Children of the Apocalypse: Mega Boxed Set

by Baileigh Higgins

  Josh shrugged. “Sure, I’m in.”

  “Great. Throw your gear in the back.”

  With those final words, they loaded up the extra fuel, supplies, and gear Ada had procured for them and set off in silence. Holding the wheel of the Landie again after so long was bliss, and a frisson of excitement rippled down Logan’s spine. Finally. I’m going home.

  Chapter 10 - Michael

  After Rebecca left, Michael stood guard for another hour, watching as dusk turned to night. The light faded at a rapid pace, helped along by thick banks of clouds that rolled across the heavens and obscured the stars. A stiff breeze picked up, and the smell of rain lingered in his nostrils.

  A storm, Michael thought. I wonder what the camp’s up to? Nombali, Dr. Lange.

  Footsteps warned of someone approaching, and he turned. A man he’d seen hanging around Ke Tau before stopped a short distance away and regarded him. He was Indian, his eyes pitch-black and emotionless. Michael thought he remembered his name. Hiran.

  “You’re Michael?”

  “I am.”

  “Ke Tau wants to talk to you.”

  Without saying another word, the stranger turned and strode back the way he came. After a second’s hesitation, Michael followed. They walked toward the barred gates of the compound which stood open a crack, and past the lounging guards. They eyed him with interest, but nobody asked a thing. It was better not to ask too many questions in this place.

  Once through the doors, Michael was hit by a wall of warm air. His skin flushed as blood rose to the surface, while his nostrils flared to pick up the many smells in the air. Sweat, blood, tobacco, and urine. A fetid mixture overlaid by the stench of fear and food.

  They walked through the foyer and across the lobby to the old dining room where Ke Tau reigned supreme from the head of a crowded table. The man lounged in his seat, an empty plate in front of him, while around him his men laughed and feasted on the food spread out before them.

  Women moved among the diners carrying food and drink while more pretty young girls hovered in the background. A cloud of tobacco smoke overhung it all and shrouded the figures of the participants.

  Michael’s stomach cramped at the sight of so much food being wasted, and saliva flooded his mouth. He ignored it, though, and edged closer until he was inside Ke Tau’s field of vision before he paused and lowered his head as a sign of respect. It was an emotion he didn’t possess for the ruthless leader but was willing to fake for the sake of the mission. Nothing was more important than the mission. Nothing.

  Hiran moved to the seat on Ke Tau’s right-hand side and sat down. There he took a sip from a glass brimming with amber liquid, his cold eyes still fixed upon Michael.

  “Ah, Michael,” Ke Tau said waving him closer. “Come sit. Eat. You must be hungry.”

  Michael bobbed his head and endeavored to look grateful as he chose an empty spot right on the end of the table closest to the door. “Thank you, Ke Tau. Indeed I am.”

  Ke Tau’s single right eye glittered. “You’re not unhappy with my hospitality, I hope?”

  “Of course not, Great Leader. I’m most thankful.”

  Ke Tau smirked, the jagged scar across his face twisting like a live snake. “Good.”

  Michael cautiously reached for a cup and waited while a woman scurried over to pour an opaque liquid in it. The smell of fermented beer reached his nose, and he fought to keep his expression neutral as he took a sip. The thick, creamy brew had a sour taste to it that he didn’t enjoy but dared not refuse. She placed a plate of food in front of him, meat and bread, before hurrying away once more.

  “So, I hear you wish for a more prominent role in my…” Ke Tau paused for effect, “…Kingdom.”

  “I live to serve, and I would like nothing more than to prove my loyalty to you.”

  “Your loyalty, yes.” Ke Tau regarded him before turning to Hiran. “What do you think, my esteemed friend?”

  Hiran shrugged. “It’s your decision, but perhaps he could be given a chance to prove himself.”

  “Perhaps.” Ke Tau played with his knife before snapping his fingers in the air. “A companion for our guest.”

  From the bank of young girls who hovered in the background, one broke free and hurried over. She bowed her head, eyes downcast as she made her way to Michael’s side.

