One (Alone Book 3) Page 16

  “Normal life?” I cried out, “Taking him to some facility for the beginning of the end is not a normal life”.

  “Not yet it isn’t Stacie”, she smiled, “But it could be”.

  “What? What do you mean?”

  “I have to go, you have to go, someone is coming”.

  “No wait please”.

  “I love you Stacie”.

  “I love you too Tanya”.

  “Sister’s together…”

  “Holding hands forever…” I finished the sentence just as she evaporated from my view, dispersing into the wind and gone from my side. I felt a lone tear trickle down my cheek just as some voices came walking up the hill.

  “Move”, I told myself and walked round the other end of the vehicle, looking out I spotted two men with guns coming my way. They weren’t looking for me which was a good thing but one of them had some keys that jingled in his twitching hands which meant they were going out looking for something, maybe food or supplies? Keeping still I breathed a sigh of relief as they went to the other truck, started it up and sped off in a thick plume of mud and diesel fumes.

  I now looked down upon the camp below me, counting all the lookouts and trying to find the best way in. As I did I couldn’t help but think about her, about Tanya. I knew deep down she hadn’t really been here with me, it was my imagination, I had given in to my madness and taken too many pills, it had caused me to hallucinate about her but I was clear now, I knew what I had to do. I had to save my family.

  Chapter Twelve…

  Kaley sat in the cold damp room, Lara by her side shivering uncontrollably. Kaley had tried to sleep and recoup her energy and she could feel it growing again slowly but Lara had been getting more and more hysterical as the hours passed by waking Kaley and causing her rest to be put on hold, instantly she could feel her power draining once again at feeling so stressed. She also couldn’t help but think it was because of what Lara had gone through with Christian and the others back at Hever Castle, being trapped and used by them and now to her it was going to happen all over again.

  “Lara calm down, we will get out of here”, Kaley tried to reassure her.

  “How?” she sobbed, “Your power is out, Stacie is gone and only god knows if the guys are still alive”.

  “Girl please try and calm it”, Ruth said from the other side of the room, “If the girl says we are getting out we are getting out”.

  “What gives? You didn’t believe or want to come with us before”, Lara snapped.

  “Things change”, she shrugged, “And what Kaley showed us has made me believe and if Kaley isn’t freaking out then why should we be? She knows when stuff is going wrong”.

  Kaley stiffened, she did know when bad things were going to happen it was just a part of her, but she knew that things could change. She had seen Kirsty die but not that way, they had changed something along the way that was changing the way they were going to be taken out. Kaley knew what it was, it was because she had tried to save Ollie, it had only given him a little more time to be with her but it had changed so much. Now Kaley knew she couldn’t try and change things anymore, it had to go the way it was meant to, for all of them.

  “I hope Cain’s ok”, Kaley said trying to stretch her legs in the ropes that bound them.

  Ruth asked, “Don’t you already know?”

  Kaley shook her head, “I see bits and pieces not all of it but…”

  “But, what?” She said panic rising in her voice, she had only stayed that calm because she believed in Kaley. Forced herself into thinking Kaley would know all.

  “But I think all will be ok”, she said. She couldn’t prove it, not even to herself but she just had a feeling that things would work out for some of them at least, and only if she returned, if Stacie came back to them they could work out what to do, if she didn’t she had no idea what the hell was going to happen.

  Knock, Knock…They all fell silent.

  The door opened and in walked three men, one was the ringleader from their capture, he had changed, his face wasn’t covered any longer and it revealed a man of around forty, a short beard covered his weather beaten face, a scar ran down his neck to his collar bone and even deeper maybe but his clothes covered the rest. A dirty blue shirt with a fabric worn overcoat which had blood stains littered all over it made up his overall appearance, along with grime covered Khaki trousers and army style boots. The other two still had their faces covered and were covered in just as much blood as him.

