Wild Keepers

by Dee Bridgnorth

  Her lips tightened. “What is this place? I didn’t understand a single thing of what you said in that presentation.”

  He smiled. “It is the Glory,” he said. “But we are all the Glory as well. Soon, you will be the Glory as much as I am.”

  She felt the skin prickling on the back of her neck. “I don’t understand,” she said, forcing a smile on her face. “I am very grateful that you helped me when I needed it, but I must leave soon.”

  He gazed down at her, an almost indulgent look on his face. “I am afraid that is not possible, Keeley,” he said slowly. “Once you have entered the Glory, there is no going back. Many have tried but failed.” His eyes trawled over her. “What you must show now is that you are worthy. If I decide that you are valid, you will become a part of our ascendancy.”

  Keeley gasped. “You can’t hold me against my will,” she hissed. “It’s against the law! And my family knows where I am! They’ll send the police out here.”

  He laughed so hard that tears rolled down his cheeks. He slowly wiped them away with the back of his hand.

  “That isn’t possible,” he said. “No one knows where the Glory is. Or those that do know not to speak of it if they wish to remain with their loved ones.”

  She felt the blood drain from her face. This man was mad. Just like the rest of them. What the hell had she stumbled into?

  He kept gazing at her, his black eyes shining.

  “You are Sister Keeley, now,” he said slowly. “And if everything is in order, a special destiny awaits you.”

  “A special destiny?” What was he going on about now?

  He nodded. “You are young and beautiful,” he said, his eyes narrowed. “In here we say that you are prime. Only very few are afforded the privilege.”

  She stared at him, completely bewildered. He might as well be speaking in that strange language they were chanting at the assembly.

  He leaned over her, trailing a cold finger down the side of her neck. The long nail was sharp. She shivered as if a blade had traversed her flesh.

  “You have a special destiny,” he repeated in the same low voice. “I see great potential, Sister Keeley. Not only to be valid, but to be sublime.” He paused. “One of the mothers of the future rulers of this world.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Keeley slowly opened her eyes, trying to shake off the deep sleep she had just awoken from. She was in a different room. Slightly less luxurious than the one she had been put in when she had awoken in this madhouse, but still well furnished.

  She glanced around. No silk sheets here. They were crisp white cotton, and the furniture was utilitarian, less ornate. A vase of white flowers stood on a dresser in a corner. They unfurled a perfume that competed with an underlying hint of disinfectant.

  She blinked twice. This was more like a hospital room, or at least a spread in a rich sanitorium. Why had she been taken here, as opposed to the other room she had been staying in?

  The door opened, and a woman walked in, smiling at her. She was dressed all in white, the same suit as the others, and carried food and a glass of water on a tray.

  “Excellent,” she said, staring at Keeley. “All awake! After you have finished your breakfast we will start on your program.” She slid the tray in front of her.

  Keeley stared down at the toast and muesli. She didn’t have an appetite. She was just about to tell the woman that she had to speak to Brother Damon immediately when the woman took out two pills from her pocket, grabbing the glass of water at the same time, and handing both to her.

  Keeley frowned as she stared down at the large white pills. “What are these?”

  The woman’s smile broadened. “Vitamins, my dear. We need to get you as healthy as possible in a very short period of time.” She stared at Keeley. “Down the hatch, as my mother used to say.”

  Keeley’s frown deepened. “My mother says to never take anything if you haven’t seen the label,” she said slowly. “How do I know these are vitamins?”

  The woman smiled indulgently, taking a small bottle out of her other pocket, and displaying it before her. Keeley’s eyes squinted as she read the label. Multi-vitamins, apparently.

  “You want to take the vitamins,” the woman said in a firm voice.

  “I want to take the vitamins,” repeated Keeley slowly.

  She slowly swallowed the pills with the water. They seemed to stick in her throat slightly. As soon as they hit her stomach, she regretted it. Why hadn’t she just thrown them across the room or pretended to swallow them? But the woman’s firm insistence had been compelling in a way that she simply didn’t understand.

