Dead Living (25 page)

“Oh yeah? How about I talk to you with this
here.” He pointed the shotgun at Charlie.

Charlie didn't flinch. “You're not gonna
shoot anybody. We're worth too much, remember? You stupid piece of
shit.”

The slaver flashed Charlie an angry glare.
His eyes shifted to Aaron. “Looks like the new meat is awake. Stay
in line, maybe you'll stay alive,” he said while walking away.

“I don't understand,” Aaron said. “Why don't
you all just fight back? They let you out to eat and piss,
right?”

Charlie shook his head at
Aaron's attitude. He pointed to a small hole near the back, three
inches across, that emptied out to the ground. “
That's
our bathroom. So, please, try
not to miss. And no, the only time they open this gate is to sell
one of us off.” Charlie's eyes fell to the floor. “My wife Jenny
tried to fight when they sold her. They beat her right in front of
me. Just in front of the bars, I could almost grab her hand. She
was worth fifteen assault rifles, ten barrels of water, and a
portable generator.”

“You're married?”

“Yeah.
Really
married. We met an old
preacher on the road. He married us.”

Aaron grabbed Charlie's shoulder. “I'm
sorry.”

“Yeah. Me too. If I get
out of here, I
will
find her.”

They were quiet a moment. Aaron waited for
two men with rifles slung to their backs to pass before speaking.
He gestured to Derek and Amanda in the back. “What's their
story?”

“These slaver bastards
have a base in what used to be New York, where the border to Canada
was. That's where they do most of their selling. Derek's been with
me since then. They picked up Amanda somewhere in New Jersey I
think. When they run into groups looking for a trade, the women
usually go fast. I'm sure you can guess why.” Charlie choked up a
little, wondering what his wife was doing, if she was even still
alive. “I don't know what's worse for the kids, staying here in
this prison, or being
owned
by a group of men.”

“Well, I don't plan on being here long, so
they can come with me.”

Charlie laughed. “I used to say the same
thing. Now, I don't even know how long I've been here. I've looked
at the bars, trying to figure out if I could take them off the
hinges they made. Hell, you see those walkers over there. They had
help, and couldn't make it out. I'm sorry, Aaron, you're trapped
here.”

He was quiet. Aaron remembered why he hid in
the city so many years. It was because people like the slavers
existed. The people of Lexington, and how they took care of each
other, were the exception, not the rule.

*****

Aaron watched everything he could from the
back of the truck over the next few hours. The slavers were in and
out of the old office buildings and shoddy tents all day long. He
thought he counted at least forty men. Every single one of them
carried a weapon of some kind.

He didn't know where they were in relation to
Lexington. They kept the front gate closed. There were two armed
men stationed, and they only had to kill two walkers throughout the
day. They picked a good location, close enough to a road, but the
yard was tucked away down a hill, surrounded by heavy trees on
three sides, and enough trees by the gate to keep them
invisible.

The sun had gone down. Aaron kept a close eye
out as the night went by. He looked for anything, manned patrols, a
group dinner, anything at all that told him about the culture of
the place.

Derek and Amanda slept near the front of the
truck. It was a warm night. Amanda used Charlie's shirt as a
pillow. He sat down across from Aaron.

“I know it's driving you nuts, being in this
cage. But you're gonna have to get used to it. They'll drag you out
of here and beat you if they feel like it. And if they think you're
getting used to the beatings, then they'll beat someone close to
you.”

“Your wife?”

He nodded. “One time they gave a look to
Amanda too. I begged them not to touch her, and they didn't. But it
was then I knew they had control over me. They knew it too.”

Aaron fought back anger. “A billion walking
corpses around us, and it turns out people are the monsters.”

They went quiet when they heard footsteps
approaching. A man stopped at the bars. He didn't look too old,
just a hint of gray in his hair and beard. Charlie relaxed when he
saw who it was.

“Hey, Gibbons.”

Gibbons nodded. “Charlie. I see your new mate
is awake.”

“Yeah, just today. Aaron, this is Gibbons.
He's the only one here I probably wouldn't spit on.”

