Knight Terrors: A Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tale (15 page)

     Rendina walked over to Justin and looked him in the eye.

     “Son, what do you have to say for yourself?”

     “I forgot I had that.”

     “You forgot?  That’s original.”

     “Apparently, you’ve forgotten, too.  Yesterday was a shitty day.  Even you looked beat up when you got back.  It was so bad you cancelled the supply run for today.  Christ Ron, the kid shit his pants he was so scared yesterday.  He wasn’t thinking about where every damned thing gets put away.”  I felt bad bringing that up again.  Justin looked embarrassed but I was so angry I couldn’t even see straight.

     “Then why didn’t he turn it in last night or this morning?”

     “If he was hiding it,’ said Tony.  “Don’t you think he would’ve hidded it a bit better?  He probably hasn’t touched that bag since he sat it down.”

     “I’ll think about what punishment fits the crime.  Let him go for now.  He’s not going anywhere.”

     Justin ran over to his mothers arms.  He suddenly looked Malcolm’s age.  I guess the events of the past 24 hours have just been too much.  Tony walked up next to me as I watched on and his people walk away.

     “Don’t go off halfcocked.  I stepped in because I could see this escalating.  He still has better fighters and they’re armed.  We’re not.  We have to plan our moves.”

     I turned and looked into Tony’s eyes.  There’s no one in the group, now that Sam’s gone, that I trust more.  I’ve come to rely on his wisdom.  I saw a calm determination in his eyes.

     “I’m sorry I let him in,” I said.

     “He fooled all of us.  And now he’s exerting his power to show us who’s boss.  The more we push back the more he’ll push us.  He’ll just make it worse and worse.  I don’t think he will hurt Justin.”

     Doesn’t matter.  We still have to get out of here.”

     “Mike and I are working on something.   Let us figure out a few more things then we’ll bring it to you.”

     “Yeah, okay.  But figure it out quickly.  I have a feeling that we will need it sooner than later.”

     As we gathered for lunch, two of Rendina’s people grabbed Justin and dragged him to the middle of the parade grounds.  Mike and Tony walked up alongside me.  I looked over and could see Karen and Tracie with Mary.  Jerry and Rendina’s other lieutenant carried a wooden contraption from the area under the casemates that we had set up as a workshop.  It was around the corner, out of sight.  I recognized the contraption right away.

     “What is that?” asked Mike.

     “It’s a stockade,” replied Tony.

     “Actually, it’s a pillory.  Similar to a stockade except that a pillory doesn’t imprision your feet.  A stockade imprisions your head, feet and arms.” I said.

     They both gave me that look.

     “What?  I’m a tour guide.  There’s one in front of the Powder Magazine downtown.”

     “So, he’s gonna lock Justin in that?” asked Mike.

     “Yep,” I replied.

     “What do we do about it?” he asked.

     I looked over at Tony who slowly shook his head.

     “There’s nothing we can do, Mike.  They have five guys with guns and we’re just standing here with our thumbs up our asses.”  I was angry but we’d get ourselves killed trying to help Justin now.  “Rendina will put him in there for a few hours but Justin will be okay.  We have some weapons hidden though, right?”

     They both nodded.

     Rendina walked out as Justin was secured in the pillory with a padlock.

     “When you are rebuilding a society, certain rules have to be obeyed.  When the rules are not obeyed then they must be enforced.  In more primitive societies when someone broke the rules they would be placed in the public square in a pillory.  Secured in the pillory they would be seen and mocked by the members of their society whom they had wronged.  This would give them time to reflect on how they’d hurt their fellow men and women.  This would usually be augmented by a number of lashes…”

     Jerry walked out with a cat of nine tails.

     “Where the fuck did this shithead get a whip?” asked Mike.

     “He’s made it from rope that we’ve scavenged.  This better be for show,” I said.

     “Depending on the severity of the crime up to forty lashes were given.  Then the criminal would be left in the pillory for several hours to allow others to see the injuries so that they would be reminded o the punishment for breaking the law.  I think in this instance ten lashes will suffice.”

