by Platt, Sean
Jonah wasn’t sure what he was going to say. He simply wanted a chance to say something to appeal to Egan’s humanity.
“I’m a bad man,” Jonah said. “I deserve to hang for many sins. Some at the service of the City and State, ignorant of my wrongdoing. Others where I knew what I was doing was wrong, yet I did them anyway because it was easier to follow than to question authority. Hell, I was the authority. And I wish I could take it all back. As a Watcher, I burned books because they contained forbidden knowledge, I actively pursued people I thought to be conspiring against The City, I torched people’s homes and shops to teach them to obey The City, and I burned evidence that likely could’ve freed many people over the years. But the sin I regret more than all others combined was not telling the truth that day in the courtroom.”
Jonah swallowed, partly for dramatic effect and partly to try to keep his voice from cracking with emotion. “When I saw your eyes, when you begged me to tell the truth, part of me knew right there that I should’ve done something. And yet I did nothing. And then, when I was called onto the scene where your wife was murdered, it killed me to know that it would never have happened had I told the truth. You’d still have your wife and your son, and you’d still be living within The Walls of City 6, happily ever after. Well, maybe not, if someone was setting you up. But perhaps I could’ve intervened and spared you some of the heartache. Maybe I could have made a difference. But I didn’t. I was a coward. And for that, I am sorry, Mr. Egan.”
Egan stared, emotionless despite Jonah’s plea.
Is he waiting for something else?
Jonah continued, hoping to find the right combination of words to change the man’s mind.
“I have no problem paying for my sins, and I tried making amends with years of service in the Underground, helping rebels behind The Wall. In that time I probably made a bigger difference than anyone else, at least when it came to raw numbers, constantly furthering the cause. I wanted to try to undo some of the wrongs that I’d done.”
Jonah didn’t want to cry, even if it would help draw Egan’s sympathy, and hated his eyes for welling up.
“If my attempted amends aren’t enough to pay for my mistakes, well,” Jonah held Egan’s stare, “then I’m happy to pay with my life. But not yet,” he shook his head. “Not while my daughter’s in danger, and not when I can still help her. Please, Egan. Let me go, let me find Ana and save her — she shouldn’t have to pay for my crimes.”
For a second, Jonah thought he had reached Egan, that maybe his words had slipped through some small chink in the man’s emotional armor.
Then it was gone, as if he had never seen it at all.
Egan’s eyes remained stone dry as he leaned into Jonah. “My family paid for my supposed crimes against The State. So perhaps its only justice that yours pay for your crimes. An eye for an eye, two lives for two lives. Yes, that sounds just to me. In a few hours you can make your case at your trial. Perhaps you’ll find the mercy I was denied.”
Egan then turned away and left the room without saying another word.
Jonah’s eyes met Father’s, seeing a look that Jonah knew all too well. It was the look you give a dead man moments before he is sentenced.
CHAPTER 21 — Liam Harrow
Liam was careful to vary his walk, occasionally pulling ahead of the group, or falling slightly behind, making sure they saw him as a minimal threat, absorbing the inane chatter from the men while trying to ignore Chloe’s siren’s song in his ear.
The longer he walked behind her, the more he wanted to fuck her. But each time he caught himself staring at her ass, he turned his attention to Marcus’s giant ass instead, splashing cold water on his libido. Thankfully, it was a trick that had worked each time over the course of the hour they’d been walking together.
“I prefer a blade,” Keb said.
“Why would anyone prefer a blade?” Chloe asked, turning to the tattooed leader, or at least the guy too dumb to realize the leader was Chloe. “A blade is only slightly better than nothing, and a great way to get yourself dead.”
Keb shook his head. “You’re only saying that since you’re a girl, and hand-to-hand’s not your thing. But Marcus would agree. Guns are too easy, a lot like your crossbow. A knife is up close, personal, and the only way to really taste the kill.”
“You’re an asshole,” Chloe said. “Why would you want to get that personal? What in the hell is wrong with you? It’s no wonder you’re outside The Wall.”
