They obeyed his command and stripped. Marlaina and Aiden inspected them closely. Their bodies were covered with inflammatory tattoos, displaying intolerant and racist statements about White People. A cross floated on their front and a tattoo of Jesus on their backs. Their unwashed odor was not pleasant.
"When is the last time you folks bathed?" he asked.
"Long time ago. Probably three weeks at least."
"Get dressed," he told the kids. "You weren't bitten."
"I told you!" Billie said.
"Well, you told me,” Aiden replied, “but I just didn't believe you. You see, I'm not paid to believe you. I'm here to protect my people. It's my job to inspect everyone we find out here. That's how I protect them. I don't know who you are or where you are from, Billie, but I'd be derelict not to inspect you for the Amish virus. If you were bitten and lied about it, then everyone here might be exposed to the infection again. No one gets near us without a full inspection. So, if being inspected pains you, I really don't care, because we were here first. However, it's not personal, and you shouldn't take it as such."
"We are out here alone. Think we might join your group for protection?" Billie asked.
"Nope. We don't take newbies. Especially racist pieces of shit like you. Now, what we'll do is give you some food to sustain you for three days, and then you will go on your way with our best wishes. But get this straight. Don't follow us. If you do, we'll kill you. Understand?"
"Yes," Billie said. "You sure ain't real friendly."
"It ain't a friendly world out here," Aiden answered. "Not one bit friendly, and you know it. With tattoos like you wear you don't seem friendly, anyway."
Aiden turned and headed toward the supply wagon. There he selected some food and put it in a bag. When he got back to where Billie and Donna were, he handed it to them.
"There's about three days of food here. That should see you on your way. We'll be watching you. If you turn back and follow us, it will be the last thing you ever do in your life. We will hunt you down and kill you. Now get away from us and forget you ever met us. If you come near us again, we will kill you. Make no mistake about that. We don't want to be friends with you. You have been duly warned."
The small group crossed the road and continued onward. Eventually, they disappeared over several crests in the land and were gone.
"We better not see them again," Aiden said.
"You are right. Strangers with racist ways are the last thing we need right now."
They continued their trek to the new settlement. The cattle moved elegantly down the road, their backs swaying ever so slowly back and forth. It was still a happy time for most of Aiden's friends, even with the shocking appearance of the white Christian racists from Jesus Town.
"Where do people like that get off?" Aiden asked his father.
"I'm not sure. But I know this. Whenever there's a breakdown in government, some people are susceptible to the most vicious forms of bullying and propaganda. Some of them start believing in cults and elevating themselves and their followers above everyone else. I'm afraid those are not the last of that type of thing we'll ever see in our situation," Sheriff Wilson said. "In fact, I'm sure of that."
"It's a sad commentary," Marlaina said.
"Yes, it is," the sheriff said. "But they are gone now, and hopefully it will be the last we will ever see of them. I doubt they will come back. You warned them. People of their ilk are chickenshits. Usually, they love to bully, but they fear a fight."
Aiden and Marlaina urged their steeds forward to the front of the line. They were approaching the thirty percent mark in getting to the new Wilson safe house. Everything looked familiar. The trees, ponds, fences, barns, and streams. This was where the land began to rise up from the high grassy mountainous range and rear its shoulders higher up toward the more massive mountains up ahead. Aiden loved the coolness and feel of the places they were traveling through. He watched as the dogs patrolled both sides of the road and made excursions farther out in search of walkers who might threaten the people and their cattle. They seemed to enjoy patrolling the environs for potential dangers, and Aiden loved his little pups for their loyalty, doggedness, and determination. One thing for certain, if you had a dog or two, you had friends who would always be there for you. A dog would fight to the death to protect his master.
"Come here, boy," Aiden yelled to the dog. It was their first, the puppy Marlaina had named Yellow. "That's a good boy." He ruffled the dog's ears and heard him growl ever so slightly in pleasure. Aiden found a stick on the ground and tossed it. Yellow jumped into action, grabbed it and ran back, dropping it at Aiden's feet. Aiden tossed it far and away again and again, and Yellow continued to bring it back to him. The dog would do this for just as long as Aiden wished.
On the sixth night, the stars shone bright in the sky. Aiden and Marlaina slept little. They were excited about reaching their new home and introducing the others to a sanctuary where the walking dead could never reach them due to the fortunate geography of hills, valleys, bluffs, and streams, all of which were impassable to the biters whose sense of balance was insufficient to allow them to ever enter such a difficult domain.
"We will be safe for the first time since our high school was overrun," Marlaina said. "That was the worst day of my life. I'd give anything to get back what we had before the world changed."
"I know. So many of our friends died there that day. They never had a chance. None of us even realized that such dark creatures would ever exist among us who would simply kill us as a matter of fact and as cool as a cucumber. We were sitting ducks. Ready for the kill.”
Marlaina kissed him. She loved him so much. There was no way that words could even express her fondness for him and the increasing respect she had found for Aiden's bravery under fire. He was strong and polite, dashing even, and his muscled arms were always at the ready to protect her and all of their people from whatever the plague would ever throw at them.
