BLUE IRIS

Iris

Silence.

THE WORLD had turned into a deafening silence of danger and uncertainty. And in the darkness, sadness and horror lingered.

The night fell. It was time for me to move.

The desolated pet shop had been my shelter for the past few days and the safest place so far as no one who would think of getting pets nowadays. A dog was probably a good idea, but the food was not easy to come by in this world full of chaos.

After shoving my extra shirt and only blanket into my backpack, I slipped my feet into my old running shoes and was ready to move out.

After a few steady breaths, I walked out, determined to find a new place where I could stay for a few days or longer. I had been running from place to place for two weeks now, and I hadn't seen or met any living human being other than the littered dead bodies everywhere, burned or decomposed.

I couldn’t remember the last time I talked—probably the day I escaped—and I missed my own voice. Talking to myself would make me crazy, and singing would make me cry and hungry, so I just kept my mouth shut.

The cold breeze smelled like death. A ghost of pain rippled through my body. It had been like this since the unknown deadly virus wiped out the country. My labored breathing and my steps against the asphalt echoed through the darkness.

I found my way to the intersection, hoping to find an apothecary. The weak light from the silver moon was the only guide I had to follow.

I knew for a fact that it had been raided, but by any luck, I could find a stash of painkillers or any medicine I could trade for food when I met survivors.

Passing by rusting vehicles lined at the sides of the deserted road, the Bowl of Hygieia printed in the white wall came to view. I sighed in hope, but it quickly crumbled when I noticed the open taillights of the SUV parked in front.

Hustling, I ducked down and hid behind the car. After everything I had been through, it taught me a lot, and one thing was to trust no one other than my own instinct.

Silhouettes of a man and a woman hopped out from the SUV. The short curvy woman walked toward the trunk, pushed up the hood, and took something, then left it unlocked.

A click of a gun and murmurs were the only thing I could hear. They marched to the apothecary door in somewhat of a rush. Alerted, the man’s handgun was out and aimed at the glass door, and the woman cautiously tailed behind him.

A few minutes later, I slowly and carefully walked to the SUV, hoping to find something to fill my grumbling stomach. When I got into the trunk, it was empty, only a stinky blanket that smelled blood, and nothing else my eyes could find. It must be their first stop, and I could not find any food.

Shit!

Hurried footsteps that crunched against the broken glass made me stiffen. It was too late for me to run, and when they spotted me, I was dead.

My instinct kicked in. I got into the trunk and covered myself with the blanket, then someone shut the door down.

A moment later, the engine revved.

“This isn’t enough,” said an angry male voice. It was almost a roar.

“We don’t have time to search around, Frost. We need to go back right now.” A soft voice came from a woman.

“I know,” the man hissed, angrier.

“He’ll be okay. He’ll live.”

Someone’s life was in danger, I thought.

“Yeah, he needs to be.”

I was counting how long the drive was. A silence loomed from the two people for a few minutes.

If my feeling was right, the car turned left in less than ten minutes. The gravelly road against the tires indicated that we were off the highway.

“We can go and search the nearest pharmacy once he has this,” she suggested.

“No. You’ll stay. I’ll go with Colt. It’s more dangerous out there than that area.”

“I can take care of myself,” she answered defensively.

“Do you think I don’t know that? But Darick needs you, Heloisa.”

“Fine.”

My temples pounded as the car jumped from the bumpy road a couple of times—the driver seemed to be in a hurry, and my stomach also ached. I closed my eyes when my headache worsened. I was beyond hungry and thirsty. And weak.

Minutes passed, and I must have lost count of the time. My plan was to escape before they would notice someone was in their vehicle.

Nowadays, people would not accept excuses. People killed each other when they found them; they were threats.

For months, no one really knew if the government still existed. They killed to survive. They killed for food. They were paranoid, and trust didn’t come easily even to a girl like me that could barely harm a fly.

I was in my deep thoughts when the blanket was pulled away from me.

“I’ll take— oh, my God!”

Shock locked me in place.

My arms flew to my face, not to protect myself from harm, but to shield my eyes from the light pointed directly at me. My heart pounded. My lips went dry.

“Who are you?” the angry man asked in a cold and deadly tone.

“I-I’m... I-I’m unarmed.” I raised my hands to surrender.

I closed my eyes when silence surrounded us. I could only hear my breathing until several clicks echoed in my ears.

This is not good. This is the end. My end.

I forced the strength in my voice. “I’m just a survivor who wanted to live like you.”

