Dispersion

by Robin Berkstresser

  In unspoken agreement, our group stands together for the first time since we all arrived here. Josie, freshly bandaged and on light pain medication, snoozes in her mother’s shielding arms.

  Silas steps on the stage and raises his hand, silencing everyone instantly—once again an eerie reminder of Potentia’s late Territory Leader.

  “As I’m sure many of you have heard, yesterday afternoon there was a violent attack that ended with a member of our compound dead. The laws that my grandfather created when he founded Veritas are explicitly clear: anyone who incites violence upon another member of our compound will be banished. If any of them attempt to come back or make contact with anyone here, that is cause for execution. This is God’s will.”

  No one makes a sound throughout Silas’s speech except a bird chirping happily in the distance. How nice it must be to be so obliviously content, thinking everything is normal.

  “As we exile three members of our compound, remember this as a warning as of what happens when you go against our laws. We can’t be safe whenever there is a single threat made against another person. And sometimes, these threats can come from within.” He pauses to let the words sink in. “Jonah, please bring out the sinners.”

  Jonah mutters into his communicator and the door opens, revealing guards pushing Peter, Adam, and Abe throughout the crowd.

  Peter and Adam are severely beaten, both of them cringing in pain at every movement. Abe’s eyes are wild. He tries to call out, but the gag in his mouth prevents any comprehensible words from reaching the audience.

  Time slows down uncomfortably as the doomed men make their way down the steps to the outdoor amphitheater.

  “This feels wrong,” I whisper.

  Dominic stares at our previous attackers with open contempt. “They deserve it.”

  I’m not sure if anyone deserves this. Yesterday, the mob that wanted violence so badly is now getting their chance. I doubt this will be the end of it. Things are never that simple anymore.

  Jonah takes command over the first person, Adam. He pushes him toward the center of the stage.

  “Adam, you have been found guilty of an attack against other members of our compound. Per the rules we all agreed to, you’ll now be exiled with a week’s worth of supplies. Do you have any last words?” Silas asks.

  Jonah roughly takes out his gag.

  Even though Adam is forced to squint due to the swelling caused by my fist, he still manages to stare at Jonah in pure hatred, eyes narrowed and jaw clenched.

  Voice hoarse, he calls out, “Everyone here knows this is bullshit. We tried to eliminate the risk of a mutated beast turning. Silas calls me a sinner, but I’m not the one who went against God’s nature and altered genetics. One of the real sinners killed one of us, but where are they now? They’re watching me as I’m about to be banished for the crime they committed. They don’t care about—”

  Jonah slams the gag back into Adam’s mouth, forcing his head backward. Adam’s muted coughing fills the air. He can no longer make any further remarks.

  The silence that stifled the group dissipates. Angry voices call out again, the mob mentality returning. I shift, fearing an attack from behind.

  Silas eyes this change in dynamics, expressionless. Jonah looks toward his leader for instruction and receives it with a tight nod. He shoves a small bag into Adam’s arms and pushes him toward the exit. When they get to the small doors, Jonah unties him and takes the gag back out, gesturing toward his gun to discourage him from speaking. With one last peek over his shoulder, Adam makes eye contact with Catherine. From behind her, I don’t see her expression, only the nodding of her head.

  Then with one more push from Jonah, Adam leaves Veritas.

  Silas holds up his arms, quieting the crowd again. “Let me be clear about one thing; Adam and the others incited the violence. Yes, one of them was killed, but it was out of self-defense. I viewed the footage myself. As I discussed in my sermon this morning, there’s no need to fear the genetically mutated unless they show signs of the stomach flu. We must remain faithful as Satan tempts us.” He licks his lips. “Violence will not be tolerated here at Veritas.”

  A movement catches my attention. With his arm around his sobbing sister, Isaac, who so enthusiastically helped us when we got here and quickly became a friend, stares at me, his eyes crinkled slits. He was one of the few people who I didn’t believe had hate in him.

