by L. J. Cuff
Claire was taken down from the tree and Owen helped tend to her while she was on the ground.
* * *
Claire was on a bed, her arms still bruised and bloodied. She lifted her hand up to get a better view of the damage but put it down the moment she saw. She felt a deep bitterness growing within her which she was having a hard time shaking. With each passing moment, she thought about how she wished the Beasts would burn the area to the ground.
“Hey Claire, how are you feeling?” Mary asked as she entered the room.
Claire glared at her in response then looked back out the window.
“Well, you’re looking a lot better than you were two days ago,” Mary remarked, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Claire pursed her lips and rolled her eyes.
“Here, the villagers gave me some fresh bread and fruits for you…” Mary offered the small basked of treats.
Claire locked eyes with Mary. “Why are we still here with these… People…” Claire asked.
“Because it’s a safe place for you to recover.”
“I’m well enough to stand on my own… I would rather be anywhere but here…”
“I know how you feel but… It’s just better to be here for a little while…”
“Why? How is it better to be here? Huh? And for that matter, where do you guys always go during the day?”
Mary looked back at the door. She tilted herself backwards to see if there was anyone standing in the hallway then she leaned in close. “We’re helping them with their Beast problem, ok?”
“Why?”
“Because Dennis made a promise and he wishes to keep it.”
Claire glared at Mary. Mary shrugged in response and shook her head. “What do you expect me to do?” She asked.
“Convince him it’s a fruitless endeavor.”
“That won’t work and you know it.”
Claire let out a loud audible sigh then stared out the window. She looked back at Mary and said, “Well? Why are you still here?”
Mary nodded in resignation and stood up. She walked to the doorway and gave one final look back at her friend then left the room.
“Is she ok?” Dennis asked as he saw Mary come down the hall. She gave him a look in response and kept walking. Dennis followed her out to the main courtyard where another car was waiting for them. He looked it over then turned back to the house.
“Are you all set to go again?” Emma asked, offering a handful of provisions.
Dennis slowly nodded. He looked at her then back at the house. “Emma… I’m not entirely sure what’s happened with the Beasts… Why they no longer come or how we can trace them but…” He began.
Emma held up her hand and nodded in agreement. “But you feel it is time for you to go… I understand, neither Mary nor Claire feel this is their place because of what’s happened and I can’t say I blame them…” She gave him the provisions which he accepted. “When you come back this afternoon, we will help you get your things in order so tomorrow morning you can go.”
“Thank you,” Dennis said, loading everything into the car. He drove through the gate back onto the road. He turned the Mary and asked, “So which way should we go today?”
Mary shrugged. “I guess back to the place with the accident again?”
“Then let’s go…” He responded, driving back to the location where the two cars were still interlocked.
Dennis and Mary both stepped out of the car while Owen got into the driver’s seat. They made their way to the Beasts’ car and opened all the doors. Mary sat in the back, lifting up the various objects and inspecting each one when she paused.
“This is fucking pointless,” She said aloud, punching her fist against the seats. She quickly regretted her actions as she brought her hand up to her chest. She hit something hard, not a seat cushion. Kneeling down, she put her hand in between the cushion and the chair and lifted up.
* * *
A car came barrelling into the gate swinging it wide open. People who’d been in the fields harvesting immediately ran towards the nearest shelter. The car came to a stop in front of the house. The driver’s side door swung open and a man stepped out. He stood at well over six feet tall with whatever exposed skin covered in blood red paint. He walked towards the house where Emma stood in front of the door.
“You will find nothing for you here but trouble!” Emma shouted, raising her hand high in the air. Dennis had trained the people to shoot from the windows in case this happened.
The Beast paused, looking up at the second floor of the house. It glanced over its right shoulder and grunted. The passenger door swung open and out stepped a short Beast carrying a machine gun. The Beast returned its attention to Emma.
Emma pursed her lips and tilted her head. Her eyes shot from one Beast to the other but she stood firm. “There is nothing here for you!” She dropped her hand from the air. Blasts emanated from three areas of the house. She spun around, her jaw dropped. A cloud of smoke came from each open window. She turned to another woman who was standing nearby. The other woman immediately ran into the house.
Suddenly, Emma felt a hand over her mouth and she was dragged towards the car. The door was opened in preparation. People came running to try to help but the Beast kept them at bay with its gun. She was loaded into the car and tied to the floor. The Beast climbed into the driver’s seat and revved the engine.
The second Beast got into his seat and the car was put into motion.
“That was almost too easy,” A very familiar voice sounded from one of the Beasts. Emma furrowed her brow, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
The car drove out of the gates when suddenly it flew sideways into a tree. A second car had it pinned so that neither passenger nor driver could effectively depart. Dennis got out of the driver’s side and walked towards the Beasts’ car. He opened the door for Emma and helped her get out, climbing in as she left.
“Hello folks,” He said with a broad smile.
The driver’s side Beast spun around with a wrench which Dennis swiftly dodged. He grabbed the Beast’s wrist and pulled it down, forcing it to let go of its weapon.
