by Lilly Black
"Good people? Are you sure about that, son? These 'good people' killed all my men at the prison!" he shouted, the initial surprise at seeing his nephew replaced by anger.
"The men at the prison were monsters!" Austin argued, standing up and shedding his submissive demeanor. "They kidnapped me and Sheri and tried to make me rape women! They made me a thief and a killer!"
"Looks like they made you a man, son," Steve said.
"What about Sheri? Did they make her a woman?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes at his uncle.
"They didn't lay a hand on my niece!" Steve spat angrily, then he calmed down. "Sheri's fine. She's safe back at my place."
"Then you left me there at the prison on purpose?"
"I didn't even know you were there, kid, but I'm glad I found you. Sheri will be really happy to see you," the Sinner said.
"I'm not going back with you," Austin refused. "I want Sheri to come here to live with me."
"Well, that's going to be difficult. You see that bomb over there? Before you came running out here, your queen was about to tell me whether or not she wanted me to use it to blow this place to hell," the Sinner said, then he picked up his megaphone. "You're one minute is up, Your Highness!"
"And I've made my decision," Olivia called down to him from the guard tower. "We're going to take our chances with your bomb."
"Balls of brass on this one! I like that!" Steve shouted, then he turned around to speak with his people. "Well, you heard the lady. Let's get the fucker aimed to fire!"
"Can we stop the charade, Mr. Miller?" Olivia called out, guessing at his last name based on his first name and the song he had referenced earlier. "You've done a fine job painting the rocket from that abandoned amusement park over in Mercer County, but I don't think it will do any damage if you launch it, so, why don't you take your fake bomb back down off my mountain before I give my snipers the signal to take you the fuck out."
"Goddamn! Brass ones!" he reiterated, speaking into his bullhorn again. "Well, you caught me. It's not real, but you didn't guess my name, little lady. It's Millard, and people started calling me the Sinner from that song because...well, I guess I was just surrounded by fucking idiots. But you know what, Your Highness? We're all surrounded by something. Take you for instance."
Suddenly, everyone who was gathered inside at the front gate heard the sounds of rifles and guns being cocked. Olivia looked down at the crowd, and they were indeed surrounded - by a group of muddy, camouflaged, heavily-armed strangers. The "bomb" had been a distraction.
"You see, a wall's a great tool for keeping out zombies, but it doesn't do a goddamn thing to stop industrious humans bent on getting inside," the Sinner said, then he couldn't help himself. He had to tell them how his people came to be on the inside of the wall. "You all were pretty smart with your cameras all around the wall, but you know where they're not aimed? On the inside. We've been tunneling in from a ravine in the forest down the hill on the back side, and when we broke through last night, there wasn't any-goddamn-body watching." His people laughed as the people of the Deadfall began to feel sick. They were defeated, and aside from the fact that Dani considered what she could possibly do as the wind to change their circumstances, they had no options. She hadn't learned to control her fire yet, only ever seeing it when she was in a state of passion, and while she expected that somehow water and earth might follow, none of it was of any real use to her yet against an army of this scale. Afraid that exposing herself with her abilities in their infancy would only do more harm than good, she was in the same boat as the queen and the general. This was a contingency no one had prepared for.
"Then I'll make you a deal," Austin said desperately to his uncle, hoping he could now save the people who saved him. "I'll come back with you if you please just leave these people alone."
"Come on, kid. You know I can't do that."
"Okay, then just come in and sit down with the queen. She's reasonable. She'll make a deal with you," Austin pleaded, and Steve pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger for a long moment as he thought it over.
"Tell you what I'm going to do. Because I'm your favorite uncle, if they let us in, we'll work with them," he said, then he picked up his megaphone and addressed the Deadfall again. "You got lucky, assholes. For my nephew, I'm going to cut you a break. We'll take all your drugs, all your guns, half of your food, and a few hostages to make sure you don't try to fuck us over, then you all will work for us. You'll grow what we tell you to grow, get out and find what we tell you to find, we get dibs on all new people and supplies. Do this for me, and I'll let you all keep living here in your little queendom fantasy world. What say you, Queen of the Pussies I Just Conquered?"
