Jackie reached a hand up to her braid, worrying the ends of it between her fingers as she considered Claudia’s proposal. “I can ask the others. I can’t promise they’ll all agree but I can ask.”
“Please,” Claudia said and Jackie disappeared from the room.
“You sure you don’t want anything for the pain?” Claudia asked. “Looks like you guys cleared out the entire hospital. We’ve got plenty of options.”
She shook her head again. As it stood, whatever they’d given her was still working. There was a dull ache throughout her body but it was manageable. She knew the pain would get worse as the drugs wore off but for now, she was good.
“Are you warm enough? Jackie said to leave your back open to the air but I can cover your legs and arms at least, or are you hot? There’s also more pillows if you want, make you more comfortable. Or do you want more tea?”
Veronica put a hand on her knee and squeezed, putting an end to Claudia’s hyper string of questions. Something was wrong with her and so she drew two question marks on her leg.
“I just--” Her voice choked off as tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back. Her voice was small when she spoke again. “I saw you up there. I saw him push you and I thought that was it. I thought you were gone.”
Veronica took her hand and brought it to her lips, pressing a small kiss in her palm. It was the only thing she could think to do to reassure her baby sister.
Maybe it was a good thing that she couldn’t talk. She wouldn’t know what to say. There wasn’t any combination of words that would make what happened better. It might have been her in the noose but that didn’t mean she was the only one traumatized by it.
“I love you,” Claudia said, giving her a watery smile. “We don’t say it enough. We should say it more.”
Veronica turned over Claudia’s hand so she could write on her palm. ILY2.
There was a knock on the door and Claudia smiled and stood up from the bed, letting go of Veronica’s hand to beckon in the visitor.
Tears filled Veronica’s eyes when Jackson came to stand beside the bed. He looked no worse for wear physically, but the haunted look in his eyes told her he wasn’t untouched.
He stood beside the bed, his hands stuffed in his pockets and his shoulders hunched. He wasn’t sure what to do with himself here, his eyes darting around the room and then back to her.
She reached out a hand for him and he took it, his grip gentle, as if he was scared to touch her. She tugged on his hand, pulling him closer and he sat down on the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle her.
“Ya okay?” he asked, his voice as rough as gravel. His other hand hovered over her shoulder but he didn’t touch her, his eyes raking over her wounded back. “Stupid question, huh?”
“She can’t talk,” Claudia told him, “But she can write. Give her your palm.”
Jackson turned over his palm in her hand and she traced her finger over his skin. OK now. U?
He huffed out a laugh, his hair falling down over his eyes. “I’m okay now too.”
She wanted to reach up and brush the hair out of his eyes, needing to see his baby blues but she couldn’t raise her hand more than a few inches off the bed. So she’d have to bring him to her.
Lay down.
His mouth dropped into a frown. “I don’t wanna hurt ya. Ya need to stay as still as possible right now.”
No. Down.
She heard him sigh and then the mattress dipped slightly as he shifted himself around so he was stretched out on his side next to her. He put his head next to hers on the pillow and she smiled as she looked into his eyes. There, that was better.
The tension drained from her and she scooted her head over so she could press a soft kiss to his lips.
It was only the lightest touch but for the first time in two days, she felt safe. As long as he was here, she would be okay. She tightened her grip on his hand and he pulled back from the kiss.
“I ain’t goin’ anywhere, okay? Won’t leave ya again.”
She kissed him again, ignoring the pain as she leaned in closer to him, deepening the kiss. Before it could get too much, she heard a throat clearing behind her.
“I’m going to leave you two alone,” Claudia said, her voice filled with amusement. Veronica had forgotten her sister was still in the room. “I’ll be just outside. If she needs anything, just call.”
Veronica stared at Jackson as her sister left the room, afraid that if she took her eyes off of him, he would disappear. It was a silly thought, she knew that, but this whole thing felt like some kind of dream. It was probably just the haze of the pain meds but she still kept a hold of his hand, determined not to let him go.
“Ya should get some rest,” Jackson said, brushing her hair off her face and tucking it behind her ear. “It’ll help ya feel better.”
No, she wasn’t ready for sleep yet. Now that the idea that this was a dream had popped into her head, she felt a sudden dread at the idea of closing her eyes. What if she woke up back in that dark cell, facing her own execution?
The memory of her feet on the edge of the trailer, the noose digging into her neck, flashed to the front of her mind and she inhaled a sharp breath.
“What is it?” Jackson asked, tensing beside her. “Ya need more meds?”
She gave a small shake of her head and wrote on his hand. No sleep. Talk.
“I ain’t much in the way of idle conversation, ya know that. Sure ya don’t want me to bring back yer sister?”
Movie.
That got her a genuine smile from him. For all his claims that he wasn’t a talker, he’d filled hours of silence during their time on the road, reciting almost word for word his favourite movies for Veronica and the girls. He was the perfect candidate to distract her from the memories of the last two days.
“Alright, well, I promised the girls we’d finish Back to the Future together so we should start with somethin’ else. Probably wanna stick to somethin’ PG, light on the violence. How ‘bout Pretty in Pink?”
