“You bastard!” MJ shot.
Moses smiled at her then turned back to the crowd. “What shall we do with the others?” he asked loudly.
“Vees! Vees! Vees!” the crowd chanted.
Alistair stared out to the ravenous pack with horror staining his face. He’d never felt such hate, never seen humans act so much like animals. They wanted blood, they wanted death and it seemed like that was the only thing that would ever appease them.
Moses raised his hands and they quieted down. His arm trembled and he raised the knife into the air again. “I know, I know vengeance seems like the right course. But our God has spoke to me and we must steady our hand. We have sacrificed enough blood today. We will show mercy for now…and await God’s next command. Take them to the cave.”
~~***~~
“What the hell are we gonna do?” Alistair asked.
With a paused breath, he turned and looked back to MJ. She ground her teeth and stared past him out into the dim corridor. She didn’t have an answer, but she knew silence was a better option than admitting it.
They were locked behind a cage made of iron rods that had been drilled into the floor of a damp cave. Light emanated from a lone torch, flickering morphed shadows off the wall. Run-off dripped down the walls and the smell of death and gloom cluttered the air like a swarm of gnats.
Cindy sniffled and tucked her head into her arms. She’d been crying in the corner for the last hour. She barely knew Jacob, but that didn’t stop her from falling apart and confirming every suspicion that MJ had. Cindy wasn’t cut out for this.
“Somebody shut her up,” MJ said dismissively.
“What are we gonna do?” Alistair asked again with more force.
“I don’t know! I don’t fucking know, okay?”
Alistair cast a sideways glance at MJ then lowered his head and walked into the shadows. He tugged at the ragged garbs they’d been given, gagging at their rotten smell. Clenching his fists, he leaned forward against the slimy wall and sighed. “Focus,” he mumbled to himself. His thoughts drifted to his mom and his brothers and a disturbing feeling emanated throughout his body.
What were they doing right now? How long would they wait, how long would anyone wait before they came looking and what would happen when they did? This world was unforgiving and the last thing he wanted was someone else dying for him.
Alistair ran his hand down his face and swallowed a lump of regret. He should’ve stayed with them. He should’ve been there to protect them, to keep them safe. But he wasn’t, and now, all he could do was wonder.
No one knew what they’d find topside, but no one would’ve suspected this. Finding a thriving civilization would’ve been their best hope. But finding a city of murderous cannibals was the reality and Alistair feared what that meant for the rest of the world.
“I’m sorry,” MJ said and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Alistair turned with a startled look then forced a smile. The visions of his family faded from his mind and he was brought back to the dim bleakness of a makeshift cell.
“We just…we just need to put our heads together and figure this out,” MJ continued. “But I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Alistair flashed his disarming smile and for a moment he was a teenager again whose father had just died. MJ wanted to do nothing more than take his pain away and tell him it would all be alright. But now, she knew that promise had been a lie.
“What do you think the rest of the world is like?” Alistair asked, half to himself. “It can’t be like this. There has to be something better.”
“I’m gonna get us out of here,” MJ replied, shivering from the hollowness of her own words.
Alistair started to reply but something shuffled just out of his view. A footstep sounded and he tensed up, tightening his fingers into fists.
“Sorry about that out there,” Moses said as he stepped out of the shadows. “Hard to keep the savages tame without their pound of flesh.”
“Fuck you!” Cindy suddenly snapped.
She jumped to her feet and rushed the bars in a swell of rage. Reaching her hand through, she clawed at Moses, but he stayed just shy of her grip.
“I’ll kill you! I’ll fucking kill you!”
Moses chuckled. “Feisty one. Those Latina’s always are.”
Daniel grabbed Cindy by the arm and pulled her away. MJ and Alistair stepped forward, gripping the bars and glaring at him with murder in their eyes.
“What the hell do you want?” MJ snapped.
“Just coming to offer my condolences. I really regret the sacrifice, you know? It just…it never makes me feel good.”
“Are you crazy? You killed him. You stabbed him with that rusted piece of shit then fed him to a bunch of maniacs.”
“Yeah, and now I’m apologizing. Geez, get over it.”
“I’m gonna kill you,” MJ said in a dark, raspy voice. “With my own two hands, I’m gonna kill you.”
“Whoa, not so fast, mama bear. We still need tomorrow’s sacrifice for the Earth God…you just might be on the dinner plate.”
MJ spat at him. “Fuck you and your Earth God!”
Moses’ face spread into a wide smile. He rubbed the long, amber hairs on his chin as he considered her. “You know, they almost killed me when I found them? The people…they were already here, living like savages. It’s funny how quickly humanity forgets itself.”
With a deep breath, he slowly crouched and took a seat on a nearby boulder. He rubbed his hands together and looked down at the ground. A sobering silence loitered for minutes as his eyes glossed over. In that instance, looking at them reminded him of the past, of what the world used to be like.
“I don’t want to do this,” Moses started again. “But I’m not going back. We’ve all come so far. You can’t imagine what it was like. The destruction, the death everywhere you looked. This is the only way forward.”
“What is this?” MJ asked. “What is this Earth God?”
Moses grinned. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you? I’m not crazy. Of course, there is no Earth God.”
