by W. A. R.
“Miles Preston. I have to say that you have impressed me.” The man declared and Miles smirked angrily at him. He may be going down, but he was going to go down on his own terms.
“I wish I wouldn’t have.” Miles retorted and the man laughed heartily at this response. Miles lifted his chin defiantly.
“You are also a strong leader, but even more so…you’re loyal. Almost cripplingly so.”
“I don’t think so.” Miles countered and the man narrowed his eyebrows at him in amusement.
“You’ve made promises you can’t keep. Isn’t your failure to them disappointing?” the man asked and though the words cut him deep, he refused to let the man see the damage he had done. He thought of Amber, how resilient she was and he felt a small surge of hope that they would make it out alive. He would give her his last bit of strength; he wasn’t going to back down.
“Not as disappointing as it must have been having you as a son.” Miles replied, a smug smile on his face. The man brought a hand up to stroke his long coarse beard, as if deep in thought.
“You think you’re clever?” the man asked him and Miles smiled, his eyes dark and humorless.
“I know I am.” Miles replied, leaning forward only slightly, reaching the man’s eye contact that had strayed from him to the ground before him. “And as soon as I get free, I am going to kill you myself, with my own two hands. And if I don’t, one of our people will.” Miles promised and a dark gleam took control in the man’s eye. His expression deepened and was almost…ferocious. The man reached forward and grabbed the collar of Miles’s shirt, jerking him off balance. If the man were to let go, Miles would fall to the side, unable to right himself, and yet he didn’t care. Though the action was meant to be intimidating, Miles merely narrowed his eyes and grinned. “That is a promise.”
“Too bad you can’t save them before that happens.” He growled and tilted his head slightly; lowering his voice so only Miles could hear him. “And we are going to take our time with Amber. That is a promise.”
Miles laughed at this. “And that is where you make your first mistake. She’ll be the first to kill you.” Quickly, before the man had a chance to let Miles’s words sink in; he reared back and hit the man hard with his forehead. The man released him with a yelp and Miles fell to the side, his head roaring with pain. He was jerked back to his knees by two strong hands and he glanced up to see the man pacing back and forth quickly and angrily, blood dripping from his nose.
“Don’t you fucking touch her.” Miles ground out slowly before three of the men around them stepped away to kill more Biters that were wandering in. The man turned to Miles and slammed his fist into Miles’s face as the other man held him still. The agony of the shot hit him and he growled, turning his attention back to the man.
“Don’t you fucking touch me.” The man slurred, angry, as he licked blood from his lip.
Miles grinned through the pain. “It was worth it.” He snapped before a cloth was suddenly pulled tight across his mouth, effectively gagging him. The man grinned nastily before spitting blood on Miles’s swelling face. Miles grimaced in disgust as the man straightened up.
“I certainly hope you think so after I get through with you.” He threatened before bringing his hand to his bloodied nose. The man looked at the blood coating his hand with disgust before folding his hands behind his back and pacing before the three of them. Things were quiet momentarily before the man finally decided what he wanted to say to them.
“We have a compound that is working on…change.” The man began, never looking at them. Miles bit down angrily on the cloth. “To work on this…change…we always need more people. So, we look. We release the experiments that had not worked, or had gone wrong, and we look for living humans. We have done this countless times. Some that we find become part of our growing community, some die, while others…” the man paused, his eyes resting intently on Miles. “Well, you’ve seen the hybrids.” The man smiled at them ruefully. He knew what the man was insinuating. Miles felt his anger ebbing away and giving way to horror. He had failed them…he had failed her. “Anyways, about three months ago we infiltrated the group that was at the chicken plant in El Dorado by sending Damien in. After about a week, just as we were going to move in and get them, the monsters that we released showed up. We were surprised to say the least. Usually they just die off within a few days. So we waited.” The man stopped pacing and stared at them all. “They didn’t die. And as fate would have it, we saw your smoke. The people decided to make a run for it, hoping to get help. We honestly didn’t think they would make it, but a few of them did. And when they reached y’all’s place…well…let’s just say we were going to gather all of you that night until we saw the unity and strength that you all had. We watched you take down those fucking hybrids after they easily took down well over ten people. You were no match for them and yet you guys did it.” The man sighed and turned. “So we watched and we waited. We needed to know your weaknesses.” He grinned at them evilly, and a rock settled in the pit of Miles’s stomach as three of the men, including the hooded man. The man leaned over, his eyes landing on each of them. “I know what can make each one of you fall to your knees and beg for mercy.” He said lowly and none of them moved. Their eyes shot daggers at him as he straightened his stance, his laugh low and rumbling. “So, we had to weaken your defense, and while Rick was a surprise occurrence, we made due…he was certainly helpful bringing down your defenses, Brian.” He declared, turning a darkened eye to the gagged and confined Brian. “We had to wait until you were all separated, but it finally happened, and now we have you right here in front of us. Soon enough, we will have them as well. We have big ideas, big plans, for all of you.” The man said before turning his back to them and making his way through the crowd, uncaring of the Biters heading their way. He paused, turning back to them quickly. “Oh and by the way, my name is Lance and you are in my world now.” His eyes drifted over each of them. “I suggest you learn to stay on my good side. It would benefit you in the end.”
