"You don't know that, Momma," Vera said quietly.
"Yes, I do. I know my babies. And my girls are fighters. She just needs the chance."
Marcus chose to not mention the possibility that Sylvia was already dead. It sounded like while the Noble Lord needed the women for his business, he didn't allow anyone to cross him. Marcus could easily assume that he would kill a woman for the same offenses as a man. He found himself praying to whatever cosmic source out there that Alex didn't cause waves. He knew she was thick-headed and wouldn't do well with a man trying to abuse her. He could only hope they made it to the brothel before anyone laid hands on her.
The idea of Alex being violated made bile rise in Marcus' throat and he had to cough to stop himself from throwing up. After a few deep breaths he had himself under control and found Rafe looking at him. Marcus just shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts and to let Rafe know he was fine. He knew Alex. She would fight until she was broken and bleeding before allowing the Noble Lord to sell her off like livestock. Marcus had strong faith in all of the Duncans, but especially Alex. She was strong, caring, and sensible at all times. He knew before she was taken she was struggling with her responsibilities, but he had no doubt that she would rise to the pressure.
When Marcus tuned back into the conversation happening around him, he found that Vera was drawing a rough sketch of the building. Admittedly she didn't know much, only what she had seen while she was transported from room to room. She never saw where the Noble Lord stayed. She only saw him the once, when he took the guard for execution. She described a snake smile that tried to be charming, but it was from a killer. She didn't know who he surrounded himself with, but she was sure it was a number of men. The number of men in the building seemed to fluctuate with who was there to take advantage of the women or who was there to get supplies.
"What door did you escape out of?" Rafe asked.
Vera showed them a backdoor area she had drawn. "The guards tend to leave this door unlocked. I heard them talking about it. It's the fastest way for them to get to their post at the back of the building. The door is unlocked, but no one guards it. They assume the guards outside would catch anyone coming or going. They are lazy."
Rafe nodded and Marcus wished he could be a fly on the wall of his brain. He knew the one thing the Duncans had in common was planning. They always had a plan. They were always prepared for each scenario. With the limited information they had, the plan was going to be hard to create. But Rafe and Max would still insist on having the plan. Even if they needed Plan A, B and C. They all needed to know what they were supposed to do, to execute their plans. Marcus knew he was one that had the hardest time obeying the plan. He made a mental note to really try harder this time. Alex's life hung in the balance. And that was his fault in the first place.
Mateo and Albert joined them then, both armed with rifles and hunting knives on their hips. Claudia disappeared into the kitchen for a moment. When she came back out, she had two packages in her hands. She handed them to Mateo and Albert. Mateo tried to scoff, but she silenced him with a look. They spoke quietly in Spanish. They could have been yelling and Marcus would still not have understood the words. His bout of High School Spanish had failed him long ago. It was clear that Claudia was giving them stern instructions. They both listened respectfully. Out of the corner of his eye, Marcus saw Vera swipe a tear from her face. He realized they were preparing their goodbyes. He hoped it wasn't necessary.
Rafe went to the door and had a hushed conversation with Max who was still standing guard. Once it was confirmed the coast was clear, Marcus, Cliff, and Rafe exited to give the Vega family time to say goodbye. It was a short moment later that Albert and Mateo joined the group, looking stoic. The men decided to join Marcus and Cliff in the truck they were driving. Rafe's truck was already fairly full with the two couples plus Rafe's dog, Storm. Communication was confirmed through the walkie talkies again. With everyone ready to go, Marcus was instructed to take lead as the Vega men would give directions.
On the road the four men stayed silent except for little comments on direction. Each had their own reason to be on the ominous mission. Cliff watched out his side of the truck, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. The thought made Marcus snort, which caused all three passengers to look at him. He shook his head at them and didn't comment on his inner monologue about how nothing was ordinary about fighting the dead who walked the planet. There was nothing ordinary with having to rescue women from a drug lord, who was now a self-proclaimed ruler. Somehow this was his life now and he accepted that. But it was far from what anyone would call ordinary.