“Now let’s see who you truly are,” Dennis said, keeping the Beast’s hand against the back of the chair. The Beast swiftly hit into the second Beast but it did not respond. “Now, now, no need to be shy,” He said, holding out his hand. A white cloth was placed in it which he then used to remove the Beast’s mask and wipe off all the paint.
“What the hell?” Emma shouted out the moment she saw the face coming to light.
Ben cast his eyes downward.
“Get him out of here,” Dennis called out over his shoulder.
As people descended on the front windshield to finish breaking it, Dennis used the opportunity to remove the paint from the second Beast.
“I’d like to say I’m surprised but…” He said looking over Charles’ unconscious face.
The windshield was fully removed and the two men were taken out of their respective seats. They were brought back into the walled area and placed in the middle of the field in front of the house. Emma stood by their sides staring down at them before looking out over the fields. She looked over at Dennis and Mary.
“I can’t believe they were the ones behind this…” She began, watching as people gathered on the other side of the field.
Dennis shook his head. “I don’t think it was only them doing this…” He said, pulling a small metal coin out of his pocket. He offered it to Emma.
“What’s this?” Emma asked, looking it over.
“I’m not sure but…” Dennis responded before pausing as people approached. “They each had one on them…” He continued in a hushed tone.
Emma flipped the coin back and forth. On one side there was what seemed like an A scratched into it with over a dozen small cracks etched into the border. The other side had only a B on it.
“Do they all have this stuff on them?” Emma asked, counting the small lines.
“Here, you can see for yourself,” Dennis said before walking over to Ben who was held in place by two other men. Dennis roughly grabbed him by the shoulder and threw him onto the ground. He climbed onto his back, facing his legs, and began patting down all his pockets.
“You know, this might’ve been easier if he’d been standing,” Emma commented.
Dennis shook his head. “It seems they have special pockets designed on the inside which makes it extremely difficult to notice those.” He pointed towards the coin. “We only found them by chance.”
“You were looking for them though…?” Emma inquired.
“Yes and no… We didn’t know what we were looking for and we had a dead Beast on our hands so I was moving him out of the way but his pants were caught… I was in the process of cutting them off when that fell out… After I held it then I went to the other dead bodies we had and searched them and found their coins as well…” He pointed out before coming across the extra stitching on Ben’s pants.
“You fucking asshole! You’re going to get us all killed! She will send her fucking people to come get us! We’ve been protecting all of you!” Ben shouted at Dennis.
Dennis calmly pulled out his knife and made a slit into the pants, careful to miss Ben’s leg. He pulled out a coin and handed it to Emma, showing her exactly how he found it. “Told you it wasn’t easy,” He remarked before standing up.
Before Ben had a chance to move, the two people who’d been holding him previously moved in.
“Ben, before you get put on trial, I want to know what these are,” Emma asked, holding up the first coin.
Ben pursed his lips and took in a deep breath. “We made a deal with a woman named Abby, we delivered people to her and she would leave us alone. We only sent one a month and we made sure it was only visitors we sent. She was the original person behind the raids. Anyone who held a coin would be safe… For every thirty people, we were supposed to get additional coins…” He began before pausing. He looked around at the gathering crowd before returning his gaze at Emma. “It… Well… It wasn’t exactly the best deal but it kept Abby at bay so…” He shook his head and glanced over at the swaying trees. He looked over at Emma. “I’m so sorry for what we did… We felt it was our only option… She threatened to destroy us unless we gave her more but…” He took in a long, drawn out breath. “I really did try to keep us safe but there’s no way to defend against her… Our best bet is to give our guests and abandon our homes…”
“Emma!” A short man near the door to the house shouted out.
Emma turned to look at him and nodded in his direction.
“I’ve got them on the radio!” He said, pointing to the door.
Emma nodded and turned from Ben, she motioned for Dennis to join her.
As soon as they were far enough that Ben could not hear, Dennis turned to Emma and opened his mouth to speak. Emma held up her hand to stop him. “We’ve managed to keep in touch with some other villages in the area. They told me about someone that can help us. I think between you and him, we can stop Abby from coming for anyone else ever again.” She said, leading Dennis into the radio room.
“Thank you, Roy,” Emma said to the short man, waving for him to step out. She sat down at the chair in front of the rather stark looking microphone.
“Hello?” She asked, pushing the first button.
“Hello there, I hear you’re asking for my help,” The man on the other end responded.
“Yes, there is a woman named Abby who-.”
“She is in your area?” The man interrupted, asking incredulously.
“Yes and she’s been causing real trouble for us.”
“I’m afraid you are a bit too far away for us to get to you quickly but we can make it in a few days…”
“What will you need in return?”
“Food, we are not able to harvest anything and we have a lot of mouths to feed.”
“How much food are we talking?”
“Enough to feed fifty people for the coming winter.”
Emma took in a deep breath. She stared down at the microphone then back at Dennis. Dennis shrugged and said, “If they can stop her then give it to them.”
