by Gavin Zanker
‘Ma don’t need to know, does she?’ Dillon said, jabbing his finger into the larger man’s chest before slipping the Glock into the back of his belt and pulling his shirt down over it.
Terrence ignored him and turned, waving at the camera. The gate rattled open again and Aiden was led through at gunpoint. As the gate closed behind him, he risked a glance back at the hedge where Leigh and Hitch still hid. They would have to cope on their own for a while.
‘What are you gawping at?’ Dillon asked.
‘Just admiring your gate.’
‘Watch the lip and keep walking.’ Dillon pushed the metal barrel of his shotgun into Aiden’s spine. ‘Ma will be taking her lunch about now. You never know, if you impress her you might even get a plate yourself.’
CHAPTER 6
‘THIS WAY,’ TERRENCE said, leading Aiden through the hallway where multiple pairs of rubber wellington boots lay heaped up beside a radiator. Dillon shoved Aiden into a long but narrow dining room before leaning his shotgun against the door frame.
At the far end of the room, a group of people bustled back and forth in an open-plan kitchen to the sound of clattering pans and running taps. An aged oak table, solid and easily capable of seating twenty people, dominated the centre of the room. A shrivelled woman sat at the head, her grey hair laying lank against her skull like a covering of cobwebs. Further along the table, Travis Kendrick sat, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. There was no sign of his guards.
‘Who is this?’ the woman asked, her voice rasping like footsteps on gravel. ‘I wasn’t expecting more guests. More of your armed friends, eh Travis?’
‘I don’t th-think so, Ma,’ Terrence said. ‘Me and Dillon found him out-out-out—’
‘We found him by the gate on our rounds,’ Dillon interrupted.
A strange tension fell over the room as the woman studied Aiden with her cloudy eyes. All noise stopped as even the kitchen staff paused.
‘Well I suppose he’d better pull up a chair and join us for dinner,’ she said, and the room seemed to let out a breath. ‘Someone turn on the radio for your mother. I can’t abide this silence. What’s your name, stranger?’
‘Aiden.’
‘Got yourself a last name?’
‘Fielding.’
‘Fielding, huh. Can’t say I’ve heard of it.’ She speared a curd of egg from her plate and raised it to her mouth as a radio came to life in a crackle of static somewhere in the kitchen area. ‘You can call me Mother Venkarth, or Ma for short—that’s what everyone else calls me around here. I’ll have none of that Granny business though. I may be getting on a bit, but it just doesn’t sit right with me. Well, are you going to stand there all day? Sit yourself down.’
The voice of Grace’s partner, Robin, piped through the radio, but it was hard to hear over the clanging of pots and pans. Aiden did catch a few words of an interview with a trader in Carson Waters; something about rejecting the Syndicate’s latest attempts to buy out some businesses in the town.
‘You heard Ma,’ Terrence urged. ‘Sit down.’
Aiden took a seat halfway down the table opposite Travis, while Terrence stayed by the door, his shotgun resting over his shoulder. Aiden was surprised to find such an elderly woman heading the family. But then he knew real power wasn’t in the strength of someone’s arm, and real leaders usually weren’t obvious at first glance.
‘I’d best go back out and finish my rounds,’ Dillon said, sniffing loudly. ‘There might be more of them out there.’ He winked at Aiden as he turned and left. Aiden suppressed his anger, knowing his business with the thief wasn’t finished yet. He hoped Leigh had the sense to stay out of sight.
‘Aiden? What the hell are you doing here?’ Travis hissed, leaning forward across the table.
‘Hey, I heard that, watch the language!’ Mother snapped. ‘I’ll have no cursing at my dinner table. No matter if you’re a guest or not, I’ll see your mouth scrubbed out with soap.’
‘I could ask you the same question,’ Aiden said to the Dawnist, enjoying the pained expression Travis wore as he was scolded like a child.
‘That’s none of your concern,’ Travis said, folding his arms and turning his nose up. ‘It’s official Dawnist business.’
‘Yes, Aiden,’ Mother said, ‘it’s Dawnist business and none of your concern.’ She cackled as Travis gritted his teeth at the humiliation, the muscles in his jaw flexing.