  “Well done!” The woman beamed at her as if she were a child who had just mastered tying her shoelaces for the first time. “Brother Damon will be pleased! Now, eat your breakfast, and we’ll get you dressed for the day. You have a busy schedule ahead of you, and we need to get started.”

  Keeley picked up a piece of toast. “What am I doing?”

  The woman was already walking out of the room. “You will be seeing the doctor,” she said brightly. “But I won’t spoil the surprise. You are very privileged indeed, Sister Keeley.” She closed the door firmly behind her.

  Keeley chewed on the toast without tasting it. Panic was rising in her chest, making it difficult to breathe. This was a madhouse. Brother Damon was insane. A megalomaniac who thought he was the new messiah, or some such thing, leading these strange people to a new world. And everyone seemed more than happy to go along with him.

  She had to escape. It was obvious to her now that they had no intention of letting her go. But how? She would have to watch and wait for her chance.

  She shuddered slightly. Why did they keep telling her that she had a special destiny? And what on earth had Brother Damon meant last night when he had told her that she would be a mother of the new rulers of the world?

  ***

  After she had finished her breakfast and was dressed, they lead her out into another, larger room. If she didn’t know any better, she would have said that it was a doctor’s waiting room. Two low, white sofas took pride of place in the room, which was also decorated entirely in white. Another woman sat on one of the sofas, staring straight ahead.

  The nurse, or whatever she was, told her to sit down and wait until she was called. Keeley sat on the opposite sofa to the other woman, studying her covertly. She was young, probably around her own age, and pretty, with dark red hair and large green eyes. But no matter how hard she tried to catch her eye, the woman kept staring ahead, as if she were unaware that Keeley had even sat down.

  “Hi,” said Keeley loudly.

  The woman’s eyes flickered towards her, then returned to the wall. “We aren’t allowed to speak when we are alone.” Her voice was low and dispirited.

  Keeley smiled archly. “Well, what they don’t know can’t hurt them, can it?” She took a deep breath. “I’m Keeley.”

  The woman smiled slightly, her eyes flickering towards her again. “Abbey,” she said quickly. “I mean, Sister Abbey, of course.”

  Keeley took another deep breath, leaning forward. “Abbey, what on earth is this place? How did you come here?”

  Abbey’s eyes widened. “You don’t know yet? How can you not know?”

  Keeley shook her head. “I was found in the desert,” she whispered. “I wasn’t aware that I was taken here.”

  The woman shrugged. “It’s the same for all of us,” she whispered back. “Most aren’t here voluntarily.” She shuddered. “My parents probably think I’m dead.”

  Keeley stared at her in dismay. This was even worse than she had thought. Somehow, she had believed that everyone was here of their own free will. To hear that other people had been taken and forced to live here, like they were trying to force her, was disturbing to say the least.

  “What are they doing?” she whispered, her eyes wide. “Why are we here?”

  A look of fear crossed over Abbey’s face. “They are raising an army,” she whispered.
“But if you are here, in this room, they have decided you have another purpose.”

  “What?” implored Keeley.

  But at that moment the nurse that had led her into the room returned. She stared from one to the other, her mouth pursed. “I thought I heard talking. You know that it is against the rules.”

  Abbey looked down. “Yes, Sister Katya.”

  The woman smiled. “No matter now. The doctor can see you, Sister Abbey.”

  Abbey stood up, not looking at Keeley. The nurse turned, and Abbey followed her without a backward glance.

  Keeley stared after her. A knot of the same fear that she had glimpsed in Abbey’s face was building in her stomach. For it was obvious why Abbey was going to see a doctor. When she had stood up, Keeley had seen it.

  The small, round protuberance beneath her white dress. Abbey was pregnant. She wasn’t in the later stages, but at least four or five months.

