Breathless Bodies (14 page)

"They slammed her to the ground and tore off her clothes. Two held her down while the others took turns. I don't know how long I laid on the other side of the truck, watching the whole thing. Watching and doing nothing." He paused again to stare at the sky.

"She was such a sweet person, always helping others and giving everything she had. But she was resourceful too. When the scavengers let her go, she reached in the truck and grabbed a grenade. I finally stood up but before I could get to her, she had pulled the pin and had jumped onto the attackers." He hung his head and didn't bother trying to hide his tears this time.

"When I told Darius about it, he laughed and thanked me for ridding him of his ball and chain. That it saved him the trouble. So he tried to repay the favor and killed my wife in front of me." He looked at Niobe.

"That's why I ran. The man I once knew is gone and only a monster remains. I couldn't stick around to see what he would do to people he hadn't known for years."

Niobe stood as still as a statue before finally nodding and walking away. I looked around the circle to gauge everyone else's reactions. Most looked solemnly at the ground, a few shed some tears of their own. I stepped forward and put my hand on Samuel's shoulder, turning him towards me.

"Thank you for telling us." I wrapped my arms around him in a comforting embrace, holding him for both my sake and his. We broke apart as the others came forward one by one to give sage words and a comforting touch. Michael came last, grabbing Samuel into a bear hug that had them both shaking with tears.

I had turned to get a fresh cup of coffee, when I heard Gunther barking. I looked for him in the clearing, finally spotting him in the trees in the south west corner of the clearing. As I jogged over to him, he was attacking something that had him halfway in the bush. When I finally reached him, he was pulling out a wild turkey. He brought it to me and plopped it at my feet, grinning up at me with his tongue hanging out. I smiled and rubbed his head.

"Aren't you just a wonder dog?" He slimed my hand and bounded off into the trees. I picked up the bird and walked back over to camp.

The next week went by in a blur. Making two trips into town, we got enough supplies to live and sustain us somewhat comfortably until our crops grew and the house was done. We built a bathhouse at the lowest point in camp over the river. Malcolm and Steven had devised a way to get hot water with glass and piping. There had only been two more zombie attacks and there were no casualties. Gunther's health improved rapidly and he proved to be an amazing hunting dog. We gave him first pick from his trophies. Michael came up with a brilliant irrigation and dam system that minimized the water used without harming the crops. We grew corn, wheat, barley, all manner of root vegetables, tomatoes, and other staple crops.

Steven and Liz rigged up some solar panels so we had electricity when we needed it. I kept my phone fully charged, just in case. I hadn't tried making a call in a while but I figured if I didn't try it before I needed it, it would be there when I did. I know, childish, but I needed hope. I thought about my kids daily, wishing I was out there looking for them instead of sitting here toiling my days away. Gunther and the others made it almost bearable though. I knew Sean was out there looking for our kids. I felt it in my heart that he would find them.

Then there was that fateful day I will not forget for so long as I live. We were going to start building the house and were short on lumber. Michael volunteered to get more.

"I can go down to the yard, get some more planks cut. It can't be that hard right? I remember this one time I got a call to fix a well in the middle of nowhere from this poor old woman. I told her 'I'm sorry ma'am, I don't work on wells.' She starts yelling at me "A pipe is a pipe, isn't it? I 'll double your fee if you just come take a look at it.' So I go out there and it ended up being a darn field mouse clogging up her intake line. Easiest money I ever made!" Michael walked towards my truck and we all laughed at yet another story. That man seemed to be full of them. I turned to check on the crops when Malcolm caught up with me.

"How's your arm?" I had forgotten I had been hurt for a while. I looked at it and the scar was nasty, but it was healing.

"It's getting there. My ribs still ache a bit. but it's nothing too bad. Look!" I squatted down next to the tomato, excited to see sprouts coming from all the hard work. Malcolm got down next to me and we stared in wonder at the field before us.

"It's always amazed me how such beauty comes from such devastation. If you plant one seed, just one, out of goodness, then more are always bound to follow." I looked at him and wondered what ran through his mind. Before I could ask, Kato came jogging up to us with a radio in his hand.

"Michael forgot to take this. Should I go after him?" I stood and took the radio from him.

"No, that's okay Kato. I think I'll go for a walk and take it to him. It's not that far and I'll have a ride back." He nodded and walked off. Malcolm stood next to me and grabbed my wrist.

