Expulsion

by Perrin Briar

  But wasn’t that essentially what they were doing with the population of Second Chance right at that moment? They had no say in what they were trying to do to them, to what they were trying to turn the world into. There was only their conviction they were doing the right thing. Who were they to judge?

  Because they were the ones with their skills. For whatever reason, they had been the ones given these talents. Had they been chosen? No, he couldn’t believe that. But the skills they had would have had some kind of effect on them and the type of people they had grown up to become. There could be no denying the effect their skills had on others.

  Quinn didn’t have an answer for that. In fact, he couldn’t even begin to answer it. But the answer was to the positive, even if he didn’t know right then how far to the positive. Right now, they were working that advantage on the innocent people of Second Chance.

  Their primary weapon was fear. Fear of the unknown, what was in the darkness, heightened by what they all knew was in it. If he could, Quinn would have brought every Undead he could find down upon them. But he just wasn’t strong enough.

  He also didn’t know what the Controller’s reaction would be. He must have Sensed another overlord, just like him, working against him, able to overpower him and force some Undead inside one of his villages. Would he have cared? There had been no sign of any reaction from Arthur’s Port yet.

  Would there be?

  They were counting on it.

  It was a good thing he couldn’t bring all the Undead down upon them the way he desired. It was better to strike when the locals weren’t expecting it. Let them be fearful, then relax, and then strike. The second attack would have a great deal more effect on the people because they would have believed themselves safe again.

  Should he mention that to Siren? Or did she already know how to approach the situation? She knew a great deal more about the human psyche that he did. Who was he to tell her how to deal with them?

  “Quinn?”

  Quinn near jumped clear out of his skin. He turned to find Jethro approaching him.

  “I’m sorry,” Jethro said. “Did I scare you?”

  “Yes,” Quinn said. “No. I mean… I was a million miles away.”

  “A lot of people are these days,” Jethro said.

  “What can I do for you?” Quinn said.

  “It’s actually something I’d like to do for you,” Jethro said. “With all this moving around, from one place to another, we never got to say thank you for what you and Siren did for us.”

  “What do you call carting us all the way here?” Quinn said.

  “Coincidence,” Jethro said. “We were heading here anyway.”

  “Still,” Quinn said. “You didn’t have to bring us here.”

  “You certainly didn’t have to rescue our little girl either,” Jethro said.

  “How is Alicia getting on now?” Quinn said.

  “Well, thank you,” Jethro said. “I don’t like to think where she would be right now, what she would be doing. Probably lost to the seven winds. Anyway, we wanted to invite you and Siren over for dinner. Tonight, if you’re available.”

  They had a lot more work to do if they were to break the community’s spirit, but Quinn supposed it would have been good to take a break and get a feel for what the real concerns of a family living here was. They might even give them a little more ammo.

  “I’d love to,” Quinn said. “I can’t speak for Siren. She might have a night shift.”

  “She’s working in the kitchen, isn’t she?” Jethro said.

  “That’s right,” Quinn said.

  “Cook is a pussy cat,” Jethro said. “She goes weak at the knees at the sight of a baby. I’ll make sure to take ours along, and she’ll be sure to let Siren come.”

  “If you can swing it, we’ll both come,” Quinn said. “Without a baby in tow, I’ve heard Cook is somewhat of a dragon.”

  “That’s only for show,” Jethro said. “It’s the only way she can ensure to run the kitchen the way it requires. Otherwise, no one would ever get fed. I need to go. I’ll see you tonight. At seven?”

  “Sure,” Quinn said. “I’ll see you then.”

  At lunch, Quinn stopped by the kitchen and spoke with Siren.

  “Did you get the invitation?” he said.

  “More like a summons,” Siren said. “Cook wouldn’t let me not go. Still, it’s good to knock off work a little early.”

  “How are things going?” Quinn said.

  “Well,” Siren said. “But I had an idea. I thought I might force them a little lower, then pull them back up so I can—”

  “Smack them down with another attack,” Quinn said. “I thought the same thing.”

  “Do you think you can manage it?” Siren said. “Timing is everything for something like this.”

  “Jethro’s farm is one of the farthest from town,” Quinn said. “If there’s anywhere I’ll be able to get a good signal, it’ll be from there.”

  “All right,” Siren said. “Begin gathering them as soon as you can, but don’t release them to attack until we’re at Jethro’s house so we—”

  “Have an alibi,” Quinn said. “I’m right with you. Not that I’m sure how we’d even manage to do something like this without the abilities we have.”

  “You’ll be amazed how creative people can be when they’re desperate to blame someone,” Siren said. “If they start pointing the finger, we’ll want to make sure it’s not in our direction.”

  “Shall I meet you here at six thirty?” Quinn said. “It’ll take a good thirty minutes to walk to their farm.”

  “Yes, okay,” Siren said. “See you then. Cook is already glaring at me.”

  “And a long march ahead for me,” Quinn said. “Fun times.”

  After his shower, Quinn dressed in his clothes that had been freshly cleaned and pressed by the launderette team. He headed to the kitchen. Poor Siren had no such luck in finding the time to shower before they headed out. She didn’t complain. He supposed she was used to it.

