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** THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER CONTAINS DESCRIPTIONS OF VIOLENCE THAT ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN. READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION. **
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Nicolae’s knees buckled at the swift boot kick from behind. Unbalanced and taken off guard, his face smacked the floor. His lips rubbed against something wet - one of the many footprints tracing through the clinic’s lobby. It tasted like mud and snow. He spat out the filth, attempting to reorient his body into a kneeling position. The simple task challenged him with his hands interlocked behind his head, but he didn’t dare move them. Although he couldn’t see the gun barrel aimed at his head, he could feel it, waiting for the right excuse.
His peripheral caught Regina’s body being shoved to the floor to his right, followed by David, the two officers, and then finally Olek. Alex kneeled to his left, being dragged into the lobby first. Round eyes revealed tears that threatened to roll down Alex’s face. Nicolae knew his thoughts. They never should have joined the scavenging crews. Romanticized dreams of adventure and glory had persuaded them. They had brushed off the warnings concerning the dangerous nature of the job, choosing the thrill over more mundane options like building, farming, cooking, or cleaning. It was a mistake, and the reality of their choice had caught up.
Nicolae was familiar with the stories. Despite never having a run-in with the Order of Stygian, he knew about their ruthless reputation. If they spotted you, you died. Plain and simple. Bloodshed soaked every tale. He gulped.
This roundup was an execution.
His emerald eyes darted around the room. Clouded sunlight cascaded through four tall windows that bordered each side of the entrance door. The Order of Stygian’s leader stood, back turned, before one of the windows. He peered out at the curtains of snow, his hands clasped behind his black fur cloak, dusted in melting white. To his right and left stood four other members donning similar attire. Upon their chests, empty eye sockets seemed to smile in Nicolae’s direction. The skulls made him shiver. Each one told a tragic tale of others who made similar mistakes.
One other member squatted in the center of the lobby, analyzing each of them in unnerving silence. Unlike the others, this one hid their face behind a mask crafted out of the skull of an unknown canine, draped by the hood of their cloak. Across his knees rested a black rifle, his right hand curled around the rear grip while his left lay on top. His demeanor was not coiled to strike like the others. Instead, he was calm, body relaxed, like today was any other day. Nicolae caught his eyes behind the mask. An abyss of apathy returned his gaze.
Rough hands interrupted Nicolae’s thoughts as they began frisking his body. He heard the plastic clip of his radio snap as it was removed, followed by the unsheathing of his hunting knife soon after. Once the pair of hands were satisfied, they moved to Regina next. Nicolae stole a glance in her direction. Her beautiful face cringed with fearful disgust as the man inspected certain proportions of her more than were needed. She seethed.
“I think you got everything.”
Nicolae felt a stab of anger as he watched the man grab a fistful of Regina’s hair and jerk her head back. Although she had tried to hold it in, she let out a cry. Hateful eyes glared at her.
“Know your place, bitch.” The man released her with a forceful shove and then walked over to David.
Nicolae’s eyes watered as he sniffed back an oncoming wave of mucus. The woman he cared about most gritted her teeth, trying to act tough, but the cracks in her composure were showing. Nicolae wished he could comfort her. Wished he could hold her and protect her, but he could only sit there in helpless silence. Some hero I am, he thought. A wave of self-pity washed over him.
It took several agonizing minutes for everyone to be searched, their radios, spare weapons, and anything else deemed useful removed. The man, who had conducted the pat-down, aimed his eyes toward the leader.
“They’re clean.”
The leader spun with a playful twist, facing Nicolae and the others. A grin spread across his face. “Man, it sure is coming down out there, isn’t it? Good thing some of you were gracious enough to donate those amazing five-ton trucks out there. Wow! I mean, those are straight-up military-grade beauties. How in the hell did you manage to get your hands on some of those?” The leader peeked at the pile of pillaged gear and gave out a chuckle. “It really is a good day. I mean, look at all this stuff. We’ve got guns. We’ve got police gear. Hell, I don’t even remember the last time we had access to radios. We’ve been stuck in the stone ages with communication. Had to come up with some pretty crafty ways to get around that. Liam must have had some lucky days.”
Nicolae’s pulse quickened at the mention of Liam. How did he know? His group must have had a similar reaction because the man speaking to them smiled even wider.
“Didn’t think I had noticed, did you? Sorry to disappoint. You see, I recognized that sad sack of bones bleeding out on the bed back there. If I recall correctly, I believe his name’s Levon. That’s right. Me and Mister soon to be in a grave back there have had some past… exchanges, so to speak. Not pleasant ones, I might add. Have to say, I would have loved to see his expression right about now. However, I’ll be honest. I don’t have the first clue who the rest of you lot are. I do have some guesses, though. Based on some rather revealing tells, I’m willing to bet that our two decorated officers here might be the only ones to have come with the town. Am I close?”
