Wind

by Cheryl Twaddle

  “Okay then,” he started. “First question; who helped you kill Butcher?”

  “Butcher? Who’s Butcher?” I was still trying to hide what I had done. Maybe I still had that biblical sense of sin in me but I wasn’t ready to admit to these men that I killed someone. Telling Billy and Emma Lee had been hard enough.

  “Now, Nicky, you said you’d answer my questions truthfully,” he smiled. “Do you really want me to kill the clown because I will. Now, I won’t give you another chance. I saw you with his horse by the pond. She knew you and you knew her. Who helped you kill Butcher?” I looked at Marshal and I saw his body shudder. He didn’t want me to tell what I had done but I saw no other way.

  “No one helped me kill Butcher.” I glared at Ryan. “I did it all on my own. He wanted to eat my dog so I shot him in the head. It was quick and it was easy. Was he a friend?”

  “He was an acquaintance.” I could see that Butcher meant much more to him than that.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to make your bed cold.” He reached up and backhanded me across the face. I refused to show any sign of pain and smiled at him. “Anything else?”

  “Where is Maxwell?” I wasn’t expecting this.

  “How the hell am I supposed to know?” I was confused again. “Isn’t he your leader?”

  “Nice try, bitch.” He pulled out a gun and checked the barrel. “I told you not to lie.”

  “I’m not lying!” I was starting to panic. Something was wrong with this picture. I thought Max had replaced Pig. “I have no idea where Max is. I thought he was with you guys. He killed Madge, didn’t he? I told you that by the pond. You agreed with me.”

  “You were covering,” he said but I could tell he wasn’t sure.

  “No, I wasn’t. I thought you were still helping us. I was trusting you big time. I had no idea you were working on your own agenda here.” The impact of just who Ryan was hit me. “My God, you killed Madge didn’t you?” Silence and in the distance I could feel Robert’s eyes staring at Ryan. “You made us trust you and you killed her. Why? Why would you do that?”

  “He didn’t, I did.” One of the men took off their hat and stepped forward. Long blond hair came flowing out and I immediately recognized the plain face. I stared at Sarah in disbelief. She killed Madge? But that didn’t make sense. Everyone likes Sarah; she’s everyone’s friend. How could she have been the one that killed Madge?

  “Sarah?” When I said the name I could feel the eyes of Robert and Marshal rise to the woman who they thought was their friend. “But you’re one of us.”

  “Really?” asked Ryan as he took Sarah’s hand and pulled her to him for a kiss. They were together? No way! She was way older than him. “If she was really one of them then why did they let Pig do the things he did to her? If they were really her friend then why did they let her suffer day after day? If they were really her friend, they would have seen her pain.”

  “Don’t, Ryan,” she whispered and kissed his neck. “Don’t talk about it anymore.”

  “It’s okay,” he whispered back and kissed her forehead. “They’ll pay for letting you go through all of it.”

  “I’m touched,” I said sarcastically. I didn’t believe a word of it. There’s no way Sarah was a helpless victim and there’s no way Marshal would have let her be victimized; his feelings for her were pretty obvious to me. “You’re wrong. I know these people and I can’t believe they would’ve let all that happen if they’d have known about it. My God, look how they reacted when you guys blocked the river! They’ve risked their lives coming out here just to talk to Pig. No, they would have done something even if their only option was to hide her from Pig; they would have done it. Maybe your little girlfriend never said anything. I mean, it’s obvious she knows how to keep secrets. She’s lying. She’s probably just using you, exploiting your stupidity for some reason.”

  “Shut your face,” Ryan hissed at me.

  “Why? Hit a nerve did I?” I was trying everything I could to drive suspicion into their little relationship. If they fought with each other than they wouldn’t be fighting us. “Maybe, little Miss Perfect wanted more than a cardboard house and homely hair. Maybe she wanted it all, a strong young boy toy, a camp full of slaves and a heartbroken past so no one can question anything she does. Maybe she used Pig and that’s why he never killed her. She traded her boyish body for being able to live with some sort of comfort. Maybe free food, some luxuries only Pig could provide. I was told that Pig had a rule that she was to be left alone. Good deal when he had no problem killing others. I bet it was easy for her if he only came for occasional visits. I guess you’re more to her liking. She seems to want to stay with you.”

