by Joyce, Anne
“Gross!” Maria grimaced.
“It could be a good thing,” Xiomara said.
“His hands weren’t shaking because he likes her,” Joshua said.
“What do you mean?” Julio said.
“Oh God, it all makes sense now, why they put us in these cages.” Joshua leaned forward and rested his aching head in his hands.
“If they’re not going to kill us, why did they bring us here?” Paola turned to face Joshua.
Josh glanced at Paola as if weighing his next words “They’re not just killing people, they’re eating them. Eating human flesh can make your hands shake. That’s why they let Xiomara bring the first aid kit. They don’t want our wounds to become septic. We’d be bad meat. There’s no way to refrigerate a body in the wastelands. They have to kill us one by one.”
“You’re not serious!” Paola shrieked.
Xiomara burst into tears. She put the first aid kit away and sat in the corner of their cage. “I told you their intentions weren’t good,” she sobbed.
“Holy shit! That’s the only thing that makes sense,” Julio said.
“What are you talking about?” Cassidy mumbled. She lifted her head and looked around, confused.
“Hey, I didn’t know you were awake.” Julio turned toward her.
“Did you just say these guys are cannibals or was I dreaming?” she said.
“I wish this was a dream. I just want to wake up in the truck or someplace in Mexico and find out this was a nightmare,” Paola said.
“I should’ve known what their plan was all along. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it.” Maria slumped against the wall. This was more horrific than she ever could’ve imagined. She wasn’t about to let them eat the children, no matter what she had to do to stop them.
“You were just trying to figure out how to survive,” Joshua replied.
“That’s what we need to be figuring out before it’s too late. I sure as hell am not ending up on their dinner plates,” Julio declared.
“You’re going to have to leave me behind. I’ll never be able to outrun them.” Cassidy coughed.
“We’re not leaving you here. I’ll carry you if I have to,” Julio said.
“You won’t be able to outrun them.” Cassidy choked.
“Don’t think about that now.” He rubbed her back. “We sure could use some of that water.” He stared at the water jug.
“I’d give you some if I could, but you’re too far away,” Joshua said.
“Wait… I have an idea.” Maria took off her boot and pulled the laces out of it. She filled the jug’s lid and tied one end of her shoelace around it. She set the lid outside of the cage and flung the other end toward Julio. “Can you reach it?”
Julio lay on his stomach and reached through the bars. He grasped the end of the shoelace and gently pulled the lid over. “You’re a genius, Maria!” He handed the lid to Cassidy who guzzled the water down.
“Toss it back over and I’ll pour some more,” she said. Maria and Julio repeated the process so everyone could have a drink.
“Wake up, Danisha. You need to drink this water.” Paola shook her.
Danisha sat up, drank, and lay back down, facing the wall. “Are you going to sleep all day?” Paola said.
“Maybe, I just want to be left alone right now,” she mumbled.
Paola looked confused and worried.
“She’s dealt with these kinds of people before. I’m sure this is bringing back a lot of bad memories,” Xiomara said.
“I wish they would’ve left some food. My stomach is growling,” Paola said.
“They’re not going to be nice to people they plan to eat,” Julio said.
“I could take out one of these bastards the next time he steps into our cage.” Joshua felt the pliers in his pocket.
“That’s the problem. It’s never just one of them. Every time they come downstairs, there’s at least two. By the time you killed the first looter, the second would shoot you,” Maria said.
“There’s got to be a way to get one of them to come down here. The lanky guy with bad teeth is cocky and fearless. He might be easy to trap,” Xiomara mused.
“I don’t know about that.” Joshua rubbed his head.
“Why don’t you take a nap, man? They beat you pretty bad,” Julio said.
“We need to come up with a way to escape. There’s no time for sleep,” he muttered.
“Josh, your head’s going to hurt worse if you don’t sleep,” Xiomara said.
“Maybe for a little while.” He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall.
