Divided We Rot (One Nation Under Zombies Book 3)
Page 24
“Kentucky isn’t really deep south,” Hal advised. “Raven is from Kentucky. I doubt her house looked like this.”
“I doubt anyone else in the world’s house looks like this,” Damian said, nodding toward the wall opposite them. A large painting of Jesus being crucified hung in the center of the wall sandwiched in between two stuffed buck heads. “That is weird as hell right there.”
“That’s creepy,” Elijah said.
“It’s disrespectful. They got Abercrombie Jesus hanging up there between two deer heads.”
Hal just nodded, unable to put into words how badly the house was decorated.
“It smells like old people in here,” Damian added.
“What do old people smell like?” Elijah asked.
“Ointment, mildew, and a dash of apple pie.” He continued looking around the room and stilled. “I think that rooster blinked at me.”
Hal looked at the rooster statue in question. It sat on the floor in the corner and appeared to be watching them. “It’s a statue, Damian. It didn’t blink at you.”
“I’m wiggin’ out, man. Pigs with lipstick in the living room, a dining room full of roosters. How do people sleep in this house? I’d be afraid to wake up with a pig on my chest and a rooster plucking my eyes out.”
“They eat deer here,” Elijah added. “They eat it right here with two deer watching them.”
“That’s some sick shit right there,” Damian said. “If I didn’t already think they were a little cracked in the head I’m definitely thinking it now. I don’t feel right sitting here like this. It’s like the deer know we ate that deer meat yesterday and they’re judging us. They’re going to make us pay.”
Hal looked over at him. “The country is crawling with zombies and you’re afraid of two stuffed deer heads?”
“Nature don’t play, man.”
Footsteps sounded down the hall and David entered the dining room shortly after, Elsie and a younger man who favored him behind him. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long,” he said as he pulled out a chair for Elsie on the other side of the table before taking his seat between her and the young man. “This is my son, Matthias, and you’ve already met Elsie.”
Hal nodded his head in greeting and stepped on Damian’s foot when he sensed the man about to open his mouth, no doubt to ask a question that would be either inappropriate or ridiculous.
David folded his hands on the table before him and sighed. “I wish I could tell you that I had good news to share, but I’m afraid we have a serious matter to discuss. Before I say anything, it’s important that you know we hold everyone accountable for their own behavior here and you are still completely welcome to stay at the farm. Also, we are a community that believes in redemption so we don’t just give up on people.”
“This is about Leah?” Hal asked, unable to sit idly as David dilly-daddled around the point.
David nodded. “I’m afraid there was an incident with Leah this morning. As you know, we hold ourselves to high standards here and although we welcome all it is important that all who stay here treat each other respectfully at all times.”
“What happened?” Damian asked, his tone indicating his impatience.
“She lashed out at Elsie,” David answered, turning toward the short, plump woman.
“It was rather frightening,” Elsie said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “We have a dress code here and her clothes were dirty anyway. We offered her new clothing that would be acceptable and she refused to wear anything we gave her. She actually slept in her T-shirt and underclothes only last night, which is indecent. We told her this and explained she was given a gown and would be expected to wear it to sleep, and to wear her new clothes in the daytime. She refused and became outraged when she couldn’t find the blue jeans she had discarded the night before. We explained that they were thrown away because they were against dress code and soiled with blood. She started yelling and cursing and she lunged for me. I was so afraid. I had no idea she was so violent.”
“She isn’t a violent person,” Hal said. “We’ve been with her for months and she’s never been violent. She’s never even raised her voice.”
“I don’t know what it was like for your group out there, but clearly she didn’t have a lot of rules because the moment she was given a rule she reacted horribly,” Elsie said before pursing her lips and turning toward David. “She behaved like a wild animal.”
“I know it was very scary for you, Elsie.” David patted her hand before returning his attention to them. “I know that your group has been together a while and you consider yourself a family which is why I am showing the courtesy of telling you this. As I stated before, we judge people individually. You are still welcome here, and Leah is still welcome here, but her act of violence can not be ignored.”
“Where is she now?”
“She’s in isolation,” David answered. “As I stated earlier we give everyone a chance here so rather than just kick people out we try to work with them to help them work through whatever issues caused their behavior. While what she did was unacceptable she didn’t use a weapon despite having one in her possession. We are taking that into consideration.”
Hal took a deep breath, silently counting to ten as he exhaled. “It seems that allowing her to leave if she were unhappy here would be the best option. If she’s off your property she’s not a problem. Was she given the option to leave?”
“She was given the option and she refused it. It wouldn’t be Christian of us to force her out without giving her a chance to make amends for what she did. My family was blessed to already have the farm and its security when this whole thing started. We’ve welcomed many from the community right from the start so I don’t know exactly what she went through out there. I try not to persecute people who act out because of suffering. I’ve heard tragic stories from people who were out there for some time before finding sanctuary here. Our preacher, John, will work directly with her as he does with anyone here who may be troubled. It’s a tough transition for some but he’s very good at his work.”
