by Nikki Lewen
Sitting near the beach, Sadie watches the sunset while feeding a small fire. Keeping up the facade, she sits among the former Splitter camp contemplating their current predicament when suddenly, her head snaps up. Checking the smoke’s direction, she casually stands, looking towards the anchored yacht. The wind, much lighter now, blows directly from it, verifying someone’s aboard and cooking. Smells of grilling permeate the air, sending a chill along Sadie’s spine and up the back of her scalp. Her stomach flutters and again, uneasiness creeps through her.
Checking the fire before venturing around one last time, Sadie lets all that’s been gathered, discovered, and shared percolate. Putting everything together, she knows something’s missing and whatever it is, it points to the mystery yacht. Three Oceanside members are unaccounted for—including the professor—and she assumes they must be aboard. Returning once again to trade out with the Delta on prisoner duty, Sadie uses the last of light to re-examine Adam.
“Is it safe…to sleep yet?” he says, speaking first.
“It’d be safer to wait,” Sadie responds, surprised by his question, but not showing it.
It’s not what Adam wants to hear and slumping his shoulders, he doesn’t try to hide his disappointment. He’s tired, sore, and everything aches. All he wants to do is lie down and rest. Between being stuck in the same position and fighting to stay awake, he’s exhausted. Sadie, seeing an opportunity, tells him to stand and adjusts his restraints, making sure their secure as Adam acquires a new position. The blood flow returns to his legs as he alternately raises each foot, repeatedly, above the ground.
“Thanks,” Adam says, appreciating the change.
Sadie nods and offers him a drink, which he accepts.
“Our missing men…on the other yacht,” Adam’s eyes dart to Sadie’s, confirming her gut feeling, “You took ’em there?” she asks.
Sadie’s question doesn’t need a verbal response, as the answer’s clearly evident. Adam doesn’t even hear it as an inquiry, but as a statement of fact. Sadie—reading every detail of his expression—moves ahead, feeling more and more confident.
“Any chance they’re still alive?” she asks, stepping closer and speaking just above a whisper.
Adam, looking genuinely uncertain, can’t say for sure and doesn’t know how to respond. No one’s ever returned, once delivered there, and chances are—not good. He shrugs while noticing her changing demeanor and grows nervous. Sadie’s eyes travel up and down his body making his discomfort grow. When she suddenly steps closer, his stomach lurches.
“We’re goin’ in to save ’em…and…you’re helpin’,” she blurts.
Adam’s face drains of color as his terror at the mere thought of it grips him. Sadie’s insides twist, watching Adam, and she wants to know what’s causing such a reaction from him.
“I’m not goin’ on dat boat!” he states loudly.
Sadie, surprised by such an adamant response and shocked by his interpretation, knows she’s on the right track. Easing any tension, Sadie tactfully continues. “Adam, the people livin’ here are good folks. They work hard…take care of one another…find ways to survive. It’s not like living with,” her voice softens, “the Nation.” She doesn’t hesitate but keeps a non-confrontational tone. “It couldn’t have been easy…livin’ with ’em. Especially…for a kid.”
“I’m not a kid!” He glares at Sadie. “I’m twenty-three!”
Sadie, taken by his sudden fierceness, begins to see Adam in a whole new light. Mistaking his malnourished frame for youth, she realizes that years of near starvation have stunted his growth and slowed his development. Seeing the fight emanating from within Adam, she knows he’s made it this far by not backing down. Reassured of the direction she’s pursuing though, Sadie continues speaking in a hushed, relaxed tone.
“I’m sorry…all I’m sayin’…is…livin’ the Splitter lifestyle can’t…be easy, there are other ways to survive. And…the people here are doin’ it, at least, until…” Sadie trails off, pausing with genuine concern for the missing men and the colony’s safety. Turning her attention back to Adam, she reads his softening body language. “They don’t deserve what awaits ’em out there.”
