Zomblog Saga Box Set (Books 1-6) (105 page)

I will never be the same now.

I will do my best to relate what happened…what was said. I will do my best not to paint myself as “good” in this, nor will I apologize. I did what I believe (even now…days after it ha
ppened) to be the correct course of action.

So, that night when I decided what I had to do, I pulled back with Mary and Selina and explained to them my plan. And act
ually, I can’t say that I had what could constitute as a real plan. It was simply a choice to act. I told them both that I would not be upset if they chose to stay back and not get involved in what might very well be a suicide mission.

Both of them said that, for their own reasons, they had a score to settle as well. I pretty much knew what Mary’s was, but I would not discover Selina’s until later.

I warred with the decision to simply act immediately or wait. I was afraid that, if I waited, the train would leave and my window of opportunity would vanish. On the other end of things, I knew that the soldiers would be alert for trouble considering what had already occurred earlier that day.

It was Selina who offered to create a diversion. I asked her what she had in mind and she smiled really big.

“I have no idea, but you will know it when you hear it,” was her reply.

She slipped away and Mary and I started creeping towards the rear car of the train where Dominique had vanished. Sure enough, a half dozen soldiers were posted around the car and two more on top. I was actually prepared to call it off and just go for an attempt at assassination the next time she showed her face. I knew for a fact that my main driving force for what I was attempting was the need to try and get some answers from this person who had sent my Mama Lindsay to her death. I did not want to kill Dominique from a distance…I wanted her up close so I could look her in the eyes and ask one simple question: Why?

Just as I was about to give up, there was a loud “whump” and a fireball rolled skyward. There was a brief moment where the darkness was pushed back and fortunately for me, I was looking the opposite direction so I did not suffer from being flash-blinded.

Seconds later, the people surrounding Dominique’s car were running towards the explosion. I imagine it was instinctual, that is the only reason I can think of for them all to abandon their post. The only ones remaining were the pair on the roof of the car. I took one and Mary took the other. I know that my bolt caught mine in the chest, I had to step over his body as I ran to the train car. However, it should be noted that Mary’s caught her target in the left eye! Now, we were a good fifty feet away at least when we took our shot; that is impressive.

I reached the door just as it flew open. Dominique was standing there in almost nothing. (It seems that she had company of the male sort.) I did the first thing that came to mind—I punched her square in the face.

She fell back and landed on her butt, however, to her credit, she had a knife in her hand in the blink of an eye. I don’t know where she kept the thing considering what I had obviously inte
rrupted, but this was a clue I would miss initially. In fact, I was about to have so many revelations dumped on me that it will probably take me days if not weeks to sort through them all.

Mary was right on my heels and moved past me in a hurry. She brought her hand down hard and smashed the (completely) naked man in the temple, knocking him out cold.

Meanwhile, Dominique had scooted away on her butt to get her back against a wall. She held the blade out in front of her, occasionally thrusting it my way despite the fact that I was a good five feet out of range. The she realized who had just barged in and disturbed her “entertainment.”

“Well, well…look who decided to show up,” Dominique sneered.

I looked at her differently. Maybe it was because I was the one standing with her in the sights of my crossbow, or maybe it was the fact that she was obviously at a huge disadvantage, and thus, everything about her that had scared me before just did not exist. Whatever the reason, all I saw was a scared, scarred, and bitter woman.

“Why did you do it? Why did you kill my mother?” I saw no reason to draw things out.

“Why does there have to be a reason?” Dominique said with a sneer that twisted her scar up and made her just a bit uglier.

I realized right then something that I don’t believe I had e
ver actually known. I grew up around Jenifer my entire life. While she certainly had much more damage than Dominique (at least outwardly), I never saw her as ugly. In fact, there were many that said she was beautiful. But that obviously came from someplace within. It had nothing to actually do with her appearance.

By that very same token, Dominique was a truly ugly pe
rson. Looking in to her eyes, all I saw was anger and hatred. I do not believe that she even realized or understood where it came from. It was simply so deeply ingrained into who and what she was that nothing would or could save her.

“You can’t tell me that you killed her just because,” I a
rgued. At that point, I was still making the connection as to what she was. I did not realize that there was every possibility that “because”
was
her sole reason.

“I warned you about leaving,” Dominique hissed.

“And why was it so important for you to have me?”

“You are a poster girl, Snoe. Like it or not, people see you as some sacred cow that should be treated as something special. With you under my thumb, I could bring all these renegade tribes under my control,” Dominique said with what was prob
ably as close to a level and rational demeanor as she was capable.

“And why would you think that I would ever work for you?” I snapped.

“Because, you idiot, I had your mom. Lindsay would ensure that you stayed in line.”

“So you kill her the day after I escape?”

“About that…I really misjudged you. I was certain that you would behave when I put the terms to you,” Dominique said. “I gave you more…credit.”

I was about to answer when a pounding came on the door. I brought my crossbow up to my shoulder and raised my ey
ebrows. If Dominique said a word, I would shoot her before anybody ever managed to get in past the lock she had on the door. I honestly think that she did not believe me capable of doing anything as drastic as murdering another person.

“What is it?” Dominique snapped, sounding about as no
rmal as I recall from my encounters with her at Warehouse City.

“Somebody set our oil drums on fire. We lost the entire supply,” a voice reported from the other side of the door.

Dominique glared at me and her eyes asked the question,
“One of yours?”
I did my best to keep my expression neutral. I didn’t want her to know if I had anybody else with me…or how many.

