by R. W. Ridley
“‘She could have killed me,’ April whispered.
“I watched Lou stuff some supplies into a backpack. ‘Yeah, she could have.’ I walked away feeling stupid for ever wanting to give her words of comfort.
***
“We covered a little more than thirty-five miles that first day, and Wes was pleased because that put us ahead of schedule. We had left the cover of the woods and traveled north on highway 174. Cars and trucks of every make and model littered the cracked pavement. Even if the VW bus had been running, it would have been impossible to drive on the route we had decided to travel.
“I cooked that night, beans and some canned meat. It tasted like it sounded, disgusting, but it was a warm meal. None of us were complaining. Everyone scarfed down their food like they hadn’t eaten in days.
“Lou tossed her tin plate aside and leaned against an abandoned Toyota Corolla. She twirled her head around to loosen the kinks in her neck. It was one of those rare moments she looked her age. There was an innocence dancing from her eyes that I had never seen before. She pulled the drawing of the cave out of her pocket and studied it. Suddenly it dawned on me. She had hope. It had been hiding in her somewhere until now. The scribbles of brown and black crayon on the wrinkled piece of paper brought it out of her. I wondered who this Oz was. Really. I knew he was a warrior or creyshaw, whatever you want to call it, but as far as I knew he wasn’t a superhero. Why did she put so much faith in a guy she hadn’t seen in a year?
“I ate one last spoonful of beans and set my plate on the hood of an Escalade. I picked a couple of pieces of black licorice Twizzler twists out of my backpack. I had found the candy under the seat of the VW bus. Wes begged me to take the treats off his hands. It seems he couldn’t stand licorice. I gladly obliged him. It was one of my favorites.
“I joined Lou by the Corolla and offered her the extra Twizzler. She took it with a smile and tore off a chunk of the candy with her teeth.
“I pointed at the drawing with my licorice twist. ‘You really think we can find the cave based on that drawing?’
“She chewed her candy. ‘I wouldn’t still have it if I thought it was useless. Besides Tarek thinks we can use it, otherwise he wouldn’t have given it to me.’
“I stuck my Twizzler in my mouth and sucked on it. The licorice taste was almost spiritual. I bit off a chunk. ‘Oz means a lot to you, doesn’t he?’
“‘He means a lot to all of us. He’s the...’
“‘The key. I know. I’ve heard, but that’s not what I’m talking about. He means more than that to you.’
“She blushed slightly. ‘What do you mean?’
“‘Look,’ I said. ‘It’s all right, okay. I understand how you feel.’
“‘Feel about what?’ she asked.
“‘Oz. You love him,’ I said.
“She howled with laugher. ‘Love him. Are you kidding me?’
“‘You don’t have to be embarrassed.’
“‘Oz Griffin is a turd. I do not love him. I’m not old enough to love somebody, and if I was, it wouldn’t be him, I can tell you that. He’s a big jerk.’ She was getting angrier by the minute.
“‘All right, all right, you don’t love him. I’m sorry.’
“‘Why would you say something like that?’ she asked.
“‘Clearly, I wasn’t thinking straight. My bad.’
“‘We need him. He can end all this.’ She stood and threw what was remaining of her Twizzler to the ground. ‘Love, please. The first thing I’m going to do when we find him is give him a big fat lip for leaving us like that, all this time. Not a word. Making us worry half to death. I wouldn’t ever love somebody who’s that big of a horse’s ass.’ She stomped off muttering to herself.
“Valerie popped up from the other side of the Corolla with a big smile on her face. ‘She is so in love with him.’
“‘Obviously,’ I said.
“I heard a gravelly grunt as Ajax raced past the Corolla. Kimball was on his heels. I stood to see what interested them so much. Dusk was making its way through the purple sky. I watched as Ajax and Kimball bolted down the road toward the violet horizon.
“A single Silencer approached.
“Wes unwittingly startled me as he stood just to my right and said, ‘Rogue.’
“‘What?’ I asked.
“‘Only one Silencer travels alone and that’s Canter. We got us a freelancer.’
“‘And that’s bad?’
“‘That’s bad.’ He turned to Valerie. ‘Lil’ bit, you and Tyrone load up. Crossbows. Take positions on both sides of the road.’
