The chorus of “Yes, ma’am” and “Yes, Mrs. Hood” was subdued and reluctant. Kimberly knew they didn’t want to think about the worst happening but, at this point, they had no other choice. Michael Leeds’ actions had proven he could not be trusted. She exchanged another significant glance with the nurse and wondered what they could do about the situation.
#
Jeff waited until he saw Shin close and lock the side door to start his twenty minute timer. He sat under a tree, out of sight, holding the radio at hand with an earbud in, listening for noise. He wanted privacy for what was to come. From his advantage point he could see both Hadfield and Bonny Halls. Shin entered the former as Mrs. Hood and Nurse Krenshaw exited. The two women had their heads together and he couldn’t hear what they were saying. He lost interest when they entered Bonny Hall and disappeared from sight.
His palms were sweating with the anticipation of what was coming. He wondered if they were going to turn around and charge right back when he gave them his ultimatum. Privately, he wished Lee had not gone on the supply run. He liked the guy. But he had to keep Ron happy. That way Ron would back him in the next part of the plan.
Finally, twenty minutes was up and the radio crackled to life in his ear. Jeff grinned. “Showtime.” He pressed the button to talk. “I hear you. Over. Change of plans, Lee. You got that list I gave you? Over. Yeah. You guys need to get every single item in tier one or we’re not going to let you back in. Over. Not kidding. Someone’s been stealing food and if we don’t get everything on that list we won’t survive the winter. That’s the price for you guys to get back in. Over.”
Jeff winced a little at the response and bared his teeth all the more. “Good luck with that. Over and out.” He pulled the earbud from his ear before he heard Lee’s response and turned off the radio. He was shaking and sweating but he felt great. Eventually, Lee and the rest would come to understand that this was all for the good of the academy and that Jeff’s extra motivation had been the right thing. No matter what he sat to the guys he wouldn’t lock the supply team out. That just wasn’t right.
He got up and headed back to the dorms, stopping halfway to watch Mrs. Hood come storming out of Bonny Hall like a woman going to war. He waited until she had disappeared around the corner, headed towards the main hall where Swenson’s office was. Jeff shook his head. He wasn’t sure who had done what but he was glad he wasn’t on the receiving end of Mrs. Hood’s ire.
#
“You knew about this?” Kimberly’s voice took on a dangerous tone and she clenched her fists.
Robert held up both of his hands in a futile calming gesture. “Not about Leeds and Sophia. No. I knew he had a preference for young women but he’s never forced them. In fact, half the time, they’ve pursued him. He’s only human after all.”
“I don’t believe this. This is exactly why I refused to move the girls to Hadfield Hall. Too much opportunity for abuse.” Kimberly paced back and forth. “You do realize what Leeds is doing is called statutory rape, don’t you?” She looked at his face. He would not let meet her eyes. “And you let it go on here? You let him keep his job?”
“Now, Kimberly, I did bring it up to the board. Not one of those girls, or their parents, wanted to pursue that avenue. The board decided it best not to bring that sort of scandal on the Salton Academy.” He kept his voice at its most reasonable best despite the headache the clacking her shoes were giving him.
“It’s rape and it’s illegal!”
“The board did reprimand him.”
“Reprimand him how? A note in his file?” Her fury morphed into disbelief as Swenson looked away from her. That must have been exactly what happened. “You’ve got to be kidding me. And you let it happen on your watch. You disgust me.” Her voice was low and filled with venom.
Robert stood, his voice rising with his anger. “Not one of those girls were hurt. Not one was even withdrawn from the academy. No one was hurt. It’s a victimless crime!”
Kimberly turned and looked at him. “He left bruises on Sophia’s arm. He’s got a master key to Bonny Hall. What’s it going to take, Robert? A bruised and bleeding girl on the floor? Or a dead one?”
He collapsed back into his chair and stared at his desk. “What do you want me to do? It’s not like I can banish him from the campus.”
“Why not?”
Robert looked up, startled. “It would be unconscionable. He would die out there.”
“So, you’d rather have him in here, with us, abusing the girls?” When Robert didn’t respond Kimberly leaned on the desk. “If you won’t do something about this, I will.” She turned and strode from the office without waiting for a response.
