by Eddie Jakes
"Wait," the wife exclaimed, "this isn't right."
"You saw what he did to her. You saw her face. He deserves to suffer!"
"No," cried Maddix. "Don't do this! Please!"
The husband lit a match and held it up in the air.
"They say that fire cleanses one of all sin. Consider this your only chance for redemption. Better to burn by my hands, than by the depths of hell where you belong!"
His pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears, and he kicked and screamed in fear. Maddix's life was being unfolded like a script in a movie. He wasn't in control and could not understand why. All he could see was the flame from the tip of the match flickering in the air.
Bracing himself for the intense pain he was about to experience, Maddix closed his eyes tightly.
"Freeze! Drop it. You don't want to do this. Don't make me shoot you!" commanded a voice from behind him.
"No," the husband yelled. "You don't understand … this is the only way she can get justice!"
The husband made a move to flick the match toward Maddix, but a series of shots to his chest sent him backward and onto the floor. He made barely a twitch before dying from his wounds.
"Oh my God! No," screamed the wife.
Half expecting her to take aim at the police officer who had just killed her husband, Maddix was surprised to find that her aim was directed at his own head. She didn't even manage to squeeze the trigger in the slightest before being gunned down like her husband. She collapsed right next to him with her head falling into the pit of his arm. It was almost as beautiful as it was horrific to watch the couple die in such a way. Even though they were trying to kill him, something inside Maddix had sympathy for them.
"Thank God … thank God … thank you so much! I thought I was—"
Maddix was cut off by the back of the officer's hand to his head. The blow was so hard that he fell back in the chair two feet before stopping. Everyone he was encountering hated him, this much was clear.
"Not a god damn word out of you!" commanded the officer. "If it were up to me, I would have lit that fucking match myself, you twisted son of a bitch."
When Maddix got up from the officer's blow, he found himself back in the woods with his companions. They were all staring at him, while Javier helped him to his feet. Tara was still shivering, but her expression was more concerned for Maddix than for her own health.
"Monsieur? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, what happened?"
"You fell," Tara replied. "Then got right back up, just now."
Maddix told them what had happened.
"Could it be the wizard casting a spell on you?" asked Tanya.
"I don't think so. It felt familiar, though."
"Maybe it's your memory coming back. Could it just be something you experienced before being sent to the prison?"
"I hope not. These people wanted to kill me for some reason."
"I am sensing that we are close to something. Just another five miles or so," said Tanya.
The group continued to walk through the forest. Maddix was disturbed about what he had just experienced. They called him a monster, but why? These people had given up their lives for the chance to cause him great suffering, and ultimately burn him alive for some retribution. Part of him hoped it was the wizard pulling tricks, but if that was the case, it meant that they knew they were still alive and hunting them.
Brushing the whole episode to the side, for now, Maddix pressed on with his friends.
CHAPTER THREE
They had been walking for six hours, but it was after three hours they realized just how hungry they were. Tanya had offered to hunt several times, but with Tara growing sicker by the minute, Maddix wanted just to keep moving. At this point, she couldn't stand let alone continue to walk the distance they needed. Tanya decided it was best to change to a wolf and carry the helpless woman across her back. She was robust and tall, so the added weight didn't cause her any discomfort. After everything they had gone through and the sacrifices Tanya had made to become an important part of the group, Maddix was grateful, and he hoped that there would be some way to repay her for all that she had done.
The sky was starting to get dark, and there still wasn't any sign of life in the distance. It would be a matter of time before they would all have to throw in the towel and rest for the night. It would be a risk without knowing what was wrong with Tara. Maddix hadn't led them this far just to lose his partner. He didn't think of her as his assistant anymore. They were together in this, and as far as all was concerned, they were equals. They had become a dynamic that Maddix wasn't sure he could successfully carry on by himself. Sure he had Javier and Tanya with him now, and they were strong allies, but Tara was his foundation in the prison; the cog in the machine that kept everything running smooth.
Maddix took up the rear of the group, with his gun in hand. He didn't know what to expect and didn't want to take chances. Given the time shift they had experienced and the lead the prisoners had, Maddix hoped that they would be considered dead. They would have no way of knowing that they were able to outwit their planned assassination by Erick and William. The sacrifice made by Roberts to save them still weighed heavily on Javier; that much Maddix could tell.
They had made it to a small clearing when Javier stopped Maddix in his tracks. He motioned to Tanya, who was standing still sniffing at the air. She was picking up something. Maddix approached her and then knelt down beside her. He had never gotten this close to a werewolf—who was trying to kill him—before, and he was instantly impressed by her magnificent stature.
"You smell something?" Maddix inquired.
"Yes," replied Tanya. "There is a fire ahead, and it smells like someone is cooking fowl."
"Any people? Or undead?"
"I can't tell. But the odds are that no one undead would have a taste for cooked bird meat."
Without thinking, Maddix patted Tanya on the hide. She stared at him for a second and then started panting. It was an awkward moment for both of them.
"I'm sorry. I—"
"It's quite okay, just … don't do that again."
