by S. R. Booth
“Probably thirty minutes before Paul and Evan went in.”
“Thirty minutes?” another voice exclaimed incredulously. “It doesn’t take thirty minutes. They had to be talking.”
“Yeah, they probably were talking, but they had the water running the whole time. We didn’t pick up anything.”
Billy inched closer to the bushes that separated him from the voices. They had to be talking about Mary and him in the bathroom. He leaned even closer trying to hear more.
“How much do you think he knows?” A woman’s voice joined the conversation.
“If Mary told him anything it could lead them right back to us,” the first voice worried.
“Mary has taken the vow. She wouldn’t do anything to put any of us in danger. You know she is loyal.”
Billy struggled to hear the rest of the conversation then stiffened in surprise when he heard a familiar voice. “I set up a meeting with him at noon,” a woman’s breathless voice added. “It’s all going as planned.”
Mary Sinclair!
“What were you doing in that guy’s bathroom for half an hour? We thought something went wrong,” another voice accused.
“I needed that time. He doesn’t know much of anything so I had to fill him in.”
“You didn’t tell him everything that’s going on did you?”
“Of course not! You know I’ve taken the same oath you have. I would never do anything to betray it. If we are going to start doubting each other, we might as well give up right now,” Billy heard Mary exclaim passionately.
Billy could hear a few murmurs of assent before Mary spoke again.
“We need to get out of here before someone comes. Let’s meet back here at three, and I’ll update you,” he heard Mary say.
Billy stood frozen. He heard footsteps hurrying off in various directions and a few more muffled words but couldn’t make out anything else. What he had heard didn’t sound good at all.
If Mary wasn’t being honest with him and had led him to believe she was a good guy, then that must mean she wasn’t. Or did it? He ran the conversation back through his mind. There wasn’t one incriminating word. She just seemed to be withholding information.
Taking a few steps off the path, Billy parted the bushes and tried to see the people he’d heard talking. He’d waited too long. Everyone was gone. He looked around in indecision then turned and headed back to the fountain. All of a sudden he remembered his ring. He dug it out of his pants pocket and slipped it on.
“Sarah.” He thought of her as hard as he could, even picturing her face as he whispered her name.
“I’m here. Are you okay?”
“Yes, what about you?”
“I’m okay, but I’ve been trying to get ahold of you all morning. Did you take the ring off?”
“I did. I didn’t know if anyone at work would recognize it, but figured it was better not to take any chances until we know more. Why were you trying to contact me?”
“Because I found Ritchie in our emergency shelter this morning! He has been hiding there and says he hasn’t talked to anyone. Billy, your uncle lied when he said they have Ritchie and he’s helping them.”
“Why did you go to our old house? Did Ritchie call you?”
“No, he said he lost his phone so he planned to hang out in the shelter as long as he could. I don’t really know why I went over there this morning. I guess I wanted to make sure everything was all right at the house, and then I checked on the shelter to make plans to store more supplies there in case we need to use it. You can’t imagine how surprised I was to find Ritchie down there.”
“Sarah, if Ritchie lost his phone, Uncle Bill must have tracked whoever had it and assumed he was Ritchie.”
Sarah was quiet for a minute. “I hadn’t considered that. Your uncle could be in danger if he has someone he thinks is Ritchie with him because he’ll trust him. Can you call Uncle Bill?”
“I’ll try.” Billy closed his eyes and concentrated on Uncle Bill’s face. “William Berkley,” he said aloud.
A hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, “Ah, William,” Eugene Bryant shook his head, “they give you a new toy and don’t even tell you how to use it, huh? All you have to do with those rings is think. Or so I’ve heard. I was never considered important enough to receive one.” Jealousy was apparent in his voice.
Billy eyed the two large men in suits standing behind Mr. Bryant. Not the same ones who broke into his bathroom earlier, but he was pretty sure these were the men who had escorted him to Mr. Bryant’s office. Blue and Gray were back.