“Be my guest,” he muttered and shook his head. Robert uselessly shuffled the papers around on his desk, fighting the despair that threatened to overwhelm him. First Jeff’s betrayal. Now this. He glanced at Evan’s picture and sighed. The smiling teenager was a stranger to him.
Robert knew really should go visit his son and see how he’s doing. “I should tell him I’ve sent Lee for his medicine.” Instead of getting up and seeking out his son the principal of the Salton Academy turned his back on the picture and stared out the window at the empty campus quad and its untidy lawn.
#
“Didn’t expect Joe to volunteer for Evan.” Jeff leaned back in his chair. He looked at Ron. “But you were right. If Melissa went, Lee went.” He fiddled with his Swiss Army knife, pulling open each of the tools one by one until it was completely open. Then he closed them all. It was a Swiss Army Eagle Scout Explorer with everything from scissors to a magnifying glass to a reamer with a sewing eye to numerous blades and other useful tools. His sister had given him the knife on his fourteenth birthday. His heart sped up at the thought of his dead sibling and he turned his thoughts back to the conversation.
“Joe has a crush on Evan. He’s bi, you know. At least, that’s what I’ve heard.”
“Really?” Jeff looked thoughtful. “Didn’t know that. I know Caleb and Steve are, you know…”
“Fucking?” Ron shrugged. “Whatever. It keeps Steve from pining after me. I just don’t swing that way. Or any way for that matter. Better things on my mind.”
Jeff knew better than to point out that Ron had had a serious thing for Melissa and they all knew it. Then again, in all the years he’d known Ron, Melissa was the only person to attract him. No wonder he took her rejection so hard. “Steve’s been in love with you for ages. I think Caleb’s just a diversion until he can convince you to take a walk on the sausage side.” Jeff laughed, fiddling with the magnifying glass, staring at the edges of a hole in his pants. He would have to fix that soon.
Ron, lying on Jeff’s bed, turned over and gazed at him. “So, what was that look Swenson gave you when he saw Evan’s name? It was like you kicked his puppy.”
“I kinda did. Back when we all made the agreement that everyone went on supply runs and no one had to go twice until everyone had gone once. Including staff.”
“And?”
“Swenson asked me to keep Evan’s name out of the bag. He didn’t care about his own name but his precious boy needed to be protected.” He put his Swiss Army knife back in a pocket and picked up a pen, clicking it open and closed several times. “In exchange, I got to run the Commons.”
“What made you change your mind?”
Jeff scowled. “That fucking dog. We’re never going to be secure while that thing is inside the walls. Swenson won’t do anything about it because it’s Evan’s dog.”
Ron sat up. “So, we’re gonna kill it?”
“Yes.” Jeff clicked the pen a couple more times. “It’s why I wanted Evan gone on the supply run. So we could kill the thing in peace. We’ve let it endanger us for too long.”
“How we gonna do it?” Ron licked his lips.
“Shoot it. The sound should be muffled inside the gym with those sound dampening walls. And even if it’s not, no one is going to blame us
for killing one zombie dog.”
Evan, who had come looking for company, stood outside Jeff’s door, listening to the boys he thought were his friends, talk about killing the one thing he loved above all else. He slipped away before they could discover him. Fury clouded his mind as he went. To think he was coming to thank Jeff for thinking of the academy, for keeping such good track of the supplies, and for making sure they were all safe.
“I get to be there, right?”
Jeff nodded. “Yeah but I think we’re going to have to deal with Swenson first.”
Ron grinned and rubbed his hands together. “He’s on the list, eh?”
“Top of the list but we’re going to have to make it look like an accident.”
“Or a suicide.”
“Or a suicide.” Jeff looked thoughtful. “Yeah. And I think I’ve got just the place for it.”
Five
Pria and Maya stood side by side in the fourth floor suite they had taken over and had quietly fortified into a bunker. Before them, in the back bedroom closet, was all of the stolen food. It was enough to keep two people alive for many weeks. Months if they were careful. They contemplated the stash for a long time.