"What was in the package," Marcus asked Mateo.
"Momma made tamales for us to have on the ride. She is afraid we won't eat," Mateo replied quietly.
"Tamales? That sounds delicious. When this is all over, maybe she'd make some for us."
"I doubt it," Albert said.
"The Duncans want to open the avenues of trade with the other living in the area. Maybe we could trade something you want," Marcus said.
"Milk. We have lots of milk," Cliff said sarcastically.
Marcus laughed a little at that. The adults had all gotten tired of drinking milk with each meal. But Alex insisted they use it while they had it and that it was a source of calcium that everyone needed. No one really argued because she made a good point. Margaret had also been working on fresh cheese and Marcus looked forward to trying that when she perfected the process. In the larger picture, Marcus realized how lucky they were. He agreed with Alex, Rafe, and Max about trading. Others didn't have the fresh foods that the compound had. Trading could bring supplies they didn't have and they could help people in the process.
"Mama would like the milk. I guess we'll see if we all survive this," Mateo said.
"We will. Have faith," Marcus replied.
"If we thought it was possible to get Sylvia back before, we would have done this already. This feels like a suicide mission. But since you were determined to go, we couldn't not come as well," Albert said.
"With the Duncans the odds will be more in our favor than you realize."
"Six additional people against thirty or more? You have your faith. I will keep my realism," Albert said.
Marcus didn't try to explain. They saw how Rafe fought. That wasn't even near the extent of his abilities in combat. There was no way to explain to the men how the Duncans were raised, how they had continued to live their lives and how they were prepared for anything. Even if Marcus told them the stories of the tight situations they had found their way out of, the men would probably assume Marcus was lying. Marcus knew that if he hadn't witnessed things since meeting up with Alex, he wouldn't believe it either. The family was the strongest force he knew. There was no way he would believe that a ragged band of drug addicts would be able to defeat them.
The sun was just reaching the middle of the sky when Marcus had to slowly bring the truck to a stop. The road was littered with dead bodies, but also walking infected that stumbled across the road. In a quick guess Marcus figured there were thirty infected at least. Cliff picked up the walkie talkie to reach out to the truck that was idling behind them.
"Infected blocking the road. How do you want to do this?" Cliff asked.
"Can we get around without having to handle them?" Max's voice came back across the speaker.
"Don't think so. Too many dead bodies. Someone fought here already or ran a lot of them down. We might get stuck," Cliff responded.
"Charlie will stay in this vehicle in case of an emergency. Pick one of you to stay behind the wheel to drive while the rest of us clean this mess out," Max said.
With the plan decided on, Marcus and Cliff readied their weapons. After some debate it was agreed that Mateo was the youngest of them, so he would stay with the truck. He grumbled about being faster than the old men. His complaints fell on deaf ears, as the men weren't going to change their minds. Marcus nodded to Cliff and Albert. They all jumped from t
he truck at the same time. As soon as they slammed their doors shut, the sounds of doors behind them let them know the rest of the hunting party had joined them. Moving to the first bodies in the road, Marcus grabbed the ankle of one and pulled it to the side of the road. The skin was papery and felt detached from the muscles below. The feeling made him think too much of what was happening with the bodies, so he tried to blank his mind.
The noise they made drew the attention of the infected that continued to walk. The collective growl and groans from the group gave Marcus goosebumps. The noise was a dinner bell ringing, calling all hungry infected in the area. Just behind him, Max chopped down two infected with her tomahawk. She sighed deeply, irritation coloring her voice when she looked over to Marcus.
"Let's get the road clear before they bring the whole family to the feast."
"Roger that," Marcus replied as he dragged another body off the road.
On the opposite side of the road, Cliff was mirroring Marcus' actions. Between the two of them they had the road fairly clear of bodies that blocked the trucks. Max, Rafe, and Albert watched their backs, killing those that tried to come up behind them. Marcus looked over to Cliff and saw an infected coming through the trees. Without a word, Rafe threw a blade that imbedded in the infected's head. It fell less than ten feet from Cliff's feet. Rafe stalked over to retrieve his blade and turned to work closer to Cliff.
