by Teo Xue Shen
“I will,” I say firmly. “And what about you? Still got all your intestines left? The last I remembered, you had a pretty bad slice across your stomach.”
She lifts up the hem of her shirt. The doctors did a pretty good job sewing it up. Only faint traces of a scar are left. I glance at her, then turn away quickly. Suddenly, she seems conscious of the scar, forcefully pulling down the hem of her shirt. Well, at least I’m not the only one with a burning face.
“I’m fine now,” she assures me. “Just focus on your recovery.”
“There’s still the negotiation with Ben. I doubt he’ll let us go that easily, especially when the entire camp is in lockdown.”
“How about I handle that?” She cracks her knuckles.
“Nope. You’ll just start a fight.”
“What gave you that impression?”
“What indeed.” I rub the slowly fading welt on my cheek where she’d hit me previously.
She looks away.
“Can’t be helped if it solves the problem,” she pouts. “It’s the fastest way to convince someone.”
“And that’s why we have war,” I smile. “You know that as well as I do.”
“And will what we’re doing end this war? Or is it purely for the sake of revenge?”
“A little bit of both,” I sigh. “Call it self-preservation. It used to be about revenge, but now, I think it’s moved way beyond that. We fought the Heires side by side. You know as well as I do how deadly they are. And the Captain won’t stop. He’ll raze the whole world if he could. Even if I’m selfish enough to say that I don’t give a damn about all the people who’re going to die, there’ll be no place left for us to hide when he’s done. He’ll wipe us all out. I can’t stand for that. That bastard’s stolen too much from me already.”
“Yeah,” she whispers. “Me too.”
She fixes her tired eyes on mine and for a moment, my world seems to freeze. A ghost of a smile touches her lips, sending an electric tingle down my spine. I’m fighting an overwhelming urge to embrace her.
“It’s so surreal,” I say softly. “I keep thinking, wondering if it was all a dream. A nightmare. That when I wake up the next day, Rick will be right there, that annoying grin on his face.”
“Yeah, and he’ll take a jab at me like he always does,” she continues.
She’s choking on her words. Before long, the first of her tears have fallen, drawing a tiny rivulet down her cheek. Embarrassed, she tries to turn away, but I pull her closer instead, half expecting her to forcefully pull away. She doesn’t. Instead, she buries her face into my chest and sobs uncontrollably. I don’t speak. I simply hold her, a mixture of emotions warring across my face. How tragic it is, to be unable to grieve, unable to understand sorrow. The expression on my face seems to make things worse. Her hands form fists in my shirt and she presses even closer, the warmth from her tears spreading across my skin.
A minute passes. Two. An hour. Gradually, I drift to sleep. Nightmares send my eyelids flying open, cold sweat upon my forehead. Dark. The room is pitch dark. A faint blue glow from my alarm clock tells me it’s five in the morning. I get up carefully. Beside me, Raine stirs in her sleep, a frown creasing her eyebrows. Looks like she’s still plagued by her innermost demons. For a moment, I think of waking her, but it’s more because I want her comforting warmth than anything else, so I don’t.
Gingerly shutting the door behind me, I step out of the room and into the chilly corridor, squinting my eyes against the sudden brightness. Without so much as an aim in mind, I begin to wander. Maybe someone will mistake me for a lonely spectre haunting the hospital. I don’t know why, but eventually, my feet take me to a familiar oak door. April’s room. And it’s a good thing they did. The door hangs slightly ajar. I push. It swings open to reveal a scene which rivals that of a robbery. The room is in complete disarray, furniture mangled and broken. The mattress is a trypophobic’s nightmare, sporting large holes. Even the door hadn’t been spared, looking like a shield stabbed one too many times with a spear. Sitting in her corner, her eyes wide open, is April.
“April?” I call out uncertainly. “What happened here? Did someone…”
No reaction. Minutes go by. She blinks once, then returns to staring at the ground. I know it couldn’t have been an intruder.
