The Intersection

It was time to go. Marlin knew this by the way the temperature plummeted, the cold creeping inside his many layers of threadbare clothing. He knew this by the way the whining of the wind through the broken walls of the weather torn house had sharpened, reaching a pitch almost painful to the ears. Gone were the days when Man laughed in the face of nature, safe in their houses, warm and protected from the elements, now they lived and died at the behest of the Earth, fitting retribution for those who had abused it for so long.

Depending on who you asked, Marlin was one of the lucky ones. One of those who survived the scores of storms that had now ravaged the globe for ten years, leaving millions dead and many more scraping out a survival from the remains of a ruined society left in pieces.

Marlin had roamed far today, further than he ever usually dared, driven on by desperation and hunger, the memory of her shadowed, pleading eyes pushing him forward. But his rucksack was depressingly light against his back, the dented can of beans a small weight, the only treasure this suburban graveyard had yielded.

It was for her that he kept going, Emily, the only source of joy in his harsh world of death and desperation. If not for her he likely would have taken his own life, rather than continue to suffer this battle of survival.

But he could not bear to be parted from her, nor she from him and he had given up on God and his promise of eternal afterlife long ago.

He stood up to leave, alarm frissoning through him when he saw how the sky had darkened. He would have to hurry. As he picked his way carefully through the rubble on the ground, a glint of silver caught his eye. Crouching down, he saw what looked like a thick silver chain, half buried in the dirt. Digging his fingers into the soil, he carefully pulled it out. It was a bracelet, the chain clogged with dirt and at the end of it, a small heart shaped locket, still shiny and unbroken, despite the surroundings.

Immediately, Marlin thought of Emily, of her smile as he fastened the jewelry around her too thin wrist. It might not feed her, but it would lift her spirits, lift her out of the depression and hopelessness she’d been dragged down into lately.

Buoyed by his find, and tucking it safely into his pocket, he ventured out, flipping up his collar against the increasing chill. Ten years ago, the first super storms had ravaged the world, decimating towns and cities in a single sweep. Before they’d had a chance to truly rebuild, the storms had swept through again and again with increasing frequency, until every night was a maelstrom of howling winds, pelting rains, ice and below freezing temperatures that froze anyone who dared stay out too long.

In some kind of cruel joke, the days were blisteringly hot, the sun a searing eye in a washed out sky forcing everyone to take shelter from its deadly rays. And so people now lived in a world where their communities were torn down overnight and the brief respites that dawn and twilight brought were not enough to rebuild. Governments abandoned countries, instead creating safe havens in the cities as best they could and promising aid was coming to those left stranded.

Marlin had given up on that two years ago, when friends of his had made the five day journey to the nearest haven, and had been turned away. They’d barely returned with their lives. He’d heard no promises of help since.

As Marlin hurried through the deserted echo of a town, he failed to notice the three figures that detached themselves from a shadowed wall and began to follow him. Their silent footsteps were the practiced movements of predators, surrounding their prey.

Marlin was oblivious to the hunt until a clatter of metal caught his attention. Swinging around, he caught sight of his stalkers.

The anxiety that had been a constant buzz in Marlin’s mind ratcheted up to new levels as he took in the three men that stood at a distance of thirty feet, loosely forming a circle behind him. He gave an awkward wave, turned on his heel and began to stride off with renewed urgency, quelling his urge to run as fast as he could and reveal his fear to his pursuers.

A moment later, he wished he had given into his fear as a heavy weight hit him from behind, causing him to crash painfully to the ground. Someone had tackled him and now sat bodily on his back, a hand pressing his face into the ground. The stones of the road ground painfully into his cheek.

“Let him up Sam, or he won’t help us”

The man on top of Marlin didn’t move, instead he pressed Marlin’s face harder into the ground. The pain sharpened and Marlin let out a groan of pain.

The scuff of a boot against the road drew Marlin’s eyes open and he looked up to find one of the men had crouched beside him, his dirty skin showing through the torn fabric of his jeans. His elbows rested on his knees, sun darkened forearms wiry with corded muscle.

“Will you help us?” He asked softly, it was the same voice that had spoken before.

“If my brother lets you go will you help us?”

“Yes” the word squeezed out of Marlin’s mouth, barely audible.

Suddenly the pressure on Marlin’s head disappeared and the man he called Sam got up, but not before digging his knee painfully into Marlin’s spine.

He pushed himself up and sprung to his feet, spinning to take in his captors.

The man that had spoken was the tallest, his face worn and leathery. His age could have been anywhere from twenty eight to forty. He regarded Marlin carefully through pale blue eyes.

