The Deepest Red (48 page)

The door opens widely as the skinny man enters. In the hallway, stands the soldier from last night, Cliff, and one other I don’t recognize. They’re both holding weapons. I shutter and bow my head taking a bite of the crunchy carrot. I savor the taste because I won’t be getting out of here alive.

“Yes Ma’am?” Thomas inquires not looking at me.

“Go get Millie’s clothes and make sure they’re repaired if needed.”

He nods and swiftly leaves.

“It’s been awhile since I saw this knife,” Katlin begins. “How is Tommy Boy?”

I observe her continue to twirl the small weapon.

“He’s dead,” I state flatly.

She flinches and flips the blade back into hiding. With a soft thump she returns it gently to the side table.

“I hate to hear that. He taught me so much about survival,” she says and continues to peer at the lonely knife as I take another bite of the food.

“He was very useful,” I say, causing her head to snap toward me.

“He was,” she agrees calmly with large blue eyes- the same as mine.

A moment passes as we evaluate each other. I don’t have a weapon and I’m still feeling dizzy, so I know I’m no match for anyone.

“Did he tell you about us, my sister and I?”

I nod.

“Yeah, but I didn’t learn anything important until after he died. Tom wrote me a letter,” I say, looking down at the hardwood floor.

“Sounds like him. More than likely he promised Micah, I mean your dad, that he would be silent.” She shifts in her chair a little uncomfortable. “How is your dad?” she asks. I ignore her question causing her to sigh heavily. “What you think you know is wrong,” she says, looking away from me. 

“He told me everything. How you stole my mother’s necklace and tricked my father. How you ran after my mother only to kill her in the woods,” I remark as she shakes her head.

“Looking back after all these years, it’s funny to think that there was anyone alive who resembled me- so much so only a necklace distinguished one from the other. You would think a husband would know the difference.”

I sniff back a sob no longer hungry. I don’t want to cry but I’m so raw on the inside that it takes everything to drive the tears away.

“Not if he never imagined that sort of betrayal,” I say, sitting down on the bed and taking a drink of water.

The food, having turned into a big lump inside my stomach, sours. Katlin bows her head as if studying her lap.

“Millie, Tom didn’t lie. He just didn’t comprehend what he saw correctly.” I sit confused, listening as she continues, “I loved my sister but life was strenuous and over time we drifted apart. Our mother died giving birth to us, leaving our grandmother to raise us. She was a ruthless woman and even though she loved us both, she loved Katlin more.

“What are you saying-” I attempt to ask but she interrupts me.

“Just let me finish. I need to say this.” She pauses. “When Micah started showing me attention, I had no clue he had confused me with Katlin. When I realized what was going on, I played along pretending to be her. It was just nice to have the attention she always received and I wasn’t sorry for deceiving him until Katlin found out.” She fiddles with the black velvet of her cloak. “She was so angry and just as vicious as your great grandmother, so I joined the red zone scouts. I was hoping to learn how to defend myself and be free of the prison’s fences. The more I learned the more I loved the red zone- of course the infected didn’t exist then.”

I shake my head about to voice what I wouldn’t dare hope but she silences my words again.

“After a while, Micah decided Katlin was not who he wanted. He missed me and our talks. I tried at first to stay away but I couldn’t, I loved him too.” She shrugs and closes her eyes. “I loved you both so much but that night when I walked in on him and her, a piece of me soul broke and I didn’t think.”

Her eyes open to unshed tears shining in the light.

“I ran. I ran to the one place I found comfort in. I ran to the red zone. I left my beautiful baby behind because I couldn’t handle it.” Her silent tears fall over onto her cheeks as she stares at me. “I’m so sorry, Millie. I was too young to have a child, too young and stupid. When my sister found me, we fought and I snapped her neck. It was self defense and it left me numb and empty. All I could think about was how I was responsible for her death.”

I fall in a heap at my mother’s feet.

“Kayla?” I choke out. “Mom?”

Tears flow down my cheeks as I dare myself to accept her words. Confusion and hope conflict each other inside of me. I want her words to be real but Tom’s letter is imprinted into my mind.

“What about the necklace? Tom said he saw Katlin wearing the it before she ran off.”

She shakes her head.

“He was mistaken. I sat for hours holding my sister, shocked at what I’d done. When I realized she was dead, I took off the silver cross and returned the chain back to around my neck. I had inherited our mother’s necklace because I was the oldest by four minutes. Right then, I had wanted the heirloom back to bare as a reminder of my sin. There is not a day that goes by, I do not feel judged,” she admits and reaches down grasping my hand as I search her face.

“Why didn’t you come home?” I ask, stroking the ends of a loose strand of hair.

“Tom wouldn’t believe I was Kayla. If I had gone back with him the others at the prison would have killed me. My fearsome granny had died and I had no one left to stop them. So I ran and got lost in the red zone.” She pauses taking a deep breath. “The leader of these people found me after two years of trying to survive. He enjoyed my company so I joined, hoping one day I would find my way back to you. My goal in life has always been you.”

She throws her arms around me, pressing my face into her neck. The smell of her reminds me of brimstone and fire. For a brief moment I allow myself the fantasy- I believe she is my mother. Kayla would’ve had the same smile, same voice, same laugh. It would be so easy to accept.

