by Amy Cross
“That's exactly the point,” he replies, wincing a little. “There's a chance, and however small -”
Suddenly a scream rings out in the distance, followed a split second later by another and then another.
“Steadfall!” I shout, filled with a sense of horror as the screams get louder. Without waiting for Deckard to reply, I start running through the forest, desperate to get back.
Chapter Forty-two
Iris
“Round them up!” a voice shouts in the darkness, as screams continue to ring out. “Don't let any of them get away!”
Sitting up in the dark little hut, I see that fires are burning outside, lighting up the clearing. The screams started suddenly just a couple of seconds ago, while I was sitting here in the darkness and trying to work out how to locate Asher. Stumbling to my feet, I limp to the doorway and look out, just in time to see the silhouettes of terrified figures being dragged across the ground.
A moment later I see a woman running toward the fence. Just as it seems she might be about to get away, an energy blast flashes across the darkness, hitting her in the back and sending her slumping to the ground.
Pulling back, I realize that Harold and his friends have started to make their move. More energy bursts flash against the night sky, and it's clear that weapons from outside the island are being used. Trying not to panic, I reach down to my belt, only to find that I no longer have my knife.
“Don't kill them all!” Harold calls out. “I want as many as possible to be left alive!”
Suddenly a figure runs into the hut, almost slamming into me. When she turns to me, I realize that it's Olivia, her eyes filled with fear.
“What are they doing?” she stammers. “I don't understand -”
A moment later, someone grabs me from behind and slams me against the wall. Olivia screams, but she's quickly shoved to the ground and kicked hard, knocking her out.
“Move!” a voice hisses, grabbing my collar and dragging me toward the doorway. I try to fight back, but I lose my footing and drop down, only to get pulled out through the mud.
All around, people are screaming as fires continue to burn. Some of the huts have been set alight, while the center of the town's main clearing is burning bright thanks to a huge bonfire made out of all the crude tables and chairs we've managed to build over the years. Everything we've achieved at Steadfall is being systematically destroyed, and energy blasts regularly flash through the air, cutting down anyone who manages to make a run for the fence. After a moment I spot Leanne walking past the fire, aiming her gun and then blasting a man who tries to grab her.
Stumbling to my feet while still being dragged by the collar, I turn just in time to see Harold marching past the inferno.
“Put her in with the others,” he tells the guy who pulled me out of the hut. He glances at me briefly. “She's worthy of special attention.”
I try to lunge at him, but something heavy slams into the back of my head, knocking me to the ground. Unable to get back to my feet, I'm dragged across the rain-soaked mud until we reach one of the other huts, at which point I'm pulled into the darkness and then shoved against a group of screaming women who've been tied like the corpses at the other town. I try once again to get up, but a moment later a rope is tied tight around my chest and I'm pushed back down. No matter how hard I struggle, I'm quickly secured on the ground, and the guy with the gun heads back out, no doubt to round up any more survivors.
“What are they doing?” screams one of the women next to me. “Where did they get those guns?”
“Guns aren't allowed,” stammers someone else. “They can't have them, they just can't!”
I try to pull free, but the ropes are too tight. Filled with panic, I look down at the front of my tunic and see that there's blood and mud smeared all over the fabric, soaking through to my flesh. The ropes are wrapped around my chest and waist, but the guy who put them in place was in a hurry, so I figure there has to be a way to get free. Feeling something bumping against my shoulder, I turn and see a woman still screaming and trying to get free. Looking around, I realize that everyone else is doing the same thing, and it occurs to me that maybe if everyone went limp for a moment there might be enough looseness in the ropes to let us slip free.
Unfortunately, I can't exactly explain that, and even if I could, I doubt they'd listen.
Figuring that this is my only option, I twist around slightly and watch the nearest woman for a moment, and then I slam my head forward, hitting the side of her face and knocking her unconscious. As she slumps down, I turn to the next woman and do the same. This time I feel a thud of pain in my own head, but at least I manage to knock her out. The ropes are a little looser now but still not enough, so I twist around and look at the woman on my other side.
