Revelation

Chapter 5

“I can’t believe it,” I said. “Michael. You’re alive!”

The boom of my voice echoed off the canyon walls, unmasked by the sound of rushing water. Makara and Marcus stared at us, confused. Michael did not heed them. His eyes shone brightly and his face had split into a mile-wide grin.

“What the hell happened?” he asked. “Who else is with you? Did your dad make it?”

I shook my head. “No. Just me. My dad…he died. Khloe was with me, and her parents. All of them died.”

“Damn. I’m sorry. That’s…”

I looked at Officer Michael — or the man who used to be Officer Michael — still unbelieving. He was still the same, if only a bit thinner. He was all muscle before, but the three months between then and now had made him a good twenty pounds lighter.

“Alex, I hardly recognize you,” he said. “You’ve changed.”

I was about to say the same to him, when Makara stepped up.

“Who is this?”

“This is Officer Michael Sanchez. He lived with me at Bunker 108.”

“Just Michael now,” he said, holding out a hand to Makara.

Makara didn’t take the hand. “I know you.”

Michael looked at me, then back at Makara.

“You were the one with Alex on his recon.”

Michael, at first, did not react. Then, it looked as if he had been punched in the gut.

“You were the one who killed that man,” Michael said, with realization. “The one we let in. The guy who infected the rest of them with the Blight Fever.”

Makara just stared, not saying anything. “It’s complicated, Michael. For now, I can say no more than that.”

“We can catch you up on everything later,” I said. “Give her a chance. I gave her hell at first, but it was all a mistake.”

Michael nodded, resigning himself to that. “I guess I have a lot to be caught up on. I’ve been here for the last two months. I’m working for the Dragons now.”

“The Dragons?” I asked, looking up.

“Not those,” he said. “They’re a gang, in Vegas. They control this crossing.”

“Guard duty, huh?”

He shrugged. “I have to start somewhere. I consider myself lucky to even be alive. More so because my wife and kid made it.”

“That’s great news, Michael.”

“When it all went to hell, we took one of the Recons and…”

“…Michael, right?” Marcus asked. “I hate to interrupt the reunion, but daylight is failing, and we need to get thirty men across the river. Are we clear to do that?”

Michael looked at Marcus. “Right.” He reached for a radio on his side, raised it to his mouth. “Franco, you have a copy?”

“Go ahead.”

“I’ve got thirty men here that need to cross. They’re friends. I’m sending them over.”

“Has this been cleared with Boss Dragon?”

“No, but I’m staking my integrity on it. They can camp outside the Sunset Wall tonight. Trust me — they are friends, and we can use the help.”

Silence from the other end.

“Mike, I can’t just let thirty men pass without being cleared by the Boss. That’s just not done.”

“Trust me,” Michael said. “Besides, we don’t have time for clearance. With the Blighters about, I don’t think they’d be safe out here. They need to be behind walls.”

The man Franco sighed from the other end of the line. “No one goes behind the walls that’s not already cleared by one of the gangs. You know that as well as I do. Anyone who is not a citizen can camp outside, no more.”

“I’ll talk to the Boss about it later.” Michael paused. “I’m letting them cross.”

“Fine,” Franco said. “It’s your ass, though. If I get asked about this, I’m pointing your way.”

“That’s fine.”

Michael put the radio back, breaking into a smile again. “I still can’t believe it.”

I smiled back. “You don’t even know the half. Wait until you see how we’re going to cross.”

Michael frowned in confusion.

“Come on,” I said. “We’ll show you.”

* * *

We led Michael up the snaking trail, a man whom I had thought dead. I had not seen him once in my escape from Bunker 108, but somehow he had managed to save his wife and kid and find himself here. Suddenly, I felt a lot less alone. I was not the only one to have survived Bunker 108. Even if it wasn’t my father, even if it wasn’t Khloe, it was someone who shared my story, someone who knew my past.

“Did anyone else make it that you know of?” I asked, halfway up the cliff.

Michael shook his head. “No. I thought me and my family were all that was left.”

“Well, there’s a few more of us, at least.” I pointed to Makara. “Makara is from Bunker One.”

“Really?” Michael asked.

“It was long ago,” Makara said, cutting the conversation short.

I shrugged. A minute later, we crested the rise. We were greeted by expansive red desert and dune, and a crumbling highway curving to the southeast. About five hundred feet ahead was the Odin.

“Whoa!” Michael said. “What is that thing?”

“Meet the Odin,” I said, proudly. “It’s one of four spaceships that survived Ragnarok. It’s the property of the New Angels now.”

He shook his head, his smile never breaking. He turned to me, squinting one eye. “The New Angels?”

“I’ll have to tell you about that, too.”

Samuel, Anna, and the Exiles walked forward to greet us, awaiting news. Then they noticed Michael.

“This is Michael Sanchez,” Makara said. “He is a representative of the Dragon gang out of Vegas. He has cleared us all to pass.”

Several whoops came from the crowd of men. Michael frowned slightly.

“Didn’t expect there to be a spaceship,” he said. “That might complicate things.”

“You’re in trouble now, huh?”

Michael nodded. “Yep. At best, I’m going to get the chewing-out of my life. At worst…well, let’s not think of that.”

“You’re one of us, now,” I said. “We’ve got your back.”

Makara spun around. “Not so fast. I’m in charge of the Angels, and I decide who joins us.”

“Why wouldn’t you accept Michael?” I asked. “He’s a good fighter.”

Before Makara could answer, Michael held up his hands. “Alright. I wasn’t going to accept, anyway.”

“Why not?” I asked.

He pulled back the sleeve of his gray tee shirt, revealing an intricate, tattooed dragon, breathing flame.

“This is why,” he said. “I’m a Dragon, now. My place is here. I owe the gang my life. I’m not going to turn