“Went to work?” Nick said.
“I built a good team of people around me,” Mackenzie said. “We fought hard to put a major dent in the Resistance. It’s a waste of time fighting against the inevitable. Work with them and they’ll reward you. We captured many prisoners and brought them here to gather information. They all believed they could escape, every last one of them. It was a problem. And so they took great personal risks to try and get back to the fight.”
Mackenzie’s expression darkened.
“I lost some good people during those escape attempts,” he said. “One very good friend of mine in particular died at the hand of reckless fools trying to escape through that window.”
Mackenzie pointed to something that looked like a red wine stain on the cream carpet. The circular-shaped blemish had formed a few feet from the window ledge.
“In my experience,” Mackenzie said, walking slowly towards the window, “it’s fear that makes a model prisoner. They have to be afraid of you, of what you’ll do. We learned that the hard way. Nonetheless we learned.”
“We’ll be quiet,” Crazy Diamond said. Her voice trembled. “We’re not going to try and escape. There’s nowhere to go anyway, you’ve made it clear.”
Mackenzie looked out of the window for while. Beyond his reflection in the glass, a fog of darkness had swallowed the San Antonio skyline. There was nothing but a black desert to look at.
“That’s what the Resistance said,” Mackenzie said. He turned around and walked slowly back to the table, the bodyguards following his every move. “Almost word for word. All the prisoners say it.”
“We promise,” Crazy Diamond said. “We…”
“I don’t believe you,” Mackenzie said, cutting the young woman off. “I’ve seen what desperation does to people in here. I can see it in your eyes now. You’d be fools not to try something. Cowards even – and I don’t think you are cowards. You’ll charge at the guards, try the window, steal a weapon – the point is you’ll try something. Only fear can stop you. On top of that, you’re the most valuable guests I’ve ever had. I can’t risk losing Rachel. That means I have to scare you.”
Mackenzie turned back to his ‘guests’.
“And so back to the game.”
“To hell with your game,” Nick said. “We won’t play.”
‘The girl doesn’t play,” Mackenzie said, pointing at Rachel. Then he looked at Cody and smiled. “Daddy’s out too, at least for now. The rest of you are in.”
Mackenzie walked around the table, bringing the bodyguards with him. They stopped behind Nick, Crazy Diamond and Richards.
“Stand up players,” he said.
They didn’t move. Mackenzie clicked his fingers and the bodyguards stepped forward with their rifles pointing at the trio.
“It’s easier if you just stand up,” Mackenzie said. “Less messy.”
Crazy Diamond and Nick looked at one another, both seemingly unsure. There weren’t many options left unless they wanted to find out what Mackenzie meant by messy. It was Nick who gave the nod, signaling to the others to get to their feet. Crazy Diamond stood up alongside him. Richards hesitated, but upon seeing Nick and Crazy Diamond get up, he did likewise.
There was a manic glint in Mackenzie’s eyes as he looked at them. Cody could feel a sinister excitement bubbling up underneath the cool surface.
Mackenzie glanced at the bodyguards.
“Is Michael outside?” he said.
“Yes he is,” one of the women said. Her voice was booming, like a warning bark.
Mackenzie turned back to the three captives. “Good,” he said. “Tell him to bring the boxes in.”
The bodyguard nodded and walked towards the door.
“It’s not much of a game,” Mackenzie said. He sounded genuinely apologetic. “But it’s a surefire way of making a point.”
Cody looked at his three companions. There was a tight knot forming in his stomach and his palms felt sweaty. He couldn’t think of any way to help them. But he had to do something – he didn’t know what Mackenzie had in mind but he shuddered at the possibilities.
“Look,” Cody said. “You don’t want us to try anything. I get it. Why don’t you just handcuff us to the table or something? How about that?”
“You don’t think we tried that?” Mackenzie said. “That’s not pleasant for anyone involved. Some of the prisoners used to deliberately piss and shit themselves just to spite us. No thanks. The game is much more effective.”
