by James Hunt
Day 11 (The Bikers)
Jake walked along the line of his men standing in front of him. The sun was sinking in the west, sending a golden glow across the town that gave it a false beauty with the pile of bodies circled around a post where Hannah was tied and bound.
A red metal container of gasoline sat on the ground next to Frankie, who looked up at Hannah, blew a kiss, and smiled.
The blood from Hannah’s lip dripped onto the pile of bodies below her. She looked at the faces of, not the bikers around her, but of the blank stares of the rotting corpses. Some eyes were closed; some were open, while flies and maggots picked at the flesh on their faces. She could taste the stench of the bodies.
“Our club has been around for over fifty years. In those fifty years we have never let anyone walk over us. Not the cops, other clubs, no one,” Jake said.
The rope wrapped around her wrists and ankles was rough and tight. Her hands and feet had gone numb. She listened to Jake’s calm, even tone.
“We never let anyone walk on us because the only thing that matters in this world is strength, and we are strong.”
As the bikers clapped and nodded she could feel her muscles tightening.
“The Diablos have never lost a fight. We beat the Warriors, the Rebels, the Suns, anyone who’s come up against us has lost, and I’ll be damned if I let anyone beat us now. Those bitches that killed Garrett will come back. They’ll come back for her,” Jake said pointing at Hannah.
Hannah felt her body start to shake when the cheers from the bikers exploded. Strands of her hair covered her face, but she could see Jake pick up the red container of gasoline.
When the gas made contact with the open cuts along her body she cried out. Her skin burned. The taste of the dead below her was replaced by the taste of gas. It burned her mouth, her eyes, everything.
Jake pulled out a box of matches in his pocket and lit one. He pinched the match in between his fingers. The sun had disappeared below the horizon and glow of the fire in his hands accentuated the encroaching night sky.
Hannah thought of her children. She thought of her husband. She could see each of them as clear as if they were in front of her now. Their smiling faces looking up at her, letting her know that she would see them soon.
“Everything we touch. Burns,” Jake said.
He dropped the match onto the pile of bodies and the massive flame spread upwards into the sky. The flames swallowed the flesh and when the heat reached Hannah she began to scream. The fire crawled up her legs, consuming her body. She thrashed on the pole, her screams piercing through the cheers of the bikers. She could feel the fire tearing at her flesh. Finally, her body went limp, engulfed in the orange flames dancing along her charred body.
Jake watched the bodies burn. The fire danced in the reflection of his eyes. He’d always loved fire. It had ferocity, beauty, and power. He closed his eyes letting him feel the heat from the flames, his cheeks reddening from the burning flesh. He pulled Frankie away from the group and the two of them headed toward the lobby.
“You think they’ll come back?” Frankie asked.
“They will. They’ll want to know what happened to their mother, and when they do come back, and whoever they bring with them to help, will burn.”
Day 12 (Mike’s Journey)
The sun rose above the horizon. Mike had pulled the cart carrying Jenna the entire night. It took them twice as long with the cart as it would have without it. The path up to the cabin was meant for a vehicle with four-wheel drive capabilities, not two men dragging an injured woman in a cart from the early 20th century.
Everyone begged to stop, but Mike wouldn’t let them rest. He was so close to his family. Every time he slipped on the trail, or he felt the pain in his hands, legs, and back he thought of them.
Jung was the only one as motivated as he was to get there. He pulled the other side of the cart along with Mike when everyone else was giving up. They were less than a hundred yards from the cabin now. It wouldn’t be much longer.
The wheels of the car bumped along the roots and rocks of the beaten path. With the sun coming up he searched the ground for tire tracks that he hadn’t been able to see in the dead of night. They approached a stretch of mud and Mike saw the familiar tread of his Jeep’s tires in the soil.
Mike’s heart leapt. They made it. His family was there. Mike could feel his legs losing their fatigue. His eyes lost their weariness. His hands gripped the wooden handles harder.
“We’re almost there,” Mike said.
He could see the cabin now. The Jeep was parked on the side. Everything seemed to be intact. There wasn’t any damage that Mike noticed. His feet trudged faster through the mud and dirt.
When he finally reached the cabin and stood in front of the door he felt like he was in a dream. None of it seemed real.
“Tom, Jung, grab Jenna and we’ll get her inside,” Mike said setting the cart down.
Mike rushed to the door, flinging it open. The first person he saw was Ray lying on the couch in the living room. Ray opened his eyes and his jaw dropped.
“Mike?” Ray asked.
“Anne? Freddy? Kalen? Dad?” Mike called out.
Mike didn’t acknowledge Ray’s presence. He could only think of his family. He heard the creak of doors opening. The first person out was Anne. Mike stood at the end of the hallway when she stepped out of their room. She gasped as her hands covered her mouth in shock.
