by Trimboli, TJ
Pulling the knife out, he let the man drop to the floor. Trent stared at the beautiful young corpse in front of him. He wanted to cry but no tears came, only anger. “Are these your children?” he asked the young woman.
A large, muscular black man charged into the room tearing Trent off his feet. They collided into the wall collapsing right through it. They fell into the room beside them. Two more men strode in grabbing the girl off the couch dragging her into the hallway.
Trent ran for her but the herculean freakazoid blocked his path. “Trust me man, you don’t want to do this,” Trent warned.
Hercules pulled out a long serrated blade. It was stained red.
Trent reached for his holster to shoot the man. His gun wasn’t there.
Oh, fuck.
Hercules charged.
Trent backed up letting the man gain speed. At the last moment, Trent lunged aside tripping up Hercules. The man fell face forward into the wall beside him. His head exploding through the dry wall. Trent pulled his blade stabbing down on Hercules’ spine. He screamed collapsing, no doubt in agony over the last time he’d ever feel his legs. Trent left him, face in the wall, to find the young girl.
Stepping back into the adjoining room, he saw Valentina gripping the dead children in her arms. It now became abundantly clear whose kids’ they were. He wanted to reach out and comfort the poor woman but he couldn’t bring his body to move. He simply stood and watched as she grieved. The tears flew but she didn’t cry out. She cradled both kids in her arms, rocking them back and forth. He watched as her tears soaked her children’s faces.
“Valentina,” he finally said after a few minutes. “We need to go. It’s not safe out here.” She made no effort to move.
He knew she would have to be dragged. It pained him immensely to do it. “Valentina, come on.” He pulled her off the bed.
“No. NO! Leave me here. They need me. My babies need me. You bastard. Let me go. Let me go!” she shouted scratching and clawing her way free.
It was no use, Trent was a solid hundred pounds heavier than her and his bear hug was near unbreakable for men of his size let alone a small, petite woman. He led her from the room down the hall. She cried out the entire way. He gave one last look back at that horrible room, unsure what happened to his gun, never once remembering dropping it in his blood soaked anger.
He led her up to the entertainment level where he could make out dozens and dozens of candles, lights and people working together, not killing each other. He banged on the glass. At first, no one moved afraid of the frenzied man they saw before them until Joe emerged from the crowd leaping at the barricade.
Valentina had stopped fighting him, in fact, she had shut down completely. Her eyes were open and she stood up of her own accord but she was millions of miles away within her mind.
Trent let her go, no longer concerned about the flight risk.
Joe got the door open. “Quick, come in.”
Trent led Valentina forward but he made no move to come inside.
“Aren’t you coming?” Joe asked.
Trent had already turned away. He retreated to the darkness of the hallway watching through the glass as Joe led Valentina to a set of chairs.
Bobbi ran up from the crowd to attend to her. Joe turned to her probably telling Bobbi of his presence moments ago. She looked towards the door for him.
He ducked away into the night. The tears came on now and he couldn’t stop them if he tried.
He stood against the wall sobbing. He made his way back to the bar banging on the door to be let in. The door slid open, no barricade in place. The bar had been ransacked. No one remained. He could feel the walls closing in on him. He no longer cared.
Let it.
All he needed was a drink. He sat at the bar where his bottle still remained. His usual seat, his usual drink, and his usual snacks. He slugged down a shot.
“That stuff is utter piss. Here let me get you something that will really put hair on your chest.”
Trent looked up.
A young man stood behind the bar. His brown hair no longer greasy and frayed but slicked back perfectly, not a hair out of place. His dirty digs and bloody shirt had been destroyed in favor of a black and white suit with red bowtie.
Trent looked on in horror as the boy poured him a shot.
I must be hammered.
“I watched you d-die,” Trent stammered.
“What is death but another step in life?” the bar keep replied. “Here.” He slid a shot his way.
“What is it?” Trent wondered.
“That’s life my friend. Pure, distilled. The best kind around.” He smiled.
He slugged it down with ease and demanded another. The bartender grinned sliding the whole bottle Trent’s way. Trent latched onto the bottle and chugged. The liquid burned his throat going down but he ignored it. It cooled as it splashed its way down into his stomach. He finished the bottle in five seconds and consciousness fell from him. The walls turned black, sound muffled, his mind went numb, and the last thing he heard before taking a header onto the bar was the bar keep.
“Careful. That stuff will rot your brain.”
BOBBI
“Are you okay?” She asked the near catatonic Valentina.
“She’s in shock,” Joe said giving her a quick physical. “Some bruising but no major cuts or wounds.”
“Val, look at me. What happened? Is the Captain okay?” Valentina said nothing.
“Is it your kids? Where are your kids Val?” Shivering, she wept.
“Trent brought her in a few minutes ago. He was covered in blood,” he whispered to her.
“Don’t leave her side,” she said heading for the barricade.
“Bobbi, stop. It’s not safe anymore out there.” He called out, but he never could have stopped her, it was just a waste of breath on his part.
