"You’re the mother of the little one and a descendent of a line of people close to the earth. You're a Marksman. Isn't it strange how fate brought you here to us?"
Anger replaces fear. "Where's my daughter? What have you done with her?" I search the tent for a weapon. I consider pummeling her with my chair.
"So, I'm correct." Thresh settles back in her chair and gulps her drink.
I rise and lunge for her. In an impossible instant, she's risen and blocks me with her staff, which I swear wasn't there a moment ago. She pushes me back into my chair.
She snorts. "What's your first name, Marksman? You'll be joining us for a long time, so we should get to know each other." I stare at her wishing she'd die. "That's fine if you choose not to chat. You'll eventually turn around. You're wondering what's special about you and your daughter, yes? What makes you two worth so much death and mayhem? And there's a lot of blood on your back, Marksman." She cracks her neck and stretches luxuriously. "Well, you have a gift, a connection with the earth. This ability to see…" She pauses. "Feel or sense what's beyond the greenery and the soil and the very fabric of all this...well, that's special. Turns out that I have that too. And, for all I know, we're the only people left on earth who can do that."
She doesn't know about Flip. Or maybe she does. Perhaps the attack on his village also happened because he was different like me - us. I look over this red woman and wonder if she really believes what she just told me. I suppose I ought to talk. Perhaps I can divine the location of Eliza and figure out a way for us to escape this horrible place. "My name's Amy Marksman. I'll do whatever it takes to get my girl back and kill you."
Thresh laughs. "You’ll get your girl. But you won't kill me. So, Amy, where've you been since we visited your town? Sorry about the mess."
"Looking for my daughter. Can I see her?"
"If you tell me what I want to know. How many were traveling with you?"
"Ten others, heavily armed. They'll come back for me. What are those things with you? They're not of this earth, are they?"
Thresh doesn't seem concerned about my exaggeration. "The creatures - we call them grubs. They found me, actually. I was living with my stepfather. My mother left him and me years ago. He was a mean, nasty son of a bitch. Beat me. The whole town turned their backs while he thrashed the hell out of me." She pulls down the front of her dress and shows me scars running across her breasts and stomach. "I'm descended from a line of oystermen. We grew mussels and oysters for the village through the years. My stepfather exploited my gift and forced me to harvest beyond what the beds could support. His greed was killing the productive coastline that took my kin centuries to cultivate. I have a sister somewhere. She ran away years ago – too weak to face the man."
"Where'd the grubs come from?" I'm afraid I already know the answer.
"They came down from the mountains in a thick, brown fog. Its the way the others-the ones from beyond this world, this reality- travel. They shape the grubs from the fog....use it like clay in their image and travel in them. I discovered I could talk with them - the grubs. I asked for emancipation. They'd give it to me for my allegiance. And my knowledge. They taught me how to use the fog to raise the dead - my own way to shape beings in my own way. Like a god. Can you believe the luck? The villagers saw that I could communicate with the grubs and feared me. The walking dead didn't help, I guess.” She giggles. “They accused me of witchery and tried to hang me. The grubs and I eliminated them all. The townspeople serve me better dead than alive."
"You sold out all those people for your freedom?"
"Gladly. My family fed those innocent people for generations and they turned on me. People fail you in the end. The grubs, they're the family I've got. The images, visions, they send are magnificent. They hold promise for a new world. I want to be part of it. In charge of it."
"The dead. How do you make them rise?"
"I don't know exactly. I summon them and can see through their eyes. I think you'll be able to see through them as well. I need you to join me."
Realization dawns on me. I'm a freak like Thresh. I'm as much to blame for these horrors as she is. I gather my strength and ask, "Then who are those people with you?"
"Disciples. Converts. Not sure what to call them. But I convinced them that following me is the path to salvation. Or else they become dinner for the grubs." She pauses, looking thoughtful. "Let's go see your girl."
I hate myself for feeling something strangely like gratitude toward Thresh. We rise and head for the entrance. We both jump at the sound of a woman's voice outside. It’s Bets yelling for her captors to release her. We enter the clearing to find Bets flat on the ground, hands bound behind her back, flopping like a fish out of water. She sees me. “Marksman, for gods’ sake, what happened to you? Tell them to let me go.”