"You got it. Let's set Tara down for a minute. I would suggest you change into your casual attire. If there is someone there that can help, they probably wouldn't appreciate a giant wolf at their front door."
Tanya nodded, and her body went rigid as the change commenced. Grabbing Tara, Maddix laid her down gently on top of some leaves. Javier approached Tanya with her clothes in hand. She wasn't modest, but Javier was always the gentleman when it came to her.
"Maddix," said Tara, "don't leave me here, please."
"We won't, but we're going to need you to stand up. Do you think you can? Javier and I will help you."
Tara struggled to get on her feet, but in doing so, she caused herself to start vomiting. Clutching at her stomach, she gagged uncontrollably, but the only thing that came out was bile and saliva. Maddix rubbed her back until the gagging stopped, and she was able to compose herself again.
"Maybe you should wait here. We'll go check it out."
"No! I'll be okay. Let's go."
They proceeded to follow Tanya toward the source of the smells. Maddix and Javier each took one of Tara's arms over their shoulders to help her walk. She was weak but smiled at the two in appreciation. It was another twenty minutes before they came across a well-built cabin with a good-sized chimney puffing out delicious smelling smoke. There were windows with the light of flames shining from inside.
A hunting cabin? Maddix thought. It made sense considering the remote location. There didn't seem to be anyone home, however, and no sign of transportation nearby. He didn't think someone could live way out in the woods like this, but then again, most people wouldn't believe there was a magical prison full of monsters and demons either. All things considered, Maddix wasn't surprised by anything at this juncture.
"Do you smell anything else?" asked Maddix.
Tanya inhaled the crisp air deeply. Her nose twitched in disgust, f
ollowed by coughing and choking. Something in the air bothered her.
"What's wrong?"
"I …" She swallowed hard before continuing. "I don't know. Something in the air is burning my insides when I breathe."
"Check out the house," Maddix instructed Javier.
After gently setting Tara's arm at her side, Javier approached the house with his gun drawn straight ahead. Without Tanya to pick up on the scent of potential attacks they were as good as blind in a world that none of them even remembered. Maddix raised his gun with his free hand and covered Javier in case of an ambush. It was then that Maddix realized how weak he was from hunger, and the fear of lacking the strength to even pull the trigger started to creep up on him.
He was just shy of six feet from the cabin when the ground seemed to swallow Javier up with a spring-loaded trap door closing on top of him. Moving as fast as he could with Tara leaning on his shoulder, Maddix rushed to Javier. Javier was locked up like an animal in a cage trying to push it open, but no amount of force would get it to budge.
"Tanya," shouted Maddix, "we need some muscle over here. Javier's trapped."
With her sinuses still on fire, Tanya went running to her friends when a sharp pain blazed across her back, causing her to fall to the ground. Her eyes were already yellow with rage, but she couldn’t seem to bring on her transformation to a wolf. Maddix could see an older man was standing over her with a long saber to her neck, blood dripping from the tip.
"Don't even try it, wolf! I'll cut you into pieces before you have a chance to bark!"
"Stop," Maddix yelled, taking aim at Tanya's attacker.
The old man didn't skip a beat and drew an old musket pistol from his belt and pointed it at Maddix.
"This might be an antique to you, but I guarantee that it will be a hundredfold more painful than that toy of yours," said the old man.
"We're not looking for a fight. Just put the gun down and let's talk."
"I really get the impression that you are of the understanding that I can't kill you and slice your little wolf-bitch into pieces before you even get a single shot off. Believe me, I am quite capable of multiple tasks at once; I take pride in it, in fact."
"Nobody has to die today. Nobody wants that."
"You seem smart. Toss your weapon over there."
Maddix complied.
"Good boy. Now tell me who you are and why are you with a god damn werewolf."
Maddix glanced at Tara who was looking pale. They were both confused.
"Yes," said the old man, "I know about werewolves and things that go bump in the night, now answer me!"
"My name is Maddix, and this is my assistant, Tara. We're the overseers of an special prison. These are our friends."
The old man stared at Maddix with his jaw slightly open. He seemed surprised and very disturbed. His surprise didn't last long before returning to his game face.
"What's wrong with her? She doesn't look good."
"We don't know. Tara's been sick since we left the prison. We were searching for a doctor."
The old man looked at them and then to Tanya, who was still on the ground and extremely agitated. Withdrawing the sword from her neck, he sheathed it to his belt.
"What's your story, wolf? Why are you with them?"
"Revenge," Tanya replied, gathering herself up from the ground. "Members of my pack turned on me and conspired with blood sucking vermin. I'm here to settle the score."
"And what then? Go back to slaughtering innocent people?"
Tanya stared at him for a moment. "Have we met before?"
"Doubt that very much. My name is Shepard," the old man said while tossing an iron key to Maddix. "Get your friend out of there and bring her inside. Better not be any trouble with the wolf if you know what's good for you."
Looking around the interior of the cabin it was evident to Maddix that Shepard wasn't much interested in lavish creature comforts, instead choosing to live a simple life. Everything about the place seemed pulled from a historical textbook. The furniture was all handmade, and there were no modern conveniences anywhere. If Maddix even knew what modern amenities were anymore. He couldn't even recall what year it was when he first entered Malevolent. There wasn't anything to suggest that Shepard was privy to that information either. His life seemed to revolve around an escapist mentality. He didn't want to be bothered, and he didn't bother with anybody.
