Legend of Mace Read online

  “Let’s quit talking then and catch her!” Kelly was ten feet ahead, moving quickly towards the tire run. Kelly’s knees pumped as she reached the gauntlet of tires and started through. Her foot caught on the third tire and she stumbled, falling to one knee.

  “Now’s our chance!” Chelsea yelled as they sprinted harder. Kelly righted herself and looked briefly back before starting through the tires again. Maya hit the tires a half-step ahead of Chelsea and tore through them. By the end of the tires she was neck-and-neck with Kelly.

  As they approached the mud pit, Maya crowded Kelly on the right side, forcing her to run to the left. Chelsea ran a few steps behind. Travis smiled as soon as he spotted Maya appear. He would do anything to get on her good side. He held the fishing line in his hand.

  Mace and Roger stood ten feet back, watching. The crowd of boys yelled as they pulled up and the girls raced towards them.

  “Go Maya!”

  “Beat Jersey!”

  “You can’t let her win!”

  “Run!”

  Mace bumped Roger and nodded towards Travis. They’d watched a few minutes earlier as Travis climbed carefully into the pit to search for the fishing line. He was muddy all over from the effort. With his bad eyesight it took him a while to locate it.

  Kelly pulled a foot ahead of Maya and leapt for the rope as Travis yanked on the string. The first rope didn’t budge. Kelly grabbed it and swung over the mud pit, landing safely on the other side. Maya was mid-air when the second rope suddenly pulled to the left. She squealed as she reached for it and missed. Chelsea, who was right behind her, tried to time her jump behind Maya, but with the rope screwed up she needed to stop. She skidded on the dirt to the edge of the pit where she teetered. Her arms swung wildly as she tried to keep her balance. It was too late. She slowly toppled over.

  Her hands hit dirt as her face landed solidly in mud. Mace walked up behind Travis, who stood horrified as Maya surfaced. She was not happy. On the edge of the pit, Mace extended his foot and gave Travis a push to the butt. Travis fell straight over into the mud with a splunk.

  The boys watching rolled on the ground, laughing in hysterics. Chelsea lifted her head and spit out a wad of wet dirt. Travis looked nervously at Maya. She stood a few inches away. They were both completely brown. He smiled and his teeth stuck out like white Chiclets. “Sorry,” he said weakly.

  “Go play with your trucks,” Maya said as she wiped mud off her face. Travis spent his spare time building and tweaking a few remote controlled vehicles. The camp used them for fun and security.

  “When will you kids learn?” Mace asked loudly from the edge of the pit.

  Kelly returned to the pit once she realized she was all alone on the run. “What happened?” she asked over the roar of laughter.

  “Justice,” Mace said. Recognizing that as an outsider Mace’s actions might come back to haunt her, she headed to the edge of the pit and put her hand out for Maya. “C’mon, let’s finish the race together.”

  Surprised by the offer, Maya trudged towards her as Chelsea tried to spit the remaining mud out of her mouth. Standing up, Chelsea wobbled and stumbled around. “I can’t see!” She almost fell down. “I can’t see! Somebody help me!” Her face was caked with mud. She held her hands out in front of her as she tried to feel her way around.

  Mace walked around the pit. “Just stand still, Chelse. I’ll get it,” he said as he approached. He put his fingers out to wipe the mud out of her eyes. As soon as he was within grasp, though, she grabbed the front of his shirt and smeared her face hard against it.

  “Aww shit,” he said quietly as he stared at the brown crud that now covered his shirt. Still coated in mud, Chelsea could at least now open her eyes. “Justice,” she said, smiling up at him.

  “Right,” Mace replied, smiling back sarcastically. Reaching out, he grabbed her and tossed her directly into the mud pit. She flew backwards and landed with a splunk.

  A gunshot far off in the distance instantly diverted everyone’s attention. Mace’s head whipped in its direction. “Patrol!” he announced loudly as he immediately moved for his weapons and vest. He stopped and pointed at Roger. “You stay here,” then, “I want four with me, the rest secure the perimeter.”

