Legend of Mace (6 page)

Kelly briefly whimpered and turned away, remaining quiet.

Trying not to get worked up, Roger said, “Do you execute many people?”

“Not really. Most people don’t get this close.”

Scrutinizing Woody, Roger saw his intelligence. He wanted to challenge his beliefs and perhaps reach his heart. At this point, he figured if he didn’t take some kind of stand he’d either end up dead or a slave anyway. “Is this really the kind of life you want for your people? From what I’ve seen, you all live this brutal, empty existence. If all you want to do is kill, then you’re nothing but savages.”

Woody understood that Roger was a minister, so his response didn’t completely surprise him. A part of him, though, was instantly offended. After the deaths of Hot Dog and Alexie, he never acted rashly. Staring at Roger for a few long moments, Woody took his time to formulate a response. “We’ve done what we needed to do to survive. It’s not fair for you to come in here and judge us. You have no idea what we’ve been through.”

“True enough,” Roger replied, feeling hopeful that they could have a meaningful conversation. “But don’t you want a camp that is more of a home than a prison? Where people aren’t so scared they’ll sneak out in the middle of the night to avoid getting murdered?”

Woody grew more defensive. “They were told they would be escorted out if they didn’t want to stay, and this is no prison. Everyone feels safe here.”

“They didn’t believe you, and neither did I.” 
There was a brief silence between them. “I don’t condone what they did, but I understand why they did it. I’m not so sure that by us staying here we won’t end up dead, whether we do something wrong or not. That’s the kind of place you’ve created.”

“We take care of our own,” Woody said, getting louder. “Your lives are the least of our worries. We do what we have to, to survive.”

Roger knew he had pushed far enough. “But don’t you want more?” he said quietly.

“There is nothing more.”

“There is peace. You choose war. You choose to live in fear.”

“We don’t fear anything,” Woody stated boldly.

“Actually, you fear everything. You kill most people before you’ve even given them a chance. My guess is you’ve lived this way for so long you don’t even know the difference.”

For the first time in a long while, Woody felt confused. He was momentarily speechless as he reflected on Roger's words. After Hot Dog and Alexi perished, he'd simply wanted to give up. Feeling crushed by the weight of his foolishness and bravado in Kansas, he literally lost the will to live for awhile. It was Mace, once again, that pulled him to safety once they'd found a new home.

Refusing to allow Woody to simply fade from life, Mace used the skills he'd learned as a big brother to reach him and help him regain his inner strength.  Mace knew he couldn't fail another child: He couldn't lose another child. Saving Woody might somehow ease the guilt of Jason's death. After all these years, Jason's death still haunted him.

Their bond changed as Mace's condition worsened. With Jade taking care of Jason and another child on the way, Mace began grooming Woody to take over the camp, making security top priority. As Mace's personality turned darker, so did Woody's, and he emulated his role model, learning techniques that would keep them safe at all costs.

 
As Mace and Lisa patrolled more and spent more time outside of camp, Mace and Woody's
roles started reversing. 
The camp's safety and security inside the walls became Woody's responsibility, and it gave him his sense of purpose. The more involved he got, the greater his ability and influence. It became his own form of redemption. It was all he ever contemplated.

Returning to the present, Woody stared inquisitively at Roger, recognizing Roger's interpretation as correct.
Everything we do is based on fear,
he realized.
But what other choice do we have?  
"Stay here," he suddenly said. “I’ll send somebody back for you.” He wanted to think things through on his own.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Kelly said, “We need to figure out how to murder the munchkins. They’re not the cute, whimsical types.”

Peeking out the curtains, Roger said quietly, “Too soon to tell. They’re young. They might come around.”

“Yeah, and we may end up being Mohawk food.”

As Woody led the prisoner and the boys away, Roger let the curtain drop. “Maybe,” he said softly, “and maybe not.”

As soon as Mace left Lisa’s, he spotted Woody walking towards him with the group of boys and prisoner in tow.

“Is the other guy inside?” Woody asked as they came together.

“Yeah, but he, uh, is going to be busy for a little while.”

Woody gave him a strange look.

