After dinner, he saw a guard escorting Lila to the large building. She didn’t come out.
When it got dark, he decided to move. He left the two rifles in the woods, got out the crossbow, and exited the woods, quietly sneaking over to the compound. He had practiced a lot with the crossbow, and was fairly accomplished with it. A lot of their meals had come from its use.
He saw a guard near the gate. No one else seemed to be near. He took up position behind the pickup, and when the guard was close enough, Ben let a missile fly. It struck the guard in the temple and he crumpled to the ground.
Ben hurried over to him and pulled the lifeless body into the woods. Then he went back and tried to cover up the drag marks with a branch. He retrieved his bolt from the man’s head and wiped it off in the grass, then went hunting again. He was able to get one more victim over the next few hours. At one point in the middle of the night, he thought he was going to be caught. There was activity in one of the buildings, and four guards ran out the door. However, they were headed toward the big building. What mischief are you up to, Lila? he asked himself.
Finally, his leg throbbing, he rested for the remainder of the night.
He woke up the next morning to the sound of an air horn blasting away. He heard the guards yelling, “Get up. Everyone up!” Once most of the people were up and standing around expectantly, the door of the big building opened.
Surrounded by guards, Lila came walking into the compound.
She was covered in blood!
Chapter 14
(Lila)
Rather than head back to her shelter after breakfast, Lila stayed near the kitchen. Something was going on. The guards seemed agitated and she wanted to see if she could learn why. She saw Dan and Gordon and made her way toward them.
“Do you know what’s happening?” she asked.
“I just heard one of the guards say something about ‘them’ not coming back. Not sure who they're talking about yet,” said Dan.
Two guards loaded some gas cans into the back of an old pickup and took off down the road. Nothing happened for a couple of hours and none of the guards were talking. Finally, Lila saw the pickup returning. She could hear a few bits of conversation from the guards in the pickup.
“… Nowhere to be found …”
“… Dropped off the face of the earth …”
Between assorted citizens, they were eventually able to piece together the story. Walt, Ray, and the other two who had picked up Lila, had gone out the day before on one of their normal searches and had never returned. Wells didn’t want the guards driving at night, so they had waited til morning to search for them, bringing along cans of gas in case the group had run out. The men in the pickup had searched all along the normal route and had found no sign of the others.
Lila, Dan, and Gordon took a walk around the perimeter.
“What do you think happened?” asked Dan.
“I think they took off,” answered Gordon. “I think they got tired of Wells and Sharp and they just hit the road.”
“I don’t think so,” said Dan. “I mean, they didn’t have the easiest life around, but it sure beat the alternative. They had meals—which are a hell of a lot better than ours—occasional women, and power. They don’t look like the kind who would survive very well on their own. No, I think something happened to them.”
Lila was silent.
My first thought was, “Could it be?” All I knew was that if Ben was alive, his one and only thought would be to find me. He’d be likely to shoot first if he ran across a bunch like them. I knew that I was probably projecting my hopes, but I needed something to hold onto.
“You think it was Ben, don’t you?” Dan was looking at her.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to get my hopes up. He was in really bad shape when I left him. If I think it’s him and then it turns out not to be, it would devastate me. I’m better off not hoping.”
“I understand.”
Lila spent the rest of the day by herself in her shelter. She allowed herself a good cry over Ben, then her thoughts went to the evening ahead. The whole camp knew she had been chosen by Wells and they were all giving her space. Lila appreciated it, but at the same time felt very much alone. She had no idea what she would do once she was in the room with Wells. She knew what she wanted to do, but was she really capable of murder? Even if she was, did she really think she could overpower Wells? No, she knew that eventually she was going to have to submit to his will, just like every other woman there. When she reached that conclusion, she began to shake uncontrollably. She was losing her confidence. This place had sapped her of all her strength. The shaking continued for over an hour, and she felt herself becoming like the rest of them. Lila, the folk hero, was no more.
By the time the air horn sounded for dinner, she had regained some of her composure, and trudged over to the kitchen. Individually, Dan, Gordon, and Melissa came over to her and hugged her or squeezed her hand, but otherwise, everyone avoided her.
Lila had just finished her meal when the toad approached her and told her to follow him. Everyone followed her with their eyes as she made her way to the large building. Lila wondered if some were disappointed that she was apparently allowing herself to submit to this.
Then she thought to herself, why should I care what they think? And yet, she saw their faces. There was no hope in that compound. It wasn’t fair. They survived the greatest catastrophe ever to happen to this planet, only to be controlled by a madman. She knew then that it had to end tonight. She couldn't go on living this way. Anything had to be better than this.
Lila had found the strength she'd been searching for all day.
I was tired of death, but I knew that I really had no choice this time. I needed to be free. We all needed to be free. I was hoping, but I didn’t really know if Ben was alive. If he wasn’t, this man was to blame. I didn’t believe in heaven or hell, but I did believe in some sort of accounting. You can’t do these horrible things and get away with it. I hated the expression “an eye for an eye,” but was it far from the truth? We need to take responsibility for our actions. I don’t know if Phil would have agreed with the accountability. He would have said something like, “it’s in the hands of God” or something about “judgment day.” Well, the major’s judgment day had arrived.
