Thicker than Blood

by Madeline Sheehan

  “Fine,” she snapped, yanking her arm free. “But I’m not sleeping anywhere near them.” Turning abruptly, she marched off and disappeared into a dark corner, as far as possible from where we’d left Bryce and Mike.

  Giving me an exasperated but somewhat grateful look, Alex wrestled quickly back into his drenched shirt before stalking off after her.

  Sighing, I dipped my hands back into the barrel and brought a handful of water up to my face. Leaning forward, I watched the droplets drip slowly back into the black pool, making circular ripples in the water while I prayed that Alex and I weren’t wrong to trust these men.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Leisel

  I didn’t trust them, I didn’t like them, and I didn’t want to be anywhere near them or their shifty eyes. Both Mike and Bryce were too friendly, seeming jumpy and on edge. They were always assessing both Evelyn and me, and not in a good way. I didn’t want to spend the night in the barn with them, and I definitely didn’t want to journey out on foot with them to their supposed so-called camp in the middle of nowhere. But that was exactly what I did, what we all did, taking a necessary risk in order to obtain the supplies we so desperately needed.

  Once morning came, the sun high and hot in the sky, we headed out, passing our truck along the way. We walked for hours, the sun burning down on our already sweltering backs, and just when I was about to accuse them of lying, wondering what kind of trap we’d just blindly walked ourselves into yet again, their “camp” came into view.

  Camp was a one hell of an understatement. This wasn’t a camp, this was an industrial city. Many acres were filled with old factory buildings, some up to ten stories high while others sat squatty and wide beneath them. A tall and heavy formidable-looking gate, topped with razor wire, seemed to encircle the entire complex. Every so often a spark on the gate would catch my eye, followed by a zip, crackle, pop.

  Electric fences, I mused, feeling both awed and wary at the same time.

  “Fries ’em up good and crispy,” Bryce said, waggling his eyebrows at me. “Keeps ’em cooking ’til someone comes and blows a fucking hole through ’em.”

  Evelyn and I shared a glance, and I could tell she was apprehensive too. Gates like these didn’t just keep the infected out, they kept the living in. Gates like these were a little too similar to the walls of Fredericksville for my liking.

  “Who’s in charge?” Alex asked.

  “Man named Jeffers,” Bryce answered. “Him and his old lady run everything. You’ll be meeting them soon. They like to greet all the new arrivals in person.”

  There was a note of pride in Bryce’s voice, and I couldn’t help but think that maybe this could be a decent place, especially with a woman at the helm. Because with a woman in charge, things couldn’t be all bad for the women inside, right? God, I hoped so.

  As we approached the camp I began counting, estimating there were ten, fifteen, no, nearly thirty buildings in all, probably more that I couldn’t yet see. Vehicles were everywhere, taking up the numerous parking lots and scattered across the lawns. And interspersed through it all were people. Hundreds and hundreds of people. Milling around, running, walking, talking, laughing, and shouting.

  An array of tents was lined up between the buildings, some big, some small, in a large variety of colors. From this distance I couldn’t exactly be sure what they were for, but from the shouts carrying across the way, it seemed like a street fair, with vendors selling their wares. And far off, on the opposite side of the property, I could see several dozen rows of wind turbines, the blades turning slowly in the breeze.

  “This place is huge,” Alex muttered. He appeared somewhat at ease, but his gaze was everywhere, darting left and right at a rapid pace, taking in everything. And his body language was taut and rigid, his posture ramrod straight, all things that belied his calm and cool exterior.

  “Entrance is this way,” Mike said, glancing over his shoulder. His gaze found mine and he gave me a toothy smile. I attempted to smile, but more than likely only accomplished a somewhat strained grimace. Mike might be young, but he was of the age where sexuality was the first and foremost thought above everything else. His roaming eyes moving up and down my body made me want to slap him silly and send him home to his mother. But he probably didn’t have one, at least not anymore, and had been forced to grow up around the likes of men like Bryce.

  Averting my eyes, I suppressed a shudder.

  “Bryce! Man, we sent you out for supplies and you brought us pussy back instead!”