“It’s all good,” Mace answered. “What do you plan on doing with this guy?” Mace looked Saul over and noticed the fresh bruises on his face.

“I thought we’d go have a talk with him. Find out what he knows.” Several boys groaned. Their hearts were set on an execution.

“We could use the office in the convent,” Mace said.

“Let’s do it.”

Mace couldn’t help but smile as he turned to address Chelsea. She had the lizard back under her shirt. “See ya, Chelse. Why don’t you check out the barn for me?”

Chelsea winked, happy that he'd kept her secret. “Going right now,” she said, as Herman squirmed up and stuck his head out the top of her shirt. She picked up her pace so no one would notice.

Inside the convent office, Saul sat on a chair with his hands bound behind him. Sitting in front of him, Mace’s face was no more than a few inches away.

“You’re lucky you made it this far,” Mace said, his eyes penetrating and dark. “Why did you steal from us?”

Avoiding eye contact, Saul kept his eyes trained on the ground. Sweat dripped down his face. He looked like a man defeated. “We thought you were going to kill us. We didn’t want to steal the bikes. We just wanted to get away.”

From behind Mace, Woody responded. “We gave you the option to leave. You didn’t take it.”

“We didn’t believe you,” Saul answered quietly. Still gazing at the floor, his shirt was soaked with sweat. “We figured we were dead either way.” His lifted his head to make eye contact with Mace. “If you’re gonna kill me, just get it over with.”

“Not so quick,” said Mace. “How did you get out and how did you avoid the mines?”

Saul’s head lulled in front of him. “We waited ‘til there was a guard rotation, then just stuck to the bike tracks. We walked the bikes the first quarter mile.”

Mace felt fire run through his veins. He couldn’t believe it had been that easy to escape. Their camp was made to keep people out though, not in.

“Could I talk to you?” Woody suddenly interjected, addressing Mace.

Mace continued to lock eyes with Saul, feeling the need grow inside. The darkness slowly expanded. “Sure,” he answered as he eyeballed Saul. He slowly rose and turned to face Woody.

“Outside,” Woody said quietly, pointing to the door with his head.

“What’s up?” Mace asked, once they were outside the office.

“I think we should let him go.”

A weird feeling came over Mace. The need to kill grew stronger. “Why would we want to do that?” He felt ready to explode.

“To show we're not tyrants.”

The words bounced around in Mace’s head for a few seconds. They suddenly took on the voice of Father McCann, repeating words spoken before he’d been taken over by the toxin. “
A leader without compassion will only become a tyrant.
”

Mace felt the hardness in his heart. The words defined him. While no longer technically their leader, they still looked to him for guidance. Like a ripple in a pond, his darkness spread over the entire camp. He suddenly felt like a form of cancer. “Let him go,” Mace said as he tried to ignore the pull. “Give him his horse and possessions and send him on his way. We’re not tyrants.”

“Good. I’m glad you agree. If he tries to come back, we kill him.”

“Let’s go tell him the good news,” Mace said, trying to control the burn inside.

They walked back in the room and Saul closed his eyes.

“We’re going to let you go,” Woody said calmly. “You’ll get your horse back and the possessions you and your partners came with. Don’t ever come back, though. You stole from us. You come back and we’ll have no choice but to finish you off.”

Saul almost broke down at the words. He took a few deep breaths and said, “Could you untie me, please. I think I might just throw up.”

As Saul walked through the front door of their home unescorted, Roger and Kelly both looked over his shoulder.

“You alone?” asked Roger, surprised.

“I’m outta here. If I were you, I’d do the same.”

“They’re letting you go?” questioned Kelly, shooting a glance at Roger. “Maybe we should bail while we can?”

“They’re not going to just let me leave. At least not right now. If you want to go with Saul, I’ll see if I can arrange it.”

“I’m not going anywhere without you,” Kelly said in all seriousness.

“I’ve got two minutes,” answered Saul as he grabbed his things and stuffed them in a pack. “If you’re going to stay, you better be sure. Once I’m gone I’m not coming back.”

“I’m staying,” said Kelly, although the pit in her stomach told her she wasn’t sure if it was the right move.

“Well, good luck to you, then,” said Saul, as he lifted his pack and headed for the front door. “I plan on being far away by nightfall.”

