Time of Death 01: Induction

by Shana Festa

  "I get it, you know."

  "Not now, Meg," I warded her off.

  "It’s been over a month. I don’t want to accept it any more than you do, but maybe it’s time we let go of Jake."

  I opened my eyes and was about to come back with a scathing remark when I saw the tears in her eyes. I softened my reproach and sighed.

  "Even if I were ready to give your brother up for dead, it wouldn’t feel right starting something with Adam. I’m just not ready to go there…with anyone. Jesus, I miss him so much it hurts. It feels like a constant pain in my chest. I feel like I’m going through the motions of life."

  "I know, Emma. Did you forget we share a bed? I hear you crying every night. I miss him, too." She leaned over and put her arms around me in a soothing hug. "I know you love my brother, and he loved you more than anything in the world. I love you, too. You’re my sister; now more than ever I cherish you as all the family I have left. Hang on to hope if you need to, but if things change, I support you. I know it hasn’t been that long, but it feels like forever. We’re in a fishbowl, literally. It’s like one of those reality shows where they stick a group of people in a house and lock them in. Such close proximity makes it easier to develop feelings."

  Nancy reappeared on deck after a few minutes and handed us a few bottles of water as she pulled up a chair. Gabby was a few yards away playing fetch with Daphne. I smiled at the scene, knowing full well that Daphne didn’t fetch, and wondered how long Gabby would spend trying to coax her into it. "I told her Finn wasn’t coming back. That maybe he found more people like us and was going to stay with them because he was sad. I don’t think it’s a good idea to tell her what really happened," Nancy said. She leaned back and took in the sun.

  "I remember the day my Alan was born. He was so beautiful. Jim was one of those fools you see in the movies and passed out as soon as he saw Alan’s little head start to pop out." She smiled at the memory.

  Meg and I exchanged glances. We didn’t know she had a son. Nancy caught the glance and elaborated. "Alan died in Afghanistan. He was a private in the army and insurgents bombed the house he had been clearing. It was a long time ago. Just long enough to take the edge off the pain of losing him, but not enough to get over it. I don’t think I’ll ever get over it, but at least the nightmares have stopped keeping me up at night." She looked over to the zombie peanut gallery on the dock. "Now there’s a whole new set of nightmares to keep me up."

  Only two hours had gone by since the men left. It felt more like two days. Daphne had grown bored of her one-sided fetch game and had gone down into the boat to entertain herself. We were still sitting in the sun when we heard an unknown voice shout, "Ahoy mateys!" A small, yellow cigarette boat had come up behind us and two middle aged men were waving, huge smiles plastered on their faces.

  Meg shot out of her seat and pointed at them. Like somehow we would have missed them had she not shown us they were there. "Oh my God! It’s people, live people." The boat’s engine cut off as it floated toward us, and my stomach twisted into knots. They were the first survivors we’d seen since leaving Target, but I still felt apprehensive.

  "You ladies sure are a sight for sore eyes. We’ve gone nearly the entire length of this coast and you’re the first people we’ve seen." They introduced themselves: Mel, a mechanic from Fort Myers and Dave, an X-ray tech from the Cape. Dave had been at St. Vincent’s the night Mary Jennings had come in. Like me, his shift ended at midnight and he made it out before they even knew things were out of control. They hadn’t eaten in over a day and drank the last of their water that morning.

  My inner alarm bells were blaring, but when I looked to Meg and Nancy, they looked comfortable chatting up the strangers. Maybe I was overreacting. I pushed the bad feelings down and jumped into the conversation. After a few minutes they asked to come aboard. "We won’t allow weapons on board. We have guns and if you try anything funny, you’ll get a face full of lead." I said, as I picked up my rifle but kept it pointed toward the deck. Meg had grabbed the rope they tossed and tied off on one of the houseboat’s moorings.

  Mel and Dave came aboard and looked around. They held their arms up when I pointed my carbine in their direction. "Whoa little lady, there’s no need for hostility. We don’t mean you any harm." I don’t know why, but I thought Mel acted more like a sleazy used car salesman as opposed to a mechanic.