“You know what to do.” He called over his shoulder and a man in a military uniform stepped up, swinging his gun hard. The butt of it connected with Brian’s skull. Brian fell with a grunt, unconscious and the man, with the help of another, began dragging him to another vehicle. Another man stepped up to Shelly, who was struggling against her restraints when he swung the butt of his gun down, effectively knocking her unconscious as well. She fell to the ground hard and Miles winced wishing he could have stopped her pain, stopped Brian’s. They immediately began dragging her away as well. Miles watched as Damien stepped around him and aimed for the red Dodge. He immediately realized what was going to happen. He was going to go back for the others; he was going to hurt them. Miles clenched his fists behind his back, wanting nothing more than to wipe them all out. They had to be safe, regardless of whatever happened to him.
The hooded man stepped up to him, and Miles moved. It was a long shot, but he could try. It was worth the risk. “Don’t let them hurt my family.” He demanded of the man, his voice cracking with emotion even as he held his chin high. Miles was reaching out to him desperately, a man who held a rifle tight in his grasp. He was begging for some kind of mercy from this stranger that had held him at gunpoint and he didn’t care if he appeared weak. He only wanted everyone else safe. He watched as the man quickly reached up and pulled the hood back from his head and Miles’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Not my problem.” The man bit out; his eyes were so full of anger and hatred; so much abhorrence and disgust that it twisted his face into something almost unrecognizable. Miles couldn’t even get the name to leave his lips before the young man swung down as hard as he could with the butt of his gun. “Fuck you and your little girlfriend.” He leaned closer, sneering in twisted delight. “She’s next.”
Michael. Miles’s head exploded with the impact and he fell forward, his face connecting with the pavement. He shifted his eyes between the man and the Dodge as his visi
on began darkening and betrayal coated him anew, stinging him and leaving him burning with only one thought. His son, the one he thought was dead, was going to take away the lives of children younger than him, children who hadn’t even had a chance to live…children he considered his own. The woman that had changed everything about him, the woman he loved more than anything, was going to die at the hands of his very own flesh and blood. With that thought, his eyes drifted shut, and there was no stopping it. It was over.
Chapter Thirty Five
Amber struggled against Buddy’s grip on her, resisting the urge to cry out. After the radio had gone silent she had stood there for a moment, the words resonating within her mind, making her scream and crumble. “You’re too late.” The strange voice had told her over the radio, and it was accompanied by silence. It was slow, how her emotions finally caved in and instantly she began reaching for the door handle of the truck, desperate and crying. Everything inside of her went cold and apprehension tickled the hair on the back of her neck. Buddy quickly jerked her hands from the door, forcing her to drop her weapons to the ground as she struggled against him.
“No, we have to help them!” Amber all but shouted at him as she tried desperately to pull her arms from his iron grip. He grunted with effort and drug her to him, keeping her still.
“Amber, we can’t. I’m sorry but we can’t.” he told her softly, and she felt tears prick the back of her eyes. He was right, she knew. They couldn’t rush out with guns blazing if they wanted everyone at the house to live. Going after them was merely a try and simply that…an attempt. Amber knew deep down that it was too late but that didn’t stop the anger from rolling in in waves. As if Buddy sensed her distancing, her growing hatred and lack of caring, he released her arms. Her eye twitched as she stood, leaning against the driver door. What was she supposed to do?
“Listen, we have between five and seven minutes.” The voice interrupted the violent rampage in her mind and Amber furrowed her brow at the radio,
Finally, after stealing a glance at George and Buddy, she unclipped her radio from her belt loop, bringing it to her mouth. She was on high alert, had been, and she felt as if she were going to have a nervous breakdown. Amber placed her trembling fingers against the button. “Miles?” she tried to play it off, as if they knew absolutely nothing. Her voice was full of unshed emotions, the tears continuing to flow from her eyes. “Is that you?”
“You know damn good and well this isn’t Miles. Stop playing games.” The radio beeped. The man’s voice was gruff and insistent, hurried. Amber swallowed as Buddy readied his gun, his focus dancing from her to the door.
“What in the hell do you want?” she demanded then, her voice deep and authoritative. She was beyond frustrated, and tired of playing. They wanted a battle? They would get one.
