by Fleet, Ricky
“Is everything ok?” came a voice that was ignored.
The traitors could sense something in the air and looked over nervously. Standing up, they started to back away.
“Don’t you fucking move!” Denise roared, covering them with her pistol.
“What’re you doing?” babbled Ollie.
“You can’t treat us like this,” wailed Jacqui.
“Shut your mouths and get up against the wall! Palms on the stone!”
Gloria added her own threat at the business end of the shotgun. Fear twisted their faces at the unexpected violence.
“We’ve already agreed to do more work!”
“What more do you want from us?” Jacqui begged, glancing back over her shoulder.
“I said, shut up!”
“If anyone moves, they get shot,” Sarah warned. “Do you understand?”
“What’s going on?”
“I said, do you understand?” Sarah screamed, making them all flinch and cower away.
“We understand! Jesus, calm down.”
“Now’s not the time to mouth off.” Jodi sneered, swinging the morning star.
“What’ve we done?”
“I think you know,” said Denise without further elaboration.
Sarah moved to the end of the line, watchful for any sudden movements. Looking at the trembling forms, she was satisfied the point had been made. Yanking one of Ollie’s arms from the wall, he snatched it back aggressively. Pulling her knife, Sarah jabbed the point into his neck.
“You do that again, I’ll open your jugular,” she whispered in his ear.
“Ok, fuck. Just tell me what you’re doing.”
“No.”
Clutching the arm again, she twisted it behind his back and studied the hand. The skin was filthy, from a normal lack of hygiene. Sniffing the sleeve and then the lower trouser legs, Sarah was satisfied he was just a lazy, dirty creep.
“Get over there!” she ordered, pushing him away forcefully. “And for fuck’s sake, have a wash.”
“Ouch,” he murmured at the insult.
“Now you,” Sarah said to Jacqui. She was a lot cleaner in general but carried no scent of the corrosive cleaning product. Repeating the procedure for each of the rebels, they were all similarly clean of physical evidence. Once they were all seated under guard, Sarah begun to question them.
“Where have you been for the past two hours? Did any of you leave this room?”
“No, we’ve been here the whole time!” Ollie replied.
“None of you have been on guard? None of you have used the toilet?”
“No! What the hell’s going on?”
Bob looked away from his book. “They’ve been here since breakfast.”
“Thank you, Bob,” smiled Jacqui.
Giving her the finger, he returned to his reading.
“Charming,” she huffed.
Turning from the chastened cowards, Sarah huddled with the others. “What do we do now?”
“I think we need to assume that we have a prisoner inside the castle,” Denise warned.
Overhearing the hushed whispers, Jacqui bolted to her feet. “What? They’re in here?”
“Sit down and shut up!”
“We deserve to know!”
“I won’t warn you again!” Sarah yelled, accentuating the warning with the pointed end of the blade.
“Has something happened?” asked Bob, his normal carefree demeanour slipping.
“Someone’s been hurt, badly,” Denise muttered through a lump in her throat.
“Who?”
“Patricia,” Gloria explained.
“Where’s the doc? I’ll go and get her,” he offered, jumping from his bed.
“It’s too late for that.”
The mad energy fizzled out and he cast his eyes at the floor. “Oh. I’m really sorry.”
“We should get the others back from the wall. That way we can organise a search of this place to find them!” Jacqui barked.
“I don’t think we have much choice,” said Gloria, reluctantly. To agree with the conniving woman was almost too much to bear.
“Hang on,” Ollie spoke up as something registered. “Why were you smelling us?”
Sarah looked at the others. “Do we tell them?”
“They’re in this with us,” Jodi replied.
“Our food’s ruined.”
“What?” chimed twenty concerned voices from around the hall in unison.
“Someone hurt Patricia and poisoned our stock in the pantry.”
“We’ve got nothing to eat?” Jacqui blurted.
“And my friend’s dead, you selfish bitch!” Denise yelled.
If it wasn’t for her training, she’d have popped two rounds in her chest there and then. Shrinking away, the woman could sense how close she had come to violence for her ill-timed outburst.
“If you don’t mind me asking again,” said Ollie, cautiously. “Why were you smelling us?”
“Whoever did it used bleach to contaminate the food.”
“We can wash it off of the pasta and dried produce. It may give us enough for a day or two.”
“Oh God, we’re going to starve to death,” sobbed a voice across the room.
“Wait, I smelled bleach a little while ago,” Ollie remarked.
“When?”
“About an hour ago, maybe less.”
“Where was it?”
“Right here! I told you we haven’t moved.”
“Were you near someone? Who was it?”
Panicked by the quickfire questions, he shuffled backwards until he could go no further.
“I was just sat here when I got a whiff.”
“Who was moving around?”
Jacqui’s mouth slowly opened as it dawned on her. “Mr Vincent came hurrying through.”
“What?”
“I remember it because he was whistling and smiling. I’ve never seen him do that before.”
“He wouldn’t…” gasped Jodi.
“After all the chances Kurt gave him?”
“I think we know the answer,” replied Sarah.
