by L. J. Cuff
Claire immediately spun around causing the two women to startle.
“I thought my eyes might’ve been playing tricks on me but, you saw it too, didn’t you?” Claire asked, furrowing her brow.
“I don’t know what you’re on about,” The younger woman responded.
Claire opened her mouth to speak again when the older woman pulled her in close. “We aren’t supposed to mention these type of things.” She said.
Claire shook her head. “How do you know about them?”
“Because I was one of the others until I found out what they were doing. They tried to exile me but the others would have none of it. They kept asking why I couldn’t just be sent in here. So here I sit.” She said forlornly.
“What’s your name?”
“Heather, you?”
“Claire, it’s nice to meet you.” Claire looked to her left but saw the younger woman had already moved on. She glanced back at Heather with a bewildered look.
Heather shrugged and said, “They don’t believe me. They like to believe that Ben is keeping everyone safe and that if we all behave then somehow we’ll be allowed back into our homes. What they don’t know is that those homes were all burned to the ground in an effort to appease the Beasts.”
“Why would they want that?”
“I’ve no clue but I know Ben has been doing everything so they won’t openly come in here anymore but one day, there won’t be anyone left to exile…” Heather paused as she considered the situation.
Claire patted her on the shoulder. “It’s ok… It’ll all be ok…”
“Lights out!” A person by the door shouted before the cell was immersed in darkness.
“Good night, Heather.” Claire said, turning herself around on the floor and lay down.
Claire listened as Owen lay down next to her. She could feel his breath deepen as he entered his dreamland. She couldn’t bring herself to close her eyes, much less fall asleep.
“Claire? Are you still awake?” Emma asked, whispering into Claire’s ear.
“Yeah, what’s up?” Claire responded in a barely audible whisper.
“I noticed you were speaking to Heather earlier.”
“Yes, I was.”
“Why?”
“No reason in particular.”
“Oh, ok… I just thought that maybe she told you the truth about the exiles.”
“Which is?”
“That the people are being fed to the Beasts to stop them from raiding us.”
“Good night, Emma,” Claire responded before turning over and pretending to fall asleep.
* * *
“Are you sure about this?” Mary asked, looking over at the shed then back at Dennis. She could barely see him with the sun shining through the branches.
“Mostly…” Dennis shrugged, looking over at Charles and Wayne who were tied up under a tree, muttering at him.
Mary rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I guess we have no choice do we?” She asked, stepping over to the tree and picking up a stick.
“Not particularly… It took over an hour drive to get here which means it’ll take almost all day to get back… That’s not exactly a walk I’m willing to take with the infected around here.”
“Do you believe what these two were saying?”
“About what?”
“That they’ll send more people and will wipe out the little colony.”
Dennis took in a deep breath and shrugged. He looked at Charles then Wayne then back at the shed. “We’ve already killed two of them,” He began, “What’s another few?”
“Hmm…” Mary responded, before poking Charles in the arm.
“Mary… Come on… Focus…”
“On what? The fact that this man here,” She said, giving Charles a very hard jab, “Is the reason I was in shackles in the first place?”
Charles kicked in her direction but to no avail. Mary lifted up her foot but stopped when she heard an engine revving nearby. She crouched down and positioned herself in the bushes.
A small, black car drove up to the shed. The windows were almost completely painted black, hiding the person inside. It came to a full stop just a few feet from Mary. Charles and Wayne were silent as they watched the driver’s door swing open and a pair of feet hit the ground.
Wayne’s face became flush with fear as his eyes widened. Mary took in a deep breath and remained extraordinarily calm. She bent down slightly to see Dennis’ hand giving her the signal. She slowly nodded and bent her knees, ready to strike.
The beast closed the door and took two steps. Mary finally understood why they were called Beasts. It was barely recognizable as a human being. Its face was completely painted red and black. Its shirt was made from human skin with human hair adorning its shoulders as ornaments. It stood and looked around.
Mary quickly shot up from behind the bushes and pounced on it. She knocked it backwards into the ground and began slamming its head down into the dirt. She pulled a knife out of its pocket and raised it up when suddenly, she stopped. The beast threw her off and ripped the knife out of her hand. It held it high when its eyes became glazed over. Dennis kicked it off her and held out his hand to help her up.
Mary looked him straight in the eyes then looked over at the beast. “You know, that thing was human…”
Dennis slowly nodded. “I know.”
Charles and Wayne mumbled into their respective gags.
“Oh, will you two just shut it?” Mary shouted over to them. Dennis glared at her causing her to roll her eyes. He stepped over to Charles and put his hand behind his head.
“I’m going to remove the gag on the count of three… You will get a chance to decide what will happen to you after… Ok?” He said before waiting for a nod. Charles stared him straight in the eyes and gave a slight nod. “Ok then, let’s begin our question period.” Dennis said, pulling Charles’ gag off.
“Why did you tie us up instead of leaving us at the crash?” Charles angrily asked before Dennis had a chance to speak.
