When Phil saw Juliet, his face was full of hope. She needed to change that.
“Juliet, what are you doing here?” he asked. He was offered very little movement with the way he was tied up.
“Things are changing, Phil. You can either get with that or you can die.” She did her best to sound cold and uncaring. Based on Phil’s response, she thought it worked. She wanted to give him a signal, to let him know she was here to help, but to risk that might mean both their lives.
“How could you do this? After everything we’ve done for you,” Phil asked, his tone sour. The men had a good laugh at that.
“Well, well, well. What have we here?” Greg stepped out from inside the camper, the shadows from his cowboy hat hiding his face in the dark. Bill rushed forward, a little too eager to answer.
“She’s come over to our side. Wants to take their place with us.”
Greg walked closer until his face was inches from Juliet’s. She could smell the alcohol on his breath. “Is that so? Things not as peachy out there as you imagined?”
She reiterated what she had told Bill and added, “I haven’t forgotten everything you did for us.” She put her hand on his arm. “We never would have made it this far without you.”
“Damn right. But I’ll be keeping my eye on you, missy. If I think for a second that you are trying to play us, I’ll cut out your eye and feed it to you on a silver platter. Check her for weapons.” Bill patted her down, finding the knife strapped to her waist. Juliet’s stomach dropped into her shoes. The stakes were set and she knew that if she didn’t play her cards just right, more than one life was at stake. “Tomorrow’s gonna be a long day, boys. Barry, you and Keith keep first watch. Everyone else get some rest. Girl, you come in here and talk to us.”
Juliet spent the next few hours being questioned about the farm. She had no choice but to answer truthfully, because she didn’t know what Phil had told them, if anything. Telling them the secrets to the farm meant that if she wasn’t successful, the farm was as good as lost. When they were finally satisfied, it was time for bed.
Bill grabbed Juliet by the wrist. “Let’s get some sleep, darling.” He smiled at her with crooked yellow teeth and she wanted to vomit.
He guided her into the back of the camper. There were two beds near the back, tucked in a recess. One on each side with a little curtain that hung down in front.
“Me and you will be on the left.” Bill saw the hesitation on Juliet’s face and she thought he might reconsider their arrangement. “Don’t worry, we’ll save the good stuff for when we get home. Now hop on in.” Juliet took off her jacket and did as she was told. She lay down in the bunk, facing away from Bill. She had the urge to cry as she lay there, staring into the wood-paneled wall. Now was not the time. For now, she had to be strong. She had to think of how to get her and Phil back home.
Juliet could hear Bill as he untied his shoes and removed his overalls. The door slammed shut as Greg entered the camper.
“I hope you don’t plan on keeping her all to yourself,” he laughed. It was an evil, malevolent laugh that seeped into Juliet’s bones.
“I’m sure there’s plenty enough to go around,” Bill replied.
Juliet froze. The mattress sagged as Bill climbed into the tiny bunk, his unwashed stench engulfing the small space. He pulled Juliet close to him until his hot, repugnant body was pressed firmly against hers. He whispered into her ear and she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming.
“This is gonna be a good thing for both of us. Just you wait.” His voice was like slime the way it stuck into every crevice, refusing to leave. She felt his clammy hands touch her side and the bulge of his erection against her leg. “Sweet dreams, darling.”
Tears silently rolled down her cheeks as Bill snored peacefully next to her. Juliet couldn’t find sleep with Bill’s arm draped across her body. The alternating snores of Bill and Greg rumbled through the camper like a deathly lullaby. After a few hours, Juliet attempted to push his arm away. If she could sneak out of the camper, it would all be over. She was almost free of his embrace when a knock on the door startled Bill awake. Juliet rolled over and pretended to sleep.
“Bill, you’re on watch,” said a voice. Bill shook Juliet’s shoulder, attempting to wake her.
