Inhuman [Book 1] Read online

  I didn’t understand it at first, but I soon figured out what it was that I was feeling – I was excited about possibly being able to kill them. I wanted to hurt them for what they did.

  What I did… or caused… That was an accident.

  As soon as we got near the front door, I followed his directions and put the rifle behind my back in way that it couldn’t be seen. Then he took my arm and roughly led me outside to put on a show. I even pretended to struggle.

  Jeff was hiding behind Auron’s truck, and the other men were about forty or fifty yards away by the clearing for the road in and out of the property. I saw the two dirt bikes, the Harley and the same trucks – except there were only two instead of three.

  Some of them must have gotten killed along the way.

  When Auron and I reached the front of his truck, I looked over and saw that Jeff had already noticed me hiding the rifle behind my back. He quietly asked through his teeth, “Dad, what the hell are you doing?”

  Auron slightly turned and whispered, “Shut up and follow my lead.” Then he yelled out, “How do I know you won’t still attack us after I give him to you!”

  The man I originally saw riding the motorcycle stepped out from behind the truck on the left. He was older, but definitely a good decade younger than Auron. He looked like ex-military, although, I had the feeling he was the type of guy who just liked playing the part.

  They all looked like those kind of guys – camo, gloves, boots – and I was still almost sure I saw some type of body armor protruding from under their clothing. The guys riding the dirt bikes were wearing sunglasses and bandannas over their faces. And I could see three more pairs of hunting boots when I looked under their trucks.

  These pricks were prepared for this shit. I just hope they aren’t actually ex-military – we won’t stand a chance.

  My only comfort was my gut telling me that the type of men who would actually join the military would never shoot an innocent boy playing in a front yard – they’d want to help protect him.

  The man demanding my head (in a sense) put on a big smile and started laughing. “I guess you don’t! But you also don’t have a choice! I’m just makin’ the offer instead of lightin’ this place up because I feel bad about your boy dyin! I know your pain now!”

  Auron was seething, struggling to keep his anger at bay as the muscles in his jaw strained. His grip on my arm substantially tightened.

  He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, then raised his rifle, yelled out, “Now!” and fired a shot.

  I brought mine out from behind my back and did the same. I didn’t really have one – the “leader” was already back behind the truck, so I aimed underneath at their legs and feet. I missed.

  My nerves caused me to stay out in the open and search for a shot like a fool. Luckily, Auron pulled me back behind his truck just as the others started to return fire.

  Jeff cried out, “What are you doing, Dad? There’re too many of them! Why didn’t you just give him up?”

  Auron, staying hunched down to escape the gunfire, walked over to him, grabbed his shirt collar and threw him up against the driver door – almost making him stumble enough to fall.

  “They killed Tommy, your brother! MY boy! Do you really think they’d just leave after we gave him up? No! They’d still try to kill us and take everything we have! So you’re gonna man-up and take revenge for your brother and protect yourself, now!” He punched him the shoulder rather forcefully. “Your anger is makin’ you stupid!”

  Auron is no joke…

  For a second I was sure that Jeff was going to swing on him, but instead, he took Auron’s advice, raised his rifle and nodded in agreement. When he looked my way, I could see that his opinion about me hadn’t changed at all.

  Dozens of shots were being fired from the other side of the property. The bullets were showering the truck – shattering the windows and deflating the tires. All the birds in the area were fleeing from the surrounding trees.

  When there was a break in the shooting, I tried to lean out, but immediately heard it start again so I pulled back. Bullets sprayed the truck right on the other side of where I’d taken a knee, which suggested that one of them was watching me specifically.

  Jeff and Auron both stood up and started shooting back since I’d somewhat distracted them. Then I remembered that I could see their legs under the truck, so I dropped to the ground. Not only did I see their legs, but I saw that Auron had hit the asshole in charge in the thigh. He was on the ground clutching it – clearly in a great deal of pain.

  I got on my stomach and positioned my rifle, which was very difficult because my shoulder was already on fire from taking the first shot. I did my best to hold it steady. I had a clear shot right at his head as he lay on the ground trying to stop the bleeding, so I held my breath and took it.

  When I got him back in my sights I could see blood pouring form his neck. He was barely moving around. He had his hand over the bullet hole I’d put in his throat and he was looking up at the sky. I got the feeling that he was shocked – unable to believe that he was about to die. And it gave me a great deal of satisfaction.

  I took a deep breath, pushed aside the pain brought about by the recoil and then started firing at the exposed legs of the others. After I hit one near the ankle and he fell to the ground screaming, they all hid behind the wheels. I wanted to take another shot while he was down, but the kick from the rifle was almost unbearable so I had to take break.

  I said, “I took out the leader and got another one in the leg! You already hit him in the thigh, Auron. I just finished him off!”

  “Okay boys, that’s two dead and one injured. We got three left!” Auron called out.

  He then directed us to begin taking turns leaning out from different sides of the truck and firing as a means to confuse them. I nearly hit one of the men who rode in on a dirt bike, but he moved at the last second. After another few minutes, it was becoming apparent that we were all just wasting ammo and putting holes in the trucks.

