by Aline Riva
Her cheek was cut and her eye was swelling from Zackary's punch.
“You saved my life...”
“And I just killed an intruder who threatened yours,” she replied, “Security would have heard the shot...I'll go downstairs and let them in.”
She paused to leave the room, then she came back with a bowl of water and a flannel and set them down next to the bed.
“Get yourself cleaned up,”she told him, “I'll change your sheets later. The guys will come up and take the body away.”
Greg was still numb with shock as he started wiping the blood from his face.
“He was an enemy from the mainland... from before the corpses invaded. We had some bad business dealings...”
“It's okay,”she assured him, “Just be prepared to tell Parsons everything. He appreciates honesty. And by the way, I'm allowed to protect you. Remember, you've done nothing wrong on this island so you're not guilty of any crime according to our laws. It'll be okay, Greg.”
She smiled, briefly but reassuringly and he wondered if that was painful as her eye started to bruise and the swelling grew deeper. Then she went downstairs to wait for security and he got on with the task of cleaning the blood from his face as he hoped she was right about Parsons being understanding... Maybe he wouldn't be so benevolent once he knew this was over a drugs deal gone wrong...
Chapter 10
News travelled fast. By daybreak, the body was long gone and the sheets had been changed on the bed and Stacy had helped Greg to bathe properly to get rid of the last trace of blood from the shooting, then he had heard Vicki's voice drifting up from downstairs where the front door was open as she demanded to see him.
“All in good time,” Marc replied, “Not right now... Mr Parsons needs to speak with him first.”
Then as footfalls sounded on the stairs, Stacy glanced to Greg, who was sitting up in bed.
“He's a fair man,” she said quietly, “Just be honest.”
“I hope you're right about this bloke,” Greg replied, feeling nervous and for once it wasn't about the bites and the outcome of the treatment. A brief thought crossed his mind that it was a welcome break from that worry, to worry instead about whether or not he would get thrown off this island when his past was revealed... It seemed there could be nothing good about this situation.
Parsons entered the room alone, he looked to the man in the bed, his gaze bearing no trace of anger or judgement.
“Mr Greg Fitzroy... I gather Zackary was a former associate of yours?”
He walked over to his bedside and sat down on the chair Stacy had placed there for him. Greg was silent for a moment, looking into the eyes of the man who ran this place as he wondered again if Stacy was right, that he would not be punished for the shooting....
“I'm not going to lie to you, Mr Parsons,” Greg said honestly, “I wasn't exactly a decent guy before the corpses took over. I spent twenty years building a drugs empire. There were others in the chain but I worked my way to the top. I was in the business of importing. When the world went to hell I ran off with a shipment that was supposed to be delivered to Zackary – I wanted the drugs for trade purposes, I realised money was worthless now. It was about survival, at first for me, just me. Then it changed...I had my best friend and pilot with me and then I met these other people and I wanted to help them. But the drugs were lost at sea when we abandoned the rig. I guess Zackary must have followed me – or ended up here and we ended up at the same place by coincidence. He came in here last night intending to make me tell him where the drugs were. He was going to kill me but Stacy was able to stop him. I'm sorry for causing this trouble.”
Parsons had listened, he looked thoughtfully at Greg and then nodded.
“There are two ways to look at the way our world has changed. We either see it as the end and abandon our humanity, or we see it as a chance for those who survive to turn the page and start a new life. I think I know which path you have chosen, my friend.”
Greg's eyes filled with tears.
“Thank you so much... for understanding, for allowing me to get treated, for giving me this house... And you're right! Since I was attacked I've been thinking about the past, about how I wish I could have changed so much of it! I wasn't exactly an angel in the old world. But this is a chance to start again. I'm glad I have that chance...” Emotion had overwhelmed him as he stifled a sob and wiped his eyes as he tried to get his weeping under control.
“Greg,” Parsons said gently, “We all had bad times in the past, some more than others. But I know a good man when I see one. You never had the chance to turn the page, but now you do and I know you will make the most of that chance. And I'm sure when the wounds have been treated you will become a valued member of this community.”
He shook his hand. Greg thanked him again and Parsons wished him a speedy recovery, and then he left the room.
“I told you so!” Stacy said kindly as she sat on the edge of Greg's bed and brushed a tear from his cheek, “Parsons is fair. If you're a good person, he's good to you.”
Just then Marc entered the room and felt a huge surge of relief to see his best friend sitting up in bed and looking unharmed from Zackary's attack.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Greg nodded.
“Bit shaken up but I'll live.. at least until the surgery.”
“Don't think like that,”Stacy reminded him.
“What about you?” Marc asked, looking to Stacy and indicating to her black eye and bruised cheek.
“I'm okay,” she assured him.
“Listen, Greg...I can't stop because one of the guys on patrol went missing last night and I've been asked to join the search party.”
“Who went missing?” Stacy said in alarm.
“Young fella called Jake.”
She shook her head.
“I've known him to take a few beers from the stock room at the back of the main hall in the central building... he sits on the beach and drinks some nights.”
“You think he might have wandered off?”