It was this camaraderie that made the Duncans different from others that were surviving the plague. They never turned their back on each other. And that included everyone living on their compound. They didn't treat Cliff or Marcus any different than a Duncan sibling. Rafe stood watch over Cliff, cutting down the infected that came near them as Cliff continued to clear the road. Marcus could hear Max behind him and knew she was doing the same thing. It was this trait that earned Marcus' unwavering respect and loyalty. Nothing would pull him from the Duncans. They were good people. Doing the right thing, even as the world fell into despair. Even faced with the hardest situations, the siblings stayed within their moral compass as often as possible.
The vehicles inched forward every time Marcus and Cliff cleared a spot. By the time they reached the end of the blockage, the walking infected were also dead. Everyone was filthy and sweating, so they decided to park down the road a few feet and clean up. At the back of the pickup, Marcus dropped down the tailgate and fished a clean shirt from his pack. Sitting in the truck for hours while covered in black muck wasn't his idea of a great trip. Using as little water and sanitizer as possible, they all cleaned up their hands and arms. Max and Rafe worked on their blades, cleaning off the bodily fluids before storing them back in their belts.
A tap at his arm had Marcus turning to find Charlie with a sandwich in her hand. She smiled at him as she handed the sandwich and a soda can to him. Hopping up into the bed of the truck, he and Cliff ate their sandwiches in silence. Cliff tended to always be quiet unless the situation called for his voice. That was rare and Marcus knew his grief was all consuming. Marcus for one was glad the man hadn't given up completely. He knew from conversations with Alex that she worried about him greatly. That was her heart. Thinking of her kindness caused a lump in his throat and he had to stop eating. As a distraction he looked over at Mateo and Albert who were each eating one of their tamales. They looked delicious and Marcus said so.
"My sister makes some wonderful foods, she loves cooking. Her tamales are the best," Albert replied.
A picture began to form in Marcus' head. He decided that when, not if, they rescued Alex he would talk to her about trading with the Vega family. The Duncan compound had a plentiful bounty of food. They were creating a higher production as Rafe worked with Margaret and Issac to expand the garden. Soon they would have so much space growing food that they would need additional hands to harvest. Marcus could imagine that Vera and Sylvia would enjoy helping in the garden in exchange for some of the produce that they picked. They could trade pork, milk, cheese, or butter that was made at the compound as well. Even with the fall of society, eventually things had to improve again. Eventually, humans had to come together again. Marcus knew Alex would support the idea.
Lunch finished, everyone climbed back into the vehicles to continue their drive. When the sun began to dip, Rafe called a stop to the procession. Marcus tried to fight. He couldn't think of sleeping another night while Alex was being subjected to horrors at the hands of the Noble Lord. Rafe wouldn't be moved. The Duncan siblings agreed that going into the brothel when they were exhausted and not ready was a suicide mission. A mission that could get not only the group killed, but possibly Alex. That was a risk no one wanted to take.
They pulled the vehicles off the road and positioned them behind a row of trees. It wasn't perfect camouflage, but any vehicle driving quickly by wouldn't notice them. The cabs of the vehicles weren't large enough for everyone to sleep. Rafe and Charlie pitched a small tent together with their dog, Storm. Rafe insisted they were safer than everyone else with their early warning system. The dog had proven to be helpful in a number of close calls, so Marcus couldn't disagree. Max and Griffin set up their bed in the back of Rafe's truck, spreading out their sleeping bags and using their bug out bags as pillows. That left the four men in the truck Marcus drove.
"I'll sleep outside," Marcus said, offering before anyone else had to. While he felt somewhat safe in the bed of the truck, sleeping outside felt ominous.
"I can sleep sitting up," Cliff said.
"We'll take the truck bed, Marcus. You and your friend sleep inside the cab," Albert said.
