They all grunted with contented approval. They, Sharon and the mob, moved along through the trees. Slower than Sharon would have liked, but it was the straightest line. Through the woods, over that old man's house, then back through the woods. It would have taken longer to go around.
Sharon thought maybe she should have let her corpses have their way with the house. It took time to crash through it and kill the old man inside. But her flock had enjoyed the show. It gave them inspiration for what was to come. And she had seen the one called Angela go to the old man’s house several times. If she had known who she was at the time, what she was hiding….
But there was no point thinking about it now. She had her army and she knew where and how to destroy Beulah’s plans. And if the old man had been an ally of the woman guarding the children, then it was best that he was dead.
The slow pace of the corpses was almost unbearable. At this rate, they wouldn't reach the town until the following morning. Her human flock would require food and sleep. She hated them for it, but it was necessary.
"Soon, my flock," said Sharon, answering their unspoken longing. "Soon we will have the children. Then we will take them from their hiding place and kill them slowly, one at a time. You'll like that, won't you?"
The flock grunted and moaned in joy. A middle aged man groaned right behind Sharon. She turned her head to look at him as she walked. His shirt was in tatters and his pants completely gone. He was stroking his large erect penis as he walked. He stroked faster and faster.
He moaned again. "When we get the children, can we fuck them?" Faster and faster, he pulled at his cock.
"Of course you can," said Sharon, smiling at him. The man moaned loudly as semen shot out across the snow in front of him.
Sharon turned back and they all kept walking.
She smiled bigger. "We will make the world chaos again."
* * *
Angie looked at the gun, then back at Dr. Graham. He stepped further into the room, keeping the gun trained on Angie.
"Doctor?" said Angie, trying to keep her voice calm so as to not scare the children. She knew it wasn't working.
"I'm sorry it's come to this," said Dr. Graham, looking like he was struggling to keep the gun steady. Like he was struggling to keep his resolve steady. "I tried, I really did."
"What are you talking about?" said Angie, walking in a short circle, hoping Dr. Graham would follow her with the gun. He did. Angie stopped when there were no children behind her.
Dr. Graham looked frustrated, like he couldn't believe Angie didn't understand what was happening. "Sneaking around at night, opening holes in the walls. All those people killed, just to get rid of you!"
Park positioned himself behind Dr. Graham. He nodded at Angie, then set his gaze on Dr. Graham's gun. "That wasn't Elton?"
Dr. Graham gave a little start, looking behind himself. When his head was turned, Angie took a step toward Dr. Graham and he snapped his head back to face her. She stopped.
Dr. Graham swallowed. "No," he said, the gun starting to shake, "Elton's not a traitor. He's just an asshole."
Park took a step toward Dr. Graham's back. Dr. Graham looked back and he stopped. Angie took a step toward him. Dr. Graham looked back to her. Angie stopped.
"Stop that!"
"Okay, okay," said Angie. "Will do."
"So," said Park, "What was that you were saying about being a traitor?"
"Oh yeah," said Angie, leaning forward on her cane. "How about that?"
"I had to!" yelled Dr. Graham. "She told me I'd get all the subjects I needed. She told me I'd get all the equipment I needed!"
"Who?" said Angie, frowning but thinking she knew the answer.
"She told me I could save the world! She told me I'd be a hero! A savior!"
"Who?" said Park, taking a step toward Dr. Graham.
Dr. Graham seemed to no longer notice Park. He seemed to no longer notice the gun in his own hand. "The woman in my dreams. She had dark hair and piercing eyes."
"Named Beulah?" said Angie, trying to keep her voice soft and soothing. She took a small step forward. She was close now, almost close enough to grab the gun.
"I..." said Dr. Graham, looking confused. The gun shook violently. "I think so..."
Park stepped up behind him. Both he and Angie were close now. Their eyes met and they nodded to each other.
"Beulah..." said Dr. Graham, looking completely lost. Angie prepared to move.
