Chapter 58: Who could it be?
'A secret at home is like rocks under tide.'
Becca felt him stir in the bed and she lifted her head up. She saw him sitting up in bed with his back facing her. She slowly pulled herself up from the bed, groaning softly as he lower back ached. She was six months into her pregnancy and feeling the affects. She was sore and stiff all over.
She wrapped her arms around him from behind, whispering,'It's only four in the morning. You don't have to be up for another hour. You okay?'
He didn't know how to answer her question. He thought he saw someone by the barn the night before. He went to go and check, but didn't see anybody. He swore he saw someone. He asked Tommy and his guys. No one was at the barn. He saw someone though. He was old and half deaf, but his eyes were sharp. He wasn't crazy either. He had seen boot tracks that went all the way to the mountains. He would take a look out there and see if he could find anything.
Someone was watching them. If they knew she was pregnant, he didn't know what he would do. He would lock her inside the bedroom never letting her out if he had to. He would do anything to keep her safe.
He wouldn't let her know about it. Not yet anyway. He hated keeping something from her, but he didn't want to frighten her. She was three months away from having a baby. She was already stressed enough as it is.
He sighed as he rubbed her arms, leaning back against her,'I can't sleep.' He ran his hand through his hair,'I can't get settled. I figured I would take a ride around the perimeters and make sure the guys are doing their job.'
She kissed between his shoulder blades and nuzzled into his skin,'What if I want you in bed with me?' She pouted up at him,'I have you for another hour. Don't steal it from me.'
He smiled affectionately as he let her pull him back against the bed,'I wouldn't dream of it.'
She snickered as she laid her head on his chest, draping her arm around his midsection,'Says the one trying to sneak out while I was asleep. Shame on you.'
He laughed softly as he kissed the top of her head,'I can't promise it won't happen again.'
'I know.' She sighed,'I knew when I married you chasing after you when you have your mind set on something is like chasing after a tornado.'
He closed his eyes and laughed as he stroked her hair,'You know me too well.'
She blinked her eyes sleepily as she nuzzled into his chest,'I do. I also know when you need to take a breath and just…let yourself be happy.'
He swallowed harshly as he remembered the figure standing by the barn,'I am happy. Happier than I've ever been. I can't take a breath until we find out who's behind this.'
'We will.' She scooted closer to him as he wrapped both of his arms around her,'I have faith and trust in you. I know we're gonna find out who did this. Me and Ellie aren't going anywhere.'
'That's right. You're not.' His tone was firm but gentle,'Sleep, my baby. You have me for another hour.'
She closed her eyes and rescinded to his request. She didn't need much convincing. She was exhausted anyway.
An hour later, Joel reluctantly pulled his old ass out of bed. He quietly got dressed and kissed his wife before leaving their bedroom. He made sure her rifle was propped up against the door in case she might need it.
He stopped at Ellie's room, seeing the teenager fast asleep under the covers. He saw the pistol on her nightstand and felt relieved she had something to defend herself. It was sad a seventeen year old had to sleep with a pistol by her side every night.
He made a silent vow to himself when this was all over there would be no more fighting. Weapons would only be used for hunting and out of necessity. There would be no more violence. He didn't want another one of his kids being brought up by reckless father. He needed to set a good example.
When they get out from under this, he would be a calm and peaceful man. He would live out the rest of his days with the woman he loved raising their children. Ge couldn't wait for the day they wouldn't have to look behind their backs anymore.
There was a time he didn't care what happened to him. He never thought much about dying. He welcomed it. He didn't want to die anymore. Not when he had so much to live for. He was given a newfound purpose. He planned to see it through.
He walked down the stairs, the old wood creaking under his feet. It was still dark as he went into the kitchen. He put on some coffee as he stood by the sink, staring out the window.
His eyes focused on the barn. He squinted his eyes as he thought about the figure the night before. No one could've gotten on the ranch without anyone seeing them. Someone let the fucker in.
He poured his coffee into his thermos as he grabbed his coat and boots, putting them on. He opened the lid of his thermos as he poured himself a cup of coffee, drinking it slowly.