She finally pushed the button and spoke into the microphone. “Fine, if you take care of Abby, we will provide you the food. What is your name?”
“Paul. One of my generals, Darren, will be there in about two days.”
Dennis was floored, he thought he’d heard the last of Paul. He thought they had enough distance that his influence could not reach and yet here he was.
“Dennis? Is everything ok?” Emma asked, standing up and looking at Dennis’ wide-eyed expression.
“Yes, it’s fine…” Dennis responded before walking out of the room.
“Please… If you know him, tell me if I have to worry.” She said, pursuing Dennis down the hall.
Dennis spun around and took Emma by the shoulders. “I’m not sure how Paul will act with you or if he will honor your agreement. I do know that if he finds us here, he will assume you are friends with Abby not enemies and he will destroy all of you.” He pointed to the stairs. “We’re all leaving, that way there’s no problem.”
* * *
Dennis, Mary, Claire, and Owen stepped out of the house with their few possessions and a small assortment of fresh fruits. They watched the trial unfold before them. Emma now stood on the podium while Ben and a woman stood on small step stools under the tree. The same tree that Claire was once attached to was now holding their two nooses.
The four of them walked through the crowd towards the cars but Owen couldn’t bring himself to leave. He stood, watching as Emma read out all the charges against Ben and the woman now identified as Maude.
“We will now vote on your punishment. We will all share in the burden together,” Emma stated into the megaphone.
The crowd applauded as did Owen. Claire stayed beside him but she remained completely silent.
“Should these two be exiled?” Emma shouted.
The crowd fell silent.
“Should they be executed?” Emma asked.
The crowd erupted in cheers. People raised their hands in the air to praise the verdict.
Owen moved through the crowd towards the podium. Emma stepped down and over to the step stools. She put her foot on the first one, under Maude, and took in a deep breath. She looked down at the grass with a small hint of regret but then her expression hardened. She pursed her lips, readied her leg.
“Stop!” Owen shouted, causing Emma to look up. The crowd pulled Owen back, trying to drown him out but they stopped the moment they say Emma’s hand was raised.
“What is it, Owen?” Emma asked, leaving her position behind Maude.
“Please, no more killing…”
“They’re too dangerous to let go around here,” Emma responded, shaking her head.
“Then send them with us… We will get them far away from here before allowing them to leave our side… You will have your help coming with a couple of days,” He said, pointing to Ben. “He will stop being an issue at that time… Please, no more killing…” He pleaded.
Dennis came up beside him and touched his shoulder, trying to pull him away.
“Dennis?” Emma asked, “Are you willing to take these two traitors with you?”
Dennis pursed his lips and furrowed his brow. He glared at Owen then looked back at Ben. He slowly nodded and motioned for them to follow him.
Maude’s and Ben’s nooses were quickly untied and they were led away by their arms causing them to walk sideways. The crowd let out a collective grumble, as if their ability to heal was being taken.
“Are you sure about this?” Mary asked as Dennis passed her. He gave her an expression that provided her answer. She shrugged as she watched Ben and Maude pass by.
The six of them found the van which happened to be near the edge of the parking lot. They syphoned gas from one of the other cars and loaded themselves in. Two people carefu
lly opened the gate, avoiding the infected that were still tied to it, allowing the van to be driven out of the lot.
Dennis pulled out onto the road and announced, “Well, Ben and Maude, you two are in luck… We’re heading to an old army base where I can abandon you in a proper prison…”
Mary turned to glare at him as he began chuckling.
Chapter Four
Dennis basked in the cool breeze coming through the window. It kept him awake, reminding him of how he used to cruise on the Interstate, checking out the dives and views. He was thinking back to his last road trip when he felt the steering wheel shake. He slowly pulled the car over and noticed that everything was shaking.
“What is that?” Ben asked from the back.
“It can’t be them already, can it?” Mary inquired, turning to Dennis from the passenger seat.
Dennis glanced over his shoulder then back at the road. The sun was setting in the distance and he knew he would not be able to see for much longer. He pursed his lips and settled on a small building only a mile away. He sped up down the road, racing towards what turned out to be a hotel.
Just as the van was brought around to the back of the building, the rumbling truck drove past. Dennis took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. He turned to Mary and then the others, “Stay here, I’ll go check if there’s infected.” He reached for the door.
“Not alone, you won’t,” Mary said, quickly opening her door.
Dennis glared back at her, watching as she jumped out her side, shutting the door behind her.
“Well, I guess you have no choice,” Claire observed before climbing out the back.
Dennis sighed audibly and shook his head. He got out of his side and closed the door quietly.
“What about these two?” Owen called out.
“Oh, just leave them there. If they’re smart, they won’t go anywhere,” Dennis responded.
Owen shrugged and left, carefully closing the door, leaving Maude and Ben inside, still tied up.
The four of them approached the front of the motel. Dennis was peering into every window they passed while Mary was watching the woods around them. Claire looked up at the roof of the building.