  But we all do, don’t we?

  Without thinking, I take a step forward. I want to explain how we were attacked and how I never wanted any of this to happen.

  Jess grabs my arm, freezing me instantly. “Don’t go in the middle of them. Silas is losing what control he has left.”

  She lets go, leaving a trail of fire where her hand was.

  “We’ll now continue with the exiles so you all can get back to your workstations. Jonah, bring the next sinner.”

  When it’s Peter and Abe’s turn, they don’t get an opportunity to say any last words.

  -----

  “Let’s get out of here,” Dominic says.

  About half the people are staring right at us. The isolated circle we’re in makes it easy for everyone to spot us. While most of the expressions are apprehensive, some of them are angry. No matter what Silas told them, they don’t believe that justice was truly served.

  I’m not sure if I do either.

  Dominic takes the first step and we all follow him closely, with me bringing up the rear. The moment we leave the amphitheater, chatter begins, like our presence was keeping them quiet.

  “Keep your guard up today,” Dominic warns us all. “Their wounds are going to be fresh, and many of them will blame us. While the fear of the consequences if they do act will be high, don’t go anywhere alone.”

  “Surely no one would…” Leah drifts off, eyes darting behind her.

  “I’ll walk Jess and Allison back to their room before I head over to work,” I say. “I don’t want either of you reporting to your assignments today.”

  The door opens up behind us, revealing Isaac, fear and anger seeping off of him in waves.

  “Go before more people come in from outside,” Dominic says as he turns to go in a different direction.

  “I’ll come with you, Eli. We’re going to end up in the same place anyway,” Leah mumbles as she follows us to their living suite. She speeds up and walks beside Allison.

  “I don’t need you to walk with me,” Jess says to me, though there isn’t any real emotion behind it.

  “Please. Let me. It’ll make me feel better knowing you’re safe.”

  She studies my expression. “After everything?”

  I open my mouth to respond but am cut off before I can.

  “Dominic is exaggerating what everyone here is capable of, but it’s always nice to have a bit of company, right?” Leah calls back as she squeezes herself between Jess and me. Allison raises an eyebrow at her movement but keeps walking forward.

  Jess smiles down at her but doesn’t respond. The rest of the brief walk passes in silence. Jess and Leah don’t know how to talk to one another, and I’m too busy trying to read into her question. Was there hope or only curiosity in that?

  When we get to their door, Allison gives me a brief smile before going inside. Jess hesitates outside the doorway. She’s pale and a little uneasy on her feet. I want to comfort her, but I’m not sure what support she’ll allow me to give.

  I say, “I’ll see you after my work shift.”

  “I’ll be here,” Jess says and closes the door.

  I stay, focused on her door. I’m unable to get rid of the dread that something is going to go wrong.

  “Come on, Eli,” Leah mutters as she grabs my arm to pull me away from the door.

  We walk away, though everything in my gut is screaming at me to stay with her. The farther away from her that we get, the easier it is to push the anxiety down. It’s probably a reaction to everything that’s happened these last twenty-four hours and my attempt
to seek her comfort.

  It’s not until we get to our workstation that I notice Leah is uncharacteristically quiet.

  She’s not as scared or apprehensive as I would expect. Instead, there’s an aching sadness in her eyes.

  I open the door for her and the two of us go into the mindless room.

  My thoughts drift off as I fulfill the repetitive task of moving the boxes over to the appropriate shelf. While it’s necessary work, as the compound goes through a lot of food in a day, it doesn’t take much brainpower to sort through the different items.

  “Eli…” Leah starts.

  I grunt as I move the box full of canned fruit. “Yes?”

  “You love her, don’t you?” she asks, causing me to stop, midmotion.

  I set the box down and turn to face her. “Yes.”

  “Jess hasn’t given you the time of day since you’ve been here. The two of you have a history, but that’s what it is—the past.” The rhythm of her speaking speeds up. “Don’t be so focused on what the two of you had that it keeps you from having it again with someone else.”

