THE CRUEL SEVEN

by Terence Mitford

  Lisa returned to the main house to see Billy walking out with a backpack over his shoulder. She ran to him. “Billy, are you going into town?”

  He nodded.

  “I’ll be so grateful if you hurry. We need to get my husband to a hospital, so can you ask them to send an ambulance?”

  Erica spoke from the deck of the veranda. “They won’t send anyone out here. It’s too far. We’ll have to take him when Billy gets back.”

  Lisa turned back to Billy. “Please tell the sheriff about the plane crash and that our pilot is missing.”

  Billy glanced over at Erica. She nodded, and he turned and walked away. Lisa watched him until he was out of sight, noting he was heading north. For a moment she wondered whether she should have continued north herself the previous day, but then dismissed the thought because it would have taken her too long to reach help. At least Mike was in a safe place now, even if it was with this odd family.

  13

  ERICA

  Erica watched Lisa walk back to the cabin, then turned to Ed. ‘We need to talk.’

  He followed her inside the house and sat down at the table. “I wondered when you’d get around to it. Is it about last night?”

  Erica smirked. “If you think I’m worried about what you did to her, you’re wrong. You know that’s never bothered me before.”

  Ed exhaled and visibly relaxed. “I know that, but I thought it might be different with this girl. She’s so much prettier than the others.”

  “She is, which is why I wanted to talk to you. I think she’s perfect. She could be the one to give us what we want.”

  Ed frowned. “What we want?”

  “A baby, stupid. We talked about it last month. We need to think about starting the next generation.”

  ‘I thought that’s why you’re planning to find Summer a boyfriend.’

  “I was. Until Lisa showed up.”

  “Are you saying you want Lisa to have a baby for us?”

  “Not baby, babies.”

  Ed sat back and scratched his head. “What about her husband?”

  “That didn’t bother you last night when you sneaked out of bed and went to her.”

  “I thought you were asleep.”

  “You drugged the girl, remember, not me. And you should know by now, I miss nothing around here. I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist her.”

  “I didn’t fuck her. I just pulled back the blanket and watched her for a while. She looked so beautiful lying there. But now I know what you want, I’ll pay her another visit tonight and take care of it.”

  “No, you won’t.”

  “What? You just said you want a baby.”

  “I do, but not by you.”

  Ed sat back and scratched his head again. “Who then?”

  “Luke. We need to give her to Luke.”

  Ed seemed to think for a moment. “What about the twins? They rescued her husband.”

  “Luke is our eldest. He should have her first. And she’s young. If we do this right, she could give us many children by all three of our sons.” She paused a moment. “Hell, when she’s given us what we want, you can have her.”

  Ed took a deep breath and let it out slow. “How will you get her to agree?”

  “Leave that to me. I’ve already started the process.”

  “What process?”

  “I’m putting to good use what I learned at the facility. Now you’ll see it first hand too. We need to chip away at her, psychologically, gradually eroding her free will until she is used to obeying us. I’ll order her to carryout chores. Nothing too controversial to begin with, so she complies. It’s a proven technique. Complying becomes a habit where, eventually, the subject obeys without questioning. We’re lucky because it works better after trauma when the mind is more susceptible to manipulation and suggestion. Which is why, at the facility, we would continually set up cycles of trauma with our subjects followed by periods of calm.”

  “Do you think it will work? It seems a long shot to me, getting her to agree to have Luke’s baby.”

  “It’s never failed to work in the past and although most of our subjects were younger, it worked on adults too. If you remove someone from their usual environment, their comfort zone, you can alter their objective decision making. By pushing the right buttons, you can get them to comply with just about anything. There have been studies showing how subjects will comply with instructions from others in authority. Because Lisa depends on our help, it puts us on a par with authority, and the trauma of the accident and Mike’s injury should make her more susceptible to manipulation. And with the help of Summer and Luke we’ll create our own cycles of trauma for her, too.”

  “This is a little different to how we normally handle things. Why don’t we just use brute force like we did with the others?”

  “Because we are going to keep this girl for longer than the others. So we need her to blend in with the family like Billy does.”

  Ed sat back in his chair, shaking his head.

  “What’s up with you?” Erica asked.

  “I should have had her last night while she slept.”

  Erica grinned. “I guess you missed your chance, then. Now, go and get Luke. I need to give him some advice on how to handle her.”

  14

  LISA

  Lisa collected a bowl from the cabinet in Mike’s room, walked to the well, and filled it with water. She took the water into the main house where Erica was deep in conversation with Luke, but as the door closed behind her, Erica stopped mid-sentence.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” Lisa said. “Can I warm this over the hot-plate?”

  Erica nodded, then turned back to Luke and continued in a whisper.

  Lisa strained to hear, and despite the whispering, caught the odd word like eldest, young, and children. But she couldn’t put them into any context that made sense in relation to her.

  She returned to the cabin and placed the bowl on the bedside cabinet, sat on the bed, and found a small towel in the lower drawer. “Do you want me to wash you?”