No one answered.
“Judging by your faces, I’m gonna assume I hit that nail right on the head.” His throat vibrated with another chuckle. “Well, how ‘bout we get the pleasantries out of the way, shall we? Let’s all pretend we’re civilized and introduce ourselves. I’ll start the charade for you. My name is Varrick Remington. If it wasn’t clear before now, I’m the one in charge. Now, it’s your turn.” Varrick made slow steps toward Alex. “We’ll start on this end. What’s your name, young man?”
Nicolae looked at Alex, who kept his gaze on the floor. His body shuddered, his cheeks streaked with tears. He tried to speak through quivering lips, but nothing came out. Nicolae noticed Varrick’s smile start to diminish. Everyone jumped to Varrick’s roar.
“Name!”
“A-Alex Lankford, s-sir.”
Varrick smiled once more. “Sir. I like that. You might be a blubbering coward, but I gotta give it to ‘ya. You know respect. Thank you. You may have just found the way to my heart.” He stepped in front of Nicolae. “Dreadlocks boy. Your turn.”
Nicolae’s mind flashed a million thoughts. The idea of playing along repulsed him, but what other choice did he have? How should he respond? Should he show defiance or take a page out of Alex’s playbook? He heard Varrick pull something out from underneath his cloak. He shrieked as the boom from Varrick’s handgun rattled his bones, sprinkling his head and curling back with ceiling debris.
“We’re going to speed things up now,” Varrick said. “From this point on, I’m only going to ask your name once.” He pointed his gun at Nicolae’s head. “After that, you can tell whatever deity you serve why you came home sooner than planned. Capiche? Now, let’s try this one last time. Name?”
Nicolae’s voice came out in a squealing sob. “Nicolae Danzer, sir!” He lowered his head, attempting to veil his lack of stoicism.
“There we go. Just needed some incentive, is all.”
Nicolae looked up when he heard Varrick moving to Regina. His heart raced as he saw the gun now trained on her.
Varrick let out a long whistle. “Damn, you’re a pretty thing, now aren’t you? Name?”
Regina met Varrick’s gaze, her eyes burning. “Regina.” The name left her lips with a bite.
“You know, I always thought people exaggerated when telling me how feisty redheads could be. Guess there’s some truth in stereotypes, huh? How ‘bout we get that last name now? Pretty please?”
Regina growled. “Valhart.”
“What, no sir with that?”
“I gave you my name.”
Varrick breathed a disappointed sigh. “Fair enough.” His mud-caked boots thudded to David. “Name?”
David spat on the floor before he answered. “David Carter.”
Varrick eyed the spittle on the floor before stealing a sideways glance at Nicolae and Alex. “I guess we’re past the crybabies now.”
The revealing words stabbed at Nicolae. He wanted to be brave, but his gutlessness was on full display. Even now, he could feel the snot drooling from his nostrils and choking his throat. He broke eye contact with Varrick and turned to the floor before him. He heard Varrick step to the next person in line.
“Name?”
“Ericson Williams.” The voice of the officer was taut with stress.
“Then I guess Mister worse for wear here must be the honorable Officer Nathan Miller? It's so good to finally meet you face-to-face. I want to personally extend my gratitude for your exceptional service. Without you, my men couldn't have surrounded your group in time. Who knows what could have happened if not for that? I might have been down a man or two. Truly just… thank you.” Varrick didn’t give the injured officer a chance to retort. He moved on to the last person in line.
“Damn, you’re old. Like, seriously. You look like you’re maybe a couple of hiccups away from a cardiac arrest. Yet somehow, I can’t help thinking that you might just be the most dangerous one here. I’ve seen eyes like those before. Your partners might be as green as it comes, but you… Oh yes. You’ve definitely killed a man before, haven’t you?”
No response was given.
“Name?”
“Oleksandr Kovalski.” Olek’s voice dripped with a deep, thick accent.
“Wow. Now that is a name. What are you? Russian?”
Nicolae raised his head. He could hear a rumble building in Olek’s throat, who looked ready to tackle Varrick in a chokehold. His response snapped with a low, sharp snarl. “Ukrainian.”
“Whoa there. I didn’t realize you were so sensitive. I meant no disrespect, my good sir. Honest to god. Although… if I’m being completely honest, I could never really tell the difference. I mean, you all look and sound the same to me.” With a mocking cackle, Varrick turned for the center of the lobby, situating himself beside the masked man. He swept the group with his eyes as he holstered his gun.