He stepped onto the porch, the chilly morning air biting, but immediately waking him up. He sighed as he walked down the steps and to the barn. Something was telling him to check it out and he didn't know why. It's been nagging him since last night.
He walked into the barn and tugged the rope to turn on the light. He climbed up the ladder to the alcove, his eyes widening when he saw Lizzie. She was asleep in a sleeping bag he recognized to be Ellie's. He recognized Ellie's pillow and blanket too.
He shook his head. What the hell was going on around here? He was getting soft. Teenagers were just sneaking their way in right under his nose.
He grasped Lizzie's leg and shook her awake. He crouched down in front of her as she sprung up and looked around wildly.
Her eyes widened when they fell on him. She pressed her back against the wall and shook her head,'I'm sorry, Mr. Miller. Ellie said I could come here and sleep.'
He took a deep breath to control his anger as he looked over her,'Why? What's going on?' She wasn't resounding and he sighed,'I'll ask you one more time. Why?'
He could see the tears in her eyes. He didn't want to upset or frighten her. He knew Ellie would have his ass.
Lizzie sighed and ran shaky hands through her hair,'Dani is an asshole. She's always drinking all the time and start fights with me. I was staying at Sharon's for a couple nights, she said I can't live there and have to go back home. Dani's husband's on the council. I came here last night.'
It also explains the figure he saw last night, which made him breathe a sigh of relief. He hoped it was her anyway.
He nodded silently. He was well aware of that. What he wasn't aware of is Lizzie's problems back home. Dani wasn't her mother. She took her in. That didn't mean she could treat her anyway she wanted to.
Dani's husband was also a councilman, which made her feel untouchable. He could care less about that. He wasn't afraid of men in suits who hid behind their religion.
He nodded as he looked over her face. She had a bruise on her cheek and a cut on her bottom lip. Someone had whacked her good. He felt the rage well up within him. No one deserved to be abused. He suddenly felt regret for ever thinking a scared young girl would do something like that. She could be lying to him, but she seemed genuinely afraid.
Her bottom lip quivered as she brought her knees to her chest,'Are you going to take me back?'
He took a moment to think about what he was going to do with her. She was just a scared kid. He knew in his heart she didn't have anything to do with the Peacekeepers. At least he hoped so anyway.
'No.' He sighed and shook his head resignedly,'I am takin ya back in the house. We're gonna sit down with Becca and Ellie.' He held her gaze,'Do you understand me?'
She nodded and swallowed harshly,'Yes, sir.'
He helped her up from the sleeping bag and picked up her backpack, handing it to her. He wasn't angry. Just…confused about the whole situation. It looked as if Ellie were keeping secrets from him too.
They walked inside the house and Becca was in the kitchen. She was still in her nightgown and robe as she made coffee and breakfast for them.
'I found another stray.' He dropped Lizzie's backpack on the counter, causing Becca to look up at him in alarm.
Her hair was still messy from bed and his hands continuously running through it the night before. She had a bleary look in her eyes, like she was still half asleep. She wasn't drinking coffee during her pregnancy, which made her…irritable at times. He would never admit that to his wife.
His wife turned around and her eyes widened as she saw Lizzie's bruised face. She walked over to her and held her face in her hands,'What happened? Who did this to you?'
Lizzie looked up at Joel as of asking for permission. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he nodded,'Tell her.'
Lizzie's eyes lowered down to her swollen belly, a look of surprise on her face,'Holy shit, you're pregnant.'
Becca looked up at Joel warily, but they had a small smile on their faces. Ellie hadn't told their secret. Unless she didn't let out the big one. Ellie kept her girlfriend from the house, making sure she didn't know. God, they really loved that girl.
'Yeah she is.' Joel nodded as he looked at her firmly,'We'd like to keep that under wraps so you better not go runnin to your little friends either.'
'Joel.' Becca sighed and shook her head. Her husband could be so abrasive at times,'Hand me my medkit so I can clean her face.'
