The smile that cut across Cain’s face was like watching a miner cut through stone, revealing a precious metal that he’d been searching for his entire life, and now he had finally reached the reward for all those years of laborious efforts.
Cain grabbed the bag of meat back from Beth’s grip and continued walking toward the house. Beth just stood there, frozen. She couldn’t believe the words that left her mouth.
The terrible, burning truth that had waited patiently to escape was now out in the open. Beth hated Billy for what he did. She didn’t want to forgive him and she didn’t want him to come back. All she wanted was to make him pay for what he did.
***
Billy kept an eye on the kids while Fay took Jung to visit Jenna’s grave. The children hadn’t visited the grave yet, but Fay didn’t want them to go with their father when he was in such a vulnerable state. She didn’t think it would be good for either of them. Billy agreed.
Jung Jr. pushed a small truck along the floor and Claire kept crawling after him.
Billy and his brother used to be like that. Joey would follow him wherever he went. Billy never had a moment alone. It got to the point where it was annoying. Now, he’d give anything to have his brother look at him the way he used to.
The door to his room opened up and Fay poked her head inside. She motioned for him to come outside. He closed the door behind him and noticed Fay still had Jung’s room key in her hand.
“How’d he take it?” Billy asked.
“Hard to tell. He didn’t say anything to me.”
“Did you tie him back up?”
“Yeah.”
“What are we going to do about the kids, Fay? We can’t keep them from their father forever.”
“We might not have to.”
“What?”
“He’s giving up, Billy. We can’t force him to eat or drink. If he wants to waste away, then that’s what he’s going to do. It’s not like we can sedate him and put him on life support.”
“How can he do that?”
“He’s broken, Billy. He has been for a while now.”
“That doesn’t mean you give up! That doesn’t mean you quit! You keep pushing!”
Billy caught himself. He didn’t realize how loud he was, or how much he was shaking until he saw Fay backing away from him. He relaxed his hands and exhaled.
“I’m sorry. It’s just…”
“Your family will forgive you, Billy. It’ll just take time,” Fay said.
“I know.”
***
Cain sat at the kitchen table with Joey and Beth. The sunlight still shone in through the windows. The rays caught the dust floating through the air. He sat there watching the small particles dance, drifting back and forth, and swirling in unorganized patterns.
He’d been on the road for weeks, searching for people to recruit for Bram’s cause. While most of his other colleagues focused on larger cities, Cain took a different approach. He spent his time traveling through smaller towns looking for soldiers who didn’t realize the war they were already a part of. Once Cain found them, all he had to do was polish them up.
“So it’s true?” Joey asked. “The power’s on in Cincinnati?”
“Yes,” Cain answered.
“When can we go?” Joey asked.
“You haven’t earned it yet,” Cain replied.
There was a test, something Cain administered to every prospect he came across. It required no skill or training, simply a certain frame of mind.
All of the people that Cain had come across were survivors. They could all hunt or were prepared with supplies to last them years. Most of them were competent with some kind of weapon, but every single one of them failed the test.
He’d all but given up his search until he stumbled across the Murths. When he found them he was able to put most of the pieces of their puzzle together himself. He spent a lot of time studying them, watching them. They were creatures of unyielding habit. They pushed forward, no matter what, and that’s what made Cain believe they were the right fit.
He knew he would get chewed out once he made it back to Cincinnati. Bram would have a fit that he’d been gone for weeks and managed to bring back only two new recruits, but Cain knew that whoever passed his test would be in it with their life.
Cain rose from the table and walked over to the wall where the large cross hung, watching over the house.
“’Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go,’” Cain said. “Do you know what that’s from, Joey?”
Joey shook his head. Cain reached for the cross and took it off the wall. He walked back over to the table, standing between Joey and Beth.
“It’s from the book of Joshua. After Moses died the Lord commanded Joshua to lead the Hebrews across the river Jordan, and promised him that whatever ground his foot touched would be his,” Cain said.
Cain gripped the cross with both hands. His forearms tensed up, squeezing the cross.
“What a crock of shit,” Cain said.
He snapped the cross in half and tossed the pieces onto the table. Beth jumped from her seat and Cain backhanded her across the face. Joey lunged after him and he tossed the boy on the floor next to his mother.
“Where is he?” Cain demanded. “Where is your God? What has he given you? Your husband is dead. Your brother has exiled himself. You’re running out of food and time. You’ve placed your destiny in the hands of a man you cannot see or hear.”
A welt was growing on Beth’s cheek where he struck her. Cain’s eyes softened. He grabbed a rag from the kitchen and dipped it in a bucket of water in the sink.