  Mike shook his head. “It’s slow, but I have some movement in my arms, so I’ll do it myself. It’ll help to use them as much as I can.”

  Lisa shuffled back to give him more room.

  He soaked the towel and lifted it to his face. “How’s the family?”

  Lisa stared into the bed. “There’s something going on.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “They huddle around talking but stop or lower their voice when I walk in.”

  Mike laughed. “Is that it?”

  “I just have a feeling, that’s all. It’s as if they are planning something. Where’s the pistol?”

  He pulled the towel away and raised his brow. “What do you want the pistol for?”

  “I’ll feel better if I know where it is.”

  “Sorry, but I dropped it under the seat on the plane.”

  Lisa sighed.

  “But I’m glad I did. Seriously, Lisa, these people are helping us and you want to shoot them?”

  She bit down on her bottom lip, then stood up and paced the floor. “Am I going crazy, Mike?”

  He put down the cloth. “Of course not. A little paranoid maybe, but not crazy.” He winked at her.

  She stopped pacing and sat back down on the bed.

  Mike placed his hand on hers. “They are probably just as uneasy as you at having two strangers on their property. People who choose to live out here do so for a reason. They don’t want to mix with others. But that doesn’t make them serial killers, does it?”

  Lisa shook her head. “I just keep getting an image of Ed standing over me, watching me.”

  “You’ve always had a vivid imagination. Remember, after we went to the movies to see IT. For weeks afterwards you kept waking me up telling me an evil clown was in the bedroom, watching you.”

  “But they were dreams. This seems more real because I’m awake when the image flashes across my mind. It’s like a flas
hback.”

  “You’ve had a stressful couple of days. Give it time. And be nice to this family. They probably saved our lives.”

  Lisa nodded. “I suppose you’re right, and I feel better now you’re here.”

  The cabin door opened and one of the twins stood on the threshold and looked at Lisa. “Ma sent me to get you.”

  He was wearing the blue checked shirt. It took Lisa just a second or two to remember. “Okay, Freddie, I’ll be right there.”

  Lisa took the bowl and emptied it outside, then returned it to the cabinet and winked at Mike. “Don’t think because you’re laying in that bed that I’ve forgiven you yet. We still have a lot to talk about. But I’d better see what Erica wants.”

  She paused in the doorway. “By the way, I didn’t want to shoot them. I just wanted to know where the gun was, that’s all, you know, just in case.”

  “In case you want to shoot them?”

  Lisa thought for a moment, gave a frustrated shake of her head, then walked away.

  Erica was waiting for her on the veranda. “I want you to go with Luke to the lake. He’s going to get us some fish for dinner.”

  “But what about Mike?”

  “What about him? He’ll be here when you get back.”

  “Yes, but—”

  “But nothing. I want you to help Luke. Is that a problem for you?”

  Lisa hesitated while she thought about how to respond. This woman was treating her the same as her children, with orders and a sharp tone. But she remembered Mike’s words and decided not to talk back. She shook her head. “No, of course not.” She turned back to the cabin.

  “Where are you going?” Erica asked.

  “To tell Mike. So he knows where I’ve gone.”

  “Don’t worry about that. Summer will tell him when she takes him some food. Luke is waiting for you over there. Go on, get a move on.”

  Luke was standing by a gap in the trees, close to the track at the front of the house.

  Lisa hesitated. She didn’t like Erica’s tone, but she just sighed and walked over to Luke.

  As she struggled to keep up with his pace along a narrow trail, she studied him in his white T-shirt and denim cutoffs. He wasn’t as tall as his father or the twins, but he had broad shoulders, muscular legs, and apart from Summer, had thicker, blacker hair than the others. He was the kind of young man who would have drawn plenty of attention back in her hometown, but she doubted he could use it to his advantage. The secluded life he lived out here had probably not equipped him with the conversation skills he would need to hold a girl’s attention. His looks would get him opportunities, but he would need more than that to be successful with the opposite sex. At least with the girls she had grown up with.

  It took them around fifteen minutes to reach the lake, and while Luke set up his fishing equipment, Lisa took a moment to appreciate her surroundings. The lake was large and stretched to her left as far as she could see. To her right, the shoreline curved gently around, broken up by a huge bolder and the occasional tree that looked as if it was making a bid for the water.

  Lisa turned her attention back to Luke as he pulled a large bush aside, revealing a small rowing boat. He dragged it to the water and beckoned Lisa to get in.

  He waded out with the boat for a couple of yards before pushing off and jumping in.

  Lisa watched him as he rowed them into the middle of the lake. “Why do you hide the boat if there’s no one around here to steal it?”

  “We get nosy city folk out here sometimes.”

  Lisa laughed. “Like me?”

  “Not like you.” He held eye contact with her for a long moment. “My last boat was vandalized.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Some city folk don’t respect the countryside.”

  “That’s what Ma says.”

  “I get the feeling your parents don’t like the hustle and bustle of the towns and cities.”

  “That’s right. None of us McCrawleys do.”

  “So you like living out here?”

