by C C Roth
I steered clear of the crowd and found a spot on the second level of the monument watching everyone below from my perch. I watched Mitchell walk up three steps of the historic building to take his place in front of the crowd. They cheered and he humbly waved them off as if applause meant nothing to him. Karina popped up and handed him a microphone. I almost didn’t recognize her in a gray suit with her usually unruly curls styled just so. I guess someone was headed for the White House with Mitchell after all. He turned around briefly and holding my gaze gave me a small, conspiratorial nod before he spoke. He still thought I would stay.
“Thank you all for being here. Time is precious so I won’t waste any of yours today. In case you haven’t noticed our section of this great nation is alone, abandoned and left to rot. We need a leader to rise up and stand for everyone. The Safe Zone is staying safe. The government has retreated and is licking its wounds in a cave buried so deep that no one can find it. Our military and local law enforcement have abandoned us or worse yet, turned on us. Almost half a year gone and where is our country? We are still here but where are they? Where are their promises of safety, stability, and freedom? Well I will not lie to you. They are not coming. I spent four years of my life working for the people, for you people. And I know all too well about the empty promises our government feeds us. I have been in the lion’s den and I can tell you right now they are going to continue to ignore us because they can. Well I won’t have it. I won’t stand for it and neither should you. I want to stand for something else, but I cannot stand alone. I need you, all of you with me. I see an amazing future for us. I see a country rebuilt stronger and better than before. I see all of us coming together and fighting for humanity, no longer divided by party lines and the insignificant bickering of years past. We will stand together. Together we will not be ignored. If we come together and fight this injustice, then there will be no stopping us. They will not be able to ignore us any longer! We are still here!”
He raised his fist high in the air as he yelled the last sentence and the crowd went crazy. Everyone was cheering and yelling, their fists up in the air in unison and their bodies jumping wildly as one. He had them. They were his just as I had been. He was good at what he did. And I couldn’t decide what was worse, having a man like him fighting for the forgotten or having no one at all. I could have stopped him right then but what would that have done? Who would that help really? Then those people would have no voice at all. Besides, why should I care? It had nothing to do with me anymore. I was through. Mike was gone and it was time to go. Time to let the darkness take over me. I had nothing left but the weight of an iceberg inside me and it was pulling me down into an abyss of nothingness.
Mitchell turned to wink at me as the cheers raged on, but I wasn’t there to see it. I had faded into the background, making my way through a sea of starry-eyed hopeful citizens like a dark snake slithering through a field of lambs.
Navin was waiting for me by a truck, behind the crowds. Of course, he was. I could hear their cheers and voices fading away into a memory with each step I took. I stood next to him and waited for the world to move, or a voice to give me a direction, or anything really. But there was just silence. I ached in even the numbest parts of my soul and I had no clue what to do, but I didn’t care. My cold friend must not have been too worried either because it was silent. I didn’t know how to move forward in a world without Mike.
Navin nudged my arm. “I’m coming with you. I think you need me. You know, to help you not kill so many people,” he smiled sweetly.
He was a good guy, he really was. And I could use some help where I was going. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I needed him. But I didn’t want to ask that of him. Everyone around me seemed to die.
“Why would you want to do that? I’m not…safe.”
“No, you’re not. But I like you anyway. And besides, I don’t really have anywhere else to be.” He smiled and nudged me again. “So? What do you think? We’ll be like Butch and Sundance.”
“Who?”
“Never mind,” he grinned and shook his head. “Just get in. But I’m driving.”
“What? Why?”
“Well because you’re a homicidal maniac, remember? And I don’t want to die just yet.”
“Fair enough. But I can’t promise anything.”
He leaned down and kissed my forehead gently, pulling me in for support. He’d go anywhere with me.
Suddenly we were interrupted by something that walked and talked like a man but looked more like a human cannonball. It was a miracle the sidewalk didn’t erupt beneath his massive footsteps. He strode over to me with a purpose, practically knocking Navin on his ass when he brushed past him.
“Samantha Sharp?”
“Maybe. Who are you?”
“You need to come with me.”
“You’re not my type. Go away,” I waved him off as you would a small bug then turned around. I’ve mentioned I don’t make good choices, right?
His neck vein bulged slightly with annoyance, but his face remained deadpan. “Look I don’t deal with teenagers a lot so do me a favor and try to listen.”
