by Tracy Lawson
Tom asked, “What exactly does that mean?”
“It’s pretty simple. Nobody goes in, nobody goes out except Jaycee. Keep the blackout shades drawn. Have your getaway bags packed and stowed.”
“Stowed? Where?”
“There are secret compartments in each of the bedrooms. Jaycee will show you. And she’ll bring food.”
“What if the QM comes here?”
“We have an advance warning system set up, but it’s not a hundred percent foolproof, so you need to have at least one person awake and on watch all the time.”
He pointed to a rotary dial phone on a side table in the sitting room.
“If the phone rings twice and then stops, it means they’re coming.”
Eduardo glanced at Tommy before he spoke. “What about Carina?”
“There’s nothing we can do to help her now.” Mitch held out his hand. “And I’ll take the keys to the truck.”
Jaycee saw Tommy grimace as Eduardo tossed the keys to her father.
Mitch pocketed them. “Can’t have anyone striking out on their own and bringing the law down on all of us. Sit tight. Pray Careen can’t—or won’t—tell the QM where to find you.”
Jaycee scowled as her dad left the room. He didn’t have to frighten everyone like that. “Come on.” She motioned for them to follow and led the way downstairs to a padlocked wooden door set in the cellar’s stone foundation. “If the phone rings, hide in here.”
Tom regarded her skeptically. “How can we lock ourselves in if the lock’s on the outside?”
“That’s what the QM will think, too. Daddy’s sure they won’t look closely enough to figure this out.” She pulled at a clothesline strung on hooks under the rafters, and the door swung open to reveal a narrow passageway. She stepped inside, and they crowded after her. “Once you’re all in, pull this lever here to lock it down.”
Trina protested. “But we’ll be standing elbow-to-elbow, with the QM just inches away. What if someone sneezes or something?”
In answer, Jaycee slid her fingers into a crevice in the stacked-stone foundation, and part of the passageway’s wall slid back. She reached in and turned on a light switch.
David was first into the space and rubbed his hands together in delight. “The perfect spot for a bootlegger’s secret cache!”
“Yessir, that’s exactly what it is. Daddy always says our family’s been bred to enjoy breaking the rules. A secret room like this comes in handy from time to time.”
They ran a few practice drills, with different people releasing the catches and locking the doors. When Tom was satisfied they all knew what to do, they went back upstairs.
Jaycee packed the dirty dishes back in the plastic tub. “You gotta keep this place looking like no one’s living here. Best you can, anyway. Be ready to hide at a moment’s notice.” She hefted the tub onto her hip. “I can’t leave you any extra food, but I’ll bring lunch when I can.”
As soon as she was gone, Tom organized a watch schedule.
The first day, Tommy took his turn without complaint and then retreated to Kevin’s old room. He couldn’t bear sitting in front of the television with everyone else. They’d tell him if there was news of Careen. He tried, without success, not to think about her or Wes.
There was nothing he could do about Wes being dead. But was there really nothing he could do for Careen? The OCSD had yet to announce the bomber’s identity, but it had to be her. Where was she? Locked up at the OCSD in the same room his parents had occupied? What were they doing to her? If Mitch hadn’t taken the keys to the truck, he’d sneak out and head for the capital on his own.
In the days that followed, the boardinghouse nearly vibrated with nervous tension. Everyone seemed to be sitting on the edge of their seat. Tommy hadn’t made his bed since he’d come home from the hospital after the accident the previous August, but now he, like the rest, left his room in spotless order and stowed his spare clothes and personal items out of sight. It was almost a relief when the phone rang during his second watch, and everyone hurried to the secret room just as they’d practiced. They huddled there in complete silence for hours, until Jaycee came to tell them it was safe to go back upstairs.
It took several more hours for his fight-or-flight urges to abate, but as time passed, the sense of urgency and the need to do something gave way to mind-numbing boredom. He lost track of what day it was.
Quadrant DC-001
Careen’s entire world was now defined by light and dark. In the past, she’d feared the dark, but now her time in the light brought slaps and shouted questions. Her only means of escape was to retreat inside her head and hope she could hide there until her interrogators gave up. But they never gave up. When they left her alone in the dark, it was just long enough for her to doze off and wake again, disoriented, to loud noises and rough hands dragging her back into the light.
She prayed for strength not to fail. She couldn’t betray the Resistance. She owed that much to Wes.
She saved her memories of Tommy for when she was alone, in the dark in-between times. Each time they came for her, she left Tommy behind in the darkness. She didn’t want him there with her in the harsh light.
She’d once watched an old movie with her dad about a boxer who was about to fight the reigning champion. He was sure he couldn’t win, but he confided to his girlfriend it would be enough if he were able to go the distance. Then he’d be able to respect himself. He wouldn’t have failed.
If I go the distance, what’s at the end when I get there?
Once, a lifetime ago, she and Tommy had run out of antidote, and they’d been sure they were going to die. She’d cried, and they’d wondered if they’d go to a place like heaven when it was over. They’d been too paralyzed with fear to fight for their lives.
Now that seemed like a joke.
