The Reaper: No Mercy (32 page)

"Heidi," he said softly as he approached her bed.

"Yes, Doctor." Her voice was faint, with a definite tone of despondency; she looked up from where she sat at the end of her bed, her hands tightly clenched in her lap, her eyes constantly shifting between the doctor and the open doorway. Finally they settled on Rossi. Those liquid pools of amber were wide with an innocence and hurt that belied her age, and inwardly Rossi shuddered at what he knew she had been through.

"May I sit, please?" He indicated the small chair next to her bed.

"Sure."

Rossi settled himself carefully and then held the book out to her.

"I would like you to read this for me."

She watched him closely, and he detected resistance as her face clouded up. He quickly added, "Humor me please," and she slid across the bed until she could just barely reach the book. Taking it from his outstretched hand, she turned it over several times before she flipped through the pages, then looked up at him.

"This is a children's book?" It was both a statement and a question, and Rossi smiled tenderly at her.

"That's correct. Read it please. It won't take more than a couple of minutes.”

She looked at him with skepticism, then shrugged and opened the small book. The pages flipped with regularity, and a few minutes later she was setting it down on the bed near him, but in a place he would have to stretch to reach.

"I
can
read, you know."

"I know, but you told the staff you didn't want to go to the school we’re starting."

"Is that what this is? A test to see if I can read so that I don't have to go to school?"

"No Heidi, but I do have a question. What did Tommy do to prevent the cookie monster from getting the cookies his mother made him?"

"He climbed out his window and escaped where the monster couldn't follow him. That's simple, Doctor."

"Okay, now you and I will create a story together. A story named Heidi, and how she kept the monster away."

"You're serious?" Now she appeared angry, but Rossi was not deterred. He had been through this before, many times, with other patients.

"Yes," and Rossi began the story. He told her about a girl named Heidi who had a bag of candy. The candy was delicious, but there were only a few pieces left, and her brother's friend wanted them. She could not hide the candy because they also smelled delicious, and her brother's friend would find them. So, she had to find a safe place to eat them where he couldn't catch her.

"Maybe she could just share them!" Heidi had finally spoken; it was obvious the story intrigued her.

"Oh, but this is special candy and she'll never have any more, and more importantly, it was given to her by her parents, and it was all she had left of their gifts." Instantly Heidi's face clouded again and she started to turn away. Rossi was quick, however, and spoke again, telling her that to respect her parents Heidi had to hide, had to get away. Like Tommy did against the cookie monster. He continued on for several minutes, and waited until he once again had her full attention before he asked his first question.

"What should Heidi do? How can she escape?"

"Uhm, well, she could climb out the window quickly."

"Good, but then what? She's sitting in the window, with nowhere to go."

"No! There's a tree outside, of course."

"There is?"

"Sure. There has to be a tree there or something she can do to get away." Heidi's voice and mood had transformed, her face animated and her body posture showing her excitement. Rossi knew at that moment he could get through to her.

"Well Heidi, since you know so much about what to do, I'd like you to finish the story."

And Heidi did, and as she spoke her smile lit up, and her voice became animated, stronger and more confident. Down the tree and up a ladder too small for the brother’s friend to climb, then a safe hiding spot for Heidi to hide in while she ate the gift, the candy her parents had given her. The boy kept yelling but eventually he went away and Heidi was happy.

As Heidi came to the end of the story and stopped speaking, Dr. Rossi looked over at her and saw her smiling.

"That was a wonderful story, Heidi. May I move closer? I mean you no harm," and he rose, then sat next to her when she nodded. She was still smiling and he held his hand out again, palm upward. With glacial slowness she once again took his hand and Rossi squeezed it gently as he stared into her eyes. Slowly she responded.

"I miss my parents, Doctor. I miss them badly."

"I know child, and it's OK to cry for them," he said, and almost instantly the dam within Heidi burst and suddenly she was in his arms, crying against his chest, her body shuddering with deep wracking sobs as her grief burst forth. Rossi let the tears trickle down his own cheeks as he held her gently and kissed the top of her head. This was major progress, and he felt, with the proper long-term treatment, she would be OK.

*****

The Reaper crouched, hidden in the snow-covered undergrowth as the patrol walked by. They were carrying automatic weapons and wearing thick brown robes of what looked like homespun fabric. They walked with an almost mechanical precision, and from the way their heads rarely turned, were unaware of their surroundings. The Reaper did not move his body, but followed them with his eyes. Soon they were out of sight and sound and he proceeded forward slowly. Carefully placing his feet in the tracks they'd made, the Reaper backtracked their trail. As he rounded a corner, he saw that the woods quickly ended and the trail continued through a clearing.

He had spent the last day and a half getting to Macon, Missouri. Once a simple location on a map, the notebook had told an entirely different story. The Reaper remembered the handwritten words clearly: “
#1 Religious nutcases, but willing to deal for young female slaves 9-12. 3oz gold + 15 bushels wheat in spring/per. Killed my first two men. Killed 4 of theirs. Guards suck ass. Now they're dealing and happy about it. Good customers.10 stars on this bunch.”

His current location was not Macon itself, but just north and west of there, outside the town limits. His first inclination was to scout out the town itself, to look for survivors and attempt to consolidate them while putting them in communication with Paris. He knew without doubt that a town this size would have other survivor groups, especially if one was religiously oriented in an unhealthy way. Those who wished to remain hidden would do so, but the Reaper also knew he would be able to find them.

