Immediate Survivors

by Cenz Barone

  At this point several other militia fighters appeared and were dragging Melissa and Elise with them, both Melissa and Elise had their clothing torn and hair all messed up, with marks indicating they had been hit, they were tossed to where Curtis pointed where Nancy and Cherie stood. So they all stood together and embraced, observing the scene, Melissa muttered “Roy, what is he doing” Nancy whispered “He sold us out, he is with the death squads” and some of the men who brought them told them to shut up”. Laura managed to glance with her eyes despite having the knife caressing her face to Melissa as a tear rolled down her eye and onto the blade. Laura whispered “Melissa, you are alive” Melissa called out “Laura” this made Curtis approach her with his pistol “Shut the fuck up cunt” screamed Curtis, which Melissa did follow his command went quiet.

  Roy was toying with her and pressed the knife into Laura’s cheek some more and she winced, Kenny stared up from the ground, himself being winded but then Baxter shouted “Pick on someone else you fucking coward Roy, you piece of shit”. Roy eased up from Laura and grabbed her by the hair as he mockingly said “Look who it is. Mister courageous all of a sudden” Roy with disdain stated to him “Watching you and Laura was so embarrassing Baxter. You both were enjoying a little woodland romance huh” as Roy smelt Laura’s hair and he placed his hands onto Laura’s buttocks which made Baxter shout “I will kill you” but Baxter was now held back by two men. Roy violently pushed Laura away which made her fall onto the floor “Put her with the other bitches” Roy stated as Curtis grabbed Laura by her hair, and she screamed as she was dragged to the rest of the women in her group. Kenny on his knees observed them as Roy stood there and said aloud “Hey Laura. Do you want to see a trick” Laura watching as Roy went up to Baxter and rammed his knife into Baxter’s uninjured side, Baxter’s face flinched forward as Kenny shouted and Laura screamed, then Baxter’s eyes were wide open in horror at the fact he was stabbed again and Roy had rammed the knife right up to its location on the handle. Baxter’s had blood pour from the side of his mouth and he stared ahead.

  Roy at this point began to withdraw the knife, Baxter remained standing. Curtis was laughing loudly at the sight. Just the shock on Baxter’s face was hilarious to Curtis. Laura was screaming out for help and then Curtis went near Roy and eagerly snatched the blood soaked knife from Roy’s hands. Roy watched as Curtis adjusted his shoulders, and checking back on Laura who was crying her eyes out, before looking back upon Baxter who remained standing, feeling uneasy from the injuries. Curtis stated to Roy “This is how you do it old man” and then Curtis rushed towards Baxter, held him by the hair and began to stab Baxter at a fast insertion and withdrawal rate, and the frenzy with which Curtis used his muscular body to stab Baxter around the stomach area was gut wrenchingly vile to not just see but hear. Blood was pouring out of Baxter’s mouth, as Baxter coughed, feeling the blade go inside, but Baxter was held by Curtis so he was unable to fall to the floor.

  Laura tried to rush to him to stop Curtis doing this but she was held back by the girls around her and she was conscious of the men with guns, she was crying and Kenny tried to move but he himself was held back by the men beside him who occasionally beat him down. Curtis now took hold of Baxter and went behind him and used the knife to stab him in the back, all around the spine column, so they could see the front of Baxter. Baxter’s frontal body was torn asunder from the stabbing injuries, with the blood all over him and bits of his stomach could be seen. Curtis was covered in blood but so was Roy who stood nearby as blood went onto Roy who appeared to embrace this fact. Kenny who was so close to it watched, but tried to turn away. And then Roy took hold of Kenny’s head and forced him to watch, all the while laughing was Roy.

  Kenny was forced to watch as Curtis stabbed the upper chest of Baxter, and he like the others observed as Baxter looked at Laura putting out his left hand to her, as if for her help, and then his glasses fell off covered in blood, as the rattling violence implemented on him from Curtis continued. The next act was ever so crueller as Curtis tore back Baxter’s head via his hair and placed the knife onto his throat and slit his throat, but then Curtis began slicing away, going through as much as he could. Laura collapsed onto her knees. Nancy and the others were watching in horror as Kenny wailed at the sight. All disabled and immobile and like that Curtis eased off Baxter who fell on his knees, blood curdling sounds were made, Curtis next tossed the blood soaked knife to Roy who caught it, and placed it into his knife holster.

