by Kit Tunstall
Today, I was pretty far from content though. I had pulled latrine duty, working alongside Natalie and two other men who lived at the camp. It was a disgusting job involving a shovel, a wheelbarrow, and a big pit at the edge of the property where Camp Utopia stood. It was a shitty detail, pun intended, but it might have been what saved me from recognition.
I wore coveralls and a bandana over my face tucked into the neckline of the black coveralls, which were a couple of sizes too big. I was so intent on my task that it took me a moment to realize the other three had stopped, and they were watching a group approach. I turned to see what was causing the fuss, and my stomach dipped when I recognized the Army uniforms, along with respirators, on the six people approaching.
My gut twisted inside out, threatening to hurl vomit out my mouth when I saw Captain Briggs in the lead. I clutched the shovel as tightly as I could, wondering if I could use it as a weapon. My gun was on me, but it was inside my coveralls, which I’d slipped over my regular clothes and gun holster without a second thought. It would be too obvious if I started unzipping. I certainly couldn’t escape six soldiers with a feces-covered shovel, but I might get one good whack in on Briggs before he realized what was happening. Maybe I’d damage his respirator, and he’d die from HLV.
I blinked, reassured to find I’d put in contacts that morning. I was trying to make it a habit, and they were surprisingly comfortable once they were in. Most of the time, I didn’t notice them for at least the first few hours. I think I remembered selecting the vibrant green ones this morning, but it didn’t really matter. I had on a pair, and that was the most important thing. They disguised my normally brown eyes.
Natalie stepped forward, hands on her hips as she pulled down her bandanna. “Who are you, and why are you here?”
Briggs inclined his head, practically oozing charm. He was a handsome man, with classically formed features and thick brown hair. It was only because I knew the monster lurking inside that I considered him ugly and could see straight through his veneer of charm.
“We’re looking for someone who fled our base. She’s wanted for a multitude of crimes.”
I almost gasped at the allegation before common sense kicked in. Instead, I kept quiet and clutched the shovel, wondering where Ben was. I was certain he didn’t know this group was on the grounds, or he would have at least sent someone to warn me. So they were going to pretend I was a criminal? Terrific. I’d only been here a week, and certainly not long enough for most people to get to know me and realize how ludicrous that idea was.
“Like what?” asked Clint, one of the two guys also assigned latrine duty.
“She broke into the infirmary and stole drugs, the kind intended for pain relief, but she’s using them recreationally, we’re sure. In the process, she fatally injured our only doctor.”
I almost snorted, but quickly turned it into a cough. That was the stupidest story I’d ever heard. I knew for a fact there were at least ten scientists at the base, because I’d seen them all during my captivity. They were also doctors, though they didn’t practice general medicine, and apparently they hadn’t paid much attention to the “first, do no harm” clause in their Hippocratic oath.
Briggs’ eyes settled on me, and I was thankful for the short, vibrant hair, different-colored eyes, and bandanna obscuring most of my face. He nodded his head, studying me for a moment, but there didn’t seem to be any sign of recognition. When his gaze moved on to Natalie again, I let out a small sigh.
“Her name is Sofia Vargas. She’s dangerous, and if she’s crossed your path, or if she’s here at the camp, you need to let us know so we can deal with her.”
I stiffened, certain one of the three around me would betray me. I hadn’t used my last name with anyone except Ben and Grace, but they had to put it together and realize I was the Sofia in question.
Natalie shrugged. “I’m sorry, but I haven’t seen any Sofias. We haven’t had any new arrivals for at least a couple of weeks. When did your fugitive escape?”
“Eight days ago.”
I was mildly disturbed that he could pinpoint it exactly down to eight days, but I figured they’d been quietly scrambling to find me, desperate to re-secure what they viewed as the cure for the virus.