  “Shut up, Nicky!” I could see his hands opening and closing into balls of fists. “I’m gonna tear you apart if you don’t shut up!”

  “It’s okay Ryan.” Sarah turned his eyes to hers and whispered baby words to him. I was getting to them.

  “When did you fall down here? Two years ago?” I asked. “When did you meet Sarah? I imagine you woke up out in the forest, maybe even right in Pig’s camp. Did he make you his personal slave? I was told he liked to have physical strength around him and you must have been like an angel sent down from heaven. He could make you do everything for him couldn’t he? Serve his food, clean his tent, fetch his water; you were his own personal whipping boy.”

  “I’m warning you, Nicky.”

  “I bet he didn’t go anywhere without his whipping boy. I bet he took you with him when he went to visit Sarah. You’d have been the only one, other than Pig, that knew where she lived. I bet you’d wander there on your own every once in a while didn’t you?” I had him now. I was driving him insane. It would cost me but it was fun. “Did she tell you a little more of her sob story every time you visited? Did she captivate you with her cougar routine?”

  “Will you shut the fuck up?” It was Sarah who shouted at me this time and it was Sarah who finally lost it and flew at me with outstretched fingers that she raked down the sides of my face just like a cat. My hands were still tied and there wasn’t much I could do to get away but I didn’t want to.

  “Is this how you killed Madge?” I looked into her eyes and knew I had pulled away her mask. “Did she find out about you and told you how disappointed she was? I know she had a way with words. You lost your temper didn’t you, and then killed the woman who loved you like a daughter. How sweet.”

  “She was a stupid fat cow and I did the world a favour,” she hissed and I knew that Robert had heard every word and I knew that he would kill her if given the chance. I also knew that Marshal’s whole world had just come crashing down around him and I was filled with anger and sympathy and a sudden urge to kick something. I saw Sarah reach back to Ryan for a gun and I also saw how exposed her back was. I took a step forward and kicked her as hard as I could. She fell into Ryan and I ran as fast as I could past them and towards the communal fire pit. The fire had been well taken care of today and I could see the flames flicker high and then settle back down.

  I had a brief moment of Robert insanity and grabbed a camping chair that was sitting a few feet from the pit. I walked towards the flames and reached out with the chair. When I saw the orange glow transfer to the black fabric of the chair, I flung it as hard as I could into one of the tents. The material caught almost immediately and soon the entire tent was ablaze.

  “What are you standing around for?” I heard Ryan yell. “Kill her!”

  Two men started to approach me, guns raised but, before they could fire, both fell to the ground face first. Someone had shot them and I didn’t have time to see who; I ran for the trees. I had to get these ropes off of me and go back and untie my friends. There had to be a knife somewhere lying around one of these tents. There was an explosion behind me and I turned in time to see a little camp stove flying through the air. It landed on another tent and set it on fire instantly.

  I finally found a knife and tried to maneuver it in my hands to cut the ropes. It
wasn’t working. Why wasn’t it working? It always worked in the movies. Maybe I should rub the ropes against a rock or something. Dammit! Why couldn’t I get the damn ropes off? I heard another gunshot. Oh, God please don’t let it be one of my friends. I tried to see through the fire but I couldn’t. Now I was worried they’d be caught in the flames, roasted like pigs on a spit. Another shot.

  “Please!” I was panicking now, crying with frustration and pounding the knife into the ropes. I could feel it pierce my skin but I didn’t care. I threw the knife aside and began pulling at the rope with my teeth. I needed to get my friggin’ hands untied!

  “If you’d sit still, I’ll untie them for you.” The Scottish lilt rang through my ears. His warm hands worked to release me from my bondage and I was free. Was he the one who shot those two men? Why?

