The Carnage Trilogy (Book 1): The Carnage [Unbending, Unyielding, Unforgiving]

by Birch, Matthew

  William actually did something-

  He has finally redeemed himself!

  "Nice work man. I didn't think you had it in you" I give him my first, honest smile. He sure as hell deserves it.

  "I'm sorry Marcus..." He whispers.

  William takes aim, and without hesitation, shoots me...

  Chapter 37 - Not Dying Today

  Marcus

  Biting my lip so hard it bleeds – I close my eyes; wishing for my death to be instantaneously painless. I have no words, no anger. Only regret that the thing to kill me is another human being. William is already long gone, having used me as a distraction, a little piece of meat to bait the monsters in while he cowardly escapes. My thigh bleeds heavily, the pain is agonising. Holding my breath, I summon every last bit of strength I have and-

  I pull Gavin's body over me.

  Something snickers grievously; heavy footsteps are coming my way. Followed by the rotten breath of the pack leader who orders the others to track down the coward human, whom I can only guess, is William? Do they think I am dead? Did they pay no attention? Thunderous footsteps pound into the fragile earth; I can feel the vibrations even from a distance. I have never felt so close to death.

  I am scared.

  I have never been more scared in my life.

  But I can tell they are gone, and won't be coming back. Am I lucky? Or are they just stupid? Regardless of their mistake or ignorance, once they are out of earshot, I push the dead body off me and find myself just staring up at the night sky. I take deep, long breaths to calm myself, before exhaling longingly into the night. The air grows cold and my exasperated breath becomes an icy white in the darkness.

  I won't die tonight.

  Turning myself over onto my stomach and digging my hands in the dirt, I crawl and crawl with all my might until I can use the nearest tree to support myself as I get up. It's one hell of a struggle, but I manage. I have no idea where I am, so I just use the pointer Patrick gave me earlier and go in that direction. Hunched over, I limp fast. Sucking up the pain, biting my still bleeding lip, I rush through the night carelessly. There is no point in laying low or staying quiet. I will die if they find me. So, I might as well move as fast as I can even with my damaged agility. Nothing finds me, there is no one around. No human, nor monster, only me and the dying world. Pushing through the last of the bushes, I find myself trip out onto the cracked road where nature begins to seep back through the cracks. I grunt, and go to get up when I feel my head grow dizzy-

  I collapse-

  Running my hand down my tattered jeans, I find the bullet wound where the blood still pours-

  The blood loss is getting to me now...

  Taking my deepest breath yet, I press my eyes closed tight and bite even harder into a new place on my lip as I press my hand as hard as I can onto the wound to stop the blood flow. It makes no impact, only making me fall to the floor in a heap. Panting tiredly, I try to crawl the rest of the way there. Except, I can't see long distance, it's either too dark or my vision is fading?

  Closing my eyes, I give up.

  Because this is it, isn't it?

  This is how I die.

  Chapter 38 - Lost Humanity

  Ed

  Recently sharpened, my well-polished machete slices the air, making a clean cut. Twisting my hand after the initial thrust, I make sure to show how to operate the blade before ripping it back as skilfully as possible. Alice watches in awe as I demonstrate different techniques for killing creatures or monsters alike. Firstly, I start by showing her about aiming strictly for the skull or neck. Successfully eliminating either area will leave your enemy dead. While she has had to kill before, it took everything she had. She'd had to rely on others to get this far. It's a shame really. She is all that is left of her family and I have made it my promise to her to keep her alive no matter what. It’s the same promise I made to Maya mentally. If I ever told her verbally she would flip out like a crazy bitch on me. Probably spout some nonsense about not making it personal even though it quite simply is at this point.

  "So, like I said, a quick strike at the neck will quickly kill a creature-" I pause, spinning the machete around effortlessly before placing it into a hold on my belt. "A monster is an entirely different situation because they come in different varieties, at this point it's all about adaption" I explain to her as best as I can. Alice sits cross-legged on my bed, nodding away at me every few seconds. "So there are some spooky people who are more advanced than the ones I am used to?" She says curiously, her eyes gleaming with interest. I bite my lip to restrain myself from laughing again. She has a horrible habit of using 'spooky people' to define a monster. There's nothing wrong with it, other than that I laugh every single time.

  "Yeah... Spooky people come in different varieties..." I try my best to hold back the pressure building up in my stomach. Though, she doesn't take notice of me clearly suffocating a chuckle. Going silent - Alice sinks into her shell as she lowers a guilty gaze to the rugged floor. Clasping her hands together and fidgeting nervously, the saddened teen says, "Why did he have to die?"

  Her brother...

  Taking a seat next to her, I give her my routine earnest smile. "Hey, remember, he'd want you to live happily and survive not only for him but for you" It's not the first time I've said this. Having to comfort her already so many times before has left me dry of things to say. I'm kinda going through a drought of sympathy at the moment. Alice looks up and gives me a half-hearted smile. She may not believe me now, but it will get easier. Even though I don't know how it feels to lose someone, I myself can't be sure if my family outside this island is okay. I have no way to contact them, and the dread that eats away at me sometimes leaves me feeling dead inside. Who knows how far the devastation has spread. I only have the people who are by my side right here, right now. And, then there is Ben...