He bit his bottom to keep from saying what he wanted to. He had a lot to say, but his wife was right. They needed to deal with this problem at hand first. They had a lot of fucking problems to deal with.
Becca poured her some juice and handed it to her. Lizzie looked up at her and gave her a small smile,'Thank you.' She stared at her belly and frowned,'I wouldn't tell anybody about that.' She shook her head,'I wouldn't do that to Ellie. I love her so much.'
Becca had to admit. She had her doubts about the girl. She was distrusting of her to the point she didn't want her inside the house, but she's realized there's other who are struggling with things as well. The world didn't revolve around her. Everyone had their something.
'I know what it's like to be abused.' Becca's eyes filled with tears as she gingerly cupped her cheek,'I was married to two men who beat the shit out of me on a daily basis. I never told anyone for the longest time. I hid my bruises and…continued on with my life as if nothing was wrong.' She snorted,'We women are good at putting a pretty bow on shit and making it gold.' She cleared her throat,'Now, I want to know who hurt you so I can take care of it.' She stared her dead in the eye,'I can promise you that I will take care of it.'
Lizzie took a sip of her juice, wincing as he stung her bottom lip,'Dani…she gets drunk and gets mad. She…let's her husband do things to me.'
Becca's entire body chilled as Joel walked into the kitchen. He heard the tail end of what the girl said. His eyes met hers as he felt the rage festering inside of him.
Joel handed her the medkit as he leaned against the counter,'He touch ya?'
She closed her eyes and nodded her head silently.
Becca opened up the medkit as she tore at the package of the cotton swabs. Her hands were shaking. She was angry beyond belief for this young woman. She knows what it's like to be abused and raped. To carry around that pain and shame thinking it's your fault. As if you did something wrong.
When she escaped David, she promised herself she would never succumb to that kind of control ever again. She refused to let anyone else either. She may be pregnant, but her rifle worked just fine.
Becca started cleaning the cut on her bottom lip as she looked over her face,'I'm sorry you felt like you couldn't come to us about this.'
Lizzie shrugged as she looked over at Joel,'El said that you had a lot going on at home and that it wasn't a good time for me to come over. She wanted me to tell you guys, but I didn't know what to say.' She averted her eyes downward, whispering,'I thought Mr. Miller hated me.'
Becca looked over her shoulder at Joel, who had a sheepish look on his face,'He's like that with everybody. Don't take it personally.'
'He likes you and Ellie just fine.' Lizzie sighed,'I didn't want to cause trouble.'
'You didn't cause any trouble.' Joel shook his head,'I just didn't like to be surprised to find someone sleeping in our barn. It's been…sensitive right now. Ya coulda got yourself killed.'
Lizzie nodded and frowned,'I know and I'm so sorry for that. I came last night. Dani came home drunk and started laying into me. I didn't wanna be there anymore. El told me whenever I was afraid I could sleep in the barn.'
'How long has this been going on?' Joel's mind started racing, wondering if she witnessed who killed Dusty.
'Only since last night.' She frowned,'I'm sorry. I thought you saw me last night.'
Joel nodded and sighed in relief. It was her last night. He was sure of it. It still didn't put him at ease. They were still lurking out there.
Becca pursed her lips as she cleaned the cut on her left eyebrow,'Did you see something, my darling husband?'
He heard the sarcasm dripping from her tone and knew he was caught,'I thought I saw someone last night.' He whispered admittedly,'I don't wanna worry ya.'
'Mmhmm.' She nodded as she finished cleaning Lizzie's face,'Next time. You see something. You tell me.'
Joel swallowed harshly at her admonishment. He would never allow anyone else to speak like this to him. Even his own brother. Especially in front of anyone. Becca was different. This was his wife. His best friend and the mother of his child. He should tell her anything. Good or bad. They promised no secrets between them.
Becca decided to drop it. She understood why he did it. He didn't want to worry her being pregnant. She just hoped there wasn't anything else he was trying to shield her from.
Ellie walked into the kitchen and her eyes widened when they fell on Lizzie. She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest,'What's my punishment? How long am I grounded?'
