Endgame (Book 1)

by W. A. R.

  He took a right, flying down the road at a fatal speed. “Radio them and tell them we have the plaster.” He told her and she shook her head.

  “I have no idea where it is. Just get there now. They will find out when we get there. I have to get him in the seat and you have to drive, so do it. They will be ready.” She told him and he did as she said without further question.

  The next few minutes were spent with Buddy drifting around curves and flying over hills, bypassing the Biters at the school and in town by making a big loop towards the house. Amber was working on easing Rick back up into the seat, the effort requiring her to do so substantial. he looked over his shoulder at her. She grunted with the strength it was taking to lift her unconscious cousin.

  “How is he?” Buddy asked her and she shrugged before remembering that he couldn’t see her. She sighed and maneuvered her way up to his shoulders, gripping him under his arms and heaving up with everything she had.

  “The same as he was before. Still out of it.” She told him breathlessly before sighing in relief at lifting Rick’s upper half on the seat. Quickly, she held his shoulder with one hand before adjusting herself between him and the front seat and she quickly pushed up on his bottom half.

  “How about you?” he asked her and she released a heavy breath at replacing Rick to the seat. She glanced sadly over her shoulder at him. He was concerned, and she was as well.

  “Are you alright?” she asked of him and he brought a hand up to his face, running his fingers down in exasperation. She reached forward and adjusted Rick’s legs and arms, studying the disfiguration that was lying before her; what had once been like a brother to her.

  “Avoiding my question?”

  “I’m not sure what you expect me to say.” She told him honestly, feeling her blood pump into her heavy heart with ferocity. “We made it.”

  “Yes we did.” He replied, and she knew that he was grinning. She couldn’t deny the small feeling of triumph that brought her own lips up into a smile. Buddy sighed as Amber splayed her fingers across Rick’s chest, pressing down lightly with her fingertips. “Where do you think they all came from?” his crisp voice returning to normal, just as her heartrate did. Things had calmed, but she still felt the trembling in her hands that reminded her that it had happened.

  “I have no idea. It was a main point in the middle of town. They heard the truck and came running…in a sense.” She told him as they neared the end of Scotland Road, taking a right, the house in view. She looked at him gratefully. “You saved us back there. Thank you.”

  “You didn’t do too bad yourself.” He told her, and she smiled gently, remembering her directions, the Biters at her window. “The gate’s open and Cassie’s guarding it.” He told her, ignoring her compliment, and she nodded, on her knees in the floorboard, checking Rick’s body more thoroughly for further ailments.

  “Pull right up to the porch so we can get him in. That’s the easiest way.” she told him and he did so, never slowing down at the iron gates. She glanced up to see Cassie quickly close the gates, locking the chain. She went back to work on Rick as Buddy slid the truck to a stop, killing the engine and opening his door. She lowered her ear to his chest, trying desperately to hear his heartbeat over the incessant whistling in her ears. Buddy had touched the handle on the back door when Miles ran forward, slamming a punch with all of his weight into Buddy’s jaw, sending him sprawling on the ground. Brian was two steps behind, jerking Buddy up by his shirt and slinging him against the truck. Both men were full of rage and fear.

  “Where are they?!” Brian bellowed, his voice harsh and raw with emotion. George and Derek ran to pull Brian off of the winded Buddy who stood trying to catch his breath from the impact when they saw Amber in the back with Rick through the back window. George let go of Brian and hurriedly opened the door, and without question grabbed Rick’s feet, dragging him out as easily and quickly as possible. Amber jerked from the flash of sunlight from the open door but quickly went into action.

