The Beginning (Book 4): Liberating Barriers

by Shepp, Roman

  She just was tending to Tara when she realized that all eyes were on her and Saeed. Hugo and Frank walked up to them.

  “Well, it seems as though you gave Matthias something to think about,” Hugo said. Jane scowled at him. She didn't like the look on his or Frank's face.

  “I'm not going back in that box,” Saeed said, his entire body standing rigid. He moved to stand in front of Tara, wanting to protect the young girl. Jane put her arms around Tara's shoulders, wishing that she could shelter Tara from this evil place and these evil men, but the world showed no mercy for anyone, not even children.

  “Oh, I can see that. I'm not a malicious man, Saeed. I believe you've learned your lesson and you're quite aware now of what we're capable of doing. If you go against our wishes again, we'll have no choice but to deal out more drastic measures. But I'd like to talk with you both. So, please follow me.”

  Hugo made it clear that the two of them had no choice. Jane glanced toward Saeed. They nodded at each other and stayed close as they walked toward Hugo's office. Jane took note of all the people standing around, talking about under their breath. Was there a chance they would be inspired by Saeed's defiance? Was there still hope they could see that what Hugo was proposing was wrong and rebel against him?

  Jane kept a tight hold on Tara, worried for the three of them. Hugo had all the cards at the moment. If he wanted, he could turn around and order them to be strung up, and despite all of Saeed's viciousness and Jane's pent-up rage, the two of them would not be able to fight off an entire army. There had to be another way for them to get out of this situation. All they needed was time. Time to talk to these people and convince them that Hugo's way was not the right way.

  “Now then, let's get down to business. I'm a pragmatic man, and clearly the three of you are resourceful. I have to admit that I didn't anticipate Tara's involvement in this scheme, but it's clear that the three of you have a bond that is hard to break. The two of you already have rejected my offer to join us, but I'm going to make it once again.”

  Both Jane and Saeed simultaneously went to reject him out of hand, but Hugo held up a hand to silence them.

  “I know what you're going to say. You think I'm making a mistake and I'm not going to get away with it and all that jazz. Well, that may be the case, but if so, you're only prolonging all our suffering. You see, I can't very well bring you along if you're only going to be sowing discord among my people. I can't very well just let you run away either. There is one flaw in the system of our community, and that is what do we do with prisoners?

  “I simply do not have the manpower or the energy to keep you locked away, and I don't think that's beneficial to any of us when you have so many skills that could come in handy. What I'd like to see happen is that you work with me. You don't even have to buy into the vision of the camp if you don't want to do so, but just consider what life could be like if you worked to keep these people safe. You could have a home here. Tara could go to school. You wouldn't be in any danger and you'd actually have a purpose. I assure you that you will find this place to be a welcome home. People have lived here for decades and have been very happy. Surely it is better than the alternative.”

  “And what is the alternative exactly?” Jane asked.

  “I have a question too,” Saeed said. “What did you do with Martha and Belinda?”

  Hugo tapped his finger against his lips. “That would be the alternative Jane was asking about. Those two women were disposed of. We gave them a chance at life. Although, given their frailties, I don't believe they would have survived. They were thrown into the river.”

  “So, you drowned them,” Saeed said. Jane observed that he was barely able to hold himself back.

  “Not entirely. If that happens, then perhaps they weren't meant to be in this world at all.”

  “You really can't expect us to take you up on your offer,” Jane said, trying not to think of Belinda and Martha drowning, their cries for help being suffocated by the foamy water, eventually sinking below the surface without any hope for escape. More death. Would Jane ever be free of the Grim Reaper?

  “I can, and I would imagine it is the most logical choice. What kind of life do you have waiting for you? Of course you could live and ferret out a life for yourself, but you'd always be running from something. We've all heard the stories about the city. So, we know going back there is an option, and it's hardly likely you'd find another place like this, is it? No, I am sure that your best option is to join us and offer your skills to the community, just like everyone else here has.”

  “Then you'll have to toss me in the river. Just kill me,” Saeed said. “I don't care how much respect you say you have for me, I'm never going to join this place. One day, people will see you for what you are. One day, these people will rise up and you'll be left with nothing.”

  Frank laughed. “Always so dramatic,” he said. “I really don't know where you people get it from. Let's just get this over with. Saeed, you might be stupid enough to refuse this offer, but I know you better, Jane. You're a survivor. You'll make the right choice. Come and join me again. You should know by now that you belong to me.”

  His words were like poison seeping through her mind. Jane tilted her head to one side, trying to resist the temptation. Frank's cackling filled her head. Memories of sharing the same bed with him pervaded her mind. Was she always destined to follow him wherever he led? Was she always going to be tethered to him? She'd already left Phil. Could she do the same to Saeed and Tara?

  No.

  No.

  She wasn't going to do that.

  She wasn't going to be that type of person.

  She wanted to be able to look Tara in the eyes, to have the little girl's respect. She wanted Saeed to know that he wasn't alone in this world. She wanted to honor Tony's memory. For all Saeed had been through he still hadn't broken, and Jane vowed to be that strong too.

