“And for heaven’s sake, unless you’re going to save that woman, put her down.”
Mueller looked up briefly and made eye contact. The pain of being reprimanded hurt him. The vision he’d had in his mind when he called Horton was that he’d be singing his praises for doing such a wonderful job. Unable to contain his feelings, he muttered, “Yes, sir.”
Horton looked at the woman one last time, then back at Mueller, a great look of disgust on his face. “And hurry up, we’re running out of time,” he barked then stormed off.
Pine Bluffs, Wyoming
After spending three hours with the magistrate and his security team, Travis was surprised by the sophistication and level of detail that had gone into the protection of the town, which included the physical security, barriers and the ‘hunting parties’ that were sent out weekly. For an unknown reason, the magistrate opened up and gave specific details on how the town ran. Travis assumed he wanted to win his trust, but for someone new to town and a ‘convicted felon’, he thought it odd to disclose so much. He described that in order to remain in town everyone was given a responsibility and had to perform it. Contribution to the whole was critical, and if the whole found one person not working out, they could banish them. Travis laughed to himself when he heard this detail; it reminded him of an old television show called Survivor where people were also voted off by the group. While he found that part humorous, if only for its coincidence, he actually respected it. It brought back memories of the Marine Corps and how each Marine had a job to do, each person had a role to play to ensure the completion of the mission. When he thought deeper about this and what mission had meant for him, he could easily make a connection that the town’s mission was to survive. But they had gone further than survival; they were thriving and, from what he had seen so far, outside of his situation, were also generous.
The more the magistrate told him, the more he got engaged. He had started the meeting with a disregard for the man, but now the magistrate’s charm was wearing on him. He didn’t know his story, but he had a way about him that set him apart from most other people. He was bright, well spoken and confident. Travis, also an extremely confident person, was finding the magistrate’s enthusiasm intoxicating.
Like a school child, Travis raised his hand and asked, “How did you do all of this? I ask because…” He stopped short of offering too much information of his most recent past.
“Structure and systems, plain and simple,” the magistrate answered. He had been pacing the floor of the large conference room in front of a whiteboard where he had been drawing and writing notes to help illustrate how the town functioned.
“People do like structure,” Travis replied.
“Of course they do. For instance, you’re a Marine.”
“Was a Marine.”
“Whatever, but you understand the need for structure and systems. It gives people certainty. What I have to do as their leader is ensure these systems function as best they can but also keep people busy. Nothing is worse than an idle person.”
“Idleness is the parent of mischief.”
“Idleness is also the heaviest of all oppressions,” the magistrate said.
“Hmm, haven’t heard that one.”
“Victor Hugo.”
Travis like how quick-witted the magistrate was. He cracked a slight smile and decided now was the best time to get at the heart of what he was really doing there. The entire time had been monopolized by the magistrate. “What am I doing here? I have to ask; you don’t know me. In fact, all you know of me is that I tried to steal a car and you cut off my hand.”
“We know you’re a Marine,” Martin, the head of his security, blurted out.
“But do you really know if I am?” Travis asked.
Martin looked at him with an odd look but neglected to answer.
The magistrate stepped over to Travis. He looked at Martin and the other man and asked, “Do you mind pulling the vehicle around? Time for us to show Captain Priddy his new job as part of our community.”
“Magistrate, don’t you think it might be a bit early for that?” Martin asked.
“Martin, please go pull the vehicle around.”
Martin and the other man stood and left, closing the door behind them.
“Captain Priddy, I know I can trust you, because I know everything about you.”
“How could you possibly know everything about me?”
“Trust me when I tell you this. Now come with me,” the magistrate said.
Travis stood and turned, but the magistrate stopped him and said, “One more thing before we go. I’m really sorry about the hand, but if I didn’t punish you in some way, I could have had a revolution to deal with. I didn’t want to have to kill you much less maim you. Hearing you had military experience is valuable to me, but that wasn’t enough red meat for the masses, so to speak.”
Travis looked down at his stub and reflected on everything that led to him losing it. “A good friend told me not to steal from others’ houses, and you know what, I did. Look what it got me.”
Both men grinned and left the conference room.
Travis had already thought he had been shocked by what he had learned. What would come next would be unimaginable.
Lori hadn’t been able to sleep since her arrival in Hope, but a restful night’s sleep had been something elusive for her since she had arrived at Camp 13 months ago. The fatigue was wearing on her, though, as was the concern for all she loved, including Travis. With their situations set in the town of Hope, she needed to find a vaccine to save the baby. That was her main concern, and with their attempt halted, she needed to find another way.
Her stay with Brick and Tiffany had been surprisingly pleasant. They were the most accommodating hosts, and she appreciated their kindness. At moments she had felt the urge to tell them about her pregnancy, but she just wasn’t quite ready for that. Lori found it hard to trust people anymore, and even though their hospitality had been amazing, she couldn’t commit to being fully honest. In the two weeks since Travis’s sentence was carried out, they had gone out of their way to help and asked nothing in return, but that was about to change for her.
