Yesterdays Gone: SEASON TWO (THE POST-APOCALYPTIC SERIAL THRILLER) (Yesterday's Gone) (61 page)

Luca was quiet for a second, “No, but I know someone who can.”

“Who?” Desmond asked.

“I’m trying to reach Will. If I can get to him, he knows where there’s some guns and might be able to come back and save us.”

Desmond liked the idea, but wasn’t sure if Will could pull it off on his own, even if he were 20 years younger and a bit less weird. “You can talk to Will?”

“Yes, before he left he told me to call him when we need him. He seemed to know we would need him soon. I think he dreamed all this. I’ve been trying to reach him for a little while. I’m not sure if he’s too far or maybe he needs to be asleep, but I’ll keep trying.”

“Good,” Desmond said, “Thank you.”

Then after a moment, Desmond asked, “Can you reach out to Mary and Paola?”

“I can hear their thoughts, sometimes, so I know they’re okay right now, but they can’t hear me if I try to talk to them.”

Desmond sighed with relief that they were okay, though he wished Luca could converse with them. Then he felt a twinge of doubt, and thought maybe Luca was only imagining that he could hear people’s thoughts. Desmond didn’t really doubt, so much as he wanted to know for certain.
 

He thought in Luca’s general direction, “
Say Amen if you can hear me
.”

Nothing.

He repeated the thought, this time louder.

Nothing.

One more time, and this time Desmond screamed it in his thoughts.

A moment later, Luca said, “Amen.”

“
You heard me?
” Desmond thought, “
What took you so long to answer?
”

“What do you mean?” Luca said.

“
I said it three times,
” Desmond thought.

“I wasn’t tuned into you,” Luca explained. “I can only hear if I’m tuned in, and I don’t like to tune in on people if they don’t know it. But I heard you the one time, when you screamed.”

Oh shit, I wonder if he heard all the things I’ve been thinking. I wonder if he knows the things Mary and I have been thinking about him and Paola. Shit, Desmond, stop thinking, he’s gonna hear you.

Desmond tried to change his thoughts, almost certain Luca had heard the last few, if he’d not heard them before. He decided to hedge his bets, and try to think good things.

“I like you, Luca. We all love you. You’re family to us. Yeah, you’ve spooked us a few times, but we still love you. Mary was just worried. You know how mothers can be, right? Paola’s her baby girl. Even though you’re eight in real life, you’re a teenager, well, hell, now you’re 25. You can understand how protective she feels, right?”

“It’s okay, Mr. Desmond,” Luca said after a minute of silence. “I understand. I’m getting out of your head now, so don’t worry.”

Desmond wondered if Luca really left, and felt a flush of shame and guilt, but also a bit violated. How long has Luca been able to listen to their thoughts? How often had he spied on them?

Everyone thought things they’d be ashamed for others to pick up on, from petty to perverse. Any number of times Desmond might have mentally told someone in their group to fuck off, or wished them dead, even if he didn’t really mean it. He was certain he’d thought of Luca as creepy any number of times, and even wondered if the boy was a threat, a time or two.

Desmond’s unguarded thoughts probably made him seem like a monster to an eight year old, especially one so sheltered and innocent as Luca had been. Hell, Luca could’ve picked up on Desmond thinking Paola looked pretty, and misinterpreted it as him being a pervert, even though he didn’t think of Paola in
that way
. Perhaps worse, Luca had picked up on the dirty thoughts Desmond had about Mary, who he
did
think of in
that way
, thoughts that had grown dirtier the longer they were separated at The Sanctuary. The things he thought about doing to her.
 

Oh God, he must think I’m the biggest pervert ever.

He hoped Luca saw through the stray thoughts to the real Desmond, the guy who was loyal and kind; the guy who loved them all like family, and would die to protect them. He hoped Luca would judge him on his actions, instead.