  Knowing the pain that my words are going to cause her, I still need to say them. “I don’t want anyone else.”

  She shakes her head, blinks away her emotion, and continues her sorting.

  I pick my box back up.

  “The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can go do something else,” she says to change the subject and reaches back into the box for more food.

  I try to ignore the anxiety bubbling in my chest.

  “Do you think we should follow the expiration dates on cans?” Leah asks, reminding me of an earlier conversation I had with Jess when she voiced the same question.

  I look around at the large, cluttered room and wonder what I’m doing here. “I’m going to take today off,” I say. “With everything that’s going on…”

  “You’re worried about her, aren’t you?” she asks, tilting her chin up.

  “I can’t help it.”

  “Then go. I’ll cover for you.”

  “Thanks, Leah,” I say as I walk out the door, not needing to be told again.

  Through the endless maze of hallways, I quickly walk back to Jess and Allison’s room.

  A loud scream pierces through the hallway, and I freeze in confusion. It’s coming from the direction of the Mess Hall.

  I eye that direction anxiously. I left Allison and Jess safely in their room not thirty minutes ago. If there’s some struggle going on in there, it’s not my problem. Today of all days, I should stay out of it.

  The sounds of violence get louder and more pronounced. There’s another loud, piercing scream.

  Suddenly unable to breathe, my lungs cease working. I fall to one knee as I struggle to gulp in air.

  I recognize that scream.

  Breath hitching, I force myself back up. My footsteps echo through the hallways while I push myself toward the noises of struggle. The yells get more distinct with every passing second.

  I slam through the doors leading into the Mess Hall and run into a mob.

  “Kill her!” the little lady next to me screams.

  I fight my way to get closer to the source of the agony, ignoring the faces of the people around me.

  A voice to my left contributes. “She’s a danger to all of us.”

  “We should have never let them stay with us,” another person yells out.

  I ignore all the angry glares and push people out of my way. Luckily, because everyone’s attention is so focused on the danger in front of them, I’m able to take them by surprise and make it to the front to find Jess as the source of the angry group’s outrage.

  I call out her name, but she doesn’t hear me. Tears flow down her face as she attempts to rationalize with everyone. Her pleas are drowned out by the hateful shouts that have overtaken the room. Callie is the only one by Jess’s side and she growls menacingly at anyone who tries to approach her.

  I rush forward, wanting to join her, but someone grabs my shoulder and spins me around. Dominic’s fist finds contact with my chin and I fall to the ground. I lie on the ground while my eyesight blurs. He roughly gets me back on my feet, keeping a firm grip on me, and says, “There isn’t anything you can do. Don’t go down with her.”

  I refocus in time to see two men rush forward toward Jess. One of them kicks Callie away, and she whines and falls to the ground. Eyes flashing, Jess raises her hands in preparation for their arrival.

  I struggle to escape Dominic’s firm grip. He’s relentless. “It’s already over,” he says.

  I scream out, “Don’t hurt—” Dominic roughly shoves one of his hands over my mouth, tilting my head back. My eyes water with the pain of the pressure on my neck. I continue screaming, despite Dominic’s hand, to no avail. Every movement I make forces him to place even more pressure on my head.

  “She’s gone,” Dominic whispers in my ear. “Stop fighting it.”

  From the corner of my vision, I see them come at her from two different sides. Punches come from both of them and in the end, there’s nothing she can do to protect herself. She’s outnumbered.

  I take a deep breath and slam my entire body weight back. Dominic falls back with me. There is a quick relief when the pressure is gone from my neck when his hand falls back to catch himself.

  I elbow Dominic sharply and he exhales, pushing me down. I scramble to my feet and yell out in a hoarse, gravelly voice, “I’m coming, Jess. Don’t—”

  Dominic slams in behind me, pinning me facedown to the hard floor, leaving me gasping for air. There’s a crack followed by a sharp pain as my nose breaks. Blood pools down, and unable to move my head, I cough as I start choking on it.

