Land of the Dogs (Book 1)

by S. L. Rowland

  For a moment, people sat in silence. When it was apparent no other fights were happening, they started to leave. Jealous Mike had a large wheelbarrow that he was using to gather up the dead bodies and severed limbs. Justice stood in the middle of the arena, still looking down at the Mayor’s body.

  “Do you believe his story?” asked Claire. “About the Mayor.” She was petting Hope, who intensely watched Mike gather the body parts strewn across the arena.

  “I do. Did you see the anger in his eyes? He had been holding on to that for a long time. You can’t fake that,” said Simon.

  “That’s terrible then. To put your family at risk over your own pride.”

  “I agree. And that explains the scars on his face. His wife must have clawed him,” said Simon.

  “From the time I spent at Town Hall, I never would have expected it. He seemed so even keeled. Like he had an answer for everything.”

  “Maybe it changed him. Maybe losing his wife and daughter put him in a position to where he put all of his energy in to protecting the people who lived there.”

  “It doesn’t matter if he saved a thousand lives.” Justice had returned to where they were sitting. “He was responsible for those two and he caused their deaths.”

  “What happened to Town Hall?” asked Simon. He stood up from the bleacher.

  “Don’t worry about them.” He gave Simon a wink. “They are all okay. They have a new leader and we’ve made arrangements with them,” said Justice.

  “Who’s in charge?” asked Claire.

  “Her name was Maggie. She’s smart. Smart enough to know she couldn’t fight us. Only two people died before they surrendered William. I’d say that’s a win-win.”

  “You could have buried the hatchet,” said Claire. “And no one would have had to die.” Hope jumped to the floor as Claire stood up.

  “That’s not how life works, Claire. People must always answer for their crimes. Now if you’ll follow me to my room, I’ll answer your questions.”

  “Do the dogs ever get hurt?” asked Claire as she followed Justice out of the gym.

  “Not often,” said Justice. “We mostly use large dogs. They really hate these creatures that people become. I don’t know if it’s the smell or what, but they hate it. Dogs are the best way to know when they are around. They can just sense it somehow. But the large dogs don’t have a problem tearing them apart. We had a poodle once, his leg got caught and it was pretty bad. The crowd loved it though. At night, we let all the dogs sleep outside. They can sense those fucks before our guys can spot them.”

  They walked through the door. The hallway was dark. The sun had disappeared and only a small amount of moonlight shone through the overhead lights. There was a box of candles lying against the wall. Justice grabbed a few and handed two to Simon and Claire.

  “I don’t understand how everyone has so many candles,” said Simon. He took the candle that was handed to him and lit it at the lone sconce hanging on the wall. He could see a few small lights of people turning a corner up ahead until they vanished.

  “They’re surprisingly simple to make. Not that we do it here,” said Justice. “We have an arrangement with a small farm a few miles east. Only about ten people live there, but they used to raise bees before it all went to shit. And apparently beeswax is used to make candles. Who knew? So they supply us with candles and we make sure no one fucks with them. I hear David’s people make their own candles, too.”

  Justice’s room was far away from the gym. They walked past families as they were settling down for the night. They passed the escorts, where moans of pleasure could be heard through the walls.

  “These are the officer’s quarters,” said Justice as they turned down a new hall. “We each have our own room. It might be a little excessive, but it’s all about the image.” At the end of the hall was Justice’s room. Someone had already been in and lit a few candles for him. There was a large king size bed back against the wall. A couch was on one side with a few chairs across from it. A table with chess pieces sat in the middle, against the wall stood a bookshelf with survival manuals and military tactics. Justice pointed to the chairs. “Have a seat.”

  Simon and Claire placed their candles in a candle holder by the table and sat down in the chairs. The chairs were wooden, one of the few things left from the classroom that had once been filled with desks and children.

  “Before you ask me anything, I want to know something. Can I ask you a question?” asked Justice.

  “Sure,” said Simon.

  “What do you think of this place?” asked Justice, taking a seat and lying down on the couch in front of them.

  “What do you mean?” asked Simon.

  “I mean what do you think about what we have here? What are your impressions? I’m not going to change a fucking thing I do, but I like to know what people think.” He put his hands behind his head, waiting for their answer.

  “It’s a little harsh,” said Simon. “It’s—”

  Claire interjected. “I think what Simon is trying to say is that this place is a little screwed up. The entertainment you have, the way everyone is treated like cattle, the whores. It’s all a little much. And you act like these people need you. Maybe they do. Or maybe they are just too afraid to try anything new.”

  Justice laughed. “You’re right. It’s all a charade. But it works. By making this place into a hell hole, it keeps me alive. It keeps them alive as well. You know, I’m not ready to die. And my sister wasn’t ready to die. But if me running this place like a fucking concentration camp keeps me alive, then that’s what I’m damn well gonna do,” said Justice. “Anyways, who is it you are looking for? I do this little talk with everyone that comes through, so I’m sure I would remember if they came by.”

