Chương 25: Raiding

Kenzo led them through the store's back corridors, past stockroom shelves that were noticeably thinner than they should have been, and into a small office off the loading dock. Matt was bent over a desk that had been cleared of everything except a large map of Mill Valley and the surrounding area. Colored markers and sticky notes dotted the surface. Two women stood across from him, one middle-aged and the other barely out of her teens, both looking tired.

"Check the houses between here and here next," Matt said without looking up, tapping a section of the map with a red marker.

"If nobody answers, mark the door. Don't go inside. Just mark it and move on." The older woman nodded. The younger one hesitated.

"What if we hear something inside?"

"You leave. Immediately. We're not trying to rob anyone, just gather anything that's going to waste." He finally looked up at her.

"And be careful. We've already had issues with the people a few blocks over." The women left through a side door. Matt watched them go, then turned back to the map.

"Yo, Matt," Kenzo said from the doorway. Matt's head came up. His eyes found Kenzo first, then moved past him. Landed on Val. Then Enzo. A smile flashed across his face.

"Holy shit." He came around the desk and pulled Val into a hug.

"You guys made it." Val squeezed him back.

"Barely." He released her and turned to Enzo. The hug was shorter but firm.

"Good to see you, man. Kenzo said there wasn't anything that would keep you from getting home." He stepped back and looked him over, his gaze catching on the cane and the slight tilt in his stance.

"You look like you've been through some shit." Enzo glanced down at the cane.

"Ah. That's old news. Where's, uh—" He trailed off at the look that crossed Matt's face.

"She didn't… make it." Matt's expression had gone flat.

"First day. The blood. Didn't affect me, but she…" Enzo grabbed his shoulder and squeezed.

"Sorry." The word was too small, but it was all he had. Matt shook his head and took a ragged breath.

"Yeah. No. It's… it is what it is. I'm just keeping myself busy helping out around here." Val patted him on the back, softer than she normally would.

"We're glad you're here. People need all the help they can get right now." Enzo stepped closer to the table and studied the map. Matt saw him looking and made his way around to the other side.

"I'm tracking the club's progress. We're gathering food from the nearby stores and houses, anything that isn't already going bad, and gathering it here." Enzo tapped a spot on the map.

"We passed these guys on the way in. The supermarket on the other side of the highway."

"Yeah, the club has had run-ins with them already when we tried to discuss merging forces." Enzo caught the casual 'we' but didn't say anything.

"Who are these guys, anyway?" Matt looked up.

"The guys across the highway are locals. They've got a few mages already, but the real problem is they have a bunch of people with bows and crossbows." Enzo shook his head.

"No, I mean the bikers."

"Oh. The Steel Soul Riders. They're a chapter out of Portland, doing some sort of Pacific Coast Highway ride, and they got caught off the 101 when the rain started." Matt shrugged.

"Once people stopped seizing after that first night, they showed up here and took control. Stopped people from panicking and grabbing everything. Set up rules. Some of us stepped up to help."

"Mages?" Matt met his gaze with a frown. But he answered anyway.

"Gus is the chapter president. I heard someone call Danny the sergeant-at-arms. They both have magic. And they recruited… two more, I think? There was another one, but he disappeared the same night he joined."

"And these?" Enzo asked, pointing to a few of the Post-it notes.

"They're neighborhood groups that are blocking off their streets. Mostly because of the Eaters, but they're already fighting with each other. And us. It's nothing serious yet, but it's getting worse." He sighed.

"We've all seen the Guide entries. The emergency broadcast before the TVs died. Same with the phones and radios. Everyone knows. Nobody's coming." Everyone was quiet for a few moments.

"What about your parents?" Val asked.

"How are they?" Matt glanced down at the table.

"I don't know. They moved out of state last year." Nobody had anything useful to offer. They all understood the odds. No comforting lie would help. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Matt forced a smile.

"You guys should help out. I know Gus already invited Kenzo." Val shifted awkwardly. The others remained silent.

"What?"

"Gus already tried to recruit them," Kenzo said slowly.

"Val, uh, said no. Things got a bit tense." Matt frowned.

"How'd that happen?" Enzo and Kenzo shared a look.

"He learned we have magic. But we're not interested in getting involved. Just looking out for our family." He smiled.

"And our friends." Matt glanced between Enzo and Val, an inscrutable expression on his face.

"Both of you?"

"All four of us, actually." Matt looked at Kenzo.

"But… you said you didn't?" Kenzo rubbed his head and nodded toward Sumi.

"Sumi was healing my arm, and I kinda seized up and blacked out. Woke up with Enzo watching over me and… I had magic. Val started teaching me the basics this morning." Matt fixed his gaze on Sumi.

"You can give people magic?"

"No," Enzo said, interrupting.

"She has a healing spell." He frowned.

"We think Kenzo has the gene, and because he avoided the blood rain, it didn't trigger right away. But everyone is passively absorbing mana, so people with the gene will eventually go through the process and…"

"Get magic or die," Matt finished slowly.