  Roy said with indifference “I was still debating whether or not to kill him”. Curtis without concern replied “I made the decision for you”. Baxter was groaning, his last desperate attempts at clinging to life heard, but Curtis went into his side arm holster, pulled out a pistol and pulled back as a bullet went into the back of Baxter’s head. Baxter’s skull exploded and brain matter and blood went everywhere with bone fragments mingled into the dirt. Kenny went sick as some of the sprinkled blood and brain matter landed on him.

  Even Roy had to close his eyes at how brutal the murder of Baxter was but he all the same found it amusing. Roy now looked across at Laura who was shouting swear words and desperate to reach Baxter. Laura pushed away from Cherie and Melissa who were crying and weak themselves at the sight but Nancy grabbed her, knowing Laura was going to risk getting herself killed if she did not calm down. Laura meanwhile collapsed, her knees went from under her as she fell into Nancy, the grief overcoming her as she wailed, staring across at Baxter who was now face down with his head blown open, his body laced in stab wounds and no longer moving. Kenny had himself been battered down onto the floor by some of the men guarding him. As if rubbing in their grief Roy said to Curtis “Got to make sure he doesn’t get back up” so Roy fired five bullets into Baxter’s ruined skull from the rifle he had, even though Baxter was already murdered by Curtis. Roy just needed to be sure, and just like that he was officially dead and his brain and skull damaged to such a point he could not even rise up as a dead thing.

  At this point Roy sighed and said to Curtis “Throw the lad towards the girls” Curtis nodded to the men overlooking Kenny and they dragged Kenny across to Nancy and her group, Nancy who kept Laura steady was careful, being extra vigilant. Curtis stared at Cherie who went down to hold Kenny as he was on his knees, Curtis cruelly told her “You best do what you are told girlie” Curtis pointed his pistol to the back of Kenny’s skull as Cherie kept her eyes on him and viciously Curtis said to her “Or I will blow your boyfriend away but not blow him away the way you be will blowing me later on. I will use this steely weapon and you girlie will use your pretty mouth”. Kenny was disorientated from his own beating by the men with the butts of their weapons as Cherie whispered to him “It is okay, just shut your mouth” she wanted to keep Kenny quiet, she did not want him or anyone else speaking out of turn, not after what they witnessed Roy and Curtis do to Baxter.

  Kenny wasn’t so surprised, but was angrier now, Roy once more hugged Curtis who laughed and Curtis took out a small flask from his jacket and handed Roy some, Roy necked it back. Curtis smiling at him and he said complainingly “We had a lot of work to do with clearing the fucking road, why did you make it so robust?” as Roy answered taking another neck of the alcohol “To make you fuckers work for your booty, I was the one up with these people for weeks” then Curtis complained again and said “Hey go easy on the booze Roy” Roy handed it back to Curtis and stated “They got plenty here” Curtis took a swig and said to Roy “Well it would be nice to have a regular conversation, it took us a while to find this place” as Roy laughed and stated “Just follow the co-ordinates, but it doesn’t matter it is all done now” as Curtis answered “Well we have surprises for you back at the HQ as well, so it is like Christmas with what you have found Roy”.

  Roy and Curtis overlooking the girls mainly with Kenny before them as Curtis happily exclaimed with admiration for Roy’s efforts. “You’re too good at picking people up Roy, that’s your gift. Really hit the jackpot huh. Three blondes, a brunett
e and whatever the fuck that red thing is” mocking Cherie’s dyed red hair as Curtis turned to him once more and said to Roy “You weren’t kidding, well worth the wait”. Roy with affection added “Come here and give me another hug you ugly prick” and so they hugged as friends once more. As the group all settled into knowing they were essentially prisoners before all these men remained quiet and knew they could do nothing else, a sense of doom overcame each at what was in store for them now. All of them had trusted Roy, Laura and Kenny the less so and Laura never quite did trust him but had lowered her guard somewhat, and yet now it was all for nothing, her instincts were right but she never imagined or thought his untrustworthiness would be along the lines it was currently.

