Cities of Rust

by Ariel Bonin

  The men inspected their Ford and the gas cans by the pump. They exchanged some words and one man stepped forward, stopping just outside of the store. His hair was spiked into a small Mohawk, and a spider tattoo adorned his neck.

  "I know you're in there," he said, an unnerving grin spreading across his face. "Might as well come out. We just want to have a chat."

  "Hell no," Charlie whispered to Andrew.

  After a few beats of silence, Spider repeated calmly, "We just want to talk…that's all."

  "They're gonna surround us. We need to get out of here," Ana said.

  "Maybe we can go out the back," Andrew replied, glimpsing Zoey over his shoulder.

  "Dad, I couldn't find her!" she stressed as her body fidgeted with anxiety.

  "Andrew…" Charlie breathed.

  Uncharacteristic fear in the man's voice caused little hairs to prickle on the back of Andrew's neck. With a foreboding sense of what he was about to see, he looked out the window and watched in horror as one of the men dragged Lindsey over to Spider. She kicked and struggled to no avail, until the man threw her on the ground in front of their assumed leader. Tugging on her arms, he hauled her upright and spun her around to face the store.

  "I think maybe now, you'll want to reconsider!" Spider hollered.

  _____

  Lindsey skimmed her eyes over the front of the store, but, because of the sun, was unable to see any movement inside. She considered it a good thing—that way the men holding her weren't able to get a visual on Andrew and the others. The man with the spider tattoo held her wrists with crushing strength and she wriggled against his grip. Roughly, he jerked her into place.

  "Oohoo, feisty," he murmured next to her ear.

  Lindsey's chest swelled with anger and fear as she dragged in a nervous breath.

  "Nothing?" the man directed toward the store. "Come on, don't be shy!"

  "They're not going to come out," Lindsey said, knowing it was probably killing Andrew to stay in place. "You have me—you don't need them."

  Spider chuckled. "As tempting as that is, sweetheart, it don't work that way." He sighed. "I'm losing my patience! You don't wanna see what happens when it runs out!"

  Goosebumps broke out across her skin at his looming threat. She had faith that Andrew would come up with a plan, but she was also willing to give herself up if it meant freedom for her other group members. Putting Zoey in harm's way was not an option, if she could help it.

  "You're not going to lay a finger on me," Lindsey snarled, trying to buy some time.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a black blur, and quickly realized it was the butt of a rifle. She flinched, preparing herself for the blow, but Spider called out.

  "Hey! Not the face, you dipshit! You know he doesn't like that," he said to the Hispanic man next to Lindsey.

  "Oh, sorry. Must have slipped my mind," the Hispanic said, and, before she could prepare for it, drove it into her gut instead. She folded, sputtering and gasping from the searing pain in her abdomen. Spider grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her upright. He withdrew his pistol and placed it under her chin.

  Now, she was beginning to panic.

  _____

  Andrew felt helpless as he watched the scene escalate before him. When one of the men struck Lindsey in the stomach, Charlie had to hold him back from surrendering on the spot. He grasped for a coherent plan, but seeing Lindsey in pain was too much of a distraction.

  "Dad, do something!" Zoey begged when Spider held Lindsey at gunpoint.

  "I'm thinkin'!" he snapped, directing his gaze outside again.

  Ana shifted next to him, her knuckles white as she gripped her bow. "I think we could take 'em."

  Andrew shook his head vehemently. "We'd never get close enough—they'd kill her before we even got a chance."

  Spider pressed his nose into Lindsey's hair, and Andrew felt his blood boil. She scrunched up her face at the close contact and Andrew just barely heard her say, "I'm not tellin' you a damn thing."

  "Okay! Patience is gone," Spider announced with exasperation. He grabbed one of Lindsey's hands and held it out. Andrew's heart hammered in his chest at the possibility of what was about to happen. Spider flipped open his switchblade and threatened, "For every minute that you make me wait, I will cut off one of her fingers! If I run out of fingers, well, let's just say that it's not going to be pretty," he sneered.