Well, that wasn’t what she was expecting. Her face obviously showed her surprise as Jackson frowned, looking a little defensive.
“It’s a good movie,” he said. “Ya got a problem with Molly Ringwald?”
No. Go ahead.
She laid there as Jackson began to tell her about Andie’s life in high school, his voice lulling her into a sense of safety. This was exactly what she needed. She would unpack what had happened to her later. For now, she was safe and she was loved.
Subject File #760
Subject: I know that most people would feel pity for those women but I don’t.
Administrator: Why not? By your own accounts, they suffered significant abuse under Jacob and the other men.
Subject: I know and I’m empathetic, I just don’t pity them. They survived what happened to them. They could have just given up but they didn’t. I know I didn’t go through even a quarter of what they did, but it makes me feel better to know that they survived it. It means I can too.
Travis watched as the sky lightened with the dawn, the rolling pastures of the farm gilded by the rising sun. Birds chirped in the trees that lined the pastures for a wind break, their morning song punctuated by the heavy bass of the cows lowing in the barn. It had been their morning calls that had drawn him out of the camper.
Not that he minded. He’d had a fitful sleep, drifting off for a while and then starting awake. It would take him a moment to remember that he wasn’t in that cell anymore.
Each time it happened, it was harder to get back to sleep and finally he gave up trying when the animals woke up. Morning was here even if the sun wasn’t quite up yet.
He heard the snap of the camper door closing and he turned to see Malcolm coming towards him. He looked dead on his feet, his confident swagger gone as he trooped over to the fence.
“You should sleep some more,” Travis said. “You look exhausted.”
“So do you,” Malcolm replied.
“P
robably better to have someone else drive back then,” Travis said. “The way Banks was snoring in there, I think he should be the candidate.”
Malcolm chuckled. “Like a chainsaw, isn’t he?”
“I don’t get how you guys didn’t attract hordes of freaks out on the road with that sound.”
“I think Mendez kept a pillow over his face most nights,” Malcolm joked but then his face turned serious. “You doing okay though?”
Travis nodded. “Fine, why?”
“I just wanted to check in after what went down,” Malcolm said. “Getting strung up like that, it’s got leave some wounds behind.”
Travis’ hand instinctively went to his throat, rubbing at where the noose had been.
It had been terrifying, he had no problem admitting that. He had thought he was going to die, but it wasn’t his first go on that particular ride.
“Veronica got the worst of it,” Travis said. “Jacob actually pushed her off the trailer. I just stood there.”
“Just because you didn’t hang doesn’t mean it can’t still hurt. I’ve been through similar situations so I know what it’s like.”
“I know, and I’m not saying I’m one hundred percent with what happened,” he admitted, “But right now I’m still on that high from making it out alive.”
He knew that he was only biding time until he cracked. There was no way to walk away from this unscathed but for now whatever PTSD he might have wasn’t affecting him. He’d gladly ride that out however long it lasted.
“Fair enough,” Malcolm replied and then stared out at the pasture that was slowly becoming visible as the sun rose. “It’s nice here, isn’t it? Peaceful.”
“It is. Looking forward to getting home though.”
“Me too.” Malcolm pushed himself away from the fence. “Let’s go get the others moving.”
Before they had reached the camper, the door swung open and Nas stepped out, holding the door for Mendez and Banks, the latter giving a loud yawn as he stretched.
“Nice to have a good night’s sleep,” he said and Mendez shot him a look.
“Yeah, we all heard,” she shot back. “At one point it sounded like you choked on your own tongue.”
“I’m sorry I’m too manly for you,” Banks replied, puffing out his chest and hiking up his pants.
Mendez just rolled her eyes and turned to Malcolm. “The others up yet?”
Malcolm shook his head. “Haven’t seen them yet.”
“You want me to go knock?” she asked, glancing back at the house.
“Yeah, you probably should. I want to get on the road ASAP,” Malcolm said and Mendez headed around to the front of the house.
“You think they are going to be okay out here?” Travis asked. “After everything that went down, Jacob and his people are going to be pissed. What if they come here looking for revenge?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Malcolm said. “They’ve got a good set up here, but they are close to town and that makes it easier for Jacob to stumble across them. There are only sixteen of them. It wouldn’t hurt our stores to take them on.”
“How would we deal with their fear of men?” Banks asked.
“I don’t know,” Malcolm admitted, “But I don’t want that to be the reason we don’t offer. They are good people and I wouldn’t feel right leaving them to the wolves like that.”
“So we make the offer,” Nas said. “Lay all the cards on the table. We’ve still got two of the large cabins empty right now. We could offer that to them, give them a chance to get used to us and trust us. They can always refuse if they don’t like the idea.”
“You all good with that?” Malcolm asked and Travis nodded along with Banks.
He was more than fine with the idea. The thought of leaving them here to face the consequences while the rest of them had a lake between them and Jacob didn’t sit right. Offering them a chance to join them was the right thing to do.
“Do you think they’d want to bring the cows with them?” Banks asked when a particularly loud moo sounded from the barn. “I wouldn’t mind some fresh steak. The frozen meat we have has the taste of freezer burn to it.”
