The Complex

by Courtney McPhail

  And he’d never once said anything about the fact that his younger brother was in love with his wife.

  He missed Alan and he’d give anything to have him back here with them. Except there were no trades to make that could bring him back. Alan was gone and all that remained of him was his child.

  Travis had to do right by that little one. He owed it to Alan to make sure his child grew up safe and healthy.

  “I think Alanna is a beautiful name,” Travis said.

  “I think so too,” Jenny replied. “Do you think he’d like it?”

  Travis nodded. “I think he’d love it.”

  She smiled brightly as she caressed her belly, the gold wedding band on her finger catching the sunlight and blinding Travis for a moment.

  Just another reminder that there was no room here for his feelings. Jenny was still very much his brother’s wife and the child she would have would be their child. He needed to get used to the idea of being just the uncle.

  “I better get on with my walk,” Jenny said. “I promised to watch Ruthie while Janet and Raquel set up the beehives they found in the greenhouse.”

  “Don’t feel guilty about taking a rest if you need one,” Travis told her.

  “I won’t,” she said. “Don’t worry about me.”

  He watched her as she walked away, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to do as she asked.

  He’d worry about her no matter what she said. That was his job now. He would look after Jenny and the baby, for his brother’s sake, of course. He wouldn’t let his own feelings enter into it at all. He’d kept them to himself for years already, what was the rest of his life?

  Subject File #742

  Subject: It’s working.

  Administrator: What is?

  Subject: This place becoming what it was meant to be. A true sanctuary.

  “I think this would be a fitting time to toast today’s ground-breaking.” Banks set down a tray with several glass tumblers and a bottle of the Director’s scotch. “Who’s with me?”

  Malcolm nodded for Banks to fill him up, settling back in his chair to watch Travis shuffle the deck of cards as Banks poured. After dinner was over, Malcolm had put forth Quinton’s idea of spending time together as a group and everyone had agreed. He’d put it to a vote and a night of games had been the winning idea. Travis had been the one to suggest a game of poker and Malcolm had joined him at the table with Javier, Craig, Banks and Nas. They’d been betting various chores and watch shifts and Malcolm was happy to find himself up several laundry duty shifts.

  Banks passed out the glasses of scotch and Malcolm raised his own up and the others followed suit.

  “To a great start on building our future,” Malcolm said and the others repeated his words before they all took a drink.

  They’d made massive headway today with the tower. They’d put the main posts in the ground and poured the concrete foundations around them. It would take a full day for the concrete to dry but the fact that they’d managed to get the foundations dug and set in one day had been a triumph.

  “It shouldn’t take too long to finish the tower,” Craig said after he’d taken another sip of his scotch. “We measure and cut the lumber tomorrow to have it ready to start building. I figure we’ll have it done within the week.”

  “That fast, huh?” Malcolm ran a hand over his chin. “We’re gonna have to figure out the next project then.”

  “We might consider beginning to explore the neighbouring islands,” Nas said. “It would be good to know who is in our backyard.”

  “You think that’s a good idea?” Banks asked. “We start knocking on people’s doors, we might not like what we find.”

  “What? You think they are infested with freaks?” Craig asked. “We could handle it.”

  “Not freaks,” Banks replied, sending Malcolm a sidelong glance.

  He knew what Banks meant. There were hundreds of islands of every shape and size out in the lake, plenty of places for people to hide. For all they knew, the islands out there could host a population equal to the average city.

  “No matter what is out there, we need to know for certain,” Nas said. “The largest island out there is Manitoulin. It has a bridge that connects it to the mainland and a year round population. The other islands are home to summer cottages and resorts. Even if there aren’t any freaks or people on them, there will be supplies we can make good use of here.”

  “That would be easier than going over to the mainland to stock up supplies,” Craig said.

  “Are you low in supplies?” Javier asked.

  “Not yet,” Malcolm assured him. “We’re well stocked in the necessities but we can always have more. We’re also a bit limited for fuel for the boats. The tanker is still three quarters full but it won’t last forever. If we can’t get more fuel, then we will have to find sailboats.”

  Seaworthy vessels were one of the necessities. They needed them in case there ever came a time where they had to abandon the island. Without them, they’d be sitting ducks here.

  “We also have to think about putting up firewood for the winter,” Nas said. “Those woodstoves in the cabins aren’t for show. That’s all we’ll have to keep us warm when winter comes. We have some dead trees here we can cut up but we’ll need more than we have here.”

  “Can’t we just cut down the trees here? We’ve got plenty of them,” Banks said.

  “You need to season wood for burning,” Javier said. “It takes months. Dead wood is better.”

  “I think those are some excellent reasons for us to consider exploring the other islands,” Nas said, looking to Malcolm. “What do you think?”

  There wasn’t really any other answer, was there? The task needed to be done. Even the Director had outlined plans for it in his binders.

  “I think we’ve found our next project,” Malcolm said, “And it will kill more than a few birds with one stone. I want to teach those who don’t know how to skipper a boat and we also need to start fishing some more.”

  “So, what exactly are the plans for going out there?” Craig asked.