A smaller man, with the same dark hair and blue eyes was staring at Marlin intently, his compact body coiled with energy, a small smirk playing at the edge of his cracked lips. Dust clung to his cargo pants, identifying him as Sam, the one who’d ground his face into the dirt and had enjoyed it far too much, judging by his smile.

A third man stood further back, silent as he flipped a knife between his large, freckled hands. Fear washed through Marlin, freezing him while his mind screamed to run. They oozed danger and menace, and Sam, in particular, looked like he would use any excuse to tackle Marlin to the ground again. Emily flashed through his mind, her beautiful brown eyes and infectious smile. Would he see her again? Or would he die here and now?

Swallowing his fear, he faced the men.

“What can I help you with gentlemen?” His voice was steady,

The tall man rubbed his hand over his chin,

“Well champ, night approaches, and we find ourselves in desperate need of shelter. We thought perhaps you could help some fellows out?”

His face was earnest, his plea even more so, but Marlin caught the cruel smirk that twisted Sam’s face as his brother spoke.

“Where did you shelter last night?”

“We’re travelling through at the moment, we’ve come a long way, looking for the Haven that’s on from here”

“Through the day?”

The man laughed and ruefully held out his dark brown arm, evidence of too much time in the sun.

“As much as we can. We’re desperate, seeking medical treatment for my brother”

He nodded towards Sam, who pulled an appropriately pitiful face. It looked odd on the weathered features.

Marlin’s doubt must’ve shown on his face because Sam looked murderous again and the freckled man who’d so far said nothing stepped forward.

“Look, I’m loving this little show and tell but we will be stuck in that God forsaken storm if we don’t make a move now”

He stepped up to Marlin and pointed at him with his knife, voice husky with threat,

“Either lead us to your shelter or I cut your throat here and leave your corpse to turn into an ice block here on the street. Your choice”

“Matthew, is that necessary yet?” The tall man chided jokingly,

“You might be happy to stand here and get your balls frozen off, but I’m rather attached to mine Benji”

“Cancer face is right Ben, lets fucking move”

Matthew’s face darkened and Marlin noticed that there were ugly dark growths marring his reddened skin. He swung toward Sam who was grinning at his own insult.

“Shut the fuck up Sam, at least I’m not screwed in the head”

“Everyone quiet and get moving” Benji was calm, raising his eyebrows at Marlin and gesturing to the path ahead.

Marlin wavered, he could not lead these men back to his shelter. He did not believe their story at all. They would likely take their shelter for their own. He would not put Emily in that kind of danger.

Marlin started off, keeping to the same direction that he had already been walking to avoid raising suspicion. If he could lead them away far enough from the shelter, when the storms hit, he could slip away and make his way home without them following. It was a dangerous plan, he would be exposed to the freezing temperatures for longer than ever before but he had no choice. It was the best he had.

So when he came to the place where he usually turned left to make his way out the suburbs, he turned right, heading deeper into the empty wreckage of the town.

The wind had picked up, cold and biting, debris was swept along with the draft and all four men had their heads down with a hand shielding their eyes from the billowing dust.

“How much further?” Matthew shouted over the rising wind,

“Not far now, it’s just over there”

Marlin pointed to a large building just visible in the dimming light,

“Hurry it up, it’s getting cold”

Marlin could no longer feel the tip of his nose and he’d tucked his hands under his armpits in an attempt to keep them warm.

They came to an intersection and Marlin paused, unsure which way to go.

He never got to decide. One second he was deliberating on which way to go, and the next he was shoved back into a dilapidated concrete wall and Sam’s furious face was pushed into his.

“You lying piece of shit, you’re not taking us anywhere”

Fear closed Marlin’s throat and he could only stutter garbled words. Hands pulled at Sam, their shouting voices lost to the howling wind as he stood unmoving. Marlin tried to push at him with feeble hands but Sam was as solid as the wall behind him.

With a growl, Sam took Marlin by his shoulders and pulled him forward, only to shove him with tremendous force back into the wall. The crack resounded through his head, so loud Marlin was sure thunder had struck directly above them. But as his vision blackened and he felt his legs give way, he realised the crack was his skull breaking. He barely felt the ground as his body plummeted into it, barely felt the dull thud of Sam’s fist as it cracked across his cheek.

“Sam stop! Enough, he’s dead”

The words filtered through to his fading consciousness.

“Search him for anything useful, be quick or we’ll all be dead”

Hands pawed at him, pulling his back pack roughly from beneath him and digging into his pockets. A flash of silver glinted before his eyes.

‘Emily’ he tried to say, ‘my Emily’,

He’d been right before, had known as soon as he set eyes on those three men.

He would never see her again. He would die here, alone. All alone.