  "Turn out your pockets then turn around." I wasn’t taking the chance they had handguns tucked in their pockets or the back of their clothes. They did as they were told and, satisfied they weren’t hiding any guns, I lowered my weapon. "You should know, we aren’t alone. There are more of us downstairs and several on their way back with supplies." They didn’t need to know the downstairs muscle came in pint-sized form.

  "It’s all good," came Dave’s reply. "We’re not looking for any trouble. It’s a miracle we found you." Both men stuck out their hands. Meg and Nancy accepted their handshakes and introduced themselves. Dave stepped a little closer to me, obviously looking for the same courtesy. I lowered the gun a little more and stuck out my hand. He came closer again and put his hand on his belly, hunching a bit.

  "Woo, I’ve got me some hunger pangs." He moved a little closer and extended his hand. I thought he was about to shake mine, but instead I saw the butt of a large knife as he pulled it from the front of his jeans and brought it to my face, cracking me good and hard on the bridge of my nose.

  I fell backwards and the world faded to black.

  Daphne growled and barked.

  She sounded ferocious until she bit Dave’s leg and he kicked her, then she let out a short yelp of pain and went silent. The kick sent her flailing in the air and off the side of the boat. I tried to call to her but couldn’t find any words and my body just wouldn’t cooperate.

  Two thoughts crossed my mind as I lost consciousness. The first being dammit, I should have listened to those warning bells and the second, that sneaky bastard. I heard Meg and Nancy’s screams as the darkness took me.

  * * *

  Chapter 23

  Puke. The Ultimate Defense

  I would have written Mel and Dave off as a dream when I woke up, but there were just too many things wrong about my predicament. First and foremost, my head felt like it had been hit with a sledgehammer. I was face down on the bed, and blood had dried on the pillow. Also, I wasn’t in my room, I was in the master bedroom. Most notably, my hands and feet were tied behind my back. The bastards had hogtied me. My position gave me a view of the far wall of the bedroom. The light coming from the window made my head hurt worse and I felt woozy. I shimmied and shook for all I was worth and managed to roll over to face the door. Little white lights exploded behind my eyes and I squeezed them shut. The throbbing in my head felt like someone was hammering railroad spikes into my brain. Everything I had just discovered about my situation became nothing compared to the wave of nausea that filled me.

  "Aw man, Dave. You really fucked up that pretty face." My eyes shot open and I found my assailants standing in the doorway. One of them, I couldn’t tell which one due to my blurry vision, stepped into the room and ran his hand down my back, squeezing my ass and grunting with pleasure. I was disgusted and my stomach wrenched tight right before I vomited all over the front of his pants.

  He jumped back in disgust, but not far enough. The second wave hit me, and this time I got his shoes. Dave, I could see more clearly now, stepped in to give me a backhand to the face and I made my token dry heave sound. Hork hork. He jumped away again, this time retreating back to the open doorway.

  Mel was laughing at him, "Damn, she got you good." He slapped his hands on his knees as he poked fun at him.

  "Shut the fuck up, Mel." He rooted through the drawers and pulled out some of Finn’s clothes. It’s not like Finn would need them anymore. "You’ll pay for that, bitch." He got in close to me and surprised me with a kick to the kidney. The wind was knocked from me. "How do you like that? Just like I did to that mutt of yours. I punted her
off the boat and into the water like a football. Too bad, too, dogs usually love me. Too bad. So sad."

  My chest constricted from struggling to breathe and for the loss of Daphne. I had kept her safe through everything thrown at us only to lose her at the hands, or feet, of this pile of dung.

  Mel remained in the doorway while Dave stormed off, presumably to change. I looked up at him and croaked out, "What have you done with Meg and Nancy?" My throat burned from the acidic vomit, and the sound of my own words increased the pounding in my head. I tasted the blood in my mouth and felt it still seeping from my nose.

  "Don’t you worry your pretty little head about them, darlin’. They’re just fine. We’ve got them strung up in the other bedrooms. Oh and we found your little girl, so you best not think of tryin’ anything funny. I’d hate to have to give her a swimming lesson." He closed the door and left me tied on the bed. I screamed for my friends and got no answer. My face contorted with anger at the thought of them hurting Gabby. I needed to get free and stop them somehow. If only the dwarfs would stop all the construction inside my head. The nausea came back and my vision went fuzzy.