"I have a funny feeling about this. Maybe I should go with you." Truth be told, I did too, but I needed some alone time and this was probably my last chance to get it for a while.

"That's okay, I'll be fine. Besides, if anything goes wrong, I have a radio." I walked off before he could say anything more. I had almost made it out of camp before Gunther came bounding up to me, ready for an adventure. I laughed and ruffled his ears.

"Not this time boy. Why don't you go watch over my mom? She loves the company." He whined at me but I made a shooing motion and he bounded off. That dog is too smart by half, I thought.

Chapter 18

A
s I walked
down the hill, the smell of the pine trees drifted lazily through the air. The sun was bright and warm on my skin, giving the first hints of true summer. I passed a berry bush and picked a few of the tart red berries, savoring the mouth puckering taste. I had almost started singing when I heard yelling at the bottom of the hill. I tried to make it down as quietly as possible.

"Where is it?" A man's voice rang out. It sounded gravelly, like he had smoked too many cigars.

"I won't tell you." That was Michael. I snuck closer for a better look. The sound of a whip tore through the air, followed by Michael's scream. I laid under a bush and was horrified by what I saw. Michael was strung up on a crucifix rigged to the back of the scavenger's truck. He faced the cross with his chin on the beam, his back bare and covered in lash marks. There were five men in total, all of them much larger than me. I pulled out my radio and whispered into it.

"Michael's being tortured. I'm hidden but I need all the men down here at the bottom of the trail. Don't respond." I held down the transmission button so they would hear everything that was going on. I watched as one of the men came up to Michael.

"Just tell us where the base camp is and you'll live." Michael looked at him and spat in his face.

"You're not getting anything out of me." The man wiped his face and nodded to the one behind Michael. The whip tore through the air again, leaving another bloody furrow in his flesh. Michael shouted out in pain as the blood seeped out of his wounds. The interrogator gestured to one of the men.

"Cut his finger off, Striker." The one called Striker walked forward with a pair of linesman's' pliers and grabbed Michael's hand, slowly cutting off the middle finger. He bellowed like a bear as the blood spurted from the wound. I covered my mouth, trying to keep quiet.

"Why are you doing this?" Michael gasped, trying to keep his voice from betraying his pain. The man, whom I assumed was the leader, laughed and slapped his leg.

"Because we can, of course. You see, the world has lost its laws and its people like me that are going to rule it again. Only the strong can survive in this lovely new land and I need to make examples out of halfwits like you." He slowly swaggered closer to Michael. "Now, tell me where your supplies are and this can end. You can join us and be protected." He held his arms wide and gave an evil smile. Michael raised his head high and looked to his right. Our eyes met and I saw a flash of panic cross his face. I whispered into the radio again.

"Please hurry, they're cutting off pieces of him. I can't take them alone." It took a moment to be able to look back at the scene before me. How I wish I had brought a weapon with me. Wait, I thought. I have a few weapons in my truck if I could get to it. I looked around for it and spotted it to the left of the scavengers, completely unprotected. Michaels bellowing brought my attention back to him, making me wish I could close my eyes. Another scavenger was using a hand saw to cut off his left hand. The blood that came from his missing finger was nothing compared to the waterfall that his wrist gave.

"Hey Twitch, get over here with that blow torch and seal his wrist. Don't want him to bleed to death before we finish our fun." He walked over to the cab of the crucifix truck with an evil laugh. "Don't you just love this new world boys? No one to try and keep us from taking what we want anymore!" He shouted at them. They cheered and gathered around him. I took this opportunity to get closer to my truck. I made it to a bush about twenty feet away before they came back, bottles in hand.

"Alright big guy, you ready to talk yet or should we keep cutting at you?" The leader lit a cigarette and exhaled into Michael's face. He coughed and turned his head, catching my gaze. I held up the radio so he could see it and relief passed over his face.

"Like I said, you're not getting anything from me. Might as well kill me now." He looked at me as he said it and I knew he would sacrifice himself in order to save the rest of us. He didn't deserve to be up there.

"Well there's no fun in just killing you out right, now is there? Let's play a little if you're not going to talk. Twitch, you still got that saw? Cut off his right arm." He ordered, crushing his smoke out on Michael's shoulder. Twitch stepped behind him and placed the saw on his shoulder.

