by Matt Hilton
‘Darrell,’ Caleb called down to his middle brother, ‘help Randy with Elspeth. I’ll bring Jacob.’
Darrell returned Caleb’s gaze for no longer than a heartbeat, before he turned aside and walked among the crowd, as if he hadn’t heard. Of the three brothers, Elspeth had discovered that Darrell was the least insane, but she couldn’t hope for him to intervene on her behalf, as his loyalties still lay with his family. However, she might be able to play on him to help Jacob.
‘Darrell,’ she called after him. ‘Please take Jacob away. He shouldn’t be made to watch this.’
Darrell turned to regard her over his shoulder, but he held her gaze barely a second longer than he’d paid attention to Caleb. He walked away, lost in the crowd.
Caleb laughed nastily at the way Darrell had slighted her request, forgetting he did exactly the same to him seconds ago. Randy seemed oblivious. He walked Elspeth to the edge of the pickup, and then pushed her over the tailgate into the arms of the waiting throng. Men and women Elspeth had known for a decade treated her like a side of spoiled beef: turning up their noses they shoved her, guiding her remorselessly while Randy jumped down with a grunt and took control of her once more. Caleb followed, pulling Jacob after him by his wrist. Eldon joined his sons as they jostled their captives towards the trench. The crowd parted like moisture retreating from spilled oil.
Elspeth stared at the trench and understood her fate. For a while she’d existed in a state of distraction, dazed by the shock and disappointment of recapture. Now terror bloomed in her chest. She searched for any friendly face, anyone she could beseech for help. ‘They killed Mikey Stewart!’ she blurted. ‘They murdered that boy and now they are going to murder me! Are you just going to stand by and allow these monsters to kill me? They killed Mikey, a child. Not only Mikey. There are others down in Booger Hole. They gutted a man, somebody called Burdon, and dumped him down there in the dark. If you let them do this to me, how can you be certain that you won’t be the next to die?’
Her claim was met by some tittering, even some outright laughter, but several of her neighbors were taken aback, and she knew by the draining of their color that they suspected she was right. But taking her side would only court their own demises; not one person stood up for her.
‘Toss her down there,’ Eldon commanded sharply and he took hold of her shoulder to help cast her into the trench.
Elspeth squirmed out of Randolph’s grasp, leaving behind another hank of her hair, but Eldon only tightened his grasp and pushed her down to a crouch. Randolph butted her with his knees, then forced his expansive belly over her, crushing her down more; she also felt his genitals bump suggestively off her a few times, the repulsive toad!
‘You there,’ Caleb shouted, ‘block that end of the trench so’s there’s nowhere she can run.’
Two burly young men answered his instruction, jumping down into the trench about fifteen feet away from the near end. They formed a human wall, spreading their arms as if prepared to tackle her.
‘Now throw her down there like Pa said,’ Caleb instructed Randolph.
Randolph grunted in effort as he forced her to the edge of the trench, then he pushed and nudged with his knees and belly until Elspeth had nowhere left to go but down. She tumbled off the edge of the ditch, skidding on the sharp decline and taking a small avalanche of dirt with her into its depths. The trench was approximately ten feet deep. At the bottom the earth had been cleared displaying some of the original tunnel floor, but mostly it was ankle-deep in earth and broken rubble. Elspeth tore the skin on her ankles against rebar-enforced concrete. She glanced up and watched as her neighbors flocked in to watch the show. Many of them had moved to the north side of the ditch, standing at the base of the recently added-to hillock. She spotted Caleb again, but she ignored his hateful sneer, seeking instead her son. Jacob’s wrist was still grasped by Caleb, and her husband now used it to stop the boy from plummeting down and joining her in the trench.
Eldon reared up behind his eldest son and assisted to control his grandson by twisting Jacob’s ear savagely. Jacob yowled.
‘Leave him be, you bastards!’ Elspeth bent at the waist, hands fisted by her sides as she screamed.
‘Yeah,’ said Caleb to Eldon, ‘leave him be, Pa. It isn’t too late for Jacob to prove he’s worthy of the Moorcock name. Say, Pa, why don’t you pass him one of those rocks?’
