The Hunger (Book 2): Consumed (15 page)

There was no chance of escape.

They walked in silence as they led him back to the main clearing.

The sun had set, but enough light remained in the sky to allow them to see for another fifteen minutes or so.  It was enough for Lance to see the crowd that surrounded the area behind the house.  They stood two and three deep, creating a semi-circle by the cabin.

Tony waited by the front of the greenhouse, a Cheshire cat grin spread across his smug face.

Eifort and the doc kneeled on the ground before him, their hands lashed behind their backs.

Eifort shouted, “Lance, they—”

Tony struck her in the temple, sending her toppling to her side.

Brown twisted his head around in time to get a backhanded slap to the face.  He fell forward, landing on his chest.

The guards shoved Lance in the back, pushing him to the center of the yard.  He stopped and turned around, taking in the crowd that closed in around him.  They were only thirty yards or so away, close enough that he could still make out their faces in the dwindling light.

He searched the crowd for Liz, hoping that she hadn’t succumbed to the same fate as Don.  His anger toward her had evaporated with the sight of her lover’s body. Now he only wished for her safety.

And where the hell was Cass?

They’d split up a long time ago.  For her to not help him back at the pit meant that she didn’t know he was there, or that something else had happened.

He didn’t see her amongst the crowd or by Tony.

Ralph’s number-one crony stalked into the circle, stopping a few feet away from Lance.  He faced the crowd.

“Tonight, we have some entertainment for you.”

Lance looked at the pistol holstered on Tony’s side, taking note of the leather strap securing it in place.  If the man moved a little closer, he was going to make a play for it.

He might not survive for long after that, but he just wanted enough time to get one shot off.  He visualized putting a round right between Tony’s eyes.

“Unfortunately, Ralph can’t be here to take care of this piece of shit himself.  He’s asked me to come up with a punishment fitting of the crime.”  Tony locked his eyes on Lance’s.  “And I’ve thought of something quite fun.”

Lance scanned the tree line for Cass.  He didn’t like where Tony’s speech was heading.  His blood pressure was redlining as he stood before everyone, waiting to hear what his fate would be.

“Let this be a lesson to those of you who don’t like the way we do things around here.  We clothe you, feed you, and most importantly, we keep you safe from the outside world.  All we ask is your loyalty.  Remember who did this to you?  Remember who caused all of this?”  Tony pointed at Lance.  “People like him did this.  The old world.  They brought you to your knees.”

“Bullshit!” Lance yelled. “I saw what you did in Pittsburgh!  I saw all of those innocent—”

Tony crossed the gap between them in a flash.  He punched Lance in the jaw with an immense right hook.

Lance toppled to the ground in a heap. His vision blurred.  He struggled to remain conscious, willing himself not to slip away.

Large lights, stationed around the field in a squared pattern, switched on, illuminating the clearing.

Lance’s head lolled to the side, his neck muscles unable to control its motion.  Lying helplessly on his back, Lance spotted the escaping couple he and Cass had encountered in the woods.  They gaped at him in abject horror.

He wished they hadn’t ordered the couple to return to camp.  He’d thought it too dangerous for them out in the wild at night.  But the compound, he now realized, was much worse.

The young woman—he thought her name was Josie, but he couldn’t quite remember—had tears streaming from her eyes.  She looked away when she noticed Lance watching her.

“This is what happens to those who fight against us.  Remember this moment.”  Tony raised a hand above his head and waggled his index finger in a small circle.

Engines rumbled to life from both sides of the cabin.  The crowd parted a moment later as two trucks backed into the area from Lance’s right and left.

He sat up, but his body was sluggish and clumsy.  Aches ran through his jaw as he worked it, trying to speak.  Words came out jumbled and incomprehensible.

The wail of a Vladdie pierced the night.

Tony smiled, looking around at the crowd.  “That is what you would have to deal with if you didn’t have us.”

The trucks stopped ten yards from Lance on either side.

A half-dozen men marched across the trampled grass, crossing the small backyard.  They each grabbed onto Lance, holding him in place.

His arms were pulled above his head.

They tied his ankles together.

Lance struggled against them, but they were too strong and his motor skills hadn’t fully returned from the punch.

