The Dark Days: Dark Beginnings - Episode 4 Read online

  Nothing about this sounds appealing but after a quick look around, I know he’s right.

  “Skipper, Pug and I will head to the creek to get a look. Why don’t you three stay here and watch the camp?” Finch says, grabbing a gun from his cart.

  “I’m going, too,” I quickly interject. They don’t know what Kane or Elsie look like.

  It doesn’t take Ben half a second before he’s standing right beside me. “I’m going with her.”

  “I’ll stay,” Janie says, popping a large bubble at the same time. “Skippy, will you stay with me?”

  A grin spreads to my eyes. What is happening here? Does Janie have a crush on Skipper…Skippy?

  Skipper looks to Finch and shrugs. “I can stay.”

  “Claudia, you have any more of those darts?” Finch raises his brow.

  I pull the folded bandana out of my coat pocket. I carefully unfold the fabric and show him that I still have two left.

  “You may need more than that,” he says. “Ever fired a gun?”

  “Once. It was just a twenty-two.”

  “Did you hit anything?”

  “I nicked a couple of cans.” The memory took me back to when things were normal…before the end of the world.

  Finch pulls a green duffle bag out from under the blue tarp of his trailer. Unzipping it, he takes out a nine millimeter and shoves a clip into it to demonstrate and then removes it from the gun. “Here.” He hands both to me. “Only use it if you have to,” he says. He reminds me of my father just then.

  It’s amazing how empowered I feel holding the heavy metal piece in my hand. How I wish Dorian were in front of me now. I contemplate whether I could make my finger pull the trigger—actually shoot him.

  “Oh, and if you do have to fire it…keep your arms strong and straight, otherwise it’s going to kick back and hit you in the head.”

  Finch eyes Ben.

  “Finch, might you have another one in there?” Ben asks before Finch says anything.

  “You think you can handle it?”

  “Yes, sir, I know I can.”

  “Very well then,” Finch says and pulls out a thirty-eight. “What about you?” He shifts his gaze to Pug.

  Pug pulls a knife out of his boot and throws it into the tree right behind Finch’s head. “I’m good.”

  “Looks like we’re set. Time to find your friends.”

  Chapter 4

  I step deliberately inside the tracks of everyone ahead of me as we carve our way deeper into the forest. If there is a hole or a big rock for me to turn my ankle on, I will find it. It never fails. When I do take my eyes off the path to look up, I notice Ben taking a spool out from his pack. I’m curious what other treasures he has hidden away in there.

  He unrolls about six inches of thin wire, and then bends it back and forth with his fingers until he breaks it free from the spool. I don’t dare ask what he’s doing because he’s so intently focused.

  Next, he pulls out an ice pick and kneels down to the ground. He takes out the tops and bottoms he cut from the soup cans from his pack and lines them up.

  I stop and watch as he digs around for something else and for a quick moment, I have a vision of Mary Poppins and her carpet bag—larger on the inside than the outside. Here comes the screwdriver flashlight he took from the maintenance office in the airport. He opens something from the side of the handle and wa-la, now he has a hammer, too. Plunging the ice pick into the tin, he pokes two holes in each lid. All this time, Ben is completely oblivious to the fact that I am enthralled in his every move.

  He scoops up the lids as he stands up and continues on the path following Finch and Pug. He laces a piece of wire through one of the holes he made, stepping over several rocks in his path without taking his eyes off of his project and without a stumble.

  When he looks up at me, I realize I must be gawking at him like he’s an alien.

  “Whatcha going to use those for?” I ask.

  “Never know.”

  Continuing on through the steep forest, we don’t get far before we hear voices. They echo as if they are being carried over megaphones.

  We move closer but have to spread out to remain safely hidden. I spot a small group of workers dragging tree trunks over near a large pile of chopped wood. I survey the group but am not able to spot Elsie, Kane or any of the others from the Brown Palace.

  From behind a tree, I see a few more trucks heading toward the road, and over to the far left, a dozen men swing their axes to chop limbs from trees. The man closest to me has dried blood caked all over his palms. I’m amazed he can still use his hands.