They entered the building. Offices lined the walls of the first floor, most of them long since abandoned. The first office though, had a handmade sign that read “Major Wells.” Across the hall was Sharp’s office. At the end of the hall was the entrance to some sort of gym. It reminded Lila of an old school. It even had that smell. If she could catch a faint whiff of cafeteria food, then she really would think she was in school.
The toad took her up a flight of stairs. On the second floor, Wells and Sharp had set up living quarters on opposite sides of the hall. They had even decorated the hall to look comfortable. She figured they had raided a furniture store to outfit their rooms, and wondered what the guards felt about Wells and Sharp living a life of luxury while they lived in barracks. After all, it was probably the guards who had to get all that stuff and lug it up there. However, she refused to ask the toad the question. When the time came, she’d communicate with him her own way.
“Hold on,” he said, as they were about to go in the major’s room. “Hands up in the air while I frisk you.”
She had transferred the knife to her boot. The toad frisked her thoroughly—a little too thoroughly, she thought—then told her to take off her boots.
“Why,” Lila asked.
“Do you usually do it with your boots on?” he asked sarcastically. “Take off your boots. You could be hiding something in them.”
She took off her boots slowly, hoping to figure out how to hide the knife from the guard. She couldn’t think of anything.
“Your feet stink,” said the toad.
“Yeah, that’s what happens when you’re not allowed a bath. Want to get a little closer? You can have one down your throa
t.”
“Well, what do we have here?” The toad found the knife. “What did you think you were going to do with this?”
Lila had run out of smart responses. She just stood there silently.
The guard knocked on the major’s door, then opened it. Wells was sitting in a chair next to his bed, writing something in an ornate notebook. He put the notebook and pen down on a bedside table and stood up.
“Come in, Lila. Make yourself comfortable.” He looked at the guard with disdain. “You can go now.”
“I found this in her boot.” He handed him the knife.
Wells looked at Lila and raised his eyebrows.
“I felt like I might need some protection, just in case,” she said, trying to make up a reasonable sounding excuse.
“You don’t have to worry,” answered Wells. “You don’t have to fear me.”
“Okay,” mumbled Lila. It was important to seem as submissive as possible.
The guard left. Lila looked around.
“In case you’re wondering,” said Wells, as if reading her mind, “I don’t keep any of my weapons in here. Please sit.” He motioned her to a chair. “I’m really nobody to fear.”
“But what if I didn’t want to do this tonight?”
“I would think you would look at it as an honor,” answered Wells. “You may not see it that way yet, but you will.”
“Can I ask you a question?” said Lila.
“Of course. You know, you’re the first woman to actually engage me in conversation. Most of them just sit there limply. You have intelligence. I like that. What’s your question?”
“Why? Why all this? It must be obvious to you that the people out there aren’t happy. And yet, you keep them locked up against their will.”
“Let me read you a passage from my book.”
“Your book?”
“Yes, I’m writing a history of the beginning of the new Republic. Who better to write it than the man responsible for forming it?” He reached over and picked up the notebook he'd been writing in when Lila showed up. He flipped back a few pages, then began reading:
“I look out my window at the throngs below and it pains me to see their expressionless faces. They are like children, looking for someone to mold them, to tell them what is right and what is wrong. And like children, sometimes they get angry and throw their fits. They complain about the food; they complain about the living conditions; but do they really understand what awaits them outside these gates? No. They need to be trained first. They need to know hardship to be able to appreciate abundance when they earn it. And they will earn it. The Republic of America, with me as its founding father, will guide them into the future. And they will be grateful for the firm hand and the clear vision. They will understand that they are the first citizens of this new land, and that the hardships they suffer will one day be looked upon by their children, and their grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren, and generations down the line, as a most worthy sacrifice.”
He put down the notebook and looked at Lila. “Now do you understand?
Yeah, I understand that you’re loony, Lila thought to herself.
“I guess so,” she said, for lack of anything better to say.
Suddenly, his whole demeanor changed. He stood up with anger plastered across his face.
“Now get over here and take care of me!”
“Excuse me?” Lila was confused by the sudden transformation.
“I am the president! You will abide by my wishes. You will service your president!”
Lila stood up, realizing just how sick and twisted the man was. She crossed the room slowly, not knowing what to expect. She stood before him, and he slapped her, much the same way Sharp had slapped her on her first day there. She fell to the bed.
He climbed on top of her fully clothed, trying to put his hands under her shirt to take it off.
She had had enough.
What is it about some men and their need to dominate? Whether it’s emotionally, physically, or sexually, it’s a scary trait. It’s a perverse trait. I looked at Wells, then I thought of Ben, a quiet, introspective, sensitive man, who had a power within him that was magnificent. That was, of course, if he was still alive.
