After The End (16 page)

The guy didn’t answer but his eyes darted
between the canine and the people near the entrance; most of the
community had already started their day’s chores, giving the
awkward man hardly a second thought.

We were cleared of infection and several
residents relieved us of our ursine burden. Within minutes, the
bear was being drained and skinned. That meat would provide an
abundance of food for the now expanded neighborhood.

Putting down the bow, I turned to the hunter;
he’d remained in my shadow since we put down the bear. I had too
much to handle after the previous twenty-four hours and was still
woozy from Daemon’s feeding. I was snarky as I thought what to do
with the added hardship.

“You aren’t tainted with Z-bug, but you’ve
already shown yourself to be a potential hazard to us. For the
moment, Yogi, you can help split firewood and cook meals. At
dinnertime, we’ll decide where to go from there. I’d start thinking
about any special skills you have to offer the group.”

I turned on my heel and strode to gather and
clean remaindered weapons and ammo. My mind whirred away with
worries and plans for getting through to the next day.

Over the next week, Yogi (the nickname stuck)
proved to be one of those lucky guys who’s survival is a fluke.
Having no common sense and limited abilities, we began teaching and
training the new arrival by rotating his buddy daily.

So far the frail man with the tiny paunch had
only been useful in helping us build the small platforms against
each wall and in burning the corpses; although his proficiency in
disposing of the outhouse contents had some merit.

It quickly became apparent that something was
off about Yogi. Although he’d been cleared of infection, Sindbad
perpetually trailed the guy around the camp. During meals, his
absence and discomfort with the group made each of us focus on the
stranger all the more intently.

It was discussed one evening that his mural
of scars may have been part of the reason Yogi was so standoffish;
he never made eye contact and visibly cringed whenever any of the
adults in the fort drew near.

As theories about the eccentric outsider were
tossed around the table, Daemon took a seat and grinned as he
observed the banter.

“I could just ask him why he’s so
strange.”

I shook my head, the motion mirrored by a few
others in the flickering light.

“No, that would be prying into Yogi’s past.
The past is moot; if he wants to talk about it, eventually he’ll
open up to someone. As it stands, the guy is so uncomfortable
around us, he won’t even eat near us.”

Sunny set down her fork and nodded her
agreement. The table was quiet except for the occasional sounds of
construction on the last defense platform along the opposite wall.
Daemon looked thoughtful, his brow furrowed slightly before he
spoke.

“Maybe I could just glamour him into relaxing
around the rest of the community, or I could ask him why he’s
freaked out and then wipe his memory of the conversation.”

The young vampire cocked his head to the side
and smiled widely as he made the suggestion. “That dog isn’t
stalking Yogi for shits and giggles. Something has to be up; dogs
can tell when something is wrong. It’s like they just know
stuff.”

The frogs in the distance and the crackle of
the fire were the only noises in the night. A gentle breeze wafted
by, stirring a tuft of Daemon’s hair and standing up the tiny hairs
on my forearm.

Please not another bitchfest from these
two.

“It would be wrong to invade a person’s mind
like that; it’s a violation of his private thoughts.” Sunny glared
at him from the dimly lit bench. “You can’t do that to one of our
people.”

The fledgling vamp held her gaze as he
countered calmly, his words coming out in the metered tempo of
forethought.

He must’ve been considering this for a while
before he brought it up; Daemon’s arguments are always more of a
string of rambles.

“Who said he’s one of our people; I thought
he’s probationary? What if he’s a risk to the community? We need to
do what’s best for the greater good, even when it sucks as an
option. Even Chase agrees with that.”

The dig at her husband made Sunny’s nose
flare and I could swear her eyes were about to ooze molten lava;
she said nothing as the young Undead pressed on.

“The guy’s a grown man who shakes near every
adult in the camp, but lingers around the kids whenever possible.
It’s not normal and we should know more about him. Either he’s
afraid of us because other grown-ups put those scars on him –
possibly with good reason – or he enjoys being close to children
more than is healthy.”

Faces softened around the illuminated
table.

Someone interjected, “Maybe we should think
about this.”

