Society Lost- The Complete Series

by Steven Bird

  Shaking his head, Jessie swung a leg over his horse’s saddle and hurried alongside his friend, who was leading the palomino as well.

  ~~~~

  Back in the cellar, Paul could see the women were all having a much harder time dealing with the stench than he and Frank. “Frank, I don’t know what it is, but Allison’s nose has always been more sensitive than mine. I think maybe we need to… um… deal with the bucket.”

  Standing, Frank conceded, “I suppose you’re right.” Walking over to Paul, Frank handed him the .38 special snub nose revolver, and said, “Here, you may need this while I’m gone.”

  “Oh, hell no, man. You’re taking that with you, in case you bump into one of those bastards out there.”

  Reaching the gun out again, Frank argued, “And you’re down here with both of my sisters. I say the gun stays wherever they are.”

  Taking it, Paul said, “Yeah. You’re right, Frank. Thanks.”

  “I should be back soon,” Frank said, and he turned to retrieve the bucket.

  “No! Wait!” Tina interrupted. “We can deal with the smell. Don’t go out there, Frank. I can’t bear the thought of losing another family member.”

  “Tina, it’s okay,” Frank replied. “I’ll be fine. But if we’re gonna be able to stay down here for long, we’ve got to be able to deal with our hygiene issues. Besides, we’ve not heard any activity from above for quite some time now, and we need to know what’s going on. Consider it a scouting run, in addition to a dumping run.”

  Running up to Frank and giving him a hug, both Tina and Michelle wished him luck and nervously watched as he slipped through the metal overhead door, carrying their waste bucket along with him.

  Once he lowered the door into place, Tina slid the bolt closed, locking it from within.

  From the back of the room, Paul said, “Have faith in him. We’re only here because of him, anyway. He can handle it.”

  With a chuckle, Michelle joked, “I’d have never thought my weird, big brother Frank would be the one we’d be looking to as our protector someday.”

  ~~~~

  Slipping through the thick, thorn-covered brush surrounding the cellar, Frank paused briefly at the entry point to the cellar, watching and listening carefully before proceeding. Once he was confident there were no threats in the immediate area, he moved the bundle of brush covering the entrance out of the way, slipped out, then packed it neatly back into place.

  Hurrying to the tree line to utilize the visual cover of the woods, Frank began working his way south, away from the home and further onto the property to dispose of his putrid cargo.

  Finding a suitable spot, he pulled his folding camp shovel from his belt and began to dig a hole to bury it in. After a few moments of hitting rock after rock, he began to wonder, is this even necessary anymore?

  Reaching in with his hands to pull a rock out of the way, Frank’s head whipped back as man grabbed him around the neck from behind, lifting him to his feet.

  Unable to breathe, Frank attempted to pry the arm free with his hands, but was simply overpowered. Whispering into Frank’s ear, a voice taunted, “Well, now. What do we have here? You burying your crap, boy? How cute… being the good little Boy Scout and all. Where're your sisters? I’d like to get a hold of that young one. What’s her name again?”

  As Frank began seeing stars from the man’s unrelenting grip, the man continued, “If you tell me where they are before the others get here, I’ll make it easy on you. I’d rather not have to share her. Now, where is that cute little ass?”

  ~~~~

  Working their way through the woods and entering the Williams farm from the furthest back pasture, Isaac reined Buck to a stop and dismounted.

  When Jessie pulled alongside, Isaac pointed to a small stream that meandered through the woods, and said, “Let’s leave the horses tied next to that little creek. That way, they can drink up and we can keep a lower profile on foot. You know how to find the cellar, right?”

  “Yeah, it’s hidden in a large patch of blackberry bushes just up that way a bit,” Jessie indicated, pointing to the north.

  While they worked their way toward the cellar, Jessie turned to Isaac and said, “I see your limp seems to be going away.”

  “Ah, I’m just gettin’ used to walking through the pain. There ain’t nothin’ gettin’ better. I can promise you that. But once your body realizes you aren’t gonna relent, it’ll simply give in and let you do what you’ve gotta do.”

  Smiling at Isaac’s response, Jessie looked to his right to see a doe spring from the bushes almost directly at him. With both he and the deer sharing a bit of a scare and barely missing each other, Jessie gasped, “Holy crap! What the heck was that about?”

  “Somethin’ spooked her, and it wasn’t us,” Isaac said, quickly scanning the area for threats. “She’d have bowled us over to get away from something. We were an obstacle, nothing more. That’s telling.”

  Pointing, Jessie noted, “She came from that way. Whatever spooked her must be that way, too.”

  “Be careful,” Isaac warned. “If it ain’t a man, it may be a bear. Either way, you don’t want to mess with it right now.”

  “Black bears won’t go for a deer, will they?”

  “They usually don’t, but they can. I’d imagine with less human pressure these days. The bears are growing enough in numbers to make them think outside of their routine food supply. I’m not saying it was a bear, I’m just saying, keep an eye out for man or beast. You never know.”

