The Ultimate Choice

by Lisa C Hinsley

  Behind her came a sound. A dog? A plant? Cassie glanced over her shoulder and spun about. Did a creature make that stem sway or did the fan above? She checked quickly on the guards. If she got into trouble, did she dare call to them for help? The men sat at the table, still playing their game. Maybe they spent every night playing – gambling perhaps – oblivious as strangers crept about the greenhouse they were supposed to protect.

  A wish slipped between her lips – please, please, make the moving shadows nothing more than a trick of the light.

  She waited, stuck to the spot, searching the dark for movement. Surely there wasn’t a dog in here. They would have barked or pounced on her by now. How smart were they? Could a dog be trained to find intruders and go back to the guards, yapping and yelping about what they’d discovered? Cassie shook her head. Dogs were simple creatures, she thought. The movements had definitely been a trick of the light. Nothing was sneaking around between the plants, except for her. Nevertheless, Cassie took a tentative step back towards the broken fan. The fire escape seemed like the safest place to be right now.

  Halfway to the fan a person dressed entirely in black appeared from nowhere and stood in her way. Cassie gasped, and clapped a hand over her mouth. Whether man, or woman, she couldn’t tell. They wore a black balaclava, only their eyes remained uncovered.

  “You shouldn’t be here.” Cassie pointed a finger at them and glanced at the guards.

  The other person advanced a step towards her.

  Cassie backed up. “I’ll call for help if you don’t stop.”

  “Oh no, no. You won’t get the chance.” A male voice spoke from right behind her. A hand slapped across her mouth. Cassie tried to pull away and escape. An arm grabbed her around the middle. She squirmed, but he had her fast.

  The person in front of her advanced, a rope now strung between their hands. Where had that come from? What were they going to do to her?

  Cassie’s eyes widened and she bucked. The guards hadn’t moved at the other end of the greenhouse. Stupid men, they played their game and didn’t once look over. How did they not notice this – could they be so inept? She spotted the hilt of a knife or dagger or something stuck out of the utility belt the person in front of her wore. Only one reason to carry a weapon like that, Cassie thought.

  Four steps away from her. There was going to be no escape. They meant to kill her. Bind her. Stab her. Leave her bleeding on the ground. The workers would find her corpse in the morning.

  The snap of the rope bought her back. He… or she was wrapping a cloth around the rope. They’d made a gag. They meant to stuff that thing in her mouth and silence her.

  Cassie bucked and tried to slap at the man behind her. He tightened his grasp, but as he shifted his hands, she wrenched an arm free and using all her strength, elbowed him in the side. Her hit must have gone home. The man collapsed on the ground, coughing and spluttering. She backed away, but he caught her ankle and yanked. The greenhouse turned sideways, the overhead fans bizarrely at the wrong angle. Cassie twisted to the side, part of her brain registering the fact she was flying through the air.

  The other person actually tried to catch her. Their hands darted out, the fingertips skimmed her shoulders, but not close enough to grab on. She fell to the ground hard. A loud squeak escaped her and for a moment, all three froze.

  “You stupid girl,” the man said between coughs and clambered onto his feet, and cradling his stomach, glanced down the end of the greenhouse. Like the other intruder, he’d dressed head to foot in black, everything about him hidden, but his eyes. She followed his gaze.

  “Oh no,” Cassie said.

  The guards had heard. All four jumped onto their feet. Their cards scattered on the table.

  “Get them!” one of the men shouted and ran towards the wall. He must have flicked a switch as the lights started triggering, the halogen bulbs popping on in pairs along the length of the building. The other three ran into the greenhouse, already in amongst the crops, tasers pointed.

  People dressed in black popped out of the undergrowth, maybe a half dozen, Cassie had no time to count, and legged it back to the broken fan. The person with the rope darted across the greenhouse, and the man who’d caught her wasn’t far behind.

  A bang went off in the other direction and an electrical fizzle passed through the air. Cassie turned fast, in time to see one of the thieves fall to the ground, their body twitching and shaking.

