Sara giggled and pressed her nose into Fi’s shoulder blades to cover the sound. “Smartypantseseses?” Her voice was muffled.
Fi pressed her lips together, stifling her giggles. “Anyway,” she pretended to clear her throat quietly, “…as I was saying: I love that you can hang with the people at the Brain, that’s amazing. And I love that you’re kind to Lily and your parents and Sean. And I love that you’re brave. You never hold back, Sara. Never.”
There was a huff and Sara shifted to wipe her eyes. “Thanks.”
Luke sighed and Fi suddenly remembered where they were, huddled in a frozen closet, deep in the heart of Trutherville. A fresh bubble of giggles rose in her throat. “Only us, Sar.”
“What?”
“Only we could get all weepy and lovey when we’re up to our necks in shit.”
Sara snorted. And wheezed. And coughed. She pressed her face into Fi’s back to keep from laughing out loud and Fi bit her fist, the giggles bursting out the edges in hard puffs.
“Oh, God,” Sara moaned, gasping for air. “Oh, God. You’re right. We must actually be sisters somehow.”
“Yeah,” Fi agreed, slowly catching her breath. Out of nowhere, her mind turned to her mother, flush with laughter as a toddling Kiara and Zoe tried desperately to outrun one another in the backyard. “You know, Fi,” she’d said, turning to her with a twinkle in her violet eyes…
Fi’s eyes filled again at the memory. It was perfect. Trust her mother to arrive at just the right time. “You know, Sara, Maggie would’ve said we’re ‘cut from the same cloth.’”
Sara stiffened for a moment and then her arms tightened around Fi, her head nestling into Fi’s back. “Yeah, we are, sis. The same freaky-deaky cloth.”
--------- Darryl -----------
Darryl snuck beneath the fence for what seemed like the thousandth time, scrabbling and crawling like a rat. And for the thousandth time, once he was free, his eyes turned up the hill toward his heart’s desire. The night was pitch black, the darkness so complete that he could barely make out the watchtowers hovering just above him. Surely he could just slip up there and make sure that she was all right?
But his feet carried him the other way. Dutiful, dutiful feet. Feet that understood the consequences for hundreds of people if he made a mistake…if he put his own needs above theirs. Lucy was right. Georgie was with Gary, the toughest guy in Eden. She was better protected than she would be with him. It was the mantra he’d rolled around his mind every minute of every day, grooving it, carving the rut deep so that his feet would do their duty when his heart could not. She’ll be ok. My Georgie will be ok.
He made his way along the edge of the lake, following a now well-worn route to the west side of the camp…to the river. Once he reached the cliffs he turned and followed them, seeking the dry crossing he knew to be just two miles downstream. He’d been running this route for absolutely no reason beyond keeping his own sanity for weeks, but now each time he ran it, his heart pounded with hope. They should be close, it whispered. They should be here.
A cold breeze blew, swirling dry snow in gusts that stung his eyes as he jogged. Even so, by the time the cliffs began descending he was sweating. He made his way across the river in the dark, finding the stones in his memory, each materializing beneath his foot just as it had before. It was the walk of the blind, a landscape in the world made whole in his mind. He took a few steps into the forest on the other side.
“Freeze!” A man’s voice stopped him.
His heart leapt into his throat and he squinted, expecting to be blinded by a flashlight, but the speaker remained in darkness.
“What’s your name?”
Darryl blinked. Did he recognize that voice? It almost sounded like… “Asher?”
The figure shifted. Darryl felt the air as he stepped back. “Darryl?”
“Oh, thank God,” Darryl said, as his legs turned to water and he sank to his knees. Hot tears filled his eyes. It wasn’t a dream. He wasn’t imagining it. The cavalry was here.
The Grand Tour
--------------- Fi -------------
Ri-ise and Shi-ine and Give God Your Glory, Glory!
Fi’s eyes flew open.
Ri-ise and Shi-ine and Give God Your Glory, Glory!