“Yeah, I get it, and shit like this and that,” the same angry guy said.

“How did you get inside the car?” the soft voice asked—the same woman who talked earlier.

“You forgot to close the trunk, again, didn’t you? Now, I need to kill her because she already knows our place. How could you be so reckless, Heloisa?”

I quickly moved to sit down. My world spun, but I managed to support my body with my hands to avoid falling. Squinting, I blinked until my eyes adjusted to the light.

Another silhouette stepped forward, his shadow alone vibrated deadly and intimidating as his muscles shifted against the illuminating light from the post. His overwhelming size reminded me that he was taller, bigger, and stronger than me—than any of the two.

“You’re running out of time. Talk!” There was no hint of humanity in his deep voice.

His lack of emotions twisted anxiety in my empty stomach. I’d been in this situation many times, but one thing I was sure of before was I knew they would not kill me, at least not yet, but these people didn’t know me at all. So, this is the end.

My chin trembled.

“Who the fuck are you?” There was something more terrifying about his command that I’d never encountered before.

I swallowed. My mouth ran dry. My throat clogged, and I had barely strength left to answer him.

“Don’t!” the woman screamed that shocked me to the core.

In a split second, the darkness claimed me.

***

What happened?

WHERE AM I? The smell of soap tickled my nose. I tried hard to tune in to my other senses, but all I could hear was my own breathing. The comfy feeling against my head and my back made me want to fall asleep cocooned in this warm blanket.

I opened my eyes and wandered around the wooden-walled room. There were at least two bunk beds from my side and two from the opposite side. There were no windows—they must have blocked it for safety—just the kerosene lamp lit up the entire room. Beds were empty. I could now smell the mud and the must of cabins. This must be the campsite based on the type of bed I was in.

The door swung open, revealing a woman—the same woman from the—Oh, my god!

I’m still alive.

“Of course, you are?” The sweet smile spread across the woman’s lips. If my memory served right, her name was Heloisa.

Did I actually say it out loud?

“You collapsed. You must be hungry. I brought something for you. This isn’t much, but it fills an empty stomach.”

The smell of mushrooms made my stomach grumble.

She chucked. “I know you are.”

When I was about to sit down, I realized there was something hooked to my hand. My heart rate accelerated.

“It’s alright.” She must have seen my reaction. I was terrified. “Our doctor checked you when you passed out. He said it could be due to hunger and dehydration. Well, just like everyone, right? And you look so pale and fragile. How long have you been alone out there? Good thing you found us before something bad happened to you.” She continued talking while I stared in horror at the transparent tube attached to me.

“That’s just fluid.” She sat beside me in the bed. “I cleaned and changed you into my clothes. Yours are already washed.” But something was missing.

In shock, I searched my neck. “Where’s my necklace?”

The woman looked shocked as well. Her brown eyes widened. “Oh, the necklace? Um, it’s with Gael.”

“Who’s Gael?” Hastily, I pulled out the IV and stood up, ignoring the pounding of my head, the grumbling of an empty stomach, and the spinning of my vision. “I need that necklace.”

“It’s safe. You can have it back once you've eaten something.”

I walked to the door, squeezing my eyes shut. I opened my eyes after a couple of breaths. I was right. We were in the middle of the forest and guarded by walls from old metal roofs, but it wasn’t safe enough to stand still from strong blows of weapons.

There were three old cabins aligned across the cabin where I was standing, with the same structural designs from where I came from. A large fire pit in the center with charred pieces of wood caught my eyes, reminding me of the summer camp back in high school.

I shoved my feet into the first shoes that came to my sight aligned beside the door and walked down to the muddy ground.

“You’re still weak. You need some more rest.”

“I’m fine. I need to get my necklace back,” I insisted stubbornly.

“Okay, then. Follow me. This place is an old campsite in the middle of the forest. It’s way safer from the looters. By the way, I’m Heloisa. You can call me Lois. Where you from?”

I ignored her rambling question and followed her, crossing the muddy ground. “What happened last night?”

“You mean two nights ago?”

“What?” I stared at her in shock. “H-how long did—?”

“You slept for almost thirty hours. You must be so exhausted.”

She had no idea.

“I’m fine, thank you.”

We stopped at the wooden ladders with muddy footprints leading to the door. She knocked while I stared at her again in disbelief.

She then yanked the door open and said, “Gael, she’s awake and wanna talk to you. It’s urgent.”

“Has she eaten something?” The calm and concerned tone of a male voice came from the room.