Eldon grinned at the suggestion. He released Jacob in order to seek among the stones piled next to the trench. Eldon stood, bouncing a smooth round stone the size of a baseball on his palm. ‘Here you go, boy.’
‘Take the rock,’ Caleb ordered Jacob.
‘I won’t.’
‘You will. Take it, or I’ll have Uncle Randolph unsling that rifle and put a bullet through your mom’s knee. Don’t think he’ll do it?’
Whether Caleb was bluffing or not, Elspeth believed. She cried out to Jacob. ‘Son, it’s OK. Just take the stone like your daddy tells you.’
‘But he’s going to make me—’
‘We both know what he’s going to do, Jacob, but it’s OK, baby. I’d rather it was you first.’ She peered up at Jacob, no longer afraid for herself. Knowing what Caleb was about to force Jacob to do, she withered inside because she couldn’t take the guilt away that the boy would suffer forever more.
Caleb stretched out the boy’s arm and turned it palm up. Eldon slapped the rock in Jacob’s palm.
Caleb looked around at the others gathered closest to them. ‘I invite you all to pick up a stone of your choice.’
Some people balked, comprehending fully where events were leading. Others, though, were caught up by the bloodthirsty pack mentality prevalent in groups like theirs and scrambled excitedly to find a missile to their liking. Caleb watched them, while holding onto his son. Nearby a woman slipped and went down into the ditch followed by an avalanche of dirt. She shrieked and clawed at the walls of the trench, fearing she might be next for her community to turn on. Some of her friends laughed at her plight, before guiding her to run to where the youths blocked her passage like a couple of linebackers. She ran to them, head ducked, anticipating being struck down. The youths parted for her and she ran whimpering in relief to a place she could climb out. Elspeth had watched her every move, had even contemplated trying to follow the girl out through the guards. They wouldn’t have given way for her though.
She again looked up at her accuser.
Caleb said, ‘Want to tell these good folks the truth, Elspeth?’
‘What version of the truth? Yours or the actual truth?’
‘Tell them how you lied to Jacob, how you tried convincing him he was another man’s child.’
‘You know I didn’t do that, Caleb.’
‘Tell them Jacob’s mine. That there is no doubt and that you only lied to him about Villere.’
‘He is your son,’ she said, ‘but after what you’re about to make him do, I doubt he’ll ever look at you as his father again.’
‘I’m trying to save you, Elspeth. Admit to your lies, admit them, otherwise how am I to believe you didn’t betray me and sleep with another man?’
‘I won’t admit to lying because I didn’t lie. You’re only playing word games, Caleb, so you can accuse me of adultery, when you know it’s untrue. You have no grounds to punish me like this, no grounds to force these folk into joining you in a terrible miscarriage of justice.’
A rock struck her in the midriff. It had been thrown with force, but thankfully she was unhurt, the rock too small to cause major injury. She blinked in surprise at who’d thrown the rock. Eldon snarled down at her. ‘For hurting Ellie-May I’ll see you buried.’
‘Damn it, Pa,’ Caleb croaked, ‘I wanted Jacob to be first to cast.’
‘Too goddamn late,’ snapped Eldon. ‘Now quit your games and let’s just do this, so’s I can go check on your mom.’
Jacob, as it happened, had dropped the stone they’d forced into his hand.
‘Pick it up,’ Caleb commanded
.
‘I won’t. You can’t make me.’
Caleb swore under his breath, then turned to the crowd. ‘You heard my father. Let’s do this.’
He shoved Jacob down at Randolph’s feet, so that he could dip down and select a grapefruit-sized stone. He weighed it in his palm.
Elspeth turned to present her back, even as the first rocks began raining down. Some were tossed lacking enthusiasm, and they missed her, but others were thrown sure and with force. One of them – she’d bet aimed by Caleb – glanced off the side of her head, almost taking her ear with it. She croaked, sinking to her knees, and was pummeled remorselessly.
THIRTY-NINE
Tess pulled the trigger three times in rapid succession. The retorts were loud, the muzzle flashes stark. And yet they almost went unnoticed by those nearest the trench. In a murderous fervor they scrambled for fresh missiles to join those already hurled into the pit. The punishment levied on Elspeth was inhuman, it was horrible, and Tess was almost overcome by revulsion at its barbarity. When her gunfire failed to halt the madness, she ran forward, again pulling the trigger and screaming at the top of her voice. ‘Stop this! In the name of Christ, stop what you are doing!’