  The man next to him drops his ax on the ground in front of his feet. He steps to the side and leans over, heaving what little he had in his stomach to the ground. Within seconds, a guard grabs him by the arm and pulls him toward the pile of uncut logs.

  A pine cone falls to the ground behind me and I jump. It rolls across the icy patch beneath the tree where the snow melted and then froze again. To make sure no one saw me with my sudden movement, I take a quick glance around. I have to rub my eyes to make sure what I’m seeing. Elsie?

  Elsie! I’m about to call her name when I see a thug in the distance coming toward her from behind. She sneaks cat-like toward another guard whose back is to her. Placing a mask over her own mouth, she removes the lid to a small glass vial. Reaching from behind, she holds the potion up in front of the man’s nose. He turns to grab her, but it’s too late. He falls to the ground.

  Elsie glances over each shoulder before carefully replacing the lid on the jar. I know she hasn’t seen the danger closing in on her when she looks to the sky and smiles before tucking the vial away in her hip bag.

  The thug is less than thirty feet behind her and gaining ground. Her best hope is to remain hidden, so not a good idea to yell to warn her. I follow in her direction and she disappears into the trees. My adrenaline is pumping and I can hear the footsteps of the guard.

  I take cover behind a cluster of trees and remove the gun from my holster. My hands are trembling. I inhale deeply through my nose, trying to calm my nerves. If I’m ever going to need a weapon, now would be the time. I load the clip into the gun and hold it firmly with both hands. I aim at the tree behind me. Ready, Claudia?

  The guard turns short of where Elsie was and disappears into the bushes. I dart into the trees, taking a quick peek over my shoulder. I am hoping to see the guys, that maybe by some chance they saw me take off and are here to have my back.

  What happens in the next two minutes will never fade from my mind. This horror will haunt my thoughts and my dreams thousands of times over my life.

  Elsie steps into a clearing and then I spot Kane as he exits from out of the trees to meet her. An otherwise happy reunion is thwarted as I feel helpless knowing the bad guy is hot on Elsie’s heals.

  He rushes out from the trees into the clearing and charges toward Kane. Before Kane even knows what’s happening, the guard hits him in the face with the butt of his gun. Kane stumbles backward.

  “Get down.” The gun is pressed firmly against Kane’s temple as the thug shoves him to his knees.

  “Shoot him!” I hear from beyond the trees. I can’t see who the voice belongs to.

  “Let’s take him back to camp. We’ve got him under control now.” The grin escaping his lips is full of evil.

  “I said shoot him!” The mystery man steps out of the trees.

  “But, Aden-”

  Like brother, like brother.

  “Nevermind.” Aden rushes toward Kane with his gun raised. “I’ll do it.”

  Then, I hear the gunshot echo through the mountains. My hands shake violently and I drop the gun.

  The following silence overwhelms my senses and everything is still. Aden lies on the ground. His dead eyes stare out from a puddle of blood.

  The guard stares cold at me before running off into the woods.

  My mind is hazy, telling me to run, but I can’t move. That’s the last thing I rememb
er before everything goes black.

  “Claudia?”

  I open my eyes to Kane staring down at me. “Claudia, are you okay?”

  “Huh? I…I, Kane?” I turn my head and see Aden lying dead as a doornail. I’m still wobbly from losing consciousness so I stand up slowly. Aden’s eyes stare at me like one of those pictures that no matter which way you move, always follows you.

  Reality sinks in and I feel the hysteria coming on. “I’ve…” I struggle for air on the verge of hyperventilating. The tears pour down my cheeks. “I’m no better than he is!”

  I need to escape from this horrific moment. I run for the trees behind us, but Kane reaches for me and pulls me to his chest. “It’s okay.” He strokes my hair gently. “You’re going to be okay.” He holds me tighter and I feel his breath blowing my hair as he whispers.

  I step back and Elsie hobbles up to me. I feel her arm on my lower back. “There you are. I knew you’d find your way back to us.” She whispers in my ear, “You did what you had to do.”

  The leaves rustle and my back tenses up. Please no more enemy thugs. I’m going to suffer from adrenaline poisoning if I have any more traumatic excitement right now.