Warily, I stepped inside. The room size was the same as where I slept in. Only there was no bed except for a desk with stacks of papers and a single pen atop of it and two chairs. No guns and no decorations hanging on the wall, but there was a single open window to my right, probably for ventilation because I could smell cigarettes thickly hanging in the air.

He was a smoker. Gael was around my dad’s age. He had short graying hair and bright blue eyes. A medium build, and from where he was sitting, he was probably around five feet and eleven inches tall.

I took a deep shaky breath. “Sir, I need my necklace back.”

Gael gazed at me from head to toe. “It must be so important to you. A gift? Just call me Gael.”

“Gael it is. That’s my mom’s.”

“You can go, Lois,” he dismissed her. “Have a seat—”

“Iris. My name is Iris Clayton.” Slowly, I took a seat at one of the two chairs across him.

“Were you separated from your family or group?”

“My group. We were attacked two weeks ago by dangerous and armed men while we were heading North. My group leader thought we could change the route and search for some supplies on our way. We got separated from each other after the attack.”

I doubted if Gael was convinced by my story, but he was listening.

“It happened so fast. It was all blurry, and all I could hear was the gunfire and screams from my group. I saw...” My eyes stung, and my heart broke every time I remembered how my brother died. “I saw my brother collapse to the ground.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, Iris. We’ve also lost people we cared about from the outbreak and killed by dangerous people. Everyone here is like you who wants to live.”

I nodded and wiped my tears dry.

“How did you get into that place?”

“I’ve been strolling from place to place almost every night, but I stayed for a couple of days at the pet shop since no one seemed to pass by that place anymore.”

“Quite clever.”

“You become clever when you only have one mission since the virus wiped out the country. To survive.”

“I want to be honest with you, Iris. We don’t recruit or take people in anymore. These past few months, we barely survive through scavenging. We don’t have enough food, medicines, and supply left. We have families and children here, and in a few days, some groups might find this place, and you know what they would do when you refuse to give what they wanted. We’re also lacking ammunition and manpower to defend this place.”

“I understand. I’m leaving as soon as I get my necklace back. Thank you for your hospitality, Gael.”

Colt

I BARELY slept after leaving the guard post. I wanted booze, but nowadays you felt like a goddamn billionaire if you had a bottle of a cheap whiskey at your disposal.

Frost pissed me off. He could have put the group in danger by bringing a stranger to our camp. That woman could be dangerous no matter how weak she might look.

Darick was still recovering from his bullet wound—he’d been with us for months and proved his value, and being our supply runner, we could not afford to lose a resourceful person like him. What had gone wrong with the last run, I still didn’t have the answer.

And then those eyes—taunted with terror.

Those terrified eyes. I’ve seen many, but there was something in the way she stared back at me—not just pleading for her life to be spared—there was something more.

“Hey.”

“Cora.” I locked my cabin and faced her.

“Where did you sleep last night?” Well, that’s not what I expect to start a conversation in the morning. She gave me a smile so dazzling that any man would be glad to take my place.

Cora was beautiful, and though this world was dying, there was still a beauty left in it to ponder. She had this vibrant look with long wavy blonde hair and a body that every man wanted to warm his bed, but her attitude was not very pleasing. She was a pain in the ass to everyone in the camp and a little too overconfident. Cora was the type of girl that man never wished to bring to his parents.

“In my room,” I answered politely. “Do you need anything?”

“But it was locked.” She moved closer and spread her hands on my chest.

“Of course, it’s locked because I was sleeping, and that’s why we have this called knocking.”

She rolled her eyes. “But the last time I came, it’s un—”

“Look, Cora. I told you what happened to us three nights ago shouldn’t have happened and will never happen again. The sex was good, and you’re a good lay, but that’s it.” I sounded like an asshole, but what she needed was the facts. “Look at us, we barely eat and protect ourselves from what’s out there. Darick is still in his bed. I couldn’t think of a relationship right now or a roll in hay because I have to focus on protecting our people. Look what happened the last time.” I swallowed, remembering the scariest thing I never wanted to look back.

“So, is it true that Frost found a girl?” She changed the topic because she knew me—if I said no, it remained no.

“Yeah, and she’s leaving once she wakes up.”

“Good. Because if she’s sick, she can’t stay here and infect us all.”

“She’s not infected. She’s just... weak.”

“Then we don’t need a weak member, right?”

“That’s not up to me, Cora. If Gael wants her here, we have to respect his decision.”

She shrugged. “Of course.”

I walked past her. “Got to see Gael.”

