The Wastelands

Chapter 42

Casey sat in the backseat, sandwiched between two of Harkin's goons. The pain on his face from being hit pulsed like a sledgehammer striking his brain. He didn't let it show and continued the fight to stay awake. He gave them directions to the shop Blue pointed out when they were in town earlier. It was a long shot that she'd be there and he knew he was going to die soon regardless, but he hoped she somehow sensed his message and would be waiting.

He stared through the windows, watching as townies crowded along the sides of the road with their eyes glued to the trucks. They pointed and made unheard comments about the slaves in the cage. They were ready to enjoy whatever show those men had in store and knew it would end badly.

They drove by the candy shop and he saw Ray standing in the doorway with a smug look on his face. I should've let her kill him, he argued with himself. The chance of him being in a better situation was slim if she'd have killed the man, but at least she wouldn't have run off.

They arrived at Blue's shop at the end of the road and Harkin parked the truck. The engine went silent and tension clouded the air. Harkin pushed his door open and the rest of the militia quickly followed. Casey was yanked from his seat and tossed to the pavement by the tires. Before he pulled himself up, Harkin grabbed the back collar of his shirt and forced him to stand. He dragged him to the front end of the truck and faced the windows of the shop.

Casey saw the women through the large, glass window. One carried a baby while the other quickly locked the door. He didn't see Blue inside or anywhere around the store and assumed she was never there.

"This is the place, right boy?" Harkin questioned

"Yes." Casey answered.

"Well, those two ladies don't look like the girl with blue eyes. None of these townies look the part either. Where the hell is she?" Harkin snapped.

"I don't know."

Harkin pulled the gun from its holster and turned the safety off. He slammed Casey against the grill of the truck and pressed the barrel to his forehead. He steadied his finger on the trigger and enjoyed the sound of gasps from the townies watching from the curb.

"I'm going to ask you again, slave," Harkin seethed, "where the fuck is the girl?"

Casey held his breath and waited for the lights to go out. He had no answer for the man and knew that trigger would be pulled. It was only a matter of time before Harkin's face became etched as his last memory and he'd fade to nothing. He was at least grateful for the time he had with the strange girl, Blue. Sharing an intense kiss with her had become his favorite moment. He tried to think of her as he stared death in the face and wanted to ease the beating of his heart.

"The clock's ticking, boy." Harkin seethed.

He knew the man was counting quickly in his head, waiting for an answer that would never come. Even if Blue had been at the store, Casey would still keep his mouth shut. He'd rather die than see her in the hands of people that would only use her abilities for the wrong thing. Harkin would double the amount of torment already building in her mind and she'd completely unravel into nothing.

"You'll never get your hands on her." Casey spat.

He stared at the young man with hatred in his eyes. A grin slithered across his face and he backed away, still keeping the gun pointed at Casey's face.

"Richard!" Harkin called and a tall man limped over, "Get the others out of the cage. Line them up on the street and we'll show this town what happens when people fuck up."

"Yes sir." Richard replied, and then ran to the truck. Two others followed and quickly unloaded the other slaves from the cage. They were dragged to the street and forced to kneel in a straight line from one curb to the other. To gather the town's complete attention, Harkin raised the gun and fired five shots into the air. Women screamed and children cried in fear. Men held their families and forced them to stay put, too afraid to run for cover.

"All of you need to pay close attention to this!" Harkin shouted to the frightened onlookers. "I'm about to show you what happens when people break the law."

Harkin left Casey to stand at the front end of the truck and turned to the group kneeling in fear before him. Frank was the only one brave enough to look the man in the eye, but that didn't intimidate him.

They were all dead in Harkin's opinion. He just needed to pull the trigger.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you," his voice crept into their heads, "harboring a fugitive slave is against the law. This man, Frank Gibson, chose to break our precious laws by taking in not one, but several slaves and treating them as if they are free men. These acts are punishable only by death and each one of these pathetic excuses for human beings will meet the same fate.

"They are here to provide an example for anyone thinking about choosing this as a lifestyle." He walked to the end of the line and aimed the gun at Joshua.

"No!" Casey shouted, moving away from the truck.

He made it two steps before two sets of hands latched on to his arms and threw him back in place. The tall man, Richard, slammed a fist against his gut, then wrapped his claw around Casey's throat, pinning him against the hood of the truck.

Harkin laughed and pulled the trigger. The blast echoed and Joshua's body dropped to the ground. Blood spilled from a hole in the center of his forehead. His eyes were still open, staring at the feet of the man who destroyed his life.

He walked to the second in line. The older woman, Tess, had tears streaming down her face and she said a silent prayer. She knelt next to Frank and closed her eyes. In a flash, it was over. Her body struck the ground next to Joshua's and silent shrieks flew from the mouths of nearby townies. Women cried and held onto their husbands who were too afraid to look away for the fear of becoming the next target. Harkin spent a short moment to bask in their fear and grinned when he stepped to Frank.

"I hope you've learned your lesson with all this, Mr. Gibson." Harkin said, pressing the barrel of the gun to Frank's head. "Maybe in the next life, you'll learn to follow the rules."

Frank closed his eyes and wanted to think of his family during his last few seconds. The parents that died when he was young. They showed him so much love in the short years he had known them. He always wanted a love like theirs and regretted having never found it. If he wasn't kneeling on the ground, waiting for his life to end, he'd still have time to find the right woman to share the remainder of his days with. To start a family and watch his children grow up and live fantastic lives in a terrifying world.

Harkin pressed the cold metal of the gun to Frank's forehead. The smile on his face spread wider as the sounds of crying and whimpering filled his ears from the townies.

A gunshot blasted through the area. The echo rang around him and the familiar thud of a body crashed to the ground a few yards away.

Frank opened his eyes and caught Harkin looking over his shoulder. Richard no longer held Casey against the truck. His body lay on the ground and the deep red liquid poured from the back of his head. Casey doubled over, gasping for air.

Harkin backed away from Frank and a second blast took out a short, bald man standing two feet to his right. He kept his gun raised high and fired off three rounds blindly. His remaining men did the same, shooting wildly down the road, aiming for the invisible enemy.

****Like always, thanks for reading!!