“Bets, I don’t think they’ll listen to me.”
Thresh orders her goons, “Let Bets stand up.” She turns to me. “I presume that you two are acquainted? Bets, please tell me. How many more of you are wandering the woods?”
Bets spits at Thresh, struggling to free herself from the arms of the two men holding her. She’s furious and bleeding profusely from her forehead.
I say, “Bets meet Thresh. I don’t think you two are going to see eye to eye on things. Bets, they have the monsters that destroyed our village. I’d do what they say or you’re going to be ripped to pieces and eaten.”
This declaration agitates Bets further as she’s dragged away into a nearby tent. I’ll find Eliza first and worry about Bets later. Thresh leads me to a small tent at the edge of the clearing. Joy fills me as I hear the sound of a little girl giggling. I rush toward the tent and am about to enter when I’m knocked back by a huge rush of air. It’s a concussion grenade smacking into one of the nearby tents. Thresh shouts orders to her followers. The grubs fan out toward the edge of the clearing. I try to rise but my left leg is limp. I look down at my hands, which are slick with blood. Impossibly white bone juts out of my shin. I murmur, “Eliza” and the scene vanishes.
I awake in the dark with Samuel standing over me. "Hush," he whispers. "They're searching for us and they've still got Bets."
"Eliza?" I ask. I sit up and my vision blurs. I'm so close to her. They can't stop me.
"Amy, I know. You've been saying her name for the past couple of hours. Your leg's snapped and you have a nasty head wound. You ain't going nowhere. Theo'll get your girl back if she's there."
I hear yells, explosions, and shots in the distance. Theo and English appear, winded but unharmed. Theo asks how I am and looks at me sadly. He whispers, "We tried to get Liza but those things eat all our weapon fire. We can't get close enough to hit any of the people."
"Eliza's in there. You've got to go back." The pain's excruciating but my panic is worse.
Theo kneels and touches my shoulder. "We'll try again tomorrow night, I promise. It's almost dawn and we need to find the horses and set up camp. They won't be leaving without us fighting them."
As light returns, I drift in and out of sleep. English sets my leg - too eagerly, I think. The pain is almost welcome, temporarily erasing my thoughts of my daughter and the wicked woman holding her. While I drift in and out of exquisite anguish, I listen to the men’s conversation.
Samuel coughs. "Do you really think the girl's in there?"
Theo answers. "I got no idea. I believe there's a child in there. But I don't know if it’s my goddaughter. If they got her, I'm going to slaughter them."
"Those are the same monsters that destroyed home," Samuel notes. “They done brush off our fire like its gnats.”
English nods. "I can't even begin to imagine what them things are. It's like hell's opened and swallowing us whole."
"Do you think Bets is still alive?" Samuel asks.
"Don't know. I suppose they'll keep her around until they're sure they learned as much as they can from her." Theo pulls out the tablet. "Look all, I've something to show you. Don't know what to make of
it." I look through the corner of my eye as an image of the area appears in full color. Theo motions with his fingers and the image zooms on the clearing. We can clearly see shadowy images of the grubs, tents, and people. "I'm pretty sure this thing's showing us what's happening all around us. I'm getting the hang of using it. From what we can see here, we've killed two of their people. There are about ten of those monster things over at the north side. They're expecting us to attack up there, near where we retreated. At nightfall, we attack from the south behind this tent." He zooms on one of the tents. A silhouette, undeniably female from the side, is standing, apparently bound to a pole. "This is likely Bets. So, it seems she's still with us. Samuel, English, you go and release her." He selects another tent and there, on a mat, is a miniature human. My heart races. "There's the kid. I'll go there first and release hell's fury. I'll grab her and run back to your position here on the map. We'll head back out where we came from, then track back to get the horses and Amy."
