Ruled By Fear (10 page)

    
“Didn’t Emily tell you?” he questioned, rubbing his head that he had managed to knock against the wall.  “I sent her to tell you my fever is gone, and that I’m coming out to help.”

    
Aaron was far from over his unnecessary fright and answered his brother harshly.

    
“Keith, it’s cold and wet out there.  You’ll get sick all over again if you come out now.”

    
Aaron immediately regretted his harsh tone as he watched Keith’s eyes turn to steel.  But there was something more than just determination there, and that something else caused Aaron’s anger to dissipate.

    
“Are you afraid?” he asked his younger brother more gently, reaching out to help him up.

    
Keith jumped up and puffing out his chest snorted.  “Of course I’m not afraid.  It’s just that . . . well . . . I just . . .”

    
“What is it?” Aaron asked, taking a step closer.

    
Keith’s eyes darted around and he licked his lips nervously as he bent close to Aaron, lowering his voice before answering.

    
“I keep hearing them,” he said.  “The voices from the tunnel, but they’re not actually talking to me—more like all around me, and there was this . . . this scraping sound.  I don’t know what it was but, I’ve got a bad feeling.  I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay here alone.”

    
As if the voices Keith was describing had been listening, a loud piercing scrape started at the end of the hall, slowly growing closer to the two.   Aaron froze for a moment—there was absolutely no one in the long hallway, but he managed to get moving again when a new sound joined the scraping—a sound as if someone were dragging a chain.

    
“Come on,” Aaron said, grabbing Keith’s arm.

    
The brother’s ran for the stairs, and Aaron glanced back over his shoulder as he heard a deep chuckling coming from just behind them.  They had just made it down the first flight of steps when, from out of nowhere, a knife whizzed past his head and embedded itself in the wall behind him.  Aaron ducked quickly, then turned to look back at the top landing.  No one was there.  Keith grabbed a fistful of his sleeve and tugged him down the remaining steps.  This time, they didn’t stop running until they reached the edge of the field where Aaron had been working.

    
Aaron leaned over, resting his palms against his legs.  For several moments, he and Keith didn’t speak.  Aaron’s mind was whirling, grasping at fractured bits and pieces to try and come up with a logical conclusion.   His thoughts were interrupted as Keith spoke between gasping breaths.

    
“I haven’t run that fast since you and me got shot at that time we were picking apples in Mr. Jordan’s orchard,” he said.

    
Aaron’s head snapped up to look at Keith.  Was he really making jokes?  Keith had a false grin plastered on his chalk-white face, and his eyes were still wide and flickering.

    
“Try to relax, Keith,” he said, stepping closer to his brother.  “We’re okay.  We made it.”

    
“For now.”

    
Aaron and Keith startled as Annie spoke up.  It was the first time all day that Aaron had heard her voice, and it sounded harsh and grating.

    
“You shouldn’t have left him alone,” she continued, her tone condescending.

    
Before Aaron could speak, Emily, approaching with her buckets, spoke up.

    
“Leave him alone, Annie,” she said, her eyes dark and flashing.  “He did what he thought was right.”

    
Aaron’s eyes widened, and he slowly folded his arms across his chest, once again Emily had surprised him with a sudden burst of confidence.  Annie too seemed to be taken aback and, after shooting an annoyed glance at Emily, turned abruptly and marched back to her rock pile.

    
“I take it you two don’t get along too well?” Aaron asked, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

    
Emily sighed, then hung her head, instantly recovering her usual, meek demeanor.

    
“I don’t trust her,” she said carefully.  “She . . . well, she . . . she does things.”

    
“What kind of things?” Aaron persisted gently.

    
Emily shifted uncomfortably, and Aaron noticed her cheeks begin to glow red.

    
“Bad things,” she said finally.

    
Her words were so quiet that Aaron wondered if he had heard her correctly.

    
“Your lunch is in the bucket,” Emily said, changing the subject.  “It’s not much.  The food always gets low before a delivery.  The next one still isn’t for two days.”

    
Aaron and Keith exchanged an excited glance.  Here was a piece of news that might finally prove useful.

    
“Delivery?” Aaron asked.  “Who makes a delivery?”

    
“A man from the town,” Emily said, glancing over her shoulder.