  Michael ran his eyes over her body, noting the thin shoulders and hollow cheeks. In his estimate, she couldn’t have been more than eighteen. His stomach roiled at the thought of what he might have to do to her to prove himself, but he kept a straight face.

  “Like what you see?” Ke Tau asked. “She’s yours for the night.”

  Sensing it was a test, Michael played the part. He looped an arm around her middle and pulled her onto his lap. She didn’t resist as he ran a finger up her sleeve and over her threadbare shirt, sitting still while he fondled her small breasts.

  Around him, the men roared in appreciation while Ke Tau offered a small smile. “I’m glad you like her. Enjoy the rest of the night.”

  “Thank you.” Michael smiled and reached for the food on his plate, anything to give him an excuse not to touch the girl further. He gripped a piece of the meat and placed it in his mouth. It had a strong taste, rich and fatty, and he had the immediate suspicion it wasn’t beef or pork or mutton.

  With care, he chewed and swallowed, going back for more. All while keeping an expression of enjoyment fixed on his face. He interchanged big bites with swallows of the rancid beer and made sure to pay the proper attention to the girl on his lap. All while Ke Tau watched him with hawk-eyed attention.

  After what seemed an eternity, the plate was empty at last. He burped his full approval and bellowed for another cup of beer. During this time, the party had grown rowdy as the men got drunk. More and more of the girls fell prey to groping hands while the food was removed in favor of more liquor.

  At last, Ke Tau raised a hand for silence, and the effect was immediate. He stood up and pinned each man in turn to his seat with that baleful white eye before saying, “Tomorrow, I’m going on a hunt. Who, I wonder, will go with me?”

  Cheers of approval did the rounds, and eagerness shone on the men’s faces. Michael sat up straight, his gaze trained on the leader. After a suitable pause, Ke Tau continued. “I have chosen the ever faithful Hiran, Boipelo, Carlito, Mosi, .and the newest addition to our ranks, Michael, to join me.”

  Those chosen beamed around the table, chests puffed out with pride while the rest drank to their health. Once the noise died down, Ke Tau took his leave, dragging a girl behind him.

  “Be ready at dawn,” was his parting words. Words Michael took to heart as he finished his drink and turned to the girl on his lap.

  “Where do I sleep?”

  “I will show you,” she answered in a soft voice.

  She slipped off his legs and led the way on tip-toe, her shoulders hunched against the jeers of those who watched them go. A hand on his shoulders brought him to a halt, however, and he turned to find himself face to face with Hiran.

  “Yes?”

  “I wanted to wish you a good night.” The man’s eyes flickered from him to the girl and back. “I hope you make full use of your master’s gift.”

  “I will be sure to,” Michael replied. “But is he not also your master?”

  Something dangerous flickered in Hiran’s eyes. Something cold and treacherous. “Be careful on the morrow, Michael. It’s a dangerous world out there.”

  “I’ll be sure to watch my back.”

  Hiran offered a half-smile before he turned and disappeared into the crowd. No doubt to plot and scheme.

  “Show me where to sleep,” he once more told the girl, and she hurried to take him to a secluded corner in the back of the house.

  It couldn’t be called a bedroom. It was a tiny nook in a larger room cordoned off by a threadbare curtain and contained nothing more than a thin mattress and even thinner pillow. It was clean, though, and Michael hardly cared about it
after being awake for more than twenty-four hours.

  “This is where you sleep?”

  The girl nodded.

  “And here?” he indicated the rest of the room, lined with pallets similar to hers, all cordoned off with makeshift curtains.

  “The other girls sleep here too.”

  He nodded and guessed they’d be along soon when the men grew tired of drinking. It’s like a brothel.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Mpho,” was the soft answer.

  He studied her face, noting the high bone structure and full lips. She was attractive, her skin a soft chocolate matched by her hair. He could not imagine raping her, though, even though he knew he was expected to. Delaying the inevitable, he said, “Bring me water to wash.”