“It’s our turn to guard,” he told her. He pulled on his dirty clothes and together they went out into the chill of early morning darkness. A bearded man with a beanie pulled down over his eyebrows nodded to Bill and disappeared into a tent. A bow was propped up beside the opening to his tent. Juliet recognized the arrows from the zombie they found on her first day out. Connor had been right. Even if she had made it out of the camper, there was no way she wouldn’t be spotted. Juliet would have to devise another plan for Phil’s escape.
Phil lay a few yards away from them, still tied to the tractor wheel. He had fallen asleep at an awkward angle. His hands were tied about chest height. She could only imagine how uncomfortable he was.
“You’re just going to leave him like that?” Juliet asked before she realized what she was saying. Now that she was out here, she couldn’t care about Phil.
“He’s fine. We’ll feed him in the morning.” Bill had a gun strapped to his waist. Juliet wondered what would happen if she reached for it. She might kill Bill, but she would never get Phil untied in time.
“How did you do it?” she asked, sitting close to Bill on the car hood.
“Do what?”
“Find us. Come this far so quickly. I mean, not so long ago you were just going on runs and now you’re taking down camps. Have you always known there were more people out here?”
“Yeah, we knew a few places. All it took was Greg getting people together to make it happen. I helped, of course.” Bill reached in his pocket and pulled out a packet of chewing tobacco. He took a small pinch and stuffed it in his gums.
“How many have you taken over?” Juliet hoped Bill would keep talking, maybe give her something she could use against them.
“Two so far. We got a small little farm a few miles out from Meadow Valley. Weren’t a lot of people there, but we got enough for the trouble it was. They didn’t even put up a fight. Greg let them keep their operation going and they give us some of what they make. All we had to do was leave a guy there for protection.”
“So you don’t kill everyone?”
Bill spit tobacco onto the earth below. “We’re not monsters. We do as much as needs be done to get what we want. We killed a few at another place before they gave in. And we’ll chop up this boy piece by piece if that’s what it takes to get inside those walls. We might look stupid, honey, but we know what we’re doing. We might be the first to go terrorizing these parts, but we won’t be the last.”
Bill rambled for hours as they waited in the dark. He spit his tobacco and drank from a flask hidden inside his jacket pocket.
At first light, Bill woke the rest of the group. They ate granola bars for breakfast and Juliet was tasked with feeding Phil.
Greg stepped out of the camper, an evil grin stretched across his face. He looked at Phil and winked. “We’re going to go see just how much your brother loves you, son.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“You need to apologize to her,” Peggy told Connor. “I know you’re hurting. I know you’re worried. We all are. But it’s not Juliet’s fault this happened. Deep down, I’m sure you know that.” His mother was right, as usual, about matters of the heart. Peggy had interrupted the strategy session that Connor, Rus, Polly, and Cedric had been planning. Cedric seemed willing enough to help. Perhaps Connor had overreacted. Not that it was going particularly well in any case. Every idea they had brainstormed seemed more dangerous than the last. They had talked of sneaking through the gate and spreading out into the woods, using the walkie-talkies to communicate as they canvassed the area. This idea was shot down because the gate could be watched even now. And walkie-talkies were off limits. They couldn’t fight back without risking injury or death to Phil. E
ven after Cedric had told them everything he knew about Bill and Greg, it offered no insight into how they could be reasoned with, or any options other than giving up the farm. Anything other than surrender meant Phil died. But surrender could mean everyone dies. No one said it, but they all knew the decision would be in Connor’s hands. He held the lives of everyone inside the wall in his judgment. Connor pushed this to the back of his mind for a moment.
“I know. I was upset and I took it out on her.’ He stood up and put on his jacket. “I need to clear my head for a minute, anyways. I’ll go check on Juliet.”
The night sky hid the world from view. They had been safe for so long hiding behind the wall. Connor could see it from the porch, the wall caught the moonlight in places, but the guard platform was dark against the night sky. Connor’s foot slipped in something mushy as he walked to the lookout. He cursed under his breath when he realized it was pig manure. In the excitement of the evening, someone had forgotten to put the pigs back in their pen.
