When Was? (Book 2): Who Are You Acquainted With?

by Krueger, Allison

  Harvey’s eyes popped out of his head. “Wait, what?”

  Morgan laughed. “He’s known for being a bit too friendly with our livestock. Sheep, cute little puppy dogs... My own mother fucking horse... God dammit! My own cock sucking-” He paused and took a deep breath. “...When he’s thinking about puppies and kittens, he’s also thinking about fucking them- And so he does!”

  The man dropped to his knees. “M- Morgan please, don’t let this happen,” he cried.

  “Zip it, Litz!” he shouted, so loud it was full of static. “Now Rachel- shoot that man.”

  “Sounds good to me,” she said, pulling the trigger and blowing Harvey’s brains out, painting the clean white wall in blood.

  “God damn, no hesitation,” he said with a laugh. “Now what are we doing, Rachel? What. Are. We. Doing. Because you sure as fuck aren’t skipping out on me.”

  Rachel looked at Billie, she was sweating and staring at the blood running down the wall.

  “We don’t have all day.”

  “I’ll join you.”

  “Fan-fucking-tastic! Crandall, get a car ready!”

  “What’s gonna happen to Billie?”

  “What do you think? God, I’d be a monster to rip two best friends apart! I mean, I kinda did rip her apart a little bit, but you know what I mean,” he said with a laugh. “She’ll be coming too! I only want you, but I know you’re kind of a package deal and I’d hate to send her out there on her own. No legs, no guns. In this world she’s pretty fucked on her own.”

  “Will she be safe?”

  “I’ll give you my word, that as long as our rules are followed- Especially your personal set of rules, to a fucking T I might add, I’ll keep you both safe. Whether you’re Acquainted or not.”

  “...Thank you, Morgan.”

  There was a long pause. “You’re welcome, kid. Now get ready,” he said, hanging up the call.

  Rachel fell back in her chair and exhaled. She dropped the walkie and stared at Billie. “So this is gonna be fun.”

  “You’re honestly serious about this thing?”

  “I know what I’m doing, alright? You just have to trust me on this... It’s not like I like the guy or forgot what he’s done. He’s the reason so many of my friends and family are dead right now. John! Billie, come on- you just need to trust that I know what I’m doing... This is my Harbor.”

  Billie shook her head, still staring at the blood on the wall. “Your what?”

  “When John left back when we were in New Colombia, he went to the Harbor. This place full of killers. He said he didn’t plan on coming back and when he went there, he went with one mission- to take them down with him. This is my Harbor. I know what I’m doing...”

  She gulped and nodded. “Alright... I trust you, Rachel.”

  Rachel got up and holstered her revolver. “They’ll probably be here soon, let’s go,” she said, picking her up.

  “Think you can carry me?”

  “You’re not that heavy.”

  Billie looked at her stumps and sighed. “Yeah, I guess I lost some weight...”

  “Everything’ll be okay.”

  Getting home, the girls cleaned up and packed their things. After they were finished, Rachel left the house and walked to the far end of Argentina, to a toolshed.

  The shed was small. Boards appeared to be rotting and some were falling off. Garbage bags and junk surrounded the shed, and on the narrow door was a padlock.

  “It’s your lucky day,” Rachel said, unlocking the door and pulling it open. “You’re free to go.”

  Sitting in the shed with his arms chained behind his back, a man lifted his head. He had a bushy brown beard and his long hair was full of gravel and bugs. “Why? You’re going to reunite me with my children?” Dutch asked. He licked his dry cracked lips. “You venerate savagery, and if you release me, you’ll die, savagely. We are predators, we-”

  “Get up!” Rachel shouted, aiming her revolver at him.

  “Why? So you can make my death a public display? I don’t think so. I won’t allow it. I know you’re not freeing me, and if you wish to kill me... Well you’ll have to do it right here.”

  “You’re leaving! You’re only leaving because I don’t want you to starve to death- and if Morgan can give me a chance after I slit his throat, I can give you a chance. Now get up!”

  He smiled and let out a gravelly laugh. “I don’t think you understand what you’re doing. If you free me, you will die. You can drive me across the country and rip out my kneecaps, I’ll still find you, and I’ll still kill you.”

  “You might try.”