  “He has a broken leg. Be careful. Get him in the house now and try to give him some water, wake him up. We need to know if there are any pains that we don’t know about.” Amber said breathlessly as George nodded. Cassie appeared then, watching the scene before her anxiously. Damien rushed out and met George, gripping Rick’s now free right arm and hoisting him up. Derek held an astonished Brian back, and Buddy stood calmly now, rubbing his jaw, blood dribbling from his nose. George grabbed the other arm and they rushed him up the stairs and into the house as fast as they could. Brian immediately jerked free of Derek as Amber climbed out of the truck, and Derek followed George and Damien into the house. Miles stared at Amber coldly. Cassie wrapped her arms around Amber, squeezing her tightly. The action warmed Amber’s heart and she hugged her back, thanking God for all of the moments such as those that kept her grounded. She felt exhausted and ready to collapse, but she needed Cassie’s help. She pulled away from her and looked her in the eye. “Cassie I need you to go help the others. Get some water out of the well and take it in for them. We are going to need it.”

  “Yes ma’am.” The young woman replied and without further instruction she ran inside the house to assist them. Amber felt her heart swell with pride as she watched her oldest child race into the house. She then turned to Miles’s and Brian’s cold and tense stare and the feeling was gone. She sighed and fell back against the truck, glancing at her blood covered hands and body. She mentally groaned.

  “What is wrong with you two?” she asked tiredly, astonished at both Miles’s and Brian’s behavior toward Buddy. Buddy side-stepped his way to her, resting against the truck beside her. She moved to check on him, to ease his anger, but he wasn’t angry.

  “The walkie-talkie was in your seat and you sat on it. I’m assuming you were pressing the button and they heard everything until we hit the curb.” Buddy said, and Amber wondered why he hadn’t mentioned that before. Then she saw it in his eyes; yes, they were angry, but now they had no reason not to trust him. He allowed them to think that he had failed them, only to prove his worth to everyone. They could no longer doubt him without certainty. It made his actions ten times more notable. How could they not trust him after that? He had redeemed himself ten-fold.

  “We had no fucking idea what was going on. Why didn’t you come back here like we said?” Brian asked hotly, ignoring Buddy, who just shook his head. Amber turned from Buddy to her brother, all feeling of triumph and accomplishment gone.

  “We couldn’t Brian. We couldn’t risk drawing more attention here. We did what we had to do.” She told him and Buddy shrugged his tense shoulders. Though tired, she eased herself from the side of the truck, squaring her shoulders and bristling at the look in his eyes.

  “Bullshit. What in the hell happened?” Brian prodded, and Buddy returned his accusing stare.

  “We came across Biters, lots of them.” Buddy said harshly, defending both himself and Amber. Amber suddenly felt relieved as she watched Buddy reach into the front seat and retrieve the box of plaster. “They chased us while we were trying to get this damn plaster for his leg.” He told Brian before tossing the box at him. Brian caught it quickly, surprised by either the weight of the box or the hostility that Buddy seemed to be focusing on the two of them. Amber shifted on her feet and reached a hand out to Buddy, who stood motionless after closing the door, staring hard at Brian and Miles. She placed her hand on his shoulder and sighed, feeling his breathing calm as Brian and Miles seemed to do the same. Miles reached a hand forward, palm open to Buddy. Buddy hesitated briefly before shaking it.

  “Thank you.” Miles said calmly, and Amber felt as if there was something she was missing. She decided not to ask, unsure of if she wanted to know, or if she could even handle whatever it was, on top of everything else. She noted the look of relief that washed over Buddy’s features at their acceptance, at their trust and respect. It was what he needed and Amber couldn’t help but feel proud that she had helped him accomplish that. Brian shifted t
he box to his side, holding it against him with one hand as he swallowed and offered his free hand to Buddy. Buddy studied it for only a moment before taking his hand in a firm shake.

  “Thank you, for both of them.” Brian’s voice was rough, but sincere. Amber winced and noticed then the redness of his eyes, and she knew that he had been crying. “I think I speak for all of us when I say I would like to know the entire story.” He said, his voice trembling slightly. He glanced towards the house and she saw tears build up in his eyes once again. Her heart ached at the sight, feeling heavy and weighted with guilt at having been the one to cause him to be in pain. But, there were more important things at hand and they could no longer wait, whether they liked it or not.

