“Hey! It’s Max!” yelled Billy as he and Kitten started running towards him, Barker right beside them. I stopped and squinted so I could see the man more clearly. Could it finally be Max? I was starting to think I’d never see him again. Billy was right, it was him all right, I recognized the backpack strapped across his back. I felt my stomach flip and then my hands started to shake. What was wrong with me? I was starting to look just as scared as Emma Lee did a minute ago.
“It is Max!” exclaimed Emma Lee. “Oh, I thought he’d never come back.”
“So did I,” I spoke the words with no emotion.
“Aren’t you happy to see him?” she asked, surprised to see how little I reacted to seeing Max again. “I thought you had feelings for him. Isn’t that why you’ve been working so hard with all those boring experiments; to keep your mind off of him?”
“No! I haven’t got feelings for him!” I almost shouted the words at her which made her stop and look at me funny. Then I lowered my voice, “And I’ve been helping with the experiments because I really want to go home.”
“Okay, if you say so,” she said, “but I know he has feelings for you. Cornelius told me.”
“Well, then, that’s his problem,” I said, feeling a rush of excitement to find out that Max had talked to Cornelius about me.
“Hmmm, I was so sure you liked him,” she said and I could see a bit of a smile lift the corner of her mouth. She was teasing me and I could feel my face flush. I quickly turned my attention back to the group of three that had just reached Max. The kids reached out and hugged him, their faces buried in his coat. Barker was wagging his tail and barking his own greetings. We continued walking towards him and I felt the butterflies flying out of control in my stomach. Maybe I did like him just a little.
“You made it back!” Emma Lee wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I was so worried about you. Did you find them? Did you see the Blood Demons?”
“Whoa, hang on, I just got back. I haven’t even been inside yet,” he laughed at everyone’s enthusiastic welcome. He looked at me with expectation in his eyes. His smile faded and his face turned serious when I didn’t make any move to hug him or welcome him back with a kiss and a smile. “Hello, Nicky.”
“Hello,” I said, formally. “I’m glad to see that you’re okay.”
“Thank you,” he turned to open the door but I could tell he was disappointed in my lack of excitement for his return. Emma Lee could see it too and lightly elbowed me in the side. I glared at her and she looked back at me with raised eyebrows and nodded her head towards Max. I mouthed ‘What?’ to her and went into the house. I knew my reunion with Max would be awkward but I wasn’t anticipating all the anger. Whatever. Nobody could tell me who I should like and how I should like them.
“Did you find the demons?” asked Billy, anxious to hear about the diabolical group. “Were they mean? Did they, like, wear war paint and have necklaces made of human teeth?”
“Billy!” Emma Lee didn’t like the way the boy was talking. It was like he was in awe of them. “Those men are not to be taken lightly. They’re not to be admired.”
“I was only asking Max if he saw them,” Billy looked down at his feet. He hated when grown-ups tried to lecture him. He only wanted to know if Max had found them.
“Emma Lee’s right kid,” said Max. “These men are bad and dangerous. They don’t care about you, me or anyone else. If you have something they want, they’ll kill you for it without blinking an eye.”
“Sounds like you found them,” I said.
“I did,” said Max. “I found them and I talked to them.”
“You talked to them?” gasped Emma Lee. “How’d you do that without getting yourself killed?”
“That does seem odd,” I observed. How did Max establish a good enough relationship with such a diabolic group as the Blood Demons?
“What’s so odd about it?” Max looked at me with a sarcastic sneer on his face and I could feel my heart racing. He made me so angry when he looked at me like that.
“It’s odd that you were able to talk to these men so easily,” I said.
“Who says it was easy?” Again with the cocky sneer and this time I looked away from his piercing eyes. He smiled as if he had just won something. “I entered their camp knowing full well that my life was in danger. I needed to talk to their leader if I was going to get anywhere with them and to do that I had to go to him because he sure the hell wasn’t going to come to me with open arms.”
“Did they know where you came from?” asked Emma Lee.
“I told them,” he answered as he took off his backpack and sat down to take his boots off. He had been walking for over eight hours and needed to sit down for a few minutes to let his feet rest.
“You told them!” I couldn’t believe it. Why would he tell them where he was from? Did he forget that these men wanted to come here and take the land from us, killing us in the process?
“Yes, I told them,” he sounded angry that he had to defend himself. “It was all part of my plan.”
“Your plan?” asked Emma Lee before I could say anything and make him angrier. “What kind of plan?”
“A good one,” he said, happy that, at least, Emma Lee was willing to hear him out. “I told them that it was so bad up here that people were starving to death. I explained that all the talk about the north being the perfect place to live was a lie. I said the north was cold and frozen and it was impossible to grow any food before the snow came and, because of this, most of the wildlife had fled, leaving nothing to hunt. Oh, I laid it on thick, but not too thick. I didn’t want Howling Wolf to think that I was exaggerating on purpose.”
“Howling Wolf?” asked Billy. “Is he the leader?”
“He’s the leader,” confirmed Max.
“Wow!” said Billy. “What a cool name!”
