In Another Life

by Liesel Browning

Johnny waved her away. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll be along. Save me a seat, if you can.”

  Sadie nodded. She left the building with her lover, wishing they could walk hand-in-hand down the sunny street together. The weather was getting cooler, but it was still nice out. Amelia wore a heavy cardigan over her blouse. It was a shapeless thing, made for function rather than fashion, like the majority of clothes in SC. But all it did was make Sadie think about what was underneath it.

  At the church, they managed to grab a pew in the back (Sadie’s preference, anyway) before they were full up. She was successful in saving a seat for Johnny, and he slid in by her side just as a young man in white robes took the pulpit.

  Sadie saw this young man sitting at the front of the church every Sunday, but he never got up to address the residents. He was Pastor Travis, Pastor Steve’s underling. If he was leading the service today, for whatever reason, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

  He didn’t address them as his “brothers and sisters,” which was an excellent start, Sadie thought. “Many of you may have heard already,” Pastor Travis began. “But I felt it was only appropriate that, while we’re all here together, you all get the same information.

  “When each of you came here to Sanctuary Coast, you came trustingly. You’ve entrusted this community, our council, this church, with your wellbeing. Your physical and spiritual wellbeing. And the church, for one, has been failing you. Some of you have expressed to me that you feel the community and council have their failings as well. I can’t speak of those. But it’s true: this church has failed each and every one of you.”

  Sadie was irritated by the sudden murmurs in the crowd. Shut up and let the man speak, she thought. She was eager to hear what he’d say next.

  “How are you all, who were lost for so long, to be led, when your leaders don’t know where they’re going?” Pastor Travis asked. “You get rid of that leader before you’re led to disaster. This is why Pastor Steve was expelled from Sanctuary Coast last night.”

  Amelia was only one of many who gasped aloud. Sadie wasn’t sure what to think. She noticed her lover scanning the room, and realized she was looking for her husband Zach. “He’s up on the left there,” Sadie whispered, pointing down the aisle. Amelia let out a sigh of relief when she spotted her husband’s ridiculous beard.

  “No more hypocrisy,” Pastor Travis declared from the pulpit. “When we turn a blind eye to it, when we allow such dark secrets to be kept, it destroys our unity. We are meant to stick together. We are all meant to abide by the rules laid out for this community, rules that are meant to keep us together and keep us close to the Lord.”

  Uh, oh, Sadie thought. This wasn’t what she’d been hoping to hear. Pastor Steve was gone, and while that was probably a big problem for him, she didn’t necessarily see it as a bad thing. But this young Pastor Travis guy seemed even worse. Fundamentalist, by the book…the sort of clergymen Glenn used to view with disdain.

  Worse, there were a lot of people throughout the church who sounded pleased to hear about this change. And there were many more changes to come, as Pastor Travis stepped down from the pulpit. He and Bob shook hands before the head of SC’s council stood to address them.

  “You know that he’s Bob’s son?” Amelia asked.

  “Who? Pastor Travis?” Sadie asked.

  Amelia nodded. “I heard that Bob’s been trying to get him on the pulpit for a few years now. But Pastor Steve was a founder, too, so…”

  Sadie shook her head. She thought that she should pay attention, for once. When Bob spoke, it was always about something more important than beach restrictions.

  Sadie was shocked to hear that Johnny was right: SC was coming down hard on its residents. But she hadn’t expected them to implement a curfew. “Everyone in their homes by 9 each night,” Bob declared. “Look, people, it’s not like we have bars or anything here.” A few of the churchy folks chuckled. “What is our most important value here in Sanctuary Coast? Family. To cut down on the debauchery in this community, this place that was built to be safe for families to grow and thrive, we’re asking everyone to spend more time with their families.”

  Bob actually smiled out at all of them, a triumphant smile. This was somehow worse than his usual sour look. “Now, I see a lot of long faces,” he teased. “Surely spending time with the people who love you isn’t such a terrible thing?”

