by TW Brown
The crowd looked like it might very well be every single member of the town. They were young, old…men and women. The one thing that Simon thought to be a bit morbid was the fact that there were a handful of children hoisted up onto the shoulders of adults that he had to presume to be their parents. Even more surreal, many of them were joining in with the yelling and hollering that demanded these three people be made to pay for their crimes.
Simon let the crowd go for a while. Deep down, he had hoped they might eventually lose their steam; but, if anything, they were becoming more surly and unruly by the minute. Eventually, he raised his hands in the air to try and get the noise to simmer down. If for no other reason, they would very likely be drawing in some of the surrounding undead.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please, we want to deal with this quickly but with at least some sense of decorum.” Simon was relieved that those words seemed to actually be enough to settle people down. He ignored Nelson as the man shot him a funny look and dramatically mouthed the word “decorum” with an eye roll for good measure.
“Just promise me one thing,” the sergeant called over his shoulder, obviously waiting for enough silence from the crowd so that he would be heard by those gathered around, “be sure you have the guts to carry out whatever sentence you decree. Don’t pawn it off on one of your lackeys here.”
The crowd started up again, but Simon quelled it in a hurry as he resumed speaking, starting loud, but gradually pulling it in so that people had to strain to hear. That would usually prompt people to be quiet. That was actually a trick he had learned from his mother who had been a school teacher.
“These men are to be charged with abusing their station, murdering innocent citizens of the Crown, and bringing shame to Her Majesty’s Armed Forces with their conduct.” Simon let that statement hang in the air for a moment before continuing. “They were caught in the very act of trying to continue in their wretched ways on our own streets just a few short minutes ago. Will anybody step forward and act as their defense?”
The crowd fell silent. Bewildered faces looked from one to another in apparent confusion.
“I do not wish to condemn these men simply out of hand,” Simon clarified. “Just because they have exhibited abhorrent behavior does not mean that we must sink to their levels. I would prefer that each of us be able to face ourselves in the mirror when this is over and feel that we acted in a just and fair manner.”
“You’ve been watching too bloody much American television!” a voice jeered. “Let’s just be done with them.”
This received a rousing cheer and even some laughter from the people gathered around. Once more, Simon found himself remembering that scene up on the train tracks. He remembered the blood seeping out and spreading through the gravel in an oil slick-type of stain. He could still clearly see the eyes of that man staring skyward.
The details seemed to become more exaggerated each time he allowed his mind to recall it. He had no idea if perhaps his mind was now creating details that had not existed, or if perhaps it was finally being allowed to paint in the things he had not been able to process. For instance, the pupil of the man’s left eye was dilated to the point of almost eliminating the iris, and the blood vessels had broken, turning almost the entire white of that eye an ugly red. He shook that image away and pressed his lips tight as he regarded this crowd.
As much as the idea sickened him, he thought that he might have the cure for the bloodlust that was rising in the people of Micklefield. Stepping up to Melena, he tapped her shoulder and nodded to the black handle that jutted up from a sheath at her hip. She drew the short field machete and handed it to him with a curious expression.
Walking over to the sergeant, Simon locked eyes with Nelson. “Step back.”
The man did so, but there was a slight hesitancy to his actions that caused Simon to step up and actually nudge the man out of the way. He now stood directly behind the sergeant, looking out at the crowd gathered around. He fought the trembling in his hands and gripped the handle of the weapon tight.
“If this is what you want, then so be it.”
The sergeant was just starting to turn his head in Simon’s direction when Simon swung the machete with all he had. Even with him putting everything behind the swing, the weapon still came to a sudden and violent halt when it slammed into the vertebrae in the man’s neck.
An arc of blood sprayed from the nasty cut, and when the blade was jerked free, it only got worse. The red spray splashed several of the people gathered in the front of the mob. Meanwhile, the sergeant fell to the ground and began to kick and twitch violently. While certainly not his intention, this display actually had exactly the sort of effect he’d hoped for as people gasped, screamed, and in a few cases, fainted.
He attempted to finish the job and end the man’s suffering. Stepping down on the struggling sergeant’s chest, Simon raised his arm to swing again and made the mistake of looking into the man’s eyes.
He had no idea what sort of man this sergeant had been before everything went crazy, but now, the man was in pain and very, very afraid. It was clear in the eyes as well as the way the man was obviously trying to beg or plead. Fortunately for Simon, those words were reduced to nothing more than unintelligible gurgles as the blood gushed from between the man’s lips. Once more, Simon swung down as hard as he could. He really only wanted to put this entire ordeal to an end, but fate was cruel and the stroke came down, glancing off the side of the man’s head just above the left eye. It did take away all the flesh down to the skull, but then the blade bit into the shoulder at the base of the sergeant’s neck on the opposite side where the first deep cut had struck.
Thankfully, the blood loss had become too much and the man went still. Simon stood up and faced the crowd of Micklefield citizens. The screams for blood had died on their lips as they witnessed the brutal execution. Simon looked over at Dawn and Melena and saw horror on their faces. Nelson was not much better and had taken a few steps back from everything.