  “We need to get in there to help before he wakes up completely.” Amber suggested and Brian gave her a pained look that said a thousand words, and every one of them sliced at her soul. She winced as he quickly turned from her, carrying the box of plaster into the house, Buddy offering her a sympathetic look before following behind her brother. She sighed and began past Miles when he caught her wrist gently. She looked up at his tender, brown eyes and wanted nothing more than to fall into him and erase her responsibilities and her past.

  “Are you okay?” he asked her and slowly, she nodded. Did he have any idea what he did to her? He made her want to cave and forget it all. He made her want to escape the pain, and only because she knew that he would take the brunt of the pain for her. He would carry her burden on his shoulders and let her walk free if he could. And even then, while her cousin was knocking on death’s door, she wanted to escape it. The blood on her hands, on her face…she wanted to rid herself of the feel of it, of the stench of it.

  “I’m not fragile or weak, you know?” she asked and he stepped beside her, releasing her wrist. He simply sighed in concession, beginning towards the steps alongside her without another word.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Cassie, keep his head down!” Amber somewhat shouted to Cassie who stood her ground nervously amid the shouts, screams, and chaos around her. She had her right palm placed flat on Rick’s scorching forehead, the other palm pressed against the back of the right one, struggling against Rick as he pushed against her, screaming. He had a fever now, and the warmth of it affected his body so that his skin lost its color. His eyes were squeezed shut tightly, and whenever he opened them Miles could see the wild in them, untouched by reality. He wondered briefly what the man saw whenever he looked at all of them. Amber, Shelly, and Cassie had all tried to reign in his fear, to assure him but he had not even recognized them. Miles looked around him and took in once again everyone’s positions. Shelly was holding his right arm, Cassie his head; Amber held his left arm and Miles his left leg. Rick’s right leg was useless then, broken and the only movement that came from it was whenever it twitched with his jerking around. Rick was screaming and yelling profanities, fighting with every ounce of strength and willpower that he had. Derek and George brought a thick cloth to the kitchen table where Rick struggled, along with more water. Kyle, Elliot, Buddy, and Brian were tending to the fences, Brian completely unable to be in the house to deal with what was happening. Miles knew that feeling all too well; guilt ridden, anxious, and yet hopeful. Amber and Shelly struggled to hold his arms down on the table to prevent him from lashing out.

  “Try to give him more water; whatever he will take. I’m afraid he will go into shock when we set his broken bones and will pass out again. He needs to be somewhat hydrated before that happens because we don’t know how long he will be out then.” Katie said rushing in with a bowl of plaster, a bowl of water and two ace bandages. He felt Amber shift beside him and he understood what was on her mind. It was a miracle that the man had even woken up, considering the shape he was in. George and Derek had been tending to him when he entered the house with Amber, attempting to give him water, pouring it into his mouth and basically forcing him to swallow by holding his nose. He had to swallow the water before he could breathe properly. In the midst of all of this, Amber and Buddy had given them the rundown of what had occurred. After a few minutes of this and about eight ounces of water later, he began to come round, taking the water in generous gulps. And then it had hit; his eyes opened wide and they were crazed, animalistic. He attempted to scurry off of the table, swinging at everyone, pulling and scratching, yelling and screaming incoherently. The man was incredibly strong for someone who had just been unconscious, Miles thought, but then again, his adrenaline was probably doing all of the work for him.

  Damien rushed in with wood, ready to make a fire. “I need a strong piece of metal to cauterize his wounds.” He said and immediately Miles cut his eyes to Amber who was using significant effort to hold Rick’s arm down, the white bone of his finger causing Miles to wince. Amber looked back at him before shouting for Bobby-Jean.

  “Mom!” she hollered and almost instantly Bobby-Jean’s tear-stained face was in the entryway, looking for Amber. Amber caught her stare but Miles beat her to the punch.

  “Damien needs something metal to cauterize with.” He told her and she launched into the pandemonium without a word, searching drawers for something, anything.

