by Payne, T. L.
“Four, but one was just a kid,” Red Beard said.
Was that Dillon? One of the others just had to be Zach.
“Okay, ladies. Let’s climb down from there,” the stocky man said, pointing his e-cigarette in their direction.
The girl next to her hopped down, and Maddie slid to the ground beside her. The older of the guards shoved Maddie in the back and gestured toward the open door. She reached down, took the girl's hand, and led her forward. She fought the urge to look back for Harmony. She’d have to bide her time and get her alone. She couldn’t trust Aubrey or any of these women not to tell the guards that she and Harmony knew each other.
Inside, the building looked like a prison camp with bunkbeds filling the space and narrow aisles separating them.
“You’ll find your clothes on your bunk. Get dressed and then place your old clothes in the aisle to be collected,” the stocky man yelled.
Maddie entered the building and selected a bunk. Some of the ladies immediately stripped and began putting on their drab gray dresses. The young girl and Maddie stopped and glared at the four guards.
“Can we get some privacy?” Maddie asked.
The stocky man walked over and stared down at her. “Shut your mouth and get your filthy clothes off.”
Maddie wanted to throat-punch him. These men enjoyed humiliating women. Maddie looked down at the dress in her hands then placed it on the bed. The man stepped back, and Maddie pulled her T-shirt over her head. As she raised her arms, Maddie nearly gagged at the smell of her own body odor. It was one of the things she didn’t think she’d ever get used to. She’d washed up and used the lavender-scented beeswax and bentonite clay deodorant she’d traded some of Zach’s biltong jerky for, but that was yesterday. Today, she smelled like the bottom of her brother’s old gym bag.
The young girl was whimpering as she untied her worn-out tennis shoes and pulled her legs from her jeans. The man turned and watched. Maddie pictured Emma being forced to strip naked in front of these perverts. It made Maddie’s stomach turn. She would kill this man when she got a chance.
Maddie slid the drab dress over her head and let it drop over her thin frame. As she tossed her clothes onto the floor at the end of her bunk, the man turned back to her.
“Hold your hands out, palms up.”
She did as she was told, doing all she could to restrain herself from lunging at the man and jamming her thumbs into his eye sockets.
He reached out and took her hand in his. He rubbed his fingers over her callused palms. “Your daddy dead?”
The question took her aback. She looked up, expecting to see recognition on his face. Did he know her? Did he know her father? “Yes,” she answered, lowering her head. The tears in her eyes were genuine. Grief was like that. It ambushed you when you least expected it and sometimes when it was least convenient. Maddie drew in a breath and pushed the pain to the back of her mind. She needed a clear head.
Compartmentalize, Maddie.
“You on your own or you got people?” the man asked, dropping her hands and stepping back.
“I— Um… I’ve been moving around a lot. I was heading to St. Louis when…”
“What about you, girl?” the man asked, cutting her off and moving toward the young girl.
The girl burst into tears. The brute hauled off and slapped her hard across the face, causing her to fall backward onto the bunk. Maddie twisted slightly but caught movement in the periphery of her vision. The red-haired guard had taken a step toward her.
The stocky man grabbed the girl by her shirt and jerked her to her feet. As he did, the material ripped, and he yanked it loose from her body. She crossed her arms to cover her chest. The stocky man picked the dress up off the floor and thrust it at her. “Get this on and stop that noise.”
Maddie wanted to look around for Harmony. She hated that she was experiencing this. She’d been relatively sheltered from the violence that had occurred during the last nine months. Since they’d found Harmony at her parents’ McMansion in Wentzville, she’d rarely left the farm. What was Zach thinking to bring her out here? Despite all that Lugnut and the others had been doing to get her trained in self-defense, Harmony wasn’t trained for this. No one was prepared for this.
“Bart is going to lead you over to the chow hall. You newbies will be assigned dish duty. You’ll be training with Miranda. You keep your heads down and mouths shut, and all will be fine,” the stocky man said as he headed toward the door.
