A gravel path slices right through the middle of the woods. Blair and his group continue down the driveway and open up the front gate. Two bodies that have been decapitated, completely dismembered and burned decorate the front centerpiece of the metal gate. Corpses of other people swing from the trees that sit in front of the path's entry point. Bloody paper with obscene taunts and horrific messages are stapled and pinned to the victims faces and chests. These guys are dressed like that one that died back in the riverbed. Which means they had to be the ones responsible for protecting the Judge and his family.
"Jesus…Christ…Sick bastard to say the least." Mike comments as we make our way by one of the dangling bodies that sway with the wind's occasional push.
"Sick bastard is putting it way too kindly. There isn't any word in the dictionary that can describe this piece of shit."
"Liam and I wanted the judge dead, but nothing on this scale. Two bullets to the head would have done for me. Three for Liam, but this guy seems more like a serial killer."
I drop to my stomach and crawl into the woods while Mike crouch walks and sticks as low to the ground as possible. The fallen trees, broken limbs and shrubbery provide sufficient amounts of cover as I crawl down into a little drainage ditch and carefully observe the area.
The foundation of the judge's three-story house faintly appears through the foliage. I pull out my binoculars and scout the area from the safety of the ditch. There is someone sitting on top of the house with a hunting rifle. Mike keeps an eye out while I watch the sniper's behavior.
She looks through the scope of her rifle and watches the back of the house. The girl lowers her gun and repositions herself to where she's looking in our direction. I lay on my side and prop myself up where it's more difficult to spot me. Mike examines my behavior and lays down in front of a tree.
Her scope doesn't have any glint so it's going to be extremely difficult to spot her if she decides to change to another position. The barrel of the hunting rifle carefully patrols the outside of the gated yard and works its way out in my direction. I hold my breath and remain motionless as the barrel looks directly into the lens of the binoculars and passes over. Mike lays as flat to the ground as possible. The girl's cheek comes off the stock as she looks around and changes positions. Her gun is now glazing the area in front of the house.
That's the area where Blair's group is doing a majority of the searching. If what that guy said was correct, that boy should be on the other side of the house. Which if that boy is smart, he'll either stay low and move out or cover up. Which he probably doesn't know that's the best thing to do. Which it wouldn't matter anyway. When they start making his sister scream, he'll come running.
I return to my feet and proceed in the opposite direction of the sniper's gaze. Behind the house is a huge slope that leads down into a dense forest. Pine trees and saplings are packed so close together that it would almost be impossible to spot someone.
I take out my binoculars again and examine what the sniper is looking at now. She seems fixated on the front of the house. Probably providing overwatch for those guys searching the front of the property. The back door of the judge's house opens up, and this guy with black hair walks out. He stumbles for a moment but regains his footing and drags someone out of the house.
"Fuck…"
This small blonde girl kicks around and thrashes against the captor. Her hands have been tied, but it's not preventing her from fighting back. She breaks away and runs. Another guy shoves her down and imitates how she was having to run. The girl gets back up but he jumps on top of her.
She's struggling against the group, but the girl looks more angry than scared. They haven't had time to instill any fear into her. She kicks at the people with her legs, but one of them holds them down while another ties her ankles together where she can't run. Right now, it looks like they're more interested in teasing and building tension rather than proceeding to the more serious actions.
I swing wide and make my way towards the house, but that sniper on top of the house is really hindering my ability to move at a reasonable pace. Her scouting methods are very unpredictable. One moment, she's guarding the front of the house, and then she'll snap around and scan the back before alternating her pattern.
Mike and I stay low but try to move as quickly as possible without making ourselves giant targets. The sniper sets up and prepares to look in our direction. I dive into some nearby shrubbery and study her. Mike lays down in a small rut and watches the back. Icicles sprout all over my spine and forces the nerves within to freeze up with terror as the crosshairs of that girl's scope glide across the base of my neck. The barrel of the gun stops and sways back at a higher angle. This time, it brushes over my forehead, but the scope presses on.
I dial the focus in and examine the windows below the sniper. The swinging wooden blinds are completely shut, but the approach wouldn't' be on the weak side. Which means there wouldn't be much of a threat from a surprise attack from the second or third story, but most of Blair's group are either in the front yard or on the same side we're on.
