Infuse

by Michael Cornett

  Alec hadn’t really thought the situation all the way through. It took him over two hours to get here from the cabin and that was on the motorcycle. It was nearly midday now, and there was no way these women could make it walking thirty miles in a day. They might could do fifteen miles in a day, but even that would be tough in the rain. Not to mention they weren’t exactly wearing the proper attire for a trip like that. Ultimately, he decided to let the women decide for themselves.

  “You’re all free to go. I’m not sure what kind of supplies or shelter you’ll find in the area, but I’m not going to tell any of you what to do. For those of you interested, we have a place about thirty miles from here that you’re welcome at. I came to this place to scout it out, in hopes that it would be a safe place to bring my fam…my wife and friends. I didn’t anticipate finding what I did here today, but I still think this prison could be one of the safest in a hundred miles.”

  Danica chimed in with a look of determination as she looked at the door leading further into the prison, “we can help you.” Alec cocked his head, “help me?” She pointed the end of the barrel at the door, “Kill these bastards.” He glanced at the door and then back to the woman. “Trust me, I want to kill them too, but I don’t like our odds. Three of us with guns against fifteen or twenty of them, probably all armed.” The thick brunette he had given the pistol spoke up, “any better odds out there with the demons?” Alec sighed, “You’ve got a point, but out there we’d be trying our best to avoid a fight. In here you’re talking about starting one.” At that, the red head added her piece, “I hate to disagree, but they were the ones that started this by locking us up in these cages like some kind of animals.” A few of the other women said their piece and for the most part they decided not to run. “So it’s settled?” Alec asked. Most of the women nodded in agreement. “Well, then…we do what the abominations should have done to them weeks ago. We make them suffer.”

  Knowing they would need all the fire power they could get, Alec drew the Glock .40 from its holster on his hip. “I have one more gun if there is anyone else that feels comfortable using it.” The women looked between one another, and a couple of them sunk back. “I’m not asking any of you to fight. If you’re uncomfortable with using a weapon or hesitate to use it on the men on the other side of the prison, it will be better off staying on my hip.” A few seconds passed until the red head, who turned out to be name Enid voiced her opinion, “I think maybe the others aren’t ready for that.” “Fair enough,” Alec said, placing the handgun back in its holster.

  Ten minutes of wandering through the prison later, Alec could hear the rumble of distant laughter. Around the next bend, a door sat about thirty paces down the hall. As Alec and the women crept towards the door, he could read the sign on the wall labeled Mess Hall. Through the wired glass window Alec could see a group of a dozen men laughing and conversing as they enjoyed a feast of a meal. A half-table full of empty cans and boxes sat down from the men, along with a random assortment of juices and drinks. Almost all of the men still wore guard’s uniforms complete with a sidearm or shotgun. A few of the men wore plain white shirts or other garments. Alec sighted several assault rifles sitting on or against the table.

  Squatting down, elbows on knees, Alec slid the AR-15 from his back and chambered a round. He checked the Glock 40 on his leg holster and ensured it was cocked and ready. The women crouched beside him in wrapped sheets, looking like a group of college girls heading home after a rough night at a toga party. “Looks to be over a dozen of them,” he whispered. “We’ll have the jump on them, but we’re still out-numbered and out-gunned. I’ll open up on them and take out as many as I can with my assault rifle in the opening salvo. I can probably take out six or seven before they really know what’s happening or have time to find cover and start firing back. If this draws out, they will gain the advantage. They have more men, more ammo, and know this prison better than any of us. We need to hit them hard, which means I’ll need you two with the guns moving with me. The rest of you should probably stay back until the shooting is over. If for whatever reason things don’t go well for us, run. My motorcycle is parked out the North side of the prison, near the front gate.” They all nodded, and the four unarmed women backed down the hall, near the bend in the hall.

