Crashing Down - A Post-Apocalyptic Novel (The Ravaged Land Series Book 3) (19 page)

T
he next morning
Dezzie woke up the entire camp by yelling for everyone to meet up by the tree. I was almost surprised he hadn’t referred to it as ‘The Hanging Tree’ after what had happened there yesterday.

“Uhh, I think I feel sick,” I said wanting to stay in the trailer. Dealing with Dominick was one of the last things I felt like doing today, or any day for that matter. And what was the point? I already knew how he was going to run this camp. It wasn’t like I needed to be there. None of us did.

“Are you guys up?” Dezzie said as he pounded on the door.

“Maybe we don’t have to go,” Sienna said in a whiny voice. But I could tell she didn’t really believe that was an option.

He pounded again and the door rattled against the thin metal frame. “Time to get up! Dominick’s waiting for everyone. That means everyone,” he said as if he could read our minds. Then again, maybe he had heard Sienna through the door.

Dean opened the door wide allowing Dezzie access should he want to enter, but he stayed outside on the top step. He looked inside as if he was trying to see if we had been up to something. Hiding something.

“We already know how this works, Dezzie. Remember, we were part of the last camp under his rule,” I said as I made my way to the front door and stood next to Dean. I crossed my arms in front of myself.

“He insisted I get everyone and was pretty clear on that. He even went so far as to name all four of you,” Dezzie said looking off to the side almost as if he was embarrassed. But Dezzie wouldn’t ever disobey Dominick no matter how strongly he was against something. He might try to talk him out of it, but ultimately he would do what he wanted. At least that’s what I believed. And whether or not we were there probably wasn’t something he felt strongly about one way or the other so he wouldn’t be the one trying to change Dominick’s mind.

Even though I didn’t want to do it, I followed behind making my way over to the hanging tree. Dominick was instructing four random men to take down Harvard’s body. I clapped my hand over my mouth and forced myself to look at my feet.

There hadn’t been any good reason he had to wait until now to take Harvard down. It was all part of his plan. Probably just to send a message. Maybe to intimidate. Whatever the reason it was carefully thought out. Not that it was a good reason, but he had a reason for everything he did.

Two different men moved a folding table and positioned it right under the tree. Dominick carried over two chairs and unfolded them, putting one on each side of the table.

“Because there is nowhere else in the camp he could have set up that table…,” I mumbled, but I didn’t think anyone had heard me. I stood behind the group hoping it would help make me invisible. But when Dominick looked over our way, it was almost as if he looked right through everyone else and only managed to see me. The cold look in his eyes made me shiver.

“So,” Dominick shouted making sure his voice was loud and clear, “This is how it’s going to go. I’m going to sit down and interview you all one-by-one. I’ll get to know you, give you a role in the camp, and before you know it this place will work like a well-oiled machine. We’ll be safer, smarter and far less hungry. Let’s get started, he said pointing at one of the random camp members. You’re up first.”

“This is going to take a long time,” Penn said turning around to look at me. He looked me over as if he was trying to make sure all my pieces were there. “You look pale.”

I just shook my head. My stomach didn’t feel right, but I wasn’t sick, well not sick in the way he meant it. Any sickness I felt was something I was doing to myself about this whole thing. Not having stopped Dominick when it came to Harvard was a big one. No matter how much I told myself there wasn’t anything I could have done.

Everything about this situation was nauseating. It felt wrong. I didn’t want to get stuck under Dominick’s rule for the rest of my life.

I tried not to even look in his direction as he sat there interviewing everyone with a stupid smug look on his face. He thought he was better than everyone else, but no one seemed to notice it. He’d lean forward as if he was interested in every word that was said to him while Dezzie stood off to the side with his hands behind his back. His eyes sweeping back and forth over the crowd. It was almost as if he expected something to go wrong, and if it did he would be ready for it.

But I didn’t think there was anyone in this camp brave enough to do or say anything. If there would have been, they would have stepped forward yesterday when they could have saved Harvard.