“Alright, we all know each other now. Time to get down to business. Some of you might be wondering… why even bother with names. I mean, what purpose could that even serve? Well, the answer is quite simple. As a certain number of you may be aware… you’re all still breathing air. What the hell is up with that, am I right? Well, I’ve got good news. See, the Order of Stygian is officially accepting applications. I know, I know. I’ve lost my shit, but you see, I have a dilemma. We’ve hit gold. I’m referring to this town, of course. This place is just brimming with life-saving resources. Resources that my people desperately need to survive, but there’s a problem. We’re a little short on… slave labor. That’s where you come in. Just like how this town is now the property of our mighty colony, you are now our property. Now, normally I would rather just put a bullet into each of you. It saves a lot of headaches, but unfortunately, I’ve got to be realistic. This town isn’t gonna move itself, and we can’t just take up residence here. The otherworldly activity in this place is just too hot for that. Wouldn’t want to wake up with a tree growing out of our ass, now would we? So, with that being said, in exchange for your continued existence, you will be responsible for excavating this place of its goods for my people. If you ask me, that’s one hell of a bargain, don’t you think?
“Oh, and there’s more. Bonuses will be awarded to any referrals you can provide. Our operation is ever-expanding, and I’m sure at least two of you could offer up some willing volunteers.” Varrick swiveled his head in the direction of the two officers. “In other words, I’d like to know the whereabouts of those who came into this world with you. It strikes me as odd that we didn’t come across a single soul until now. Now, not to sound like a conspiracy nut - although I do enjoy partaking in the occasional conspiracy - it makes me wonder. Could the reason we’ve failed to run into any other civilians be that they have all congregated in one spot? I don’t know, but maybe one of you fine officers could shed some light on this rather perplexing mystery.”
Nicolae could hear gusts of wind pounding against the building outside. The silent tension had become thick enough to chew. Neither officer offered up any information. They stayed quiet, remaining still, but Nicolae knew the wheels in their heads were spinning at full throttle. The demand was a moral quandary ripe with risks, but Nicolae felt a pang of selfish fear. What if their silence meant his death? His guilt tussled with his survival instinct. Why was he so weak? At the same time, he had no ties to these people. Why should his friends, who were practically family at this point, have their lives put on the line for strangers?
Varrick broke the silence. “It’s alright. You just need some… persuasion, right?” The way he said it made Nicolae’s spine crawl. “I get it. Really, I do. How about this? We’ll put a pin in it and circle back later. In the meantime, let’s talk about… job requirements.”
Varrick beckoned one of his men, who leaned against the far left wall. Without a word, the man walked over, presenting Varrick with the splitting axe he possessed. With meticulous interest, Varrick took the axe, rolling it in his hands as he inspected it from stem to stern. He then proceeded to run it through a few practice chops. Once satisfied, he slid his right hand up the handle to just below the head of the axe, twisting it in a fidgeting manner as he continued to speak.
“The good news is, you don’t need to be college-educated or even have any prior work experience. I like to keep job entry simple and easy. However, what kind of employer would I be if I didn’t have at least some sort of criteria to meet? So, let’s begin with requirement number one.”
Varrick began to pace back and forth from one side of the line to the other, ensuring that everyone could see the axe. “A quick disclaimer. Although you may feel otherwise, I don’t bother myself with pointless racism. Let’s be real. Wherever you came from before you landed here doesn’t make an iota of difference anymore. The moment your body materialized in this world, your ties to your homeland were severed. And, to our newcomers, let me make something abundantly clear. There is no going back. However, despite all that, in order for this organization to run smoothly, there is one commonality that you all must share, regardless of where you’ve come from. That commonality is English.”
Varrick stopped in front of Olek, punctuating his last word. He pivoted around to face Olek head-on, the corners of his lips upturning. “Mister Kovalski. Do you understand this job requirement?”
An uncontrollable tremor began to seize Nicolae’s body. “No… no, no, no…”
“You do understand English… right, Mister Kovalski?”
Nicolae saw the first signs of distress advertise itself across Olek’s face. In the time Nicolae had known Olek, he had never once seen the old Ukrainian show any signs of weakness or fear. Olek had, of course, picked up several words and phrases from exposure, but to what extent Nicolae was unsure. The man seldom talked unless necessary.
“Yes,” Olek finally responded.
“You do?” Varrick asked. “That’s good. That’s real good. You see, I wasn’t sure. Maybe I’m just overthinking it, but I was beginning to wonder if perhaps you were only good at picking up on context. You wouldn’t mind if I tested you real quick, would you?”
Olek didn’t say a word.
