by M. D. Neu
Weaqu caught Todd’s gaze. The edges of his mouth turned up, and his eyes sparkled. It was a surprisingly warm and full smile, different from the almost-fake ones they showed when they first arrived.
Todd returned the smile before Weaqu turned back over to Varick and Mi’ko.
He focused on studying Weaqu’s features, scanning his body up and down, continuing to come back to his face.
“Is something wrong with me face?” Weaqu asked.
Todd snapped out of his gaze.
“You unpleased with my feature? Have I offended you in some way I not realize?” asked Weaqu.
Weaqu was sincere in his questions, and Todd couldn’t fathom how he put himself in this situation. He wanted a good rock to crawl under.
“Oh, no. I’m…um… I’m…sorry. I didn’t mean to stare. I…” he stammered as he spoke.
“You turning color. Is you okay?” GanCee asked, pulling out her computer device thing from inside her jacket.
Todd’s face burned even hotter under the new scrutiny. He pulled at his collar as small beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.
“I apologize for Todd.” Varick held back a chuckle. “Even though we’ve been studying your customs, as you can see we don’t know everything. We aren’t used to your appearance yet; that’s all.”
The vice speaker nodded, as did Vi-Narm. She examined Todd for a moment longer with a hint of a frown. Finally, she turned back to Mi’ko.
Weaqu’s continued gaze made Todd uncomfortable.
“You are unique-looking to us as well,” Weaqu said in a hushed voice. “Not altogether unpleasant.” There was a slight raise of his brow.
Todd cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, it’s very rude for me to stare, as you can imagine—”
A bright flash of white and yellow light enveloped the car. The light seared into Todd’s vision, drowning his world in white. A sound like a jet plane taking off filled Todd’s head—it was deafening.
Without thought, he pushed himself diagonally onto the vice speaker to cover him. The glass shattered around them. He did his best to cloak the vice speaker with his body and his suit jacket, but he was shifted off him as the limo lifted off the ground and flipped over.
Everything moved in slow motion; the glass shattering, the car tumbling, everyone inside getting tossed around like candy being emptied from a box by an impatient unknown child.
The limo came to a crashing stop. Todd heard a crunch and felt pressure in his leg as he landed on top of the vice speaker. He couldn’t let anything happen to the Nentraee. The vice speaker was too important.
As if from a distance, he heard the screaming and yelling around them. After a few seconds of shock, he yelled, “What the fuck was that?” It was barely a whisper over the screaming from outside. “Is anyone hurt? Mister Vice Speaker, are you okay? Please, God, be okay.” He pulled himself off the vice speaker, who was covered in cuts and had disheveled hair.
“Yes.” The vice speaker shook his head. “I fine, but what?”
The vice speaker started talking in his language to the other Nentraee. His words got louder the more he spoke. The vice speaker pushed debris off him and continued speaking louder as he signaled to the others in the vehicle.
“Varick, are you okay?” Todd scanned his boss. Varick had landed on the other side of the vehicle. His eyes weren’t open. Todd examined his body. Nothing seemed to be stuck into or out of him though there was so much blood he wasn’t sure.
All the blood is red.
He fingered around Varick’s neck for a pulse. He found the pulse, but it was weak.
He must be unconscious.
“We need to get out of here.” Todd glanced to the partially broken window. There was a quick pain in his leg. He kicked the rest of the glass out with the leg that didn’t have a tingle to it. In the back of his mind, something didn’t seem right, but he didn’t have time to think. As much glass as possible needed to be cleared. Shrugging off the tattered ruins of his suit jacket, he laid it out to cover the shattered remains of the window. Glass crunched under his knees when he crawled out. He shifted to the side, witnessing the surrounding chaos.
It’s madness.
Smoke and dust blurred Todd’s vision, making it difficult to breathe. Screams rang out from all around. Gray figures ran in every direction. What he could see through the smoke seemed to be in ruins. No road, no buildings. Todd coughed a few times to clear his lungs. A field of gray surrounded him. He remembered this—from his dream.
