by W. A. R.
“She deserved it…” he had laughingly told Buddy as Buddy took the gun from him and hit him. He hit him hard once, and then twice. Tears clouded his eyes. She deserved it? Had he killed Amber? He paused momentarily, caught off guard by Amber’s screams. He turned and witnessed her fall to the ground, Kyle in her arms. No, he hadn’t killed Amber…instead, he had taken away her son…he had hit her where it would hurt the most. He wanted to kill him, to end his miserable existence, and yet he knew deep down that it wasn’t his place to do so. Amber would handle him as she saw fit. He stood there for a few more minutes, ensuring that Damien wasn’t going to try anything again before turning back to his people. He had heard Amber’s screams, Cassie’s cries…he had destroyed more than just Amber…he had destroyed Cassie, Kyle…the sorry son of a bitch. Damien would rot in hell for all of his actions.
He hesitated before rejoining his people, his steps halted by his thoughts. Honestly, he was unsure if he wanted to go to them, to see the hurt on their faces, to bear witness to the grim reality of loss. And he debated on this for a while, watching as Amber held her son and cried. She cried for all that she was worth and he only caught a glimmer of the hurt that radiated through her entire body. He couldn’t stay. They needed him, the assurance and security that friends can offer and so he decided to go back, his stomach twisting painfully at the sight. When he finally arrived, things had gone quiet, with the exception of the occasional cry. He glanced down at Amber and felt his heart drop into his stomach. Kyle was gone; there was no doubt about it.
Amber moved finally, slowly lowering her son to the ground, his blood coating her shirt, her hand. He felt tears prick the back of his eyes yet again. Damned feelings…damned emotions. He cursed them, wishing they would leave him but he knew that they wouldn’t. He had never had a mother, much less one that cared, and he saw the fresh hell that settled in this mother’s eyes as she released her baby from her hands, knowing he would never look at her again. Cassie turned her eyes up to her mother, watching her as Amber slowly stood. She had stopped her sniffling, had stopped her whimpering. Tears still flowed from her eyes, dripping precariously form her lashes. Her eyes never left the motionless body of her son on the ground at her feet. Her hands clenched into fists slowly at her sides, and Buddy could see something building inside of her and if he were honest it frightened him. It was like a tidal wave, the emotion that rolled over her, and it seemed to touch everyone around her. Every bit of fury she had flowed through her veins, pricking and stabbing at her, setting her on fire. Her knuckles were beginning to turn white as one by one every single person turned their eyes to her, as if feeling her anger. Buddy wasn’t sure what to do, what to say to help ease her mind, so he did nothing.
“What happened?” she asked lowly, the words but a hoarse growl in the back of her throat. Buddy almost hadn’t heard her. She kept her head lowered and her eyes riveted on her flesh and blood. Buddy glanced at George, who stood directly across from him on the other side of Amber and the boy. George had been crying as well, Buddy noticed and he swallowed the lump in his throat at the sight. George crossed his arms and nodded at Buddy, urging him to tell her.
He cleared his throat, expecting her to move, and yet still she didn’t. He opened his mouth nervously, and considered closing it again, refusing to tell her, but he knew he had to. “Damien…he had Lance’s gun…we didn’t know…” he began but he didn’t get to continue as she finally looked up at him. The ice and fire in her stare, though contradicting of one another, only served to strike at him, lash at him. It hurt, the guilt he felt at having left the gun on the ground, the gun that Damien had used. It didn’t matter that whether he thought the man too weak to even move; he and George were really the ones at fault. He felt George’s eyes widen at the realization of the gun, but the man said nothing.
Jacob quickly stood from his position on the truck and caught up to Amber as she turned to leave. His face was red, his eyes bloodshot and tired, pained and yet he was determined, maybe a little frightened. Everyone stood motionless as the two began clambering toward the house. They over-stepped Damien, who had watched them approach with fear in his eyes. Amber, however, never even looked at down at him. Buddy turned back to George, who was then holding a trembling and crying Cassie against him. No one could speak a word, and honestly, they were quite unsure what to say. Two children had died in the midst of this battle. It wasn’t fair. It simply wasn’t. Derek forced himself to move, grabbing the hose and gas can and turning to syphon gas from the other trucks. He was pained as well and couldn’t stand to be there any longer.
After a few minutes of pure silence, Amber and Jacob returned with what appeared to be sheets. Amber walked past Kyle’s motionless body with Jacob and without a word spoken between the two, they knelt down and reached under the truck. After few minutes of struggling, they had retrieved what was left of Brittany’s body. Buddy grimaced and watched as Jacob cried over her, his hands trembling as Amber helped him put her body on the sheet they had lain out previously. Once this was done, Amber stepped around to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, urging him away. Buddy was briefly confused before he watched the girl’s head move. She was a monster. He suddenly felt as if he should intervene. Jacob shouldn’t have to do that. He shouldn’t have even had to see his sister that way. He stepped forward, his goal of reaching them before he could act thwarted by George, who had reached an arm out to him and stopped him. Buddy looked up at him in shock and surprise, but George only shook his head. And before he could even get another thought in, the boy knelt forward and quickly shoved a knife through her skull, applying an excessive force. He was angry…he was so terribly bitter. Slowly, he pulled back on the knife, tears flowing from his angry eyes.