Simon looked down at himself and saw blood dripping from his hands, soaking the front of his clothing. How had this happened? he wondered.
The two remaining soldiers were the first to break the silence that had befallen the large gathering.
“Please, I beg you…we was only following orders!” one of the soldiers pleaded.
“Mercy!” the other cried, his much more simplistic approach actually sounding more poignant.
Simon returned his attention to the crowd that seemed as if it had backed up as an entity and put more distance between it and the dead body on the ground.
“Well?” Simon called, making sure to look into as many sets of eyes that would meet his cold stare. “Shall we continue with your desires for blood?”
“I think you have made your point,” a voice whispered in his ear.
Simon turned to see that Mrs. Raye had come up without his knowing and taken a place right beside him. She reached over and eased down the hand that still held the machete. The only sound now was the distant moan of a zombie. It was answered by another.
In singles and small groups, the people of Micklefield began to melt away. Eventually, the only people still standing in this little square were Simon, Mrs. Raye, Melena, Nelson, Dr. Asan, and the two soldiers. Dawn and Kas had vanished at some point and, as usual, Cedric was nowhere to be found.
“What is to be done with us?” one of the soldiers finally asked.
“I have no idea,” Simon admitted.
“I think there is a chance that you could earn trust and be allowed to join the community,” Mrs. Raye spoke up.
“We’ll do whatever it takes,” both soldiers said more or less in unison.
“For now, I think we will have you kept under watch until a final decision can be made,” Nelson said, raising a hand to silence Mrs. Raye before she could protest. Her expression made it clear that she was not entirely in agreement with Nelson taking over the scene.
Simon seriously did not care a
t that exact moment; all he wanted was to be out of his blood soaked clothing and to wash up. He squeezed his eyes shut for a second to try and get himself together, but he was immediately greeted by his mental replay of how he had killed two living human beings within the past couple of hours.
“I think we will need to double the patrols the next few days,” Simon sighed. He suddenly felt very tired. If not for the blood, he would just go home and collapse.
He was about to leave when three people dressed in the typical hunter patrol garb came around the corner at a sprint. When they spied Simon, they actually looked like they somehow managed to increase their pace.
“What the bloody hell is wrong now?” Simon mumbled.
***
Shadiyah remained rooted to the spot where she stood. She had made this journey thinking about nothing more than telling Simon that his sister had been taken care of properly. After that, she would return to that house—hopefully with Caron joining her—and then she would create someplace safe where she could just live out her life in peace.
The person standing before her made Shadiyah remember how, not more than a few days ago, her plan had been to scour the countryside and execute every single evil beast that had crawled out from under a rock in this apocalyptic world and preyed on those they saw as weaker.
She wanted to kill the person standing before her more than anything else in the world at the moment.
“How did you make it here in one piece?” Cedric asked. As soon as the question came out of his mouth, he began to utter and stammer. “Not to say that you were not able or capable. Certainly you are…you are standing here now…”
Four other individuals were with Cedric, two of them women. That made no sense to Shadiyah. How could any female feel even the least bit safe with Cedric Black?
Shadiyah still seemed paralyzed and unable to move or respond. Cedric took a few steps forward, obviously reading her silence as perhaps relief. Could he really think that she would see him as her savior?
“We had a bit of a problem with some soldiers, but your friend Simon took care of things. You would be proud of him. Perhaps I should get you to him in a hurry.” The man walked up to her, seemingly oblivious to everything that had happened.
Shadiyah looked at him, her mouth open in amazement. She looked over at the four people who were with him and she remained unable to speak as her brain simply felt like it was overloading. At last, she was able to say one word.
“Simon.”
“Yeah, Simon is here. He’s fine. I imagine he will be surprised that you are here. After all, of all the places in the world you could have headed for, what are the odds that you show up in this particular spot?” Cedric turned his head and waved his companions to join him. “Shadiyah here was in Leeds as well. But I don’t recall you, miss.”
With that, Cedric stepped past Shadiyah and introduced himself to Caron. He also gave the names of his companions, but Shadiyah could not hear any of that as the blood seemed to be rushing in her ears so loud that she was amazed the others could not hear it.
Slowly, she turned around. Cedric had his back to her completely as he was talking about something to do with soldiers and an attack on the town of Micklefield.
Standing there, Shadiyah felt her mind spiral into memories that came at her hard and fast. It was so overwhelming that she almost felt as if she were drowning. A small part of her mind screamed for her to fight, and that if she did not, she might be consumed in the darkness that even now was filling her lungs and killing the rational and humane Shadiyah Kasim.
For the briefest of instances, she considered putting up a fight. After all, the world had become a much more terrifying place. Also, was there not some slight possibility that Cedric Black really had nothing to do with the attack on Assi that led to her eventual death?
“No,” she whispered. The word was almost inaudible, but there was enough behind it for Cedric to turn around.
“What was that?” he asked.