  The man in charge spoke with such a strong accent to them, it took a lot of concentration and fear to hear what he was telling them, “Hello ladies, welcome to Rue De Leffrinckoucke, or what we call Rue De Leff…Now I’m afraid you have all trespassed on my property, my home, my town and that means you all have a debt to owe me”.

  Kaley glared at the man who she presumed to be French or German.

  “We owe you nothing”, Ruth piped up, “We were merely trying to get through, we were trying to get somewhere”.

  He turned to her, his face full of evil amusement, “Well I’m afraid miss that your mistaken, you have ventured onto my land, which means you owe me”.

  “Haven’t we already?” Kaley asked.

  He looked at her, “And how do you figure that?”

  “You have all our stuff, our weapons and our supplies surely that’s enough to keep your home going for a while? Plus, you murdered our friend, if anyone owes anyone it’s you to us.”

  “Is that so?” he snarled. “See the way I see it is, that all that ‘stuff’ is not nearly enough to cover your bill. I mean you wouldn’t have gone to a restaurant in the old days, eaten loads of food and then left without paying, would you?”

  “But we haven’t eaten anything of yours”, Lara sobbed from behind Kaley.

  “Oh my frightened little butterfly”, he laughed, “But you have, just breathing my air is taxing you every second”.

  “How do we pay you off?” Kaley asked.

  “You don’t pay me off, you just work for me now, that’s it, that’s life”, he smiled.

  “That’s life?” Kaley questioned him.

  “Yes”, he looked to the man beside him.

  “Did I not say it clearly enough?”

  The man nodded.

  “Yes that’s life now…Women are useful to have in a camp, keep the men happy and bring life to the world”.

  “And the men?” Kaley asked, “Are they still alive?”

  “If they co-operate they will keep their lives as long as they agree to scavenge for me”.

  “If we all refuse?” Ruth asked.

  “Then you all die”, he said it so simply like it was the most normal thing in the world, “The main square has a hanging block, all those who refuse to pay their debts go there and meet the Hangman”.

  “Look mate, we don’t need this, we need to get her to Svalbard”, Ruth pointed to Kaley.

  He just chuckled, “I ain’t no mate and she goes nowhere”.

  “Look please she knows how to make all of this better”, Lara cried out, tears pouring down her pale cheeks.

  “Aww my poor butterfly… Don’t you think life is better now?”

  None of them answered.

  “Well let me tell you ladies, before this world I was nothing, a nobody, I worked and lived in France, my job was dead end, I had no life, no wife, no chance of a family but now, I have a family”, he motioned to his two men, “A bigger family than I could have ever asked for and I’m in charge, here I am somebody, here I am the ‘Daddy’ they answer to me. My job is no longer dead end”.

  “Well it worked out ok for you but for the many it hasn’t”, Kaley said.

  “Hasn’t it?” he said, “The people who don’t deserve to be here aren’t anymore, the ones whose lives finally mean something are left behind. You think your life is about going to Svalbard? I think not. Your life has meaning now, now you are here. Before you were what? A measly little girl with no hopes of any proper life with the war that
raged on in the world. You would have grown up to make nothing of your life but now…You are something…You have meaning”.

  “But you are preventing me completing why it is I am still here”, Kaley told him.

  “Perhaps, but maybe you weren’t ever meant to make it”.

  “I am…I know I am…I have seen it”.

  He nodded and smiled at his men, “She’s seen it”, then he started to laugh, “You know what, you make me smile, I think I’ll keep you just for me”, he stepped forward and took her arm, “You can come with me”.

  “No…get off me”, she struggled.

  “Boys”.

  They went towards Lara and Ruth, both still tied up no way to fight them off. The one nearest to Lara pulled out a knife, he was going to kill her, kill them both, Kaley could feel it and sense it in the air.

  “Wait!” Kaley cried out.

  “I’m waiting”, the man answered.

  “I thought you wanted us all to work for you”.

