Dead on Arrival: Episode 2- Among Monsters (Part 2 of 2)

Episode 2: Among Monsters (Part 2 of 2)
I took the food despite David’s pleading with me. He was right. It was technically stealing, but morality would have to take a back seat for now. We needed the food. We needed to survive!

“Do you think anyone going miss this stuff?” David asked as he walked behind me looking around nervously.

“No and if they do, does it matter? Survival of the fittest I say. Someone else would have just took it if we hadn’t.”

“Maybe they tried and they died for it…..”

“Aw for fuck sake! Would you stop and just calm down. You’re starting to make me nervous. Maybe they did or maybe they didn’t. Let’s just hurry up and get back, so we can actually eat.”

“So Mark can eat you mean?” he scoffed.

“Very funny. You two should really try to get along. At least spare me the bickering,” I said looking back smirking.

“Yeah. Maybe. If I could trust him.” he said with a straight face. “You have no idea what kind of man he is. What he’s done.”

“What you mean?” I found myself saying, but the words were barely out my mouth before I heard gun shots and a voice call out to us.

“Hey there. Going somewhere?” a man spoke coming up the trail towards us. He was middle aged man. Maybe in his 50s. His hair was grey wrapped in a red bandanna. He look like he came out of a war movie. Scars and blood decorated his face. He grinned showing rows of dingy teeth. “Been a long time since I’ve seen new faces out here.” He paused as more men appeared out the brush with guns in hand. About four or more. “So what have you been up to amigo? Where you coming from?” he said chuckling as his men joined in.

I stared back feeling annoyed, but I remained calm. “….Just passing through boys.”

He came closer as two men followed. We were only inches apart now as I could see every line and battle wound on his face. 

His eyes narrowed as he stared into my eyes, but his attention seem to shift. He was staring at someone behind me. David. I almost forgot he been standing there. He looked nervous hiding the bag of food behind his back.

“And who are you, bucko? Feeling OK?” the elderly man said as he glided pass me pushing me towards his men. They grabbed me a hold of me taking my bag.

“I’m…I’m….fine.” David murmured. He looked down avoiding eye contact. “Why so scared? I don’t bite.” he winked prompting his men to laugh. David said nothing. He appeared to be frozen in place. His face pale and sweaty. “Answer my question boy! Why are you so fucking scared?! What are you hiding?” he said looking down at the bag of food.

“The corpses….he scared of the dead. We saw a couple of nasty ones back there,” I interjected.

“Did I ask you?!” he said turning around to meet my gaze. He walked back to me as his men tighten their grip. “What’s your name?”

"Vince. And what’s yours?“ I said gruffly.

He didn’t answer my question. He scowled looking me up and down. “Well Vince I’m going need you to stay quiet while I talk to your buddy here. SO SHUT THE HELL UP!” Then without warning he punched me right in the stomach. I buckled in pain trying not to collapse as I watched him walk back to David.

“What’s your name? Where’s your camp?” he shouted sounding more angry. “Tell me where you got that food?!”

“We don’t have to tell you anything!” I shouted back defiantly hoping to get the attention off the former cop. 

The old timer laughed turning back to me. “You just won’t shut up will you, Vince? Well I don’t think I like your attitude. Nope. I don’t like it at all.“ Then with a flash his fist hit my face. The pain felt like a bolt of lighting and all I can do was fall to the ground as everything went black.

I woke up feeling warm, but smelling something putrid. I opened my eyes to see that I was on the ground of the camp we visited earlier and the wounded old man from before was growling at me. I yelled backing up into David. We appeared to be tied up. Our backs to each other and our wrist bound together. I kicked my feet at the corpse, but the creature appeared to be chained to a tree just arm lengths away.

“I thought you were dead for a minute.” David mumbled looking defeated. His face now bloody and swollen.

Still I couldn’t take my eyes off the old man. “He was shot. How is he a walking corpse now? He died of gunshot wound….how?” I found myself saying out loud.

“We all come back no matter how we die. It’s the way of the world now, Vince.” a voice answered. “

“Nice punch asshole.” I said as he came into view. I could feel my eye throbbing and swelling.

By the way, sorry I didn’t introduce myself. The name’s Roy.“ he said stooping down to our eye level. “I had a nice talk with David while you were sleeping. He was a man of a few words at first, but he opened up quite nicely after awhile,” he said grabbing David’s bloody head squeezing it. All David could do was scream in agony.

“You bastard!”

He laughed. “He told me you stole from this camp.” He gestured to our surroundings. “This is our land. This is our camp now, so you stole from us. I don’t like thieves.”

He stood up looking down at us with hatred in his eyes. Then two more joined him. Before I knew it they were stomping, kicking, and punching us. With our hands tied it was nothing we could do, but sit there and pray for help or worst, death.

No poll this week and all polls are closed. You will have to wait to see if Vince & co. get out alive! We’ll be seeing what Audrey’s up to next.

B/w the this chapter took me entirely too long. Sorry about that. Ughhh.