  “I can't do that, Frank. You know I can't.”

  “You've done it before. Don't be stupid, Jane. You've seen the way the world is. You know that this is the only way. If you want a shot at a decent life, sometimes you have to compromise on the things you believe in. There's no shame in that. It's just the way the world works. Sometimes there are more important things than ideals and principles.”

  “I know someone who would disagree with you, Frank, and I'd rather listen to him than you. I've seen heroes in this world. I've seen people put themselves through hell to do the right thing and protect others.” At this she glanced toward Saeed, “and I want to be one of them. Hugo, you might think you're in the right here, but you're wrong, and we'll find a way to stop you. We won't let you lead these people to their deaths. We won't let you keep treating them this way. You can do anything you like to us, but you won't be able to break us.”

  Hugo sighed. “And with that you have sealed your fate,” he said, shaking his head.

  Frank rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips, looking disappointed. Jane felt good, though. It felt as though she had made the right decision. It seemed like the natural thing to do, quite the opposite of when she had left Phil in the cage. This didn't make up for that, but hopefully she would be given the opportunity to do so later, if they could escape the clutches of this community. Jane didn't know exactly what Hugo had in store for them, but it wouldn't be pretty.

  Before any of them could do anything else, the door swung open and Matthias stood there, a picture of rage. His entire body exuded festering energy. His eyes were white and wild. Two fists as heavy as clubs hung by his side. Jane felt her throat tighten, but Matthias didn't seem concerned with her or Saeed. His sights were set firmly on Hugo.

  “Oh, look, the dog is back, just what we need,” Frank muttered.

  “Shut up,” Matthias barked, then strode up to Hugo, towering above the man. “When are we attacking?”

  “I've told you before, Matthias, when the time is ready. You know as well as I do that we need to be patient. There are other things we mus
t consider before we move out. Things have to be perfect. We have waited this long, we can wait a little longer. Frank has been giving me valuable insight about some of the things we are likely to encounter in the city. It is best that we are prepared thoroughly. I thought you knew this? Do not let your scuffle earlier cloud your mind. Every one of us makes mistakes.”

  “That was not a mistake. I would have ended him if I had been allowed to continue.”

  “Perhaps,” Hugo said, which only seemed to make Matthias more angry.

  “The time for waiting is over, Hugo. We must move. We must move NOW!” his voice thundered through the room, making Jane flinch. She could tell that Tara was scared, and vowed that she would keep Tara safe, no matter what.

  In the blink of an eye Matthias lunged forward and put his hands around Hugo's throat, lifting him off the floor. Jane raised an eyebrow at the strength he displayed. Saeed had indeed been very fortunate earlier. Even Hugo seemed shocked, eyes bulging.

  “Soon, Matthias, soon,” Hugo gurgled, hands flailing at Matthias’ body. Frank turned and ran away, disappearing outside. Typical of the man, Jane thought.

  “Looks like your new friend doesn't have the stomach for these things,” Matthias said, grinning darkly. He let Hugo fall to the floor. The man clutched at his throat, gasping for air. “I knew you should have been careful of him. I can't believe you let someone like him into your inner circle, Hugo. Usually you're more cautious than that. You've made some errors in judgment. I can't help but think that you have been compromised.”

  “He had information,” Hugo said haltingly, struggling for every word.

  “He had nothing except a silver tongue. I'm tired of this, Hugo. I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of playing second fiddle to a man who doesn't do anything but talk! It's time I take matters into my own hands,” he said, and promptly grabbed Hugo by the scruff of his neck.

  Jane ushered Tara off to one side then she and Saeed went to try getting Matthias off Hugo. With one swipe of his arm Matthias brushed them aside, although his attention was now off Hugo. When he turned around, Jane saw how crazed the man was, and she trembled with fear.

  Matthias stormed out of the room and went outside, breaking anything that was within his reach. Jane kneeled down to Hugo to help him up.

  “You have to stop him,” Hugo said, his voice still hoarse.

  “I barely managed to hold my own last time. I can't do anything,” Saeed said.

  “This is what you've created, Hugo. This is what you've pushed him to do. This is the community you've created. I'm guessing it doesn't seem like such a good idea now?” Jane said.

  Hugo didn't have an answer for her. Jane ran to the door and looked outside. Matthias looked like a titan as he tore his way through the community, upending tables, smashing tents, roaring like a wild animal. The rest of the community was in awe of his display of brute strength. Some people ran toward him to try stopping him from destroying things, but he pushed them away easily, and others cowered, running away in panic.

  “It's happening again, just like in the city,” Jane gasped, for it was the same, albeit on a much smaller scale. She went to run out with Saeed to help them, but Hugo stopped them.

  “There's no sense trying to do anything heroic,” he said, regaining some of his composure. “You won't be able to stop him or stop others from trying to save the community.”

  “We have to try,” Jane said.

  “People are devoted to me, to this community. They're willing to die for it. How are you going to get them to do otherwise?” he asked. Jane didn't have an answer for him, but deep inside she knew he was right.