  A shrill scream echoes through the ranger station. Tensing up, my hand rushes to my belt for my weapon. Leaping to my feet and rushing for the door, I open it slowly and look over my shoulder at Alice who is standing behind me, just as ready for a fight as I am. "Wait here..." I whisper, as not to alert the attention of whatever monster is here. She nods, taking a step back. Her eyes scream her determination for a fight, but from her body language alone I can tell she isn't ready for this. "I can handle this..." I grin. "Trust me, I know how to handle a monster," I say before opening the door. I move stealthily through the ranger station towards the source, the lounge. Only, there is no monster. Just Linda who sleeps on the sofa? No, she isn't asleep-

  Wait-

  Squinting my eyes through the dark, I can see-

  A Knife has been shoved into her thigh!? Incapacitating her, whoever did this has left harsh choking marks around Linda's thin neck. I can see the purple marks which become more vibrant under the moon's light as she lazily lolls into the rays. No monster is this kind. Chloe and Maya left to scout the area in case anyone came back...

  The only person who could've done this is-

  Something taps the side of my head. Out of the corner of my eyes, I see the end of a rifle against my temple. "Don't try nothing now kiddo" Cody's quiet voice eerily says in a calm tone. Holding up my hands slowly, I make no movement other than giving him the sign I have surrendered. "You don't have to do this" I coach him tenderly. "Shut it!" His tone changes and his attitude makes a full 180 degrees turn on me as his snaps angrily. Seconds later he withdraws the rifle and I feel relief wash over me. Only for an aching sensation to hit me seconds later.

  And the next thing I know, I am in the back of the ranger station in the empty storage room. Wide awake and watching the real monster whose been under our nose this entire time. His eyes are shaky, never in the same place, but always on me. He seems jittery, his fingers constantly fidgeting. The deranged man observes me closely. Stepping forward, he towers above me, looking straight down from where he is. His bloodlust is there. I can tell he intends to kill me. My hands are bound and my legs are chained, I am completely d
efenceless...

  All I can think, is why? What drove him to do this? Is he broken?

  "You... you did this..." I murmur fear of his actions. Linda is-

  Biting my lip, the vulnerable Alice crosses my mind. Oh, my god-

  "I swear to fucking God if you even laid a hand on her!" I shout without restraint, which rewards me with a gag in my mouth. Raising his hands, he says, "Hey boy, now, you lisen' ere eh?" He exaggerates in his suddenly strong country accent. A level of thickness to it that makes it sound fake. Kneeling down, he grips my leather jacket's collar and rips me forward so we are close enough that I can smell, feel and taste his manky breath. His ecstatic eyes bore into me. "Now, I did what I did for my own benefit. You see, we need to do things to survive. You er', you got dat?" He hushes his tone as he speaks, getting more and more quiet towards the end of his sentence which only makes him all the more menacing. I don't give into fear. The second I am free I am fucking pummelling him into the concrete!

  "Now, I personally, see you as a waste of space. You are no good to the group. You take up goods, such as food and water-" Cody smiles thoughtfully and moves back from me where he shifts towards an open table; its contents are shrouded in darkness. "I'm gonna miss that poor boy Benny... Shame he will die like everyone else in my life-" Cody's psychopathic voice echoes through the room. His mood changing almost as quickly as my food appetite! He seethes through his teeth now, "Eddy, do you think Ben deserved to live with the group?" His voice is low and plain. Turning around to face me, Cody's eyes stop darting around and his shaking stops as a sudden confidence takes over him. I give him no answer. So he merely answers his own question. "He had to go. He was a waste of space. Besides, he was weak. What good is he for us? Survival of the fittest my dear boy..." He trails off, moving right beside me now. I see him grin as he places the point of a knife against the underside of my index finger. Since my hand is turned upwards, it only makes his job easier. Pressing in slightly and holding me in place which is made easier by the rope he has bound me in, Cody trails the knife along my finger, hand, arm and up to my collar bone where I notice he has purposely ripped open my clothes to do this weird fucking fetish bullshit. My skin breaks, and blood spills. It hurts, mostly just stinging me until it burns a little. Signs it is clotting at least. This is going to leave a horrible scar one day. The knife edges ever so close to my throat. Stretching my neck in an attempt to shorten the gap between life and death does nothing but delay the inevitable.

  "Patrick Ross... man he's a tough one. I like em' I really do. He's a tough one. That is why he lives. An' I really like him... He's a tough one. He's a tough one. He's a tough one" Cody says this in a very deranged obsessive way. But he seems to faze out, repeating himself again and again. His pupils dilate and he blanks out. Like he loves Patrick or something?