Adam squirms, feeling Sadie can see right through him. He’s not exactly sure of the extent of her knowledge, but she sure seems to have a handle on everything. Debating his options, Adam contemplates what choices he has. On one hand, if the Splitters that remain regain control, they’ll go after him as a scapegoat for the losses they’ve suffered. However, fearing for more than the end of his life, he doesn’t want to join the victims on the yacht. Just thinking about stepping aboard is terrifying. On the other hand, if the Nation doesn’t regain control here, then his fate lies in the hands of his present captors. Looking into Sadie’s eyes, he breaks contact.
She jumps at the opportunity. “Adam, I’m not takin’ you to the boat. All I need to know…is…how you delivered ’em?”
His eyes dart back to hers and hold their ground. Suddenly, Sadie isn’t too confident with the direction she’s pushed and worries Adam may no longer be so cooperative. Sadie’s body language shifts and she doesn’t hide the weariness the recent activities have taken on her.
“Should…I make the attempt during daylight, or…at night?” she asks
Still debating his options, Adam stares at Sadie. He doesn’t want to admit it, but inherently, he knows what’s right and subconsciously stresses about the role he’s played in so much wrongdoing. Unsure, he decides on a simple answer.
“Sunrise,” is all he says.
Hearing such a specific response makes Sadie feel better, but she holds back any of her enthusiasm. Instead, Sadie stands and asks for his clothes. Surprised, Adam’s not sure what to think and he hesitates.
“Come on…I need ‘em. They’ll fit me better than these,” she points at the baggy outfit she’s wearing. “I’m goin’ out there…disguised…as you.”
Pointing at his feet, she tells him to start there. With his shoes removed, Sadie unbuttons her pants as he stares in disbelief. Noticing, she commands him to do the same. With bound hands, it’s a challenge, and while struggling, Adam contemplates asking Sadie for help. When he manages getting them undone and wiggled towards the ground, she finishes pulling them off. It takes a moment to figure out a way to remove his shirt without completely releasing his hands, but once it’s done, Sadie’s wardrobe change is complete.
With knife in hand, Sadie steps closer, making Adam suddenly very nervous. Momentarily, irrational fear grips him, and believing he’s completely misread Sadie, Adam fears for his life. It passes with a flourish of heartbeats as she reaches for his hair, nearly identical to hers in color, and checks its length before shearing off her long, beautiful locks. As the last section of her hair falls away, Sadie rubs her hands through it, experiencing the oddity of its feel. Immediately, she changes, and it frightens Adam. When she looks up, cold-blooded determination emanates from her eyes, and it’s like looking at an entirely different person.
“Why sunrise?” Her icy glare sends a chill up his spine.
Unable to break eye contact, he answers, “It’s when dey go to sleep.”
With confirmation of their nocturnal habits, Sadie keeps Adam thinking she knows more than she really does.
“All of ’em?” she asks.
He shakes his head no, Sadie lifts her eyebrows, and he offers more. “During da day…da giant faggot’s on duty.”
Sadie’s briefly caught off guard as a myriad of thoughts bombard her brain. Even though she quickly recovers, Adam notices. He starts thinking maybe Sadie doesn’t really know anything about what happens aboard. Before she speaks again, Adam interjects his thoughts.
“You have no idea ’bout dat boat…do you?” A faint flicker of a grin shows in his expression, and Sadie worries she’s losing ground.
Continuing to bluff, she ignores his comment and goes on the offensive. “Maybe…I should take you out there and…leave you to ’em.”
Sadie debates strategies, going back and forth over all the possible positive and negative outcomes, until interrupted by a faint noise. Confirming its direction and verifying it’s one of the returning Deltas, she meets him part way, asking for any updates. Initially shocked by her changed appearance, he confirms that there’s nocturnal activity aboard the vessel. Sadie outlines a plan, providing specific details, including what to share with the other Mid Valley patrollers and how to incorporate the colony reinforcements, who should be arriving sometime later.
“Make sure they know…when I return, I’d like to speak more with Adam.” Sadie says.