She pushed the couch aside just enough to escape. She pulled her revolver and hatchet. No sooner did she turn a corner, did she spot a few.
Two men were rummaging through a suitcase taking anything that may come in handy. They found a toiletry bag which had become the jackpot to anyone on board. They stole medicine, pills, deodorant, it didn’t matter. They were too hopped up on booze to know what they were doing anyway. They caught her watching them and made a B-line straight for her. They were sloppy and uncoordinated.
As one approached she stomped down on his knee shattering cartilage and crushing ligaments. The man went down like a sack of shit.
His buddy came up behind him throwing a right hook.
Bobbi ducked under it sliding over the man doubled over in pain. She turned as she slid over him connecting her hatchet into the nape of the man’s neck. He fell forward writhing in pain. She knelt down to collect her weapon. She pulled it out but the man had no quit in him. He doubled over knocking Bobbi aside. He scratched at her eyeballs. Bobbi swung down with all the might of Thor splitting open the man’s face. Blood sprayed. In her fury, she ripped the hatchet out repeatedly stabbing the man until his face was unrecognizable.
She calmed down turning to the knee guy.
He slowly crawled away in agony.
She decided to leave him be and let him stew for a while.
Maybe he’ll see the error of his ways.
She continued her search, there were still so many still unaccounted for. Valentina’s kids, the Captain, Trent, Richard. All could be dead at this very moment soaking in a pool of their own blood. She checked the kitchen first, gleaning her first bit of good news upon looking at the rations room. The lock had yet to be broken and the steel frame was not dented.
No one’s been through here.
Which told her that this wasn’t about food, water, or toiletries. It was about chaos. She remembered the man from earlier.
Laws no longer mattered. This was a test. See what they can get away with.
Next, she checked the auditorium, countless bathrooms, the pool area, and helipad. Bodies were littered about but she ne
ver came across any more ne’er do wells. Whatever started them up was dying down. The storm had ceased its onslaught and dawn loomed on the horizon. She found no more bodies or living souls as she walked through the library, so she decided to head back to the entertainment floor hoping that they all made it there safely.
She made it down to the eight floor when she heard the commotion. Grunting, punching, and fighting. She picked up her pace storming into the computer lab.
Richard had been backed into a corner as three men beat up on him. Richard sat in the fetal position taking blow after blow.
She pulled her revolver. “Freeze!” she shouted.
The men turned towards her. The middle one stepped forward.
Bobbi instantly saw his tattooed neck and despised him. She never understood what made someone want to desecrate their bodies like that, especially their neck. She knew that one should never judge a book by its cover but she always thought that was a stupid saying.
Your first instinct is always right and mine’s telling me this guy is a prick.
“Step up against the wall with your hands behind your head.”
The tattooed freak smiled. “There are three of us. What can you possibly do?” He barked.
“I have a gun, asshole,” she barked back. “Pretty sure that trumps three fat fucks with a hard on.”
This made him mad. His smile turned into a snarl. He kicked up one of the computer tables taking cover behind it. The man to his right charged at her.
Bobbi put a bullet in his head. He collapsed forward destroying everything in sight. She slid over a table to her right towards the only other man standing. He grabbed the computer in front of him and heaved. She ducked under it racing towards him. The man threw whatever he could at her. She dodged debris making her way towards him. She crested over the last hurdle when the tattooed freak reappeared tackling into her. She went flying into the wall.
Gasping for breath, she ducked a punch. She pushed the tattooed freak away from her turning towards the fat man heaving computers. She threw her hatchet straight at him connecting with his chest as he lifted up a laptop. He fell back screaming in pain. She turned her gun towards the last straggler but he grabbed her as she turned. They jockeyed for positioning on the gun. He forced her to fire off a shot, then another.
“When I pry this gun from your hand, I am going to fuck you senseless with it,” he muttered. He pushed against her slamming her into the wall.
Her strength was weakening as he wrested the gun from her. She decided to take a gamble letting go of the gun. The motion caught the tattooed freak off guard, the gun slipping from his hand. He reached out for the gun while Bobbi slipped her arm around his neck. She snapped it in one fluid motion. The gun and him hit the ground simultaneously.
“That was incredible!” Richard exclaimed.
“That was nothing.” She shrugged it off.
“You saved my life…I owe you my life.”
“You can repay me later,” she said collapsing into a nearby chair.
“Believe me, I shall. Consider me your right hand man. Whatever you need, it’s done,” he vowed.
“Excellent. For starters, why don’t you wheel me back to safety?” she asked breathlessly.
Ten minutes later, they strode back into the entertainment zone, back to safety.
Richard did as promised wheeling Bobbi inside, in her chair.
Joe raced over to check on her.
“I’m fine. Just exhausted,” she said.
Joe took over the reins wheeling her towards the center of the room. She lost Richard in the ensuing crowd. She searched for Trent. He was nowhere to be found, neither was the Captain.
“Has anyone taken a head count?” she asked Joe.
“Still working on it.”
“The Captain?”
Joe shrugged. “No one has seen him.”