Joshua awoke to a painful crick in his neck. The pain sliced through his head like a katana and his shoulder ached. He was slumped against the cold, hard wall next to Maria. She slept with her head on his shoulder; his head rested on hers. He was surprised to see Danisha up and moving around the cage. “Hey,” he called.
“Shhh… everyone else is sleeping,” she whispered.
“How are you holding up?” He lowered his voice.
“I’m caged in a house full of looters, so not very well.” She sat down and faced him.
“These aren’t the same people who killed your family, are they?”
“No, but they might as well be. As soon as I saw that dead guy with his teeth necklace, I knew he was a looter. If you’ve met one, you’ve basically met them all. They’re a bunch of dumb, ugly, smelly brutes who aren’t happy unless they’re hurting or terrorizing someone. I think they’re all related somehow, probably inbred. I’d never heard of them eating people, though.”
“They must be getting desperate. Animals are becoming scarcer. I think they’re even eating each other,” Joshua said.
“Why do you say that?”
“When they took me upstairs the pregnant woman was cutting meat and the dead men from the night before were gone when I went outside,” he replied.
“That must be why they haven’t killed anyone yet. I wonder who they’ll murder when their meat goes sour.” She stared at Julio and Cassidy lying on the floor with their arms around each other.
“They’re not going to murder anybody, not if I can get to them first,” Joshua proclaimed.
“What if you can’t?” She gave him a worried glance.
***
The basement door flew open and light came spilling into their dark prison. “Rise and shine, daises!”
Danisha scooted back and shrank against the wall. Danny and Deric marched down the stairs. Danny pulled out a flashlight and shined it around the room. Everyone groaned, squinted, and tried to cover their faces.
“Piss off!” Julio mumbled. He buried his face in Cassidy’s shoulder and tried to fall back asleep.
“Which one?” Danny turned to Deric.
Joshua’s heart raced. A wave of terror swept over him.
“That one, she’s half dead already.” Deric pointed to Cassidy.
“Shit,” Maria gasped.
“NO! I’m the one you want!” Joshua jumped to his feet and rattled the bars.
“Shut up,” Danny replied.
“What’s wrong? Are you scared to pick on somebody your own size, coward?” Joshua shouted.
“Your time is coming. Then we’ll see how tough you are.” Danny grinned.
Joshua slid to the ground in despair. I should’ve given the pliers to Julio… but what could he do against two of them?
“Go to hell! We’re not a fucking buffet.” Julio sat in front of Cassidy, blocking their path.
Deric flung open the door and pointed the rifle at Julio’s head. “Move your ass or I’ll kill you both just on principle.”
“You don’t have any principles,” Julio retorted.
“Leave her alone!” Paola screamed.
“Girls, don’t watch this. Hide your eyes,” Maria called.
Danisha scooted beside Paola and wrapped her arms around her, covering her face.
“This is your last chance,” Deric said.
“Julio, do what he
says. There’s nothing you can do to stop them,” Xiomara said.
Julio hung his head and his body went limp with resignation. Deric kicked him in the torso and he fell over. “There’s a smart one in the bunch after all.” He glanced at Xiomara. Danny grabbed Cassidy’s legs and dragged her out of the cage. She reached her hand out to Julio and he grabbed it. They stared into each other’s eyes one last time before Danny jerked her away. She seemed frightened but defeated.
Danny laid her down between the two cages, took Deric’s gun, and aimed it at her temple. “We’ll meet again someday.” She smiled at Julio. She was still smiling when Danny pulled the trigger. Blood splattered on his arms and apathetic face.
Julio screamed and pounded his fist on the ground. Danisha covered Paola’s ears. Maria sat beside Joshua and he held her close. He wanted to scream. He wanted to kill those assholes and he felt so fucking helpless. Blood dripped onto the ground and pooled around Cassidy’s head. Her eyes were fixed and still gazing at Julio. Danisha, Paola, and Xiomara wept. Their cries were deep and woeful.
