by Ryan Casey
And the people actually seemed good, too.
But I had to hold my ground.
I had to stick to my convictions.
“It isn’t safety I’m looking for. Not yet.”
A mumble of voices. Confusion filling the camp.
Callum raised his gun and aimed it right at me once again. “If it isn’t safety you’re looking for, then what is it?”
I cleared my throat and whistled.
Holly and Haz stepped around the corner.
When Holly reached my side, I saw people looking at her, like children were what kept people human, what helped their morals these days.
“This little girl is called Holly,” I said. “A group led by a man called Mike took her brother and her mum prisoner. Then, Mike killed them. Right in front of her.”
A few curses and gasps of horror.
David shook his head. “I’m sorry to hear that. My condolences. Really.”
“The man called Mike runs a camp not far from here. A caravan site. It’s in a good location. Near to the woods. Close to a lake, apparently.”
“Apparently?”
“We… we haven’t actually been to this place.”
I heard more mumbles of discontent. I knew what these people would be saying. I was a joker. I was living in a dream world. All that, and I still hadn’t been totally clear with them about what I wanted here.
“Mike’s people are the kind of people tearing this world apart,” I said. “I can’t take him on alone. I need help to do that.”
I saw the frown on Callum’s face. A woman holding a pram shook her head with realisation.
“So you want our help?” David asked.
“You have something good here. That much is clear. So all I’m asking for is half of your people. Half of your weapons.”
Callum scoffed. “And what’s in it for us?”
“The chance to find a new home. The chance to expand your territory. And… and the chance to banish someone from this world who shouldn’t be here.”
David looked at Callum. I could see they were thinking about what I had said, really mulling it over.
Then they both looked back at me. “It’s a no,” Callum said.
The pair of them turned around. The rest of the suburban neighbourhood started to walk away, like there was nothing to see here anymore.
“That’s it,” Haz said. “We might as well go. There’s nothing here for—”
“This man killed my mummy.”
I looked down to my left.
Holly was speaking.
“He… he shot her. Then he killed my brother. I didn’t see their faces but I knew it was them. And when… when it happened I didn’t know what to do. But Scott is like my dad now. And what… what he wants is a nice place for us all.”
David turned around and walked slowly towards us. “Darling, I’m sorry about what you went through. Really. But this isn’t our fight.”
“But it is your fight,” I said.
I walked over to this man. Squared up to him. Looked him right in the eye.
“I was like you,” I said. “Burying my head in the sand. Doing what I could to get by for the short term. Minding my own business. I was living my own suburban dream. And then someone came along and turned everything upside down. They killed my people. They forced me to act. And when I saw… when I saw that the only way forward was to step outside of my comfort zone and face the outside world, I had no choice but to do it.
“I’m not asking you to give up your home. I’m just asking you to come with me. Some of you, whichever ones of you believes that there’s more to this world than just sitting around and waiting for things to go back to normal. Because they aren’t going to go back to normal. We need to prepare ourselves for the future. We need to be ready for the next step.”
There was silence then, in this sleepy suburban neighbourhood. I saw the people looking around at me, like their thoughts had been re-ignited. I saw the looks on everyone’s faces, like they were waking up to reality, having the curtain pulled from over their eyes.
“Join me,” I said. “Help me fight. And when you do, we’ll have a better world. Every single one of us.”
Time stretched on. The silence stretched on. I started to lose hope.
Then, I saw David lower his gun and step to my side. “I’ll help.”
At first, there was surprise at that. Not least from myself.
And then more people walked up alongside him. Men. Women. Boys who barely looked out of their teens. Ten of them, all of them standing opposite me, but alongside me. All of them facing up to what the world was now, and how it was going to be.
All of them with me.
All of them, us.
“It’s a good job you didn’t call our bluff on the guns,” Callum said.
I frowned.
He smiled and waved the gun at me. “I’m sure it could fire a paintball or two well. But other than that, it’s about as useless as a water pistol.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Phillip walked alongside the nice, newly built suburban houses as his journey stretched on.
The afternoon was dulling. But the clouds had at least parted. It gave him the feeling that maybe today could be a good day after all. That perhaps there was cause for optimism even though it seemed so unlikely.
But he was focused. He was determined.
He was going to fulfil what he’d set out to do.
And what he’d set out to do was catch Scott and punish him for thinking he could just worm his way out of the group and make it on his own—with his supplies.
He looked around and saw the rest of his group, gasping and struggling to keep up with him. Forcing them to leave their camp was a hard sell. But the truth was, that camp wasn’t as perfect as Phillip had been making out all along. The supplies weren’t going to go all that far. Their location could be better; nearer to a lake, in a better position for foraging and for hunting. It could be on better ground. It wasn’t somewhere that was long term or sustainable.
So he knew he had to take his chances on Mike’s place after all, as much as he hadn’t wanted to get drawn into battle.