“Nope. Gotta go. Sorry not sorry. Bye.” I hopped in the car, flipping him off with a smile, but he wasn’t amused by my cuteness.
“I knew your mother and she wouldn’t appreciate you wasting my time.”
That got my attention. “What? You knew my mother?”
“Yes. We trained together. We’ve been in close contact for the past 20 years.”
I couldn’t hide my confusion and excitement. “Holy shit, you’re R. Aren’t you?”
His face didn’t budge. “You don’t need to know my name, but yes your mother frequently referred to me as R. in her communications.”
“Huh. So, why are you here? What do you want with me?”
“I have reason to believe you might be in possession of evidence that is vital to the United States government and the future of your country.”
“Oh really? And how is that possible?”
“Your mother wasn’t who you think she was.”
“Yeah I already know. Spoiler alert, she worked for the CIA. As like, an analyst.”
“No. She worked for the CIA as part of a covert operation to infiltrate terrorist organizations growing within the U.S.”
“My mother was a spy or something?”
“Not ‘or something.’ I believe she left information for me to find in her journal. It’s taken me a while to track you down, but it is vital that I see your mother’s journal, Sam.”
“I’ve read her journal. It’s nothing but a lot of whining about me and work and my dad not supporting her. There’s nothing in there about terrorists or secret armies. Trust me, it would have made for a much more exciting read if it did.”
I tried to study his face, but he was giving away nothing. Nothing except a major don’t fuck with me vibe. Seriously, this guy worked with my mom? I was suddenly un-bored and wanted to know more. This guy could be my ticket to finally knowing who my mother really was.
“Okay. So, I’ll take you to the journal. But I want some questions answered on the way. Deal?”
“Deal. You drive.”
“Oh, that’s not a good idea,” Navin said.
“Fine,” the cannonball grumbled. “Lanky can drive. How far is it?”
“Not far.” It was actually in my backpack, so I wasn’t really lying…much.
He scowled at me again as if a liar, liar, pants on fire alarm had gone off alerting him of my dishonest nature. But I didn’t budge.
He stepped inches away from my face and gave a stare that had surely melted bigger adversaries than me. “I’ll play your game, kid but only for as long as I want to. Got it? When I lose my patience that journal is going to be mine. One way or another.”
“Oh, you’re intense. This is going to be fun, I can tell.” I slapped his massive arm playfully and nodded for him to hop in. “Buckle up, Cannonball. It’s time to go.”
Navin shook his head and started the car. “So, this is normal. Yeah, this will be fine. We’re just taking a giant axe murderer for a ride, no big deal.”
“C’mon, Navin this is great. Now we don’t have to figure out what to do today.” I leaned into the front seat and gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek. “I’ll make it worth your while,” I whispered seductively.
“You’re a psychopath. That man is going to kill us.”
“Yep. Let’s go!”
The End
✽✽✽
Journal Entry
October 20, 2015
I gave R. notice today. Everything is in place as long we both follow through. I know I wouldn’t have made it all these years without his support and for that I will always be grateful. The lines have gotten blurry for both of us but all that is gone now. I can see where my life is, my real life. I know where I belong and who I belong to. My beautiful babies are so grown it’s hard to reconcile the lost time. I wonder if I added up all the missed moments, all the first steps, tears in the night, and school plays, how many years have I lost in my commitment to this job? I feel like Sam is a stranger and it’s all my fault. I thought I could help her, but I’ve made things worse. At times I wonder what would happen if we just disappeared. Maybe we could pack up and leave in the night, it happens sometimes. If we just disappeared maybe they wouldn’t come after me. But of course, they would. They would find me in a matter of days, and I would have uprooted and destroyed the kids’ lives for nothing. I bet they would even send R. to get me. And of course he would come, ever the dutiful agent following orders to the last detail. Two lives and no options, there’s some irony somewhere in all that. Maybe R. would stay away if I asked. Maybe he would say I died on vacation in some freak accident and they couldn’t recover the body. If he loved me enough maybe he would.
About The Author
C. C. Roth
C.C. Roth fell in love with writing at an early age, spending hours lost in broody poetry collections and oversized mystery novels. She writes in the genres of YA dystopian, suspenseful romance, and all things dark and thrilling. When she is not writing you can find her buying books she has no time to read and playing with her adorable children and loveable pups.
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