by Logan Jacobs
“Stop talkin’ to them!” Scrawny man warned as he finally stepped away from the riflemen. “They’re not your friends.”
“Why not?” I asked, mostly because the scrawny man really annoyed me.
Scrawny man struggled to come up with a reply, and I saw the second rifleman roll his eyes again.
“They’ll take you to talk to Dean,” Chester said. “He’ll let you know what happens after that.”
“But you can’t take your weapons,” scrawny man said as he waved the revolver at Becka’s sword. “All that stays here.”
“Here, what if we need it?” Becka demanded. “What if a dinosaur attacks?”
“I’ll protect you,” the scrawny man replied with a leer.
“We can protect ourselves,” Hae-won snorted.
The two girls struck the same pose, with one hand on the hilt of their swords and the other on their hips. They looked sexy and strong, and I felt my own erection stir for a moment. The other men all stared as well, and for a moment, I thought we might get away with carrying the swords inside.
“No weapons inside,” the first rifleman replied.
“How’d you make it all the way here with these two?” the scrawny man asked. “I would have left them myself.”
Scrawny man was trying to act like an alpha, though to judge by the sudden bulge in his pants, he was just as taken with the girls as the rest of the nearby males, but probably the last one any female would look at.
“Rude!” Becka declared.
“We found some mutual interests,” I replied.
“Come on, ladies, just drop the weapons and everyone will be happy,” the second rifleman said in a condescending tone.
“Jason,” Hae-won said as she looked at me.
I could tell she was trying not to laugh, and I had to bury my own urge to giggle. The whole scene was bizarre, and scrawny man was not someone I’d normally worry about. But he still had the revolver, which he handled like someone with no real experience with guns, and the two men behind him who looked far too comfortable with the rifles.
“Fine,” I said as I dropped the tire iron.
The girls started to protest, but gave up when scrawny man waved the revolver around again. With a great deal of huffing and muttering, the girls turned over their swords, and we were directed to climb over the sandbags. We managed to climb to the top of the sandbags and then jump down into the narrow space between the sandbags and the concrete barrier. The second rifleman started to pat down Hae-won, and I was certain the Glock would be discovered.
“What are you doing?” Hae-won demanded as she slapped the man’s hand away before he could even touch her. “You think you can just feel me up now? No.”
“Don’t even think about touching me,” the blonde barked at the other rifleman. “I know how this works. You pretend to pat me down while you’re really getting your jollies off. Well, if I wouldn’t let a real policeman do it, you can be sure I won’t let you do it.”
“Give me my sword back, and I’ll show you what happens to men who touch me,” the raven-haired Korean growled.
“Don’t fuck with my girls,” I warned. “They’ve killed scores of dinosaurs.”
“Scores,” Chester gasped.
“Maybe even hundreds.” I shrugged.
The two riflemen backed away for a moment, and the girls seized the opportunity to move away as well. Scrawny man snickered and then waved his revolver again, this time toward the narrow opening that led into Coates. I slipped through with my companions before either of the riflemen could insist on patting us down.
The other side of the wall revealed a very English village, with a wide open green at the center and a collection of buildings around that. Other roads spread away from the green like spokes on a wheel, and while some had barricades of their own, several were still wide open. A church spire was the tallest structure to be seen, and was just visible over the tops of the trees.
“This way,” scrawny man said as he started to walk toward the green. “And don’t try anything, or I’ll shoot you where you stand.”
Becka rolled her eyes, a common reaction to scrawny man, I realized, but at least neither girl snorted this time. We marched across the grass, which had grown long after several weeks of unabated growth, and stopped in front of what had been a small local brewery with its own small cafe. The place still smelled of hops and malt, and the puff of smoke from a chimney seemed to indicate that the brewery was still in business. There were tables still set up outside under an umbrella, but scrawny man waved the gun again, this time toward the door to the cafe.
We stepped inside the shop and found ourselves in a pleasant room that was bright and warm despite the gray sunlight that poured in through the windows. The walls had been painted a golden sand color, the floors shone with a fresh coat of wax, and there wasn’t a speck of dust to be seen anywhere. There were six tables carefully placed the exact same distance apart, and a large chalkboard behind the dessert counter had a list of the day’s specials. There was a woman behind the cash register and a young couple seated at one of the tables, but our guide ignored them and walked over to a group of three men who occupied the table against the far wall that had a good view out the windows and of the door as well.
“Who’s this?” one of the men asked when we came to a stop in front of the table.
“Claim they’re from the uni,” our guide replied. “They say they’re impressed with our wall and want to know if they can stay here.”
“Oh, is that so?” the man replied.
He was in his fifties, or maybe early sixties, with white hair and sharp blue eyes. He was fitter than many younger people I knew, a fact that was emphasized by the skin tight Manchester United shirt he wore.
“We’ve been wandering since we left Cambridge,” I explained. “This is the first place we’ve seen that looks safe. A lot of places have been destroyed.”
“And we’ve seen a lot of people killed,” Becka added.