I was thankful for Natalie’s loyalty and willingness to protect me, but I didn’t know if Clint or John would feel the same protective instinct. Neither one spoke up, so maybe they were trusting Natalie’s judgment. Before Briggs could ask anything else, Ben appeared in my line-of-sight, marching forward and looking pissed off. He’d never been sexier to me than he was at that moment.
He marched around the group and came to stand in front of me. He wasn’t completely blocking me with his body, because that would have been too obvious. He simply inserted himself between me and Captain Briggs in the most logical spot, since Briggs was standing almost directly in front of me.
Ben put his hand on the pistol strapped to his hip, another one of those military rifles slung over his back in a deceptively casual way. “Who are you, and why did you enter the camp without authorization? We have a guard posted for a reason, and that isn’t so you can roughly manhandle the kid.”
The charm Travis Briggs had tried to use on Natalie disappeared, and the cold bully he was at his core surged to the forefront. “Your so-called guard was interfering with official government business.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to shove him around and hit him. Jesse’s nineteen years old, and you’re an adult. Besides, haven’t you heard? There is no government anymore. There’s nothing. America’s dead, and we’re all that’s left.”
Briggs sneered at him. “There’s more government than you think, boy, and you’re obstructing official business. I demand access to your base. We’re looking for a dangerous fugitive.”
I admired Ben’s continuing tenacity, though I was afraid it was going to get him in big trouble when he said, “If you’re the government, then surely you have a warrant?”
Travis took a step forward, with an air of intimidation around him. “There’s not that much government left, boy.” He glared at Ben. “You don’t want to get on my bad side or stand in my way. I just want to search your camp and look at your people to make sure Sofia Vargas isn’t among them.”
Ben didn’t blink, but it couldn’t have been a shock anyway to know Briggs was looking for me. It was the only logical explanation. Instead, he just said, “The government must have more resources than I expected if you can take out the time to track down one fugitive. What did she do again?”
“She robbed the infirmary and killed a doctor,” said Natalie, her skepticism evident in her tone.
“That does sound serious,” said Ben. “Still seems excessive to send six soldiers in pursuit.”
“When did your last newcomer arrive?”
I held my breath as I waited for Ben’s answer, recalling Natalie had told him at least two weeks.
Been shrugged. “I’m not really sure. Maybe three or four weeks?”
I winced, seeing Briggs’ expression harden further. He might be a sociopathic jerk, but he was also intelligent.
“Are you the leader?”
Ben nodded.
“And you don’t know exactly when you had your last intake, or what the population is here? You’re either a piss-poor leader, or you’re lying to me.”
Ben’s arms flexed as he balled his hands into fists at his side, but that was the only indication he gave of how angry the words made him. “I don’t handle intake personally. I get a report every few weeks. I haven’t had a report for a while, so I assume we haven’t had any new arrivals. I haven’t seen any new faces, so I conclude either no one’s arrived for a while, or someone slacked off on reporting. If it’ll make you feel better, feel free to look around the camp, but there’s no one here. Not who you’re looking for anyway.”
I stiffened in shock at Ben’s capitulation, not having expected that. Maybe he thought I was safe since I’d already passed Briggs�
�� brief visual inspection, but I’d interacted with enough people in the camp that surely some of them would know I was Sofia, and they’d put it together rather quickly.
“I’ll lead you around even, because I wouldn’t want to be accused of obstructing the government.” Ben said it mockingly, with a cocky air. “Shall we?”
As he moved away, closer toward Briggs, I realized he planned to direct the search subtly. The people at the camp didn’t know me well enough yet, but they knew Ben, and they would trust his judgment. I hoped. Either way, I hope they deferred to his subtle deflection when Briggs interrogated people.
Briggs looked vaguely bemused as he walked away with Ben, who was speaking in a more civil tone now. I held my breath until they disappeared from sight, certain Briggs was going to turn around at any moment to reveal he’d recognized me, and this was just another one of his games he played. I was terrified he’d shoot everyone around me and make me go back with him to Fort Glacier, and that fear didn’t fade until they were out of sight. Even then, it was like a hard ball of ice lodged in my stomach.