Two more men appeared in the doorway, both wearing tweed jackets and holding shotguns. ‘Oh look,’ one said as he noticed Terrence, ‘it’s stutter boy. Figured out how to say your own name yet, retard?’
‘Nasty looking shiner you’ve got there,’ the other said, laughing.
Terrence glared at them, but remained silent as they brushed past him, entering the dining room proper.
‘Danny! Boyd!’ Mother shrieked. ‘Leave your brother alone. And if I told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times: no guns in the dining room! It’s like you want to spend more time in the basement.’
‘Sorry, Ma,’ they both chorused as they rushed to drop the weapons in the hallway outside. They walked over to Mother and kissed her on the cheek before kneeling down on either side of her.
‘My faithful boys,’ she said, chewing her lunch slowly. ‘Did you do as I asked, Boyd?’
‘It’s all done, Ma. The field is ready and we’ll start planting tomorrow.’
‘Good,’ she said, stroking Danny’s hair as he laid his head in her lap. ‘Like I tell you, always plan ahead. As a reward, you shall have your game tomorrow. We even have another guest to play with.’
‘Thank you, Ma,’ Boyd said, his uneven eyes lighting up as he stared slack-jawed across the table at Aiden.
Danny raised his head from her lap and leered at Travis, teeth like badly parked golf carts. ‘It’s been a long time since we had guests,’ he said in a monotone. ‘Or games.’
Mother sighed. ‘I am tired now,’ she said, patting their heads. ‘Take me to my room, Boyd. For your good work you may keep me and your sister company upstairs for the afternoon.’
Boyd dropped his gaze, his brow furrowing. ‘Thank you, Ma,’ he mumbled as he helped her to her feet.
Aiden threw a puzzled look at Travis, but the Dawnist raised an eyebrow, seemingly just as confused.
‘Thank you for your lunch company,’ Mother said, ‘even if you aren’t exactly brimming with conversation. My boys will see to your lodgings for the night.’
‘I appreciate your hospitality, but I didn’t make plans to stay,’ Aiden said.
‘Nonsense,’ Mother said. ‘You’ll each take one of the guest rooms. It would be rude to leave so quickly. You don’t want to upset me, do you?’
Everyone turned to stare at Aiden expectantly.
‘No, of course not,’ he said, knowing that any other answer wouldn’t end well for him.
‘Good, then it’s settled,’ she said as she exited the room, leaning on Boyd’s arm.
The slack-jawed man Danny moved over to Travis while Terrence loomed behind Aiden. ‘Let’s go, Mr Fielding,’ he said, dropping a heavy hand on Aiden’s shoulder. ‘You’re g-going to need your rest.’
CHAPTER 7
AIDEN HADN’T SLEPT at all. After finding the door to his room locked and the windows barred, he had paced for most of the night, worrying about Leigh and picking at his fingernails until they bled. Now slumped in a chair by the window, he was zoning out on the dust motes dancing on the morning sunlight when he was disturbed by a knock. A key turned in the lock and Terrence entered, shotgun slung over his shoulder.
‘Morning,’ the Venkarth said, placing down a mug of steaming tea and sloshing some onto the bedside table in the process. ‘I put some sugar in for you. D’you get some rest?’
‘Not really,’ Aiden said, ignoring the drink. ‘Letting me go yet?’
Terrence shook his head.
‘So what happens now then?’
‘Take five minutes to g-get yourself together.’
‘I’d rather get it over with.’
‘Fair enough. Follow me then.’
Terrence led Aiden from the room, down some carpeted stairs, and out to the rear of the house where five men in wellingtons and flat caps lounged beside the house, passing a cigarette around. Travis stood alone a short distance from them, his arms crossed over his chest, his breath coming out in clouds of fog as he shifted from foot to foot. Judging by the dark circles under his eyes, the Dawnist leader hadn’t managed any sleep either.
‘So what now?’ Travis asked, his irritation failing to cover the waver of fear in his voice. ‘You line us up against the wall and shoot us like cattle?’
‘Over there,’ Terrence said, nodding to a chalk line drawn in the grass before turning and disappearing around the corner of the house.
‘Any idea what’s going on?’ Travis asked as Aiden stepped up to the line.
