The Hunger (Book 2): Consumed

by Jason Brant

  Lance frowned. “So... in the house?”

  “What?” Michael tilted his head. “No, they’ll probably have them out back with all the others.”

  “Right, yeah. That’s what I meant. Out back.”

  “But you said—”

  “Get out of here before I change my mind and tell Ralph!” Lance pointed toward the camp. He hated scaring and threatening them, but he didn’t need them asking any more questions.

  Lying had never been his forte. Liz had constantly been able to talk him in circles when he tried to keep something from her. People told him that his inability to lie was a good personality trait to have.

  He always assumed they were lying when they said that.

  The couple walked away again, moving faster than before.

  Cass came up behind Lance. “What was that? Are you trying to get us caught?”

  “I found out where they keep their prisoners.”

  “Really? Where?”

  “Out back.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Lance paused. “Behind the house?”

  “So you didn’t actually find out where they are?”

  “Oh, shut up. We have a general idea.”

  They spotted the camp a few minutes later.

  A long, open field was carved into the forest. They hunkered down by the edge of the clearing, hiding behind a thick tree.

  The forest opened into an unmaintained lawn, the driveway cutting down the center of it. A large, log cabin-style home stood at the far end of the clearing. Solar panels covered the vast roof, glistening as the sun reflected from them.

  Another solar array was spread over a thirty-yard radius in the middle of the clearing, standing atop several poles jutting from the ground.

  “That explains how they have power,” Lance said. “There must be a large battery they use to store energy through the day so they can use it at night.”

  “Nathaniel said they have generators too.”

  “They could live relatively normal lives here. Except for the vampires outside that want to eat them.”

  Dozens of vehicles were parked haphazardly around the field. The tanker trucks were side by side next to the cabin. People milled about them, climbing up and down ladders on the sides and back of each tank.

  “What are they doing?” Lance watched as a family of four opened a hatch on top of one of the silver cylinders and climbed inside.

  “I think they’re living in them.”

  “What? Why would they live in big tanks?” And then it clicked in his mind. “That’s how they’re surviving each night! They sleep in those big, metal tubes!”

  “That’s pretty damn smart.”

  “I’m surprised they’re thick enough to keep the Vladdies out.”

  Lance nodded. She was right. A normal person wouldn’t be able to do anything against the metal of the tanks, but the incredibly powerful vampires should have broken through the sides by now.

  “Maybe they fortified them further.”

  Something was attached to the sides of the metal tanks. The objects were small, about the size of a baseball, and were spaced at regular intervals around the entire length of the trucks.

  “What are those little things on the side?” Lance asked.

  “How the hell should I know?”

  Hundreds of people sat around the vehicles. Several had built fires, even though it wasn’t dark yet, and the early summer temperature was high. Most did nothing. Even less spoke to one another.

  A few men, all wearing camouflage or black, stalked around, barking orders and pointing at chores that needed done.

  “I’m guessing those are the true believers.” Lance looked among the men for Tony or Ralph, but didn’t see either.

  “The Minutemen.”

  “Exactly.”

  The whine of an engine came from the right side of the field. Lance watched as a four-wheeler tore through the overgrown grass, rolling by a large shed and garage near the driveway. A man steered it, shirtless and tan, a bandana covering his brow. Another sat behind him, facing backward.

  They stopped by the front of the cabin, dismounting. The front door opened and Tony stepped out. He shouted something at the two men, pointing back in the direction of the garage.

  He argued with them for a few moments before they relented and got back on the four-wheeler. They disappeared behind the shed, the drone of the all-terrain vehicle dissipating.

  Tony walked down the front stairs of the cabin and strutted over to the camp of survivors.

  “If I get a chance, I’m going to kill that asshole.” Cass gestured at the camp. “We can’t go anywhere near there—too many eyes. The area by the garage looks like a better bet.”

  They backed away from the tree line and worked their way toward the driveway. The occasional pistol barked from somewhere behind the cabin.

  A shriek rang out as Lance ran across the driveway. He stumbled from the shock of the sound and almost fell in the middle of the open space. Cass, already across, reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him into the bushes on the other side.

  “Holy shit!” Lance spun around, scanning the field for the daywalker. “That definitely came from inside the fencing.”

  Cass nodded, but said nothing.

  Lance recognized the focused expression she wore. He’d seen it before. Whenever they got into something serious, her demeanor flipped like a switch. She was on to something and she wouldn’t ease up until she finished the job.

  It reminded him of the thousand-yard stare characters talked about in books and television shows. He figured her focus was more conducive to surviving their current situation than his constant smartassery.

  They found a narrow animal trail and followed it, the lack of twigs and leaves covering it allowing them to move silently. As they came around the back of the large garage, Cass dropped to a knee again.

  She leaned toward Lance. “Do you smell that?”

  Lance nodded. He’d smelled it a few times in the past month—dead bodies.

  “Something is really wrong here, dumbass.”

  “No shit. Our friends have been kidnapped by a bunch of psychopaths.”

  Cass gave him a glare that made him shut up. He put his hands up in surrender. She looked to the sky, frowning at how low the sun was.