  “This feels strange,” Siren said as they walked. “For us to go to a friend’s home and eat a meal. It feels like something we might have done in the old world.”

  “I guess that’s what everyone here is looking for,” Quinn said. “A return to the way things used to be. That’s why they work so hard and give up certain freedoms.”

  They drew up to the front door.

  “Ready?” Quinn said.

  “And raring,” Siren said.

  Quinn knocked on the door. It was only a few moments before it was answered by Jethro, along with the family in his arms.

  “Welcome!” Jethro said. “Come in! Come in!”

  The house was alive with activity. The kids were running from room to room, the little girl they’d saved chasing her younger siblings. They screamed and squealed, excited.

  Quinn had a collection of perhaps a dozen Undead so far, held a short distance from Second Chance. It was difficult to find somewhere to break through the town’s defenses after their first attack. The guards were on higher alert and were no longer playing cards. However, the defenses were not impregnable.

  They had been designed with the Undead in mind, so they did not link up perfectly. It was possible in the dead darkness of night for the Undead to slip through without the guards knowing. It had taken Quinn several hours to test the perimeter for any weak links, and final found the one he thought best suited their needs.

  Quinn Pulled on the Undead, into position, forming a single conga line so they could each slip through. They were passing through the gaps now. Once they were through, he organized them into five groups of five, then issued each group an order.

  They would attack at the same time to create the maximum amount of panic. Two groups would attack the farms again. The other two would be sent into the village. It didn’t matter to him where or how they attacked, only that they were seen.

  Quinn felt the familiar resistance he always did when taking contr
ol of the Undead, coming from the Controller. He was still far away and hadn’t reacted at all to the first attack. Still, as powerful as he was, he was able to Push against the Undead Quinn commanded, causing them to hesitate for a moment. But they followed Quinn’s orders.

  He had been hoping to sit back and relax, to let them do his bidding, but that wasn’t something he could risk. If this didn’t work, he didn’t know when they would get another chance to attack the town. Hamilton would have upgraded their defensive strategies by then.

  Quinn shut his eyes and apologized to the Undead, not that they could understand what he was saying. He felt sorry for the death that was coming their way. He consoled himself that at least it was for the greater good. Still, he didn’t exactly feel good about sacrificing them.

  Siren was replying to the questions and well wishes that the family directed at her and Quinn. He was too busy concentrating on the task in hand.

  “Are you all right, Quinn?” Jethro said.

  “Yes,” Quinn said. “Just thinking about all this Undead business.”

  “Yes,” Jethro said. “We were talking about that just this morning weren’t we, love? It’s terrible, really. Awful. That people here can’t feel safe any longer. Especially with how hard they work. It’s the least they ought to expect.”

  “Yes,” Quinn said. “Awful.”

  He pulled the trigger, commanding the Undead to enter the farmhouses and town center. It didn’t take much longer than a few seconds for the first screams to go up. People would be locking down their homes, others running for help. Only the guards had no choice but to fight, hacking the Undead down where they stood, both on the farms and in the village.

  “What in blazes?” Jethro said, moving to a window. “Honey, get the kids upstairs. Lock the doors.”

  “You go upstairs too,” Siren said. “We’ll stay here and let you know when it’s safe to come back down.”

  “Safe?” Jethro said. “That’s a joke.”

  “Go upstairs,” Quinn said. “We’ll be all right.”

  Jethro looked like he wanted to argue, but he decided against it. These people had headed out into the darkness and returned with his daughter. If anyone knew how to defend themselves, they did. He ushered his family up the stairs.

  “How’s it going?” Siren said.

  “As well as can be expected,” Quinn said. “Only a couple left now. The guards are well-trained.”

  “But not good enough to keep the Undead out,” Siren said.

  “It’s a good thing we attacked now, while we could,” Quinn said. “Given more time, Hamilton would have come up with a way to defer us from entering. And… that’s it. They’re all gone.”

  Still, the guards didn’t come knocking on the front door for another hour, as they moved through the town, searching every nook and cranny for more Undead creatures. At the knock, Quinn pulled the door open.

  “What’s going on out there?” Quinn said.

  It was Gary. He blinked.

  “Quinn?” he said. “What are you doing here?”

  “The family who live here invited us over for dinner,” Quinn said.

  “A home cooked meal,” Gary said. “All right for some, I suppose. The Undead struck again. This time at lots of places in town.”

  “That’s what I thought had happened when I heard the screams,” Quinn said.

  “Did anybody get hurt?” Siren said.

  “No,” Gary said. “Luckily, we managed to act fast. They must have slipped through our defenses somehow. You need to go to the community center. Palek is going to tell everyone what we’re going to do next.”

  “The family are upstairs,” Quinn said.

  “I’ll tell them,” Gary said. “You go on to the meeting.”

  Walking down the street heading into town, the locals were coming out of their own homes, a river of people, all heading for the same location.