    
She and Aaron caught sight of Grant, coming toward them at the same time, and Aaron hurried to finish.

    
“From that little town a few miles from the canyon?” he asked.

    
“Yes, a man comes alone every two weeks.”

    
Before she could say anything more, Grant was upon them and his purposeful strides and the solid set to his shoulders told Aaron he meant business.

    
“What’s going on here?” he demanded.

    
He shifted his angry gaze between Aaron and Keith before settling on Emily.  Aaron felt his hackles go up as the young girl wilted under Grant’s scrutiny.

    
“There are people waiting for you, Emily,” the man said harshly.  “People that have been working hard.”

    
He looked to the two brothers with that last statement, and Aaron clenched his fists at the unspoken accusation.

    
“I’m sorry,” Emily said, then quickly ran across the yard.

    
“Now look here,” Aaron started.

    
“What’s he doing out here?” Grant said, gesturing to Keith and ignoring Aaron’s words.

    
Aaron exhaled slowly, forcing himself to remain calm.  He wondered how much he should tell this man about what had really happened.  He decided to follow the pattern set by the other prisoners, and give only basic information.

    
“My brother is feeling better,” he said.  “He’s come out to help.”

    
“He’s not scheduled,” Grant replied.

    
“So I noticed,” Aaron answered.  “Why is that exactly?”

    
For the first time since he had met Grant, the man seemed unsure, hesitant.  Finally, he answered quietly.

    
“Look, just stay out of trouble, and stay together, if you can,” he said.

    
He turned abruptly then and headed for the mine, leaving Aaron shaking his head in wonder behind him.  He just couldn’t figure this man out.  He turned to Keith, who was staring after Grant quietly.

    
“Remember how to pick rocks?” Aaron finally asked to break the silence.

    
“Of course I remember,” Keith answered.  “It was one of Pa’s favorite ways of keeping me busy.”

    
“To keep you out of mischief, you mean,” Aaron said, giving him a playful push.  “Come on. Let’s get going.  There are enough rocks out here to keep us both out of mischief for a lifetime.”

    
Aaron grimaced over his choice of words.  Judging from the number of graves lining the tunnels of the mine, he guessed a lifetime in this place would prove to be very short.  He paused for a moment to glance across the field at Meri, who had discreetly distanced himself from their earlier encounters.  He seemed nervous, and Aaron hoped he hadn’t scared off a possible source of information.  For the rest of the day, both Meri and his sister kept their distance.   Aaron kept a close eye on Keith, but his younger brother truly did seem to be feeling better.

    
The day progressed slowly, and by the end of it even Keith was complaining of his muscles aching.  The light rain had continued throughout the day, and it was a red-nosed, bleary-eyed group of prisoners who made their way back to the house.  Aaron was dismayed to find no more than a small plate of beans for supper.  Lunch, true to Emily’s word, had been meager, and the gnawing pain in his stomach made him irritable.  Emily and Keith, seeming to sense his mood, had remained quiet during the short meal.

    
After clearing the dishes, they made their way to the rooms upstairs.  Aaron had slipped Keith the last of the medicine as they climbed, and he hoped that whatever illness had affected him was gone for good.

    
“Make sure you take it in the morning,” Aaron told him.

    
Keith had nodded his head, and attempted a tired smile that ended up looking more like a grimace.  Aaron wanted to say more, but couldn’t think of anything that would make him feel better.  He quietly shut his door and wasted no time laying his weary body down.  He fought sleep however, and for hours lay awake in the dark, listening, watching the occasional streak of moonlight make odd shadows through the cracks in the walls.   He wanted to take a look at the book he had found and, after a while he stood then taking his pillow, stuffed it under the blanket, rumpling up the covers to make it look as if he were sleeping.  The feeling of being watched was constantly with him, and he glanced around uneasily as he untied his belt and slid carefully under the bed.  He used one of the matches to light a candle stub and slowly pulled out the book he’d found hidden in the cavern.  The cover of the book was made of leather with no writing on it, and it smelled old and musty.  He guessed the book to be a journal, and with a pounding heart opened it to the first page.