     “No!  No!  No!” Mary screamed as Karen and Tracie tried to console her.  “My son!  My boy...”

     I turned to Tony and Mike.

     “Whatever you guys have been planning you need to figure it out.  We go tonight.”

     With that I walked toward Rendina.

     “No, Ron.  As usual, you’ve got it all wrong.”  His associates drew their weapons but I didn’t stop.  “You scared of me?”

     He motioned for them to lower their weapons.

     “I’m not interested in your opinion Mr. Knight.  You’re not in charge anymore.  Now, we enforce rules and maintain order.”

     “By beating a 15 year old boy who left some food in his bag?  Your speech was great but the pillory only works if the person in it has actually done something wrong.  Justin hasn’t wronged up.  He’s not a criminal, he’s a child.”

     “He’s a warrior.  He fought bravely yesterday and killed his first zombies.  You do him an injustice..”

     “I do him an injustice?  He shit his pants, Ron.  He’s not a warrior, he’s a kid.  You’re not putting him in there to punish him.  You’re doing it to scare us into submission.  You’re doing it for us.  You want to keep us quiet and obedient.”

      Justin tried to hide his tears.

     “Sometimes,” he said.  “People need to be reminded who’s boss.”

     Rendina nodded and two shadows grabbed me by the arms and dragged me toward the pillory.  Another let Justin out.  As they turned me around to face the crowd I could see Tony holding Mike back while talking to him.  I shook my head when he made eye contact.  Karen had ahold of Mal who was crying.  And Tabby had her head on Tracie’s shoulder.  I could see tears in Tracie’s eyes as well.

     As they closed the pillory and locked it, Rendina spoke up.

     “The crimes of sedition and insubordination are worse than hoarding.  I am sentencing Ryan Knight to be placed in the pillory and receive thirty lashes.  After which, he will remain in the pillory until sunup tomorrow.”

     Then he turned and bent over so that only I could hear him.

     “There’s still a lot of fight left in you, Knight.  But I think that’ll end right now.”

     “Not likely Ron,” I said.  “People like you cannot be allowed to be in charge of our future.  For my children’s sake, for my friends sake, for the sake of all the ones we’ve lost; I will fight you.”

     “We’ll see,” he said.  “You look scared.”  One of his shadows pulled my jacket and shirt up to my shoulders as best he could.

     “I’m not scared, Ron.  It’s just another day in a world gone mad.”

     I knew when I stepped up to Rendina that this was going to be the result.  I could see it as if it had already happened.  Once I got under his skin, Rendina would let Justin go and put me here instead.  But, I couldn’t let Justin get whipped; he had done nothing wrong.  I could see he was in his mother’s arms crying.  Seeing that was be worth what was going to happen to me.

     In my mind’s eye I had already seen the whip come down and tear into my flesh.  I had already felt the searing pain.  And I knew that I would not make a sound.  There’s no way I would give the bastard the satisfaction of hearing me scream.  I would be strong for my group.  I would be strong for my kids.

     That all changed with the first strike.  I remembered that I was in fact, only human.  The pain was like nothing I could even imagine.

     I cried out with the first ten hits of the whip, I think.  I remember seeing Karen trying to pull Malcom away and he was furiously trying to get to me. Tracie looked straight into my eyes as she was shielding Tabby.  Mike left Tony’s side and gently took Tabby from Tracie’s arms.  He took her away but she kept looking over her shoulder.  Tracie broke down as soon as Tabby left her arms.  Thor came over and sat down at her feet.  He looked scared and confused.  She sat down with Lois but her eyes never left me.

     I was afraid.  Not for me.  My wounds would heal.  I was afraid for all that were watching.  I was afraid they would lose hope seeing me getting beaten.  I was afraid it would break their resolve to hear me cry out.

     I don’t remember any pain after the first ten or so strikes.  The pain receptors in your brain just stop working.  I guess they can only take so much.