  I must have blacked out, because when I opened my eyes again the sunlight had shifted and the room had gotten darker. It reeked of sour vomit and I had to concentrate hard so as not to add more to the pile. Gabby was crying somewhere at the front of the boat. The door to the bedroom had been opened at some point, and I heard the men talking in the hallway. I couldn’t tell which voice belonged to which man, but that really didn’t matter. What mattered was what they were saying.

  "Shut that fucking kid up."

  "What am I supposed to do, tell her a bedtime story?"

  "I don’t care how you do it. Shut her up. She’s giving me a headache. Suffocate her with a pillow if you have to."

  My breath caught and I panicked. They were talking about killing Gabby. I started screaming and thrashing on the bed like a wild woman.

  One of them stepped through the door. "What the fuck is all the racket about, bitch. You’d best shut up if you know what’s good for ya." He didn’t dare come closer for fear that I’d throw up again.

  I could see the other man start down the hall to where they presumably kept Gabby. "Please, don’t hurt her. She’s just scared. She’ll be quiet, I promise." I silently begged Gabby to be quiet. He didn’t stop walking. "Please! Stop! I’ll do whatever you want. Anything, just name it. I won’t fight back, I swear to God." Gabby stopped wailing but still made muffled whimpering noises, and I shook with relief as the other man turned back.

  Dave smiled at me lasciviously. My relief turned to fear as the thought of making good on my promise took hold of me. "Well, look at that. You were right. You’re also right that you’re gonna do whatever we want, but not yet. I’m saving you for last. First I’m gonna go get me some of Meg’s sweet little ass. But don’t you feel left out, I’ll be back for you soon enough."

  No amount of screaming and pleading stopped him from walking into Meg’s room. I could hear the muffled sounds of his taunts and Meg’s cries as he manhandled her. Then something unexpected happened. Dave screamed and there was a slap like meat being tenderized. I flinched, knowing the recipient of that slap was Meg. Dave came stumbling out of her room holding his crotch. His pants were around his knees and his dirty underwear looked as if they hadn’t been washed…ever.

  "That. Fucking. Cunt kicked me." His words were punctuated by sharp intakes of breath as he bent at the waist and worked on catching his breath. The fury on his face scared me more than anything I’d witnessed in my life.

  "Meg," I screamed. "Meg, are you okay? Talk to me!" I didn’t receive a response and my thoughts raced with possible scenarios, none of them good.

  Mel poked his head into my room and grabbed the doorknob. "Why don’t you shut the fuck up and start worrying about how long you’ll be okay for before I come in there and gag you." Dave had righted himself and was peering into his underwear and assessing the damage. If the situation hadn’t been so messed up, the sight would have been funny.

  "Jesus, I need some ice. Fucking apocalypse."

  I hoped she got him good. Maybe he’d bleed out internally from it. Not likely, but a nice thought anyway.

  Mel began closing my door, grinning pure evil at me. "Let’s get some payback. This time, you hold her down for me." The door closed and I resumed my screams for them to stop. I fought with my binds to get free. The only thing I succeeded in was rubbing my wrists and ankles raw from friction. My efforts were useless and I was out of ideas. I fell still and resumed my crying. I begged Jesus, God, Buddha, any spiritual being I thought could favor me with some divine intervention.

  The sounds of the struggle coming from Meg’s room sent me into another panic, and her pained screams left me gasping for air. I could hear grunts coming from the men and something big hit the wall. The men began yelling and I cried out for Meg. Then the boat fell almost silent. All I heard was Meg crying on the other side of the wall. Someone else spoke, one of the men, and it sounded like he was consoling her. I was so confused; maybe that hit to the head left me more damaged than I realized. My chest constricted and I couldn’t breathe. Fear of the unknown spurred me into a full-blown panic attack.