  We had perfect cover, and so did they…

  When all three of us were back behind Auron’s truck, he said, “This is goin’ nowhere. Try to be more patient.”

  Just then, we all heard a noise that made us stop and stare at one another with expressions of relief – it was the sound of one of their trucks starting up. As it sped away, one of the other men yelled, “Get back here you piece of shit!”

  Auron pointed out, “Looks like only his sons are stickin’ around.”

  But he was wrong. Soon after, we heard the other truck and dirt bikes fired up as well. Jeff peered over the bed. “They ran away!” Then something caused him to raise his rifle again. “They left the wounded guy behind! He’s tryin’ to run!”

  Auron gave him a single nod and he took the shot.

  I looked over the hood just in time to see the young man twist in agony and collapse to the ground. By the time the pop of the shot faded, he’d stopped moving.

  When I faced Auron, I saw that there was blood all over the front of his shirt. I could only stutter as Jeff rushed over to him. “No, Dad!”

  Auron staggered back and fell against the truck, meanwhile trying to stop the bleeding with his hand. Jeff grabbed onto him and helped him stay on his feet. “Dad, you’re gonna be fine.”

  It’s coming out so fast…

  Jeff turned back to me in a panic. “Help me take him inside!”

  He must have been shot the last time he leaned out. Probably just didn’t say anything so Jeff and I wouldn’t be worried or distracted – he knew it could get us killed.

  I didn’t know for sure, but I believed that’s the kind of man he was.

  I dropped the rifle and took Auron’s other arm, struggling to hold him up as he kept temporarily going limp. He was trying as hard as he could to stand, but he’d already lost so much blood – he was most likely succumbing to dizziness.

  As soon as we made it through the front door, Jeff snapped, “To the left!” a
nd led me over to a couch. We gently put him down and Jeff said, “There’s medical shit under the sink in the bathroom! Down the hall to the right!”

  I had a hard time looking away from Auron. He was struggling to breath and the blood was just rushing out. Most of his white shirt had already turned red.

  The bullet had hit just above his heart…

  “GO!” Jeff snapped me out of it and I ran down the hall to the bathroom. I kneeled down, flung open the cabinet doors and located the white box with the little red cross behind some rolls of toilet paper and grabbed it. My shoulder was hurting more than ever before and slowing me down. Either the meds were wearing off or it was just all the activity – probably both.

  When I made it back to the living room, Jeff had his face on Auron’s chest. At first I thought he was checking Auron’s breathing, but then I heard him sobbing.

  Auron’s head was leaned back and turned slightly to the side. His eyes were completely still – staring off into nothing. His jaw had totally relaxed, leaving his mouth hanging open.

  I know that look now.

  I just stood there, looking down at them. I didn’t know what to say, and I definitely had no idea what to do...

  Before I even realized that it was happening, Jeff was coming at me, wide eyed, showing his teeth – I saw the flash of a blade. “It’s your fault!”

  He stabbed at me and cut open my right forearm. Then he raised it up and lunged at me again. I ducked to my right, grabbed his arm, pushed him away and got to the other side of the couch.

  “Please, man, don’t do this. I risked myself for you out there too. No more killing – please!”

  Jeff flew into a blind rage, screamed “Fuck you! If you never would have come here, this never would have happened!” and started coming at me again.

  I kept making my way around the couch so he couldn’t reach me. As I continued avoiding him, a small table caught the corner of my eye, so I grabbed it and swung it at him. It made a loud crack as it smashed into his arm and partially broke, but he didn’t drop the knife. He just stepped back. He had no intention of giving up, and his rage was dulling the pain.

  After wildly staring at me for a few moments, he bolted for the door. I started to run after him, knowing he was going back outside to get a rifle, but discovered that my duffle bag was in the corner of the room.

  I’m not going to beat him to the rifles.

  I had to take the chance that my K98 was still in it.

  I rushed over and dropped to my knees. I pulled the zipper across and there it was, still loaded just as I left it. I took it out of the bag, disengaged the safety, aimed it toward the door and waited.

  Upon briefly examining Auron’s body, a familiar feeling of guilt and sadness washed over me. It was nowhere near as bad as before, but it was there.

  Jeff is right.

  Those men only came back because they were looking for me.

  The more I thought about it all, the more I felt that I didn’t deserve to live – that I should just put the gun down and let Jeff shoot me – like he had the right. It was either that, or possibly end up having his blood on my hands too.

  He was under the illusion that I was unarmed, so I knew he’d probably be running back in any second – not considering that I could have found my rifle.

  When I heard him approaching, an idea came to me.

  I ran over and hid behind the still-open front door. Jeff was so angry and irrational that he wasn’t thinking, so he came blindly running back in just as I suspected. He stopped just past the doorway and inched forward, scanning the room – then he looked left into the kitchen.

