“For once, I agree with you. For the amount you’ve had to drink, you should at least be slurring your words. Maybe some of the Pacize is still in your system and blocking the alcohol.”
“Is it supposed to do that?”
“How would I know? I’m no scientist. It’s not like I’ve ever brought someone back before and fed them beers.”
“Well shit, this is a bust. I can’t even get drunk because of what those bastards did to me. All those years in a damn coma, someone owes me something.” He started looking around the room. “What about her?” he said, motioning to a young, pretty blonde at the edge of the dance floor. “You could use that little mind game and make her do whatever you wanted, right?”
“Don’t even ask. We’re trying not to be noticed here any more than absolutely necessary.”
“Humph. Maybe you’re trying not to be noticed, but not me.”
They both stared at each other for a while. Christa tried again to mentally suggest to him that they leave, but nothing. It had no effect on him. He tried to slide past Christa, but she pushed him back. He turned his attention to Leekasha, putting his arm around her shoulder. Christa bristled and started to speak, but Andreas interrupted, “Hey, you said you wanted us to blend in. Now we look like a fun couple enjoying a romantic dinner with the girl that’s about to join us later for our little ménage à trois. What do ya say?”
Christa said nothing. Instead, she tried suggesting to Leekasha mentally that she push Andreas away. Leekasha just sat there silently. Christa tried again. She suggested that Andreas would harm her, that he wanted to hurt her, that he was a bad person and she should run. Leekasha turned this time and looked towards Christa. For the first time, Christa took notice of her dark brown eyes and long black hair. Those eyes looked so hollow. Hollow and sad. Christa tried again, this time more vehemently. He will violate you and leave you for dead … get away from him. Now!
Leekasha slid herself towards the end of the booth away from Andreas and out from under his arm. At first, Andreas just looked at Leekasha,
“Ah, c’mon, baby, not you too. What’s wrong with the women around here?”
Then he looked into Christa’s face and could see the look of determination and beads of sweat just forming.
“You did that. What is your problem? Why did you bring me back if you’re just determined to keep my life boring as hell? At least when I was under the drug I could imagine getting laid, being drunk and having a good time.”
He turned and looked at Leekasha, who was now shaking at the end of the bench. She didn’t seem to have the energy to move any further. The end of the bench was as far as the determination to flee instilled by Christa would take her.
Andreas laughed. “If that’s the furthest you can go, things may just work out for me after all. I don’t mind a little bit of a chase.”
He looked to Christa, obviously tired from the exertion, and more than a little frustrated with the situation.
“You know what,” Andreas said, “If you can play those little brain games, then maybe so can I. You thought there was something special about me, so let’s put it to the test. I think she’s game,” he said, motioning towards Leekasha. “I think she really wants to get to know me better. Let’s give it a go.”
“Don’t you dare, you jackass,” Christa said.
Andreas already was. He looked into Leekasha’s dark brown eyes, and thought, c’mon, hon, slide right over here next to me.
Before Christa could smile and say, “See, it’s not so easy is it, you scum?” Leekasha slid up next to Andreas. Andreas slid his arm back around her and put his other hand on her knee.
Andreas said to Leekasha, “I knew you had feelings for me, baby.”
Christa tried to reach her again mentally, but got nothing. She was either too tired, or he had too strong of a hold on her.
“Well, what do you know,” Andreas crowed proudly. “It looks like I can do all the same tricks you can. Maybe even better. Hell, I bet I can do even more. What do ya say? You up for a little wager? I’ll bet you I can bring this one back the same way you brought me back. You couldn’t even do that, now, could you? What do you suppose she’d do? Things didn’t go all that well last time you tried it. I’m sure I can do better though. Let’s try it, shall we?”
Before Christa could finish saying, “Don’t …” Andreas was already in Leekasha’s head. He thought about what it felt like to be under the control of the drug. How much it hurt, and no matter how much he screamed, the pain never went away. He could hear her screams and followed them. They meandered around corners, down pits and up into mountains. The screaming got louder the closer he climbed. Eventually he could picture a ravine with a rope bridge across, but the bridge was broken and hanging down the sides. He reached across the ravine, with just his right arm stretching it further than it should be able to go, and grabbed the broken bridge. With his left arm, he grabbed the near side of the bridge and brought the two sides together till the ropes touched. The two sides fused and the bridge was once again whole and undamaged.
Andreas open his eyes, and the first thing he noticed was the look of horror on Christa’s face. The next thing he noticed was the bodies in the booth next to theirs. Two couples broken and bleeding. Their throats were torn wide open, with warm blood gushing out. Then he saw Leekasha feeding on the same pretty blonde girl that Andreas had noticed earlier.
Leekasha’s attack reminded him of Captain Willie. Of how good it felt to release all that tension and pain that had tortured him for years. He still remembered the pain, and still felt it. No amount of killings would ever take that away, but he understood why Leekasha had done what she had. The pressure had to go somewhere. It couldn’t just stay inside.
“Leekasha, now look what you’ve done,” he said, smiling. “You’ve gone and killed the pretty one. Why didn’t you just take the fat one over there?”