Shocked, some of them afraid, the crowd parted before her. Some people it seemed snapped out of the momentary madness that had overtaken them, and they turned their faces away in self-disgust. Others wept. But those closest to the Moorcocks responded differently. Some raised weapons, and others attempted to halt Tess’s forward rush. With her teeth clenched in fury, Tess smashed one man down with the butt of her pistol to the side of his neck; another she forced away by ramming the gun’s barrel under his chin and pushing him over backwards. She realigned her aim, this time with her barrel pointed directly at Caleb Moorcock’s chest.
‘You animal,’ Tess screamed at him. ‘Stop this now or so help me I’ll—’
Caleb grabbed Jacob and dragged the boy in front of him, using him as a human shield. ‘Oh, yeah?’ he crowed. ‘What will you do now?’
Tess’s aim faltered.
Eldon Moorcock sheltered behind Caleb’s pickup, watching over the hood as Tess approached another few steps. Tess ignored the older man, believing the one in control of the crowd to be his eldest son, and therefore the one to stop first. Members of his community sought direction from Eldon, but he ignored them. Most of them simply dropped the rocks they’d gathered from the pile while others scattered into the darkness beyond the lights. Tess snapped orders at some of those nearest, commanding them to get back: they obeyed. She reached the rim of the trench and took a quick check on Elspeth. The woman had retreated under her bloody arms, and she had pulled her knees up to her chest. Several smaller rocks were caught in her dusty clothing; many more were heaped around her. Tess had no idea how many of the missiles had struck her, or to what extent her injuries were. She tasted bile as she returned her aim to Caleb. The bastard sneered at her. Jacob squirmed in his grasp, desperate to aid his mother.
‘It’s over with,’ Tess told him. ‘Let the boy go.’
‘Fuck you. Who do you think you are walking in here as if you own the place and ordering me around?’
Tess took careful aim. Caleb was much bigger than his son, it was unlikely she’d make a poor shot and hit the boy.
‘Are you fucking kidding me?’ Caleb hauled Jacob aloft, holding his son between them as he retreated backwards.
‘You’re a dirty coward,’ Tess called after him.
‘Yeah, and you’re dead bitch!’
Tess dropped to one knee, unbeknown saving her own life.
She had no way of telling that Randolph had ducked at the first sounds of gunfire, and he’d scuttled away with other members of the community as she approached. He’d taken cover behind one of the other trucks in the procession. Unslinging his rifle he’d taken aim, keeping Tess in his sights as she reached the edge of the trench and threatened his brother. On the tail of Caleb’s proclamation he fired, but Tess’s head was no longer a target. The bullet whistled over her and buried itself in the trunk of a distant tree. She heard the retort, caught the muzzle flash, and in reflex she returned fire. Her bullets drilled the truck Randolph hid behind, causing him to jerk and flinch with each impact. He worked the rifle, clearing the breach and inserting a fresh cartridge. By the time he bobbed up and settled his rifle on the truck’s hood, seeking her, Tess had disappeared.
She rolled over the edge of the trench, continued rolling amid an avalanche of dirt to the bottom, where she scrambled up and ran to Elspeth. She placed her left hand flat on the woman’s back, while swinging her gun to cover them both. Thankfully Elspeth trembled beneath her.
‘Elspeth, it’s Tess. I’ve got you.’ She shook the woman gently. ‘Can you move?’
Elspeth didn’t move. She cowered.
Tess tried again. ‘Elspeth, I’ve got you covered. But you must move.’
There was no telling how many of the stones had struck her. Her arms were scraped and bloody. She’d managed to protect her head from most of the missiles, but the cumulative effect of dozens of stones striking her could have caused untold internal damage. Tess plucked away the smaller stones buried in her hair. ‘Elspeth, answer me, can you move? We have to get you out of here.’
Elspeth emitted a whimper.