To keep her thoughts from traveling too often, she had found solace in crocheting. Tiffany had shown her the technique, and within days she had become quite good at it.
Her day had gone as planned, and by mid-afternoon she was relaxing in an old green La-Z-Boy rocker recliner, stitching what she hoped would be a scarf.
Brick walked in and said, “Lori, sorry to disturb you, but it’s time for you to go to work.”
She lowered the crochet hook and leaned back, surprised by what he had just said. “What do you mean?”
“The magistrate called on the radio. It’s time for you to earn your keep here.”
Lori looked at Tiffany.
“It’s in the covenant. All must labor so that all will have their place,” Tiffany said, reciting another line from the covenant.
Not liking what she was hearing, she asked again, “What exactly am I going to be doing?”
“I’m not sure, but he’ll be here to pick you up in thirty minutes.”
“But I, um, I’m not ready,” Lori said, jumping up from the recliner and tossing the hook and yarn on the chair.
“Better hurry. You don’t want to be late for the magistrate.”
Lori rushed to her room.
A loud knock at the front door told Lori the magistrate was there, but she wasn’t ready. She was always someone who liked to look her part, and looking disheveled was not what she had in mind. She heard unintelligible voices in the hallway; this only meant they were now inside waiting for her. Flustered by having to rush, she finally gave in and grunted, “Screw it.” She took a scrunchy and pulled her long brown hair through it. “Looks like a ponytail will have to do.”
She took one last look in the mirror before she headed out. “Don’t be nervous. Just be yourself,” she told herself. Having mentally walked through
the meeting, she felt prepared. She left her room and walked to the front door.
Tiffany walked up and gave her a hug. “Congratulations, you’re officially a part of our community.”
Lori returned the hug and held it a second longer than she normally would. She liked Tiffany and had come to regard her as a genuinely sweet and tender young woman.
Brick stood like the towering figure he was in front of the door. He looked down at her and said, “Tiff is right. Congratulations are in order. I’ll get Tiff to make something special for dinner to celebrate when you get home.”
The word home hit Lori. She hadn’t called any place home for a long time. She had thought that the ranch she and Travis had found might be that, but just when she called it that, they no sooner fled. She wasn’t quite sure if home was the best description for Brick and Tiffany’s house, but she’d keep her opinions to herself. “Thanks, Brick, and thank you, Tiffany. I look forward to anything you make. You’re such a wonderful cook.”
“My momma taught me everything.”
Her hands shaking ever so gently, she turned the doorknob and opened the door. Out in the driveway was a large black SUV. She looked at Brick and Tiffany one more time, the nervousness dripping from her face. “See you later,” she said and marched towards the vehicle.
Martin got out of the front passenger side and opened the rear door.
Lori walked over, greeted him and climbed in. When the door shut, she looked at the person sitting next to her. “Mr. Magistrate, hello.”
“Hi, Lori.”
“This was quite a surprise,” she said with an anxious smile.
“I think I can do one better, Lori. I believe you know the man behind you.”
Lori shifted in her seat and looked. Her eyes bulged when she saw it was Travis. She tried to hide her shock, but somehow the magistrate knew.
“Um, who?” Lori asked, trying to be coy.
The magistrate laughed and said, “Lori, Captain Priddy, it’s fine. Don’t sweat it. I know you two know each other.”
“Magistrate, I think you’re mistaken,” Travis responded.
“Martin, take us to Area 29,” the magistrate ordered.
The SUV backed out of the driveway and sped down the street heading north out of town.
“Please stop playing like you don’t know one another. Captain, I told you I know everything about you because I do. After I cut off your hand, I contacted some sources I have back at the DIA. I asked if they knew a rogue Marine captain. Their answer, yes, a Captain Priddy had escaped, but what made it more exciting was that you had escaped with a woman, a fugitive by the name of Lori Roberts.”
Lori’s instinct to fight was stopped just then when Travis said, “It was my idea to steal the car. She had nothing to do with it. Please don’t hurt her.”
Unsure of where the situation was going, Lori put her hand in her jacket pocket and found the cold steel crochet hook. She had taken it just in case she needed a weapon. She gripped it tightly and was ready at any moment to pull it out and plunge it into the magistrate’s head.
“No, no, no, you’ve got me all wrong. Captain Priddy, I know we got off on the wrong foot, with the hand-cutting thing, but had I known who you were, then I wouldn’t have done it at all. But like I said, I had to do something or else.”
“You cut off his fucking hand!” Lori snapped.
“Aren’t you a piss fire?” the magistrate blared.
“You call cutting off his hand getting off on the wrong foot?” Lori bellowed.
“Let me explain, please.”
“What’s there to explain?” Lori asked, her hand gripping the hook tighter.
“Are you taking us back to the chancellor?” Travis asked.
“Ha, ha, God no.”
“Why not?” Lori asked.
“Why would I? You two are my ace in the hole to destroy that homicidal maniac.”
Travis and Lori gave each other a confused look.
“I’ll explain everything when we get to where we’re going.”