“Mr. Bryant,” Billy tried to sound calm and hoped Sarah could hear the conversation. “What do you want?”
Mr. Bryant’s laugh was cruel. “What do I want? I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that question. I’ve always been told what others want from me—perfect grades, perfect health, perfect spouse. Pah!” he spat. “I’m glad you asked ‘Billy’ because you are the one who is going to help me get exactly what I want.”
“Okay,” Billy soothed. “What can I do to help you?”
Mr. Bryant seemed a little surprised by Billy’s easy acceptance but rallied quickly. “You will be going with them.” He nodded at the two men.
“Okay,” Billy repeated. “Where are we going?”
The two suits came to stand on either side of Billy and grabbed his arms as they did before, ready to lead him—willing or not.
“We are going to have you installed as the newest Top. I don’t know why Mr. Berkley couldn’t have just died the first time. It would have made things so much easier.” Mr. Bryant appeared to be pouting. “Well, we will have to go about it a different way, and then you will be able to help me in a way that all of this company’s archaic rules have kept me from helping myself for years.” A small smile played on his lips.
“I know Ms. Sinclair wasn’t whispering sweet nothings in your ear earlier. Oh, she put on a good show,” he added at Billy’s raised brow, “and almost had me convinced, but I know you are too devoted to that wife of yours to have given in to her. So, if she wasn’t coming on to you, she must have been trying to get you to join her side.” His eyes narrowed to a glare.
“Her and the other Protectors. What a joke.” He let out a snort. “The Tops use them like they use everyone else, with no regard for anything other than their idealistic little goals that they are so intent on shoving down everyone else’s throats.” Mr. Bryant’s voice had risen in anger, and his cheeks took on a ruddy hue before he took a deep breath and visibly calmed himself
“I was bred for this company, too,” he continued, “but only as a worker bee. I’m not some fancy third-generationer like you.”
Billy gave him a surprised look.
“Yes, your connection has been revealed to me.” His eyes became distant. “Scinegue has made my life miserable, yet no matter how hard I’ve tried I’ll never be good enough for them. I’ll never be a Top. Growing up, I could never go out and play with the other kids because they weren’t ‘good enough’ to be my friends. And even if they were, I was too busy always studying and training. Always watching everyone else eat birthday cake and trying to imagine what something so lovely could taste like, while I finished another bowl of greens.”
His eyes refocused and bored into Billy’s. “I was forced to become what I am and I’ve hated every minute of my life. Now I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life making things easy for all the lazy people in the world who don’t want to make the changes we believe are necessary to create a better world, a better humanity. I had to do it the hard way. So will they,” he shot out the last three words.
“They either give up the junk food or they get to die eating it. Same with education. They will be given a test. A basic test, actually. If they can’t pass it, well, they don’t get to share this planet and its resources with the hard-working people who do pass. And the infirm? They are the easiest of all. They don’t even have to take a test. They will just be eliminated.” Mr. Brya
nt’s smile gave Billy chills.
“Scinegue took a great idea that worked well in other countries and tried to sugar-coat it; tried to say everyone should be given a chance to become a great person. I say they had that chance when they were born. If they haven’t taken advantage of it by now, they’ve run out of time.”
Billy glanced at the faces of the suits holding his arms, trying to gauge their reactions to Mr. Bryant’s words, but he could see no reaction at all. They seemed to be completely on board. That certainly wasn’t going to make it easy for him to try to get away.
“Twelve noon at the cafe on Broad Street,” Mr. Bryant recited the meeting time and place Mary had told him with a snide smile. “I guess Ms. Sinclair might be a little disappointed when you don’t show up. I’ll be sure she doesn’t have to wait there alone for long.”
Billy tugged at the hands that held his arms. The suits simply increased their grips and led him past Mr. Bryant.
“Wait,” Billy called and turned back to see Mr. Bryant calmly watching the fountain with his hands in his pockets. “I’m sure we can work together on this. Why are these guys dragging me off? We need to talk so we can make plans.”
