Edge Of Bloodshed

by Kip Nelson

  It wasn't the typical lesson that a young girl should have learned, but Annabelle's father was not a typical man. He had sworn her to secrecy, making her promise she wouldn’t tell nobody, not even her mother. The lessons he had imparted to her had been invaluable in this new world, and Annabelle missed him terribly. A tear began trickling down her cheek, for she wished he still was alive. She wished he could gather her up in his arms again just as he used to do, when everything in the world felt safe and warm and she knew that nothing could happen to her, a complete contrast to the cold loneliness she was feeling now.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by a new sound outside. It sounded as though there were more people there and she was afraid that Lisa was coming for her again, but then she heard a sharp grunt and the clatter of a body against the floor. She looked up and the man was no longer standing there. Puzzled, she grabbed the bucket that had been tossed so carelessly into the room, and that thankfully she had not had to use, and turned it upside down, placing it by the door. She clambered onto it and stood on her tiptoes, glad that she had been blessed with height. Then she peered through the opening in the door, and a smile broadened upon her face. She saw Adam and Peter locked in combat with the huge gladiator. His big hands swiped at them and it was all Adam and Peter could do to keep out of his reach. Silently she cheered them on, happy to see them again. She knew they would come and rescue her, she just knew it!

  She craned her neck to try seeing Diana. It was strange that she was not with them, but perhaps she was elsewhere. Maybe Diana was going to teach Lisa a lesson, Annabelle thought. Her heart froze when the guard managed to strike a blow at Adam and sent him flying to the floor, his knife skittering across to the other side of the corridor. Then the guard was focused solely on Peter. There was something different about him from the last time Annabelle had seen him, and she wasn't entirely sure she liked it. There was something in his eyes, something like a beast, where once there had been only kindness, but it seemed to be serving him well. The guard lurched forward, but Peter twisted with surprising agility and thrust out his knife, stabbing the guard in the stomach, then slashing it across. The guard fell to his knees, his large body slamming against the wall. His hand left a blood-stained mark as he tried to steady himself. It was gruesome, but Annabelle did not look away.

  Adam, who now had pushed himself up, came toward the door. Annabelle leaped down from the bucket and bounced on her heels, waiting for the door to open. When it did she ran up to Adam and flung her arms around him. He had a strange smell about him, almost smokey, but she didn't care as she buried her face in his neck and clung to him tightly. She let go of him and hugged Peter too, thanking them both for coming to rescue her, but she had to ask about Diana. From the look on Adam's face she knew that something horrible had happened, but she didn't want to believe it.

  “I can't tell you right now. I'm sorry, Annabelle. It was crazy out there. We tried to look after each other, but we just...we just couldn't. I wish things were different, I really do.” Annabelle felt as though she was about to cry and just couldn't believe that Diana was gone. She couldn't die...Annabelle didn't want to lose anyone else.

  “We have to go,” Adam said, and tugged at her hand.

  Annabelle felt distant from the world in that moment. She looked across at the guard, blood pooling from his wound, his hand clutching his stomach, now stained in crimson. His eyes stared at her and she felt a kind of pity for him, but she had few feelings to spare. The three of them turned to run while they still had a chance to escape, but it seemed as though the chance already had gone. Lee and Lisa were standing at the end of the corridor, their faces smug, waiting patiently for the three rebels. Tara was with them too, looking angry and frustrated. There were more people behind them. Annabelle looked up at Adam. The hand that was holding hers squeezed tightly, and the other hand was balled into a tight first. His entire body was tense, and Annabelle felt angry, too. Something had gone terribly wrong. Lisa and Lee had their usual smug looks on their faces and behind Lee, Annabelle saw Joanna. She was hard to see for she was almost hiding behind him, but it looked as though she was on the verge of tears again.

  “That bitch,” she heard Adam breathe, and she glanced forward once more, wondering if there was any way for them to escape this situation.

  Adam's knife still was laying on the floor and she thought about grabbing it. She wouldn't even mind dying if she could take Lisa with her. Annabelle was filled with anger and her sorrow for Diana was being transformed into rage. It was just her, Peter, and Adam against them all, but Annabelle was ready to fight.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Adam couldn't believe his eyes when he was standing there. So many emotions had flowed through him in such a short space of time. First, there had been the heat of battle, facing the guard who now lay behind him in a puddle of his own blood. There was another death on Adam's conscience. Still, as far as Adam was concerned, that man deserved what he got for throwing in his lot with Lisa, and for helping to keep Annabelle captive. Then there had been sorrow as he saw Annabelle's face when he told her that Diana was gone. Annabelle's heart had broken, and it was something he didn't want to see ever again. He was sure their plan would work, and then he turned to see them standing there, and it felt as though this had all been some ruse to get them to play a sick game. At first, when he saw Tara, he thought they had tortured her and made her tell them what was happening. If that was the case he could have forgiven her, but when he looked at her there was no regret in her eyes, only angry tears, and he knew she hadn't betrayed them in any way.