"Mother fucker!" yelled Dalton. He slammed in from the side, ramming his shoulder into Dr. Graham. Dr. Graham cried out and fell into a dresser. The gun flew from his hand and skittered across the floor.
Angie hurried to the gun as fast as she could on her cane. Dalton grabbed Dr. Graham by the shirt and pulled him off the dresser. He punched him across the mouth as Angie grabbed the gun and stood. She turned to face Dalton and Dr. Graham. She took a step forward to stop Dalton. Park shook his head and held up a hand. Angie stopped, watching.
"I trusted you!" yelled Dalton, punching Dr. Graham again and again. "We all trusted you! All that fucking testing! All that fucking blood!"
"I'm....I'm sorry!" said Dr. Graham, sputtering through the blood pooling in his nose and mouth.
"Shut up!" yelled Dalton, punching him again. "Shut the fuck up!"
"Dalton..." said Angie quietly. "I think...."
"No!" yelled Dalton, not looking away from Dr. Graham. He punched him again, hard across the jaw. Dr. Graham's head slammed sideways into the dresser. He groaned. "Shut up!"
"Dalton!"
"Not yet!" Dalton grabbed Dr. Graham's collar and pulled him off the dresser. He dragged him to the door and flung it open, then dragged Dr. Graham to the porch. Angie, Park and the others followed.
The crowd from before remained. Elton stood with the others, bloody from his fight with Park. They all stopped and looked at Dalton and Dr. Graham.
Dalton yanked him to the edge of the porch. "Tell them!" he yelled, shaking Dr. Graham's collar.
"I..." said Dr. Graham, sputtering blood, "I....can't...."
Dalton shook him hard. "Tell them what you did you piece of shit! Tell them what you pinned on my fucking mom!"
The crowd stepped closer, listening.
"I..." said Dr. Graham, then fell into coughing.
"Tell them!" yelled Dalton, shaking him roughly.
"I...it was me," said Dr. Graham.
Some people in the crowd were frowning. The ones who'd figured it out looked angry.
"I opened up the walls," Dr. Graham continued. "I let those things inside. It wasn't Angie's fault. It wasn't Maylee's fault. It was mine."
Dalton let him go and he slumped down onto the porch, shaking his head. "It was mine..."
Dalton stepped back, looking shaken. He looked at Park and Angie. He was starting to look like a young boy again. The rage was fading.
The rage of the crowd was not. Frowns grew deeper, glares grew stronger. A few of them stepped forward, toward the porch. Dr. Graham remained slumped in place, looking resigned. Angie debated what she should do. Her first and strongest instinct was to let the crowd have him.
A sound came from one side, distracting them all from Dr. Graham. Angie and the others looked to see the gates swinging open.
Maylee staggered in from outside. She looked winded and somewhat battered, but okay. Angie's heart leapt to see it.
"Maylee...." she started, taking an unsteady step across the porch.
Maylee had her mouth open to speak. She closed it, looking around at what had transpired. "What'd I miss?" Then she shook her head. "Never mind. We gotta get our shit together. Now."
* * *
Beulah stood at the crest of a hill, hiding among a thick copse of trees. In the valley below, Sharon's army moved slowly through the woods. Sharon stood at the center, looking serene with the joy of what she had built. Her flock moved along behind her, grinning and jerking off in the wind, the crowd of corpses and animals surrounding them.
Beulah
knew time was short. The worldwide ceremony was almost ready. Her outposts were moving into position, following timetables she had laid out for them years ago. They were surrounding the children, preparing for the moment. Preparing for the sacrifice.
Yes, time was running out. Beulah could feel it. If she closed her eyes and reached out to her outposts, she could see it. If much more time passed, she'd have to hold them back. All of them at once. It would require a considerable amount of power, weakening her if Sharon tried anything.
Anything like what she was apparently trying now.
She sighed as she watched the mob move past, oblivious to her. She wondered if Sharon could sense her. She should have been able to. Then Beulah realized Sharon was expending a large amount of energy controlling the army she'd made. Every corpse, every animal, was being held in check by Sharon's will, which meant Sharon was weakened herself.