  Lindsey was putting up a brave front, but Andrew knew her well enough to see that she was actually terrified. That underlying fear was like a jab in the heart for him. He'd asked her to come along—it was his fault that she was in this dangerous position.

  "I'm going out," he declared, determination written all over his face.

  Everyone spoke at once, but Charlie's voice rose above the others.

  "I'll go. You've got Zoey here, and I'm not sendin' out another woman to those lunatics," he said, referring to Ana.

  "What are you gonna do, then?" she asked.

  "That's a good question," Charlie exhaled as he stood. He shouldered his rifle and approached the glass doors.

  _____

  For a moment, Lindsey's fear was overshadowed by confusion as she watched Charlie—not Andrew—exit the store. With his intimidating saunter, he stepped out into the sunlight and squinted under the harsh glare. He began to cross the parking lot, but Spider held up a hand, halting the man in place.

  "Rifle down. Please, no funny business. Miguel here has no problem putting a bullet into Blondie's head. It'd be a waste of a nice piece of ass, but—" He shrugged. "What are you gonna do?"

  Charlie started to lay down his gun, and Lindsey held her breath as she waited for her group's plan to unfold. When Charlie made no such move, she scowled. There was no way he was sacrificing himself for her—was he?

  All thoughts of a plan went straight out the window as two fuel trucks rolled into the parking lot. Four more men joined the others, and Lindsey could see it in Charlie's eyes.

  They were screwed.

  "It's just the two of us," he said. "All this ain't necessary."

  Spider clicked his tongue in displeasure. "You're seriously gonna lie to me?"

  Charlie's expression didn't change and Lindsey snuck a glance at her captor.

  "Earlier…uh, what's your name, sweetheart?"

  She cleared the lump from her throat. "Lindsey."

  "Mm, Lindsey. Well, Lindsey here said 'they're not gonna come out,' so that tells me that there are more of you in that store. By looking at the vehicle you came in, it's clear that you're outnumbered. So, why don't you spare the unnecessary bloodshed and give yourselves up?" Spider suggested with a shrug.

  Lindsey locked eyes with Charlie, wordlessly pleading with him to do something. He held out his arms and glared at Spider.

  "What do you want me to do? Can't we just give you our weapons and supplies, then leave us be?" he asked in his usual calm manner. Lindsey was always in awe of the man's poise under pressure.

  Spider laughed and looked around. "Hear that boys? I guess we're not that well known in this part of town." He directed his dark stare at Charlie once again. "There's a lot about us that you don't know. We're not really interested in stuff. Fuel, well, that's a given…and people," he said, causing Lindsey to jerk as he stroked her neck with the tip of his gun.

  "You're not cannibals, are you?" Charlie asked.

  "Cannib—" Spider stuttered. "Holy shit! I mean, really? We're eatin' each other now? I thought we had enough of that already."

  "Desperate times call for desperate measure, I guess," Charlie answered.

  "Yeah, well, we're not that desperate!" Spider said. He observed the front of the store for a moment. "Are they comin' out or not?"

  Charlie looked over his shoulder, and Lindsey couldn't help but wonder the same thing. What on earth was Andrew doing? She didn't like it more than anyone else, but this was it. Game over.

  Spider released an annoyed sigh and stepped in front of Lindsey. "Open up, sweetheart.
"

  Lindsey swallowed hard and stared at him with wide eyes. "W-what?"

  He tapped his chin with his pistol. "Open."

  Her tortured gaze fell upon Charlie as she parted her lips. Spider placed the barrel of his gun into her mouth. Silent tears dropped onto her cheeks, giving away the hopelessness that she was feeling inside. Charlie kept his steely blue eyes on her. He wasn't the type of man to look away when the shit got real.

  Right when she thought Spider was going to pull the trigger and end it all, the glass doors of the store opened.

  _____

  Andrew saw what the man was doing in a rash attempt to get them outside—and it worked. He automatically thought back to his conversation with Lindsey about the day they met. He'd promised himself that she would never get into that position again, whether it was by her own hand, or someone else's.

  He turned to his daughter with a look of defeat, but before he could speak, Zoey took the words right out of his mouth.

  "We have to go out there!"