Kitchen duty? It wasn’t what she expected, but she was definitely relieved. She’d already decided she would die before she let them put their hands on her. Kitchen duty might actually work in her favor. Kitchens had knives, forks, and other tools that could be used as weapons.
“Okay, ladies. Line up there by the door, and I’ll take you over and introduce you to Miranda and her girls,” Red Beard said.
The women all began shuffling toward the door. Maddie bent and pretended to tie her shoes. She wanted to be one of the last in line. She needed to see Harmony and find out if Maria was among the group.
“Get up,” a short, balding man yelled. He hurried toward her as she straightened. He grabbed her by the arm and shoved her forward. “Get in line.”
Maddie stumbled and nearly tripped and fell on the girl in front of her. The man grabbed her forearm and pulled her toward him. When he did, he slid his hand up her dress. Maddie hauled back with her other hand and was about to punch him when the red-haired man cracked Shorty over the head with the butt of his rifle. The man crumpled to the ground. Red Beard kicked him hard.
“Smith, I’ve warned you about touching the girls. You know the rules. The boss will string you up for that. This is the second time. I can’t let it slide again.” Red Beard grabbed him by his collar. “Jared, get in here.” In rushed a scrawny, pockmark-faced teenaged boy. “Jared, take him to the captain. And don’t take all day getting back here.”
“Thank you,” Maddie whispered as she stepped into the back of the line.
“Don’t thank me. I didn’t do that for you. Boss Nelson has strict rules and severe consequences for breaking them. I’m looking out for my ass,” he said over his shoulder.
Maddie was grateful for that rule, but she was sure that Nelson hadn’t instituted it out of concern for the welfare of the women. He was maintaining order or saving them for something else. And it certainly wasn't kitchen duty.
Maddie scanned the backs of the women as they walked single file down a well-worn path toward the kitchen. Maddie caught sight of Harmony’s bright yellow headscarf. Harmony was walking with her head down. She was likely scared to death. Maddie searched for Maria. She tried to recall if Maria had put her hair in braids or a bun when they’d left for Eminence. None of these women had jet black hair like Maria’s. She wasn’t there. She could have been killed. No. Not Maria. More than likely, she had escaped. If so, she would be watching them from the bluff right now and coming up with a plan to free them, even if she had to attempt it all by herself. It wouldn’t be the first time Maria had saved Maddie's life.
Images of their gun battle with the Jewell cousins flooded Maddie’s mind. She and Jacob were pinned down without weapons. Maria fired on the Jewells, allowing Maddie and Jacob to flee into the woods.
Maddie glanced toward the bluff and then back to the guards leading them. It was too far. There was no way Maria could make that shot. Maddie recalled Aims moving along the creek toward the communications building. If Aims could do it, Maria surely could infiltrate the compound undetected.
They were led toward another metal building with a large pavilion attached to it. The pavilion was filled with rows of picnic tables. That had to have been where the workers were fed. To the right of the pavilion stood a guard tower. Maddie could make out the black-clad guard standing with his rifle pointed in their direction. He’d likely shoot anyone who attempted to flee. Some may prefer that over what awaited them. Especially if Larry was right and people were being sold at auction and
shipped up and down the river to forced labor camps.
Why forced labor was necessary eluded Maddie. Most people would welcome having a job that would feed them and their families. She imagined it was the brutality of the keepers and scarcity of the food that made them have to force people to do the work.
As they approached the building with the pavilion, a side door opened and a boxy-looking older woman stepped out. She wore the same drab gray dress, along with a white apron and headscarf. She looked pissed off, or she just naturally had a bitchy looking face. Maddie had known people like that. Some of them were actually pleasant. She seriously doubted that this woman was one of them, though.
They were lined up in military formation before the woman. Maddie stole a glance at Harmony. She stood with her head down and hands clasped in front of her. Most of the others also kept their heads down. Maddie spotted Aubrey. She was nearly bowing. The woman stepped forward and approached her. She grabbed Aubrey by the hair and dragged her forward. The woman shoved her, and she skidded across the gravel on her knees. The boxy woman placed her heel on Aubrey’s back.
