Human Nature (Book 3): Human Nature III

by Borthwick, Finlay

  And sure enough, an ear-piercing war cry filled the air.

  “What the heck?” Cora panicked, and prepared to stand up and fight

  “No, wait!” Naomi kept her down, “They can’t possibly know we’re here.”

  “Actually…” Worm brokered.

  “Fuck it!” Kieran jumped up and started firing at the approaching mass.

  Everyone else covered their ears and cowered at the sound of gunfire.

  “Around the back!” Naomi shouted over the bullets. “Go! Everyone!”

  Worm grabbed a metal pole which had fallen off an overturned truck and stepped out into the open. He felt a small amount of regret upon seeing just how many savages there really were.

  “I’m running low!” Kieran remarked as he tried to conserve his remaining rounds.

  “Focus on the left, I’ll take the right!” Worm commanded as he stepped away from safety, ready to take the approaching savages down.

  “Need backup?” Aoife came to his side, having opted not to go around the back of the convoy with the others.

  “Only if you’re offering.” Worm joked, as he raised the pole defensively.

  “It’s your lucky day, because I am.” She matched his sense of humour and produced a hammer from her side.

  The savages came at them in a large wave.

  Worm whacked the savage furthest to the right with intense force, causing him to topple onto the one next to him.

  Aoife struck out with the blunt end of the hammer and swiftly took two other savages out.

  Then, Worm finished off his targets by sending the metal pole through their eye sockets.

  “Classy.” Aoife remarked.

  “Desperate.” He kidded.

  “Let me get them!” Valorie desperate tried to break from Richard’s hold. “I have to! For Harry!”

  “Val, stop!” He refused to let her go. “You’re in no fit state of mind. Just calm down, just calm down.”

  Then, Kieran’s rifle clicked; all the bullets were gone.

  “Right, now!” Naomi jumped out first, charging forwards. “Come on bastards!”

  As she knifed them down however, some of them stopped and stared at her, as if they remembered her as one of their own.

  Cora followed Naomi, readying her sickle to back her up.

  “Die!” Worm grunted as he battered a savage directly in the temple multiple times.

  “On your right!” Aoife warned him, as she stepped out and clawed the savage’s cheek using the other end of the hammer now.

  “Thanks.” Worm nodded to her gratefully. Then, he watched as Naomi and Cora rushed forwards, shifting his attention to the two savages who were still conversating at the back of the group, one of them still holding the mysterious device. “Naomi!” He called out to her, but she was too busy fighting to hear him. “Naomi! Look!” He tried again, but she still didn’t turn around.

  “What is it?” Aoife, however, did hear him.

  “Look! That one’s got a phone!” He assumed that was what the device was.

  “What? Where?” She couldn’t see the savage in question.

  “There!” He insisted, but then his view was blocked by another wave charging towards them. “Dammit!” He cussed, charging forwards angrily.

  “Worm, careful!” Aoife chased after him.

  Kieran threw his rifle to the side and pulled out his knife. He quickly realised that the group was greatly outnumbered. “Nah.” He shook his head and put his knife away again. Then, he turned around and scooped up his rucksack, before strolling away again.

  “Hey! Where are you going?” Mac called out, but he ignored him.

  “Kieran?” Richard called to him as well. “Kieran! Get back here man!”

  But he didn’t; he simply continued to depart.

  “Grah!” Cora grunted as she sickled another savage. “I haven’t fought in such a long time,” she was short of breath, “I’m really not cut out for this kind of thing!”

  “It’s alright, I’ve got you.” Naomi reassured her, fending off several more attackers. “Get back behind the vehicles, go!”

  “No, I can’t leave you here!” She countered, still insisting on fighting until her last breath.

  “If you can’t fight, then live! Go!”

  “No! Naomi, I’ve only known you for a day, but you’ve been so kind and generous and you’re willing to help us; good people like you are few and far--”

  Naomi interrupted her, “I appreciate that, but now’s not really the time for a heart-warming monologue.” She said with great difficulty, still having to hold the savages back.

