Callum and La Roux sat back and watched as the women ate. It had taken almost twenty minutes to move the group out of the cave, and then another hour and a half to prepare and cook all the meat. Time that both Rangers knew they could ill afford, but time they both knew they had no choice but to spare.
All the women looked as if they had not eaten in days, and all tore into the meat like halved starved animals. In spite of both La Roux’s and Callum’s hunger, they just could not find it within themselves to take any of the food. Depriving even one of them of just a mouthful would feel like they had assaulted the women themselves. Besides, all Rangers were well used to coping with discomforts like hunger. A few days without food was nothing to what either Callum or La Roux could endure.
Callum’s gaze turned to the eight pregnant women sat at the center of the group. The others fussed around them and made sure they got more than their fair share of the food. He could tell the ragtag group was held together by both love and loyalty, which was something he understood well. While love had deserted him at a very young age, loyalty was still one of the biggest driving factors in his life. He would rather die than let down La Roux or any other of his Ranger kin. He saw the same determination in the eyes of the women now doting over their pregnant companions. It was true that they all looked scared, but through the fear he could still see strength.
These women had gone through more trials of torture than anyone he had ever encountered before, and yet they still managed to show each other compassion. How could they do that? How could such damaged individuals still remain so human, so loving? The part of him that could show compassion still worked, but only barely. The only reason he did the things he did was out of a deep seated sense of right and wrong. Rarely did he ever feel pity or compassion for those he saved or punished.
He did what he did because it was his job, and it had to be done. Yet, on watching how these poor beaten souls treated each other, he could finally sense what compassion was. It was putting others before one’s self, which was something he had done for many years. Had he shown compassion without knowing it? Maybe, but what mattered now was making sure these poor unfortunates did not die a hideous death, and that meant stopping the Hunters that would soon be heading their way.
Callum winced as the pounding in his wrist grew momentarily intense, but his strong will soon pulled the pain back into line. A new burning sensation had joined the throb, and he knew all too well what this meant. His sudden discomfort reminded him of how unlikely it was that he would survive the next few hours.
Rangers’ lives were dangerous ones, even when they were at the peak of their physical fitness. Even the slightest injury normally resulted in death, either through infection or the inability to fight. His injury took things to a whole new level. He was missing a hand, which meant reloading his weapons quickly was out of the question. Also, hand-to-hand combat had just increased in difficulty by an immeasurable amount. On top of all this, the burning in his wrist told him the start of an infection was rearing its head. No, he felt sure that he would soon be dead, but this knowledge would not turn him from his duty.
He sighed and forced all his concerns out of his head. Whatever would be, would be and no amount of worrying would change things one iota. He would simply do what he always did, and fight until one of two things happened. Either he would survive, or he would die. As long as he kept fighting until the very end, either would be fine by him.
“Hey.”
Callum turned to see La Roux looking at him.
“I think we should check our gear and talk about how the heck we’re going to stop those things that are heading our way,” La Roux said as he got to his feet with a groan. “I’ll get all the stuff from the cave and then I’ll meet ya over at the edge of the clearing. I think we should keep this talk to ourselves. After all, there’s no need for the women to hear us talking about the Hunters, it’ll only upset ‘em.”
Callum watched as La Roux headed back to the cave and then forced his massive frame through its tiny opening. He looked back at the women and saw Izzy staring back at him. He got the feeling that she wanted in on their plans, and as far as he was concerned, she would be more than welcome to join them. He felt she was more than capable of looking after herself, but he thought La Roux would be harder to convince. La Roux saw all the women as his wards, and as such, Callum knew the big Cajun would want them all kept well out of harm’s way.
Callum gestured for her to come over, which she duly did.
“What’s Pierre doing?”
Callum smiled. La Roux hated people using his first name, but for some reason he allowed Izzy to use it. Did the big lug sport somewhat of a flame for Izzy?
“He’s getting our gear. We’re heading out soon, and I get the feeling ya want in on what we’re going to do.”
Izzy placed her hands on her hips and nodded vehemently. “Damn right I do! Ya ain’t in no shape to fight, so ya need all the help ya can get.”
