The Hummingbird:Feet On The Ground Read online

leftovers as payment of course. Just make sure it’s during the day I NEVER turn the lights on or use ANY of the appliances after dark.” I mentioned, I’m not sure why I didn’t think to offer this sooner but better late than never right?

  “Ah, to keep away the looters. Hadn’t thought about that, I’m actually trying to trade a few things for a generator myself. I have more incentive now that I’ve found a few dvds of some old cartoons for my kid. Well I say it’s for her, but that’s how one justifies to his wife that he’s forty and still loves shows about animated rats who ride dragons and fight against monsters.” Both me and him had quite the laugh at that truth. I couldn’t blame him really.

  I allowed myself this time to meditate and get my chakras in a good place while he focused his attention on fishing. Simply to pass the time while we waited for the broadcast to start as we had seen on the phone that nothing had been posted yet. The two of us had found it quite strange they were so silent. We knew we had signal my smartphone had an app for detecting radio waves and the radio was working just fine blasting forth some relaxing and lively ska music. Sure I preferred European Fantasy Metal and my friend was rather into Classical, but in Armageddon luxuries like pleasant music were hard to come by so we counted our blessings that we had musical accompaniment at all. A third person of our five person weekly group came up and noticed how heavily we were concentrating and decided to just keep to himself and eat from a bag of trail mix he brought. Everything was peaceful for us all until we heard a gunshot and a doe came trampling through our spot, the spooked female actually managed to bump into me and knock my mask off. Exposing my permanent facial wounds and sores to the open air, I struggled to get it back on as fast as I could “Gah… someone’s trying to hunt out here… and they’re using bullets… Where did they find bullets!?!?!” I screamed.

  “I’m not sure… but they spooked the fish, and I almost had something!” Isaac said, crossing himself to try and regain his composure to prevent his temper from getting out.

  “That deer was shot, and had an arrow sticking out of her side… They’re using bows AND guns. I think the poor thing fell into some of the acid puddles, part of the poor thing’s face was reduced to bone…” The third member of our group said, his name was Clark.

  “Yeesh.. not even I’m quite at that level, I’d find her to put her down but I don’t have a weapon…” I admitted, feeling sorry for the deer as I rubbed down my facial mask with a grimace.

  “You mentioned wanting one, and I had a spare… so why don’t you take my machete? Besides it’ll give ya something to do rather than sit there and look at the images in your head.” Clark said, he disregarded my meditation as being a superstition. Clark believed meditation was good for your breathing, temperament, and cholesterol, just not much else.

  I smiled, taking it and giving it a few practice swings. Admittedly I couldn’t swing it TOO hard without hurting my shoulder like a son of bitch but I could finish off the deer. “Alright, and if there’s anything usable on the deer I’ll bring it back.”

  “Clark, go with him.” Isaac said as I started to get up. “Michelle has a bad arm and with that deer mask she might be mistaken for game if the hunters are still out.”

  “Well and I do have a bow, so… yeah.. I can see how a projectile based weapon could help.” Clark nodded. “You sure you’ll be fine by your lonesome?”

  “I am never truly alone for I have Christ by my side.” Isaac smiled, Clark didn’t say anything but I could tell what he was thinking. “Besides, I was the first one here and well..” he showed his hook hand. “I’m rather armed myself.”

  “”I’m not sure that’s a good idea..” Clark said, he did have a knack of getting somewhat over protective of us as unlike us he still had all of his limbs and was in no danger of losing any anytime soon, lucky guy.

  “What if the broadcast happens and none of us around to hear it. I’m one missed Drug Truck away from undergoing menopause!” I exclaimed, this seemed to get Clark to cave and me and him were on our way.