Liam winced as she said it — the third such comment directed at Keb in the last half hour or so. Chloe’s subtle personal attacks were designed, Liam was certain, to create some tension among the men — the sort of comments that were likely dormant before Liam entered the picture.
“Tasting your kill tells you who you are,” Keb said. “And if you expect to survive out here and make it to City 7, you need to know who you are.” Keb clenched and unclenched his fist as he walked, shifting his sword from left to right, whipping its curve against the wind.
“Why do I get the feeling you volunteered your way outside The Wall like an idiot?” Chloe said. “Seems like you get off on this.”
Keb shrugged. “One man’s idiot is another man’s genius. We’ll see who’s stupid when I’m sipping cocktails in City 7. I’ve been waiting for this since I was a kid. I’m finishing this shit nice and alive. Sorry to let the three of you down, but not one of you stands a chance. Sticking with me, though, that’ll definitely get you living longer than you would’ve otherwise.”
Keb winked. Liam wasn’t sure whether it indicated that he was just trying to rile Chloe up, or that he was making a veiled threat at him, hoping he’d take the bait.
Marcus then piped in, “You might be good with that blade, but you weigh less than a girl, man, so I don’t think you’re gonna win shit if I’m still in this thing.”
Chloe laughed. So did Keb, though his was a horrible icy cackle. The hairs on Liam’s neck stiffened as Keb stopped walking mid-stride, then turned and stared up into the giant’s eyes. “You must have me mistaken for someone who can’t kill a fucker a minute after he thinks it.” He laughed again, louder. “You ever come across someone, and about a second after you stared into their eyes you knew they was the one person you shouldn’t have fucked with? Well, that was me behind The Wall, you big ape, and I’m 100 times more dangerous out here.”
“Show, don’t tell, asshole,” Chloe said, with a light laugh with just enough charm to keep Keb in a smile.
Marcus held Keb’s stare, then surprised Liam by getting more articulate by the minute. “I’m not much for saying my thinking out loud,” he said, “since folks don’t usually expect me to say much. But the truth is, all of us are going to die, and probably none of us will make it to City 7, if it even exists, which it might not. My kid brother Johnny won the games about four years back, and I’ve not heard a word from him since. Whether we make it to the end or not, all that matters is that we stand against the enemy with our feet unmoving for as long as we can. Nothing is certain in these games, and most times people win by accident. I’m glad to live a little longer with the two, and now the three of you, by my side.” He turned to Liam, smiled, then added, “That is all.”
Liam liked the guy more and more the longer they walked together, even if he had an ass like an anvil.
Keb said, “You haven’t heard from anyone from City 7 because they’re not allowed to communicate with the other Cities. That’s a fact, Mack. And here’s another one: I’ve been ready to make my way to the end since I was 14, and I guarantee I will.”
Marcus started walking. “Only reason Johnny wouldn’t find a way to send word to his brother, whether it was allowed or not, was if he was dead. Like I said, City 7’s likely a legend. Why don’t you think they ever show past winners on the TV, huh?”
Keb said, “I dunno, it’s some policy thing or something, who the fuck knows, but City 7 is real. If it’s not, then we would’ve known by now. And we’d all be fighti
ng in these Games for nothing.”
The group fell into silence. Liam figured they were each contemplating the discussion and whether or not they were fighting for nothing. Or perhaps they were each trying to figure out the best way to get to the end, and who they’d have to kill first.
Liam wondered what Chloe was thinking. She kept looking from one of them to the other, and acting like she wasn’t looking at any of them at all.
They trudged through the snow, thinning it to sludge as they did. The wind had practically died to nothing, which made it easy to hear the first zombie nearly a minute before they saw it rambling from the woods.
Keb started laughing, hysterical and almost out-of-control, like a kid about to run out and play hit ball.
Keb stood still, body tensed, waiting for the zombie to come closer. Once it was 50 yards away, Keb raced toward it screaming, arm hovering high, where it stayed until he was three feet from the undead monster, and he brought it down in a low swoop, landing deep into its shoulder, drowning both blade and snow in buckets of blood.