The next door that opened was Freddy, then Kalen. The hallway was silent as the four of them stared at each other.
“Dad?” Freddy asked.
A tear rolled down Mike’s face. His son, his daughter, his wife, they were here. They were safe. They were alive.
“Dad!” Freddy yelled.
Mike dropped to his knee as Freddy rushed toward him. He threw his arms around Freddy and wrapped him in a tight hug. Kalen came in next to her brother and Mike pulled her in. He clutched his children, kissing the tops of their heads. Each of them squeezing back as hard as he was.
Anne walked slowly toward him. The sight of her children with their father was better than seeing Mike alone. She wanted to join, but she didn’t want to miss what she was seeing. She finally made it to the three of them. Mike opened his arms and she stepped inside the circle. The four of them just sat, huddled on the floor, holding onto each other.
When Tom and Jung carried Jenna inside Mike finally got up, still holding his family close. Everyone stared at each other for a moment. Anne was the first to speak when she saw that Jenna was hurt.
“What happened?” Anne asked.
“She was shot. I’ll grab the spare cot downstairs and bring it up,” Mike said.
Mike rummaged through the basement searching for the cot and found it lying on its side against some of the medical supplies. On his way back he glanced at the gun cabinet. It was unlocked.
Mike set the cot up in the living room and Tom and Jung set Jenna down on it to rest. Anne felt Jenna’s forehead with the back of her hand.
“She’s burning up. I’ll grab some Ibuprofen and some new bandages to dress her wounds,” Anne said.
“Dad, I can’t believe you’re here,” Freddy said looking up at his father.
Mike scooped him up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“I missed you, bud,” Mike said.
“I missed you too.”
When Ulysses opened the door of his room he noticed that he was drying his eyes on the corner of his shirt. He didn’t say anything but walked up to Mike and gave him a hug, squishing Freddy in between the two of them.
“It’s good to have you home, son,” Ulysses said.
“Thanks, Pop.”
***
Jenna lay passed out on the cot. She had fresh bandages on her shoulder and Anne had given her some of the antibiotics that Ray was taking. Everyone was crowded around the kitchen table.
After introductions the group caught up on what happened. Ulysses and Anne explained about the storm and the
tree falling, which hurt Ray’s leg and the trip to town where Ulysses found Mary and her sisters. She purposefully left out the situation with Kalen. She would fill Mike in about that later in private.
“The bikers killed everyone,” Mary said.
Mike noticed that her voice was emotionless. She stood there not with a face of pain, but of solace. He couldn’t imagine what those three girls had gone through, but he found it odd how put together she seemed after what happened. Maybe it was her way of coping.
Mike explained what Nelson had done and how he saved him after the house caught fire. He told them about the trip and the detour to the airport, the boy who shot Jenna, and the trip to the farm.
After the explanations Anne, Mary, and Tom, who claimed to be an excellent cook, started breakfast for everyone. Powdered eggs, dried fruit, and nuts were on the menu. Tom explained that he didn’t have access to his normal ingredients and he did the best he could, but nobody cared. It was the first hot meal any of them had in days.
When breakfast was over they did some rearranging. The cabin was built to only hold five and there were now eighteen of them. Mary, Nancy, Erin, Kalen, and Fay would crash in Kalen’s room. Nelson, Sean, Ulysses, and Freddy would stay in Ulysses’ room. Jung, Jenna, Jung Jr. and Claire would get Freddy’s room. Clarence, Tom, and Ray would be in the living room. Mike and Anne would stay in their room, which they tried to give up, but nobody would take.
It took most of the morning to get everyone situated and by the time they did it was lunchtime. They cracked open the canned food and had lunch outside. Mike noticed that Mary kept glancing at the smoke rising from the town. She caught him looking at her once and didn’t look back at the town again.
There were chores to get done, but Mike put them all off. He did nothing except be with his family. Everything that needed to be done he would put off until tomorrow. That was his gift to himself for making it this far.
The day went by fast. Everyone got along well enough. There were some awkward moments with everyone coming in and out of the outhouse, but for the most part it went smoothly.
That night Mike walked into his father’s room to tuck Freddy in. His son was in his sleeping bag on the ground. He watched Freddy’s smile as he ran his fingers through his son’s hair. He kissed his son’s forehead.
“I love you,” Mike said.
“I love you, too.”
Mike pulled the pocket watch out and set it down in Freddy’s hands. Freddy picked it up by its chain and it spun, sparkling in the candlelight.
“That was your grandfather’s. I want you to have it,” Mike said.
Freddy flipped the watch open. The hands ticked steadily forward. The time was in roman numerals.
“Thanks, Dad,” Freddy said.