The bodyguard opened the office door. With a curt nod, she gestured to someone outside and seconds later, a clean-shaven man in a dark suit walked through the open doorway. He carried three cardboard boxes in his arms, all piled on top of one another.
The man set the boxes down on the floor. He lifted the top two off and spread them out evenly so that they formed a straight line. Bending over, he ran a hand over the surface of each box, as if to check they were thoroughly sealed. When that was done he gave a thumbs up sign to Mackenzie.
“Good,” Mackenzie said. “You can go Michael.”
Michael nodded and took off in a hurry.
Mackenzie turned back to the captives.
“The rules are simple,” Mackenzie said. “Three boxes. Three people. Two of the boxes are empty – you’ll find nothing but air in those boxes. One box however, isn’t empty. If you find yourself sitting in front of an empty box, congratulations – you’re a winner. But if your box isn’t empty, well I’m sorry. You lose the game.”
“And if you lose?” Nick said.
“You die,” Mackenzie said.
There were loud gasps across the room.
“That’s the shittiest game I’ve ever heard of,” Nick said. “Don’t you have Monopoly or something else? Operation? Snakes and Ladders?”
Cody let go of Rachel’s hand and jumped to his feet. “Are you crazy man?” he said to Mackenzie. “You’re going to kill one of us?”
“You’re not involved,” Mackenzie said. With a curled finger, he beckoned for Nick, Crazy Diamond and Richards to move towards the boxes. “I think I’ve explained everything clearly,” he said.
“Don’t do this,” Crazy Diamond said. “Enough people have died already today.”
“Almost,” Mackenzie said. “One more to go.”
He pointed to the three boxes lying on the floor.
“Sit down over there please,” he said. “Cross-legged, in front of whatever box you feel most drawn to.”
Still, nobody moved.
Mackenzie sighed. “Walk over there, sit down beside a box or my guards will shoot all three of you. Remember this, you’re not necessary to my plans. Not one of you. What I’m offering here is the chance for two of you to live through this. You should be thanking me.”
Cody felt helpless sitting on the sidelines. His arms were wrapped around Rachel who in turn, had her arms wrapped around Bootsy.
“Dad,” Rachel said, looking back at him. “What’s going to…?”
“Shhh,” Cody said, pressing a finger onto her lips.
Nick was the first to walk over to the row of cardboard boxes on the floor. He glared at Mackenzie every step of the way.
Crazy Diamond and Richards followed him.
They stood in front of the boxes, like divers standing on a cliff edge.
“Don’t overthink it,” Mackenzie said. “That’ll drive you mad. You’ve reached the starting point – well down. Now just sit down. Trust your instinct.”
“Easy for you to say,” Cody said.
They took their places. Nick sat down in front of the box on the far left. Crazy Diamond took the one on the far right, while Richards lowered his ageing body next to the one in the middle.
“That’s good,” Mackenzie said. “This is starting to bring back so many happy memories.”
Nick threw Mackenzie a hateful look. “So what now Bob Barker?” he said. “Do we just open the damn thing?”
Mackenzie clapped his hands together in mock praise. “Brav
o Nick,” he said. “I knew you’d be the one to start us off. And to answer your question, yes that’s all you have to do. And when you’ve done it, show everyone else in the room what’s inside your box. It really is a simple game.”
“Yeah,” Nick said.
“Can you at least take Rachel out of the room?” Cody said, calling over to Mackenzie. “She doesn’t need to see this.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Rachel said. She turned around and he was shocked at the stubborn look on her face.
“You’ll go if I tell you to go,” Cody said.
“There’s no time for that,” Mackenzie said. He was still looking at his players sitting on the floor. They looked like death row inmates waiting for their turn on the electric chair. “Besides Cody,” he said. “Don’t underestimate a child’s capacity to endure the horrors of this world. In my experience, it’s the adults who crumble first.”
Mackenzie walked up behind Nick. He gave the pilot a pat on the shoulders and Nick flinched at the sudden contact.
“Get it over with Nick,” Mackenzie said. “You go first.”
“I hope you’re enjoying this,” Nick said.