  Dutch slowly made his way up to his feet. He knees shook as he stumbled out of the shed. “I’ll try.” He nodded. “And I’ll succeed.”

  “If you’re still here when Morgan gets here, I might just do that execution thing you stuck in my head.”

  Dutch chuckled. “What happened to that innocent little girl playing with frogs?”

  “She died.”

  They walked across Argentina, through blood and over bodies, and arrived at the front gate.

  “You understand why I did this, don’t you?”

  He smiled. “You’re adorable.”

  “Do you understand?” Rachel swung her revolver down into Dutch’s back.

  He fell to his knees. “Yes! Dammit!”

  “I didn’t wanna kill your kids. If I could take it back, I would, I really wish I could. But your wife... I'd still kill her.”

  Dutch got up and stared Rachel in the eyes. “I’ll skin your girlfriend alive in front of you. I’ll remove her teeth, her nails, her eyes... After that I’ll peel the flesh from her bones. Chew on them while her screams drown out the moans of the dead.”

  Rachel smiled. “Aw, now look who’s being adorable.” She swung her revolver into the back of Dutch’s head, knocking him to the ground.

  “Jesus Christ, stop it!”

  “Billie’s my wife by the way. Remember yours? You should’ve seen the look on her face when she saw your kids.”

  Dutch spit and got up. “Once you do this, you’re already dead.”

  “I think you got that mixed up. You know, considering your arms are literally chained up, you haven’t eaten in days, and now you’re on your own with no protection.”

  “Peter Solomon,” Dutch said, getting in Rachel’s face. “Remember this face, because this is the face of the man who will end your life.”

  Rachel swung her revolver into Dutch’s mouth, busting open his lips and breaking his teeth. “I’ll give you the choice. Die a slow and painful death at the mouths of the infected, or die a slow and painful death at the hands of Morgan Williams.”

  “The Tribuals are the boogeymen of the new world,” he said as blood ran down his chin. “Just when you think you’re safe, you could have a dozen men or more right behind you... You better pray I never make it back home. Because when I do-”

  Rachel shot Dutch in the foot. “Shut the fuck up, and get moving!”

  Dutch began hobbling away as Rachel holstered her revolver and looked back at the bodies filling up the road of Argentina. “Morgan Fucking Williams...” She shook her head and watched Dutch until he disappeared into the distance. “Morgan Fucking Williams...”

  Chapter 22:

  The New First Day of the Rest of Your Lives

  A couple hours later, Morgan drove through the wide-open gate and parked his small white car in front of Rachel’s house.

  Rachel stood in the doorway, dressed in black jeans, a green khaki shirt, and John’s cowboy hat. “Morgan.”

  Morgan laughed. “John.”

  Stepping out of the car, he tossed a switchblade down to her feet. “Pick it up.”

  Rachel reached down and grabbed the knife. “What’s this?”

  “Now what the fuck does it look like?” He smiled. “Open it.”

  Opening the switchblade, Rachel looked up at the big toothy grin on Morgan’s face.

  “Be honest with me,” he sai
d, pulling out his pistol and sitting it on the ground. “What do you want to do to me? Right. Now?”

  “...Not whatever this is.”

  “Well let’s see about that!”

  Morgan walked in front of Rachel and crouched down to her level. “It’s a pretty knife, isn’t it?”

  “Sure.”

  Morgan lifted his chin, making the scar across his throat visible. “I came here alone... I am all the fuck alone right now- and you can do whatever the fuck you want.”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  Rachel looked into Morgan’s cold green eyes. “I don’t want to kill you. I want to be Acquainted.”

  Morgan grinned and stood up. “I like that,” he said, patting her on the back. “I am sur-fucking-prized, because I know, if someone killed my mom, forced me to fuck daddy and then killed him, I’d wanna kill that person. And if someone so much as laid a finger on my wife, I’d rip their spine out through their nose.”

  Rachel put her head down and gritted her teeth. “Yeah well not me.”

  “I think that is you! You wanna kill me right now, don’t you? It’s okay, as long as you know that sure as fuck won’t be happening.”

  “I’m mad-”

  “And you wanna kill me.”

  “I-”

  “Why’d you take me up on this offer?”

