The Pure: Book Three of the Oz Chronicles

by R. W. Ridley

  “And April was a sorority girl who made average grades and excellent excuses for all her shortcomings. Her only real skill was doing things that would make her parents ashamed and then keeping them closely guarded secrets.

  “Little Bobby’s uselessness was self-explanatory. He thought two plus two was penguin for hell sake, and his greatest wish was that a cartoon character was still alive.

  “I was no better. I only wanted to become an electrician so I could make enough money to support my family. Seeing how there was no longer electricity , and my family was gone, I was just as useless as the rest of my band of survivors. Maybe more.

  “In the middle of finding a thousand different reasons for feeling sorry for myself, I heard a swishing sound and then felt a hard whack against my ear. I reached up to soothe the sudden rush of pain. ‘Ouch!’ I drew my hand back. My fingertips were coated in blood. ‘What the...?’

  “‘Arrow,’ Tank said pointing to a tree in front of us. ‘Get down!’

  “April, Tank, and I dropped to the ground. Little Bobby approached the tree. ‘Where did that come from?’

  “Tank grabbed his hand. ‘Get down, damn it.’ He yanked Little Bobby down to the ground. ‘Someone’s out there.’

  “We waited, breathing heavy, afraid to move. Finally, April spoke.

  “‘Why are they shooting at us?’

  “‘They don’t like us,’ Tank said.

  “‘Who’s shooting what?’ Little Bobby asked.

  “‘Shhhh,’ I said.

  “I could hear movement. I couldn’t determine where it was coming from, but it was slow and deliberate and headed toward us. The light sound of voices muttering carried through the forest floor.

  “‘They’re coming,’ Tank said.

  “Sounding panicked, April said, ‘What do we do?’

  “‘Stay calm,’ I said fighting every instinct in me to start bawling my eyes out.

  “Little Bobby stood up. ‘Look, people!’

  “Tank reached for him, ‘Get down, you idiot.’

  “A sound similar to air being sucked through a straw suddenly came at us. I didn’t know the source of the sound until I watched the arrow go through Tank’s hand.

  “Tank flopped on the ground cradling his wounded hand with the other. April screamed and crawled to the closest, fattest tree. Bobby looked on in an odd wonder.

  “I jumped up. ‘Hey! Stop! Please!’ I realized anyone who would fire arrows first and ask questions later probably wouldn’t be swayed by my use of the word please, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to throw it in.

  “‘Who are you?’ A man about fifty feet away asked. His face was painted with green and black paint. It was hard to distinguish his age. He had an arrow cocked and ready to fire.

  “Little Bobby smiled and waved. ‘I’m Bobby. I used to ride horses.’

  “‘Ahhh, don’t pay any attention to him,’ I said. ‘We’re nobody. We’re just passing through.’

  “‘Shoot them,’ a woman’s voice cried out.

  “‘No, no, that won’t be necessary,” I said. ‘We’re harmless, really, I promise. We didn’t know we... had violated... actually, I’m not quite sure what we did, but if you let us go, we’ll try not to do it again’

  “A group of six men and one woman emerged from the woods. All but the woman had arrows drawn. They wore shabby, dark clothes and their faces were covered with black and green paint.

  “I turned to Tank. ‘You all right?’

  “He held up the hand with the arrow still lodged in it. ‘What do you think?’

  “‘Yeah, boy!’ One of the men yelled. ‘Jerry got the big one through the hand.’

  “‘I got the puny one on the ear. Bloods still dripping,’ one of the other men proclaimed.

  “‘Don’t count,’ the woman said. ‘You were aiming for the head.’

  “‘The ear’s the head,’ the shooter insisted. I could tell now that he was young. Maybe mid-teens.

  “‘Not hardly,’ the one they called Jerry said. ‘That’s a miss.’

  “The teenager growled. ‘That ain’t fair. I get points for the head.’

  “‘You get half a point for the ear,’ a man’s voice replied. An older gentleman from the rear of the pack moved ahead of the others. He was taller and bulkier than the others. I got the immediate sense he was in charge. He walked over to Tank, grabbed his wounded hand and inspected it. ‘Nice work, Jerry.’ He turned to the young man to his left. Jerry beamed with pride.

