll do as I’ve asked.” She started crying uncontrollably, though this time she didn’t attempt to stop herself.

Liam’s heart broke into a million pieces, he became determined to be strong for his mother. He made himself stop crying, wiped away his tears, and hugged his mother until she stopped sobbing. Once she regained her composure she gave Liam a little smile and said, “I love you so much, you are as brave as your father. In the morning when it’s time to go, I won’t be going with you. You aren’t going to look back and you are never going to return here, never. I can’t stand the thought of it.”

For an instant Liam lost all resolve to stay strong, began to sob uncontrollably, his mother touched his cheek, brushing away his tears. She gave him a few moments to calm himself.

“I need you to be strong now, be strong for your brother, be strong for me.” Liam looked up into his mother’s eyes, seeing her pain and all the love in her eyes. “Do you promise to do what I’ve asked?” All Liam could do was nod his head and his mother kissed his forehead and laid down together and fell asleep.

The next morning, Liam had parked up camp and had gotten everything ready to go before dawn. He woke up Nicky and they ate there breakfast together in silence. Once they both had finished, Liam took Nicky to sit beside their mother was resting. She opened her eyes and proceeded to tell Nicky she loved him and that he must promised to always do what his big brother said, and never argue. She explained that they were going to leave her behind and never look back.

Both the boys hugged and kissed their mother and even though Nicky couldn’t stop crying, he promised. They said their final goodbyes and prepared to go. Before they left, Liam’s final words to his mother were, “I love you Mom. I promise, no matter what.” They both gave her a last kiss and left. Like she’d asked, Liam and Nicky never looked back. They never saw their mother again, though Nicky never gave up hope.

Two winters had come and gone since they had left their mother. Liam had kept his promise, nothing was more important to him than his promise. Now they were running for their lives and Liam knew if he didn’t do something soon they wouldn’t be able to escape.

At that moment he realized they were about to pass the place they’d camped the night before. Once they reached their camp he called for his brother to stop and threw off his pack. He grabbed what he was going to need out of it and handed it over to Nicky. Liam took off his jacket which was soaked with blood and had Nicky help him quickly wrap hsi wound to stop the bleeding.

The backing was starting to grow louder as the distance they’d gained started to disappear. Liam grabbed his jacket and Nicky and they started running again. A short distance past the camp there was a stream that Liam knew ran to the river. Once in the knee high water of the stream Liam had Nicky wait there. He ran a few yards past the stream and threw his jacket down.

Nicky had no idea what his brother had in mind as he watched him run back to him in the stream. Liam grabbed his brother and hugged him tightly and then let him go. He stood facing Nicky as he took off the locket their mother had given him the day their father had died. He put it in Nicky’s hand and closed it with tears in his eyes. He took his brother by both shoulders and said, “I want you to stay in the stream until you reach the river. Don’t stop until you know for sure you aren’t being followed anymore. Don’t look back, don’t come looking for me, promise!”

Nicky suddenly realized what was happening and horror filled his eyes. He now knew what his brother was about to do. He knew if he did it, he would never see his big brother again. Without thinking, Nicky cried out, “No!” Liam’s heart broke, but he knew what he had to do to ensure Nicky would survive.

“I’m sorry to leave you. I love you Nicky.” Liam hugged his brother. He could hear the dogs getting closer, he had to protect him no matter what. “I made a promise but so did you. Don’t break that promise.” He kissed Nicky on the forehead and turned to run back towards their camp without giving Nicky a chance to argue.

Liam, determined to keep his promise, ran bravely towards the sound of the hounds and their pursuers. He knew in doing so was sealing his fate, this was the end. Just before he was out of Nicky’s sight he yelled back, “I love you Nicky. No go!”

Nicky with tears in his eyes turned and started running down the stream towards the river. A few minutes later Nicky heard the echo of a series of gunshots. Nicky only paused for a moment and then continued running again. He didn’t stop until he reached the river, he hadn’t heard the hounds or the men that had been chasing them since the gunshots.

Nicky collapsed on the banks of the river exhausted. His heart was broken. He reached into his pocket where he’d put the locket his brother had given him. Nicky opened their mother’s locket and looked at the picture of their parents holding him with Liam standing in front of them. Nicky knew he would never see his brother again and now he was all alone in this forsaken world. He put his head on his knees and he cried.