by Kip Nelson
Her only hope was to be patient and wait for an opportunity. On one particular night, David seemed to let his guard down. A soft snore rumbled from his lips, and Tori saw her moment to strike. David had a rifle laying over his chest. His hand rested on the hilt, ready to fire at the first sign of trouble. Tori nudged Max. He stirred. She nodded toward David. Max nodded back. Since David slept with the guns so close to him, it was too risky to try getting them away from him as he likely would awaken, and then they'd be in serious trouble. Their best bet was to slip out and try disappearing into the city. They probably couldn't go back to their apartment as David knew where it was, but at least they'd be away from him.
The three of them had been sleeping in the living room of a house. Tori and Max pushed themselves up as quietly as possible and tiptoed to the door. Tori smiled at Max. It would be good to be away from David and actually be able to relax again, although it would be a long time before she took mercy on a stranger. It was a sad thing to think, but it was true; there were just too many risks associated with strangers. Tori reached the door and had her hand on the doorknob. So close to freedom.
“You can't leave,” David said.
Tori slowly turned around. Her heart sank, and her blood turned to ice. David was in the same position. The rifle wasn't even pointed at her or Max, but she knew if they tried to move, David would swing it around and one of them would be dead. She tried to blink away the frustrated tears.
“Come back and lie down. It's late. You should get some sleep. We've still got a long way to go together.” His voice was a smooth as the night, which made the entire thing even more unnerving.
Tori glanced at Max, who looked defeated. Her hand slipped from the doorknob, and they both returned to the floor. Tori didn't sleep, though. All she could think about was David and how she ever could escape him. Was this to be their life from now on? To walk in thrall to him, and witness his despicable acts?
It wasn't any kind of life she had imagined for herself or Max, and it had to stop soon. Her eyes always were trained on his bag of guns. That was the only reason David had the power. If she managed to get her hand on just one, the tables would turn, and she was sure David would fall to his knees and beg for his life. It meant she needed to get to the guns, though. She watched him like a hawk as they proceeded through the city. She watched him as he threatened helpless people, and she watched him whenever he had a momentary lapse of concentration. Yet, all the time his fingers were around that bag. It was as though that bag was a part of him and Tori could not take it without him noticing any more than she could have chopped off one of his arms without him screaming.
Recently, David seemed to be walking with purpose. It was clear he had some scheme planned in his mind, not that he would tell Tori or Max what it was, of course. Occasionally, he would stop and look at the city landscape, then either he would carry on the way he was going, or he would slightly adjust his path. He often muttered under his breath as well. Tori rarely got close enough to hear his words, but it was clear he was swearing revenge on someone. All sympathy Tori had had for him when they first had met long ago had disappeared, though. She wondered how much of his story had been true, and how much was a fabrication of his depraved and twisted mind.
On one occasion, Max actually had the audacity to ask David where they were going. David stopped and turned slowly. His fingers tapped against the handle of his crossbow. He pressed his lips together. Tori's stomach twisted in knots. Max should have just kept quiet. “We're going to find some people who I think could be our friends,” he said, and that's all he said.
They continued until they saw the top structure of a bridge getting closer. David exclaimed in triumph and increased his pace. Max and Tori did the same, afraid of who or what was waiting for them. They didn't like the sound of anyone who David would think of as a friend. They came over the crest of the hill and saw a group of disheveled men milling about under the bridge. They had made a rudimentary camp and their loud laughter and cursing bellowed through the air. As Tori's gaze swept across the scene, she noticed there were no women. She moved close to Max.
David didn't seem to be scared as he walked down the hill. Every instinct in Tori's mind and body was telling her to turn and run, but she was so afraid of what would happen if she did. She wasn't ready to die. Eventually, the men noticed David and all came up to meet him.
“Hello, friends!” David yelled.
“I'm David, and I have a little proposition for you. Before you do anything, look at what I have.” He bent down and made a show of all the weapons. He also made a point of directing them at the men, showing them that he could kill them if he wanted. A lot of them were looking at David, but Tori noticed a lot of them were looking at her as well.
“Now, I can see you've set up a good thing here, but I'd like to work with you, as long as you are the same people I think you are. I believe you know of a man named Nick? He's tall, one of those stupidly handsome men who have the world on a string. I think he ran away from you...probably shows what a coward he is. I want to make him pay, and I think you can help me.”
The men studied him. Tori didn't know anything about this Nick, but she hoped that wherever he was, he was safe and could escape this fate. There was one man who came up to David and introduced himself as Donny.
“Yeah, we know him. Pain in the ass. There was some bitch who stole his dog from us as well. We laid down a beating on him already, but yeah...we could make him pay some more. He seemed like he needed taking down a peg or two. But we ain't just gonna help you for nothing.”
“I do have these guns,” David said.
“Guns are fine and all, but they're pretty cold. No, we need something warm, and soft...” his eyes turned to Tori. “We're gonna need her.”
“No!” Max yelled, instantly leaping to her defense. Tori was horrified by the thought of being given away to be used by these men and, in an instant, she looked at all of them and their hungry gazes.