“How do you think we’re going to get those cows on the boat?” Travis asked with a laugh. “The chickens were bad enough getting back to the island. We’d need some kind of barge to get the cows over.”
“Good point,” Banks said and then turned contemplative, tapping his index finger on his chin. “Unless we found some very large lifejackets to put on them and let them swim over.”
“I don’t think they make heifer sized life jackets.”
“They should.”
“If only the US patent office was still open,” Nas said as he patted Banks on the shoulder.
“Come on,” Malcolm said, “Let’s go over there, talk with Sam, let him know we’re all on board with them coming, minus the cattle.”
They circled around to the front of the house, passing by one of the windows where Travis glimpsed a woman spying out. She dipped back behind the curtain the moment she realized Travis could see her.
He wasn’t so sure that these people would accept their offer. They’d been abused by Jacob and his group for who knew how long. Here they were in control. This was their place, not anyone else’s. Even with the promise of safety on the island, they might still see themselves being under someone else’s control.
As they reached the front of the house, Sam walked out the door holding it open so Jackson and Mendez could help Veronica outside.
She was standing on her own two feet but Jackson and Mendez flanked her, helping her keep her balance as she shuffled across the porch. She was pale and the bruises on her face and neck stood out even at this distance. She looked painfully stiff as she climbed down the two porch steps but Travis could see the determination in her eyes. She wasn’t going to let what happened stop her.
Jackson and Mendez helped her over to the van that they had pulled around to the driveway the night before. Travis went over and opened the back doors for them.
“We pulled out the back seat of the van,” Travis told her, “So you can lie down if you want.”
Veronica slowly lifted her head, her movements stiff with pain but she managed a smile for him when she met his eyes. She lifted her hand and lightly touched her neck.
“Alive,” she croaked out, her voice raspy and weak and her eyes flashing with pain from speaking only that one word but she kept smiling.
His own hand lifted to his neck, his fingers caressing the raw skin where the rope had left its mark, and smiled back. “And we’re going home, like we said.”
She gave a small nod of her head and then her focus changed to getting inside the van. Jackson and Mendez were there to help her and Travis realized that his extra set of hands were just getting in the way so he stepped back to leave them to it.
Sam and Claudia had come to join the rest of them in the driveway, Claudia holding a blue cooler.
“Are you sure about this?” Malcolm was asking Sam, gesturing over at the cooler. “You’re already giving us the van.”
“You hear those ladies calling from the barn?” Sam said and a particularly loud moo sounded. “We’ll get the same amount of milk from them in a few minutes. It’s no skin off our nose. Besides, the women want you all to have it. Claudia here told them you’ve got kids with you. They need the milk for growing bones. It’s been pasteurized so you don’t have to worry about that. Oh, and we put some butter in there too.”
“You didn’t have to,” Malcolm said.
“We want to,” Sam replied. “If it wasn’t for you, me and those women would still be back at the Complex. We owe you.”
“Look, our camp, it’s more than just some camp,” Malcolm said. “It wasn’t bullshit that Nas and I were CIA. The place where we’re staying, it’s an island that was outfitted to survive the end of the world. We’ve got electricity, running water, a medical clinic, weapons, and defenses. It’s safe and we’ve got plenty o
f room there. If you want to come with us, you can. I know that the women here are skittish but I promise you, no one in our group would ever do them any harm.”
“I appreciate the invitation,” Sam said and glanced at Claudia, who looked a bit embarrassed, “And it’s not the first one we’ve received. Claudia told us about your island last night.”
“Sorry,” Claudia said to Malcolm, “But I just figured you’d make the offer anyway. I thought the women might be more receptive to me giving the pitch. You know, woman to woman.”
“No worries, you figured right,” Malcolm told her and turned to Sam. “But are you sure?
“We discussed it last night,” Sam said. “We’ve made this our home now and we want to stay.”
“But if Jacob finds you out here...”
“He won’t. I don’t expect his group to last out the winter after what we did to them. Jacob has always looked for the easy route. Their strength was always the building and the protection it offered. If we’re lucky, the fire has made the Complex uninhabitable. If it isn’t, then we’ve still dealt them a hell of a blow. People are going to question Jacob’s leadership. The only reason Jacob has those men under his thumb is because he’s made things easy for them. Now it won’t be. They will blame him and I think a lot will leave. If they don’t, they’ll abandon him as their leader. Either way, they’re broken. We’ve just got to wait them out.”
Travis had to admire their resolve. After only two days within the walls of the Complex, Travis wanted to get as far away from it as possible. These women had endured months there and they were willing to stay and fight for what they had.
“You’ve got a CB antenna on the truck out there,” Malcolm said. “Does it work?”
Sam nodded. “We’ve heard a few voices on it but we’ve never responded. We weren’t sure if it was Jacob looking for us.”
“If you ever have any trouble or if you need to leave this place, head to Alpena and then get on channel 22. We check the broadcasts every day at noon. Let us know it’s you and we’ll come pick you up.”
The Complex (The Omega Protocol Chronicles Book 3) Page 44