by Hunt, Jack
A low voice, definitely not Landon’s, replied. “Don’t try to get up.”
A flash of fragmented memories. Walking the trail. Firing an arrow at a rabbit… Turning to say something… then a hard whack on the back of her head. She’d fallen and felt another hard hit to the back of her skull before she went unconscious.
Beth looked towards the flickering fire and the figure sitting on a log beyond it. Billy. She tried to move but her wrists were bound tight, as were her ankles. “What the hell are you playing at?”
Billy pulled meat off a bone and chewed. He wagged the bone at her. “This rabbit is good. You hungry?”
She wriggled. “Let me out of these.”
“Now now, calm down. I’ll release you when you can be trusted.”
“Trusted? You piece of shit. Why are you doing this?”
“Because I can.”
His response made no sense.
“We helped you.”
“That you did, however, all good things must come to an end. Besides, Landon was asking too many questions. Now in days gone by, I would have just shot you both and continued on, and I could have done that. I mean, not to you but with Landon, but I thought that copperhead would deal with him. But then you went and got the antivenom and well, I knew he would be up on his feet in no time. I couldn’t have that so I decided to change things up.”
“You bastard.”
“Careful. It doesn’t take much to change my mind.”
“That man Landon shot. He was innocent, wasn’t he?”
“Innocent. Who is really innocent, huh?”
“You killed those campers, didn’t you? You weren’t with any group.”
“I was with a group,” he shot back, a look of disgust masking his face.
She struggled to sit upright and managed to press her back against a tree. “Why? Why did you kill them?”
He snorted, taking another bite of his food. “Does it matter? Why did you kill people? We all make decisions. Survival is as much about being preemptive as it is staying clear of trouble and dealing with it when it shows up. If anyone should know that, you should. But let’s not talk about that, shall we?”
He got up and walked over and crouched in front of her. The flickers of light from the fire created shadows that danced on his face making him seem human for one second, and a devil the next. He brought the leg of the rabbit up to her mouth. “Go on. Eat. You’ll need it. We have a long way to go.”
She turned her face. He grabbed her by the nose and squeezed it tight forcing her to open her mouth, then inserted the rabbit leg and told her to bite down and swallow or he would jam it down her throat, bone and all. Reluctantly she ripped off a piece of flesh and chewed it a few times.
He smiled. “That’s it.”
Beth spat it in his face and he instantly lashed out and struck her across the cheek with the back of his hand. “You better start treating me with a little respect otherwise you’re gonna wish you died back in North Carolina.”
He got up and walked back to his spot on a log. He took a swig of water, another bite of meat and then tossed the bone into the fire.
She studied him. “What have you done to him?”
“Landon?”
She gave a nod.
“Nothing. I left him there. You should be grateful. I considered going back and strangling him but I figure a man like him won’t last long out here. And your dog. Well, he’s better off without you.”
“Who are you?”
He stopped chewing and chuckled. “I told you. That part I didn’t lie about.”
“Why are you keeping me alive?”
“I’ve asked myself that countless times over the past month. I’m not sure. Maybe tomorrow I will change my mind and dump your body in the forest for the cougars to gnaw on. Would you like that?” His lip curled and he got this glint in his eye.
He was clearly insane.
“Now we only have one sleeping bag so you’ll be sharing it with me.”
She shook her head. “Just kill me now.”
He chuckled. “You’re the first one who’s ever said that.”
“The first?”
He stopped eating and got this frown on this face. “Well, I guess to be fair, you’re not the first, so to speak. There was a hiker in Pennsylvania who begged me to put her out of her misery.” He continued eating as if it didn’t faze him. “You’d be surprised at people’s last requests.” He pulled out some rope. “I used this. I could have used a gun but that’s too quick. I killed a few with gasoline but there is nothing like rope. It’s just full of possibilities.” He slipped the rope back into his pocket.
“You’re an animal.”
“Of course I am. We are all animals, Beth. It’s just we’ve become civilized. Our pens are homes, our jungle is society and our masters are anyone who we allow to govern our actions. I choose to live as I wish. A bit like your father. I think him and I are alike.”
“You are nothing like my father. You’re a sorry excuse for a man. One of these days you’ll get what’s coming to you.”
“Yeah?” He stopped eating and walked over to her. She didn’t cower back or flinch. A man like him would have liked that. No, if she was going to die by his hand, she’d make damn sure he knew she wasn’t afraid. The truth was, she wasn’t terrified. Death would have been a sweet escape from the horrors of this world. He unsheathed a knife and brought it up to her neck, pushing the blade slowly against her skin. “Maybe you’ll get what’s coming to you,” he said. “Perhaps I will—”
The crack of a branch, the trudging of feet.
Billy whipped his head around to see who it was. Before she could scream, he shoved a bandanna into her mouth, then placed his hand over her lips. Her muffled cries were barely audible.
“Stay quiet,” he said as he blasted away from her and disappeared into the surrounding forest. Beth tried to push the bandanna out of her mouth with her tongue but he’d shoved it so far back down her throat it was virtually impossible. She began to choke, tears welling up her eyes as she gagged.