  Keeley started shaking, staring down at her own garb. She hadn’t even paid any attention when the nurse, Sister Katya, had brought in clothes and dressed her swiftly this morning. But now she noticed. It wasn’t the white suit that most of them wore, and which she had been dressed in prior to the assembly.

  It was a long, flowing white dress, with a high collar. The same as Abbey wore, and the same dress that she had seen the pregnant women wearing at the assembly.

  The knot tightened like a fist in her belly. Dear God, what were they planning to do to her?

  ***

  Thad sighed, rubbing his ankles ruefully. The iron was cutting into his skin. He could see angry red welts beneath the cuffs. How much longer were they going to keep him in this goddamn cage? Had they forgotten about him entirely?

  Impotent anger surged through him. He had to get out of here. He had to find Keeley. But how? He didn’t have any tools to cut through these cuffs and chains. He was completely helpless, and he was growing weaker. They had only come in to feed him once, and that had been minimal. A small piece of stale bread. They had given him water, but not enough. He had drained the mug and begged for more, hating himself for it. But they had refused.

  He was in pain, starving, and almost out of his mind with thirst.

  Even if he transformed into the wolf, it would be useless. He would be the wild animal, but he would still be in chains and in a cage. The wolf could do nothing here. He might as well save his strength for when a better opportunity arose. If a better opportunity arose. At the moment, that seemed remote.

  He lay back on the dirty floor of the cage, picturing her. Keeley. It was so vivid it was as if she was standing right in front of him, leaning over towards him. He could clearly see her golden hair, and her wide blue eyes that sometimes flickered with green. If he closed his eyes long enough, would the vision kiss him, like they had kissed back at the Hacienda?

  His blood grew warm, just thinking of it. That kiss. He should have pulled her back onto that uncomfortable motel bed and done what they had both been aching for. What had stopped him? Some stupid idea that he wasn’t good enough for her. That he shouldn’t complicate his life. That he had a mission to complete that was bigger and worthier than what lay between them.

  He sighed raggedly. It was all pointless. The Vilgath were going to succeed. Whatever they were planning out here in the desert—the reason that they had built this beautiful monstrosity—would come to pass. He couldn’t stop it. He had been stupid to think that he even had a chance. He was one shapeshifter against their might. He didn’t have his pack anymore, to back him up. Like David against Goliath, he thought darkly.

  And now, he had sacrificed everything to them. He had thought that there was nothing more that they could take from him, but he had been wrong.

  There was Keeley. And she was the most precious thing of all.

  He knew that he couldn’t have stopped her investigating this. He knew that. Her obsession with finding out what had happened to her father in this desert was all consuming. But he could have lied to her. He could have told her he had found nothing in that godforsaken book. He could have kept her away from here. It was his fault that she had searched her father’s bag again and found that damn motel receipt, leading them here.

  He had failed her. Just as he had failed all the others. Just as he failed everyone.

  He opened his eyes, hearing the scrape of the door opening. Feeding time at the zoo, he thought bitterly. So, this was where he would spend his last days. A wild wolf, who should run free, was going to die in a cage. Maybe it was retribution for all the mistakes he had made. For all the lives that had been lost. For the destruction of the Wild Keepers. And now it seemed for the loss of Keeley, as well.

  He watched the guard bending down, with the key. He opened the door of the cage, peering in. Then the man reached in and dragged him out. He stumbled, chains rattling, almost falling to the floor. He could barely stand anymore.

  But a surge of hope reared to life within his chest. They were taking him somewhere else.

  The guard pushed him forward, and he lurched, hands out. Another guard opened the door, and then for the first time in days he caught a glimpse of daylight. It wasn’t much; just a sliver through a high window.

  But it was enough. It was a ray of hope. He took a deep breath. He would find a way. He must find a way.

  ***

  Sister Katya was returning. Keeley stared at the woman, her heart thumping. There was no sign of Abbey. They must have taken her somewhere else.

  “Ready?” asked the woman, standing above her, smiling. “Doctor Helga will see you now.”