“What are you doing?” she stammers, her eyes wide with shock. “Iris, please -”
Before she can finish, I headbutt her as hard as possible, knocking her out cold. Again I feel a jolt of pain, but the ropes are even looser now. I twist and wriggle some more, and suddenly my shoulder manages to slip free. After turning and pulling a little harder, I'm finally able to get out, dropping down onto the mud and then crawling over to the hut's far wall. Looking back at the women who are still tied together, I see that three of them are unconscious now while the other two don't seem to have noticed that they can get free.
I'll come back for them, but right now I need to move fast.
Making my way to the hut's doorway, I look out and see that the scene has begun to calm down. Most of the Steadfall residents have been captured and tied in the other huts, although there are several dead bodies in the mud. Voices are shouting in the distance, and after a moment I realize that I can hear Harold and his two friends trying to catch one final person who seems to have escaped. Seizing my chance, I hurry out of the hut and slip around the side, before dropping to the ground and waiting. I don't know exactly where everyone is right now, so I need to be careful. Desperately short of breath, I wait for a few more seconds and finally I spot a figure running through the darkness toward the trees, followed by Harold and Ben. Energy blasts race through the air, but the dark figure keeps going. Whoever it is, he seems to be giving them the slip.
I check both ways, to make sure that no-one is nearby, and then I start making my way toward the next hut, figuring that I can start freeing people and -
“Going somewhere?”
Something slams into the back of my head, sending me thudding face-first into the mud. Before I can react, I'm pulled back up and twisted around, and then I'm sent crashing into the side of the hut. When I turn, I see Leanne standing above me with a gun aimed at my face. Her eyes are filled with hatred, as the light from nearby fires dances across her face.
In the distance, voices are still shouting in the forest.
“You're lucky,” Leanne sneers. “For some reason, Harold really wants to deal with you himself. I told him, it's better to just -”
Lunging at her, I let out a gurgled cry as I slam into her waist and knock her back. Her gun fires, filling the air with a blast of energy, but I manage to land on top of her and slam my elbow into her face with enough force to knock several teeth from her mouth. She tries to push back, but I start slamming my fists against the side of her head. When she reaches out to grab the gun, which she dropped when she fell, I pull her arm away. I try to get the gun for myself, but she pushes me back against the mud and lands on me, pressing me down harder.
“You've pissed me off now!” she hisses, as blood runs from her mouth. She punches me hard on the jaw, almost knocking me out, and then she turns to reach out for the gun. “Harold can't complain if I kill you in self-defense!”
Grabbing her by the collar, I pull her back and shove her to the ground, and this time she lets out a cry of pain as I hear a faint snapping sound. Looking down, I see that I've managed to break her arm, but I know I still need to finish her off so I climb onto her chest. The gun is too far away to reach and I don't have
a knife, so I reach down and wrap my hands around her neck.
“You're scum!” she hisses, spitting out teeth from her bloodied mouth. “You're just island scum and -”
She gasps as I squeeze tighter, and at the same time I push down with all my strength. She tries to reach up and force me away, but I focus every last ounce of energy on the task of crushing her throat. Gripping my wrists, she tries to push me back, but I know she'll kill me as soon as she gets the chance. Her eyes are wide now, staring up at me with a growing sense of fear. For a moment, she seems to stop fighting back, but then suddenly she starts panicking, desperately clawing at my wrists, digging her nails into my flesh as if she's realized that I'm not going to stop. Her whole body is shaking now, and she twists her hips in an attempt to push me off, but I squeeze my legs tighter around her waist in order to make sure that I can't be knocked away. My hands, meanwhile, are pushing harder and harder against her throat, and after a moment she starts letting out a series of choked gasps.
Even when she finally falls still, I don't stop squeezing. I need to be sure that she's dead, so I continue to squeeze until I'm sure that I've throttled the life out of her. Her dead, bloodshot eyes are staring up at me, and I swear they seem to be bulging out of their sockets just a little. When I slowly start to let go of her throat, I feel a flash of pain in my hands, as if I almost broke my fingers while I was strangling her.
