Lefford’s haunches to steady him. It did the trick, the kick brought Lefford to heel.
“Come here, find us and take us back,” Allard said. “Is that what they told you?”
“Yes.”
“And you believed them?”
Keeler nodded.
“You fucking idiot, Keeler.”
Keeler wasn’t stupid. He knew the score. He didn’t even believe what he was telling them, but he had a part to play. He would do and say whatever he needed to get the hell out with the boy.
“Don’t you want to leave?” Keeler asked.
Lefford grunted again. This time, Keeler recognized the sound as a laugh. Christ, Lefford’s fucked up , he thought.
Allard shook his head. The snakes remained in position, never taking their gaze off Keeler.
“Why would we want to leave when we have all this?” Allard threw his arms wide, indicating Jeter’s elegant nightmare. “We live like gods here. There are no screws telling us what to do. We have our own rules now and live the way man should have always lived—as hunter-gatherers. For the record, no, we don’t want to leave…”
Allard grinned and Lefford rocked on his toes. Keeler knew what was coming next.
“…and we’re not going to let you leave either.”
Lefford took a precise step forward and Allard readied the machine gun. Keeler took a step back to maintain a healthy distance from them. Lefford and Allard exchanged smug glances. Keeler knew how it looked, but he wasn’t about to run. He had to make a stand, but he needed his shank for that. He cast a look in the direction he’d tossed it and spotted it.
“Can’t we be reasonable about this?” Keeler took another step backwards, edging towards his shank. “You can stay here. It’s no skin off my nose and I doubt if O’Keefe gives two shits.” He backed up another step. “I just want to get out of here and take the kid with me.”
“I don’t think so,” Allard said. “Somehow, it wouldn’t be right.”
Lefford, impatient and exhilarated by the prospect of a kill, charged. His speed was astounding. Keeler didn’t stand a chance.
The boy screamed when the hog-man slammed Keeler with his bulk. Keeler caught the charging monstrosity, but the impact blasted him off his feet and he cut a groove in the soft dirt and leaves when he struck the ground. The harsh landing and Lefford’s bulk broke two of Keeler’s ribs. Keeler bit back the scream clawing its way up his throat.
Keeler had one thing to be thankful for. Lefford had driven him closer to his shank. He was close but it still wasn’t within his reach.
Lefford lunged and snapped his jaws together with a resounding crack. Keeler caught Lefford’s skull and whipped his head out of the way of the lethal tusks. Lefford gnashed his jaws together. Wet sucking noises emanated from his wounded eye sockets, flicking blood on Keeler’s face. Keeler didn’t know how long he could hold out against Lefford’s overwhelming strength.
Allard sauntered over to the melee. He dropped to his haunches and rested the machine gun across his knees. “Keeler, stop fighting. There’s no point. We all know you’re only delaying the inevitable,” he said with smug satisfaction. “Just let death take its natural course.”
“Fuck you and your pig friend.”
Allard sighed. “You can’t say I didn’t try.”
Lefford wrestled to break Keeler’s defenses. Thankfully for Keeler, Lefford’s mutated arms couldn’t pin him down. Lefford’s brute upper body strength and fearsome jaws had come at the expense of his dexterity. Keeler managed to hold off Lefford’s murderous mouth with one hand while delivering blow after blow to the hog-man’s head with the other, but it was like striking rock. Keeler winced as his fingers snapped on Lefford’s skull.
“He’s puts up a fight, don’t he, Leff?” Allard suggested with a chuckle.
Lefford grunted
“Come here, find us and take us back,” Allard said. “Is that what they told you?”
“Yes.”
“And you believed them?”
Keeler nodded.
“You fucking idiot, Keeler.”
Keeler wasn’t stupid. He knew the score. He didn’t even believe what he was telling them, but he had a part to play. He would do and say whatever he needed to get the hell out with the boy.
“Don’t you want to leave?” Keeler asked.
Lefford grunted again. This time, Keeler recognized the sound as a laugh. Christ, Lefford’s fucked up , he thought.
Allard shook his head. The snakes remained in position, never taking their gaze off Keeler.
“Why would we want to leave when we have all this?” Allard threw his arms wide, indicating Jeter’s elegant nightmare. “We live like gods here. There are no screws telling us what to do. We have our own rules now and live the way man should have always lived—as hunter-gatherers. For the record, no, we don’t want to leave…”
Allard grinned and Lefford rocked on his toes. Keeler knew what was coming next.
“…and we’re not going to let you leave either.”
Lefford took a precise step forward and Allard readied the machine gun. Keeler took a step back to maintain a healthy distance from them. Lefford and Allard exchanged smug glances. Keeler knew how it looked, but he wasn’t about to run. He had to make a stand, but he needed his shank for that. He cast a look in the direction he’d tossed it and spotted it.
“Can’t we be reasonable about this?” Keeler took another step backwards, edging towards his shank. “You can stay here. It’s no skin off my nose and I doubt if O’Keefe gives two shits.” He backed up another step. “I just want to get out of here and take the kid with me.”
“I don’t think so,” Allard said. “Somehow, it wouldn’t be right.”
Lefford, impatient and exhilarated by the prospect of a kill, charged. His speed was astounding. Keeler didn’t stand a chance.
The boy screamed when the hog-man slammed Keeler with his bulk. Keeler caught the charging monstrosity, but the impact blasted him off his feet and he cut a groove in the soft dirt and leaves when he struck the ground. The harsh landing and Lefford’s bulk broke two of Keeler’s ribs. Keeler bit back the scream clawing its way up his throat.
Keeler had one thing to be thankful for. Lefford had driven him closer to his shank. He was close but it still wasn’t within his reach.
Lefford lunged and snapped his jaws together with a resounding crack. Keeler caught Lefford’s skull and whipped his head out of the way of the lethal tusks. Lefford gnashed his jaws together. Wet sucking noises emanated from his wounded eye sockets, flicking blood on Keeler’s face. Keeler didn’t know how long he could hold out against Lefford’s overwhelming strength.
Allard sauntered over to the melee. He dropped to his haunches and rested the machine gun across his knees. “Keeler, stop fighting. There’s no point. We all know you’re only delaying the inevitable,” he said with smug satisfaction. “Just let death take its natural course.”
“Fuck you and your pig friend.”
Allard sighed. “You can’t say I didn’t try.”
Lefford wrestled to break Keeler’s defenses. Thankfully for Keeler, Lefford’s mutated arms couldn’t pin him down. Lefford’s brute upper body strength and fearsome jaws had come at the expense of his dexterity. Keeler managed to hold off Lefford’s murderous mouth with one hand while delivering blow after blow to the hog-man’s head with the other, but it was like striking rock. Keeler winced as his fingers snapped on Lefford’s skull.
“He’s puts up a fight, don’t he, Leff?” Allard suggested with a chuckle.
Lefford grunted
Similar Books