North Topsail Beach, North Carolina
The burial of Brady’s older sister reminded Devin of his cousin and family’s burial six weeks ago. Looking back, that moment seemed like a lifetime ago. In fact, many times when he thought back, his life seemed to be chopped up into different lives altogether. As the days turned to weeks and months after the Death arrived, the number of ‘lives’ seemed to accelerate. He sometimes wondered if this was all a nightmare and one morning he’d wake up in his midtown apartment. He could only hope, but no matter how often he convinced himself that it was all some sick dream, he knew it wasn’t. The world was gone, Cassidy was gone, and now for Brady, his big sister was gone.
They had managed to coerce Brady out of the room and down to the front yard, but once he saw the open grave, he screamed and ran back inside. Devin didn’t think it was the shock of seeing his sister dead; it was the reality that the last remaining person in his family was gone. The one last person that connected him to the past was no more, and he was alone.
Devin made a note to himself to not let Brady feel that way. As he, Tess and Brianna had done, they pledged themselves to each other and in essence became family, even Brando was part of that pact. The definition of what it meant to be family was different now; it would just take Brady a little longer to understand.
Tess’s hair fluttered in the ocean wind as she smoothed out the silty dirt.
Megan and three of the boys walked over and placed flowers on the freshly dug dirt.
Alex ran up panting, a small cross under his arm. “Here, I found some nails and paint in the garage,” he said, handing it to Tess.
Tess winked at him and said, “That was sweet.” She took it and placed it at the head of the gravesite while Devin hammered it into the ground.
One by one each child left and went back to the house, with Brianna coming last.
Tess, Devin, and Brando remained, all standing over the site as if in a trance.
“When I find the fuckers who did this, I’ll slit them open,” Tess grumbled.
“I’ll be right behind you, if I don’t beat you to it,” Devin said.
“Let’s find the kids so we can get the hell out of here. This place is definitely not my home anymore,” Tess said.
The sound of a truck engine hit their ears.
Acting on pure instinct and adrenaline, they all bolted towards it, but not before grabbing their weapons that had been stacked just a few feet away.
Devin was leading the way, but Tess accelerated past him as if he were standing still.
Her heart was pounding, and the look of revenge was in her eyes. With no concern for her own safety and acting like a crazy person, she bolted onto the street, with her rifle at the ready.
Devin made the street only to see Tess now stopped in the middle of the road, taking a stand against a large Toyota truck.
The doors of the truck opened, and two men stepped out, both carrying weapons.
Tess didn’t ask a question much less say a word; she let go a volley of fire that took both men down to the ground. However, her aim wasn’t at their chests or heads but at their legs.
The men hit the ground, wailing and screaming in pain.
Devin watched her with amazement. Every time she acted so decisively, he was in awe and his attraction towards her grew.
She strutted over to the driver, who reached for his pistol.
Again, Tess didn’t say a word; she raised the rifle and shot his hand.
The man yelled out in pain.
“Whoa, lady, calm down!” the second man said, his hands up.
Tess walked over to the driver, who was rolling around on the pavement, and put the muzzle of the rifle against his head and finally asked, “Where are the teenagers?”
“What teenagers?” he bellowed.
She pressed the rifle harder against his head and asked, “Where’s your boat?”
Devin wasn’t sure about this tactic, nor was he su
re these men had anything to do with it.
The crack of the rifle had drawn all the children and Brianna out of the house.
Alex came sprinting down and gave Devin the confirmation he needed, “That man there, I know him. He was one of the guys who came before.”
“I’ll ask you one more time, where is your boat?”
Brando was standing next to the second man, growling, ready to pounce.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he cried out.
“Wrong answer!” Tess said and pulled the trigger.
The back of the man’s head exploded.
Not flinching, she marched towards the other man.
“No, don’t. I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you everything!”
Tess was on a roll.
Devin had seen her act out, but she was a few notches above her old ruthless self. He figured it had to be the murder of Brady’s sister, Becky, which had sent her over the edge.
The man had told them everything he claimed he knew. He described a situation that sounded like it came from a horror movie. Renfield and his people didn’t have a land base of operations but were operating off a container ship. Apparently Renfield was the captain of the ship before the Death. After the Death ravaged the world and killed his family, he took the ship out with what crew he could muster and had now fashioned himself a modern-day pirate. He would sail up and down the Atlantic seaboard, sending his marauding parties into shore. This made for a logical explanation as to why Alex claimed to not see them but every few weeks. The man further explained how Renfield’s passion for flamboyance coupled with his insanity had driven him to declare himself the overlord of the coast from Atlantic City to Miami. The man told them that all the teens but one, Becky, was still alive the last time he was on board. The teen boys were put to work while the girls had been sold off as sex slaves.
Hearing the sex slave part drove Tess crazy. The moment after he mentioned it, she reflexively punched him in the face.
It took a lot of Devin’s strength to pull her off of the man and to calm her down.
With a detailed explanation of where the kids were, they now needed a plan. This was the hard part and Devin knew it.
The Death Trilogy (Book 2): The Death: Eradicate Page 13