There's a couple watching the back, but it seems like they're not real concerned about a sneak attack from behind since it's the most obvious way to get in. It would be really nice if these people were stupid, but it looks like they've really got this place on lock. We're running out of time and options. Not to mention we're risking our lives for something that doesn't have much value in the first place.
Even if Blair had that place loaded with supplies, guns and ammo, it'd be impossible to take the house because there's so many vantage points, blind spots and cover for his people to get behind before we could even step foot on the lawn. The odds aren't in our favor with this one, and it's becoming obvious that this is probably not worth it. The main job is done, I tried. My conscious is clear.
The barrel of Mike's rifle is tracking something that's approaching up from behind. I carefully look over my shoulder and check to make sure it isn't someone from Blair's group. Black strands snake through a nearby crevice that's been eroded away. I look closer and see that this boy is moving up. He pokes his head up from the crevice and examines the house off in the distance.
I put my sights on him and calmly put a finger over my lips. He scans the area around him and looks in my direction. Irritation glows off the white of his eyes as sadness gives his green irises a shiny, gloss look. He's got a gun, but he won't be winning any fights with it. I doubt he even knows how to use it.
"If you think you're making it into the house with that, you can forget it." I quietly say.
The boy looks around for the source of the voice. He carelessly swings the revolver around, but I'm not worried. The hammer isn't even pulled back, and the block safety is on. It's probably not even loaded.
"Relax kid, if I wanted to have killed you, I would have already done it." I add as he struggles to find me within the bush. "Not very observant, are you? How'd you survive this long?"
"Shu…shut up! I know how to use this!" The boy changes his tone to an angry whisper.
I roll out of the bushes and slide into the crevice with him, "I doubt it's even reloaded."
The boy tries to point his gun at me, but he's shaking so bad that he couldn't hit me even if I was standing two feet away.
"That's not a stance son. This is." I transition from my battle rifle to my revolver with a smooth, fluid motion, post up and point the barrel of my gun above his head. The boy falls on his back. His fear gets the better of him, and he tries to pull the trigger. Nothing. He examines the gun and tries to figure out what's wrong. I put my revolver away and approach him. "Again, I could have killed you right there. I could kill you right now with just my hands, but I'm not."
"Liar! You're with that group! The group that cut my mom and dad into pieces in front of me…" The boy stammers as he furiously wipes his eyes and tries to remain focused on me. I take a step towards him, and he backs himself up against the crevice's dirt end.
"No. I'm here because I'm looking for food and water." I lie as I squat down and push the barrel of his gun down towards the ground. The boy tries to pull the gun away, but he's coming to the realization that if I was with Blair's group, I would have already strangled him to death or dragged him back to the house so he could be tortured.
I pull my binoculars up and look back at the house from a different angle, "I'm guessing you want to save your sister?"
"How do you know?"
"Because I ran into the man taking care of you a couple moments ago."
"Was you able to save him?"
"He was already dead when we found him." I state.
"What do you think they're going to do to my sister if I can't save her?"
"Nothing good. I'll leave it at that."
Two men dressed in armor walk out the back of the house and make their way towards the boy's sister. Several people from Blair's group form a defensive line and corral the girl around in an intimidating manner. The abuse is getting more and more serious. Everyone is growing bored of the teasing and preparing for the main act.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing right now." I reply as a man grabs the sister by the collar of her torn shirt and slaps her around.
"Mike?"
"Yeah?"
"I want you to move around back. Once you get there, count to one hundred and fire off a couple shots. Once you do, run back to the vehicle and leave."
"Make these assholes think I'm the boy. You don't think they'll all come at once?"
"If the leader joins the investigation, which I'm positive he will, they'll only be a couple left at the house to guard the girl."
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Mike asks.
"It has to." I reply. "Hey kid?"
"Yes sir…"
"You want a chance to save your sister?"
"Please…She's all I have left."
Then you're going to do exactly what I tell you. You only move when I do. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Good. Then let's go to work."
