The Sabbath

by Nsenga, Arthur

  “She should be in there,” Lana said, pointing her finger.

  “Adam, can you open cell five in solitary confinement?” Cory asked over the radio.

  Within seconds, the barred door slid open and the steel door behind it made a clicking sound. Lana stood guard as Cory cautiously pushed the door open. He took a step inside and pitch black darkness consumed him. He couldn’t even see his hands in front of his face.

  Cory had never been afraid of the dark before, but fear crept into his soul. He shook it off, but the fear was replaced by repulsion from a foul odor. The smell of dead rats and human waste attacked him from all angles. Cory couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed it as soon as he walked in. He searched his chest for the wire that allowed him to communicate with the others.

  “Yo, Adam, can we get some light in here?”

  “Yeah, let me find that for you.”

  An even dimmer light came on from the overhead. Cory found himself in an eight by ten foot cell with low ceilings. There were no windows or any ventilation, and in the corner was a flooded, metal sink and toilet combo. He spotted a feeble body, balled up on a hard mattress, facing the wall. Cory leaned toward the figure.

  “Isabel?” he spoke gently, touching her on the shoulders.

  Her body flinched at his slightest touch. Cory pulled her shoulders toward him.

  “Bell, it’s me, Cory. We’ve come to take you home.”

  Looking at Isabel’s face, Cory was horror-struck. She looked like death. Her body was bruised all over, with two huge contusions on both sides of her forehead that made it look like she grew out devil’s horns. Both eyes were blackened, and one was swollen shut, while the other was reduced to a squint. Her nose was bloody and knocked out of place, and her lips were split and swollen. When she opened her mouth, she revealed bloody stained teeth.

  “Cory?” she said, exhausted. “What took you so long?”

  Cory let off a light smile as tears rolled down his face. His worst fear was behind him. He was thrilled to finally get his sister back, even in her beaten state.

  “Sorry, but it’s not easy breaking into prison. I’m so proud of you, Bell… I think it’s time you got out of here, come on.”

  Cory helped Isabel to her feet. She faltered on her first step.

  “Will you be able to walk?” Cory asked.

  She held tight onto Cory’s arms and with her legs shaking, she let out a small grin and said, “Yeah, it’s just that I ain’t used these in a while.”

  They walked out the door to Lana, who was already bawling.

  “Isabel?” Lana said, lunging her body forward, embracing Isabel while almost knocking her over.

  “It’s good to see you, too.”

  “I’m so sorry, Isabel. I should never have left you,” Lana said, crying on her shoulders.

  “Now, now, my plan worked out fine,” Isabel said, patting Lana’s back. “A couple of days late, but it worked out fine.”

  Cory was astonished at his sister’s newfound strength. Wow, to endure what she endured and still be high in spirits. Amazing, he thought.

  “Okay guys, I’m really ready to go home now. I’ve had it with this place.”

  “Not yet, Bell,” Cory replied. “We have to get mom.”

  25

  They moved closer to the infirmary. As they were about to turn the corner, Adam’s voice rang in their ears.

  “Stop! There are two guards straight ahead.”

  Cory stretched out his arm, stopping the others in their tracks.

  “What is it?” Isabel whispered.

  “There’s two men right around the corner,” Cory replied, poking his head to see if anyone was coming.

  “I thought every guard was in the third division?” Lana whispered.

  “I guess not.”

  “I’ve got an idea; time to put those lab coats to use,” Isabel said.

  Cory and Lana turned the corner, with Isabel walking in the middle. She pretended to have her hands tied behind her back while Cory and Lana held her up by the shoulders.

  “Hey, can we get some help here?” Cory called out to the two officers guarding the door. Both guards came charging toward them.

  “We can take it from here, doctor,” one of the guards shouted as he approached.

  All they needed was for them to lower their guard. When both officers were in clear sight, Isabel swung her hands from behind her back, revealing two 9-millimeter pistols, and shot the officers to the ground. They didn’t want to risk exposure, so Cory and Lana helped drag the bodies behind a wall away from clear sight.