Beulah wondered what good this information would do. She could sense that the doctor had failed her. He'd been caught and disgraced. Park had betrayed her, despite her careful plans to make him agreeable. Even the wild card, Elton, had failed. She knew she'd have to intervene herself. She'd have to take action on her own. She didn't like it. She didn't like breaking a plan she’d set up. It was crude and inelegant, but sometimes things had to be done.
She watched Sharon and company for a few more seconds, then turned to head into the woods.
* * *
An uneasy peace had settled over the house. The children were sleeping as best they could in the living room. Park was on the porch, keeping guard. Angie, Maylee and Dalton were in the kitchen. Maylee stood in the corner, leaning against the sink. Dalton sat in the chair. Angie stood between them, leaning on her cane.
"I'm sorry, Maylee," said Angie. "I didn't mean it. I didn't think it. I was being cold and mean and I am sorry."
"Mom, I...."
Angie could tell she wasn't getting it. She dropped her cane and stepped over to her. She grabbed Maylee's face in both hands. She ignored the howling pain in her ankle and forced Maylee to look her in the eyes.
"No," said Angie. "You listen to me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for snapping at you and making you ever, ever think I don't love you and accept you for who you are."
"Mom, stop," said Maylee, looking away. Her eyes were damp.
Angie kept looking her in the eyes. "I want you to know I love you and I don't care whether you're gay or not. I just want you to be happy."
"Okay, okay," said Maylee, quietly.
"Okay?" said Angie
"Okay," said Maylee, louder now.
Angie let go of Maylee's face. Maylee wiped her eyes. Angie grabbed her and hugged her tight. Maylee hugged her back.
Dalton sat quietly at the table, watching all of this. A few seconds of silence passed before he spoke.
"So," he said, his voice breaking the silence that hung in the room, "Maylee is a lesbian?"
Maylee chuckled, wiping her eyes again. "Yes, Dalton, yes. Jesus."
"Called it."
Angie moved to the table and sat. Maylee sat in the third chair. They all looked at each other.
"Well look at us," said Angie. "Back around the dinner table like old times."
Maylee and Dalton chuckled. Angie smiled and sat in silence for a second, soaking the moment in.
"But," she said, "I suppose we have preparations to make. You know it's dangerous, right?"
"Yep," said Maylee.
"Think I'm doing the right thing?"
They both nodded.
Angie grabbed a salt shaker and placed it in the center of the table. “The kids will be here, at the center of town, as far away from Beulah as possible.” She moved the pepper and other table decorations into position along the rim of the table. “The rest of us will be along the walls, keeping the corpses, animals, and crazy bitches out.”
“And if it works?” Maylee asked.
“If it works,” said Angie, “we thwart Beulah’s plan and buy us a couple of days until the sisters come up with something else to storm the gates with.”
“And if it doesn’t?” asked Dalton.
“If the corpses reach the children, we move them.” Angie grabbed the salt and moved it to the back of the table. “The children go to the far wall, to the fallback point.” She moved the rest of the items to the front of the table. “The rest of us lead the corpses away from them, back toward the house. We put as much distance between the kids and danger as possible.”
“Why don’t we just put the kids…” said Dalton. “…us back there to begin with?”
“Beulah can reach you guys from there.”
“So then why—”
“Because if we’re doing Plan B, we’re desperate. And we’re hoping Beulah’s distracted. Her and her sister’s fighting may help us there.”
“So we move the kids to the fallback and get to the house?” said Maylee.
“Yes,” said Angie. “We leave guards there to protect them, and everyone else leads the corpses back here to the house. By then, chances are the chaos will have given the sisters a way across the barrier. And seeing the corpses here, they come here looking for them.”
“And then what?” said Dalton.
“You know what,” said Angie.
“It’s crazy,” said Maylee.
“Since when has that stopped us?” said Angie.
The kids nodded again.
"Then let's get going."