‘Not yet.’ Aiden flashed him a hard stare. ‘Why are you in trouble anyway? I thought these were your friends.’
‘Clearly not or I wouldn’t be joining you on a firing line, would I?’ Travis snapped.
A series of barks came from somewhere in the distance. Aiden’s hand moved to where his pistol would’ve been if Dillon hadn’t stolen it. As his fingers grasped air, he realised what was happening. ‘This isn’t a firing line,’ he said. ‘There’d be no sport in that.’
‘Stop the nattering over there,’ one of the Venkarths said. ‘Did I show you fellas this?’ he said, turning back to the group. Aiden bristled, realising it was Dillon when he saw the man take out his Glock and flash it around. ‘Took it from sad-act over there. Silenced and everything look, check it out.’
‘That must be worth a pretty penny,’ one of them said with a whistle. ‘Can’t see a spot of rust on it.’
‘I bet you could buy a whole month of hookers with that thing.’
‘Or a mountain of chocolate.’
‘Aye, well it’s mine and I’ll be hanging on to it, so none of you go getting any ideas or I’ll do more than black your eye.’ Dillon slipped the gun away under his jacket. ‘Where is stutter boy anyway? I’m tired of all this waiting around. It’s brass monkeys out here.’
‘I dunno, why don’t you go ask him?’
Dillon railed towards him. ‘Why don’t you, eh? I don’t see you doing anything useful!’
Before the argument could escalate, Terrence rounded the house with two grey-furred Irish Wolfhounds, both straining at their leashes. Aiden swallowed hard at the formidable size of the animals, their powerful muzzles easily reaching up to his waist.
‘About time,’ Dillon said, rubbing his hands together. He nodded towards Aiden and Travis. ‘Let the hounds get a scent then.’
Terrence walked the dogs back and forth along the chalk line. One jumped up at Travis causing him to flinch. ‘Don’t mind him,’ Terrence said, pulling the leash back and patting the dog’s flank, ‘he’s just excitable.’
‘Oh good,’ Travis said, ‘that’s fine then.’
‘That’ll do, hand ‘em over,’ Dillon said, snatching the leashes. ‘I don’t trust you to hold on to ‘em again, not after the mess last time. Bill, you come take the hounds.’
As one of the men took control of the dogs, a window opened on the fourth floor of the house and the drawn face of Mother Venkarth appeared, wisps of her hair trailing in the breeze. ‘Have fun, boys,’ she called down. ‘Don’t stay out too long, there’s work to be done.’
‘Yes, Ma,’ the men shouted in unison, waving at her until she disappeared back inside.
‘Right, you two,’ Dillon said excitedly, stepping forward as he loaded two red cartridges into his long-barrelled shotgun. ‘This is how it’s going to go, so listen up, right? In a minute, you start running. Any direction you like. If you make it over the perimeter fence, you win. Simple as that. Bit of good news for you, eh?’ he said as he slapped Aiden on the shoulder.
‘How long do we get?’ Aiden asked, glancing at his shoulder before staring coldly at Dillon.
‘What’s that now?’
‘The head start. How long?’
‘What are you two talking about?’ Travis asked, continuing to fidget against the cold.
Dillon rubbed his chin and turned back to his brothers. ‘What was it last time, lads? Two?’
‘Aye. The old man didn’t give us much of a challenge though. Maybe we should give these ones a bit longer.’
‘True enough. All right, how about three?’
‘Yeah, that’ll keep things interesting,’ someone said as the rest murmured in agreement.
Dillon checked his wrist watch. ‘Three minutes it is then.’ He raised his shotgun and fired into the sky causing Travis to duck and cover his ears. Dillon stared at him with a bemused smile as the Wolfhounds started barking, the sound guttural; primal. ‘Well, you two better be going then. Time’s ticking.’
Aiden turned and ran, making a line straight through a field of cabbages. His ears rang like a dial tone, and in that brief moment, he was more annoyed about the idiot firing the gun so close than his likely imminent death. He hopped the hedge at the bottom of the field, landing in a small brook. As he was fighting the panic rising in his stomach with controlled breaths, Travis tumbled over the hedge behind him, sprawling into the shallow water.