  ~~~~

  Releasing the man’s arm with his right hand, Frank reached into his shirt for the small knife he wore around his neck and kept tied to a section of paracord. Pulling the knife from its sheath, Frank began stabbing the man in the thigh, causing him to release his grip, dropping Frank to his knees.

  “Dammit!” the man bellowed, with his hands over his blood-soaked denim jeans.

  “I was gonna let you die quick, but now, I’m gonna gut you like a deer,” he said through gritted teeth, as he pulled a large bowie-style knife from a leather sheath on his belt. “You wanna knife fight, boy? I’ll give you a knife fight.”

  Leaning his rifle against a tree, the man started working his way slowly toward Frank with the knife in his right hand, leaning forward, as if he was going to pounce on him at any second. He said, “I promise you, this is gonna hurt. You have no idea the pain you’re about to feel when I slice you open, spilling your guts onto the ground right in front of you.

  “Don’t worry, though. I’ll do my best to let you live as long as I can. When I was a kid, my daddy would butcher his hogs alive. He made a game out of seeing how far he could get while it was still alive. He got pretty damn good at it, too. We’d be grillin’ and eatin’ it while it was still shakin’ from the pain. Daddy got a real kick out of that. There is somethin’ about being able to control exactly when something dies, and how much pain it feels. That’s real power. I’m gonna show you that power right now, boy.”

  Scooting backward on the dirt in a feeble attempt to get away from the man, Frank began to open his mouth to scream when an arrow planted itself firmly into the man’s chest, knocking him backward and onto the ground, spilling the contents of Frank’s bucket.

  Lying there on his back, with the spilled contents of Frank’s bucket oozing into his hair, the man gasped his last breath from his blood-filled lungs and fell silent.

  “Frank!” a voice called from the trees and Jessie appeared, carrying the very bow Frank had given him for his journey. Following closely behind Jessie was Isaac, carrying Jessie’s newly acquired AK rifle.

  Running to Frank’s side, Jessie asked, “Are you okay?” while Isaac searched the area with the rifle held at the high ready, looking for others who may have been in the area with Frank’s attacker.

  Seeing Frank nod in reply that he was okay and unable to speak from the adrenaline still pumping through his veins from the attack, Jessie asked, “The others. Where are they?”

&nbs
p; “In… in the cellar. They’re fine,” muttered Frank as he began to collect himself.

  Reaching out his hand to help Frank to his feet, Jessie said, “Let’s get the hell out of here before his friends catch up with him.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Hearing the creak of the old, wooden plank floor under the weight of each footstep on the other side of the door, Shauna recoiled in fear and huddled in the corner of the dark, musty room. Not again. Please, God. Not again.

  As the doorknob turned, the door abruptly swung open, allowing light from the hallway to enter the room. She covered her face and looked away as someone tossed an old pair of men’s work pants and a filthy white t-shirt on the floor in front of her and ordered, “Put these on. Looks like we goin’ on a li’l trip.”

  Recognizing the voice as one of the men who had repeatedly been brutalizing her since her abduction, Shauna reached out, took the clothes, and covered her naked body as best she could with them. Looking at the large, bearded man, who was missing several teeth and looked and smelled like he hadn’t bathed in weeks, she asked sheepishly, “The kids. Where are the kids?”

