All eyes were upon her then.
“This is all your fucking fault, cunt,” the beady-eyed man named Rik hissed out, “so you’d best keep your trap shut!”
Auska went face to face with him, her anger getting the better of her. “You going to make me? Cause I’d like to fucking see that, little man!”
He lifted a fist to strike her but before he could her knee connected with his groin and a left hook spun him back around and to the frozen ground.
Instantly Everett’s men surrounded her, weapons brandished for a fight. Auska noticed Wren edging closer, but Jennifer just glared over a man’s shoulder at her, no intention of helping in her features.
“Kill me and you are all as good as dead out here,” Auska said calmly, knowing it was true. They needed her now more then they needed any of each other.
Everett pushed his way through the tight circle. “Stand down, stand down! We have more important issues to worry about than her.” He stared down at his man, who was just starting to recover then back to her. “You attack one of my men again and I’ll hobble you for it. We need each other, remember? But that doesn’t mean you need to be able to walk without a limp.”
Auska stepped forward and pushed a finger into his chest. “And you just came to need me a lot more. Because I have a better plan now that we have cannibals to worry about.” Her eye glimmered with excitement. “One that might just make this all a lot easier.”
“What are you plotting?” Everett asked, almost worried.
“Tell you on the way. We need to get to my stash spots.”
Vincent heard the footsteps and voices outside the door again. So, it had been two days already? Felt like four at least, but he knew that wasn’t right. Food had been slipped under the door twice, so he knew when dinner was at least. He could only imagine what they were discussing outside; it sounded like a mixture of anger and hopefulness.
Soon the door creaked open once more. Light flooded in, but the main lights stayed off this time, making the pain in his eyes not nearly as bad.
Conwell stepped in, flanked by two men of the First Division, who were armed with rifles and looked ready to execute him at a moment’s notice.
Vincent pushed himself off the cot and stood tall. If he was about to die, then he planned on doing it on his feet.
“What is your answer?” Conwell asked. There was no give in his tone this time, no remorse, no pleasantries; it was business, cold and calculated.
His insides felt like water and his knees began to quiver. This was it, after everything, this was how he was going to die. In a dark room, where no one knew where he was, and no one would know the truth. So be it then.
He took a deep breath, knowing this would be the last words he ever uttered. “I agree,” he paused, the words sounding like someone else, “I will keep quiet about everything, you let me help fix things in time on council.” Jesus Christ! What the hell just happened?
Conwell smiled and waved his hands to the guards, putting them at ease. “You made the right decision, Vincent.” He moved in closer. “But know this: you will be watched, closer than you can imagine, and if we get the slightest hint you might open your fucking mouth, we will peel the flesh from your bones.”
Vincent nodded, his guts twisting to the point he was sure he would vomit. Not for the threat, that meant nothing to him, but because of the words that had so involuntarily slipped from his mouth. He had been prepared to die, accepted it, stood by it, with what he knew now, almost wanted it. But his survival instincts had betrayed him.
“What am I to tell people,” he asked, “about where I have been?”
“That’s already been taken care of. You’ve been sick, a bout of pneumonia, but you pulled through and will be back to work tomorrow. So, I suggest you get rested up.” Conwell nodded to the two guards.
“Where am I to stay now?”
“Nothing out there changes Vincent.” The council man’s tone was dangerous. “Put aside whatever chip you have with Kelli, for you two had better be as lovely and cute as ever. Do I make myself clear, Vincent?”
“Yes.”
“Do not make me regret this. Your usefulness can easily be dismissed.”
Vincent nodded, following them out into the hallway. They were in a basement and down one side of the hallway was the tunnel! The tunnel they had used to sell people without anyone noticing. His heart raced, but he kept his face passive.
“Take him up and make him bathe and change, then lead him to Dr. Brown’s office. Make sure the doctor fills him in on everything he needs to know about his ‘sickness’. I want it well-rehearsed for when he is asked questions. Also, make sure you have two trusted men watching him at all times. If he even remotely looks like he is doing anything he shouldn’t… you know what to do.”
“You got it, boss.”
“So, I am to be a dog on a leash then? I sniff the wrong tree and I’ll be put down?” The words just escaped him as he felt his anger rising. Death might have been better.
Conwell looked at him stone-faced. “Until we can be sure you are onboard, yes. Now get him out of here. We have wasted enough time with this.”
The group had traveled long and hard into the night, the threat coming behind them, urging their steps faster, their breaks shorter. The cold seeped mercilessly into their bones anytime they stopped, and for the few hours they did allow themselves sleep, everyone slept close together, staving off the worst of the cold with combined body heat.
The first flakes of winter had begun to descend upon them and the mood darkened further. They were ill-prepared for winter, none of them dressed for its wicked bite.
Food had run out and one of Everett’s men had shot a wolf that had wandered too close to the run-down group. The man had been scolded bitterly, for the gunshot could be heard for miles and was a dinner bell for the enemy and infected alike. Yet the scolding had been short-lived as everyone ate their meager share of the tough, stringy, overcooked meat. A fire to cook it had been unavoidable, and needing energy and warmth Everett had allowed it, had even allowed the fire to burn until everyone had eaten before it was snuffed out.