“We have to assume that he is dead.” Morris appeared from the crowd.
Bobbi sighed heavily.
It just gets better and better.
RICHARD
Richard strolled down the hallways with a skip in his step. For the first time since this ordeal had begun, he was ecstatic. Countless hours, days, months, years of research and teachings were about to unfold before him as his greatest challenge thus far, would commence. Just like the Phonetians, Romans, the Spartans, the Greeks, like every society before him he would now be put in charge of creating and maintaining one. It was a titillating thought. If all went according to plan, he would have complete control of this ship and its people within two weeks’ time and then the fun would begin. He had notebooks upon notebooks of notes on how best to maintain a society, to keep the peace, and spark productivity.
His name would be etched in the history books alongside the greats. Leaders like Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela or Agamemnon of Troy. Leaders who willed their people above and beyond what they thought they could be. Though, truth be told, none of them would hold a candle to himself when he was through. He would be considered the greatest leader of all time, the one man who rose from the ashes of the end of the world and rebuilt it anew. His tales would be spoken of for the rest of time, the hardships, difficulties, and the perils, all worth it to be a legend in time.
He stared out to the sea in elation. These waters would be the birthplace of history. When they spoke of where it happened, where he first rose to power and gave the people a purpose, they would start here. People would come from all over like they do the coliseum, or Auschwitz, or the world trade center. A moment in time that changed the world. He just needed the right puppet.
He was no fool. He wouldn’t make the mistake so many made before him. Out in the open as the figurehead you were liable to make enemies, ones that would jump at the opportunity to disrupt history. JFK, Franz Ferdinand, just to name a few. He wouldn’t be so one dimensional. No, he would rule from the shadows, like a puppet master. The one good thing he ever considered America to get right and tonight, he found his leading man, or should he say…lady. The way Bobbi disarmed and took out those men had been spine tingling. He needed someone who had the gall to take action, the drive to punish those who need to be put in place, but just dumb enough to follow commands like a good sheep and speak when he needed speaking. A cop would the perfect person for such a task. She glided through tonight’s test with flying colors. Tomorrow would begin the real work. With Captain Jenkins out of the way, thanks to his encouragement and the extra bottle supplied to Trent, that left the despondent mother of two in charge and if the men did as they were told tonight at the poker game, then that mother should be a family of one and thus, easier to unseat.
With Bobbi at the helm and me pulling the strings, there will be no stopping us. I will continue to manipulate Trent and use his delusions against him to commit the murders needed to get me into position and aligned with Bobbi. With Trent being the murderer, it will then get rid of her hulking, brute of a husband after his usefulness is over.
His thoughts trailed off as he saw a glint in the distance of the water. Upon closer inspection, he could make out the small object. It was a boat headed straight for them.
He met them on the fishing level. With the exception of some dehydration and exhaustion, they looked fit and in good spirits.
This could be troublesome.
They threw a rope out to him.
He tied it off against the ship reeling them in.
“Boy, are you a sight for sore eyes,” the small Mexican chimed. He wore no shirt, his hair was crisp from sun damage, and face burned from the sun.
“As are you. Any luck out there?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe. The first two islands were a bust. Ravaging maniacs all over, no food, towns destroyed. It was crazy I tell ya, but the last island…She was a beauty. my friend. We couldn’t get all the way around but it was big, at least big enough to hold all of us comfortably. No towns or nothing but lots of bamboo and trees and dense forest area to build.
We think the island was deserted, we checked as much of it as we could and came up with nothing. No maniacs. And best of all…” He smirked digging into his knapsack. He pulled out a pair of apples, some oranges, as thick as could be. Then cantaloupe, and countless more fruit.
Richard’s mouth watered just looking at it. “The council will be mighty pleased to hear that. Here toss up your things.” Richard’s face brimmed with happiness but inside his mind soured. He wasn’t ready yet to put the next portion of the plan in motion. For this to work and for Bobbi to take charge, they needed to suffer. They needed to wallow on this ship getting worse and worse until they are on the edge, then once Bobbi was in charge, she would deliver the monumental news that they found a habitable island.
These men are here too soon.
“Did you mark the spot on a map?” Richard asked.
The Mexican tossed up his satchel of fruit grinning with aplomb. “Si. Take a look for yourself.” He tossed the map up to Richard.
He scanned it over.
“It’s about a two days journey east of here. There will be two sets of twin islands that you come upon first that let you know you’re heading in the right direction. Don’t stop there, it’s infected all to hell. Go on right through them and you’ll see her. But hey, you got me vato I’ll show you the way.”
Richard pulled a gun on them before the Mexican could finish his thought. He fired every bullet but one into the four compadres. The last one he saved for the hull of the boat. Water flooded it and within minutes, it was submerged.
Richard watched until the sea swallowed them up. “Sorry boys. In hopes of progress, sacrifices must be taken.” He opened up the knapsack and pocketed two apples, dumping the rest of the contents to the sea below.
“Thank you for your sacrifice.” He grinned.