  “Don’t you worry your purdy li’l head about them kids. We’re gonna take real good care of ‘em. They’s already in the truck,” the man replied. “Now, hurry the hell up and do what you’re told before we gotta come over there and put them clothes on that purdy li’l body for ya.”

  Swallowing her pride, Shauna stood up in front of the man without a stitch of clothes covering her battered body, before slipping on the pants and shirt. “Shoes?” she asked.

  “Hell, girl. You don’t need no shoes. Now git your ass over here,” he sneered, reaching out and taking her by the arm.

  As she was led out of the old house for the first time since her abduction, Shauna covered her eyes with her left arm, shielding them from the sun, while being led by the man, who held a tight grip on her right arm.

  Hearing the familiar voices of the children yell, “Mommy!”, Shauna looked up to see the kids were in the back of a faded gold, rust-covered, mid-eighties Chevy Suburban.

  Instinctively lunging toward them, she was immediately yanked back by the man whose tight grip on her arm was unrelenting. “Whoa!” he warned, squeezing her arm painfully tight.

  One of the men standing beside the Suburban stepped in front of Shauna and her escort, saying, “We’re sure gonna miss you around here. But your presence has been requested elsewhere.” Smiling and rolling a toothpick around between his teeth, the man who appeared to be in his mid to early-forties said, “Yeah, Jacob has big plans for you. It seems some of your folk have really pissed him off. You don’t want to piss off a man like Jacob Hofstadter. No. No, that’s a big mistake. But you’ll find out soon enough.”

  Turning to look at the children in the backseat, he added, “I hope he doesn’t make the kids watch. But he might just be that mad.”

  Looking the man over, thinking back to everyone she’d come across in Aly since arriving in town, Shauna just couldn’t place the man.

  Leaning in close to her, the man whispered in her ear, “Be sure to tell Jacob, Stewart McCullough says, ‘I hope he enjoys his gift’.”

  “Burn in hell,” she snarled through gritted teeth.

  Staring deep into Shauna’s eyes, the man referring to himself as Stewart McCullough could see the fires of hell flickering back at him.

  As an evil grin swept across his face, he said, “Hell, I guess I may need to stay for the festivities myself, then.” Turning his attention back to his men, Stewart said, “Alright, boys. Let’s get on with it.”

  Following his direction, several of the men climbed into the Suburban while others took their positions in the lead and rear vehicles of the three-truck convoy.

  After the twenty-minute drive to the Hofstadter place, the vehicles slowed to a stop and several armed men looked them over. With a nod, they were allowed to pass after an old International 886 farm tractor, being used as a road barrier, was backed out of the way.

  Pulling up to the main house on the Hofstadter property, Jacob and several of his kinfolk stepped out on the front porch to greet the convoy.

  When Stewart and several of the men from the convoy stepped out to greet the Hofstadters, Jacob remarked, “That was quicker than I expected.”

  “No reason to keep a friend waiting,” Stewart replied, and the two shook hands.

  “Where are the rest of your men?” Jacob asked.

  “As you requested most are coming, other than a small crew left behind to keep watch on the place.”

  “Good,” Jacob replied. “Luke here, will take the woman from here on out.” Looking into the backseat of the Suburban, Jacob asked, “What’s with the kids?”

  “They go with the woman,” Stewart insisted. “We don’t have no use for kids at our place, and if you want the woman, well, they’re a package deal.”

  “So be it,” Jacob agreed. “We’ll put them to good use, one way or another.” Turning back toward the house, he yelled, “Lucinda!”

  After a brief moment, a Hispanic woman in her mid-thirties came hobbling out of the home. She walked with a severe limp, but moved quickly as if she was afraid to keep Jacob waiting.

  “Yes, sir,” she whimpered, with her head held low as she approached Jacob.

  “Get these kids inside and get them fed. They can help you with the house for now. But that boy, we’ll end up using him in the stables or something when he’s up for it.”

  “Yes, sir,” she said again, almost bowing before turning to the children who were now being pulled from the Suburban, kicking and screaming.

  With a tear in her eye, Lucinda nodded to Shauna as if she understood the hell Shauna would soon be facing and was personally sorry she couldn’t do more. “I will take good care of them,” she whispered, and a hand struck her across the face.