“Then what is all this shit?”
“Before all of this, I used to teach Environmental Biology at a community college. Crazy, huh?”
“I don’t care!” MJ shouted. “Let us go!”
“You don’t get it. I taught these people control. It was Earth Gods and the occasional sacrifice or die like everyone else and I wasn’t gonna die. The balance is brittle, I hold up my end of the bargain and I keep whatever little bit of control I have.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“If you can’t beat them, you join them. You see, I’m not crazy, but all those people out there…they’re bat shit. End of the world came and it either brought the crazy out of folks or only the crazy survived. They couldn’t rationalize what was happening so they explained it all with religion. So, you’re sure as shit I used it to my advantage. Play nice and maybe you make it, maybe the loonies don’t want me to feed you to the dirt. But, ain’t no guarantees.”
CHAPTER 17
SACRIFICE THEM ALL
“We’ve gotta get out of here before that psycho gets back,” Alistair croaked and swallowed what felt like sand.
Twelve hours had passed since they’d last seen Moses and nearly a day since they’d had water. However, hunger and dehydration were the least of their problems. They were weak and exhausted and their lungs weren’t accustomed to breathing the thin air. They needed a way out and any minute could bring Moses back for his next offering.
The dusty cave was more than a prison, it was a death sentence. Tucked deep within the quarry walls, the holed-out cavern was like a crypt. The cell was enclosed with iron rods drilled into the ground. There was no way they were getting out.
“I’m gonna kill him,” MJ replied. “I’m not dying in this shithole at the hands of a bunch of maniacs.”
“So, what do we do?” Alistai
r asked.
“We fight.”
MJ turned and made her way to the corner. Cindy was curled into a ball with her face tucked into her knees. She’d stopped crying a while ago, but hadn’t moved her head or made a sound.
“Cindy?” MJ called softly.
She jumped slightly at the sound of her name, but didn’t reply. MJ moved close and prodded her with her foot.
“Cindy? We’re gonna need your help to get out of here.”
“Why?” Alistair asked with a confused look.
“She’s been a wreck. If she passes out or gets sick, they won’t suspect anything,” MJ replied then turned back to Cindy. “We need your help. If you want revenge for Jacob then getting out of here is the first step.”
Cindy lifted her head and glared at MJ. “J…Ja…Jacob,” she mumbled. “He’s dead.”
Alistair swallowed and faced the other way. “She’s done,” he said carelessly. He took a deep breath then grabbed the bars and yanked back in vain. “Do you think they would send someone else…after us?”
“What?” MJ asked as she left Cindy to brood.
“It’s been two days. We were supposed to be back by now. Do you think they sent someone to find us?”
MJ sighed. “I’m sure Craig would. I don’t know who they could possibly send, though, we were all that was left anyway and Max isn’t leaving his little computer.”
“We’ve gotta get back to them.”
The sound of steps on the crumbling rocks alerted them to someone’s presence. Alistair tensed up and readied himself for a fight. It’d become his normal reaction to anything he couldn’t readily identify.
“Don’t worry,” Moses’ scratchy voice called out. “No need to stop your scheming on my behalf.”
He stepped around the corner and placed his hand on the nearest rod. Leaning in, he glanced back at Cindy and smiled. She lifted her head for a moment then turned away.
“Still mourning, I see,” Moses seethed with pride.
“What the hell do you want?” MJ snapped and stepped next to Alistair.
“Mama bear,” he mocked. “Unfortunately, I’m here to deliver a bit of bad news. You see, the people…and it’s not me, I wish I could control them, but I can’t. The people weren’t too satisfied with the last offering to the Earth God. So, now they’ve got it in their head that another one of you needs to be sacrificed. I can’t hold them off any longer.”
“Another sacrifice?” Daniel asked as he moved forward.
“Don’t worry, not you, pretty boy. Unfortunately for mama bear, they’re kinda equal opportunity sadists. It was either you or Crying Betty and I think she might be a little too sympathetic, even for these crazy bastards.”
“No…no! What the hell are you saying?” Daniel growled.
“Just giving you a heads up,” he replied and turned to MJ. “In a couple of minutes those guards are gonna walk in here and drag you out. Shame too, cause I’d love to get to know you a little better.”
“Fuck you!” MJ said.
“If we only had more time.” Moses smiled and started to walk away. “Oh,” he paused and turned around. “Don’t try anything. We have our own little armory of guns, but my guys won’t hesitate to mow all of you down with your own.”
“Wait!” Alistair shouted. “Take me instead.”
“Alistair, shut up!” MJ replied.
“I like the initiative kid, makes my job easier. But you missed the part about us needing a woman.”
“But…but what if I… what if I attack you? What if I deserve to die?”
MJ grabbed Alistair by the arms. “Shut up! You hear me? I’ll get myself out of this.”
“What good is you assaulting me gonna do?” Moses asked, ignoring MJ’s objections.
“I’ve got a plan,” Alistair whispered to MJ before shoving her away. “I attack you, then you get to show what happens, what the Earth God does to those who go against you, show them that the Earth God protects you. That’ll make them fear you. Then you’ll have complete control.”