I mean, what sort of intruder would stab an oak door repeatedly for no apparent reason? April must have snapped and somehow gotten her hands on a knife of some sort. And if that’s the case, finding that knife takes priority, ideally before she turns herself into mincemeat. Unfortunately, no matter where I look, I can’t find anything. Either she’s gotten rid of it, or she’s hidden it. I try everything. Asking, cajoling and finally, scolding. She remains silent throughout. I’m at my wits’ end, too afraid to push her any further in case she snaps once again. Sighing, I slump against the wall beside her. I don’t know what else to do. So, I shut my eyes. And I sing. Resh’s song. I’ve only heard it once, but the lyrics come to my mind, clear as day. Maybe it’s because they resonate deep within me. My voice is hoarse and tuneless, but I sing all the same. Slowly, it reaches its regretful finish.
“After I died.”
I jump, startled. It’s Resh. I didn’t even hear him enter the room.
“What?” I snap, sounding harsher than I intended.
“The name of that song,” he explains, a conflicted look on his face. “After I Died.”
“And what business do you have here?”
He ignores me, stepping up to survey the mess in the room. I resist the urge to hit him. He turns around, giving me a long, hard look.
“What?” I demand again, seriously tired of this let’s-ignore-Ren bullshit.
“That song. I don’t think that’s what she needs.”
With that, he vanishes as quickly as he came, leaving me wondering what the hell just happened here. Befuddled and irritated, I back out of the room quietly.
“I’ll be back. Don’t do anything foolish, okay?” I promise as I close the door behind me.
Still engulfed in doubt, I hurry off to meet Raine and Ivy. We’re meeting Ben today to tell him about our plans. If all goes well, we’ll be able to leave without any unnecessary hassle. If.
“Absolutely not,” Ben says firmly after listening to our plea. “You know too much. I can’t endanger the entire Reformation Movement just like that. Not to mention, there’s still the issue about the Heires.”
“I’m asking you to trust us.”
“That’s a trust I’m not prepared to give,” Ben replies evenly.
“Doesn’t the fact that we came to ask for your permission prove that we’re still on your side?” Ivy butts in. “We could have busted out.”
“Yeah,” Raine seconds. “And you’re forgetting that we’ve lost people to the Heires too. Why would we be on their side?”
“You don’t understand.” Ben’s jaw clenches in anger. “Our forces are in complete disarray. We’re being pushed back at every point, to the extent that Singapore’s government has declared the Heires as a national emergency. I can’t just let you waltz off on the basis of some silly assassination plan.”
Raine eyes a heavy wooden table to my right. To her, it probably looks like an ideal projectile to hit him with. I give her a warning look, the second in two days. She returns my look with what I think is supposed to be a reassuring smile. It’s not reassuring at all.
“If things go smoothly, this could be the turning point you’re looking for,” I say slowly. “It’s not like you’ve got anything to lose.”
“I can’t compromise the security of this military base,” Ben insists stubbornly.
“Look, if a man murdered your family, would you still suck up to him?” Raine explodes. “What’s the point of filling that head of yours with useless information if you can’t even understand such a simple thing?”
“Raine,” I shake my head vigorously. “Please.”
Ivy stifles a laugh.
“You’re wasting your t
ime,” Ben says, glaring at me. “I won’t allow it.”
“The only thing you’ll allow is for your men to die,” Raine snarls. “You’re letting a perfectly good opportunity go to waste for…”
“All right, all right, we get it,” I interrupt hurriedly, herding Ivy and Raine out of the room. “We’ll think about it.”
Click. The door to the office shuts behind us. Instantly, I throw Raine a withering stare.
“What?” she asks innocently.
“What did I say about not pissing him off?”
“I didn’t piss him off.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“Okay, fine, maybe a little,” she concedes.
“A little?”
“Slightly more than a little,” she shrugs. “It’s not my fault that the truth hurts.”
“And that’s the point I’m trying to make.” I roll my eyes. “You’re too blunt.”
“I’m by and large more sensitive and maidenly than you are.”
“You do know that comparing yourself to a guy isn’t helping your case, right?” Ivy chimes in.
