Impetus (21 page)

“
Stay here,” Mick said to the rest of the group.

The flight of stairs
consisted of simple wooden planks, rickety but preserved. He crept down, ducking his head beneath the floor that quickly became the ceiling. The crayon candle, or crandle, as Mick had started mentally calling it, provided just enough light to find his way through the basement. He moved slowly across the dirt floor, careful of his steps and his head. The perimeter of the room was flanked by wooden shelving units, rotting and moldy in spots, covered in long-abandoned cobwebs in others.

“
What do you see?” Greg asked.

And that was the thing. There was nothing down there. No food, no water, nothing at all.
Simple emptiness punched him in the gut.

“
Still looking,” he shouted back. He was not about to spread the bad news without first being absolutely sure about it.

But
why would Solomon tell him there was food and water there if there wasn’t? Was Mick so wrong about him?

Then a
bone-chilling scream sounded. It was Kathryn.

Mick
dropped the crandle in his haste for the stairs. He did not remember climbing them. He only knew that when he emerged from beneath the house, he found they were no longer alone.

CHAPTER
29
 

“Drop your gun,” Clyde said. He held a knife to Kathryn’s throat. She was on her knees and crying. “And be quick about it.”

Mick
immediately complied. He did not want to, obviously, as now he, too, was at this cretin’s mercy. There was little choice in the matter. He was not about to play with his daughter’s life. But he knew full well that dropping the gun did not prevent that.

“
Daddy,” Kathryn said through tears.

Mick
held up his hand. “It’s going to be all right, honey.” He then looked at Clyde. He wanted nothing more than to spring across the floor and rip the little rat’s head off with his bare hands. He wondered why Greg would let this happen. How did this one small man get past him? But then he looked over Kathryn’s shoulder and noticed Greg sitting down in the hallway; his hands appeared bound. The rest of the group was gathered with him, corralled by many more men, some with rifles such as his own.

“
I did as you asked,” Mick said. “Now let her go.”

“
That’s not up to me,” Clyde said with an evil grin.

“
Well, well, Mick. We meet again,” King said, emerging from the kitchen’s darkness. “I believe the last time you visited this house, I told you not to come back here.” King seemed to ponder his own thoughts. He turned to Clyde. “I did say that?”

Clyde nodded.
“Sure did.”

“
And then they so rudely kicked us off their hill the other day,” King said. “Very inhospitable.”

“
We had no choice but to come back.” Despite the situation, Mick had enough presence of mind to keep the facts to himself. There was no need to empower this lunatic with anything more than he already had.

“
No choice?” King said. “Was someone holding a knife to your throat?” He laughed, looking over at Clyde.

Mick
looked down at his daughter. Her innocence was being tainted each second she was forced to endure this. Her lips quivered. Her cheeks were wet with tears. Mick mouthed, “I love you” while King and his men were caught up in their own laughter. But there was nothing that Mick could do. He was at their mercy as much as that burned him from within.

“
It just breaks my heart,” King said, “that you have to go through this. But are you certain you didn’t come here to take my food?”

Mick
couldn’t help his eyes from widening. He tried to hide the surprise, but it was impossible.

“
Ah,” King said. “Now the truth comes out. So not only are you rude to guests but you are also a thief. Not very becoming, Mick.”

Mick
looked to the dark hole he had just climbed out of. He then looked back at the Rubble King.

“
I’m sure you are wondering where all the food went?” King asked. He moved closer to Mick so they were almost nose to nose. He tilted his head to the side a bit and sniffed. “Is that fear I smell?”

“
Listen—”

King wound up and clocked Mick
on the crown of his head with the butt of his pistol.

“
Silence!” he screamed. “How dare you tell me to listen? You are the one who will listen.” He grabbed Mick by the shirt and kneed him in the ribs. A hot pain shot the length of his spine as Mick fell to his knees. It quickly became more difficult to breathe.

“
Dad,” Nate yelled from the hallway.

Mick
held up his hand while still looking at the floor. He did not want him to see the pain he was in.

“
I’m fine, Nate.”

King turned to get a look at Nate.
“Ah,” he said. “You also have a son.”

Mick looked up. Pain in his eyes.
“Stay away from my kids.”

“
Or what?” King laughed. “I don’t think you are in a position to make threats, my friend.”

King backed away
from Mick. He brought his face in close to Kathryn. His lips and her cheek had only a hairbreadth between them. “Isn’t this a nice little family you have here. Maybe my son here”—he looked to Clyde—“and your daughter will hit it off.” King laughed. “Then we would be family, Mick. Wouldn’t that be great?” He moved away from Kathryn and back to Mick. “But where’s Mommy?”

Mick sneered. The anger almost pushed him off his knees.

“Oh,” King said, seeing he had pushed the correct button. “She didn’t make it. What a pity.”

“
Shut up,” Mick said.

“
What a shame. These poor children growing up with only you to guide them. They must be lacking in some areas, huh?”

“
Leave my family out of this,” Mick said.

“
But I did not bring your family into this,” King said. “That was your doing. You are the one who put them all in danger by bringing them here. I am simply protecting my property. In the eyes of the law you are at fault.”

“
What law?”

“
My law, Mick. The only law that matters.”

“
Boston ain’t yours, man,” Greg shouted from the hall. No sooner had he finished than one of King’s men rammed the butt of his rifle against his temple, knocking him out cold.

King
said, “What your sleeping friend there fails to realize is that Boston
is
mine.” He stole a quick glance at Kathryn. “Everything will eventually be mine. And there is nothing you can do to stop that, Mick. Not a single thing.”