In the distance, there's a flash of light as more gunshots blast through the forest, and a moment later I hear a loud, agonized scream. Whoever Harold and Ben were after, they clearly caught up to him.
Scrambling to my feet, I hurry around Leanne's lifeless body and start heading toward the fence. Stopping suddenly, however, I realize that instead of running away and coming up with a plan, I have to take this opportunity to free as many people as possible from the huts. Turning, I make my way past the inferno at the center of the clearing and I head to the first hut. When I reach the doorway, I see several screaming people tied together on the floor. I want to tell them that everything will be okay, but as I take a step forward I see that they're staring at me with fear in their eyes.
“Behind you!” one of them shouts suddenly.
“Impressive,” I hear Harold's voice say.
Turning, I see him smiling at me. Before I can react, his gun lights up and an energy blast slams into my chest.
Chapter Forty-three
Asher
“No, wait!” Deckard shouts, grabbing my arm and pulling me back as I make my way through the dark forest. “Asher, think about it for a moment! You can't just go storming in there!”
Up ahead, screams are still rising from the burning town. Flames are filling the night sky, casting vast, constantly-shifting shadows through the forest. Staring in horror at what's left of Steadfall, I can't even imagine what must be happening there right now, but I know I have to help.
“Asher, I'm serious,” Deckard continues breathlessly. “You have to be smart! You have to do this the right way!”
“People are dying,” I stammer, with tears in my eyes as I watch the flames up ahead, lighting the darkness beyond the tree-line. “Steadfall's dying...”
“Throwing your life away won't change anything,” he points out, still holding my arm tight. “The fact that they're screaming means they're still alive, which at least gives us hope. Asher, we can help them, but not by running straight into Harold's open arms. Don't sacrifice yourself needlessly! We need a plan!”
Still watching the flames, I suddenly realize that I've been in a situation like this before. Long-buried memories are bubbling to the surface, and I start to remember a burning forest with the sound of vast, heavy machinery in the distance. There were soldiers all around and... No, I was one of the soldiers, and we were moving through the darkness, firing at the enemy. Up ahead, waiting for us, there were...
I almost remember who we were fighting in the war. In my mind's eye, I see figures darting between the trees, heading this way.
“Asher!”
Turning, I'm startled as Deckard slaps the side of my face hard.
“By God,” he sneers, “you will keep your head together, do you understand?”
“I know,” I stammer, even though that brief memory has sent a flash of fear through my chest. “But what do we -”
“Down!” he hisses, dropping to the forest floor and pulling me with him.
“What it is?” I whisper, but a moment later I realize I can see a dark figure making its way through the forest, heading back toward the burning town. After a few seconds, I'm just about able to see the figure's face and I realize with a shiver that it's Ben. I instinctively move to go after him, but Deckard holds me back.
“He must have been sent to mop up anyone who escaped,” Deckard replies, keeping his voice low.
Again I try to get up, and again he holds me down.
“He's got a gun,” he whispers. “He's twenty feet away, Asher, what exactly do you think will happen if you try to rush him?”
“He has to die,” I reply, keeping my eyes fixed on Ben up ahead. “I want to kill all three of them personally.”
“He'd cut you down before you got halfway toward him,” he continues. “Asher, be smart!”
I know he's right, but at the same time I feel physically sick as I see Ben heading toward the town. After a moment, however, he stops suddenly, silhouetted against the flames of the huts, and slowly he turns to look this way.
“Do you think he heard us?” I whisper.
We wait in silence, as Ben takes a few cautious steps in our direction with his gun raised. He's not looking directly at us, but it's clear that he's got an inkling that someone is hiding out here.
“Show yourself!” he shouts. “I know you're there, but hiding just means you'll die when I find you! If you come out with your hands up, you still have a chance to survive!”
“Liar,” I mutter under my breath.