Still laughing, he yanked his sword from the zombie’s shoulder, then swung it around, making stupid sounds like he was having way too much fun, or showing off what a badass he truly was with his blade. Keb then swung the sword in a wide arc and chopped the zombie’s head clean from its neck, sending it into the snow.
The zombie crashed to its knees, then swayed for a moment before falling forward and spurting more dark blood into the snow like a broken fountain.
Keb turned in a circle, holding his arms to his side as though he were a T, waiting for applause that didn’t, and wasn’t going to, come.
The silence stretched until it made Chloe laugh.
“Fuck you, people,” Keb said with a chuckle. “That was some warrior shit right there.”
“Yeah,” Chloe said, “You’re a reg — ”
Her comment was clipped short by a high-pitched scream from the woods behind Keb. That scream was followed by what sounded like at least a dozen more.
Oh shit!
Immediately, Liam thought of his gun with no bullets. Not only was he unable to fight the zombies, but should they survive the attack, he’d be exposed, and likely killed for bluffing his way onto their team.
Without turning, Keb hollered, “What are you waiting for? Attack!”
Liam ran toward the zombies, two steps behind Chloe and Marcus, hoping Keb would die. He was clearly skilled but a danger to all of them. If Keb dropped, then Liam could “lose” his gun and grab the sword, and do some damage and continue his deception.
Liam reached the swarm counting nine zombies total, fewer than he feared, but not exactly a light load considering how fast they were moving, regardless of the snow.
They were nearly surrounded as Liam entered the fray with his fists. Three zombies leaped on Zeb, dragging him to the ground.
“What the fuck?” Chloe screamed at Liam as she fired a bolt at a zombie coming right at her and took it down. “What in the hell are you waiting for? Shoot the fuckers!”
“My gun is jammed,” Liam said, the words sour on his tongue. As if to pay for his lie, he ran straight into the swarm, pulled an attacking zombie from Keb’s body, then snapped its neck and dropped it to the snow before diving back inside for another.
Keb started screaming for help at Liam, mostly profanities, as more zombies piled on top, teeth gnashing. His screams turned to muffled mumbles, then died entirely, drowned by the thunder of ripping flesh and the sloppy, soaking-wet sound of their feasting.
Liam saw Keb’s sword lying a few feet away on the ground. He grabbed the zombie — a woman with skin, eyes, and hair all the color of freshly bleached porcelain — and shoved her back as he barreled past her, dived to the ground, and grabbed the sword, the handle sticky with Keb’s blood.
Liam leaped up and ran through the woman’s skull with the sword, then wrenched it down and up, making sure to destroy what was left of her brain.
Liam killed a second zombie, then spun around to see how the others were faring.
Keb had managed to kill three zombies before they ended his breathing and chances of making it to City 7. Chloe took two before the crossbow was knocked from her hand. She was fighting another hand-to-hand, but was too timid in her battle and getting pushed back toward the Fire Wall. To Liam’s surprise, Marcus had only managed to kill one, but was now wildly swinging his pipe and keeping the remaining zombies away from Chloe.
Marcus bashed one zombie’s skull, then immediately moved to the next one, almost as though it was only one motion. He laughed, growled, then ran at another pair of moaners, ducking low and bashing them at the knee. Once the zombies were down, Marcus turned back to help Chloe. He’d failed to finish off the zombies he’d knocked down, however, and seconds after he turned his back on them, they leaped onto him.
Chloe screamed, running away from two zombies that were grasping at her as she ran defenseless. Liam ran up to her, swinging the sword into the first zombie’s head, killing it in an instant.
The second zombie ran straight into Liam’s blade, almost as if committing suicide, which made Liam laugh before finishing it off.
Liam then raced toward Marcus, who was fighting the last four zombies as Chloe retrieved her crossbow. As Liam swung at the creature closest to him, Chloe sent a bolt into the head of a second zombie. By the time Liam was able to get close enough to help Marcus fight the final two zombies, they’d already torn his neck open and were starting to feed.