A pall of doom settled over the room like a black shroud. Frantic, terrified conversations sprung up about leaving as soon as possible. Discussions of safe havens were bandied about with no consideration on how to actually reach them. An unknown member of the survivors even mentioned taking their chances at the prison.
“Everybody quiet!” Denise shouted.
“We’re not running. We’ll sort this out, I promise. In the meantime, I need you all to stay calm and help us find that bastard.”
“Is Kurt going to kill him?” asked Ollie.
“No.”
“But why? He’s betrayed us.”
“Careful using that word!” Sarah snapped. “And Kurt won’t kill him, because I will.”
“The rest of you, pick the quickest amongst you and warn the guards on the wall. Everyone else, pair up and start looking. I want him found, now!”
“Shall we tell Kurt?” asked Bob as he passed.
“No, I want him to stay in the room and relax. Once he’s better, we can tell him what happened.”
“We’re still without food,” Bob remarked.
“I know that, Bob. Thanks for the newsflash.”
Holding up his hands in apology, he scurried off.
“What if he’s used the time to escape?”
Sarah pondered Jodi’s question, then shook her head. “He’s too afraid. He’ll be hiding in here somewhere.”
“Denise, where do you think he’ll have gone? You’re used to rooting people out that don’t want to be found.”
Following the others as they dispersed for the search, she stopped in her tracks. “What’re his motives?”
“To starve us?” offered Sarah.
“That’s one part, but why?”
“To get us to leave. Or die.”
“What would force us to leave a hell of a lot faster than no food? We can survive fo
r weeks without eating.”
“The water?” Gloria gasped.
“The well!”
“We can catch the rain, though,” said Sarah.
“It hasn’t rained in four days. The sky’s completely clear.”
“Shit! Move!”
They ran in a flail of arms and thundering legs towards the watchtower and the life sustaining water. Careening up the hundred steps, they could make out lumps of faecal matter and splashes of urine on the stone.
“What the fuck is he doing?” Jodi asked through shallow breaths in time with her climb.
Sarah knew exactly what he was doing. “He’s using it to contaminate the water.”
“Bastard!”
Passing under the archway and the carefully stacked longbows, they could hear the merry tune on the wind. A clatter preceded a faint splash three or four seconds later.
“Vincent, stop what you’re doing!” Denise shouted as they entered the well house.
“Nearly done,” he chuckled, tipping another full chamber pot into the void.
“I said, don’t fucking move!”
“Where’s your fearless leader? I wanted him to see this.”
“Kurt’s not interested,” Sarah lied, thinking quickly. “He’s left it for us to deal with. What were his words, Gloria?”
She glared at the poisonous individual and his smug, self-satisfied grin. “He said that Mr Vincent’s pathetic attempt to undermine us wasn’t worth worrying about. He’s left us to deal with you.”
“Preposterous,” he blurted, the confidence wavering.
“I’m afraid it’s true,” Jodi agreed. She could read the game well enough; they weren’t going to give this creature any satisfaction despite his murderous treason.
“He said that you’re a weak, cowardly wanker who didn’t deserve his time,” Sarah continued.
“I wasn’t a coward when I killed Jasmine and your friend though, was I?”
The lid on Denise’s raging pressure cooker of emotions started to clatter and boil over. Gloria caught her eye and shook her head slightly. This mustn’t be quick.
“Taking both of them from behind then scurrying away. You think that’s brave?” Jodi burst out laughing. “Either of those two would’ve killed you if you’d tried to take them on face to face.”
The arrogant contempt started to wane, and his left eye twitched with annoyance.
“Now you’re going to have to come with us,” Denise said, moving forward carefully.
“Why? So you can banish me?”
“We’re way past that,” Denise replied, taking another step.
“Don’t come any closer!” Vincent yelled, withdrawing Patricia’s gun.
“Put it down!” Sarah demanded, taking a step back.
“Now!” yelled Denise.
“I don’t think so,” he replied, backing up to the low stone wall of the deep shaft.
“Drop it!”
“This is my final gift to you bloody parasites,” he yelled, placing the barrel against his chest. “My sacrifice will protect this castle for another thousand years!” Pulling the trigger, nothing happened.
He looked down dumbly at the unresponsive weapon and Denise took her chance. The crack of her gun in the confines of the small room was deafening. Hit in the ankle, the power of the slug knocked Vincent’s feet out from beneath him and he collapsed to the ground. Shrieking in agony, he clutched at the shattered bone, blood streaming from the entry and exit wound. Rushing forward, she kicked the weapon out of reach.
“The safety was still on, dumbass.” She sneered, pulling her arm back and pistol whipping him across the face.
Slumping to the floor, he cried even louder as the flesh tore and the cheekbone crumbled from the blow.
“Tie him up! And bind the leg to stop him bleeding out!”
“Just kill me,” he sobbed, the words awkward from his broken mouth.
“Not a fucking chance,” Denise growled, pulling the belt from her jeans and looping it around his calf. Drawing it tighter than needed, she smiled as he thrashed beneath her.
“I can’t believe this has happened.” Sarah sighed, looking down at the floating buckets and shit. “After all we’ve gone through to get here, only to be undone by that miserable prick.”