One of the women added her two cents. “I know
he creeps me out and dogs are good judges of character.”

Sunny shook her head.

“It isn’t right. We all have this unspoken
agreement not to pry into each other’s past and now you want to not
just ignore that, but also screw with his memory. We let him stay
here, he’s one of us now.”

“Look, Sindbad knows something is up, the
parents watch the dude like a hawk, I know Squirrel’s keeping tabs
on him, and he sets off my Spidey Sense. We need to know why. It’s
not about getting into his past, it’s about protecting the kids in
camp.”

The vampire was snarling at Sunny as she rose
to her feet; she maintained the stare-down with a scowl. Across the
fort, someone began hammering the final touches on the east wall’s
platform.

“Despite your feelings, you won’t be messing
with any of our minds like that. We all voted to allow Yogi to
remain here and weird or not, you don’t have evidence that he’s
done anything wrong to warrant such actions.”

Daemon crossed his arms and sneered as she
ranted.

“Maybe Yogi is shy or scared of all the
heavily armed people and vampires, or maybe he is simple-minded and
likes to be around kids on the same level; we don’t know. Hell he
could think he’s being protective of the children or they may
remind him of a more innocent life. Leave the new guy alone and
drop the subject unless you get some real proof that we have a
reason to reconsider the topic.”

Sunny twisted towards me, her index finger
leading the way.

“And Squirrel, you’d better do the same. Keep
Fangboy here away from Yogi and stop keeping tabs on everything the
creeper does. I don’t care if you’re in love with Daemon, you are
the leader here and it’s your responsibility to keep the vamps from
overstepping the boundaries of the Pact.”

I felt the blush cover me from my head to the
soles of my feet as I sat dumbfounded and tried to remember how to
breathe. I could even feel it inside my belly button. Sunny whipped
away her finger and marched off into the darkness, griping at the
shadows. I glanced around the lit trench at the myriad of faces;
Daemon’s expression had morphed from fury to pained
embarrassment.

As I met his gaze, he took to the sky
mumbling something about patrol duty.

I can’t believe the coward
bailed on me; he’s really going to regret this when dawn comes and
he can’t get away from me.

I took note of the sea of confusion, discord,
and amusement engulfing the small group. The everlasting moment of
discomfort was rent apart and time shifted into fast forward as
yelling and the sound of broken wood echoed. I gave a silent prayer
of thanks before the worry propelled me in the direction of the
commotion.

By the time I arrived at the doorway to the
secondary cabin, the skirmish was over. Yogi was hunched against
Jordy’s cot; a bump protruded from his forehead and leaked crimson.
The boy was both hugging and holding back his petite mom. She was
an angry bull wielding a cloth-wrapped mallet over her head. Marley
Guy and the Nurse helped restrain the enraged woman while Sunny
stood next to me with her husband’s axe. I took in the scene while
trying to halt the crying, screaming, and whimpering.

“Shut up, all of you. You’re going to bring a
stampede of fleshies this way. Just settle down and we will sort
this out.”

I turned to the 11-year-old.

“Jordy, what happened?”

His mother clung to the shaking child as he
spoke. Her hate targeted at the cowering man on the floor like
tendrils of flames from her glare. Jordy sniffled as he spoke.

“That guy came in and sat next to me. He… he
said he was noticing I was growing into a man and that all boys
needed someone to show them how to become a man.” He stared at the
floor and wiped away a dangle of snot.

Dammit, don’t let this be what I think.

“Then, he was touching the hair near my face
and said he was really good with boys and kissed my neck. When I
pushed him away he started trying to take of my pants and talking
about how I just didn’t understand and he was going to make me feel
nice and other stuff.

When I screamed at him to get off me, Mom
came in and hit him in the head and pulled me over here. She went
to hit him again but then everyone came running in.”

Knuckles were turning white as weapons were
gripped tighter. His mother just held Jordy tightly and rubbed his
back while he cried. All eyes in the room bounced from Yogi to
me.

Fuck. How could I have let
this creep near my people?

“Do you have anything to say?” I faced the
puny pain in my ass as calmly as I could manage.