  Bob went on to explain that there would be random home checks by newly-trained guards. “At least for the time being, they could come around any time of the night,” Bob said. “No reason to make it a big thing. Just let them do a quick head check, and go back to sleep.” Again, chuckles from supporters…so many people, who didn’t seem to mind that some poorly-trained kids could bust in on them in the middle of the night.

  “Fuck, fuck,” Sadie heard Johnny mumbling to himself. On the other side of her, Amelia took her hand. Sadie looked at her lover for a moment. If Bob wanted them to be with their families, this decree was defeating the purpose. Amelia and Christian (she didn’t forget Christian now) were her family.

  *

  The new curfew was put into effect that very night. Johnny stayed in, pacing the apartment as he stressed over the strict changes. “I knew this was gonna happen,” he said, more to himself than to Sadie, who sat on the couch watching him. “I should’ve done it when I had the chance.”

  “Done what?” Sadie snapped impatiently. She was so tired of Johnny’s secrecy. Maybe a curfew would keep him from getting expelled…or worse.

  But Johnny just looked at his wife and shook his head. “I’m not trying to be an asshole by not telling you,” he said. “It’d be best if you didn’t know. I’m just…I think I’m doing what Remy would have done.”

  Sadie didn’t ask what he meant. She crossed her arms. Johnny was being cryptic, the way Glenn used to get sometimes. Sadie thought it was so obnoxious.

  Johnny went to the kitchen and got the only bottle of moonshine they had on hand. “Let’s celebrate the curfew,” Johnny said. “This may be the last of it we’ll have in a while.”

  Sadie didn’t necessarily think this was a bad thing, but she drank with her husband that evening. They slept together, a quick fuck fueled by moonshine and their frustrations. Sadie took a shower, and when she went to bed, she wished she could sneak down and be with her lover that night.

  But Bob and Pastor Travis, the totalitarian father-son duo, were serious about keeping curfew. Sadie knew that there were guards on patrol in the apartment blocks, even walking the halls at random, looking for anyone sneaking out. Despite sharing half a quarter bottle of moonshine with her husband, Sadie had a lot of trouble sleeping that night.

  *

  Christian wasn’t so sympathetic when his mother and sister told him about the strict new curfew in town. “Now you know how I feel,” he griped as he walked his bike up a sloping hill. Just a few weeks before, this would have been an arduous task for the weakened child. But he seemed more like himself now, his eyes weren’t frightfully sunken in anymore and he’d gotten a bit of color on his skin from time outside on his bike.

  “They’ve got us in our rooms all the time, unless it’s rec time or we’re being taken for some kind of exam,” Christian went on.

  To try to cheer him up, Amelia asked, “Did you like the new comics your sister brought for you?”

  Christian nodded. “Thank you, Sadie.”

  “Sure,” Sadie said. She found a surprisingly large selection of comics at the local book store. Probably salvaged from someone’s collection long ago, she thought. They weren’t exactly cheap, but it was worth it. They were in pretty good shape, considering…everything.

  Sadie and Amelia spent over an hour hanging out with Christian, watching him ride around on his bike and listening to his stories about the other virus patients. Some of them underwent the same painful, but apparently effective, treatment as Christian, and were in the hospital for a long time before moving to the lab. He’d gotten to know many of them well.
Sadie was glad that the kid was at least able to socialize during his long captivity.

  When Sadie and Amelia took him back up to his room and said goodbye, Christian hugged his mother and his sister. “I’m glad you two are friends again,” he said, looking embarrassed by the admission.

  Sadie nodded, glancing at her lover. “You two are my family,” she said. “My real family.” To her brother, she added, “Don’t forget that.” Christian nodded solemnly.

  Before Sadie and Amelia mounted their bikes, Sadie said, “I gotta run an errand when we get back to town.”

  Amelia nodded. “Okay. Did you still want to have dinner tonight?”

  “Just go on in to my place,” Sadie said. “I picked up everything you asked for.”

  Sadie hated that Amelia had to look around before leaning in to give her a quick kiss. “I figured out a recipe for a delicious turkey chili. It’ll be great for such a cold night.” Amelia’s hand on her upper arm nearly drove Sadie wild. She hoped her lover would be done cooking when she got home, because she’d probably want to fuck her right away.

