Beauty and Dread

by Nicki Huntsman Smith

  For the moment she had value, which she would exploit. She was leverage, and utilizing her could save him and his army in resources and lives. Ultimately, he would torture and kill her. But now that he knew about their town and all it had to offer, he would bide his time. He was one deranged motherfucker, but he was no idiot.

  The bundle of rags standing next to Isaiah replied, “I think she’s going to die a slow and painful death, dearest General.” The black eyes staring from within the pale face seemed soulless; the eyes of a creature that lived in caves or under rocks with no spark of humanity in their depths. Dani had encountered a number of crazies since Chicxulub, but this broad took the cake.

  The man standing on Isaiah’s other side was a different matter entirely. Dani could see reason, sanity, and fear in his light-colored eyes, and also weakness in his bearing. He was a Yes Man, but perhaps there was wiggle room with him. He was clearly terrified of both Isaiah and Lily, and terror could be exploited.

  “What about you, Lieutenant? You weren’t there during my dealings with this vexatious, venomous vixen. Does she measure up?”

  Dani studied Lieutenant Martin, careful to keep her interest from showing. Nobody would have noticed, though. Isaiah and Lily scrutinized the man while waiting for his reply. The question seemed to be some kind of test.

  When he spoke, his voice was reedy with a slight quaver. “I think capturing her was quite a boon. Perhaps the men responsible should be given extra rations as a reward?”

  Isaiah’s eyes glittered.

  Martin quickly continued, “I also think that when we arrive at your Rome in the Great Plains, she will be an enormous asset, if her life has value to the citizens. It could save us a tremendous amount of trouble if we don’t have to fight, but that would mean giving up your prize in exchange for their surrender. You won’t have your reckoning, which is more important than anything else.” He added the closing words hastily.

  “Very true, Lieutenant. So what do you propose?”

  The man took a deep breath, locked eyes with Dani and said, “Perhaps a reckoning needn’t involve killing her. Aren’t there better ways to inflict intense, abiding pain? What about marring her beauty...disfiguring her...then giving her back to her people – a hideous shadow of the former woman. We’re honoring our agreement by returning her, and you get your reckoning in a slightly different form. Win, win.”

  All thoughts of subverting this little weasel flew from Dani’s mind.

  “Oh you may be onto something there,” Isaiah said with a chuckle. “Well done. I shall ruminate on it overnight.” He gave the man a hearty slap on the back, then shifted his attention back to Dani. “I’ve dreamed about this often, you know.”

  “Starring in your fucked-up wet dreams doesn’t flatter me.”

  Isaiah’s smile broadened. “Something tells me you would rather die than be physically repugnant. A ghastly, ghoulish ghost of the vainglorious girl.”

  “You’re slipping, Isaiah. Your alliteration was flawed, you pernicious, pestiferous, puerile prick.”

  Obsidian eyes flashed and the smile vanished. He lunged a step toward her before catching himself, suddenly aware of the soldiers who had gathered to watch. She witnessed the physical transformation on the chiseled face, from poised and controlled to explosive rage, then back again.

  She had gotten to him. She had pierced his armor of composure. It was a small victory but one she would analyze later...if she lived long enough. The problem was he had gotten to her too; or rather his lieutenant had. She wasn’t free from the trappings of female vanity. After transforming the pudgy nerd into the primo goods that Sam had fallen in love with, the thought of being ugly was gut-wrenching. Would he still love her if she were mutilated and repulsive?

  “I’m done with you for now,” Isaiah said, turning his back on her with a dramatic flourish. “Lieutenant Martin, you and two others will guard her tonight. If anything happens to her, your life is forfeit. Understood? Lily, come with me.”

  Dani released the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. Martin grabbed her by the arm and pulled her off the ground.

  “This way,” he said, then lowered his voice so only she could hear. “You better not give me any grief. I’m on thin ice as it is.”

  Interesting. Despite his idea of disfiguring her, Martin just might be worth pursuing as a hostile ally. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. She would spend the next few hours conducting a subtle mining operation of the man...poking and prospecting, looking for promising veins that might lead to an alliance. Something told her that the best chance of escaping with her face intact would channel through this man. A rescue mission from Liberty was unlikely; they would have their hands full as it was. But Sam would come for her, and she had to get out of this mess before he risked his life to save her.

  He may already be on the way.

  Chapter 41

  “We can’t just ignore the summons,” Tung said in their archaic tongue.

  He and Amelia sat on the twin beds in the pink frilly bedroom of Thoozy’s former home. They had both attended the emergency meeting Steven had called late in the day. Everyone had been there, and the news was grim. Not only was an army headed their way, bent on taking over their town, but Dani was their hostage. Steven hadn’t had time to formulate a plan, but had asked that people remain calm. Yes, there was an imminent threat, but there was also time to thoroughly analyze the situation. Nobody should make panic-fueled snap decisions. When the meeting was over, Pablo had told Amelia to be prepared to leave town; that if Steven couldn’t provide a viable solution to keep them safe, their blended family would flee, using whatever mode of transportation they could arrange. On foot, if need be.

  Amelia looked at Tung. When she replied, there was a hint of annoyance in her tone.