     Journal Entry – 9 May

    
I did it!  I managed to start a fight between the guards today.  Beckman didn’t think it would work, but I had a feeling things would go my way.  The warden has never liked me, and I figured he would take a certain gleeful satisfaction in moving me over to the south wing.  Of course, he had no idea that was my plan all along.

    
Conditions are bad here.  Although I suspected that was the case, it was still a shock to see it in person.  All of the prisoners were in shackles, and most of them had their wrists tied to the small cots.  The smell of human waste, and diseased flesh filled the air, and I had to visit “the hole” frequently.   Needless to say, I didn’t eat my lunch.

    
I saw Jesse, only for a moment.  They keep him in a special room, it’s small and dark.  I know how much Jesse hates the dark.  I’ll have to see what I can do about getting him out of there.

     Aaron jumped suddenly at a slight shuffling noise, and quickly blew out the light.  He stayed under the bed in the dark for a long time, waiting.  He couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching him.  Straining his ears, he listened for the slightest sound.  He couldn’t be sure, but he could almost make out the sounds of someone breathing.

C
 

hapter 9

Eventually, sheer exhaustion won out over self-preservation, and Aaron fell asleep.  The next morning, he awoke to the sound of Keith yelling his name, and he sprang up, only to hit his head soundly on the board his mattress was strewn across.  He gave a loud yelp and then slid out into the open.  Rubbing at the knot forming on the back of his head, he looked up at Keith in aggravation.

    
“What are you yelling about?” he asked.

    
“Sorry about that,” Keith responded, “I came in and didn’t see you . . . I . . . well, I . . . what were you doing under there anyway?”

    
Aaron looked around cautiously and noted with relief that Keith had shut the door behind him.

    
“I was trying to read this journal,” he answered quietly, holding up the worn book.

    
“Did you find anything out?” Keith asked.

    
“No, I had to quit before I got started,” he replied, then answered Keith’s next question before he could ask it.  “I’m pretty sure I was being watched.  I blew out the candle as soon as I heard something, but I think they might have seen me anyway.”

    
“What do you mean?” Keith asked.  “Who saw you, and how could they see you without you seeing them?”

    
Aaron’s gaze shifted over to the wall nearest his bed.  He seemed to study it quietly for a few moments.

    
“I’m not sure,” was all he said aloud.

    
“Well, I have something to tell you,” Keith said, with just a hint of superiority in his voice.  “Tom left again last night.  I got up to follow him and that was when I noticed Philip was awake too.”

    
“What did he have to say?” Aaron questioned.

    
“He couldn’t tell me much, just that his brother sneaks out every two or three days,” Keith answered.  “He said, he’s not sure where he goes—Tom won’t talk about it.”

    
Aaron crossed to his water pitcher to get a drink while Keith continued.

    
“There’s more,” he said.  “Philip told me that he always comes back with a little pouch, and he hides it in the floor boards.  I think Philip’s as curious as I am to know what Tom’s up to.  I’m going to try and come up with a way to take a look.”

    
Aaron reached out to stop Keith, placing a restraining hand on his shoulder.

    
“Don’t go doing anything hasty,” he said.  “Take your time, listen to your instincts.  When the time is right, you’ll know it.”

    
Keith surprised Aaron by pulling away from his grasp, and stalking toward the door.

    
“My instincts are telling me that we need to get out of here,” he said, leaving the door open behind him.

    
Aaron sighed and re-deposited the book inside his belt, tightening it against his middle.  He quickly caught up with his brother and gave him a grin.  He was relieved when Keith returned it.  Every ounce of Aaron’s being agreed with his younger brother.  They needed to get away, but as he entered the dining hall, he was reminded once again of why things weren’t that simple.

    
Emily sat timidly in her seat and gave him a small smile, this time it almost reached her sad, blue eyes.  He noted with some satisfaction that Tom and Philip had rejoined their table, and he opened his mouth to say good morning.  He quickly closed it again after catching a glimpse of Philip’s face.  The young boy’s eyes were red and puffy and he refused to look up from his plate.  Tom seemed in an equally despondent mood, and their light breakfast of hard grits was eaten in silence.  Aaron flashed a glance at Keith, nodding in his roommate’s direction, but Keith just shrugged his shoulders helplessly.  Whatever happened had happened after Keith left the room that morning.