"You are amazing, Aiden," she told him.
He smiled.
"You are pretty amazing, yourself, Marlaina," he said. "Did I tell you I love you, today? If not, I want to do that right now."
Her lips returned his kisses. There was no one else in the entire world who could ever take Aiden's place. She wanted him by her side no matter what. He was her constant companion, and he had been for years. If by some quirk of fate Aiden was ever taken away, she would wither inside and die. She would never survive his loss.
"I love you," she said. A tear fell from her eye.
"Why are you crying?" he asked.
"Because I'm so happy being with you. There's nothing else I want in this entire world. Just you."
They embraced and fell asleep.
That morning, as the sun came up, the dogs had been barking for seven minutes all along the perimeter, but they were so far out that not enough people had noticed and awakened in time. By the time Aiden and Marlaina were awake, people were screaming and running this way and that. Aiden grabbed his guns and bat and prepared for battle. What he saw was frightening. The encampment was in the process of being overrun by zombies, thousands of them, and what was more remarkable was that they were being driven into their camp by a larger group of white racist Christians belonging to the Jesus Town group they had met earlier. These cultists had driven the zombies into their midst as some sort of sadistic military strategy. It was very effective, because the unit was totally over whelmed as people reached for their weapons and did their best to kill the biters who were staggering through their midst.
Aiden was soon pounding the walkers right and left. Everywhere he struck, one went down but another appeared just as quickly and like clockwork. Men wearing Jesus Town shirts were pushing the zombies forward using prods against them, forcing them forward into the Wilson militia's camp. The struggle continued for more than an hour. Finally, the walkers began to thin, and the Jesus Town men and women realized their ploy had failed, so they turned and ran for cover over the neare
st hills. Aiden searched for Marlaina. Had they gotten to her and infected her with their bites? Everything was so close quartered that he feared the worst.
"Marlaina?" he called, but he heard nothing. Not a sound. No replies. He grabbed a burning stick from the bonfire and walked through the camp asking his friends, "Have you seen my wife, Marlaina?" but none knew what had happened to Marlaina, until he came to his mother.
"She was grabbed by several of the white pride Christians, Aiden," his mother told him. "You father and I tried to get her back, but they fought us off. The last time we saw her she was being led over that hill as they retreated."
Aiden looked out into the cruel cold night. Without Marlaina standing by his side, the bitterness of its darkness poured out across the landscape in an evil flood of enormous proportions.
Aiden broke into tears. He sobbed and leaned into his mother and father's arms. "I can't go on," he said. "She's gone. I just can't believe it. Of everything that's happened, now this..."
"We'll get her back, son," his father said. "I promise. We will turn their entire world up side down if we have to. We will never stop until we find her and bring her back to us."
"I will kill everyone in Jesus Town," Aiden said. "I won't stop until I find them."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Search
Marlaina had been bludgeoned from behind. The last thing she remembered was pounding into the crowd of approaching zombies. Then, someone struck the back of her head, and she went down. As soon as she awakened, someone in the darkness put a knife to her throat and said, "You are ours now, so you can just forget how you got here. We own you, and the old days are gone forever."
"Let me go," she pleaded.
"Ain't going to happen. We need women more than anything. We got too many men and not enough ladies. You women are going to be put to good use here. Don't even think about escaping."
The words, "Jesus Town," floated over his tee shirt. All of the people in their Christian cult wore one. Those who were shirtless showed the same tattoos on their skin that she'd seen a few hours ago on the people they had detained and inspected. Their chests had the giant letters spelling out, "White Power" tattooed next to a Christian cross. Whenever one of them turned his back to her, she saw the face of Jesus and she read, "Come to Save Our White Race." It was frightening and disgusting. The world had been blown wide open on account of the zombie apocalypse. The chaos of changes had spawned this strange sect out of many others that were now peppered here and there all across what had again become the wilderness of America.
"I must keep myself calm," Marlaina thought. "No matter what happens, Aiden will come for me."
She determined that she would do everything necessary to survive. Her eventual rescue along with the two other women these fanatics had stolen from the militia would be avenged. The men would come, kill these monsters of Christian racism, and take her back home. Life would return to goodness. All she had to do was stay alive.
"What are your plans for us?" she asked.
"I'm not sure about the others," he said, "but you are mine. I captured you, so I got first rights."
"Rights?"
"The right to marry you and give you children," he said. His smile seemed sinister and dark. He had several cracked and missing teeth. It was obvious to her that his dental hygiene left a great deal to be desired.
"Come again?"
"You are mine," he said.
Who was this Neanderthal? Had he crawled out of a pit?
"Name's Leroy Tuddle," he told her.
A man came out of the shadows with a Bible in his hands.
"Is this your woman, Leroy?"
"Yes. This is mine."
The man introduced himself as a minister.
"I am here to perform your wedding, miss," he said.
"I don't want to get married to him," she said.
Leroy slapped her with his big rough hands.
"Shut up woman," he yelled. "No one asked you anything. So, keep your mouth shut. Understand me, woman?"