“Terrible thing, that,” the man said. “We lost quite a few people in those first days ourselves. Constable Barnes, Mayor Castle, even Mrs. Wilson over at the rectory.”
“It were a right mess,” one of the other men agreed. This one was probably in his forties, and he looked completely ordinary and boring except for the stitches along one side of his face. “Nearly got me when I tried to help save some of the sheep.”
“Hard to say what happened to everyone,” the older man said. “Some were eaten by the dinosaurs, some were killed when buildings were knocked down. A few might have had accidents.”
“Your friend here didn’t mention any accidents,” I noted. “Though he did say something about contributions.”
“William says a lot of things,” the older man replied as he glared at our guide. “One mustn’t pay heed to his blathering.”
“Dean,” William started to protest. “You said we could use a few more bodies--”
“Bloody hell,” the older man snapped. “Why don’t you learn to keep yer fat trap shut!”
“I already told this guy,” I cut in. “We’ll do some work around the kitchen or whatever to help pay for the food. We’d like to stay, but if you won’t let us, then we’ll take our swords back and be on our way.”
Dean scowled at the interruption, and then slowly folded his arms across his chest. He leaned back in his chair and looked at the three of us with interest.
“So you say you traveled here all the way from Cambridge,” Dean mused.
“We had a car,” I sighed. “But we lost it during a dinosaur encounter. Better it than us, I suppose, but we’ve been on foot ever since.”
“Can’t even find a bloody bicycle,” Becka growled.
“Coates is a very small town,” Dean replied. “Very different from Cambridge. Are you sure you want to stay?”
“It’s not like we spent much time off campus,” I said with a shrug. “The school is its own little town within a town. Besides, I’m sure we could provide you wi
th all sorts of valuable assistance.”
“Really?” Dean laughed. “Did you study dinosaurs or such at Cambridge?”
“No,” I said. “But Hae-won is an engineer. She can design and build just about anything.”
No need to mention that her specialty was supposed to be cyber and electrical engineering.
“I could show you how to secure your water supply,” Hae-won added.
“And you?” Dean asked as he cast a covetous look on my blonde companion.
“I grew up on a farm,” Becka replied with a straight face. “I can handle anything you have.”
Dean snickered as his eyes traced Becka’s curves. I started to tense up, but Becka’s hand found mine for just a moment and I forced myself to stand still. Dean licked his lips and then flicked his wrist. The other two men at the table stood up and moved to a different table. I watched the two men settle into their chairs and then stare across the room at the blank wall.
“Sit down,” Dean invited as he pointed to the other three chairs at his table. “William, you can wait by the door.”
William scowled but retreated to a spot by the door. The scrawny man looked around for a moment, then flopped onto the window seat and stared out at the village green.
“So, we’ve had a bit of a power shift since this began,” Dean said in a pleasant voice. “As Marty mentioned, we lost a fair number of our leaders in the early days. Shame, that.”
“Mmm, yes,” I agreed.
“But the wise man knows when to take advantage of a situation,” Dean added.
“Who said that?” Hae-won asked.
“I did,” Dean replied with a wolfish grin.
“And the rest of the villagers went along with this move of yours?” I asked.
“Well, they do now,” Dean said with a shrug.
“Let me guess,” Becka huffed. “Before all this started, you were the local ganef, spent most of your time in the Constable’s cell.”
“Mind your manners, missy,” Dean warned. “Group of kids goes missing these days, it’s not like anyone’s going to send out a search party.”
“Are you threatening me?” Becka demanded.
“Yes,” Dean replied.
“There’s no need for that,” I said before Becka could give her usual fiery reply. “If you don’t need our help and don’t have any food to spare, then we’ll turn around and walk out.”
“You think you could?” Dean asked.
“Yes,” I said calmly. “Do you really think we would have made it this far if we couldn’t?”
Dean considered that for a moment, and then started to laugh.
“I like you, boy,” Dean conceded. “You’re a better sort than some we’ve got here. And I like your lady friends as well.”
“I’ll bet he’s married, too,” Becka muttered.
“What if I was?” Dean said with a shrug. “Could be a dinosaur caught her one morning when she tried to slip over to the neighbor’s for a nice cuppa.”
“Or she might have had an accident,” I added. “Like some of the others.”
“Strange times we live in,” Dean said. “Well, and what would you think about finding a good man to settle down with?”
“Me?” Becka asked in disbelief.
“You’re pretty enough,” Dean said. “I could take care of you.”
“I’ve already got a man,” Becka replied. “And he’s taken good care of me. Both of us, actually.”
“Jason is wonderful.” Hae-won grinned and nodded in agreement.
“I’m sure he fights well enough,” Dean cleared his throat. “But there are other things a man is supposed to provide--”
“Oh, he does that as well,” Becka said airily.
“He is sleeping with both of us,” Hae-won clarified. “He is a very good lover.”
Dean looked surprised for a moment and cast an appraising glance in my direction.
“I look after my own,” I said. “And these two have decided that they want to be mine.”
“So it’s a package deal,” Dean noted. “I don’t get to keep the blonde and toss you two back out to the dinosaurs?”
“You can try,” I said quietly. “But you won’t succeed.”