  “...What else is there?” she asked, looking around the empty Argentina. “Everybody’s dead, it’ll be a lot harder trying to protect Billie now that her legs are gone... You tell me!”

  “Don’t give me attitude!” He laughed. “Fuck you’re gonna be fun to mold.”

  Rachel rolled her eyes and looked back at the bathroom door.

  “Wanna hurry this shit up? Go grab your things, stick ‘em in the trunk. I’ll grab a drink for the road,” he said, letting himself in.

  Walking back inside, Rachel grabbed her bags off the couch.

  “Why does this place seem off?” he asked, grabbing a bottle from the fridge. “What the fuck is it?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, glancing at the empty coffee table and dragging her bags out the door.

  Morgan took a drink and headed out. “You took down all the pictures.” Reaching down, he lifted one of the bags. “Fuck- what’s in this one, your bowling ball collection?”

  “Weapons.”

  Morgan plopped the bag down in the trunk, shaking the car. “Christ, what the hell do you need so many guns for?”

  “They’re things to remember people by. I don’t have pictures of everybody so...”

  Morgan bit his tongue and looked around. “Where the hell’s Billie? She didn’t grow legs and walk away, did she?”

  “She’s in the bathroom.”

  Morgan headed inside. “Not anymore she’s not.”

  “Morgan!”

  Throwing open the bathroom door, Morgan gagged. “Fuck- come on, time to go!”

  “What the- No! I’m using the bathroom!”

  Morgan lifted Billie. “Rachel, get in h-” he stopped and dropped her as she continued to shit. “Fucking fuck, what the fuck were you doing? Holding it in your ass cheeks until I picked you up?”

  “I wasn’t done,” she cried.

  “Fuck- that was- fuck, fuck it, finish your shit, I’ll wait!”

  Morgan left the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. “Fuck that stunk! Where the hell are all of your pictures anyway?”

  Rachel stood in the doorway with her arms crossed. “Packed.”

  “Why?”

  She shrugged. “Why not?”

  “They’re a weakness. First fuckin’ rule, besides listen to me or else, is do not have a fucking weakness. Now to be honest with you, Rachel,” he said, glancing at the bathroom door. “I consider her to be a weakness- I mean, think about it, if I killed her right now- with all the other shit I’ve already done- that would fuck. You. Up! But I’ll grant you this one seeing as you were so kind as to not kill the shit out of me when I put that knife in your hand.

  “Don’t fuck shit up, that’s all I’m saying.”

  Some hours later, Morgan and the girls arrived at the Ohio base.

  Pulling around back, where vehicles and horses were kept, Morgan parked the car. “Are you ready for the new first day of the rest of your lives?”

  “It’ll be fun,” Rachel said, looking back at Billie.

  “The Base is amazing, you’ve seen it before but wait until you’ve lived in it! As long as you treat it and my people with respect, I think we’ll get along very fucking nicely.”

  Billie stared out the window at a man chained to a basketball net by his neck. He had a short red goatee, a round stomach, and was dressed in a black leather vest and boxers. “What’s? Uh... Sir, Morgan... What is...?”

  “That guy?” Morgan asked, looking out the window at the crying man. “Good ol’ Hester the Molester... Yeah, Rachel’ll get to know him inside and out.”

  “What’s that mean?” Rachel asked as Morgan got out and pocketed the keys.

  “It means get out and grab your shit.” Morgan pounded his fist on the roof of the car, scaring Billie. “Don’t worry, Shit-Stain, I’ll grab yours.”

  Rachel got out and joined Morgan at the back of the car. “So how are we gonna be protected in here? I remember one of your people cut a guy’s head off and... We all know how your people are.”

  “Don’t let one bad apple spoil the bunch, they’re all as sweet as pie,” he said with a laugh as he threw the trunk open. “One second.”

  Morgan poked his head around the car and slammed his hand on the window, making Billie jump. “Shit-Creek, Legless, whoever the fuck you are. Your chair’s right beside you, get the fuck out of my car!”

  Rachel crossed her arms as Morgan turned back around. “You don’t always have to be like that- you know-”

  “I know she’s scared of me,” he said with a laugh “So back to that question, you don’t worry about that. My people know the rules, and the rules won’t be more fucking clearer to them then when I explain to them what the fuck you are.”