  Sadie kissed Amelia once more before they took off on their bikes. At that moment, neither of them were thinking about the amped-up security at the lab, what Christian said about being observed at all times. It would come back to haunt them later.

  *

  Before Sadie could enjoy an evening (which would have to end just before nine) with her lover, she had to talk to Vanessa. How could her friend on the council not have warned her about all the changes coming down? If she’d told everyone at the party, certainly Manny, of all people, would have come by and filled her in.

  The council building was quiet that late in the afternoon, but Sadie figured she’d take a chance on finding her in the office, getting to her before she got home and got drunk. The receptionist didn’t even notice Sadie as she breezed by, going to her friend’s familiar office.

  Vanessa was there, all right, and she didn’t look particularly busy. She was sitting back in her old leather chair, looking up at the ceiling. She jumped a bit when Sadie came in. “You’re the first person to walk through that door all day,” she said vaguely. Sadie wondered if she’d started her drinking early.

  “Are you okay, Nessa?” Sadie asked, sitting down across from her friend.

  Vanessa shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t know anything anymore. They still haven’t told me anything.”

  “What’re you talking about?”

  Vanessa shook her head. “I was just as floored by those little announcements on Sunday as the rest of you,” she said. “The council met and decided all that…without me.” Vanessa sat up and looked at her friend straight on. “I’m out,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m just waiting for the ax to drop. They might expel me, too…”

  “Wait, what?” Sadie thought of Pastor Steve, who got expelled for getting his dick sucked. Just him, though. Zach was still around. If the church and the council wanted to go after every person in SC with homosexual leanings, half of the apartment block would be emptied. A good many of the houses, too. But Pastor Steve was made an example of. He was a prominent member of the community.

  So was Vanessa.

  Vanessa was near tears, though they never quite spilled over, as she told Sadie everything she’d been able to figure out. “The announcement hasn’t been made yet, but Sophie’s fiancé is Pastor Travis,” Vanessa said.

  Sadie pulled a face. “Oh, wow.”

  “I thought if she was working with scientists, she’d stay away from that whole crowd,” Vanessa griped. “But they sunk their claws into her, and she must have told those churchy folks all about our little parties.”

  Sadie balked. “Shit,” she blurted.

  Vanessa nodded. “I wasn’t around when this place was founded,” Vanessa said. “Duncan and I came along maybe a year after the electricity came on. Did I tell you about that old cabin we were squatting in?” Sadie nodded. In all the time she’d known Vanessa, she’d heard a few stories about her post-war, pre-SC life. Her in-between life.

  “Well, you remember I was helping out this nice man who only spoke French run his little restaurant. He traded travelers food for supplies, and he always sent me home with something. Anyway, this family passing through told me about Sanctuary Coast. I mean, how could I resist the chance to let my son live in a safe place, have a real life?”

  “Which family was it?” Sadie asked.

  Vanessa shook her head. “They never made it out here.” Sadie thought of Remy for a moment.

  “Anyway,” Vanessa said, “I grabbed Duncan and the first chance we got, we hitched a ride. And we made it out here. And it took me about two seconds to realize, this place is full of religious nut jobs.” Sadie frowned. “But they were so inviting,” Vanessa went on. “Duncan didn’t mind the whole marriage thing, he was a virgin, as far as I knew. They gave us that house, they gave him some education. And a couple of years later, they’re putting me on the council.”

  “It changed so quickly,” Sadie said. The religious nuts had always been there, had always been running things. But they’d let everybody do their own thing, more or less. It was tolerable, for the most part. But now…

  “And I’m gonna be booted out next,” Vanessa said. Once again, she looked like she’d cry, but she held it together. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do. Oh, God, there’s Duncan, and his kids…my grandkids, Sadie. When everything happened, when I lost Tonya, I never even let myself imagine that I’d live to have grandchildren, that Duncan would be able to…” Yet she still didn’t break down.

  Sadie didn’t know what to say. “Is there anything I can do…?”