  “Clive, I got one,” he shouted out, leapfrogged the body and focussed in on her.

  He was several rows over. What kind of range did those things have? The guard aimed, then thought better of it. Too far. Cassie backed away. Another bang echoed through the building and a scream rang out as someone else fell to the ground.

  “Get the one over there!” one of the guards called out, and the tall one cut across the rows towards another thief. The others crowded around the broken fan, pulling the fan back in desperation. They dropped back, and someone squeezed through the gap. The man that had seized hold of her stood at the back of the pack, directing and checking on the guards as they rounded on the group. The dirt on his black clothes from where she’d pushed him to the ground singled him out.

  Three of the guards had penned in the thief at the other side of the greenhouse. The fourth guard had a curious eye on her. “You’re not staff,” he said. “And you’re not one of them.” He nodded towards the fan. “So, where’d you get the clothes?” He seemed conversational, but he’d raised his taser and pointed it at her, a crooked smile on his face. “I only want to talk to you.” He stepped a little nearer. Three vegetable beds separated them. He had no easy way around. And she had almost a direct route to the fan.

  A bang echoed from the other side of the building followed swiftly by a male scream and a thud as his body fell to the ground.

  Nearly all of the others had escaped. Her would-be captor was left in the greenhouse, but he was almost out. He gave her one last glance before disappearing through the gap.

  “Come on, let’s make this easy.”

  A laugh came from one of the other guards. “He’s not dead yet.”

  “That’s because he’s a big bugger. Just look at the size of him.”

  Another bang. They laughed and shot him again! This thought woke Cassie up. These men had no mercy. They didn’t wait for orders. They shot and killed anyone who shouldn’t be here. She’d be next. The grinning man three beds over eyed her and took a step to the left. She tried to judge the path he’d take – if he got ahead of her, he’d block her way to the escape. Not going to happen, Cassie thought, and sprinted towards the broken fan.

  “Get her!”

  Cassie didn’t turn around. She didn’t want to find out how close the guard was, with his taser raised and ready to shoot. It looked like the illegals had moved the fan back quite a bit, the gap was definitely much bigger. She slammed full speed into the unit and shimmied through the hole. Moments later she fell out onto the street. Behind her came a bang and an electrical charge surged through the air.

  Up ahead, she spotted one of the people in black sprinting away. She took off after them.

  The guard had got past the fan. He called out, “Stop!” And another bang followed. He must have missed, as Cassie was still running. The illegals had disappeared. She had no choice, she had to keep going.

  Cassie dipped into a side road. If she found somewhere to hide, she could wait until the guards gave up, and then go back to her position on the fire escape.

  One of the illegals leapt out of the shadows. He grabbed her and yanked her in towards a deep doorway. Cassie squealed and hit out, but the man pushed her into a corner and pressed up against her. He already had a hand over her mouth.

  “If you don’t stop the noise right now, I will kill you.” He shoved the cold steel of a blade against her neck, the sharp edge digging into her skin.

  Cassie whimpered then silenced. The sound of footsteps echoed down the street. With each footfall the man presse
d harder against her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could make out just a sliver of the street. One of the guards wandered into view – mere meters from where they hid.

  “Can’t see anyone up this way. What about you, George? Over.” The guard had a walkie talkie up to his mouth.

  A static blast came from the unit, then a reply, “We got three of them. I doubt we’ll see any of the others for a while. Let the bleeding crooks starve, I say. Return to base. Over.”

  The guard gave one last scan to the side street, and turned back the way he came.

  The man in black waited until all was quiet and eased off her. The knife remained at her throat.

  “You owe me three people.” He dug the blade in a little harder. She felt a drop of blood trickle down her neck. “And now you have to pay.”

  One Life For All

  Chapter 13

  “Why were you following me?” The man spun her around and shoved back up against the wall. “Are you with the secret police?”

  Cassie shook her head.

  “Speak,” he ordered. The knife at her neck dug deeper.