The recording of the children’s voices crackled through the loudspeakers, echoing in the dense wood. She peeked behind the shutters. It was just dawn and a thick fog had rolled into settlement, leaving her staring at a grey wall of nothing.
Ri-ise and Shi-ine and Give God Your Glory, Glory!
Wow. Sara had told her about this, but hearing it was totally different. It was soooooooo creepy. She turned to Sara. “Seriously? Every day?”
“Every day,” Sara mouthed.
They’d spent so much of the previous day on top of Nona’s family that she and Sara were practically fluent lip readers by now. Though Sara preferred that they call themselves the “Spy Whisperers.”
Good Morning and God Bless, Truthers. Carter Lawson’s golden voice melted through the speakers. At the same time, the sun crept over the ridge below, and the wind shifted. Tendrils of clear, frigid air began to shred the fog, and the sky turned to golden feathers.
“Jesus.” Sara perched beside her. “It’s like he planned it.”
“I know. How do these people stand this every day, Sar?”
“I have no idea. But guess what? We’re going to find out.”
“Fan-freaking-tastic.”
This morning I’d like us to remember to extend our prayers to the Hargroves, who’s youngest has been suffering from what we believe to be chicken pox. They appreciate those of you who’ve brought medicines, salves, rations, and most importantly, the faithful devotion of good neighbors.
God, Fi thought. He’s really good.
“Girls?” Nona’s voice floated through the door. “Time to get up so we can get you to Father’s nice and early!”
Fi met Sara’s grin with her own. They couldn’t believe their good luck. That Carter would not only buy their cover, but also give them a guided tour! It was too perfect. She hugged Luke as they headed out the door behind Nona, focusing on him to keep her steps measured. When the Lobo guarding Carter’s door stepped aside, she forced herself to count to three before knocking…a slow, calm, rap.
Carter seemed ruffled when they entered the room, but he gathered himself. Fi was dying to know what he’d shoved between the pages of his beloved Bible, but at the moment, they had more important concerns.
“So are you girls ready to get to know your new home?” He raised his arms expansively and Fi dropped her gaze. Otherwise, she’d have rolled her eyes. It was a hundred times harder acting normal around Carter than it was Nona.
“We’re looking forward to it, Father,” Sara said.
Fi bit back her smile. Never in a million years could she have imagined this sweet, compliant, Sara. Sir? Father? It was impressive. But then again, Sara did love to win. They followed Carter as he swept into a long white robe and fluttered out the door.
The tour began with the other side of Carter’s own cabin, which happened to be the radio room for the Camp. Perhaps the Camp Leader had liked it this way back when “Great Times” were being had on the river. Either way, they would come to learn that, besides Carter, Silas and Nona were the only Truthers with individual cabins. The rest lived in communal cabins lined with rows of bunk beds and divided by haphazard shelves and sheets.
“Not much privacy here in Trutherland, is there?” Sara managed a side whisper while Carter chatted with several Truthers.
He didn’t introduce them, but Fi was sure that Carter had better things to do with his time than introduce every curious Truther. Besides, from what Nona had said, everyone already knew them, just not the other way around. Some of the Truthers they encountered on the way smiled warmly or waved hello, while others were distant. Whenever they passed the Lobo-Angels, Fi dropped her eyes. She wasn’t rehearsed enough yet to keep her hatred for them hidden
>
“And here,” Carter was still waxing poetic, “is the main cabin.”
They walked into an expansive hall with a concrete floor and vaulted tin roof inset with glass skylights. Fi sucked in her breath. On the opposite wall they’d painted a large Truther symbol. Against her will, her mind jumped to the painting of Eve watching over Eden’s main field cabin, and the dripping symbol that now covered it. Her hands clenched. Not only had they killed the real Eve, but they’d defaced her image as well with this…this… Her blood fizzed. …Blasphemy.
Her fists were white. Carter’s eyes turned back to her, sensing the pause. Control yourself! She hiccupped, her eyes skittering away. They found the large open fireplace at the center of the room and the world stabilized. Carter turned away again. Her breath whooshed in her ears. You have to do better, Fi, she thought. Push it all down. Kiara’s life depends on it.