The glow of a nearby fire illuminated the woods. Although Landon couldn’t be sure it was them, he crouched down beside Grizzly and told him to sit and wait. “Don’t move, boy.” He got up and darted from one tree to the next, his handgun at the ready. Only the crackling and popping of wood could be heard. Landon squinted into the dark. As his eyes adjusted to the light from the firepit, he saw a figure curled over near a tree. He immediately recognized the jacket. Beth. Hurrying forward, Landon scanned the camp. It was just her. Where are you? Even though he couldn’t prove at this point that Billy was behind it, his gut told him otherwise. Wasting no time, Landon rushed into the camp and made his way over to her, all the while looking to his left and right. He even glanced upward. No one. Beth’s eyes bulged as he pulled the rag from her mouth and she gasped, taking in air. He began untying her hands as he peppered her with questions.
“Who did this?”
“Billy.”
“Where is he?”
Before she had time to answer he heard movement over his shoulder. He shifted just in time as a blade scythed the air near his head. A sharp kick from Billy knocked his gun out of his hand. “Argggh!” Billy yelled as he unleashed his attack. Landon stumbled and Billy dove on top of him. They rolled multiple times, getting closer to the fire. Landon had hold of his wrists. His face twisted as he pressed down the knife, getting it closer and closer to Landon’s face.
“Grizzly!” Landon yelled.
Like a bolt of lightning, Grizzly came bounding into the clearing and without even being told what he needed to do, he leapt at Billy, knocking him off Landon. To avoid the dog getting hurt, Landon kept hold of Billy’s knife hand, and scrambled on top of him. A quick shift in position, and he now had the upper hand. Grizzly bit down on Billy’s pant leg and shook it violently, causing him to scream in pain. Landon drove his forehead into the bridge of Billy’s nose, bursting it wide open. He could see his handgun a short
distance away but it was too risky. If he let his hand go for even a second it could be fatal. Instead, he drove his knee hard into Billy’s nuts and then slammed his knife hand against the ground, hoping to get him to release it.
The assault lasted a few minutes but eventually, Billy released it.
Reach for the knife or gun?
It was a no-brainer. Go for what’s closest.
Landon let go of his wrist and lunged for the knife.
But Billy wasn’t going down that easy. He bucked him off, kicked the dog in the face with his other foot and scrambled away. By the time Landon was up with the knife in hand, Billy had darted into the forest.
Landon was about to sprint after him when Beth stopped him.
“Landon, no! Let him go. It’s too dangerous.”
He squinted into the darkness, hearing Billy scamper away.
He retrieved his handgun and cut Beth’s restraints. As soon as they were free she wrapped her arms around him. All the while, Landon kept scanning the tree line expecting Billy to appear at any second.
8
The discussion around supper that night was heated.
From the recent discovery of what FEMA had planned to the disappearance of Max, everyone looked one step away from snapping. After searching for Max all day, Sara was at her wits’ end and sick with worry. Even though Rita and Janice had been kind enough to get food together that evening, she wasn’t hungry. Sara picked at her fish with a fork while Sam, Carl and Jake argued over the way forward. Their voices got louder the more alcohol they consumed.
“I say we do nothing. What can they do?” Jake said. “Force us to fish for them?”
Sam chimed in. “You heard what Harris said. They’ll take our firearms and supplies.”
“I’d like to see them try,” Carl said.
“So we bury them,” Jake said. “We should have done that already by now. With so many homes being broken into and broad daylight thefts, it’s only a matter of time before someone targets the inn.”
“Did you see the way that colonel put his hand on his gun?” Carl asked.
“It’s just a scare tactic,” Jake replied, before taking another sip of his wine. “He wouldn’t have done anything.”
“Before the blackout, maybe not, because there was media. But now? This is the wild west. Anything goes. No one exists to hold them accountable.”
Jake shook his head. “The community would rise up against that form of tyranny.”
“The community?” Carl said. “Come on. This community has their head in the sand. Half of them have left and willingly handed themselves over to FEMA. They are probably digging ditches as we speak. The other half thinks the lights are coming back on. We only have a small group that might be willing to do something.”
“Well, we will see tomorrow, won’t we?” Sam said.
Jake continued. “I say we don’t wait until tomorrow; we act now. Take some of our firearms and store them in PVC pipe and bury them along with ammo.”
“No. I think the way forward is to work with them,” Sam said.
Carl nearly choked on his wine. “You were the one who opposed the idea,” Carl was quick to say. He tossed his fork down and then wiped his lips with a napkin.
“Right now we don’t have any other option. You want to go up against the U.S. military?” Sam asked.
“You make it sound like they have the entire army. Come on, man. These fools probably have twenty, thirty officers in Bangor. If that.”
“Maybe we should go and find out,” Sam added.
“What?” Jake asked. “You want to do surveillance on the FEMA camp?”
“For all we know things might be fine there. Maybe the rumors are just bullshit about forced labor.”
Carl laughed. “Seriously, Sam. I wonder about you some days. One minute you are against them, the next you are for them.”
“I didn’t say I was for them.”