  Lisa flew through the gate as Mace rolled the Harley fast behind her. On dirt-bikes, four boys raced through the dirt cloud. Their engines squealed.

  At the mud pit, Chelsea slowly dragged herself out, helped by Maya and Kelly. Travis scampered out at the first sound of the gunshot.

  “Nice plan,” Chelsea said sarcastically to Maya.

  “Yeah, nice plan,” reiterated Kelly. “Too bad it backfired, bitches,” she exclaimed with a laugh. Maya and Chelsea briefly locked eyes before Chelsea tugged on Kelly’s arm while Maya pushed her from behind. They all squealed as they fell back in the mud.

  Another shot helped Mace zero in on the gunman’s position and he zoomed past Lisa, making a beeline for the source. He maneuvered the bike swiftly around debris piles. They’d firebombed most of the buildings within a mile radius, burning them to the ground. They’d stacked the debris in piles, creating pathways around them. All of a sudden he saw them: Four men. They appeared up ahead. As soon as the men spotted him they fired. They were far out of range. He slowed the bike down to a stop and waited for Lisa and the boys to catch up.

  “Plaguers,” he said, as they pulled up around him.

  Lisa stared out at the men. “How do you know?”

  “Who else would be foolish enough to waste ammo like that?”

  “What do you want to do?”

  “Let’s see if we can get one alive.”

  Lisa questioned his logic. "Bring them back to camp?”

  “I want to see what we’re dealing with.”

  “Sounds risky. They’re infected.”

  “We’ll isolate them. Roger seemed pretty confident in the antidote.”

  Another gunshot sounded. Dirt kicked up a hundred yards in front of them.

  “They’re stupid,” one of the boys said.

  “We still need to be careful.” Mace pointed to a path to the right. “Miles and Dolphin, head around to the right. Let’s see how jumpy they get.”

  “Right,” Miles said. They were both named after Alamo fighters.

  “The rest of us will come at them from the front. I can’t imagine they have much ammo left.”

  “We could use the ammo,” Lisa said.

  “That we could. Ready boys?” asked Mace.

  “Hell yeah,” said Dolphin enthusiastically.

  “Go!”

  The dirt-bikes screeched off as Miles and Dolphin peeled out. Another gunshot sounded and another clump of dirt kicked up far out of range.

  “Let’s go get them,” Mace said, annoyed, “before they waste all their goddamn ammo.”

  Racing towards them seconds later, Mace saw the dirt-trail from Miles and Dolphin as they came around from the side.

  As he drew closer, Mace saw the war paint on the Plaguers faces. It looked like smeared blood. Only one held a shotgun.

  Mace slowed the Harley down as he approached. Still a hundred feet out, the man continued to point the shotgun in his direction. Mace stopped the bike. Lisa and the other boys pulled up behind him.

  The buggy’s engine rumbled as Mace pulled his Beretta out and took careful aim. The guy with the shotgun didn’t move. Mace fired. A split-second later the gunman toppled over.

  “Nice shot!” one of the boys yelled. Mace placed the gun back in his holster.

  The three remaining Plaguers screamed in outrage and barrelled towards them on foot.

  Mace waited. The Plaguers' eyes looked completely mad. Climbing off the bike, Mace set the kickstand.

  Once they were ten feet away, he pulled the machete out of the sheath on his bike. Swinging around at head level, the machete sliced deep through the neck of the first man. Blood sprayed from the wound, covering Mace. The man’s head toppled backwards, connected by a thin flap of flesh, and h
is body immediately tumbled after it. As the next one came at them, Lisa jumped in front of Mace, bumping him as she tried to get in on the action. Mace grinned sadistically as she shoved a long dagger through the Plaguer's skull.

  The boys aimed slingshots at the last one.

  “Don’t kill him!” Mace yelled.

  They let up on the bands and snapped them. Both rocks connected to the head and the last man dropped.

  Miles and Dolphin pulled up on the dirt-bikes.

  “That sucks,” yelled Dolphin loudly as he climbed off the bike and stared at the corpses. “We didn’t get to kill anybody!”