  I followed the trail of blood left by the deer as Clark watched the space around me for the hunters or other potential threats like maybe a snake. The animals had been doing a better job of surviving than us humans, even though they to were dying in mass even the most endangered species out there weren’t seeing as severe of loss as humankind was. Why that was exactly no one knows, there aren’t really any scientists left to give us an answer. There was a rumor that anyone left with so much as an associate’s degree in anything resembling a medical field was gathered up to find a way to put a stop to this mess. Though the American Government was reduced to apologizing over and over for letting things get this bad and seemed more focused on that than anything else, I doubt an actual cure is anywhere near within their grasp but I’ve been wrong before. As I was walking I heard a sudden dinging noise that forced me to stop in my place as I looked around for the source, upon realizing it had came from below I looked downward and realized it was an arrow that landed near the metal portion of my leg. “The hunters… where are?” I was saying before noticing Clark looking up towards a hill 45 degrees towards the right of us.

  The hunters were there. The forest was circular around the river as a result they had just gone the opposite direction from where the deer ran hoping to cut her off. “My friend is not a deer, she just wears this mask to protect the bad part of her face from the open air.” Clark yelled.

  “Whelp, I don’t really give a damn my friend. Revelations is on us and if we’re gonna die we can atleast play the most dangerous game.” One of the hunters, one missing various teeth. “Now hold still” he said holding out a crossbow towards us with the one arm that he had.

  “I think the phrase is hunt the most dangerous game…. which… is man…” Clark said, realizing that the improper phrasing was beyond the point. “Michelle run back to Isaac, I’ll hold them off.”

  “They have the high ground, you’ll just get yourself killed…” I said right before ducking from another arrow, well I guess it’s a bolt if it comes from a crossbow. “Talking isn’t a free action. Towards the deer, if we run away we just make better targets…”

  “That doesn’t make any sense…” Clark said not following my logic, not sure I followed my own logic either. I was kind of just having one of those flight or fight moments. “Right behind you!” he called after.

  It was miraculous how we managed to dodge so well, something we wouldn’t be able to do if they had started using any of the bullets they may or may not have left. I was hoping for may not, sure I want to die, but that deer can’t be allowed to suffer and that’s all I cared about in this juncture in time. You could say I was disregarding Clark’s safety, but no one’s perfect and my thought process was kind of not the best at this time.

  My running eventually found me at the deer that had disrupted my meditation, though Clark was likely in full panic by me stopping while they were still firing. I still raised my machete hoping to end the deer’s suffering and send her off the the planes beyond our cruel and ill Gaia. I did hesitate as the deer looked me in the eye and I noticed that the deer was missing the same half of her face that I was. “Tell me deer, is this foreshadowing? Shall I be put down as well? Will my sickness get as bad as your wounds? Will I…”

  “MICHELLE WHAT THE FUCK!?!?!” Clark cut me off with an arrow in his hand. “I caught this out of the air in desperation… if I hadn’t it would have been in your spine! Waste that doe and as Shakespeare once said let’s get the fucking hell out of here!” he said letting an arrow fly trying to pick off one of the hunters. Hitting one right in the center of his eyepatch killing him. This wasn’t a first time for Clark.

  “Right….” I said lunging at the deer’s neck with my machete scoring a clean decapitation.

  “He got Dale!” Screamed one of the hunters. “Get the bullets, it’s a matter of revenge now! Kill her and take him alive. I want to torture him reaaaaaaaaal slow-like. Maybe skin his nutsack and make him watch while w
e cook the girl.”

  I ran towards the hunters, I figured our gooses were cooked so I could at least attempt a selfless sacrifice. “Clark, tell Isaac what happened and that he can have my house! Don’t mourn me!” I screamed running towards the hill, the pistol was pointed at me and I braced for impact with my machete pointed skyward. I must have been nervous because I threw it by mistake it landing inside of the gunman’s forehead he pulled the trigger as he died, falling backwards and shooting his friend.

  “Well someone just rolled a 20…” Clark said, having not heeded my advice to my annoyance. In the afterlife I would have slapped him. “That was badass.”

  “That’s… kind of unfair… is it ever going to be my turn to die? I... I… I really thought that was my turn...“ I started to tear up a little.