She had to go the distance, even if it meant taking the Resistance’s secrets with her into the dark silence of the grave.
10:00 AM
Monday, December 4, 2034
Quadrant BG-098
The marshals didn’t show up for breakfast that morning, and by noon Mitch had confirmation that the squad had been called to another part of BG. Lockdown was over, and everyone but Tommy ventured out into the fresh air. Mitch and Jaycee served meals at the diner.
10:50 PM
Jaycee found Tommy lying on his bed in Wes’s old room above the diner, staring at the ceiling. She stood in the doorway, waiting for some kind of greeting, but if he’d heard her approach, he gave no sign.
“You didn’t eat today.”
“Not hungry.”
“Well, that’s two words you’ve said to me since you got back.” He didn’t answer, and she bit her lip. “You don’t have to go downstairs. I’ll bring you some food from the diner. Whatever you want.”
He shook his head.
“Are you all right?”
He kneaded his face with both hands before he spoke. “Everyone keeps asking that. I don’t know how I am. I keep wondering why I’m the only one left—again.”
She crossed the room to stand at the side of the bed and reached out her hand. “You’re not alone.”
He sat up and pulled her down beside him, enfolding her in a crushing hug. She caught her breath as he buried his face in her curls and wondered if he noticed how her heart was pounding. I didn’t know a guy could smell this good. She didn’t dare move or do anything that would cause the moment to end.
When he released her, he searched her face in a way that made her wonder what he was looking for. She lifted her chin a little, just in case, hoping he saw what she wanted him to see, but then he mussed her hair the way an older brother might.
“Were you serious about bringing me something to eat? I’m starving.”
She hid her disappointment. “Sure. I’ll go make you a cheeseburger.”
Chapter 14
11:02 PM
Quadrant DC-001
Something prodded Careen’s shoulder, and she groa
ned before she remembered where she was. Rough hands yanked off the hood, pulling her hair. She drew in a grateful deep breath, blinking in the light.
“Get up.” It was a man’s voice behind her this time.
At first her body didn’t respond, but a sharp blow across her back made her try harder. She managed to kneel by pressing her forehead against the floor for balance. She wobbled as she tried to stand and fell onto her already-bruised knees. Getting up was impossible with her hands secured behind her.
“I need help.”
He grasped her upper arm and hauled her roughly to her feet. Then he shoved her before she could get her balance, and she cried out as she sprawled on the floor again.
“Why would I help you when you won’t help us?”
She curled her knees into her chest, prepared to try for a sitting position, but he placed his boot between her shoulder blades and pressed down hard. She fought, panicking, the pressure of his foot forcing her to take tiny breaths. Before long, black snow flew around the edges of her vision, and she felt herself sinking, yielding, as the darkness closed in. It’s okay. Just … let it happen.
Then the weight was gone, and she gasped for air, feeling as panicked and helpless as a landed fish.
“The Resistance hasn’t come to save you. They’ve given you up for dead. It’s just you and me.” Again she felt his boot against her back. “Who bombed the student center?”
“Me.”
“Why did you kill the quadrant marshal?”
“That was an accident.” She couldn’t hold back the tears of regret that flowed for Wes.
“Where is the Resistance’s headquarters?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where is Trina Jacobs?”
“I don’t know.”
He pressed his boot down, and she whimpered as her bones shifted in ways she knew they shouldn’t.
“Where is Trina Jacobs? Where is the Resistance?”
“I don’t know.” He removed his foot just long enough for her to fill her lungs and then pressed down harder still. She was barely conscious when he released the pressure and kicked her onto her side.
11:15 PM
Quadrant BG-098
Jaycee laid the cheeseburger next to a pile of golden French fries in the Styrofoam to-go box. She’d never thought of using food to show someone she cared about them—until now. She grabbed a few napkins and was about to push through the swinging door to the dining room when she heard her dad’s voice.
“My whole base of operations is here. I won’t just go someplace else.”
“Won’t? Or can’t? Is it true what Danni said about you being agoraphobic?”
She crept back to the other doorway to peek through the crack, unable to resist the opportunity to eavesdrop on her dad and Mr. Bailey.
Her father sat at the counter while Tom paced the aisle beside him.
Mitch grunted. “I don’t go to town. So what? Lots of people don’t like being around other people. Everything that’s important to me is right here.” He gestured about grandly. “This is the main communication hub of the Resistance.”
“This is a run-down diner in the middle of nowhere. We’re sitting ducks if the QM comes back.”
“Even if you happen to get caught, I’ll be fine.”
“What makes you assume you won’t be caught, too?”
“I’ve got a network of locals who’ll protect me. Besides, I’m too smart to get caught, which is more than I can say for the rest of you. The only one you’ve got to protect you is me.” He smirked. “No one’s ever heard of Mitch Carraway. I’m just some hick who owns a rundown diner in the middle of nowhere. When the QM comes snooping around, will you rat me out and show them all my high-tech gadgets and toys? No. You can’t, because I’ve never shown them to you. You can’t prove I’m involved in the Resistance any more than you can prove I—”
“What?”