“It is not cool,” said Emma Lee. “It’s a name for an animal which is what that man is.”
“Anyway, I told Howling Wolf that I gave up on the north and was heading for the coast,” said Max. “I told him I was tired of the hard work and the cold weather and that, if he was smart, he would go west as well.”
“Did he believe you?” I asked.
“No,” said Max and I started to say something but he held up his hands to stop me. “That’s why, when I left the camp, I headed towards the coast. I knew Howling Wolf would send some of his men out to follow me; make sure I was going where I said I would go and that I didn’t have my own group of men ready to attack them.”
“Did he?” asked Billy. “Did he send someone to follow you?”
“Yeah, two of them followed me,” he answered. “They weren’t very discreet about it either. I knew they were there the whole time. I ignored them, though, and for three days I headed south until they were convinced I was no threat and went back to their leader to report my whereabouts.”
“And you?” I asked. “What did you do?”
“I turned and headed back here,” he said. “I would have been here sooner but I got held up by a blizzard.”
“Do you think that this Howling Wolf believed you?” asked Emma Lee. Max shook his head and she gave out a small gasp. “Do you think he’ll come anyway?”
“Yes, I do,” said Max. “I think the man believes he has the right to take whatever he wants. He’s used some kind of made up religion to convince his men that he communicates with the gods that control this world. Believe it or not they’re convinced that he’s a prophet sent to save them. As long as they do what he tells them to, the gods will take care of them.”
“Really?” I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “Honestly, how can so many men let themselves be controlled by this guy? Gods, religion; those things don’t exist here or anywhere else. I can’t believe grown men would let themselves be scammed like this!”
“They’re not as strong as you, Nicky,” said Max. Was he complimenting me or being sarcastic? I couldn’t tell. “They need the reassurance o
f believing that there’s something out there that’s watching over them. They need to know that they’re not alone.”
“But they’re not alone!” I exclaimed. “There’re lots of people here. Look at all of us, living together, helping each other out. Why can’t they form peaceful groups and learn to live with each other peacefully; help each other?”
“Because they want it all,” said Max, “and Howling Wolf has convinced them that they’ll get it even if it means killing innocent people. He’s tricky, this Howling Wolf, a very commanding man. He speaks with confidence and strength; I can see why so many want to follow him.”
“Did you like him?” I asked. He looked at me and smiled and I could feel my heart beat faster.
“I can admire a man who has both strength and pride,” he said, locking his eyes with mine, “but not one who manipulates others to commit such savagery in the name of a god to benefit himself. I especially detest a man who wants to take away the things that I cherish most and I have come to cherish everything about this place. I consider it to be my new home.”
“That’s, uh,” I had to grasp the words as the smile returned to his face. I forgot that there were others in the room and felt my face flush a dark crimson, “good to know.”
“So?” asked Billy who had no idea of the passion that was growing between me and Max.
“So?” Max repeated Billy’s question, having no idea what the boy was asking and not taking his eyes from mine.
“So, are the Blood Demons coming here or not?” Billy asked angrily. Max looked at him and blinked his eyes and shook his head, trying to refocus on the conversation.
“Yes,” he said, “I think so. I don’t think Howling Wolf believed anything I said about the hardships of the land up here. He’s coming and I think he’s coming soon but there’s good news and bad news.”
“Yeah?” Emma Lee looked shocked to have her fears of the Blood Demons arrival confirmed as she blindly sat down at the table. “What’s the good news?”
“Well, the good news is they’ll take a few days to get here,” he said. “They won’t be able to travel very fast.”
“What’s the bad news?” Not that she thought slow travel was good news.
“The reason they’ll be travelling slow is because there’s over a hundred of them,” he said. “A group that big can’t travel too fast.”
“Over a hundred men?” Now it was my turn to be in shock. There was no way we could defeat a hundred men! We barely beat the out-of-towners and they weren’t half as evil as the Blood Demons. What the hell were we going to do? I felt the colour drain from my face. I had to leave, go outside and breathe fresh air into my lungs. “Excuse me,” I said and walked outside.
A hundred men! Each one willing to kill us and take what we worked so hard for. How were we going to defeat that many? I stared out at the fields that I had walked across so many times over the last couple of months. I saw the mountains, covered in snow, reaching majestically into the sky. It was chilly and I saw my breath as it formed foggy clouds each time it escaped my lips. The door opened behind me and I turned and saw Max walking towards me with a look of concern on his face.
“Nicky, are you okay?” he asked and I was struck by how beautiful his voice was. The lilt of his accent sounded so reassuring right now.
“Max, a hundred men?” I felt the hopelessness of the situation strangling me and my face filled with pain. I felt my voice quiver and my eyes sting with tears. “There’s no way we can beat them. We’ll all die!”
“No, Nicky,” he came to me and put his arms around me, holding me close and stroking my hair with his hand. I rested my head just under his chin and felt the comfort of his warmth. I could smell the sweat he had worked up on his journey here and it reminded me of how strong he was. I was scared and he was making me feel safe and protected and it was nice to let myself be vulnerable to him. Through his clothes, I could feel his heart beat and was happy that it beat just as fast as mine. Maybe I missed him after all. “We’ll figure it out, luv. I swear, I’ll not let those men hurt you.”
