When the first shot ripped through the air, Finn picked up Summer and started running, Noah and Tina close on his heels as Noah realized it had been a mistake to let the last bandit go the day before. Behind them and closing in was a group of a dozen more men, a pack, some armed with shotguns and some with more rudimentary weapons. Over the sound of their running feet, Noah heard the sinister jangling of chains, the hiss of more than one knife. Summer screamed as a bullet whistled past her ear. Tina yelped as her ankle twisted and she fell, scraping her hands on the pavement. Noah stopped and pulled her back up as the pack gained distance, holding her around the waist and trying to help her run, but she weighed him down and they couldn't pick up speed. Finn turned back, but Noah yelled, Go! Take Summer and go! And within seconds, the pack had surrounded them.
Looks like we got ourselves a couple of lovebirds! jeered one.
Where'd your friend go? called another. He leave ya behind?
A tall man with scraggly, dirty blond hair reached forward and stroked Tina's cheek. She's pretty, he snickered. Noah pulled Tina back and smacked the man across the nose, hard. Don't touch her! he snarled.
The man laughed, rubbing his nose. That all ya got? It's the end of the world, man, you gotta share what's yours. His eyes ran hungrily over Tina's body.
Don't touch her, Noah said again.
They were herded back along the road for half a mile, to a house that looked deserted and run-down, sagging beside the road. Noah and Tina were shoved through the front door and down a hallway that was missing several floorboards, until they reached the cellar door. It took the strength of three men to separate them as Noah kicked and punched and Tina bit and scratched, and Tina was pulled aside as the blond man grinned and said, She's gonna stay up here for a little while. Then, before Noah could do anything, the cellar door was opened and he was kicked hard in the chest, sending him to tumble down the stairs, landing hard on a cold concrete floor in the earth. He pulled himself back to his feet and clambered back up the steps, pounding on the locked door with all his might, screaming Tina's name again and again. After a few minutes, her screams began to echo back, making him pound with all the more force. He yelled until there was silence on the other side.
He stood for several moments, breathing hard, his eyes wild, staring at the door that stood firm. A scuffle from below made him turn and go back down the stairs, his footfalls heavy and exhausted. When he reached the floor, he froze. He was surrounded by skeletons. Four, five, six of them. Their skin stretched over their bones, a couple of them naked, breathing shallowly and barely registering his presence. There were men, women. A child.
What is this place? he asked aloud, his voice trembling.
A man curled up in the corner opened his eyes halfway, a smile passing over the sharp angles of his cheekbones. This is a farm, he said in delirium. Then he giggled, his eyes closing again. And we are the cattle.
Noah edged closer, hands shaking. The man only wore a ragged and torn ancient pair of jeans that were far too wide for his waist, his body reduced to nothing but bone. How long have you been here? Noah asked.
The man's eyes fluttered open again, a startling blue in contrast with his dirtied skin and hair caked with oil and earth. Days. Weeks, maybe. Who's to say? He giggled again, then squinted at Noah in the dim light of the cellar, his eyes struggling to focus. You have blood on your lip.
Noah wiped his mouth, tasting copper and iron. He must have been punched in the teeth at some point during the fight. What about my friend? he asked, trying to keep the man awake. Will she be okay?
The man's gaze drifted towards the stairs to freedom. He smiled. It's like a fairy tale, he said. Gingerbread house.
Noah's hands shook harder. The next time he looked, the man seemed to have fallen asleep without closing his eyes all the way, but then he blinked and spoke again. Sometimes we can hear them. Up there. They have a big banquet. Your friend, she - she's going to have herself one hell of a feast. He collapsed into a fit of laughter until he had no more air in his lungs and there were tears coursing down his face. You're not real, he said, his ribs shuddering beneath the thin layer of skin.
Yes, I am, Noah whispered, his heart racing.
The man twisted his fingers into his matted hair, chuckling. Nope. You are figment of my imagination, conjured up as the time draws near. Haha, hear that? Conjured up as the time draws near. I'm a goddamn poet, Noah. I'm a fucking Shakespeare.
Noah flinched when the man said his name. Who are you?
Me? I'm a cow, didn't I tell you? This is a farm and we are the cattle.
Who are you?
You ought to learn to listen, Noah. You're cattle now, too. Might as well pay attention.
I am not goddamn cattle. Tell me who you are.
The man was silent for a moment. Noah studied him, his breathing loud and heavy. Oh, God, he sighed. Kurt. I didn't recognize you.
Kurt smiled airily. My hair's grown out.
Hours passed before the door opened and a limp body was tossed down the steps, limbs flailing like a rag doll. Noah jumped up and pulled Tina into his lap, shaking her lightly and begging her to wake up. She was naked, and there were bruises across her face, her arms, her legs, her chest. There was blood smeared from between her legs, and a tiny trickle of it coming out of her nose. Noah shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around her, cradling her. Her fingers trailed on the ground, but Noah could feel her ribs expanding as she breathed, so he held her and prayed that none of her bones were broken. Eventually, he settled himself so that he was leaning back against the wall with Tina still unconscious in his arms.
Gretel's been pulled out of the oven, he heard Kurt say.
Stay away from her, Noah said, his arms tightening around her protectively.
Kurt frowned in confusion and retreated back to his corner. Noah absentmindedly ran his fingers through the ends of Tina's hair. Finn would come back for them. He would. He had to.
In the morning, the door slammed open and a man stomped down the steps, grinning when he saw Noah still holding Tina.
Morning, sunshine. How's your girlfriend?
You come near her again and I'll kill you and all your friends.
The man laughed. Relax, I'm not here for that. He turned around and snatched another woman by the arm, hauling her to her feet. She had been without food for so long that her eyes barely opened as she was dragged up the steps. The lock on the door clicked shut, and all was silent.
They come down every couple of days, said Kurt, almost to himself. She'll last them for that long.
Noah didn't respond. He didn't want to think about that. After a while, a smell drifted down from upstairs, a strong odor that reminded him of summer barbecues all those years ago. He held Tina tighter and tried not to vomit, closing his eyes and leaning his cheek against the top of her head.
A/N: Wow, my mind is a lot more twisted than I thought. Please leave a review.