"Open the gate," Olivia shouted through gritted teeth. "I'll meet with him." With that, she turned and stalked toward the lodge as if all of the armed men weren't even there, and not knowing what the Sinner planned to do next, as others followed suit, his men let them pass.
The gate was opened to the Sinner and his army, and when he entered the lodge, he found Olivia sitting on her throne with the other leaders at her side except for Reid and June who were with Amina in the infirmary, and while the Sinner spoke to the queen, his henchmen entered the infirmary, the armory, the supply room, the greenhouse, and the barn, taking everything their boss had said they would. Then they went around disarming everyone they found. There was no structure in the Deadfall that they did not enter and search, but fortunately, Rena had time to hide everything she had of value in her workshop in a secret closet behind the bookcase. And the secret bunker remained secret.
As the Sinner's armed men trampled through her home, Olivia sat calmly.
"Fucking thrones?" he said with amusement as he looked around. "Well, I should expect no less from you, your majesty. You can keep them if they make you feel important, just so long as everyone knows that I'm the real king of this fucking place, not that pretty boy at your side. Do I know you, son?" He looked at Alek, struggling to figure out why his face sparked recognition, but Alek just shook his head.
"No? Well, I know I know that motherfucker over there," the Sinner said, pointing to Jax. "Jax fucking Bonham. Damn! Maybe we'll take you with us so you can entertain the troops."
"You can take me if you must," Jax said. "But I won't be entertaining anyone."
"That's a shame. It gets pretty boring at night with no TV. You got any DVD's around here? We've watched everything we've looted already."
"Then loot a fucking Best Buy," Alek said, irritated.
"You're a smart guy. Maybe we'll just do that," he said. "Or maybe, you'll do it for us. You see, that's how it's going to work. I tell you what I want, and you fucking go get it for me. I'll send my men every week, and if you don't have everything on the list, someone dies. It's simple, really. You got a pen and some paper? I'll write out your first list for you, then next week, my man Tobias here will come to collect and bring you a new list." He pointed to a smirking, armed man who clearly considered himself the Sinner's right hand, and Olivia began to study him.
"Will you get Mr. Millard some writing supplies?" Olivia asked Porter, who was cowering in the corner. He did as he was bid, and Olivia was presented with the first list.
"Now, we just need some hostages, and we'll be on our way," the Sinner said. "I didn't see a whole lot of children around. Do you not have any children here? Because you see, we prefer children. Grown-ups seem to fall in line so much better when you take their kids."
No one responded.
"Seriously? That's how you want to play it? Because I know you have to have some kids around here," he said, looking around the room for anyone he thought he could break. "Listen, bitch, I'm not the patient man you seem to think I am. You can produce some children or I'll start shooting people." He cocked his gun and started aiming it at people around the room. He aimed at Alek, who didn't flinch. He aimed at Ravi and Rey. They didn't flinch. Then he aimed it at Porter.
"They're under the pedesta
l beneath the thrones!" he shouted in fear, and the Sinner turned his attention back to Olivia.
"Get up!"
"You don't need to take the children," she said.
"Take me," Alek said.
"Take Porter," Olivia said, pointing at him, and though the Sinner laughed, he wasn't giving up. He grabbed Sharon Vincent as she stood against the wall with her husband, holding the gun to her head. "You gonna get up now, your highness?"
Reluctantly, everyone stood so the Sinner's men could open the hidden compartment beneath the pedestal. Porter pointed out which throne hid the secret entrance, and the Sinner's men threw it aside, opening the hatch and pulling out young children, who stood shaking and terrified of the armed men as he released Sharon.
"You scared, little ones?" the Sinner asked. "Don't you worry. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. I was just seeing who I could trust in this place, and apparently Porter is my man. Congratu-fucking-lations, Mr. Porter, you will be my liaison at the Deadfall!"
"Thank you, sir," Porter said meekly.
