“Golden, put it down,” Devin called.
“I’m Dr. Thorn,” Thorn said as Golden let her .38 drop to the pavement.
“A doctor. Excellent. I’m Major Bosk,” the kind-voiced man said and put out his hand to shake.
“Now if the rest of you will please put down your weapons, we can talk about plans to get you out of here.”
“I kind of feel better being armed,” Nick said. “There are a lot of Creepers around.”
“It’s okay, son,” Major Bosk replied. “I have teams at critical points in the area. You are perfectly safe now.”
The soldiers had their weapons trained on the group, and there was nothing friendly in their expressions.
Thorn’s relief became suspicion. He suddenly didn’t feel very safe.
“Come on, guys, let’s put down the guns. These are the good guys, right, Major?”
“Absolutely, Doctor. Now is it just you five?”
“Yes,” Thorn answered before anyone else could.
“Are you certain, Doctor? I mean, we will search the place.”
“And why would I lie, Major? This is a rescue, isn’t it?”
“Of course it is, here to save you all.”
A muffled scream came from the cargo area of the truck.
“Shut that bitch the fuck up!” the major yelled.
“Not a rescue at all, is it?” Thorn asked, and the major punched him in the face. Thorn fell and landed on his ass.
“Too bad, Doctor, we would have just taken the girly there and gone. Now I got to kill you all.”
The major’s men laughed.
“You’re not even military, are you?” Nick demanded.
“Careful there, boy; I may just kill you first. However, no; we just like the uniforms. It helps with the collection process and all. My name is William.”
“The end of the world and you form Club Rapist. How charming,” Brandon said. The fake major smiled and shrugged.
Thorn wiped the blood from his nose and stood up. Devin remained silent, and Thorn glanced over to see the reason. He spotted Devin’s shotgun on a box and saw that it was hidden from the soldier’s view. Devin’s expression was calm calculation as he planned his attack. Thorn knew that would not end well, but considering his sister had the rapists’ attention and that Caroline, Susan, and five little girls were inside, there really wasn’t much choice. Thorn planned to provide a distraction and buy Devin a few seconds to get his gun.
“Perhaps,” Thorn said, “we can work out a deal.”
“Deal? But, Doctor, you don’t have anything that I can’t take from you.”
“True, but the location of the other survivors might be of interest to you.”
“Really, so you lied. Tell me why would the other survivors interest me?”
“They’re mostly girls between ten and sixteen.”
“Do I look like a pedophile, Doctor?” William asked and then smiled.
“End of the world. The rules are kind of gone, aren’t they?”
William considered it for a moment and then laughed.
“Well, I guess they are gone, aren’t they? And what do you get in exchange for this information?”
“Well, there are certain female survivors that are sisters and girlfriends. Those we keep.”
“Hmm. I’ll tell you what, Doctor: we’ll go see these girls, and if what we get looks okay, then it’s a deal. If not, then the deal’s off.”
“Okay, I’ll take you to them, but the rest of these guys stay behind.”
“Now why would I do that?”
“Because the only other choice you have is to kill us. We won’t tell you where the others are hiding, and it will be impossible to find them.”
“We could torture you.”
“Look in our eyes, William. Do you think any of us care about pain anymore?”
Thorn saw that the conversation had drawn the attention of the armed men. They were watching him intently and had lost interest in the unarmed young men in front of them. Devin had inched forward; the shotgun was directly on his left. Nick was a picture of rage. Thorn had come to think of Nick as the peacemaker, but the expression on the kid’s face was deadly.
“Don’t be so sure about your tolerance to pain, Doctor. My team has some very unique talents in that department.”
Thorn prepared to answer when a head rolled across the pavement between him and William.
Austin, Brad, and Adam had guns pointed at the remaining three men, and Annie stood with a smile on her face, bloody machete at her side. Thorn took the opportunity to return the favor, and he punched William in the face.
They lined the four rapists up on their knees with hands on their heads. Nick guarded them. He still looked full of rage. Devin opened the back of the transport vehicle and turned his flashlight on the interior. There were three females in the back. One had been in her forties, and she was dead. The other two were in their early twenties and were in very bad shape. They had suffered beatings and torture, and their breathing was weak and choppy.
“Dr. Thorn, they need help,” Devin called. They took the two victims into the store, and the deceased woman they laid on the pavement and covered with a blanket.
“How did you know?” Brandon asked Adam.
“We were down the street picking out a van when they drove by. We decided to make a quiet entrance just in case. Seen enough movies to know how this shit can turn out.”
“Nice job, bro,” Brandon said, and they bumped knuckles.
“We’re not letting these fuckers go,” Nick said, and his voice wavered with barely contained rage.
Devin and Adam walked over to him.
“Hey, relax man, we’ll figure it out,” Devin said.
“Oh, I got it all figured out already,” Nick said, and the stress in his voice raised a notch. “I got the perfect plan for these fuckin’ scumbag rapists.”
“Easy does it, son,” William said. “You ain’t got it in you.”
“Fuck you! Don’t call me son, you piece of shit!”
“Hey, kid, we didn’t mean nothin’. Just havin’ some fun is all,” a red-haired man said.
