Hugo stood up from kneeling before Lila. He turned around to see Juan on the floor beside him. The lifeless body began to wiggle its jaw. Its pupils twitched slightly. Hugo took his bat from the table and swung down on the head. Blood flew to the cupboards and the kitchen table.
Carmen lifted Jacob to his feet. She found a rag and wrapped his wrist with it. Glancing at Hugo, she saw his unmoved stature.
“Hugo, please,” she said.
Jacob was breathing heavily through the pain of his missing hand.
Hugo shook his head slowly. His eyes stayed on the two. The hand holding the bat adjusted its grip. Jacob and Carmen held their mouths open, fearfully waiting for Hugo’s next move.
The walkie-talkie on the table clicked.
CLICK “Juan? You there?” said a man on the other end. The group paused. Jacob and Carmen held their breath. “Juan, we heard some gunshots and yelling. We’re sending men your way.” CLICK
In the silence, they heard the faint sound of windows and doors breaking in the outskirts of the suburbs. It came from the direction the group did.
“We need to hide,” said Carmen.
Hugo’s eyes were on the ground as his tongue moved under his lips. “Let’s go.”
“What?” said Carmen, she moved her head to look for some answer.
“Kid’s let’s go,” Hugo said, raising his voice slightly. He walked past Jacob and Carmen to the back door. The kids followed him out into the backyard, then to the street. Carmen held up Jacob as the two followed close behind.
Finally outside again, it was gloomy. Clouds were scattered across the sky. A gray tint covered the area.
“What about Jacob?” said Carmen.
Hugo stopped in his steps and turned to Jacob. He stepped to him, firmly holding the bat. He checked Jacobs pockets for any weapons and found none. He whispered, “If you make even a sound that puts us in danger, I’ll bash your head in on the spot.”
Jacob was trembling before Hugo. The rag around his hand was dripping onto the concrete.
Another house across the suburb was broken into, drawing the group’s attention. It was closer this time. Flashlights were peaking over the fences. Lila took Hugo’s hand, and he led the group through the streets southward.
They pushed over the few wanderers to avoid using the bat. The break-in’s seemed to be getting further away.
Getting to the last turn of the south side of the suburb, they heard the clicking of walkie-talkies where the break-ins were happening. What they were saying was too far for the group to hear, but the walkie-talkie conversation lasted for only a couple minutes.
Hugo and Carmen exchanged looks, both unsure of what will happen.
Another set of distant revving could be heard, and it grew louder.
“They’re trapping us in,” said Hugo. His eyes began to widen.
“Huh?” said Carmen.
“Run!” Hugo shouted.
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The revving grew louder as it rode around the outside of the suburb, heading south.
They all ran as fast as they could to the exit. Upon arriving at the border of the suburb, headlights could be seen growing at an intersection west of them. Across the street from the group, was an alley-way perfect for escaping. Hugo made sure everyone was in front of him and he rushed them across. Jacob began to slow down in the middle of the road, holding himself in pain.
A gang of cars swerved around the corner of the intersection, speeding up toward Jacob. Hugo looked back, seeing Jacob and ran to him out of the alley. The lights were almost blinding. He squinted as he grabbed Jacob and pushed him towards the suburb, barely dodging the speeding cars.
Jacob writhed in pain on the pavement, but Hugo pulled him up. “Get up! Get up!” he said.
The cars quickly slowed to a stop and their passengers started to get out. A spotlight was put on Hugo and Jacob. From the corner of his eye, Hugo could see Carmen and the kids running away into the darkness of the alley.
“Hold it right there!” said a man with a megaphone. “No sudden movements!”
Hugo took a breath, slowly raising his hands. He was rushed with men who tied up him and Jacob. They were blindfolded and placed in the trunks of cars.
In complete darkness, Hugo rocked around to the movement of the car. Knocking his head against the inside of the trunk. All he could think about was Lila. Tears soaked his blindfold.
After what seemed like an hour of thrashing around in the trunk, the car finally stopped and the trunk was opened. He saw bright lights through his blindfold and the silhouettes of men above him.
“Has he been crying?” said one man. He giggled. They grabbed Hugo by his hair, shirt and arms and lifted him out of the trunk. His head bobbled weakly as his body was moved. They dragged his feet across rocky ground as they carried him into a building, where they tossed him into a dark room.
From the sound he made when he hit the cold concrete floor, it was a large, empty room. Another man walked up to him from the silence and kicked him from the back. “Ugmf…” Hugo said. He resisted the urge to yell.
“Careful,” said a voice from across the room. “Don't break anything.”
The beating continued. He was punched, tossed, and beaten with his own bat.
Fading in and out of consciousness, Hugo was still there. His abuser sat Hugo on a metal chair and handcuffed him to it. As the man walked away, the voice from before spoke.
“Can you talk?” he said.
Hugo breathed out of his bruised mouth.
“I said, CAN YOU TALK?” the man screamed, his voice echoed across the room.
Hugo’s abuser kicked the chair over and Hugo’s head slammed against the floor.
The voice sighed. “Pick him up,” he said, annoyed.
When Hugo was placed upright, he sat almost motionless; hunched over, open mouthed, bloody face.
“If you were with that group that my men just slaughtered, then I would start talking. Cause if you don't, guess what I’m gonna do…” The man took a breath. It seemed as if he stood up and began walking to Hugo. The footsteps stopped in front of Hugo and a gust of smoke blew into Hugo’s face.
He coughed and blood dripped from his lips.
The man spoke, he was right at Hugo’s ear, “Actually, I’m not going to tell you. Because then you won't play my game.” The man stepped away from Hugo’s ear. “Here it is. Play along, and everyone you might care about will survive. If you don't, then it's just out of my control and their blood is on your hands. Simple enough right?” It sounded like he took a moment to smoke. “Well, my men told me that while they were looting your stuff, that they overheard a walkie talkie going off saying there’s a hoard coming from Bakersfield. Is that true?”
Hugo spoke very softly, “I don’t know.”
“Take off the blindfold,” said the man.
Hugo’s abuser pulled off Hugo's blindfold, taking a few strands of hair with it. His vision was blurry, barely able to see any details. The man he was talking to was average height, bald and shirtless. The moon glowed through a window, dimly lighting the room.
The bald man spoke, “Listen. If that hoard heads north, which, let's face it, is the only direction for it to go, your people will have to retreat. Obviously, they don't want to do that. So, they can either go east or west. They can't go west, because there is a mountain range in the way, as well as the ocean behind it. Want to guess where they probably will go?”
Hugo didn't respond.
“East,” the bald man said with a hint of joy. He smiled. His teeth slightly shined in the moonlight. “So, because you’re already trapped I’m giving you all one chance, to just surrender.”
“W-why?” Hugo said softly. He was still hunched over. He could feel the blood pumping through his bruises.
The man paused, “Why? Because you talked, I’ll tell. It’s. The. Apocalypse. No government. No laws. Nothing stopping me from gaining power. Isn't that what men really want? I’m just following how things were supposed to be. Survival of the fittest. And that’s…me.”