Welcome to the apocalypse

by Lee Kerr

  I try to push her off me, telling her that there are many others to save, and Terry slowly prises her off and puts an arm around her, kissing her forehead and telling her that she is safe.

  I look at the two of them, and the first woman we freed, all of them barely clothed and covered in the scars and stains resulting from their captivity. I know that this is going to take too long and that it’s going to get too crowded for us to keep quiet. ‘Lead them down the tunnel,’ I say to Terry. ‘We need to get them out of here and quickly.’

  Terry nods – she clearly has the same idea. She leads the first two to the trapdoor, quietly explaining what they need to do and that there are others, more prisoners from different places but all suffering the same fate, just waiting for them on the other side. The first two nod as they listen to what they are being told. Terry touches them to reassure them as she calmly lowers them into the hole. ‘Get the others,’ she says to me.

  I nod and turn, remembering the task ahead of me. I open many doors, each with their own crying wrecks inside, some more like girls than women, all equally scared and confused. I get to the last door and I am already convinced that Lucy isn’t in there; the voice coming through the hole tells me not to forget her and to hurry, but doesn’t sound anything like my girl. I open it, but I don’t even look, don’t even take the girl inside into my arms. She has clearly been watching, waiting for her turn, and I get only a whispered thank you before she runs to Terry and starts listening intently to the instructions for her escape.

  I turn my attention to the staircase into the house, knowing that no matter how many I rescue I will still be forced to go deeper, my resolve pushed to levels I never knew I was capable of. I decide to make one final sweep of the basement, just hoping to find another set of wooden structures, or even just one – anywhere where Lucy could be. I notice a box in the corner and run over, knowing that it’s shaped more like a coffin than a cell. When I get to it I see that it is made of steel and is some sort of chest, mounted on a wooden pallet. I lift the lid without hesitation and I’m pleased to see that it’s full of cement bricks. It makes no sense but at least it’s not a body.

  Terry walks over to me and pushes against the chest to see how solid it is. ‘You think this is how they plan to seal the trapdoor,’ she whispers.

  I nod, looking over to the pallet truck. ‘Once it’s in place nothing would be able to push the trapdoor up.’

  ‘Nothing, you think?’

  I don’t get time to answer when I hear a voice coming from upstairs. We both turn our attention back to the stairs that lead into the main house. I recognise the voice as belonging to Marius and I figure that he must have crawled through the tunnel, and then set the foam substance in place. He’s shouting threats at someone but I can’t make out what he’s saying.

  As we both move closer to the door I hear someone else moaning. Marius tells them to stay still and asks how they could have been so stupid. ‘I’m going to need to stitch you up,’ are the last words I hear before the screams of another man echo through the house.

  It’s enough to make me move towards the door, my heart pounding as I wonder where Lucy is in all of this. I look back to the trapdoor and see all the women are gone, but I know there is still more to do; time is racing by. With Terry just behind me we start to crawl up the stairs, hoping they won’t creak and give away our approach.

  ‘Seal the basement first,’ a voice says, which I recognise as belonging to Carlos. ‘You said that we don’t have much time before they come this way.’

  ‘The foam will set within minutes now,’ Marius says. ‘And once it does they won’t be able to smell anything in this house.’

  There’s a pause in which no words are spoken by either man, whilst my mind battles to understand all that they have said. I try not to think, not to connect their words with the frantic and scattered images I have seen on the news. ‘What about my wound?’ Carlos eventually says.

  I don’t hear any answer as I think about how Carlos could possibly be injured. Maybe one of his captives fought back; maybe it was Lucy? I start to worry if she is okay, which makes me tap Terry on the arm and point to the next room. She nods and we both run through the hallway and into the dining room, next to the kitchen. Terry immediately places herself behind me, her body pressed up close to mine as she leans her head over my shoulder, listening to the sounds coming from next door.

  ‘Your wound was a stupid mistake on your part,’ Marius says, as I imagine his cold face staring down at Carlos, his calculating mind considering what he will do with him next. I don’t know if they have always been in on this together or if Marius discovered what Carlos was doing and wanted in, but either way it sounds like the detective is the one in charge.

  Carlos suddenly screams, which causes both of us to jump backwards. Terry takes hold of my arm as I tighten my grip on the gun, the moment when I will inevitably have to use it creeping closer.

  ‘Hold still,’ Marius says, his voice barely audible above the constant moans from Carlos. ‘The wood has gone right through but I don’t think it has ruptured anything serious. Your bigger concern will be any remaining splinters, which could cause an infection, but as I’m not a qualified surgeon you will have to take that risk. I will seal the basement and then do my best to patch you up.’

  ‘I need a hospital,’ Carlos says.

  Marius laughs. ‘You know that’s not going to happen, not for a few days. If you survive the storm outside, then we can look for one afterwards. I doubt there will be a functioning hospital left in the surrounding districts but maybe we will be able to find a doctor who is willing to work on you for a price. Perhaps we will have to trade her for your survival.’

  There’s a pause for a moment and I wonder who they are talking about, as well as what he knows about the threat that is approaching. Marius will know more than anyone and it makes me think of the secrets he must be holding, and how little time we have left in here.

