Youth Patrol

by Andrew Lueders

  But my touch doesn’t sooth her, it infuriates her. She scrambles to get away from me, but because she’s so fat, she has a hard time getting to her feet. When she finally does, she glances up at me, and gasps. Her nostrils flare out, her eyes grow mad. “Oh my Lord!” she screams. “I know who you are!”

  The little girl starts to jump up and down with excitement. I think she recognizes us. She runs over and hugs Val by the waist. Her father swipes at her, but the little girl keeps dodging the man’s jabs. She peeks around one of Val’s legs and points to the ugly woman and the balding man. “Those are my parents!” the little girl shrieks. “They go to a secret church! They’re One-Wayers! I hate them, I hate them, I hate them!” She finally stops screaming, and slowly looks up at Val with a calm and eerie look. “Now can I join the Youth Music Singers, Miss Valerie Star?”

  At that moment, it dawns on everyone that Val isn’t some random rebellious Youth Nationer on the run, she’s enemy number one, and here she is standing in their cave.

  “Oh my God,” the ugly woman gasps again. “You’re Valerie Star, The Diva of Death, and you’re The Boy Who Changed Everything.”

  The balding man grabs his daughter and hoists her up over his shoulder. “You’re not going to take her!” He hollers as he goes running down one of the long tunnels.

  The group becomes restless; they all begin to shout at us all at once.

  “You told our kids we were murderers!” - “You made us fear our own children!” - “Do you have any idea what you’ve done to us?”

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Val cries out, “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

  “You’re sorry?” a man scoffs. “You’ve ruined our lives.”

  “Stand down!” Perry’s father yells. “Stand down, all of you!” He steps in front of us, blocking the onslaught. “What is wrong with you, people?” he continues. “We must love our enemies, we must show our Christian love.”

  “But they’re the reason we’re up here in this godforsaken cave!” someone shouts.

  “That’s no excuse. They are children of God.”

  A big man steps up as he cracks his knuckles. “Move away, Blake. It’s time they got what they deserve.”

  “No! Stay back!” Perry’s father orders, holding up his hands. They don’t listen to him; they’re bent on revenge.

  But suddenly, something causes everyone to stop. A petite sad looking woman shows up. She makes her way through the mob. She’s not young, but she’s not old either. She’s pretty, very pretty. Her hair is red with streaks of gray running through it. She touches a man’s shoulder in front of her, he looks back, and as soon as he sees her he respectfully moves aside. She repeats this procedure over and over again until a clear path is made for her. She walks right up to us. Clutched in her hand is a small leather pouch. She gently pulls on a leather string to loosen it. She takes out a crinkled up piece of paper, handling it as if it was the most precious thing in the world. She unfolds it and tries to flatten out the wrinkles with her hands. She then holds it up right in front of our faces. It’s a digital scan of a freckled face little girl in pigtails.

  “Have you seen her?” she utters quietly. “I’m told she lives in Santa Verde?”

  “She’s your daughter?” Val asks.

  The woman nods.

  Val leans in closer to look at the picture. “I’m sorry, I haven’t seen her.”

  “What about you?” the woman asks, turning to me. I politely look at the scan ready to say I’ve never seen the girl, but then I actually get a good look at the picture.

  “You’ve seen her?” the woman says hopefully. My expression must have given me away.

  I reach out and gently and take the picture by one of its corners. I look at it more closely. I know who she is. It’s the young teenage girl from the gardens from Santa Verde, the one with the freckles. She was the one leading all the new recruits around when I was paralyzed. The picture was obviously taken when she was much younger, but it’s definitely her. I want to say I’ve seen her, but I decide against it. I’m not going to tell this poor woman her daughter wishes her dead. So I fold the paper back up and hand it back to her. “I’m sorry, I haven’t seen her.”

  The sad woman sighs like she’s hearing news that her daughter has just died. Perry’s father places his hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay Merriam. We’ll find her.”

  “Why is this happening to us, Blake?” She bursts into tears, falling into his arms.