She, Maylee and Dalton stood from the table. Maylee grabbed Angie’s cane and handed it to her. They walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. Some of the children were sleeping. Most were not. They looked at Angie with scared and questioning eyes. Angie smiled at them, hoping they believed they would be alright. They didn’t, and neither did she.
She, Maylee and Dalton walked to the front door, opened it and stepped out onto the porch.
Park was leaning against a post. Angie walked over to him, leaving Maylee and Dalton by the door. He looked over at her as she came toward him. "You sure about what you're doing?"
Angie shook her head. "No, I'm not. This could be a mistake. I either let all the kids but Dalton die, or I let all the kids and Dalton die. Or....this."
Park scratched at his beard. "I'm gonna be honest with you. If it was me, if my kids were still alive and I was given this choice, I would flip the other kids the bird and protect my own."
"So would I, before,” Angie replied. “I would almost do it now. I led all those people to their death, Park. At the zoo. When the time came, I protected my own and let the others die."
Park looked over at her. "So what's your alternative?"
"We somehow save them all, or as many as we can."
"I hope you're right."
"If I'm wrong, we won't have long to worry about it."
Park looked back to the town.
Carly climbed up onto the porch. She nodded to Angie and Park, then saw Maylee. Her face changed, become both softer and elated. Maylee pushed herself up from the wall and they rushed to meet each other in the middle of the porch.
"Maylee..." Carly said, grabbing Maylee and hugging her. Then she pulled back, looking self-conscious. Maylee grabbed her and kissed her. Carly looked surprised and stiff at first, then she relaxed into the kiss.
Park looked over at them mid-kiss. There was a flicker of surprise in his eyes, then it was gone.
"Huh," he said.
"Yeah," said Angie.
"Well, I'm happy someone's getting some."
Angie chuckled, looking over the darkening town. Carly went over to Angie, and Angie turned to her. "Gather the others," she said.
Carly stepped over to the nearest alarm rope and grabbed it. She pulled it over and over again, the clattering noises ringing out across the cold air. After a few seconds people began to gather. Most looked confused. Some still looked hostile. Angie waited until most of the town had gathered. She wondered what had become of Dr. Graham. She decided she didn't want to know.
Finally, m
ost of the town was present. Angie cleared her throat. Everyone fell silent, waiting.
"Everyone," said Angie, "we've been manipulated into this position. Things more powerful than us are forcing us into their plans, their designs. We have been their pawns. These kids have been made the way they are for these plans. You've been brought here for these plans. People have killed and been killed as part of these plans. You can go along with this, if that's what you really want. Or you can take a stand with me. And fight. Fight for freedom. For human dignity. For letting us do whatever the fuck we want for a change. No more plans. No more schemes. No more grand designs. We're in charge. As fucked up as we are, we're in charge. Let's make sure they know that."
The town was silent. Finally, a few nodded. The rest followed suit.
"Good. Let's get to work then. It's going to be a long night."
Twenty Two
Angie stepped across her porch into the cold morning air. She'd gone over her last preparations in the house. Things were ready, or at least as ready as they were going to be.
All around her, people were finishing up. Trenches were being dug and gasoline poured inside. Chains were being tested and tightened, the chains linked to traps West had installed years ago.
Along the walls stood makeshift platforms, set between the ladders that had always been there. People stood atop the platforms, looking out over the walls. Townsfolk and guard alike, everyone was preparing.
Angie heard crunching footsteps draw near. She turned to see Carly rushing over holding her clipboard. She looked tired but resolved.
"How are we doing?" said Angie.
Carly came to a halt. "Almost ready."
Galli yelled from atop a platform to Angie's right. He pointed out over the wall. "I got something!"
Maylee stood on the same platform. She climbed up a ladder that reached up over the wall. When she reached the top she looked through her beaten binoculars. After a few moments she said, "I got it too."
Angie hurried over to the middle platform. She handed her cane up to a guard who knelt down to retrieve it. She climbed the ladder, her ankle complaining with each movement. She reached the top and took her cane, headed to the edge of the platform and looked out over the wall.
World Memorial Page 31