Shadiyah and Cedric made eye contact and locked onto each other. There was that split second of realization that was just beginning to materialize in Cedric’s expression when Shadiyah lunged forward with the scimitar that she still had in her hand. Cedric had some sort of spiked club in his hand, but his reaction to deflect the stab came too late.
The tip of the scimitar plunged into the man’s chest, driving straight through his heart, killing him almost instantly. His mouth opened, but the only sound that came forth was a long exhale as the man’s lungs emptied themselves one final time.
There were shouts of alarm, and the four people that had been with Cedric all seemed unsure of how to react. Shadiyah turned to them as she yanked her scimitar free and took a step forward. “My sister is dead because of that animal and his little gang of rapists.”
The reaction she received from the foursome split right down gender lines. The men seemed confused and the women both turned to the dead body on the ground and took a step towards it as if they might be able to glean some kernel of insight if they were only a little bit closer.
“Shadiyah!” Caron snapped, appearing suddenly in front of her. “What have you done?”
“What I had to do,” Shadiyah said as she turned her empty gaze to Caron. “What I came here to do.”
“You came to tell Simon about his sister,” the woman implored. “Not to do…” Her voice faded as she looked down at the body sprawled in the sidewalk with the pool of blood spreading around him in a dark oval.
“You know Simon?” one of the men snapped his head up. “And you say that this man was a rapist?” Now a look of confusion clouded the man’s features. “How is it that Simon Wood, a policeman, came to be travelling with a rapist? And not only Simon, but also that nice old bird, Mrs. Raye, and that little girl. How did all of them come to be travelling with old Cedric here if he is what you say?”
Shadiyah turned to the man and fixed him with eyes that were fast losing their human quality and transforming into nothing more than cold orbs that radiated hatred…especially towards anything male.
“My little sister is dead. She was raped by that monster’s gang of scum.”
“And Cedric took part in that, did he?” the man pressed.
Shadiyah opened her mouth, but she quickly discovered that she could not just say the word “yes” in response. After all, she had never seen Cedric with the three men that she had killed in her flat that day…a day that now seemed as if it might be a million years ago. The details had washed away, and all that remained was that image of her sister’s broken body on the ground where she had flung herself.
“He…he…” she tried to answer in the affirmative. Cedric had done it. He was one of the monsters; but the words would not come. Her tongue would not permit the lie.
“I think you need to come with us. We will bring you to Simon and sort this out.” The man took a step towards Shadiyah and in a flash she lashed out with her blade.
The weapon was a blur as it came across in a high arc. The man took a step back and opened his mouth; perhaps he was going to call for his companions to help him. However, no words would come as a thin red line appeared across his throat. For just a second, it was barely even visible, and amidst the dirt and grime of the day, it was very difficult to even see until the trickle turned to a steady stream and blood poured down his neck.
The man clutched at his throat as he staggered back. More blood came, frothing from his lips, dribbling down his chin, as well as pouring through his fingers.
The other three companions had apparently seen enough; all thoughts of bringing her to Simon had ostensibly been abandoned. They took off towards the direction of where Shadiyah knew the crowd had assembled. She was only vaguely aware that things had grown mysteriously quiet in that direction.
“What have you done?”
Caron had Shadiyah by the arms and was giving her a sharp shake to try and snap her out of whatever had overcome her. The problem was that she did not want to snap out
of it. There was a comfort to be found in this new darkness. She could not explain it, but ever since she had taken down those animals that had attacked Assi, she longed for that feeling to return where she felt like she was in complete control.
A small voice in her mind tried to tell her that it was all an illusion; that she was never truly in control of anything. She silenced that voice and then fixed Caron with a hard stare.
“Let. Go.” The words were dripping with venom, but it was the total lack of emotion on her face that was the most terrifying.
Caron released her grip and stepped away. A tear welled up and then flowed over the cusp of her right eye and carved its way down her cheek leaving an easy-to-follow trail in all the dust that had collected on the woman’s face.
“Don’t do this, Shadiyah,” Caron almost pleaded. “Don’t let the hatred and anger sweep you away. You came here to do something good. Let that be the part of you that wins.”
“Shadiyah!” a familiar voice called her name.
Looking past Caron in the direction that those three people had run, Shadiyah saw Simon’s familiar form come around the corner a couple of blocks away. It was also easy to identify Mrs. Raye at his side.
Without another word, she turned and took off as fast as she could run. She heard her name called again and again, but she ignored it and kept running. She had no idea where she was, but she was certain that she would not be able to stay here; nor would she be able to return to that house. That would most certainly be one of the first places that they came searching. Caron would lead them, of that Shadiyah had no doubt.
At some point, she had reached the edge of town. She raced through the yard of the house that sat at the edge of the huge field that rolled away and promised wide open terrain. Being out in the wide open was not ideal, and her eyes scanned for anyplace that she might go to hide. The only thing in the near vicinity was what looked like some sort of shipping and warehousing facility. It was just through some trees and on the other side of the train tracks.