by M. L. Giles
Aiden placed both his hands gently on my shoulders. I could smell the distinct essence of fire smoke from his sleeves. “This news comes as no surprise to me. I know Colton well.”
“Huh? You do?” Aiden’s reaction had taken me by surprise. Colton had struck me as kind, yet Aiden seemed unsurprised by my lie about him.
“Indeed,” Aiden said firmly. “He and I were friends once, when our groups were one. The savage brute wanted more, however. He murdered our groups original leader in cold blood simply to seize authority for himself. Lives were lost because of his brutality, including that of my beloved. It is why our group divided some time ago.”
There was a disturbing truth behind Aiden’s piercing green eyes. Either he was a very convincing liar, or he wasn’t lying at all. Regardless of the answer, I didn’t want to believe it. All I wanted was to get out of here.
“I’d love a chance to join you, Aiden. But I can’t just abandon my friends!”
He nodded warmly at me. “You shall return to them. And you shall do so successful in your task. Damien?”
The guard who was holding the knife up towards me lowered his weapon. “Yes?”
“Retrieve the envelope.”
Without question, the guard handed his weapon to the unarmed Aiden, leaving us three alone. Aiden didn’t hold the knife anywhere near me.
“I’d like to ask you something, Aiden,” I said.
“We have time, I suppose. Go ahead, Matthew.”
“Why all the fire symbols and colours?”
“Fire is a powerful symbol. Why would we not use something like that?” His answer sounded so casual, like it should’ve been obvious.
“Colton warned me beforehand that you were all fire cultists, is that true?”
“Fire is pure, yet destructive. It gives life through its warming embrace but can also take it away with its searing touch.” Aiden raised the palm of his hand out towards me, clenching it tightly into a fist. “It is merely a symbol I can use to inspire my followers, whilst also instilling fear deep within my enemies. If using such a magnificent symbol makes us a ‘cult’ in the eyes of others, then so be it.”
His answer was – dare I say this – reasonable.
Logos were always used in the past to represent everything, from restaurants to the army. Even animal mascots were used to promote various teams in sports, so using a symbol to unify people made sense to me.
“Yeah… Okay. That makes sense,” I conceded.
Aiden smiled, this time I felt creeped out when he did, for some reason. “Now it is my turn to ask a question: how were you able to get this far into my home undetected? If not for the tripwire alarm we had set up, you would not have been found.”
“A tripwire? That’s a first for me. I’ll have to look out for that in the future,” I thought.
There was an eerie calmness surrounding Aiden, one that was almost comforting. It felt like I could tell him anything.
“Snuck in through the rear fire exit,” I said with a cocksure smile.
Ivy grunted disapprovingly, twisting her head to the side as she spoke. “No chance! We have at least three people out there all the time and four this evening.”
“Two were walking around the car park. Another I distracted easily. The last guy was asleep near the fire door,” I explained.
Aiden sighed. He looked disappointed. “Asleep? Pity. It appears that one of my followers doesn’t take their duties seriously. No matter. I shall have a talk with them later.”
Footsteps echoed from down the darkened hallway. The guard that had left us returned, now carrying a brown envelope. He went to hand it to Aiden, but Aiden shook his head gracefully and pointed to me instead.
“Are you sure?” the guard asked.
“Do not worry, Damien. We must have some faith in Matthew.” Aiden’s words made me feel at ease. It was bizarre what a powerful effect this blond-haired, bathrobe wearing individual had.
Damien tentatively handed me the envelope. I took it off him, quickly looking inside to confirm its contents. Several pages were inside, all of them written in the sloppiest of cursive handwriting. Almost all the words were rushed, making it impossible to read any more than a couple of words per sentence.
Typical doctors handwriting.
“No one here can make sense of it. I suspect that if Colton has sent you, he has either located Doctor Hugo, or has someone capable of reading his appalling handwriting. That said, I would like to make a request of you.”
Before Aiden even asked, I knew what it was he wanted. “Hand the notes over, find out what they say, then return here with my friends, sharing the information with you. Right?”
Aiden nodded gently, his blond hair barely moving from the movement. “Indeed. You are a sharp one, Matthew, and quite talented to get this far. Not many can do what you have done today. I look forward to your return. It would bring me great joy to count you as one of my followers. Now then, I shall escort you safely out of here myself.”
“Heh. I’m popular.” Both Aiden and Colton wanted my skills. It was hard not to feel somewhat big-headed.
“Before we go, can I put my hood back up? Being caught like this is pretty embarrassing,” I asked. Aiden bowed his head. “Great! Oh, and mind if I ask one more small favour?”
The two guards, Aiden, and myself, had all made our way to the ground floor. I asked if we could go down the stairs I’d used earlier, so that I could pick up my trainers along the way. When asked why I left them behind in the first place, Aiden seemed impressed by my attention to detail on the sound my trainers were making.
We travelled down a long hallway on the ground floor that led to the front entrance of the hospital. It was filled with torches, candles, and small, contained fires burning away. The air inside was thick with smoke, causing me to choke when I first walked in there.