Liam felt a flush of anger even though he knew he’d have to kill the giant eventually. Nobody should have to die like that.
Liam swung hard, the sword splitting the creature’s skull open, then thrust the sword into its brain. Chloe took care of the final zombie, and then they both paused, surveying the dead and scanning the woods for more danger.
Above them the orbs hovered, watching and recording their every move.
Chloe screamed out despite the fact that she might call more zombies to them. Liam was gonna tell her to keep it down, but she was walking away, as if she’d spotted something.
Liam watched as she bent down and picked up something he couldn’t see, as her back was to him.
What’s she got?
Chloe turned sharply, glaring at him. In her hands, she held his gun.
She threw it to the ground and raised her crossbow, taking aim at him as she marched at him.
“You fucker! Jammed? You didn’t have any ammo!”
Liam raised his sword, though it wouldn’t do shit if she fired the crossbow at him. She marched at him and told him to drop the sword.
“No way!” he said, holding it tight in his hands.
“Drop it or I’ll put a bolt between your eyes!”
Liam’s eyes met hers. She wasn’t fucking around.
He dropped the sword as instructed.
She lowered the crossbow, then moved toward him, screaming, “You lied to us! You cost me two players, you bastard!”
She swung before he could stop her, hitting him hard in the head with the butt of her crossbow.
Liam fell to the ground as his head felt like it was exploding.
Liam managed to laugh, using a bulletproof tone that had diffused more situations in his life than he could count.
It wasn’t working today.
Chloe was on him, angry. She pointed her crossbow first at Liam’s heart, and then raised her aim to his forehead. Liam, still lying on the ground, didn’t have a play. He didn’t dare move. He didn’t dare laugh again.
He had to reason with her and hope his charms would get him through one more snag.
“Listen Chloe,” he said, palms open, eyes pleading, “I’m still an asset. Let me help you. You don’t have to do this.”
Chloe twisted her voice into the tune of mockery, so tight it sounded almost evil: “Listen Chloe, I’m still an asset. Let me help you. You don’t have to do this.”
She took another step toward Liam and said, “Sorry, but I don’t need
you any more. Now you’re only in the way,” then pulled the trigger.
CHAPTER 22 — Ana Lovecraft
Ana stared in horror at the battle erupting before her.
Liam and his new teammates were outnumbered, and the creatures had already claimed two, a skinny guy and the huge, giant guy.
Ana moved closer to them during the battle but didn’t get too close, afraid the players might view her as a threat rather than a potential ally.
When the last of the zombies was dead, the blonde girl turned on Liam and screamed.
Oh shit!
“You lied to us! You cost me two players, you bastard!”
Liam was on the ground, trying to weasel his way out of the jam, as Ana had seen him do plenty of times before.
The girl was angry, though, and Ana had only seconds to intervene.
The girl stepped toward Liam, her face red with fury. She aimed her crossbow, moving from Liam’s heart to his forehead. Liam held his ground.
Ana raced was only a few feet away.
“Listen Chloe, I’m still an asset,” Liam said. “Let me help you. You don’t have to do this.”
“Listen Chloe, I’m still an asset. Let me help you. You don’t have to do this,” she repeated, her voice cruel. She took another step, then said, “Sorry, but I don’t need you any more. Now you’re only in the way.”
The blonde girl pulled the trigger as Ana plunged her sword through the girl’s back. The bolt flew by Liam, barely missing his forehead but coming close enough to leave a line of gushing blood.
The girl crashed to the ground, bleeding out as the life went from her wide-open eyes.
Liam slowly rose, wobbling in the snow, clearly woozy.
“Are you OK?” Ana said, scared.
“My head…” Liam stuttered. “It’s pounding like — ”
He didn’t finish his sentence before he fell back down. Ana kneeled down to help him, lightly slapping his face until he finally began blinking his eyes. As he did, they widened in horror.
Ana heard the horrible groaning sound coming from behind her. She looked up to see the giant rising, oblivious to the open wounds and blood pouring from his torn neck. His eyes were white, and his mouth was open and groaning.