  “I know we can’t ignore the summons, but the Cthor’s timing could not be worse. I can’t leave now. Maddie is ill and Jessie is not ready for harvesting. She won’t meet the criteria for several more years and I can’t just abandon her. My fear is that our report at this point will result in an immediate earth cleansing once the Cthor are fully informed.”

  Tung nodded. Amelia knew he wasn’t as invested in these humans as she was, but he wasn’t heartless either. He didn’t want to see them destroyed, but to ignore a summons was a grave matter.

  “I’m certain they would make an exception for Jessie at this point,” he said.

  “Yes, I’m sure they would, but still. Something tells me if we stay a bit longer...let this situation play out...we may be able to return with evidence that is compelling enough to grant these people a reprieve, if the Cthor are contemplating an earth cleansing as we believe them to be.”

  “So you’re asking me to stall for you? Is that it?” Tung replied, his almond eyes glittering in the candlelight. Amelia thought she detected the tiniest twitch at the corner of his mouth.

  “Yes, that’s what I’m asking. You know my scythen isn’t strong enough to convey the message with the necessary...nuance.”

  Tung laughed. “I think by ‘nuance’ you mean what the local folks would call ‘spin.’”

  “Tomato, tomahto,” she said with a grin.

  Amelia watched Tung’s face as he pondered her request, contemplating the angles and possible consequences if the Cthor deemed their behavior dissident. She had already made the decision to jeopardize her own future if it meant saving those she loved, but for Tung to do so must be his choice. She would not coax further.

  “Oh, Amelia. This is not a minor thing you ask of me.”

  “I know, dear friend. I will understand if you can’t do it.”

  He sighed. “I’ll tell them the situation is fluid and that we are on the brink of something quite extraordinary. I will ask if we might be given some extra time. Others who are farther away will require time to get there anyway. I don’t see that it would be terribly impudent just to ask.”

  Amelia nodded.

  “Okay, you rascal. I’ll do it. If
we’re both booted out of our home and forced to live our newly-shortened lives here on the surface, I will exact some sort of revenge. I’ll have you rub my feet every day...serve me peeled grapes...make you listen to me sing karaoke...and whatever else I can think of.”

  “I will happily do all those things and more.”

  Tung’s expression became serious. “It’s quite possible we will lose our lives along with these people you love.”

  “I know. I’m prepared for that.”

  “And this adopted family of yours is worth that price?”

  “Yes,” she said simply. Then again, “Yes.”

  Chapter 42

  “Sam is gone, which isn’t surprising,” Chuck said to Steven and Calvin. They were meeting with the remaining members of the security crew at Steven’s home. It was warmer and more comfortable there, and it also provided Steven a sort of home field advantage in the power struggle with his co-mayor.

  “Right. We figured that would happen,” Steven said. “Did he take one of your vehicles?”

  “No. There are none missing. He probably took his bicycle. He’s fast as hell on that thing.”

  Calvin broke his silence. “Do you accept the burden of temporary head of the security crew?” he said to Chuck. “It’s an onerous job which will almost certainly require that you make decisions that result in the loss of human lives. Do you realize making those decisions and issuing such weighty orders may jeopardize your immortal soul?”

  “You’re barking up the wrong tree, preacher,” Chuck replied. “Peddle your hellfire and snake oil to someone else. I’m not interested.”

  Steven stifled a grin.

  Calvin didn’t appear offended. He merely raised his palms in a gesture of acquiescence, then continued, “The question must be asked: Why risk the lives of all these people just to preserve the machinery of the town? Why not just pack up and move somewhere else? Start over? Yes, it would be difficult, but it’s not an insurmountable task.”

  “That’s a good question, and one many people are asking,” Steven replied, aware that his next words would be shared through Liberty’s grapevine. “Let me outline things first. We are flourishing here. All the steps we’ve taken that have brought us back from the brink of obliteration, all the systems we’ve put in place to ensure our future, all the hard work we’ve done planting the seeds of a society that isn’t just scraping by but actually thriving, cannot just be walked away from for two important reasons. First, if it were even possible to duplicate what we’ve achieved, what’s to stop this exact situation from happening again? We do all the work and somebody else decides they want what we have, so they threaten us, and we just walk away to avoid a fight? I guarantee this will happen again. It is human nature at its most primitive level to take what someone else has because it’s easier than creating it from scratch. It’s easier to utilize violence and piracy – which provide instant gratification – than it is to painstakingly build something or patiently grow something. We stop it here and now, or we accept the ultimatum, thereby sealing our fate.” He paused to let his words sink in.

  “And now to the next issue, which is more immediate and pressing. We have exactly seventeen gallons of non-oxidized gasoline. It’s become the most valuable commodity these days, and there hasn’t been time to implement an alternative fuel system. We simply don’t have enough gas to transport everyone out of town.”

  “So people could walk or ride bicycles,” Calvin replied.

