Thomas pored over the details again. This is it. Everything I’ve been working toward. I got it. But— James… He looked to Blaine just as he pitched the second envelope into the fire. It caught. A quick rise in the flame that took unknown words from the world. I couldn’t have done this without you, man.
“We need to stack these bodies up!” Blaine shouted. “Once we’re finished here, we can leave.”
The Soldiers left the warmth of their fire and began sorting through the remains. Wrists and ankles were held within their grips before being tossed on top of one another. Limp arms and legs intertwined in a heap. Faces peering through the tangle. Thomas found himself affixed to their eyes, counting the sets that stared back.
“Scotty…” he spoke under his breath. Stop caring, damn it. These people made their choice. They were too selfish or too blind to see what we offered them. Anyone steps out of line this will be their fate. I owe it to James to ensure we don’t lose another. Thomas gripped the tent once more, covering James with it while saying his last good-bye. I’m going to make sure they take care of you. A proper burial and everything.
Not wanting to leave James alone, Thomas waved Riley to the truck to maintain watch. He had one last thing on his mind.
Atop the short hill, the corpse remained hanging, eyes bulging, discolored from the pockets of blood that settled above the noose—the face unrecognizable. No one had bothered to relieve the tree of its burden.
It wasn’t as if the man truly deserved the consideration. It was simply that this entire travesty needed to be laid to rest—full closure for the Butcher’s camp—a way to ensure this mission could truly be completed.
He withdrew his knife and flipped the blade, but as he neared, he thought better of cutting him down. Never waste rope. Thomas turned back toward Blaine. The pile of bodies had nearly been stacked whole, and a few of the Soldiers stood without work, chatting with the newly-freed women. “I need someone up here!” Thomas shouted.
“I got ya!” Krenshaw waved the others off as he started toward him.
Thomas couldn’t help but wonder if this man or the woman had told the truth. Although the man’s intentions with the woman were troubling, could the mere accusation be considered absolute truth at face value? What if it truly was an honest reaction? Regardless, death under these circumstances was not proportionate to the crime. The world could only be restored with law and order but only if served appropriately.
Thomas took hold of the legs and lifted the body, relieving the tension on the rope. “What do you need me to do?” Krenshaw asked.
“I’ll hold him up. I just need you to loosen the rope, and we’ll carry him down to the pile.”
Krenshaw obliged, taking hold of the noose while feeding the slack through the knot. Thomas twisted the body, wresting the head from the noose, and with the help of his partner, they eased him to the ground. Each took an end and carried the man toward the pile, ultimately tossing him in with the others. The two of them gave each other an earnest nod.
“Now that has got to be the last one,” Riley said.
“Is it?” Thomas surveyed camp, looking for any known tasks that had not been completed. “Looks like it. Did they get the ones from the outposts too?”
“The last two bodies we dropped off.”
“Ready?” Blaine held a can of gasoline within his hand, his eyebrows perked. “You want the honors?” He offered it to Thomas.
“Leave them.”
Blaine’s head cocked sideways, his eyebrows scrunched up as he looked to Thomas for clarification.
“They don’t deserve anything close to humane. Let the birds pick them over. Leave it as a warning to the others. Anyone who comes in here once we leave will know that this shit isn’t acceptable. Make people know there are consequences for doing this. Let them spread that warning.”
Blaine thought for a moment, crossing his arms, looking to the pile. He sneered then turned back to Thomas. “It’s in poor taste.”
“That seems only suitable for what this place was.”
The Soldiers nodded.
Blaine eyed the camp. “Are those trucks loaded up?” he shouted toward the Soldiers unpacking the disabled U-Haul. A thumbs up from one of the men working along with two others. Blaine smiled. “You know what…?” His smile stretched a bit further. “A message would be well served in this circumstance. We’ll let them rot.”
The women were called down from the gazebo and shuffled into the back end of the crescent formation of Soldiers surrounding Blaine and Thomas. Blaine addressed everyone, laying out instructions and the expectations that went with them. Thomas caught very little of the spiel as his thoughts wandered through the excitement of his new assignment.
We made it Joseph. Kate. It’s only a matter of time before life gets better for us. Better quarters. Better food. It’s not going to be immediate, but once we get there, it’s going to be so much better. I can’t wait to see your faces.
Blaine finished his speech, and Thomas broke for the truck.
“Is that it?” Cindy came from behind him. “Nothing else? Just going to hop in the pickup and leave?”
“I—” Thomas thought for a moment. “What else is there?”
“You didn’t feel it?”
Thomas smiled.
“I knew you did.” She took his hand. “You knew all along that you were going to save us, didn’t you?”
“I hoped it would end up this way.”
She continued smiling through Thomas’s words.
”You know we didn’t come here to take you, right?” Thomas asked. “You’ll be free to do what you want. You don’t have to stay with us.”
“I want to stay with you.” She blushed. “You’re the first…”
Thomas perked his ears. “Yeah?”
“The first to treat me like a person since— all of it, you know… since I was taken.”
“Thomas! We gotta roll, man!”
“You aren’t walking?” she asked.
“I need to ride in back with him.”
“Oh…” She grimaced. “I understand.”
Thomas kicked his foot up and over the side and took his place next to James. “This isn’t good-bye.”
“I know.” She nodded and turned from him, falling into line with the other women waiting for the caravan to begin. Thomas watched her until she disappeared into the rows of women and Soldiers.
“We’ll be going real slow,” the driver said. “Leading everyone back—even those that are walking, so try and get some sleep back there.”
“It shouldn’t take me long.” Thomas yawned, slunk down in the bed of truck, and rested his head against his rucksack. “Take it easy if you can.”
“You got it.”
“I’m sorry, Dad. Mom. What do I… what do I do now? What’s the point? Everyone’s going to be gone soon. I never should have come home. None of us should have come home. Everyone was lied to. They lied to us. Told us we were fine, but—
“How could they have known? No one knew. We all thought it was bullshit. Nobody thought for a second we had it. How could we? Everything we were told…
“Mom! Dad! Please. Oh, God! Why? Why? Bullshit. I can’t believe this. It’s over. I can’t do this anymore. I’m done. Just a quick squeeze of this trigger, and it’ll be over. I can be with my family, friends—everything will be okay. There’s no reason to be here anymore.
“Who the hell? Who is it?”
“Thomas? I heard some yelling. You okay?”
“Who is it?”
“It’s Kevin from down the street.”