She’s enjoying herself, her eyes flicking from me to Raine and back to me again. Raine sticks her tongue out at Ivy.
“All right, so what do we do next?” she asks, changing the topic. “Force our way out?”
“I’ll talk to him again,” I sigh. “Without your invaluable assistance.”
“Was it really that bad?”
I allow myself a tiny sliver of a smile. She looks relieved, even though I’m not really angry about it. In fact, I kinda expected this.
“Just leave any future negotiations to me,” I say. “Forcing our way out is our last resort.”
Over the next few days, they ferry me to and from my ward for an ostensibly endless series of talks with Ben. Each time, I emerge from the office tired and dejected, having made no progress in convincing Ben to let us go. The situation with April hasn’t improved either. Any new furniture brought into her room is destroyed within a day. And while her demeanor around people hasn’t changed, it’s gotten to the point where the hospital staff have replaced her metal cutlery with plastic ones. Raine, Ivy, Hyung and Sean have all tried to talk to her, but to no avail. They’re making as much progress as I am with Ben. Between the negotiations, April and my own therapy sessions, I’m exhausted. Meanwhile, Ivy and Raine have been preparing for the worst, in case my negotiations fall through, which seem more likely by the day. Our supplies have been packed and stowed away in a three-tonner, one we plan to hijack if it comes down to it. All that’s left is the bracelets around our wrists. Unexpectedly, the solution to that problem comes to me on its own.
It’s late. One of the nights after my talks have failed once again. I’m in my room, one which I moved into recently from our temporary lodging in the tents. I’m sharing the room with Sean and Hyung, who, for some reason or another, have been dragged out by Ivy to help out at the hospital yet again. So, for tonight, it’s just me. As I stare blankly at the drunken crane flies dancing daintily around the single, naked light bulb on the ceiling, I hear the door swing open behind me. Resh steps into the room, a package in hand. I get to my feet so quickly that my chair topples onto its side. Has he found out about our plans? I don’t know for sure, but I’m not taking any chances. Without a word, he pushes the package into my unwilling hands. To my surprise, it contains a map and two devices adorned with a button each. It takes me a moment to realise that one of them is the detonator to the bracelets on our wrists.
“What the hell is this supposed to…”
“It has a working range of three kilometres,” Resh explains. “If it blows up, you’ll lose an arm at worst. To remove the bracelet, rotate the button sideways.”
I stare blankly back at him.
“The other button is a helpline. If you press it, I’ll be alerted. It’s the last one I’ve got and it can only be used once, so use it wisely,” Resh continues. “I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ll do my best to assist. The last item, as you can see, is a map. The fastest route from here back to Singapore’s walled community of Pangaea has been highlighted in red. And finally, one of our spies happens to be a close friend of mine. He’ll get you in there.”
“Why? Why are you doing this?”
He turns to leave.
“This time, it’s for myself,” he says over his shoulder. “If that irascible girl asks, tell her that. And the next time we meet, things might get ugly.”
“Thanks,” I mutter, but he’s already gone.
I pick the chair up and sit, unsure of what to do next. That’s what my life has been about so far. Uncertainties. Could this be a trap? Possibly. But if what Raj, that boy I met in the hospital room, said is true, then I think Resh can be trusted. My eyelids grow heavy, even as I stubbornly cling to the realm of reality. I don’t want to fall asleep. The kingdom of my dreams is yet another uncertainty and more often than not, it frightens me so much that I’d rather stay awake. It gnaws away at me. The things I’ve done. The things I’ll have to do. Darkness descends. I’ve lost. I fall, deep into the clutches of my wayward dreams.
The weeks rocket by, our morbid deadline fast approaching. My final negotiations have yielded nothing. That’s it. We’re forcing our way out of here. I’ve told the rest about the items from Resh. The preparations are complete. We’ve also mostly recuperated, except for me and my slight limp. Well, at least I’m no longer using Ivy’s ferry services. Nevertheless, we decide to push on with the plan. We wait for nightfall. Involuntarily, a shiver of excitement courses through my body. We’ve been planning for a month. All that’s left is to put it into action.