All of them were ravishingly hungry, and Shepard was most generous in sharing his dinner. It was a modest feast of wild chicken and potatoes, and he apologized for not having a more fantastic selection of vegetables to choose from. The season had just started, and he hadn't devoted the time to getting his garden ready.
Despite some animosity, Tanya maintained a pleasant demeanor toward the man who had just sliced her back with a silver saber and threatened to dissect her. She most certainly wanted to kill the old man but Maddix was grateful that she was putting the mission first before allowing her own instincts to take over. Choking back her anger, she picked at her meal quietly.
"I hope that roasted hen is good enough," said Shepard. "I'm afraid I'm fresh out of innocent babies right now."
Tanya glared before responding. "This delicious fowl is just fine, thank you. I do not eat children, nor do I eat bitter old men either. You read too many fairy tales."
Shepard scoffed at Tanya. Grabbing a kettle off the fire, he poured some hot water into some already cold water to warm it up. Taking a cloth from his dresser he walked over to Tara who they had placed on his bed. She was half-conscious, clutching her stomach and groaning. Dipping the cloth into his water, Shepard wiped her brow and face.
"Can you tell me anything about how you’re feeling, young lady?"
"I …" groaned Tara. "I feel cold, but warm at the same time, and I feel like I'm having the worst cramps of my life. It feels like I'm going to throw up but there's nothing left."
"I'm going to feel your chest for a bit if you don't mind. Just to feel your heartbeat."
"That's fine."
Shepard placed his palm on her chest and counted silently for a several seconds before covering her up with a thin blanket.
"Well, you just rest here as long as you need. When you feel up to it, try to drink some water. I'll make you some broth if you start to feel hungry."
Maddix put his plate down and walked over to Shepard who had already begun to take the remaining chicken to make a broth for Tara.
"You have any idea what is wrong with her?"
"Yes. I've seen it before when I was in the army."
"What is it?"
"Looks like she is having a withdrawal of some kind. Does she drink a lot?"
"Nothing excessive."
"The only other cause I've encountered was opium. Some of the Chinese brought it with them when they first came here. A few of the men got hooked on it and when they tried to stop they got sick like she did. Didn't kill them, but they sure wished they were dead."
"I'm really confused here. Who the hell are you exactly?"
"Just an old man. Don't worry about your friend. She'll live. Just needs a few days to get whatever it is out of her system."
Maddix was growing impatient with the man. He knew more than he was letting on.
"You can all sleep on the floor if you like. I'm fine in my chair over there so the young lady can have my bed."
"Hold up," said Maddix, grabbing the man by the arm. "You know an awful lot about what's out there; do you know about the gate?"
Shepard pursed his lip.
"Tell me what you know!"
Silence.
"Please," pleaded Maddix. "We don't have much time before they turn more people and grow their numbers. Someone on the inside helped them escape. I want to find out who double-crossed us. They have a crazy scientist with them, and he knows how to reanimate corpses. If we don't stop them—"
"If they escaped before you followed them, then they already have all the numbers they need."
Maddix slamm
ed his hand against the wall in frustration. Shepard glared at his fist and smiled.
"If you insist on going on this crusade of vengeance, you might try going into the city. It's about an hour walk from here. Once there, go to the library and look for a librarian named Travis. Tell him that you want to check out a copy of The Articles of Purification, and you might possibly find some answers."
"Don't bullshit me," barked Maddix.
Shepard grinned. "I would never."
"Okay then, I'll go in the morning. Javier and Tanya will stay here to keep an eye on things. Just in case."
"Hold up, monsieur. Wouldn't it be better if I came with you?"
Maddix put his hand on Javier's shoulder. "No, stay here and watch Tara."
"Will you be taking your dog with you?" Shepard asked.
Tanya shook her head in disgust.
"No," replied Maddix, as he winked at Tanya, "she's house trained."
Tanya rolled her eyes.
CHAPTER FOUR
As soon as the first light hit, Maddix was out the door. He didn't want to wake anybody, but Tanya's animal senses were quick to alert her, and she observed him as he left. It was colder than usual, but Shepard had given him a coat to borrow the night before. Even though it was old and dusty, it was quite comfortable on the inside. Shepard had said that he often used the coat whenever he had to smoke some meat for dry storage so the smell of burnt cedar was noticeable.
The path into town was obscure yet easy to pick up thanks to some guidance. A few large trees with dangling branches blocked the way but nothing to slow Maddix down considerably enough. Shepard gave clear instructions not to cut any branches or weeds, but to just press through without disturbing the growth or foliage. He said it was because he enjoyed his privacy and liked to keep his home secret, but Maddix wasn't stupid. Shepard was definitely keeping something secret and it wasn't just the location of his home. Why he wouldn't tell them the truth was an even bigger source of confusion. Was he being tested? Or was he really just a crazy old man with a sword who believed in monsters? With any luck, maybe Maddix would find out from this librarian.