  “N-n-no,” she stuttered.

  “Then why follow me? Why get dressed in greenhouse worker colours?” He fingered her shirt. “And how did you get them?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Tears threatened. Now was not the time. The blade hurt, but the expression in the man’s eyes scared her worse. The colour was dark – almost stormy black. He narrowed them into slits and leaned in close.

  “That’s not good enough.” He released the pressure of the knife a little. “Explain the clothes.”

  “Um, I met a guy who helped me. He gave me the shirt and trousers.” She started crying, couldn’t stop the tears as they flooded down her cheeks. “I wanted to find the fields – the growing fields. Like in the documentaries. I wanted to find a farmer and become a farmer’s wife. Help till the land. Help feed the nation.” She babbled, unable to quit. He didn’t want to hear her dreams. This man had a blade half-sliced into her skin. Cassie closed her mouth and tried to stop crying.

  “There’s no bloody fields. Are you that thick?”

  Cassie didn’t say anything. Her nose was running now as well. She sniffed and blinked the tears away.

  “Answer me!” He raised a hand, as if to hit her.

  “Don’t,” Cassie said, turning her face from a blow.

  He lowered his arm, and checked on the street. “Answer my questions.” The knife was still pressed up against her neck painfully, but he let up a little more.

  “Elijah told me the same thing. Something happened… and he gave me a map to find the greenhouses.” She paused. “I’m an illegal. I’ve no ration card any more. I had to come here… so I could steal food to eat.”

  “You’ve got a map? Where?” The blade bit hard into her neck again.

  “I-I-I left a bag on a fire escape. A few streets over.” She half-raised her arm to point and thought better of it. “The map’s inside. I’ve got food as well. Elijah filled a bag for me.”

  “Who is this Elijah, and why would he give a freeloader his own rations?”

  “Please, I can’t think with the knife on my neck.”

  “Too bad, sweetheart. It’s not going anywhere.”

  Cassie tried to calm herself. She took two deep breaths and said, “He found me after I escaped from the show.”

  “What bloody show?” He squinted at her. “I recognise your face. Why do I recognise your face?” His mouth dropped into a small ‘o’ of surprise. The pressure of the blade disappeared, and the man took a step back. “My God. You’re the one that got away. You went on The Ultimate Choice. They’ve plastered your picture all over the broadcasts.”

  The man thought for a moment. “Come.” He grabbed her by the arm. “That’s what you wanted, right?”

  Cassie stumbled as he dragged her along at a jog. He hugged the shadows, taking a left here, a right there. She was certain they’d circled around at one point. The man stopped frequently, listening and watching for followers. Suddenly he threw her into a recess. He produced a key and opened the door.

  “This way,” he said, but didn’t let go. His grip pinched, and her lower arm and hand felt dead from lack of circulation.

  He took her through a warehouse – a clothing distribution centre from the look of it. He dragged her past aisles stacked with clothes of different colours organised according to job title, caste and rank, not stopping until they arrived at the opposite end of the building. He pushed her up against a bank of shelving units.

  “Face that way.”

  She did as ordered. There was a clunk-click sound behind her.

  “Come on,” he said. “Get in there.”

  Cassie turned and saw the shelves had pivoted out leaving a small gap, with darkness beyond. He grabbed her by the arm again, and yanked her forwards. He shoved her ahead of him and into the hidden passage. He stepped in behind her and pushed a lever into the wall. The shelves slid back into place.

  “Don’t trip,” he barked out.

  They were on the move again. She did fall up the first step. The staircase was almost pitch black but she could just about make out a faint light up ahead. The stairs seemed to go on forever. The man stayed behind her, prodding her when he thought she wasn’t moving fast enough. Then the steps ended. She stood on a landing, her eyes widened, and from the shadows, she made out a door in front of her. He moved around her and pushed it open. Light flooded the stairway and Cassie blinked, momentarily blinded.

