by Dawn, M. K.
If they were only so lucky. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, they have to bring us lunch.”
“I’m keeping the faith.” Archer kicked off his shoes and lined them up next to the side of the bed. “I’m going to get a little shut eye.”
“All right, man.” Axel banged on the wall next to the cell. “I’ll keep an eye on things.”
“Get some rest,” Archer said as he folded his large frame on the twin bed. “We got nowhere to be.”
Axel forced a smile. “I’ll try.”
At least one of them felt good about this.
***
Five minutes after noon, four women appeared at their cell door. The oldest, gray hair pulled into a tight bun, pulled a key from her pocket. “We’ve brought lunch. If you’d all please take a few steps away from the door, we’d appreciate that.”
“What?” Britney sneered. “You think we’re going to attack you and break out?”
The woman paused.
Axel looped her arm around Britney’s waist and pulled her close. “Hush. Please. Stop trying to start shit with these people.”
She wriggled out of his grasp, “whatever,” and disappeared into their room.
“Sorry about that.” Axel hated to apologize for his wife, because she would give him an earful about it later, but he didn’t want to scare the women off. “We’ll stay back. Please, come in.”
The one stuck the key in the lock and swung open the door. “I understand. Name’s Irene. These are my two daughters and granddaughter. We were once in your shoes. Or should I say your beds. Scared out of our minds, we were, but here we are. Girls, put the food in the center there.”
Two of the women, Irene’s daughters, Axel would guess, brought in a large steaming pot while the third, younger women carried bowls, spoons, and a couple of loaves of bread.
“Hope you like chicken soup.” Irene tapped the pot with a ladle. “Grandma’s recipe. She survived the Great Depression with this here meal. It ain’t much, but will hold you over ‘til dinner.”
The heavenly smell hit Axel’s nose making his mouth water. “Thank you. It’s more than we’ve had for a long time.”
“Well, eat up.” Irene turned for the door.
“Are we really goin’ to just eat this? No questions asked.” Britney had returned and with a vengeance, it seemed. “What if somethin’s wrong with it?”
Irene chuckled as she returned to the pot. She pulled out a spoon from her apron pocket, dunked it in the pot, and made a show of pouring a bite in her mouth. “Could use some salt, but not half bad considering.”
Britney sucked in her cheeks, obviously less than impressed by Irene.
“I was the same as you when we got brought here.” Irene pointed her spoon at Britney. “Didn’t eat for two days. Refused their water, which by the way, you just get from the tap. But hunger and thirst got the best of me and I caved. Good thing or me and my girls would probably be dead or worse—one of those savage things. Running around, chomping on people. Lord, have mercy. It’s up to you, eat or not, makes no difference. We’ll come back for the pot in an hour. Leftovers, assuming there are any, which is rare, will be given to those who want it. We waste not here. That’s the number one rule.”
“Thank you.” Archer crossed the room to the pot and made himself a bowl. “And we promise you, nothing will go to waste.”
Irene smiled and headed out, again locking them inside.
“Dad,” Molly took Axel’s hand. “Can we eat?”
Archer took a seat on the floor and dug in. “Tastes good to me. Hot, too. And not rice and beans, which is a plus.”
Axel’s stomach urged him forward. “Yep. Are you hungry? Blake, Tyler, ready for some food?”
The boys appeared at Axel’s side, both grinning from ear to ear.
After fixing the kids each a bowl, the rest of the group, minus Britney, dug in.
“Are you really not going to eat?” Sloan asked.
“I’ll wait.” Britney leaned against the wall.
Archer sniffled and cleared his throat. “Weird.”
Sloan straightened. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Archer cleared his throat again. “Nothing. Just a little tickle.”
Axel sat his bowl on the ground beside him. “Need some water?”
“No, I just…” Archer heaved a couple of times. “My stomach. Something’s wrong.”
“Oh, my God!” Britney rushed over to Archer’s side as he convulsed on the ground.
“Sloan, do something!” Britney screamed.
Sloan huffed and smacked Archer on the arm. “Stop. That’s not funny. You’re scaring people.”
Archer burst out laughing. “I couldn’t help myself.”
Axel covered his mouth to hide his amusement.
Britney fell to her butt. “You...what...why? I thought something was wrong with you.”
“Sorry, Brit,” he reached out to touch her leg but she slapped his hand away.
“That wasn’t funny!”
“It was a little funny.” Archer picked up his empty bowl that he had dropped to the ground. “You need to lighten up a bit and laugh once in a while.”
Britney ground her teeth. “You’re an ass. Do you know that?”
“Come on, Brit.” Axel poured her a bowl. “You have to admit, you’re being a little uptight about all this. Irene took a bite of the soup. Hell, they brought us soup and bread. Not to mention saving our life from the infested.”
“And locked us in a prison,” she mocked. “Yeah, they’re real saints.”
“Eat.” Axel shoved the bowl in her hands. “If we are going to have to fight our way out of here, you’re going to need your strength.”
Britney grumbled a couple of more times before digging in. A few bites in, she rolled her eyes. “Fine. This is pretty good, I guess. Could use a little salt. Can someone pass me the bread?”