  Clark just hugged me. “Don’t seek death Michelle, the world needs people like you. We’ll take their supplies, even if you do believe in an afterlife my friend I think you’ll agree with me when I say they aren’t going to need those things.”

  “Too true.” I responded.

  We took as much in weaponry, food, and alcohol that they had which was just about as much as we could carry. None of them had any first aid, just meat from animals they had hunted, a few beers, and weapons. Was their plan to kill until they died? Were they people who wished for death but didn’t want to kill themselves just as I was. We may never know.

  Upon getting back to the camp there was Isaac with a full plate of fish and the last two of our friends. “You’re just in time.” spoke the only other female of our group, a black haired woman slightly younger than myself, her eyes stolen from her by the plague. Personally, I’m rather glad I’m not blind myself, I couldn’t imagine life without sight. “The broadcast is finally starting.” she said to me and Clark, waving about her blind stick carefully to get a feel for where we were.

  We all gathered around and took a listen waiting until it ended to grab a plate of the fish Isaac had caught and cooked.

  The broadcast started as usual playing some sorrowful music before getting on with it. “Hello Survivors of what was once the United States. Today is Independence Day, on this day in 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed. Independence that we squandered to sell our country to the highest bidder. As per usual there will be no fireworks to avoid people getting out in the acid rain which will be in a serious downpour tonight. Friends please let your neighbors come in, you don’t wanna be left out there. The food truck will be located on Honeywell Street and one per person it shall provide hot dogs and veggie dogs with a side of Freedom Fries and a red, white, and blue cupcake for dessert. Water and milk will be provided. Supplies are limited and it’s first come first serve, no one will be getting any seconds.”

  “Alright! Fresh cooked meat that isn’t fish! Thank God!” Spoke the man in the wheelchair who accompanied the blind girl. “I mean no offense Isaac”

  “SHUSH! The drug truck.. they’re talking about that next!” I screamed, I only had enough hormones to last three more weeks, a month if I rationed.

  “Now for those of you needing medicine from the drug trucks, we have stopped stocking them with anything except the most necessary for life saving meaning no more hormones, vitamins, birth control, painkillers, or anything of that nature. If it won’t kill you go without it, you won’t get it. The United Nations passed this order as they require as many materials to help synthesize a cure for what has tragically become the human condition. The only details known to us is that the cure will be… rather controversial and unorthodox..” I wasn’t sure what to feel at this this point. “But… rest assured the cure will fix everything…. Almost forgot, the Drug Truck will be located in Norwood Lane. This concludes today’s broadcast, we will repeat this information on the hour every hour. May the Gods and Goddesses of all religions, creeds, and walks of life forgive the USA for its part in the horrors faced by the world at large.” That was when the broadcast switched over to a woman’s voice who announced that the next song would be “Somebody Loved Me by Reel Big Fish”

  “Interesting… does that mean I’ll be able to see again? Like I could before?” Raven the blind native american woman said. “To this day I’ve always regretted stepping outside and looking up at the sky… just before the rain… the first time it was…” she actually started to cry as she held the binoculars that she strangely wore around her neck at all times.

  The wheel chaired man was her older brother who hugged her close. “Sister… you couldn’t have known….”

  “...I’m tired of living in the darkness.” She said with a frustrated sigh. “I just.. hope that wasn’t an exaggeration, about it fixing… everything.”

  “Same… without hormones I…” I decided it would be kind of a bitch move to take the thunder out of a blind girl’s lamentations. “I mean… I wonder what they meant about the cure being controversial and unorthodox.” I said changing the subject away from my own misery.

  Isaac thought hard about it. “I think I have an idea of what it could possibly be, but I need to do a little bit of a research before I say anything as not to get the group riled up over nothing.” We all heard a crack of thunder shortly afterward.

  “I think we best return to our homes.” Clark said holding out his hand as if to feel for rain. “The rain may start soon.”