As Dominick talked with them he would scratch things down into a beat-up old notebook. It sickened me that I wanted to know every word he wrote. After watching several more people go through his interview process he looked up towards our group and whispered something to Dezzie. I felt a lump form in the back of my throat.

Dezzie walked briskly over to our group, his eyes on me. I knew it was my turn next. And there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. My throat tightened and I felt like I should run, but I couldn’t move.

“He says your next,” Dezzie said unable to make eye contact with me, which only made me more nervous. I looked at Dean and he squeezed my hand and nodded. Then Penn nodded too. It was as if they were trying to tell me without saying the words, that if I needed them, they’d be there in a heartbeat.

“Of course I am. Surprised I wasn’t first,” I said and followed Dezzie over to the empty chair. He held it for me as I sat down like it was the gentlemanly thing to do. But it was probably more that he was afraid I’d make a run for it.

Dominick tapped his pen against the table several times in quick succession while he looked at me through narrowed eyes. It was as if he was pretending this was the first time he’d ever talked to me. I sucked in air and shifted my eyes up towards the sky, only all I saw was the thick branch Harvard had been hung on.

“So glad to meet with you today,” he said with a half-smirk as he pushed himself back in the chair. He straightened his spine and stopped hitting the pen against the table.

“Right,” I said and lowered my voice, “cut the crap Dominick. Everyone saw us arrive here together.” My annoyance was making me feel brave. I shook my head as I pushed my shoulders back and waited for him to continue.

He wasn’t going to take it easy on me. Now that he had control of the camp, he clearly felt as though he had power over me again. Or maybe he never thought he had lost power over any of us. “I hear you were at HOME not that long ago? How can we, the whole resistance that is, trust you?” Dominick said pressing the pen to the paper as if he was going to write down my answer.

“Is this some kind of joke?” I said through clenched teeth. My hands curled into tight fists in my lap. I felt like slamming them down on the table and storming off.

“This is no joke,” he lowered his voice, “If you prefer, we could ask you to remove your clothes and check for markings in front of the entire camp. That’s the only way I know of to make sure you aren’t secretly a member of HOME.” Dominick wrote down my name and then under it he wrote ‘secret HOME member’ followed by six giant question marks.

“Dominick!” I said my voice cracking. I could tell he knew he was pushing the right buttons. He was trying to aggravate me and it was working.

He glanced up towards Dezzie laughing, but Dezzie just stared out straight ahead. He was going to pretend he didn’t have any idea what was going on although I knew he had heard every word.

“Yes, I was at HOME, but you know I don’t have anything to do with that place. You’ve already checked me over. Remember? Back at your camp…,” I said pressing my fist into my thigh so hard I thought I might actually give myself a bruise.

“Ohhh yeah! That sounds right, mmmm, I remember now,” he said looking down at my chest. I felt like he actually had x-ray vision, but I knew that’s exactly how he wanted me to feel. I resisted the urge to cross my arms in front of myself.

“All coming back to you now? Great. So are we done here?” I said scowling at him as I scooted myself forward on the chair.

“You know what, Ros is it?” he said stressing my name in an odd way, “we never did check under your lower half did we? I’ve heard sometimes HOME puts their marks—”

“Dominick. No,” Dezzie said, not moving his focus from the crowd. I had been right… he had been listening. But what I had been wrong about was that there wasn’t someone in the camp that would stand up to Dominick.

At first Dominick looked amused, but that quickly turned into something more like anger. I couldn’t tell if it was for me, or if it was for Dezzie.

It was almost as if I could actually feel Penn watching us and I knew he could probably sense my agitation. I was tempted to turn around and gesture that everything was under control. Or so I hoped. I was anxious, nervous, sick and embarrassed, but I was fine. And somehow I was managing the awkward situation with a bit of help from Dezzie.