“Come here,” Cain said, motioning over to Beth.
Beth went to him timidly. He dabbed the welt gently and looked down to Joey. Beth closed her eyes. Cain bent down to Joey’s level. He knew he could convince him. He knew the boy would have it in him.
“Your brother killed your father, Joe. That’s not something you can let him get away with. If you want you and your mother to survive you have to take action,” Cain said. “Can you do it, Joe?”
“Yes,” Joey answered.
“Good.”
***
“I’m hungry,” Jung Jr. said.
Billy was drifting off. Jung Jr. had been tugging on his arm for the past ten minutes, but he was too tired to do anything about it.
“We just ate, buddy,” Billy said.
“But I’m hungry again.”
Then the jumping up and down to demand attention started, followed by Claire attempting to emulate her brother, only adding to the noise.
“Okay, okay. Let’s go grab something,” Billy said.
Both kids squealed with delight. Billy led them outside and over to Fay’s room where the food was stored. The sun was sinking low in the west and when Billy first heard the sound he thought he imagined it, but it was growing louder in the distance.
“It’s a car,” Billy whispered to himself.
He picked Claire up and grabbed Jung Jr. by the hand and sprinted toward Fay’s room. She was out the door before he could knock.
“You hear that?” Billy asked.
“Which direction is it coming from?”
“East I think.”
“Take the kids inside.”
“What? Why?”
“We don’t know who’s coming. You have your rifle on you?”
“It’s back in the room.”
“Grab it. Quickly!”
Billy dashed to his room. The rifle was leaning against the corner. He grabbed it, checking the magazine to ensure it was loaded, then headed back over to Fay and the kids.
“Stay in here until I say it’s safe to come out. If something happens, stay hidden. Your best bet is to stay here and hope they keep going,” Fay said.
“But—”
“No exceptions. Now, get in there and stay quiet.”
Billy hurried the kids in the
room and he locked the door. He sat the two of them on the bed and put his finger to his lips.
“You guys need to stay quiet for me, okay?” Billy said.
Jung Jr. and Claire both brought their fingers to their lips. Billy smiled.
“Perfect,” he said.
Billy stepped softly over to the window, staying low to remain out of sight. He could see Fay crouched behind one of the cars, her eyes glued down the road.
The vehicle’s engine grew louder, and it sounded as though it was slowing down. Whoever it was planned on taking a look around.
It was some sort of military vehicle. It stopped directly in front of the motel and the engine cut off. The windows were tinted, but even if they weren’t Billy wasn’t sure if he’d be able to see who was inside.
His hand pressed against the window, almost breaking the glass, when he saw who stepped out. It was his brother, and his mom, with a man he didn’t recognize. All of them were armed.
Before Fay could aim her rifle, Beth brought her down with a shot that echoed through the courtyard.
Billy dashed out of the hotel room, forgetting the kids in the room.
“Mom, stop!” he screamed.
Then, when his mother saw him, he watched the barrel of her rifle point at him and he ducked for cover behind the staircase. The bullets ricocheted off the concrete. Billy peeked through the spaces of the stairs and watched both his mother and brother advance on him.
He didn’t know what to think. Was it this man they were with that was making them do this? Were they acting on their own? What was happening?
The thought of Jung Jr. and Claire suddenly flooded his mind. He couldn’t let his family hurt them. Billy brought the rifle’s stock to his shoulder. He closed his eyes, exhaling slowly.
When he opened his eyes he jumped from behind the staircase and fired a few rounds in his mother’s direction, causing her to jump behind one of the small stone walls in the courtyard. He tried looking for his brother, but he couldn’t see where he went.
He used the wall behind him as a guide and kept his sights on his mother as he backtracked to the room where the kids were. He finally made it to the door and backed inside.
Before the door was shut he felt hands grip his neck and face. The rifle hit the floor as Billy tried to free himself from Cain’s hold, but it was useless. The more he struggled the tighter Cain squeezed.
“Shhh,” Cain whispered.
It took Billy a moment for the scene in front of him to sink in. Both Jung Jr. and Claire were on the floor, crying and holding on to each other while Joey stood next to them with his rifle aimed at both their heads.
Joey was looking at him, but it wasn’t his brother’s eyes staring at him. It was some other creature’s gaze. They looked like their father’s eyes.
“Your brother wanted to come show you something,” Cain said.
Billy screamed through Cain’s hand, trying to talk to his brother, but all that came out was mumbled cries. His eyes moved from Joey’s finger on the trigger to Jung Jr.’s and Claire’s crying faces.
“Show him, Joey. Show him who you are,” Cain said.