  Quinn didn’t need to ask Siren how they were feeling. He could see it plainly on their faces. Angry, disappointed, afraid… All the good stuff.

  By the time they arrived at the raised stage, Palek was already waving his hands in an attempt to calm everyone down, but they were having none of it, raising their voices and punching the air with their fists.

  “What happens if they get in again?”

  “What if someone dies next time?”

  “What if we can’t stop them? What if a flood is heading toward us?”

  “Everyone, please,” Palek said. “Stay calm. We are doing everything we can.”

  But the people couldn’t stay calm. Their safety, and that of their children, was on the line. How could they sit back and let the Undead come in and attack them?

  “The guards aren’t doing their job!”

  The situation was getting out of hand. Hamilton stepped forward.

  “I am Sergeant Hamilton,” he said. “I have come here to help bolster your defenses and disable any Undead attack—”

  “You’ve done a bang-up job so far!” the baker said.

  Hamilton’s jaw muscles tightened, clenching, the tendons straining against his skin.

  “Do any of you have any idea how difficult it is to defend an entire town without walls or other defenses from the Undead?” he said.

  “Tell it to the choir,” the baker said. “We each do our part. If you’re not up to it, give the responsibility to someone else. I don’t see why we should pay the Controller anything if he can’t even protect us.”

  That drew everyone’s attention. Then the crowd began to nod.

  Hamilton turned to Palek.

  “Are you going to let your people speak about the Controller like that?” he said.

  Palek thought for a moment, then stepped forward. Siren sent her influencing tendrils at him, wrapping him in a warm blanket, steeling him with self-confidence.

  “The last time I checked, we live in a free country, Sergeant,” Palek said. “If the Undead are on our doorstep and the Controller is not defending us with the resources we require, we will have no choice but to defend ourselves. We will not pay any offering to the Controller if he does not aid us.”

  “You’re playing a very dangerous game,” Hamilton said. “The Controller will not take this news lightly. Are you sure this is your decision?”

  He looked sorry for the words coming out of Palek’s mouth, and knew with cold certainty what it would mean.

  “It is,” Palek said.

  “I will go to the Controller and inform him of what happened here today,” Hamilton said. “I will request more guards and return by evening. If I don’t appear by then…”

  Palek nodded. He understood what it meant. It would mean the Controller had not accepted Second Chance’s demands of more protection, that Hamilton had been imprisoned for being unable to control the rising dissent.

  It would mean the Controller would come to them.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Siren was, as always, preparing food in the kitchens, and Quinn was sharpening swords on a grindstone when the alert went up. The whole village was tired and tense, prepared for another Undead attack at any moment.

  “They’re coming!” someone shouted, running down the street. “The guards are coming!”

  It was late afternoon of the day Hamilton had returned to the keep to inform the Controller of Second Chance’s demands for extra protection. They had arrived faster than anyone expected. The extra guards were approaching on horseback, a cloud of mist kicked up at their approach.

  The people gathered at the village center and cheered. Hamilton was at their head, but there was a resigned look on his face. Siren’s stomach pitched, a sour taste in the back of her throat.

  They weren’t there to help, Siren knew. There was something off with the way they approached the town, the way they held themselves, looking down their noses at the local inhabitants.

  And they were going too fast. Much too fast, even to stop.

  The people screamed as the horses smashed into the villagers
with their armor breastplates, knocking them down and trampling them underfoot. They didn’t stop until they got to the other end of Main Street. Other locals rushed to aid those who had been injured, carrying them off the road to avoid being trampled again.

  The guards pulled up to the community center. Hamilton hopped off his horse and met Palek.

  “Are you mad?” Palek said. “You ran down innocent people!”

  “In the Controller’s eyes, they are not innocent,” Hamilton said. “Hear me out, Palek. This is your last chance. You need to stand down, to let the guards do their job.”

  “Except, you’re not doing your job,” Palek said. “If we don’t stand up now, someone will die because you failed to keep up our defenses. Can you live with that? Can you live with the fact you will have directly led to the death of innocent people? People you were tasked with to protect?”

  “That’s precisely why you need to stand down,” Hamilton said. “Stand down, and let me do everything I can to ensure we remain safe here. In addition, the Controller had made some fair demands. In exchange for our continued protection, you will continue to make your offerings.”

  “We cannot,” Palek said. “We will make them, so long as our safety is assured. No protection, no offerings.”

  “Palek,” Hamilton said, lowering his voice. “You must understand the jeopardy you’re putting the people here in. You remember what happened at Hope.”

  That gave Palek pause for thought. Then he shook his head.

  “No one will live here if safety is not to be had,” he said. “Why live here, working our fingers to the bone, when we could live elsewhere and be in the same level of danger?”

  “You don’t know what danger is,” Hamilton said. “Next time, it won’t be the thundering of horse hooves you hear, but the cold steel of our blades.”

  Siren attempted to influence the two men, but it was no good. They were each single-minded in their beliefs. They could not be shaken. Siren instead turned to the villagers. They were terrified, but possessed enough anger that could be caused to explode with the right spark.

  “Guards, to me,” Hamilton said.