“Calm down,” Callum replied placatingly. “It ain’t me we need to convince. Can ya shoot?”
“Course I can.”
“Well, that’s something in our favor. I think ya should come with us, but I can’t guarantee your safety.”
Izzy laughed. “I ain’t been safe since I came of age. I want the chance to help end all this, and I’ll do what it takes to make it happen.”
“Good enough for me. Now help me up.”
Callum offered her his hand and she pulled him to his feet.
“Izzy, what are you doing here?”
Callum turned and saw La Roux heading his way with a backpack in either hand. The Cajun looked both confused and angry. Callum went to speak in her defense, but Izzy beat him to the punch.
“I’m here for the same reason you and Callum are. I want to stop the Hunters from reaching my kin, but more importantly, I want to bring down my Pa.”
“Fighting undead ain’t no place for a woman!”
Callum took a step back as Izzy’s face turned red with anger and indignation. For the first time in a long time, Callum felt sure his friend was about to lose a fight.
“Really, a woman can’t fight every bit as good as a man! Is that what ya think! Cos if it is, you and me are about to butt heads!”
La Roux dropped the packs and held up his hands in a sign of surrender. “Now that ain’t what I meant and ya know it.”
“It sounded like that to me,” Callum interjected as he took another step back.
La Roux shot his friend an annoyed glare, then looked back to Izzy. “What I meant was ya are in almost as bad a shape as that idiot over there. Yer not up to it.”
“Isn’t that my decision to make? Besides, I’m going to stick close to Callum….”
“You are … why?” Callum asked as he stepped closer again.
“Yer missing a hand ya great lummox, and your injury has hardly had but a moment to heal. You need me cos without me ya won’t be able to reload your weapons. I can do two things to help. I can reload your guns and I can watch your back.”
“That does make sense,” La Roux said as his hand went to his shaggy beard. “Can ya shoot?”
Izzy’s tempered had abated some, but La Roux’s question inflamed it again. “What is it with you two! Of course I can goddamn shoot!”
“La Roux raised his hands again. “Alright, alright … I was only asking.”
“Well the two of ya need to stop asking stupid questions, and start asking smart ones instead: like how are we going to stop the Hunters. There’s only a few hours left ‘til Pa releases ‘em.”
“Again, she has a point,” Callum said as he moved to La Roux’s side and crouched to examine his gear. “We need to think about how we’re going to head those things off.”
“Well, they’ll only be fifteen Hunters, so if we position ourselves well, we should be able to cut ‘em down in a hail of crossfire,” La Roux said as he too bent to check his gear. “Once they catch their prey’s scent, Lingerers always move in a straight line, so their approach will be easy to predict. I say we find a spot on the most direct route, and just wait for ‘em to come to us.”
“I agree, but we’ll need to make the ambush point a fair distance from here.”
“Why?” Izzy asked as she listened to the Rangers’ exchange. “Why not just set up the ambush here?”
Callum stood and said, “If any of the Hunters break through our line, then we’ll need time to run ‘em down. If they’re too close to here, then all the fighting will be too near the people we’re trying to protect.”
La Roux stood too and added his agreement. “Also, your pa and his men won’t be far behind. Hopefully they still don’t know about this cave, so if all else fails, we can try and steer ‘em away from here.”
Izzy nodded thoughtfully. “Well, there’s a small hollow about three miles from here. It’s directly in the path of the Hunters, so it could be a good place to setup your ambush.”
“Sounds good. Go tell the others that once they’re done eating, they have to move back inside the cave. Tell ‘em to block the entrance with rocks and whatever else they can find. No one but us is allowed in.” He bent and picked up his rifle, he then threw it to her. “Give ‘em this, and tell them to blow the head off any one else but us. There’s more ammo in my pack, take that too.”
Izzy bent and pulled two boxes of cartridges from Callum’s pack.
“Wait, give ‘em this as well.” Callum awkwardly pulled the six-shooter holstered on his left side. “No point me having it, not seeing I only have one good shooting hand.”
“No, you keep that,” La Roux said as he pulled his pump-action from his back. “Izzy can be reloading one gun while you use the other. Give ‘em this instead.”
“What does that leave me?” she asked as she took the gun from La Roux.