Perhaps Scott would just do the job for him, get Mike out of the way, and then he could kill two birds with one stone.
He listened to the lumbering footsteps of his people and he knew what he had to do. He’d fallen distracted, for a time. He’d strayed from his goal. But Scott was right—they were in conflict with Mike and his people, and it was Phillip’s duty to deal with that threat. He couldn’t just sit around and let other people determine the future of his people. He had to fight.
He’d been asleep, but now he was awake. Wide awake.
And if Scott died in the crosshairs of that battle, so be it.
He deserved it, for raiding his supplies.
“I’m… I’m not sure I can go much further, boss.”
Phillip stopped. He turned around and walked over to Landon. He was a bulky man, his white crew neck T-shirt covered in sweat. Phillip could smell that odour in the air, too. “What do you mean you can’t go much further?”
Landon lifted his head, looked up at Phillip. Truth be told, he didn’t look in the best condition. “We’ve been walking for hours, now. Shouldn’t we at least rest?”
Phillip looked around at the suburban houses. They were in various stages of completion. They’d be nice places to settle down in, if the circumstances were ideal.
But of course, the circumstances weren’t ideal. That was part of the reason they were on the road in the first place.
That, and business. Business with Scott. Unfinished business.
“You dragged us away from our home,” Landon said. He was gasping for air now. The rest of Phillip’s people were slowing, looking at Landon and Phillip and waiting for the blows to be traded. “You dragged us out and you—you’ve led us out here. Out to our death.”
Phillip felt a speck of anger twinge at him. He narrowed his eyes, then he walked ba
ck over to Landon. “Look at me.”
Landon didn’t look.
“Hey,” Phillip said. “I told you to look at me.”
Landon slowly lifted his head so he was looking Phillip in the eye.
Phillip stared back down at him. And as he looked at him with his tearful bloodshot eyes, he wondered whether this man really was strong enough, after all. No. He wasn’t. He was holding them all back. He was nothing but a fat lump that was going to be a burden from this day forward.
Phillip wanted to kill him. He wanted to put an end to his miserable, fat existence, right here.
But he knew he couldn’t—because killing him right here would bring mutiny within his group.
So instead, he put a hand on Landon’s shoulder and he smiled.
“You’re right. We need to take a rest. We’ll find shelter in one of these houses. Then we’ll take an hour and we’ll move on.”
Landon looked half-surprised, half-suspicious. “Thank you,” he said. “Really.”
Phillip nodded back at him.
Then, he turned around and continued his walk.
There would be a time and a place to deal with Landon.
That time was not now, and that place was not here.
The group walked further along the suburban streets in search of a suitable place to stay for the night. In the distance, Phillip saw a decent little estate of detached houses, not the biggest, but good enough shelter for the night.
He stopped before they reached the estate. “Okay. We’ll shelter here. Then in an hour, we move on.”
“Why are we doing this, Phillip?”
It was Joyce. She was the oldest woman in their group. A redhead with a spotty face and a miserable slumped composure. Phillip was surprised she’d made it this far. She just kept on defying all the laws of nature. One day, maybe she’d take a trip or something too, and no longer be a problem for anyone anymore…
“You know why we’re doing this. Our camp wasn’t safe. Not anymore.”
“So this has nothing to do with Scott?” she asked.
When she said his name, the hairs on Phillip’s arms stood on end. Because of course this had something to do with Scott. This had everything to do with Scott.
What these people didn’t realise was that he’d throw all of them under a bus if it meant getting his revenge.
Because the one thing he hated the most in this world?
Having his power and authority undermined.
That’s what Scott had done to him.
“Look,” Phillip said, “I won’t pretend I haven’t thought about Scott. After all, I’m sure we’ve all thought about Scott. What he did to us. What he took from us. But it’s not all about Scott. It’s about finding somewhere safe and sustainable for all of us. Somewhere we won’t need to be looking over our shoulder anymore.”
“If that’s the case,” Landon said, “then you should’ve helped Scott defeat Mike in the first place instead of cowering out of battle.”
Fucking Landon.
“You’re right,” Phillip said. “I hold my hands up. I made an error of judgement. But later today, we put that error right.”
He pointed down the street. “Just down that road is our destination. Mike’s camp. And when we get there, I’m not going to pretend we’ll be getting a grand welcome. Some of us will die. But we will fight. We will take that place. And then we will make it ours.”
Phillip saw the nods of the people around him. He saw them coming around to his way of thinking.
“So who’s with me?”
A chorus of nods and mumbles of acknowledgement followed. And as they did, even from the likes of Landon and Joyce, Phillip felt more powerful than ever before.
They were behind him.
They were going to take Mike’s camp.
And when they did, they wouldn’t even think twice about what Phillip was going to do to Scott…
Because Scott was going to pay.
Scott had to pay.
The new beginning started with his death.
Chapter Forty-Six
I looked at the sign for Walter’s Caravan Park and I felt every muscle in my body tense up.