“Valerie ran to get Tyrone.
“‘What do we do?’ I asked.
“‘We try to talk our way out of trouble.’
“We started walking toward the Silencer. ‘If that doesn’t work?’
“‘If that don’t work, we kiss our alliance with Canter goodbye and kill the freak,’ Wes said.
“‘Nobody’s killing anyone,’ Lou said walking past us. ‘We need Canter. Let me handle this.’ She trotted toward the Silencer. Ajax and Kimball had already stopped the Destroyer from getting any closer.
“‘I don’t get it,’ I said. ‘If this guy’s a freelancer, why would Canter care if we took it out?’
“‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘You don’t get it. We’re on the bottom of the food chain. In Canter’s mind, one Silencer’s life is worth a million human lives. Don’t matter if the Silencer is rogue or not. Canter will help us in a fight or feed us information to defeat the Délons, but we kill a Silencer and he’ll bring all hell down on us.’
“Lou held her arms out to show the Silencer she didn’t have any weapons. The beast towered over here. She grabbed Kimball by the scruff of the neck, pushed him back, and then quietly begged Ajax to behave with a few signs. I couldn’t hear the Silencer’s part of the conversation. It swayed and bopped its upside-down head. Lou put her hands up and urged the monster to stay put. She ran back to us.
“‘He just wants to pass,’ Lou said.
“‘What’s he doing out here by himself?’ Wes asked.
“‘He says he’s a messenger for Canter. He’s carrying a message to a colony of Silencers a couple of days walk from here.’
“‘He’s lying,’ Wes said. ‘I ain’t never seen a Silencer travel alone.’
“‘Look,’ Lou said. ‘He just wants to pass. Let’s let him through, and that’ll be that.’
“Wes rubbed his chin. ‘All right, but the young ones aren’t putting down their crossbows.’
“She nodded. ‘Agreed.’
“She raced back to tell the Silencer he could pass. I could tell by Wes’s face that he was going against his best judgment. He put his arm around me and pulled me in close. Whispering, he said, ‘Don’t say a word. If the Silencer hears your voice, he’ll get a bead on your brain waves. They can get inside your head if you ain’t careful. We got an agreement with Canter. He stays out of our head as long as we help him out. But I bet good money this one here ain’t holding to any such agreement.’
“I nodded. ‘What about Lou?’ I whispered.
“He snickered, ‘They’s in for a world of hurt if they get inside her head.’
“The Silencer moved toward us, its eyes scanning from left to right as it walked. It reached the Corolla and as a show of strength pushed the small Japanese car out of its way rather than walk around it. Wes and I quickly stepped back to avoid getting hit by the vehicle. The Silencer plowed forward. It snapped its head to the right and peered at Valerie. It stooped at the waist and eyeballed her.
“This incensed Ajax. The Gorilla leaped on the hood of the Corolla and let out a tongueless roar followed by a frantic beating of his chest. The Silencer turned to the great ape and narrowed its eyes. Kimball bared his teeth. His fur stood on end. Our two warriors from the animal kingdom were on the verge of pouncing.
“Lou stepped between them and the Silencer. ‘Get out of here before I change my mind,’ she said.
“The Silencer leaned in closer to Lou. She bent backwards. Ajax climbed to the roof of the car. It began to buckle under his weight. The situation was about to explode.
“‘You heard her,’ Valerie cried. ‘Get moving.’
“The Silencer quickly turned its attention back to Valerie. It stared at her. It reeked of smugness. It was hard to say why. Maybe it was the sound of Valerie’s voice, but it was clearly pleased. The half-man half-crab passed without further incident. As I watched it walk out of sight, I couldn’t help but feel that Wes’s instincts were right. We should have killed the freak.
***
“Wes cleared out the back of the Escalade, collapsed the back seats, and laid out on the plush leather. He was mad at Lou and didn’t speak five words to anyone after the encounter with the Silencer.
“Valerie had spoken fewer words. She had been unnerved by the Silencer. I could only assume that it was because it heard her voice and got inside her head. She kept her distance from the rest of us, and we all sensed she needed some time alone. Ajax and Kimball kept a vigil over her, backing off only when she screamed at them to leave her alone.
“‘What do we do?’ I asked Lou.