Desmond felt invaded and ashamed, but at the same time, he had to take Luca at his word. The boy was a kind, gentle soul, and if he said he wasn’t peeping into their thoughts, Desmond had to believe him. Luca had been privy to Desmond’s every thought, so if he had been tuning in, surely he’d have seen the good and bad, and judged Desmond fairly. Desmond was sure that compared to the others at The Sanctuary, his thoughts were downright decent. He could only imagine the depravity running through someone like Rei, who probably got off on torturing small animals, or people, while making others watch. And who knew what weirdness ran through John, who seemed so straight laced, but whose weird smile hinted at something weird or wicked underneath.

Desmond tried to think of himself before he broadcast THAT image, and polluted whatever innocence Luca still held onto. He imagined a field of flowers, cleansing his mind’s canvas.

The sound of locks on the outside of the door severed Desmond’s thoughts and tensed his body. Light spilled into the room from outside as shadows fell on the stairs and footsteps echoed into the chamber.
 

Desmond
 
took advantage of the light and scanned the dungeon to get an idea of what was what. The room was ten by ten, with concrete floors. He was strapped to the wall facing the steps, while Carl and Luca were strapped to opposite walls to his left and right, respectively. Carl looked up, groggy and emaciated. Desmond wondered if they’d even fed the kid since locking him down here days ago. His pants were stained with shit and piss. His shirt, like Luca’s, had been removed and his chest was covered in purple and black bruises. Luca, thankfully, showed no signs of abuse — yet.

Jesus. Is locking someone up not enough of a punishment? They have to torture him? If they tortured Carl, one of their own who happened to disobey “the law,” what the hell will they do to us?

Desmond swallowed, waiting for Rei.

Rei stood at the top of the stairs for a moment, out of sight, probably trying to make them anxious. He then descended the steps slowly, seeming to savor each step as if it were delivering a wound that he would be echoing soon enough.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” the weasel-faced fucker clucked as he stepped into view and walked up to Desmond, stopping just inches from his face.

“What
have
you done? Breaking our Laws? Shooting one of our Brothers? God don’t take kindly to acts of violence against your Brothers, Desmond.”

“I was trying to save Rebecca,” Desmond said, “Since nobody else seemed willing to step up. Or aren’t the lives of children as important here?”

“She was in God’s hands, and from the looks of it, she wasn’t dead, was she? Who do you think you are to step in and try to intervene in God’s plans? Do you think you’re above Him?”

Rei removed the belt from his pants and took his time winding it around his fist, as he spoke, “Answer me, Desmond, are you ABOVE the Lord Almighty?”

“It wasn’t God who put her in a box,” Desmond said.

Rei smiled, pulled the belt tight, then swung, hitting Desmond hard beneath his right ribcage.

“Fuck!” Desmond screamed as pain ripped through him.

“Ah, there it is, the Devil’s filth coming from your mouth,” Rei said, his eyes flashing a glimmer of hate as he swung again, this time hitting Desmond in his gut.

Desmond took the punch in silence this time, though the pain was no less acute. He would not give Rei the satisfaction of hearing his cries.

“No more filthy Devil words?” Rei asked, hitting him again in the gut.

Desmond winced as Rei stepped closer. “You’re a manly man, aren’t you Brother Desmond. You’re strong. You know everything, and all the ladies love you, eh?”

Rei punched him again, this time in the center of Desmond’s chest, emptying his wind.

“Stop it!” Luca shouted as Desmond gasped for breath.

Rei spun on the ball of his right foot, and raised a fist at Luca, “You want some, too, boy?”

Desmond didn’t want Luca taking his punishment. He called out to Rei, “Hey, pussy, you gonna hit a boy? Why don’t you take my chains off and we’ll settle this, just you and me, since you think you’re so tough?”

Rei turned back to Desmond, eyes on fire, just inches away from Desmond’s face. He reached down, grabbed Desmond by the balls, and squeezed tight.