  “Wouldn’t live anywhere else.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Go ahead.”

  “What were you and your ma talking about when I came into the house earlier?”

  Luke stared at her for a moment. “Ma thinks we would make the perfect couple.”

  “Who?”

  “You and me.”

  Lisa laughed. “Seriously, what were you talking about?”

  “I just told you.”

  Lisa stopped laughing and studied him, searching for just the hint of a grin, but he remained straight faced. “Are you serious?”

  Luke raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “What did you tell her?”

  “I agreed. I told her you are the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”

  “But you know I’m married, don’t you? Mike is my husband.”

  “Ma says he’s not much use to you as a husband now he’s paralyzed.”

  Lisa drew a quick breath. “That’s nothing for you to worry about.”

  “She said you must have needs.”

  “I do. I need you to change the subject and stop thinking about me in those terms.”

  “Ma said you’d say something like that.”

  “She was right, then.”

  “But she told me not to worry.”

  Lisa dreaded to ask, “Why?”

  “She said you’d change your mind in time.”

  “I won’t be here long enough to change my mind.”

  “I think you’ll be here longer than you think. But it’s all right, I can wait.”

  “Well, don’t hold your breath, because you’ll be waiting a long time.”

  “How long?”

  Lisa shook her head. “Come on, show me how you catch the fish.”

  Luke threw a net over the side of the boat and dragged it through the water. On the third attempt, he netted a couple of small fish. He removed them and threw them into a bucket in the boat. Then he turned to a long fishing rod he’d brought with him in sections and had pieced together at the lakeside.

  They drifted for an hour or more, during which Luke hooked three more fish, larger than the first two, and looked like salmon to Lisa. He turned and showed her the bucket. “See, if you have the right bait you can catch the good ones.” He winked at her and rowed them back to shore.

  15

  MIKE

  A few minutes after Lisa had gone, the cabin door opened, and a girl walked in carrying a bowl of soup on a tray. She placed it down on Mike’s lap and handed him a spoon. “This is Ma’s own recipe. It will make you strong.”

  He studied her, trying to remember her name. Then it came to him. “It’s Summer, isn’t it?”

  She nodded. “Ma says I have to take care of you.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about that. Lisa will look after me.”

  Summer shook her head. “Ma says it’s my job now. Lisa has to help in the house.”

  Mike smiled, and not wanting to offend her, decided not to press the matter. “Where is Lisa?”

  “She’s gone with Luke to the Lake to catch some fish. It’s Friday. We always have fish on Fridays.”

  Summer picked up a chair from the corner of the room, placed it next to the bed, and sat down. She watched him as he finished the soup, then took the bowl and placed it on the cabinet. “How did you meet Lisa?”

  “We met at our place of work. Why do you ask?”

  “Ma says I have to meet a boy, but I don’t know how. I’m not good at meeting new people.”

  “You are taking to me okay.”

  “Yeah, but you don’t count. You can’t walk so I would be wasting my time with you.”

  Mike coughed. “Don’t hold back, Summer. Just say what’s on your mind.”

  “Oh, I didn’t mean to be cruel, but it’s true, isn’t it?” She pointed to his groin. “Ma says you are no good to Lisa now.”

  He drew a breath. “I’m hoping this won�
��t be permanent. But thanks for the encouragement.”

  She pointed to his groin again. “Can I see?”

  Without waiting for a response, she jumped up, pulled back the covers, and yanked down his boxer shorts.

  Mike couldn’t move fast enough to stop her. “Summer, what the hell are you doing?”

  She stared at his groin. “Does it work?”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  Summer sighed and pulled the covers back over him. “Sorry, but if it worked I was hoping you could have showed me.”

  Mike’s heart thumped in his chest as he clenched his jaw and ground his teeth together. Did that really happen? He took a deep breath and exhaled through pursed lips. On the one hand, he was spitting-blood kind of angry, but on the other he had to remember, this girl had probably lived out here all of her life and may never have learned the behaviors most take for granted.

  Summer sat back down on the chair and with a blank expression asked, “What company do you work for?”

  Still a little dazed, it took him a few seconds to answer. “I… I run a gym.”

  “Is that where you met Lisa?”

  Mike studied Summer. She hadn’t apologized and showed no signs of embarrassment. She was just sitting there as if nothing had happened, waiting for him to answer.

  “She works in the office but teaches dance and fitness part time. We met when she came for the interview.”

  “I couldn’t do a job like that. I wouldn’t know how.”

  “Well, you could always try counseling.”

  “What, like a therapist, you mean?”

  “Yeah, you could counsel suicidal people who aren’t brave enough to kill themselves. After a couple of sessions with you, I’m sure they’d have all the courage they need.”

  Summer stared at him a moment, then got up and strode to the door.

  Maybe he’d gone a bit too far with that comment. Maybe his brand of sarcasm was lost on her. “Summer, wait. I was joking.”

  The door swung shut and her footsteps faded away. He let out a deep sigh. Lisa was right. If Summer was anything to go by, this family is strange, very strange, but probably harmless.