Every single person in the hallway stared at me, looking intently at the hooded individual that had managed to bypass them. Some looked on in awe at the sneaky bastard who got so far unseen, while others gave me scornful looks for the exact same reason.
In some strange way I felt like a celebrity, what with being the centre of attention – can’t say it felt good, honestly.
Just as we approached the double doors leading outside, I heard a cry that made me stop moving.
“Was that… a baby?” I asked.
Aiden stopped walking, then turned to face me. “Indeed. You sound surprised?”
I was surprised. From what I’d seen, not a single baby had made it through the night of mass death. Even if a baby had survived, if the parents hadn’t made it, then I imagine the child would have died from starvation.
The cry came out again, louder this time. I looked to my right and saw a woman sitting on a cafeteria chair, cradling the crying child.
“Sorry,” I said. “I am surprised, yeah. It’s been a while since I saw a child.”
Aiden examined me closely, mulling a thought over in his mind. “Hmm? …Ah, is Colton enforcing his silly ‘no babies’ rule?”
“How did you—ˮ
He chuckled light-heartedly. “When our groups were one, he tried to enforce that rule upon us. The brute claimed that we were not in a safe enough position to start allowing others to have children. Stupid, really. He told everyone to wait until we were more secure and had a suitable source of food. Personally, I doubt he ever would have deemed us ‘secure’ enough.”
“You disagreed with him?” I asked.
“Obviously. One cannot stop people from having children. As a matter of fact, children are needed in order to secure the future of the human race. Repopulation should be just as important a task as any other.”
I don’t know if I agreed with him or Colton on this one. A child would be an extra mouth to feed without being all that helpful, but they are needed now, more than ever, to help with the population.
As we continued on our way towards the entrance, a horrible, vomit inducing realization crept into my mind: maybe this
place was better for Wendy and Thomas? Hell, it could’ve been better for me too!
Were my eggs in the wrong basket?
We had taken our leave of the hospital building and gone outside to the makeshift courtyard they had constructed. The bones in the walls were just as on show here as on the outside, giving me the chills.
On the way, Aiden had whispered something to one of the guards, who’d then disappeared.
As Aiden and I stood outside, surrounded by people watching us – well, mostly me – he reached out, shaking my hand with a soft grip.
“Go free your friends, Matthew. They are welcome here as my followers, as are you.” Aiden’s words were so serene. It was hard to believe such a man existed in these times. “And be wary of that murderer. Colton killed our group’s leader for power. Who is to say he wouldn’t kill you if it served his purpose?”
“I will. Thank you for this opportunity, Aiden.” I was lying… I think.
In all honesty, I didn’t know what to think anymore. Aiden himself seemed so peaceful. Despite his getup looking ridiculous, all I felt around him was calmed by his charming personality. Even his comment about repopulation made me think hard about bringing Wendy here, so she could have that safe place to have the child she so desperately wanted.
As for Colton, I felt something for him – a connection or understanding not felt since my sister died. The idea of betraying his trust sickened me, but so too did the thought of him murdering someone just to gain power.
Had I been tricked by Colton? All his warnings to me about these people, was it just to colour my opinion of them? I mean, they certainly didn’t look like good guys, that’s for sure, but looks can be deceiving.
These conflicting thoughts persisted while Aiden’s guards removed a section of their barricade to let me through.
“Safe journey, Matthew,” Aiden said as I walked away.
I was making my way down the side of the hospital, going through the overgrown hedges I had previously hidden in, when I felt this powerful urge to stop.
Without any warning my legs gave way, making me fall to my knees. It had struck me that I was walking towards Colton; a man who I was just told was a killer; a man who had supposedly killed in cold blood to gain leadership of the group… And yet, I couldn’t accept it.
In the short time I had known him, Colton had seemed so nice. That murderous vibe Aiden warned me of was something I never felt once from him. But I couldn’t help feeling there was a terrible truth behind Aiden’s words.
“What should I do? I like Colton,” I thought while massaging the temples of my forehead. “Gloria, what would you do?”
I rubbed the sapphire earring my sister had given me, wondering what she would say, desperately searching for a memory that might help me make a choice. After getting lost in thought for what felt like an eternity, I heard a man crying out in terror. It came from the hospital entrance.
Wanting to know what the hell was going on, I made my way back to the makeshift wall quietly. Once again, I found myself sneakily peeking through a small gap in the wall to see inside.
“It was an accident!” someone yelled out. I adjusted my view a little. The voice was coming from a man that had been stripped of all his clothes and strapped down to a stretcher on the floor. “Please don’t do this! I can’t help being tired!”
Aiden stood beside the stretcher, with many people watching in a circle around them.
“Accidents happen, this I understand,” Aiden said in that calm voice of his. “But punishments must be served to those who fail in the tasks I have given them. You shall be an example of that.”
Aiden signalled to someone out my view.
Damien, the guard who had handed me the envelope, walked forward with a jerry can.
“No… NO!” my mind screamed.
Without hesitation, Damien poured the contents of the jerry can all over the strapped down man.
“Please, stop! I didn’t mean to fall asleep at the door!” I focused in on the crying man’s face and saw it was the shaggy-bearded guard I had snuck past earlier.