  "Just stay behind me. Don't leave my side!" Andrew said, and the girl nodded in understanding.

  "I don't like this," Ana said from next to the door.

  "And you think I do?" Andrew spat as he passed the woman. "What other choice do we have?"

  He pushed open the door, making sure Zoey was shielded by his body. Ana exited the opposite door, flanking Andrew's left side. Spider withdrew the gun from Lindsey's mouth and threw his arms up.

  "It's about damn time!"

  Andrew settled his gaze on Lindsey and attempted to give her his best look of comfort, something to ease her mind, but he knew she could see right through him. They were in deep trouble and nothing could hide that.

  As they came to stand next to Charlie, Spider made a forward motion with his fingers. "Weapons down."

  With bitter hate glistening in her dark eyes, Ana laid her bow on the pavement. Andrew followed with his Beretta, barely restraining himself from blowing the bastard's head off for laying his hands on Lindsey. He was positive he could get the shot off, but for what? They'd all be dead before the man hit the ground.

  Zoey removed her handgun from her leg holster and placed it next to the Beretta.

  "Almost didn't see you there, kiddo!" Spider said, taking a step toward Zoey. Andrew moved to block his daughter, and Spider smirked. "That your girl?"

  Andrew didn't answer; he simply gave the man an icy glare.

  "Well, that will make things interesting." The man with the mohawk signaled to his men. "All right, boys, let's bag 'em!"

  Andrew's group exchanged panicked glances as the men with guns came forward. There were two each for Andrew, Charlie, and Ana, and one for Zoey; Spider remained by Lindsey. Charlie tried to shake the men off, but was rewarded with a punch to the cheek. Andrew sought to keep Zoey within his sight as he was led to one of the vehicles.

  Spider pointed at Andrew and Charlie. "I want him and him in our truck. I want the girl, Pocahontas, and Blondie here in the Ford. Let's go for a ride, sweetheart," he said to Lindsey, dragging her over to the pickup.

  Andrew struggled in an effort to get to his daughter. "No!" he shouted. They could not get separated. Lindsey was bad enough, but Zoey, too? He was losing his mind.

  "It's okay, Andy! I'll take care of her!" Lindsey yelled back.

  As Miguel retrieved two hoods from the truck, Andrew gave her one last aching look. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and then disappeared under the cloth bag that Spider pulled over her head. A moment later, Andrew's world went black.

  He tried to keep track of bumps in the road and certain sounds under the tires that could indicate where they were going. It was easy to assume Charlie was doing the same thing. They made multiple turns and Andrew took note of them. He continued to count for what felt like an eternity.

  Suddenly, the truck came to a stop. Bright light assaulted his eyes as the hood was ripped from his head. When Andrew stared out the window, he realized that all of his efforts were wasted. Tall smokestacks loomed over the large factory before them.

  He knew exactly where they were.

  Chapter 23

  As Lindsey was heaved out of the pickup, she stared up at the factory in awe. The fact that it was functioning was quite impressive and, frankly, intimidating. She wasn't sure what a place like this would be used for nowadays, but she was anxious to find out. Her apprehensive eyes inspected the area, searching for any sign of Andrew or Charlie, but their truck was nowhere to be found. Between the factory and how Spider had said that they needed "people," she had to hope that they were still alive.

  "Where are we?" Ana asked, her voice brimming with hostility.

  "And where's my dad?" Zoey added.

  Spider and his men continued to lead them toward a metal door at the base of the large building.

  "All of your questions will be answered very shortly," he said, knocking three times on the outside door. "It's Isaac! Open up!"

  Lindsey had to fight the urge to laugh. She'd nicknamed the guy "Spider," and his name was Isaac? The commonness of his name almost made her less afraid of him. Almost.

  The door opened and a man with long, scraggly hair stepped back to let them in.

  "How're things out there?" he asked in an informal manner. Apparently, Isaac was not the leader she'd made him out to be.

  "Quiet, mostly. Got some newbies here. He in his office?" Isaac asked, and the doorman nodded.