“This is where we have meetings of the whole settlement,” Carter said. “In the early days when our numbers were smaller, we could easily fit in here. We used to have daily church services here as well, but now we only cram in here together for major occasions. Like baptisms.”
Fi suppressed a shudder and shoved the thought of Sara’s impending sacrifice from her mind. She had to focus on her observations. What could they learn? Each side of the hall was bordered by a long screened porch. A map of the United States dotted with red “T”s like gun sights dominated one wall. So many… They built on her like medicine-taste, turning her stomach. “I had no idea that the Movement was so large, Father.” It was honest, but she couldn’t tell if she sounded more horrified than awed.
“Yes,” Carter said, stroking his beard. “Well, that’s the power of the Word.”
Yech! Ew! Barf! Her mind awash in sixth grade interjections, the mask cracked and her forced smile began crumbling into bits and pieces. This was going to be harder than she thought.
The next twenty minutes were mostly a useless laundry list: the waterwheel that was responsible for their limited electricity, the other settler cabins, the hibernating community garden... That last one stung a little. She jammed her fists in her pockets, aching to tear the quiescent soil to shreds. Fortunately she was distracted by something more interesting: the concrete bunker that had served as the summer camp’s central bathroom. She knew it wasn’t used by the Truthers, given that the plumbing no longer worked. So why did she hear voices drifting from the slats beneath the roof? “Father, what is that building used for?”
Carter’s eyes widened, just for a moment, but perhaps that was just because she’d semi-interrupted his commentary. “Uh, that’s not important really, Marie. Just a building we use sometimes for extra storage. Let’s go this way, I want to show you our most important asset.”
Fi nodded, but she couldn’t help taking one last look at they passed. Sara touched her hand and shook her head.
When they came upon a large metal storage shed, she grew excited again. She hoped this might be the armory. Perhaps that was why Sara had seemed to warn her just a second ago. Fi held her breath as the Lobo guard held open the door. No matter what she’d expected to find, the contents of this shed blew her away. She was staring at row after row of shelves filled with food.
Of course, there were some other things like soaps and linens and razors…but Fi couldn’t take her eye off all the food. There had to be a literal ton of dried food canisters stacked to the ceilings. Dried potatoes, milk, fruit, veggies, parboiled rice… Most of that was Sickfood, but it was food. But what was even crazier was that they also had innumerable shelves filled with jars of preserved foods: meats, roots, mushrooms, nuts, and fruits. All of it Truefood. Made by the settlers and the following, no doubt, she thought.
For once, Carter was silent as he let them take it all in. Fi wandered the shelves, unable to keep her hands from trailing over the containers. This, she thought. This was the Tithe. It was... She shook her head. Though she hadn’t seen Eden’s food stores, they couldn’t have had much on this. She stopped by a jar of what looked like venison. “Uh…Father? How…?”
Carter interrupted. “…How indeed.”
Fi startled as Carter turned and closed the doors to the shed behind them, plunging them into near darkness with the exception of one small window at the far end. Sara reappeared behind her and grabbed her hand before letting go. Fi was certain that Sara’s hands hovered over the seam in her skirt, as did her own. But she hoped that Sara’s hands weren’t shaking as much as hers. Carter paced in the darkened doorway. What the hell was wrong with him?
“‘How’ is one of the questions that bothers people the most, isn’t it?” His voice was distant, as if he wasn’t even speaking to them. “How did this happen? How did some survive while billions perished? How can we possibly turn this around? How do we build a new life?”
Fi’s heart pounded and her fingertips toyed with the edges of the Velcro. Luke stirred in his sling and her heartbeat galloped. This was bad! They weren’t planning to kill Carter in the first place, and it was the middle of the day. Armed Lobos were all around them.
Carter stopped pacing and approached them. Her head swam as her free hand curled around Luke’s head. She heard the slightest tearing sound as Sara worked a start in her seam. But as Carter drew near, Fi saw that his eyes were filled with tears.