It was getting dark. We’d been waiting for nightfall before we did what we came here to do. The original plan was to watch this place for a while, figure out the best points of entry. But truth be told, we were pleasantly surprised to find the camp startlingly unguarded.
Sure, that got alarm bells ringing inside. But we had to take it for what it was—an opportunity.
The caravan park was similar to Phillip’s. However, the location was undoubtedly better. There was a forest nearby, right beside it, which would be a perfect location for hunting in. There were fields all around, which farm animals wandered about. And there were even lakes nearby, which could be used not only catch fish but breed them too.
There were gates, as well. Not ridiculously high, but high enough to make accessing the camp a problem for outsiders.
“And yet there’s nobody around,” I said.
“What?”
I looked at Haz. I’d almost forgotten he was right by my side. I shook my head. “Nothing. I’m just…”
“Thinking aloud,” he said. “Right. It’ll be even better when you think aloud the words ‘we shouldn’t be doing this.’”
I was about to sigh and try arguing with Haz, but I could see from the look on his face that he’d accepted defeat. I looked back, then, at the people who had joined us in the suburbs. Callum and David, each with their rifles. Behind them, the rest of the stronger looking folks, men and women. And behind them, the weaker ones—the ones who needed protecting.
I stood up and headed over to Holly and Lionel.
She looked up at me and smiled when I reached her. She looked content. Like she was facing up to the reality of the situation herself. Either that, or she just didn’t know how serious this situation was. At least she wasn’t alone anymore. At least if something happened to me, there were others here for her now. Others who could look out for her, and protect her.
But I could make no mistakes about what I had to do.
I was going into that camp, and I was taking Mike out.
Even if we didn’t take the camp, I was getting my revenge on Mike for the loss he’d caused.
“You okay?” I asked.
Holly looked up at me and smiled. “I’ve learned how to speak to Lionel. Look. He nods his head when I say something. Lionel, are you my friend?”
Lionel glanced at Holly, tilted his head to one side.
“Quite the language system you’ve got there,” I said.
I crouched opposite her then, as the sounds of conversation—tense conversation—throughout the rest of the group increased in intensity. “Holly… I want you to understand that what I’m going to do, now. Where I’m going. I might not come back from it.”
She looked up at me, sad curiosity in her eyes. “Why?”
“Because… because there’s bad people where I’m going. The same bad people who did what they did to your mum and your brother. And it’s very important to me that those bad people can’t hurt us anymore. And that might mean…”
I didn’t say it. I didn’t have to. Deep down, I knew Holly understood.
I put my hand on hers. “You’re going to be brave though. And you’re going to look after Lionel for me, while I’m away. Right?”
She stroked Lionel’s fur. “Just while you’re away? And then you’ll be back and we’ll both look after him?”
I swallowed a lump in my throat. “Yeah. Yeah, of course. Of course.”
I leaned over and pecked Holly on the head.
Then, I cuddled up to Lionel, who licked my face.
“Goodbye, boy,” I said.
And before the tears flowed, I turned around and walked back to the front of the group.
Haz was by my side again. His head was lowered.
“I guess this is it then,” he said.
Then, he glanced up at m
e.
I moved towards him and hugged him tightly. I heard him snivelling, right by my side.
“You come back safe,” he said.
“I will.”
“You promise me, Scotty-boy. You put a bullet in that bastard’s skull and you come back safe.”
I leaned back and smiled at Haz. “You know I can’t promise that. But I’ll do my damned best.”
I looked then at Callum and David. Both of them were armed. Both of them were just waiting for my order.
“You ready?” I asked.
The pair of them looked at one another. “We’re ready,” they both said.
Together, we moved away from the group.
Together, we made our way to the caravan site.
Together, we walked.
I looked back and saw Haz’s tearful face looking at me.
I lifted a hand, waved at him.
He waved back.
Then Holly caught my eye.
She still had that look of sad curiosity on her face, as she cuddled Lionel. I wanted to believe she was going to be okay, and that I’d be back for her soon.
But I knew I couldn’t get my hopes up.
Not with where I was going.
Not with what I was about to do.
So I took a deep breath.
I turned around.
And then, together with Callum and David, I made my way to Mike’s camp, ready to end this whole thing once and for all.
Mike’s camp wasn’t what I expected.
Not in the slightest.
When we reached it, the first thing that struck me was just how quiet it was. The caravans were empty. The cows mooed when I passed by them, as if they hadn’t been fed.
There was an eeriness to the place, like it was… well. Dead.
“You sure this is the place we’re supposed to be going to?” David asked. “’Cause it sure doesn’t look occupied to me.”
I ignored it, and I kept on walking through the site. I saw birds flying past, which caught my eye. My nerves were on edge. My heart pounded. This had to be the place. Surely this had to be the place.
Unless Mark had lied to me and sent me here all along for a reason.