  “Damn it! Did I tell you to speak to her?” Jacob snarled. “Get them in the house and do as you’re told!”

  Nodding and quickly turning away, Lucinda led the children inside while Jacob directed one of the men to accompany her. “Keep an eye on those kids,” he ordered.

  Turning back to Shauna, Jacob smiled and said, “Take her to the Tree of Penance. It’s time she started paying for the sins of her family.”

  ~~~~

  Kneeling just below the steel overhead door of the cellar, Tina listened carefully to the sounds of rustling weeds and muted footsteps. Hearing a knock on the door, she was startled and jumped back.

  “It’s me, Frank. Jessie and Isaac are here, too.”

  Quickly sliding the bolt of the lock to the side to allow the doors to be opened, she pushed upward while Frank pulled the door open from the outside. When the three men descended into the cellar, Tina looked up the stairs as if she expected Billy to follow.

  Turning to Tina, Frank placed his hand on her shoulder and said simply, “He’s not coming.”

  When Jessie closed the door above them, shutting off the sunlight from the outside, merely the dim light of the candles remained to glint off Tina’s tears.

  Turning to Isaac, Tina asked, “What happened?”, as she became overwhelmed with emotion. “You were supposed to look after him.”

  “I…” Isaac attempted to reply, searching for his words. “I… well… there was nothing I could do.”

  “Who was it?” she demanded in a voice shifting from sorrow to cold steel.

  “The Hofstadters,” he replied.

  “Those sons of bitches,” Paul swore from the corner of the room. “They’ve taken everything from us. We asked them for help, and they betrayed us.”

  “They’re a special breed,” Isaac professed. “Their roots are foul. I don’t think there has been a glimmer of good in them since ol’ Ken Hofstadter killed his daddy. The Good Book says the inequities of fathers will be visited upon the third and fourth generations. They’re a cursed and wretched bunch, for sure.”

  Interrupting the dark and sullen moment, Paul asked, “Shauna? W
here’s Shauna and the kids?”

  “They aren’t at the Hofstadter place,” Jessie replied.

  “No, I’m pretty sure the McCulloughs took them back to their place.”

  “I think we need to get moving,” Paul said, standing and feeling his head throb with pain.

  “We?” Jessie asked. “Are you sure you’re feeling up to it?”

  “It doesn’t really matter,” Paul replied.

  Turning to Frank, Jessie suggested, “Frank. I’d like it if you could stay here with Tina and Michelle while we’re away.”

  “To hell with that!” Tina cried out with rage in her voice. “I’m going too. Those bastards have taken everything from us. I’m not sitting here one more minute while Shauna is still out there. I’m gonna be a part of whatever the hell it is you’re doing.”

  “Me, too!” Michelle added.

  Turning to her sister, Tina said, “No. Please, no. I couldn’t take it if anything happened to you. Mom, Daddy, Billy, no… I can’t lose you, too. Stay here with Frank. If we don’t return, run. Hide. Run as far as you can. Get the hell away from here and let our family live on through you. We can’t let them take us all.”

  When Frank reached over and took Michelle’s hand, she nodded in agreement with her older sister, Tina.

  “If Paul thinks he’s healthy enough to go, I’m going too,” Allison declared, bringing their numbers up to five.

  Griping his wife’s hand, Paul asked, “So, what’s the plan? We’ve let enough time slip away from us as it is. Who knows what they’re going through or how much time they have left.”

  Addressing the entire group, Isaac stated, “First, we’re heading up to my place. Jessie and I acquired three horses. Paul and Allison can double up on one. I’ll ride alone, being the heaviest of the bunch, and Tina can double up with Jessie. Before we can do anything, we’ve got to rearm ourselves. I’ve got several caches of rifles and ammunition hidden throughout my property. Even if they burned my house to the ground, ransacked my outbuilding, and destroyed my barn, they wouldn’t have found those. They’re buried in sealed burial vaults and heavily coated with gun oil. I’m sure they’re in just as good of working order as the day I buried them. Once upon a time, people would have called me crazy for such things. Now, well, thank God I was crazy.”