  “We should start with Manitoulin,” Nas said. “It’s the largest.”

  “Shouldn’t we start small at first?” Banks asked. “I’ve looked at the maps, Manitoulin is big. It might take us a few days to cover every inch.”

  “It’s the biggest risk though,” Nas pointed out.

  “I think our best bet for now is to start with recon only,” Malcolm said. “We go out there, watch the islands from afar and get a sense of them before we start deciding the first one to land on.”

  It was better for them to be cautious. They had plenty of time to get this done, they didn’t have to rush it. On the road, they’d always been pushing for the quickest way forward, always needing to leave something worse behind. They’d weighed their options quickly, making choices on the fly, but now they had time to sit back and consider all their options.

  “We’ve got information on the islands around us. We can see which ones might have anything useful for us. We can plot out courses and do this right.”

  The others nodded in agreement but Craig looked troubled, ignoring the deck of cards Travis had put in front of him.

  “What is it, Craig?” Malcolm asked. Whatever was bothering Craig, he wanted it out in the open. They were all in this together and if Craig had a problem, he wanted him to voice it.

  “I’m just wondering what the plan is if we find other people on the islands,” Craig said.

  “We’ll reach out to them, let them know we’re not hostile.”

  “And what if they are?” Craig asked.

  It was a good question. One Malcolm hadn’t really considered. He’d been resting on the naive hope that they would find the islands deserted. It was easy to feel like the rest of the world was gone when they were here.

  “Then we will deal with it.”

  “How?” Craig asked, his voice clipped as he spat out the single word.

  And there wa
s the root of Craig’s problem. He wanted to know if Malcolm was going to send them out to kill people.

  “We’ll negotiate like we did in Kentucky,” Malcolm said. “There are only two reasons that anyone would be hostile. They want to protect what they have or they want what we have. If we make an offer that they like, we can avoid bloodshed.”

  “He’s right,” Javier said. “We met people like that on the road. The meetings always started with a confrontation but we were able to work out a deal. We traded supplies and information, even offers to watch each other’s backs for a while. The majority of people aren’t evil. They are just looking out for themselves and the people they care about.”

  “So, we’re gambling on the odds of people not being evil?” Banks said, sucking a hissing breath between his teeth. “Not sure I like that bet.”

  “That’s because you’re a shit gambler,” Craig said, pointing to the measly stack of chips in front of Banks and they all laughed. “Look, I’m not saying that we don’t defend ourselves if we need to, but we shouldn’t go out there with the mentality that everyone is our enemy. They might be people we could work with, like the group in Port Meyer. We could even get up our own neighbourhood watch out here on the lake. Watch each other’s back, like Javier said.”

  That would be the best outcome of the whole situation. If there were people out there, to have them join with them would make them safer. It would give them a chance to build something out here, something bigger than just this island. It had been what the Director had envisioned for this place. Sanctuary was only supposed to be the first stepping stone to rebuilding the old world out of this new one.

  “Craig is right,” Malcolm said. “The longer this goes on, the more people will need each other to survive. We have to keep that in mind when we do this. The last thing we need to do is go out there, nothing but aggression, and end up starting a war. We’ll go out there offering peace and see how it goes.”

  Craig smiled and nodded at Malcolm, silently thanking him for his support. Malcolm nodded back and then flicked his eyes in the direction of the cards. “Ready for another hand?”

  “As long as Banks is in,” Travis said, smirking at him across the table. “I want to clean him out.”

  “You can’t all gang up on me,” Banks protested. “It’s not fair.”

  “There’s no fair in poker, boy,” Javier said, picking up the cards that Craig had dealt out. “Now ante up.”

  Banks grumbled as he tossed the last of his chips into the pot and Malcolm laughed as he checked his cards. A pair of Jacks. Not too bad at all. His luck was holding out tonight.

  And he hoped it kept holding out for the next little while. They needed to explore the islands around them, he knew that, but he still wished he could put it off a little longer.

  When they went out there, their world would be much bigger. They were opening themselves up to a hell of a lot of possibilities and he worried that good luck would be the only thing that would keep them safe.

  He just had to keep focusing on what Javier had said.

  Most people weren’t evil. In this world, there were times that they would have to do the unthinkable to survive but that didn’t mean that they had lost the fundamentals of what made them human. They fought to protect what was important to them.

  They fought for themselves and for the people they loved. As long as that was still true, they would all be okay.

  Subject File #749

  Administrator: You said before that you weren’t sure things could be the same between us after the Glen incident. Has your opinion changed?

  Subject: It has. I feel like time has gotten us back to where we were.

  Administrator: But it’s not the same with Quinton.

  Subject: No it’s not. See, you lying was only a shallow cut, barely a scratch even. Quinton lying to me? That one cut right to the bone.

  “I win again!” Ruthie cheered, pumping her little arms up in the air and giving the twins a toothy grin. “I’m the best!”

  Matthew rolled his eyes and looked over to Janet. “Mom, can we go play backgammon now, please?”

  Mark nodded eagerly at his brother’s suggestion and Janet decided to take pity on them. They’d been good to play two full games of Candyland with Ruthie and they even let the little girl win. They deserved a break from the simple game that Ruthie loved.