Their scout Tyler had reported back that Tonka and his group were less than half a day behind them, and they themselves were only half a day from Sanctuary. The clock was ticking. Even with full stomachs, the slavers were exhausted, worn out, and many still carrying grievous wounds from their escape from the Abyss. If Tonka caught up to them before they reached Sanctuary, they were all dead men.
“We can do this, men,” Everett announced boldly, though even he was feeling ready to give up. “We have come this far, and we are now hours away from our goal!”
There was a grumble from the others, who looked defeated already.
“I promise you!” Everett barked out, feeling new strength course through him as he thought of it. “By this time tomorrow, we will be warm, full and in control of Sanctuary!”
This stirred the men a little more, the dead light in their eyes burned a little brighter, the energy seemed to flow a little more eagerly.
“Now let’s get this over with!” He turned to Auska and muttered, “This fucking better work.”
Auska halted them and moved off to a fallen log, Everett with his rifle was quick to follow her, his finger never far from the trigger. She suspected he figured she was wearing them down until they were too weak to be much of a threat. He wasn’t entirely wrong, but she still needed him and his scum.
“Hold on!” he barked, seeing her reaching for something.
Auska raised her hands and stepped back. No point getting shot this close to the finish line. “It’s just one of my stash spots. We need what is in it.”
Everett pulled the scrap metal top off the hole and peered inside at the array of hidden stuff. “I see nothing of use in here.”
Rolling her eyes, Auska reached back into the hole, retrieving a length of rope and crudely fashioned grappling hook. “We’ll need this to get over the wall. Can’t exactly knock on the front do
or, now can we.”
“No weapons?”
“All my fucking weapons were lost when we attacked the pumphouse and you pricks showed up.” Auska glanced back at Jen, who was leaned up against a large pine. The taller girl has said less than a dozen words to her in the last day and a half, but her eyes always lingered on her with intent. It was only a matter of time before she tried something stupid. Auska just hoped Jen would hold off until they had taken Sanctuary.
“How does any of this help us defeat Tonka and his men?” Everett growled, starting to feel a fool.
Auska shouldered the rope. “You’re just going to start the fight. Sanctuary will finish it. But none of this works if I don’t get inside and talk to those I need to. And I need to do it before Tonka gets here, so we don’t really have time to have a vote.”
“Fine, you can take your little lover, but the other girl stays with me.”
“Fine.”
Everett grinned. “And Brock goes with you.”
Violence burned in her eyes. “No.”
“Yes.”
“Anyone else but him.”
But he was shaking his head. “No, he is the only one I can fully trust still. He will keep an eye on you two and make sure you get the job done in one piece.”
“He’s just as likely to beat and rape me as he is to actually do anything helpful.”
“Lucky for you. That’s a chance I am willing to take.”
“We’re wasting time we don’t have. The sooner this is done, the sooner we are either all dead or victorious,” she snarled and stalked away.
By the time they were within sight of Sanctuary’s walls, it was already dark. Auska had to guess most of the residents would be in the feasting hall eating whatever Vincent and Kelli had come up with for that night. The thought of real food made her stomach twist, but she forced the thought away; there were more important things to worry about. This was the ideal time to sneak over the wall.
Their scout had returned minutes ago informing them Tonka and his crew were a little over an hour behind them. The fight would happen tonight; there was no escaping it now. Half the stage was set; now all that was left was to try and get the key players into place.
“The guard has left, now is your chance,” Everett told her, putting down the binoculars.
Auska nodded grimly and motioned for Wren to follow her, her eyes stopping on Brock; his grin was wicked knowing she wasn’t happy about this. “Let’s go.” Before she could move, Everett’s hand was gripped around her arm painfully.
“I better see you at the tunnel.” His tone was distrusting.
Auska shrugged her arm away. “Either I’m there or I’m not. The moment I’m over that wall, whatever happens, happens.”
With that, she was off, Wren and Brock in tow. Each second in the open was grueling and she expected to hear the shouts of alarm or the sound of bullets raining down on them. But soon their backs were pressed up against the sheet metal section as they fought to regain control of their labored breathing.
Brock started the way they had come when a quick flash of light informed them that the guard was gone again.
With a soft grunt, Auska let the grappling hook fly and was pleased when she tugged the rope that the hook had found something solid.
“I’ll go first, then Wren. Brock, you bring up the rear.”
“Not a chance, bitch,” Brock replied. “I’m not that stupid. You’ll leave me down here or cut the rope while I am climbing. Your boyfriend can go last.”
Auska shrugged. “Have it your way. Just be fucking quiet when you get up there. We’ll have maybe two minutes to get up and find cover before the guard is back.” Without another word she was climbing, her mind racing a million miles. Brock had been right; she would have cut the rope once he was almost at the top, but now her plans needed to change.
Gripping the side of the wall she peered over, hoping to catch sight of who was on patrol. She saw nothing and swung herself over and motioned for Brock to climb up as she kept her eyes peeled for movement around her.