  “We should go, Saeed.”

  “But what about the others? The ones who haven't done anything wrong?”

  “What are we supposed to do? We can't very well drag them away, can we? This is our chance to get out of here before anything else happens.”

  Saeed looked longingly outside at the madman who was destroying the community.

  “I hate feeling like there's nothing we can do,” he said.

  “There's nothing we can do at the moment, but if we leave now, we can come back. We can make a plan. Rosa and Phil still are out there, Saeed. We can go find them and figure out what to do about all this whole mess!”

  Saeed nodded. Jane didn't even think about taking Hugo with them. She looked outside and saw Matthias on the other side of the field. This was their best chance, even though it felt as though she was abandoning everyone again. She'd already left Tony, then she'd left Phil, now she was leaving these people. But she would come back for them. She'd make everything right.

  She watched as some men tried fighting Matthias, but he was pumped up with adrenaline and nothing would have been able to stop him. The only time Jane had seen anything comparable to this was the masked man who had hunted them. She didn't know which of the two were worse.

  “Let's go, quickly,” she said, and the three of them went to walk away from Hugo.

  Jane just hoped she remembered how to get back to that other camp, where she could rescue Rosa and Phil. But as they moved, they heard something through the air, like a whistle. Then a loud thunk. Jane skipped back as she saw dozens of arrows fly through the community, puncturing tents, lodging themselves in the ground, and piercing flesh.

  “Oh my God,” she gasped, stepping back, hoping they were safe within the walls of the cabin.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “You think we can do this?” Phil asked.

  “We have to give it a try. They've come a long way in such a short time,” Rosa said.

  “Haven't we all?” Phil replied, glancing at his arm.

  “You're becoming an expert with that thing.”

  “Yeah, well, sometimes I wish I didn't have to be. I wish we'd have found some sign of the others.”

  “Me too. It's a big forest, though. Hell, it's a big world. Maybe we'll come across them eventually.”

  “I can't believe she left us like that.”

  “I can. People will do anything to survive.”

  “I thought I knew her better than that.”

  “But how well did you really know her? You weren't with her for that long in the grand scheme of things. Sometimes I don't know if you ever really can know someone, even if you spend your whole lives together.”

  “It's good to know that thoughts of romance still are alive.”

  Rosa smirked and pushed his shoulder. Both of them chuckled as they shared a drink before the bonfire.

  “I never thought my life would lead me out here, ready and willing to stop some crazy community from invading the city.” Phil said.

  “Me neither. Then again, I didn't really know what would happen. I just was trying to do my job and take one day at a time.”

  “You never had any ambitions other than that?”

  “Nope,” Rosa said, shaking her head. “All I wanted was to make sure I had a roof over my head every night and to not have to worry about money. Guess one of those things is true now.”

  “I would have thought a soldier like you would have been patriotic, ready to do the right thing and join a noble cause.”

  “Hell no, that stuff is for people like Steve. I just wanted a decent job. I wanted to do my time, earn my pension, then get out of here. I never believed in any cause.”

  “What made you change?”

  “Who says I have?”

  “I've seen you with these people, Rosa. The way you've been training them, helping them, guiding them. Before we came along they were just a scattered group of people wanting to stop Hugo, not having any real idea to go about it. You've turned them into something more than that. You've made them into an army.”

  “I don't think I'd go that far.”

  “I would. You shouldn't be modest when it comes to stuff like this. Not everyone could do it.”

  “Steve could. He'd be better at it than I am. Sometimes I think he should have been the one to survive rather than me.”

  “I think w
e all feel like that at some point or another. I had to listen to the others talk about all the people dead in the city, and then there were Tara's parents too. I mean, how many other children have been orphaned by this? Why have I survived when there are others who had more important responsibilities? It's hard to wrap your head around the fact that there's no meaning to any of this.”

  “All we can do is carry on and try to make a difference,” Rosa said, then chuckled to herself. “God, I'm starting to sound like him.”

  “Steve?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What was he like? I never really got a chance to know him.”

  “He was damned annoying, but only because I knew I never could live up to him. He was one of those people who never seemed to struggle through life, or with doing the right thing.”

  “Oh yeah, I hate those people,” Phil said, laughing. “Do you ever think we'll see the others again?”

  “I don't even know if I want to. If I see Jane, I'm going to throttle her for what she did to us. I don't care if Frank threatened her, she never should have left us.”

  “There has to be something else going on with her. I think she took Tony's death pretty hard. The two of them had become close.”

  “That still doesn't excuse it. Man, we've seen a lot of things, haven't we? What do you think we'll do after all this?” Rosa asked.

  “I wouldn't mind staying out here, actually. It's quite peaceful, and by all accounts I don't think we should head back to the city. There seems nothing waiting for us there apart from violence and death. I think it's probably better to stay out of harm's way with a small group of people, start a new tribe, and live our lives.”

  “It sounds so simple when you say it like that.”

  “It's the hardest thing in the world. Can I be honest with you?”