    
Aaron had predicted that they would be scheduled for the fields again and he was right.  On their way across the yard he spoke quietly to Keith.

    
“You remember the two prisoners we were working with yesterday, right?”  Aaron continued without waiting for an answer.  “I need you to work your charms with the girl, Annie, and see if you can get her to talk to you.”

    
Keith raised an eyebrow at that statement.

    
“Emily said she does things,” he continued.  “If that means what I think it does, then she may have more information than just about anyone else here.  At the very least, I need you to try and keep her away from me, so I can talk to her brother.  He’s a regular chatter box, but it’s going to take some coaxing to get him to talk about the right things.”

    
Keith agreed, seeming relieved to actually be doing something productive.  Within twenty minutes time, he and Annie had worked their way to the far edge of the field, and Keith even had her giggling every once in a while.  Aaron just shook his head, once again, amazed that even at such a young age, his younger brother already had a way with women.

    
By the time Emily arrived with the afternoon meal, Aaron had established an easy camaraderie with Meri, and had found out the histories of about half the prisoners in the place, along with a rough sketch of the property.  From the information he had gathered, it seemed that the only way in and out was indeed the front gate, which for as long as Meri and his sister had been there, had always remained unlocked.

    
“Has anyone ever tried to just walk out before,” Aaron asked.

    
Meri had suddenly found the ground very interesting.  “Once . . . he didn’t come back alive.”

    
Aaron was glad to see that Meri was starting to loosen up and decided he would start asking him some more pointed questions after they had eaten.

    
The weather that day had decided to provide them a small relief and the sun shone brightly, while a soft breeze carried the refreshing scent of rain soaked earth.  Aaron and Keith decided to walk while they ate, stretching out their cramped muscles.

    
“I haven’t been able to get anything out of her yet,” Keith said, tossing his head toward Annie.  “But I get the feeling that she’d sell out her own mother if I had anything to offer her.”

    
“Well, for now, just keep her thinking you’re friendly,” Aaron answered.  “Eventually we might have something to barter with.”

    
Aaron paused in their walking for a moment, allowing the gentle breeze to flow over him.

    
“Keith,” he said finally, “I’ve been thinking about that delivery Emily told us about.  I don’t want to raise your hopes, but I might have a plan.”

    
At Keith’s sudden intake of breath, he hurried on.

    
“There’s no way to know for sure when it’s coming.”

    
“Aaron, do you think . . .” Keith started.

    
“I don’t think trying to escape with him is going to be easy, if that’s what you’re thinking, otherwise it would have been done already.  I figured he probably comes at night, so the prisoners will be asleep in the house.  I’m working on an idea.  If we can’t get away, maybe there will be some way to at least send a message to Pa.”

    
Aaron paused, examining Keith closely.  He knew him too well, and he recognized the scheming look in his brother’s eyes.  He knew there would be no use in making Keith promise not to try anything.  Which meant he now not only needed to come up with a plan for tomorrow night, but he also needed to come up with a way to keep Keith’s mind on things other than escaping.

    
“The only reason I’m telling you this,” he said aloud, “is because I want you to be ready, just in case, not because I want you to do something stupid.”

    
Keith opened his mouth to protest, but when he caught the teasing smirk on Aaron's face, he remained silent.  They had finished the little bit of food Emily had brought long ago, and decided they should re-join Annie and Meri, who were already back at work.

    
“Keith, in about ten minutes," Aaron said as they walked back, "I’m going to excuse myself to that clump of bushes over there.  I want to see if I can read a little more from the journal.  You whistle or something if it seems like anyone is getting suspicious.”

    
Keith nodded and ten minutes later, Aaron assured Meri he would only be gone a moment, then headed for the bushes.

     Journal Entry – 11 May
     I’m so tired. I guess that’s my own fault, I traded one of the other guards for his shift. I wanted to see if I could get a chance to talk to Jesse. It’s not easy to get anything past the guard captain over here. Nobody wants to deal with these prisoners so he’s given free rein. Power hasn’t been good for him. Giving power to a man like that is like trying to use gunpowder to put out a fire. Of course, he and Jesse clashed right off. It seems the captain’s made breaking him, his special project. I’ve been told that nobody is allowed to go anywhere near the room where they keep him locked up. I’m going to have to be very careful, and plan every detail just right, in order to get to him. I got close once, as close as I dared, while the captain was at lunch. I’m pretty sure I could hear Jesse crying. He can’t stand the dark.
     Aaron jerked upright from where he’d been crouched behind the bushes when he heard Keith calling his name. There was an urgency to his voice that immediately put Aaron on alert.
     “What is it?” he asked, scanning the area for any sign of something out of place.
 