He stopped focusing on the gray because it distracted him from what was happening outside the vehicle. He needed to get the others out of the limo and help them.
Keep them safe.
“Mister Vice Speaker…Mi’ko, give me your hand,” he called back into the car. A hand grasped his. He pulled the vice speaker through the broken car window. With a struggle, Todd leaned the vice speaker against the side of the limo to rest. At least for the moment.
The vice speaker was quiet as Todd tried to pull out his security aide, Vi-Narm, from the vehicle window.
His leg pounded, but he paid no attention to it while he helped Vi-Narm to crawl out. Todd heard a different kind of yelling from behind him. It was loud and angry, but he couldn’t make out what it meant. He was too engaged in his actions, and the growing pounding in his leg was becoming challenging to ignore.
Vi-Narm’s eyes grew large, and her mouth started to open. Todd peeked over his shoulder and saw a human shape running toward them.
Oh shit!
The cloud of gray was fading, and he could see outlines of people running away, except for the person sprinting to them yelling, holding something in his hands.
Something’s wrong with him. Why are people running from him? He’s not coming to help.
Vi-Narm was still partly in the limo and unable to do anything. She was still half in and half out, trying to pull herself up. Todd looked around, seeing the figure get closer. He turned to the vice speaker. Then back. This couldn’t be happening, but it was, and it was up to him to stop it.
He’s coming to kill the vice speaker.
Todd pointed to the man. “Stop! Stop him!”
Todd faced the vice speaker, who sat against the car. His eyes were slightly opened, but he had a vacant look on his face. Todd grabbed the vice speaker’s arms and pulled him down to shield him from what was to come.
There were loud popping sounds. Todd tightened his body around the vice speaker to cover as much of his body as possible. The noise reverberated all around. Then the second explosion came. Debris pierced his shirt, then his skin. Todd was expecting there to be pain, but instead, he felt only pressure and dampness on his back. To his mind, the second explosion had been much smaller. Within seconds of the flash, it was over.
Todd listened, still covering the vice speaker, not allowing him to move. He checked the immediate area; the blaring of sirens and police calling out instructions and orders cut through everything.
An officer ran up to him and the vice speaker. “Don’t move; we’re going to get you out of here,” he said shaken but strong. “How many hurt?”
Vi-Narm pulled herself out of the car. She was covered in gray filth. She had several cuts on her face. Her tight bun had fallen and hair spilled over her shoulders. GanCee, Weaqu, and Varick were still inside. Todd shook his head, trying to focus. Everything was getting cloudy and confusing. The pounding in his leg and back was getting worse; he tried to pay attention to what was happening around him.
He turned to the police officer. “They need help. This is the vice speaker and his aides. You have to help them. Don’t worry about me. I’m not important, just make sure they’re all right. I don’t know how badly they’ve been hurt, but you have to help them.” He rubbed his eyes; things were so cloudy. “What the hell happened?” demanded Todd, his face getting hot.
Vi-Narm, in a cold professional tone, said, “The driver of this vehicle and Weaqu are dead. GanCee is hurt, as is Mister Varick Braun.” S
he helped Todd move off the vice speaker to free him so she could check him for herself.
Did she say dead? Weaqu and the driver were dead?
Todd scanned the disaster area; there was nothing but gray ruin and carnage. Wet, sticky blood was splattered inside and outside the car. “There is so much blood. Please get some help!” he yelled at the police officer. The police officer was doing something, talking to someone, but Todd couldn’t make any of it out. He tried to focus, but he didn’t see anything—it was a haze.
Mi’ko and Vi-Narm were speaking in their language and staring at him. Vi-Narm had pulled out something that looked like a gun, but even that was grainy in his darkening vision. He couldn’t keep anything in focus.
“It’ll be fine,” Todd said, forcing his attention on Vi-Narm and Mi’ko. “I won’t let anything or anyone else hurt you. None of us will.” He turned to the officer, grabbing at his leg to get his attention. “Will you?” he demanded, and the officer nodded.