“Do you think we should return it?” Maya toyed with the keys in her hand, the only keys she knew of for this particular suite.
Ever practical, Pria shook her head. “No. We can’t do it anonymously and I don’t trust Jeff. There’s something off about him.”
“You think he’d turn us in?”
“I don’t know. But the last thing father told me was to make sure you were safe. This is the only thing I can think of. If things get crazy we can hide up here, lock the door, and keep really quiet until things stop being crazy.”
Maya gave her sister a half hug. “I know it’s hard. Because we don’t look like them, we don’t worship like them, they would abandon us first.”
Pria nodded. “Yes. So we keep our secrets.”
“Okay. What about Professor Leeds?”
She gave a small scoff. “He doesn’t like dark meat. He can’t look at Mrs. Hood without a sneer. I think we’re safe enough.”
Maya looked at her arm and coffee colored skin. “I don’t know. I think he might do so down the line. We may be last choice but we’re still girls.”
Pria pulled a knife from her pocket. “He won’t touch us. I swore to father I’d protect you and I meant it.”
Smiling her gratitude Maya led Pria from the fourth floor suite, closing and locking the doors behind them. If nothing else, they always had this sanctuary.
#
This time when Michael went looking for Sophia she was exactly where he expected her to be. She sat in the bell tower of the main hall, bundled up against the cold. The weather wasn’t bad but there was a bite in the air that promised the forthcoming winter was going to be a cold one. He saw no surprise on her face as he closed the door and walked over to the two lookout chairs.
“Hello, darlin’.” He gave her his most charming smile.
“Professor Leeds.” Sophia turned back to scanning the field beyond the side gate.
“I thought we were beyond such formalities.” He reached down to touch her hair and frowned as she pulled away. “You’re mad at me. Why?”
Sophia got up and walked away from him. “I just don’t want to be touched.”
So, he thought, it was going to be a chase. Maybe she was testing him. Maybe she felt he had taken her for granted and he needed to prove his desire. Michael moved to stand close behind her. “You know I love you.” He wrapped his arms around her.
Sophia stiffened. “Stop.” She squirmed and twisted.
He let her go just enough so he could see her face. “Why? You like it when I touch you.”
“Not anymore.”
That hurt more than expected. He let her go but didn’t move away. She would not look at him. “Why not? What did I do wrong?”
Now she looked at him. “Nothing. Everything. I don’t know. I just don’t want to be with you anymore.”
“I never hurt you. We had some good times, didn’t we?” He leaned towards her. “Didn’t we?”
“We did. But now…” She shook her head. “I just don’t want…to anymore.”
Michael took a step back. She had begun to say, ‘I don’t want you.’ “It’s the Harridan. She told you to break it off with me. Damn bitch.”
“No!” Sophia rounded on him, her hands shaking and her knees threatening to buckle. “When we got together I was scared. My whole family was gone. You comforted me, promised to protect me. But now…” She stopped, her eyes saying what her mouth was not willing to say yet. I don’t need you.
The fury rose but he put a clamp on it. It was Hood. It had to be her. Silently he swore he’d deal with the meddlesome woman. “I see. And now that everything seems safe and secure, I’m just not worth it anymore.”
“It’s not you. It’s me. I’ve changed. I’m the one who…I just don’t want anyone right now.” It was a lie, of course. She did have her eye on another boy. Sweet, soft-spoken Ken. But she couldn’t say that to Professor Leeds. Sophia raised a hand then dropped it. “Please, Professor Leeds, I’m sure there’s someone else.”
Michael couldn’t stand the pity in her voice. He let some of the fury go. “Oh, yeah. And where the hell is this someone else supposed to be? Hmm? I love you, Sophia, and this is what I get. Thanks for nothing.” He started to stalk away, then stopped with his hand on the door. “This isn’t over. Not yet. Not until I say so. You just think about that and think about how you’re going to apologize for hurting me. You got it?” When she didn’t respond he let his voice rise. “You got it? Answer me.”
Pale and shaken, Sophia nodded, “I-I got it.”
“Good. I’ll be in my suite. You’d better come soon, before my patience wears out.”