They all stared in silence for a few seconds before bursting out laughing.
This meal marked the first time they’d laughed in longer than Axel cared to remember. It was nice, real nice. So much so he could almost forget where they were and the horrors that lived just beyond those walls.
Almost.
***
At one sharp, Irene and the other three women returned to collect the dishes. They did so without saying much except that Kat would be by around four.
Stomachs full and a few hours to kill, they each picked a room for a little shut-eye. Or, for those with kids, attempted rest.
Axel tossed and turned for a few hours while the kids got louder until he couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m going to take a shower.”
“Okay.” Britney checked her watch. “Kat will be here in less than an hour.”
“Depending on how cold the water is, I’ll be back between five and fifteen minutes.”
The corner of her mouth raised just a little, almost to a smile. “Okay. There’re towels and soap to the right of the door when you go inside.”
“Thanks.” Too bad they didn’t have extra clothes laying around. His worn-out jeans and layered shirts could use a good soaking.
He proceeded through the quiet cell block, peeking into the other rooms. Angie was the only one he noticed still awake. She looked up from the worn-out novel as he passed and cocked her chin.
The showers were about what he expected. A line of shower heads along the wall, though Kat’s people had enough courtesy to put curtains.
He started the water and stripped off his dingy clothes before grabbing a bar of soap, washcloth, and towel. The cold water pelted his skin, leaving him shivering by the time he’d rinsed off the soap. Even though he was cold, it was nice to feel clean again.
And safe.
Not once had he looked over his shoulder since being here. Or froze at some unfamiliar sound. The overall stress of being exposed for so long had taken its toll on not only his physical health but mental as well. Whether they stayed here or not, this break was exactly what
they needed.
With a towel wrapped around his waist, he lifted his filthy clothes from the bench and grimaced. Last thing he wanted to do was put back on those nasty clothes, but what choice did he have?
“Hey,” Britney leaned against the door frame. “Nice view.”
Axel couldn’t remember the last time she flirted with him. “Oh, there’s more where that came from.” He grasped the top of his towel.
“Sorry, but no time. I just came to get you. Kat’s here, and she brought the community doctor with her. And extra clothes.” Brit tossed him a sack. “I think those should fit you.”
He pulled out a pair of jeans and t-shirts with a sigh. “Never thought I’d be so happy to see clean clothes.”
“Yeah, well, don’t get too comfortable.”
“Why?” He dressed quickly.
Britney blew out her cheeks. “Did you not hear me about the doctor part.”
“Yeah, so. What’s the big deal?”
“They want to examine each of us. Make sure not only are we healthy but fit to be a part of this community.”
Axel took a seat on the bench and slipped on his shoes. “We used to do the same thing at the farm. It’s not like there’s anything wrong with us.”
She scrunched her nose. “He’s a shrink. Wants to sit down and have a one-on-one conversation.”
Now he understood. “You’re worried about what he might think of you?”
“Whatever.” She kicked her boot around. “I’m not telling him anythin’. It’s none of his damn business what happened to us.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Axel crossed the room and took her in his arms, “but maybe talking about what happened with Carson won’t be such a bad thing.”
“Stop.” She freed herself from his embrace. “I’m not talkin’ to him or anyone else about that, do you hear me? It’s in the past, and there’s not a damn thing anybody can do about it. Are you ready?”
That went well. “Yeah. Let me grab my dirty clothes. Hopefully, we can find a place to wash them here.”
Britney spun around and headed out the door without another word. Axel followed but stayed quiet. No point in pissing her off even further.
“Here they come.” Kat tapped her foot, more agitated than Axel expected.
“Sorry,” Axel stood next to Archer. “I didn’t realize you were waiting on us.”
Kat took a few steps forward and addressed the group. “First thing you should know about this place is we run a tight ship. Our days are planned to the hour. Second, we expect everyone,” her eyes drifted to the kids, “and I mean everyone, to pull their weight. Once Dr. Williams clears you all, you’ll be allowed to join us in the mess hall for dinner tonight. Dr. Williams.”
The tall, slender Black man adjusted his glass and moved next to Kat. “Please don’t think I am here to judge. What you say to me will be kept in the utmost confidence.”
“Unless you don’t think we’re mentally fit to stay here,” Britney interjected. “Right? Then you’ll go blabbing your mouth to Kat.”
Dr. Williams studied Britney for a moment. “I see you’re harboring a great deal of pain behind that hard shell of an exterior. Which, by the way, does not warrant a dismissal from this community.”
“What are you looking for?” Archer asked. “Not to be rude, but we’re all a little bit confused about this psych evaluation. A physical inspection, we understand. Don’t want any sort of illnesses or those infested hurting your people.”
Dr. Williams glanced at Kat, who nodded. “Three months back, we took in a group of individuals who—how do I put this—were crazy.”
Axel tried to cover a laugh with a cough.
“I know,” Dr. Williams smiled, “not the best terminology but what can I say, that’s the best description I can give. They polluted our community with their ideology. Attempted to take this prison for themselves. We lost a lot of good people to them. They had these bullets that when shot in the heart would turn their victim into a predator, or infested, as you call them.”