  “And what am I?”

  He grinned. “You’re following me inside.” He looked at Billie through the back windshield as she attempted to get her chair out. “And help Bill before I toss her out, would you?”

  Heading inside, the girls looked around at all the Acquainted, waiting for Morgan’s return.

  Morgan picked Billie up out of her chair. “Don’t worry everybody, I’m alright!” He laughed. Turning to Rachel, he spoke quietly as the crowd cheered, “Pretty fuckin’ sweet, right? Now grab the chair, we got some stairs to climb.”

  Going up the stairs, Morgan and the girls came to the balcony overlooking the factory floor, full of workers and Acquainted.

  Putting Billie in her chair, Morgan leaned on the railing. “Fuck it’s good to be home! Now before I let you all get back to it, there’s something you have to fucking know. These girls here,” he said, looking back at Billie and Rachel. “Are my girls,” he said, looking back to the crowd. “Rachel, the girl with legs, used to run Argentina! Billie- well she’s more of a doormat, not a lot to her, she’s nothing really, but Rachel likes her!” Morgan pulled Rachel over and stood her in front of him. “Rachel is my protégé. She will be my own little project, changing the beast that slit my throat, into the Acquainted that I know is deep down inside of her! Her father, the late great John Miller, would have made a fantastic right-hand man! Or left hand now I guess,” he said as he chuckled. “When it comes to my women, you know you don’t even look at them funny- well, when it comes to my girls, especially my fucking project- you don’t even breath in her presence the wrong fucking way! They are guests here, Rachel Miller is my god damn project! She belongs, to Morgan. Fucking. Williams. Like all the children here, she is off, fucking, limits.”

  Rachel looked back at Morgan. “What about Billie?”

  “To make things crystal clear, they are one of us. This girl slit my mother fucking throat- and I’ll be damne
d if I don’t make an Acquainted out of her! Wouldn’t that be badass?

  “If you fuck with Rachel, I’ll fuck with you. If you fuck with Billie, not only does Rachel fuck with you, but I fuck with you too, so fuck with No-Legs, and you get double fucked! And hell, while I’m at it, let’s just remind you that if you fuck my women, or God help you any kid, I’ll fuck you harder! Now get back to it, business as usual!”

  Rachel watched as the crowd dispersed. “Thanks.”

  “Don’t thank me- I can’t let someone break my project on the first day, now can I? I can’t let people break my project on any fucking day, fucking, period.”

  Rachel bit her lip as she stared down at the workers, chained to the floor. “Why didn’t John get this offer? Why didn’t you ever-”

  “Look at me when you’re talking to me.”

  She took a deep breath and turned around. “Why didn't you offer any of this to John?”

  “Who said I didn’t? I’ll get real with you for a minute- I wanted John, I really fucking wanted that guy, but this wasn’t for him. That whole time I kept him here, I was trying to mold him, but as much as he was weak, he was strong. He never woulda fuckin’ joined me,” he said with a little laugh. “I was doing the same thing to him that I’ll be doing with you- albeit with a lot more violence... Now follow me.”

  Walking the girls up another small set of stairs, Morgan brought them to his living quarters.

  “In here,” Morgan said, throwing the door open. “Is my room! But you’ve seen it before, haven’t you?”

  Rachel followed Morgan inside, pushing Billie’s chair. “You’re always so funny,” she said, staring at the dark red stain on the carpet.

  “Alright, so let’s cut to it- while you’re working under me, you’ll also sleep under me- not literally, your bed is that corner over there,” he said, pointing at a mattress in the corner by the door. “After what happened the last time I had you over, you can’t honestly think I’d let you out of my fucking sight.”

  Rachel shrugged, standing behind Billie’s chair. “I guess not.”

  “So keep this in mind- I'll be sleeping with one eye open, I’ll have some guys regularly check in while I’m asleep- Fuck, when I’m watching TV, you’ll be sitting on my lap, when I go for a walk, you’ll be ten steps in front of me, and when I fuck- it'll be with the lights on, and I’ll be staring at you the entire fucking time! Do you understand? Just how not private your life just got by stepping back in my door? There will never be an instance of privacy, alone time, and those pretty little weapons of yours are going in lock up! Now again, you do understand all this, don’t you?”