Christa moved quickly to Leekasha, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her off the blonde. Andreas piped up over the booth, “It’s too late now, she’s already ruined that one.” He looked at his empty beers, then around the room. It was quickly being vacated by screaming patrons running and tripping over each other for the exits.
“Don’t suppose there’s any chance of me flagging down a waitress in this mess. We may as well go. Alright, Christa, I suppose we can do it your way now. What did you have in mind?”
Christa was already leading Leekasha towards the exits. Andreas got up and casually followed them, grabbing a half-full beer from a deserted table.
Kill or Die
Alex and Chaz were loading the last of the supplies into the back of the black military-grade SUV before heading out.
“We’ve got enough ammo and rations here to equip six of us, Colonel. How long exactly do they think we’re going to be gone for?”
“Hard to say, kid. The lead we’ve got isn’t all that great, and we’ve got a big area to start searching in. A little extra gear is good. We can focus on finding Christa and not have to worry about where our next meal is coming from.”
“You might change your mind about that after you’ve eaten some of these military rations, Colonel. They’re not exactly your mom’s home cooking.”
“Yeah, thanks, kid. I’m well aware of military food. Here’s to hoping either it’s gotten a lot better in the last few years or we get lucky and find Christa quickly.”
“She’d like that.”
“What do you mean?”
Alex rubbed his eye and looked around nervously. “Well … she’s just having a hard time of it lately. Things aren’t really going her way.”
“She told you that? She still talks to you? Inside your head?”
“It’s more a feeling. She didn’t say anything exactly, I just know she feels sorry. She feels bad for what’s happening. I think she wants us to find her.”
“She knows we’re looking for her?”
“No, she can’t hear what I’m thinking. She doesn’t listen to me.
It’s just her telling me things.”
“You’re sure about that? She doesn’t know what’s in your head?”
“Yeah … I think so. I’m pretty sure. I mean, she never answered any of my questions.”
Rabban entered the garage and headed directly for Chaz with a purposeful stride.
“We need to talk, Colonel,” he said, looking over at Alex “Privately,” he added.
They headed over to the far corner, out of earshot of Alex.
“Things have escalated, Colonel. There were some killings in a club near Mobile, Alabama just a few hours ago. Security footage from the club identifies three people that match the three from the missing boat entering the club just before the murders took place. We’ve leaked a story that it was some drugged-up street punks that went nuts inside the club. If they pull another stunt like that, someone will start to piece things together. If word gets out about what’s really going on, we’ll have full-blown war on our hands.”
Chaz nodded in agreement. “The good news is, we have a solid lead. Unfortunately, that’s an eight-hour drive for us. They’ll be miles away by then.”
“No time for that, Colonel. There’s a transport copter inbound that’s big enough for both of you and your vehicle. They’ll be landing in the next ten minutes, and they’ll have you on the streets in Mobile in a couple of hours. I see you’re still intent on taking the kid with you. We have eyes on the streets in Mobile looking for these renegades. I can assign one of them to ride with you.”
“No thanks. Alex is good. I want him with me.”
“Does he know it’s Christa you’re looking for?”
“Yes. Don’t worry, he’ll step it up when he needs to.”
“I certainly hope you’re right, Colonel, because your orders have changed. This is primarily a kill mission now. Your priority is to stop them. If capturing them isn’t viable, then you need to terminate them. That includes Christa. She’s the one that instigated this. We’ve worked too hard to get this country back in one piece to have it all fall apart.”
“Jesus. We’ll bring them in. Killing won’t be necessary.”
“Colonel, don’t forget what’s at stake here. This country won’t survive another war. If you don’t shut this down in a hurry, you’ve signed all our death warrants. That includes Alex, me, and your family. Get it done.”
Rabban left the garage as Chaz pushed the button to open the bay doors. Chaz walked back to Alex at the SUV.
“Who was that guy, Colonel?”
“Just some government lackey wanting to wish us luck.”
They could see the helicopter dropping in for a landing as the garage doors opened.
“Oh yeah, and they upgraded our ride too, kid. We’re flying this beast to Mobile. Let’s get at it.”
A Difference of Opinion
The car raced along Highway 10 with Christa at the wheel. I don’t really like taking this road given its close proximity to the Gulf, but it’s the quickest way home. If the authorities figure out what happened on that boat, the towns along the coast are the first places they’ll look. These two are a disaster waiting to happen, and I really don’t want to have them out in the wild for any longer than absolutely necessary. The sooner I get them back the better.
Andreas woke from his slumber in the back of the car and said, “How much longer till we get there, boss? I’m getting a little peckish back here. Could use one of those humans to chew on. Any chance you’ve got some in the freezer back at your place?”
Christa tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “Trying to aggravate me is not going to get us there any faster or make our lives any easier. You know darn well there’s no reason for you to kill humans now. You can survive on regular food just as well as they can. Better actually with your improved biology.”
“Improved biology? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It just means you’re different. You can do some things better than most people.”
“So, it’s true. We’re better than everyone else.”