  Ben and Pug appear suddenly from the opposite side, followed by Finch. I exhale and feel like I’m going to collapse.

  “They’ll be here soon,” Ben says after a quick glance at the body. He shows no concern.

  “We followed the shot, so will they,” Finch warns.

  I’m hearing everyone, but their voices sound muffled like I’m beneath the surface of the water. I can’t bring myself to look away from Aden’s dead body.

  Ben takes my hand. “Claudia, it’s going to be okay. Come on.”

  “One of them saw me,” I mutter.

  Finch picks up the gun from the wet snow and hands it to me. “Which way did he go?”

  I hand the gun to Elsie so fast you would think it burned my hands. “I…I don’t-”

  Elsie replaces the gun firmly into my hand. “That way.” She points south.

  ***

  I remain numb as we make our way back to Skipper, Janie and the supply camp. “Pack up!” Finch commands as he and Pug are about to exit the tree line.

  I run hard into the back of Finch when he stops suddenly before me.

  My neck pops so loud I can hear it. “Ou…”

  “Going somewhere?” I hear a deep voice just before the man steps out from behind a thick patch of brush. He has Finch at gunpoint.

  Janie and Skipper are to my right. Their hands are tied behind their back and another guard is chomping down on our beef jerky.

  Kane and Ben run up from behind. “We have to…” Ben stops when he sees our new guests.

  The guard with the jerky throws the bag down on the ground and connects his pistol with Skipper’s temple.

  I feel my temperature rise and even though I’m still shaken for killing Aden, I raise my gun, pointing it at the man’s head who has Finch hostage.

  He turns his pistol on Ben. “You willing to make that bet?”

  I stare him down, but my hand is shaking and my eyes are tearing up, showing my fear. I also know there is no way I’m pulling this trigger again.

  I hear something in the trees over to the left and then Elsie comes out slowly. I realize her trunk is missing but notice a small, wooden box secured by a strap of leather to her hip. She’s fiddling with it and has not looked up to see the trouble we’re in.

  “I’m going to have to start doing yoga,” she says turning around. “Oh!” She’s startled and jumps. “I didn’t see you there.”

  Ben’s gunman waves her toward us. “Get over here with them.”

  Elsie glares at him as she passes by. “No need to get nasty.”

  He turns the gun on me. “Drop it.”

  I hold my stance.

  His gun clicks as he loads the chamber.

  I see Shane fall to the ground in my mind…then Aden’s dead eyes. I’m not ready for this again. The gun appears in slow motion as it tumbles out of my hand.

  “It’s okay,” Ben whispers.

  The guard nudges me up the road.

  “Where are you taking us?” Ben catches up and wedges between the guard and me.

  “Doesn’t really matter does it?” The jerky-eating guard has replaced the jerky with an enormous pouch of tobacco. He’s packed his gums so full that he can’t even close his lips together, and the saliva drips down his chin.

  Ben points to the guard’s cheek. “That stuff’s not good for you.”

  Janie snickers and smiles at Ben.

  Kane takes my hand and squeezes it tight. Why can’t I be back in my regular life, embarking on a new wonderful romance? No, instead I march to my death…and now I deserve it.

  ***

  We cross the main road and continue walking north along Bard Creek Road. My feet still ache from the hike to and from the cattle grounds and I’m wondering if I’m going to have to amputate a toe when the gunman in charge stops. “This is far enough.”

  I look down over the edge into a deep ravine.

  “But Crepp, he said to take them farther up.” The jerky-eating, tobacco-spitting guard sounds nervous, concerned they are not following orders.

  “I said this is far enough.” Crepp forces Finch to kneel down on the edge of the cliff. “Put your hands behind your head.” He points his gun toward Pug. “You, get down next to him.”

  Elsie digs into her pocket and then puts something in her mouth. I notice her pigeon Bernie peeking out of her coat.

  “We can’t just shoot ‘em all.” The guard is extremely anxious. “He wouldn’t want us to kill all these people.”