“What are you doing?” Lance’s mouth went dry.

The drivers in each truck got out and walked to the beds of the vehicles.

“Stop this!”  Brown tried to get to his feet, but another camouflaged man pushed him back down.

“Doctor Brown, I suggest you keep your mouth shut.”  Tony smiled humorlessly.  “If not, I’ll make this even worse.”

“If you do this, I’ll never help you!”

“Oh you will, Doctor.”  Tony pointed at Eifort.  “If you don’t, she’ll be next.”

“Do what?” Lance asked.

The men pulled chains from the beds of the trucks.  They secured one end to ball mounts by the back bumpers.

They dragged the chains toward each end of Lance.

Realization dawned in his foggy mind.

“What? No!  You can’t do this!”  He bucked wildly against the men.

They gripped him tighter, holding him to the ground.

Tony turned his attention back to Lance.  He kept smiling.

“Cass!  Cass, help me!”  Lance immediately regretted calling her name, but his panic kept him from reacting rationally.  He wanted to behave bravely, to act like a man in the face of a horrible death.  But that wasn’t reality.  He was in a full-blown panic.

“Cass?”  Tony scratched the back of his head.  “Oh, you mean the whore?”

He turned back to the greenhouse and snapped his fingers.  “Bring her out here.”

Lance lifted his head and looked toward the greenhouse.

A door in the front opened and Cass was pushed out.  Her hands were cuffed in front of her.  She stumbled to her knees beside Brown.

Her right eye was swollen and dark.  Blood trickled from her nose.

She looked at the crowd before them in confusion.  Her eyes roamed around until they settled on Lance.

Her mouth dropped open when she spotted the chains attached to the trucks.

“No!”

“Yes.”  Tony laughed.

A guard came out of the greenhouse, Cass’ axe in his hand.  He stood behind her, his face stony and expressionless.

“You fuck!  I’ll kill you!” Cass exploded to her feet and sprinted across the lawn, catching the guard by surprise.

Tony stood his ground, still smiling, and waited as Cass closed the distance between them.  At the last second, he sidestepped and kicked his leg out, catching her in the shins.

Her legs flew out from under her and she crashed face first into the ground.  Her cheek slid across the grass, staining her skin a light green.

She rolled over and sat up, her tied hands stretching out in front of her.

Two of the men holding Lance let go and pulled her back down.  One put his shin across her throat, pressing her head to the ground.

Gurgles escaped her clenched teeth as she bucked against them.

The guard with the axe jogged up and stopped beside Tony. He wouldn’t meet Tony’s angry glare.  His lower lip quivered.

“Sorry, boss.  I didn’t—”

“Shut up, fool.”  Tony snatched the axe away.  “Get away from me before I bury this in your chest.”

The man ran to the crowd and shoved his way between the onlookers.

“It’s hard to find good help, isn’t it?” Tony shrugged his shoulders as he looked at Lance.  “The idiot was surprised that a woman would fight to save her man.”

“Don’t hurt her,” Lance said.  His voice caught in his throat as he looked at Cass’ bruised face.  “Do what you want to me, but don’t hurt her.”

“You aren’t in a position to negotiate.”  Tony appraised Cass’ trim figure.  “But don’t worry.  She has certain assets that we value around here.  She’ll make a good breeder.”

Lance fought against the men again, the thought of Tony raping her fueling his rage even further.

Dusk slipped away.  Only the bright, overhead lamps allowed them to see.

Tony inspected the axe, holding it up in the artificial light.

“This is quite a weapon.  A bit old fashioned, but it has good craftsmanship.  Impressive that a woman would wield it.”

Another lament from a vampire burst from the forest.  The crowd tittered amongst themselves, eyeing the tree line.

Tony turned and glared at them until they fell silent again.

“An impressive setup, isn’t it?” Tony gestured to the overhead lights.  “They’re bright enough to keep the beasts away during the night.  It took us quite a while to get the brightness level right, but we managed.  You see, they aren’t afraid of a dim light.  They’ll charge right through it if they have to.  But a bright, wide light like this?  Forget it.  They’ll sit in the woods and piss and moan until they leave in the morning.”