“When can we see her?” Damian asked.
David shared a look with his son before shaking his head. “I’m afraid you won’t be able to see her for a while,” he said, offering up an empathetic closed-mouth smile. “We find it very effective to keep people in isolation after an incident like this one, to help them think and really focus on what’s going on inside them. Outside influences, particularly connections with others they were close to while out there could set back their recovery.”
“Recovery?” Hal struggled to keep the disbelief out of his tone. “What exactly is she recovering from?”
“Whatever happened to her before she got here and chose to attack one of our esteemed sisters,” David answered coolly. “I realize you are close to Leah and all of you must have gone through horrible things together out there, and that this most likely comes to you as a shock. It’s happened before. It isn’t that common since most people are overjoyed to find a community like ours, but there are always exceptions to everything. Keeping her isolated may seem the wrong choice to you right now but I assure you our methods work. We can not allow her to walk freely among us after she attacked someone, not until we have time to work with her and ensure she’s not a threat to our people.”
“And if you find her a threat to your people?” Hal asked. “What happens to her then?”
“You assured me that she isn’t a violent person,” David reminded him. “If you truly know her as you believe you do then this is just an anomaly and you have nothing to worry about so we have no need to focus on negative outcomes today. As I said, we have dealt with similar incidents in the past. We won’t name anyone as that would be gossip, but I assure you there are members of the community here today who had a rough start. Once we isolated them, allowed them time to think and work out their issues through therapy with our church they came through just fine. You’d never know they’d had an incident.”
Hal nudged Damian’s knee under the table with his own, picking up on where he was going. It was a worry he’d had too since the moment Elsie reacted so badly to Leah’s revelation.
“Basically,” David said, nodding. “It’s like free counseling and a little therapy never hurt anyone.
“How long will this therapy take?” Hal asked before Damian could ask anything else. He was doing a good job holding his tongue for the moment but Hal knew him well enough to know the man was seething.
“That all depends on Leah and how receptive she is. It could be quick or it may take her a while. We’re not the type of people to just give up here. We’ll work with her as much as necessary to get her back within the community and of course you will be the first to know when she’s ready to be released.”
“She’ll have to apologize,” Elsie added, her arms folded over her pudgy midsection and her nose tipped up.
“Yes, an apology will be part of her release back into the community,” David said. “I assure you there is nothing to worry about. She will be fed, clothed, and sheltered. Her time in isolation will be safer and far easier than whatever she had to fight through out there and when she’s through with it she will emerge a far better person for it.”
“Where is this isolation?” Hal asked.
“On the grounds,” David answered. “We can’t give you the exact location for security purposes. We are a very peaceful community but sometimes things happen regardless. That goes for just about anywhere. We have an area that some might consider a jail, but we are far more lenient and forgiving than any warden. She is where people who cause trouble go but she will not be treated as a prisoner. We don’t do that here. If anyone actually deserved that type of treatment it would be for an unspeakable crime and they would be banished. We help people. We do not punish them for making mistakes. We help them identify why they made the mistake and help get them past it so it is no longer an issue. We make them better versions of themselves.”
Hal did another ten count as he sucked air in through his nose and released it slowly, willing himself to remain calm and hoping the others followed his lead, particularly Damian. He had no other questions, none he expected answers to anyway, and just wanted to get Damian out of that house before they had the chance to figure out he was guilty of the same thing they were persecuting Leah for.
“Are there any more questions?” David asked. “About anything? Are you finding your way around well?”
“It’s hard to get lost with the big fence around the place,” Damian answered.
“We’re doing well here,” Hal chimed in before Damian could go any further. “We appreciate the food and the shelter. This is a nice place you’ve put together for survivors.”
“Oh we were here for quite a while before the outbreak, as were many of the community members. We’ve had more join since the outbreak though. I think we were put here to help keep hope alive during these trying times.”
“Trying, indeed,” Hal said. “I’d appreciate any updates we can get on Leah. I meant it that she’s like family to us. We’re all family.”
“Of course. Have faith, Hallelujah. Everything will work out for the best and soon we’ll be able to put this unfortunate incident behind us.” David stood, signaling the meeting was over.
Hal rose, quickly followed by Damian and Elijah.
“Oh, one thing,” David said as he nodded toward two armed men who’d just stepped in through the kitchen door. “Leah had a switchblade on her so we need to check you for weapons. I hate to do this but we did ask earlier for all weapons to be handed over and it seems there might have been a miscommunication. I hope you understand and can appreciate where I’m coming from on this. We can’t have weapons in the community.”
“Except for the armed guards,” Damian said.
“Correct,” David replied. “Armed for our protection from the unholy monsters roaming about.”