This wasn’t his brother. This wasn’t any type of reality he knew. How could it be? It was a nightmare. He just had to wake up.
The barrel of Joey’s rifle pressed against the side of Jung Jr.’s head. Billy started to feel light-headed. The room started to go black.
Claire’s face was beet red from crying. Her screams were piercing, scared. She clutched onto her brother, whose face was just as red and afraid. Joey’s hand was shaking.
“Do it,” Cain said.
Claire screamed again, louder than she had before. Billy couldn’t take his eyes off his brother’s finger hovering over the trigger. One small movement was all it would take to transform his brother from innocent to murderer.
“Do it!” Cain screamed.
The sound of Joey’s rifle going off seemed as if it was far away, in another world, in another life. When it was over all Billy could hear was a solid ringing in his ears, and the last thing he saw before he passed out was the blood splattered across his brother’s face.
***
When Billy woke up he tried moving his arms, but he felt the tight grip of rope around his wrists, keeping his hands tied behind his back. His ankles were bound together as well.
He looked to his left and saw that Jung was tied and bound next to him. Jung had his eyes open, but they were glazed over.
“Jung,” Billy said. “Jung, what’s going on?”
Jung didn’t respond. He just sat there, a dead look on his face, staring at something. Billy followed Jung’s line of sight and when he saw what Jung was looking at he turned his head and puked on the ground.
The acid from the vomit burned his throat, all the way from the pit of his stomach to the roof of his mouth.
Both Jung Jr. and Claire were piled on top of each other. The blast from Joey’s rifle had left their heads and faces unrecognizable. Their small hands, arms, and legs were tangled together and motionless.
Billy’s body convulsed as sobs escaped him. They were silent at first, and then grew to painful moans. The cries were rooted in not only the children’s deaths but also the actions of his brother.
Billy just lay there on his side against the rough, granular concrete, staring at the two tiny, lifeless bodies on the ground in front of him when a pair of boots blocked his vision.
“I’m glad you finally came around. We were starting to worry,” Cain said.
Cain grabbed Billy’s shoulders and sat him upright. He tapped the side of Billy’s cheeks, and then wiped the tears off them.
“There, there now. It’s okay. Those kids won’t have to suffer anymore. Your brother did a very brave thing, you know,” Cain said.
It was Cain’s eyes that threw Billy off. They were crystal blue, clearer and richer than any eyes he’d ever seen before, eyes that hid the twisted mind that stole his brother’s childhood.
“You know he didn’t say a word when we brought him down here?” Cain said, gesturing to Jung. “Now, there’s a man who has lost all connection with who he used to be. I’d bring him with me if he weren’t a complete zombie. Such a waste,” Cain said.
Cain pulled a knife from his belt. It ran six inches in length with a solid black handle. He placed the tip of the blade gently on the toe of Billy’s shoe.
“You know your family is very special. I can’t tell you how many towns I’ve been to like this one where people are barely surviving, trying to hold on. Each time I tried to help them, convince them that there was a better way, but none of them could go the distance. They couldn’t leave behind the one thing stopping them from flourishing,” Cain said.
Cain ran the knife along the fabric of Billy’s pants with enough pressure for Billy to feel the blade’s presence, but light enough to not cut the fabric.
“Where’s my brother?” Billy asked.
“Oh, he’ll be here in a minute. I’m sure he won’t want to miss the show,” Cain answered.
“You’re sick.”
“You know what I just realized? I haven’t properly introduced myself.”
Cain laughed, shaking his head. “I’m so sorry about that. My name is Cain.”
“I don’t give a shit what your name is.”
“See! That’s the spark! That’s what you need! But you’re missing the sense of detachment that your friend here has. If I could just combine the two of you I think you’d be a great addition, but I’m afraid we’re running out of time,” Cain said. “Ah, here she is.”
Billy looked to his right and saw his mother walking toward him. She had dark circles under her eyes. They were deeper than usual. More hollow.
“Mom?” Billy asked.
She didn’t respond. Cain stood up and handed her the knife.
“Don’t take too long,” Cain said.
Cain patted her on the back and disappeared behind Billy. Beth knelt down in front of him, her eyes looking at h
im, but not seeing him.
“Mom, what are you doing? I don’t know what that man did, but listen to me, this isn’t right. Mom, you’re not thinking straight,” Billy said.
“I loved you,” Beth said.
Billy started crying. His whole body shook as the flow of tears opened up again down his face. His head tilted down. He tried stopping, but he couldn’t.
No Power: EMP Post Apocalyptic Fiction Thriller Super Boxset Page 143