  Three men had appeared on the opposite side of the fence, close but careful not to touch the electrical death trap. They were all older, heavily bearded, and in their late forties or fifties. From our vantage point on the road, they appeared to be triplets, all of them hairy, overweight, and carrying two or three large rifles each.

  “They ain’t mine!” Bryce grinned at his friends. “Paul Bunyan over here has claim.”

  Immediately all three sets of hungry eyes sought out Alex. “How much, man?” one asked.

  “I got a stash of some pretty sweet steel,” another called out. “You give me a two-for-one and I’ll set you up real nice.”

  I quickly inched toward Evelyn, who was also closing the small distance between us. Our hands found each other, our fingers interlocking as we squeezed each other tightly, silently conveying our apprehension and fear. Suddenly, my rather modest dress seemed skimpy, as if this were my fault for exposing too much skin. Skin that was starting to crawl with dread.

  “Alex!” I hissed under my breath. “Alex!”

  But Alex wasn’t looking at me. Still walking, he fixed his stony glare on the three men at the fence as they walked in tandem with our small group, then shrugged his shoulders.

  “Not for sale,” he called out. “Got a truck, though. Broke down a couple miles that way. Good condition, just needs some gas.”

  “Got enough trucks to last me a lifetime,” the man answered. “But I ain’t seen a real redhead in years.” His beady gaze shifted to Evelyn and his lips twisted into a greasy smile. “The carpet match the drapes, honey?”

  Alex froze mid-step, his hand on his gun, and turned to face the men at the fence. “They aren’t for sale,” he said slowly, forcefully, spitting each individual word out between his teeth with enough venom that the tiny hairs on my arms and neck rose to attention.

  I’d known Alex was formidable, dangerous even, and could hold his own more often than not. But this show of dominance over these men, his claiming us in order to protect us from the dangers of this new world, caused a different sort of appreciation to blossom within me. He wasn’t just our savior and our protector, he was more than that. He was the kind of man who stood up for what he believed, a real man who did everything he could to prevent evil from spilling over into the remnants of good. He was a man like Thomas had been, despite his young age, a man of honor through and through. And I couldn’t help but think that Thomas would have liked him.

  “Told ya so,” Bryce said cheerfully. “Can’t say I blame ’im myself.”

  The men grumbled under their breath, shaking their heads, their expressions conveying disappointment and irritation. One by one, they walked away, no longer interested in haggling with Alex.

  “Just a little ways up.” Bryce gestured at a small bend in the fence, where just around the corner several dozen heavily armed men wearing fatigues were gathered. “Don’t mind the artillery, gotta keep this place safe somehow.”

  “You know the rule, Bryce,” one of the soldiers called out, coming to greet us. “Strip down or stay out.”

  “What?” Evelyn asked, her eyes wide.

  Bryce, already unbuttoning his jeans, gave her an apologetic glance. “Them’s the breaks, kiddo. Gotta show some skin, all your skin, if you wanna get in.”

  Horrified, I looked at him with wide eyes as my mouth fell open. “Why?”

  “Looking for bites,” the soldier said, his steely gaze on me. “Or any signs of infection.”
>
  “Isn’t th-there somewhere p-p-private?” I stammered, my voice trembling. “Less out in the open?”

  “Boss man’s rules,” another soldier said, coming to stand beside the first. “Nobody’s allowed in until they’ve proven themselves clean.” He gave me a shark-like smile while deliberately running his gaze up and down my body.

  I pressed my lips together, turning away from the quickly gathering crowd of men, and sought out Alex. He didn’t look happy, in fact, he looked downright pissed off and ready to bite the heads off anyone who dared to come near me. Yet, he was already pulling up his T-shirt.

  “Let’s just get this over with, Lei,” Evelyn whispered, squeezing my hand. “They can look all they want, but no one’s going to be touching, okay?”

  No, it wasn’t okay. None of this was okay. I understood the need for this, for keeping any sign of infection out of such a heavily populated area, considering how quickly it spread. But this was overkill. At the very least, they could have set up some sort of makeshift shelter outside the perimeter, giving people a semblance of privacy.