  Vanessa shook her head. “They’ll want this to scare you all,” she said. “Sophie named names. Even if she didn’t, they all know who we are. Just…be careful.”

  “Yeah,” Sadie said. She stood up. “You, too. Let me know what happens, okay? I mean, they haven’t told you anything yet, so maybe…”

  “They’re letting me twist,” Vanessa sighed. “I’m ready to just go into Bob’s office and confront him but…oh, honey, I’m scared.”

  Sadie frowned down at her friend. “Take care, Nessa.” She nodded to her and left the office.

  *

  Sadie expected that Amelia would be waiting outside of the building, as usual, when she rolled up on her bike after work, ready to head up to the lab and visit Christian. They might have just met there, but they liked to maximize their time together. Since the curfew was imposed, they hadn’t been able to spend the night together. Amelia admitted to being tempted to take the chance, sneak through the hallways to her lover.

  Sadie talked her out of it. She told her about Vanessa’s possible pending expulsion. Amelia’s eyes widened, and she shook her head. “This is crazy,” she said. “Why is this happening now, when we’ve only just…?”

  So Sadie was surprised to not find her lover waiting. She stood in the street, still mounted on her bike, for a couple of minutes, waiting for her to come along. When she didn’t, Sadie finally parked and went up to her lover’s apartment.

  Zach answered the door when she knocked. “Uh…hey,” Sadie said. She hadn’t been face-to-face with him since the brief confrontation in their apartment. Certainly not since Pastor Steve’s expulsion. “How’s it going?”

  Zach shrugged. “Amelia’s not feeling well,” he said, dispensing with the niceties.

  Sadie knew what this meant. “Uh, oh.”

  “She’ll be okay,” he said. “She’ll snap out of it in a few hours.”

  “Yeah.” Sadie remembered the dark days well.

  Zach shut the door. Sadie was unruffled by his rudeness. She had nothing left to say to him, anyway.

  Sadie figured she may as well head up and see Christian. She used to visit him on her own all the time. As she rode to the lab, she thought about all the time they used to spend together on the farm, all the times she’d taken his presence for granted. She promised never to do that agai
n.

  Christian was in a good mood, as was typically the case, but he seemed a little drowsy as they went down to the grounds. Christian decided he’d rather just take a leisurely walk than ride his bike. They walked along the paved road that curved around the lab. There was no wooden walkway, but there were no bikes on the road, either.

  “Armored cars come in sometimes,” Christian said as they walked around the back of the lab. He pointed to the small loading dock. “I came here in the back of one. I think.”

  “You were a little out of it?” Sadie asked, frowning. She didn’t like it, but it didn’t upset her as much as it did his mother.

  Christian shrugged. “The whole time is like a blur.”

  “But you’ve been feeling okay?”

  “I’ve been feeling pretty good,” Christian said brightly. “Some of the staff said I might get to leave soon.”

  “Really?”

  “They don’t know yet,” Christian said. He frowned. “Don’t say anything to Mom, okay?”

  “Yeah,” Sadie agreed. She didn’t want to get Amelia’s hopes up. But she felt herself getting excited at the prospect of Christian being discharged from the lab. Then nothing could stop them from leaving SC for good, if that’s what they chose to do. But whenever Sadie thought about that, she couldn’t think past further than the gates. Once they left SC, with no car and no weapons, then what?

  “Is she…is she tired today?” Christian asked.

  Sadie nodded. “You remember she gets that way sometimes, right?”

  “Yeah,” Christian said. “She told me all about it one time, when I was still in the hospital. She said a bad man killed her family and hurt her after the war.”

  “That’s right,” Sadie whispered. She pictured the scars on Amelia’s back. The man who could do that to another person, to a child, was pure evil. At least in SC, they were guarded against that…even if the churchy folks, the people in power, had a skewed idea of what “evil” really meant.

  “You seem a little tired today yourself,” Sadie pointed out, wanting to change the subject. Christian seemed to be getting a bit winded as they came back to the front of the building. Sadie was going to suggest taking another lap, but she decided they should sit down in the garden instead. “You getting any more treatments lately?”