Desmond cried out, unable to hold the pain inside, as Rei squeezed tighter and pulled. Rei’s little weasel mouth pinched in a tight, angry smile.

“All balls, eh, big boy?” Rei said.

Desmond spit in his face.

Rei’s face went bright red as he wiped the spit away with his sleeve, and allowed the buckle to fall as the belt uncoiled from his hand like a whip.

Desmond braced for the whipping, but Rei turned instead to Luca, and swung, hard, hitting Luca in the head.

Luca screamed, blood seeping from a wound in his temple.
 

Rei turned to Carl, and whipped him, the buckle slashing Carl across the left cheek.

Rei took another swing, this time hitting Carl in the chest, then turned back on Luca and began lashing at him, leaving bright red marks and dark trails of blood criss-crossing Luca’s chest.
 

Luca writhed in pain, crying out.

“Stop it!” Desmond screamed, as Rei kept whipping the boy, now on his sixth lashing.

Luca was in tears, begging Rei to stop.

“Please!” Desmond cried out, defeated, tears running down his face. “Please!”

Rei turned slowly to Desmond as he began to slide the belt back through the loops in his pants, “Don’t you ever disrespect me, or The Sanctuary, again, or I will bring your bitch in here next, and her child. And I’ll teach you to fear the Good Lord’s wrath.”

Rei punched Desmond a final time, under the left ribs, and Desmond wailed.

Rei spun around, pulled the chain dangling from the light fixture, and cast the room into darkness. He marched up the stairs, opened the door, then slammed it shut and locked it, leaving Desmond alone with his pain and the sobbing from Luca and Carl.

I will fucking kill you.

* * * *

BRENT FOSTER: PART 1

Milner, Georgia

March 24, 2011

morning

Brent and Ed raced up the hotel stairwell as aliens exploded through the doors downstairs.

“You got a plan?” Brent panted, out of breath and trailing Ed, despite being almost a decade younger.

“Nope,” Ed said cooly, continuing until the stairs ended at the top floor, well lit by the skylight in the center of the hotel’s roof.

Before Brent could ask what they were doing next, Ed handed him his shotgun and was halfway up the ladder leading to the rooftop.

He waited below as Ed pushed the hatch open.
 

The echoes of aliens screeching, clicking, and clambering up the stairway made the stairwell sound like a living, breathing death trap of madness. Brent’s heart raced as he handed Ed’s gun back and started climbing the ladder.

Go, go, go, go!

He hoped to God he’d reach the top and close the hatch before the aliens caught up to him.

Brent hauled himself onto the roof, and rolled out of the way as Ed glanced down with his shotgun, then softly closed the hatch.
 

Ed stayed down, surveying the shopping center parking lot. The hotel was the tallest building in the plaza at 12 stories high, and they were smack dab in the middle of the roof. If they stayed low enough, they wouldn’t be seen by the aliens that might still be in the parking lot.

“What now?” Brent asked, “Can they climb ladders?”

“Probably not, nor do I think they’ll realize we’re up here, unless they hear us.”

“And if they do?” Brent asked, “What then?”

“Then we hope we don’t run out of ammo before we kill them all.”

Brent pulled his pistol from his waistband and looked at it, wishing he’d thought to bring a rifle or shotgun before the kid stole their bag of weapons. There were five bullets left in the cartridge.
 

Fuck.

“Come here,” Ed said, “let's get away from the door, so they don’t smell us. Step softly.”

Brent followed Ed toward a large room on top of the roof, which Brent figured was probably the utility room for the hotel. They leaned against the wall and waited for the roof hatch to pop open.

After an uneventful half hour or so, Brent broke the silence that had stretched between them, “So, how long until we can go back down there?”

“I dunno,” Ed said, “I’d wait until morning.”

“You want us to stay up here all day and night?”

“You got somewhere else to be?”

Brent sighed, and shook his head, now wishing he’d thought to bring some pillows and blankets with him, too.