“Here’s what I’m going to do,” Dominick said folding his hands, and placing them on the table. He looked as though he was some kind of businessman about to offer me the position of a lifetime. Only I knew it wasn’t. “I’m going to give you Mack’s old position. You’ll be working closely with Dezzie and myself to make this camp a better—”

“I can’t do that… I mean I’m not qualified at all,” I said cutting him off hastily. The truth was I couldn’t take the position because I didn’t trust him. I didn’t stand behind him and I wouldn’t do whatever it took to keep him or the camp safe. And I couldn’t imagine having to be bossed around by him day after day any more than I would already have to be just by being in this camp. But of course it wasn’t like I could tell him any of that.

“You’ll do just fine,” he said forcing a smile. I didn’t even know why he wanted me for the position, but I’m sure he had a reason he thought was a good.

I looked up at Dezzie to see if I could read him, but he was a blank slate. Although I was sure he already knew what Dominick’s plans were for me.

“But I really don’t think this is a good idea. I can’t do it,” I said shaking my head. My stomach started churning acid around like it was an empty wash machine.

“You can. And you will. From now on you’ll be staying with Dezzie and me in my new place,” he said nodding at Mira’s trailer. No doubt, the bloodstains were still soaked into the floor.

“Dominick please,” I said and I could feel the tears threatening to fill my eyes. I didn’t even know if I’d be able to stop them from falling out.

“I’m not going to change my mind.” His eyes were cold. I knew that if I didn’t do it, he’d make me do it. Or he’d tie the noose around my neck himself all while wearing that stupid smirk. I’d be the next one dangling from the hanging tree.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to look into his eyes. If I had to beg I would. I placed my hand on top of his. “Dominick,” I said keeping my voice low, “please give me one more night with my friends. So I can explain my new role. It would mean the world to me and everyone would see how generous and thoughtful you are.”

He looked at me carefully. I was afraid he was trying to figure out if I had something up my sleeve. And I didn’t, at least not yet. I just needed a little more time to figure things out before I had to move in with Dominick and Dezzie.

“One night,” he said and scribbled something down in his notebook. “Now go. I look forward to working with you,” he said as the smirk I hated returned. My hands were shaking so I pressed them together and nodded my thanks. It didn’t seem like anyone even noticed how upset I was, and if they did, maybe they just didn’t care.

I left the table trying to keep myself in check. My friends watched every step I took. I didn’t want them to know what had happened, at least not until after their interviews. Mainly because I couldn’t be sure what they would do. It was better to wait.

“Dean, you’re up next,” Dominick shouted. Dean walked towards the table but when he got closer to me he put his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. If he couldn’t see how upset I was, he would have been the most unobservant person on the face of the earth.

I was pretty sure he could tell, but there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about. At least not right here in front of everyone. I reached my hand across my body and touched his hand.

“You OK?” he whispered as he placed a kiss on my cheek.

“I’m fine,” I said and broke away from him before I couldn’t maintain my composure. “Good luck.”

Penn looked concerned when I didn’t stop by him and Sienna. I kept walking towards our trailer. He stopped me before I got more than four steps away from him, “What’s going on?” Penn said knowing something wasn’t right.

“It’s fine really… I think I’m getting sick. I just need to go lie down for a bit. I’ll talk to you guys later,” I said forcing a weak smile, but I didn’t think for a second he’d buy it. It was true, I wasn’t feeling well, but I was far from being fine.

With how twisted my stomach felt I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe I was actually getting sick and that it wasn’t something I was doing to myself. I felt as though I could throw up at any minute.

My feet didn’t stop moving when I got to the trailer. I kept walking until I was face-to-face with the fence. My hand curled into a fist and I punched the wood fence. I stuffed my face into my hands and shouted anything that came into my mind. Then I crumpled down to the ground into a mess of tears and frustration.

The blood from my knuckles was smeared across the back of my hand. My hand looked like it was starting to swell.

Everything I was feeling became too much. I felt like I was going to throw up, but I didn’t want to. That was the kind of reaction that would only fuel Dominick. Instead of letting it happen I stood up, held my breath, and punched the fence again.

I left behind a bloody mark on the fence before I emptied out all of the frustration in my lungs and filled them with fresh air. I wasn’t going to let Dominick win. If it came down to it, I would have to kill him myself.