  Back at the camp, the man babbled incoherently as he sat blindfolded and isolated in the convent office. His hands were tied behind his back and secured to the chair. Mace and Woody walked in to interrogate him.

  “Who’s there?” the man demanded. “I want to speak to the president!”

  Mace smirked at Woody. “The president of what?” Mace asked.

  “The president of the United States! His minions have been trying to kill us and I want answers!” the man bellowed.

  Mace sat in front of him, his nerves tingling with anticipation. “We’re not with the president. We’re on our own. What’s your name?”

  The man yelled, “Name, rank and serial number!”

  “I’ll only ask nicely one more time,” Mace said with some irritation. “What’s your name?”

  “The owl is on the roof!”

  Mace glanced at Woody and shook his head. Staring blankly at the man, he asked, “Why is the owl on the roof?”

  “To snatch the rat that runs through the woods! The rat thinks he knows but he doesn’t.”

  It was obvious the guy was bonkers. For some reason, Mace decided to play along for the moment. “Of course. That makes perfect sense. What does the rat think he knows?”

  “Take my blindfold off and I’ll tell you,” the man said quietly. It was the first time he'd sounded rational.

  Mace felt like strangling him. “Okay, stay still for a second.” He lifted the blindfold off the man’s head and waited.

  The man’s eyes were buggy as he stared at him. He leaned his head forward. “I know you’re not like him,” he whispered as he nodded towards Woody. “I know you’re one of us.”

  “Yes, yes I am,” Mace answered, continuing the charade, although his hands itched to choke him out. This was a waste of time.

  “It’s in you,” the man whispered.

  “What’s that?”

  “The knowledge.”

  It suddenly dawned on Mace there might be something here. He studied the man’s face for a few long seconds before he turned towards Woody. “Could we talk outside?”

  Woody nodded. The man yelled, “You’re not one of them! They’ll kill you!” He tugged fiercely on his restraints. “They’ll kill us all!”

  “I want to try something,” Mace said to Woody once they were outside.

  “He’s crazy,” Woody answered. “I don’t think there is anything useful here. At least we know how nuts they are.”

  “Let’s let him sit for awhile. I’ll come back. I’ve got a hunch I want to play.”

  “What is it?”

  “Let me test it first.”

  A half-an-hour later, Mace sent Jade in to speak with the man. His eyes looked wild as she entered, and he yelled, “Name, rank and serial number!”

  “My name’s Jade,” she said quietly as she sat in front of him. “Would you like some water?”

  “The wolf is in the hen house!” he screamed wildly in her face. She looked at him closely for a few seconds. “You can trust me,” she said.

  “You’re one of them! You’re trying to kills us! You all need to be exterminated!”

  Jade saw the crazy in his eyes and got up and left.

  A minute later Lisa walked straight to the chair and sat down. He stared at her intensely for a full twenty seconds before he whispered, “We’ve got to escape. They’re everywhere.”

  Watching him closely, Lisa whispered, “They read our minds. Be careful what you think.”

  The man blinked a few times as he processed the words. After a moment he nodded his head in agreement and said, “I felt them read my mind. I felt it.”

  Lisa smiled. Getting up, she said, “Remember, be careful what you think.” She walked out of the room.

  Mace approached the man next and the man looked confused. “Be careful,” he whispered to Mace. “They can read your mind.”

  Mace studied him closely. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” the man nodded. “I felt it.”

  Pleased at what had been accomplished, Mace stood up and unsheathed his knife. “What are we going to do?” the man asked.

  “I’m going to help you escape. Where are the rest of your party?”

  “They killed them.”

  “There was only the four of you?”

  “Yes.”

  Mace slashed the blade across the man’s throat. The man gurgled a few times before his head went limp.

  “They’re highly suggestable,” Mace explained to Woody, “and they connect with others through the infection.”

  “How do you know?”

  “He picked up that Lisa and I were both infected. He trusted us. I had Lisa plant a suggestion and he not only repeated it but believed it.”

