Land of the Dogs (Book 1)

by S. L. Rowland

  In the next classroom, people were training at knife fighting. Mike stopped. “They use dull blades. The best way to learn to fight with a knife is by practice. We try to conserve bullets where we can; we haven’t figured out how to manufacture our own yet. Occasionally someone gets stabbed, but most days, everything goes smoothly.”

  At the end of the hall was the cafeteria. It was empty except for the workers in the kitchen. There were rows and rows of white plastic tables with red chairs. Mike took them back to the kitchen. About twenty people were hard at work making lunch for the day. A few kids peeled potatoes and chopped onions at a table. Several women stirred pots and mixed various dishes together in metal bowls. “We have a connection out west that provides us with all the gas we need to cook. It’s a pretty good deal. I’m not gonna tell you what we have to do to get it, though.”

  This knowledge gave Simon an uneasy feeling. How many different camps could there be? Hope was still sticking tight to the two of them, uneasy himself.

  “Do you all spend every waking minute doing work?” asked Simon.

  “Ha. Not quite. After dinner, all work for the day is done, minus those who clean the kitchen. Some nights, people do as they wish, tonight though, tonight there will be entertainment,” said Mike, smiling.

  “What kind of entertainment?” asked Claire.

  “I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but it will be like nothing you have ever seen.” The way his eyes lit up when he said it reinforced the ill feelings Simon had. Something was happening tonight. Something they wanted no part in. “There are still a few more things to show you. Follow me.”

  They exited the kitchen and went down another hall. “This is where most of the general laborers sleep. The rooms are rather large, so we set up a lot of beds, military style.” There were roughly twenty beds in each classroom. They stepped outside and then into another hall. “We call this the pleasure hall. It’s where we go to see the escorts in our free time. And the rooms on the end are reserved for married couples who want a little time for themselves, if you know what I mean.” He gave a wink to Claire. “You know, you could be one of the most popular escorts, if you wanted,” he said again.

  Claire ignored the comment, but Simon could see her stiffen. When she didn’t answer, Mike moved in close, staring down at her and licking his lips. Simon was about to intervene when Hope bit Mike on the back of the leg, causing him to yell out in pain. “What the fuck? Get that dog away from me before I kill it.” Hope was barking ferociously. A high-pitched bark that dared Mike to attack.

  “Are you okay?” asked Simon, laughing a little. “Looks like he really got you good.” Blood was beginning to soak through Mike’s pants.

  “Fuck off,” said Mike. “Go wait in the dining room until lunch is ready. Fucking shits.”

  They turned and left Mike alone as he tried to walk towards a bathroom at the end of the hall.

  Simon and Claire waited in the dining room for a while before anyone showed up. When the door opened, it was Justice.

  “Hey, fuckheads. Listen up. I like you, because you brought me the good coffee. But you better get that goddamned cocksucking dog under control. If he bites another one of my men, both you and him will be in the games tonight. You hear?”

  “Sorry. It won’t happen again,” said Claire.

  “Good. You got your one warning. We don’t play that three strike you’re out shit around here,” he said. “People should be showing up for lunch in a few minutes. I suggest you find a table in the corner and keep to yourselves. When lunch is over, you are free to walk around outside of the school until dinner. Don’t try anything stupid. We’ll have dinner together and watch the games. Then, we’ll talk about your family.” He left without waiting for a reply.

  “There is something going on with this place. I don’t understand what, but I know it’s not good. And these games. What do you think it all about?” Simon asked. He made a makeshift leash out of the rope in his bag and looped it around Hope’s neck. Hope bit at the leash, not wanting any part of it.

  “Not sure, but I have a feeling it has something to do with those cages in the gym,” she said. The doors opened again. This time, people entered ready to eat lunch. Everyone went to the back and stood in line. The cooks brought the food out and one by one, people began filling their plates. “We should move. Like he said.” Simon and Claire grabbed their bags and went to a table near the back wall. Hope followed along, continuously nipping at the leash.

  Nearly a hundred people had shown up for lunch. “I bet the others are out working or something,” said Simon. “Or maybe their numbers were exaggerated, you think?”