Moses was smiling now. His vanity was overriding his common sense. “Yeah,” he said eagerly. “And what does the Earth God do?”
“Punishes me, of course. Before sacrificing me. You just-just promise me that no one else has to die. When you bring the guards back for her, I’ll put on a show that they’ll never forget and no one will question you again. They’ll listen to every word you say from here on out. Just let the rest of them go.”
Moses clapped his hands together as delight crawled across his face. “Okay, okay,” he said. “I’ll play along. But you try anything, any of you try to escape, and I’ll kill every last one of you.”
With a half amused, half devious, grin, he turned around and walked away. As soon as he was out of earshot, MJ rounded on Alistair and slammed him into the wall. Her face was red and tears ran down her cheeks, cutting lines through her dirt-smudged skin.
Alistair grimaced and shrugged his shoulders. “What did you want me to do, let them kill you? Let them all die? I had to do something.”
“No! Damn it, no! I don’t need you to save me. Damn it, Alistair! What the hell were you thinking?”
“I was thinking I have a plan to get us all out of here.”
“A plan—”
“It’s showtime,” Moses suddenly called as he stopped in front of the cell with Barnaby and four other guards.
He gave them an odd look as MJ released Alistair and took a step back. She glared at Moses but Alistair stepped in front of her.
“I’m ready,” he said.
“Good, remember your deal,” Moses whispered then straightened his fur coat and stood tall, his knives dangling from their holster.
Alistair swallowed and moved closer to the bars. He took a deep breath and pressed his hands against his legs, trying to calm the tremble.
“I don’t care what he promised you, take me, damn it!” MJ demanded.
“You heard the lady.”
The guards opened the door and Barnaby rushed inside, jabbing his spear like he was hunting wild boar. The other guards stood behind Moses, clenching rifles, scanning the cave with disinterested looks.
“Let’s go,” Barnaby said and grabbed MJ by the arm.
“No!” Alistair shouted as he picked up a rock and dove at Barnaby.
He smashed him in the head and Barnaby collapsed into a pile of agony. In two strides Alistair was out of the cell and charging towards Moses. He tackled him around the waist and they both fell to the ground. Moses groaned as he struggled to wrestle himself free.
“Hit me,” Alistair said lowly and sat up.
Moses looked confused, but slowly he started to understand. Grinning, he took a swing and hit Alistair in the side of the head. Alistair stumbled and fell onto his back in the dirt. Moses scampered to his feet as his guards rushed forward with their guns ready to fire.
“No!” Moses screamed. “Take him outside, let the people see what the Earth God does to those who disobey.”
“That asshole broke my nose,” Barnaby groaned as blood leaked down his face.
Moses glanced from Alistair to Barnaby and grinned. “Don’t worry, I think we’re in for a show.”
CHAPTER 18
TAKE US TO THE EARTH GOD
“This…this filth you see before you, he was foolish enough to tempt the Earth God and will now feel my wrath. You will all bear witness to the power our God has bestowed upon me,” Moses said, standing on the blood-stained platform with Alistair at his feet.
Surrounding them was nearly every resident that called the quarry home. It was a horde of beady pupils and dirt-smudged faces. They all shared the same blood-lust, the same thirst for vengeance etched in the crackled blood vessels that riddled their eyes.
Humanity was gone. Every trace of it blown away with the wind. Only animals were left and every single one of Moses’ followers had stopped being human long ago.
“On your feet,” Moses ordered.
Alistair nodded as he
slowly pushed himself to a stand. He glared at Moses with wild eyes then seized as his body became rigged and he unleashed a hellish scream.
“Argh! It burns!” Alistair shouted. “Please…please make it stop!”
Moses looked confused for a moment, but quickly caught on. He held his hand out then brought it crashing down to his side. Alistair fell to the ground and gasped.
“Thank you…thank you,” he huffed.
A hush fell over the crowd as their faces contorted with bewilderment. They looked to one another for answers then back to Moses, beaming at him with awe.
“You see,” he said loudly, “our God has sent a message and I am the vessel. His power is undeniable, to reject me is to reject him.”
Moses held his hand out again and on cue Alistair shrieked in pain. He fell back onto the platform, twisting and contorting his back in rapid spasms. Whenever Moses dropped his hand, Alistair would pause, taking short breaths during his reprieve.
The crowd was mesmerized. Even Barnaby and the guards looked on in disbelief. They’d followed Moses on his word, on faith that he was the true prophet of the Earth God and the only one that could keep the earthquakes and storms from happening again.
They’d never seen his power, never seen anything other than his rage and vengeance. They feared him but fear would never bring Moses the control he truly wanted, not the fear of a man. He needed them to see him as more than a man, as a vessel to the God they loved and feared.
“Have you learned?” Moses asked after several rounds of a theatre-worthy performance.
Alistair closed his eyes and swayed back and forth then dropped to one knee. “Please forgive me,” he said. “Please forgive what I did.”
Moses looked pleased as he slowly nodded his head and turned to face the crowd. “What shall we do with this trespasser?” he asked.
Like one giant voice they all erupted, “Vees! Vees! Vees!”
Deconstruction- The Complete series Box Set Page 93