  He glared at Lee, but then something, or rather someone, caught his attention behind him. Then his heart sank. He'd given Joanna a chance to prove herself, but from one look at her it was clear she had betrayed them. Instead of running to people who could have joined their cause, she must have gone straight to Lee and told him everything. Once again Adam had made a mistake. He'd believed in someone, in their redemption, and they had let him down. It was a terrible world in which a strong woman like Diana could die, while a weak one like Joanna could live. That woman had caused so much sorrow. First, she had betrayed the man she had pledged her life to, and now she had betrayed Adam. He felt foolish for ever believing she could have changed, and all he wanted to do was rush forward and fight them all.

  Lisa gestured with her hand. Lee and a few other men walked forward and moved them forward, talking a firm hold of their arms as they escorted them, making sure there was going to be no resistance. This wasn't how it was supposed to have gone. People were supposed to join their cause and fight alongside them. Lisa wasn't supposed to win. She already had won at so much else, and Adam's heart was full of fear.

  They were taken to the main hall in the community center and, along with Tara, were walked onto the stage. They were forced to their knees and then to bow their heads. Before them stood many members of the community. The hall was filled. Lee and the other men were on the stage with them. Lisa walked up slowly, her cane dragging along the floor, her breath wheezing as she carefully moved up the steps. Adam burned with hatred. He was a prisoner and he had done nothing wrong. He almost had given his life for these people. In fact, Diana had given her life, and this was how it was repaid.

  “This has been an awful night for so many of us,” Lisa began when she finally reached the stage.

  “Our brave soldiers returned triumphant, with more food and weapons to keep us safe, and have punished the enemy for attacking us. But I am afraid there is another threat from within. Perhaps I have been too complacent recently. I thought that because this was such a safe place to live that nobody would want to stir up any trouble, but it seems as though I was wrong. You all know I am quite particular when it comes to the people I welcome into our family. I want there only to be the best to add to our little collective, but in this case my judgment may have been faulty.

  “Trust is the most important factor in this new world we are trying to build. You trust in me to lead you, an
d I trust in you that you all will work together for a common goal. Some people are not so inclined, and that saddens me. It really does. I only want the best for all of us, and I've tried doing everything I can to make this place a safe one. There are enough threats outside of this community. The last thing we need are people inside who want to tear down everything we've worked so hard to accomplish.

  “I come here today to apologize to all of you good souls as I feel I have let you down terribly. I thought these people would enrich our lives, but I now realize they only have had a corrupting influence. Many of you know Tara.” Lisa moved behind the teacher and placed her bony fingers on Tara's shoulders, squeezing them tightly, digging her fingers in uncomfortably until Tara squirmed, and tears of pain soaked her eyes.

  “Not only have they corrupted this sweet young girl and made her into a terror,” she said, gesturing toward Annabelle, “but they also have turned one of our own against us. Tara has been a valuable asset to the community, but we have to ask ourselves if we really want someone so weak-minded to be educating our youngsters. What kind of lessons have they been learning? I urge you all to talk to your children and explain to them about the kind of person Tara is.”

  “No!” Tara screamed. “She's lying to you! She took--” but before she could say anything else she was silenced by a firm slap across the face from Lee.

  Her cheek stung and the pain slithered through her. Adam jerked, trying to break free to defend her, but he was being held down by two strong hands. Lee smirked at him. As if Adam didn't have enough reason to hate him already. Adam already was beginning to regret his decision to let Lee live. He knew if he ever had another opportunity to take that shot, he would take it without any hesitation. Adam glanced across at Annabelle, who was beside him. She looked sullen and hung her head. Adam promised himself that he wouldn't let anything happen to her, no matter what. Her parents had died, then Diana, so now it fell to him to be her guardian, and he was not going to take the duty lightly.

  Lisa merely shook her head and continued. She let go of Tara's shoulders and paced along the stage. Her steps were short and shuffling, her voice was raspy, yet it was loud and filled the hall. People listened to her intently and, aside from her voice, there were no sounds whatsoever in the hall.

  “Ever since this world went dark I had a vision of the world I was trying to build, and I've been thankful to find so many people who have shared that vision and tried to make it a reality. It has been hard for all of us. We all are good people who only are trying our best to make it through these dark days toward a brighter future, but there are people who keep letting us down. These people are selfish and can't see the good that we're trying to do. Now, believe me, I've been well aware of these people for a long time, since before the world went dark. I was just a helpless old woman then, and I couldn't do anything to turn the tide or fight the moral corruption. What happened to the world was terrible, but like the Great Flood, it gave us a chance to rebuild. All of this would not have been possible if it wasn't for the great disaster, and I never would have been able to meet all of you, who have been such an influence on my life. You all have made me feel so young again, like the world is new.”

  Her silver tongue wagged and Adam hated how she was able to so easily captivate the audience. He looked out at them and realized that he had been wrong, so wrong. He looked into their eyes and saw the way they stared up at Lisa, at their leader. They all had been cowed by her and offered no resistance at all. It had been a forlorn hope to think they would have risen up against her and joined him in open rebellion when so many of them swallowed up all the bullshit she was spewing out.