  “I doubt it. I don’t see many warriors or scouts here. These guys just seem like normal people to me,” said Claire. “I’ll go fix us a plate if you wait here with Hope.”

  Claire came back a few minutes later with two small plates of food. They had potatoes, green beans, and eggs. “Apparently, they don’t get a portion of the meat from the Farm.”

  “At least they get eggs though,” said Simon. “You would think that with all of this land, they might try to start farming on their own.”

  “You would think,” said Claire.

  Lunch didn’t last long. People ate and returned to their work. No one really talked while they ate. For the most part, the dining room was silent but for the footsteps of people going to drop off their trays and the scrape of silverware against plastic.

  “So I guess we wait outside for a few hours?” asked Simon.

  “Seems that way. At least we can get some rest,” she said.

  After everyone had left, they got up and placed their trays with the others. The midday heat had begun to radiate outside. The wind had quit blowing and for a moment, the clouds receded overhead. Simon found a stick and tossed it across the field. Hope went running after it. For a moment, at least, they were able to relax. The threat was on the inside of the school, and they were in a quiet place of solitude between the school and the outside world. The hours passed quicker than they expected. They walked around the perimeter of the building, inspecting the grounds. A guard stood outside every accessible entrance. Many were chained off so no one could enter. They picked a spot in the shade of the building and took a nap.

  Hours passed as they slept in the shade before a young girl came running towards them. Her black hair was cut in a short bob. “Justice sent me to come find you. Dinner is almost ready,” she said.

  When they arrived, everyone had just sat down with their food. Nearly twice as many people had filled the cafeteria as before. More men clothed in black had joined. They all sat together at three long tables. They were loud and raucous. A completely different mood than at lunch. With them sat the escorts. They were scantily clad, most only wearing a bra and panties. They draped themselves over the men and kissed their necks. At a table near the back sat Justice. He was with Jealous Mike and two other men. One had long brown hair pulled into a bun and a long beard. The other had a flattop of short blond hair. Justice waved Simon and Claire over when he saw them.

  “We aren’t going to spoon feed it to you, if that’s what you’re waiting for,” he laughed.

  “We were just taking it all in is all,” said Simon.

  “I feel you. The boys like to have fun when they get back from a long trip. They were out there for six days this time. They’ll be glad for tonight. I’ll tell you that. Go ahead and fix you some food. We have pork tonight. Enjoy it, we worked hard for it.”

  They went and fixed their plates. Dinner was pork chops with mashed potatoes, sliced tomatoes, and squash. When they returned to the table, everyone had left except for Justice. “They had to go finish setting up. Tonight is going to be a good one.”

  “What happens exactly?” asked Simon.

  “I don’t want to ruin all the excitement. You’ll just have to wait and see,” said Justice. He grinned big and wide, his gold tooth gleaming.

  They ate in silence for a few minutes.

&nbs
p; “Tell me about yourselves,” said Justice. “Where are you from and how did you end up here?”

  “We are from around here. I went to high school in the next town over.” Simon went on to tell him about the pier and waking up in a world where everything was different.

  “That’s interesting. Maybe this whole thing isn’t real at all and we are all just living inside your head,” he laughed. “Wouldn’t that be some shit? And what about you, pretty thing? How did you go missing to begin with?”

  “I’d rather not talk about it,” said Claire.

  “Fair enough. We all have our secrets.” When they were finished eating, Justice spoke again. “Go drop your trays off and follow me. The games are about to begin.”

  Simon, Claire and Justice were the last to arrive in the gymnasium; Hope followed on his leash. The sun had begun to set and pyres were set up in metal trash cans all around the gym. The light jumped and flickered, casting eerie shadows across the gym as people’s bodies danced and swayed across the walls and ceiling. Everyone had taken their seats in the bleachers. A hush fell over the crowd as Justice entered.

  “Take note, kids. That is the sound of respect,” Justice spoke as they walked across the old basketball court. Aside from the click of boots across the floor, all that could be heard was the crackling of the fire and moaning of the undead in their cages. There was an open section on the front row. “Sit here. I would hold on to that dog if I were you.”