“I wish you were my mother but you’re not,” I say, drawing away from her. “What really happened that night?”

She gives me a questioning look.

“But I am Kayla.”

I stand, wishing to gain space away from Katlin and away from her lies.

“Two of my friends are dead. Where is Jay?” I repeat.

Katlin’s eyes shade to a brighter blue, coldness and amusement shining through. She begins to laugh. The sound is chilling, hard and mixed with a hint of lunacy. I remember the melody from my nightmares.

“How could you tell? I guess Tom trained you well.”

I search around the room for anything helpful.

“You don’t have to be trained to see through your lies.”

“What gave me away?” Her laughter fades, leaving only her stern stare.

“My mother would’ve came back for me no matter what.”

Katlin sneers, “I guess you’re right. Kayla was always arrogant enough.”

“I’m not arrogant. Let me go home,” I say, observing her fingers gliding over Tom’s pocket knife.

“No,” Katlin chuckles. “I will admit, you did very well- killed some of my best men.”

“They wouldn’t have died if you had just left us alone.”

“Oh Millie, we had to kill your friends from the prison. If I had let them go, they would’ve told the others about us and I can’t allow the prison to have a warning.”

“Why?”

The one word twists her face into a menacing sneer.

“Because of those bastards, I missed out on your childhood. Because of their almighty rules, I had to flee. I can’t forgive them or their children. They will pay.”

I shake my head.

“That doesn’t make any sense - you started this whole thing by pretending to be someone you weren’t. It isn’t anyone’s fault but your own.”

Madness flares bright in her eyes.

“You don’t know what you’re saying- you weren’t there!”

“Then tell me! What really happened?”

“What really happened?” she billows with hatred gleaming in all her features. “I killed your mother. That is what really happened. Everything else is just details.”

I want to flee, to get away from the evil I see lurking inside her. She is insane and incapable of anything but cruelty.

“You should be thankful to me.” She lowers her voice as she stands. “Who do you think has been killing the infected for so long?” she ask. “I have. I’ve kept their numbers back so that they didn’t overrun your home. I wanted you to survive long enough for me to take over the prison and oh, how I will destroy everyone within its walls. Once I have my revenge our camp will have a safe place to settle into and we’ll finally destroy the infected.”

She grabs sharply for the white leather crow mask still laying on the floor.

“So you’re going to take over the prison for your army to live?”I question.

“No, not just an army. Many men have families, people they love to bring with them. They will be safe while we spend our resources on eliminating the infected.”

“What about Dad?” I ask, trying to swallow down my horror.

He could never fight anyone and win. Dad isn’t trained in doing anything but learning. She freezes for a moment considering.

“He’s alive?”

I nod not trusting myself not to scream. Katlin shakes her head as if to clear it.

“Doesn’t matter,” she says and turns to face me. “You will learn to be grateful. I even kept your friend Jay alive because he tried to protect you from Ben. Think of it as a welcome home gift from your aunt.”

I step forward my head now pounding in pain.

“Where is he?” She gives me a mocking laugh.

“I think our family reunion moment is done for the day. You might not believe me but I love you Millie and we will be a happy family again once those criminals at the prison are gone.”

She rushes toward the door. I want to fight her, avenge my mother’s death but I’m motionless.

“Katlin?”

She pauses with her fingers on the brass knob. Words stick in my throat unable to escape. She gives me a warm smile, one of someone who thinks they are completely justified in their actions. A smile of someone who sleeps well at night.

“Your mother would be proud of you. Good thing you take after me,” she says, opening the heavy wooden door.

Jay stands in the outside hallway, a dangerous smile on his face. In a flash of movement I cannot register, Jay strikes my aunt on the head with a stolen night stick before she can process who is standing before her. Her head snaps back and she lands hard on the floor.  I withhold my scream of shock as he reaches into her black velvet cloak and retrieves a long double edged knife.

“Did you miss me?” Jay taunts as he tosses the knife across the room. I catch it and smile weakly.

“Nice cloak.”             

Chapter Twenty-Six
 

Out in the hallway, I rush to help Jay drag the bodies of the soldier, Cliff, and Katlin deeper into the room. They’re heavy and the effort of tugging unconscious weight out of sight leaves my body drained. I slump against one of the bedpost. Right before Jay is about to snap Cliff’s neck, I gasp.

“Don’t!”

Looking him in the eyes, I try not to appear so weary.
I have to be strong to survive this.

“They killed our friends,” he says angrily.

“It wasn’t him that did it,” I say, sighing. “And if I see one more person die by our hands, I might go insane.” Jay shakes with seething anger but releases Cliff.

“Are you hurt?” he ask, struggling with his anger. I wasn’t hurt but I felt all the death weighing down on me, cracking open my sanity. I shake my head no.

When Jay manages to control his emotions, he approaches me like a brother would a beloved sibling.
When did we become close friends?
I think back to all the arguments we’ve had and to him fighting along side of me. I smile weakly and attempt not to think about what he might have done to escape his captors.
How would he even know I was in this room?
I push away from the bedpost acting as my crutch.

“Bryan is one of them.”

The words sound hollow out loud. Jay pauses.