  “Alright you two, go on,” she said and the boys jumped up to go grab the backgammon set off the shelf. “It’s time for you to get to bed anyway.”

  “One more game, mama, please?” Ruthie pleaded with wide eyes and a stuck out bottom lip.

  “Nice try,” Janet said, booping her index finger on Ruthie’s bottom lip, “But that doesn’t work on me. Let’s put away the game and then bed time."

  Ruthie let out a sigh but helped her put away the game without protest. They took a walk around the room so Ruthie could say goodnight to everyone.

  Janet felt a weight lift off her shoulders when they walked out of the lodge. She just hadn’t been feeling the happy mood tonight. She had stayed this long for the children, not wanting to ruin their good time. They didn’t need to be sequestered in the cabin just because she was feeling broken-hearted.

  “Hey Ruthie, what’re you saying?”

  Ruthie let go of her hand to run over to the chairs on the far end of the deck where Malcolm and Kim were sitting together.

  “Mama says it’s bedtime, Uncle Malcolm,” she said, pouting up at him. “Can I stay up with you?”

  Malcolm chuckled. “Sorry, sweetie, you’ve gotta do what your mama says, but how about I give you five extra minutes to hang out with Auntie Kim while I talk to your mama?”

  “Deal,” Ruthie replied and scrambled off of Malcolm’s lap to climb into Kim’s and Malcolm stood up. Janet frowned at him, not knowing why he’d need to talk to her.

  “What’s up?”

  “Let’s take a walk around the deck,” Malcolm said, putting a hand on her elbow and directing her away from Kim and Ruthie. “I just wanted to see how you are doing.”

  So that’s what this was about.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Liar.”

  It was true but that didn’t make her any less angry at him for calling her out.

  “You know, most people would take the fine and leave it at that.”

  “I’m not most people, I’m your brother.”

  She let out a long sigh, knowing that it was best for her just to be honest. Malcolm hadn’t gotten his position in the CIA because he let people keep their secrets. He’d keep at her until she told him the truth.

  “I am fine,” she told him. “It was my decision to end things with Quinton. Why would I be upset?”

  “Because you made a decision while you were angry and now you’re regretting it.”

  She cut him a sharp look. “I’m not mad anymore and I still stand by my decision. It was the right call.”

  “Janet, you’ve always been impulsive. I know there were times you made heat of the moment decisions and you’ve come to regret them.”

  “Not this one,” she said emphatically. “He lied to me. He put all of us in danger. He put my children in danger. What kind of relationship can be built on that?”

  “He had good intentions,” Malcolm pointed out.

  “And what is the road to Hell paved with?” she shot back.

  “He was doing what he thought was right, he was doing what I would have done. Would you banish me from your life and the kids’ lives if I had been the one to find out and hide it?”

  “But you wouldn’t have hidden it, not if I asked you. I knew he was hiding something so I asked him point blank what was going on. If it was you, you would have fessed up and so would Eric.”

  Uttering her dead husband’s name choked her up and she put a hand over her mouth to fight back the sob that tried to come out. Maybe it wasn’t fair but she couldn’t help but compare Quinton to Eric. He might be dead and gone but his ghost still remained in her wo
rld, her guide for what a husband and father should be.

  “Neither of you would lie to my face,” she said, her voice shaking with emotion as tears filled her eyes, “But Quinton did, and that makes all the difference.”

  “Come here,” he said and pulled her into a hug and she buried her face in his chest, finally letting the tears fall. “I’m on your side, whatever you need, I’m here.”

  She nodded but kept her face hidden as she sniffled. Malcolm ran his hand over her back, pressing his cheek to the top of her head. “You still sure you don’t want me to beat him up? I told Quinton earlier that I wouldn’t beat him up but I’m willing to go back on that if you want me to.”

  That actually managed to make her laugh.

  “No, you don’t have to do that.”

  “If change your mind, just give the word,” he said, “And anything else you need, let me know. I mean it.”

  “Would you mind walking the boys back to the cabin when they are done with the games?” she asked. “I don’t really feel like coming back here tonight.”

  “Done and done,” Malcolm said, brushing away the tears that were still on her cheeks. “Us Evans got each other’s back.”

  They completed their circuit of the deck and met back up with Kim and Ruthie, who were playing a round of Mary Mack. Ruthie giggled when they finished the song, clapping hands with Kim and then let out a big yawn.

  “Time for bed, little miss,” Janet called out and this time Ruthie didn’t protest, holding out her arms so Janet could scoop her up. She rested her head on Janet’s shoulder and stuck a thumb in her mouth, all the energy from before gone. “Say goodnight.”

  “Night night,” Ruthie said around her thumb and Janet climbed down the porch steps, leaving the noise and light of the lodge behind.

  She crossed the lawn and clicked on her flashlight as she went into the trees. She had done her best to convince Malcolm that she would be okay but she didn’t really feel it. The break up might have been her own choice but it didn’t stop it from hurting. She’d let her anger keep back most of the pain but the anger was starting to fade. She wanted it back. It was better than the heartache that was starting to grip her.