Damian opened his mouth but Hal interrupted before he said something to make their situation worse. “We understand, David, and we’re sorry about the miscommunication. She honestly probably forgot she had the knife on her. Yesterday was a pretty bad day. You already know we wrecked and got surrounded by a horde of infected but we’d also been attacked by a group of uninfected people before that happened. So much happened yesterday we’re still processing it all. Please, search away.”
“I appreciate that, Hallelujah, and I’m sorry you had such a rough time before we found you. I’m very glad our paths merged and we were able to help you in your time of need, particularly your friend, Pimjai. I hear she’s doing well now. I don’t even want to think what would have happened if we didn’t come along your group when we did.” David nodded to the guards standing by, giving the order for them to do the search.
Hal directed a stern look to Damian, then Elijah, silently commanding their obedience while the guards did as ordered. He spread his feet apart and raised his hands, allowing them to search him thoroughly. He held his breath as they did the same to Damian and sent up a silent thanks to the heavens above when the man with a short fuse when it came to sass managed to hold his tongue. Elijah shifted a little uncomfortably as he was searched but the three of them made it through the ordeal.
“Thank you,” David said. “We just had to be sure.”
“We understand,” Hal assured him. “Is there anything else needed of us?”
“No, and it’s Sunday so this is a rest day,” David answered. “Feel free to get to know the rest of the community. No jobs today so everyone will be available to you. John will be in the church if you choose to participate in bible study which we encourage.”
“Wonderful,” Hal said. “We’ll be on our way now.”
He led Damian and Elijah through the house, down the front porch and past the guards posted along the perimeter before he released the curse he’d been holding inside in an angry growl.
“That was close,” Elijah said.
“Yeah,” Damian agreed. “I’m pretty sure they probably had people searching our bunks too while we were in that meeting.”
“Oh, they definitely had people searching the bunks,” Hal said. “That’s why we hid our blades along our walk last night.”
“So what do we do now?” Damian asked. “They got Leah locked up and you know damn well what they’re doing to her. They don’t treat people like prisoners here my juicy black ass. They’re treating her worse. We have to save her, Hal.”
Hal stopped walking and turned toward Damian, bringing him and Elijah to a stop. He did a quick scan to ensure no one was watching them before he stepped in close. “The first thing we’re going to do is calm down so we can think clearly. They have her locked up and we need to get her out. Those are facts. Sadly, it’s also a fact that we have no clue where she is at, we are outnumbered, and they have guns. Hell, they have our guns. We can’t just react. If we lose our heads Leah could lose more than that. Do you understand?”
Damian nodded as his eyes glistened with wetness and tears spilled over. He swiped the moisture away and took a deep breath, straightening his shoulders as he steeled himself. “We have to come up with a plan quick. You know what they’re doing to her. I can’t just let it happen.”
“I know.” Hal squeezed his shoulder. “I know. That’s why we’re going to spend this restful Sunday taking a long walk, getting to know the community, and by getting to know the community I mean mapping out this property. We need to find out where she is before we can do anything.”
“Um, guys.” Elijah raised his hand. “Anybody wanna clue me in on what they’re doing to her? It sounds like you’re saying they’re doing more than just talking to her like David said.”
“Conversion therapy,” Hal told him. “They’re trying to turn her straight.”
Elijah blinked. “Huh? Can that
even be done?”
“No,” Damian answered. “And it’s not the type of therapy you’re thinking of. It’s torture. Mental, physical, sometimes even sexual abuse under the guise of saving someone’s soul or trying to cure what these people consider to be a mental illness. It’s all bullshit. It’s just torture and the longer they have her the more damage they can do to her. There’s no way they gave her the option to leave. They saw what they considered a filthy sin or a mental disease and they want to cure her, to cleanse her.”
“That’s messed up,” Elijah said. “So, was Elsie lying about what happened?”
“I’m sure there was an altercation,” Hal answered, “but I think it went down way differently. I can see her refusing a dress if she didn’t want to wear one and I can even see her lashing out at Elsie if pushed. I can’t see her not wanting to meet right back up with us last night or miss dinner. I don’t see her attacking someone here and wanting to stay. They definitely lied to us. If she attacked anyone here it was because she was under attack herself.”
“And if she was under attack she would try to get to us,” Damian added. “Whether to get help from us or just warn us, she would find us. I don’t think she was ever given the chance. I think they put her in isolation last night. That’s why she missed dinner and didn’t even visit Pim.”
“Pim,” Hal said, remembering the twins. “Anything we do out here will affect Pim, and Janjai too since there’s no way she’s leaving her sister.”
“We can’t just let them torture Leah,” Elijah said.
“That’s been established,” Hal told him. “However, we have to be discreet. We have to find her and get her out of here without anyone knowing. Pim is in no condition to leave here with us and we can’t have anything blow back on her. She needs medical care. She needs this place.”