“Glad to be of service.” He grinned, teeth red with clotted blood.
A brutal kick to his stomach wiped the pain twisted smirk from the hated face.
“You’re going to wish that gun had fired.” Denise glowered, dragging him to his feet.
Chapter 36
“What do we do with him?” asked Sarah, looking from face to face. Everyone from the core group had been called back. The others had been sent to cover the walls while Mr Vincent’s fate was decided.
Jonesy and DB favoured dropping him from the wall and watching him stagger until the rotting dead tore the flesh from his bones. Jodi and Peter had suggested drowning him in the noxious swimming pool. Denise kept quiet lest they think she was psychotic for suggesting days of agonising torture. Gloria refrained from offering a punishment, satisfied that whatever they agreed would be just. Sam and Braiden came up with ever more bizarre methods of brutal execution until Sarah sent them off with a playful clip round the ear.
“I think they’re getting to enjoy this too much. I shouldn’t have involved them.”
“Everyone’s involved whether we like it or not,” Gloria replied.
“I still don’t want them seeing whatever we decide to do. This world is dark enough as it is.”
“I can understand that,” said the fearless teacher.
“It’s the world we live in, though,” added DB.
“They’re strong enough without being put through that.”
“May I make a suggestion?” asked Christina.
“If you’re going to say we should lock him up, I’m afraid that’s just not going to happen,” Denise explained.
“Of course not, he has to die for what he’s done.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows in surprise. “I thought doctors were all for preserving life.”
“Only if it’s worth preserving,” she replied, thinking back to the crippled child killer.
“Ok, shoot.”
“Well it strikes me that we’re in a castle and the man has committed treason of the worst kind. He murdered people we loved,” she said, and saw the looks on their faces. “Ok, perhaps not Jasmine, but Patricia was an angel. She was brave, selfless, always willing to help people. And he took that away. He hoped Jasmine would bring a plague to end us all, and when that didn’t work, he chose to starve us out, knowing we would probably have to head back out into the dead world.”
“What’re you thinking?”
“The same as we used to do to traitors centuries ago; hung, drawn, and quartered,” she said.
“Isn’t that a bit extreme? What would the others say?” said Jodi.
“I don’t care,” Christina replied. “He would’ve gladly seen them die for his precious castle too. We need to send a message that we mean business. We’re lucky that it wasn’t the prison, but when they strike, it’ll be without mercy.”
“It’ll certainly bring the other rebels back into line.”
“I don’t know if I’ve got the stomach for that,” Peter said.
“That’s not a bad thing,” Christina replied.
“Who carries out the punishment? I’m not sure I could do it either,” DB said, feeling embarrassed.
“I’ll do it,” she offered, hoping that the massive soldier wouldn’t think less of her.
“Are you sure? It’s a pretty vile way to go.”
“No less vile than the fate he wished on all of us.”
Sarah looked at them in turn. “What do you say? Are we in agreement?”
“I’m not sure what this’ll do to the relationship between the two groups, but he killed Patricia and smiled about it. I’ll help you,” said Denise.
“It’s what he deserves,” Jonesy added.
> More nods were forthcoming, some a little slower than others.
“Do we tell Kurt?”
“No, this is too much. He needs time to heal.”
“Ok. When do we do it?”
“There’s no time like the present,” said the unperturbed doctor.
**********
“What is this?” Mr Vincent demanded as the vehicle arrived at the deserted upper bailey. The walls were empty of sentries, braziers fading from lack of fuel. The solid ground crunched under the pressure of the rolling wheels. A stack of logs and kindling built to the exact size of an adult male sat to one side of the frosty garden.
“Your punishment,” Denise replied.
“You can’t do this! I was protecting the castle!”
“And I’m protecting my friends.”
Dragging him out, he tried to fight, but with feet bound and hands tied behind his back, it was pointless. A gentle prod with her nailed finger into the weeping cheek wound was enough to make him compliant.
“I won’t let you do this!” Mr Vincent squawked, seeing the noose dangling from the crane hook.
“You did this to yourself,” Sarah snapped, grabbing him on one side while Denise secured the other.
“You won’t get away with this! I’ll… I’ll…”
“Kurt forgave you for what you did; he gave you so many chances to do the right thing. And you repay that forgiveness by murdering people and trying to kill the rest of us. My family, my children!” Sarah screamed, yanking him roughly towards the rope.
Crying out in pain, he started to wail as his fate became clear. “Please, I’m sorry. I don’t want to die.”
“Nor did Patricia or Jasmine. It didn’t stop you though,” Denise barked, slipping the noose around his neck.
“Let me make it up to you. I can tell you more secrets about this place,” he begged.
“We don’t care anymore.”
“Oh God, please don’t hang me.”
“Don’t worry, we’re not. Fully.”
“Wha… what?” he sniffed, fresh snot bubbling from his nose.
“You’re suffering the death of traitors. Hung, disembowelled, then quartered. Except I think we’ll probably just have to halve you because we don’t have four horses to rip you apart,” Christina said, matter-of-factly.
“You’re monsters! You’ll pay for…”