The Seventh Seed

by Allison Maruska

  ****

  Liz put her elbow on the restaurant’s table and hid her face in her hand. “Crap.”

  “What?” Javier’s back was to the TV. Liz pointed to it.

  He looked behind him in time to see a photograph of her, followed by one of a car like hers. He faced her again. “They want you now?”

  “And they know what car I drive. We need to leave right now.” She put two twenties on the table, and they left half of their breakfast combos uneaten. Didn’t matter. Her nerves crowded out her appetite.

  Javier limped behind her. She almost told him to smooth out his gait so he wouldn’t appear injured.

  She opened the back door. “Lie down in the back seat.”

  “Why?” He climbed in.

  “They’re looking for us together. It’ll take longer to make the connection if I’m alone.” She closed the door behind him and walked around to the driver’s side as casually as she could.

  The TV had been muted, but text had scrolled across the bottom of the screen. They knew she was heading for Denver. “We need to change course a bit. It’ll add time. You good? How’s the leg?”

  “Do what you need to do.”

  “Any idea how they knew which way we’re going?” She started the engine.

  “No. I cleared the browsing history on your computer after I decided to go to Iowa.” He groaned when he shifted in the seat. “I’m guessing it’s because the virus is there.”

  “All right. Well, we can’t go through Denver now.” Liz picked a route of mountain roads leading to Cheyenne and entered the course into her GPS. Through the mountains was the safest way out of Colorado.

  Chapter Four

  Charlie pulled the key out of the lock and opened the door to his sister’s house. Her place was on the way to work from the news studio, and his stomach was reminding him of the importance of breakfast. Annie either enjoyed his company enough to feed him a few times a week, or she took pity on her divorced brother. Charlie didn’t care which it was. In addition to home-cooked food, Annie’s hospitality got him away from the apartment he’d shared with Mikayla for five years, until she’d decided he loved his job more than her, divorced him, and moved to Seattle.

  The empty apartment seemed to taunt him after that. He guessed Annie knew that and offered him an escape.

  Finding the kitchen unoccupied, he obeyed his growling stomach and searched the fridge for leftovers.

  “Hey, Uncle Chuck,” Mattson said from behind him.

  Charlie peeked around the fridge door. His nephew wore a ridiculous getup: saggy jeans, an oversized flannel shirt, and a baseball hat worn sideways. At least the fro was gone. “Damn, what happened to you? And don’t call me Chuck.”

  Mattson flashed his movie-screen-sized smile. “Sorry, Chuck. It’s ‘90s day at school. We get extra credit if we dress up for these. Why are you here so early?”

  “I was on the early news broadcast. Are you sure people in the ‘90s dressed like that? You look like a damn punk.”

  “This is what they looked like in our textbooks.” Mattson retrieved a box of cereal from the pantry. “What were you on the news for?”

  “Oh, you know. Homeland Security Chief stuff.” After pulling a container of leftover home fries and three eggs from the fridge, he set a small pan on the stove and cranked the burner up to high.

  “Protecting LifeFarm from the dangerous independent thinkers again?”

  Charlie stifled a groan. If this kid didn’t get over his skepticism, he’d have real problems later. All it would take was evidence of him speaking against LifeFarm or the government, and he could kiss college goodbye. “You need to watch your mouth.”

  Mattson rolled his eyes as he poured milk onto his cereal. “Yeah, whatever. You know people are starving on the other side of the world, right?”

  “You also need to quit reading that garbage online. Nothing good can come from it.”

  “How did you get back from Colorado so quickly?” Annie’s question interrupted the argument, thankfully. She came down the stairs and joined them in the kitchen.

  Charlie gave her a hug. “The wonders of modern technology.” He returned to the counter and cracked an egg over the hot pan, sending a satisfying sizzle into the room. “Thanks for breakfast.”

  She laughed. “Anytime. So, are you worried about that kid?”

  “He looks like a punk. You sure you want him going to school like that?” Charlie winked at Mattson.

  Annie laughed. “Yeah, but I meant the one from the news.”

  Charlie put the container of hash browns in the microwave and started it. “He’s pretty dangerous. But we’ll get him eventually.”

  “Kid? How old is he?” Mattson asked through a mouthful of cereal.

  “Nineteen.” The word made Charlie pause; Mendez was just two years older than his nephew. Charlie reminded himself that the lies he and LifeFarm used to catch the kid were necessary for the good of the world—how else would they be able to continue producing more food than the population needed? Everyone was better off, despite what Mattson thought. Mendez had knowledge that could irreparably damage LifeFarm, and by default, those who would starve if the truth about the virus got out and supplies suffered.

  “Nineteen? And you guys can’t catch him? Must be pretty smart.” Mattson shoved another oversized spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

  “He is. But he’s out-resourced. It’s just a matter of time before he—” Charlie’s phone rang, and he checked the screen. “Before he slips up.” He answered while turning off the burner. “Yeah.”

  “The woman’s phone pinged off a cell tower in northeast Colorado, outside the national park,” Sylvia said. “I’m sending some guys to intercept.”

  “Fantastic. Keep me posted. I’ll get to the office in an hour.”

