“Thanks,” I said. “I’m Isaac, what’s your name?”
“My name’s John.”
I took a stab in the dark to confirm my suspicions.
“Thanks for having them see to Luke so quickly…”
“No problem, I hope he makes it. For now though, you might want to save the conversation and concentrate on what you’re doing.”
It was him. I did as he suggested, satisfied that I had at least made a small connection with him. We reached the bottom of the staircase and I heard a noise like bar locks being pulled and a door opening, followed immediately by a frigid breeze. I was guided through the doorway (I could tell by the drop in temperature) and my feet found the ground suddenly rough and uneven.
I won’t describe every step of our journey that day, suffice to say it was the most terrifying and surreal three hours or so of my life. I know better now, but in the absence of sight, my mind convinced me that we were on a narrow mountain trail that clung to the side of a cliff, and that with every step there was a danger that me or one of my group would fall into an abyss. I couldn’t help picturing Frodo and his company climbing the precipitous mountain path in The Lord of the Rings movies that I had seen years before. Right then, I didn’t feel anywhere near as heroic as I remember the Hobbits being.
About twenty minutes into the hike, one of the girls squealed somewhere in front. I tensed and waited for a long, fading scream that never came. Whatever the issue, it brought our procession to a standstill for a moment. I don’t know if it was Indigo or one of the other girls that had squealed, but my heart was in my throat until the calm, authoritative voice of Colonel Randall got us all moving again. I stumbled many times, thankfully saved each time from a fall to the ground or worse by the steady, ever present hand of John.
After roughly an hour and a half we were brought to a halt again and Randall’s voice rang out. “We are going to rest here. My men are going to free your hands. If any of you do anything stupid you will be Tasered and I can’t guarantee your safety, given that there is a rather steep cliff just a few feet from you.”
I heard someone coming along our procession and the intermittent snick of a sharp blade before strong hands gripped mine and cut the plastic tie securing them. I said thank you and rubbed my wrists to get the circulation going again. We were told to sit on the ground and after I had seated myself on the cold unyielding rock, I was handed a small paper wrapped package.
“Something to eat,” a voice, not John this time, said.
My first instinct was to be suspicious of the proffered food, but of course, if they were going to kill us they would have done it back at the lodge. I unwrapped the package and with my probing fingers felt a soft crumbly square of something. Some sort of baked food. I raised it to my nose and smelt a vague hint of cinnamon and raisins. My mouth immediately began to water and I bit into it without any further ado. None of us had eaten in a long time and the biscuit or whatever it was, was impossibly delicious.
After I had scoffed it down, I used my fingers and tongue to ensure that I left no crumb on that paper. I didn’t know when we would eat again. I heard someone pause in front of me and a cold metal cup was pressed into my hand with a simple order to Drink. This time I thought I recognised the nasal voice of Leroy, the redneck. The canteen contained cool water. It had also been a long time since I had quenched my thirst, so I guzzled it.
After about ten minutes we were directed to stand and our blind trek continued. I had the feeling that it wouldn’t have been easy in any circumstances, let alone blind. There were periods of steep climbing, but mainly I got the sense that we were winding our way downwards. It was difficult and rocky and at no point did I become comfortable.
After another tortuous hour or so, we were again brought to a halt. I heard the voice of Randall, up ahead. I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but his tone led me to believe he wasn’t talking to anyone in our group. I assumed he must have been on a two way radio or something similar. Following the brief conversation, I heard a deep humming from the same direction followed after a few seconds by a loud metallic clunk. At this point we were told to move forward.
As I shuffled forward the cold wind suddenly died away and the rough ground flattened out into what was clearly a smooth, man-made floor. I sensed an enclosed space and then behind me, the hum started up again followed by the clunk of metal doors closing. The noise of the wind died away. We were in the facility they had spoken off. The ‘Safe Haven’. We had made it. I felt relief, but not the euphoria that I would have expected. The rude welcome we had received meant that I still had a vague uneasy feeling to temper any sense of achievement at reaching our hard won goal.
We were guided for thirty or so steps and then I heard another set of doors close behind us. I desperately wanted to see where I was but had to settle for using my imagination to paint a picture. I imagined a large cavern, carved out of the bedrock of the mountain with a polished concrete floor. We were herded in a straight line for another 100 feet or so before turning right and a few minutes after that we were told to stop again. Somewhere in front of us I heard a whispered conversation between our captors before they started us moving again.
“Will you be taking off the sack soon?” I asked John when I felt his hand on me again.
“Soon, just a little longer I promise.”
He was good to his word. After about another five minutes of walking we halted and I heard another door open in front of us before we were guided on. Hands stopped me after a few feet before turning me around. For a minute or two I didn’t hear anything except footsteps and some whispers.
“You may want to close your eyes,” a voice said behind me, making me jump.
Without further warning, the black sack was pulled from my head and harsh fluorescent light knifed my eyes. I closed them quickly, and kept them closed until I felt I had given them enough time to adjust. I opened them again, blinking frequently until my eyes adapted to stark electric light.