  “If it gets hot in there, we’ll switch to live ammo, cause these tranquilizers don’t put these clowns down fast enough,” Cory said, standing over the bodies.

  They walked up to a large steel door.

  “Adam, can you unlock the door?” Cory said.

  “Yeah, she’s in room twenty-four - and Cory, stay alert, there are more guards inside,” Adam replied.

  “So much for little resistance,” Lana mocked.

  They pushed the door open as they resumed their ploy of Isabel playing possum.

  The infirmary looked like heaven compared to solitary confinement. It had high ceilings, and bright lights guided you through the halls. Everything looked clean and in place. As soon as they entered, they found themselves in the waiting area. It was furnished with clear plastic chairs and a round table. There were two guards sitting down, talking. They took one glance at Cory and the others, then returned to their conversation.

  There was a reception desk straight ahead with a hospital clerk. She appeared to be even less concerned with their presence than the guards had been. Cory just hoped that they didn’t cross paths with an actual doctor. He feared it wouldn’t be as easy to masquerade with a real doctor present. They counted up the rooms until they were standing in front of a blue door with a number twenty-four on top. Pushing the door open, they spotted several doctors at a distance, preoccupied with their patients, and a few nurses walking around.

  Finding Cory’s mother wasn’t going to be easy. The room itself was huge, and inside were numerous cubical stations, divided by five-foot walls. Each station contained four hospital beds, separated by five-foot white curtains. Standing up, they had an aerial view of the layout of the floor and the patients in the beds, but Cory’s mother wasn’t in sight. Taking a deep breath, Cory prepared himself to play a game of hide-and-seek.

  “There should be a free bed in the corner,” a nurse said as she passed by Cory and the others.

  Cory hadn’t noticed her coming, but was thankful they fooled her. He waited until she disappeared into a cubicle before giving out his order.

  “Okay, we got to split up. Isabel, go with Lana. Radio me when you guys find mom,” he instructed.

  “All right, we’ll take the left side of the room. You take the right,” Lana replied.

  They went their separate ways, being cautious of the doctors and the nurses. Cory understood the importance of remaining in character, so he walked through the room graciously. The first cubical he looked into had a nurse in it, checking on a patient.

  “Don’t mind me,” he said, stepping into the room.

  The nurse turned and gave Cory the same stare you would give a stranger sitting in your living room. However, the puzzled look never deterred Cory’s composure. Cracking a light smile, he extended out his hand.

  “Dr. Evans, I’m new to the staff.”

  She paused for a second, letting her brain process this new information. Then she set her clipboard down and shook Cory’s hand using both of her hands.

  “Hello, doctor, I’m Shantall. Nice to meet you,” she said.

  “Likewise,” Cory said with a smile. “Don’t mind me now, I’m just trying to get familiar with the patients.”

  “Oh, all right, but you look mighty young to be a doctor.”

  Cory gave out a fake laugh, “Thank you, graduated early…top of my class, too.”

  “Wow, well, you should
get somebody to show you your locker, instead of carrying that big ol’ bag around,” Shantall said, looking at Cory’s black bag.

  “Yes, I will after this,” Cory said, ending their conversation.

  Cory examined the four patients lying unconscious in their beds, and none of them was his mother. Just his luck, he hurried to the other cubicles but still couldn’t find his mother in sight. Frustration increased with every passing hospital bed he set his eyes on. He wondered if his mother was even there in the first place. Discouragement crept into his soul, but he refused to give up. As he was about to make his way to another cubicle, Lana radioed in.

  “We found her.”

  Cory’s heart jumped with joy as he let out a huge sigh of relief. He twirled his head scanning the entire room, but Lana or Isabel were nowhere in sight.

  “Where are you?” he asked.

  “We’re near the back, I’ll stand up.”

  Within seconds, Lana’s head came popping up from the wall, and Cory started speed walking toward them. His anxiety heightened with every step. When Cory walked in, Isabel was on her knees with her back facing him.