"Now, the first thing you need to do for me is round up three women. I'm not taking your fucking kids, assholes; I just wanted to see who I could trust. I'm taking three women, and that's all so far."
"Take me," Sharon said.
"Sharon, no," John argued with her, grabbing her arm, and she turned to him before stepping forward.
"Better me than Kylie. I love you, but I'll be okay," she whispered. The last time men came to take three women from the Deadfall, her daughter had been among them. She was not going to allow that to happen to anyone else's daughter.
"God, I love you," John breathed, afraid for her safety and proud of her bravery at the same time.
"That's what I like to hear," the Sinner said. "Anyone else feeling magnanimous?"
"I'll go," Olivia said.
"I'm afraid not, Your Royalness. You're staying right here to make sure these fuckers do what I want. Any other volunteers before my man Porter picks?"
"I'll go," Penny said.
"Penny, you don't have to do this," Olivia said, but Penny disagreed. Though terrified, she just kept thinking of the women who came from the prison and didn't want to risk any of them winding up in this situation. Her best friend had the same thought.
"Take me, too," Brittani said, then she looked up at the other women. "You guys saved my life the night this all started. "It's my turn to return the favor."
"Good God, isn't that touching?" the Sinner said.
"I'm afraid I have to refuse to let you take them," Olivia said to the Sinner. "After what we saw at the prison, there's no way I'm letting this happen."
"Whoa, now, hold up, little lady," the Sinner said. "Rape is a crime in my house same as yours. They might have to dress sexy and entertain the troops a little but not like that. I promise you."
Olivia looked around at the face of his other men for signs that he was lying, but no one was smirking or laughing. Penny and Brittani believed him as well.
"That much we can do for our people," Penny said.
"We want to make this sacrifice," Brittani added.
"Excellent!" the Sinner said. "Now, if all you Kumbaya Pussies are done jerking each other off, I'd say we're about finished here." He glanced out the door where most of his people were gathered with what they had looted. "There's just one more matter to attend to, and I'm out." Three of his men took the women who had volunteered, and they all left but the Sinner who cocked his gun.
"I just need to make sure you people understand that I mean business," he said as he took one last look around the room, then he shrugged, aimed, and shot Aiden in the chest. As Liana wailed, he gently slapped Porter on the side of the face, telling him to make sure his inventory list was ready next week, and he walked out the door.
Outside, the Sinner left with his people, his captives, and his nephew, Austin, who looked back over his shoulder at Serena, feeling like dirt for abandoning her again, but Olivia would later explain that he did it for her safety and that of everyone at the Deadfall. For now, though, the Deadfall didn't feel like a safe place as Aiden's blood spread beneath him on the floor of the lodge, his body still jolting before one final exhale. Covered in it, Liana held his hand, trembling at his side as the cries coming out of her grieved all who heard to the very core. The only other sound was Porter, throwing the words Billy had spoken about the Sinner back in Olivia's face, blaming her for killing Billy and for allowing the raid on the solar farm, and as he ranted as if the Sinner had somehow made him untouchable, the queen stalked over to a picture on the wall, moved it to reveal a hidden compartment, and pulled out a revolver. Drunk with imagined power, Porter was paying no attention to her until he heard the gun cock right before she unceremoniously put a bullet in his heart.
"Clear the room!" Alek shouted, and everyone but the founders hurried out of the lodge. Ravi was last to leave, and though Alek told him he could stay, he wanted to get Porter strung up on the traitor's cross before he came back.
"I'll let you know how Amina is doing," he whispered as he left, then Alek locked the door.
"What are you doing?" Olivia asked. "I need to get out there and address the people."
"Not just yet," he said as he walked over to where Aiden lay lifeless in a vast pool of blood, Liana at his side absolutely drenched in it.
"This isn't real," Liana muttered, rocking back and forth despondently.
"It isn't," Alek told her as he knelt beside her. "Look!" He pointed to the edge of the blood pool, and though at first, she didn't see what he meant, after a second, she realized that it was beginning to recede.