‘Can you explain what’s going on?’ he asked, clumsily splashing as he picked himself up.
‘It’s a hunt,’ Aiden said, wondering how someone so seemingly inept could lead a group as large as the Dawnists. ‘They’ll be coming after us any second. If they catch us, we die.’
‘But they have guns and dogs!’
‘I didn’t say it was fair,’ Aiden said, already moving again.
Travis hurried after him. ‘Well we should stick together then, right? That’s probably our best chance.’
‘That’s probably your best chance,’ Aiden said, ‘so you’d better try and keep up.’
He had no idea where the nearest border fence was; he couldn’t see much of anything with the rolling fields of crops and clusters of trees dotted around. Heading in a straight line would be his best chance. Then again, if the fence was too far then losing the dogs would be more important before they ran him down…
A second gunshot rang out from the direction of the house. No way that was three minutes, Aiden thought as he stopped second guessing himself and picked up the pace, sprinting ahead through the running water.
CHAPTER 8
LEIGH CRAWLED OUT from under the plastic tarp and, with a yawn, stretched her dew-damp hands towards the brightening sky. She took out her canteen and drank deeply before tossing it back into her pack. Glancing through the screen of bushes, she saw the gate was firmly closed.
Still no sign of Aiden.
Doing the only thing she could think of, she put together some breakfast for herself and Hitch. Oats with a generous pinch of sugar from their small stash — she needed it this morning. As they both sat chewing, she tried to come up with an idea; maybe she could go back to the city and get help, it wasn’t that far after all. But then how would she get past the city gates without Aiden? The police weren’t going to let her wander in on her own. Plus, even if she did manage to get inside, she didn’t really want to go running to Grace for help. There was something about the woman that had been bothering Leigh recently, but she couldn’t figure out what it was.
Footsteps crunching over gravel brought Leigh out of her thoughts. She drew her pistol and darted over to the bushes. Another one of those guys was walking around the fence, shotgun hanging off his shoulder. This one looked friendlier though — his nose didn’t sit on his face like one of those flat, fried mushrooms they sold in Oldtown. Maybe she should try talking to him; she might be able to convince him to let her inside.
She slipped her pistol back under her clothes and, when he had passed by, climbed out of her hiding spot in the bushes. ‘Hello?’ she called out as cheerfully as she could.
The man jumped, reaching for his weapon as
he twisted around. ‘Who… What are you doing out here?’
‘Just walking my dog,’ she said as Hitch padded up alongside her. ‘What about you?’
The man squinted at her suspiciously for a moment. ‘I’m doing my rounds. Patrolling the chain-link.’
Leigh nodded, glancing at the fence. ‘On your own? Sounds boring.’
The man seemed to relax, releasing his grip on the shotgun. ‘It is. At least it’s not raining though.’
‘Yeah, that’s true,’ she said, trying a smile. She stepped forward, mimicking the way she’d seen Grace walk, hand planted on her hip. She felt like an idiot but at least this guy hadn’t chased her away yet. ‘I’m Leigh, what’s your name?’
‘I’m Alan,’ he said. ‘Nice to meet you.’
‘You live in there?’
‘That’s right. I help raise the crops,’ he said, nodding at the fields inside the fence. ‘Corn usually, though I grew some turnips last year so we didn’t get another blight.’
‘Corn? I love corn. It’s so sweet and juicy.’
‘That’s why I like it as well. Ma’s letting me grow it again this year.’
‘Oh really?’ she said, her confidence growing as she took another step forward. She was within arm’s reach of him now.
‘You come want to try some?’ he asked hesitantly.
‘You mean… inside there?’
‘Sure,’ he said, ‘I don’t see why not. We’ve got fields of it, no one will miss one ear of the stuff.’
‘Okay!’ Leigh said with too much enthusiasm. ‘I mean, as long as you don’t mind?’
He looked down at this feet. ‘No, I don’t mind. I like meeting new people, and you seem nice. Come on, I’ll show you my field.’
Leigh wasn’t sure what the plan was once she got inside, but at least she was one step closer to reaching Aiden. As the gate’s motor started up, a gunshot rang out from somewhere beyond the fence. They both froze and looked in that direction. Leigh’s heart skipped a beat.