“Gee, thanks.” Gibbons looked around before
pulling out two water bottles from under his shirt. “Here. Hurry up
and drink a little. I have to visit the rest of the trucks.”

Charlie grabbed a bottle through the bars and
took a drink. He offered the bottle to Aaron, but he declined, not
once taking his eyes off Gibbons. Charlie hated to wake the kids,
but they needed to drink too. One of the slavers brought them their
daily minimum a few hours ago, but Gibbons helped them whenever he
could, with extra food and water.

Aaron lowered his voice as Charlie tended to
the kids. “You found me at the hospital?”

“Not me, but some guys that went to clear it
and look for supplies. Some of them are talking about you, trying
to figure out how you didn't get eaten.”

“Charlie says I was lucky.”

“Yeah, right. You're so lucky you got brought
back here.”

Aaron could tell from his tone that Gibbons
wasn't happy. “Well, why don't you help us get out of here, and
we'll all leave together?”

He shook his head. “I hate it here, but I'm
safe. You see those moaning bastards chained to the pole over
there? They had the same idea. Look where it got them. It's risky
enough slipping you guys extra water.”

Aaron appreciated Gibbons taking the risk,
but was still angry. “You're a coward.”

“Hey, call me what you want. But I've gotta
watch my ass. I think Allister already suspects I'm up to
something.”

Aaron felt the bottom drop out of his
stomach.

Allister
.

He'd heard the name spoken only once in his
lifetime, but he would never forget it. The man who had murdered
his family. He fired a single bullet into Uncle Frank's and his
father's stomach, then left them to fend for themselves against the
undead.

He still had nightmares about it, watching
Denise, Margie, Frank, and his father die before his very eyes.

Allister was in charge of the slave camp.

Aaron reached through the
bars and grabbed Gibbons by the collar. “
Who
did you say?”

“What? What's your problem, man?”

Charlie ran forward. He grabbed Aaron by the
shoulders and tried to pull him back. He only succeeded in yanking
Gibbons too, his face just a few inches from the bars. Derek and
Amanda watched in fear.

“Aaron, calm down!” Charlie said. “Gibbons is
on our side!”

“Who's in charge here?”

Two men stuck their heads out of their tents.
They grabbed their guns and headed their way.

“Allister!” Gibbons said. “His name's
Allister.”

Charlie kept pulling on Aaron's shoulders.
“Let him go! You're gonna get us in trouble-”

It was too late for that.

Aaron released Gibbons, who fell
backwards.

“What the fuck is going on here?” the taller
of the two men said. He eyed up Gibbons. “Why are you talking to
them? Don't you got something better to do?”

“Bill, Taylor, just relax. I was checking on
the new guy. He was confused for a minute, didn't know where he
was. I popped him one, and now we have an understanding. Right, new
meat?”

Aaron said nothing. Charlie took a step back
to stand in between Aaron and the kids. He had a feeling this
wasn't going to end well.

“He's talking to you,” Taylor said. “You
speak when you're spoken to, like a good little boy.”

“Fuck you.”

Charlie winced. He joined Amanda and Derek in
the back. Amanda hid the bottle of water Gibbons gave them behind
her. Charlie was worried about what Aaron's behavior would bring
down on them.

Taylor smiled. “I hear you just woke up
today. So you don't know how things work here. Well, let me
explain.”

He signaled to Bill, who went around the side
of the truck. They kept the bars locked by a chain that stretched
down the side and wrapped around a hook. Bill undid the chain and
let it fall to the ground.

“Shit, Taylor,” Gibbons said. “Just let it
go.”

“Shut up.”

Taylor swung the bars open and aimed his gun
at Aaron's head. “Get out of there, or I'll kill you, then your
friends in there.”

Aaron was mad at himself. He put Charlie and
the kids in danger. He hopped down from the truck.

As soon as he landed, Taylor hit him in the
head with the butt of his gun.

Aaron fell to the ground. His first instinct
was to attack back. He wasn't that stunned, and Taylor's leg was in
grabbing distance. He held back. Bill stood a few feet away with
his rifle pointed at him.