  “We’re running out of time,” she whispered. “We have to get them, escape through the woods, and find a safe place to hide before nightfall. The sun is going down soon, so we need to get our asses moving.”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “We need to split up.”

  “Are you out of your mind? I’ve seen that movie—we both die. Horribly.”

  “Do you have a better suggestion?”

  Lance watched the rays of sunlight cascade through the tree canopy. Time was running short for them. “No.”

  “So what are we arguing for? We need to find them.” She nodded at the garage. “I’m going to look in there. Even if they aren’t inside, I’m willing to bet that’s where the generators are.”

  “And?”

  “And I’m going to sabotage them.”

  “Good call.” Lance rubbed his sweaty palms on the front of his shirt. His adrenaline was kicking into high gear again. It was game time. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Make your way around to the back of the house. Stay in the woods though. See what you find.”

  “And if I see the doc or Eifort?”

  “Grab them if possible, otherwise wait for me. We’ll go in together.”

  Lance considered giving her a good luck kiss, but Cass had already lowered herself to the ground and began to crawl toward the garage.

  He worked his way through the woods again, keeping himself so close to the forest floor that his knees ached after only a few yards. The nails in his baseball bat snagged against weeds and undergrowth, forcing him to stop a few times to untangle it.

  The butt of the .44 in his waistband gave him little reassu
rance. If he had to shoot that, it would bring the entire camp down on them.

  The area behind the house came into view as Lance edged his way forward. Another large structure stood at the far side of the clearing. Its walls and ceiling were opaque as if it was some kind of greenhouse.

  A few dozen people stood behind the cabin, all armed. Several more kneeled on the ground before them, their hands secured behind their backs. Two of them pleaded with their captors, their tormented voices barely reaching Lance’s ears.

  Lance paused, hiding behind a tree. He peeked around, focusing on the faces of the prisoners. He didn’t see Eifort or the doc among them.

  Slowly, quietly, Lance skirted the edge of field, moving at an agonizing pace. One misstep would give away his position. He considered moving further into the forest so he could move faster, but he didn’t want to lose sight of the people behind the cabin. If either of his friends appeared, he needed to be able to follow them.

  The tree line curved around the clearing and Lance followed it, bringing himself around the backside of the cabin. As he approached the greenhouse, he heard shouting coming from the group of captives. He stopped again, creating a small gap in the underbrush with his hands.

  Tony appeared, strutting around the side of house.

  “The fuck is going on?” Tony stopped beside one of the armed men, getting into his face. “I told you to take care of this.”

  “She says she’s pregnant.” The armed man had a baby face and twigs for arms jutting from a sleeveless, camouflage jacket.

  “Is that a fact?” Tony turned his attention to one of the women kneeling before him. “What’s your name?”

  She had red, shoulder-length hair. “Rosemary.”

  Lance couldn’t see her face, but the quake in her voice indicated how frightened she was.

  “I think you’re lying to me, Rosemary. You aren’t pregnant, are you?”

  “I am! I swear!”

  “You don’t look like it.” Tony pulled a pistol out of a holster attached to his belt.

  “Please!” Rosemary sobbed, her shoulders hitching.

  “We have pregnancy tests here, Rosemary. You know what happens around here if we find out you’re lying?”

  “You’ll feed me to them.”

  “That’s right.”

  Tony looked at the thin man beside him. “Travis, right?”

  “Yes, sir.” The man gave him a salute.

  “Cut that shit out. You salute the boss man, not me.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Take Rosemary inside and have her take a pregnancy test. If she’s lying, you let me know. I’ll personally feed her to ol’ Terri.”

  “Yes, sir.” Travis grabbed Rosemary by the arm and lifted her from the ground. He pulled her toward the cabin as she sobbed a thank you to Tony.

  Lance’s eyebrows scrunched as he tried to understand what just happened. Why was Tony concerned with her being pregnant? And who the hell was Terri?

  “Do the rest of you understand the stipulations for staying here?” Tony stalked in front of the rest of the prisoners. He stopped in front of a man with a ponytail.

  The four women and two men kneeling on the ground didn’t respond. They stared at the grass in front of them.

  Tony shot the ponytailed man in the face.

  Chapter 10

  Lance bit into his knuckle, stiffing the cry that welled in his throat.

  He watched as the dead man’s body toppled backward, sprawling lifelessly in the grass.

  The female prisoners screamed in shock and fear. The other male stared down at the dead man in complete despair. His limbs shook uncontrollably.

  “I’ll ask again—do you understand the terms for staying here?”

  “Yes!” the prisoners cried in unison.

  Lance’s knuckles blanched as he squeezed the handle of the baseball bat. He would have given anything to wrap his hands around Tony’s throat.

  “Who has the registry?” Tony asked the armed men behind him.

  One of the men stepped forward, handing over a clipboard. Tony read from it, his deep voice booming through the small area behind the house.

  “Kristal, Autumn, Shannon, Kim. Stand up.”

  The women struggled to their feet, still crying. Their shoulders worked with each sob.