  “She’s right there,” Lana whispered while pointing toward Isabel.

  He caught a quick glimpse of his mother’s smile. Her smile could melt glaciers, the same smile taken away from Cory for too long. He at once fell to his knees, sobbing near his mother’s bedside.

  “Hi, baby,” Elizabeth Shembo said softly, reaching her hand over to Cory.

  It filled his heart to see his mother again, but was again saddened by her condition. Elizabeth was lying in bed with countless intravenous needles all over her body. She was bald, and had a scary pale complexion - so much so, that you saw all the blue veins that ran across her body. She had dark circles under her eyes, and the pupils were dull and without color.

  Her bones were protruding from underneath her skin, and her fingers had never looked so scrawny and thin before. When she reached out for Cory’s hand, her grasp was shaky, and her skin was arctic to the touch. Her speech was slurred and faint and every time she closed her eyes, Cory thought the worst because her breaths were so shallow it made it hard to see the rise and fall of her chest.

  Cory was overtaken by emotions. This was the worst he had ever seen his mother, and he blamed himself for not being there for her.

  “I should have come for you sooner, mama,” he said, still crying and grasping for air.

  “Shhh, Shhh, baby, let me take a good look at you.”

  “You guys found her yet? Everyone’s back at the control center, we’re ready to release the other captives,” Adam radioed in, interrupting their reunion.

  One look at his mother and Cory knew she didn’t have the energy to walk.

  “Adam, can you check the area for any wheelchairs?” Cory asked.

  “Not in the room, and you guys don’t have the time to look. A guard just spotted the two bodies you guys hid. You guys need to get out of there now!”

  “Fuck!” Cory spoke under his breath.

  “Watch your mouth,” Elizabeth said with a whisper. “Now you guys go on, leave me - you’ve already given me everything I could ever ask for.”

  Cory looked around while thinking of a plan to get them safely back to the control center. He unzipped his bag and pulled out an M16 rifle, prompting Lana to do the same. He screwed a silencer onto the barrel of the gun and then handed it to Isabel with his radio.

  “Switch to live ammo. Bell, you and Lana have to guide us through this,” he ordered. “Mom, I’m not leaving you here, but I’m going to have to ask you to be strong again…Mommy, I need you to be strong.”

  Cory took off his bulletproof vest and placed it on Elizabeth. Every time her body moved, she gritted her teeth in pain. He then slid his hands underneath Elizabeth and scooped her up. She let out a loud grunt that led to unwanted attention. Cory scanned the room and spotted two doctors making their way toward them.

  “Hey, is everything all right?” a doctor shouted.

  Cory ignored him and signaled Lana and Isabel to lead they way. Lana nodded as she stepped out the room. Both doctors made their way around the corner and were standing directly across from Lana. Before they could shout for help, Lana pulled her index finger to her lips and warned them to stay quiet.

  The doctors dropped their clipboards and raised their hands, but the sound of the clipboards dropping to the floor was like a bomb going off in a quiet room. More heads turned their way as the situation escalated. The sound of footsteps running toward the exit followed. Within seconds, nurses and doctors bolted to the exit, their screams going with them.

  “Let them go,” Cory said.

  Lana set the doctors free and stood watch as they ran toward the door. Doctors and nurses were the only personnel that Lana refused to shoot, and as she walked closer to the exit, she prayed that they wouldn’t force her hand. They walked in single file; Lana was in the front, followed by Cory, while Isabel trailed behind, covering their backsides.

  “Adam, you’ve got to lead us,” Lana radioed in.

  “I gotcha! You guys made quite a noise out there. You’ve got one guard ushering people out. Two more are trying to contact the control center…and now one of them just ran out the door. Probably trying to make contact manually. I count ten guards who you guys are up against… I’m sending Destiny and the Professor over to you now,” Adam said.

  “No, go free the others. We got this…what kind of weapons do they have?” Lana asked.