Mike sticks low to the ground and makes his way to the back of the house. I wait for the sniper to turn her back and move. The kid climbs out of the eroded crevice and stays directly behind me. The group throw the boy's sister down into a puddle of water. Another girl jumps on top of the sister and shoves her face into the muddy water with enough force that it's causing her to whimper, but she refuses to scream.
The sight is infuriating me, but if I cook off a couple rounds right now, it'll stop the act, but it will also force me into full retreat, and there's no way they're going to just leave that girl unguarded and alone. For now, the girl has to hold out until Mike can cause the distraction. There are a couple of people who are shaking their heads no and refusing to take part in the flogging of this young girl.
"I'm going to kill them. I'll kill them all." The boy seethes with anger.
"Easy kid. It's pissing me off to, but if we go off right now, then there won't be any hope of saving your sister."
A couple yards away from the gate is a brush pile that hasn't been burned yet. I make sure the sniper isn't looking and examine the broken limbs and trimmed shrubs. There aren't any snakes hiding in there, so it's a safe bet to hide in until Mike fires his shots into the air. I carefully move a couple limbs from the side and cover myself up with a dense blanket of pine needles and browning leaves. The boy lays down beside me and covers himself up.
There is enough visibility where we can see what's going on in the yard, but far enough that we're completely camouflaged. The entire group backs away from the girl and stands at attention. Blair approaches the girl as the group he sent out to search the front of the house return.
"Grey?"
"Yes?" This guy who's refusing to take part answers.
"Has she screamed yet?"
"I told her I'd let her go if she did, but she's held her breath and bit her tongue."
"I see. You're a tough one, but I have ways of getting what I want."
Blair twirls a new razor blade around in his hand as he paces around the girl. He bends down and grabs her by the hair. She lets out a stifled cry as he lays her on her back. Two other people within the group gather around and hold her arms and legs down as Blair sits by her side.
"Why…" The girl coughs.
"Please. Proceed."
"Why are you doing this to us…"
"I did explain, but I don't mind repeating myself. You see, your family wronged me, and many others for far too long. You hid behind the safety of the system while people like me were crushed by it, but that all disappeared when this magnificent act was bestowed upon the world. Now with society falling apart, real justice can be instituted, and that's why I'm here. To teach you the error of your ways."
"Boy? Cover your ears and look away."
"Why?"
"Just do it."
The boy turns his head in the opposite direction and covers his ears. Blair lifts the girl's shirt up and presses the tip of the razor blade into her stomach. The girl grunts and moans as Blair carves something into her stomach. She squirms and whips her head to the left and right. A jolt of agonizing pain causes her body to spike up towards the razor. The force pushes the blade further into her gut.
"Oh…God…. PLEASE! STOP IT! PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!" The girl screams.
Blair manically laughs as this girl from the group slaps the sister across the face and causes her to choke on her suffering tears. The scar on my left arm catches on fire and tingles with every scream that girl lets out. Fuck. I should have said fifty. Why didn't I say fifty!? I scold myself.
Blair removes the razor blade and lets the blood drip off the tip onto the girl's dirty face and chest.
"Don't give up just yet! I got two more passes to make!" Blair teases as he presses the razor back into her stomach. The girl's face turns blue from how much she's screaming. She struggles to draw breath and is almost on the verge of passing out. The boy laying beside me is violently trembling in fear. He sniffles and shakes his head back and forth like he's trying to deny that this is really happening.
"Just wait asshole. You'll be alone one day, and when you are, I'm going to empty these two mags of 7.62, and a full cylinder of 357 into your skull." I state.
The guy named Grey, this girl with purple hair and a couple others watch in disgusted horror as Blair continues his sadistic act. Everyone else in the group cheers and begs for more, but Grey, the pacifist girl, and the others look away in sadness. He holds his breath and lets out a stream of quiet words that resemble "stop it…please…"
Blair yanks the razor out of the girl's stomach and wipes the blood off on her face, "See? That wasn't so bad. Was it?" Blair looks around to see if he's attracted the boy's attention. He's hoping the boy will rush in aimlessly, and since the boy has no idea how to use a gun, he'd be taken down and sliced open in a matter of seconds.
"Tell me something, does your brother really love you?" Blair asks.
