Judge continues to soothe me, whispering soft words I barely hear. After several moments, I lift my head and sit up. Using the end of my sleeve, I wipe my nose. My head pounds, and I hear the unsteady rhythm in my ears.
“You left me for nothing,” I tell him through a scratchy throat.
His brows form a deep V.
“I would have stood beside you while you murdered them.”
It’s the God’s honest truth. People who can so easily harm children in such ways have no business walking among the living. They have no place on earth. They all belong in hell.
He grabs my hand and looks down at our laced fingers, his thumb smoothing slowly over the back. It takes him several minutes, but then he lifts his eyes back to mine.
“My brothers and I don’t only hunt down the people who escaped Malus. Sometimes we’re given information about others who have hurt other children or women. Ones who have gotten away with their crimes or are given shit sentences and will be released too soon, only to do it again.” My eyes widen, and he scoots closer to me, his fingers tightening around mine. “Each person we take out deserves nothing less. They prey upon the weak and destroy lives. They break into homes and rape and beat innocent people. They kidnap them and hold them hostage, inflicting permanent damage to their minds and bodies.”
“How are you able to do this without being caught?”
“We’re careful. We’ve made contacts over the years. People who think like us and want to rid the world of the vileness. People who help cover our endeavors. The reason Malus is so special to us is because there’re times when the victims have nowhere to go. No family, no friends. Sometimes they need a new place to start. A place that makes them feel safe. We give them that by offering them a place to live here in Malus.”
I pull in a breath and try to absorb what he’s saying. In a weird, fucked-up sense, I find it kind of noble what he and his brothers are doing. They protect the innocent and take out the bad.
“The reason Malus is safe”—his eyes narrow, anger marking his features—“normally, is because we don’t tolerate anyone who harms another. There are strict punishments given to those who do.” He pauses, his fingers twitching in mine. “The town holds a meeting and the people vote. It has to be unanimous. If there is undeniable evidence pointing to the abuse and they’re found guilty, they’re given the Expiration Penalty.”
I swallow thickly. “The Expiration Penalty?” I whisper.
He nods. “Yes. It’s just as it sounds. My brothers and I have a ritual where the convicted is taken to a specific location where The Finishing, the name of the actual punishment, is carried out. They’re shot between the eyes, the heart, the base of the neck, and the groin, all kill shots to ensure death. They’re given an unmarked grave, because they deserve no recognition.”
I bite the inside of my cheek, overwhelmed with this knowledge. Sweat beads on my forehead and tingles crawl over my scalp. I close my eyes and take in several deep breaths.
“Everyone here knows about these rituals?” I ask, lifting my eyelids.
“Yes. We only accept people in Malus who can handle our brand of justice. Almost every person here has their own horrifying story.”
“These… Finishings. Is it just you and your brothers who perform them?”
His chin jerks up. “Although every adult here agrees with our methods, we don’t want to put the burden of killing someone on their shoulders. The location is off-limits to everyone except my brothers and me. And we’re extremely strict about no one being present during The Finishings. And before you ask, children do not know. We leave it up to the parents to decide when they should know. The youngest allowable age is sixteen. Some parents wait until they’re eighteen. It’s better for them to be informed in a controlled setting, versus them finding out other ways.”
I think of Maisy, of how she would react to something like this. She’s asked me multiple times about my scars, and I’ve always told her it was from an accident, giving no more detail than that. She’s so young, and I want to keep her mind as innocent as I can for as long as I can. She doesn’t need to know the monstrosities of the world yet.
“You don’t worry about anyone letting something slip? What about the children who grow up and leave Malus. That’s a huge secret to carry.”
“It’s not often that people leave Malus once they’re here. This is their home. They feel safe here. We’re a very tight-knit community. Malus offers something no other town can. Even the ones who go away to school choose to return here when they graduate, because this is where they grew up. Their family is here, and that’s not always blood relations, but every single person here.”
I lick my dry lips, nerves skittering across my spine. “But can they leave if they want?”
Oh, God. Are Maisy and I trapped here?
His smile is gentle, and it alleviates some of my anxiety. “There are no prisoners here, Ellie. Anyone is free to go if they wish.”
My shoulders sag with relief, and I feel foolish for even thinking he would hold people captive.
“So, Maisy and I can leave if we choose too?”
His eye twitches at the corner and he releases my hand, sitting back several inches and clenching his fist on his thigh.
“Yes,” he grits between his teeth. “But I’ll be going with you.”
My mouth drops open in shock. “You would leave Malus for us?”
His nod is jerky and stiff. “I gave you up once; I won’t do it again. And Maisy is my daughter. I’ll be damned if she spends her life without me in it.”