WWIV - Basin of Secrets (12 page)

Willem studied the two men carefully. Their posture was that of attack, not discussion. One had a large knife strapped to his side in a sheath. Glancing over the top of the crowd, he saw Andy and a dozen armed men and women sneaking through the mass, spreading out. Finally, he raised his hand to speak.

“Good morning, people,” he called out in a loud voice. No one bothered responding. “It’s nice to see you all. Gives me a chance to fill you in on some important facts we have discovered recently.”
 

The man with the knife moved closer, hand on its dark mahogany handle. Willem glared at the threat, unhappy. Seeing Andy and another large soldier behind the two speakers, he relaxed. Beside him, he heard Howard’s labored breathing.

“It seems,” Willem began, “that your previous leadership wasn’t as forthcoming as they might have been.” The man unsnapped the knife clip Willem noticed. Fortunately, he saw that Andy observed this action. Staring defiantly into the man’s eyes, Willem continued.

“I did you a favor, friend. I relieved you of the most corrupt government in the west.” Willem’s dark eyes narrowed, speaking only to the one now. “Perhaps you can show a little gratitude.”

Pulling the knife from its sheath, the man lunged forward. “Rot in hell, Tarlisch,” he shouted. Others in the crowd moved back, shocked. Andy and his enforcer grabbed the assailant well before any damage could come to their leader.

Leering face to face with his attacker, Tarlisch whispered to the man. “That was the stupidest thing you could have ever done, friend. Now, I have to make an example of you.”

The man stared through Willem, unmoved by his words. Quickly, he cleared his throat and spit on him.
 

Tarlisch met him with an evil grin. “So I was wrong it seems; your stupidity just topped itself.”

Andy and his soldier brought the man forward to face the crowd. Willem watched as the mass slid back, trying to sneak away, their retreat halted by Tarlisch’s remaining armed troops.

Sighing, Willem glared at the group like a disappointed parent. “People, what have I done to be treated so poorly?”

“You killed our friends, you bastard,” a brave soul called out from the rear of the crowd. As his guards moved in to apprehend the dissenter, Willem shook them off with a frown.

“Yes,” he started. “I did away with the corrupt few. I admit that. But it was for your own good.” He scanned the crowd, seeing many shake their heads.
If looks could kill, I’d be dead already,
he thought. “Let me ask you a simple question,” Willem continued, more animated than before. “How much water do you receive each week? How many gallons?”
 

An older woman stepped forward. “You’ve killed people, and you want to ask us about water consumption? How dare you, young man.”
 

Willem spread his hands in front of his body. “Your name, dear?”

“Mrs. Chambers,” she replied proudly. “Mrs. Angela Chambers.”

Willem smiled slightly at her. “Mrs. Chambers. You and your family receive about 15 gallons of water a week, correct?” She nodded after looking back at who Willem perceived to be her husband.
 

“Maybe 10,” she countered. “There’s only two of us after all.”

Willem paused thoughtfully. “Okay. You all receive somewhere between 10 and 15. How much,” he asked turning to wink at Howard, “how much do you think the Ericksons and Brushbrows and Kanes of the city receive? Twenty, 30…50?”

Surveying the crowd, he saw quiet discussions between many. He grinned. “How surprised would you be to find out they had an unlimited weekly allowance of water?”
 

Gasps flowed freely from the group. Several quiet “no’s” arose.

“Well, it’s true,” Willem added. “We’ve been informed by young Jordan here this morning…”

“George,” Howard added discreetly.
 

Willem waved off his comment. “Young Mr. Andreason here…” Willem attempted to continue.

“Anderson, but close enough,” Howard added, shrugging at George.

“…has informed Howard and I that the 10
favorite
families of Salt Lake had unlimited access to food and water. While you chewed on leathery horse meat or elk, they dined on beef. Fresh beef.” Jaws dropped amongst the gathered group.
 

“I never said that,” George whispered to Howard.

Howard grinned slightly. “Don’t stop him now, boy, he’s on a roll.”

“Your beloved mayor would only dine on the freshest of kills. Aged one week, his preference, of course.”
 

“Oh my Lord,” Mrs. Chambers called out. “How could they?” The crowd behind her agreed.