  Perry’s father becomes distressed. His brow furrows, he peers up and looks at me suspiciously. Maybe he somehow suspects that I’m not telling the whole truth about the sad woman’s daughter. I don’t know, but he looks annoyed. Up to now Perry’s father has been our only ally; if we lose him, we’re done for.

  “What happened to my son?” he demands, letting the sad woman go. “Why are you here and he’s not?”

  “He wanted to come,” I tell him. “But things got out of hand; he didn’t make it.”

  “He didn’t make it? Like, is he dead?”

  “I’m not sure. But please know this, if it wasn’t for Perry, we wouldn’t be here.”

  “Why? What did he do?”

  “He did everything. He planned everything out for us to get away. We confiscated a Wasp, but the plan didn’t go like we wanted it to, so he had to initiate the split sequence. He went back to fight the YP’s. He ran interference for us, he slowed them down; he saved us.”

  “So he died for you.”

  “I-I don’t know that for sure,” I answer. “I didn’t see what happened.”

  “Why didn’t you go back and try to save him?”

  “Because he didn’t want us to,” Val jumps in. “He’s a better person than us.”

  “A better person, is that what you think of him? Or maybe he just got in your way, maybe you used him to save your own necks?”

  “That’s not true!” Val objects.

  “Blake!” the sad woman interrupts. “What are you doing? Don’t take it out on them; it’s not their fault. They’re lost children; they need our help.”

  “But I miss him so much, Merriam,” he says, his voice cracking.

  “I know you do.” She holds out her arms to comfort him, but he withdraws, turning his back to everyone.

  “I never said good-bye to my wife,” he reflects. “I think she understood why I didn’t, she knew I was going back for him. But it was too late when I got there; Youth Patrol took him away. And now... I’ll never see him again,” he trails off, unable to speak.

  Everyone stands there in silence, watching this large man, their leader, weep.

  “Sir,” Val says softly as she walks up to him. “I almost forgot. He wanted you to have this.” Val reaches into her pocket and pulls out the note. “Perry wanted me to tell you that he was sorry.” She slips it into the man’s hand.

  He opens up the folded paper, still with his back to everyone. He reads it.

  “What does it say, Blake?” someone asks.

  He crumples it up and throws it on the ground. “Miss Star,” he says. “Tell me why my son risked his life for yours?”

  “Because I’m pregnant, sir. I’m pregnant!”

  Perry’s father turns around to face her. “Is it–?”

  “It’s his,” Val answers, motioning in my direction. By the look on Perry’s father’s face, he’s clearly disappointed.

  “I thought Youth Nationers don’t get pregnant?” he asks skeptically.

  “We don’t, but I am. And your son knew about it. He was supposed to terminate the baby, my baby. But he didn’t. He allowed me to keep her. He put his life on the line to save mine, and the life that’s in me. There’s life in me. Can you imagine that? Life coming from Santa Verde? In spite of the Policy, in spite of Willenger, in spite of the L-Chip, I’m pregnant. There’s life in me, and I’m going to have this baby. It’s a miracle. This baby is a miracle.” Val finishes speaking, and the cave becomes strangely quiet. No one talks, no one moves.

 
“That’s quite a little speech there, Valerie Star,” someone says maliciously from across the cave.

  CHAPTER 36

  We all turn, and standing in one of the tunnels is Brodie, Perry’s cousin. Oh my gosh, he made it out. He looks exhausted and pissed. He has on that black leather jacket again, but it’s a little worse for the wear, probably the explosion had something to do with that. Flung over his shoulder, barely holding on by one thin strap, hangs a beat up old leather knapsack. He tosses it aside and comes sauntering in. But to my surprise, walking right behind him is that beautiful black woman from the bakery. She’s dressed in a very stylish trench coat that one would normally find in a fashion show. Her black boots match it perfectly. Her hair and skin look amazing. Even though she and Brodie must have gone through hell to get here, she looks rather stunning.

  “Brodie, Abby!” Perry’s father calls out. “You’re alive! Thank God!”

  The people rush over to welcome them. Abby greets everybody warmly, but Brodie is the complete opposite. He gives everyone the cold shoulder.