Aiden lifted a hand. In it, he held a glass bottle filled with liquid. Half-stuffed in the neck of the bottle was a white cloth. It was a Molotov cocktail – a bottle filled with flammable liquid.
Aiden lit the cloth using a lighter. Damien stepped away from the naked guard, taking the jerry can with him.
No words were spoken as Aiden gently threw the bottle forward. The moment it shattered against the ground, the bearded guard burst into flames.
The instant those flames appeared, I swear Aiden smiled.
I watched on in shock, feeling unable to pull my gaze away. The guard that had been happily dreaming away not long ago was now writhing in agony from a fire that slowly devoured him.
My knees went weak at the thought of my actions resulting in the death of this poor bastard.
“This is my fault!” my mind cried out.
Aiden, with arms stretched wide, stepped back from the burning man. Everyone around him cheered loudly.
I didn’t stick around to witness anymore. All I wanted now was to see Colton.
Never before had I run so fast, not even when the police used to chase me. Trees blurred by as I weaved between them, every so often striking my shoulder on one in the darkness.
When I emerged from the woods, I could just barely make out the shape of the small green car parked across the field of grass.
I wanted to call out Colton’s name so badly, but I knew that my voice might be heard, even if the hospital was now some distance behind me.
The car became clearer as I got closer. The outline of a large man sitting on the bonnet also came in to view. From the shape alone I knew it was him. Colton must have seen me coming and jumped off the bonnet, rushing over to me.
“Gray?!” I heard him call quietly. It felt so good to hear that gravel-gargling voice again.
I didn’t reply. Instead, I ran right into him, throwing my arms around his waist.
Colton placed one arm over my shoulder, giving me a tight squeeze.
“Whoa now! What’s all this about?” he asked, confused by my actions.
“Get me out of here, Colton…” I mumbled, still hanging on to him.
“Sure… Guessin’ it didn’t go well in there.”
I broke the hug and took a step back. “Here.” I held up the envelope in my hand.
“Fuck me! That’s amazin’, Gray!” he said with such joy. “Let’s get these back and celebrate, yeah?”
Celebrating was the last thing on my mind. All I could think about was that man I had indirectly killed. The smell of fire and petrol seemed to materialize out of nowhere.
Then the penny dropped: if Aiden had seen me as useless, or if I’d have defied him, would he have done the same to me? The jerry can that was used on the sleeper, could that have been used on me instead?
My knees went weak, almost turning to jelly.
“Gray? Hey! What’s wrong?” Colton leaned down, examining my face closely. “You’re shakin’ real hard there. What happened?”
“Get me out of here,” I uttered stiffly. Colton went to speak again, but I immediately cut him off. “NOW!”
Chapter 9
Homeward.
Man of the Hour.
“You’re kiddin’ me, right?” Colton asked me as he drove us away from the hospital, heading back to the hotel. I shook my head. “Damn… Aiden always was kinda unstable, but burnin’ someone alive? Sounds worse than before.”
I’d filled Colton in on most of the sordid details – from the moment I was caught thanks to a tripwire, to the deal Aiden had wanted to make with me, and finally the burning of the sleeping guard.
Just recalling that horrifying memory made me feel sick.
“Pull over!” I shouted suddenly.
“Huh? Why?”
“Just do it!”
Colton hit the brakes in the middle of the motorway, allowing me to tumble out of the car and vomit all
over the floor.
The smell and sight of burning flesh; the stench of gasoline; the thought that it could’ve been me… It was beyond nauseating.
I stood up, wiping my mouth clean with the sleeve of my hoodie. With one deep breath, I took in a lung full of the cool night air. It helped, a bit. My eyes closed tightly while I tried to calm myself down by thinking of happier times with Gloria, instead of the image of flesh burning away.
“You okay there, Gray?” Colton called out to me from inside the car.
“Yeah… Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied.
I got back into the car, closing the door with a loud bang.
“Need anythin’ at all?” he asked.
I adjusted my seat and leaned back with my eyes closed. “Just some rest.”
Colton put his foot down slightly, driving on at a steady pace. After a couple of tense minutes, he spoke again.
“Never should’a put you in that situation. I was real scared when you left. Probably the most I’ve been in a long time… You gonna be all right?”
I didn’t respond.
“Gray? You awake?”
I still didn’t respond. All I wanted was to fake being asleep, just so I could have some quiet time to process my thoughts.
Colton let out a long, deep sigh.
By pretending to be asleep, I had inadvertently fallen asleep. Colton woke me up once we were driving through the underground parking lot of the hotel.
It was still dark by the time we had parked up and made our way into the hotel lobby. No one else was there, except for an elderly couple that were shuffling off together for the night.
I walked away from Colton, heading towards the hallway leading to my room. All I wanted was to get more sleep.
“Wait a sec, Gray,” he said. I stopped and looked back over my shoulder at him. “Wanna grab somethin’ to eat? Maybe talk about what happened, if you’re up for it.”
I didn’t know if he was referring to the events at the hospital or us sleeping together. Either way, I didn’t care. “Not tonight, big guy.”