“I still have my rifle,” La Roux said as he eyed the pump-action longingly. “You can have that. I’ll make do with my sidearms. Now, let’s get all this sorted so we can move out.”
Izzy ran back to her kin with the guns and ammo. Callum waited until she was out of ear shot before he spoke again.
“You know the Hunters will be the least of our worries.”
“I know,” La Roux said thoughtfully.
“We’re going to have a whole mess of angry and well-armed men bearing down on us mere minutes after we deal with the undead. Lingerers are predictable, people ain’t. I don’t think we’ll be able to stop thirty or forty ornery mountain men.”
“Nor do I,” La Roux said with a sigh. “But we can give ‘em a hell of a fight.”
“As we head down the mountain, I think we should get Izzy to describe her pa to us in detail. I know Tilly described him to us, but it can’t hurt for Izzy to refresh our recollection,” Callum said as he tried to holster his pistol. However, without his left hand, he found it difficult pulling his heavy leather coat out of the way of his belt. “If we kill him, then maybe the others will just turn tail and run.”
“Good idea,” La Roux said as he stepped closer to Callum and helped his friend to holster his weapon. “Callum, I just want you to know it’s been an honor serving with ya.”
Callum stared up at the Cajun’s large face and he saw a man who thought he was going to die. “The honor has been mine, but let’s not talk like we’re already dead. We’ve got out of tight spots before, this may be just another one.”
La Roux nodded and then looked toward the women. “I hate the thought of those ladies returning to that camp, so I’m going to do all I can to stop that happening.”
“Good to hear. Now sling that pack on my back, and tell Izzy it’s time to go.”
La Roux lifted the heavy pack from the ground, and then helped as Callum threaded his arms through its straps. The Cajun then shouldered his own, and headed toward Izzy and her kin. Callum watched as his friend whispered in Izzy’s ear, and he suddenly felt at peace. If today would be the day he died, then at least he would have good people at his side.
Jacob drank deeply from the whiskey bottle, and then passed it to the man beside him. One by one, each of the thirty men gathered there took a mouthful of the liquor, and then pressed their foreheads to Jacob’s outstretched hand. As soon as the last of the men had paid homage to him, Jacob turned and climbed the ladder to the roof of the Hunters pens.
As if sensing they were about to taste blood, the Hunters began to howl and bay. Several threw themselves at their gates, but the sturdy construction of the pens made their escape impossible. The only way the Hunters would taste both blood and freedom, was at Jacob’s bidding. Once Jacob had ascended the ladder, he turned and looked out at the mountainous terrain surrounding the pens.
The Appalachian Mountains were a hard place to live, but they offered him something more precious than ease of living. They offered him the isolation he needed to carry out God’s work. It was true, that from time to time outsiders caused him minor problems, but the isolated nature of the mountains meant he could always take care of things without fear of retribution from the rest of society.
Society. What did that word really mean? To Jacob it meant heathenness excess and interference from the godless. It meant not being able to accept God’s judgment of man. God had made it abundantly clear that the End of Days was nigh, but society did not want to accept God’s will. Instead, they took the tools—which God had placed on Earth to bring about the End of Days—and shipped them off to a country no better than hell itself.
The Lingerers were the hand of God, and society had slapped that hand away. Only he, Jacob Maxwell, seemed to know the truth of God’s bidding, and he embraced the undead for what they were. God had turned every newly dead corpse on Earth into angels of death, and as angels, Jacob saw their exquisite beauty. He did not see their rotting flesh or protruding bones, he only saw the miracle of God’s infinite wisdom.
As a sense of serenity washed over him, Jacob beckoned for his loyal brethren to join him on the roof. When the last of the men reached him, the ladder was pulled up, thus stopping the Hunters from reaching them. Jacob nodded his approval and then turned his mind to what was to come. First, he would give his sermon, then the hunt would begin.
“Men, whether through blood, or through loyalty of heart, yer all my kin and I love ya as God loves us all.”
A murmuring of appreciation passed through the group, then they hushed again. Even the Hunters below had fallen silent.