Slowly he approached the clearing before crouching again. The trail led over a hill less than twenty meters ahead, and the Reaper crept forward while listening for sounds around his position. Silence reigned so he kept moving. This was only a recon of the group’s position. He did not want to get close enough to become involved without knowing the rest of the situation in this area.

Approaching the crest, he carefully lifted his head, peering down into the valley below. Before him lay a palisade, for that was the only way he could describe it. It was an extremely large compound which stretched off into the distance in both directions, with a fence comprised of what he estimated to be wooden stakes every four to six feet, barbed wire strung between them. A large gate adorned the front where the trail ended, and more barbed wire could be seen, strung across the top.

The Reaper lifted his binoculars and slowly panned the visible areas around the palisade. Then he saw it. There was a large wooden cross a quarter-mile distant, deep within the woods. It appeared to be constructed of plywood and steel, with a height of at least thirty feet, but that was not what made his eyes narrow and a low growl escape his throat. Nailed or tied to the cross were bodies. A great number of bodies and even from this distance the Reaper could see that many were children. He knew without any doubt that soon the line to purgatory would grow in length.

*****

Not the end ... Only the beginning!

If you enjoyed The Reaper: No Mercy, check out this excerpt from the book that gave birth to the characters here. Blood, Brains, and Bullets is coming soon to Permuted Press!

My daughter has the TV on too loud when I walk in the house, arms loaded down with groceries. It takes me a number of trips to get everything in the house this time. Maybe I got carried away. I hear some announcer coming over the TV, just the sound, not making out many words. Then the emergency warning sound came over the voice. Like the kind you get during a tornado warning.
That
emergency broadcast warning tone! All three kids are in the living room and I glance at the receiver seeing the channel set to sixty-six, which was Disney. But what I see instead of animated characters is red bands across the top and bottom of the screen and a typical news announcer waiting for the warning to end so he can speak again. I say ‘Hi’ to the kids and they started complaining about the interruptions to their program when the warning sounds stop and the announcer’s voice picks up again. I hush them so I can hear.

"For those of you just tuning in let me repeat. It is imperative that all citizens stay inside their homes until further notice. Do not travel or leave your homes unless it is a medical emergency. Anyone with flu like symptoms should go immediately to your nearest hospital or medical facility and seek treatment. I repeat. Stay in your homes unless you have a medical emergency. There have been reports of large numbers of deaths associated to the flu virus and vaccine treatments, the President of the United States has declared the country in a state of National Emergency until further notice."

Holy shit,
I thought. I had never heard of that happening before and it had only been a half hour since the last warning. I kept listening.

"Do not under any circumstances let strangers into your home, especially if they look sick or have any noticeable fluids on their clothing or skin. There are FEMA facilities being prepared to handle refugees. Reports coming in from some of the major cities tell of widespread violence as feverish flu victims attack their fellow citizens. There have also been reports of deaths associated with the vaccinations and reanimations but everyone is to stay calm. Lock your doors and stay inside. If you have not received the vaccination yet, do not do so. Law enforcement is responding to emergencies and the President has signed an executive order calling up the National Guard to maintain order during this crisis."

He started to repeat himself, reading from the paper in front of him and I tuned him out. I grabbed the remote and switched it to FOX seeing a variation of the same thing being broadcast. Then to NBC, ABC, CNN but it didn't matter. The emergency broadcast was on every channel.

I was bewildered.
What the hell was going on
? ran through my mind at high speed as I started putting groceries away. Then I turned on the radio and a FEMA announcement was broadcasting there also.

"We interrupt normal programming to bring you news live from Washington D.C., where the Secretary of Homeland Security is addressing the Nation." Another voice immediately followed the announcer’s. "The Department of Homeland Security is issuing a national advisory warning. The flu virus has officially reached epidemic proportions within the continental United States and there are widespread reports of looting and vandalism going on in most major cities and some smaller rural communities. We are issuing an advisory warning for all individuals to stay in their homes during the current crisis. This applies to everyone not associated with civil law enforcement, emergency and crisis workers or medical personnel. If you must report to work, do so cautiously, as we have received reports of roving bands and some of the encounters with these criminals have been quite deadly. Please wear facial protection when going outdoors and communicating with other individuals. The CDC has also issued a report that the flu has now infected over a third of the population of the United States. There are also reports of some mutations of the flu virus causing an increase in mortality rates. We strongly urge all citizens to stay indoors until authorities have brought this contagion under control. Please my friends, this is for your safety. Stay indoors."
The announcer came back on when the Homeland Security Secretary was finished to inform us that the normal broadcast would resume. I turned it off and thought, maybe I should grab a couple more guns, just in case.

There was a pounding at my back door. What the fuck?! I almost jumped out of my skin at the sound and then felt like slapping myself when rounding the corner to the back room; I saw that it was just Michael, my cop neighbor from the house next door. Actually, Michael was practically my only neighbor within shouting distance. He looked frantic and he opened the door and came in when he saw me.

"Brother, grab your guns. This is it and no joke." He not only looked scared but also like he was about to cry. I noticed he had his bulletproof vest on and was wearing his service automatic and yet I knew he had the day off.

"What?" I was bewildered.
What in hell was he talking about
?