“I'm warning you!” he continues, taking a few more steps in this direction. He's barely ten, maybe fifteen feet away now. “Don't make me angry!”
“He's not going to give up,” Deckard whispers. “He knows someone's here.”
“What's the plan?” Ben calls out. “Do you think you can hide and I'll leave you alone? No chance. Do you think you can fight back? You're all by yourself and I will root you out!”
“He thinks there's only one of us,” Deckard mutters.
“But how -”
“When you see your chance,” he continues, turning to me, “take it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Be smart, Asher,” he whispers, reaching out and putting a hand on my shoulder. “You're strong and you're tough and you can do this, but you have to remember to be smart. If you can overpower him, we'll be able to take his gun and use it against the other two.”
“Where are you -”
Before I can finish, he gets to his feet and puts his hands up in surrender. I open my mouth to tell him to stop, but a moment later I realize that he's already been seen.
“Freeze!” Ben shouts, hurrying closer with his gun raised.
“It's me!” Deckard tells him, stepping slowly between the trees with his hands still in the air. “Don't shoot! It's me!”
“Deckard?” Ben replies, clearly shocked. “How the hell did you get out from those caves?”
“I had a little luck,” Deckard explains, still stepping further and further away from me. “I couldn't save Asher, but I managed to find a way out.”
I watch as he keeps limping away, and after a moment I realize that he's not heading toward Ben. Instead, he's trying to slowly draw his attention away from where I'm hiding, and it seems to be working.
“Some people just don't know when to die,” Ben sneers, keeping his gun trained on Deckard and, in the process, starting to turn his back toward me. “What's wrong? Too scared?”
“Kinda,” Deckard replies, edging further and further away from me. Screams are still ringing out from Steadfall in the d
istance. “I was thinking, maybe you could take me to your boss and we can see about cutting a deal.”
“What boss?” Ben asks, still turning to keep his gun aimed at Deckard. “Harold isn't my boss. We work together, but he's not in charge.”
“Doesn't seem that way to me,” Deckard replies. “He's the one giving orders. You and Leanne are just his little helpers, right? You do what he tells you to do?”
Realizing that he's luring Ben around so I can sneak up behind him, I start to carefully make my way through the darkness. I don't dare move any faster, and I know that one wrong step could ruin the entire plan. Still, reaching down to my belt, I feel for my knife.
“Sorry,” Ben continues, with his gun still aimed at Deckard, “but your sudden return wouldn't exactly go down too well. Harold already -”
“Just let me talk to him,” Deckard says calmly. “That's all I want. A chance. That's all anyone wants in this world, right? A chance to explain himself.”
He pauses, as if he's waiting for me to make my move, but I'm still too far back.
“I still have a lot to offer,” he continues after a moment. “I might be an old man but I've been on the island for a long time and I know how things work around here. I know how people work, too, and I know who to trust and who to give up on.” He pauses for a moment, and for a fraction of a second his eyes glance at me before he quickly looks back at Ben. “There are people on this island who I consider to be among the finest I've ever met, people I trust with my life. People I've believed in from the first moment I met them, and who I've still believed in even when they've doubted themselves, even when I've had to push them to achieve their best.” He pauses again, and this time his eyes stay fixed on Ben as I continue to sneak up behind. “People far better than a piece of scum like you.”
“Save the speech,” Ben sneers. “You're just -”
Suddenly he starts to turn, as if he's sensed my presence. Before I can react, Deckard lunges at him, and Ben turns back around. All I can do is watch in shock as Ben fires twice, hitting Deckard in the chest with two energy blasts. Crying out, I lunge at Ben, throwing all my weight against him as I send him toppling down to the ground. His gun fires twice in the process, hitting a nearby tree, but I quickly grab the weapon from his hand, snapping several of his fingers and then aiming the gun straight at his face. Filled with anger, I don't even wait to hear what he has to say. I fire three times, and for a moment the flash of energy almost blinds me. With the gun still in my hand, I fall back, staring in horror at the bloodied mess that remains of his head.