  I gave it another second, shot forward and hit the back of his head with my rifle. He fell onto small table, knocking it over and breaking a glass lamp as he fell to the ground.

  Due to holding back a little so I didn’t hurt him too badly, he was still conscious. But he was badly disoriented so he couldn’t even begin to get back up.

  Fuck.

  Now I have to hit him again.

  I couldn’t risk it, so I regrettably struck him in the head with the butt of my rifle again...

  After dragging him back to that room by his ankles, even though it was in my best interest to hurry, I got him to the foot of the bed and took a rest. Getting him up and onto it was going to be the real challenge because of my shoulder.

  I did my best to mainly use my right arm – it was cut and bleeding, but not badly or in a way that would impact what I was doing. I just worked through the pain in my left shoulder and got him in the bed (after a long minute of embarrassingly intense struggling).

  He began to groan and move around a little, so I got to tying him up instead of taking another much needed break. My plan was to put a knife in his hand and make it so he could eventually cut himself loose. I’d have plenty of time to disappear and, that way, no one had to die.

  I just needed more rope. With the small amount readily available, he’d be able to cut through in a few minutes and give chase. I wanted it to take a while so he knew there was no point – that I was too far gone.

  As I began searching the house, Jeff’s booming voice soon followed. I couldn’t exactly make out most of what he was saying, though I knew that it was something about me killing his father, accompanied by a long line of cursing and threats.

  I did my best to ignore it...

  The house was strange to me – everything was so old. I felt like I was standing in a house that had been redone for the set of a movie taking place in the early 1900’s. There were no light switches, no outlets and absolutely no modern appliances... Even the curtains didn’t look store bought.

  I scoured the whole living room and kitchen – nothing… Jeff was still yelling and carrying on.

  I eventually gave up and headed outside to begin searching around by the horses. As hoped, I spotted what seemed to be about 50ft of rope hanging on a nail by the horribly rusted gate.

  As I approached, one of the horses neighed and kicked up dirt. Then it came to the fence. I was bit startled at first because I’d been told more than few times that horses aren’t very welcoming to strangers, though I soon realized it was looking to be fed. All it did was begin trying to expect my hands as I took the rope off of the nail.

  “Sorry buddy” I said before patting it on the head and making my way back inside the house.

  It reminded me of the horses and buggies all over central park, and how Sophia always used to beg to go for a ride.

  I wish I’d let her…

  The moment Jeff saw me he tried even harder to break free. He was so furious that he had turned bright red, and he was spitting all over the place as he screamed, “You killed him! Just like you killed your family!”

  What he said made me want to knock him out again. And I was very tempted, but I honestly felt that I deserved to hear it all so I just took the verbal abuse. As he continued screaming at me, less than a foot away from my face, I cut the rope in half and wrapped the two lengths around his feet and hands as many times as I could.

  It will probably take him a good twenty minutes just to free his hands… Which was exactly what I wanted.

  “What are you gonna do to me? Kill me like your family? They told us the truth about you!”

  I wanted to defend myself – to say it wasn’t true – that even his father knew what they said was a lie. The only problem was that it was true, just in a different way than he believed.

  I might as well have killed them myself…

  “You piece of shit coward!” he said before spitting right in my face.

  I paused for a moment, then brought my hand up and wiped it away from my cheek… Once again, I just took it and got back to what I was doing…

  I’ve already done enough.

  As I looked at Jeff and placed the knife in his hand, he continued claiming that he was going to kill me, cursing me and telling me how evil I was. He even said I was going to hell.

  I didn’t say anything back – not a single
word. Although, I did begin feeling the urge to shoot him. Not because of what he was saying, but because he could come seeking revenge when I least expected it. The moment he got free he could start heading to the National Forest.

  He knows all about my plan and he’d probably make it there just as I’m getting ready to sleep.

  I shook my head and put the thought out of mind. The Forest was so vast – he’ll never find me, and if he really feels the need to hunt me down – then so be it.

  I wanted to say that I was sorry, and that I should have known better than to sneak up on their property.

  I wanted to say something…

  While I was deep in thought he’d grown quiet. He was just glaring at me and cutting through the first rope.

  I said, “Please, don’t come after me. I don’t want to hurt anyone… They killed your father… not me.”

  He didn’t reply. He just spit at me again.

  After wiping my face off for the second time, I turned around and slowly made my way to the living room, begging myself not to look at Auron’s body while fetching the duffle bag. There were plenty of things I could have taken – food, guns, tools and the like. My conscience wouldn’t allow me to touch anything that didn’t belong to me.

  I’ve taken enough from them…

  The bodies of the men we shot were clearly visible once I stepped outside (I didn’t mind looking at them). The Harley was still there as well, and I considered taking it, but concluded that it was just far too loud.

  A quick look around revealed an axe leaning up against the house near a pile of wood that was waiting to be chopped. The freshly polished and sharpened blade was gleaming in the sun. It was exactly what I needed to build a decent shelter.

  Looks like there is one thing I will have to take. I’m sure they have several… I mean he…