“I didn’t say you were better, I said you could do some things better. That’s all. It doesn’t make you a better person. In your case, I’d say you’re a little worse than average.”
Ignoring Christa’s last remark, Andreas nudged Leekasha awake and asked Christa, “So, if we’re so much better than the rest of them, why have you been hiding out in the swamps in a hole for all these years?”
“I’m not hiding, and it’s not a hole.”
“It’s a sinkhole, isn’t it? It swallowed up that entire swamp and all the buildings around it. Sounds like a hole to me.”
“It’s an entire network of underground caves. It goes on for miles, and has plenty of nice spots to live in. The water drained from the upper sections years ago, and it’s perfectly dry where I built my shelter. It seemed a shame to let all those building materials from the homes that were wrecked go to waste. It’ll be a little crowded with the three of us there, but we’ll be able to lay low for a while. No one has been there since it formed. Just me.”
Leekasha spoke up. “Anything that keeps me away from the bastards that tortured me all these years is fine with me. I’ll do anything not to go back to that.”
Andreas smirked. “Don’t worry, honey, I’ll keep you safe.” He slid over next to her. “Just stick close to me and you’ll be fine.” Leekasha offered him a half smile. “Don’t listen to the driver either. She’s not as smart as she may seem. All these years she’s been living in some hole instead of some big mansion somewhere. You’ve seen how she controls all those people. She could have anything she wanted but she chooses to live like a rat.”
Christa nearly swerved the car off the road. “I do not live like a rodent! I told you, my place is nice. I’m just there for privacy and security. Those caverns stretch for miles. I’ve already found lots of spots where I can make it to the surface and no one would ever find me. There are hundreds more I haven’t even explored.”
Leekasha spoke up. “I really wish you two would stop the bickering. It’s all you’ve done since we got off that damn boat. It’s almost as bad as being locked up in my own head all those years. We’re all in this together, why can’t you two just figure out a way to agree on something?”
“Oh, that’s easy, honey,” Andreas answered. “We both agree that this whole country is screwed up.”
“Stop calling me honey,” Leekasha replied. “That’s not who I am.”
“We do agree that something has to be done about the drug and how it controls everyone,” Christa said. “We just need to find a peaceful way to change things. We can’t be killing humans every time one of us comes out of the drug’s control.”
Andreas laughed. “We already have a way to do it, and it doesn’t have to be peaceful. It just has to happen.”
“You trying to start a war, Andreas? That’s where you’re headed with that kind of thinking. Do you remember what happened last time? Do you? Does your brain go back that far?” Andreas and Leekasha never answered. “I’ll tell you what happened. We lost. All of us that were different lost. We ended up a bunch of drugged-out freaks under the control of our masters. This country has reverted back to slavery days, and if we don’t do anything about it, this is going to spread around the world. You have no idea what’s going on. I’ve been very aware of what’s happened the last six years. Other countries around the world now want what we have.”
“So?” commented Leekasha. “What’s so bad about that? Maybe getting out of this country would be good for us. We could start over in a place that doesn’t hate us.”
Christa pulled the car over and turned around. “You don’t understand. They don’t want people like you and me and him over there. They want the drugged-out version. They want us controlled and sedated. This country has recovered from fifteen years of war faster than any other country in the history of the planet. The economy, the technology, the quality of life. It’s all gotten better. We’ve gone from being a bombed-out third-world co
untry to on par with the best places in the world.”
“It never felt that great for us,” Andreas said.
“Exactly,” Christa said. “Not for us, and they don’t care. If anyone realizes the mental anguish every one of us goes through … They’re keeping it under wraps. What they do know though is that this fantastic recovery is a direct result of having a huge obedient slave work force. Estimates say there are ten of us for every one of them. Zombie slaves work practically nonstop. For free. They just tell us what to do and we do it. The rest of the countries see that, and they want a piece of it. They’re afraid now. Afraid that their economies will become subservient to the Americas’. You can bet there are deals being made behind closed doors in darkened board rooms to start exporting us. We’re just a commodity. The longer they do this, the more widespread it becomes, and the better they get at it. We need to work together to break their hold on us. But not with a war. We lost the last one, and I don’t want to live and die in another one.”
Christa could see the effect her plea was having on Andreas. He got very quiet, and just stared out the window. “Andreas, talk to me. Tell me you understand what I’m saying. Tell me you’ll work with me to make this better for all of us.”
Andreas turned to stare at Christa. He didn’t say anything, but Christa could feel him in her head. “Stay out of my head, Andreas. That’s not what this is about, we need to work together.” Christa felt her hand moving towards the door handle without even wanting to open the door. “Andreas, we need to keep going. We need to get back on the road. There’s no time for this. You don’t need to fight me.”
Andreas stared intensely, focusing his will as Christa opened the door and walked across the road, nearly getting hit by oncoming traffic. She never looked back, but just kept walking into the distance towards the Gulf. Leekasha reached for Andreas’ arm, but he just brushed her away. He got into the driver’s seat and turned the car around, heading back from where they had just come.
Awakening: Parables From The Apocalypse - Dystopian Fiction Page 8