We were in a hospital ward, or what looked like one. The walls were stark white, which only intensified the brightness of the fluorescent lighting. Through watery eyes, I squinted around the room and saw that there were four beds with medical equipment positioned beside them.
I was about to turn and look for my comrades when my gaze was drawn to a large plate glass window in the wall opposite us. Through it I could see two men in scrubs standing over a bed, and instantly recognised the shock of red hair at the head of the bed…Luke!
“Where the Hell is my sister!”
The angry voice behind me snatched my attention before I could step up to the glass and I turned to see a furious Ben and…no-one else. No Indigo, no Brooke, no Allie and no Sonny. Colonel Randall stood in front of Ben looking calmly down at the English boy. Flanking him was another armed man that I didn’t recognize. This one was in a black uniform, not the white camouflage that our rescuers (or captors) had been wearing. He looked serious and competent. To his right was a balding man in a white coat.
“Don’t worry about the girls, young man. They’ve been taken to another ward so that the medical staff can tend to them,” said Randall.
“Why can’t they be tended to here?” asked Ben, bluntly.
“It’s just the way it is. Believe me, you don’t need to be concerned. You’ll be together with them as soon as you’ve all been checked over and treated for any injuries.”
“What about Sonny?” I asked.
“The Chinese man? He is receiving treatment too, he bumped his head when he fell. After he’s seen to, he’ll be questioned.”
“He’s not Chinese, he’s as American as you or me,” I said, controlling the anger I felt.
Randall eyed me for a moment, weighing me up.
“Then he’s got nothing to worry about. You’ll all be able to see each other soon enough, but for now, Dr. Radisson here is going to see to your wounds and give you a physical, then you can shower and have something to eat.”
Ben lo
oked like he was going to protest but I cut him off. These guys had all the power… for now. “Okay, thank you. When do we meet this Professor person?” I asked.
“When you’ve all fed, watered and settled in. There is no rush, you’re safe now.”
“What about Luke?” I asked, nodding in his direction.
“Your friend is a lucky boy,” said Dr. Radisson. “The bullet missed all of his vital organs, although he has lost a lot of blood. They are just stitching him up now. Luckily he is type O, we have plenty of that in stock, although he made a very decent dent in our supply. We have a compulsory blood donation policy here in the Facility, it will be replenished quickly. Your friend should be up and about again in a week to ten days.”
Relief washed over me. Luke’s gunshot and subsequent collapse made me realize how close I had become to him. We really were as close as brothers now, our bond forged by adversity and respect. Not only did we have that bond, but I genuinely liked him and had come to rely on his smarts and advice during our long journey.
“What is this place?” Ben asked the doctor. “Some sort of Government facility?”
“I know you have a lot of questions,” Randall interrupted. “And they will be answered, but for now, let’s get you cleaned up and treated so you can get some food and rest.”
Even though we hadn’t had the baked snack long ago, at the mention of food my stomach began an impressive rumbling. Close behind it in urgency was my need for sleep. I had no idea what time it was, or even what day, but my eyes had that dry, stinging feeling they get when sleep is well and truly overdue.
“I’ll leave you with the good doctor, Williams here will see you to the showers after your examination.” He nodded to the doctor and left.
20
“Okay to start with, please remove your clothes down to your underwear,” said the doctor, as he went to the large window and pulled a curtain across. Before he blocked the view, I saw that the surgery on Luke appeared to be over. One of the surgeons was scrubbing at a basin and the other was gathering up instruments. I finally let myself relax and felt fatigue eating at me as Ben and I stripped down. We placed our filthy and foul-smelling clothes in a plastic bag that the doctor held open for us.
I was aware of Williams watching us, even though he appeared to be daydreaming by the door. The physical exam lasted about forty minutes and the doctor gave us the all clear. Apart from bruising and abrasions, neither Ben nor I had any serious injuries. Both of us tried to glean more information from Dr. Radisson, but he managed to fob us off without appearing rude or secretive.
“That’s an impressive scar on your cheek, lucky you didn’t lose an eye,” the doctor commented. I nodded, thinking it was a miracle I hadn’t lost a lot more than my eye. The last thing the doctor did was check our stiff, grimy hair for lice. For the first time I felt self-conscious about our general state of uncleanliness.
“Well you boys have been through the ringer,” said Dr. Radisson. “But I’m happy to report that you have no major health concerns. Officer Williams here will take you through to the showers now and supply you with fresh clothes. Remove your underpants and put these on please.”
Radisson handed us two green hospital gowns and opened the plastic bag to accept our unmentionably disgusting underpants. I wasn’t quite sure which way the gown went on and followed Ben’s lead so that the opening was at the back. I had only just managed to tie the string of the round collar behind my neck before Williams ordered us through the door. I skipped after Ben, with one hand behind my back trying to hold the flaps together.
While the hike from the ski lodge to the Facility had made me feel vulnerable and unsure of myself, our bare-assed walk through a handful of corridors felt almost as bad. It got a lot worse when we arrived at what Williams referred to as ‘the Square’. It was a large open corridor that skirted a cafeteria, rec room and a large quiet area and apparently was the communal area of the facility. Unfortunately for Ben and I, the cafeteria was full when we passed by its large glass windows.