Connor questioned how he could make things right on his way down. He was still pissed at Cedric for not telling him there was a possibility they were being followed, but it was in the past. There was nothing left to do but move forward and try to get Phil back. What could he possibly say to Juliet? He knew placing the blame of Phil’s kidnapping on their family did more than just hurt her feelings, it questioned everything they had built up over the past few months. It would be hard for her to trust him again. Not only do I have to save my brother, I have to save my relationship at the same time?
Connor stood beneath the lookout and whispered up to Juliet.
“Juliet, can you come down? I wanted to talk to you for a minute.” There was no response.
“Please, I know I hurt your feelings and I’m sorry. If you would just come down, I want to apologize.”
When there was no response again, Connor climbed the ladder. Their lovemaking in the forest briefly crossed his mind. How things had changed since then. He expected to see Juliet sulking near the edge, but the platform was empty. Maybe she went for a bathroom break, thought Connor.
Connor spotted Rich chasing a pig near the garden.
“Everything okay, Connor?” Rich asked. “I just remembered to put these guys away.” He was out of breath from the chase.
“Have you seen Juliet? She wasn’t in the lookout.” The look of confusion on Rich’s face was all the answer Connor needed. “Never mind. You’re doing great. I probably missed her on my way out. Just let me know if you see her.”
Connor knew he didn’t miss her on the way down, but he went back inside just to be sure.
“Did Juliet come inside? She wasn’t at the lookout.” Everyone shook their head. Cedric stood up, his fatherly instinct telling him something was not right.
“You don’t think—” His face was solemn.
“Just check upstairs to be sure. I’ll check the garage.”
Connor ran to the garage. It was empty. He looked in the storage rooms, behind the tractors, but there was no sign of her. What the hell has she done?
The van shook back and forth, absorbing every bump of the rough terrain as Bill drove through an empty field towards the farm. Juliet rode shotgun while Greg sat in the back with Phil, a canvas bag covering his head. Juliet questioned the use of the bag. He had roamed these woods for years and certainly knew where their camp was. Sunlight spilled in through the window, causing Juliet to put her hand up in protest. She felt nauseous at the prospect of seeing Connor. Her rescue attempt had not gone as planned, and now she was stuck in a situation she didn’t know how to get out of. What would Connor say when she told him that she had betrayed not just him, but everyone, for her own survival. If she played her part well enough, he might be hurt. Juliet could live with that. If he told her he expected as much, she didn’t know what she’d do.
In the rear-view mirror, two cars followed closely behind. They bounced along, sending weeds and dust drifting into the air. Juliet silently willed a land-mine to explode and send the cars bursting into flame. Wishful thinking.
The wall looked lonely without the moat of zombies protecting it. It was still tall, solid, and un-climbable, but without the zombies protecting it, it would need to be guarded at all hours. Juliet spotted people in the lookout. From the distance, she could make out the outline of Rus’ beard and Polly’s womanly figure. The sun was at their backs, making them giants as their shadows guarded the land below. She wondered if they had slept at all the previous night. Unlikely.
When Bill pulled the van to a stop fifty yards from the gate, he blared on the horn, a call for Connor to come forth. It only took moments before Juliet spotted Connor climbing into the outpost, glaring down on them. Juliet remained in the car with Bill as Greg got out, pulling Phil behind him. Greg had told her how this was going down. She was to stay in the car until it was her turn to speak. Greg hoped to use her to encourage a surrender. It was intended to be a demoralizing blow, seeing their own turned against them. If I could overpower Bill, then I could run that bastard down and we’d all be safe. Bill was twice her size, though. Even under the best of circumstances, she couldn’t hurt him. Greg walked closer to the gate and pushed Phil down on his knees. He removed his cowboy hat and made a low bow before speaking. An act of showmanship. The wind blew his comb-over into the air like an enemy battle flag. Rus and Polly had their rifles aimed on Greg, but part of his bravado was daring them to take the shot. He stood in the open, as if saying, ‘shoot me and you all die.’