“What is she doing back here? I told you I didn’t want to see this bitch again.”
Maddie would bet anything that she didn’t like Aubrey because she was a snitch.
“You’ll just have to deal with it, Miranda. That’s your job,” Red Beard said.
“Get up. Go stand by the door,” Miranda said through gritted teeth. Aubrey slowly rose and did as she was instructed. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she turned to look over her shoulder, likely expecting another blow.
“I’m the head cook. You are the pissants. You’ll do exactly what I tell you when I tell you. I run a clean, efficient kitchen. You’ll be assigned a job, and you will do that job without talking. I catch you goofing off, and you’ll go into the hole,” Miranda said. She moved toward the open door. Aubrey flinched as Miranda raised her hand. “Show of hands, how many of you have ever worked in food service?”
Maddie was surprised at how few hands went up. From her experience, food service was the first job most people got. She’d worked in a small ice cream shop when she turned sixteen. However, Maddie didn’t raise her hand. She could see no good outcome for doing so. She’d plead ignorance and try to stay off this woman’s radar. Maddie knew it was unlikely that she’d be able to hold her temper in check and stay out of the hole. Being in solitary confinement would mess up her plan to escape and get Harmony and the others away from there. Out of the corner of her eye, Maddie saw Harmony raise her hand.
“How old are you?” Miranda asked her.
“I’ll be sixteen tomorrow,” Harmony said.
Was that true? How did Maddie not know that? She was sure that if her mother knew, she would have planned a big party. Why would Harmony lie about it, though?
“Where did you work?” Miranda asked.
“I worked at the Copper Stone Valley Country Club as a kitchen assistant," Harmony said.
“And you think you’re qualified to be my assistant?”
“No, ma’am. Not at all. I mostly prepped salads and peeled potatoes. Chef Johnson only hired me to appease my father.”
“Oh, you were a little rich girl?” Miranda asked, weaving around the young girl from earlier and approaching Harmony.
Maddie stiffened. Red Beard took a step toward her. She realized that she’d balled her hands into fists and relaxed them. Maddie lowered her head. Red Beard was going to be a problem. He was onto her. She had to do a better job controlling her body language, or she’d never be able to make her move.
“Where’s your rich daddy, little girl?” Miranda was standing toe to toe with Harmony now. Harmony was a head taller but much, much thinner. Miranda hadn’t missed many meals. A perk of the job? Maddie doubted any of the other women would be so fortunate. They wouldn’t waste food on them.
“My parents are dead,” Harmony said. She couldn't know that for sure. Her parents had been on a cruise when the lights went out. Harmony would never know for sure what happened to them. Maddie thought that not knowing would be torture. She was blessed to still have her mother. When Beth had been in California, the not knowing if she’d ever see her again was almost too much for Maddie to bear.
“You look strong. You’re assigned to hauling water for the dishwashers,” Miranda said. She whipped around and nearly knocked the young girl over. Miranda marched back to the door and then turned. She pointed in Maddie's direction.
“You. Blondie. Step forward.”
Maddie kept her head down even though she knew she was the only blonde in the group. That was a big mistake. Miranda stomped over and grabbed Maddie by the ponytail and pulled her toward the door. “I think I need to keep an eye on you. You’ll be my assistant.”
Chapter 21
The Nelson Ranch
Dent County, Missouri
July 15th
After Miranda marched the new arrivals through the indoor eating area and out another door where large galvanized containers had been placed on tables for washing dishes, she led the rest of the women, including Maddie, into the kitchen. The space was huge and ran the length of the building. Doors stood open on both ends, likely to allow for ventilation. It wasn’t working. The place was like a furnace. The room looked much like a high school cafeteria kitchen. Long, stainless steel tables lined one wall. Across from them were floor-to-ceiling shelves. Maddie’s mouth dropped open when she saw all the food. It was like walking into a big chain grocery store. There was so much food—and such variety.
Where did they get all this food?