  Looking at the two remaining women, Alec couldn’t help but think how crazy their plan was. He was about to attack a dozen armed inmates with two women dressed in sheets, one of which he didn’t even know her name. He looked at the husky brunette with the southern accent, “Awkward timing, but I don’t even know your name.” The woman tried to smile, but Alec could tell she was too nervous for that. “I’m Rebecca. Pleased to meet ya.” “Likewise,” Alec replied. “OK, Danica, Rebecca, are you both ready?” They both nodded, and Alec saw Danica tremble. “Check your safeties and make sure there is a round in the chamber.” Rebecca popped out the clip and made sure a 9mm round was in the chamber. Danica turned the shotgun over, and studied it for a moment before she finally located the loading port and action release.

  When they were both finished, Alec took a deep breath and said, “Let me do the shooting at first. We’ll run towards the counter to the left and hold up there. That should give us a good vantage point for both exits. When you have to shoot, take deep breaths and aim for their chests. Any questions?” Neither of them made a peep, which wasn’t very reassuring. Alec took a deep breath and said a quick Hail Mary. “Ok, here we go in three, two, one.”

  He pushed the door open with one hand, quickly moving through towards the counter as he began firing. Some of the men sitting at the table turned, jaws dropping and eyes widening. A large Middle Eastern man dropped his fork as a round blasted through his chest. To his left a short man with dirty blonde hair reached for his pistol laying on the table, but before his hand touched the handle it fell limp as he slumped to the table dead, blood oozing from a hole in the side of his head.

  Alec quickly scanned the room as he continued firing. A few of the inmates stood to run while others picked up their weapons and started to fire. All of this seemed like slow motion to Alec, who bolted towards the counter with Danica and Rebecca following closely behind him. He fired and missed a large dark-skinned man who was hefting a pump action shotgun in his direction. The man began to pump the shotgun, but he shredded the would-be-shotgunner’s stomach with a volley of bullets. He heard Danica and Rebecca firing now, and glanced to see Danica cave in a portly man’s chest.

  The three of them reach the counter, and Alec counted at least eight men still alive, including several of them that were now running for the exit at the back of the room. Alec hesitated as he watch the group of men fleeing for the exit. One part of his brain cringed with the thought of pulling the trigger, of slaughtering men as they fled. He could just let them go, let them flee the prison. Most likely they wouldn’t make it through the night, not with the abominations out there, but what if they did? They could come back and attack them at the prison. These were vile men. Men that had brought this judgment upon themselves with what they had done to these women. Alec hardened his heart and opened fire, easily cutting through the fleeing men with a spray of bullets.

  That left only three men who posed an immediate threat. One of them, a burly man with fair skin, was reloading an assault rifle as he crouched behind a table about twenty-five feet away. A bullet pinged off the metal counter a few feet from Alec’s head. The two other men were both wildly firing handguns from behind the serving line across the room.

  “Put some fire on the two across the room,” Alec shouted over the gunfire. Danica and Rebecca ripped off several shots towards the serving line. Alec dropped his clip and replaced it with a new one, raising back up to find the burly man with fair skin unleashing a barrage of shots. A woman cried out, and he turned to see Rebecca on the floor twitching as blood gushed from her chest and shoulder. Danica was trying to put pressure on the wounds, but blood was still flowing freely. Alec turned back and emptied half his clip at th
e burly man. The impact of the bullets shook him and caused him to stumble back and he fell to the ground. More shots whizzed through the air near Alec, causing him to dive back down. Danica was still frozen in a crouched position, staring at the blood-soaked sheet that covered the dead woman. “I need you with me, Danica.” She turned up to Alec and then looked back down at the gun on the ground next to her. It was empty. Bullets pinged and thudded into the wall behind them. “I’m out of ammo,” Danica said in a bleak voice. Alec removed the Glock from his waist and put it in her hand. “It’s ready to fire. It’ll have a little more kick than the other.” She shook her head as she looked down at the gun.

  “Don’t worry too much about hitting them, just fire a few rounds in their direction. I’m going to slide down the counter a ways and pop up after you stop firing.” Her hand trembled as she raised it towards the top of the counter. Alec scrambled down the counter to get a different angle on the men, hoping to surprise them.