“Might have even gone for a drunken swim, he's stupid enough!”
“Should I tell Parsons?”
Stacy shook her head.
“He might come down hard on him. He's only young, just search for him and when you find him, if he's hungover, take him to Parsons. He's usually good at his job I wouldn't want to see him fired.”
Marc nodded, then glanced to Greg.
“I'd better go, I have to join the search. By the way, Vicki and Emma are downstairs, shall I send them up?”
“No,” Greg said wearily, “I just want to rest. Tell the girls I'll see them before my op tomorrow. But right now I really need to sleep.”
“Take it easy, you need all the rest you can get,” Marc replied, then he left the room.
Greg settled back against the pillow and gave a sigh.
“I don't even recall getting here from the infirmary.”
“I brought you over,”she said, and indicated to the wheelchair in the corner of the bedroom. Greg looked at it for a moment as fear and worry and all his anxieties collided on seeing it in the room.
“I guess I'd better get used to that chair,” he said quietly, “I know my legs are in a real mess. I accept that now. I just hope he can cut the bites out. At least if I'm in one piece it won't be as bad as losing limbs.”
Stacy leaned closer and kissed his cheek.
“Don't think like that,”she said softly, “Just have faith that it will work out for the best,” then she got up, “I have to go and check on Vicki and Emma. I won't be long, I just want to be sure they're okay and settling in. Vicki seemed very upset. Is she fond of you?”
“I'm just a friend, I met her out at at sea.”
“She did sound upset,” Stacy said again, “I'm going to look in on her and then come back, I won't be long. Try and get some sleep.”
“I intend to,” Greg replied, “I feel a bit sore, too – my legs are starting to hurt.”
Then she walked out of the room and closed the door softly. Greg settled back in bed, then turned his head and looked again at the wheelchair as fears crowded his thoughts and he worried for the outcome of his treatment.
“You can't sit in here all day. We need to go outside, explore, get to know people!”
As Emma spoke, Vicki reluctantly got up from her seat by the window. That morning before visiting Greg's place, she had showered, and thanks to a box of clothing left on their doorstep while they were sleeping, had changed into a white vest and clean cut off jeans. She was wearing flat shoes that fitted well. Emma had changed into a dark blue summer dress and a pair of sandals, she had said they needed to know who left the gift so they could thank them, but it was hard to get conversation out of Vicki, who kept going silent. Since they had been turned away from Greg's house, all Vicki had wanted to do was come back here and sulk.
“Vicki, let's go!” she said firmly, and Vicki gave a heavy sigh, got up from her seat and followed her to the door. Emma opened it and they went back outside. They day was warm and bright and the sea breeze was fresh as it blew in from the beach beyond the forest.
“I really need to see Greg. I'm so worried about him.”
Emma locked the door and turned to see Vicki with her back turned, looking down the wide road that led to the other end of the island.
“He needs to rest,” she reminded her, “That's the best thing for him right now. I know you care about him -”
“He saved me! I feel like he's all I have left!”
“And we need to get to know the island,” she reminded her, “Let's take a walk...”
They headed down the street, away from the hillside, towards the middle of the village, passing the pond where the children were playing beneath the shade of a tree as a woman watched them closely. The younger kids were not there today – Sherry had mentioned she ran a crèche three days a week at the farmhouse. They lingered briefly and learned the woman's name was Helen, and she supervised the children when they were using the play area. She seemed friendly, and mentioned that they would soon settle here because it was a welcoming community.
“In fact you might want to go over to the field behind the allotments,” she said, “A few of our people are having an open air meal today – making some soup from our home grown vegetables.”
“We'll definitely head over there right now!” Emma said, “Thank you.”
As they walked off, cutting down a path between tall grass and vegetable plots, a familiar voice called to them.
“Wait up!” Stacy said, and quickened her pace to join them.
“Where are you off to?” she asked, “I knocked at yours and got no answer, then I took a look about – good thing I found you. It's great to see you exploring the island.”
She smiled and so did Emma, but Vicki did not.
“How's Greg? I wanted to see him when I heard about Zackary, but I didn't get the chance. I'd like to see him soon.”
“He's as well as can be expected,” Stacy replied, “He said he would see you before his surgery. He really does need to rest, especially after what happened last night... are you his girlfriend?”
Emma looked away towards the tall grass, disguising a smile as Vicki faltered on her answer.
“Well...no...not exactly... I'm just a friend, but I do care very much about him.”
“You'll see him soon,” Stacy assured her, then they walked on towards the field, as Vicki lagged behind, shooting a sour look at Stacy.
When they reached the small field that was close to the woodland, there was a large cooking pot set on an open campfire and water was bubbling. Some logs had been set down as seating around it and people had gathered, a tall, slim woman in her thirties with dark blonde hair wearing black shorts and a cropped top was busy peeling potatoes, beside her sat a younger woman with short dark hair, she was in a summer dress and pulling forward a bag of carrots to ready them for the pot. The woman who sat on the end of the log was older, with greying streaks in her red hair and wore a long pale green dress and she shielded her eyes from the sun as she looked to the village, then to the allotment. Over by the tree line, two guys were busy chopping wood to keep the fire going, and Stacy went over to speak with them.