  With a sigh, Evelyn dropped my hand and began unbuttoning her pants. Whistling and catcalls immediately commenced, and vulgar, sexually explicit innuendos erupted from the growing crowd of men. Women too, I noticed. I continued to stand there, fully dressed, even after both Alex and Evelyn had rid themselves of every last stitch of their clothing, and alongside an equally nude Bryce and Mike, drew closer to the fence for their inspection.

  “Arms up,” a soldier demanded, licking his lips as he appraised Evelyn. “Spread ’em and bend over.” He grinned, his eyes still firmly fastened on her.

  “Lift up your hair, princess,” another soldier said, drawing closer to Evelyn.

  She did as she was told, her blue eyes burning with a fire that promised retribution if anyone laid a hand on her. Not that they could, the gate prevented any contact. But once those gates were open…

  Queasy and light-headed, I turned away and pressed a hand against my stomach. I couldn’t do this; I couldn’t strip for an entire crowd of people, leering and jeering at me as if I were some sort of sideshow animal. I was a person, a woman; I had feelings and emotions and pride. Oh God, why didn’t anyone seem understand that anymore? Or care at all? Where was the humanity?

  Dead, I thought bitterly. Dead, like everything else.

  “If that one doesn’t strip, or leave, within the next two minutes, I’m putting a bullet through her head.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut, clenching my fists into tight little balls. I couldn’t do this; I just couldn’t. I’d already been subjected to enough torment and torture to last me several lifetimes, and I’d be damned before I willingly subjected myself to it.

  “You hear me, sweetheart?” the same voice called out. “I’m counting down, starting now!”

  “Lei…”

  I opened my eyes to see Alex standing in front of me. Already dressed again, he gazed down at me with dark eyes full of compassion.

  “Lei,” he repeated, his tone gentle. “I’ll be right there next to you. You don’t have to look at them, you just look at me, okay?”

  Staggered breaths caused my mouth to quiver. “We don’t need this place,” I whispered. “We don’t need them. We were fine on our own.”

  But even I knew I was lying. We were far from fine. Daily we had to scavenge, usually finding nothing of use. We had no safe place, no guarantees, nothing but the clothes on our backs and one another.

  Alex shook his head. “We do. I wish we didn’t, but we do.” His voice was desperate, his eyes pleading with me.

  He didn’t like it either, and I could tell it was killing him to admit defeat, especially after making it this far with just the three of us. But even a king knew he couldn’t survive without his subjects, and whereas Alex was much like a king in this new world, powerful yet just, he too knew when he needed help.

  I closed my eyes again, trying to find someplace inside myself where I could go, where I could hide inside my own skin in order to get through the next several minutes. I already had enough shame to last me several lifetimes, and the thought of adding more to it was sickening.

  “One minute!” the voice called out.

  “Lei, please.” Alex sounded somewhat frightened now, whether it was his fear of never finding another place like this one, or his fear of me being gunned down like an infected, or maybe both, I didn’t know.

  “I can’t lose you,” he whispered fiercely.

  “You barely know me,” I snapped, trying to pull free of his grasp.

  Tightening his hold on me, he bent his head close to mine, forcing me to look at him. “I do know you,” he hissed. “I know you hum songs from the sixties and seventies when you’re bored or sad. I know that most nights you cry yourself to sleep. I know that you’re usually thinking about Thomas when you smile. Lei, I know where every bruise and cut on your body is and what caused them, and I also know Eve is the only person on this planet who makes you feel safe. I know you, Leisel.”

  Shocked, I stared up at him as my entire body trembled. “You make me feel safe too,” I whispered as tears pricked my eyes.

  He swallowed. “Don’t take that away from me,” he whispered back.

  “Thirty seconds!” the guard bellowed.

  Yanking free of Alex’s hold, I spun away and marched with purpose over to the gates. Purposely, I avoided meeting Evelyn’s eyes, part of me hating that she seemed to always be able to do what I couldn’t.