When Mike walked to Kalen’s room the girls were settling in. Kalen had tried giving up the bed, but no one would take it. Mike looked at her like when she was a little girl, her hair messy and curly, looking up at him with her big brown eyes. He weaved in and out of the girls on the floor and made it to the side of her bed where he sat.
“I missed you, kiddo,” Mike said.
“I missed you too, Dad.”
Mike placed his hand over hers, which lay across her stomach. He rubbed her fingers in his rough hands and bent down and kissed her on the cheek.
“I’m glad you’re safe,” Mike said.
Ray, Tom, and Clarence were sprawled out in the living room. Ray on the couch, and Tom and Clarence on the floor.
“Night, guys,” Mike said walking down the hallway to his room.
“Night,” they said together.
Mike pushed the door to his room open. Candles flickered and Anne was lying across the bed, waiting for him. He lingered in the doorway for a moment looking at her. She wore an old T-shirt of his and her hair fell down to her shoulders. It was the most beautiful sight he’d ever laid eyes on. He shut the door behind him and crawled into bed next to her.
“Hey,” Mike said
“Hey.”
The light from the candles danced across their faces. They lay there holding each other until their lips met. Mike breathed deep the moment his lips hit hers. He pulled her closer, her body running the length of his.
Anne pulled herself back after a moment.
“What is it?” Mike asked.
“Mike, something happened on our way to the cabin.”
He noticed that her voice sounded scared.
“What?” Mike asked.
“We stopped halfway here. Freddy needed to go to the bathroom and couldn’t hold it, so your dad pulled over next to a wooded area.”
Mike’s heart pounded through his chest. His mind flashed back to the corpse he saw just beyond the Ohio borderline where they camped a few nights ago.
“She went into the woods and there was someone there,” Anne said.
Mike got out of bed. His adrenaline coursed through his veins.
“Your dad was able to get there before anything happened, but she got beat up a little.”
“Someone tried to rape my daughter?”
“Honey, she’s okay. Your dad got to her in time.”
Mike fell back against the wall. He slid down to the floor across from the bed. He buried his face in his hands. He played the scenario over in his head: the man grabbing her from behind, tossing her to the ground, pulling a knife to her throat, ripping her clothes off.
Anne crawled out of bed and bent down to her husband. She took his hands off his face and held them in hers.
“My baby girl,” Mike said, his eyes watering with tears.
Anne cradled his head in her chest. He let himself go. His shoulders shook as the sobs left his body.
***
Mike slept well past sunrise into the next day. When he woke he stretched his neck, cracked his knuckles, wincing at the stiffness and pain throughout his body. He looked over and saw that Anne was already out of bed.
The living room and kitchen were buzzing with kids laughing and chasing each other, Ulysses and Ray debating baseball statistics, Fay showing Mary and Kalen her tattoos, Jung and his children still yawning from waking up, Freddy eating a bowl of cereal complaining about the powdered milk with his hair sticking straight up and Anne trying to put it down.
Mike thought of all of the implications of having this group here. The shortage of food, water, medical supplies, the danger of being seen and heard, protecting them from danger, all of these things ran through his mind. He thought of the biker gang in the town a mile away who already murdered several people. As he glanced around the room and looked to each of them individually he wasn’t sure he could keep them alive until his eyes found his wife. She stood straight, her head held back with a smile in her eyes. He saw how strong she was, how she had held everyone together while he was gone. He could make it through this. They could all survive.
When the group noticed him standing quietly in the hallway, they all stopped what they were doing and watched him. They looked to him with the hope that he could keep them alive.
Day 8 (Katie)
When Katie turned onto 24th Street her jaw dropped. The cars along the streets were trashed with bullet holes and broken windows. The houses were violated by looters breaking in and stealing whatever they could find. A few trashcans smoldered from the remains of firs started, then left alone to burn out.
Sam walked behind her, his pistol at the ready, on alert for any signs of danger. When they walked past Mike’s house she covered her mouth. It was nothing more than a burnt pile of wreckage.
Katie looked at the two crosses sitting in the Beachums’ yard. The two mounds of dirt rising from the Earth caused her heart to sink in her stomach.
“Your house?” Sam asked.
“No.”
Katie pulled the front door to her own house open. The door creaked, as it swung open. She lingered there in the doorframe, afraid of what she’d find inside. When she finally crossed the threshold, she tiptoed gently.
Most of th
e house was intact. When Katie walked past the living room she stopped. All of the furniture was rearranged.
Sam stood patiently in the foyer, watching her examine the living room. He could see pictures of her family along the walls leading up the staircase.
The couch legs squeaked against the wooden floorboards when she pushed it aside, allowing herself into the circle of furniture. The empty space in the middle suggested there was something there before, but whatever Nelson and Sean had left her was gone.