Wells was so excited, he was almost drooling. He had his eyes closed in ecstasy, his hands under her shirt on her breasts. His display of power was a turn-on for him. Lila could only imagine the sick things he had in mind. While trying to fight him off, she reached over to the bedside table, fumbling for his pen. She had it! She reached back and without hesitation, drove the pen through his right eyeball, into his brain. He let out a scream of agony, then collapsed on top of her.
Blood gushed over her. She pushed his still twitching body off the bed and onto the floor. The life was seeping out of him. She was trying to catch her breath, and was gasping for air from the adrenaline of the moment. Slowly she calmed down. Finally, she sat up and looked over at Wells.
“Not all of your weapons were in another room,” she said to the dying man, her voice cracking.
Now what was she going to do? She hadn’t thought beyond killing him. She put her boots on and crept to the door. Suddenly it burst open and Sharp and the toad were standing there. The toad grabbed her around the neck and twisted her arm behind her, totally incapacitating her.
“You are so predictable,” Sharp said to Lila. He looked over at the dying Wells. “He was an idiot.” He walked over to where the major was lying. Wells had a dying glimmer of recognition in his one eye. But even that was almost gone. Sharp kicked him in the head and spat on him. “He thought he could tame you like he had done the others. I knew better. I had heard the stories. But even more than that, I had looked into your eyes. You were someone to fear. Wells was too stupid to know that.”
Lila found her voice. “Why didn’t you warn him then?”
“Because this is exactly what I wanted to happen. The guards too. They know that life will be better for them under me. I should be in charge, not him. I should be leading this country. I was just biding my time. You have no idea how you’ve helped. Not only did you get rid of Wells, opening the door for me to take over, but you’ve given me another way to keep the masses down.”
Lila looked at him with wide eyes. She had a sense of what was coming.
“You can’t be treated like the other women,” said Sharp. “You’ll never be conquered in the bedroom. You’re too dangerous. But everyone here looks up to you. If they see you crumble, no one will ever try to rebel again. And the best way to do that is to punish you. I could kill you, but that would just make you a martyr and empower the others. No, I have something better in mind.”
They led her into the hallway. While the toad held her, Sharp reached into his doorway and pulled out a long metal wire.
“A car antenna,” he explained. “You have any idea how much this is going to hurt when we whip you with it? Oh, and I don’t mean just today. Everyday. Every single day, until your eyes become lifeless and I’m convinced there is nothing left in your soul. We’re going to whip you and let everyone watch the hope drain out of you. We’ll wait until morning though.”
The toad pushed her into a small empty closet and shut the door. She could see his shadow under the door as he stood guard.
She sat down in a corner and wept, wondering how her life had come to this. Eventually, exhaustion set in, and she fell asleep.
She woke up to the faint sound of the air horn. The door opened and Sharp and a guard pulled her roughly from the closet and led her down the hall.
They were met at the bottom of the stairs by two more guards, and they waited there while the toad called a meeting of all the citizens, while still blowing the obnoxious air horn. Finally, when everyone was gathered, they led Lila out.
As they paraded her in front of the crowd, one of the guards came over and talked quietly to Sharp. Being so close, Lila caught most of it. The guard was explaining that two of the night guards were missing from their posts. They found
some blood near where the gate guard stood.
It’s Ben, thought Lila. I know it is!
The day suddenly didn’t look so bleak.
Chapter 15
When he saw the blood, Ben wanted to charge in with guns blazing, but quickly, he realized that it was not Lila’s blood at all. It was obvious, however, that Lila had done something significant and that they were going to make an example of her in front of the other prisoners. He had to think fast.
He needed to get closer to the action if he was going to make a difference, so he evaluated the situation. They were taking Lila to a small platform that had been set up near the kitchen, obviously the place from which they made speeches. The kitchen was on the left as you went through the gates. His spot in the woods was to the right of the gates. The vehicles were parked outside the fence behind the kitchen.
He could sneak down from the woods to the fence and have a clean shot, but he would also be in the open for anyone shooting at him. He looked at the cars. The gasoline cans were still in the back of the pickup. The guards were so thrown by the events of the day before, they never got around to emptying the truck. He now knew what he was going to do, but he had little time to do it. They were approaching the platform. He grabbed both of the rifles and headed through the woods away from the camp, then crossed the road at the narrowest point, hoping he wouldn’t be seen. He was now on the same side as the truck. He hurried through the woods on that side, then furtively crossed the small open space to the truck. The nearby guard’s attention was on the proceedings through the fence.
Once at the truck, he carefully lifted one of the cans out and opened it. He also opened a can in the truck and turned it on its side, so that the gas spilled all over the bed of the pickup. He then poured gas over the side of the truck and onto the ground under it. This would be the hard part, and timing was everything. They hadn’t replaced the gate guard yet, so he could run past the gate to the other fence to give himself a clear shot. He planned to make a gas trail, then light it before he started shooting. However, it would all depend on him not being seen. He heard the one in charge begin to speak.
Eden Rising (Eden Rising Trilogy Book 1) Page 13