“Let’s do a hypothetical. I love hypotheticals. Say that there was a person in your shoes - let’s call them Sammy. Now, you see, Sammy didn’t know how to speak English despite me very clearly stating that English was a requirement for applying. What should I, as an employer of an English-speaking community, do to Sammy?”
Nicolae’s thoughts screamed. “Answer, Olek. Please, for the love of god, answer!”
“You don’t know? I thought the answer was easy.” Varrick raised the axe above Olek’s head. “You reject their application.”
Regina screamed as the axe came down. Olek’s head split in two. Nicolae’s veins froze, bile building in his throat as the nausea in his stomach swelled. Alex was crying next to him, and David’s face paled.
“Damn! That’s disgusting.” Varrick let out a sickening laugh as he pressed a foot against Olek’s chest and ripped the axe out. Olek’s body fell limp to the floor, a pool forming from the crevice in his skull. Varrick held out the axe so that everyone could see the stains of red on the blade. His eyes were wild, a crazed expression ripping across his face. “Oh… I’m not done yet.”
Varrick approached Nathan and dragged him by his hair into the center of the lobby for all to see. He threw him to the floor, pinning his back with a foot. “Job requirement number two. All applicants must be physically fit to perform their duties. We have no need for the weak or injured.”
Ericson shouted. “Stop! We’ll do whatever you want! Please, he has children here. They need their father. Please, don’t do this.”
“That’s a touching story. Too bad you didn’t have one for the old man. I’ll tell ‘ya what. Let’s circle back to my earlier request. Give me the location of your people, and I’ll consider your proposal.”
“We don’t know. We don’t know! Everyone’s scattered, t-that’s the truth. They could be anywhere! Please… you don’t have to do this.”
“You’re telling me that an entire population of people just unanimously decided to go run off into the unknown, abandoning the only familiar environment they have? Your logic doesn’t match up Officer Williams. No one’s around, but they have to be somewhere. Tell me where they are!”
“He’s telling you the truth,” Nathan said. His face scrunched with pain. “All hell broke loose when… when whatever this all is happened.”
“Interesting. Well, I suppose when you put it like that, I could be persuaded to see that possibility. However…” Varrick lifted the axe. “It does remove your leverage.”
Ericson cried out with a stutter. “N-No… don’t!”
A loud crackle emanated from the radios looted from Nicolae's group. “Levon, this is Collins. Come in.” A hush encapsulated the lobby as all eyes shifted to the radios.
“Well, hot damn,” Varrick said. He lowered his axe and began walking to the radios. Nathan’s body remained tense, still bracing from the threat of execution.
The smallest sliver of hope scratched at Nicolae’s thoughts. Liam was here. No doubt he would have brought his whole crew. There was still a chance for a rescue. “Please, be close,” Nicolae prayed in silence.
The radios broadcasted once more. “Levon, come in. This is Liam Collins. I need you or someone in your group to report in.”
Varrick grabbed hold of one of the radios and brought it to his mouth. He pressed the talk button, his mouth open and ready to speak, but then he stopped. He held the button pressed for a couple of seconds, and then let it go. His eyes seemed to be calculating something.
Again the radios spoke. “Levon, please respond. We’re entering Zone Seventy-Seven. If you’re hearing this, I need you to confirm.”
With an amused grin, Varrick pressed the talk button - this time twice - and kept silent.
“Sir?” one of Varrick’s men asked.
“What, you’ve never heard of playing mind games before? Think about it. They don’t know where we are, or for that matter, that we’re even here. All I did was plant the teeniest bit of doubt. I know Liam well enough at this point to know he’ll be suspicious. Just enough to slow his roll. Unfortunately, this means playtime’s over. Load the prisoners into one of the trucks, and take them somewhere that you can fortify. Bring along five others with you. The rest of us are going to set up a nice little ambush for our friends. If any of the prisoners give you a problem… well, they’re expendable. Do what you will.”
Varrick faced Nicolae and the rest of the captives. “Would you look at that. Your saviors are coming to save you.” He crouched to eye level. “Let me inject you with some reality. You are not safe. You are not okay. I own you now.” He stood up and turned his back, taking a couple of steps before stopping once more. He raised a hand and wagged his finger.
“Oh… and one last thing. I didn’t forget.” Varrick spun, arms raised. A flash of steel arched downwards, splitting into the floor with a vibrating clang.
Nicolae felt dizzy, his throat wheezing in gasps. The flame of hope in him suffocated as he heard Ericson screaming and bawling in anguish. Varrick reached down and held up an object from the floor. In his hand, Nathan gazed at them with empty eyes.
“In this story,” Varrick said, “I guess the cavalry was too late.”
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