"Last chance big man." Michael faced the wood of the cross and remained silent. I thought the man was bluffing but when Twitch started cutting, the blood and screams became too much. I couldn't sit there anymore. I jumped up and ran to my truck, hoping there was a useful weapon in there. The door opened easily, my katana right behind the driver's seat. I grabbed it and charged the scavengers, not thinking about the odds.

They were caught so off guard that I killed one and slashed another's leg before they could react. The one called Striker barely managed to save his head by blocking with a large knife. I had never actually fought with a sword before so it was easy for him to disarm me. As my sword went flying, he hit me in the side of the head and knocked me down.

"Where did you come from?" Said the leader. He walked over to me and hauled me up by my arms. He smelled worse than he looked, like he had been bathing in hot garbage for years. He opened his bearded mouth and leered at me, his breath making me gag.

"You're a pretty little thing, aren't you?" He squeezed my arms.

"Don't tell them anything Alex." Michael wheezed. His right arm was still tied to the crucifix but was only attached to his body by a few pieces of skin.

"Twitch, torch him again." He turned back to me. "So you're Alex, hu? I've heard there's a big reward out for you." He picked me up and threw me at Striker. He caught me and held my arms as the leader punched me in the gut. I wheezed and tried to bend over but the other man held me up right.

"Darius has been looking all over for you." He backhanded me. "Said that if anyone found you, we were to bring you to him alive." He struck me again. My head swam with pain and anger. I looked at the leader and asked one question.

"Why?" He seemed confused that I would ask him why Darius wanted me. "Shit, I don't know. But before we get to you, we gotta finish with this one." He turned back to Michael and looked at us both. "You two are camping together, aren't you? So you know where the camp is. I'd bet my left nut you'll tell me where it is." Michael tried shouting at him but it came out as a painful gasp.

"Leave her alone. You need her." The leader laughed along with his cronies. I felt Strikers grip loosen and used the opportunity to break it. I elbowed him in the gut and ran for my sword. I picked it up and turned to see them still standing there, now laughing at me.

"Look at that little wild cat, trying to save her friend. Ain't it the cutest thing!" They continued to laugh with each other. I looked at Michael and started to edge closer to him, hoping I could save him. He shook his head at me.

"No, just run. Get everyone out of camp and run. I'll just slow you down," He gasped through his pain. My eyes welled with tears.

"I can't leave you here. The other's will come and we'll all escape." I was still moving towards him when the leader spoke up.

"So this is what's going to happen. You're going to drop that little knife of yours and come back over here or I put a bullet in your buddy's brain." He pulled out a handgun and aimed at Michael. I looked towards the hill, hoping to see some back up. No one was there. I threw my sword and walked unsteadily towards him. Striker grabbed my arm in a loose hold as the leader came up to me again.

"By the way, the name's Demo." He leaned close and grabbed my hair and breast in a painful grip. "Now you know who's name to scream later." He shoved my head and turned back to Michael. "Alright bitch, you're going to tell me where that camp is or I start cutting up big boy again." Michael and I looked at each other, both questioning the right choice. He spoke first.

"Don't tell them anything. No matter what they do to me, don't tell them." His face was red and covered in sweat, betraying the pain he fought so hard to hide. Neither of us saw Demo move behind him and draw his whip. The crack made us both jump, his cry of pain echoing through the trees. Demo asked again.

"Where is it?" Again the whip cracked and Michael gasped, suppressing the pain. Demo struck again and again, turning Michael's back into little more than shredded beef.

"Just tell me where the camp is and I'll stop, Alex. Are a few measly supplies worth more than his suffering? Just tell me and this can all be over." Demo was breathing heavily and dripping with his exertion. The only thing keeping Michael upright were the ropes around his chest.

"Don't... tell him...anything." He wheezed, shaking. "It's...not...worth it." His head fell to the side and he blacked out. He was right. No matter how much I wanted to end his suffering, we couldn't risk what they would do to the rest of the group.

"Is that your final answer?" Asked Demo. The words stuck, unable to make it past the lump in my throat. I nodded, my heart sinking. Demo sighed and shook his head.

"Wrong answer." He chuckled. Going to the cab of the truck, he grabbed a black bag, walking back to set it on the tailgate and launched into a monologue.

"I've always been a fan of torture, especially ways to end life. The Vikings had this one technique called the 'Blood Eagle'." He pulled out a large knife and walked behind Michael. "What they would do is cut off the skin and muscles of the back so the ribs were exposed. Then you cut the ribs and pull them outwards, kinda like you're opening a clam. And for the grand finale, you pull the lungs out and watch them suffocate. You have to do it quick though, ya see? Otherwise they bleed out. So, here we go!"