He nods and keeps guard over the prisoner as Sadie heads towards the beach camp. She’ll have just enough time and darkness. Making her way to the zodiac, she drags it into the water and quietly paddles towards the Captain’s boat. The calm waters make it an easy trip and she’s careful to remain unseen by the other vessel, as a surprised Caleb greets her.
Caleb speaks first, as he looks over her new disguise, “I didn’t expect you yet…what’s wrong?”
There isn’t lots of time before sunrise and Sadie knows they must be efficient. She placates his concern, provides an overview of what’s been learned, and asks for any new intel he may have gathered. He adds little and Sadie dives into her plan, not giving Caleb a chance to interrupt or protest. She warns of the timing, he relinquishes trying to stop her, and the two of them quietly return to shore, paddling in the last of the darkness. This time, it’s Caleb who’ll serve as bait, in what they hope will be the final elimination of these intruders.
FORTY-NINE
As the zodiac zooms towards the unknown, Sadie’s gut screams caution. So far their tactics have been effective in keeping them safe and she prays it continues. As they near the huge yacht, Caleb’s bound and gagged body bounces with the small chop across the ocean’s surface. Between a light chill that looms over the morning and the uncertainty of their task, goose bumps cover his bare torso and arms. Uncomfortable in his role as bait, Caleb tries calming his nerves. Closing in on the vessel, they see faded red lettering, barely legible, which reveals the name Maji Wanga on its back.
Their approach doesn’t go unnoticed, and before they reach the large watercraft, a behemoth of a black man appears on deck. Both are taken aback at his appearance, and Caleb immediately starts his routine, acting the part of a reluctant hostage. He struggles against his bindings, curses through the gag, and extends his bound legs to kick the zodiac away from the boat as it nears.
The man towering above them is dressed in nothing but a white butcher apron stained with blood. His long, black dreads are held back by colorful displays of beads and small oddities, exposing an equally dark face covered by a combination of tattoos and piercings, all accentuated by a small curved bone through his nose. As Sadie brings the zodiac closer, the man chuckles, while reaching down to grab Caleb with his huge arms, which are decorated with intricate scarification patterns and brands seared into the flesh.
In a thick Louisiana Creole accent, accompanied with flamboyant gestures, the giant addresses them, “Ewwww-eeeee, gots moin…ahh feisty won. Ennnnn…gooed wookin’…tey’s gwunna luv you.”
Caleb kicks again, landing a blow to the man’s massive arm. Before the monstrous man regains his balance, Sadie uncovers her hidden crossbow and strikes. Her arrow pierces his chest and for a moment, the giant stares at it before attempting to remove it. As his hands clasp the shaft, Sadie fires another, this time, at his head. He falls to a knee as Caleb scrambles to board the vessel. Still dumbfounded by the attack, the man uses his last breath in an attempt to curse them.
“J’ai…faaaa…im…” he begins, before collapsing sideways in a crumpled heap of mass, exposing more of him than Sadie cares to see.
Once aboard, she can’t help but notice his thick, muscular backside, along with how well-endowed he’d been. Sadie adjusts the apron to cover his nakedness as a shudder of fear runs through her. He’s the first person she’s seen that not only doesn’t appear to be starving, but looks extremely well fed. It takes a considerable amount of calories to maintain that much mass, especially on such a large frame, and the sight is upsetting for Sadie, who knows his survival must have come at the detriment of many others.
It takes both Sadie’s and Caleb’s full effort to drag his body out of sight and hide it. Cautiously, the two proceed, as an unsettling eeriness builds within them. The yacht reeks, and the stench grows stronger until they find its source and where the now deceased man must have come from. In the galley, they’re surrounded by unimaginable displays of voodoo, evildoings, and obvious cannibalism. Shocked by several of these sights, Sadie tries calming her heart as it threatens to rip out of her chest, but seeing butchered human flesh dangling from a meat grinder doesn’t help. Neither does the array of shrunken heads hanging around. Even with their eyes stitched closed, the miniature wrinkled faces seem to follow Sadie and Caleb’s movements, warning them of the terrors lurking aboard.