“You won’t?” I sounded like a child and silently cursed myself but I couldn’t help it. In his arms, I felt all my doubt and anger disappear. I had been foolish for denying my feelings for him. I pulled away from him so I could tilt my head and look into his eyes. “How?”
“I-I don’t...,” he started but stopped, unable to continue as he looked at me. I felt his body tremble and that half smile that drove me crazy crossed his lips. Before he could say anything that would ruin this moment, I stood on my tiptoes, grabbed his collar and kissed him so hard I thought I had bruised his lips. I didn’t intend to be so rough. I guess there was a reason that men usually initiated the kiss; they were so much better at it. He looked at me, surprised by my actions. “Nicky?”
“Shut up and kiss me properly like I know you want to!” He ran his fingers over my face and I felt them quiver with his built-up passion. I closed my eyes at his touch and felt my body press against his and, even through all our winter clothing, I could feel the heat between us. I parted my lips, anticipating his kiss and felt myself get lost as he answered my plea. His mouth worked expertly over mine and I knew I had never nor would I ever be kissed like this again. I accepted him without even trying to deny my feelings. He was just as lost as I was and neither one of us wanted it to end but slowly, after what felt like an eternity and rushed by like a second, we broke apart. It took me a moment to open my eyes and look at him. He was smiling and I blushed.
“That was amazing,” he said, his voice just above a whisper, trying to recover from the shock of my passion. “I, uh, I’m lost for words.”
“Then don’t say anything,” I wanted to kiss him again and again. It felt so right and I didn’t want the feeling to go away. He didn’t disappoint as our lips touched again and I felt his passion grow stronger and less guarded. His fingers tangled in my hair and I reached up and caressed the back of his neck, running my fingers up through his hair. He groaned and I responded by pressing closer to him.
“Max, Nicky?” It was Emma Lee who had just opened the door behind us. “Oh my, I’m so sorry! Please, forgive me. Continue. Oh my, I’ll-I’ll just go back inside.” Max and I quickly broke apart and I covered my mouth and looked away, trying to catch my breath and not look too embarrassed.
“No, no, that’s okay,” said Max who held my hand now. When did he take my hand? I didn’t remember but it felt natural. “We were just, uh, just...never mind. What is it that you want?”
“Well, the kids and I were just talking about what we’re going to do,” she stammered, still feeling bad that she had interrupted such an intimate moment. “We wondered if you and Nicky were okay and if you’d like to come back in and have something to eat.”
“Oh, yeah, the soup,” I said. “Sure, I’m game. Are you hungry Max?”
“Starving,” he smiled and looked at me with mischief in his eyes, “but I guess I’ll settle for soup for now.” Heat and adrenalin filled my face and I giggled like one of those annoying girls in high school. He saw my reaction and I saw a trace of red cross his cheeks, too and then he leaned over and whispered in my ear, “We’ll continue this later.”
We both shared a knowing look and then followed Emma Lee back into the house. They had set the table with four bowls and four spoons. Kitten was stirring the pot of soup on the stovetop and Billy was opening a pack of crackers. Barker was lying on the floor in front of the stove, enjoying the heat that radiated from it. As I watched Billy with the crackers, I was reminded of when Marshal and I travelled out here from the city. We stopped and ate peaches and crackers that day and I thought Marshal was the craziest person I had ever met. I was so confused about what this world was and had no idea of the things that would happen in the months to come. I hadn’t seen Marshal eat peaches for so long that I forgot how much he liked them. Maybe I’d go to the underground fortress later and get him a can.
“We really need to figure out what we’re
going to do,” said Emma Lee. We were sitting around the table and eating our soup, vegetable as it turned out. “I think we should leave, maybe go further into the mountains.”
“We could do that,” said Max. “But you and I both know that won’t solve anything. If we run or if we stay; it makes no difference. These men won’t be satisfied with staying in one place. Howling Wolf won’t be satisfied with it. He’ll eventually grow bored of the routine he’s promised his men and will convince them that they have to leave and find better land; kill more people. He enjoys killing; it’s a game to him.”
“What do you suggest we do?” I asked. I was thinking we should leave as well. I knew we could never defeat that many men.
“We stay,” he said.
“And get ourselves killed?” Emma Lee asked. “We’d be foolish to do that. There’s too many of them!”
“We don’t have to fight all of them,” he said and I knew he had a plan.
“What do we do then?” I asked.
“We cut the head off the snake,” he smiled.
“What?” asked Emma Lee but I thought I knew what he was saying.
“You think we should try to kill Howling Wolf,” I said. He smiled at me with pride.
“Exactly,” he said. “If we kill their prophet, they won’t know what to do. They’ll be lost.”
“You don’t think one of the others will take over and they’ll continue to kill?” I asked.
“No,” he said. “I think Howling Wolf picks his men carefully. He only wants men who will follow. He doesn’t want men that can lead. Another leader would eventually try to take over.”
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