Yogi answered while trying to gain his feet,
the blood was running down the length of his face and dripping onto
his shirt.

“You don’t understand. He came on to me, he
flirted with me. I didn’t do anything wrong. Jordy wanted to do it;
he just needed someone to show him how. You people just don’t
understand; it’s just like the last place. The world changed and we
could all use some more love. I was just trying to love the
boy…”

I silenced the pedophile with a backhand
across the mouth.

“You’re done talking now. Jordy, I’m sorry I
let this guy in the camp. I promise, I won’t make that mistake
again; we will deal with him.”

I faced his mother, “You two should go eat
something or relax or something. Yogi won’t be an issue anymore.
Ever.”

As she guided her son to his feet and they
exited the cabin, our prisoner started for the door. Marley Guy
pushed him back and Sunny knocked him out with the back of her axe.
The sicko dropped to the floor with a thud.

“Nurse, I want you to sew his mouth shut. I
don’t want his screams later to endanger the group.”

I tied his hands behind his back as I gave
orders.

“And Sunny, I need that hammer she hit him
with before. Marley Guy, please go get Daemon and Cal.”

No one moved.

“What, not enough proof for you, Sunny? Why
are you all just standing there?”

Sunny blanched and went to her task, mumbling
as she did, “I’ll get the vamps, too.”

The wood door clicked shut as I stared at
Marley Guy and the Nurse.

“Well?”

The Jamaican spoke first.

“I cannot be a doings this to another of
God’s creatures. Is not for I to be harming this man, evil demon
that he be likings to be. I go to do the chores and release the
Dead from their wanderings, but this is not for me to be
involved.”

Not understanding him – as much from the
accent as the content – I waved him out of the room. The Nurse
helped me lift Yogi onto the small bed.

“I’m supposed to help people; I’m a healer,
not an executioner.”

I thought a moment.

“Fair enough. You aren’t going to have to
kill this guy; I just need him unable to yell. If you don’t stitch
him shut, I will. And I won’t do it as well or as quickly as you
might. Either way, just grab a needle and some fishing line; these
stitches are getting done.”

He stepped back and his eyes went wide. I
waited in silence for him to bring me supplies. I wasn’t sure I
could trust him to watch the perv.

Sunny burst through the door, ending the
standoff.

“The fang boys are on their way, Cal is
finding Daemon now. Here’s the hammer and the sewing kit. I still
say it would’ve been wrong to mess with his mind but I was wrong
about asking. I’m sorry.”

The Nurse slipped outside as Sunny and I
started darning the pedophile’s mouth closed like it was a torn gym
sock. He woke after the fourth stitch, his meek body flailing
against the rope cutting into his wrists and the needle gliding
through his parched lips. The lines were crooked, bunched, and
bloody; but they trapped his screams in his gullet.

With Yogi’s eyes bulging in time with each
muffled yell, we hoisted the captive onto his feet. Looking up, I
saw the Roman and his protégé in the doorway.

“We heard what happened,” Daemon remarked
“what’s the plan here?”

He stared at the red splotches on Yogi’s
shirt. The young vampire didn’t make eye contact with me; he just
stood fixated on the sanguine fluid, his fangs descended and eyes
glimmering.

“Simple plan: this sick fuck is going to be
taking on donation duties for both of you tonight. Drink enough to
keep you strong, but leave him enough blood to stay conscious for
at least a few hours.”

Cal tipped his head to the side and raised
one brow.

“Might I ask why you two went through the
effort of preventing him shouting out if you just want us to drain
him dry over the span of a few nights?”

The pedophile stomped on my foot and
struggled to get free of Sunny’s grip. I cursed as I hopped to the
right before turning and smashing his knee with the mallet. Our
prisoner collapsed as the bone shattered with a noise reminiscent
of pounded celery and glass.

“Because…” I hooked my arm under his shoulder
to help carry him through the doorway, “that isn’t his punishment.
We’re taking him out to the spike pits. You guys get a big dinner,
he gets both of his kneecaps crushed along with his wrists
continuing to be gouged by his bonds, and then we toss him down and
leave him to die slowly.”