  They emerged into a long, wide corridor. Three children rushed towards them on what appeared to be old-fashioned scooters. The three – two blonde girls and a smaller dark-haired boy – raced up. All wore solemn expressions. The smaller girl touched the arm of the other. The larger girl leaned over, her eyes not leaving Cassie as words were whispered in her ear.

  “Daddy, Poppy wants to know if it’s her fault.”

  The man reached down and mussed the hair on the smaller one’s head, his expression remained stony. “Yes. She’s the one.”

  Two children. Did this man have two children? Cassie stared at them. And what of the boy, did he make a third? If so, her captor wasn’t just an illegal. He was a rebel. They lived by their own rules – and she’d caused all the upset in the greenhouse. He said it himself. She owed him three people.

  Cassie resisted a little as he shoved her towards the nearest door. Raised voices filtered through into the corridor. A man shouted out. Someone else was crying. She didn’t want to go inside.

  The man threw the door open and propelled Cassie through.

  The room was full of people. The walls closed in on her, faces crowded in on her from everywhere, all angry, and all staring at her. So many people. One face seemed to be in the centre. A young man, surrounded by the others. He shook off the two women who seem to be comforting him.

  “No Liam,” the younger one said.

  He ignored her and strode over. “Do you know what you’ve done?” His eyes were bloodshot, and a barely controlled wild look made Cassie want to run off and hide. He leaned towards her. Like at any moment he might spring at her. Pummel her into a pulp with his fists.

  “What? Me?” She tried to step away from him, but was met with a wall.

  Liam jabbed her hard in the chest. “You murdered Georgie and Charlie and Hannah.” He sobbed, the back of his hand across his mouth. “It’s your fault they’re dead. Murderer!” he shouted and ran from the room.

  “What the hell were you thinking, Dan?” A tall woman – very beautiful, even in her grief, shook her head at Cassie’s captor. “You bring her back here? Into our home?” Completely ignoring Cassie, she ran out after Liam.

  “I didn’t mean to,” Cassie spoke to the remaining group. “I had no idea other people were hiding in the greenhouse. You’ve got to believe me.” She stared at each face in turn. Silence met her pleas. “One of you came at me with a rope, and whoever it was had a knife as well. I thought you were going to kil
l me!” she shouted the last words. Tears threatened, and she gulped in deep breaths to try and stop them.

  The door opened suddenly, breaking the thick atmosphere. The two blonde girls peeked in.

  “Honey, Poppy, this is not the time to be here,” Dan barked at the pair.

  The taller girl ignored him and tugged the smaller girl into the room by the hand. “Daddy, Poppy asked if that’s the woman from the telly.”

  The other girl nodded, and then pulled her sister close. She whispered something in the older girl’s ear.

  Honey glanced up at her father again. “Poppy says she’s the woman who escaped the show.” She regarded the other adults before focusing in on Cassie. “I think she is as well.”

  Now the entire group turned to stare at her. Cassie felt the heat rise in her face, everyone was looking at her, scrutinising her. Was there a reward out on her? A bounty they would happily turn her in for? Was that why the man bought her back here? These people bore no allegiance to her, had no reason to treat her with anything but hate. She’d killed – murdered – three of their family. Why would they ever do her a favour – protect her and embrace her into their clan? Something made a trickling sensation on her neck. She put a hand up and found the scratch Dan had given her with the knife. Using her shirt sleeve, she wiped at the blood. At least she could try and stand tall against them.

  A white-haired man stepped out of the group. “Are you the one?” he asked. “You escaped all those guards? And escaped the building?” He frowned. “A little girl like you?”

  Cassie nodded.

  “They’re still looking for you.” He crossed his arms. “Making a bit of a terrorist out of you. In fact, the government have got the whole country searching back alleys and hidey holes. I figured you’d be found dead somewhere. It’s been days since you escaped.” He stared introspectively off to the left and said, “Check the passageways and dumpsters near where you live. Search the hallways of your buildings. Do not approach her, call 999.” He turned to the children. “The ad on the television goes something like that, doesn’t it girls?”