“You know, when I found this place I was at the end of my ‘hows’ and I couldn’t bear my ‘whys.’ I’d been wandering bereft and alone from the west, searching for a sign that there was something else left besides empty survival. I found this Camp and the cliffs and thought to myself that it was a beautiful place to put my questions to rest for good.”
Fi couldn’t control her gasp.
Carter stopped, startled from his reverie. “I’m sorry, Marie, Sara. I don’t know why I told you that. I’ve never told anyone that. I…I must not be myself.”
There was no good explanation for what she did next, except perhaps her inability to react indifferently to tears, but Fi reached out and put her hand on his arm. “Father, it’s all right.”
Carter met her eyes for just a moment and then pulled away, swiping his arm across his eyes. “Well, anyway. Just as I was thinking that this world didn’t need my presence any longer, I found this shed. Of course, we’ve added to it.” He patted a large glass jar with pride. “Our members have given much to make this settlement and its mission possible. But when I found the food stores in this place, all waiting for me with no one around for miles…I knew it was a sign.”
“A sign, Father?” Fi’s voice came out a strangled squeak. She still couldn’t get over the fact that Carter had just confessed to near suicide. What was it about this man that always tied her up in knots?
“A ‘how’ if you prefer, little Marie. I could see how I could still make a positive difference, how I could create a new beginning for others like me, and I finally knew in my heart and soul that I had a purpose…that God had stopped me and shown me this place for a purpose.”
His voice grew fervent and melodious once more. Fi exhaled, saddened. His confession had been surreal, but for a split second, there had been a glimpse of the real man. And then it was gone. Dr. Carter Lawson, head of the Truthers, was back.
The rest of the “tour” passed without incident, but Fi was grateful when she and Sara were alone again. They’d returned to Nona’s so Fi could feed Luke in privacy.
“Jesus,” Fi said quietly as the door closed behind them. None of Nona’s family was at home, but they still took care to whisper.
“I know! What the hell was that all about?”
Fi settled wearily. “I wish I knew. Sometimes I can’t figure out what makes that guy tick. One minute he’s kidnapping people and threatening their lives and others he seems genuinely moved by some sort of feeling or Faith. I just…don’t get it.”
Sara pulled her knees up. “He seems pretty messed up to me, Fi, that’s what he seems. Maybe he’s mentally ill. Have you ever thought of that?”
“To be honest,
yes. But then, he seems so ‘together’ too. He arranged this whole thing. If he were completely psychotic, could he have done that?”
“I don’t know, but we have to assume that he could do anything. Especially after seeing that jail with Gary and the others.”
“What jail?” Fi stopped as her mind flew back to the concrete block bathroom. “Oh my God! That must be where he put everyone who Darryl listed.”
“And our security forces,” Sara added wryly. “I can’t imagine how much worse it is for them in that cold, dirty bathroom.”
Fi shivered, nearly dislodging a sleepy Luke. “All done, sweetie,” she murmured, trying to push the image of their friends being kept in a freezing cellblock from her mind.
“I’ll take him for a bit, Fi,” Sara said. She took Luke into the crook of her arm.
Fi smiled. “That looks pretty natural on you, Sar.”
“Don’t rush me.” Sara said, kissing Luke’s head. “If anything, sleeping with you and this guy all the time has been a great advertisement for safe sex.”
“Hey!”
“BUT…” she added, “…I have to admit that he’s pretty damned cute. When he’s sleeping.”
Fi groaned. “Ain’t that the truth. At least you’re getting used to the not sleeping part with me now. You’ll be a champ when it’s your turn.”
“Awesome. Don’t hold your breath.” She rocked Luke, her hips swaying. “So, back to business.”
“Yes. What do we already know, oh, Queen of Numbers and Facts?”
Sara pretended to shove her with the toe of her boot. “We know that the settlers and their own Lobo security are mostly separate,” Sara said. “And our security team is imprisoned on that side of the grounds.”
“Check.”
“And we know that the building Sean and I thought was the armory probably is, since he didn’t show us that one either and it’s on the same end.”
Emergence (Eden's Root Trilogy Book 3) Page 19