A distant thud piqued Ansell’s interest as he stepped away from the basement hatch and crossed the dining room. There was no sign of Jude. The couch he’d become so at home in was empty. Ansell stepped into the kitchen and cursed at the mess next to the sink. Bowls and plates piled up, threatening to topple, old food fused to them. A lesson in cleanliness is in order, Ansell thought with a shake of his head.
He touched the mug that Jude had been using during his stay, pleased to feel it was still warm. Once again, the distant thud rang out.
He stepped through the porch and out into the cold. A light dusting of snow rested across the valley, perfectly white and untouched, save for the dark serpent of the river slithering through it. White specks fluttered and billowed off the cluster of ash trees across the clearing, disturbed by the breeze on the freezing morning air.
He looked down at a set of footprints leading past the perimeter fence and around towards the yard. He followed them, and the thud continued at random intervals as he rounded the corner of the cottage.
Jude loomed over the large tree stump fashioned into a chopping block near the barn, his legs wide, his eyes narrow. Ansell stifled a grin as he noticed the boy’s tongue peeking out the side of his mouth. He held the long-handled axe which Ansell kept for chopping firewood.
Ansell stood in the building’s shadow, in order to not distract his young companion, and watched curiously. The first swing missed the chunk of wood and thumped into the tree trunk. Jude growled as he wrenched the blade free and reset himself. He tried once more, this time slapping the block with the flat of the blade, causing vibrations to rattle up his forearms. He yelled his frustration and cast the axe into the snow. It landed with a crunch next to Jess.
Ansell shook his head, bewildered at the huge husky curled up in the doorway to the barn. A more aggressive and cankerous dog he’d never encountered, but here she was dolefully eyeing the boy like she’d known him a lifetime.
“Keep going. You’ll get there,” said Ansell as he stepped from the shadow. Jess bounded for him and leapt up, slapping her paws to his chest. She licked at his chin.
Jude reddened. “How long have you been watching?”
“Long enough to admire your effort.” Ansell picked the axe from the ground and placed a chunk of wood on the block.
With expert precision, he arched the axe over his shoulder and blasted the chunk in half. He nodded at Jude to collect the split wood and drop it into the iron basket nearby. Ansell loosened his shoulders, and for the next five minutes, he relentlessly chopped chunks of firewood. Swinging the blade perfectly every time, he split the wood with the perfect amount of force. He made the work look easy, and when he finished, he was barely out of breath.
“Just takes practice. Come out each morning and do half an hour. You’ll pick it after a day or two, and you’ll be stronger and fitter for it.”
“That’s the idea,” replied Jude. “Figured I’ve never eaten so much in my life, so I'm putting it to good use. I feel stronger already,” he chirped.
Ansell cast an eye over the boy. He looked broader through the shoulders, and the stubble on his chin and cropped hair made him look half intimidating.
“I’ve been running in the hills, too, and pulling myself up on the beams in the barn.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Aye, you look strong,” Ansell nodded, “but you’ll need to be stronger if you’re joining me.”
Jude’s face was a mix of shock and confusion. “But…you said –”
“I know what I said. Come with me.” Ansell led him towards the barn, continuing, “Let me be clear. I don’t need you. If you fuck me up or slow me down, you’re done.”
“Ok. Same goes for you, you’re pretty old. I hope you can keep up with me,” Jude gibed with a bright smile.
Ansell ignored the remark. “I’m not going for Brunner. I’m following the trail to the source of the Croc. If you want revenge on him, that’s on you and you alone.”
Jude looked at his feet as he trudged through the snow, drawing closer to the clucking of chickens behind the huge red doors of Ansell’s barn.
Ansell grunted as he pushed the big red doors open and stepped into the barn. The warm smell of hay and chickens lingered in the air. They mixed with the sweet scent of petrol emanating from the drums next to the vehicles parked in various stalls.
“I’ll take my revenge on Brunner one day. Until that day comes, I want to save Crocheads from their misery. And I want to go after whoever is making it.”
Ansell nodded glumly and crossed the floor of the barn to the chicken coop, where he began collecting eggs into a tatty wicker basket.
Jude continued as he rushed after him, “Whoever is flooding the city needs to pay for the destruction they’ve caused. Whoever’s behind it killed my dad.”
“Country.”
“Eh?” replied Jude, scooping up an egg from a scattering of hay near the coop.
“The whole country is flooded with the shit, not just this city. Countless bastards flooding countless cities. I’ll go after them all, one by one. It doesn’t end here. Are you ready for that?”
Ansell stepped back from the chicken coop, satisfied with his haul of eggs. He placed the basket on the ground and turned to Jude, narrowing his eyes on the young man, who appeared notably defiant.
“I’m ready. I’ve got nothing else, and I need to be free of my guilt.”
“What of the girl? Can you leave her behind? I thought you loved her?”
“I did, I – I do,” replied Jude, downcast, “but I left her. She’s not the forgiving kind, she’s…fiery.”
Ansell laughed from his belly, deep and full of humour. It startled Jude, causing Ansell to flush red. “They all are, kid.”
“There’s no one quite like Zuri,” Jude replied glumly. “Anyway, Dawson’s never going to let her near me again. I just need to move on. Maybe one day when he’s gone, there’ll be a chance, but for now, this is more important to me. Besides, even if she’d have me, we'd have nowhere to go. They’d hunt us down. There’s nothing for us.”
Ansell nodded and raised an eyebrow. “I kill everyone. There’s no grey area. Whether they use Croc or sell Croc – if I have the opportunity, if the circumstances allow it – they die.” Ansell peered at Jude, his face quizzical. “Are you ready to do what it takes?”
“I’m ready,” replied Jude with a confident stare.
“Good. We’ve got just under two weeks left out here. We ought to put the time to good use.” Ansell waved Jude to follow him as he picked up the basket of eggs and made his way back towards the barn doors.
“Here, take these and run them to the kitchen. Come straight back.” He handed the basket over to Jude, then turned to the corner of the barn where an ominous black tarpaulin cover stood, protecting another of the killer’s secrets.
Jude sprang across the yard, running as fast as he could manage without losing any eggs. Ansell caught himself smiling at the boy's unbearable enthusiasm and quickly reset his face to the stoic calm it was so accustomed to.
As Jude returned, Ansell took a fistful of the sheet and bade Jude to take the other side. On Ansell’s command, they whipped the sheet away, and when the secret beneath was revealed, Ansell’s cold heart was almost warmed by the joy and excitement radiating from his new companion.