“Yeah, good times,” Nick answered. “So here’s the deal. You guys are walking out of here without your guns.”
“That’s crazy.” It was Red again. “We’ll die out there without weapons.”
“More of a chance than those women had, though, so too fucking bad.”
Nick’s friends didn’t interject. Thorn returned and asked, “Nick, what are you doing?”
“Justice, Dr. Thorn. I’m givin’ this scum a choice—they can run and take their chances out there, or they can stay and I will kill every last one of them.”
“No, you won’t.” It was William again. “Don’t worry, guys, none of these lightweights have it in them to kill. They have no choice but to take us prisoners.” He smiled. “Isn’t that correct, Dr. Thorn?”
Thorn nodded his head.
“We aren’t murderers. Well, I’m not anyway. I’m sure these guys will do what’s best.” He turned to the group. “Another of their hostages died. I need some help bringing her outside.”
Thorn turned back to William.
“Good luck,” he said and walked away.
“I’m gonna count to ten,” Nick said. “Anyone still here at ten, I am going to shoot. One, two …”
“He’s not going to do it,” William repeated. “Look at him, he’s a kid. He’s shaking, for Christ’s sake.”
“Four … five …”
Two of the men stood up and ran.
“Six … seven …”
“Fuck this,” the third said and ran after his friends. Only William remained.
“You ain’t gonna do it, boy. Hell, I can see your vagina from here.” He laughed.
; “Nine … ten.”
“See, I told you. You’re just not the killin’ type.”
Nick pointed his gun at William’s forehead. It shook a little, and he tried to steady it.
Adam stepped beside him and placed his hand on Nick’s arm.
“Nick, this isn’t you, and you know it,” Adam said in a calm voice.
“Screw that. I’m gonna kill this piece of garbage.”
“No, you’re not,” Adam said. “It’s not who you are. You’re better than that. Don’t let this piece of shit take the best part of you.”
“Yeah, listen to your friend, little boy,” William mocked.
Nick looked at Adam. He lowered his gun.
“So he just gets away with it?”
“Apparently so, you fuckin’ pussy,” William said.
Adam looked around at the group. They all nodded.
“Of course not, Nick,” Adam said. “It just shouldn’t be you, that’s all.”
William’s eyes grew wider.
“Oh, please stop with all the fake bravado. You kids don’t have the balls.”
Distant screams accented his final words.
“Oh shit,” Brandon said. “Doesn’t sound like your buddies did so well.”
“Fuck them and fuck you all,” William yelled.
Adam turned his gun on William. The barrel was just two inches from his forehead.
“Oh, another ten counts? This shit is getting old,” William said nervously.
“Ten,” Adam said and pulled the trigger.
Leaving home
The Cougar H that dead William and his friends had arrived in solved many issues. It was large enough to carry all of the children; it would reach a maximum speed of sixty-five, so it wouldn’t slow them down; and it was armor plated, which made it safer than anything else with wheels.
They buried the dead women. The third survived the night but passed the following day. She’d had too much physical trauma, and Thorn and Susan suspected internal bleeding. Thorn didn’t know what had been done with William’s body, and he didn’t ask. The status of the three runners was unknown, but most likely they had died during the night. They had run in the direction of the school, and that seemed to assure that they had not survived.
In addition to the military transport vehicle, they now had two nine-passenger vans and three SUVs, and the discussion was on how many of the vehicles they should take.
“I like the idea of the extra wheels and storage,” Devin said, “but it seems like the more we have, the more we have to worry about.”
“I agree,” said Brandon. “I think we stick with the SUVs and the Cougar. The vans aren’t good at high speeds.”
“The vans can carry a lot of supplies, though,” Caroline added. “I think we should take at least one.”
In the end, they opted for the transport, two SUV’s, and one of the vans. They loaded their supplies on their final night in Fort Myers.
“Still think this is the best plan?” Thorn asked Devin.
“No idea, Doc. But a part of me just wants to get the hell out of here.”
“Yeah, it’s been a rough week,” Thorn said.
“I’m tired of making the decision, though,” Devin sighed. “Maybe you should take over. Hell, I’m really just a kid anyway.”
“I realize it’s a lot of weight to carry, but you’re friends are helping.”
“I just don’t want to be responsible for getting everyone killed. I lost two friends this week already. And did you see Nick last night? He almost lost it. And hell, Adam killed a guy.”
“Would you have killed the guy?” Thorn asked.
Devin was silent for a moment.
“Truth?”
“No, lie to me.”
Devin laughed but it was short and without much energy.
“Yes, Dr. Thorn, I planned to if no one else pulled the trigger. Are we all crazy?”
“I don’t think so. I think we’re alive because we make decisions based on this world, not on the one we used to live in. There aren’t any police, any courts, or judges for people like William. We’re all in a very small cage now and that changes things. I don’t know if we did the right thing morally, but in terms of survival, I think we did.”
“So no chance you’ll just take over the decision-making around here?”
“None at all, my friend. You guys work well as a team. Your friends like that you make the decisions. They’re there to help when you can’t, as am I.”