Seeing Sadie closely examining one, Caleb whispers, asking if she thinks they’re real. She shrugs and grows wary of a suspicious-looking pot that draws both their attention. Overcome with an urge to remove the lid, Sadie does so, and it nearly falls from her hand. Seeing her reaction, Caleb can’t help but look and is forced to turn away from the sight, fighting his gag reflex.
“Guess that answers your question,” Sadie whispers while returning the lid.
Anxious to leave their current surroundings and even more disturbed, Caleb and Sadie quietly exit and creep deeper into the belly of the vessel. The hairs standing at the back of Sadie’s neck cause her to doubt this part of her plan. Maybe she should have waited for the colony reinforcements and not put them into this situation. Step by cautious step, a tediously slow mantra of movement develops, dragging them forward.
At mid-ship, the interior changes, and each door presents a heart-thumping predicament. Open it or ignore it? With uncertain anticipation, they check each, mentally note the locked ones, and inspect what the others expose. With each door they check, Sadie knows the increasing odds they face of running into the other Splitters, and proceeding nearly overloads her sense of safety.
Suddenly, she freezes, as her stomach drops at the mere hint of movement ahead. After a lengthy pause, she signals, and they proceed, closing in on the muffled sounds. As they get close enough to distinguish a voice and exactly where it’s coming from, they pause again. Unable to catch more than just a word or two and still uncertain of how many people lie ahead, Sadie halts.
She leans to peer through a door, left slightly ajar, then gradually signals them forward. Caleb follows and finds himself in an ornate sleeping chamber that accommodates two distinctly separate bedroom spaces on opposite sides of the large space. The room’s layout provides cover for them to move close enough to hear what’s being said from the adjoining stateroom.
“Gooed thang fa yah we’s like ta play wit our food.” A throaty chuckle follows and eventually fades into more talking, “En we’s gonna play for a while…ain’t we white boy?”
Muffled grunts and movements fill the void, as terror seizes them. Sadie moves to a location that offers a limited view into where the voice emanates. The further she leans, the more she’s able to see, but it’s not nearly enough to provide a visual on their targets. On hands and knees, she creeps forward as Caleb fills her vacated space. Hidden behind a curtained partition, Sadie catches glimpses of medical equipment and supplies. Looking through a gap in the fabric a horrendous view of bloody bandages, splattered operating equipment, and cutting tools can be seen.
Sadie adjusts her angle and braves more of the sickening sight. Shackled to the wall and nursing a recent amputation, a man hangs, nearly paralyzed with pain. Bandages around the stump, just below his shoulder, are soaked dark red, causing images of bloody flesh in a grinder to flash across Sadie’s mind. The evilness emanating from everything, even the very air they breathe, frightens her. Forcing her body ahead to another hole in the material, she builds courage before taking a quick peek. Instinctively ducking at the verification of movement just on the other side, the struggling from there grows louder and Sadie’s nerves jump at the sound of a man’s voice.
“Yeh…ya like dat…don’t ya?” his voice trails off, as more struggling can be heard.
Sadie, risking another look, peers through the small peephole and finally she’s able to see the man behind the voice and to whom he’s talking. It’s hard to tear her eyes away from the disturbing image. A grossly overweight man, oddly colored, and dressed in women’s lingerie, hovers over a naked man tied face down across an apparatus that’s designed for just that intended purpose. In one hand, he’s using a riding crop to caress his captive’s body while the other stays busy fondling himself. The horrific sight has an uncomfortable, skin-crawling effect on Sadie.
As the tormentor gradually moves around his victim, Sadie realizes the oddity of his skin tone and hair color is actually from a lack of pigment. He’s albino, and she’s never seen one in person before and didn’t even know it was possible for people of color. But it’s the only explanation that fits—he’s a mulatto albino—and as she continues to watch, he removes the feather boa from around his neck and runs it across the man’s ass.
“Boy, jou and moins gonna have us ah gooed time,” the ghastly man says, while groping his victim.
“Leave him be!”
Startled, Sadie’s attention darts to the source of the unexpected outbreak.
So does the albinos. “Shut da fuck up ole mahn!” he yells.