“Today, we do God’s work, for he has asked us to administer his justice. Let us not blame just our women for the evils of the past day, for they are but Satan’s toys. No, there are others who must carry the burden of their sin. Others who have defiled and murdered. Others who have evil in their hearts and in their very souls. OTHERS who seek to undermine God’s will.
OTHERS
who wish nothing more than to have a living hell right here on God’s green Earth!”
The men surrounding Jacob began to nod, and shout their Amens. But Jacob held up his hands and the group quickly settled.
“Now as ya know, I am a loving and caring man, but today we must put love to one side. Today we must be like hammers on stone. I know the men who took our women are being guided by Satan’s hand. I know they do not realize their immortal souls will forever burn in the fiery pits of hell. The time for forgiveness and conversion has passed for ‘em. They are beyond redemption. First, our Hunters will pass judgment on our God forsaken women, but then
WE
will pass judgment on those who took ‘em.”
The men began to clap and cheer, and Jacob allowed them a few moments of adulation.
“Once we have our Hunters back under control, then we will become the hunters. We will find the men who started this terrible turn of events, and we will make ‘em pay. We will find every last one of ‘em, and then we will hang ‘em high. We will flay the skin from their bones, and we will feed their flesh to the Hunters as those being punished watch. Once there is nothing left of them but gristle, we will leave them to change into the undead. Once changed they too will serve God. As Lingerers, they will feel the hand of God working through ‘em. Only then will there be any hope for their immortal souls.
“Now the time for preaching is over. Now is the time for action! Release the Hunters!”
Two large men moved to each front corner of the roof and picked up a rope that lay near the edge. One shouted a command, and both started heaving on the ropes. Slowly, the thick beams barring the Hunter’s gates began to rise. With the movement of the beam, the creatures almost instantly started charging the gates of their pens. Cracking of both bone and wood could clearly be heard above the howls of the caged up monsters.
“Faster you fools!” Jacob cried as he pictured the damage his precious Hunters were sustaining.
Two more men ran to help with the pulling up of the beam, and a few moments later, the monsters were free.
The Hunters burst from their pens and halted in the clearing that surrounded their terrible home. Several of the creatures peered up at the men on the roof, but the rest seemed intent on sniffing the air and pacing to-and-fro. Suddenly, a large Hunter—with the best part of its guts torn open—howled and bolted for the woods. The others started to follow and the pack of hideous creatures tore off at an incredible speed.
“Look at them there things go,” one of the men said as he stepped closer to the edge.
A shingle beneath his foot broke, and he found himself hurtling toward the dirt below. He bellowed with pain as his leg snapped under the weight of the impact. Several of the group moved to lower the ladder, but Jacob shouted for them to stop.
“He’s in God’s hands now,” Jacob said as he peered down at his wounded brother, Jonah. “You always were the clumsy one of the family. Maybe this is God’s way of teaching ya to be more careful.”
Jonah looked over his shoulder toward the departing Hunters. The two that had peered up at them had stopped in their tracks, and now stared hungrily back at him. His terrified eyes turned back to his older brother, but Jacob merely smiled down at him.
“Please, Jacob, help me.”
Jacob shook his head. “No, any killing that happens today is God’s will.”
Before Jonah could utter so much as a sound, the Hunters were on him. One latched itself to his throat and started thrashing around like a gator killing a pig. The other went straight for Jonah’s midsection, and within seconds, it had his intestines wrapped around its head. Jonah tried to scream, but death took him before a sound left his lips.
The crowd of men above stood enthralled by the spectacle below. Blood lust was just as intoxicating whether the victim was male or female. They watched in a reverent silence as the Hunters tore Jonah limb from limb. Then, as quickly as the attack had started, it ended. The two Hunters rose slowly to their feet, and then looked in the direction the other Hunters had taken. A moment later, they charged off in hunt of the women they had been conditioned to seek.
“Give ‘em a couple of minutes,” Jacob said as he mopped the back of his neck with his handkerchief. “Then we’ll lower the ladder and follow. Let what just happened be a warning to ya all. Never get too close to a Hunter, not unless you can chain it.”
Soon, the men were running off after the Hunters, and in spite of Jacob’s considerable size, he led the chase with all the speed of a much younger and fitter man.