“We’re not going to shoot any of them again. It’s a waste of bullets,” Deric said.
“What will we use to kill them?” Danny gave the gun back to Deric.
“I don’t care. Get creative,” Deric replied.
“I’m going to murder you. Your days are numbered,” Julio said in a voice no one recognized.
“Is that so? How are you going to do that? You can’t even get out of that cage,” Danny scoffed.
“We did her a favor. She was wounded and about to die. It’s nothing personal. It’s survival of the fittest out here,” Deric said. He and Danny lifted Cassidy’s body and carried her upstairs.
The basement was silent for hours. Joshua was left alone with his thoughts. Xiomara slept with her face against the wall. Danisha curled up in the corner and shut out the world. Maria leaned against Joshua while he stroked her hair. He tried to think of something to say to Julio, but words of comfort seemed meaningless. Nothing he could say or do would bring Cassidy back or make their situation less horrible. He couldn’t imagine what he’d do if the same thing happened to Maria. Losing Isabel almost destroyed him.
Julio sat on the ground, staring into space. “I don’t even have a picture of her,” he said softly. All that remained of her existence was her blood and drag marks on the ground. “First I went through this with my mother, then Esteban, and now Cassidy. I’m sick of losing people to cold-blooded murderers. This world just needs to end.”
“What happened to your mother?” asked Joshua.
“Mom vanished soon after I moved out. My father told everyone that she ran away, but I know she’s buried in the desert somewhere. Her disappearance left a huge void in my life. I was never the same.”
“That’s horrible. No one should have to lose their mother like that.” Xiomara sat up and rubbed her eyes.
“Sometimes it feels likes it happened in another life time, other days it’s like it just happened yesterday. I guess I never really moved on like I should’ve.”
“You never truly heal from something like that. Grief changes shape but it doesn’t go away. It’s not something you endure until you get to the other side. I’ve learned that there is no other side, no mystical place or state of mind where everything’s okay again. There’s just adjustment and acceptance. It alters your very soul. Not a day passes where I don’t think of Miguel.”
“I think it gets harder with each person you lose.” Julio hung his head. “I realize I only knew her for a short time, but I could tell she was a wonderful person. Her heart was pure. You don’t meet people like that very often. She shouldn’t have died this way.”
Paola scrambled to her feet and stood in front of him. “I’m sorry, Julio. I know you really liked her, but she’s an angel now. She’ll watch over us.”
Julio stared at her for a moment, wrapped his arms around her, and burst into tears.
“It’s okay.” She patted his back.
“Sometimes children say it best,” Maria said, impressed with her daughter.
Joshua nodded and closed his eyes.
Chapter Thirteen
“Josh… Josh!” a man’s voice called.
Joshua lifted his head and saw a figure standing in the moonlight in front of his cage. He squinted and rubbed his eyes in total disbelief of what was before him. The man outside the cage was him.
“How are you out there when I’m in here? Unlock the gate!” Joshua sputtered.
“I can’t do that. I’m a figment of your imagination, you fool,” his image said. “You need to act fast. You’re running out of time.”
“I know. I don’t know what to do,” he replied.
“Kill the red-head. He’s the weakest of the three.”
“How am I supposed to do that? He never lets his guard down,” Joshua replied.
“Think about it! What makes him vulnerable?”
“I… I’m not sure,” Joshua stammered.
“You’re not thinking hard enough!” his silhouette shouted.
He was jolted awake so hard that he knocked Maria off his shoulder. Her head fell into his lap. She rolled over and groaned.
“Josh, what’s wrong?” she mumbled.
“It was just a dream,” he sighed.
“Did you have another nightmare about your wife?”
“No, I think this was a warning. My subconscious is trying to tell me something,” he said.
“What do you mean?” She sat up.
“What are you guys talking about?” Danisha stood and leaned against the bars. Julio and Paola slept beside one another.