We were of obvious interest to the few people (all women) in the room and I felt my cheeks, the ones on my face that is, burn in embarrassment as they looked up from their plates and observed us. I kept my red faced gaze straight ahead, positive that the cool air on my butt was not the only attention it was receiving.
Williams led us around a few more turns and at last opened a door into a long bathroom lined with mirrors and basins on one side and shower stalls on the other.
“Okay guys, you can shower here. Take as long as you want, you look like you need it. There are towels and other items for you to use there on the basin. You’ll find two sets of clothes in the lockers there. I’ll be outside the door if you need me.”
“Well that was bloody embarrassing!” Ben blurted, as soon as Williams had closed the door.
“You’re telling me!”
“What do you make of all this?”
“It’s definitely some sort of government facility, I don’t think it’s military though. It sounds as though it’s run by this Professor person.” I lowered my voice a little. “I noticed that the insignia on Williams’ uniform says ‘Federal Protective Services’, and I’m pretty sure those guys are Homeland Security.”
“Right. Well then, I say we keep our cards close to our chest until we find out exactly where we are.”
“Yeah, definitely.”
Ben went to the basin and grabbed one of the towels. A toothbrush, plastic shaver and tube of toothpaste spilled out of the folded linen. Ben snatched up the toothbrush and thrust it into the air as if it was Thor’s mighty hammer, his bare ass on full display.
“YESSS! Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve brushed my teeth, Isaac?”
All thoughts of Homeland Security, secret government facilities and our predicament were forgotten as we became happily lost in the simple, long absent routine of brushing our teeth. It was so refreshing, that I repeated the process.
After I had brushed my teeth the second time, I picked up the can of shaving cream that sat on the shelf between us and squirted a blob of cream into my hand. Suddenly overcome with a sense of mischief, instead of lathering it onto my face, I stepped up to Ben, who was just spitting out his toothpaste and slapped the side of his head with a wet plop.
“You bastard!” he guffawed, and snatched the can from me.
I evaded him for a few seconds, our silly hospital gowns flapping around our legs as we dodged and weaved in the confined space. He finally had his revenge, smacking a large handful of the foam into my face. We laughed like we hadn’t laughed in a long time and then got on with the serious business of bathing.
Shaving my scant and patchy teenage beard with a disposable razor was almost as refreshing as cleaning my teeth had been, but the best was yet to come.
To have a fresh mouth and a smooth face was amazing, but I can honestly say that nothing compared to the incredible feeling of steaming hot water coursing over my skin for the first time in months, especially after doubting I ever would feel it again. Both Ben and I stayed under the water for at least half an hour. We didn’t say a word to each other, just reveled in the small luxury that we had taken for granted not so long ago. I scrubbed the grit, grime and blood of our journey off my skin, then washed my hair three times. When I finally shut off the water and stepped out of the stall, the steam in the bathroom was like a heavy fog.
Our guard Williams hadn’t yet made an appearance, and I imagined that he knew how much we needed this time. You remember that old saying, ‘like a new man?’ Well, right then, I looked and felt like one.
I padded naked to the lockers as Ben finished drying himself off and found a neatly folded white T-shirt and a pair of black pants. Under those were a fresh pair of briefs, some socks and a pair of soft soled canvass shoes.
“I feel fantastic,” said Ben, joining me at the locker.
“I know, me too. I will never, ever take electricity or toothpaste or soap for granted again.”
With all the grime washed away and freshly shaved, I could now see the differences between the old Isaac and this new version. If I had to sum it up, I would say that I looked…harder. My face was thinner and tanned, even though we had been travelling in the dead of winter. While I had never been fat, any traces of the softness of a well fed fifteen year-old were gone. My cheekbones were more prominent, and the livid scar on the right one gave me an edgier look that I was not expecting. My hair was longer too, it had grown almost down to my shoulder and fell in a long dark sweep across my brow. I guess I looked like someone who had done some tough living in a short time.
Ben joined me at the basin, and tried to pat his clean, blonde hair back into place. It had fluffed up after being washed and he cursed softly. “Wasn’t sure I’d ever have to worry about my bloody girly hair again, but here we are…”
At that point the door opened and Williams stepped in. “Good stuff, you two look like new men. Follow me please, the kitchen has a meal ready for you.”
I smiled at Ben and clapped him on the shoulder. I knew it was just the buzz of being clean and the promise of food, but I suddenly felt amazingly alive and positive…more positive than I had felt since before my parents had died. He grinned back at me and we followed Williams out of the bathroom.
21
Five minutes later we were in the clean, sterile looking cafeteria that we had passed earlier. It was now empty besides us, but whether this was by design or just that the meal time was over, I wasn’t sure. Regardless, I was somewhat relieved that I wouldn’t have to face the strangers who had seen my backside not so long ago. Ben and I stepped up to the counter. A heavyset and stony faced man in an apron stood behind it. Without greeting us he picked up two plates and put them down beside the bain-marie before starting to slop food on them.
Fight Like Hell [America Falls Series | Books 1-6] Page 29