"What kind of question is that…" The girl moans and whimpers.
"I'm just curious. If he really cared about you, then he'd be here by now. I guess you didn't scream loud enough. GREY!"
"Yes…Blair…"
"Remember what we talked about earlier?"
"Blair…Please. The girl has suffered enough. Let her go. She won't last long out there anyway." Grey pleas.
"Yeah Blair… I mean, she is just a kid. How's a kid going to know the basics of survival anyway?" The purple haired girl adds.
"Grey, I gave you a task and you're trying to get out of a responsibility." Blair calmly states.
"With all due respect Blair, Grey doesn't have the heart for this." The purple haired girl replies.
"I gave you a task Grey."
"Grey doesn't want to do it Blair! Stop for…" One of the guy's standing beside the purple haired girl hits her across the back with a baseball bat and knocks her down. Grey tries to rush over and help, but this girl points the barrel of her shotgun at Grey and motions for him to back off. He throws his hands up and steps back.
"Make sure Cassy lays there like a good student. Grey? You have a job to do." Blair says again.
Grey eases over to the broken and demoralized girl and reaches down. He unzips the girl's pants and eases them down towards her ankles. Humiliation and guilt fills Grey's eyes as he shakes his head no, "I can't…"
"You will!" The group shouts.
"She's only twelve!"
"It's only a four-year difference between you and her. Besides, she needs some kind of happy memory before we let her go." Blair states.
Grey pulls the girls pants up and zips them back, "You can do whatever you want to with me, but I won't follow through with this."
Blair's followers boo and jeer as Grey scoops the girl up into his arms and shields her. The group ball up their fists and smack him all over the body and demand that he surrender the girl over to them.
Several gunshots ring out from the distance and everyone stops wailing on Grey. The sound forces Blair to smile as he sticks his razor blade in his pocket and grabs his handgun. The other people who are all too happy to follow Blair grab their guns and take off towards the sounds of the echoing gunshots.
"I want a couple of you to stay here and watch Grey, and the girl! Make sure neither of them get any funny ideas while I'm gone! Cassy? You come with me. Grey is being a bad influence on you." Blair eagerly charges off towards Mike's distraction.
The girl on the roof scrambles down a ladder and joins the hunt along with a majority of the group. The sniper is now gone. The entry, and the escape will be much easier now that she's gone. Doesn't make it any less dangerous since there could be a couple inside the house, but their vantage points are now limited since there is nobody on the roof.
Grey sits up against the wall of the house as three others spread out around the girl and contemplate on what to do. Everyone that went with Blair disappear into the woods. Now is the time. I crawl out from under the brush pile and wait for an adequate time to charge. These guys only have handguns and melee weapons, but they have armor. It would be best if we could keep the noise down, but it's looking like a few rounds might have to be spent in order to make it out.
"What's the plan?" The boy asks.
"You're going to stay right here."
"What? No…you can't do this! That's my sister, and it's my job to save her!"
"No, it's your job to stay out of the way." I say as I examine the second and third floor one final time. Clear. I ease around to the group's blind spot and hop the fence. All three of them are too focused on what they want to do to the girl while Grey stares at the ground in between his lap. I sling the rifle over my shoulder and grab the dishwasher leg. Nobody is paying any attention because they're too concerned with doing what Grey couldn't.
I rear back and overhead swing the dishwasher leg. The metal connects with the guy's shoulder. He hits the ground and writhes around in pain, "Son of a bitch!" I swing to the left and clip the second guy across the face. He spins out of control and lands flat on his back. The third guy hops back as another swing comes in and misses the side of his ribs. The dishwasher leg slams into his forearm and knocks the pistol out of his hand. He falls back and yells in pain as I pick up the handgun, flip the safety off and keep everyone at gunpoint. There is a bullet in the chamber because the color of brass fills in the round indicator.
"Chole!" The boy yells as he rushes to be by his sister's side. I told him to stay out of this, but now's not the time for scolding. The boy shakes his sister around and pleas that she answer him. The girl finally snaps out of her traumatic trance and looks at him. A face of sheer grimace fighting with joy comes over the girl as she struggles to keep from crying, "Ian…you're still alive…"
"Well, if it isn't Blair's favorite student. We've been looking for you Matt. Where's your little pink haired whore?" One guy teases as he slowly inches his way towards the kids.