“Lou shrugged her shoulders. ‘Let the cry baby sulk.’
“I gave her a disapproving glare. ‘That’s a little rough.’
“‘What do you want me to do? Stroke her hair and tell her everything will be all right?’ Lou pushed past me. ‘You go coddle her if you want to. Or send your silly sorority girl April over there. I’m not in the mood to kiss it and make it feel better.’
“‘You know, not everyone is as heartless as you, Lou. You need to learn how to make nice.’
“She disappeared behind a small U-haul truck.
“‘It got in her head, too,’ Tyrone said from atop a Honda Element. ‘She won’t admit it, but it did. The farther that thing gets away from here, the better they’ll get. You’ll see.’
“I stood at the front of the Element. ‘There’s nothing we can do?’
“He shook his head. ‘Leave ‘em alone is about all you can do.’
“‘I don’t feel right leaving Valerie out there in the dark all by herself. She’s too far away.’
“‘Ajax and Kimball will keep her safe, and I got a good view of her from up here. This ain’t our first night sleeping out under the stars,’ he smiled.
“I smiled back. ‘Guess not.’
“‘I’m going to marry her, you know,’ Tyrone said blushing. ‘Not for a while, but someday, when we’re old, like twenty or something. I already asked her.’
“‘She said yes?’ I asked.
“‘She said if I’m not as big of a creep when I get older then maybe. But she doesn’t really think I’m a creep. She likes me.’
“‘You’re pretty sure about that, aren’t ya?’
“He shrugged his shoulders. ‘I guess.’
“I tapped the hood of the Element. ‘Make sure you invite me to the wedding.’ I left to check on April.
***
“I awoke to the sound of a thundering crash. I opened the door of the minivan I had chosen to sleep in and stumbled out onto the pavement. Ajax and Kimball joined me as we headed toward the sound. Ahead of us, Wes, Tyrone, April, and Lou stood in front of a pick-up truck. It was bouncing up and down. A heavy street bike was sticking out of the truck’s windshield.
“‘What happened?’ I shouted.
“Wes turned with a bewildered expression on his face. ‘It’s the damndest thing. It looks like this motorcycle dropped out of the sky. Smashed the truck all to hell.’
“‘Motorcycles don’t just drop out of the sky,’ I said.
“Tyrone looked over our group. ‘Wait a second. Where’s Valerie?’
“A scream rang through the night as Valerie’s name left Tyrone’s lips. We all turned to see her being lifted into the air by the Silencer had we had let pass earlier.
“‘Valerie!’ Tyrone shouted.
“We all bolted after her.
“The Silencer crab-walked to the edge of the road holding Valerie above its head and jumped into the dark cover of the woods.
“‘Weapons,’ Wes yelled. We all stopped to collect them except Tyrone, Ajax, and Kimball.
“‘Tyrone,’ I said. ‘Wait.’
“He didn’t listen. He reached the spot where the Silencer disappeared into the woods and did the same. Ajax and Kimball were right behind him.
“I looked at the woods that bordered the road. It was pitch black past the tree line. My whole body began to shake. I had doubts that the courage that had eluded me when my wife and child were taken would suddenly make an appearance in order to save Valerie. I closed my eyes and searched the recesses of my mind for something to help me shake the overwhelming fear. Nothing came. I felt someone brush past me.
“‘Move,’ Lou shouted.
“I opened my eyes to see her and Wes heading for the woods. I heard a twig snap to my right. I made out the Silencer’s head as the monster moved rapidly through the forest. I held a crossbow and then dropped it when I realized I had never fired one before. I couldn’t take the chance of firing at the Silencer and accidentally hitting Valerie. I bent down and picked up a large hunting knife. I gripped the handle tight.
“I tore through the woods to my immediate right and pursued the Silencer. The others were nowhere to be seen. My guess is that they had gotten lost in the darkness, exactly what the Silencer had planned. He hadn’t counted on a coward who lagged behind because he was too afraid to immediately jump into action.
“It wasn’t long before I had him back in my sights. He had slowed to a walk. I slowed too.
“‘Hey!’ I shouted.
“The Silencer stopped and turned. He no longer had Valerie.
“‘Where is she?’ I demanded.