“Jacob…” she trailed off softly. The boy nodded, his expression twisted into a fierce mask of hate. She stared at the warped body of the young girl for a moment before placing an arm securely around his shoulders. “You will regret having done that. You should have let me.” She told him as gently as she could and again he nodded understanding everything she meant, reading between the lines to words she hadn’t said.
They stood this way for a few minutes, staring at the young girl in melancholy silence. No one else moved; instead, they all only watched. It was building, the tension, and they were expecting Amber to snap, for Jacob to break, and yet nothing happened. Instead, they separated and knelt on opposite sides of the girl before lifting the sides of the sheet she was on. They wrapped her delicately, as if she were a fragile package, getting ready to be sent to a precious receiver. Buddy couldn’t take it anymore, and slowly, he stepped forward to her feet, lifting part of the sheet, attempting to help wrap her. His fingers shook as they did, and within seconds Cassie and George had walked slowly to her head, following suit. They did this slowly; each movement measured and thought out. They worked together as a family, as one being to secure the child in its makeshift comfort. Katie watched, her eyes flickering between Lance and the group as they worked.
Once they were finished with Brittany, they stood, turning and walking to Kyle. Jacob and Cassie laid out the sheet, and then Buddy, George, and Amber gently lifted him and placed him in the middle of it, wrapping him with the same tender care they had wrapped Brittany. Amber’s tears came back as they went through the motions, wrapping the cotton cloth securely around her son. Her hands trembling by the time they were finished, and she lowered her lips to the cloth where his forehead had been, and placed a gentle kiss there. Buddy wanted to reach out to her, but he couldn’t. He knew then, he could feel it…there was no reaching her.
She stood and turned her eyes to Lance, whose eyes widened in concern. “Jacob?” she asked of the young boy and immediately the boy moved behind Lance and removed his confines after lifting the man to his feet. The man stared at her in shock and uncertainty, and yet she never wavered. Buddy and George immediately stepped forward, only to be stopped by her next words. “You are going to carry these two children to the truck.”
“Excuse me?” he asked incredulously. George and Buddy were just as surprised at her demand as the man. She stepped forward, and though she never squared her shoulders, never exuded hostility of any kind, the man stepped back, as if clearly frightened of her.
“These children have lost their lives because of you and your people.” She told him calmly; so calm that it alarmed everyone around her. “You are going to carry them to the back of that truck,” she motioned towards one of the other trucks that sat on the side; the one with a dead man in the driver’s seat. “And you are going to treat them like the delicate treasures that they are…and always will be.” Buddy noted how she struggled to keep her voice even on her last words; he had picked up on the slight tremor behind her words. She was trying so desperately to be strong, that each passing minute was breaking her. She stepped to the side, motioning with her hand to Brittany’s still and wrapped body and without another objection, he glanced at her pleadingly and edged slowly to the girl’s body.
Buddy watched in awe, his nerves on edge as the man that had done so much bad talking, so many painful actions, knelt and slowly lifted the dead girl in his arms. He handled her as gently as physically possible as he carried her to the back of the truck. Jacob followed him, arms crossed and watching every move that the man made, opening the tailgate when he needed it. He settled the girl tenderly in the back of the truck and turned, slowly edging towards Kyle’s lifeless body. He kept his head lowered, avoiding the stares of his enemies, enemies that surrounded him. Amber watched carefully as the man placed his arms under the child and lifted, rising to his feet and cradling the boy in his arms. Buddy noted the emotion written over the man’s face as he did this, which was odd considering their previous encounter with him. As he carried Kyle to the bed of the truck, Amber walked around with him, watching him. He never faltered as he lay the boy down, easing him onto the cool metal of the truck. Once his hands were free of the boy, Amber stepped forward looked at him, her expression bitter and hating.
“On your knees.” She demanded with composure, tears stains still evident on her face. He lowered his head as if bowing and lowered himself to his knees, folding his hands behind his back to be tied. He didn’t even try to fight her and Buddy had to admit that he appreciated his lack of aggression. She didn’t even have a weapon of any kind and yet the man still fell to his knees. Jacob stepped back up, lowered himself to his haunches and pulled some ties from his pocket. Buddy realized then that they must have discussed this situation while they had gone in the house. Once Lance was bound, she turned from him and he allowed Jacob to escort him into the cab of the truck. Upon opening the driver’s side of the door, the dead man fell out with an arrow in his chest. Lance winced at the sight before leaning against the truck and waited for his verdict. Amber stood, arms crossed, staring at Damien, who was yards away on the porch. Buddy and George reluctantly stepped up to her. She never even flinched, didn’t even acknowledge that she knew they were there.
“Amber, about what happened…” George began softly but Amber interrupted him.
“I’m fine.” She said calmly, too reserved. Buddy sighed. They knew she was far from fine, but they didn’t contradict her. “We don’t have time to talk about it right now.”