  “We’re looking for our mom,” said Simon, “and our brother Dan. Her name is Julie. They were out looking for Claire. They thought she was missing and we are hoping they might have come by here. Otherwise we are at a dead end.”

  Justice laughed. “Dead end. It’s a funny phrase now, isn’t it? Since death isn’t the end. Maybe they should call it ‘brain smashed end,’ since that’s the only way it’s over.” He sat up straight. “They were here. Not for long, though. I didn’t even give them the tour. They had nothing to trade. So I took their weapons and sent them out into the cold.”

  “What the hell!” screamed Claire. “Why would you do that?”

  “They knew the rules,” said Justice. “The same as you and everyone else. They didn’t want to play by them so I made a statement. Nothing is free in this world. Nothing. You best remember that.”

  “You’re a real piece of shit,” said Simon, he stood up and took a few steps towards the door. “Claire, let’s get out of here.”

  Claire stood up and they started walking towards the door, Hope following.

  “Claire!” yelled Justice. She turned and looked him in the eye. “You’re a smart girl. I can see that. Otherwise you wouldn’t be standing here today. Not many girls make it out there traveling around on their own.”

  “What’s your point?” she asked, infuriated and ready to leave.

  “Nothing. No one leaves after sundown,” said Justice. “I suggest you find a bed somewhere.”

  “Come on. Just let us go,” said Claire.

  “Rules are rules. And besides, what can you do in this dark? One of those dead fuckers could just pop up on you and you’d never see them coming. I have no hard feelings against you and I didn’t have any against your folks either. It’s business is all.”

  “Screw you and screw your business,” said Claire. Justice had all the power inside the high school, but she didn’t care.

  “One more thing,” said Justice, smiling. “Once you leave, there is no coming back unless you are moving in for good.”

  They took their candles, leaving Justice alone in his room. In the hallway, it was dark. Their candles lit a dim circle around them.

  “What do we do now?” asked Simon.
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  “I have no idea. He just sent them away with no direction or weapons. What a scumbag,” she said.

  “I know, but we knew he was ruthless when we set out here. Let’s try to find a room and maybe we can make a plan for tomorrow.”

  They walked down the officers’ hall. In the distance, a candle began to appear. They passed Jealous Mike; he ignored them as he walked by on the way to his room.

  “Hey!” called Simon.

  Mike turned around. “What do you want?” he asked, annoyed. His black clothes were stained yellow from moving the bodies.

  “Why do they call you that? Jealous Mike?” asked Simon.

  “Because a guy tried to get with my old lady and I caved his head in with a crowbar. I guess they thought I was jealous.” Mike walked into his room and shut the door.

  “This is such a toxic community,” said Claire with a sigh. “Not even a community really. Just a bunch of thugs bossing people around.”

  In the escort hall, one of the doors was cracked and Simon could see a young woman going down on an older man, his head tilted back in pleasure. Candles flickered across the underside of his face.

  “And there is no way those girls are in there voluntary,” she said, disgusted.

  “You never know,” said Simon. “If given an easy life of pleasing men versus a hard life of manual labor, I could see the appeal in being an escort.”

  “You’re so full of crap, Simon. A woman should never have to sell her body to feel safe. Sex should be meaningful. It should serve a purpose higher than just pleasure. It’s supposed to be a bond. And I’m not talking about on a religious level. A woman can have as many partners as she likes, but each of them mean something. It’s never just about getting off. It’s about the connection.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t know,” said Simon.

  “What do you mean, you wouldn’t know?” she asked.

  “I’ve never had sex,” he said, looking down at Hope to avoid Claire’s eyes.

  “Seriously? You? Mr. Star Baseball Player is still a virgin?” asked Claire.

  “Yep. It just never felt right. And I never was in to using girls like a lot of the other guys,” he said.

  “God, you were such a good kid.” Claire laughed.

  “Were? I still am,” said Simon. He looked at Claire.

  “I know. But it doesn’t matter as much anymore.”

  “I think it matters now more than ever. People are better than what we have seen here. David proved that. And regardless of what the Mayor might have done in his past, he was a good man when we knew him.”

  “It’s hard to tell sometimes. It definitely seems like there are a lot more dickheads out there these days,” said Claire.

  In the next hall, where the bunks were, they found a large room with a small family inside. Near the back, sitting on a bed, was a man, woman, and a little girl. The father was balding, but that was the only thing that gave an indication he was aging. He was lean and muscular. The mother appeared to be in her late twenties. Her brown hair hung low around her back. The girl was young, seven or eight, with short brown hair. She wore a purple and pink polka dotted dress. Several of the beds were empty. They had sheets and blankets, military style, folded up at the end of each.

  “Mind if we stay here tonight?” asked Simon.

  “Be my guest,” said the man. Simon set his bags down on one of the beds near the wall. The room was barren except for the bed and small pile of bags belonging to the family. A few candles burned around the room, causing a whirlwind of light.

  “That’s a beautiful dress,” said Claire, looking at the little girl. The girl hid her face behind her father.

  “Cindy, say thank you,” ordered the mother.