'You're not punished.' He rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatingly,'I swear I didn't have this much gray hair until I met ya. Jesus, I'm lucky I still have hair.' He placed his hands on his hips,'I don't like the fact you brought her here without telling us. You could've compromised us all, El.'
'He's right.' Becca nodded,'You had no right to go behind our backs like that. We didn't deserve that. Lizzie didn't deserve to be shoved inside some barn all beat up either. You should know better than that.'
Ellie hung her head, feeling guilty for what she did. Becca's tone was firm, but gentle. She didn't even sound mad. She sounded disappointed and hurt, which made her feel even worse.
Becca was right. She never should've lied to the two people she loved like her parents. Who protected and loved her as their own. They didn't have to, but they chose.
Ellie sighed as she walked over to Becca,'I'm really sorry. I just didn't want anyone to know until Liz felt comfortable.' She looked up at Joel warily,'You gonna kill them?'
'I want to.' He shrugged,'Five years ago I woulda. I ain't gonna lie about that.' He took a deep breath,'I ain't about to head to the gallows and leave my wife to take care of kids on her own.'
'Don't make me another widow.' She frowned,'The old bitties in town already think I'm a Black Widow.'
'Ellie killed you last husband though.' She whispered admittedly,'She told me about Silver Lake.'
'I'm sorry.' Ellie hurried out,'I just wanted her to know our story and how we all met.' She averted her eyes between Joel and Becca, smiling tearfully,'I'm proud of that.'
Becca smiled tearfully as she cupped her cheek,'Me too.' She patted her cheek and sighed,'I think me and Joel need to talk.' She looked back at him,'Alone.'
He nodded silently as he braced himself. This could go one or two ways. She could lash out at him for lying to her again or she could want to cuddle and kiss him. Both were possible. He gave up hope trying to understand a woman's emotions.
Joel walked over to her as she braced her hand on the table to pull herself up. He grabbed her hand to pull her up. He knew she was uncomfortable sometimes.
Her lower back was hurting this morning. It radiated down to her thighs, which she knew was normal. It was a normal ache for a pregnant woman.
He kept his hand firmly on her lower back as she turned to Ellie and Lizzie,'I made some eggs and bacon. Eat up. I better come back and find your cute little asses parked on those chairs. If not?' She shook her head and sighed,'Then I'm just gonna give up because you kids are gonna be the death of me.'
He smirked as their eyes widened and they nodded their heads. She was a good mother. Their baby was lucky to have her. She stood her ground with them, but also understood they were kids and testing the boundaries. They were all teenagers once. He was worse than others.
They walked out onto the porch and closed the door behind them.
Joel rubbed her lower back gently as he pressed firmly against her, kissing the side of her temple,'Ya hurtin today, honey girl?'
She rolled her eyes and bit back the moan as he rubbed the knot in her lower stomach. It felt so good, but she wasn't about to let him know that. She was a sucker for his massages and he knew that.
She reluctantly leaned away from him and glared at him,'Don't honey girl me, Mister. Why didn't you tell me you saw someone last night?'
He sighed as he leaned back against the windowsill,'I didn't wanna scare ya until I knew.' He shrugged,'Turns out it was for nothing.'
'That isn't nothing.' Becca pointed into town,'I want to blow their brains out, Joel. I literally want to kill them.'
'I'm rubbing off on ya.' He snorted,'I wanna kill 'em too, but we ain't sending ourselves to the gallows or firing squad.'
She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed,'I know what it's like.' She wiped the tears from her eyes,'First Ben and then David. I know what it's like to get beaten up every night. To…being forced to do things with a man I would never let me touch otherwise. To hide your bruises and carry around that shame.' She shook her head,'I was a grown adult and you saw how fucked up I was when I first got here. Remember the shower when I was triggered? She's only a kid. We need to do something.'
He frowned as he placed his hands on her waist, pulling her gently to stand between his legs,'I know. Aaron's one of the council members. We…need to go to Tommy and Maria about this.'
He saw the distressed look on her face. She never talked about what David or Ben did to her. Not anymore. Her panic attacks were few and far between. She was in such a better place than she was five years ago. They all were.