  Keeping my gaze firmly planted on the ground, I let my belt drop first. Then, reaching around, I began to struggle with the buttons on the back of my dress. As I continued to fumble, silently cursing both myself and this awful situation, Alex appeared at my left and Evelyn to my right. Brushing my hand away, Evelyn began to work the buttons while Alex kept his eyes steadily focused on mine. When my dress fell away, leaving me standing in nothing but a pillaged pair of underwear, I couldn’t hold back a full-bodied shiver. Keeping my gaze on Alex, trembling from head to toe, I tucked my thumbs inside my underwear and pushed them down.

  “Turn around and lift your arms,” the soldier demanded.

  Swallowing hard, fighting the urge to cover my breasts, I turned slowly, giving my back to the gathered crowd. They weren’t nearly as zealous with me as they’d been with Evelyn, something I attributed to my scars and numerous bruises. Although most of them had turned an ugly shade of yellow and purple, they were still visible. For that, I was grateful. If the crowd had been nearly as crude to me as they’d been to Evelyn, I might have taken off running.

  “Spread your legs,” the soldier said, “then bend down and touch your toes.”

  I did as he demanded, feeling my cheeks burn hot from the humiliating position. I stayed that way for several seconds, my legs spread wide apart, my backside thrust high into the air while I attempted to reach for my toes.

  “Clear!” he called out, and I sprang up, closing my legs and slapping my hands over my breasts. Alex, still standing beside me, had already begun helping me back into my dress.

  “What happened to her?” I heard someone ask. Still busy with my underwear, I didn’t turn to answer.

  “A man,” I heard Evelyn snap.

  “What man?” the voice asked. “That man?”

  I spun around then, facing the several soldiers and the crowd of onlookers behind them. “No,” I said bitingly. “Another man did this. And I killed him for it.”

  Not one person who heard me seemed surprised by my answer, most of them disinterested in us now that we were clothed again. Only one soldier, the voice behind the question, stared back at me. He was young, maybe around my age, with light brown hair spiked up in all directions, and rather hollow-looking blue eyes.

  “Welcome to Purgatory,” he said flatly. “Weapons are allowed, but if you kill someone inside these gates, you’ll answer for it. You got that?”

  “Got it,” Alex replied tersely.

  “I’m talking to her,” the soldier said
, his eyes still on me. “The self-proclaimed murderess.”

  “I got it,” I said evenly.

  Lifting up two fingers, the soldier spun an invisible circle in the air. “Let ’em in!” he shouted, and the gate began to open, its hinges squealing in protest.

  When the gate was fully open and there was no danger of being electrocuted, we stepped inside as a group. Bryce and Mike took off together, disappearing into a crowded market area, while Alex, Evelyn, and I stood in a tight circle, unsure of what to do or where to go.

  “This way.” The soldier who’d welcomed us inclined his head. “Time to meet the boss man.”

  As we followed him down the crowded path, the throng of people growing thicker and noisier, I couldn’t help but wonder why they would name a safe haven something as awful as Purgatory? Because it was the last stop before heaven or hell? A place of judgment that would test our resolve and strength?

  Or was it just as it implied. Purgatory, a place or state of suffering. For all eternity.

  From behind us, the gates closed with a thump and click, electrical sparks shooting out in all directions.

  I turned away, still following our armed guide. I supposed I’d find out soon enough, one way or the other.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Evelyn

  My heart was beating furiously in my chest, anger and frustration still burning through me as I gripped Leisel’s hand, trapping her fingers within my own. Being naked was nothing to me. Being gawked at, stared at, ogled, and scrutinized, it all meant nothing…to me. Yes, I hated them all staring, of course I did, but I’d found it more infuriating than embarrassing. Yet to Leisel, to someone whose own body had been repeatedly used as a tool to both shame and embarrass her, it was everything. And after everything that bastard Lawrence had put her through, her body was finally her own, and I hated that these men had made her feel anything differently.

  Alex walked ahead of us, with Leisel and me following closely behind, and like a small triangle we trailed after the guard. I hadn’t even met this supposed boss man, yet I hated him already, hated him for the uncomfortable welcome his men had given us. But as I looked around, taking in our new surroundings, I couldn’t deny that I respected him as well. He’d accomplished a lot with this place, especially safety, and that was worth my admiration.