  Their new home for almost 3 weeks since they arrived in the downs was being raided, some of the men were playfully mocking the girl’s underwear and wearing it on their heads as they were eating the food they had in the tents, handling their weapons, taking out their supplies, and all the stashes of food and fish, all drawn from the lake. It was humiliating and felt like a home invasion, all their captors were enjoying themselves, everything they had hoped the downs could have been, being ruined at this point. Still around them was several of the death squad members providing oversight as the rest of the men were storing up the items and down the road a vehicle was heading towards them. Curtis stated “Finally”.

  Now Roy approached Kenny and the women he was with, all remaining standing now, with guns on them and disarmed, unable to do anything. Roy taunting them asked “You did not think I could survive out here myself. These are my boy’s. We have been surviving this since it began, why the moment it happened within a couple of days. No law, no pigs, no nothing stopping us. We had free range in the bank of life. Of course money is useless though but people why having people its priceless, you are the bank and I am cashing in” Roy said with a smile. Curtis now asked Roy “What story did you tell them, did you go with being widowed?” Roy nodded and replied “Yeah, family dead, looking out for myself and others” knowing now his story was all lies as they listened on and feeling betrayed further, because some opened up to Roy once they learned of his story. Roy jokingly asked “I should get an award for my acting, right?” he chuckled but nobody laughed.

  Now Roy was staring at Kenny intensely and curiously asked him “I don’t know about you though Kenny. All these girls and you did not take advantage of the situation, I don’t know Kenny, it sounds quite suspect” then Roy stared at the rest of the girls and said “But don’t worry ladies you are my gift to my friends, real men will now be looking out for your needs” many hollered at hearing it and sniggering went on, some of the girls felt like they would go sick, there was no sign this would be over anytime soon. Now Curtis licked his lips to stand beside Roy and staring at the girls said “Which one do you want, they all look tasty. The longer this thing goes on the lesser and lesser women there are to find, at least those who are not scabby and shabby, all of the physically fit ones are dying out” he joking said as he now studied the women before him and said “I am glad though, with this batch, there are no fatties and no under sized cunts” to which Roy answered “Not true mate, back at the town we went to, there are some more women, not as attractive as these but they will do but when you are drunk who gives a fuck, right” both laughed.

  The group were staring in disbelief as Curtis asked “What town is it, the one you went to earlier, you mean Rote?” now it was obvious to the group that Roy had bee in constant contact with the death squads, all of this must have been their plan from the beginning, for Roy to lead out a group and split up everyone so the death squads could move in and take them by surprise. Roy laughed at seeing their faces on him, Nancy, Kenny, Laura, Melissa, Elise and Cherie all of them knowing they had been played. So Roy dismissed it now and answered Curtis “Yes Rote, but I will tell you on the way back, there are loads of the dead things there so it is best to leave it for now. But I know roughly where they are heading, anyways so we could maybe look into getting them that way. Right now though, let’s hurry this thing up”.

  Roy turned around as more vehicles from the death squads came. Curtis annoyed said “It was perfect timing though, when you sent out the message saying you were going to stay close, we were ready to go. It really works doesn’t. This code we have, pretty fucking neat”. Roy placed his hand onto Curtis’s shoulder and said “Of course it does mate. Do you have the keys to their camper van?” Roy watched as Curtis took it out of his pocket and said staring at the camper van, sound upbeat “I do, we only took some items, waited until you got back before we would have a more thorough look. Some of the lads got a little bit trigger happy, which is why there is bullet holes in some parts of it. But it is fine though”.