"Nothing can go wrong with that plan," I say hoarsely, trying to be sarcastic but sounding sickly. The men continue talking as I drift back to sleep. I open my eyes to a ghastly brown haze. The men have disappeared and I realize that I must be dreaming again. But this feels strange to me, like I'm really awake. I'm hovering about fifteen feet above the ground and am so very famished. I look to my right and see one of the grubs next to me. Curiously, I'm not frightened. Rather, I feel nothing but cold, lifeless need. I look down and see a gnarled claw where my hand should be, a chunk of grey meat writhing with black beetles in its clutch. I bring the lump to my mouth and savor the rubbery flesh between my teeth, juices coursing down my throat. I should feel revulsion. Instead, my hunger's replaced by satisfaction and release.
I drift back into darkness and find myself inside the tent I was in last night. Bets is there. I'm talking but it's not me forming the words.
"Bets, I know how angry you must feel," the person who isn't me is saying. Bets is drinking shine and looking flush. "Have another drink, dear. Tell me about your companions and why they don't appreciate you."
Bets rolls her eyes. "Thresh, I'm only traveling with them because of Theo. He saved me years ago and I owe him. The woman, Marksman, is unappreciative. I've no idea what he sees in her."
This isn't a dream. I'm apparently inside of Thresh. The feeling I get from Thresh is strangely similar to that of the grub. Thresh is empty, desperately seeking a balm to soothe her. Bets intrigues Thresh, and Thresh wants her.
Thresh shakes her head, "Bets, you owe them nothing. Stay with me. I can see it in your eyes. You belong here."
"Thresh, why'd I stay with you? You're a killer. How much blood do you have on your hands?"
"Does that really matter Bets? I'm going to open a door to something wonderful that makes death inconsequential. I'll be able to bring all those people back into a world where there is no pain, no toil. They will serve us. Worship us."
"How's that possible? You must be as drunk as me."
"You've seen what I can do. I control the grubs. I make the dead walk. You'd be a welcome commander in my army."
"An army of freaks and deadmen. That sounds delightful, Thresh."
I feel anger welling up inside of Thresh. She wants to throw her cup at Bets, beat her into submission with her staff. It seems that Thresh has no sense that I'm eavesdropping. I've no idea how I got here, so I guess I'm sticking around until I wake up.
Thresh struggles to calm her voice. "Bets, we're sisters. I feel it. Can you tell me where you got those weapons? I've only seen those powerful things in my dreams, when the grubs show them to me. With those in my possession, I’d be unstoppable."
"We found the guns and explosives in the uplands to the east. They were hidden in a cave."
"Can you lead me to the cache?"
Bets stands up. "Thresh, I've got to rest. I'll be happy to lead you to the weapons, later."
Thresh points at a mat on the floor and walks out of the tent into waning daylight. A thick woman and a skinny man with ironwood staffs step in front of the entrance. The grubs turn toward Thresh and kneel. She motions, palms upward, and five of the creatures lumber toward the south side of the camp. This isn't good. Samuel and English will be pummeled when they attack. I try to pull away from Thresh to warn them, but the more I think about escaping, the more I'm trapped inside of her squirrely mind.
Thresh walks toward two of her men eating something that looks like woodchuck. "Expect them to attack any time now. Drop your food and get on guard." They both throw their meat in the fire and grab large swords.
Thresh feels different now. Perhaps elation? She's excited about killing, fighting, conflict. These emotions fill the void in her soul. I shudder at the sensation and something compelling happens - Thresh trembles slightly. I concentrate on lifting my left arm and Thresh's left arm rises nearly imperceptibly. With some practice, I might be able to really mess with this woman.
Night's arrived. The men should be attacking soon. Thresh stands in the center of the clearing, surveying her crew. I'm assuming Bets is still in her tent under guard, although the tent isn't visible from where Thresh is standing. The air implodes and Thresh falls backwards. Smoke curls in from the south part of camp. Two rockets fly in from the woods and hit one of the grubs in the mouth. Rather than exploding, the rockets disappear with a wet, sucking sound. Moist, snot-like goo drips from the holes as they close up. Thresh stands up, dusts off her dress, and smiles. She yells, "Concentrate your effort to the south. Move."
