The Monster [H.S.]

Chapter 60

"We won't drive from here, it will leave too many tracks." Hardin says, opening our car door.

"Footsteps leave more." Harry snaps.

"We aren't walking."

"How else are we getting there then?" I doubt him with my eyebrows scrunched.

"We're going to roll." He smiles.

• • • • • • • •

"This is fucking ridiculous." Harry scoffs and I snigger.

We'e been, what I can only describe, as playing a game of "sausage roll" and rolling flat out for the last mile, and I can tell you that going uphill trying to roll is some task.

"It's not long to go. We'll be there in about 5 minutes." Hardin says and my insides ache at the lack of precision in his leadership, and I know Harry's will be too.

"How many yards away?" Harry's asks with a smile, confirming my thoughts.

"Yards? I don't know, maybe like, 300?" Hardin responds, taking his time as he rolls.

"Are you the leader? Of this group?" I ask, fighting a smile.

"Yes, of course." Hardin says proudly.

"Hmm." I nod, Harry and I both quietly sniggering at our passive aggressiveness.

"Why?"

"No reason. Just wondered." I reply.

We continue...rolling, and eventually make it to their grounds where we are able to walk the rest of the way to what looks like a renovated mansion, now khaki colours to blend with the trees around it in the night or day. The windows are blackened and I notice a strange lack of guards in the area.

"That was the fucking weirdest thing I've ever done." Harry says, disgusted. "How many men are in here?" He asks. I count Hardin and the 3 other men that...rolled much faster than us and are already back to their hideout.

"There are 50 of us, but only 10 know how to use a gun. We are mostly women and children." Hardin smiles. I almost want to smile back at him because he seems genuinely nice, but his ignorance to what is happening around him makes it hard to trust him.

"Why don't you train them too?" Harry asks in outrage. This is like a new world to us.

"Well they're all babies. It was initially 15 of us, all military trained. But some died and some moved on. Then one day 70 pregnant women showed up at my door with 4 men that guarded them. Just 4. I couldn't turn them away." He shakes his head as he remembers it. "More than half the women died at child birth because they were either malnourished or we didn't have the equipment to help them. About 20 babies died too." He says with sorrow, and I can't help but feel it for him.
"So this is what's left. I haven't trained the women because enough babies were left motherless and I didn't want any more." He shrugs, and Harry whispers under his breath how stupid he is and I hope he didn't hear it.

"Are there ant Terrebit here?" I ask.

"There's one. She doesn't speak much."

We walk into the large mansion and I immediately notice it's vintage style. This was definitely owned by an elderly millionaire. All the furniture is dark wood, red curtains hang from high ceilings and chandeliers made of diamond light up the room. A spiral staircase leads up from the foyer and it's open plan into each room. To my left is a kitchen, to my right a communal room, and theres definitely more rooms behind the staircase in front of me. Classic paintings sit on the wall and dead flowers lay in vases next to filled book cases. What a beautiful shame.