Mr. Bryant slowly turned from the fountain, and the look in his eyes was so cold and empty that Billy took a step away from him, pulling against his captors’ hold.
Mr. Bryant’s voice, flat and devoid of emotion, answered him. “Don’t play games with me, William. I can see into your soul and you don’t have what it takes. You will do what I tell you, when I tell you, and your wife will have a quick death. Otherwise, I can’t be held responsible for what she may have to endure.”
The fear in Billy’s belly turned to ice. What was this? Had Mr. Bryant been brainwashed? He sounded like a zombie. He glanced at his guards again; still no expression. They either didn’t notice how strange this was or they were completely on board. Billy let the men lead him away, eager to be far from this creepy version of Mr. Bryant.
Chapter 30
“Sarah,” Billy thought hard but didn’t say anything out loud. “Can you hear me?”
“Yes, and I heard everything. What are we going to do?”
Being able to communicate with Sarah through a ring with just the power of thought was amazing!
“You have to meet Mary Sinclair at the cafe on Broad Street before noon and tell her what’s going on. She’s tall with red hair and really pretty. Classy looking. I don’t think you’ll have any trouble finding her. Just tell her who you are and get her out of there. I’ll try to contact Uncle Bill and Mr. Radcliffe and tell them what I know. Sarah, I love you. Please be careful.”
“Billy, remember the voices we heard? I really believe they were from God, and that He’s leading us. Don’t forget to talk to Him too, okay?”
Billy caught himself before answering her out loud. “I will,” he thought to her.
Dear God, he began immediately knowing he could use all the help he could get. I’ve always believed that You exist, but You never answered my prayers when I was growing up or let me see You in any way, so I pictured You as something being there, but not really the helpful Father figure that the Bible portrays You to be. But God, if You are that, please let me see it now. I’m not asking for any magic signs or anything. Just Your help saving the world and all the people that You created. I can’t imagine You want them to all be destroyed. You must have plans for each of them.
If what the Bible says about people needing to accept Jesus as their Savior and confess their sins so they can be saved is true, well, I don’t think all of them are ready. Myself included. Please give us time to accept You before it’s too late. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Billy looked up when his guards stopped to enter a code and realized they were at the door that led down the hall to Mr. Bryant’s office. He glanced back toward the front desk hoping Mary would be there so he could give her a signal that something was very wrong, but the desk was empty. Looking around he noticed the whole building was deserted.
His pulse quickened as he made a decision. Taking advantage of his captors’ distraction with the code he put all of his force into a downward motion, breaking their grips on his arms as he spun towards the front door. Not even hoping to outrun them and make an escape, he just hoped to make it outside to attract someone’s attention so they could go for help.
Much quicker than he would have thought possible, Blue grabbed both of his arms from behind and wrenched them upward painfully, stopping Billy in his tracks with a grunt. Without a word the guards repositioned Billy between them, their grips on his arms vice-like to prevent another chance of escape, then they propelled him through the now open door and down the hall.
Knowing escape at this point was impossible, he walked obediently when his guards urged him on, wondering where they were taking him, and what would happen when they got there. He decided to try another tactic.
“So where are we going, guys?” he asked in a friendly manner. Neither man replied. “What was up with Mr. Bryant?” he tried again looking from one face to the other. “I’ve seen him get angry before, but he was really acting weird, right?” His words weren’t even acknowledged.
Billy gave up on the non-responsive guards and noticed they were passing the restaurant where he’d eaten with Mr. Bryant. Remembering his ring he thought about Uncle Bill and could instantly hear him answer.
“Uncle Bill. It’s Eugene Bryant! He’s at the head of all of this. He’s getting ready to do something big. Oh! Sarah said Ritchie was with her, so you have an imposter working with you.”
“Slow down, my boy. We already discovered the imposter. He hurried two more products through production before we caught on, so now we are trying to run containment on them. Where are you?”