Dennis momentarily paused and thought carefully about his answer. He slowly began, “Because I wasn’t about to allow you to stop us and despite your treatment of my companions.” He pointed to Mary who was keeping a lookout for more Beasts. “I understand why you behave the way you do and I would like to help you solve your problem.”
Charles studied Dennis’ expression, and then spoke, “How?”
Dennis pointed over his shoulder at the beast lying on the ground.
Charles shook his head and lowered his eyes. “You don’t understand,” He began before lifting his eyes and looking into Dennis’. “By killing the ones that were here, they’re just going to send more… This has happened in the past… We’ve done in more than a dozen of them but somehow, more just keep coming…” Charles looked forlornly at the dead body behind him. “It’s almost like there’s so many more of them then of us and they’re more capable.” He nodded towards the shack. “We’ve brought so many of our folk out here for trades in a deal that would keep them away from our gates but it’s never enough…” He looked back at Mary then at Dennis. “We were hoping that… Well… That somehow you would find a way to kill them all but…”
Wayne screamed into his muffle, trying to get closer to Charles to keep him from speaking. Dennis nodded and thanked Charles then stepped over to Wayne. He quickly hit Wayne in the forehead then picked him up under his arms and dragged him over to the back of the shed. He came back to Charles and helped untie him.
“Let’s drive this close to home and hide it among the trees.” Dennis said, motioning for Mary to get into the car.
“But what about Wayne?” Charles protested.
“What about him?” Dennis responded icily.
Charles shook his head. “You can’t just leave him here! I won’t let you!”
Dennis looked at him and shrugged. “Ok then,” He said before spinning around to punch Charles in the face. Charles fell backwards against the ground. Dennis lifte
d him under his shoulders and dragged him over to the shack.
“You know, right, they’re going to shoot us the moment we show up?” Mary asked.
Dennis nodded at her before they both got into the car. He turned the key in the ignition and revved the engine. “That’s why we’re not going in through the front door,” He replied with a sly smile.
Using his knowledge of the back of the area, Dennis navigated to the back fence where he’d been with Emma the first day and ditched the car.
* * *
The horn sounded out in the distance waking everyone from their slumber. They slowly filed out of their prison cells, shuffling along almost as if they were infected. In her half-dazed state, Claire walked right into a door causing the guards to start laughing at her and intentionally putting out their feet to watch her fall. She grumbled in anger and continued walking.
The sky was still dark, the stars clear in the sky. Claire looked up and for one brief moment, she felt as if all was hopeless. She heard a voice coming from in front of her and looked towards it. Ben stood at his podium, surrounded by candles held by the others.
“We are gathered here tonight,” Ben began, speaking into his loudspeaker. “To acknowledge the sacrifices made by those around us and to forgive them of their crimes.” He motioned towards the crowd where Claire and Owen stood. “We know you have transgressed against us…” He motioned towards the others. “And we accept that you cannot help but do it… We will help you gain an understanding that only through hard work and sacrifice can you overcome these horrible… Awful… Desires…” He paused, taking in a deep breath as he looked down at the crowd.
Claire stared at him and for one brief, fleeting moment, she saw complete clarity. “Fuck you!” She shouted at the top of her lungs. “You just want to work us to death then feed us to the Beasts!” She continued. “We are not food!” She shouted again and again, pumping her fist into the air.
It wasn’t long before others from the crowd were doing the exact same thing. Ben pursed his lips, watching the once orderly crowd, refusing to allow itself to be contained. People began breaking off and running towards the large house, picking up rocks to throw through the windows.
Claire stood perfectly still, allowing the chaos to ensue around her. Watching from her peripheral vision the damages. She smiled as her eyes met Ben’s and they both knew what would come next.
Ben’s guards came running towards Claire and she ran from them, pretending to be frightened. They chased her towards the fence. She jumped at the wall, bouncing off and hitting one of them in the head. The other raised his gun to hit her but she swiftly punched him in the stomach. She kicked him in the head then flipped him over causing him to fall onto the first guard. She raised her arms out to the side in triumph then gave a half smile to Ben.
Ben pulled a whistle from his front pocket and winked at her. He lifted it to his lips then put the megaphone in front of it. He blew as hard as he could making the little object squeal into the speaker. Everyone immediately dropped to the ground, holding their ears including Claire.
Within moments, the whistling stopped but Claire’s ears were still ringing, as if it was still sounding. Two guards lifted her by her arms and brought her to Ben. One said a few words but Claire didn’t hear any of them. She was carried off into the distance without any further interaction.
Chapter Three
Claire’s hands were high above her head as she swung from the tree. This was her punishment for openly disobeying Ben and his followers. She was not given any water or shade to protect her from the scorching sun, she was just left to hang by her arms, swaying in the slight breeze. Her feet almost able to touch the ground but not quite.
Two guards approached her. She lifted her legs to give them firm kicks but one of them firmly grabbed her legs while the other pulled her arms down. She bent her knees to no avail, the guard gripped her even tighter. She tried to speak but the gag in her mouth prevented her.