“Howdy. You ready to pack up and move out?” he asked.
“You know we can’t do that,” said Connor. Juliet tried to read his face, but with the sun at his back, she couldn’t see his features. She wasn’t sure if Connor could see her in the van. He had to at least know she was gone by now. “Just let Phil go and nobody has to get hurt.”
Greg laughed to Connor’s face. “I’m the one calling the shots.” He pulled the bag off Phil’s head. Phil winced as the light burned his eyes. “I decide when people get hurt. But look, I’ve got somebody who wants to talk to you. Come on out, girlie.”
That was Juliet’s cue. She stepped out of the van, expecting Connor to be shocked or angry, but he said nothing. His face was unreadable in front of the sun.
“Connor,” Juliet had to fight to keep her voice steady, to sound cold. “Give up the farm. You and everyone in there can leave in peace. You can take Phil and you can go anywhere you want. Go live with Rus and Polly. Just leave.”
There was a long silence before Connor spoke.
“I trusted you, Juliet.” This hit her like a punch to the gut. There was anger and hurt in his voice. Raw emotions spilled out of him. “We took you in. We cared for you, we offered you a life here. I don’t know what you hope to get out of this, but it’s not going to happen. We aren’t giving up the farm. And I don’t see any way you make it out of this alive unless you, and everyone with you, all leave now.”
It seemed like Connor had given up on her; that he was prepared to see her die. Desperation filled her heart. If only there was some way to let him know that she hadn’t truly deserted them.
“This isn’t high school anymore, Connor!” she screamed at him, hoping to invoke his memories. She didn’t want to let him slip away, not after all of this. She hoped he would understand that she hadn’t turned her back on him. That no one could keep them apart. Would this be enough for him to know?
“Okay, enough of that,” said Greg. “You have one hour to open the gate.” He jerked Phil off the ground and they all packed back in the van.
“What do you think?” asked Bill. “They gonna give it up?”
“They will. Before the day is up, they will be ready to open that gate.” Greg patted Phil on the shoulder, aware of some secret information no one else was privy to.
Juliet still had no idea how she hoped to get Phil and herself out of their current predicament. Connor clearly had no intent of surrendering the farm. That meant, sooner or later, something bad
was happening to Phil. How could one woman take on all these men and hope to live?
Greg and Bill disappeared into the camper when they returned. Juliet was under the watchful eye of Vinny, a muscled ex-cop with the mouth of a sailor. He talked about the women he’d fucked and people he’d killed.
“I’d love to get inside that wall and see what they have to offer. Maybe there is some tight little pussy to pass around if they don’t go peacefully.” The others joined in. Talking of what they hoped to find on the other side of the wall. Juliet kept quiet and hoped that Vinny died a painful death in the not too distant future.
Greg burst out of the camper, a wide grin on his face. In his hand he carried a large meat cleaver. “Get the kid,” he told no one in particular, but bodies moved in earnest nonetheless.
Phil saw what was about to happen as they walked him over and tried to fight his way out of it. Barry and Vinny had him by the arms, but tired and hungry, Phil was still stronger than they were. He head-butted Vinny and sent him to the ground with a bloody nose. Barry struggled for control as Phil threatened to break free. Bill emptied a shotgun shell into the air, causing Phil to stop fighting.
“That’s enough of that. You can take this like a man or you’ll see just how bad things can get for you.” He spit tobacco that hit the side of the car with ting.
Juliet and Phil’s eyes met briefly and he silently pleaded for help. Greg held the cleaver in the air and the blade caught the light, gleaming like the sun. Phil’s breath quickened when they untied his binds and bent him over the car.
“Don’t do this, you don’t have to do this. Please!” Phil begged. Vinny, his nose bloody and dripping, held Phil’s arm in place on the hood of the car.
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