  Who the hell was this "he" they kept referring to? First when Lindsey avoided getting hit in the face, and then now. If this guy had an office, it could only mean that he was the boss.

  They were led down a dimly-lit corridor and came upon another door. Isaac knocked and someone told them to come in. He pushed open the door and brought Lindsey into the room, Ana and Zoey not far behind. The room was furnished in dark tones, with leather easy chairs and a giant cherry-wood desk. A man of average height and stature stood up from his chair at the desk. He had piercing gray eyes, chestnut hair, and chiseled features. If Lindsey had to guess, she would have placed him in his early forties.

  "Welcome!" he said with a cheerful grin, and held out his hand. "Please, take a seat."

  The men plopped Lindsey, Ana, and Zoey into the leather chairs. The man with gray eyes looked over each of them and continued to smile. In the old world, Lindsey would probably have thought he was an attractive individual with a handsome smile. In the current situation, though, she found that he gave her the creeps. They had no idea what he was capable of, or what he wanted them for. It was unsettling, to say the least.

  He came around to sit on the edge of his desk. "I hope you ladies were treated well on your way in."

  Lindsey released a scoff as she thought about all the shit she'd just endured: they'd threatened to cut off her fingers, hit her in the stomach, and put a damn gun in her mouth. If that was being "treated well," she didn't want to suffer the alternative.

  "No?" he asked Lindsey, settling on her hardened gaze.

  She merely rolled her eyes and looked away.

  "Well, then, if you have nothing to say, I'll start by introducing myself. I'm Samuel, and this fine establishment is The Factory. Unoriginal, I know, but our goal is to restore the natural order—one bullet at a time. You see, we manufacture ammunition. That's where you fine folks come in. I have to say, though, we don't normally take in children."

  Lindsey braced herself to take any necessary action if Samuel intended to harm Zoey. She glanced at the girl, inching closer to her.

  "Lucky for you, my child, I think you're strong enough for the job," Samuel said with another smile.

  "Don't call me that! You're not my dad! What did you do with him?" Zoey exploded.

  Samuel looked to Isaac with interest. The man with the spider tattoo said, "We've got her dad and another member of their group in the holding area. They should be ready for tonight."

  Samuel slapped his hands together. "Excellent!"

  "'Ready' for what?" Ana asked as Lindsey's
heart pounded at the possibilities.

  "Here at The Factory, we don't take in just anyone. We need the strongest, the bravest. In order to establish that, we match up the men in a one-on-one fight to the death. The winner has then proven their worth, and earned a spot on our crew."

  Horrified silence hung in the air. Lindsey was overwhelmed with a sluice of emotions—anger, grief, rage, fear. Zoey almost jumped out of her chair.

  "You can't do this! My dad will never fight Charlie!" she yelled.

  Samuel put a comforting hand on Zoey's shoulder and urged her back down.

  "That's not going to happen. I tried that in the beginning, but it didn't work. I need to see how ruthless these people can be and how far they will go to survive. That doesn't happen when you're forced to kill the ones you care about. Though, if they know there's a chance that those people could be hurt in some way, they'll kill a complete stranger with no reservations."

  You're a fucking monster, Lindsey thought, her lips tightening in revulsion.

  "What's your name, kid?" Samuel asked in a friendly tone.

  "Zoey," she spat.

  "Since you're off the hook, Zoey, I'll have these gentlemen lead you to where you'll be staying."

  Two men came forward and each picked up one of the girl's arms, leading her toward the door.

  "No! Please, don't separate us!" Lindsey cried as she quickly rose from her seat.

  Samuel studied her for a moment. He was a smart man and put the pieces together with ease. "You are far too young to be her mother, so that means you must be with her father. Am I right?"

  Lindsey blinked and averted her eyes, giving away how right he'd been. Helplessly, she watched as Zoey was removed from the room.

  "I promise we won't hurt her. Now, please, sit back down."

  With a sigh, she did. The door shut and his professional demeanor took a sharp turn as he spoke to his men.

  "You guys did good—white and milk chocolate. Why pick one when you can have both?" he asked, winking.

  Both women glowered at him.

  "Can you tell me your names?"