  “Standard handgun. Nothing like what you guys have…okay, there’s movement now. As soon as you exit that door, there are three guards behind a fixture to the left, and two more on your right. Oh wait - two more are walking toward the door right now.”

  Lana and the others hid behind a wall and waited for the guards to enter the room. Looking behind them, Lana saw Elizabeth grimacing in pain in Cory’s arms. Meanwhile, Isabel shuffled her way to the front near Lana.

  “Wait for both to come inside. I’ll take out the first one. You’ll get the other one,” Lana ordered, as Isabel nodded.

  “Give up now! We have the building surrounded!” one of the guards said as he entered the room, while his partner followed behind.

  Lana took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. As soon as the first body dropped, Isabel shot the other guard down before he could even blink.

  “Eight,” Lana counted. “Adam, any ideas.”

  “Have Cory stay back, but take his sister with you and take cover behind the door. Wait there until I give you guys the signals.”

  They did as they were told, and waited behind the door. Things weren’t looking good - Lana knew it would be a miracle if they got out of this one; the only thing that can save them was a genie. Looking at Isabel’s face, Lana took in the abuse she must have been through.

  “Are you all right?” she mouthed.

  Isabel nodded and gave her a shy smile as they continued to wait behind the door. A few minutes went by with the girls not moving a muscle.

  Adam’s voice radioed in.

  “Guys, get ready.”

  Lana tightened her jaw prepared for action.

  Within seconds, all she heard was gunfire.

  “Okay, to your left - three guards running toward you, get—”

  The girls didn’t wait for Adam to finish. Isabel flung the door open while Lana dove out, firing shots at her victims. She didn’t bother waiting to see if her bullets hit their marks. Almost immediately, she turned her body around, ready to fire at whoever was behind her. She never expected to find Destiny and Bienaimé smiling back at her as they walked over a guard’s body.

  Before she could rejoice, Isabel came bolting out, aiming her gun.

  “No! They’re with us,” Lana shouted just as Isabel was about to pull the trigger. Isabel lowered her weapon as Lana let out a big sigh of relief.

  “Thanks, Adam.”

  “No problem, Lana - just don’t refuse the help next time, tough guy!” Adam teased.

&
nbsp; When Lana went back into the room with the others, Cory was on the floor, holding onto his ill mother. He was relieved to see Destiny and Bienaimé, and knew he had them to thank for their lives.

  “How is she?” Bienaimé asked, concerned.

  “I don’t know - she has never been this bad,” Cory said, holding his mother tight.

  Bienaimé took his hand and placed it on top of Elizabeth’s shoulders, waking her.

  “Hello, my dear,” he smiled.

  “Bienaimé, it’s so good to see you,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “Thank you for taking care of my boy.”

  “You should be proud; you raised a great man. You rest up now; we’ll take care of you, then we can finish up our debate.”

  Elizabeth smiled as she closed her eyes. Bienaimé patted Cory on the shoulders to show his support.

  “We have to get her to the control center, out of harm’s way - then we can free the others - but we don’t have much time. Guards outside are trying to get into the building, and it won’t be long before they give up on the radio and send somebody out for help,” Bienaimé informed.

  “You guys have done enough; go free the others. We still have to take control of this prison, and plus, you guys just cleared the way for us,” Cory pointed out.

  “All right, you guys hurry now,” Bienaimé said as he took Destiny and ran out the door.

  “We’ve got to get going, too,” Lana said, urging Cory and Isabel to follow her lead.

  “Everything is clear,” Adam radioed in as they went through the hallways.

  They picked up their speed, not stopping until they reached the control center. Adam and a mysterious woman in an orange jumpsuit greeted them, while Zaire preyed on Dr. Phils in the background.

  “Glad you guys made it,” Adam said, walking toward them. “How is she?”

  Lana stood and watched in awe as Cory and Isabel carefully laid their mother on the ground, using a lab coat as a pillow.

  “Lana?” Adam said, hoping to get her attention.