“Still in the office. Two of Mr. Bryant’s henchmen are taking me somewhere. He wants me to replace you as a Top and use that power to kill off everyone he doesn’t think is worthy to live. I don’t have any idea how to stop him. He’s acting really strange. I mean if I had to make a guess, I would say he’s possessed; and yes, I know that sounds crazy!”
“Nothing is impossible, my boy,” Uncle Bill answered gravely. “Did you have a chance to implement the plan we discussed?”
Billy grimaced, “No, not really. Unfortunately, the man who contacted me from the inside was Stanley Bennett, the man who had an ‘accident’ last night.” He let those words sink in.
“Then Mary Sinclair came to see me and I got...side tracked. I think Mary’s on our side, though, and it sounds like she has a group with her. I’m not sure how many people are involved. The Protectors? Sarah is going to meet her in a little bit because Mr. Bryant is after her, Mary that is. Sarah’s going to try to sneak Mary away before he gets to her,” Billy spilled everything he knew as fast as possible.
“Mary Sinclair, huh,” Billy could hear a smile in his uncle’s voice. “Very fortuitous for us. She can take care of herself. It will be good for her to be with Sarah; Mary will help protect her. Billy, you know how you told me you and Sarah both heard a voice, and no one was there?”
“Yes,” Billy thought.
“If you hear that voice again, do what it tells you to do.”
“How will I know that it’s not a trick by someone like Mr. Bryant? What if it tells me to kill you so I can take your place?”
“Okay,” Uncle Bill said patiently, “if you hear a voice that lines up with God’s Word, follow it. Even if you just feel like He is telling you to do something, do it, all right?”
Billy nodded, then glanced at the guards hoping they hadn’t noticed, but they were busy entering a code on another locked door. “Okay, I will. It looks like we’re going into a room at the very end of the corridor past the restaurant. Be careful and look out for Sarah for me if you can.”
“Sarah will be in good hands with Mary. I’ll get you out of there soon.”
His uncle’s voice was gone, and Billy looked around the room the guards left him in. It looked like an office similar
to his own but much simpler. Basic furniture that appeared to be bolted to the floor, a small bathroom with a toilet and a sink, but no mirror and certainly no walk-in closet.
Billy tried to open the door but wasn’t surprised to find it locked. He paced back and forth and made some decisions. He was going to trust Sarah, of course, and Uncle Bill and Mary. He wasn’t sure what secrets Uncle Bill and Mary were keeping from him, but figured that in the overall scheme of things they were all on the same side.
He wondered if his uncle would be able to stop the contaminated foods from being distributed. Billy had a lot of faith in what a Top could accomplish. At the same time, if the local police and even the FBI were working for Mr. Bryant, it wouldn’t be easy to stop them.
Even though he didn’t expect it to open, Billy tried the door again. He twisted and pulled on the handle, finally giving the door a swift kick out of frustration. He stalked across the room and sat in the office chair then lowered his head to his hands.
Minutes seemed to fly past as he struggled against an overwhelming feeling of helplessness. He wasn’t too worried about his own safety. Mr. Bryant wanted him for something. He would just have to find a way to make sure Sarah was safe before letting Mr. Bryant know he had no intentions of doing whatever he wanted him to do.
He closed his eyes for a moment and heard a loud click. His eyes flew open and he looked toward the door where the noise seemed to come from. Holding his breath he counted silently; one second, two. When nothing happened he crept across the room and tried the handle again, only slightly surprised when it moved. He jerked the door open, hoping to catch whoever was outside off guard. The hall was empty except for a white envelope laying on the floor at his feet. He picked it up cautiously then tore it open.
Same place. M.
Mary! He wondered how she knew where to find him as he jogged down the hall toward the front door. He stopped when he encountered the coded door blocking his path. He certainly didn’t know the code or have a pass, but noticed the light on the control panel was green. He tried the handle and it opened. Someone left it unlocked for him! He rushed past the still-unoccupied front desk and straight to his truck in the parking lot, careful not to make eye contact with the few people he passed.