“Are you sure— fine.” She was not pleased, but I didn’t give a damn shit. She was just a distraction and the least of my priorities.

I knocked on Lois’s cabin. When no one opened up, I pressed my ear against the door, but it was silent.

I strode towards Gael’s cabin and almost bumped into her at the front door.

“Colt!” Her brown eyes lit up. Lois was one of the people I cared about. She had the kindest heart, and people thought she was weak, but the truth was she was one of the strongest people I knew.

“Hey. I was in your cabin.”

She smiled. “Oh, I brought her to Gael.”

“She’s awake?” My brow cocked, surprised.

The blue-eyed woman.

She whispered, “Yes. She jumped out of her bed when she couldn’t find her necklace though.”

“Huh.” I saw that necklace—it was an ordinary silver chain, but the pendant was a vintage mini blue perfume bottle.

She shrugged. “She said it’s her mom’s.”

“I see. I have to see Gael.”

“Sure.” Lois nodded in resignation.

She was definitely awake. Her voice was soft as silk and melodious as the Oscines. There was a warmth in the way she spoke—it reminded me of how mom sang lullabies—it was just like hers.

I could hear their conversation, and it was a good decision that Gael told her we didn’t recruit people. With our lack of supplies, we couldn’t afford another mouth to feed. And by the look of her, she needed lots of it to get her shape back.

She was so skinny and looked like a walking corpse. Her skin was so pale, and her bones were prominent. She was barely breathing when Frost and Lois found her two nights ago, and now she was talking with Gael.

No matter how ruthless we had become, we couldn’t just throw her out of the camp, unconscious and defenseless. She could barely stand on her own feet, let alone protect herself. I knew the moment she walked out of the gate, she signed her death wish. It was odd how she survived all alone out there—that thought made me anxious and skeptical.

“But I wouldn’t mind you staying here with us for as long as you want, Iris,” said Gael.

For as long as she wants? What the fuck?

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I bolted inside his office.

Gael’s brows furrowed. “And do you have an idea where to send her?”

It was my mistake to question his decision. We respected and never doubted his ability to lead us because of his experience in the military that kept us all alive. He cared about this group, and I knew we were always his top priority before anything else. He must have seen something in this woman that made him decide to keep her.

“She survived for months out there. What made you think she won’t survive again?” I said fiercely and watched the woman’s reaction.

Despite my protest, she remained seated in front of Gael and stared down at her necklace, playing with the pendant. What was so important about it?

“Because she was still in shape that time, Colt, and now, look at her.”

“Let me send her back to where she came from with food that will last a few days. By then, she’ll get her strength back and be able to look after herself again.”

“No. She stays, and that’s final.”

“Are you sure about that? She could be snooping, or she came here on purpose to scout this place. I can’t put our people at risk. Not again, Gael.” We’d been through hell, ambushed, lost the people we cared about, and everything. And now, he just decided to let her stay?

What the hell is wrong with him?

We could barely protect ourselves, and yet he took her in. Just like that because she’s fucking weak!

And who is this woman that he’s willing to put his group at risk for?

“I think about that, too.”

“And?”

“She will stay.” Has he lost his mind?

Unbelievable!

“Jesus, Gael. Did you check her arms? She has bruises and needle pricks.” I pointed at her. “This woman is a drug addict.”

“What?” The woman spoke, lifting her chin. Her gaze directly met mine. Her surreal blue eyes widened in shock.

I felt an odd sense down my spine. My heart started to beat faster the longer we stared, reading each other’s thoughts.

She’s dangerous as hell... and definitely pretty now that her face was clean.

I could see every tiny detail on her face—the dilatation of her pupils, her light-brown angled eyebrows, her small, upturned nose, her high cheekbones, and her pale droopy lips. She had this pixie cut bronze hair that looked like she did it herself.

“We don’t have the luxury to do drugs here, twig. I wonder how you maintained your supply, and where you really come from? You must have a lot of resources, huh?” My sarcasm had her eyes flooded with pain and unshed tears.

Oddly, I felt guilty for calling her twig. And I hated that feeling, but I was just honest. Or should I have kept it to myself?

“This is not what you think it is.” She wiped her tears with bony trembling fingers.

“Explain, then.”

“Colt, that won’t be necessary. Give her a break,” Gael interrupted.

“I’m just protecting our people.”

“So am I.”

“Fine.” I snatched the necklace from her hand, and that was what I was planning to do—to distract her and snatch it. I wanted to know how far she would fight for this. “Collateral.”