  “It’s nice to see you again,” Val says, smiling. “I was worried.”

  Brodie rolls his eyes.

  “Do you know them?” Perry’s father asks.

  “Of course I know them, that’s Valerie Star, The Diva of Death and that’s Adnan Asif, The Boy Who Changed Everything.”

  “Stop joking around.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Then what’s wrong, Brodie? I’m your Uncle, talk to me, what’s the matter?”

  “What’s the matter? You ask me, what’s the matter? Abby and I have been hiding in a sewage drain for the past three days, that’s what’s the matter. Have you ever done that before? It’s no picnic. And after several dubious attempts to escape, we finally made it out. I thought the worse was behind us, but when we get here, our mountain is swarming with YP’s. There are Wasps parked all up and down the road. Abby and I had to use another entrance to get in here. We’re lucky we didn’t get caught.”

  “And thank God for that,” Perry’s father announces. “We need to celebrate your return.”

  “For what?” Brodie sneers. “What’s there to celebrate as long as those two are here?”

  “Take it easy,” Perry’s father says, placing his hand on Brodie’s shoulder. “Let’s not say anything we’ll regret.”

  “Do you have any idea what we’re in for?” Brodie pushes his uncle’s hand away. “Do you have any idea what’s going to happen to us if we help them? Do you Blake?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Are you sure? I helped them once, and I lost everything. If you help them, you’ll lose the cave.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “Think about it, Uncle. Senator Willenger isn’t going to sit idly by and watch those two just disappear. He’s going to come after them with everything he’s got.”

  “I’m aware of that, but what are we supposed to do–send them away? They’re here, and we have to help them. You’ve got to trust in God, Brodie. He’ll show us the way, just like he always does.”

  “Just like how he showed Kyle the way?”

  “Don’t be a jerk, Brodie!” Abby interrupts.

  “I’m not, I’m just stating the fact. Kyle is dead, that I do know.”

  “We don’t know that for sure,” Perry’s father says hopefully. “Evan told us he didn’t see what happened to Kyle.”

  “Evan might not have seen the whole thing, but I did,” Brodie responds bluntly. “I saw the wreckage on the road when Abby and I were coming up here. No one could’ve survived that crash, not even a YP in uniform. I’m sorry, but Kyle’s dead and they’re to blame for it.”

  “Wait a minute, who’s Kyle?” Val cuts in.

  “Kyle is Perry,” Brodie answers rudely. “That’s what his name was before Youth Nation changed it.”

  “It was Kyle?” Val asks curiously. “I didn’t know Perry’s name was Kyle. Kyle? Kyle works. He looks like a Kyle not a Perry. I would have called him that if I knew. Kyle is good name. And he was a good man.”

  Perry’s father is noticeably touched by Val’s sentiment.

  “I can’t remember my real name,” Val says abruptly. “I remember my mom calling me in for dinner, I can see her saying it, but I can’t remember it. I’ve tried to remember for years, but I can’t. It’s… it’s… Ahhh.” Frustrated by her lack of memory, Val covers her face and begins to cry.

  The sad looking woman that showed us the picture of her daughter walks up to Val and puts her arms around her. Tears roll down both their faces, but its Val who really cries. I’ve never seen her cry like this before. I’ve hugged Val a million times, but she never responded like this. My hugs always led to sex. But this hug she’s receiving is different. This hug is what Val really wanted. It’s what she always needed. Val wanted real love. And finally she’s getting it.

  CHAPTER 37

  Someone’s coughing; gagging. It sounds like Valerie. Oh my God, she’s dying. I sit up and gasp for air. I was dreaming; it was only a dream. I was sleeping. How long have I been asleep? My heart is pounding, I’m completely drenched in sweat and… and I’m still here underneath this mountain, inside the cave.

  The various lamps situated all along the walls give off a nice warm glow. I can see that everyone is still snoozing away. No one’s awake, so I lay back down to go back to sleep, but the torn up foam pad I’m lying on makes it impossible to get comfortable again. I stretch. It actually feels good to stretch. This might be the first time my muscles have ever felt this way. They ache. Is that the right word? Ache? The L-Chip must have prevented me from feeling this kind of discomfort before. I’ve got to get used to feeling pain.