“Grant was just here,” Keith answered breathlessly.  “He was asking if we’d seen Tom. He and
Philip had gone to dump a load from their cart and didn’t come back. Grant found Philip running down one of the tunnels screaming for his brother. From what Grant could get out of him, Tom was there one minute and then gone the next.”
     Aaron felt his stomach tighten and his dark eyebrows drew together in concern. He turned as if to leave the field, but Keith reached out to stop him.
     “Where are you going?” Keith asked him.
     Aaron pulled himself gently from Keith’s grasp.
     “It’s all right,” he answered.  “I’m just going to talk to Grant.”
     “You can’t leave,” Annie said as she and Meri joined the two brothers.  “It won’t do Tom any good, and you’ll just be putting the rest of us at risk.”
     There was no mistaking the fear in Meri’s eyes, nor the hostility in his sister’s tone.
     “Look,” Aaron said, keeping his voice even, “if Tom is missing, we have to help. He could be hurt, or . . .”
     “It’s not the first time someone’s disappeared,” Annie interrupted.  “It happens all the time. If you’re taken, it’s so they can punish you. He’ll either be back tomorrow morning or he’ll . . .”
 

Her voice tapered off as she coldly shrugged her shoulders.
     “He’ll what?” Aaron demanded.
     “Grant will tell us if there is a new grave in the tunnels tomorrow,” Meri finished softly for his sister. “There’s nothing we can do right now. Grant will see to Philip.”
     “Do you mean to tell me,” Keith demanded, advancing menacingly, “you’re just going to sit around and do nothing? What if it was your sister that was taken?”
     Aaron quickly stepped in front of Meri and laid a restraining hand on Keith’s shoulder, whose red face and fiery eyes were sure signs that he was about to lose control. Everyone was startled when Annie spoke abruptly.
     “I’ve been taken,” she said, and although she kept her voice low, it shook with fear and rage.  “I was taken, and I came back. Nobody came after me and I survived just fine.”
     Aaron wanted to ask her why she’d been taken and what had been done to her, but it was clear from her angry silence that she wasn’t going to answer any questions about her experience. He decided to try and change the subject.
     “Why would they have taken Tom?” he asked quietly.
     “Maybe for standing around talking when he should have been working,” Annie replied bitterly.
     She turned then and stormed back to her rock pile. Keith looked as if he were about to follow her, but Aaron managed to catch his eye, and shook his head discreetly.
     “I’m sorry,” Meri spoke up finally.  “It’s just this place, and when they took her it . . . well . . . she changed after that.”
     Keith’s body became rigid and he folded his arms across his chest, turning his gaze to the ground he kicked at some rocks. Aaron understood what he was feeling, he was feeling it himself. The anger that built from knowing someone innocent had been hurt.
     “I’ll work with her for the rest of the day,” Meri continued.  “There’s nothing you can do for Tom. There was nothing I could do for . . .”
     Meri didn’t finish his statement, he didn’t have to. The tormented look in his eyes as he crossed the field to join his sister told them what they needed to know.
     “Aaron, do you think what they did to her . . . Well, I mean do you think they . . .” Keith started.
     “Yeah,” Aaron said, cutting off his question.
     “Well, she must have seen something. Maybe she . . .” Keith’s voice faded as he watched his brother’s expression.
     “Who’s going to ask her Keith?  Do you want her to have to relive those memories?”
     Keith looked startled for a moment and then sighed softly, rubbing the back of his neck.
     “No,” he answered.  “I guess I’m just getting desperate. They must have found out that Tom snuck out last night.  I wish I could go talk to Philip.”
     “You will,” Aaron answered.  “Tonight.  Right now I think we better get back to work. Whoever is in charge of this place watches things pretty closely, and I don’t want either one of us disappearing.”