“David.” Britney’s entire body shook. “The Children of the Apocalypse were here?”
Kat’s arms dropped to her side. “You know them?”
“Yeah,” Archer rubbed his temple. “They infiltrated our farm, turned one of our people against us, and a few weeks back, attacked. Killed everyone except for those of us here. Lined them up and executed them in cold blood.”
Kat’s face softened. “Sorry that happened to you folks. And sorry that some of those people who did the killing were probably from here. He recruited nearly twenty of us with his bullshit.”
Axel lowered his eyes and forced the images of that day out of his head.
“Well, as Dr. Williams said,” Kat returned to the business at hand, “we kicked their sorry asses out of here. My only regret is we didn’t get to put a bullet in David’s head when we had the chance. That’s a slippery bastard, if I’ve ever seen one.”
“Evil’s more like it,” Britney said through clenched teeth.
Dr. Williams cleaned his glasses on his shirt. “See as we have a common enemy, I think we probably won’t have quite as many questions as we normally do. Just a quick chat and the physical exam should suffice.”
It took Axel a second to realize why there was no longer a need for the psych evaluation. He had already done one. The dejection on each of their faces at the mention of David and his cult probably told them everything he needed to know.
“Any volunteers to go first?” Dr. Williams asked.
Sloan raised her hand. “I will, on one condition.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And that would be?”
“I’m a doctor and would like to be in the room with our people during the physical examination.”
Dr. Williams’ eyes swept over Sloan. “What sort of doctor, may I ask?”
“A very prominent surgeon. I, along with Captain Lee Asher, were sequestered in a government bunker when the infested were first discovered.”
Kat’s mouth dropped. “A government bunker? What happened to it?”
“Needless to say,” Asher shook his head, “the people who ran the place got curious and sent a team out to investigate, and one of my men was attacked. We brought him back inside for treatment and he turned. We were overrun pretty quickly after that. Only a few of us made it out alive.”
Axel, along with everyone else in their group, stared at Sloan and Asher dumbfounded. Why they chose this moment to tell their story was beyond him.
“That’s very interesting.” Kat blew out a breath. “We could use another doctor and any military personnel are always welcomed.”
Archer gave her a little nod. “We will do what we can to help.”
“We appreciate that.” Kat looked to Dr. Williams. “Dinner will be served in an hour and half. You know how I feel about tardiness.”
Dr. Williams returned the nod. “I shall get started then. Dr. Sloan, was it?”
“Yes.”
He motioned toward the back of the cell block. “This way, if you’d please.”
“Bring the children next,” Sloan said. “And Britney. Might as well get it over with.”
Britney crossed her arms but didn’t argue.
“They’ve been affected by David’s cult, too,” Axel whispered to Brit. “They can’t be all bad.”
Her eyes met his. “And defeated him. Something we couldn’t do. What does that tell you?”
“That they’re strong.” Axel ran a hand down her arm. “That’s not a bad thing.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Axel did, too.
Chapter eight
Sloan
Archer collapsed on the bed next to Sloan and closed his eyes. “Jesus, it’s been a day.”
Sloan laid down the book she’d been reading. “You look exhausted.”
“I am.” Archer rolled his neck. “Four weeks here, and this place is killing me.”
The same complaint had been uttered by seve
ral of the people in their group recently. “What did they have you do today?”
“Clean and cut up deer. Lots and lots of deer. My arms are so sore I can barely lift them.”
Sloan seized his right upper arm and massaged the muscles. “They tend to do a lot of work around here, don’t they?”
“That’s all they do!” Archer’s arm relaxed. “That feels good. How was your day?”
“Productive, though a bit slow.” Even as the words left her lips, she regretted saying them. “Sorry, that was insensitive.”
Archer placed a hand on her thigh. “It’s fine. You’re a doctor. You should be spending your days in the clinic, not doing hard labor.”
A small knock outside their cell shifted both their attention.
Axel leaned against the wall. “Hey. Can we talk?”
“Sure.” Archer rose slowly to a sitting position. “Give me a second. I don’t think I’ve ever hurt this much in my life.”
“I’m right there with you, brother.” Axel led them to the back of their cell block where Britney and Angie waited. Though they still occupied the same building as they had when they first arrived, they were no longer locked in.
“What’s going on?” Archer asked as Axel took a seat on the bed next to Britney. “Where’re Sam and Maria?”
Britney pressed her lips together. “Have a seat and we’ll explain.”
Sloan did as requested, but Archer remained standing, probably too sore to sit.
“Axel,” Britney said, “want to tell them what we’re thinking?”
“Sure.” Axel crossed his legs at the ankle. “The three of us have decided to leave and make our way to Hollywood like we originally planned to.”
“Oh.” Sloan took a moment to process this information. “Can I assume Sam and Maria have not agreed to this? Or have they not been told yet?”
Angie picked at her cuticles. “They’ve been told but want to stay. Maria’s got her a cute little guy she’s seeing and Sam, well Sam don’t want to risk it.”
“And a big risk it is.” Archer ran a hand through his hair. “What brought this up?”
“Where to begin?” Britney said. “First, this place sucks.”