  “In a sudden graceful movement, the older man twisted the shaft of the arrow sticking out of Tanks hand and with the flick of his wrist broke it in half. Before Tank could protest, the man jerked the arrow out of Tank’s hand.

  “‘Round ‘em up,’ the man said. He walked over to the boy who had been bragging about hitting me in the ear with an arrow. The older man slapped him across the face. ‘Don’t ever aim for the head, boy.’

  “‘I’m sorry, Carl.’ The kid was almost in tears.

  “‘Sorry, nothing. You’re smarter than that, Kip. We need people to tend to the compound. A man with an arrow in his head isn’t going to do us much good, now is he?’

  “Kip shook his head.

  “Carl poked him in the temples with his thick index finger. ‘Think, boy. That’s all I ask.’

  “Kip nodded, sweat formed on his painted forehead. He was afraid for his life. I had seen that look too many times since the world ended not to recognize it.

  “The others in the group forced us to our feet and into a line. They weren’t concerned about treating us delicately. Injured or not, they pushed and shoved us until we stopped struggling. I was first in line. April was behind me, followed by Bobby, and Tank brought up the rear. Our captors walked on either side of us, talking amongst themselves, but never addressing us. Tank asked them what they wanted and where they were taking us, but stopped after Carl ordered someone in his group to shut him up. One of them did so by punching Tank in the gut.

  “April whimpered as we walked. She reached out to grab my arm for comfort once, but the girl in the group immediately slapped it away and told April to shut up. I looked at her and tried to muster up the courage to tell her to leave April alone, but when we locked eyes, I chickened out and quickly turned away.

  “‘This group seems kind of useless, Carl,’ the girl said.

  “‘Everyone’s got a use,’ Carl replied. ‘Whether, soldier, servant, or bait to lure in our enemies, everyone can contribute.’

  “‘I can do a cartwheel,’ Bobby said excitedly.

  “‘Shut up,’ Tank groaned.

  “Our captors laughed. ‘A cartwheel,’ one of them repeated. ‘That’ll come in handy,’ another one said.

  “‘Want to see?’ Bobby said with an air of pride.

  “With a simple raising of his hand, Carl stopped the group. He approached me. Without expression, he said, ‘Shut the retard up.’

  “He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t have to. I got the message. I bit my lip and stepped around April to get to Bobby.

  “He had the biggest toothiest grin I hadn’t seen since I found him hiding in an abandoned stable outside of Mobile, Alabama. ‘They want to see my cartwheel,’ he said.

  “I shook my head. ‘Later, Bobby. Right now you got to be quiet.’

  “He didn’t get it. He began to giggle excitedly. ‘I haven’t done it in awhile.’

  “‘Bobby, listen to me...’

  “He held his hands above his head. ‘I’ve got to get my hands right. That’s the important part.’

  “I pulled his arms down. ‘Bobby, no!’

  “‘Leave him alone,” April choked out between sobs.

  “Carl motioned for one of his lackeys to do something to shut Bobby up. The lackey reached behind his back. I didn’t wait to see what he was going to pull out. I cocked my fist back and punched Bobby in his bite wound. He shrieked in pain.

  “‘Shut up!’ My stomach tied in knots. ‘Nobody wants to see your idiotic cartwheel.
You get it? You’re a stinkin’ retard, Bobby. Just shut up or I’ll make sure the skinner dead eat you next time. You understand?’

  “He was in too much pain to answer. Tank looked at me with terrified awe. In all the time we had been together, I had never flipped out like that.

  “The lackey backed off. When he turned around, I saw the handle of a hunting knife sticking out of his pants. I felt a little better for what I done to shut Bobby up, but just a little.

  “I turned to retake my position at the front of the line. April had stopped crying. I had either scared the tears out of her , or she had replaced abject fear with abject anger.

  “Carl lifted his hand again and our band of captives and captors continued our journey through the woods.”

  ***

  “We walked for hours. Bobby never uttered another word. His silence was deafening. Each minute that passed without him speaking was a reminder of what I had done to shut him up. I told myself that it was necessary, but it never made me feel any better.