“WOULD YOU SHUT UP!” Sara bellowed as she slammed her open hand against the table, unable to take any more. Everyone at the table gawked at her in total surprise. It went completely against who she was and how she usually acted. She apologized and got up and walked into the kitchen. Tess glanced at the others then followed her.
“Sara.”
“I’m sorry. I just… Max is still not back and they are talking about everything but where he is. That is my number one priority right now.”
Tess nodded. “We understand, hon.” She looked back into the dining room. The conversation had started again but quieter. “They get it but there is nothing we can do right now. Tomorrow we’ll talk with the rest of the group that helped locate the women. Maybe they can…”
“He’s not dead!” she shot back.
“I didn’t mean to suggest he is but…”
Right then a door slammed and hope sprang up in Sara’s heart. She ducked out into the corridor just in time to see Max heading up the stairs. “Max! Where the hell have you been?”
“Out,” he said, continuing to trudge up the steps as if he was allowed to come and go as he pleased. She hurried to the bottom of the steps. “Young man. Get down here now.” He stopped climbing the stairs and looked back at her.
“What?”
“Don’t what me. I have been going out of my mind with worry. Do you know I spent the entire day looking for you? That’s right. We were this close to calling out a search party,” she said holding up her thumb and index finger. “Now where have you been?”
“I went fishing.”
“Fishing?”
“Yeah. I never used to need permission to do that.”
“We weren’t facing the situation we are now. That changes everything.”
“Yeah it has. People have just become bigger dicks,” he said heading back up the stairs.
Sara bristled. “What? What did you say? Are you referring to me? Young man.”
“Oh God, man, what?” he said turning at the top of the stairs. “I’m tired. I want to go to bed.”
“You don’t just get to come and go as you please.”
“I’m seventeen.”
“Until you are eighteen and while you are living under this roof you will abide by the rules. You hear me?”
“Then maybe it’s time I moved out.” He continued walking out of her line of sight. Now under any other conditions she might have let that go and dealt with it in the morning, especially since they had guests, but she was damned if she was going to let her kid speak to her like that. Sara dashed up the stairs nearly tripping in the process. Tess tried to get her to leave it but she wouldn’t. She charged into his room, swinging the door open and slamming it behind her. Max’s eyes widened as he pressed his back into the corner of the room. “Mom. Do you mind?”
She wagged a finger in his face. “I mind that you left without telling me where you were going. I mind that you exited through the window because you knew what I would say. I mind that you strolled in acting like you can do whatever the hell you want! And I mind when you refer to me as a dick!”
“I wasn’t referring to you.”
“Don’t bullshit me.”
The door opened behind her and Sam walked in. “Sara. How about you go down and have a cup of tea. This is getting a little out of hand.”
She turned. “Don’t tell me what to do in my own house.”
He raised both hands defensively. “You’re not thinking clearly.”
Max nodded. “Yeah, Mom, you’re not…”
She glared at Max and he went quiet. Her jaw was clenched. She hadn’t been this angry in a long time. She rarely shouted at her kids and never once had she raised a hand to them. Overall they were good kids. They had been lucky in that regard. While her parents had spanked her as a child, she’d always thought that kids didn’t need to be spanked if they were raised correctly, and after both of her kids reached their teens without issue, she had proven that theory correct. But now she could see why some parents went over the edge. Max was right in saying that he’d neve
r had to ask for permission to go fishing but that was before the blackout, before the attack on their home, before the murders in town. She was scared and had good reason. The world around them had changed and they no longer knew who to trust. Ian was a good example of that. She didn’t even want to imagine what might have happened had he accepted the invitation to stay at the inn.
She jabbed a finger at Max. “We are not done.”
With that she turned and prodded Sam’s chest indicating for him to step out of the room. Once they were out on the landing, she closed the door so Max couldn’t hear them. “I don’t appreciate you telling me what to do in front of my son.”
“I’m still a police officer and…”
“And a guest in my house. Don’t forget that.”
Sam took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. It’s just you look exhausted. I know when I’m like that I will bite the head off anyone that comes near me. We’re all a bit fired up right now and you have every right as a mother to be upset. But you said the reason you allow people to stay here is so we could support one another. This is me trying to support you.”
Sara closed her eyes and tried to get her heart to stop thumping. She nodded. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped. You’re right. I need sleep.”
“Why don’t you get an early night? We’ll clean up and I’ll have a word with Max.”
She pursed her lips and gave a strained smile before brushing past him and heading for her room. She knew he was right. Tiredness brought out the worst in her, it amplified the small annoyances. She headed off to her room hoping she’d feel better by the morning. At the bottom of the stairs, Tess and Jake were waiting.
“Can we get you anything?”
“No, I’ll be fine. Look, I’m sorry for the outburst.”
She gestured to her room and wandered off.
Sam stood there for a few more seconds before knocking on Max’s door. He told him to come in. Max’s room was like any typical teenager’s. Band posters covering the walls, a guitar in the corner of the room, sneakers beside his bed, a half-open closet full of clothes and items he didn’t want the whole world seeing. He looked sheepish as Sam closed the door behind him.