  "I've lost so many people Eddy... All of em' died one way or another... So, after I put that young boy out of his misery... I discovered something-" A moist, slimy tongue is pressed against my lower neck and disgustingly, Cody slithers his filthy tongue all the way up my neck and across the side of my face. Oh god, I want to throw up right now-

  "When I killed him, I did enjoy it, ya' see?" Cody retreats back from me, stepping towards the door, his front facing me as he twiddles the knife in his fingers. "So, if you can't beat the killer. Join the killer. That way you don't die Eddy boy..." Cody's wide smile that spans the whole of his face looks down on me. He bares his teeth, takes one step towards me and-

  Flinching, I perk my ears up at the sound of bone breaking. It was a swift and clean crack. Cody's limp body hits the ground. Maya kicks Cody's unconscious body once, spits on him and faces me. Her fists are clenched, her eyes hold a lust for revenge, and damn does she look pissed... But when she sees me and the state I am in. She softens, her eyes drooping lazily as she rushes to my side.

  "He lost it, he's gone now" Maya deadpans as she unties me. Once free and standing up, I stretch my body while staring down at the sleeping Cody. His face is empty and lifeless. Maya steps beside me and sighs. "Cody is in there somewhere Ed. I believe this isn't the real him... I think he's suffered too much and it's finally got to him..."

  "I know..." I reply back to her. I already know the truth. Cody isn't Cody anymore. Surely there is some way we can help him? Or is it wasted time and effort? Considering how lost he is, having done what he's done...

  Maya looks at the bench in the corner of the room, ripe with tools of torture. "Ed..." She mutters in disbelief and disgust. I can't look, I have to turn away. As if facing the reality is too much for me. How can I? Cody was going to torture me, use me as a plaything, and then kill me. Imagine if Maya and Chloe never came back...

  He would have most likely turned on Alice after I was gone.

  "Should we kill him?" Maya whispers to me. Hunching over, I lean on the desk of weapons. My eyes scanning the various methods he had planned. All painful, but not enough to kill, the suffering I would have endured is beyond scary. All this is enough to justify killing him right here, right now for a crime he never did. But then again, what he's done is enough anyway.

  "Ed?" Maya pesters me. Turning, I give Maya a weak look. I can't believe I am gonna say this. "We let him live..."

  Maya goes to speak against my wishes but holds herself back. I don't have the guts to kill another human and neither does she.

  I can't-

  "Well, I'm tying him up then" Maya proceeds to grab the rope Cody used on me. I give her a nod, leave the room and bump into Chloe who has tears in her eyes. Alice is behind her, perfectly fine and untouched. "He locked me in my room... I'm sorry, I tried..." Alice shyly and shamefully says behind Chloe. I bet she did fight him best she could, but what could she have done? He probably had her at gunpoint and herded her into her room. I don't blame her. Chloe on the other hand, grabs my attention because of the blood on her hands and the stain of crimson on her white tank top, and the tears in her eyes?

  "What's wrong?" Dread fills me after I'd asked. Who's dead? Ben? Linda? Patrick? Who...

  Chloe gulps then takes a breath. With a slight squeal of delight, she reveals the big truth, "We were able to save Marcus!"

  Chapter 39 - Last Human Standing

  Ed

  Gagged, handcuffed, and left to fester in the corner of the lounge is Cody. Propped up in an armchair, the devilish man has the hots for me. His eyes stare intently as if he has an infatuation. He reminds me of a child who is drawn to a toy set except he'd rather play with a human. He can't resist. His unmoving gaze sends chills down my spine. No blinking, no moving, no struggling. The broken man who has suffered the most only wants to inflict his personal demons onto the world around him. More or less, that means us, or me to be more specific...

  Sorrowfully, I shift my attention to my closest friend Marcus, who is in the middle of being patched up by Chloe. Marcus winces as she helps with his wounds best she can. "You're lucky they found you mate" I give him a full grin, to which he gives me a fairly faint one back. The life in his face looking very depleted.

  "We're lucky we found you too," Maya says while taking a seat next to me. Placing a hand on my lap, she shifts closer to me. Her eyes shimmering with worry. "I'm sorry we left. We couldn't hear it well, but we could see the flashes from guns in the forest and went to help..."

  For some reason, the saddened woman apologises to me and then explains herself. She knows I didn’t mind her going out there? I openly chose to stay back with Alice. Brushing her hand away, I force out the words, "Doesn't matter Maya, seriously, I'd rather you help Marcus then me" Maya frowns, mostly from me pushing her away. She tries taking my hand, but I only end up repeating the action I hate doing. Her concern is wasted on me, but to see her so rejected hurts me more than anything. Now isn't the time, besides, honestly, I'm fine. I think?

  "I still can't believe that sucker would pull shit like that" Marcus murmurs, still not believing Cody did what he did to me. I nod, looking at my arm, shoulder and part of my neck that's had t
o be bandaged and cleaned from Cody dragging a knife through me. Maya stands, walking over to Cody before delivering a hard hook to his face. We all flinch, the impact echoes disturbingly through the room. We stay silent for a moment, all of us watching as Maya digs her fist into his face as a second time before calling it quits.