  Danica began firing, his cue to pop up and hopefully end this gunfight. He shot up from behind the counter to find a bullet zipping by his head, nearly taking off his ear. He cursed and returned fire, hitting one man square in the chest. He fired a few shots at the final man but missed high and to the left. The final man ducked back behind the counter to avoid Alec’s barrage.

  A few seconds later the man called out to him, “I give up. I give up. Here,” he said tossing a handgun over the counter and onto the floor. Alec wasn’t sure if this was some sort of trick. Maybe he had tossed the other inmates gun out and was just waiting on Alec to show himself to get a clean shot, or maybe this man no longer liked his odds. He sighed, not liking this at all. “Stay down,” he told Danica. Alec peeked over the counter, still aiming down the AR-15 and called to the inmate, “show me your hands.” The man slowly stood up from behind the counter, revealing greasy white hair shaped in the shape of a horseshoe. His hands were noticeably still beneath the counter. “Show me your hands, now!” Alec shouted. The greasy man slowly lifted his hands, but just before they raised above the counter he made a sudden jerking movement. A second revolver. Alec should have ignored his conscious and just shot the man. His heart thudded as he went to squeeze the trigger, hoping he would be faster than the inmate. Alec heard a shot ring out. He winced, bracing himself for the impact, but that wasn’t right. The man hadn’t gotten off a shot. A pool of blood oozed from a nickel-sized hole in the inmate’s forehead. Alec was confused until he turned to see Danica holding his Glock, still pointing at her victim, hands shaking.

  Alec walked over to her and placed a hand on hers, lowering the weapon. “You did good, Danica. You did good.” Her eyes were wide, full of emotion, and her breathing labored. “I thought it would feel…different.” She managed after a moment. Alec knew she meant taking someone’s life. Until a few weeks ago, he never thought he would take a man’s life either. “I’m sorry, Danica. I hate that you were put in this situation.” She shook her head. “It’s not that,” she said. “I don’t feel any pity for these men, not after what they did to us. I’m glad they’re dead. They deserve worse than what they got.” Alec couldn’t blame her. Lord only knew what these men had done to her and the other women.

  Chapter 14

  Danica and Brie found a closet full of prison jumpsuits near where the inmates had been staying. Before changing and getting cleaned up, they decided to drag the bodies out of the mess hall and pile them into Cell Block A, with the rest of the bodies. It was a disgusting and grueling process, but none of the women complained. All things considered, they seemed to be in much better spirits than Alec would have imagined possible.

  After they all had a chance to clean up, they held a short funeral out on the lawn for Rebecca. There wasn’t much said, because no one really knew her. It was probably the saddest funeral Alec had ever been to. He wasn’t sure if it was the cold rain or the thought of dying alone, but a great shiver trembled throughout his body. What they had done today needed to happen, but he was ready to go home, back to the cabin, and back to his wife.

  They buried the woman and returned into the prison drenched and muddied. When they had settled for a moment, the remaining women looked to him as if waiting for an order. “It’s getting late. I have to get back to my people before nightfall, or they’ll worry themselves to death. You all have plenty of food and water to survive a good while here without needing to scout around. You have doors and locks, guns and ammo. I would suggest picking a cell block and locking yourselves down at night. Avoid using the guns unless you absolutely have to. The sound will just draw more attention or worse, abominations to you. I’ll come back in a few days or week at the most to check on you all. My ultimate plan is to bring with the rest of my people, if I can convince them to come.”

  One of the women, not much more than a girl, with short dark hair and light brown eyes asked, “What are we supposed to do?” Alec looked at the young girl, not really sure what to say. He considered the question for a moment before finally replying, “Survive.” A few weeks ago, this young woman was probably in college thinking about her next exam or the cute guy sitting across the class room. Now her life, everyone’s life seemed to reduce to the most basic of instincts, survival. It was a discouraging thought to know that everything was stripped away. School, work, vacations, these were frivolous things swept away in the blink of an eye. All that was left was surviving, and protecting those who had survived.