“This place looks better than I could have ever guessed,” Brock whispered, stepping in front of her to get a better look. “I’m going to like it here, I think.”
Auska did her best to control her breathing. “Remember what I told you in the tunnel?” She watched him stiffen as she pressed a blade to his throat.
“You think now is the time to try and live up to such threats?”
“Yes,” she hissed, clapping her free hand across his mouth and slashing the knife across his jugular.
Leaning back, she felt him struggle and try to twist free, but each second stole that much more of his strength until finally, she laid his limp form down on the wooden walkway. Her hands were slick with warm blood and she was brought great joy watching the last of it spill from his neck.
“Certainly not what I was expecting to climb up and see,” Wren whispered behind her.
“He had it coming since the last time we were here.”
Wren looked around nervously, watching the glow of a torchlight slowly get closer. “We’ve got about a minute to clean this up.”
“No, I want it found. Let’s go, we need cover. Things are about to get dangerous.”
Wren followed in behind her. “Maybe next time we do something together it can just be a nice romantic walk or something casual, with a little less escaping or breaking into hostile places.”
Auska grinned as she led the way through the shadows and down from the wall rampart. It wouldn’t be long before the body was found, and then things would get interesting.
Staring down at the counter, Vincent tried to scrub away a stain that had been there for as long as he had. It was a dark grey blotch that he had tried to remove a hundred times before, but it had never gone away. Tonight, he scrubbed at it with a bitter disdain; not for the stain itself, but because of the guilt and turmoil that boiled within himself.
After his visit with Dr. Brown, he had been allowed to clean up and dress but had had little time to do anything else before he was ushered back here to start dinner. His two guards had watched his every movement, and even now one guarded each doorway into the kitchen.
Vincent wasn’t even sure what he had even made for dinner that night; he had simply gone through the motions, his mind a million miles away. Kelli had assisted him and talked to him the whole time, her features and tone betraying nothing of what had happened. It was like everything was as it always had been. It made his guts twist violently just thinking about it. Being here in the same room as she now made him ill. All he wanted to do was scream and yell and destroy this place in a fit of rage, but he remained calm and passive.
Dinner had gone off well. When the food had been brought out and was being served, everyone was happy to see him back. It had almost lifted his heart, but then he wondered how many knew the truth as they came through the line. How many eyes stared at him with a false innocence to the horrendous crime being committed here? How many of them were wolves mingling with the sheep?
He had gone through the motions, played his part, smiled, and chatted, and acted like everything was fine now. He had told them of the illness and all the lies the doctor has told him to tell. It had been easily believed.
The warning siren sounded throughout the building and all of Sanctuary, and he could hear the sudden commotion out in the hall as everyone stood and lined up. Those who manned the wall or were part of a Division had their meeting places and were quick to leave. The rest were to return to their homes and await further instructions.
“Wonder what that’s all about?” Kelli asked drying one of the large pots she had just cleaned, truly unfazed by the sudden alarm. “Wonder if it’s a false alarm and someone hit the button by accident?”
Vincent watched the two guards glare in at them as if somehow the alarm going off had something to do with him; as if somehow he had been able to orchestrate some great plan in the short-guarded hours he had been out of his cell. He shrugged at t
hem, not sure of what else he should do.
Normally they would be escorted back to their place, but the kitchen was a priority for two reasons. It wasn’t allowed to go uncleaned; too many sicknesses had spread throughout the years due to lack of timely cleaning. Plus, the food was always to be guarded in lockdown events.
“Hopefully they figure out what it is and deal with it quickly,” Kelli said, moving around him to pack some dishes away, “I don’t want to be stuck here all night. It’s been too long, and that bed has been lonely by myself.”
Vincent chuckled in bitter disbelief at her words. Did she really expect him to share a bed with her after all of this? If it wasn’t for the guns that followed him, he wouldn’t even be here or within a thousand feet of her ever again.
“You’re so quiet tonight, my love. It’s making the night drag by.”
“Fuck off,” he growled, just loud enough for her to hear him.
Kelli stopped right beside him and stared up at him. “Things go back to the way they were before. You know the rules. Accept them and this will all be a lot easier… for both of us.”
Glaring at her, he stopped scrubbing. “We can play pretend when the spotlight is on, Kelli, but when we are alone you are dead to me. Do not think anything is going to be okay between us every again. You are a fucking disgusting monster in my eyes now.”
Scorn flashed across her face. “Best be careful what you say to me, Vincent. Your life hangs in the balance.”
He smiled maniacally at her. “I don’t fucking care. I get to be miserable with this ‘arrangement’, I’m going to ensure you are just as miserable.”
“Oh really?” She eyes were as cold as ice. “Tavish.”
One of the First Division guards stood in the doorway. “Yes?”
Kelli turned back to Vincent. “I think Vincent might need to be reminded of what rests in the balance here for him if he doesn’t play ball.”
“And what might that be?” But the voice wasn’t Tavish’s.
“Auska!” Vincent gasped wide-eyed. “You’re… alive!”
What Remains (Book 2): What's Left Page 20