Twenty minutes after Saul left camp under escort, Mace knocked on Roger’s door.

“You let him go,” Roger said, as soon as it opened.

“You surprised? We told you that you could leave if you wanted.” When Roger didn’t respond, Mace questioned him. “Are you sure you still want to stay?”

“Yes,” Roger responded, avoiding Kelly’s sudden glare. “This camp intrigues me. I think we could add some value here.”

“Good,” answered Mace. He felt a slight tingle of hope that this man might somehow save him. “You are now both free to roam the camp. If anyone harasses you, they will have to answer to me.”

“You trust us, now?” Roger asked.

“Not even close,” Mace said with a sharp edge. “Just don’t disappoint.”

“Don’t worry. We have no intention to.”

Knowing the price for disappointment, Roger felt his insides twist. Accustomed to living a daily existence just short of despair, he hoped this camp might allow them a reprieve from its crushing jaws. He felt thoroughly exhausted. 

Watching Mace depart through the front window, Roger thought about the years they’d spent on the road. Despite all the horrors they’d seen and the devastating losses they'd faced, a seed of hope still refused to die within him. He needed to believe that life could change, that they could somehow still prevail without losing their humanity. Observing all the kids that roamed inside the walls of the Alamo, Roger got momentarily misty. It was here, he thought, if anywhere. Hope lived here.

Lining an old crate with hay in the barn, Chelsea still didn’t feel all that comfortable. “What’s going to keep him from flying away?” Herman was perched on her shoulder, his head twitching as he checked out the small wooden stall. The goats bayed in the background and his head twitched around to stare at them. In the corner, Buster rested on his side, his one good eye nodding towards sleep.

“I don’t know,” Maya said, as she surveyed the barn, her arms crossed in contemplation. “There’s plenty of room for him to fly up there,” she said, pointing directly above them towards the loft.

“Ooh, you’re right,” Chelsea said excitedly. “I like the thought of him up there better, anyway. Maybe we can keep him hidden.”

“What are you doing?” A voice startled them from the side. Kelly stood at the entrance of the stall.

Chelsea whipped around, causing Herman to cling tight to avoid getting dislodged. “What are you doing here?” Chelsea answered, perplexed. She grabbed Herman off her shoulder and tucked him behind her back.

“What is that thing?” asked Kelly. She moved towards Chelsea inquisitively.

“Nothing,” Chelsea said as she moved back a step. Herman squirmed in her hand.

“Is that a lizard?” Kelly asked as she tried to look behind her back. Chelsea moved away from her and flung Herman gently in the air. His wings opened and he glided to the other end of the barn where he landed on a beam. Kelly missed the move.

Chelsea produced her empty hand and Kelly said, “What the hell? I know you were just holding something.”

Chelsea didn’t feel she needed to explain. “It’s none of your business. What are you doing here, anyway?”

“I just wanted to see the barn. I heard you talking. What were you doing?”

“You sure ask a lot of questions,” Chelsea said. “If I were you, I wouldn’t be so nosy.”

“What are you hiding? Why won’t you tell me?” Kelly stepped forward. She was almost twice Chelsea’s size.

Chelsea suddenly threw a straight jab, smacking Kelly in the nose. Kelly’s head snapped back. She doubled over, holding her nose. “Ow, what was that for?” A trickle of blood came out.

“You came at me,” Chelsea said calmly. “I was just defending myself.”

“I didn’t do anything!” Kelly declared angrily, wiping the blood with the back of her finger. “What is wrong with you people?” Locked in a stare with Chelsea, she finally said, “I remember you. You used to hide behind your mother. You were just a scared little girl.”

“I’m not scared anymore,” Chelsea said defensively, “and I don’t hide from anything.”

“No, you just punch people when they aren’t expecting it.”

“Are you ready for it now?” Chelsea said as she squared up, ready to punch her again.

Kelly put her hands up in surrender. “Whoa. I’m not looking for a fight. I can’t believe you hit me!” She wiped her nose again and looked at the blood on her finger. “Where did you learn to punch like that, anyway?”

“From Jade. She’s a black belt. I could kick your ass if I wanted.”