  “That was your hunch?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s amazing. That could come in real handy if we ever face an assault.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Stephen and Marty led the journey on horseback. They were traveling through New Brauns, TX on the Memorial trail. They stayed clear of the main roads so the curse wouldn’t discover them.

  The evil-longing in the energy beckoned them. They needed to find the source. Most of their followers walked behind at a steady pace. They were focused and ready, part of a growing army of infected minds. Connections were instantly made as they came into contact with others of the same affliction. Men, women and children joined their ranks without hesitation. The power of suggestion was overwhelming as the crowd grew.

  “See those two coming towards us?” asked Marty as Stephen rode beside him.

  “Yep, they don’t look right to me.”

  It was a young couple in their early twenties: dirty, thin, and weaponless. They held their hands above their heads.

  “What do you think they want?” asked Stephen as he stopped his horse. Marty stopped next to him and a murmur went through the crowd.

  “I think it’s a trap,” answered Marty.

  Those behind heard the words and paranoia spread through the crowd like a strong summer breeze. The murmuring rose as people grew angry and anxious.

  “Stop!” yelled Marty as the couple drew within twenty feet.

  “We need help,” the woman said. “We’re starving.”

  Stephen could feel darts of fury speed towards him from the couple. “They’re part of the curse!” he yelled, sure of his assessment.

  “We don’t know what you’re talking about,” the woman said nervously. “We were just hoping we could join up with you. We need food. We’ve been on our own for a long time.”

  “To kill us in our sleep,” said Marty quietly and knowingly. “They want to join us to kill us in our sleep,” he reiterated to Stephen. “They’re part of it. I can feel it.”

  “Part of what?” the man said, speaking for the first time. He moved in front of his girlfriend to shield her from the mob. “We haven’t done anything. We just need some help.”

  The murmuring of the crowd grew louder. Shouts of disapproval could be heard. “Abominations!” someone yelled.

  “You want to kill us!" Stephen yelled rabidly, his eyes bulging and irrational.

  "You need to be destroyed, here and now!” Marty added. His face looked crazy and sadistic.

  The girl started to freak out, pulling on her boyfriend's arm as she tried to backpedal. “We need to get away from them!” she said. “We need to go
now!”

  “You are abominations!” screamed Stephen louder as he glared down at them.

  The crowd started chanting, low at first but growing in volume, “Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!”

  Marty and Stephen squeezed their knees gently and the horses trotted slowly forward. The crowd instantly followed, continuing with the rhythmic chant, “Kill, kill, kill, kill...”

  “Run!” the woman yelled and the man turned and grabbed her hand. They bolted away from the mob.

  “Get them!” Marty screamed, and the crowd yelled in outrage as it took off in hot pursuit.

  “They're abominations!” Stephen screamed again. “They need to be killed!”

  The couple fled, terrified, down the trail as the crowd chased after them, screaming and wild. High pitched screams filled the air. The path was wide with forest on both sides.

  “This way, Joy!” her boyfriend yelled as he tugged on her hand. He led her directly into the forest off a small adjoining trail. They tore down the trail, stumbling over rocks as they tried to beat the trailing mob.

  “Kill them!” yelled one.

  “Rip their heads off!” screamed another hysterically. Running madly after the couple, their death and mutilation was the mob’s entire focus.

  “What do we do?” Joy cried, stumbling as her boyfriend pulled her along. He plowed through tree branches and shrubs as the trail grew thinner.

  “Keep going!” he panted. “We can’t stop!”

  They could hear the crowd rushing through the foliage close behind. Someone screamed madly, “They're abominations!”

  The trail broke wider again and other smaller, adjoining trails appeared.

  “Which way?” Joy screamed as the crowd closed the gap, screaming, “Kill them!” “Mutilate them!" "Destroy them!"

  Marty and Stephen brought up the rear on horses. “We need to track down all off them!” Stephen yelled, confident in their ultimate success.

  Plaguers trailed a few feet behind as Joy tripped over a tree root and her hand slipped out of her boyfriend’s. She stumbled and fell. “Roman, wait!” she cried out.