“You ready?” I whisper, glancing at my wristwatch.
It’s about time. Ivy and Raine nod silently.
“Let’s go.”
The guards never knew what hit them. Within seconds, they’re knocked unconscious. I don’t even have to use my Extension. As anticipated, we see a maintenance team near our three-tonner, including a driver who performs the test-drives. When they notice us, they scatter, shouting in alarm. It won’t be long before reinforcements gather. Ivy heads straight for the driver, cramming the barrel of her pistol into his mouth.
“This way, sweetheart,” she murmurs, dragging him to our vehicle. “One false move and I’ll blow your brains out.”
Raine and I sprint around the garage, taking out the others. I’m panting heavily. It’s been ages since I’ve done something like this. Furthermore, it takes effort not to hurt them any more than necessary. My limp isn’t helping matters either. We get into the vehicle.
“Drive,” Ivy snarls at the driver, pulling on his ear to indicate the direction. “Unless you wanna get shot.”
The poor fellow complies, his eyes wide with fear. I can’t help but feel sorry for him. Alarms sound. Shit. All around, I can hear people yelling. The first of the reinforcements are about to arrive. We turn a corner and there they are, in the familiar form of Sean and Hyung. They attack the vehicle, shouting for us to stop. I swat them out of the air with my Extension, sending them flying towards the other soldiers. Good. Things are going as planned. Hyung seems to have been knocked unconscious, his Extension thrashing about like a headless snake, causing the other soldiers to panic and scatter. A subtle smile crosses his lips, then vanishes as quickly as it appeared when he remembers that he’s supposed to be unconscious. Fortunately, no one else sees it.
The vehicle veers round another corner, bringing the gates to the camp into sight. Our way out. Ahead, soldiers are setting up road spikes. The gates are securely locked, with coils of barbed wire stretched out along the top. The guards shout a warning, which we ignore. They fire. Ivy spreads her Extension over the windshield, protecting us from the bullets.
“Step on it.” She prods the driver in the head with her pistol.
“I can’t see!” he howls. “And there are road spikes!”
“Step. On. It.”
Cursing, he obeys. Just as we’re about to hit the road spik
es, I climb onto the roof of the vehicle. Ignoring the frenzied gusts of wind whipping at my body, I grab the spikes with my Extension and yank them out of the way. I twist around and fling them at the guard post, causing the soldiers to scatter.
“Raine!” I yell. “The gates!”
“On it,” she mutters.
One strike from her Extension is all it takes. The gates are sent flying off their hinges. We barrel through. A figure appears. A second later, two jade green scythes are buried in Ivy’s Extension. Resh rips out his Extension and goes for her throat. He’s too fast for any of us. But a split second before his Extension connects, he hesitates, giving Raine enough time to land a solid kick to his jaw. He takes a wild step to his right, loses his footing and falls off the vehicle, swearing as he tumbles to a halt inside a ditch. They don’t pursue. Or rather, they can’t pursue, since the entire base is under lockdown. That’s it. We’re free. We’ve burnt our bridges. From now on, we’re all alone.
19
Ivy hands the driver the map. Immediately, his face whitens and he struggles to get free. If it weren’t for Ivy and her pistol, he’d probably have leapt off the moving vehicle.
“Don’t worry,” I say flippantly. “We just need you to drop us off somewhere near the eighteen walls.”
He shakes his head violently.
“Look,” Ivy sighs. “It may be hard to believe, but we’re still on the same side. We’re going to assassinate the Captain.”
“Kidnapping doesn’t help your case,” Raine quips. “He isn’t gonna believe us no matter what we say. Might as well just threaten him for the entire journey.”
I’m about to reply when a noise from behind the back seat shuts us all up.
“What was that?”
Raine narrows her eyes, craning her head over the seat to take a look. She needn’t have bothered. A tousled head pops out like a jack-in-the-box, revealing a familiar pockmarked face.
“What the heck?” Raine roars, staring at April as though she were a ghost. “How…why…what…”
“Resh,” April explains. “He told me which vehicle you were going to use so I snuck on.”