Dead Ones

Chapter 10: The Hive

We walked for quite a long distance. We began to approach the intersection that branched off to the road that led right to our community. There was a large directional sign over the roadway. We stopped underneath it. "Why are we stopping," I asked. We were nearly home. "We never intended to get you home," the man in charge of the group said. He led the three hostages out of the vehicle. "What are you going to do to them?" I demanded. "Like I said. Make an example," he said bluntly.  Elijah came too his senses. Maria and I set him down so he could get his bearings. Aaron was still out cold. I was concerned for him. He must have hit his head pretty hard. John didn't complain about the weight though. He was locked in hard. Jaw clenched. What surprised me most was that these people let us keep our weaponry, despite them clearly not being friendly people. They must have not taken us as that much of a threat. The man in charge of the enemy group lined up the three prisoners level with and underneath the road sign above. His men brought out three long ropes. They tied slip knots around the feet of the hostages. They then tossed each of the ropes over the sign until they were level with the hostages on the ground again. "Let this be a message to you standing here, and for any of your people who decide to come this way ever again!" he shouted. He approached the hostage on the left. He drew his knife from his sheath and ripped it across the hostage's neck. The sack on their face, which was a brown color, exploded with a deep red in the front. The hostage collapsed to the ground with a gargle. One of the men pulled the rope taught, raising the limp body to dangle from the sign. The rope was tied off, leaving the body to freely hang. The man in charge walked to the hostage on the right, repeating the same ritual. He approached the one in the middle. "Should I spare this one?" he asked. None of us spoke. The man tore off the hood of the hostage. I did not know the person, but she was younger. She had fear in her eyes. She looked from her captors, to us, then upward to the hanging bodies of her former scouting mates. She cried. "Should I spare her?" he asked. "Yes, you should," Maria spoke out. The man smiled. He put the knife into his sheath. "Then she will be spared," he said. He drew his pistol from his holster and put the muzzle to the girl's forehead. "No!" Maria shouted. He fired. The girl's limp body hit the floor. Her eyes rolled upward with the impact. The hole in her forehead faintly smoked. They raised her body to hang slightly lower than the other two. The other two began to resurrect. They squirmed and wriggled, helplessly. They reached for the hostage takers below, but in vain. Maria sobbed quietly. John's expression burned on with hatred.  "Now, I do believe I haven't made my point clear enough," the man said. "I think you have," I said. "Oh no, I haven't," he said. He walked over to me. He was inches from my face. He reached up and grabbed me by my scraggly hair. When he did I drew my pistol and put it under his chin. "You've made your point clear," I said sternly. "If you value your life, you will go back to your home," I said. He smiled and released my hair. He backed away slightly. I was aware I had several guns pointed at me, but I didn't care. He slowly walked over to Maria. "I like this one," he said. "I should keep her, since we're down three hostages now, and it is kind of your fault," he added. "Touch her and I blow your head off," I said. He put his hands up in a 'backing off' gesture. "How about this one," he stood in front of Elijah. "You're big and strong. You'll make a great addition to the labor team," he sneered. John spoke out a number of obscene insults that undoubtedly hurt the ears of the Father. The man looked surprised at this. He walked over to John. "On second thought, this one's got some fight in him," he said. "Take me," I said. "Oh ho! Can't make it that easy now can we?" he asked. "No, I'm serious. Let them go home and take me," I said. "If you insist," he said. He punched John in the gut and walked over to me, making eye level with me. John dropped Aaron. When John regained his composure he racked the bolt of his shotgun and aimed it at the head of the man. I raised my hand in an outward motion, signaling him to stand down. He did, despite his outward hatred for the man. "We got a deal?" I said to the man inches from my face. "One more thing," he said. He walked over to Elijah. He took hold of his arm, grasping him by the wrist. He drew his knife from its sheath and jabbed it through the center of Elijah's palm. He grimaced in pain. The man ripped the blade out and replaced it into the sheath. He walked back over to me. "Now we're even. Drop your weapons and get in the truck," he said to me. I listened. I hopped up onto the back and was accompanied by two other armored men. The others filed into their rows of the vehicle and we took off. I dangled my legs off the back of the vehicle and watched my friends fade into the distance as we sped away, deep into enemy territory. At least they could make it home safe. As for me though, I was not sure...