  She complied, hurrying off to return with a bucket brimming with water and a cloth. First, he drank his fill of the fresh water. His parched tissues soaked up the liquid like a sponge, bringing immediate relief.

  After washing, he relieved his bladder in a pot before he lay down on the mattress with a groan of relief. Finally.

  With hesitant movements, the girl closed the curtain and joined him on the bed. He watched her through lidded eyes. He knew what he had to do, yet couldn’t bring himself to do it. How can I? She’s just a child.

  Then she startled him by saying in a quiet whisper, “I know.”

  He sat up. “You know what?”

  “I know who you are.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “You’re a spy from the other camp.”

  Ice water flooded his veins, but he remained quiet.

  She peeked through the curtain to make sure they were still alone before saying, “I’m Rebecca’s granddaughter.”

  “You?”

  She nodded and leaned closer. “I have a message for you.”

  He narrowed his eyes as he debated whether to trust her or not. “What message?”

  “My granny says you cannot win Ke Tau’s trust. You cannot do what he does, what he’ll expect you to do.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because you’re a good man. You cannot do such evil.”

  Her words hit him hard, and he wondered if she was right. Can I? Can I torture and kill innocent people? Act like a monster?

  A flash of remembrance hit him. Doe eyes in caramel skin, fading as death stole over them. Death delivered by his hands. Valerie.

  “How do you know I’m not a monster? How does your grandmother know?” He gazed at his hands with revulsion. The very hands that crushed the life out of Valerie’s neck when he found out she’d cheated on him. “I’m a killer.”

  The memory flooded back like a tidal wave. The anger and betrayal. Seeing his wife with another man, and the fear in his eyes when Michael leveled the gun at him and pulled the trigger. Valerie’s screams. Her pleas for mercy. Mercy he hadn’t granted. The life leaching from her eyes.

  He should have gone to jail then, but he didn’t, saved by the very virus that brought about the end of the world. I’m the devil.

  Mpho reached out and gripped his fingers, startling him from the vision. “Maybe you were once, but you’re not anymore. You can’t go through with this.”

  “I can.”

  “You can’t,” she insisted. “You’ll fail.”

  “What do you propose I do then?” he demanded in anger. “What does your clever granny suggest?”

  Mpho sat back on her heels. “We’ve been preparing for a while now to overthrow Ke Tau and his men.”

  “We? Who’s we?”

  “The women, the children, the old men.”

  Michael scoffed. “You’ll never win.”

  “Not alone, but if you attacked, we’d have the advantage of surprise.”

  He blew out a breath as he considered her words. “Attacked when?”

  “On the full moon. We’ll make certain the men are drunk, and when you strike, we’ll rise from within. They’ll never expect it.”

  “The full moon?”

  She nodded, her eyes shining with eagerness. “All you have to do is escape tomorrow and take the message to your people. On the full moon…”

  “We attack,” he finished for her.

  “Yes.”

  “How do I know this isn’t a trap?”

  “You don’t know, but you must trust me.” She grabbed his hand and pressed it to her chest, right above her heart. “You must know how I yearn for his death. He killed my father. Feel my hatred.”

  He looked into her eyes and saw the strength of her feelings projected back at him. “I believe you.”

  She sighed and sank back onto the mattress. “Thank you.”

  He lay down next to her and stared at the ceiling, contemplating her words. It made sense. It was a logical plan. It can work.

  Outside, the first of the revelers stumbled into the room, followed by more. The sounds of sex rose around him. The grunts of men and the pained cries of girls being taken against their will. We have to stop this.

  He turned his head toward Mpho and met her soft brown eyes. “I will do it.”

  She nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m glad, but for now, we have to convince the others you are with them.”

  He closed his eyes and gritted out a denial. “I can’t take you. I can’t. You’re a child.”

  “I’m nineteen.”

  “No.”

  “Then pretend.”

  He opened his eyes and stared at her.

  “We can act it out, but we must do it soon.” Her chin nodded toward the curtain, and there he saw a silhouette. A man, watching like a sentinel. Luckily their whispers couldn’t be heard over the din.