‘You must be in agony, but we can’t stay here or else—’
Elspeth unfolded, and craned her neck to see Tess. Her eyes were dazed, out of focus. ‘I … I can move. Where’s my son?’
‘Come on, Elspeth. Help me to help you.’
‘Where’s Jacob?’
Tess pushed her hand under Elspeth’s armpit, assisting her to stand. ‘Let’s get you to safety first.’
Elspeth pushed up, shedding more stones and pebbles. ‘No, I have to get Jacob away.’
‘It’s OK. Nicolas and Pinky are going to rescue Jacob. You don’t have to worry about him.’
Tess chewed her lip. She had no possible way of guaranteeing her friends would be successful, but she must convince Elspeth that Jacob was in safe hands, otherwise they might end up trapped down there and at the mercy of the Moorcocks; a stoning to death could be on both their cards. ‘Let’s go this way.’
The burly youths were still in the trench. However, they were no longer big or brave now that they’d no reason to impress anyone. They cowered, terrified of Tess’s pistol. She snapped the barrel at them and commanded them to get the hell out of her way. They complied, scrambling up the steep walls of the ditch. For each two feet they climbed, they slid back down one of them. Tess propelled Elspeth before her, aiming towards where the collapsed tunnel was yet to be excavated. There the earth sloped to ground level, offering an easier climb out than the youths faced. Tess craned to look back, to try to get a sense of what was going on at the other end. It had been formulated in as many seconds as it took to count off one hand, but hopefully her plan had worked, and her distraction had allowed Po to get his hands on Jacob. There was noise and flashes and several voices hollering in competition, but she could not be clear about anything. Once she had Elspeth out of the trench, and somewhere safer, then hopefully she could reunite her with her child.
FORTY
All her misgivings concerning splitting up had disappeared the instant Tess realized there was no way to save Elspeth and Jacob if they stuck together. She had grabbed Po fervently, instructing him to ‘go and get the boy’ while she strode forward into the baying mob sending bullets flying skyward.
Po didn’t require telling twice.
He raced away from Tess so that none of those nearest her would tell she was accompanied, and seconds later he lost himself among those rushing to escape the scene. He was not running blindly, he had his gaze fixed laser sharp on a target, having just watched him turn aside from his family. His sprained ankle no longer troubled him, but his knee felt as swollen as a basketball. Despite his injury he ran smoothly and almost silently where others stumbled and thrashed in the darkness beyond the circle of lights. At no
time did he lose sight of his target, who, after first denying his brother, was now circling back. Po hadn’t heard Caleb name him, but he suspected this was his brother Darrell, while the fat-bellied punk assisting Caleb had to be Randolph. Before going missing Elspeth had briefly described Caleb’s brothers to them; Po hadn’t given the brothers much thought at the time but he must have subconsciously absorbed their descriptions.
Darrell Moorcock was not as tall as Caleb, nor as heavy as Randolph, but he was no weakling either. He was of above average height, with a manual laborer’s build, and was probably ten years Po’s junior: he was a potentially dangerous opponent. Po wasn’t slowed a beat. He launched at Darrell in a flying dive and tackled him to the earth. They rolled together, Darrell stunned by the impact at first, and then Po began to scramble, to gain a superior position. They both came to their knees. Darrell wrenched around to face him, setting his teeth in a tight grimace. ‘Nicolas Villere?’
‘You know me then?’
‘We’ve been hunting you!’
‘Well, here I am.’
Po hammered Darrell’s collarbone with his left fist.
Darrell clutched at his broken shoulder with one hand, but the suddenness of the blow didn’t totally halt him. He swung a clubbing right at Po and skimmed his chin.
Po launched in, forehead cracking Darrell in the cheekbone, forcing him to turn aside. Po swarmed him, looping his arm around Darrell’s throat, grabbing the hand that sought to protect his broken clavicle. Po rammed his chest against him, and they again performed a sideways roll, ending with Po astride Darrell’s back and his arm encircling his neck. Po’s blade had almost magically reappeared and he inserted its tip between the man’s teeth. Darrell could clamp down on the steel, but would be unable to halt the blade sliding in through his soft palate and into his brain. ‘Keep fighting,’ Po told him, ‘and gimme an excuse to kill you.’