  Crepp turns to his accomplice. “He gave the order. Anyone trying to rebel is to be shot on sight.” He points to Elsie and Kane. “These two tried to escape. I consider that rebellion.”

  Crepp motions for Elsie to kneel down. She spits on his shoe before following his command.

  The nervous guard runs his hand through his hair. “You two,” he says to Kane and I. “O-over here.” He points to the ground next to where he’s standing by the edge of the cliff.

  This is really it. They’re actually going to kill us this time.

  Slowly, I take a step forward and begin to kneel down.

  WHOOMPH! THUNK! A hatchet comes flying through the air from somewhere in the trees.

  Completely stunned, I stare at Crepp’s hand on the ground, still holding the gun. Crepp isn’t attached. Did this really just happen?

  He screams and falls to his knees, clutching his stump with his other hand. Blood squirts high from an artery.

  Kane rushes for the gun and peels it out of Crepp’s severed hand. Finch readies his gun.

  The nervous gunman aims at Kane, then at Finch. Then, Masaru has a dagger to this throat.

  “Masaru!” Elsie sounds as joyful as if she’s just welcomed her family home for Christmas. “Wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again.”

  As I help Elsie up from the ground, Edgar steps out of the shadows of the trees.

  “Edgar!” Tears form in Elsie’s eyes.

  “Should we let this guy die, or should we stop the bleeding?” Ben asks. I don’t get the impression he cares either way.

  Janie shuffles over toward Crepp. She stares him down, leaning in eye to eye, pondering his fate. Her lips pucker out and she strokes the bottom one with her finger. “Why should we save him? He was going to kill all of us.”

  “No, please. I can help you!” Crepp pleads for his life. “I’m sorry. Please! You need me!” He scans my face…and then Ben’s. “He made me do it. I don’t want to die.”

  Masaru holds the nervous guard hostage, firmly by the sharp blade of the dagger. A thin line of blood has laced the guard’s neck.

  I rush over to Crepp and rip the hem from the bottom of his shirt. I tie it around the top of his forearm as tight as I can to make a tourniquet. “That might keep you alive.”

  “Thank you,” Crepp says and he starts to g
et up slowly. I grab his good arm to help him up. He’s a little wobbly but suddenly catches me off guard, lunging toward me out of nowhere. I leap into the air to get away. Finch is half a second from firing on Crepp, but he isn’t after me. He hops around, slapping at his feet with his one good hand. “Ou…ou…ou, ahh, ahhh!” He stomps his foot on the ground. Smoke rises from the toe of his shoe.

  I look to Elsie and she smiles wide. Then I remember she spat on his shoe.

  She removes a small purple bottle from the wooden box and carefully removes the cap. “You deserved that.” She squeezes a dropper full of liquid onto the smoking shoe. With a tiny green puff, the smoke is gone, but the shoe has a huge hole burned into it.

  “Who are you?” Janie asks, grabbing hold of Kane’s bicep.

  “This is Kane.” I grab his other arm.

  “Which way now?” Kane says with a small smile, retrieving his arm from Janie’s grip.

  Finch surveys our surroundings. “South.”

  “We’re heading in their direction?” Pug asks. “You think that’s a good idea?”

  “They won’t expect us to go that way. We can stay close to the highway and head south through Georgetown. We should be able to find a place to rest and restock supplies there.”

  “We can’t go to Georgetown,” Kane says, his tone full of warning.

  “That’s where their main camp is,” Elsie says.

  “Where are the others from the hotel? Did any of them come with you?” In all the insanity, I forget we were missing some people.

  Kane's eyes turn down. “Sam, Molly and Jimbo are still in Georgetown.”

  “We don’t know where the others went,” Elsie says.

  “We can’t get to them now—not without a plan,” Masaru warns. “We should go to Silver Plume.” Masaru points to the map. “Right here, just a few miles west of Georgetown. Jay and Brody are there.”

  “It’s not a bad place to stay,” Edgar adds. “We earn our keep and no one bothers us.”

  “You’re with Jay and Brody?” Skipper asks, approaching one of the carts, still parked where he left it.

  “Is it safe there? Don’t their friends know about it?” Finch points to Crepp and the nervous guy.