Dean and I held each other’s glare for several moments, and then the girls leaned in closer to me. It was clear who they preferred, and Dean finally looked away first.
“Nothing’s free around here,” Dean snapped. “Everyone has to help pay for their upkeep. See, this is part of the new tax system I’ve put in.”
“Tax system?” Hae-won asked.
“Aye,” Dean agreed. “Everyone has to pay their taxes, or I have them arrested. Now, if that happens, you can either pay off your taxes through your labor, or you can find someone to pay your taxes for you.”
“So it’s a ransom,” I said. “How many people have you extorted so far?”
“That’s illegal!” the blonde Brit snapped.
“Oy, it’s a tax,” Dean replied. “And it’s legal. It’s what the government does every day.”
“I do not understand,” Hae-won asked. “Who are these people who must pay taxes?”
“What do you care?” Dean asked. “You don’t know any of them.”
“But you keep them here when they would prefer to leave?” Hae-won asked. “Is that not kidnapping?”
“It’s not safe times to travel,” Dean snapped. “We keep them safe. And in return, they do some labor.”
“God, he’s got slaves,” Becka moaned.
“No such thing,” the mayor insisted. “It’s all legal.”
“I doubt the Crown would agree,” I replied.
“Who are these people?” Hae-won asked again. “People like us?”
“Visitors, mostly,” Dean admitted. “Large crowd from the conference center. They managed to escape some nasty lizards that had taken over the grounds and went to the Constable’s office to make a report.”
“Only the Constable was dead, and you had taken his place,” I guessed.
Dean smiled and tapped a finger against the side of his head.
“What is this labor you make them do?” Hae-won asked.
“Oh, whatever needs doing,” the older man said vaguely.
“And what’s the tax to leave here?” I asked.
“Well, now,” Dean said with a grin. “That depends. Someone important, see, might need to pay more.”
“Someone important?” I asked in a puzzled tone. “Who would you have out here that could be that important?”
Dean tapped the side of his head again and grinned.
“Got all sorts using that conference center,” the mayor replied. “Now, we got lucky because on the day of the attack, that included the engineers from the local power plant. Someone like that is very important.”
“Effing…” Becka began.
“But don’t they need to be at the power plant?” I cut in. “Who will keep the power running?”
“Not my problem,” the older man replied. “Not yours, either.”
“Did you send a ransom demand?” I asked.
Walston hadn’t mentioned one, but I doubted he would have seen the need. It would have been nice to know, though, just as a heads up about how truly nasty Dean was.
“Not much in the way of communications right now,” Dean said. “Really haven’t been able to reach anyone.”
“But--” Becka began and then stopped.
“So they’re all still here,” I said. “All still paying off their taxes because there’s no way for them to reach anyone to ask for help.”
“Now you’re catching on,” the mayor said with a vicious grin.
“And us?” I asked. “What kind of taxes do we have to pay?”
“Well, now,” Dean mused. “I’ll have to think about that. Of course, if you really want to stay here, we can work out a repayment plan, and you could work here in the town. But, if you’re just passing through, well, that’s a different beast.”
“We want to st
ay,” I assured him.
“Yes, that would be good,” Hae-won added.
“I don’t know,” Becka said. “This all sounds like a scam to me, and I think we’ll end up doing the nasty work no matter what we decide.”
“A doll as pretty as you won’t have to worry,” Dean replied. “We’ll find you a nice spot here in town, where you can help take care of… needs.”
Dean grinned, and I wanted to leap across the table to smash his face. But Dean wagged his finger at me, and I saw William stand up out of the corner of my eye. The revolver was back in his hand, and I knew the scrawny man was just desperate to shoot me. Hell, Dean would probably let him if he didn’t need some more people to throw at the dinosaurs.
“I made it clear,” Becka declared. “I go with my man. You fixing on harassing a woman with a boy? Doesn’t seem like a very honorable thing to do for the mayor of a town, so leave me be.”
Dean scowled and looked around at the other people in the room. No one was willing to meet his eyes, and the cold blue orbs finally settled back onto me.
“You girls don’t know what you’re missing out on,” the older man said through gritted teeth. “I could show you a few things this youngster doesn’t know about.”
“He knows a lot,” Hae-won said. “I don’t think you could know more.”
“Not possible,” Becka agreed.
Dean’s eyes narrowed, and I started to reach for my Glock beneath the table. The mayor looked like he was about to signal the idiot with the revolver, but he lowered his hand and sat with his arms across his chest instead.
“I could just kill you now,” Dean mused. “But I’d rather let the girls see what happens to people who don’t respect my power.”
“You’re just a thug,” I said.
“Maybe,” he agreed, “but I’m in charge here. And you’ll do as I say or end up in a ditch somewhere.”
“Effing--” Becka started again.
“Let’s just see where we all will be staying,” I interrupted before Becka could start cursing at the dude. “Then you can tell us about how we can work to earn our keep.”
“I’ll let the rest of our guests fill you in,” the older man replied. “Once you’ve had a taste of it, I’m sure you’ll be happy here. William!”