"Shut the fuck up!" I say as I point the gun back at him.
"What? You going to shoot me?"
"Yeah, and it's getting easier the more you open your fucking mouth!" I yell.
"The moment you do, everyone will hear the shot, and we'll not only get to finish these two off, but Blair will finally get what he's wanted since this all happened."
The boy reaches into his pocket and pulls something out as the guy keeps approaching the boy and his sister. Since his focus is on me, he doesn't see that the boy is lying-in wait. The guy lunges at the kids, and the boy thrusts his hands forward. The boy closes his eyes and grinds his teeth as a pocket knife pierces the guy's throat. I alternate targets and keep the others at bay as the guy trying to take the kids hostage chokes.
Blood seeps through his lips as the boy pushes the knife further and further until crimson stains both of his hands red. The guy falls over and gurgles as the knife sticks out of his neck. I pull out my hunting knife and cut the ropes tied around the girl's hands and feet.
The boy wraps his sister's arm around his neck and walks her away from the group. One guy scampers over to his dying friend and tries to comfort him. Although it's already too late.
"If you're smart, you'll keep your happy asses here."
"Do you really think I'm going to let you and those two little shits get away with this?" The man's voice cracks from emotional stress.
"If you value your life, then yes you will." I state as I help the kids over the fence.
"Those kids are deadweight Matt. They'll slow you down just enough that I'll be able to bring you to Blair, and just like the judge and his wife, he'll take your arms, your legs and your head before dousing you in gas. Which if I'm lucky, I'll be the one that gets to use the hacksaw."
"Go fuck yourself asshole." I say as I step over the fence, "Go. NOW!"
The kids take off running as I keep an eye on Grey, and the two survivors. I stick the handgun in my pocket and pull the battle rifle up. After the boy's little display of courage, none of them are getting any ideas until we're out of range. I use the trees as cover just in case someone can shoot back at me.
The kids have a decent head start. I take a deep breath and bust into a full sprint after the kids. The trees muffle a close gunshot behind us. It won't be long until the entire group is chasing us. The three of us bust out of the dense woods and rush towards the broken bridge. I gain the lead over the kids and sling my pack off.
"Here! Keep this close to your face and wounds!" I yell as I check the label to make sure it's potassium iodide before handing one to the brother and sister.
"What's this for?" The boy asks.
"It'll keep you safe as we cross this riverbed!" I look back and see that Grey, and the other two are in hot pursuit. One of them has a rifle with a scope on it. The guy with the scoped rifle crouches down and positions himself for an accurate shot as Grey, and the other gives chase. Blair hasn't caught up yet. A bad idea comes to mind, but that guy with the rifle has to be dealt with before we can move on. The kids ease into the yellowcake fog and move towards the bridge.
"Go hide behind the collapsed bridge, and don't leave until I say so."
A rifle shot rings out. Wind forces its way into my left ear and causes my skull to rattle as I roll down to the river's bottom. I put the potassium iodide under my neck and pat my head in panic to make sure everything is okay. I'm conscious, no blood, my skull isn't deformed, no leaking brain matter. Other than the intense ringing that's making my head shake, everything is fine. That bullet must have whizzed right by, and it's messing with the ability to stay balanced.
I catch my breath, pull out my mask and seal it to my face. The kids are hiding over by the collapsed bridge so they're safe and out of the way. Alright. Time to get to work. I sling my backpack off and leave it in the open. The yellowcake envelops me but fails to swallow the backpack. Perfect. I sling the battle rifle off and crawl away from the backpack.
"Where'd they go!?" One guy yells.
"There!" Another yells out. He must be talking about the backpack that has the potassium iodide pills in it.
I can't see them, but they can't see me either. They converse back and forth on where we are, how we're down here, and how we could still be alive. I change course and crawl towards the top of the riverbed. The three of them are grouped around the area I jumped. They're baffled and confused on how we're down here. Considering that they are unaware that potassium iodide repels yellowcake.