  It was as though they wanted to believe her because it was the easy thing to do. They'd rather believe what she was saying and accept it at face value than question her or fight back, because that meant they would have to jeopardize their own safety and comfort. In that moment, he hated them all. He happily would have jumped down into them and tried waking them up by slapping them and beating them, trying to make them see the truth. He didn't understand how they could be so blind to what was happening. This wasn't normal. This wasn't right. How could they all stand there and let her speak like this when there was an innocent woman and a little girl on the stage?

  He wanted to shout up to the very limit of his lungs and let his words ring throughout the camp, even though he knew it would do no good. Even if he did, he quickly would be silenced by Lee and his like, and that would be the end of that. No, it was clear to Adam that the people living in this community were not much different from the ones he had seen in the apartment complex. They had been shadows, unable to fight or hope or dream. They had given up on life. Part of the reason he had tried so hard to get to this community was to escape that feeling of sheer hopelessness and despair, and to ensure he did not turn out like one of those shadows, or like Clark.

  Clark had practically been driven insane by the betrayal of his wife and the loss of everything else. Adam didn't want that to become his future. He thought that if he actually was a part of a community, then he could feel some semblance of hope for the future, but now that was corrupted. The old woman did that, took everything good and then sucked the life out of it. She had horrible people in her employ and Adam felt genuine pity for everyone in that hall. They all so easily could stand up and say something to her. They could have risen up and joined Adam up on the stage and overthrown those with power. They could have stood up for what was right, but they did not. They all just stood there and listened to lies, making the choice to believe in them, even when they clearly could see the truth was something else entirely.

  Adam wished he still had his knife. At least then he might have been able to make a statement to them and show them that they still could live. It was as though they all thought that because the world had gone dark and they had lost so many loved ones that they just could slowly shamble forward and wait for the day when their souls departed this the world. But that was more of a reason to fight, to keep fighting until you had nothing left. Lisa had so lost herself in her speech that she almost had forgotten about those on the stage, but Adam wasn't going to let her get away with this. He couldn't stay silent any longer. He knew he had to say something.

  “We don't want any part of your new world!” he spat out. He heard footsteps behind him and knew that Lee was ready to silence him. Lisa spun around, but gave Lee a look that told him he didn't have to take any action.

  “This is all lies! And you're all cowards for believing her! I came to this place hoping that it was a beacon for the future, but all I see here are weak people, scared people, who are too afraid to stand up for what's right. I was worried I wouldn't be accepted into this community. I had to fight to make sure my friends were welcome, too. Yet, now I regret ever coming to this place and I wish I had gone somewhere else. This isn't the place I thought it was, and you aren't the people I thought you would be. I welcome exile, because living out in the wilderness is better than living here with all of you frauds.”

  His chest heaved with the vehemence of his words and the others stared back at him with puzzled looks on their faces. Some of them were ashamed. He was sure they did want to fight back, but just felt too scared. Lisa was a bully and she had them all in her thrall. There were so many of them. All it would take was one spark of fight inside them to rise up and dethrone her, but it seemed that all the fight was gone from them, and that made Adam angry. Good people had died, and he only had been trying to do what was right, but once again it had failed. They would be exiled into the city, and would have to start again, but at least they would be away from this damned place. Perhaps they even could leave and find people who could fight, then come back here and make Lisa pay for everything she had done.

  Lisa had a sly smile, though. She walked to the front of the stage and turned her back on her followers, instead choosing to look at the four rebels who stood before her. “Oh no, you're mistaken, my dear. I am not going to exile you. Death is the only way to pu
nish your crimes.”

  It was then that Adam knew he was kneeling before a true monster. He wanted someone to stand up and tell her this wasn't right, but the room was silent. He closed his eyes and wished it away, but her words rattled around in his head. He had failed in everything he had tried to do.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Diana had much on her mind as she walked through the camp with Stan in silence. There didn't seem to be much to say. She looked around at all the devastation and felt horrible inside, wishing she could make up for it all. Stan was preoccupied with thoughts of his daughter and Diana tried focusing on how happy Annabelle would be when she reunited them. She wondered what Stan was going through, and how hard it must have been for him first to learn that his daughter still was alive, then only to know there wasn't anything he could do to be with her at that moment.

  Diana wished she knew what to say to Stan, for he seemed to have an interesting story about him, and much sorrow. He had endured a great deal, losing his family, his hand, and his eye, and probably a lot more. If he was an example of the people in this camp, then she was glad to be here, because they would be a determined lot and the attack would have been a setback. From what she saw they all were working together to move rubble, and although the mood was somber, none of them were wasting their time on remorse. There was time for that later.

  Stan escorted her through the winding roads. She knew some of them, for she had been part of the force that had spilled through the camp. Dead bodies still were being dragged away. Some of them she recognized as people she fought alongside, others were defenders of the camp. There was no difference between them, though, now that they were dead. They all stared lifelessly up at the sky and knew only oblivion. It so easily could have been her with them. People still stared at her sullenly. If Stan hadn't have been with her, Diana was sure she would have been attacked, and probably killed. She hoped that whoever led this camp was reasonable and would listen to her, and keep her alive.