  ****

  Liz turned onto Highway 125 after deciding to edge the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. She kept her phone in the holder on her dash, using her GPS to guide her. The mountain roads offered anonymity simply because they weren’t as well used as the interstates, but the likelihood of getting lost was greater.

  She’d ducked into a drugstore in the last town to pick up ointment, gauze, and antibiotics for Javier to treat his leg. He worked on wrapping the wound while lying across the backseat.

  “How’s it look?” She glanced in the rearview mirror as she calculated how much bribing the pharmacist for the pills had set her back. A black SUV, the only other vehicle on the road, followed several car lengths behind. She dismissed the thought that someone was following her so soon after the report aired.

  “It’s not bleeding anymore. It’s smaller and more jagged than I expected.” He wrapped the gauze around his lower leg. “No exit wound.”

  “Might have been a fragment. Maybe the bullet ricocheted off the building first.”

  “It felt like the whole thing. At least I can say I have part of a bullet in my leg for the rest of my life. Women dig scars, right?”

  Liz laughed. “Sure, as long as—”

  A bang sounded and her car jolted forward. The SUV’s engine screamed as it shoved into her rear bumper. “What the hell?”

  “What was that?”

  “Don’t sit up.” Adrenaline racing through her body, Liz clenched the wheel and mashed the accelerator. The force let up a little, but her car had nothing on the SUV’s horsepower. Now traveling twenty miles per hour over the speed limit on the winding road, they crossed the center line on the tighter curves. Her tires squealed as she corrected.

  The SUV backed off but rammed her again. The wheel ripped free from her hands. She grasped for control as her car crossed the oncoming traffic lane and rolled down an embankment, bouncing over rocks and between trees. A river loomed ahead.

  Liz thrust her arms in front of her face. A deluge of white covered the windshield. The car came to rest, sticking out of the river at a sharp angle like the sinking Titanic. Water rushed through the base of the front doors, and Liz curled he
r legs up.

  After taking a second to catch her breath, she looked into the back seat. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” Javier crawled off the floor and onto the seat. “Can I sit up yet?”

  “Hold on.” She eyed the mirror. The front of the SUV was visible through the trees, but no one was heading their way. “He might be waiting for us to leave the car. Just stay back there and play dead.”

  ****

  Javier couldn’t get his heart to stop racing, yet Liz seemed so calm. This was the second time in twelve hours someone had tried to kill him—and her, by association—and she acted like nothing unusual was happening.

  Wincing, he adjusted his injured leg. “How did they find us?”

  “No idea. Maybe someone saw the car and called it in.”

  “Is the other car still there?”

  “Yeah.” She didn’t move. “Crap. Where’s my phone?”

  Javier tried to sit up enough to see where she’d had it on the dash, but he couldn’t without being seen through the back window. “It’s not where you left it?”

  “Nope.” After a minute of silence, she said, “I see it. Not gonna be good for much now.”

  “Where is it?”

  “On the floor, under a foot of water. I hope they get bored and leave soon. I’m getting a cramp curled up like this.”

  The realization hit Javier almost as hard as the car had hit the river. “I know how they found us.”

  “How?”

  “Your phone.”

  “But I wasn’t talking on it.”

  “The GPS tracking was on. All you had to do was drive by a tower after they had your info.”

  “Well in that case, I’m glad it’s toast. Wait, they’re heading for us. Play extra dead.”

  Extra dead?

  Liz gasped. “Geez, this water’s cold!”

  This was the plan? Pretend the not-so-bad wreck had killed them both? “This isn’t going to work.”

  “Shut up.”

  A few moments later, the door next to Javier’s head opened. “Hey, look who’s here!” a male voice said.

  Crap. Was this guy going to drag him out of the car? Javier held his breath, as someone extra dead might do.

  Footsteps crunched on leaves, then a female voice said, “Looks like you were right.”

  “Chief’s gonna love this. I’m not sure I can get to her.” His footsteps moved towards the front, he grunted, and Liz’s door opened. “She doesn’t look hurt, but she’s out.”

  Something poked Javier’s cheek, like a fingertip. A tickling sensation followed, moving up and down his jaw. It felt like a fingernail. He focused on holding his breath—one slip and she’d have him.

  “Hey, what’re you doing?” the man asked.

  “Just seeing something.” Javier felt her move away from him. “He doesn’t have a pulse.”

  “Are you sure? The wreck wasn’t that bad.”

  “I know how to take a pulse.”

  She didn’t check his pulse, and he obviously had one. Why would she say that?

  “Well, she has one,” the man said. “What if the kid is just stunned or something?” A sliding sound followed, like a gun leaving a holster.

  Javier’s burning lungs begged for oxygen, but he held his breath. His chest tightened.

  “Come on, Jake. He’s dead,” the woman said. “She will be by morning after the cold gets her. Save your ammo. No sense in making a bigger mess.”

  “But they’re right here. This could be our only chance–”

  “To do what? Shoot corpses?” She huffed. “Let’s go. You’re being ridiculous. We’ll come back in the morning. Then we can report it as an accident without raising eyebrows. Do you need another questionable shooting on your record?”

  Silence followed. What was the man doing? Aiming at Javier’s head?