Not the right time. Not yet.

Taylor and Bill said nothing else during the
beating. It was the first one Aaron ever received. He covered up as
best he could. Amanda tried to rush forward to help, but Charlie
held onto her. Even Derek covered his eyes.

Gibbons just watched. There was nothing he
could do. In the truck next to them, Sherry and the other women
leaned on the bars and watched the beating. She wanted to say
something, anything at all to make them stop. She didn't want to
draw attention to the women. She knew they could do worse to them
than beat them.

“Come on, guys, he's had enough,” Gibbons
said. “If Allister gets wind of this-”

Almost as if on cue, they heard his
voice.

“What in God's name is going on over
there?”

Aaron looked across the yard, not bothering
to try to stand up. His right eye was swollen shut. Blood dripped
from his mouth to the dirt. His entire body was sore from the kicks
and punches. He saw men near their tents, not daring to move as
Allister walked in between them.

Aaron recognized him immediately, even with
only the moonlight.

Allister didn't recognize Aaron. He looked at
the young man, bruised and bloody, clutching his ribs. He barely
contained his anger as he looked at Taylor, Bill, and Gibbons. He
knew Gibbons was too much of a pussy to have anything to do with a
beating, one of the many reasons Allister was thinking about
retiring him.

This was all Bill and Taylor's work.

“I know you have to let off steam sometimes.
Hell, I do it myself. But do you really think we'll get any good
trades out of a beaten, broken man?”

Bill and Taylor stared at the ground.

Allister looked at Gibbons. “Put him back in
the truck. And you two.” He pointed to Bill and Taylor. “Tomorrow,
you're on shit duty. Clean up the shit under every single one of
these trucks.”

Gibbons carefully pulled Aaron to his feet.
He lost his balance, and had to wrap an arm around Gibbons' neck.
Bill and Taylor walked away, mumbling to themselves. The men
vanished back inside their tents. Allister turned to leave, his
hands clasped behind his back.

Aaron couldn't resist. “It was a pleasure
meeting you.”

Allister froze, but only for a second, then
he resumed walking. He didn't speak to the property.

“You stupid bastard,” Gibbons whispered.

He helped Aaron climb into the truck. Amanda
put the water bottle to Aaron's mouth as he laid down. Gibbons gave
Charlie an apologetic shrug.

“Thanks,” Charlie said. “Thanks for the
water.”

Gibbons nodded, then went back to his
tent.

“He's gonna get himself
killed,” Derek said while he paced. “Or worse,
us
.”

Aaron barely heard them talking. It had been
a long time since he felt raw anger.

“I'm afraid he's right,” Charlie said.
“You're gonna have to get that tongue under control. The last thing
we need is Gibbons getting caught.”

“You're right,” Aaron said, coughing up
blood. “Especially if I'm gonna kill Allister.”

*****

Sam woke up from her sleep for a brief
moment, then pulled the sheet back over her head. She wasn't sure
what time it was, but the sun peeking through the curtains and the
sound of chores outside told her it was late morning. She still
didn't move a muscle. She didn't plan on going anywhere.

It had been a month since she lost Aaron.
Lexington had barely seen her since then. She stayed in her room
throughout the day, only going out to eat and drink at night. She
didn't do anything but sleep, look through some books of Aaron's
that she couldn't read, and cry. She hated herself for the crying
part. She told herself when she was surviving that there wasn't a
single person alive worth crying for. She was wrong, and her heart
was paying for it.

There was a knock at the door. There had been
a few knocks over the past month. She ignored them, and they
eventually went away. That wasn't the case this time.

“Go away!”

The door opened. She turned over to see
Richardson poking his head inside the door.

“Hi. Just wanted to make sure you were still
alive in here.”

“I am. Now leave.”

She turned back toward the wall. The door
closed behind her. She didn't know Richardson was in the room until
she heard him speak.

“Travis is limping around now. James thinks
he's gonna make a full recovery.”

Sam shut her eyes to hold in tears. Hearing
Travis' name only made her relive the trip to the hospital. “Good
for Travis. I told you to leave.”