  “Thank you,” Cindy repeated, peeking her head out. “Pretty doggy.” Hope trotted over to Cindy, as if he knew she was talking to him, and let her pet him on the head. He licked at her fingers and she laughed.

  “She is adorable. I’m Claire. Nice to meet you.” She extended her arm and shook hands with the girl’s mother. The woman’s grip was weak, like limp noodles.

  “I’m Debra. Nice to meet you. This is my husband Kirk. Are you going to be staying here now?”

  “Not a chance. We’re searching for our family. They came here a few months ago, but Justice took their weapons and threw them out in the cold,” said Claire.

  “See, Kirk? I told you we shouldn’t have come here,” said Debra.

  “Keep your voice down.” Kirk looked to the door. “Where else would we go? We need to protect Cindy,” he countered.

  “I don’t want to invade your privacy, but there are other places, you know,” said Simon. “Places better than this. I can promise you that. I don’t trust this place. Not one bit.”

  “Are these other places safe?” asked Kirk. He picked up Cindy, who had rejoined the family on the bed, and sat her in his lap. She hugged her dad tight. She didn’t understand what they were talking about, but she knew he was upset.

  “As safe as it is here. And you can actually have a life at them. I mean, you can actually enjoy life,” said Simon.

  “How far away are they?” asked Kirk.

  “Two days if you make good time, three if you’re slower.”

  “There’s no way we would have enough food or water for three days. And if we tried to take extra supplies, Justice would kill us. We’d never have the energy to make it,” said Kirk.

  “What if you went without us?” Debra pleaded. “Checked it out and then came back with supplies for the journey.”

  “Justice would never let that happen. Either we all leave or none of us do,” said Kirk. He turned to Simon and Claire. “What are you two doing about food? Justice won’t give you any to take with you.”

  “I guess we’ll try to find some along the way. I imagine we’ll be hungry the first day, but at least we’ll have water,” said Simon.

  “Where are you going?” asked Debra.

  “I’m not sure yet. We’ve got a map, but no real direction. We’ll be taking a shot in the dark with no way of knowing if we are going the right way or not,” said Simon. “We should really be getting some sleep soon. It’s gonna be a long day tomorrow, wherever we end up going.”

  Simon and Claire each took a bed. Hope crawled in bed with Claire and curled around her head. The room was stuffy. The windows were nailed shut, so there was no hope for a breeze. They both lay in bed for a while, thinking over everything they had witnessed so far, of where their family might be, and hoping against hope that they might find them.

  Simon could hear whispers from Kirk and Debra as he fell asleep.

  Debra and Kirk’s muffled footsteps woke Simon. He lay in bed, listening to the whir of zippers and Velcro as they packed. They looked nervous as they stuffed their belongings in bags. They spoke in hushed whispers, inaudible to Simon. Cindy lay asleep in bed.

  “Everything okay?” asked Simon. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and sat up in bed.

  “It will be,” said Kirk. “We’re coming with you.”

  Simon sat up on the edge of the bed. “Are you sure?” he asked, not knowing what to think. It was a big decision for them to leave Justice’s camp. It would slow down their journey for their family, but Simon felt he owed it to these people to see them to safety. Cindy deserved better than growing up here.

  “We talked it over last night. It’s not safe here. We need to get out,” said Debra. She had bags under her eyes. Sleep had not come easy to her.

  The talking woke Claire. “What’s going on?” she asked. She sat up and stretched her arms. Her bones cracked audibly.

  “They’re coming with us,” said Simon. He looked to Claire to see if she had any thoughts on the subject.

  “Good. They don’t belong here.” She turned to Debra and Kirk. “We’ll take you to a safe place to live. Where you can raise Cindy in peace.”

  They finished packing, then woke Cindy.

  “It’s time for breakfast, honey,” said Debra.

/>   Simon and Claire packed up their things and sat them by the door. Together with Kirk, Debra, and Cindy, they walked to the dining room for breakfast.

  Several people were already eating and a few more were in line for food, but the majority had not arrived yet. Breakfast consisted of eggs, strawberries, an apple, and a glass of milk. The milk was sour, almost making Simon gag. They ate in silence. Debra and Kirk ate their food with gusto. Simon could sense they were nervous and anxious to begin their journey. They wanted to leave before Justice noticed.

  After breakfast, they returned to the room and grabbed their bags.

  “What are we doing, Mommy?” asked Cindy, the silence and way everyone rushed around was beginning to upset her.

  “It’s all okay, baby. We’re going somewhere new where you can have lots of friends,” answered Debra. She gave Cindy a firm grab on her shoulder in reassurance.

  “Really?” Her eyes were wide with excitement.

  “Really,” said Kirk. “Somewhere you can run and play. And we’ll all be so happy.” There was a smile on his face for once.

  They walked down the hallways, past people going to their jobs for the day. Occasionally, someone would give them a questioning look. Out in the courtyard, a few hundred feet from the exit, a voice called after them.

  “Where do you think you are going?” It was Justice. He was running towards them.