She placed her hands on his shoulders and sighed shakily,'We can't let her go back there.'
'I know.' He nodded as he looked over her face. He saw the hopefulness in her eyes and frowned,'Where would we put her? The baby has the nursery.'
'She can't stay in a barn, Joel.' She glared at him,'She's not an animal.'
'All teenagers are animals.' He narrowed his eyes,'Horny little animals.'
Becca laughed and shook her head,'If you think they're not having sex than you're the most naive fifty six year old I ever met. She's almost eighteen. We either let Lizzie stay or…have the potential of Ellie running away with Lizzie and we'll never see her again. This way, everyone's safe and sound. It'll be good for her.'
He lowered his eyes as he rubbed her belly,'Not naive. Just in denial by the way.' His shoulders slumped as he took a deep breath,'To think, almost six years ago I was fuckin living in some shithole apartment in Boston with Tess.' He snorted,'I was working fifteen hours a day shoveling shit for ration tickets. Buying fucking drugs, Robbin and killin.'
He smirked as he looked over her face,'Now I'm a family man. With the prettiest wife ya ever fuckin seen.' His eyes widened,'Raisin two teenagers and a baby on the way.'
She smiled with tears in her eyes as she ran her hands through his hair,'I believe people are brought into our lives for a reason. El and Lizzie love each other. This could be a good thing. We could have an extra hand on the farm. I can make sure Lizzie focuses on school.' She grinned,'We can make a couple more rooms for Betsy and Am.'
Joel smiled softly as he stroked her cheek. He remembered telling her about his upbringing. He lived in a multigenerational household. He never imagined having that again.
'Ya would want that?' He shook his head,'You love Betsy, huh?'
'I do.' She nodded,'I always thought Sharon would be the grandmama to our baby, but Betsy is…so great. She's already giving me a lot of good advice about the baby.'
He nodded and smiled sadly, remembering Betsy had six children but lost them all to the outbreak. Am was born before she lost her husband. He was the only tangible thing she had left of her husband. His legacy living through his bloodline.
She had him later in life too and really gave his wife confidence. She was afraid of having a baby at thirty eight. Shit, he was old enough to be a grandpa.
He pulled her as close as her belly would allow them, which was becoming difficult the further along she got,'We're gonna have a full house, baby girl.'
'Yeah.' She nodded and smiled brightly,'I love it though. I've always wanted a big family.' She stared at him determinedly,'We're going to find out who's behind all this and then we're going to put it all behind us. No more fighting.'
'No more.' He nodded as he kissed her lips,'You mean so much to me.' He mumbled against her lips,'Gonna make sure we take care of it. Gonna keep you safe. I'm so in love with ya.'
She smiled against his lips, her tears mingling with his own,'I'm still mad at you for lying to me about last night.'
'I wouldn't expect anything less, darlin.' His eyes lowered down to her cleavage,'Ya got sexier bein pregnant.' He shook his head in disbelief,'Didn't think that was possible.'
She rolled her eyes as she playfully slapped his chest,'You're such a smooth talker.'
She went to pull away from him, but he gently grasped her waist,'I'll show ya smooth. Come ere'
She laughed as he kissed her neck. She placed her hands on his chest as she gently pulled him away half heartedly,'Not now. We have shit to do.'
He growled softly as he groped her ass, pulling her against him,'I am doin stuff.'
She sighed as she pulled away from him and gave him an impish grin,'Your stuff can wait until later.'
His eyes rested on her ass as he shook his head. She was a welcome distraction to the shit piling up around them. After a long and tiring day; he could come home and hold her in bed. When the chaos ceased they could get lost in each other and forget about the outside world. Pure bliss. She was his piece of heaven.
His everything.
They walked back into the kitchen, smiling to each other when they saw them still sitting where they left them. Ellie's arm was wrapped around Lizzie's shoulders but she immediately dropped it when she saw them walking into the room. A deer caught in headlights look on her face.