“Danisha, I know you don’t like to talk about it, but you need to tell me everything you know about looters. How did you and your family cross paths with them?” Joshua said.
“Why would you put her through that?” Xiomara got up and took a sip from the water jug.
“I need to know because it might save our lives,” Joshua said. “I have to find out what makes them vulnerable.”
“I don’t think anything makes them vulnerable. They were scary enough without guns,” Danisha replied.
“Danisha, please just talk to me,” Joshua urged.
Danisha took a deep breath and kicked at a pile of dirt. “We’d heard rumors about a group of thugs killing people, but we just thought it was a made-up story, like the boogie man or something. When everyone around us started disappearing we got worried, though.
“We never found any bodies, but we knew they wouldn’t just leave. They didn’t have anywhere to go. My brothers made weapons out of some old junk and we slept in shifts for weeks. I thought the boogiemen might have gone somewhere else. It felt like everything was going to be okay for a while, but I was stupid to believe that.
“My brother Damon and I were looking for food one day and we ran right into one of them. He came at us with a knife. Damon threw a rock at his head and we took off. We ran back home as fast as we could; he chased us most of the way. When he stopped, he said he was coming for us. We went inside and told Mom and Deshaun. Mom was terrified, but Deshaun said this was our house and we were going to fight for it.
“The next day they came and kicked down our door. Mom made me hide under the floorboards when she heard them coming, but I could see through the cracks. Deshaun made a weapon out of a piece of wood and some broken glass the night before. He stabbed one of them in the throat and he died. That was when they got really mad. My family fought like warriors, but there were too many of them.” Her voice cracked and she sank down beside Paola, facing the wall.
“Thank you, Danisha. I know that wasn’t easy,” Joshua said.
“Was that helpful?” asked Xiomara.
“I don’t know.” Joshua rubbed his chin. “I’m convinced now more than ever that they won’t kill on their own unless they have to. They’re bullies and pack hunters.”
“They’re a hive mind. None of them have an independent thought in their head,” Maria said.
&nbs
p; “We’re a lot smarter than these people. Maybe that’s the vulnerability we need to focus on,” Xiomara said.
“Maybe you’re right!” Joshua stood. He walked to the cage door and pulled the pliers from his pocket.
“What are you doing?” Maria said.
“I’m going to see if I can pick this lock.” He stuck his arms through the bars. “Maria, I need your hair pins.”
Maria pulled them from her hair and handed them to Josh. He twisted one of them into an ‘L’ shape with the pliers and straightened the other pin. Danisha, Maria, and Xiomara got up and watched in anticipation. Joshua slid the pins into the lock and carefully moved them around, but nothing happened.
“That might only work with a padlock,” Xiomara said.
“You may be right. This definitely isn’t as easy as it looks on TV.”
“Julio would be better at this,” Maria said.
“With that kid’s background, I’m sure there isn’t a lock he can’t pick,” Xiomara agreed.
“Wake him up.” Joshua stopped and pointed at Danisha. She shook him awake.
He moaned, complained, and rolled over. “What’s going on?” he said.
“We need you to try to pick the lock. I’m not having any luck with it.” Joshua tossed him the pliers. “Danisha, take out your hair pins.”
“I’ll try, but this looks like an industrial grade lock. I’m not sure these little hair pins will do the trick.” He pulled himself up and worked at the lock.
“Danisha, you can be our ears. Stand on the other side and listen for footsteps,” Joshua instructed.
Danisha did as she was told while the rest of them watched. “I don’t think this is going to work, guys,” Julio said after a while. “Not every lock can be picked.”
“Maybe you need to press harder,” Danisha suggested.
Julio twisted the pins harder. They snapped like twigs and pieces flew across the basement.
“Dammit,” he sighed.
“We’re never getting out of here.” Danisha groaned. “That was our only shot.”
“We need to get those pieces.” Joshua reached for them. “We can’t risk the looters seeing them.”