“
We’ll leave,” Mick said.

“
I’m afraid that is no longer your choice.”

“
We took nothing,” Sandeep said from the hallway. “Please. Just let us go.”

“
That’s only because there was nothing to take,” King replied without taking his eyes off Mick. He bent down on one knee so he and Mick were face-to-face. “Are you wondering where the food went? Hmm?” he said. “Well, I’ll tell you. You see, Solomon was kind enough to fill me in about his little stash of food he had been hiding from me.” He shook his head. “It took a little”—he paused—“convincing. But he eventually gave in.”

“
What did you do to him?” Mick had originally feared that he had been double-crossed, but it seemed Solomon had met with King’s evilness, too.

“
You can relax. For what it’s worth, he’ll be fine in a few weeks. Nothing time can’t heal.” He smiled crookedly.

“
Please,” Mick said. “Let my daughter go.”

King
arched his eyebrows and looked back. “I don’t think you are in a position to make requests, Mick. And I have grown tired of this conversation.” He turned back calmly and smiled, before winding up and hitting Mick in the head again with the butt of his pistol. This time the blackness of unconsciousness enveloped him.

CHAPTER
30
 

A warm sensation brought Mick back from the darkness, like a morning shower splashing on his face. But the rankness of the water forced his thoughts into the now.

“
Wakey, wakey,” Clyde said.

Mick
cracked his eyelids. The world was blurry and gray. He was lying on the floor on his back and staring at the ceiling. His hands were bound behind him. He looked up to see the same man who had held a knife to his daughter’s throat now urinating on his face.

He rolled to his side and spit
to rid his mouth of the animal’s dark urine. Clyde continued to empty his bladder on Mick’s face, squealing in delight as he did.

When Mick turned, Clyde arced his
stream of urine to compensate.

“
It looked like you could use a cleaning off,” Clyde said.

Mick
spit what he could out of his mouth. The rancidness of what had just happened began to seep into his skin much like the piss that dribbled down his face. What the hell was going on? What had he gotten them all into?

“
Where are my kids?” Mick asked. He spit again. The dark-yellow urine, a sure sign that Clyde was dehydrated along with the rest of them, seemed to dry on his skin in an instant. It was all Mick could smell. He gagged.

“
Your kids are dead.” Clyde laughed.

Mick flailed in place. Red
-hot rage shot to the surface. “I’ll kill you,” he said. “I’ll kill you!”

“
Oh, relax,” Clyde said. “Can’t anyone take a joke anymore?”

“
What?” Mick said. He could barely catch his breath he was so livid. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“
Your kids are fine,” Clyde said. “For now.”

What kind of twisted idiot would say something like that?
Mick tried to calm his mind down. “Where are they?”

Clyde swung his leg back and kicked Mick in the side. A shooting pain traveled Mick
’s right side. “You don’t get to ask questions.”

Mick clench
ed his jaw and stared at Clyde.

“
Now, Clyde,” King said as he entered through the open cell door. “Is that any way to treat our guest?”

Clyde snickered.
“I suppose not.”

King
shooed him away. Clyde scampered out of the room like the good little dog he was. King walked casually over to Mick and sat down next to him on the floor, careful of the wet spot of piss next to him.

“
I wish it didn’t have to be like this, Mick.”

“
It doesn’t.”

“
Unfortunately for you, Mick, it does. You see, I gave you your chance back at your place. I came to unite our groups.” King sniffed the air in front of Mick. “You smell awful. You really should consider taking better care of yourself.”

“
Screw you,” Mick said.

“
Aren’t you the brave one?” King smiled. He cocked his head as if admiring Mick. “But you should watch your tongue with me. I don’t play as well as some of the others.”

“
Where are my children?”

“
They are here. And I give you my word that they are unharmed. However, my generosity has its limits.”

To hear the words from Clyde meant nothing. Mick thought he was a few cards short of a full deck to begin with. But this King guy, as arrogant as he was, seemed less insane
.

“
What do you want?” Mick said. He spit again to clear the last of the piss from his mouth.

“
I want all your supplies, Mick.”

Mick laughed out of pity for everyone involved.
“We don’t have any. Why do you think we were at the yellow house? People don’t care to sightsee much anymore.”

“
Come now, Mick. You must know that lies will get you nowhere.”

“
I’m not lying. The storm took almost everything from us. And then you took the rest.”

King
stared at Mick for a moment. He eyed him carefully, studying his face. “You’re telling the truth. Aren’t you?”

“
Why the hell would I lie?”

“
Well,” King said, pushing himself back to his feet. “It appears we are in a strange predicament. I will have to give this some thought.” He turned around and began to walk toward the cell door.

“
Let me see my kids,” Mick shouted. Whatever secured his hands seemed impossible to break out of. Some kind of wire.

King
stopped but did not turn around. “No,” he said before vanishing into the darkness.

Mick squirmed. He tried to free his hands. They did not budge in any way.
Suddenly Solomon appeared from the other side of the hall, opposite of where King had gone. He entered the cell, carefully looking around. He had a new black eye since the last time Mick had seen him. But Mick was happy to see him. He was alive and well.

“
Solomon,” he said.

Solomon hushed him with his index finger
to his lips. “I c-can’t f-f-free you. He w-will know.”

Mick understood.
“Have you seen my children?”

Solomon
shook his head. “N-not yet. I know w-w-where th-they are.”

“
Are they all right? The rest of my group, are they safe?”

Mick clearly heard footsteps coming his way. Solomon apparently had
, too. He bolted from the cell and back into the hallway without saying another word.