Joel averted his eyes between them and sighed,'Lizzie can stay.' He held up his hand as the two girls started bouncing in their seats excitedly,'We expect ya to follow the same rules as Ellie while you live in our house.'
'That's right.' Becca folded her hands over her stomach,'We earn our keep around here. That means going to school every day, doing your homework which will be checked by me. You'll also have a bedtime and a curfew.' She sighed,'We know you're dating and are going to share a room. You're both almost eighteen and adults. Have at it. Please for the love of God. If I hear anything from that room. Arguments or otherwise I'll send you to live with Tommy and Maria.'
Ellie and Lizzie's eyes widened. They loved Tommy and Maria, but they were boring.
'I'll do whatever you want.' Lizzie got up and ran over to Becca, hugging her tightly as tears fell down her cheeks,'Thank you so much. Thank you. I'll do everything you ask. I swear. Thank you.'
Becca nodded and rubbed her back,'You're welcome. You shouldn't live there anymore. That's no place for you.'
Lizzie let go of her and wiped the tears from her eyes,'I know. That's why left. I'm never going back there.' She looked up at Joel, smiling uneasily,'Thank you, Mr. Miller.'
'Call me Joel.' He stared at her and patted her shoulder,'Mr. Miller makes me feel old.'
'You are old.' Ellie smirked as she got up from her chair and hugged Becca.
Joel glared at her as Becca and Lizzie laughed. They were already ganging up on him. He lived in a house full of women. If the baby was a girl he would be swimming in hormones for the rest of his life.
He sighed as he wondered how he would look bald.
Joel snapped his fingers at the girls,'Come on. Ellie will show ya the chores that need to be done. I gotta go into town for a bit.'
He kissed Becca on the lips and rubbed her belly, whispering,'I gotta talk to Tommy and figure out what we're gonna do. I'll be back before lunch.'
'Okay. Betsy's coming soon to help me get things ready in the nursery.
He smiled as he looked over her face. Amidst all the chaos something exciting was happening. They had something positive to look forward to. Something good.
Joel walked out of the house and stared out at Ellie and Lizzie, making sure they were behaving. Ellie seemed to be all business as she showed her how to feed the cows.
He smiled to himself. Maybe this would be good for him. It was a nurturing relationship. Lizzie brought out the softness in Ellie. Just like Becca did for him.
Him and Ellie were cut from the same cloth. They both suffered great losses. Ellie's first and only experience with love was devastating. She loved and lost her best friend. The same day they admitted their feelings for one another.
Ellie was calmer around Lizzie. She laughed and smiled more. She didn't have the sadness in her eyes anymore. The fear was still there, but Lizzie was her touchstone. He would be damned if he took that away from her.
He went to grab his horse and saddled him up. He made sure he had his weapons before heading into town. He needed to help Tommy repair a roof. Hopefully he would run into those son of a bitches. He said he wouldn't kill them. He never said anything about not fucking them up.
He trotted into town on his horse, seeing Harold and his deputies giving him the once over.
He smirked and tipped the brim of his hat to them,'Good day on this fine mornin, Sheriff.' The sarcasm in his tone wasn't lost on anyone.
Harold narrowed his eyes as he held onto the handle of his pistol at his side, his jaw twitching,'How's that wife of yours, Miller?' He grinned,'She behavin herself?'
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes momentarily to calm his anger. He knew Harold was trying to rile him up. He wouldn't feed into that today. He had more important matters to tend to.
'Go fuck yourself, Harold.' He snorted,'Cause it's the only thing you're gonna get.'
He tugged the reins on his horse as he sped down the road, ignoring his response. He was nothing to him. He wasn't worth his time.
Joel stopped his horse in front of the building he was going to work on. He tied his horse to the post as he grabbed his tool bag and climbed the ladder.
Tommy was on top of the scaffold hammering away at the roof. He was alone, his men busy with other buildings that needed to be repaired. This was a two man job anyway. All they had to do were repair shingles that were damaged in a storm. Before the outbreak, they used to work on bigger jobs with only the two of them.
Tommy looked over at him and snorted,'Nice of you to finally show up.'