  With fierce eyes, Cora stepped forward again with her sickle, and helped Naomi clear the savages she was fending off, ready to dedicate her remaining breaths to this cause.

  “Get out of the way!” Worm shouted in a disgruntled tone as he fought his way towards the savage holding the device. “Come on, bastard! I see you!” He became even angrier, which gave him more strength to fight through the crowd.

  “Worm! Stop!” Aoife tried to catch up to him, but she was tackled to the ground by one of the savages. He pulled his knife down, as she used all her might to keep the blade just inches from her face. “Help!” She cried out to Worm.

  Looking behind, Worm realised what was going on. “No!” He went back for her, still furiously taking the savages in his way down.

  Kieran continued walking away, but it seemed as though the noise of the fighting just grew louder and louder no matter how far he got. Rolling his eyes, he turned around again. For perhaps the first time ever, he had a vague look of sorrow on his face, as he watched his comrades struggle to fend off the savages.

  “Ah, shit.” He remarked, realising that he was feeling amorally guilty over his moral guilt.

  He marched back towards the fight, and then saw a large branch on the ground. With his right hand, he picked the branch up, and in his left, he equipped his knife. Then, he began sprinting back.

  Aoife struggled to hold the savage off, and was prepared to give in. But then, Worm tackled the savage away from her, and firmly pressed the metal pole down on his throat, effectively suffocating him to death.

  Cora lost her footing, causing her to fall backwards.

  “It’s alright! Stay down, I’ve got this!” Naomi continued to defend her, keeping the savages back; but in truth, she was beginning to lose strength as well.

  Then, a branch came flying into view, knocking all the savages in front of Naomi down. She was completely startled, and her entire brain shut down for a second.

  Kieran came rushing into view, as he knifed the downed savages, swiftly ending their lives. “Let’s see what you’ve got!” Kieran taunted the savages, as he charged towards them.

  Naomi finally came to her senses again, and even smiled slightly upon seeing Kieran come back. She grabbed an axe from one of the corpses and charged onwards to assist Kieran.

  Cora stayed down however, continuing to catch her breath.

  Worm and Aoife joined the brawl as well.

  Now, together, they were successfully fighting the savages back.

  “They’ve done it.” Richard informed Valorie. “They’ve won.” Now, finally, he released her from his grip; but she had stopped fighting and was much happier in his arms.

  “Are you two alright?” Mac crawled over to them. “Sorry, I know we haven’t really had a chance to get to know each other yet, but I figured I might as well do something.”

  “Oh,” Richard stuttered, “Yes. Yes, we’re fine, young man. Thank you.”

  Corpses were all over the ground. However, a few of the savages had treated off the dual carriageway.

  Everybody was short of breath.

  “Thank you,” Naomi breathily thanked Kieran.

  Without looking her in the eyes, he nodded, accepting this gratitude.

  Worm frantically searched all the corpses.

  “What are you doing?” Aoife asked him.

  He ignored her and continued to rummage
around. “Dammit.” He mumbled; it appeared one of the surviving savages had taken the device he was looking for…

  Chapter 19: Terms and Conditions

  “It wasn’t like that!” Gwen defended herself; Erica was explaining to Elliot what had happened outside with Johnson.

  “That’s exactly how it was Gwen.” Erica didn’t want to fight with her but had to make the consequences abundantly clear. “You just killed man in cold-blood and successfully taken the rest of us down with him.”

  “Mum, Erica’s right.” Elliot asserted. “Whether or not J.V.’s son was lying to us is irrelevant. The point is, J.V.’s going to clock that his son is missing, and when he does, who do you think he’s going to blame?”

  Gwen bent down to shout at him, “Himself! He’s the one who kidnapped Annabelle to begin with!”

  “For the record, Elliot,” Erica turned her anger to him as well, “This is exactly what I was afraid would happen when you came up with the plan to take one of his sons hostage in the first place.”

  “Don’t you dare take this out on him!” Gwen suddenly took Elliot’s side again. “He did that for his sister, and that makes me proud.”