  What a crazy twenty-four hours it’s been, but here I am sleeping on the floor with these people, the kind of people I would have considered my enemy just a few days ago. And now look at me, I’m depending on them to help Val and me, get to Utah. There’s about twenty of them living down here. Most live here permanently, but a few come and go like Brodie and Abby. And for some, like that fat pasty ugly woman and her family, this is just a stopping off point for them on their way to Utah. I think Blake (Perry’s father) decided that Val and I are going to go with them on their journey. The people discussed a bunch of ways for us to get to Utah. Most of the plans require a disguise, but Brodie insisted we use the logging shuttles to smuggle us out of here. I didn’t know what he meant by ‘logging’ since logging is illegal. But to be perfectly honest, I don’t know what they decided on; I just know we’re leaving with the ugly lady. She balked at the idea of us coming with her, but she was overruled. She was livid. She kept glaring at Val and me all evening long. “We’d be there by now, if it weren’t for those two,” she spewed. She looked at us with such contempt that it was kind of funny at first, but in the end, it got down right oppressive.

  “Cough!”

  There it is again. Maybe that coughing I heard wasn’t a dream. It sounds like someone’s drowning. What is going on? I can hear two people talking very quietly; I can’t quite make out what they’re saying, but I swear, one of the voices is Val.

  I sit up again and look across the cave, but she’s not in the spot that she was in last night. Where the hell is she? I really wish she slept next to me, but they wouldn’t allow it. She had to sleep with the ladies. “If you’re not married, you can’t sleep together,” someone said to me before we all went to bed. I thought the person was joking, but she was serious as hell. I should’ve expected something like that, I mean they are religious fanatics for Christ’s sake, they believe in that kind of shit. But to tell you the truth, even if I did sleep next to Valerie, nothing would have happened. She wasn’t going to have me. She changed last night and maybe I did too a little.

  Where is she?

  I get out of bed very quietly, so as not to disturb anyone. I slip on the clothes they gave me last night. I put on old worn out khaki pants with pockets on the legs and an old blue T-shirt. I could have kept on wearing the u
niform, but having a YP walking around here made everyone a bit nervous, and besides, it’s Dirk’s and Dirk’s dead, so I wanted to get out of it anyway.

  The voices are coming from the bathrooms, I think. I go wandering down one of the tunnels heading in what I hope is the right direction, but there are so many tunnels down here I might end up on the other side of the mountain. I did ask last night how all these tunnels we’re made. They told me they dug them out about five years ago using a laser drill that they stole. They dug out a whole array of passages from one end of the mountain to the other. I asked how they could do it without being noticed. They said the laser pulverized the rocks into dust, so when they transported the excess debris out of the mountain, it just looked like dirt. The local authorities around here didn’t suspect a thing. It was kind of a brilliant plan.

  I flip on a light switch that’s bolted to the side of the cave. The tunnel lights up, I can see perfectly. That’s another thing I found out last night. I found out how everything is powered. They told me deep in one of these tunnels is a very small lithium fusion generator. They said Blake found two of them when he was rummaging around for supplies. They were in some abandoned car factory in some forgotten town. So he brought one here and gave the other to Utah.

  “It’s like a power plant,” someone explained to me last night. “We never have to worry about electricity ever again. The lights, the heater, the stoves, the refrigerators; it powers everything. All our needs are met, and we’ve barely tapped into the reactor’s potential.”

  I think they wanted me to be more impressed, but I just assumed the Resistance would have stuff like this.

  “Did we mention it’s illegal?” someone added. Again I assumed it would be.

  “It’s okay. You’re doing good.” I hear one of the voices talking. I must be close.

  “Val?” I call out. “Where are you?”

  “She’s in here.”

  I go inside a carved out nook that curves around a boulder. There I see Val with her head over a toilet. Merriam, that sad looking woman that hugged her last night, is seated on the floor next to her.