'Fuck you.' He took out his hammer and sighed,'I had something to take care of.'
Tommy's eyes widened as he stopped working and turned to him in concern,'What happened? Someone show up on the farm?'
'No.' He shook his head,'I found Lizzie this morning sleeping in the barn.' He snorted at the surprised look on his face,'I know. Turns out Ellie was hiding her there cause those fuckers she's staying with get shit faced and beat on her.' He took a deep breath as his nostrils flared,'She said that piece of shit councilman touches her.'
Tommy gripped the hammer tightly in his hand as his anger started boiling,'Where's she now?'
'With me and Becca.' He nodded,'We're taking her in.'
His eyes widened as he leaned in close to him, whispering,'You think that's such a good idea right now with everything that's happening?'
'I don't know.' He shrugged,'Its not like we have a fuckin choice. She asked Sharon but she won't let her stay, which is for the better. That woman is so far up the councils' ass.'
Tommy laughed and shook his head,'You ain't kidding. Ever since she joined the council she's been acting different.'
'Like she's better than us?' He nodded,'Yeah, I got that.' His eyes searched his face,'Anything in Battleground?'
Tommy shook his head and frowned,'Nothing. I figured they knew we were there and got the hell outta dodge.'
'We're being tracked.' He took a deep breath as he inspected the broken shingles, needing something to focus on,'Like fuckin bloodhounds. What we gonna do about those fuckers?'
'Dani and Aaron?' Tommy rubbed the bridge of his nose and heaved a laborious sigh,'I've aged about a hundred years since you've been here just so you know.' He smirked as Joel snorted,'We'll handle Dani and Aaron our way.' He nodded determinedly,'I'll let the council know what we plan to do to Aaron. We'll let the council send her to the gallows. She walks around here with her highfalutin attitude.' He huffed,'We'll show her.'
Joel's eyes widened and he shook his head in disbelief,'Ya really think the council is gonna let us kill Aaron?'
Tommy was silent for a moment. There were some things his brother didn't know.
He placed his hand on Joel's back and pulled him close,'There's some things that can't be handled with law and order, brother. We've lived in a world like that and look where it got us. This goes beyond the council. This will be handled like men.'
Joel stared at his brother in shock. He always knew this town wasn't as perfect as it seemed. There were always dark secrets hidden beneath every surface. Every town had their own secrets to be kept.
The end of the world was no different. Humans were still human. Animals who couldn't help themselves. The outbreak was natural selection. People preyed on the weak and took advantage. Sometimes lessons needed to be taught the hard way.
Joel stared into his brother's eyes. He saw that hunger reflected in his own eyes. The hunger for violence. They were one in the same.
One of Tommy's men shouted out for them. He screamed their names loudly as his hands waved wildly in the air. Their eyes widened as they dropped their hammers. They cocked their rifles as they climbed down the ladder.
They saw Charlie, one of Tommy's closest friends frantically heeding them over. They saw Charlie looking down as Ralph's horse dragged something behind him. They saw all the blood drained from Charlie's face. They didn't need to ask for they already knew what they would find.
They ran towards his horse as they looked down. They saw Ralph's lifeless body tied to the back of his horse. The rope was tied around his almost severed neck. They slit his throat and let the horse drag him off, making the cut even deeper. His glazed over eyes were staring up at them, his mouth gaping open. There weren't any blood tracks. All the blood drained from his body, which meant he had been dead for awhile.
Charlie shook his head in disbelief as tears filled his eyes,'He was a good fuckin dude, man. Why are they doing this?'
Joel frowned. He already knew the answer. Ralph was shirtless and the words,'We're coming' were carved into his chest with what appeared to be a jagged knife.
Tommy read the words carved into his chest and dread chilled him to the bone. He met Joel's eyes and nodded,'Get home. Let them know.'
Joel was already one step ahead of him as he ran to his horse and quickly untied it. He hopped onto his horse and tugged hard on the reins. He gently kicked his side to move him faster as he sped to the ranch. They were coming. He didn't know when, but they would be prepared.
They had no other choice.