  “I only keep the ones that I know won’t break, the ones who will fight to stay alive because they feel they have a chance of hope, of survival… of escape. Even though I know it will never happen. The others are just wasted mouths to feed, they will crack and get others killed by their own foolishness”.

  “No…please they will fight to keep alive”.

  “Her maybe”, he pointed to Ruth, “But she will not, she is already a blubbering mess”.

  Lara knew he meant her and began to scream, the men got excited over her reaction and lunged for her, cutting her ropes and pulling at her clothes, tearing them off her.

  “My boys might want to have a little fun first though”.

  “Kaley do something”, Ruth begged.

  A flash echoed over her eyes, she saw it, the way it was meant to happen for Lara. She knew inside her power was gaining but it wasn’t enough to take them all on yet. She could maybe take out one but then the others would kill her and then it would be game over, she needed to get to Svalbard, she needed to get ‘her’ to Svalbard. She could feel his army outside, listening and waiting, they would shoot them all dead.

  “Noooo”, Lara screamed, “Get off me!”

  Kaley knew what she had to do, “Lara look at me…”

  Lara turned her worried wide eyes to her, they pleaded with Kaley to do something and she did, then the world went dark.

  ~

  I stood at the section of fence I had just managed to vault over unseen, I hoped. Just as I landed I felt it, the spike of power in the air…Kaley had used her power but it wasn’t a strong burst just a mere flicker of what she could do…she was weak, tired maybe?

  “Where are you guys?” I whispered to myself. I sent out my feelers and felt around the camp, there were so many people here, hundreds maybe? But I couldn’t tell where my people where, all I knew that there was someone newly dead not too far from here, their life and soul just sparking out. Hopefully an enemy dying by Kaley’s hand?

  Moving I stayed in the shadows, ducking behind buildings and under trees to keep out of sight. Most of the people I spied on as I moved fluidly and silently in the camp looked beaten down, unhappy but there was a eeriness to it all that told me that if I showed myself they would out of fear hand me in. Maybe in the hope of being rewarded?

  A large dirt path flowed throughout the camp connecting all the different buildings, most of the properties were new builds but by new builds I mean built from tin metal that they had scavenged from building sites, some had wooden sheds and huts that were their homes. Small fires in old oil drums and bins burnt in the street with people huddled around to keep warm and cook food over. Over to the other end of the village come shanti town were some rather large and better kept mobile homes, their well-maintained look made them look more welcoming than all the other homes and I knew instantly that whoever was running this joint would occupy one of those homes. Maybe the biggest one in the middle that had old bullet shells decorating the outside like a violent wind chime.

  I came to the building I had felt the newly dead body inside but I couldn’t sense anyone else, finding a half open window I slithered in as quietly as possible and jumped down into a sort of prison shack. Chains lined the walls along with miles of rope, whips, canes, knives and other devices that could be used to question or torture, they all had their place on a side board area. A lone chair sat in the middle with a light swinging from the rafters. Fresh blood covered the chair, it had been used recently, so recently the body was still there. Thankfully he wasn’t one of ours, but I couldn’t help but look at the poor murdered soul that lay in the centre. His lifeless face staring into space but his death wasn’t the most recent one, he had been dead a little while. No the newly dead body was still warm and nearby.

  Making my way to a door I turned the handle and marched through a long tunnel like room which must connect to another building, I came to another door, opened it and came into yet another room, this one was bigger and had hooks on the walls with rope tied through to tie people up to, one person was still connected slightly to their rope, their body no longer breathing or moving, their body still warm but cooling quickly…Lara.

  I skidded to her and dropped to my knees and cradled her head in my lap, “What the hell happened?” I whispered knowing full well she couldn’t answer me back, “Where is Cain and Kaley and…the others?”

  Were they even still alive? Who the hell where these people and why had they killed two of my people? I was losing people like flies.

  A noise outside caught my attention and I made my way to the door and pushed it ajar and looked out at the camp, the small crack gave me just enough to see a group of men with whips attacking people in what I could only call the town square.