"This is the main food preparation area. The food is prepped for the cook and taken out to the kettle and grills outside.” Miranda pointed to the door opposite the one they had just entered. “You’re required to wear hairnets and gloves at all times. Some tasks require face masks. If you feel sick, let me know. We do not want snotty noses breathing on the food.”
Gloves. Hairnets. Face masks. Where were they getting all these supplies?
Miranda pointed to a large steel door. “This door leads to the walk-in refrigerator. It is locked at all times. I have the only key. If the cook needs something from there, you have to get me.”
Refrigeration? Of course, he’d stolen all the solar panels in the tri-county area. Even still, it would take an enormous setup to run a cold storage locker like this one. Where were all the solar panels?
“This is Helen. She’s in charge of food prep utensils.” A tall, thin woman in her late fifties stepped forward. With a holster on each hip, she reminded Maddie of outlaws from old westerns her grandfather used to make her watch with him when they visited.
“Blondie, follow me,” Miranda said, gesturing toward the opposite door. Maddie unconsciously let out a sigh of relief. Anything would be better than standing in that sweltering kitchen all day.
Maddie could smell the wood smoke before they even reached the door. She wiped the sweat from her brow as they stepped back outside. Maddie was grateful for what little breeze was blowing on this early July day. Smoke rose over the wood fires and was carried off by the wind. Large oak trees provided shade over the cooking area. Still, standing over the fire had to be miserable.
More long, stainless steel tables had been placed in a U-shape where tubs of meat and vegetables waited to be placed in oversized stew pots hovering over wood fires. Maddie looked around for the building that would be for the slaughtering and processing of the beef, pork, and chicken in those trays.
On a long, commercial-sized grill, meat of all types was cooking. The smell of it made Maddie’s mouth water. Her stomach growled loudly, and Miranda turned to face her.
“You will be doing the heavy lifting and making sure those fires stay lit.”
Maddie nodded in acknowledgment.
A man in his late seventies was bent over one of the enormous cast-iron pots. As they walked up, he wiped gloved hands on his white apron and straightened. Wisps of white hair stuck out from under his ballcap. His piercin
g, blue-gray eyes scanned Maddie from head to toe. It caused a shiver up Maddie’s spine. He smiled, and Maddie looked away. She got the impression that he wasn’t one of the force workers. His demeanor was more like one of the guards.
“Frank, Blondie here is your new assistant.”
Frank? Her grandfather’s name was Frank. He was kind and gentle. He was nothing like this man.
Miranda turned to Maddie and pointed up. “They’ll be watching you. One wrong move, and you’ll be food for the hogs. Got it, missy?”
Maddie glanced up. From this angle, she could make out two guards in the tower, both with rifles. She nodded and watched as Miranda turned and walked back inside.
“What’s your name, girl?” Frank asked.
Maddie’s stomach clenched. Not knowing where this man was from or whether he might have heard of her or her father, she lied.
“Jennifer,” Maddie replied.
“Well, Jennifer, get your ass over here and hand me that tray of ribs.”
Maddie did her best to keep Frank at arm's length as she delivered the trays to him. She tried to steal quick glances toward the bluff throughout the day without being too obvious. As she stood beside the grill, holding the tray of pork steaks, Maddie scanned the stream that ran beside the communications building and back to the tree line, hoping to see Maria or anyone from her group. With the guards watching and Frank and Miranda breathing down her neck, she was becoming increasingly concerned about her ability to escape this wretched place.
“Here. Hold this,” Frank said, holding out a large pair of tongs. As Maddie reached for them, he let them fall to the ground. When Maddie bent over to pick them up, Frank leaned in. “No one's coming for you. If they do, they’ll die.”
Maddie’s eyes narrowed. She took a step back.
“Just trying to help,” he said, turning back toward the grill.
Maddie studied him for a moment before stooping and retrieving the tongs he’d purposely dropped. She knew she wasn’t wrong about the man. He was a creep. She could feel that in her bones. Was he trying to get her to confide in him? Did he think he could get her to tell him her plans? Never!