He looked at the box in front of him. Tentatively, he began to pick at the layer of Scotch tape that clung to the side of the box, peeling back a long thin strip of the transparent material. When that was done, he scrunched the tape up and threw it to the side.
Nick took a deep breath. Slowly, he lifted up the flaps of the box and looked inside. The following seconds lasted forever. Cody’s heart was racing and he could feel a pool of sweat forming at his brow.
Nick’s shoulders visibly sagged. His hands were shaking.
Cody feared the worst.
But when Nick lifted up the box, it was empty.
“Congratulations,” Mackenzie said.
“Fuck you,” Nick said. His voice was trembling slightly. “You sick, twisted son of a bitch – I hope you’re getting your rocks off.”
“Next,” Mackenzie called out.
It was Richards’ turn. The old man gave Nick a sad smile as he pulled back the Scotch tape on the cardboard box.
Richards swallowed hard. He tilted his head forward and looked inside.
His expression was blank
“It’s empty,” he said.
“Show me,” Mackenzie said.
But Richards didn’t lift the box to show anyone. He was looking at Crazy Diamond, who was sitting to his right. He reached over and took the young woman’s hand in his own.
Mackenzie leaned over Richards and stole a glance inside the box.
“Congratulations old man,” he said. “Looks like that reunion with your wife will have to wait.”
Richards didn’t react. He was still looking at Crazy Diamond. There was a calm expression on her face and Cody wondered if she was still in shock. To look at Richards’ face, anyone would have thought he’d just lost the game.
“The final box is a formality,” Mackenzie said. “Ah what the hell, we’ll open it up anyway.”
Richards squeezed Crazy Diamond’s hand. “You don’t have to,” he said.
“Open it,” Mackenzie said, taking a step towards Crazy Diamond. “Remember what happens if you don’t comply.”
Crazy Diamond released her hand from Richards’ grip. She opened up the last box, digging into the cardboard with her fingernails. Her stoic mask crumbled. There were tears in her eyes as she pulled back the tattered flaps.
She looked inside the box.
“You know the rules,” Mackenzie said. “Show the room.”
“Fuck you,” Crazy Diamond said. But she lifted the box anyway, tilting it in mid-air so that Cody and everyone else in the room could see a small flower sitting at the bottom of it.
“It’s a white stargazer lily,” Mackenzie said. He turned around, as if he was giving a presentation to the rest of the onlookers. “That’s one of several stargazers I laid over my wife and daughter’s grave. It means the soul of the departed has had its innocence restored.”
Mackenzie looked at Crazy Diamond. “I’m sorry,” he said.
Crazy Diamond dropped the box. She sat on the floor with her face buried in her trembling hands.
“Jesus Christ,” Cody said, standing up. “She’s just a kid Mackenzie. She’s twenty years old!”
Mackenzie clicked his fingers. The two bodyguards walked over and stood at Crazy Diamond’s back. They looked over at their boss, waiting for the next command.
“Hold on a minute,” Nick said. He stood up with his hands in the air like he was surrendering. “Let’s talk about this man. We can…”
“Don’t waste your time Nick,” Mackenzie said. “Or mine. It’ll only make things worse. She won’t feel a thing.”
Cody saw Nick’s massive hands clench into tightly coiled fists.
“You motherfucker,” Nick said. “I won’t let you do it. I’m not going to just stand here and let you kill her.”
“Pick her up,” Mackenzie said.
The two guards pulled Crazy Diamond up to her feet and dragged her towards the door.
Nick jerked forwards, as if to run after them. The guards saw it and one of them turned her gun on the pilot.
“Don’t Nick,” Crazy Diamond said. Her face was damp and tearstained. “It’s going to be okay.”
Rachel was still sitting down, watching events unfold with a horrified look on her face. She looked back and forth between Cody and what was happening with Crazy Diamond.
“Mackenzie!” Cody yelled. “Don’t do this. For God’s sake.”
“What’s everyone complaining about?” Mackenzie said. “They played the game, knowing full well what was going to happen.”
He turned back to the guards. “Put her up against the wall.”