“Aww, nothing.”
Jaycee shrank back from the doorway as Mitch got up from the counter. He poured himself a cup of coffee, and the clatter of the carafe against the burner masked the swish of the swinging door as Jaycee grabbed the to-go box and headed for the back stairs.
11:34 PM
Ever since Tommy’s return, Tom’s instinct had been to evacuate everyone to someplace safer. The lockdown system was bound to fail eventually. But where could they go? A wrong move would further jeopardize the safety of his family and everyone in the Resistance. But Mitch had been obstinate in his refusal to consider leaving. Tom knew the OCSD would interrogate Careen, and he was all too familiar with their methods from his own time as their prisoner. It was only a matter of time before the OCSD knew exactly where to find them.
When Mitch turned back from the coffeepot, his face was alight with something like a patriotic fervor. “It was you who gave me the idea. This revolution was set on course the first time I heard you speak. All of a sudden, I knew what I had to do. You were going to make us both legends.
“You said: ‘When we relinquish our freedoms and liberties, we should not believe the loss is temporary. It is very difficult to regain them once they are taken. A wake-up call to the public is long overdue. We must be prepared to spin, deceive, or manipulate if it champions the cause. Revolution means breaking the law and using force if necessary. Casualties are to be expected.’ I knew if I was out there working the same angle, I could push you and our cause to even greater heights.”
“How do you remember that speech? It was years and years ago.”
Mitch chuckled. “I never forgot it. I was surprised how much it bothered me when you got all the notoriety, though. You were taking on Stratford toe to toe, and I wanted to be in the fight with you. But then I realized I could accomplish my part behind the scenes. I was better off here.
“Right after you gave the speech there was a string of attacks that really got everybody’s attention. What did you think about them?”
Mitch was dying to brag about his own accomplishments, and Tom was suddenly afraid of knowing too much. He tried to appear nonchalant. “At the time I didn’t think they merited quite as big a reaction as they received, but people were on edge. Those attacks weren’t the answer to the problem, any more than the food riots are now.”
“Those attacks proved the OCSD’s incompetence.” Mitch looked smug. “You know, they never did finger the right guy.”
I was implicated in those attacks. You and I both know they accused the wrong man, don’t we? “Those attacks led to the implementation of more Restrictions, so tell me, is the end result what you anticipated?”
“It’s not the end yet. I’ve been building up the Resistance for longer than it’s taken to raise Jaycee. I guess you’re gonna have to believe me when I say I’ve got it under control.”
Tom felt as though he was being held prisoner all over again. In Mitch’s mountain domain, Tom would never be in charge. How could he change the dangerous course Mitch had chosen for this revolution?
Chapter 15
4:37 AM
Saturday, December 2, 2034
Quadrant DC-001
The sounds of screaming and gunfire jolted Careen back to awareness. Her heart pounded, but her bruised and shackled body was otherwise unresponsive.
She opened her eyes, and in the flickering light she saw the familiar video footage of the food riots in OP-441, projected on the wall, larger than life. She tried to turn her face away, but her arms were numb after hours of being forced into the unnatural position behind her back, and without them she couldn’t muster the strength to roll over. She closed her eyes to shut out the images. Soon she heard her own voice. It was her first video message, encouraging people to express their opposition to the OCSD’s policies and refuse to take CSD. Her chin trembled, and a tear rolled out onto the floor as she looked at herself on the screen. She’d been so naïve to think she could change the world for the better with a short speech on an amateur video. The next clips showed people looting stores during the food riots. Sh
e began to sob.
“Poor little you.” It was the first woman again. “Feeling bad about what you’ve done?”
She hiccupped as she fought to control her breathing. “I never meant to—”
“You and your ridiculous nonsense—Join the Resistance! Look at me! I’m so pretty! You led everyone to believe they could do whatever they wanted without consequences.”
“It wasn’t like that. I didn’t—”
“Oh, but you did. And you’ve forced us to step in and undo all the damage you’ve caused. How many people did you really kill, Careen?”
She flinched at the sound of a single shot on the video.
“Where is Trina Jacobs?”
“I don’t know.”
Careen felt the video’s staccato gunfire in her bones.
8:52 AM
Quadrant BG-098
“What do you think about evacuating?”
Lara stood at the bathroom sink, subduing her curly hair into a ponytail. Tom’s image in the mirror went in and out of view as he paced in front of the bathroom door.
“I don’t know. We’ve been okay here so far. You seem to have some thoughts on the matter, though.”
“Mitch seems remarkably unconcerned about the OCSD questioning Careen.” He stopped pacing, and their eyes met in the mirror. “But we know the kinds of things they’ll do to her. How long can she be expected to withstand it?”
She nodded. “I was awake most of the night again, worrying about her.”
“Regardless, I’m afraid we don’t have much time left before the QM comes around looking for us.”
“Where else can we go?”
“That’s what we need to decide. With or without Mitch and the others, our family needs to leave.”
It was up to her to smooth things out between Tom and Mitch. “He’s just upset about Wes’s death. He’s not rational right now.”