"What's happening?" she asked as the others gathered around.
"I can't be sure, but when I got shot in the head with an arrow, this is what I saw happen on the forest floor before I was healed a few minutes later." He awoke with his head on a rock and watched the pool of blood mixed with leaves and dirt separate and suck back into him. When he got up, he assumed that it had been a dream while he was unconscious, but when he recognized the same retreat of the blood surrounding Aiden, he knew Aiden was coming back.
Just as it had with Alek, it started slowly and began to quicken as the blood found its way back into his veins, and beneath his shredded shirt, the flesh over his heart healed into a scar. Liana watched, hopeful as even the blood on her hands and clothes was drawn back into the corpse of her lover, leaving only faint stains in its wake, and within minutes, there was no sign of damage anywhere except for scarring where the entry and exit wounds had been.
Then suddenly, Aiden sat up, sucking in a loud, deep breath.
"Ay dios mio!" Liana cried joyfully, throwing her arms around him, and like Alek, he was confused, believing his death to have been a dream.
"What happened to me?" he asked.
"Well, you were dead as fuck a minute ago, so you must be a zombie," Jax said, and everyone's anger, fear, and tension was released in a hail of much needed laughter as Liana, Olivia, and Dani shared a secret smile because they knew what it was. Madam Levinia. Their men were immortal. This would be a game changer.
Jax offered Aiden a hand to help him to his feet, and when he stood, he didn't even feel lightheaded. It was as if it never happened, and though a few members were missing, the six in the lodge decided it was time to address the crowd. Olivia opened the door just as June reached for the knob.
"Olivia, come quick. It's Amina," she said, then she looked at Alek. "Reid asked me to have you bring his rings. He said you'd understand."
"Oh, God," Alek murmured, knowing this meant that something serious was happening. He asked Olivia to wait as he rushed into the office to retrieve the wedding rings Reid had asked him to hold, and together they hurried up the hill toward the infirmary, arriving to find Amina lying on a cot with Reid at her side. Dr. Gorely was watching over them.
"Where's Dr. Farrell?" Olivia asked.
"The Sinner took him," June said.
"What's going on?" Alek asked, indicating Amina, and
the doctor looked down at her feet before whispering her answer. "She's been bitten."
"When she was knocked off the scaffolding, one of the heads got her," Reid said with tears streaming down his face as he held her hand in a death grip.
"My broken leg hurt so bad, I didn't even notice," Amina said, handling her own impending death much better than those around her.
"How long do you think she has?" Olivia asked Hannah, speaking so softly, she didn't think Amina could hear her, but she did.
"Not long," Amina said. "I can feel it. I can feel my body dying. I can feel the virus taking over."
"Oh, God, please, no," Reid begged under his breath.
Alek looked at Olivia, hopeful that the same miracle by which he and Aiden lived could affect Amina, but Olivia knew better. No one thought to extend the immortality caveat to include women they might fall in love with. She shook her head, and he felt it like a punch in his gut after what Reid had come to him seeking just a few hours earlier.
"I brought what you asked for," he told Reid, and as Reid took the wedding rings with one hand, he pulled the engagement ring out of his pocket with the other.
"I was going to..." he began, but he broke down crying. Amina reached for his hand, and Olivia rubbed his back reassuringly. "I know it seems like an empty gesture now, but..." he trailed off.
"He was already planning on asking you before this happened," Alek said. "I promise."
"Asking me what?"
"Asking you to be my wife," Reid said apologetically.
"Oh, Reid, do you mean it?" she asked, suddenly smiling as if nothing else mattered, ignoring her pain as she held out her hand to accept the ring.
"Alek was hanging onto the wedding rings for me until... But now, I thought maybe..." He couldn't say it, but even though he had no idea what words to use, Amina did.
"I want to die as your wife," she said, and Reid started crying as he gently kissed her lips.
"Does anyone know the ceremony?" Reid asked. "Alek? Could you?"
"Do you have a Quran around here?" he asked June, knowing that Amina was Muslim. She shook her head.