The bodyguards led Crazy Diamond over to the door. Crazy Diamond didn’t resist. They pinned her up against the wall and took a step back, their rifles pointing at her.
Nick was pacing back and forth like a caged lion. He was shaking his head furiously.
“You’re going to kill a girl?” he said. “You need to make a point about escaping right? Okay, shoot me instead. I’ll swap boxes. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Mackenzie smiled and shook his head.
“It’s a bit late to start playing the tough guy Nick,” Mackenzie said. “And just in case you hadn’t noticed, this isn’t one of your B-movies. Spare us the heroics.”
Crazy Diamond stood with her back up against the wall, looking through a gap in between the two guards. “Nick,” she said. “Just leave it.”
“No I won’t leave it,” Nick said. Cody had never seen his friend so close to tears before. As a child actor, Nick Norton had been notorious with casting agents for his inability to cry on cue. It had cost him jobs but Nick had always taken a strange macho pride in this particular trait. He didn’t cry when he got divorced many times over. He didn’t cry when his Mom died.
But he was close now.
Cody looked at Rachel. She was up and standing beside him now. He reached down and wiped a tear off her cheek.
“I can make it right,” Nick said, pleading with Mackenzie. “Shoot me for God’s sake. Make an example out of me. That girl’s got a life ahead of her.”
Mackenzie slow clapped his hands.
“That was beautiful Nick,” he said. “You’re full of great speeches today. And do you know what? I believe you. I believe you’d die for her, right here, right now. But we’ve played the game already. Believe it or not, you won.”
Mackenzie turned back to the guards.
“Do it.”
One of the guards pushed Crazy Diamond, forcing her back up tight against the wall. Crazy Diamond looked the guards in the eye, defiant to the end. Her hands were trembling. Sweat was pouring down her forehead. But she wouldn’t look away or close her eyes.
The bodyguards raised their weapons. They took aim.
Mackenzie’s hand was held aloft. He was about to give the final order when Richards, w
ho was still sitting on the carpet, spun around and grabbed Mackenzie’s legs, tipping him off balance and sending him crashing to the floor.
Richards scrambled with remarkable speed and jumped on top of Mackenzie. He wrapped both of his gnarled hands around Mackenzie’s neck and squeezed as tight as he could.
“You bastard,” Richards hissed. “This is for Marianne. This is for all the people you’ve betrayed and killed. You turned against us, you treacherous bastard!”
The two guards hurried over with a shocked look on their faces. It was the first time Cody had seen any hint of emotion from either one of them. So they were human after all. They pointed their rifles at Richards and were just seconds away from blowing the old man’s head off when Mackenzie lifted a hand in the air.
“No!” he said. “Don’t shoot him.”
Richards wasn’t paying attention to anything else. He’d given up on trying to choke Mackenzie into unconsciousness. Now he was throwing a barrage of flimsy punches at the younger man’s face. His eyes were spilling over with hate. He was breathing heavy.
“Bastard, bastard, bastard!”
Mackenzie was laughing.
Richards stopped when he saw this. He straightened up and looked at the man with horror in his eyes. He shook his head.
“You crazy…”
But Richards didn’t get to finish the sentence. Mackenzie pulled his knees towards his chest. Then, launching both feet at the old man’s stomach, Mackenzie kicked out and the old man was hurled backwards across the office.
It looked like he’d been launched straight out of a cannon.
Cody’s jaw dropped. He’d never seen anyone kick another person so far. He thought that Richards, who’d been kicked almost the entire length of the room, was going to crash through the wall and land in the next office amidst a pile of smoking rubble.
“Holy shit,” Nick said.
Richards hit the wall with a howl. He crumpled to the floor in a ragged heap but he wasn’t unconscious. To Cody’s surprise, a fire still burned in the old man’s eyes and he tried to claw his way back to his feet.
“Richards!” Crazy Diamond yelled.
On the other side of the room, Mackenzie stood up and dusted his suit down. He looked over at Cody and grinned.
The Exterminators Trilogy: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Box Set Page 24