“Because they didn’t care, people,” Willem retorted. “They didn’t care about you. Only themselves.”
 

Silence reigned as all faces focused on Willem’s, blanketed in the most sincere look he could muster.

“But that’s all over now,” he added softly. “No one gets special treatment anymore. Not me, not my men or women, none of us.” Nodding at the group, he prepared for his big finish. “And especially not anyone named Erickson, or Kane, or Williamson. Not on my watch.” A small smattering of applause split the air. Willem raised his hand for their attention.

“Now, what shall I do with this armed ruffian who would do me harm? Me, a person who’s come here to help you. Me, a simple man, with a simple dream. A dream of uniting the people of Salt Lake and making this a better place for all of us. For many, many generations to come.”
 

Willem watched as the crowd searched amongst itself for a solution. Finally, one of the last people to arrive spoke up. “You need to teach him a lesson, Mr. Tarlisch,” the middle-aged man said. “He was going to kill you.” He looked for others to join in agreement. Several heads nodded.

“He’s always been kinda a hot head,” another offered.

“Threatened to kill my dog years ago,” an older man shouted, “just because he was barking. He’s a troublemaker, Tarlisch. Get rid of him.”

The speed at which the crowd turned on their neighbor excited Willem. Deliberately, he made his way to Andy and took the knife that he had confiscated. Andy grinned at his cousin. “Give ‘em what they want, Will.”

Pausing to display great thought, Willem turned to the condemned and spoke with a heartfelt tone. “I might have been more merciful. Maybe just sliced off an ear or a finger. But your friends…” A quick jerk of his head to the crowd was followed by a crooked smile. “…well, they seem to have a different punishment in mind.” Drawing closer, he pressed the knife to the man’s throat. “What say you?”

The offender’s steely glare remained focused on Tarlisch. “You are a rotten piece of horse crap. That’s all you are. You give me another chance, and I’ll do the job proper. I’ll run you through and laugh at your rotting corpse. Your men can kill me after that. As long as I save all these people from a bastard like you.”

Willem peeked at the crowd and then back at the brave sounding man. “So you want to play the martyr? Well, let me tell you something. My father and brother both died for a cause, so I know a thing or two about martyrs. You’re just a bully around here, that’s all. None of your friends, the people you seem to want to save by killing me, seem to care about your worthless existence. Why should I then? Come on, plead for your life. Beg me.” Willem pressed the tip of the shiny steel blade against the man’s chest, feeling the skin beneath his shirt stretch and give just a little.

“I wouldn’t beg you if you wore a crown. You may fool these people, but you don’t fool me. You’re not a savior, you are the antichrist.” With that, he spit directly into Willem’s face, causing him to jerk away.

Wiping the saliva away, Willem leaned back in, undeterred. “You may not beg me, but they will,” he whispered, poking the knife blade back at the crowd. “And soon they will all bow down and beg for my mercy.” Placing the tip directly over the man’s heart, Willem pushed a little harder. A small spot of crimson appeared on the man’s dirty white shirt. “And they will worship me, not as their savior…” He applied more pressure to the blade, as the man cringed at the pain. “…but as their God.” Willem spit his last words between gritted teeth and shoved the blade deep into the chest of his foe. The body shuddered as life escaped through the wound.
 

Finally, Tarlisch stepped away and watched as his men released their grips. The man stumbled forward and fell to the ground, surrounded by a pool of blood.

Tarlisch turned to the stunned group, his eyes cast down, arms wide open. “I am sorry, so sorry, you had to witness this. A poor soul, lost in his own delusion. A delusion that I somehow thought of myself as a king.” His voice trembled giving just the right tone to his soliloquy.
 

Looking amongst the group, he let out a long audible sigh so that everyone could experience his personal pain. “I want to live free of all this fighting. I want to be free to move about Salt Lake safely. And I want it to be the same for you.” Nodding at several people upfront, he reached for them to come closer. “We need to be safe, friends. We need to feel like Salt Lake is the last safe haven left on earth. If we work together, we – all of us – can accomplish this.” Several women reached and patted Willem’s arms. He softened further at their expressions of love. “Today, we offer to you double rations.”
 