  “Yes, they could. They could put on all their heavy clothes and pack up as much food and water from their stores as they could carry, which probably won’t last them more than a week, and they could venture out into the Kansas plains in February when temperatures stay below freezing even during the day. What are their chances of surviving under those conditions? The fifty mile perimeter of our town has been picked clean. I know this for a fact because the HG crew has to go farther and farther out to find anything worthwhile. So which is the bigger risk? Embarking on an ill-conceived, poorly planned mass exodus during the dead of winter out into the unknown? Or staying put, defending what we’ve built, fighting for our lives and our future?”

  “I understand what you’re saying,” Calvin said, “but I’m visualizing a bloody battle where many or even all our citizens perish. Surely, knowing what approaches, they’re wiser to take their chances out there than face this...this legion of evil.”

  Steven smiled. “That might be true if we didn’t have a plan. A plan which, if executed properly, will eliminate the threat while keeping our losses to a minimum.”

  “You have such a plan?”

  “I do,” Steven said. “And it will work.” He took the next five minutes to outline his strategy to his co-mayor and the security crew. When he finished, the room had gone completely quiet.

  Steven took a deep breath and continued. “It’s us or them. We are in the right, the approaching army is in the wrong. We’re fighting for our lives.”

  “But as I’ve mentioned before, these physical bodies which house our souls are temporary. Once they’re dead, our true selves will either progress to heaven or descend to hell as a direct result of our actions here on Earth.”

  “And as I’ve said before, I don’t believe in that nonsense.”

  “It’s not relevant that you do; it simply is.”

  “I won’t have you muddying the waters with this kind of talk. We need people to be clear-minded and focused.”

  Calvin smiled. “On that we agree. All I’m asking is that you allow me to present your plan to the town as interpreted by a man of God. You will have the chair first. Then they can make their own decisions.”

  Steven was backed into a corner. He didn’t see how he could reasonably refuse the request.

  “Fine,” he said finally. He glanced at Tung, who’d been summoned for his explosives expertise.

  Tung was his usual serene and calm self, but the normal half-smile was gone. He didn’t seem swayed or impressed by Calvin’s religious rhetoric, but there was a hesitation in his demeanor; he had frowned at the part where Steven explained how the approaching army would be dealt with.

  “Are we on the same page, Tung?” Steven asked. “It’s like the Hays problem all over again, but this time they’re bringing the war to us. We’re not seeking it out.”

  “Yes, I remember our conversation then. We talked about the justification for murder.”

  “Right. Nothing has changed. What justification is more compelling than self-defense? They mean to kill us.”

  “I realize that, but it seems they have given us an option to avoid that. Not everyone sees the situation as the dichotomy you do. Maybe there are individual solutions that lie somewhere in the middle. I think Calvin is wise in at least offering an alternative. There are many kinds of leaders and many ways to lead. For what it’s worth, I think your reasoning is sound, Steven. I do believe that taking lives is justified in this instance. I’m not thrilled with building explosives knowing how they’re to be used, but I will, providing they’re employed in such a way that only the most barbarous and malevolent, the most inhuman of these humans are destroyed. I suspect there are members of this army who have been conscripted and serve Isaiah against their will. I don’t want to see them killed along with those who truly deserve to be.”

  “I don’t know how I could possibly guarantee that, Tung.”

  “Hear me out. Let’s assume that those who lead this invasion, those who are positioned in the front ranks are the worst of the worst. Perhaps there are camp followers, families...children even. People who aren’t actively engaging in violence. They would be at the rear. So if the threat to us can be removed only by eliminating those leading the attack, you must promise to allow their survivors to leave in peace...unscathed. In other words, I don’t support complete annihilation, which I believe is what you have in mind.”

  “Pablo and Julia didn’t mention seeing anything like what you’ve described.”

  “Doesn’t mean they don�
�t exist. Those are my terms, Steven. Take it or leave it.”

  His plan would need to be modified, but he didn’t have a choice. They needed Tung to succeed. “Very well. You have my word.”

  “Excellent. Okay, let’s get this party started,” Tung replied with a grimness that belied the words.

  Chapter 43

  The emergency town hall meeting that evening would have been pleasant if not for the subject matter. Steven had gone to great lengths to make the setting as cozy and appealing as possible. He had brought in extra oil lamps and food from his own personal stores for everyone to enjoy while he and Calvin presented their positions. He wanted to underscore their relative comfort and prosperity here in Liberty. According to Marilyn’s recent tally, their population had grown to nearly two hundred. It was a significant number because it mirrored that of the approaching army.

  Steven insisted his co-mayor speak first. He wanted to have the final words before everyone left to sleep on their decisions, which would be required the following morning.

  Calvin took his place in the center of the court room. The concentric benches were filled to capacity. Those left standing crushed together behind and between the benches, overflowing into the outer corridor. Generated heat from so many bodies warmed the space, providing the exact type of ambiance Steven had strived for: protected, safe, comfortable.

  “Good evening, friends,” Calvin said in the southern elocution normally reserved for his sermons. “We all know why we’re here, so I’ll talk immediately about the issues that, as God’s shepherd, I’m compelled to elucidate for the benefit of my flock. For those of you who attend the Sunday service, you’ve heard me speak many times about our immortal souls. For those of us who choose to stay and fight, this is a weighty choice indeed...”