  “Oh, so it’s okay for you be mad with him, but not me?”

  “It’s absolutely okay because he is my son!” Gwen yelled at her.

  “Not right now I’m not.” Elliot butted in, crossly. “Right now, you’re being Gwen again…”

  Gwen took a moment to calm herself. “…Erica, I want you out of my house within the next five seconds.”

  She was hesitant to leave.

  “Just fucking go!” Gwen raged at her.

  But then, the floorboards creaked in the hallway; Annabelle stood there, horrified. “Mum?” She asked croakily.

  “Go back to your room, sweetie.” Gwen requested, faking a smile for her.

  “Annabelle.” Elliot got up and held his arms out. “Where are you, Annabelle?”

  She looked at him with terrified eyes. “I’m… I’m right here.” It was evident that she was still traumatised, but she wanted her stepbrother more than anyone else right now.

  “Hang on, I’m coming to you.” He tried to navigate his way across the room by himself, but then Erica rushed to his side to guide him.

  Gwen shook her head in disgust, feeling as though Erica was threatening her motherly position.

  “There.” Erica pulled Elliot’s hand over to Annabelle’s, helping the two interlock their fingers.

  “It’s alright, I’ve got you.” Elliot comforted her, as they finally embraced once again.

  “Elliot… It… It was… So horrible…” She stuttered, holding her tears back.

  “I’m here now, it’s ok… I won’t let anything happen to you, ever again.” As Elliot revealed this to her, his mind became even more determined than ever to protect Annabelle at all costs; he was prepared to go and hunt the rest of J.V.’s group down, feeling as though Gwen had actually done the right thing by killing Johnson…

  Alek and his party of four had just returned from retrieving Andre and Klara’s bodies; but they were back without them.

  “Whoa.” Tina halted Alek. “Where are they?”

  Before answering, he looked around to make sure nobody was eavesdropping. He leant over to her ear and mumbled, “The truck’s gone. Somebody’s moved the corpses.”

  A look of dismay came across Tina’s face.

  “That’s not even the worst part.” Alek warned her.

  “Huh?” She prompted in confusion, and then heard the infamous clopping of horse hooves. “Oh…”

  J.V. was approaching on his horse, in his usual attire, except with three of his sons for backup this time.

  “I’m sorry, Tina. They were going to kill us.” Alek explained.

  “It’s fine…” She accepted his apology hazily.

  J.V. halted his cavalry half-way along the bridge.

  Tina looked to Alek, who nodded back at her. Then, the two of them cautiously moved forwards.

  Alek discreetly checked the mountaintop, and then whispered to Tina, “The snipers are back.”

  She nodded in affirmation but continued to look onwards at her foe.

  “Morning,” J.V. greeted her as he infamously tipped his hat.

  “Elliot made the terms and conditions clear,” Alek iterated, “No more trades.”

  J.V. snorted to interrupt him. “I’m not here to trade, I’m here for another one of my sons… Your group seems to be becoming problematic when it comes to my children.”

  Unnerved, Tina retorted with, “Whichever son it is you’ve lost, he isn’t here. Go and ask your other trading groups.”

  “A father has a sixth sense,” J.V. philosophised, completely ignoring Tina. “He just knows when his son is doing something he shouldn’t be.”

  “And a woman has a pair of eyes,” Tina jeered back at him. “She can just see whether or not a person has passed by her local area.”

  “Enough games!” J.V. bellowed, aiming his shotgun at her now.

  Alek and his party drew arms, though their weapons were all melee.

  “Give me my Johnson back, or I’ll kill all of you; as per the norm.”

  Nobody responded or flinched in the slightest.

  J.V. tutted and dismounted his horse. He raised the shotgun to Tina’s face. “Pretty face you’ve got there,” he brushed her cheek with his free hand, which completely repulsed her. “I would hate to have to ruin it…”

  “Leave her alone, asshole.” Alek warned him.