“That's not going to--” Max yelled, ready to fight for her. But before he could finish the sentence, David raised his hand and pulled the trigger. Max's head exploded in a shower of blood. Tori screamed as the warm blood spattered over her face. Max's body fell to the floor.
Tori's world fell apart.
Chapter Ten
Nick had been taken for a little stroll around the camp. He wondered what Gillian and the others were going to do with him. He was surprised when he was taken back to the riverbank. This time, though, he wasn't the only one there. Tanya and Cosmo already had been brought there, with equally desperate looks in their eyes. His heart sank. He'd hoped that at least one of them had been able to get free so they could get help from somewhere. How had he been so blind? He should have seen this threat. Maybe he was too eager to trust, too eager to have everything in this world make sense when nothing did.
In Tanya's eyes he saw hopeless desperation. In Cosmo's eyes he saw a furious rage. Nick knew Cosmo wouldn't have gone down easily. Nick wished things had been different. If they all had been together, maybe they would have been able to defend themselves, but they all had been alone. This had to have been Gillian’s calculated plan. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that this was the night when they made their move. Nick and Backdraft were tossed down next to the other two. They were all gagged. Nick had been working at his restraints ever since they had been placed on him, but it was tough knot to untie, and he wasn't sure if it was actually possible. Yet, his aching hands kept working at it.
Backdraft was being held. He growled and snapped, but there was nothing he could do to help his friends. Nick hoped that whatever happened Backdraft would be okay, although this time he would do everything in his power to stay with his dog. Being separated from Backdraft, thinking he was dead, had been the worst feeling in the world. It wasn't something he wanted to experience again.
The gushing river was loud, and this time when he looked at it, Nick didn't feel calm. Fear surged through his body as he had some id
ea of what these people were planning. They had been positioned so that their backs were to the river. Looking out, Nick could see the entire community standing before them. Gillian was in the middle. Jake was smiling at Tanya. Ethan looked proud. He laughed with a few of his friends. They seemed to be in good spirits, but Nick didn't know what twisted game they were playing.
This had been too good to be true. He had tried to deny it. It had been so easy to believe these people were genuine, and only wanted to offer comfort and aid to them. Nick had been lulled into their false promise. Stupid, stupid man. He should have listened to Cosmo. It wasn't right to be paranoid all the time, but after everything Nick already had experienced in this forsaken world he should have been more careful.
His powerful heart beat in his chest. He hated being restrained like this, unable to fight back, unable to do anything but watch and wait to see what fate these people had in mind for him and his friends.
“You have been brought to us by fate. It was no mere chance that you wandered near our camp. There is a vast world out there, yet you have been brought to us. All of you have immense pain. Tanya's has been bravely shared, but even you other two have pain. Cosmo, so afraid to trust and hope. Nick, so afraid to open yourself up to affection. It is a sad state of affairs, really, but it is something we all have experienced.
“All of us had pain before we came so close to death. Only then did we realize what truly mattered in this world. So many things have changed in such a short time, and to properly understand what is needed in this world, to gain enlightenment, you must experience the same thing. A baptism is needed for each of you. Only then can you truly be cleansed and ready to enter this new world, this new future with us. There is a place for each of you here. I think in your short time here you will have seen that for yourselves. Yes, Cosmo, even you.
“All of us saw something beautiful when the plane crashed. That experience transformed the way we looked at the world, and the way we looked at each other. Before that moment most of us were strangers, but when we emerged from the plane we all had experienced something that would stay with us forever. So many of us have lost so much, but what we have gained is even greater. We are each other’s family, and you can be a part of that as well. You can join our ranks and fulfill a greater destiny than you ever could have imagined.
“What happened to the world wasn't an end, really. No, it was a beginning. Sadly, it seems that a lot of people haven't realized that. They still struggle with what they have lost, just as you all are doing in your own way. There is a better way, though, and we are here to show you what that is. We can make you happy. Once you have been through what we have been through, you will understand, and you can be a part of our community.”
Nick's eyes darted back and forth. Since he was gagged and bound he was forced to listen to their crazed philosophy. All the signs had been there. They always had spoken about their near-death experience with reverence. Now they wanted to give Nick and the others the same experience. The only problem with that was this near-death experience could result in death. Nick shook his head vehemently and tried to break free of his restraint, wishing to barrel into them and fight back, to show them that they couldn't just do this to him and his friends. This wasn't right. They couldn't just force their beliefs on him.
“Free his mouth. Let him speak. Perhaps now that we have explained the situation to him he will be more amenable and will join us. He knows his place is with us.”
Nick felt the gag being pulled from his mouth. He gasped in air. “You're crazy! You people think this is right? That this is normal? You all can go to hell if you think we're going to live with you,” he spat out.
Gillian walked right up to him and placed her hand on his head. “I understand your pain. You still have a lot to hold onto, but trust me, when you have been through this you will be free to live a happy and fulfilling life. Things will not be the same afterward, and you shall let go of everything that troubles you.”
“Is that what you did with your kids? Are they the things that troubled you? You know they're probably out there, right? Wondering where their parents are? And you're just willing to let them live in fear?”