"But only for people who didn't already get blood on them?"

"Right." Matt took a seat and sighed.

"I was exposed on the first day. Guess I'm the unlucky one."

"The researchers on our campus think only one out of one-hundred and fifty exposed to the rain become mages," Sumi said quietly.

"About one out of ninety among those who seized." Val glanced at Sumi.

"Right. So… lucky, I guess. In a messed-up apocalypse way." Matt looked up.

"Yeah. You're right." He shook his head.

"Weird how there seem to be clusters of people though."

"What do you mean?" Enzo asked.

"Well, there's you and Val. Crazy odds. Then Kenzo, too? That's three out of five for our old group." He frowned.

"Then Gus and Danny from their bike club. They had like four people die." He reached out and tapped a spot on the map.

"These guys have two mages protecting their block. An older married couple." Enzo was about to ask more when a knock interrupted them. A man wearing the same black leather vest stood in the doorway. Enzo took a moment to study it. On the right side was a 'Prospect' patch. On the left, a larger patch read 'Steel Soul Riders M. C. 3rd Chapter' spread over two lines. He hadn't taken the time to examine Gus's or Danny's vests, but he recalled they were considerably more decorated.

"Hey, Matt," the biker said.

"Boss is sending a few more recruits your way. Wants you to send 'em out on the scout." Matt nodded.

"Got it. Bring them in." The biker nodded, then walked off. Matt stood.

"Back to work for me." He smiled at the group.

"I'm really glad you guys are okay. Stay in touch, yeah? I'll drop by in a few days when things aren't so busy." Enzo clapped him on the shoulder.

"That's a good idea. Stay safe, Matt." Matt nodded. They exchanged farewells, then Enzo and the others returned to the hallway and made their way back toward the entrance. Val opened her mouth, but Kenzo placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Not here." She frowned, but said nothing.

The group rode in silence down the main street. Whatever question Val had, she must have answered it herself on the walk back across the parking lot to their bikes. Enzo caught the calculating gaze on Gus's face when he thought they weren't watching him watching them depart. He'd also seen the black and white '1%er' patch the man wore on the left side of his cut. What he didn't know was whether that was as concerning as the movies made it out to be. Which was why he didn't bring it up.

He slowed down to get a good look at a jewelry store as they passed. The owner had pulled down the security shutters, and it didn't look as if anyone had made any attempt to break in. Enzo made a note to come back sometime. He had plenty of supplies for the time being, while he was still experimenting and figuring out how everything worked. But he could easily imagine a time when he ran out of gemstones or fine wire gauges. Val frowned at another store as they rode past.

"Do you think we'll ever have ice cream again?" Enzo caught the look on her face before she turned back, facing forward. He swallowed his immediate answer. Kenzo filled the silence.

"Damn. I didn't even think about that." He shook his head sadly.

"What about pizza?" Val glared at him.

"Seriously? Pizza?"

"Yeah." He turned to Enzo.

"Back me up here, bro."

"Don't drag me into this." The big guy gasped.

"Betrayal." He turned to Sumi instead.

"What about you, Sumi? There's gotta be something you're gonna miss." Sumi thought about it for a while.

"Tea and coffee. Once we run out of whatever is in stock… we may never see it again." She turned to Enzo.

"Now I'm curious about your answer too."

"Yeah!" Kenzo shouted.

"Peer pressure." Val raised an eyebrow in Enzo's direction. Enzo shook his head.

"I don't know… bread, I guess."

"Seriously?" Val growled.

"What's with you meatheads and bread? Just make some. It's like flour and eggs and salt or something."

"I don't think there are eggs in bread," Sumi said thoughtfully.

"Whatever. Someone can make it. Then they can make pizza with whatever else is lying around."

"Cheese," Enzo said suddenly.

"I'm going to miss cheese."

"Oh, shit." Kenzo nodded emphatically.

"Cheese."

"Maybe we can find a cow or a goat?" Sumi asked.

"Then we just have to figure out how to make cheese. And ice cream."

"Really?" Val's voice was hopeful. She twisted fully around to face Enzo, who had drifted to the back of the group.

"Can we? Please?"

"Why are you asking me? I don't know where to find a goat, let alone a cow." He paused at the look on his sister's face.

"I mean… it's a good idea." He glanced at Sumi.

"Maybe we can even figure out how to freeze things with magic." She nodded.

"Yes!" Val pumped her fist in the air. Enzo sighed quietly. It actually wasn't the worst idea. Even if they only worried about their immediate family and friends, that still left roughly ten people they had to figure out how to feed long-term. There was probably going to be a lot of fish in their future. At least those were abundant. Unless they'd also turned into Eaters. Enzo suppressed a shudder at the thought.

"Turn right up here," he called out.

"Why?" Val asked, turning anyway.

"Let's hit the bookstore and a few other places before we head home." Kenzo laughed.

"Booyah! Raiding time."