“What’s going on?” asked John, his voice low.
I couldn’t hide it any longer, and I felt bad about having done so to start with. I still thought I’d done the right thing by approaching Ben first, but I knew people in the camp were likely to be angry when they realized we’d hidden the truth from them, and it was my fault soldiers were currently snooping through their new home. I took a deep breath, which was a mistake considering our location. I coughed and choked the smell away before managing to answer John.
“I was a test subject for the vaccine, and as you can see, I survived. They have at least twenty-five or thirty people at Fort Glacier who haven’t been exposed to the virus, and they don’t have any cure for it. That’s why the soldiers were wearing respirators. That’s also why they want me back. I have antibodies in my blood, but so far, they haven’t been able to use them to develop a preventative or cure for the HLV virus. They’ve treated me like a possession or commodity, and I finally managed to escape. If you’re going to tell Briggs who I am, you should do it now.”
I sounded amazingly careless about the whole thing, as though I didn’t care, and my entire future didn’t hinge on the people in this camp, who I’d only known a few days, and some I hadn’t even interacted with at all. It was daunting, and I guessed I was just numb or locked down from fright. Otherwise, I would have been a screaming, sobbing mess as I fell to my knees and begged them not to send me back to Fort Glacier.
Natalie stepped forward, putting a gloved hand on my coverall-covered shoulder. “We’re not going to say anything to them. I don’t like the looks of them, and you couldn’t trust their leader.”
Remembering how he had entered my room early that last morning, his hands all over my body as he’d been determined to take what he wanted regardless of how I felt, I shuddered. “He’s cut from the same cloth as your Director Douche was.”
Clint and John both stiffened, anger radiating from them. “They dishonored you?” asked Clint.
I bit my lip, embarrassed to be discussing it, though I had done nothing wrong. I’d been the victim. “Briggs tried, but he didn’t succeed. He was…distracted, and I got his gun and whacked him in the head a couple of times. I wish I’d shot him, but I was afraid the noise would give me away.”
Clint clapped me on the back. “Good job. It’s too bad you couldn’t shoot him, but the circumstances made it impossible, huh?”
I nodded, confident at least the three of them were on my side, along with Ben. I was pretty sure Maisie would support me. I’d had some interaction with Betsy and Joel, so I doubted they would betray me either. The rest of the people in the camp were a mystery. Grace would probably protect me, but if she bought into the story that I’d killed a doctor while raiding the infirmary, she might be inclined to tell Briggs I was at the camp, simply because of professional loyalty.
I waited on tenterhooks as we finished cleaning the latrine. It was disgusting work, but surprisingly distracting, and though I hadn’t forgotten what I was waiting for, I was a little more relaxed by the time Ben appeared more than an hour later. He didn’t get too close, and I didn’t blame him, since evidence of the job I’d been doing was smeared all over the black coveralls, but he did nod and grin at me. “They’re gone. No one murmured a peep about Sofia, but I have to call a meeting this evening. You’re going to have to tell everyone everything.”
I nodded, my stomach knotting into a ball. He didn’t say it, but I knew it was implied that after I spoke, they would take a vote. It didn’t have to be unanimous, but I had to win over a majority of the people to be allowed to stay. The thought of leaving ripped a jagged hole in my chest and made it difficult to breathe. It wasn’t just safety that I’d found here. I’d found Ben, and the beginnings of what I hoped would be strong friendships. If they voted for me to leave, I’d have to do so, and it would be far worse to be alone now than it had been even just eight days ago.
It felt cowardly, but I let Ben tell everyone the situation. He gently insisted on doing so, pointing out he was the leader and knew everyone present. I was still uncertain about it, but since I’d never been good at public speaking to start with, and so much rode on persuading the others to allow me to stay, I yielded to Ben’s suggestion with a hint of gratitude. Now, I watched him pace the length of the cafeteria tent as he laid out the situation for those who hadn’t yet heard about the military inspection earlier or its reason for happening.