Devin sighed again. “It’s a damn long way to Wyoming.”
“It is, but hey, if we find something better on the way, no reason we can’t change the plan.”
“Good point.”
They watched as the last supplies were loaded into the vehicles.
“I guess it’s time to go,” Devin said.
“Yep, it is.”
“Even though I want to get out of here, a part of me hurts over it.”
Thorn didn’t speak; instead, he let Devin finish.
“I know the old world is gone, but this town was an important part of my life. I grew up here. My parents and my home were here. It’s the place where all my best memories live. It’s hard to let that go. It feels like when we leave, then that old world really is gone forever.”
“I know,” Thorn said. “Same here.”
He thought about the pictures of Rebecca still on his dresser at home. He thought about the boxes of letters, pictures, and movie ticket stubs left collecting dust in a closet that he would never again open. It made him sad.
“Dr. Thorn, I never thought much about heaven or what happens after we die. And I know we’re all doing the best we can, but I wonder, do you think our parents would be proud of us? I know that’s kind of stupid considering everything else, but it also feels like the most important thing right now.”
Thorn put his hand on Devin’s shoulder.
“I didn’t know any of your parents, but I’d say they’d be damn proud.”
Devin nodded. “I just keep thinking of what my dad sacrificed for Golden, and I wonder if I have done enough—if maybe it should have been me instead of Webster who saved Annie.”
“Devin, your dad wasn’t being a hero that day. He was being a father. He did what he needed to do to save his daughter. You need to do what is necessary to save your friends, as do they. Don’t measure yourself by how your dad died. Measure yourself by the way he lived. I think if you do, you’ll find that you can honor him more by living than by dying.”
“Thanks, Doc.”
“None required. You’re a good guy, and you and your friends are more heroic than you’ll probably ever realize.”
They walked to the waiting vehicles. Looking at the group of faces, Thorn believed with certainty that these were the most heroic people he had ever known. They would die for each other without a second’s thought. He hoped they would not have to, but he knew that was just wishful thinking. He feared that ahead of them were things worse than what they had already seen. More of these kids would probably die; they might all die, but he would stand with them, and he would die trying to save them. He wondered if they would make Wyoming, or even Georgia for that matter. He wondered if they were inside the closet or outside of it.
Chapter 11
The Living and the Dead
Part 2
We regret to inform you …
“Have a seat, son, and let’s talk.”
“That bad, Doc?”
“Connor, I realize you are over eighteen, but perhaps it would be best if your parents were here.”
“They’re all the way back in Fort Myers, Doc. I don’t want to bother them.”
“Son, I doubt they would consider it a bother.”
“Look, just tell me. How bad is the tumor?”
“It’s bad, Co
nnor, and it has grown since your last visit.”
“Is it cancer?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so.”
“Can’t you cut it out or something?”
“No, it’s deep and near the brain stem. It’s what we call inoperable. However, there is still hope. We can give you chemo, and we can insert chemo pads near the tumor and that may shrink it or at least slow the growth.”
“Can I be cured?”
“No, son, you can’t.”
“How much time do I have?”
“It’s hard to say.”
“Come on, Doc, estimate. What’s the best-case scenario?”
“Six months, maybe a year.”
“Okay.”
“Connor, I really think you should let me speak with your parents. There are some great treatment programs around the country and many show a lot of promise.”
Soft laughter.
“Thanks, Doc, I appreciate everything you’ve done. I’ll tell my parents in a few weeks. I just want some time to think it over, you understand?”
“Certainly, but I want you to schedule your hospital admission with Helen at the front desk. We’ll get you admitted in two weeks to start the treatments.”
“Sure, sure, Doc, and really, thanks for everything.”
“I’m sorry, Connor. I wish I had better news for you. How are the painkillers working? Are they helping with the headaches?”
“Yes, a little.”
“Here’s a prescription. These are stronger, so be careful with them. Don’t drive and don’t drink while taking them.”
“Yep, no problem and thanks. I have to get to work.”
Connor walked past Helen, who was busy with a patient. He didn’t stop, and he didn’t wait; instead, he walked out the door.
At the pharmacy, he filled the prescription of painkillers. The cute pharmacist tech smiled at him; her name tag read Angie. He almost asked her for her number, but then he was holding the little plastic amber bottle of pills and he remembered he just didn’t have that many Friday nights left, and it depressed him. He had no intention of taking treatment or even telling his parents. He wouldn’t spend his last days dying in a hospital. No, he would spend those days with his friends. He wanted to enjoy his last weeks with the people who had made his life worth the time that the universe had granted him. Still, the technician reminded him that he had never had a chance to fall in love, and that seemed so unfair. He wished he had someone now, someone who would spend these days with him, someone to tell him that he was loved, that he would be remembered. But he never really believed that life was fair; it had never shown him that it was fair. He had his friends, though, and they were good friends who had filled his life with good times. In a way, wherever they were, that was his home. He wished he could do something for each of them before he died. The least he could do was not force them to spend weeks visiting him in a hospital—no, not that. When the headaches became unbearable, he would take care of the inevitable himself.
You and Me against the World: The Creepers Saga Book 1 Page 14