“Give that to me,” she ordered. Her voice was stronger than I thought she could—it was authoritative but calm.

“Not a chance. You can stay here, but this necklace.” I raised it up. “Will stay with me until you decide to leave the camp.”

“No. You’d better not take that away from me!”

“Oh, I will.” I turned and walked away from her.

“Colt,” Gael called my name.

Then it happened so quickly and surely, I did not see it coming.

My adrenaline spiked. Swiftly pulling the knife from my right thigh strap, I aimed at her carotid artery. I could feel the strong pulse against my shining blade—she tensed against it.

“You slit my neck, your balls and junk will decorate this entire floor.” She pressed my handgun on my groin. Great!

“And your blood will spill all over, my dear.”

“Give me my necklace back, Colton, or your ticket gets punched!”

“It’s Colt.”

“Who cares when you’re dead?” Oh, yeah, why do I give a damn?

Was it because I called her twig? Funny for a woman so thin could throw sarcasm while being threatened with a knife.

“Give it back to her and stop this shit between you two! From now on, you, Colt, and you, Iris should work on your differences,” Gael barked.

I kept my eyes pinned to the woman who still had a gun on my crotch. Her eyes where unbelievably wide and... expressive.

“She stole my gun and threatened me. Can’t you see it? This tiny little thing is dangerous! You made a mistake, Gael.” If this woman had brought danger to this camp, she would pay for it with her life.

“It’s your fault your junk is threatened by a woman you called twig. Pull the knife away from her neck and give her back the necklace!”

My nose flared with anger, but this woman, Iris, or whatever her real name was, just stared back at me with a blank expression, increasing the pressure against my groin with a brow cocked in a challenge.

“Busted balls and your tiny dick or my necklace.”

I almost wanted to smirk when she said tiny. See for yourself, woman, then tell me if it’s tiny or not. But I held on to my expression.

Uncomfortable, I shifted my hips.

“Uh-uh, be careful, dear.” Then two clicks followed—she pulled the hammer and unlocked the safety.

“Iris, don’t do this. You can kill us both, but you can’t get out of here alive.” Gael’s voice softened, but the tension in his tone didn’t go unnoticed.

“I’m not gonna kill you, Gael. You have my word. You could shoot me to protect this asshole, but why haven’t you done it yet?”

“Because I know you just want back what's yours,” Gael answered.

She increased the pressure this time. “My necklace, Colton.”

“Do you like my dick that much that you can’t take your hand off of me?” I smirked.

Her closeness made me felt like I wanted to reach out and touch her. Jesus Christ! What’s wrong with me?

“To blow it off?” Her brow rose.

I huffed at her threat. “How many people have you killed, Blue... Iris?”

Her eyes suddenly widened, lips parted, then she gulped, but the gun remained pressed against my groin. “H-how d-did you know?” Her question was hesitant and wary.

Huh! I could distract her. “My mom had a flower shop. Of all the flowers, she chose irises to bring home every day and placed them in my room. As annoying as it was, I liked the blue one. Your eyes are blue like an iris flower. They remind me of her.”

Her lashes were lighter, almost blonde. It was possible she dyed her hair. She had tiny freckles scattered all over her nose and under her eyes.

“Oh?”

“Yes. Now, my deal. You can stay and pull that gun away from me or you die.” I pressed a little harder against her neck. “One wrong move, your blood will splatter all over the floor. Since you’re pale, you’ll die in a matter of seconds, Iris.”

“You’ll die with me, Colton. That’s a promise.”

“Jesus, the two of you are starting to annoy me. Just stop it already. I have something to do here! And you, Colt, you finally found your match.”

“The hell I am.”

“He's arrogant.”

“And you’re bitchy for a visitor.”

“My necklace.”

“My gun.”

“I promise I won’t tell anyone that a certain twig threatened your junk.” She grinned, spreading a devilish smile at me. Then she whispered, “Your secret is safe with me, Colton.”

My blood rushed through my head in anger that I could almost see red.

“Fascinating how I could make you blush easily.”

“I’m not blushing.” Absentmindedly, I wiped my cheek.

“I know you have a rep, Colton, but it would be worse if a twig blows off your balls and that would not be so great for them to tell that the almighty Colton—”

“Stop! Stop!” I pushed the necklace right into her chest. “Have it your way and stay away from me!” And I walked away, defeated.

“Just so you know I haven’t killed anyone!” she yelled. “But you don’t wanna be the first on my list, do you?”

“I don’t give a damn. Just fu—back off!”