Marcus was going to argue and say it wasn't about being the one with the most courage. However, the stern look on Albert's face stopped him from saying anything. He held up his hands in surrender and got out to help the men make beds in the truck. It wasn't going to be the most comfortable sleeping with the hard metal of the truck bed, but Albert didn't change his mind or complain. The Vega men kept to themselves as dinner was eaten before everyone turned in for the evening.
Sitting in the cab of the truck, Marcus couldn't even begin to think of sleeping. In his mind all he saw was the infected woman tied up in the bus he and Alex found. His stomach was in knots. He didn't want to be negative, but he felt like something bad was coming, something worse than losing Alex. He couldn't be sure if it was Alex suffering that had him so anxious or something else.
"You going to stop fidgeting tonight?" Cliff asked. The bigger man was trying to lay on the back seat, his knees pulled up to make space for his torso.
"I just can't stop thinking about the bus, the woman with the bites and burns. What if...," Marcus trailed off.
"That's not going to be Alex. You know her. She's too strong. And valuable. This Noble Lord will figure out how smart she is and realize she's better off alive than dead," Cliff said.
"Valuable is what I'm worried about," Marcus said.
Cliff went silent and Marcus was sure his mind was now in the same place. The Noble Lord wasn't going to care about her abilities with a gun or knife. He wasn’t going to ask her about her knowledge with animals or plants. The fact that she could navigate by the stars would matter not at all. The assets the Noble Lord would be interested in would be those of the bare necessity. That thought had Marcus staring out the windshield until the sun began to peek over the horizon.
Chapter Fifteen
The guard had to drag her forcibly from the room. Alex wouldn't put one foot in front of the other. She never felt more naked than she did right then. Clad in a black lace babydoll, that was thankfully solid enough to cover her breasts, and black boy short panties, Alex was pushed from Coral's room. The older woman lit a cigarette as Alex fought. She never looked at Alex, just stared out her small window. Alex wanted to scream at her, hit her, make her hurt. But she knew it wasn't going to work without the guard intervening.
At the hall the catcalls started. Whistling and names were called her way. One guard gyrated his hips at her and Alex took a threatening step toward him until he rais
ed the gun he was holding. When she immediately stopped, his laugh was loud and obnoxious.
"Real tough behind a weapon," Alex said with a sneer.
"I'll be sure to put my name on your dance card. You're quite the feisty one," the guard said between laughs.
The guard leading Alex grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the stairs. Not wanting to fall down the stairs, Alex stepped carefully down each step. She wasn't given shoes, something she was sure was on purpose. It kept her off balance and feeling vulnerable. A plan put into place by the Noble Lord she had no doubt. The man was all about controlling his merchandise. At the bottom of the staircase she was led back to the large ballroom. The sounds of women being abused and taken against their will reached Alex's ears again and she wished she could cover her head. Her stomach roiled thinking about how these women were people's mothers, sisters, friends, daughters and now they were here. Prisoners of the Noble Lord.
"I thought the Noble Lord wasn't here. Where are you taking me?" Alex asked.
"Shut up, bitch. You go where we tell you to."
"The Noble Lord ordered no one to touch me. He's going to be angry," Alex said. She tried to push whatever buttons she could, hoping to delay what was coming. And give herself time to escape. The look of apprehension that crossed the guard's face told Alex she had hit the right button.
"If you just take me back to Coral, no one needs to know about this," Alex continued.
"I said to shut up," the guard said. He yanked Alex to him so he could hiss in her ear. "You pissed too many people off already. People willing to pay well for their chance at you."
Alex turned to look the guard in the face. He didn't shrink away, and Alex saw him glance down at her mouth. Alex let her lips dip up in a small smile. His eyebrows rose as he tried to gauge the change. Taking a chance, Alex stepped closer and went up on her tiptoes, as if she was going to give him exactly what was on his mind. Without warning, she sank her teeth into the guard's lower lip and bit down as hard as she could. When she tasted blood and the guard began to holler in pain, she let go and stepped back.
Sundown Series (Book 4): Torment Page 17