“We aren’t going to hurt you. We are friends. Be prepared. They are coming for you and will be there within five to seven minutes. Damien will be there first, and about five to ten minutes after he arrives, the others will be there. He doesn’t know you all know what is going on. I know you want to leave, but you can’t; it is too late. You have enough time to get Rick and the kids out. There is a small group behind the house and through the woods to the east that will be waiting for captives. If you play your cards right, you can take them down. The other three in your group already took down about seven. The leader is Lance; bald guy, bad attitude. He will be coming in through the front following Damien. Again, don’t leave…I have someone watching you and relaying everything you do back to me. If you make it out of there, meet us on Stateline Road at the old timber plant at noon in two days’ time if you want to try to get your friends back. This radio will be turned off now; do not respond. Good luck.” The voice said and instantly, the radio turned to static, indicating they had turned it off and Amber looked up to see George and Buddy staring at her expectantly. Something inside of her broke then and the woman that she was before was gone. The morally conflicted woman that she was had disappeared. She was going to get her family back one way or another and when she did, she was going to let the dangerous goddess that was held prisoner within her loose. No problem, Amber thought a she sagged against the truck. Anger had caused her painful detachment and she was going to end the day with blood on her hands. We will be waiting.
Amber stood resolutely still, her mind racing a million miles a minute and her heart torn into pieces. She held onto the radio, her knuckles showing white from the pressure and her hair hung low in front of her face. She was on a mission to return to reality, to run into the house, their safe haven, where her children waited for her arrival and for her instructions, her orders…where she would await Damien’s arrival. Damien…the traitor that had ambushed her family. The man behind the loss of her father, the disappearance of her cousin, and last but not least for the taking of her brother, sister-in-law, and the other half of who she was. Standing helplessly and knowing as her family was carried away by the horrible and strange people broke something within her and her kind, forgiving, and understanding moral code was long gone. Instead, she was blood-thirsty and feeling invincible. She thrived in it, knowing it was who she was going to have to be in order to get her people back.
…get her people back…
Her mind drifted back to the mystery man on the radio that had said they were friends. They had said that they could help them, but Amber was smarter than that. There was a catch; there was always a catch. More like ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’, and Amber refused to play that game. Oh, she did plan on going to them when they made it out alive, and possibly holding them hostage, using them as leverage to gain back her own people. Then again, she thought, what would that help; they would probably just track them down and take them all in, placing them in front of a firing squad for all of their misgivings. She scoffed at the thought. She would rather put the mouth of a gun against her temple and blow her brains across the truck than let those people decide her fate. Fuck them, she thought forcefully, they will get theirs.
“Amber…we need to move. Are you with us?” Amber stole a glance at George she straightened up and Buddy released a heavy breath he had been holding. His eyes stared at her with such a sadness and an attempt to understand that for a moment, it almost tore at her heart…but, what did it matter? He didn’t understand, and he never would. Boudreaux Wilson was alone and always had been. He couldn’t understand her loss, her anger…no one could. She felt guilty for letting them leave that morning. She kept repeating the question and still she had yet to find a good enough answer; why did you let them go?
Gazing briefly at her eyes in the side view mirror of the door she leaned against she sighed heavily. They were red-rimmed and her reflection offered her some insight into her identity; her eyes showed her some part of her she had never known was there. This part of her was bitter with hatred and anger. She could have acted sooner, and yet she hadn’t. She replayed every minute detail that led up to the consequential inevitability of her being unable to do anything but sit and be told that her family was drug away. She narrowed her eyes at Buddy for a moment before shaking it off. It wasn’t his fault she hadn’t been able to help them. They had been warned. Buddy had merely held her back from taking action. He had been right in doing so, yet her acceptance of the inevitable still stung…it wasn’t enough to mask the pain that she so strongly felt…instead it drove her on and she was going to let it take over. Knowing that they were tied, gagged, and abused was enough to kill her, and yet there she was, free, at least for the time being, and trying desperately to hold on to her sanity.
“Amber, talk to me. What do you plan on doing about this?” Buddy asked her, his soft eyes intent on her, awaiting her response. She wasn’t going to give him one. Instead, she simply cut her eyes to him, her jaw set in determination. Yes, he tried to understand, but he couldn’t. Amber knew that if he kept trying it was going to eventually drive him mad. She needed Buddy at that moment, not Boudreaux; Buddy, the hot-headed thrill seeke
r, not Boudreaux, the calm and undeniable friend. He sighed at her lack of response as she turned back to the road, resolute in her attempt at getting to the house before Damien did. “You need to calm down and think about this rationally. We have to figure out what we are going to do and since…they are gone…” he swallowed in distaste at his own words as they rolled off of his tongue. “We are going to be turning to you.” His words stung, but they rung true in her ears. She looked at him once more and felt her resolve weaken. His sad expression penetrated her, his words still echoing in her ears. He was beyond right, she knew; her kids were especially going to be turning to her for advice, as they have always done, only this time it was a more dangerous situation and they would be more frightened than they already were. Cassie and Kyle…Little Elliot…yes, she had to be strong, if not for anyone else then for them.
Amber swallowed, feeling tears prick the back of her eyes. “I’m scared.”
Buddy stared at her before sighing, relieved that she had finally addressed him. “I know that.”
“I’m going to get them back.”
“I know that too.” He told her and for a moment she felt his sincerity and she knew he would stand her by side, whatever she decided to do. “But first, we have to deal with Damien and the fact that they are going to come after us.” Buddy said, as if Amber hadn’t considered everything that the man on the radio had said. That was all that she could think about it had happened. There was absolutely nothing else on her mind.