  “We’ll be fine. Travel safely and we hope to see you and your people soon,” Danica told him. “I will. Thank you,” Alec replied. “No, thank you for what you did here. We owe you a debt that we may not ever be able to repay you.” “You don’t owe me anything. No one deserves to be treated the way these men treated you. Don’t give up hope on the rest of us though. There are still good people out there. Some of us are still willing to fight for what is right.” Danica smiled, “I know. You proved that today.”

  It looked later than it was, the clouds blanketing out most of what sun remained for the day. Alec was getting a later start back to the cabin than he wanted to, especially with the rainy conditions. With the streets half-clogged with stopped cars and the muddy condition of the grass aside the road, the going was slow. Alec knew that he had to take extra care not to get the motorcycle stuck in the muck or he’d be left racing the sunset on foot. A race that he had no desire to run.

  He was fatigued by the time he wound through County Road 138 and turned onto his father’s property. The fatigue was more than just the long day, it was as much the emotional toll as it was physical. The loss of Steven, the worry of Sara’s health, and now the women at the prison just seemed like too much. All he felt like doing was crawling in bed and cuddling up to Natalie, but that wasn’t an option. Nick and Mr. Pat had shouldered guard responsibilities enough recently. Almost right on cue, Mr. Pat gave a wave from the southwest corner of the wrapping porch as Alec drove up the dirt road.

  Alec pulled the motorcycle up into the garage and was met by Sasha. The nub of a tail wagging the entire back half of her body. With everything going on he had almost forgotten about the newest member of the cabin. “Hey girl. Did you keep watch for me while I was gone?” Sasha licked the back of his hand with her wide rough tongue and happily whined at him. She smelled like a wet dog and he supposed that was exactly what she should smell like. “We need to take a look at that leg and get you cleaned up.” She just nuzzled his hand more and followed him back up to the house. He saw that Nick had made a makeshift bed for her out of some old blankets, and he made a mental note to thank the boy for that later. “You stay outside now. Tomorrow I’ll get you all cleaned up, and you can help me with a few things around the cabin.” Sasha sat down on her hindquarters by the door, her oversized jowls resting on her front two paws as he entered the house.

  The aroma of wild meat filled the home causing Alec’s stomach to rumble in protest. It was getting late, dinner time. Although he had brought lunch with him, the smells and sights at the prison turned his stom
ach sour leaving the thought of food repulsive. Hours on the road back to the cabin had obviously soothed his stomach, and now the sweet smells of food carried through his nose all the way into the bottom of his empty belly. “What’s smelling so good?” Natalie turned to him, seemingly startled, as if she had been in deep thought and hadn’t heard him enter. She walked over and met him with a small peck on the lips, “Rabbit and squirrel Nick killed earlier. I’ll have the rest ready in just a bit. Tell me about the prison.” Alec’s eyes dropped to the floor. “What is it, Alec?” “It was bad, Nat, real bad.” “What was? What happened?” “There was a group of men, inmates…” He shook his head as he looked at her, not wanting to speak about the things he had seen. Natalie’s face was filled with concern, and she gently touched his arm. “About twenty of them. I guess they killed everyone else, or maybe some got away. I don’t know…They had stacks of bodies, tens of them just piled up like garbage in a can.” He watched the corners of her mouth draw downward into a look of disgust. “That wasn’t the worst part.” He paused for another moment, thinking of the women at the prison and how they could have so easily been his wife or daughter. “They had women, some of them maybe still in their teens, locked in the cells.” His fingers curl up, tightening into fists, still ready to lash out. “They were naked, locked in cells. The men…the animals, were keeping them alive to use at their pleasure.” Natalie’s hand drew up to her mouth, covering it as she gasped, “Oh my Lord.” “I killed them, Nat. Killed every last one of them. Two of the women helped me, but one of them was shot and didn’t make it.”