  Simon and Claire took a seat on the bleachers. It was an odd sensation for Simon, sitting in a gym after all that had happened the past few days. It seemed so normal, minus the groans of the dead. Claire picked up Hope and held him in her lap. He licked at her fingers in memory of the pork chops. Justice walked to the middle of the gymnasium and all eyes were focused on him. An enclosed arena stood before the people of the High School. Two gates were on each side. The rest was chain-link fence about four feet high. In the center of the makeshift arena, the decal of the Brownwood Huskies was faded across the floor. The once white fangs now had yellow and brown stains.

  “We are gathered here tonight,” his voiced echoed across the silent gym, “not only for entertainment, but to show you the path that comes to those who do not fulfill their promises. Each of you who live here have promised to carry your own weight, to do as much work as you can to make sure that we all live. We are a machine. And in order for this machine to operate fully, all parts must work together. Bring out the first combatant.”

  Simon could see Jealous Mike down by the cages. He opened the door to one and had an extendable claw that held the undead man by the neck, keeping him and his thrashing arms at bay. Mike guided him out towards the arena. “This is James Dunbar,” said Justice. “He was taking a nap instead of taking inventory when the scouts returned last week. For that and all crimes we do not know about, he was punished. And now he will fight. Bring out the dog.”

  A door opened behind the cages. Through it walked a man guiding a giant Rottweiler. The man walked the dog over to the arena and unleashed him. The dog ran to Justice and licked his fingers. Her muscles flexed in the candlelight. A massive beast, she weighed over one hundred pounds, and all of it was muscle. “I’m sure many of you remember Daisy, here. Tonight, she will be my judgment.” Justice patted her on the head, leaned down, gave her a kiss on the head, and left the arena. Daisy paced around inside, uneasy; she could sense the undead man approaching. Mike brought James to the fence, opened the gate, and released him inside. Daisy began to growl at James as he stumbled around the arena. James pressed against the fence, reaching towards the crowd. People gasped and children and women screamed. Daisy lunged at him and took a bite of rotting flesh out of his leg. Yellow pus flowed freely onto the ground and the crowd began to cheer. Daisy dropped the rotten meat to the ground, her muzzle now tainted yellow.

  “Get him, Daisy,” said a man.

  “Rip his throat out!” yelled a woman.

  James turned towards Daisy now. He had realized that she was attacking him. He lunged at her but she was too fast and he stumbled. She bit his hand and he lost two fingers.

  Justice had come and sat next to Simon and Claire. “This is how we deal with those who don’t perform,” he said. “It teaches a lesson and offers entertainment at the same time.”

  “Do you really think this is a good idea?” asked Simon. “What if it got over the fence?”

  “We all have guns. Well, most of us. It wouldn’t be a problem to take them out.”

  The crowd cheered as Daisy separated James’s head from his body. Mike walked in and stabbed the brain with a knife. Daisy was escorted out of the arena to the applause of the crowd.

  Simon had so many questions. “How did he die?” he asked.

  “I killed him,” said Justice, nonchalantly, with the same effortlessness he might say, ‘I burnt the toast’ or ‘I can’t find the keys.’ “He knew the rules when he showed up. Everyone does. You want to live here, to be protected, then you pull your weight. That is all I ask. He betrayed me. He betrayed the people he lives with. Everyone is given plenty of time to rest, to relax, to fuck the night away if they wish. And all you have to do is give your best. So there is no excuse to sleep on the job. I found him sleeping. I confronted him. Then, I stabbed him in the gut. And now he entertains the masses. And you saw how they cheered. They loved it. Loved it.”

  “You don’t think you could have given him a second chance?” asked Simon.

  “This was his second chance. He survived this far. He made it through two years of this shit. He had all the chances he needed up until then. Just because you think you’ve found a safe place doesn’t mean you get to slack off. This could all fall apart at any time if people get lazy.” Justice stood up. “I have to go introduce our next combatant.” Mike had escorted Daisy back out of the gym. James’s body parts were still lying on the floor.