  “Okay, let’s get this started. George, Derek, put the gag in his mouth.” Katie told the two of them and they set aside the bottle of water and each man stepped on either side of Cassie, fighting to shove the cloth into his mouth. They then pulled down slightly on it, steadying his head. Miles saw Cassie visibly relax as the struggle to hold his head down eased on her frail arms. Rick began thrashing about more wildly against the holds on him and Miles had to apply more pressure to his good leg. Katie’s deft fingers slid up his leg, feeling for the bone, finding where it was broken. Rick screamed through the cloth, and though Shelly winced at the sound, Amber’s face remained emotionless. Her eyes were wide as she watched Katie with an intensity he had only seen a few times before. “Found it.” She said, pressing her fingers lightly at the base of the swollen knot on his leg, right below his knee.

  Rick cried out against the gag, lashing out once again. Shelly lost control and his hand swung back, connecting with her cheek. She flew back into the counter. George caught her before she fell to the floor, steadying her while reaching forward, one hand still on the cloth. He slightly held Rick’s thrashing arm. Shelly didn’t let the action sway her and she quickly regained position without a word, the red of her cheek where he had hit her the only evidence it had happened. Katie’s fingers dug into the knee, searching for any extra pieces of bone, determining finally that it was a clean break.

  “Okay, here we go. Hold him still because this is going to hurt like hell.” She told them all calmly, and everyone braced themselves against him as he screamed once more. In the split second Miles took to look up at the man he heard the sickening crack of his bone setting back in place, and Rick attempted to launch forward off of the table. Tears swam in his eyes and across his face as he softened his cries, and Miles could have sworn that he was begging for mercy.

  “Jackson!” Shelly shouted for the man and as Bobby-Jean before him, he was instantly there, awaiting orders. Katie stepped around the table, circling behind Miles and wedging herself between him and Amber. Shelly cast Jackson a pleading look. “Bandage his leg and begin the plaster.” She told him, and the man whisked right by Miles, reaching for the bandages without a word. Rick still refused to move his damaged leg, and for that, he was grateful.

  “Where are the short sticks we gathered for his fingers?” Amber asked loudly, addressing everyone in the room as Katie held his hand down and examined how damaged his fingers were.

  “We only need one. One is broken and the other dislodged. The broken one is an open fracture and he may have trouble with it, regardless of how it sets.” Katie replied to Amber’s question. Amber jerked her head wildly to Katie in surprise. She didn’t question the nurse, although Miles could tell that she wanted to, considering the deformity of the finger being twisted at a horrible angle. Rick’s left leg kic
ked against Miles as his fingers, broken or not tried to grasp at Katie’s arm. Miles turned his gaze to the man lying hostage on the table. He was no longer aware of everyone else; his focus was on Katie, the person who was causing him the most pain. George nodded at Cassie, signaling for her to grab the short sticks they were going to use as stints for his fingers. Cassie released her grip on Rick, George taking on the effort of her absence when Rick emerged with a renewed fury, jerking his right arm once again away from Shelly and as quick as lightning, his fingers were in Katie’s hair, jerking her across him. She shrieked in pain, releasing his left hand as he pulled her hair as hard as he could. She began screaming and Miles and Amber attempted to pry his fingers from her scalp while still trying to hold him down. Her feet left the floor and she began to kick her legs violently. Shelly fought back against the pull of his arm but to no avail. Miles grabbed Katie’s shoulders and tried to pull her free as Amber clawed at his fingers. He wouldn’t let go.

  “Knock him out with something, anything!” Amber shouted to anyone as blood began to coat the tips of their fingers; the blood was from Katie’s scalp as the thick handful of hair he held pulled skin with it. He was pulling her hair and skin right off of her head. They continued trying, Katie’s fingers struggling to pry his fingers off of her, scratching at his hand and pleading with the man to stop. Suddenly, there was a hollow thump and he went still, his fingers going limp. Miles and Amber were finally able to pry his vise off of Katie, who fell to her knees in pain. Her scalp was bloodied, and a handful of her brown hair was still in Rick’s limp hand. Her scalp was torn and bleeding a deep crimson. Miles turned his gaze upwards as Amber leaned down to help Katie and saw Cassie breathing heavily, looking at everyone who had gone still around her. She held a log in her hand and Rick was once again unconscious. Katie whimpered and easily stood on trembling legs as everyone watched her.