“We’ve got this,” the officer said. He was covered in a similar gray dust.
Forcing his body to move, Todd finally saw more police and other rescue workers coming. The horrid smells of burned flesh filled his nose. He coughed again, spitting out the filth and smoke. It may have only been minutes, but it seemed like hours. Some emergency workers made their way toward Todd and the destroyed limo, while others cleared out the uninjured and secured the area.
They need to work faster. If they won’t help, then I will.
He strained to rise but couldn’t. For some reason, he wasn’t able to stand. Someone grabbed him.
“Get off me,” Todd shouted. GanCee and Varick needed help. The driver of the limo required assistance, or did Vi-Narm say he was dead like Weaqu? He couldn’t remember. All these other people needed help. He tried to move again to help Vi-Narm and the vice speaker, to make sure they were safe.
This is hell.
Finally, he could make out his rescuer’s face. It was Vi-Narm’s hands on him. “Do not move. You hurt. Mister Todd Landon, you need stay still,” she said, as he tried to listen to her. “Mister Todd Landon, you cut badly.”
Inspecting his leg, he noticed there was a piece of metal as long as his forearm sticking out of it. He didn’t feel it.
His gaze bounced around, checking his own condition. He was soaked in blood, and his clothes were tattered.
“I’ll be okay; it’s a little glass and a few cuts,” Todd insisted, straining to move his injured leg. “The vice speaker, GanCee, and you. We have to keep you safe; we have to help the others. I’ll be fine. We need to help the others.”
A quick tickle of a sensation from deep within him pushed forward, a sense of darkness and cold was becoming harder to push away. He wanted to move his leg again but found it increasingly difficult. He watched the confusion and chaos around him. It was becoming so cloudy, not from the dust or smoke, but from his own eyes.
The police officer, Vi-Narm, and the vice speaker were talking to him, but he wasn’t hearing their words. Vi-Narm had put her hand on his leg to stop the bleeding. He experienced the pressure and pain instantly. He closed his eyes against the pain, the blurriness, and the chaos. Once his eyes opened again, everything would be clear.
Sixteen: Sorrow and Loss
BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…
That’s a strange sound.
Shifting, Todd found his body wasn’t responding the way he wanted.
Beep…beep…beep…
It sounds like… I’m not sure.
His eyes fluttered but stopped before they opened.
Beep…beep…beep…
Annoying.
Changing positions was impossible as only resistance met his efforts.
They still need help.
A heaviness hovered over him keeping him from moving.
No more screaming. The air doesn’t reek of death or gas fumes.
Light slowly crept through his eyelids as their seal broke and his surroundings came into view. He was in a room.
What’s going on? I’m not on the ground. How did I get here?
Memories flashed through his foggy brain: the inside of a limo, driving to the reception, then an explosion. A bright flash of light and screams. Bodies lying scattered and buildings in ruins.
What happened? Where am I?
A hospital room. He was in a bed. The scent of bleach burned his nose.
What’s going on? Where is the vice speaker and the others?
More and more of the room came into focus. He blinked, his vision clearing. Cards, flowers, and balloons filled every open spot.
How long was I out?
“Hey,” a familiar voice said. “You’re awake. How ya feeling?”
Blinking a couple more times, Todd located the source of the voice.
Sitting in a chair next to a portable bedside table sat Dan. He had dark circles under his eyes. He put his tablet next to an empty soda can and half-eaten burger and fries.
“Dan, where’s the vice speaker and the others? What’s going on? There was an explosion—”
“And like any typical drama queen, you passed out,” Dan interrupted and leaned in; sadness lingered around his eyes, betraying the soft smile on his lips. “You had everyone worried, girl. The doctors said you lost a lot of blood. Lucky for you, the police and paramedics were there quickly.”
“How long?” Todd asked.
“Doesn’t matter,” Dan said.
“How long?” Todd’s voice was firmer.