Gillian sighed. “My children are none of your business. The plane crashed here, and this is where I must make my new home. If my children are meant to be with me, then they will be led here, too, and I'm sure along the way they will experience many things that will lead them to the same conclusion as us.” Murmurs rippled from the crowd. Nick couldn't quite believe that everyone here was buying this.
“You can't just run from your pain. You need your pain to live! It reminds you of what you've lost, of what drives your forward. You speak of a better future, but you just want to give up on the world and hide away here.”
“Can you blame us, after what you've told us about the city? Really, Nick, this is rather unbecoming of you. I can tell you want to stay here. All it requires is a little demonstration of faith. That's all this comes down to in the end, just a little bit of faith. Each member of our community has been through the same thing, and now it is time for you as well.”
“No, this is wrong! You can't just push us into the river. It's not fair. We never agreed to this! What if we die?”
“Unfortunately, that is the risk you are taking, but the rewards are so worth the risk. Trust me, Nick, when you emerge from the river you will be a new man. You will glow with a new energy and radiate happiness. You must trust me on this. Each person here has been through the same thing, and I think I can speak for everyone here when I say that we all are better people than we once were.” Nick was disappointed when he saw everyone nodding and agreeing with her.
“And what if we come back from this and don't want to stay? Are you going to let us leave?”
“I can't imagine that happening, Nick. When you return to us you will be a new man. Each of you will be able to let go of what has been troubling you, and you will be at peace. I understand what a struggle this must be for you. Believe me, I do. When the plane went down, I had so many thoughts crashing through my mind. I felt as though my life had been a waste, and that I had disappointed everyone.
“However, when I woke up and saw the sun shining outside I felt more comfortable in my own skin than I ever had been before. There is no need to fight us, Nick. Just let go and accept it. This is happening. This is for your own good. Embrace your fate. Once the three of you come back to us, you all will be happy, and you all will make good additions to our community. Who knows? Maybe one day you will be standing here giving testament to the values of our way of life to other troubled people.”
Nick scowled. He couldn't imagine ever trying to convince other people that they should die in order to live. Yet, it didn't seem as though he and the others had much choice. Gillian declared that it was time for the ceremony to being. The community came up to them. Their hands were all over Nick. Through the chaos he managed to make eye contact with Tanya and Cosmo. They still were gagged. By the look of it, neither of them had been able to break through their restraints either. Nick still was working at his, even though at the same time he was trying to escape the clutches of everyone clawing at him. They all started hollering and chanting as they dragged Nick to the edge of the riverbank. Below, the river was gushing and foaming. The moon shone above, but the water was eerily dark, as though it was going to lead straight into hell. Nick tried his best to fight back. Tried his best to convince them they were crazy.
The river had looked so peaceful before, almost beautiful. Yet, now it was an ugly, threatening thing. Nick dug his heels into the ground and felt the mud and grass give way under his feet. He was no match for the strength of the entire community. He knew then that Cosmo had been wrong about one thing. There was great strength in numbers, and the only reason Nick and the others had been captured was because they had been separated. So far in this world, Nick had been able to count on one hand the people he was able to trust, and he wasn't about to let them go easily. If they all
survived this, he would make sure to keep them close. They would have to face the world together if they stood any chance of surviving.
Cosmo was the first to be plunged into the water. His stocky body made a large splash. Nick watched as his head bobbed to the surface, struggling to keep it above water. Tanya was the next. She gave out a muffled scream as she was pushed over the edge. The water quickly swept both of them away and, in all the confusion, Nick found it difficult to keep track of them. He tried calling out to both of them, but had no idea if they even could hear him. His wrists were aching so badly, but he kept trying to wriggle free of his bonds. He knew that if he could just get free he had a chance. Maybe he could surprise them. Maybe...
His thoughts were interrupted as he saw Backdraft's legs flail about and hit the water. Nick was relieved when Backdraft paddled away, but he didn't know how long the dog could swim. Nick knew he was next. Time was running out. He tried frantically to twist away from them, but the hands all were over him, and then suddenly there was no more ground underneath his feet. He yelled helplessly as he was pushed. His body twisted through the air and, just before he hit the surface of the water, he saw Gillian and the others looking down at him, so pleased with themselves for what they had done. Then he breathed in as deeply as he could as he felt the impact of the water drag him down. The current swept around him and he kicked out with his legs. The water was so cold it seemed to bite him underneath his clothes and he barely had any sense of where he was in relation to Tanya and Cosmo. All he could do was try keeping his head above water and let the darkness envelop him.
Chapter Eleven
The water sloshed and filled Nick's mouth. The night air chilled it. Nick could feel the water creeping into his clothes. Seeping into his skin. His teeth chattered. His legs flailed out as he tried to free himself. He spat out water as he tried to breathe in air, trying to keep his head above water. He could hear the voices of Gillian and the others. They all were cheering him and the others. They applauded. Their sick idea of destiny was nothing to be cheered though and if Nick wasn't so busy trying to survive he would have thought of a hundred different ways he'd like to punish them. Everyone in this world was out to get him. And now he was at the mercy of the river.