Lance looked at the fidgeting crowd.  “Tell that to them, you piece of shit.”

The men with the chains hooked them to the handcuffs and rope restraining Lance’s limbs.  Lance spat in the face of the man by his hands.

The man yanked on the chain, wrenching the metal handcuffs into Lance’s wrists.

He tried not to cry out from the sharp pain.

Tony gave his audience a quick glance.  “They’re nervous because we don’t spend the nights in the open, lights or not.  Why take the chance?”

“Why don’t we put this off until the morning then?” Lance kept talking, trying to buy them some time.  He didn’t know what he expected to happen with those extra few seconds, but he wasn’t ready to die yet.

Especially not in the manner Tony intended.

“The boss wants you taken care of tonight.  He told me to be dramatic.”  Tony lifted the axe in front of him again.  “The old ways, though less effective, add a dramatic touch, don’t they?  Kind of like this axe.”

The chain connected to Lance’s feet pulled taut.  The rope dug into his ankles, cutting off the circulation to his feet.

“These people won’t forget this,” Tony said. “If they think about leaving or taking an extra piece of bread from the rations, they’ll remember this moment.”

The drivers went back to their trucks and climbed inside.  The men holding Lance released him and stepped clear, backpedaling until they were several yards away.

Lance pulled his arms down, but couldn’t get more than a few inches of play.  He tried with his feet but got the same result.

The chains were too tight.  They’d stretched his body just short of its maximum length.

Tony walked over to him and gazed down at him.  “I have to admit that I’m a little curious to find out what this will do to you.  Do you think the handcuffs will tear your arms from the shoulder sockets?  Or will they just remove your hands?  Let’s find out, shall we?”

Cass gurgled.  She bucked her hips into the air, but couldn’t free herself from the men holding her down.  Her face was turning purple from the shin pressed into her neck.

“Why?” Lance asked.  Sweat ran into his eyes.

Tony blinked.  “What?”

“Why me?  I was minding my own business in that restaurant when you broke in.  I’ve done nothing to you or Ralph.  Why are you
terrorizing me
?”

“You really don’t know, do you?  Do you remember Mike?”

Lance’s mind raced as adrenaline continued to surge through his system.  Fear made thinking difficult as he attempted to recall the name.

“The boy who came in the restaurant with you?”

“That’s the one.  He was the boss’ grandson.”

“I remember him.  He was the only one who didn’t want to murder me.”

“And for that,
you
murdered
him
!”

“What?  You were trying to kill me and I escaped!”

And then Lance remembered why he was able to slip away.  The blood of an infected had splashed into the boy’s face. The distraction gave Lance enough time to run out of the restaurant.

“And now you lie about it!  The boy was infected because of you!  Ralph had to put the poor child down himself!  Can you imagine having to kill one of your own? 
Can you
?”  Tony kicked him in the ribs.

Lance moved to curl into a ball, instinctively trying to protect himself from the blow, but the chains held him in place.  His ribs exploded in agony.  He sipped in air through clenched teeth, waiting for the pain to abate.

Another Vladdie cried out.

It was closer than the others had been.

“Lance!” Eifort screamed from her place by the greenhouse.

Tony stepped back.  “Enough of this. Drivers—on my mark.”  He raised his arm over his head.

Lance braced himself.

The lights went out.

––––––––

D
arkness washed over the field.  The only light came from the stars and rising moon.

A rifle fired from somewhere close by.

Panicked screams came from the crowd.

The guards shouted at one another, asking for and barking orders.

“The backup generator will kick in!  Stay where you are!” Tony screamed with such force that his voice cracked.

Another gunshot came from Lance’s right.

A dozen more followed it.

The guards holding Cass cried out in surprise and pain.

A vampire shrieked again.  It sounded close to Lance.  Too close.

Chaos ensued as the crowd fled in every direction.

The lights flickered back on a moment later, blinding Lance as he fought to free himself once again.  He squinted against the glare and lifted his head, searching for the location of the gunfire.

Several flashes pulsed behind the garage.  The guards on either side of Lance spun around in confusion, shouting at each other.  They dropped in rapid succession as bullets tore through their camouflage jackets.