  J.V. laughed, and then walked over to him, now pointing the shotgun at his face. “Your face, however? Well, not so much. I’d have no problem ruining this one.”

  “You’re no match for us,” Alek advised him, “Just turn around and go. Your son isn’t here, your wasting your time, and your remaining sons lives…”

  Tina squinted in fear at Alek’s remark; he had just slipped up.

  “…What was that?” J.V. pressed the shotgun barrel to Alek’s jaw.

  “I said… I meant, your nine sons that are left… We know about you.” Alek rectified his mistake.

  “No, that’s not what you meant.” J.V. clenched Alek’s throat with his hand and intensified his grip, causing Alek to gasp.

  “Stop!” Tina protested.

  “Stay back!” J.V. called over to her, as another one of J.V.’s sons dismounted, aiming his handgun at her.

  Alek’s face began turning purple, as he fell to his knees.

  J.V. dropped his shotgun, and now used both hands to strangle Alek.

  “Alright!” Feeling there was no alternative, Tina realised what she had to do to save Alek’s life. “I did it! I killed Johnson!”

  Immediately, J.V. released Alek from his grip. He coughed and wretched multiple times, gasping for air.

  J.V. stormed over to Tina and grabbed her jaw, scrunching her face up. “Look at me.” He grumbled, noticing her eyes were looking away from him. “I said, look at me!” He screamed and tightened his grip on her jaw.

  Unknown to J.V. and his sons however, Alek was inconspicuously reaching over to grab the shotgun.

  “You… You killed my son? My Johnson?” J.V. interrogated her at such close distance that she could smell and even taste his awfully bad breath.

  Noticing that Tina was appalled by his teeth, J.V. decided to taunt her even further. “Take a close look at these teeth… Take a good, close, look… There’s bits of your friends on these…”

  She was utterly disgusted and spat furiously at his nose.

  He smirked at her, “Oh, you absolute whore…” He clenched his fist, and then punched her extremely hard in the abdomen.

  Instantly, she cried out in pain, and crouched over to clench the injury.

  Mercilessly, J.V. looked over at Alek’s party who were all still standing there with their weapons out. “Kill them.” He commanded.

  Without hesitation, his sons opened fire, and killed all four of them; leaving only Tina and Alek left on the bridge now. J
.V.’s horses bolted away in the opposite direction.

  Alek wrapped his fingers around the shotgun, and carefully dragged it towards him, trying to keep the scraping sound to a minimum level.

  “That is what happens when you kill my son!” J.V. berated Tina. “Get on the floor!” He pushed her over, sending her to the ground. Then, he pulled his radio up to his mouth. “I’m going to tell my boys to kill every single one of you… But you and your friend here, you’re going to be alive once the rest of them are dead, and we’re going to eat you alive.” He giggled psychotically. “Boys, come in…” He activated the radio.

  Feeling as though it were now or never, Alek quickly pulled the shotgun the rest of the way to him and turned it against J.V.

  Hearing the noise however, J.V. jumped out of the way without turning around.

  Alek fired, but the pellets completely missed.

  He pumped the shotgun again, but before he could fire a second time, he was shot in the arm, causing him to drop the weapon.

  J.V. scrambled back onto his feet and grabbed his shotgun from the ground. There was a debate in his mind for several seconds.

  Tina began crawling over to Alek, whilst Alek cradled his injured arm.

  “You know what,” J.V. mumbled to Alek. “I change my mind… You’re gonna be the first to die.”

  Tina grabbed J.V.’s ankle and pulled it with all her might, causing him to trip over.

  “Dad!” The son rushed over to help his dad, but J.V. pushed him away. “Kill them you idiots! Kill them all!” He shouted croakily.

  But before the son could even raise his pistol again, there was a knife stuck in his shin; Tina stabbed him, which also brought him crashing onto the ground.

  As J.V. tried to get back up, Alek powered through the pain of his wound and wrestled him back down. The two became engaged in a brawny battle.

  J.V.’s other sons all finally dismounted their stallions, but ducked down, waiting for a target on the other side of the bridge.