  The door to my room flew open with such force that the knob embedded in the wall. I screamed and shut my eyes, fearing the men had come for me. Determined not to give them the satisfaction, I reopened my eyes and fixated on the form standing in the doorway. I managed one word before the room spun and I passed out once again.

  "Jake."

  * * *

  Chapter 24

  Yes, Dear

  The haze began to lift. I could move my extremities freely and I felt blankets covering my body. Someone was patting down my forehead with something damp. As I started to struggle, I heard someone talking softly to me.

  "Easy, baby. Relax, it’s just me." Jake’s voice. This was surely a dream. My mind had probably retreated to fantasy to repress the traumatic events happening to us. Either that, or I was dead and this was my heaven. I was a little annoyed that the pain in my head had followed me to heaven. The chuckle that escaped my lips only made it worse.

  I could feel his soft caress on my face. His warm body pressed against my side, and I caught a whiff of his sickly sweet vomit. Hold up, vomit? Why was I smelling vomit in heaven? Jeez, Emma, pull yourself together. My head was muddled and I couldn’t make sense of what was going on. Jake’s handsome face came into focus as I opened my eyes. This wasn’t the Jake I remembered. This Jake looked hard and worn. His face was thinner, covered with weeks of scruff. I raised my hand and touched his cheek. He could never grow a full beard. He had this cowlick on his cheek where the hair grew in a circular shape. It was one of the things I found so adorable about him.

  When I touched his face, his eyes closed and he leaned into my touch. "Oh God, Emma. I missed you so much."

  I cried in earnest, still not willing to let myself believe he wasn’t a dream. Jake cried with me, holding my hand to his cheek for fear I would break contact.

  "Are you real?" I couldn’t trust my eyes. My husband was here and alive.

  "It’s really me, Em." Pulling my head off the pillow I flung my arms around him.

  "I knew you were alive. I just knew it." My tears turned to a half sob, half laugh sound and I buried my face in his neck, breathing him in. Looking up, I saw Adam in the door watching us with a pained expression on his face. He gave me a nod of understanding and turned away. His simple motion let me know he had bowed out of the pursuit of my affections. Jake was back now. Whatever feelings I thought might have developed for Adam dissolved into oblivion. Daphne pounced on me, showering me with her puppy dog slobber. The vague image of seeing her flying from the boat niggled at the corners of my memory. I didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth and included her in our little family hug.

  After a long silence, I remembered Meg and Nancy.

  "They’re okay, shaken up pretty bad, but they’ll be fi
ne, physically," Jake said as if he could read my mind.

  "What happened to you, Jake? Where have you been for the last month?"

  Jake looked worn out. He gave me the smallest of smiles, more akin to a grimace. "We’ll get to that. First, we have some business up on deck. Do you think you can stand up?"

  I put my feet on the floor and paused. The mixture of blinding pain from my head and the actual motion of the ocean made the room do a sort of wavy spin thing. It took a minute for the room to stop moving. Jake put his arm around my waist to steady me as I moved clumsily. I looked in a mirror as we passed by and gasped at the sight of myself. Bloody smears stained my face over swollen and bruised skin. I barely recognized myself. As Jake led me upstairs, I heard Mel and Dave pleading for their lives.

  Our entire group, less Gabby, who was sleeping in the cabin, was up top and had their weapons trained on the two men. Mel and Dave were kneeling with their hands on top of their heads. I was glad to see Dave sporting a matching black eye.

  Meg and Nancy rushed me and we embraced in reunion. "Thank God you’re safe. Did they hurt you? Or…um…anything else?" I looked both over like a mother inspecting her child after a nasty spill. They had minor bruises, but nothing compared to the badge of honor I wore. Will stood awkwardly behind Meg. One look into his eyes told me he was controlling himself from tearing Dave and Mel apart with his bare hands for what they’d done to her.

  Nancy answered for the both of them. "We’re both okay, thanks to Meg’s legs of death." She smiled brightly and gave Meg a pat on the back. I saw Dave wincing out of the corner of my eye. He forgot to keep his hands on his head and attempted to hold his family jewels. Seth knocked him on the side of the head with his rifle as a not so subtle reminder.