  With that we gathered our things and parted back to our homes hoping to avoid the further burning and dissolving of our flesh. I laid back on my bed with my light on and read fantasy novels until I slept. Remembering to turn the lights off as not to let looters now that I had power. Remember, if your lights are off then you’re safe. If your lights are on they’ll try to steal your generator or if you don’t have on kill you for your home. That night I dreamed of being a cheerleader riding a hotdog through a rainbow, dreams seldom make any sense.

  I met the gang at Honeywell as we waited for the food truck. Raven’s brother Piet had brought sparklers for us to have some kind of a celebration for July 4th, well 5th, it was the little things that made life worth living. While doing what I normally did with Sparklers and pretended that I was a wizard I asked Isaac if he had been able to do any research when he had gotten home to his family the previous night,

  “Yes, but I don’t want to give my thoughts here… We’re in a public place with people waiting for the food truck.. It is not in our interest to start a panic.” Isaac said to us quietly.”At least not before we’ve gotten our food.” he said before going back to what he had been doing before I asked him, playing with his five year old daughter and holding the sparkler for her as he wasn’t quite ready to trust her with something that’s literally on fire.

  The food truck when it showed was painted with an American flag on it, a cute touch given the holiday my friends and I made sure we were the first in line. I had Clark hold onto my plate after I had gotten it as I helped Raven find a nearby picnic table for her to sit down at. Once we were all situated we ate and made small talk. Isaac’s wife and daughter were with us, but the rest of us had mostly lived alone except for of course Piet and Raven who lived together. Normally I don’t eat when I’m upset, but my mind was even more nervous about the future. How was I going to survive without my estrogen, and does this cure really fix everything? Would it fix my mismatched body or even the tumors destroying my right arm? Would it fix Raven’s eyes? Would it even fix the acidic rain or was that just exaggeration? My mind began to turn to dark thoughts, what if it was a mercy killing? Then again, why would they continue to give any drugs and food at all if it was? If that were the goal they could just have poisoned our hotdog. No something was going on and maybe finding out what it was was futile. If it benefited me that’s wonderful, if it didn’t what could I do about it? I forced myself to eat as it would be a long time before I would have another hot meal and a dog’s age before french fries were ever a thing again. My nights would grow ever more restless as I drove myself made with the possibilities of what could happen. Next week when we met again to
listen to the radio together I needed to learn everything that Isaac knew and I mean everything.

  When the next week of broadcast finally came I almost didn’t want to get out of bed, I had almost stayed up the whole night running every scenario in my head, a few positive, a few negative. My lack of knowledge was causing my diseased body unneeded stress. I had to drag myself through the forest, in my half-asleep nature I stepped in a few puddles. Luckily my prosthetics weren’t harmed much by this as they had some degree of acid proofing on it. One I got to the site I immediately conked out. Remember kids, sleep is good for you. When I came too I found that Clark had actually dragged me back to my house after failing to get me up.

  “You know you’re lucky you were among friends, being outside and that tired would have likely gotten you raped, killed, and eaten by cannibals… probably not even in that order.” Clark said being rather blunt with me.

  “The broadcast… Isaac’s research… I need to know about both!”” I said in a panic.

  “Well… I carried you back here and went back so I missed part of it.. but I did catch the repeat and ran quickly back in after a freak storm. The acid rain literally just stopped a little bit before you woke up.” Clark said, scratching the back of his head. “But first… I want to talk to you about something…. you’re all alone out here? Right?”

  “Yeah…. would be nice to have someone around to cook for me and ya know…” I looked at my tumor ridden arm. “Help the fact that this is a looter’s paradise waiting to happen.”

  “Are you offering? My place is… falling apart… heh.. basement is even flooded…. Lost a good number of comic books because of it… It’s acid water so I haven’t really found a safe way to drain it…” Clark said, scratching the back of his head. “I can protect you, but, I’m going to need payment.”

  “Oh.. I think I know what you mean…” I said, slowly lifting up my shirt. I got to my bra when he blushed a bright red.

  “Shelley, I appreciate the offer...I was talking about getting dinner started…” Clark was very