George glanced over her head at Buddy as Derek and Katie ambled up to them. Buddy nodded at the unspoken statement. He knew they had to leave as quickly as possible. In fact, with everything that had just happened, he was surprised that she remembered. She had lost her father, her brother, her best-friend, her lover, and even her son…all in two days’ time. Buddy feared for her lucidity.
“I know we need to go. We just lost almost thirty minutes…” Amber said as if she had read their minds. Her voice was like stone…heavy and rough. Tears were in her eyes, and her shoulders trembled. “it seems Lance was telling the truth…but those two children deserved better than being left here, and I’ll be damned if my own son isn’t given something proper.” George furrowed his eyebrows at her sadly and Buddy knew that he wished he could reach her as well. She uncrossed her arms as Katie and Derek stepped around to stand before the trio. They were unsure of what to say, who to do. Amber inhaled sharply against the stabbing in her chest. She was taking every breath her son was denied.
“If there was anyone else coming, then they would have already been here.” Derek said, attempting to address the subject at hand. Amber nodded, forcing her mind from the fact that her son was dead in the back of a truck. She needed to remain busy, keep her mind off of it.
“Alright…umm…Derek, Katie, George…get Cassie and Jacob and load up both trucks and do it fast.” She told them firmly, leaving no room for arguments. Her red rimmed eyes scanned over each of them, and Buddy noted how her eyes unfocused briefly. Damn, he thought. He had forgotten about her head injury. She flicked her eyes at Buddy. “You’re coming with me.” Buddy furrowed his eyebrows at her in confusion but she spoke again before he could open his mouth. “When you get done with the trucks, get in and wait quietly. We will draw the Biters away from the front gate before you start the trucks. We won’t be long.”
Katie nodded and then stared at her glumly, as if regretting asking before the question even before it rolled off of her tongue. “And Damien?”
Amber’s eyes darkened and Buddy flinched at the wild recklessness in them. “I’ve figured out his punishment.” She told them and before another word could be spoken she stepped forward, pushing past Derek and Katie. George looked after her for a moment before turning away and altering their direction for the trucks and away from Amber. Buddy sprang to his feet, following Amber as she marched towards the porch. Damien remained quiet as she drew near to him, his eyes mocking and reproachful. Her eyes were like razors, cutting and sharp, so much so that Buddy even flinched away from her. She didn’t say a word as she knelt down to his level, staring him down until his eyes shifted away from hers guiltily.
“Come to seek out your revenge? Take me out of my misery?” he asked and she remained silent for a moment, continuing to stare at him. Sweat began beading on his brow and he looked to her hands. She held no weapons, and his eyes widened slightly. “Aren’t you going to kill me, you stupid bitch?” he asked, his voice rising to a yell. Buddy stood still, watching the interaction and waiting for Amber to tell him what she needed him to do. “I killed your son. What are you going to do about that?” he asked her, and though her eyes flashed briefly, her expression never changed. Buddy saw it: Damien wanted to die at her hands. He killed Kyle as a way to get revenge and to be taken out of his pain…the pain she had put him in. He expected her to lose control and become a monster…but what he was getting wasn’t going to be the type of monster he expected.
Very slowly, she stood, rising up to her full height and walked around to his head. His eyes followed her, his limbs unmoving from their place. He was a swollen, beaten mess. She turned her gaze to Buddy and motioned with her eyes for him to move down to his feet. Buddy quickly obliged and before he realized what she planned to do, she knelt down and grabbed his wrists, jerking the upper half of his body up. The man cried out in pain, new tears filling his eyes. Buddy mimicked her, grabbing Damien’s ankles and lifting his bottom half, the body they held screaming for sweet relief that they refused to give him. Amber nodded at him in thanks before turning and leading them off of the porch. They carried him to the red Dodge in silence. The entire time that they did this, the man screamed out in anguish. Buddy had assumed that the sounds would bother him, but they didn’t. Instead, he found a twisted satisfaction from it. He wanted to perform terrors of all sorts to the man…his mind becoming a vivid T.V. reel of torture. Amber remained stoic, leading the way to the bed of the truck. Once they were firmly behind the truck, they lowered him to let down the tail gate. He whimpered and cried from his agony. Amber and Buddy stood over him, breathless and sweating. Amber lowered herself once more, reaching down and turning his face, forcing him to look up at her. So much pain and fury danced in her eyes tha
t Buddy found it hard to turn away.
“I’m not going to kill you Damien.” She told him and the man she held under her power grimaced and cried even harder. She shifted on her feet, bringing her face closer to his. “I am going to tear you apart. I am going to hear you scream until your last breath…I am going to hear you beg for forgiveness and mercy from monstrosities that can’t give you that relief. I will be that monstrosity. I am going to offer you every bit of misery that a hateful creature such as your deserves…” she told him. Her voice was even and calm; low and terrifying, full of promise. Buddy felt a tremor flow through him. “While I pick you apart…you think of my son…because this…this will be for him. You think about him while you cry and scream…and you think of him while you beg for mercy and forgiveness from me…because you won’t find it here.” She said in nothing more than a whisper before releasing him and standing.
“Please…I’m sorry…” he pleaded with her, tears running down his face as he lay on the grass, unable to move. “Please just kill me.”
“Beg.” She demanded of him.