“And have you found this…saboteur?” she asked, her eyes never leaving mine.

“No, ma’am.”

Dominique’s eyes tightened a bit and I could see that she was not happy with that response. From behind her, I could see a flash of relief cross Mary’s face. I was hoping that my problem of being so damn readable was not an issue at the moment.

“Well then why are you standing outside my door talking?” Dominique snapped. “Find whoever is responsible!”

“Yes, ma’am,” came the reply.

We waited a moment for whoever was outside to be gone. I lowered my crossbow from against my shoulder, but kept it aimed at the woman who had killed my mother for no apparent reason.

“I still do not see why you felt the need to murder my mom and Phaedra.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Dominique seemed genuinely surprised that I could not make my mind think like hers.

“Should it be?”

“Didn’t you read your mother’s journal?” she asked, and then added as what seemed to be an afterthought. “Interesting that I have heard there is a third book…but never seen it”

“Of course I did.” I would not offer her anything when it came to information. Besides, there was no need to discuss an
ything about Meredith’s other journal; Dominique was no part of it.

“Lindsay Hall and Phaedra Woods were abominations in the eyes of God,” Dominique said.

I cannot really express on paper the manner in which she said those words. It was as if they explained everything. The problem I had was that I really did not understand what she was saying.

Later, it was Mary who would explain to me that the Old World was very biased when it came to sexuality. I just never knew any different. In fact, I don’t know that I ever heard an
ything as I grew up that made a distinction about same-sex or different-sex relations. Maybe there were just too many other things to worry about for something so trivial to remain an “issue” with people.

“Can that really be a reason?” I asked flippantly. “I mean, if God was so angry with them, wouldn’t he kill them himself?”

“Watch your tongue, child!” Dominique snarled.

So I had found her hot button. Apparently she was still Ge
nesis Brotherhood crazy.

“Maybe you forgot who was holding the crossbow,” I said as I thrust my weapon at her for a little added emphasis. “If there is anybody that should be careful about what they say…I’m thinking it is you.”

“Do you think I fear you…or death?” Dominique laughed. “I have served God righteously for my entire life. Your whore of a mother tried to stop me, but all she did was make me more determined.”

“So that is why you came to the Corridor with your army and started taking everybody…destroying all the hard work that people have put in to make a place that was safe?”

“That place was nothing more than the new Sodom and Gomorrah,” Dominique spat bitterly. There was a glint to her eyes…and something else.

I had grown up around Revelationists. Those are folks who believe that last book in the Bible is some sort of warning. They think we are in some sort of era that they call the “End Times.” Most of them are pretty normal people and you would not know they were Revelationists unless they told you, but then there are the others. They are flat out nuts.

What I was seeing in Dominique’s eyes was something that was frightening. She was crazy. It makes me wonder, did all that time after what happened between her and Meredith just fester in her like a disease? Did she see me as an extension of my birth mother, and therefore, need to take out whatever had built up in her mind and apply it to me?

“So you are saying that everybody there
deserved
what you did to them?”

In the Corridor, ALL books are precious. The Bible is one of the books in the library. I’ve read it. Now, I doubt that I read it like a person who believes in the stuff written between the c
overs, I read it as a story. And it has lessons in it about how to treat people and be a good person. I understand those who see more than that…it just was not something that took root in our home.

“So if you are comparing us to a pair of cities destroyed in the book that you profess to follow the teachings of, then did you try to find if there were any who deserved to be saved?” I was pretty proud of myself…until she replied.

“That is why we took the little ones. Children are blameless in the eyes of the Lord.”

She had me there.

“But, according to you…every adult deserved to be executed?”

“You harbored sin within your walls,” Dominique said with a nasty sneer.

“So even the people who did believe in your book…in your God…they fell short. And who are you to make that decision?”

She glared back, her lips pressed tight. I was certain that I had her now. After all, besides the Revelationists, there were all sorts of people who held to a variety of faiths. We had Chri
stians, Muslims, and everything in between. Some were good people, others not…just like every place I have been or heard about in my short life.

“You should be thanking me,” Dominique growled. “I saved you from a life doomed to end in violence. Now, you are free to go forward and carve out a place for yourself without that dyke and her scar-faced bitch of a girlfriend or whatever she might be—”

My bolt hit her in the throat and sent her head rocking back. Blood began to froth around her lips and her mouth opened and closed, emitting nothing more than a series of raspy squeaks. I heard Mary gasp as I moved in and kicked her onto her back. I set another bolt in place and cocked the weapon again.

I stepped over to her and knelt down. I have no idea of knowing what was written on my face at that exact moment, but whatever it was, it made Dominique flinch. I leaned in close and made sure that I swallowed a few times to be certain that my throat would work. I didn’t want my voice to crack or anything when I spoke. I hoped to God that I sounded confident…and not terrified or about to be sick. And rest assured, both of those fee
lings were fighting for control of my body as I got close to Dominique.

“You killed a wonderful human being who never did an
ything but show me how to love others. I may not know what I believe in exactly when it comes to God or anything like that, but I hope and pray that there is a Hell. If there is, I am certain that you will be there. Whatever suffering the keepers of Hell have in mind will never be enough, but I will make it my life’s work from this moment forward to wipe your legacy from this world. If I could…I would go back and find the part in Meredith’s book where you show up, and I would erase your name. But since I can’t do that, I will just have to destroy everything you have tried to create.