  Justice went into the arena and again a hush fell over the crowd. “Our next combatant is Kelly Nishiki. She didn’t think we fed her enough.” Whispers started amongst the crowd. “Have any of you ever gone hungry within these walls?” he asked. The crowd yelled ‘Nooo’ and ‘You’re good to us, Justice.’ “She was caught taking a bag of chips back to her room. Chips that were not hers to take. For this and all the crimes we don’t know about, she was punished.”

  Mike opened another gate and brought a stumbling woman across the gym. She was overweight. Pus seeped from a half-moon carved across her stomach. She had been wearing a dress when she died, but it was now torn off below her breast. Her white panties were stained yellow and brown from the seeping pus.

  Simon leaned over to Claire while Justice introduced the next dog. It was a red and white husky. “This is screwed up, right?”

  “Of course it’s screwed up. We need to find out what he knows about Mom and Dan and get the hell out of here,” she said.

  A husky named Braveheart had been led into the ring and was howling at Kelly as she shambled across the arena. When she turned to lunge at the crowd, Braveheart grabbed her by the foot and pulled her off her feet. She fell to the hard gym floor with a thud. Her head cracked against it and she lay there unmoving. The crowd roared.

  “Well, that’s some shit. Never seen that happen before,” said Justice, who had just returned to his seat. “Humpty dead girl, sitting on a ledge, she fell off and bust her head.” He walked back to the arena, ready to introduce the next combatant.

  Justice paused a minute and addressed the crowd. “This is our last combatant of the day. Many of you may recognize him from outside these walls. He has been a plague on this community ever since he started his own nearly two years ago. He thought he was safe behind his walls. He thought he was smarter than us. He thought we would forget. But we never forget. I never forgot. Bring out William Rivers.” Jealous Mike opened the cage and brought a man in a suit towards the arena. His neck showed the open wound that had killed him. He wore a gray suit, caked with dried blood. As he came closer, Simon and Claire realized it wa
s the Mayor.

  “I knew we should have went back,” Claire said to Simon. “Now look what has happened.”

  “Are you saying this is my fault? I had no idea. There is nothing I could have done anyways.”

  “You don’t know. We could have tried.” Her face was contorted with anguish.

  “And what? Maybe ended up like him,” said Simon.

  When the Mayor was near the arena, Justice spoke again. “For those of you who don’t know, this man was once my brother-in-law. His wife, my dear sister, thought that I could protect her and her daughter better than her husband. So she came to me for help. She didn’t feel safe in the outpost William had made. She said she didn’t trust some of the people living there around her daughter. I welcomed them here with open arms, but William wanted me to make them leave. He wanted me to send them back to a place they did not feel safe. I refused. I refused to let him in after he began acting irrational, so he said he would take them back, by force if necessary. One night, he and a few of his men cut through the fence and tried to sneak my sister and niece out of here. We started shooting. We thought we were under attack. This drew the undead toward us. In all of the confusion, someone shot my sister in the neck.” Justice paused, a look of pain and heartache on his face. “She died and then came back. When she did, she ripped her daughter to shreds and nearly killed William, but he escaped.” He paused and looked out over the crowd. “He killed his wife. He killed his daughter. For these crimes, he must be punished.” There was anger in Justice’s voice. Real anger. Hatred. The Mayor was dead and yet the fire still burned inside Justice. So much that he called off the dog when it was being brought out. “I’ll handle this one myself.” He took off his gun and laid it on the floor. He had a knife strapped to the outside of his leg that he removed from its sheath. “Let him in.”

  Mike released the Mayor into the arena and the crowd offered a collective gasp. The Mayor immediately went into a frenzy and rushed towards Justice. Justice brandished his knife and moved with such speed that it cut clean through the Mayor’s shoulder, severing his right arm from his body. The crowd didn’t cheer for this fight. It was something they had never seen. Justice kicked him to the floor and waited for the next attack. Again he slashed at the Mayor. This time removing his left arm at the elbow. He jumped on the Mayor and pinned him to the ground. Using the knife, he pried the Mayor’s mouth open and ripped his lower jaw off, splashing the first row with stinking pus. Justice stood up and faced the crowd. “This man deserves far worse than I have given him. Worse than I could give him in a thousand lifetimes.” He turned back towards the Mayor and with the heel of his boot, caved his head in.