Marlaina looked at him with absolute hatred for what he was and what he stood for. She spit in his face. He slapped her so hard she almost lost consciousness.
"You will learn," he said. "And you will do whatever I say you do. Understand?"
She nodded that she did. In fact, Marlaina had had enough of resisting. From now on she'd do whatever he wanted of her. Her survival depended on her cooperating with him.
"Yes," she said, bowing her head. "I will learn, Leroy. If you will teach me."
"I shall," he told her. "It will be my pleasure and my duty."
His rough hand muzzled her cheek and fondled her hair.
"Please stand, miss," the minister said.
She stood next to Leroy.
"Do you take this man to be your fully wedded husband for better or for worse?"
She swallowed.
"I do," she lied.
"Do you, Leroy Tuttle, take this lady to be your fully wedded wife until death do you part?"
"Yes, I do, Minister."
The minister gave both of them a ring and instructed them to place them on their partner's finger.
"I pronounce both of you man and wife. You may kiss."
Leroy kissed her full upon the mouth, and that night he lay next to her as Aiden had done. He had filled her with his unwanted and evil seeds. She prayed it would not take inside of her. She had no intention of raising this redneck monster's racist child, much less, carry it to term and give it life.
He forced her to kiss the cross on his chest as well as the printed words that read, "White Power."
"Welcome to Jesus Town, my pretty wife," he said. "I promise you are going to like it here. Now, tell me you love me."
"I love you," she said.
"That's a good girl," he said. "See? You are learning. We are going to do just fine. I told you so."
"Yes, my husband. You were correct. You are always right," she said.
"How right you are, my love. How right you are." He smiled at her through his half rotted teeth.
"So you are my husband," she said to herself, then adding, in a near whisper, "And I'm going to kill you, too."
But all Leroy Tuttle heard coming from her lips was, "I love you, baby. Please don't hurt me."
#
Aiden took his father, mother, and sister ahead to show them how to reach and ascend into the sanctuary where walkers could never reach them. He was in panic over the loss of his wife. He had paused several times in the back along the road, hiding his head, so they could not witness his tears. Aiden's broken heart had given him such an upset stomach that he was now unable to eat anything at all. He knew he would lose all of his strength if this continued which would mean he wouldn't be able to rescue Marlaina at all. He was not going to let that happen. She was his wife. No matter what they forced her to do she would be his wife again and nothing that might be forced upon her by these Christian racists would ever enter his ears as long as she lived. He would simply forbid her to tell him or anyone else anything about it. It would be as if it had never happened which as far as he was concerned was the honest truth. It was also his form of forgiveness. She was his forever, period, end of story. Nothing else mattered but her love for him.
They ascended the hillside and saw for the first time the buildings Aiden and Marlaina had constructed for them. The animals were feeding from abundant grass. The dogs that were left to protect the cattle came running as soon as they saw Aiden. They whined and rolled onto their backs, attempting to get Aiden to pet them, which he did. "Good doggies," Aiden said. It was just what they wanted to hear. They jumped up on him and licked his face, then ran back to protect the small herd.
"You took good care of them," Aiden said. "Good for you."
"This is a beautiful place," Beth said.
"Stunning," his father said. "How did you find it?"
"I didn't find it," he said. "Marlaina and I forced ourselves to climb these massive hills to get up here
, same as you did, and, as we did so, we understood from the angle of the incline and the degree of toughness in traversing it that no zombie could ever make it up here. The very difficulty of climbing up here convinced us that this place is beyond their reach. To be sure, we tested it, luring the zombies here. As we climbed they tried to follow us up here but soon fell off the mountainous incline. They really didn't get very far. But even as far as they got it was precariously dangerous for them. Most of them were badly hurt when they had to let go. They tumbled like cracking dolls all of the way back to the bottom and limped away. They knew they were beaten by the mountains. There was no way they could ever reach us again up here.
His mother kissed him. So did his sister.
"Marlaina's coming back, Aiden," his sister told him. "I won't have it any other way, and you won't either. Neither will she. Right now, I know that Marlaina is doing everything it takes to survive. She is definitely going to be together with you again, and that's final."
The two women hugged him. Tears hung in his eyes.
"I've got to have her with me," Aiden said. "I know she is thinking the same about me."
Aiden showed them around the place, then accompanied them to the road, so they could lead the others up to the safe place. He told them how to use the horses and ropes to drag cattle safely up the sides. Then, he turned, jumped into the saddle, adjusted his bow and quiver, his spears, his rifle, and his pistol. His saddle bags contained enough ammunition to get the job done right. He clicked the reigns of his horse whose name was Penn and started off in the direction of Jesus Town's Christian freak show.
"I'm going to kill you," he said as he started off in their direction.
"Be careful, son," his father told him.
"Careful has absolutely no place in my life at this moment, dad," Aiden said. "This is total war. Pure and simple. These guys have no idea what is coming their way. None at all."
As Aiden rode off, he mumbled to himself, "There's a world of hurt coming their way." He heard a bark. Behind him was Yellow and several other puppies. Lisa had sent them. They would be his only helpers. He felt better already.