  Not able to see what’s happening anymore, I try to focus on what I can hear, but everyone else is so loud I can’t make anything out beyond my own labored breathing.

  “Enough,” Silas says, and his authority over the group silences everyone. Dominic relaxes his grip slightly so I can turn my head, peer through the blood, and watch. The men have ended their attack and backed off. Jess lies motionless on the ground next to Callie.

  I take advantage of the quiet to make myself heard. “What the hell are you doing?” Dominic cuts me off from saying more by placing his hand over my mouth as he pulls me back to my feet.

  I try to slam my body back again. Dominic is prepared this time and maintains his steely grip on me.

  Silas follows the source of my outburst and studies Dominic and me with an expressionless glance. I use the only form of communication that’s allowed to me and glare at him.

  “The noise of this exchange has drawn a large number of you to our Mess Hall despite it not being a meal time. It’s regrettable that so many of you are here because of your curiosity.” Silas looks around the room like he’s addressing every member of our community. “Nonetheless, it’s time to explain what’s going on. Catherine, please tell me what you witnessed.”

  The recently separated wife nervously scans the room before saying, “I was coming in here to get some water when I heard the sound of someone throwing up. Of course, I instantly became concerned. You told us that’s one of the warning signs of the infection.”

  Jess slowly rolls over and reaches out toward Callie. Her dog whines weakly but is at least alive.

  “I’m glad you took those words seriously,” Silas says. “Tell us all, who was vomiting?”

  “It was her,” Catherine says and points toward Jess. My shoulders sag in defeat. This has been one of my greatest fears since I found out what caused the infection.

  I’m not ready for this. We didn’t have enough time together.

  Silas addresses Jess. “Do you deny this?”

  Satisfied that Callie is alive and not too seriously hurt, Jess says, “I’m not turning into one of the Letum.”

  While Jess’s voice is panicked and full of desperation, Silas’s is completely calm. “That isn’t what I asked. Did you throw up?”

  “Yes, but—” Jess starts to
defend herself, but is cut off.

  “And did you come from a territory that’s known for genetic manipulation?”

  “I’m not infected,” Jess says.

  Silas’s questioning is unforgiving. “Answer the question.”

  Silas is pretending he doesn’t know she’s Planned to protect himself. In hatred, I bite down as hard as I can on Dominic’s hand. He flinches but doesn’t move to allow me to scream out.

  She puts her hands up in the air and wipes the blood off her face. “Yes, I am. Everyone knows this, but I’m healthy.”

  “Your mouth says one thing and your body—something different.” Silas looks grimly toward her and then readdresses the crowd. “She’s not a risk we can take in our fragile state. We can only assume she was one of the genetically mutated who have threatened to destroy everything we are.”

  Calls of outrage overtake the room again. “All I did was throw up!” Jess screams out. Callie has regained some of her strength and struggles to her feet.

  Silas’s voice rises enough to be heard. “All in favor of immediate eradication of this infection?”

  All around me, noises of approval scream out. How could everyone suddenly be so heartless? We’ve been living here for weeks alongside them, and now they’re acting like she’s not even human.

  I push and kick to try to get away from Dominic. He’s stronger than me and won’t let go. “She’s done, Elliot. Let her go.”

  This can’t be happening.

  I twist and tug, trying anything to get away from him. All I succeed in doing is prompting Dominic to tighten his grasp even further, threatening my air supply.

  Jess eyes the approaching mob and fresh tears fall. Callie growls and Silas takes out his gun. “For the greater good,” he says and aims toward Jess.

  Jess cries out one more time. “I’m not turning.”

  I can’t breathe fully. I start to see stars as my world fades.

  “That isn’t a risk I’m willing to take,” Silas says, and his finger hovers around the trigger.