  “Drayton needs food and supplies and you haven’t been getting enough”, One man hissed to another that was kneeling on the floor before him.

  “You want us all to starve?” Another piped in, tapping the butt of his gun in his hand trying to look menacing.

  “Go to hell”, the kneeling bloke snapped, blood dripping from his already beaten mouth, bruises covered his whole body, “Why not go out and get it yourself”.

  “Because that my friend is your job”, Another male voice said coming out from one of the mobile homes, the atmosphere in the camp changed from just fear to intense fear where women shook, and men looked away, their faces paling, and their bodies frozen on the spot, too scared to move an inch.

  This bloke had to be the man in charge, he wore a blue shirt and a dirty coat over the top, he had to be in his forties and he looked untrustworthy. He held a noose of rope in his hands and as he wondered down to the main square he passed it to a guy all dressed in black with a large hooded jacket on, who took it and began arranging it around a small wooden platform. I couldn’t believe my eyes, this place had gone all medieval on me, they had brought back hanging and public beatings.

  “Isn’t it Wyatt? Isn’t that your job?” The leader said with an amused grin over his face, his foreign accent thick and sharp.

  The man named Wyatt nodded, “Yes Drayton, it is”.

  “Then why haven’t you done it?”

  “We have exhausted the supplies from this area, there is nothing left in the shops and the land is picked clean. If you want me to go further out I can but I need a vehicle”.

  Drayton nodded playfully, his mouth moved in a way that even I knew he was pissed off, “A vehicle?”

  “Yes”, Wyatt answered, “Just one, big enough to fit in a lot of supplies in if we find some”.

  “A vehicle?”

  Wyatt stopped talking, the tone of Drayton’s voice had changed.

  “A Vehicle?”

  “Er yes sir that’s what he said”, one of his men said.

  He nodded, “And is that so you could drive off into the sunset and get away from here because I am telling you Wyatt I would find you and kill you”.

  “No, no I mean I know you would, I wouldn’t…be…that stupid oh no”.

>   “No because stupidity and trying to escape gets you killed”.

  Wyatt nodded, “Yes Drayton I know, I know, I would never…”

  “SILENCE”, Drayton commanded, the whole town fell deathly quiet. Drayton pointed at the man kneeling, “You think I’m stupid?”

  Wyatt shook his head, “No, no sir I don’t”.

  I couldn’t help feel sorry for him as the man put so much fear into this man’s very being he wet himself, I could see the warm wet patch spread over the back of his jeans.

  “I don’t want people to think I’m stupid, I am their leader, I cannot be seen as weak!”

  “You are not weak”, Wyatt pleaded, “Not weak at all”.

  Drayton nodded, “Well good to hear it”, he smiled his body language and tone changing like the flip of a coin.

  The whole town breathed and relaxed a little, he had spared this man for today. Even I couldn’t help but let out the breath I had held in.

  “Thank you Drayton, thank you, thank y…Wait… No!”

  His words were cut off as without warning Drayton spun on his heel gripping hold of the man’s hair and dragged him over to the platform where the hangman had the rope at the ready. Wyatt screamed, shouted and pleaded with Drayton to let him go but Drayton was strong, he was in charge and everyone else was weak. He threw the man down and pinned him to the floor with one boot as the hangman tied the rope around Wyatt’s neck.

  “NO PLEASE”, he begged, “MY WIFE…MY WIFE…”

  The hangman pulled the rope up making it hard for him to stand, barely on his tip toes.

  “Your wife will soon forget about you”, Drayton snarled and nodded.

  The hangman pulled a lever at the side of the platform and a trapdoor opened, Wyatt’s body fell through it, he gagged and gasped for air, his hands desperately trying to pull the rope off from around his neck, he writhed around kicking and thrashing but it was no use there was no escape. Finally he began to slow down, his fitting movements becoming few and far between until his red face fell dead, his eyes glossing over and his lips no longer gasping.