  ‘No trade, only hospital,’ Carlos says again, his voice trailing off. The screams have gone, along with any sense of energy from him.

  ‘There’s no point in looking at her for help. She did this to you and I will certainly make her suffer for it.’

  I step out of the dining room, as close to the kitchen door as I dare, as I try to listen for any sign of who else is in there. I hear a ripping sound, following by shouting. It’s the voice of a woman, and she’s threatening him, telling him what she is going to do to him. She is confident, taunting Marius with a story about what will happen when she gets free. She is describing it in graphic terms, totally unafraid; she is Lucy. I put a hand to my mouth, stopping myself from gasping out loud as I realise I have finally found her.

  I hear a slapping sound and I imagine the palm of his hand striking her tender face. She shouts back, asking him if that’s all he has got, which gets her another slap. But she continues to shout, as does Carlos, both of them telling Marius to leave her alone.

  I wonder why Carlos would defend her and why he would not want Marius to hurt her. I need to know these things, to stop this once and for all. I turn around to Terry, silently telling her that I’m about to storm the kitchen. I know she will follow but I don’t know what she will do. I need to shoot Marius – he is my one and only target. I assume Carlos will be too wounded to put up any immediate fight, but the detective, with all his training and experience, will be a different story.

  I’m about to run in but the sirens outside start again, the sound echoing in the distance, and I hear helicopters flying over the house. The sound of the revolving blades is distinct, even from inside, and the fact that the sound doesn’t fade tells me that the helicopters are now nearby. I hear a voice coming from some sort of loudspeaker, telling anyone who is still alive and able to hear that they should leave the area immediately.

  I hear Marius make a tutting sound and I can easily picture his face as he does it. ‘We don’t have much time. I need to seal the basement and get you into a bath, bec
ause that’s the only way we will hide the stench of decay coming from you. If I don’t, then we will all die.’

  ‘I don’t see how giving him a bath will help,’ Lucy shouts. ‘Why don’t you try drowning him? I’m sure that will work.’

  ‘You’ve definitely got some fight left in you,’ Marius says, in a softer tone than before. I imagine him with a hand on Lucy’s face. ‘We no longer have time for surgery and so I’m going to lay him in the bath and encase him in the expanding foam. It will hopefully hide the smell of his wound until they pass by. You will feed him, keep him quiet and care for him while I figure out what is going on out there. You will obviously try to escape so I think it’s best that I chain you to the bath of your lover and then gag you. If he lives then he can decide what to do with you, and if he dies then I will encase you both together in the same bath. But you will be entombed alive, the foam hardening and covering your entire body and face, until you draw your last breath. Is that something that appeals to you?’

  I hear her spit, probably in his face. I wonder what these last seven days have turned the beautiful and tender Lucy into.

  This time I don’t hear any slap, only a brief struggle, then footsteps along the kitchen tiles. ‘I need to seal the basement. I’ll take that time to consider your response.’

  Terry pulls me backwards as the footsteps come towards us. They reach the hallway and stop, only a thin wall separating us from Marius. I begin to think that he knows something is wrong, that maybe he thinks we are in here. My hand is shaking, the gun almost rattling as I think about stepping out and facing him head on, hopeful that the element of surprise would catch him off guard.

  Finally, he starts walking again, and I see the back of him disappear down the steps to the basement. I turn around to see Terry. ‘It’s now or never,’ I whisper.

  She nods and we both creep into the kitchen. As soon as we burst in I see Carlos trying to shout, his voice slow and confused, no full words coming out. He means nothing to me; my attention, regret and my endless love are all directed at Lucy alone. I look at her pale body, tied to a chair, her hair matted and her face bruised all over. I can’t move, shocked by the sight of the shell of a woman in front of me. She tries to mouth something through the dirty rag, repeatedly indicating Carlos with her head.

  I take my eyes off her for a moment, seeing Carlos trying to get up, his body obviously weak but his mind still with it.

  Terry runs past me, her hands quickly pinned over his mouth, and I realise she is trying to stop his screams from carrying their way down the stairs and into the basement. ‘Untie her, quickly!’ she says, looking over at Lucy.

  I nod, suddenly realising where we are. Reality seems scrambled to me, but I do realise that I have finally found her. I lurch forwards, ripping the gag off her and then quickly finding the knots behind her back. As soon as they are loose she stands up, her body next to mine, her red eyes full of tears, as they have probably been all week.

  She holds her hands out but it takes me a moment to realise that it's me standing in front of her, as she takes a step back.

  My eyes fill up and tears are soon streaming down my face. I shake my head, aware that she is here but still doubting somehow that it has really happened. ‘I found you!’ I finally say, both of my arms wrapping their way around her as I pull her close. I realise that I have finally succeeded and my grip on her tightens with every grateful second that now passes by. ‘I finally found you and I will never let you go again.’

  As I drift away from her, my thoughts turning to how we can get out of here and build a new life, I feel her push me away. I look at her and I realise she is looking at Terry.

  I turn to see her struggling to keep Carlos down. Both of his hands are on Terry he tries to push her away. His white T-shirt is covered in blood and it’s clear even from a distance that the wound is deep, but that doesn’t seem to stop him from finding the energy to fight against his rebelling prisoners.