  Keeley stood up, feeling unsteady. The world was shifting slightly beneath her feet. Could she push the woman and just run? Take them all by surprise? But she had no idea of how to get out of this place. It was obviously huge. Rooms and areas that spread out, and up, forever. Where exactly was she now in relation to the assembly room?

  “Come, Sister Keeley.” The woman’s voice was more authoritative, now.

  Keeley took a deep breath then followed the woman to another room. Sister Katya knocked softly. A woman’s voice responded from inside, and then she was being lead into it.

  She blinked, taking it in. It looked like any ordinary doctor’s office. Charts pinned to the walls. There were weight scales in a corner, and she could see a blood pressure pump and stethoscope hanging near it. A desk in the middle, with two chairs. Behind the desk sat an older woman, with silver hair scraped back into a high bun.

  The woman stood up, holding out her hand towards her. “Sister Keeley? It’s lovely to meet you finally. I am Doctor Helga, and I will be taking care of you on this blessed journey of yours.”

  Keeley placed her hand in the doctor’s. The woman’s touch was ice cold.

  “Sit down.” The doctor smiled pleasantly. “You may leave us, Sister Katya.”

  The other woman nodded, closing the door firmly behind her, leaving them alone.

  “Now.” The woman picked up a ballpoint pen and clipboard. “To start with I need a comprehensive history. Don’t leave anything out.” She stared down at the board. “Even something small could be significant.”

  Keeley frowned. “I’m not sure I understand,” she said, forcing her voice to remain calm. “What do you need a history of? And why?”

  The woman blinked slightly. “Surely you have been told already?”

  Keeley shook her head. “I’m afraid not,” she said. “And if you are a real doctor, then you are honour bound to help me.” She took a deep breath. “I’m being held here against my will. I was found wandering the desert and your community assisted me, but I want to leave. Now.”

  The woman sighed, placing the clipboard and pen on the desk. “I am afraid that is not possible, Sister Keeley. You are part of the Glory now. And Brother Damon has specific instructions for you. You have been marked for a special destiny.”

  Keeley swallowed her anger with difficulty. “Brother Damon is insane,” she hissed. “And obviously you are as well! You can’t keep people here a
gainst their will! Why can’t you see that?”

  The doctor sighed again. “It is hard for people to understand at first. You are new to us, and usually things would be slower for you,” she said. “A slow process to determine if you are valid. This is rushed, but it is because Brother Damon has seen something in you. A special destiny, and we cannot tarry.”

  “What is this special destiny?” Keeley’s voice rose slightly. “I keep hearing these words, and yet no one has told me what it is, or why I am seeing you!”

  The doctor nodded. “Your destiny is as a mother to the future rulers of this world.”

  “A mother?” Keeley blinked. She felt like tearing her hair out in frustration. It was exactly what Brother Damon had said the night before. “What are you saying?”

  The woman laughed slightly. “Surely you know what a mother is, Sister Keeley? You are one of the privileged few who will be given this chance.” She took a deep breath. “But we are wasting time. I would like you to stand on the scales, please.”

  Keeley stared at the woman, her heart beating fast. She could just refuse, of course. But then what would happen? They would send in people and force her to stand on those scales and do whatever else this crazy doctor wanted.

  “Shoes off.” The doctor laughed again. “We need an accurate reading.”

  Keeley took off her shoes and stood on the scales. The doctor noted the weight on the chart. Her heart was beating so loudly that she was surprised that it couldn’t be heard in the room.

  No, she thought desperately. This can’t be happening. I’m dreaming, and I’m about to wake up. She pressed her fingernails into her arm, trying to rouse herself. She squeezed her eyes closed. But when she opened them, she was in the same room, with Doctor Helga standing over her.

  “You can sit down now.” The doctor’s voice was calm and low. “We need to discuss any illnesses or medication you take. A comprehensive medical history.”

  Keeley sat back down on the chair. She answered automatically, hardly hearing the questions. The only time that she snapped out of it was when the Doctor started asking about the regularity of her monthly cycles.