  “Do you understand your responsibilities to the group?”

  They nodded their heads.

  “Good.” Tony pointed at the man who handed him the clipboard. “This is Seth. Follow him to the campgrounds. He’ll assign you a mate.”

  Lance’s head rocked back as if he’d been slapped.

  Assigned a mate? What the hell?

  He rubbed his temples, doing his best to contain his anger and confusion. His mind raced at the implications of what he’d seen and heard.

  Knowing that he needed to move, to continue searching the grounds for Brown and Eifort, didn’t keep him from kneeling there and watching the madness before him unfold.

  The women followed the mate-matcher Seth around the corner of the cabin.

  Tony stepped in front of the final prisoner, who remained on his knees, staring at the body of the shot man.

  “Nikola, right?”

  The man nodded, but didn’t look up.

  “If you prove your worth around here, your rations will increase and we’ll potentially assign you a mate. Do you understand the laws of this compound?”

  The man nodded again.

  “Good. Your first task is to carry this body down the trail behind you. There are some men out there who will tell you how to dispose of it.” Tony walked around him and untied the man’s hands. He grabbed him by the back of the shirt and yanked him to his feet. “Don’t fuck around back there. If we have to come looking for you, well... you won’t like what happens. If you help us, we’ll help you.”

  He shoved the man toward the dead body. He turned and strode toward the cabin, going inside through the back door.

  Nikola, the last prisoner, stood in front of the body, but didn’t make a move to do anything with it.

  One of the armed men behind the house shouted something unintelligible at him, pointing his gun in the prisoner’s general direction.

  Lance turned his attention to the cabin as Nikola struggled to lift the body from the ground. The windows of the home were open. People occasionally walked past them, but Lance was too far away to be able to recognize anyone inside. If Eifort and Brown were in there, he would have a difficult time getting them out.

  Nikola managed to get the body over his shoulder and lifted it up with a mighty effort. His cheeks and forehead flushed as he struggled against the weight. He shuffled across the clearing, heading toward a trail that led into the woods behind the cabin.

  Lance watched as he passed through the tree line. He looked back at the home one more time, fighting over whether to follow the prisoner into the woods or to stay and watch the cabin. The amount of men loitering in the backyard made the decision for him. He wouldn’t be able to sneak into the cabin until they moved somewhere else.

  He slowly backed away from the clearing, moving deeper into the forest. He worked his way around to the trail he’d seen Nikola take.

  It was about five-yards wide and comprised of compacted, grassless dirt. Lance followed it along the right side, staying low in case someone came by. He caught up to the prisoner a few minutes later.

  The shadows from the trees grew longer as Lance shadowed Nikola deeper into the forest. He feared that he would run out of time before he managed to locate his friends. Nikola’s pace was slow and plodding as he fought to get the body to its destination.

  Lance had just considered turning back when he heard voices ahead.

  Another clearing, much smaller, appeared a few hundred yards past the cabin.

  The shriek of a daywalker pierced the quiet.

  It came from the clearing.

  Nikola hesitated at the end of the trees. Lance couldn’t blame him for not wanting to go forward
.

  Two men stood at the edge of a large pit in the middle of the field. They stared down into it, rifles held in front of them.

  Another shriek rang out. Lance knew that it came from the large hole. What were they doing back there?

  Nikola finally got moving again. He carried the body halfway into the field before he finally collapsed to his knees, dropping the dead man to the ground.

  One of the guards turned around. “Another one? Jesus, Tony’s in rare form today. Bring it on over here.”

  Lance squeezed the bat again. Another one? Another body? Had Tony killed Eifort and Brown already? He’d thought that Tony might spare them because of Brown’s skill set, but what if the psycho didn’t care about that all?

  Lance inched forward, careful of each step so he didn’t make a sound. He needed to see what was in that pit.

  The other guard turned then.

  It was the man who’d sliced Lance’s neck on the boat.

  Lance’s hand touched the pistol at his waist. He fought the urge to start shooting. His anger built into a ball of rage in his gut, crowding out rational thought.

  “Hurry up, ya damn fool.”

  “I can’t carry him any further,” Nikola said.

  “Jesus Christ.” Lance’s boat attacker slapped the other guard on the arm. “Help me drag the body over.”

  The two men left the edge of the pit and walked over to the dead man, securing the rifles over their shoulders with slings. They each grabbed an arm and started dragging the body.

  Lance made his move.

  In a dozen steps, he got clear of the trees and turned onto the trail. He sprinted as quietly as possible toward the guards. He stopped just behind Nikola and pulled the .44 free.

  “Nobody move.” He said it loud enough for them to hear over their grunts of exertion.

  Nikola spun around. His eyes went wide when he spotted the enormous pistol.

  Lance aimed at the man who blew up the Duchess. He leaned his head back, exposing the bandage on his neck. “Remember me?”

  The guards dropped the body to the ground and reached for their rifles.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Lance’s eyes cut back to Nikola. “Get out of the way.”

  “But I didn’t—”

  “I saw what they did to him back there. My beef isn’t with you.” He pulled the hammer back on the pistol.