  “I tried to get my mind off it by studying our captors. They were more than a gang of thugs and punks. They were disciplined. They did what Carl said without hesitation. They worshipped him. I got the feeling he could kill one of them and the others wouldn’t question him. What’s worse, the crueler he was the more they seemed to love him. I wasn’t optimistic about our chances.

  “We reached a clearing near a water inlet. The smell of sweet grass and pluff mud was almost overpowering. We were forced to break into a slow jog. Bobby stumbled and fell, but Tank quickly helped him up.

  “On the other side of the clearing was an enormous house. It must have been 10,000 square feet. The front yard was as big as two football fields and nearly every of inch of it was covered in tents. There must have been three hundred of them, every size and color.

  “A girl of about thirteen poked her head out of one of the tents. ‘They’re back!’ she screamed.

  “With that, hundreds of people descended upon us. They greeted their returning comrades like heroes. The chatter exploded, hugs were exchanged. A few small children ran to Carl. Their parents, or who I assume were their parents, quickly retrieved them and apologized profusely to their fearless leader for the children’s behavior. He tried to smile, but couldn’t quite manage.

  “He watched the excitement of the others with disinterest and growing impatience. When he felt it had gone on too long, he leaned over to Jerry and whispered something in his ear.

  “Jerry stiffened and quickly ran to the driveway of the house. ‘Formation call! Formation call! Now!’

  “The group’s chatter came to a sudden halt. They hurriedly formed rows and lines until they were in a tight, clean formation standing at attention. It was apparent each person had an assigned spot in the formation and they were in place within seconds. It was amazing and frightening at the same time.

  “Jerry spoke, ‘Listen up, people! We left here nine soldiers strong, but we have returned with only seven. Janet and Preston died in an ambush by the Bashir. They let Carl down. He trained us better than that, and I for one am ashamed of the way my fellow soldiers died.’ He turned to Carl. His eyes welling up with tears. ‘I’m so sorry, Carl. You don’t deserve to be disrespected like that.’

  “‘Please, forgive us, Carl,’ the crowd said in unison.

  “He raised his hand and faked a sympathetic grin. ‘They were weak,” he shouted. ‘We are stronger for their loss!’ “The crowd roared. ‘We are stronger!’

  “Carl caught me glaring at him with a look of disgust. For a second I thought he looked embarrassed, but then I thought better of it. He wasn’t embarrassed. He was furious that I dared to look at him.

  “‘I’ve brought you entertainment.’ He motioned to us, and every set of eyes focused on us. ‘Tomorrow we test their usefulness.’

  “A unified cheer went out across the crowd. I examined the faces of April, Bobby, and Tank. We were not as enthusiastic as the crowd.

  “Carl walked to the house, and Jerry addressed the crowd. ‘Break it up and get back to whatever it was you were doing. Those on kitchen duty should begin preparations for Carl’s dinner.’

  “Jerry approached our group, and paced back and forth in front of us. He became more and more agitated as time passed. ‘You follow Carl now.’ There were the telltale signs of a lump forming in his throat. His voice was hoarse and his breathing irregular. ‘He is all. Do you understand me?’ Tank and I shared a glance. This infuriated Jerry. He bolted forward and rammed his forehead into mine. I began to tumble backwards, but he grabbed the back of my head and pulled me toward him. ‘Eyes on me, puke! I’m talking about Carl. You show him respect by listening to me!’

  “April whimpered. Something she shouldn’t have done. Jerry growled like a mad man and shoved her to the ground. ‘Shut up!’ He raised his leg as if he was about to kick her. I stepped in front of her and pushed him back. I don’t know what possessed me. I’m not a hero. I had no aspiration to be one, but something I can’t explain took me over at that moment.

  “‘Leave her alone,’ I said. My mouth was dry and I clenched my fists in anticipation of putting up a meaningless fight.

  “Jerry snapped his mouth shut, clicking his teeth. He looked like a wild animal about to devour his prey. I stood my ground, clenching my fists tighter.

  “As I prepared to be beaten to death, Jerry’s mood suddenly changed. He grinned and turned to his friends. ‘This one dines with Carl. Throw the others in the pens. Get the doc to check them out. They’ve got a big day tomorrow.’ He turned to me and lightly slapped me on the cheek. ‘I hope you’re ready for this.’