Before I could move, Demo sliced Michaels back from his neck to his hips, then across his shoulders. Michael was pulled back to consciousness from the pain, screaming as blood flowed and gushed down his back. His screams grew louder as Demo grabbed both sides of his mangled flesh and tore his back open, ripping skin and muscles alike. As his bones became visible, Demo was soaked with blood and gore. Twitch handed him a set of bolt cutters and the sound of cracking bones tore through the air. Michaels was past screaming, his mouth open and face a mask of red anguish.

"Don't worry, not much longer!" Shouted Demo with sadistic joy as he ripped into Michael's torso. He spread the broken bones and plunged both arms into Michael's chest from behind like some twisted puppet. I watched Michael's face contort into a mask of sheer terror, knowing that nothing could be done to save him now. He gurgled as Demo pulled his lungs out from his back to quiver in the sunlight. He was struggling to draw breath, his abused, blood covered body slowing loosing life. I tried to go to him but Striker held my arm.

"Please! Let me go!" I begged him, turning back to Michael. He looked at me with relief in his eyes before he slumped forward in his final breath. Just then the others came crashing through the trees, Gunther in the front with bared teeth. The dog jumped at Striker and bit his shoulder, locking his jaws. Demo glanced at the group running at him before darting for his truck. Samuel fired his crossbow and nailed Demo in the thigh, dropping him to the ground. As the group reached us, Twitch fell to the ground with both hands raised in surrender.

The men moved around me, yet I could only stare at the body of someone who had been my friend. A rage I had never felt before filled my heart. It clouded my vision and turned the world red. Malcolm had picked up Twitch and was holding his arms behind his back. Twitch watched me as I walked over to him, panic filling his eyes. He tried to run but Malcolm held him firm. Without a way to block, my blows rained down on him like hell fire. I punched him until my knuckles were red and bloody and his face was swollen.

Kato came up behind me and held my arms, keeping me from breaking my own hands.

"He did nothing to you! Why would you do something like that to him? You rotten bastards! You're going to fucking burn!" I turned my fury to Demo, who was still laying on the ground with an arrow in his leg. He started laughing like this was all a joke. Like my friend's death was a comedy just for him. When he finally stopped, his words caught me off guard.

"Thank you Alex. You've just made it so much easier for me." He lifted his hand to his mouth, letting out a piercing whistle. The trees exploded with men a second time, but these people weren't in our group. They were dirty, tattered, and very well armed. They surrounded my friends and I with guns and arrows pointed for the kill. When they formed a circle, the tallest man walked over to Demo.

"The camp has been raided. No one was hurt but we have plenty of supplies now. They have a little farm going on up there so I figured it would be in our best interest to keep them alive. They seem to be valuable assets to our land." He helped Demo to stand.

"Good work Draco, good work. " Demo looked at me and smiled. "You should learn to be more quiet on the radio, Alex. We caught your transmission and knew you were going to have back up. So while you've been beating Twitch's face in, these men have been up at your camp. Don't worry, no one was harmed. But I think we're going to come back every few weeks or so for more supplies." He tried to hobble to the bed of the truck but the arrow in his leg made it extremely difficult. I was glad he was suffering.

"If you think you can take what you want, when you want from us, you are sorely mistaken. If I ever see your face again I will do to you what you did to him." I nodded towards Michael's body, still hanging on the wooden cross. A flash of worry crossed his face before he chuckled.

"We'll see Alex, we'll see. Just remember, Darius isn't as nice as I am. Let's go!" He shouted. Some men jumped into his truck and others went off to what I assumed was another vehicle. Striker cut the binding which held Michael upright, letting him and his detached arm fall to the ground. Something inside me snapped and I was finally able to move. Kato was standing closest to me so I took the gun out of his hands and shot at the truck. Most of the bullets hit the truck body, but one caught Striker before he could get in the cab. The truck took off and left him there, scrambling to get up. Before he could, I walked over to him and kicked him in the back. He rolled over and grabbed my foot before I could kick him again, pulling me off balance and toppling me. He tried to roll on top of me but I used his momentum to keep him rolling, allowing me to straddle him. I swung the gun I still held at his head but he threw up his arm to block. Before I could swing again, I was lifted off of him by a set of strong arms.