  Roy staring around at the rest of the men moving items to the front of the camp, so that they could be loading into the vehicles of the death squads which were now all over the camp, as Roy stated “Grab everything of value, food, phones, radios, some petrol, clean out all of their cars and let’s move. We will take the camper and 4x4 but leave the tents, in case someone else comes here, we will use this place as a base for ourselves, and we can use it to lure people to if needed” Curtis then asked curiously “And in all the time you have been here, not any sign of the dead fucks?” smoking confidently his cigar Roy stated “Not one, I told you it’s all on the outskirts” Curtis laughed and said “We have had to contend with so many of them, fucking swarming around all over the spots we went to, we got so many more people though Roy and the supplies. I wish we got here sooner but when you see what we found, you won’t care” the men continued speaking, it was clear they had been adapt at doing this and Roy must have been doing all he could to wait for his friends to turn up when able to, and now the group thought about it, Roy since he decided to tag with them, had been insistent on remaining in the camp, and it was he who led and reacted first when they heard gunfire to the camp, all of it was such a cleverly done ruse, and they paid for it now. But more tellingly Roy was the first to give up his weapon when they were surrounded, all of it designed to lead them on, all felt foolish.

  Curtis then glared at Kenny and said to Roy “What about him, shall we kill him now or later. We don’t need him really, we killed the other twat”. The girls went in front of him, Cherie pleading “No, please, I will do anything”. Curtis approached her staring straight into her eyes and stated “You will do everything we want anyway” he took hold of her breast and smiled, smirking enchantingly at her humiliated exterior, how degrading could the situation be for her. The rest of the girls covered in mud and dirty from ordeal stood helpless.

  Kenny stood up and pushed Cherie away as he was worried about them assaulting Cherie. So Kenny said to Curtis “No, please don’t do this. Just let us go, come on! Nobody here will be any trouble for you. You won’t see any of us again”. Curtis laughed at this and then used the gun butt to smack Kenny across the mouth. Kenny fell onto the floor, blood pouring out of his mouth, as Curtis kicked him in his stomach. Kenny was winded and he struggled to breathe. Cherie and Nancy went by his side. Curtis snarled at the girls near Kenny as he stated “Get the fuck away from him you cunts. It is you all we want, you and your pussies” as the men took the girls back as Kenny laid there, Curtis stood over Kenny and stated to him as he held his pistol out “So you my friend are kind of lacking in that department. So shut the fuck up and stop saying stupid things to us” Curtis then pointed his pistol to Kenny’s groin area as Kenny watched on, Curtis coldly said “Though you are a pussy, no need to make me give you a pussy right, but then again why not”.

  Curtis was about to fire into Kenny’s genitals as Kenny squinted in anticipation of it, but then Roy casually said as he placed his hand onto Curtis’s shoulder and said “No, not now, keep him alive for a bit. I have ideas for Kenny here” as Curtis annoyed turned to Roy still pointing his pistol to Kenny’s crotch and asked “Why the fuck should we do that, he is a guy, we have plenty of other guys back at the HQ we can torture.
Are you suddenly into guys Roy?” Curtis jokingly asked to which Roy smirked at and said staring at Kenny as he said “Nah, I want to use Kenny for some games, I have in mind. I am thinking about making our own little coliseum or something, or let one of our guys fights him to the death” Roy turned to observe where Baxter was and muttered “Kind of wish I kept that asshole alive now” the way he dismissively spoke was disheartening, all of it was sadistic as the women listened in, Kenny kept his eyes on the pistol as Curtis shrugged his shoulders and put away his firearm. Roy turning to face the girls and said “Besides it’s the girls we want, and it’s the girl we have”.

  Curtis growing bored said “Whatever, let’s load the girls up, and Roy, put them in the truck away from the grunts. I don’t want any contaminated goods, no one to rape them, not like last time, I want to go first with most of them, as for him” referring to Kenny, Curtis snarled “He’s your boy-toy, you decide”. Curtis made his way off to help loading up all of the stuff they were now stealing, as the entire camp was still being ransacked. Kenny remained on the floor staring at the girls and Kenny, all the girls watching him could do nothing, as other men were near them, on guard with their weapons. Roy offered flippantly “What can I say, it is nothing personal. It is just sex”. He smirked at the group of girls.

  “How could you do this to us, we trusted you” Nancy asked him, sounding helpless as Roy mimicked her pleading. And without remorse Roy said “And that was your downfall, trusting a total stranger. You were so naïve, too naïve, it was easy to get you to lower your guard down, just booze and a horror story, though I know some of you suspected me, but you Laura, why your friends should have listened more to you, right?” Roy laughed as he smoked his cigar, as though he were some kind of King before the women of the captured enemies.