     Maybe halfway through the ordeal, I detected movement off to my left.  Turning my head as best I could I saw Tom, of all people, trying to get to me.  He was grabbed by two of Rendina’s people.

     “Ryan, I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry.  I turned on you after all you’ve done for us.  I was wrong.”  Rendina’s men threw him to the ground and kicked him savagely.  John and Lois ran up to grab him away from them.

     I don’t remember the last five strikes at all.   But, I remember Rendina talking.

     “Let this be a lesson to all of you.  We can obey the rules, work together and prosper or we can have more of this.  Lunch is in an hour.”

     People came flooding up to me at once.  Tabby was with Mal and they were crying.

     “I love you guys.  Daddy’s okay.  I’m okay,” I said, gasping.  I think I said it anyway.  Tabby and Mal were trying to hug me.  Tracie was standing behind them with Karen.

     Lois knelt down in front of me.

     “Ryan, Ryan.  Focus.  Hey, focus.  I have to get them to give me medicine so I can start treating this while you’re still numb.  But, I can’t promise that the numbness will last.  Okay?  Ryan?”

     “Do what you need to do,” I said.

     Tony, Beth, Mike, Karen, Tracie, the kids.  I remember seeing them.  I remember them talking but I couldn’t hold my head up any longer.  I left my body for awhile.  I remember Sam and our wedding.  I saw Tabby’s birth.  And Malcolm’s, too.  I saw the kids growing up and every special day.  The pain jolted me back to the present.

     “Lois, Lois.”

     “I’m here, Ryan.  Did the pain come back?  I’m sorry.”

     I shook my head a little.

     “How’s Tom?”

     She shook her head.

     “A few cracked and broken ribs I think.  I can’t tell if there’s any internal bleeding because he’s in a lot of pain.  He cries out everytime I touch his abdomen.  If there’s no bleading then he’ll heal if he can stay still long enough.  I wish I could x-ray him to be sure.”

     “He shouldn’t have done that.  He didn’t have to do that,” I said.

     “We all do what we think is right.  Look at you.”

     She continued to put antibiotic cream on my back and bandage it some.  It hurt but the cream had some antithetic in it so it was slightly soothing at the same time.

     Tabby thoughtfully brought me some lunch but there was no way I could eat.  Tracie came back over with Mike while Tabby was there.

     “Mom said they fucked you up good,” said Mike.

     “Yeah, I’m sure those were her exact words,” I replied.  Then chuckled at the absurdity. 

     “She said it’ll heal if it doesn’t get infected.  There’ll be a lot of scarring though.”

     I nodded.  I’ve done my share of research on slavery for different tours.  I knew what my back would look like.

     “You’re a foolish man, Ryan,” said Tracie.  “A wonderful foolish man.”

     “Better me than Justin.”

     “What?” exclaimed Mike.  You knew this was going to happen?”

     I nodded.

     “It’s okay, Mike.  Just another day in a world gone mad.”  Mike smiled at that.  He hadn’t heard it in awhile.  But, then, I haven’t been myself in awhile.

     “Crazy bastard.”  Mike shook his head.  “You’re one hell of a man, Ryan.  I’ll follow you anywhere.”

     Captain Rendina cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention.

     “Because of the extra expenditure of many of our essential medical supplies treating Mr Morgan and Mr Knight, I’m sending out a special supply run.  Tyler will lead, accompanied by Ben, John and Tabitha.  They leave in thirty minutes.”

     “You son of a bitch,” Mike exploded.  Tony and Lois held him back.

     “Captain,” I yelled.  He paused and thought about ignoring me.  But he couldn’t do it.  He walked over and knelt down in front of me so I could see his face.  “Why are you doing this?  You’ve made your point.”

     “Obviously, I haven’t.  Judging by Mike’s reaction, he’d kill me right now if he could.  And even in the pillory, in pain and bleeding from dozens of wounds, you still think you have some say on what goes on around here.”

     “God Damn.  You’re an asshole.  You’ve won.  Quit putting innocent people in danger.”