"How do we know they're not still alive?" One guy asks.
"Why does it matter? Lets just head back!" The other replies.
"No. I am already in enough trouble as it is, and I'm not about to tell Blair that Matt of all people helped those kids get away. If they are down there, I will wait them out." Grey states.
"You're right. They can't stay down there forever."
I get into a crouching position and brace the rifle into my shoulder. The three of them aren't paying any attention other than where the backpack is lying. It's now or never. I fan the trigger and unload multiple rounds towards Grey and the other two.
Bullets shred their armor to pieces as a white puff of dust jets out of the holes. The visible impact shoves all three of them down. One round strikes a guy in the side of the head and kills him instantly as the other guy gets hit around the base of his collarbone. The bullet flies out the side of his neck. He's dead as well.
I let go of the trigger and make sure it's clear. No shamblers around, no croakers, and Blair's group isn't coming out of the woods yet. Grey rolls over onto his side and reaches out for the rifle. I squeeze off a couple more rounds and hit him all over the body.
A couple fingers fly off Grey's left hand as he screams in agony and tries to crawl away from the incoming bullets. I stay at the foot of the berm and use it as cover to get closer to Grey. He works himself into a sitting position and tries to stand up. Blood gushes out of a bullet wound on his right leg, and he collapses back on the ground with a miserable cry.
I keep the gun trained on him as Grey turns his head and looks at me. The strength is quickly fading from his body, but he's fighting with everything he has left to stay alive. I put my finger on the trigger and try to follow through. Yet, something is preventing me from doing so. Even though Grey is bleeding to death and suffering, his acts back at the house are making me feel aware.
"Goddamnit…Why did you make me do this!? You should have stayed at the fucking house!"
Regret weighs my voice down as the realization Grey did not deserve this sets in. Nobody deserves this, but why are we being forced to do this to one another? If things were like they used to be, Grey and I would probably be sitting in a classroom right now. Unaware of each other's existence, but none the less, Grey wouldn't be laying in a pool of his own blood, and I wouldn't be the murderer either.
"It wouldn't have mattered…Blair would have killed me once he found out the girl was gone."
"Why didn't you just run away?!"
"They would have taken it out on Cassy then. The only one out of us that's truly innocent…" Grey mumbles as he lifts his bloody hands up and looks at them. His left hand is missing half of the ring finger, his pinky, and part of his thumb. Blood streams down from the tip of his ring finger and completely paints the cyan blue line within his titanium ring dark red.
"Oh Matt, what have we become? Look at us… The things we've done. Things I had to do to survive...Things I did to protect Cassy…" He coughs as his hands fumble in midair. Blood leaks out of his mouth and his breathing drastically slows down. Grey turns his head and spits out a huge red clot. I can see movement off in the background. Blair's group is quickly approaching.
"Matt? I know we are enemies, but promise that you will take care of those kids. Take them somewhere far from this world. A place where they can grow up to love and be loved. A place where they don't have to be around killers like me and you…" Grey's arms slowly lower themselves to his side.
I fight off guilt and keep the remorse suppressed as Grey takes his final breath and closes his eyes. There's no time to see him off or feel sorrow. I hop back into the pit and grab my backpack. The boy, and the girl are still hiding over by the bridge.
"Come on. We got to get out of here."
The both of them follow me up the berm, and we take off into a dead sprint back where the jeep is. A scream that is embedded with sorrow roars out of a girl's mouth as she breaks down and mourns with such ear-splitting pain that it feels like the front of my head is having spasms. That's probably that Cassy girl, but I don't dare look behind us. Mike's car is gone which means they made it back to Liam's safely. I pull my mask off and put a first aid kit in the back seat of the jeep.
"Here, patch your sister up. Douse her stomach in alcohol and bandage it up. Once we get to Bowson, we'll find a real doctor."
The boy climbs in the back and opens the first aid kit. His sister lays down and pulls her shirt up. The girl squeals as the boy pours alcohol onto her wound and cleans the blood drizzling out of the cuts. I put the vehicle in drive and turn around. Bowson isn't that far away, and the sooner I can get these kids to that evac center, the sooner I can try to forget that this godawful shitty day ever happened…