  “Confused I said, ‘Why me?’

  “‘Because Carl only dines with leaders.’

  “More confused, I chuckled. ‘I’m not the leader.’

  “He smiled. ‘Your actions say differently.’ He reached around and grabbed April by her shoulder and pulled her to her feet. ‘Otherwise, she’d have a couple of broken ribs by now.’

  “April buried her face into my chest and wrapped me in a bear hug. The girl in the group pulled her away from me.

  “‘Don’t leave us,’ April begged. ‘Please, Archie.’

  “‘Everything will be all right,’ I said as the others were led away. I had a real fear I would never see them again. I never realized how much they meant to me until that moment. I vowed to myself to do everything I had to do to make sure we would be back together.”

  ***

  “The dining room was in pristine condition. It had none of the modern amenities I was used to, electricity or air conditioning, but it was as unfazed by the end of the world as anything I had seen before. The rest of the mansion was in disarray, but the dining room was eerily inviting.

  “I sat at the head of a large dining table. Fancy china and silverware had been set around the table, twelve settings in all. I was alone for the moment. There were two entrances to the dining room, and I could hear conversations coming from both doors. Running was not an option.

  “Hours passed before anyone else joined me. I had nodded off and awoke to the sound of people coming into the room. My captors, minus Carl, were among the group. They took their seats at the table. Five other people, three girls and two boys, took the remaining seats. All of them were young. The oldest may have been my age, and I put the youngest at ten years old. They talked amongst themselves without acknowledging me.

  “Carl entered and they all stood at attention. I looked on nervously, not knowing what to do. The redheaded girl to my left signaled to me to stand. I did. She smiled approvingly.

  “Their leader circled the table inspecting his troops. He held a scowl until he reached his seat at the other head of the table. The group kept their eyes down. He gave the smallest smile and sat down. Only then did his soldiers dare sit. I awkwardly took my seat and grew more nervous with each passing second.

  “The door to the kitchen erupted and a staff of servants filed in carrying piping hot bowls of soup. The bow
ls were placed in front of each dinner guest. Another team of servants filled our glasses with crystal clear water.

  “No one started dinning until Carl slurped up a spoonful of his soup. The tension in the room slowly evaporated as we all ate. The soup was perfectly prepared homemade chicken gumbo. My eyes rolled back in my head after the first taste. I thought I was going to pass out it tasted so good. Bits of laughter rang out as people broke off into private conversations. Only Carl and I didn’t engage in conversation with anyone. We both sat silently and ate. Freshly baked bread was brought to the table. It was warm and buttery and nearly melted in my mouth. A hint of guilt pinched my brain as I greedily gobbled up the food that was put before me. I had a gut feeling April, Little Bobby, and Tank weren’t eating nearly as well. They were staying in pens after all. I wasn’t exactly sure what gruel really was, but I imagined they were becoming intimately familiar with it as I ate one of the best meals I had ever had.

  “The main course was rack of lamb stuffed with goat cheese over a bed of garlic mashed potatoes. It was impossibly good. After the first bite, I stared at my fork like it was a magic wand. I couldn’t be experiencing what I was experiencing. I heard a chuckle.

  “The redhead was wiping her mouth with her linen napkin. ‘It’s real,’ she said. ‘It’s real good.’

  “I was embarrassed that she had caught me staring in disbelief. I just nodded and stuffed a fork full of potatoes in my mouth.

  “The dessert was a slice of caramel apple pie with a mountain of homemade vanilla cream. I was guessing it would have been ice cream if there had been any way to cool it. I ate it as if it were the last course of the last meal I would ever have and, for all I knew, it was.

  “We all leaned back in our chairs and began the process of digesting the gourmet meal we had just consumed. By my calculation, it took us approximately thirty minutes to eat the entire meal, and as a result of eating so fast, every mouthful was lying heavy on our stomachs.

  “Carl took a sip of water and dropped his napkin on his plate. He scanned the faces in the room. They looked away as his eyes traveled from face to face. Without warning, he picked up his plate and threw it against the wall behind my head. It shattered into little pieces.