#
Jeff flourished a piece of paper at his friends. “It’s done. I’ve got the list.”
“Which list?” Steve looked up from his crossword puzzle.
“The List,” Ron said, sitting straighter, his eyes gleaming. “You know.” When Steve still didn’t understand Ron rolled his eyes in disgust. “The Kill List, you idiot. I swear, sometimes you’re dumber than a bag of wet mice.”
Steve flushed but didn’t say anything.
Jeff looked down at the paper in his hands. “Right you are. This is the order I want to go.”
“Well?” Ron licked his lips. “Read it off.”
“Okay. Swenson, Hood, Evan, Shane, Aaron, and Ross.” Jeff watched them. When none of the boys responded he added. “But we can change up the order.”
“Why them?” Steve asked.
Jeff sighed. “Swenson because he’s ineffectual. Hood because she’d like to keep the girls locked up like nuns. Evan because he’s dying anyway. It’d be a mercy killing. You saw him. Shane, Ross, and Aaron because we have to thin out the competition a little.”
“Competition for the girls?” Ron shrugged. “I’m not interested in them. Why not have Leeds on the list then? He’s an asshole and he’s constantly chasing the girls.”
“I kinda like Ross. He helped me with my homework,” Steve added.
Jeff crossed off Ross’ name and added Leeds. “So, Swenson, Hood, Evan, Shane, Aaron, and Leeds.”
“In that order?” Ron shook his head. “It should be Swenson, Leeds, Hood, and Evan. Then reassess. We’ll see how they all react. I mean, Shin might freak the fuck out.”
“He’s a good guard, though. And he likes cleaning up. He knows how to fix things. He’s useful.”
“What about Pria and Maya? It’s not like any of us are going to go for them. I mean, they’re Indian.” Steve stood and stretched.
“I don’t know. Put a bag of their heads. They’re still a good sperm bank.” Jeff grinned as the rest laughed at his crude remark. In truth, though, he thought both Pria and Maya were very pretty.
“So, Swenson, Leeds, Ho
od, Evan. In that order?” Ron nodded. “Though, if Shane or Aaron present themselves as good targets…” He let the thought hang in the air.
Caleb, who had been quiet throughout the whole conversation, closed his book. “We’re really going to do it? Kill people? Murder them?”
Jeff renumbered the list. “Yes. For the good of the academy. You want to survive the winter, don’t you? Or would you rather starve?” His eyes narrowed at the thought. “Or are you the one stealing the food?”
Caleb shook his head. “Not stealing and no, I don’t want to starve. But we’re talking about killing people. I just…I’ve never killed anyone. Not even a zombie.”
Jeff swallowed hard in sudden remembrance of the few he’s had to kill. Don’t think about her, he ordered himself as he clenched a fist. “You’re lucky. I don’t ever want to have to fight zombies again. That’s why we’re doing this. So we’ll survive and be safe.” His eyes hardened. “And we’re starting with Swenson. Going to make it look like suicide.”
Ron stood, moved to stand next to Jeff, and looked down at Caleb then over at Steve. “Are you with us or not?”
Steve hesitated before he stepped to Jeff’s other side. “Yeah. Are you with us or not?” His voice wasn’t as strong as Ron’s.
Caleb froze and flushed for a moment before he grinned wide, baring his teeth. “Don’t get your panties in a wad.” He stood. “I just wanted to make sure you all understood what you were saying. I’m in. I’m with you.”
Jeff nodded. “Good. So, here’s what we’re going to do with Swenson…”
#
Evan sat across from his dog, watching it uselessly claw at the equipment cage. Beauregard was attacking the hinge side of the door because that was as far as he could reach. The chain bolted to the wall stopped him from attacking the latched side. He was sure Beau would be able to escape if he could run full on at the door. If he threw himself at the door enough times the latch would give.
Standing on partially numbed feet, with his joints screaming their pain, Evan crossed close to the metal mesh cage. He considered the bolt in the wall and the zombie dog before him. He could see that Beau had already pulled one of the bolts free from the wall and it really was only a matter of time before the other bolt came free. He looked around for a wrench and found it in a pile of other tools.
The Last Days of Salton Academy Page 4