Cheers rose in the crowd with Willem’s words.
 

“We, me and my group, are not the enemy. We seek to live in peace with everyone.” He let his eyes fall upon the dead body to his right. “With the exception of people like that. Jeremy and his –”
 

“George, boss,” Howard shot forward.

“George will help spread the word. My own soldiers will step in the rest of the week, fetching fresh water for next month’s supply. They will work day and night to ensure you have everything you need.” Willem stepped aside and pointed at the building. “So come friends, come one and all. And enjoy.”

Howard stepped away from the group and approached Willem from the side as his boss glad-handed people, accepting their praise and adoration. He signaled for Andy and his men to remove the body. After the tide of bodies squeezed past and into the warehouse, Willem turned to his second. “Make a note, Howard; we need a proclamation – no knives in public. Penalty is death.” Howard followed Willem back toward the wagon, waiting to take them back to city hall. Tarlisch turned abruptly. “Oh, and another thing.” He peered into the joyous crowd inside the facility. “Send double rations for a couple weeks to that loser’s family. Let them know just how much we care.” Willem looked back at the wagon. “What is it, Howard?” he asked in a bored tone. “You’re awfully quiet.”

After letting out a quick snort at his boss, Howard stared into the warehouse. “No one’s going to be too happy about wasting a week fetching water. Isn’t that something we could have the regular citizens do instead?”

Willem sighed. “Howard, you’re my best friend in the world, my confidant, the person I trust most. Why can’t you see the big picture here?”

“I do, Will. I just don’t like it.”

Willem turned to face his friend. “We do this task, this simple fetching of water, and think of how the general population will see it. They say ‘Those Red Rangers, they really do care.’ That’s what they’ll say.” Howard continued to glance off, pouting in Tarlisch’s mind.

“Howard, look at me,” Willem requested. “Fill about a third of them in plain sight, so everyone can see. Make a big production out of loading and unloading. Send the troops out to the streams in the foothills. It probably will do them some good. The people will be happy, the team will be happy, I’ll be happy.” His glare intensified.

“What about the rest of them? The other two-thirds?” Howard asked.

Willem grinned and stared to the west, the direction of the Great Salt Lake. “In the middle of the night, have a couple teams take them to the lake and fill them. But put them in the back end of the warehouse when they’re full.”
 

Shaking his head in complete confusion, Howard almost seemed dizzy – either from the excitement or Willem’s plan. “And when they discover we filled a bunch of barrels with salt water…” Willem cut him off with a leer.
 

“We blame it on the prior administration, “Willem answered. “The barrels we filled are in the front of the pile. Not at the rear. It will help them realize just how corrupt those people were. And what a godsend it was that we arrived when we did.” Willem slapped Howard’s back and pointed him toward the wagon. “Fill young Jared in on our plan. I’m sure he’ll be happy to join our team. Given what he witnessed today, I’m confident he will.”

As they walked, Howard laughed out loud at his boss. “You never were very good with names, Will. I guess some things never change.” He helped Willem into the wagon.

Willem wiggled in glee, plopping onto his seat. “If they’re important to me, Howard,” he said emphatically, “I remember their names. Otherwise…” he waved his hands at his entire surroundings. “…otherwise, they’re all just nameless adoring fans. One of many, I tell you.”

She watched as Steven deliberately kept himself at arm’s length. What did he have to be afraid of, her? Turning her away, Cara felt her frown grow with her frustration. “They were so self-righteous and condescending. Those three. Only Emily was on my side.”

“As usual,” Steven added.

Cara chaffed at his comment. “And what exactly does that mean?”

Holding up his hands, Steven surrendered. “Just that you can always count on her. That’s all.”

Checking their surroundings, she noticed everyone else in camp was busy with their harvest duties. Those not doing a task, such as Steven’s men from the woods, were most likely catching a late afternoon nap.

“What are your thoughts?” she whispered to her husband. “And be honest with me.”

Steven likewise checked their surroundings for any little ears lurking nearby, she assumed. “Well,” he said, leaning toward her, “I think you may be right this time.” Cara felt her eyes open wider as she nodded. She knew he too was on her side.