This means doom for Samuel, English, and Bets, but should allow Theo to easily reach Eliza. More explosions and screams punctuate the night. Thresh rushes for the tent where Bets is being held. She's about to pull back the flap when a sinewy arm wraps around her neck and forces her to the ground. "You'll not hold me captive," Bets growls, as she grinds her foot into Thresh's chest and then disappears into the dark. I feel myself lifting out of Thresh and I'm back in the tan haze of one of the grub's minds. It's lunging at English, who's on his back looking befuddled. If I could control Thresh, I certainly should be able direct this thing. I tell it to back off, causing it to pause and then step back. English snaps out of his confusion, rolls, and rushes back into the wood line. I then order the thing to turn toward the nearest grub and attack. It obliges, tearing at the creature with its sharp claws. The other grub is clearly surprised, falling back. I tell it to bite the other grub's neck. It tears out its fellow grub's throat and the beast disintegrates into a pool of muddy slime. I guide the creature toward the next grub when I feel a strong tug and a painful throb in my head. For a moment, Thresh's angry face hovers before me and then I'm back in my own body, with Theo shaking me awake.
"Amy, wake up. We've got to move. Now." He looks terrified, worse than the day the town was destroyed. Grunts and howls surround us. Trees snap like twigs. Bets, Samuel, and English are already atop their horses. I search frantically in my haze for any sign of Eliza. She's not here.
"Theo, where's Eliza?"
"Amy, I'm so, so sorry. She wasn't there." He yanks me onto Phineus, both my head and leg shrieking in protest. We're surrounded. I'm certain that we aren't going to make it out of our camp.
"Theo, listen to me," I groan. "You have to knock me out."
“Amy, what’s wrong with you?”
“Trust me. I can’t explain now. But this is our only chance.”
He pauses. I scream at him and the last thing I see is Bets swinging a staff at my head.
I regain consciousness in the head of a grub in the dark forest. It takes me a minute to gain my bearings. The grub I’m possessing is a few hundred feet away from our camp. Three other grubs and five men are about to attack us. I see Theo and Bets arguing over my limp body. It seems to me that they have more pressing issues than my welfare. I command the grub to attack its brothers and it lunges forward, leaving large puddles of brown ooze in its wake.
The grub’s actions have caught Samuel’s attention. He motions to the others and they advance
toward the gap I created. Thresh’s men, obviously confused by the grub, regain their focus and run toward my companions, which includes Phineus and my body. I tell the grub to defend us. It grabs one of the men between its rock-like teeth and crushes him instantly. I’m about to push the grub forward when a painful tug pulls me out of its mind. I expect to emerge in my broken body, but instead I’m floating in a void.
“Hello Amy. I see that you’ve learned how to control my children.” It’s Thresh, although it’s not her voice. Rather, it is an impression of her thoughts wrapping itself around the non-me. “Instead of forcing them, you need to learn to talk with them. Like the creatures you’ve known in the forest your whole life. They know so much. It’s unfair for you to treat them like blunt weapons.”
“Thresh, you unholy wench.” Apparently I can talk back in this airless, lightless space. “What choice do I have when you attack and kill us? I want my child, now. Or I swear I’ll take a grub, hunt you down, and crush you slowly.”
Thresh laughs. Or more accurately it is an echo of a laugh formed in her warped mind. “You won’t be bothering the grubs anymore, Amy. They’ve discovered your trick and are guarding themselves now. You’ve nowhere to go.”
“I have many more tricks in my bag, Thresh. Watch yourself. I will kill you. That’s a promise.” I’m retreating now, falling down a black tunnel. I open my eyes and am slumped on Phineus, lashed to his saddle. We’re galloping through the woods, each impact of his hooves creating a burst of pain in my leg. I lift my head and see the others around me. Theo and Silius are flanking me, guiding Phineus.
“Sprouter, what the hell happened back there?”
“Theo, this doesn’t seem the best time for a long explanation. Where are we heading?”
“South, as far away from that camp as possible.”
“Do you think Eliza’s okay?”
“From what I know, that woman, Thresh, can’t afford to do anything to her. Between you murmuring in your sleep and what Bets told me, I’d wager that you and Eliza are pretty damn special to her.”
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