“Hello!” said the woman in the black sporty clothing, “I'm Clare, you must be the new people! This is my sister Maria...” she gestured to the younger woman beside her who smiled and said Hi.
“I'm Gina,” said the older woman, “And my daughter Ruby is around here somewhere...she said she was going to the beach but she's not come back and she should have been back ten minutes ago...”
“Have you checked the beach?” asked Emma, “By the way, This is Vicki and I'm Emma. The new guy on security is Marc and you haven't met Greg yet, he's wounded, but I'm sure you'll meet him very soon.”
“I hope your friend recovers,” Gina said, then her thoughts turned back to her daughter,”I took a look on the other side of the woods – I can see halfway down the island but no ones about.”
“Maybe she's up the other end?” Stacy suggested as she walked over and joined the others.
Worry reflected deeply in Gina's dark blue eyes.
“I heard about the guy who went missing... there's a lot of people searching the island today... including Gavin.”
The way she had said that name with such dread meant nothing to Vicki and Emma, who exchanged a puzzled glance. Just the two men in shorts and vests came over, one was older with short fair hair and the younger guy looked to be in his late teens.
“Hi there,” the older man said with a smile, “I'm Adrian and this is my son Charlie.”
“She's still not back!” Gina said, looking desperately worried.
“I'll go and look for her,”Adrian said, “Your daughter shouldn't be hanging about that beach with Gavin wandering about.”
“Who is Gavin?”
He answered Emma's question right away.
“A slimy little bastard who apparently did time for sexual assault before the corpses took over the world. Back in the day he was rumoured to be a dangerous guy – rumoured... that's all. He denied it when Parsons asked him about it.”
“He is a slimy creep,”Stacy confirmed, “I was out on patrol once and he just...hung around, kept on staring at me. I often wonder if my rifle put him off what ever was on his mind...I didn't like the look in his eyes. None of the women like him, he's just...weird.”
“Good morning!” declared Antonio Parsons, checking his watch as he strolled over the field to greet the others, “It's a fine day for out door cooking, too!”
Then he saw the worried look on the faces of the gathered members of his community, and his smile faded.
“Is there a problem?”
“I hope not...,” Gina replied, ”Ruby didn't come back from the beach. I just heard Gavin volunteered to look for the missing patrol man.”
“We have had no incidents with Gavin,” he reminded her, “I'm sure your fears are unfounded. I have questioned him about the rumours more than once and he swore he was innocent.”
Just then a scream came from deep in the shaded woodland and a girl aged around eighteen came running out, her dress was torn, her arms were bruised and her limbs covered in scratches. A man a just few years older darted from the shadows naked from the waist down with his shorts around his ankles, she screamed again as he dragged her back in.
“Leave this to me!” Parsons said, and he ran into the darkness of the heavy shaded woodland.
There was a yell and a struggle as Gavin broke free, then Parsons had him again, dealing a blow to the side of his head as he dragged him from the treeline. Ruby ran sobbing to her shocked mother.
“Did he rape you?” Gina demanded as her face grew pale.
Ruby shook her head, dragging in a breath between sobs.
“No... but he tried... he put his hand over my
mouth, held me down...I heard you calling me, but I couldn't get away!”
The others looked in horror at the man who Parsons had dragged from the shade and through thorny shrubbery. As they hit daylight he pushed him to his knees. Gavin was still stunned from the blow from his fist as he knelt there, still exposed and still erect, pleading for mercy.
“There will be no rape in my community,” stated Parsons. He looked to Adrian's son, “Fetch security!”
“Right, sir,” he said, and ran off towards the path.
Parsons drew his cleaver from his belt. He raised it, then brought it down in a blur as the man screamed and blood gushed from his groin. Parsons picked up the severed penis and tossed it away like trash, as it landed with a splash in the boiling pot on the campfire the others barely realised as they looked on at the bloody and gruesome act of revenge.
Now Gina was leading her sobbing daughter away, Clare was staring at the bloody cleaver and the screaming rapist as her sister buried her face in her shoulder, blocking out the sight of the violent revenge. Vicki's hands were over her mouth as she stared wide eyed, Emma was staring too, having just realised the laws in this place were brutal – but with the world turned into hell, there seemed to be no other option if the community was to stay safe from threats. Stacy looked on coldly, figuring the creep finally got what had been coming to him.
“What's happened?” Marc shouted as he ran over the field, weapon in hand as another patrol man ran along side him.
“A rapist,” stated Parsons, “Or maybe I should say he was a rapist... take him to the pit.”
Marc's face paled as Parsons sheathed a bloody cleaver. He had just noticed the man was bleeding from his groin, then he had seen what was missing...
“Christ...” he whispered.
“The pit!” said Parsons sharply, “We must protect the community!”
As the other patrol man grabbed the bleeding man by one arm, Marc holstered his gun and grabbed the other, hating what he was about to do, but knowing in a lawless society, this was the new reality. He didn't like it, but it seemed survival and a life of safety came at a price.