  Michael compressed his lips and rolled over onto Mpho with a pig-like grunt. He pinned her to the floor and ran his hands over her sides while she whimpered in fear.

  With one hand, he ripped open her shirt. The sound of tearing cloth was loud in the night. He averted his eyes from her small breasts and made as if to open his fly. She pleaded with him to stop as he shoved his hips between her legs. Their shadows played across the curtain, a horrifying show in black and white.

  Even simulating the act made him feel dirty as he pretended to thrust at the girl beneath him. She acted the part well, crying and sobbing with piteous sorrow.

  His heart twisted when he realized that for her, this probably wasn’t an act. How many nights has she suffered like this for real beneath the body of another man? How many?

  When at last he could realistically end the farce, he rolled over and pretended to snore. After several minutes, the sentinel was gone, run back to Ke Tau with the news that his new man was a monster after all.

  A small hand crept onto his shoulder, and Mpho whispered in his ear. “You are a good man, Michael. Now sleep. I will wake you before dawn.”

  Exhaustion crashed over him. Before he knew it, slumber stole over his senses and dragged him to the deep.

  The next day, Mpho kept her word and woke him when the light was still grey and the sun a distant dream. He rolled out of bed and washed again with the bucket of water she brought him and a sliver of soap.

  She took his dirt-streaked clothes and provided him with fresh ones. They were old and stained, but he felt profound gratitude to be clean once more.

  With small scissors, he trimmed his nails and beard before wolfing down a jug of water and a plate of food. It was the same food as the previous night, and this time he thought to ask.

  “What meat is this?”

  She eyed him solemnly. “Dog.”

  His stomach rolled, but he forced it down anyway. He’d need the calories before the day was out. Before he left, he paused. “Thank you, Mpho.”

  She nodded. “Goodbye, Michael.”

  As he picked his way through the sprawling figures of snoring men, he wondered if he’d ever see her again.

  ***

  An hour later, he stood outside a small suburban house with Ke Tau and the others. The gates were chained shut and the window
s covered in newspaper. Waist-high grass covered the lawn.

  There had been no opportunity as yet to escape, and he wondered if he’d ever get his chance. That damned son of a whore Hiran is watching me like a spider watches a fly circling his web.

  At a signal from Ke Tau, they jumped over the gate and stormed the house. With a crowbar, they forced open the security gate and crashed inside.

  Startled cries rose into the air as they barged their way through, Ak47’s pointed in front of them. Two men rushed into the hallway from the bedrooms, each brandishing a gun.

  “Drop your weapons,” Michael cried. “Drop them!”

  At the sight of so many guns, the two men tossed their own and raised their hands. The oldest, a middle-aged man with spectacles, pleaded with them. “Don’t shoot. Please, don’t shoot.”

  The other, a youngster of about seventeen, stared at them with wide blue eyes. His coloring and features indicated he was likely the older man’s son.

  “Get everyone out here, and we won’t hurt you,” Hiran ordered as he stepped forward. “Now.”

  “You promise not to hurt us?” the older man asked, his face hopeful. “You won’t hurt my kids?”

  Fuck, it’s a family, Michael realized.

  He looked on in growing horror as the older man called over his shoulder, “Ruby, come out here. Now.”

  A girl, barely fourteen, stepped out from a side door. Her hands were clasped in front of her and visibly trembled. She stared at them with tearful eyes.

  “Is that it? No one else?” Hiran asked. “You’d better not lie to me.”

  “I promise. It’s just us three.”

  Next to Michael, Carlito sidled closer. His eyes shone with excitement above his hooked nose. He licked his lips with the tip of his tongue while he stared at Ruby and grinned.

  “Keys?” Hiran asked.

  “What?”

  “The keys to the gate. Where are they?”

  “O…over there.” The man pointed at a bunch of silver keys on a side stand.

  Ke Tau, who up until now had hung back, stepped forward. He surveyed the three survivors in front of him with a crooked smile. “Mosi, make sure he’s telling the truth. Search the house, and bring in the truck. Lock behind you. This is going to take awhile.”