Dan lowered his head. “Six days. It’s been six days.” He shifted his gaze to the monitors.
Todd’s gaze followed Dan’s to the displays. There were more cards and flowers on an additional dresser. He reached up, carefully avoiding the tubes in his arm, to rub his chin; it was bare.
“Sorry,” said Dan, scooting closer. His voice was soft, barely more than a whisper. “That butch-ass goatee had to go. Kati and I had no intention of trying to shave your face around that thing. Mainly because of how fussy you are over it.”
The rest of his face was clean-shaven too.
Dan’s eyes dodged Todd’s as he spoke. “Actually, Miss Thing, you’re quite the hero.” He cleared his throat. “Mi’ko, that Nentraee Assistant Head of the Speaker’s House, or whatever, wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for you jumping on top of him. You slut.” He replaced the frown on his face with a half smile. “You got all the glass and debris in you. Nothing hit him.”
Dan’s words played around in Todd’s foggy mind, but they took time for his dulled brain to process. The explosion seemed so quick. He wasn’t even sure he remembered what happened.
“What were you thinking?” Every line and wrinkle stood out on Dan’s face, making him appear fifteen years older.
“I wasn’t.” Todd finally found his voice, still processing everything. “I mean, I just reacted. I saw the light and knew I needed to do something. To cover him with my body.” He shifted his arm, but the tubes hindered him. “It was so fast.” He met Dan’s stare. “Are they okay? Dan, what the hell happened?”
Dan was quiet.
“What…where is…?” His stomach lurched, Todd’s dull gaze bounced around the room. “Dan, where’s Jerry? Why isn’t he here?” Quickly, he examined the room for anything of Jerry’s. A jacket. Something that showed he was there and would be back, but all he caught were Dan’s eyes. “Dan, where’s Jerry? He should be here; he wouldn’t leave you to take care of me. Where is he?”
Dan inhaled slowly.
“Why isn’t he fucking here?”
Dan’s expression softened, and his eyes grew damp. “Todd, the attack.” He licked his lips; his gaze never left Todd’s. “A group of terrorists, or something, maybe one or two. Everyone’s still trying to figure it out. They had explosives and suicide bombers. No one knows anything for sure yet. Everything in a two-block radius of the Fairmont Hotel is in ruins, and the Fairmont is gone.”
Dan’s voice was soft and flat. “Todd, a big chunk of downtown is gone.”
He bit his lip. “What wasn’t blown up in the blasts will have to be torn down. You guys were lucky you were running late so you weren’t at ground zero when it went off.” He swiped the back of his hand across his eyes. “The news says it was a truck bomb or some shit like that, but they don’t know. There is no way it was a truck bomb.” Dan shook his head. “Anyway, they’re not sure. The terrorist planned to kill the vice speaker.”
Todd’s vision went fuzzy as his brain put the information together bit by bit.
“There were very few people who survived at the site.”
Todd tried to get out of bed, but his body wouldn’t listen, betraying him.
Jerry’s here, he’s fucking around. Dan and Jerry are messing with me. I’m going to get up…
“Dammit Dan, where the fuck is Jerry?”
He knew the answer.
The words slowly started to form in Dan’s mouth.
Talking just over a whisper, Todd said, “Dammit, Dan. This isn’t funny.” He didn’t want to hear it. He couldn’t accept it. He wanted Jerry to walk into the room with a big dopey grin on his face. Jerry needed to open the hospital door, sipping a diet soda, and give him a “what?” sort of look.
Every part of him went limp as if someone pulled the drain on his energy. Jerry had been at the hotel waiting for them. Tears clouded his vision, and he began to tremble, and his heart sank so deep it was like it dropped to the floor. The room spun, as his grief overcame him. “You and Jerry need to knock this shit off and…”
Dan pushed out of his chair and sat on the edge of the bed holding Todd’s hand. “Honey, they didn’t even realize what hit them. Todd, it was quick. No pain. I promise you, Jerry didn’t know; he didn’t suffer.”