“I felt him smiling. It was a frightening feeling of dread and morbid satisfaction. Valerie was dead. He nodded as he read my mind. ‘I gave her to my parasites once I got what I wanted.’ He held up a fist wrapped around a severed tongue.
“I felt the blood rushing through my body. ‘She was just a kid.’
“‘They have the sweetest tongues.’ He shoved the tongue into a slit on his neck. He closed his eyes in ecstasy.
“I let out a scream that sprang from my gut and poured out in long deep tones. I had never heard such a sound come out of me. I rushed the Silencer. It crouched. I felt my brain vibrating as I got closer. I heard Wes’s word of warning repeating in my head, ‘they’ll get in your head.’ I stopped in my tracks and dropped the hunting knife. I placed my hands on my head and squeezed, trying to stop the vibration. I spun around and fell to my knees. I felt as though I would vomit. I placed a hand on the cold ground to prop myself up. Movement in the distance caught my eye. Skinner dead feeding. The Silencer’s parasites. I closed my eyes and saw myself hiding in my garage, listening to my wife screaming and my son crying. Not again. I picked up the knife and stood.
“‘You want in my head?’ I said.
“The Silencer laughed. ‘I’m already there.’
“I stepped forward. ‘You’re about to get evicted.’ I leapt forward, brandishing the knife. I heard it cutting through the crab shell hide. I felt the Silencer’s surprise. He tried to tighten his grip on my brain. I swung the knife again and watched in delight as the monster began to bleed from the stomach. I felt the pain racing through its freakish body. I stabbed at it and smiled when I saw the blade completely disappear into its side. The creature fell to its crab knees. I extracted the knife and buried it into its upside-down head. My brain slowly relaxed as the vibration ceased. The huge half-crab half-man fell to the ground.
“Exhausted, I turned my attention to the skinner dead. They were gone, and they had taken Valerie with them. I was relieved to not have to fight again. I waited for the others to find me, but they never came. I sat down against a large tree and passed out.
***
“Covered in Silencer blood, I emerged from the woods e
arly the next morning. Wes spotted me first and ran to help me stay on my feet. He examined my clothes and shook his head.
“‘There goes the truce,’ he said.
“Lou stuck her head out from behind the abandoned U-haul truck. She looked as surprised to see me as I was surprised to actually still be alive. She grabbed a bottled water and brought it to me as Wes gently helped me sit down in the back of the Escalade.
“‘Valerie?’ she asked.
“I took a drink and shook my head.
“Wes grumbled and threw a fist into the side of the Escalade. ‘Damn it! We should have killed that thing when we had a chance!’
“‘So this is my fault?’ Lou asked defensively.
“Tyrone approached. ‘Where is she?’
“I couldn’t look him in the eyes. ‘She’s gone.’
“‘Where is she?’ he screamed
“I looked up and saw April and Little Bobby nervously standing on the shoulder of the road. They both smiled, clearly relieved I was back.
“‘Tell me!’ Tyrone continued to scream.
“Wes put his hand on Tyrone’s shoulder. ‘Hold on, kid. Keep it together.’
“Tyrone shook his hand off. ‘I want to know where she is!’
“I worked up the courage and stared him in the eyes. ‘No you don’t.’
“He understood and collapsed to the pavement. Wes knelt down beside him and put his hand back on Tyrone’s shoulder. This time Tyrone grabbed and squeezed tightly.
“Tears welled up in Lou’s eyes. ‘What did I do?’
ELEVEN
“The trouble that Wes had anticipated delayed our trip by two days. We spent a day in shocked silence. We all loved Valerie, even those of us who only knew her for a very short time.
“Tyrone lay on the pavement where he first fell for a full twelve hours before he moved. Wes followed him as he walked to the Honda Element he had previously used as a watchtower. He opened the door and pulled out Valerie’s backpack. He hugged it to his body and stood motionless. A cool breeze picked up. We all watched him like he was a stick of dynamite that would explode at any minute. All of us except Lou, she had locked herself in an Oldsmobile Cutlas Supreme. She blamed herself for Valerie’s death and it was apparent the rest of us did, too. I wasn’t sure how fair it was, but we couldn’t help ourselves. None of us would say it to her face, but we all felt it. I knew that without even speaking to the others.