  I see Lucy pick up a knife from the table and it’s enough for me to know what I need to do. ‘Take care of him,’ I say to both of them, heading towards the door. I need to kill Marius before he comes back up. We were clever enough to close the doors and put the locks back on, trying our best to hide the fact we had been there, but he must know something is wrong. My only hope is that he has been too busy moving things to hear what has happened here.

  I reach the stairs, the lighting in the basement still dim from only a couple of bulbs. I lift my arm and point my gun forward as I listen for where in the room Marius is. My only two choices are to wait or hide; hoping the element of surprise will help me, or I advance and attack. I think of the two of them upstairs, their fight with the wounded bear, and I know that I cannot wait. When I don’t hear anything I take the first step downwards, my eyes flicking around, checking for any sign of movement. I only need to hurt him, just enough to put him down on the floor, and then I can take proper aim for my next shot.

  But even when I’m three steps further down, I still can’t see him, although I notice that a metal box has been placed over the trapdoor. This means he can’t be in the tunnel and our escape isn’t going to be that easy. I still don’t see him and I start to think about moving back up and closing the door, which would at least let us know if he is coming.

  I’m about to take that first step back when I see his arms come out from the side of the stairs. He quickly sweeps me off my feet, pulling me into the basement. My head hits the cold floor as I land, the gun dropping onto the floor. I try to reach for it but a kick to my stomach stops me from moving. I grapple with the pain as I see him standing over me, his gaze turning to the gun which he kicks further away.

  ‘You really are one persistent little fucker, aren’t you?’

  I don’t answer, but I look around the room, desperately trying to find something I can use to fight back. With nothing in reach and no chance to knock him down, I’m forced to stare down the barrel of his gun. I look at it, the weapon that will serve a simple purpose in the hands of its trained master, and I think that this cannot be the end. I have come so far, fought so much, only to lose my love in the same minute I found her.

  He doesn’t say anything else as he points it at my head; his task is simple and his time short. As I see his finger start to squeeze against the trigger I close my eyes, my body exhausted and my mind only wanting to see Lucy. I hear shots ring out around me and the deafening sounds echo around the walls of the basement.

  When I don’t feel any pain or sense any passing, I open my eyes to see Marius lying on the floor. A pool of blood has already formed around him but he is still wriggling; his body is damaged but not destroyed.

  I look up to see Terry standing at the top of the stairs, a gun in her hand. ‘Come on, get up!’ she shouts, keeping her attention on only Marius.

  I run up the stairs, my eyes only on her, as I try to make sure I’m not blocking her line of sight. When I reach the top I turn to see him still on the floor, his right hand gripping two separate wounds around his left arm and shoulder. He looks up at us and then around the floor as he obviously tries to find a weapon. ‘You will never get out of here and even if you do then you will be shot or eaten, depending on who and what gets to you first.’

  Terry points her gun towards him. ‘Not your problem now, is it?’

  She’s doesn’t fire, as we all become distracted by the sounds coming from the trapdoor. It’s a kind of growling sound, long and deep, as the heavy box moves.

  ‘That’s not possible,’ Terry says. ‘It has to weigh at least 500 pounds.’

  Despite Terry’s assessment it moves again; something below is clearly testing that weight. The solid metal box jumps up a good inch from the ground, followed by a second jump that’s even higher.

  ‘It’s completely your problem now,’ Marius says, as he still scrambles around the floor.

  Terry lifts the gun higher, ready to take a shot, but I grab it off her. ‘I think it’s better that he is alive for now,’ I
say, as I push us backwards. I quickly shut the door and close the bolt, even though I know it will do no good.

  I turn to the kitchen, my mind preparing me for seeing the mutilated corpse of Carlos pinned to a chair as blood still drips from his mouth onto the floor. I’m shocked to see he is still alive, his eyes freely following my movements. His hands are tied to the chair and the gag around his mouth still intact.

  ‘How do we get out?’ Lucy asks. She is standing next to him, looking down at him with that knife still in her hand. She’s shaking, the silver blade resting on his good shoulder, seeming to be fighting against the temptation to drive it into him. She looks up at me, her eyes burning. ‘Get me out now before I do it, before I become as evil as he is.’

  I move closer to her, holding out a hand, motioning her to come to me. ‘Lucy, sweetie, you will never be like him. We are going to get out and we are going to rebuild our lives. You’re free now, I promise you.’

  She doesn’t move as tears flow down her cheeks. She looks at me and then at Terry, as the knife leaves Carlos and settles on her stomach. ‘You think we will be free? You have no idea what he has done, what he has given to me.’

  I look closely at her as I absorb these words, taking in everything she says, and then I cry. I knew this was inevitable: the thought of what would happen to her whilst held captive had lingered in the back of my mind but had not seemed as important as finding her alive. When I’m close enough I reach over Carlos and take hold of her wrist, slowly pulling the knife away and letting it drop to the floor. I pull her into my arms and hold her tight. ‘All that matters is that we are together. Everything else we will fix, I promise you that.’