  “Max?” I looked up into his eyes, confused. “What are you doing here?”

  “Shh,” he put his finger to my lips and I felt a surge of butterflies flood my stomach. Before I knew what was happening, he pressed his lips to mine and I felt myself being swept up into a whirlpool of passion I never knew existed. His hands were wrapped around my waist and I felt my body being lifted off the ground. I kissed him back in a moment of unrestrained desire and then came to my senses. I pulled myself away and stared at the man who I deeply hated. I saw the desperation of his hunger and it angered me. I was standing now and felt the ground beneath my feet, solid and sturdy once more. I reached up and slapped his face as hard as I could.

  “How dare you,” I said to him, trying to catch my breath. His head had spun away from me with the force of the blow and when he looked back the hunger had gone from his eyes and a leering grin had spread across his face.

  “You do have spunk.” He laughed and rubbed the welt that was beginning to form on his cheek. “Shall we go and rescue your friends.”

  “My friends?” Why was he willing to help me? Wasn’t he part of the out-of-towns? “You want to help me?”

  “The more questions you ask me, Nicky, the longer your friends hang in peril.” He walked past me and headed off towards the screams of a little boy. I didn’t know what to think but I knew I couldn’t just stand there either. I followed him, my hands free and my feet running to catch up.

  The whole camp was on fire now. The tents were burning as fast as dry kindling and I could see people climbing out of them screaming. Some of them were on fire, others escaped unscathed and ran for the woods. Not many of them were looking for weapons to fight and I was beginning to think that Ryan’s rule would have been brief. These people seemed very fickle to me. I saw the little girl who I remembered from the first time I was brought here. I was glad to see that she was okay and I wondered what would happen to her now. Perhaps she could be friends with Billy. Billy, his screaming had stopped and I wondered why. We were almost at Cornelius and Marshal now. I had not seen Ryan or Sarah but I knew they had to be around.

  “Nicky, give me the knife.” I looked down at my hands and realized I had the knife. I must have picked it up again. I passed it to Max and watched as he reached up to Cornelius’ hands and started to slice through the fibre.

  “’Bout time mate. I was almost ready to give up on you,” Cornelius said through bloodied lips.

  “How many times have I come to your aid and still you question me?” Max laughed and caught the Englishman as his body fell from the wire. Did they know each other? I looked from one to the other and watched as they shared a brotherly hug. Max pushed Cornelius to me and started on Marshal’s ropes.

  “Well, young Nicky, sorry we took so long,” he smiled at me. “But we were a bit detained.”

  “I see that.” I put his arm around me and waited for Marshal.

  “Go, I’ll bring Marshal,” Max said as he quickly glanced at me standing there with Cornelius. Thankfully the Englishman still had a little strength left in him and could walk a bit on his own because he was much too heavy for me to handle otherwise. He put his arm around me and we both stumbled into the trees. I found a spot behind some bushes and stopped to let Cornelius catch his breath. Max was right behind us with a semiconscious Marshal.

  “Are you okay?” I asked Cornelius.

  “I’ve been better but I suppose we all have,” he coughed and I realized he must have breathed in smoke from the fire.

  “Is Marshal okay?” I looked at the crazy redhead who was now sitting against a tree with his head between his knees.

  “I’ll be okay, Nicky.” I could hear the sadness in his voice. “Just need to catch my breath.”

  “Well, you two stay here and we’ll go get the rest,” said Max. I still couldn’t get over the fact that he was helping us. I started to follow him.

  “And just where do you think you’re going miss?” It was Cornelius as he put a hand on my shoulder. “Maxwell and I have got this covered. You can stay here and help our friend catch his breath.” I looked down at Marshal and then back at Cornelius.

  “Screw that!” I said. “I ain’t his nursemaid. If you want someone to look after Marshal then you do it. You’re not in the best of shape either, you know. I can go with Max and get the others. I am capable of cutting a few strands of rope. Honestly, I’ve never met more chauvinistic pigs in all my life, well except the guys on the football team.” I kept mumbling out loud as I made my way back to the camp, pushing Max out of my way as I went.