He came to stand behind me, putting his hands on my shoulders in a supportive fashion. “They searched the camp and didn’t see Sofia, and I think we’re safe, but I can’t promise that. So we’re putting it to a vote. If you want us to leave, that’s what we’ll do.”
I stiffened slightly as his words filtered through my brain. He was offering to leave with me. I wasn’t certain if it was a tactic to get people to vote to allow us to stay, or if he was genuinely choosing to move along with me if I had to go. I had to talk to him about that later, but there was no opportunity to turn around and ask him now.
“All those in favor of Sofia staying?”
Hands went into the air, some so briefly I barely had a chance to count them. I was still trying to tabulate the numbers when Ben asked, “And those who want us to leave?” Other hands went into the air, and those stayed up longer. I tried not to take it personally, though I was still wounded when I saw Betsy and Joel had voted for me to leave. I’d worked with them on at least two occasions, and I thought they had liked me. I reminded myself it didn’t matter whether or not they liked me. They weren’t voting based on whether I was a good person, but if I was worth the risk of everyone else’s lives. In that perspective, I understood their vote, even if it still hurt.
“That’s fourteen in favor of staying and eleven in favor of going. Sofia and I will abstain from voting. The majority carries, as usual, so Sofia stays.”
They were rumbles of protest, and more than a few angry looks cast in my direction, but at least no one raised their voice or issued ultimatums. It was obvious most of them didn’t want me here, and I figured even the majority who had voted for me to stay had done so more because they wanted Ben to remain than because they had any personal stake in whether I stayed or went.
It was an uncomfortable feeling, and I briefly considered the idea of leaving, but I discarded it almost as rapidly. I didn’t want to leave Ben and my new friendships, and I wouldn’t make it long on my own before I either got killed by one of my fellow survivors or acquired by Fort Glacier and returned to prisoner status. I had survived four years of high school, which was full of people who didn’t like me and vice versa, so I could do this. I hoped.
After the meeting broke up, I went with Ben back to his tent, not speaking or making eye contact with anyone as we went. I just wasn’t up for conversation or a friendly exchange—or even worse, an unfriendly exchange.
Once we were in the privacy of the tent, I wrapped my arms around his wai
st, pressing my cheek to his back. “Thank you. You didn’t have to offer to come with me. I’m sure that’s what swayed most of them.”
He turned in my arms, putting his around me as he tipped up my chin with his index finger. “It wasn’t a machination to force them to vote for you to stay. I would have gone with you if they had voted for you to leave. I mean, if you wanted me to?”
I nodded. “I’m just selfish enough that I would have wanted you to. I shouldn’t, because it isn’t right to take you from these people who need you, but if they’d asked me to leave, I would have been happy to have you along, Ben.”
“For protection?”
I shook my head before shrugging. “A little bit for that, but that’s not the main reason.”
“Conversation?”
I shook my head. “Talking’s overrated.”
“This?” As he asked, he lowered his head so his lips pressed gently against mine. It was a brief kiss, and his lips had already moved away before I could think about deepening it.
Our faces were closer together now, and it was easier to stare into his eyes. “You’re getting warmer.”
He skimmed his hands down my curves, his thumbs brushing lightly against my nipples in the process, before his hands gripped my hips and pulled my lower body against his. “This?”
I nodded. “A lot warmer.” I slipped my hand through the waistband of his khaki pants, finding his cock and stroking my hand down the length of him. “Hot.”
“You’re saying you only want me for my cock?” he asked in a teasing fashion, revealing he knew there was more to it than that.
I giggled as I nodded. “It’s the best reason I could think of.”
He growled low in his throat in a playful manner as he picked me up and tossed me on the bed gently before joining me there. “Maybe I should give you a few more things to appreciate.”
I nodded eagerly. “Maybe you should.”