  “Fine. You win.”

  Footsteps moved away from the car, and Javier took a long breath.

  ****

  Liz waited until the SUV drove off before she lifted her numb legs out of the water. “Well, if I wasn’t gonna die of hypothermia before, I will now.” She climbed between the front seats and fell into the spot next to Javier. “Why did she say you were dead?”

  “I guess I’m a good actor.” Sitting up, he rested his feet in a couple inches of water.

  “Got any bright ideas?”

  “We need to find somewhere to build a fire and get you dried out.” He grabbed his case and backpack and climbed out the still-open door.

  Liz snatched her bag from the front seat before leaving. There was still plenty of daylight left, but they would need all of it to figure out how to survive the night. Her thin jacket wasn’t guarding her against the cool mountain air, and the temperature would drop upon nightfall. Her feet already hurt from being so cold.

  ****

  “Dead? Are you sure?” Charlie leaned into his desk, giving every ounce of attention to the man on the other end of the phone.

  “They will be by morning.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “The kid didn’t have a pulse, and the woman was unconscious. The cold night will finish the job. The woman was halfway in the river.”

  “Did you collect the kid? We need him back, dead or alive.”

  “No, sir, those weren’t our orders.”

  Charlie tightened his fist. “Those were your orders, officer. Go back and get him.”

  “Sir, with all due respect, the sun has set here. We won’t be able to find the car–”

  “Get a flood light!” Charlie stood and paced. “I don’t care how hard it is. Do your job. Within the hour, I want this phone ringing with confirmation that you have his dead body in custody.”

  Chapter Five

  Javier set sticks in a pyramid formation over the pile of dead leaves and smaller sticks. He glanced at the sun’s rays disappearing behind a mountain and clenched his jaw. They should have stopped sooner. The temperature would drop quickly now.

  Groaning as he stood, he balanced on his injured leg, hobbling around the trees and brushing away the carpet of pine needles with his foot. There had to be stones that would work to create a spark. The forested area where they’d settled would keep outsiders from seeing them, but the mess the trees dropped made his rock-finding mission impossible.

  “Here. Use this.” Liz tossed an antique Zippo lighter at him and closed her purse.

  Javier scowled. “How long were you planning to keep this a secret?”

  “Just long enough to make you nervous.” Liz’s teeth chattered, and she scooted closer to the makeshift fire pit, as if the flames were already blazing.

  Javier struck the lighter until a flame appeared. “Why do you carry a lighter? You don’t smoke.”

  “It was my husband’s. His father gave it to him. It’s come in handy a few times, so I keep it fueled.”

  The leaves ignited but the flames disappeared in seconds. He lit the ends of the sticks and added more dead leaves around them. As he worked, the smoke came and went, becoming inexplicably thick at times, given the lack of fire. Hopefully, the darkness would keep anyone from seeing their billowing signals over the trees.

  By the time he had a decent fire going, the sun had set, and Liz had curled into a ball. She shivered while staring at the orange flames.

  “Are your shoes still wet?” he asked.

  She nodded and reached for her shoe. With violently shaking hands, she untied it, and after struggling to get it off her foot she flung it, almost hitting the fire.

  Javier walked around the pit. “Here. Let me help you.” He removed her other sneaker and her socks then laid her footwear on the rocks surrounding the fire. He rubbed her feet; they felt as cold as the night air.

  She focused on the fire, her arms clutching her torso.

  Guilt filled Javier’s gut. She might not survive the night, even with the fire. And he was the reason she was here.

  He cupped her foot in his hands and hoped he could at least offer a di
straction from her misery. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.”

  “Why are you helping me?”

  She looked up at him, as if weighing an appropriate response. “You remind me of my son.”

  Surprised, Javier arched back. “I do?”

  She nodded. “He was taken from me.”

  He waited a few moments for her to elaborate. “What do you mean?”

  “He’s a little older than you. First year he went to college, LifeFarm recruited him. Said they would pay for whatever he needed if he promised to work for them after graduation. You can imagine how that went over. We argued. I told him the company killed his daddy, but he doesn’t believe that’s what happened. I couldn’t talk him out of it, and then he quit talking to me.”

  She said everything robotically and without looking away from the fire, as if she’d disconnected herself from what happened. Unsure how to respond, Javier focused on warming Liz’s feet.

  “So you get it now?” She looked at him again. “LifeFarm took my family from me. They took . . .” Her voice caught, and she cleared her throat. “If you have a way to bring them down, I’m gonna do my damndest to help you.”

  Javier glanced at his case sitting next to a tree. It looked innocuous enough, but she was right: its contents could bring down the company hell-bent on taking over the world. All he had to do was prove the virus existed and that LifeFarm was responsible.

  ****

  Liz lay as close as she could to the fire, but the cold reached all the way to her bones. She’d stopped shivering—a bad sign. She could be in the grips of hypothermia.

  Javier poked the flames with a long stick, making them grow. Though the heat reached her, it wasn’t enough to stave off the cold. He must have sensed the same and added another log.

  What if nothing he did was enough?

  She pushed the thought away, having seen more than a few homeless veterans die after giving up. This was one night. She could survive that.