  “You’ve fallen for quite the little firecracker, mate,” I heard Cornelius say and I rolled my eyes. Men! “Hope you can handle it.”

  “Oh, I can handle it,” Max laughed and I was ready to slap both of them. “I just hope she can.”

  “Are you coming?” I yelled back at them and kept walking, not waiting for an answer.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The camp was full of smoke now. It was hard to see anything and my eyes burned. The fire was destroying tent after tent and had now spread to the surrounding trees. That wasn’t good, I thought. The last thing I wanted to do was start a forest fire. I knew that the trees provided shelter for a lot of the animals during the winds and I didn’t want them to be destroyed. I began to search for Billy, Robert and Emma Lee.

  “Over here,” Max yelled and I followed him.

  They were still there, hanging with their hands above their heads. The fire was getting close and they were kicking and twisting trying to get themselves free. Billy was hysterical now, afraid of being burned alive. It wasn’t a bad thing to be afraid of. I ran to him first and reached up and started pulling at the rope; Max still had my knife. He came up behind me and reached over my hands and pulled them away.

  “I’ll cut, you catch,” he spoke into my ear.

  “Hurry,” I said. “We have to get them free and figure out a way to put out the fire.”

  “One thing at a time, luv.”

  “We can’t let the forest burn!” I felt desperation in my voice and tried to quell the panic that was starting to rise again. Max finished cutting the ropes and handed Billy to me and then met my eyes. I could see the same concern in his.

  “I know,” he said and moved on to Emma Lee.

  We started to make our way back to Marshal and Cornelius. Emma Lee and Robert were uninjured so they were able to walk on their own, making our progress quick. Billy seemed to be calmer now that he was free of the ropes and in our care. He tightly clutched my hand but I didn’t mind; there was no way I was going to lose him in this smoke. It was getting thicker now and the heat from the flames was making me sweat uncontrollably. It took us ten minutes to maneuver through the burning debris and finally make it back to the others.

  Marshal seemed better and was now standing with Cornelius. The two of them were deep in conversation when we returned. I could see the relief in Cornelius’ eyes that Emma Lee was okay but I didn’t see the same in hers. Cornelius was smitten but Emma Lee looked like she was holding back. Who could blame her? Derek must still be fresh in her mind.

  “Nicky,” it was Marshal. “Cornelius and I have been talking
. We have to start some kind of fire brigade and put the fire out. It’s getting out of control now.”

  “I know. I was just saying that to Max,” I said. “Are there any buckets or containers we can fill with water. The river’s not too far. We can form a line and start passing the buckets down it.”

  “There’s not enough of us,” cried Billy.

  “I’m sure some of the idiots from camp will help us,” I said. “It’s their forest too.”

  “Not if you ask them like that,” said Max with a smile. I felt my cheeks burn with anger. Why did he insist on mocking me?

  “Robert, Marshal go see if you can catch some of the people running away,” I said. “Try to get the women and children. They seem a little more reasonable than the men.”

  “Nicky, where’s Robert?” asked Billy. I looked around and didn’t see him anywhere.

  “He was right there,” I said. I looked at Max. “Didn’t he come with you?”

  “He was right with me,” Max said, looking just as surprised as the rest of us that Robert was missing. “He followed us here, I know he did.”

  “Robert, Robert,” called Billy.

  “It’s okay Billy,” I said. “We’ll look for him later. We have to get enough people to put out the fire. That’s our priority now.” I turned to Marshal to get him to go look for people to help; I’d send Billy with him. Marshal looked at me, all signs of the crazy man I met that first day gone.

  “He’s going to kill her, isn’t he?” he asked me. I couldn’t lie.

  “If he finds her,” I said. “He loved Madge very much, Marshal. Sarah took that from him and he wants her to pay.”

  “I know, I know.” He put his head down and took a deep breath. When he lifted it again, the old familiar smile was on his face. “What do you want me to do, Nicky? Get the people? Come on, Billy. Let’s go, go, go.”