The guards carried her from the small apple patch out to the common area where the previous gatherings had taken place. She saw on the ground a small mound of large rocks. She kept her attention on it as she was taken to a pole and tied to it.
The guards turned and left. She could hear them joking to one another but couldn’t hear about what.
Ben approached her. He shook his head and spoke, “Tsk… Tsk…” He touched her gently on her cheek. “You know, I kind of liked you, that’s why I chose to keep the three of you…” He sounded extremely disappointed. “What a pity,” He said, turning around.
“You fucker! You’re killing your own people!” Claire shouted at him.
Ben shook his head and spun around. “You don’t understand… This is something that has to happen… Ever since we were first raided… They gave us options but our old leaders wouldn’t hear it…” He pointed to the gate. “We have to do this in order to survive!”
“Tell yourself whatever you have to… We both know the truth… You sell out your own people to these Beasts just to keep you and your friends in power…”
Ben pursed his lips and walked away. After a few steps, he glanced over his shoulder and muttered, “Enjoy your last few hours in this world and pray for the next.” He continued walking forward, away from Claire.
* * *
Mary and Dennis approached the fence covering the rear of the crop field. They kept as low to the ground as possible. Once they were touching it, they both put themselves in crouching positions and looked for any movement.
“No one is here,” Mary stated, looking carefully through the fence.
“Yeah…” Dennis responded.
She looked up into the sky then back through the fence. “Is it naptime?” She inquired.
Dennis glared at her then stood up. He grabbed hold of a few of the loops and proceeded to climb up and over. Mary quickly followed him. The two of them stayed low to the ground to avoid trouble with guards who weren’t expecting anyone out in the fields. They made their way to the cells but found them empty as well.
“Where is everyone?” Mary asked.
Dennis was about to answer when he stopped. He pointed behind him and asked, “Do you hear that?”
Mary heard a faint humming as well. Almost a murmur but not quite, as if it was many voices speaking but all at once. The two of them stepped out of the cells and made their way towards the noise. As they approached, they could tell it was a whole crowd of people speaking.
They were about to join them when they noticed guards surrounding the area. They each quickly hid behind trees.
The first guard to approach looked around then back at the crowd. He pulled a small strawberry out of his pocket and sniffed it. He heard someone else approaching and quickly put the berry in his mouth. He smiled casually at his fellow guard.
“What do you think, is she a kicker or a screamer?” The guard asked as he neared.
His friend smiled in response and shrugged his shoulders.
The guard shook his head. “You know, one of these days, you’re going to get caught and tried for that.”
“I don’t get why we can’t occasionally taste the goods.”
“Because our fearless leaders take first picks, you know that Frank.”
Frank rolled his eyes in response.
“So what do you think? Kicker or screamer?”
Dennis motioned for Mary to take the one on the left while he was heading towards the one on the right. Almost simultaneously, Dennis and Mary each grabbed a guard by the neck, pulling them to the ground and holding them until unconscious. They each took the guards’ guns and walked towards the crowd where they finally saw what was happening.
Emma had a gun held to her head. She was holding a rock while standing in front of Claire. In front of her lay Heather’s corpse, dead from a single shot to the head. Emma had tears in her eyes as she lifted the rock to her chest then dropped it in front of her.
A shot sounded out. Emma furrowed her brow, puzzled that she felt
no pain. She looked to the right and saw what happened. Ben was crouched down next to her, clutching his hand. The guards converged on Dennis and Mary as they each lifted their respective guns to defend themselves.
One of the others climbed over to Ben and pulled his whistle from his pocket. They picked up the megaphone and were about to use it. Suddenly, Emma lunged forward, throwing the whistle to the ground.
“That punishment will never be used again!” Emma announced.
The guards and the others approached Emma but the crowd of workers stopped them. They surrounded the guards, one by one, swallowing them whole as they uselessly called out for help. Their guns, having been stripped away, were thrown by Emma’s feet. Not even one of them went off as it was thrown.
Emma shook her head as she watched them. Ben stood up before her, lunging at her. She kicked him swiftly in the teeth causing him to fall back on his knees.
The others were brought before Emma and forced to their knees. Emma looked down at the guns by her feet then at the others in front of her. She bent down and lifted the megaphone.
“My friends,” She began, “This is not a time for us to fight one another.” She took in a deep breath. “This is the time for us to be united. We will show the mercy that was not given to us because that is who we are. But we cannot forget what happened here…” She looked around herself and saw everyone was watching her. “These guns,” She pointed downwards, “Will no longer be used for intimidations. Everyone will be doing their fair share of the work.” She glared over at the others. “Let us begin the healing by deciding a leader within the next week and all of us helping to harvest the crops.”
She looked over the crowd and everyone was nodding. The guards and others who were held were escorted to the jail cells. The crowd began cheering for Emma and it was as if there was a collective sigh of relief.
Dennis’ and Mary’s eyes met. Dennis reached out his hand and Mary placed hers in his. They leaned close to one another and shared a passionate kiss.