***
It took her nearly a full minute to register the fact that they’d come to a stop. They were near the outskirts of the woods, looking into an upper-middle class subdivision, definitely fancier than anything she’d ever lived in, but not so fancy as to feel like a foreign world. The houses were all two stories, and most had fruit or palm trees in the backyards. There were pools at more houses than not, judging by the curve of metal ladders that peeked over the top of some of the privacy fences, the sounds of pumps emitting from others. Dogs barked, not in alarm, but in the way that they seem to feel they needed to in neighborhoods, as a way to fill the silence.
“We’re looking for unwashed windows,backyards with uncut grass, maybe dirty water in the pool,” sent Jack. “If someone officially moved out, the homeowners association would’ve taken over. We want abandoned. Preferably not for long, or they’d have found a way to take it back over anyway. Probably someone who had enough in savings to set their mortgage to automatically pay while they gave up their jobs.”
Jemma got the impression Jack was giving her a moment to catch back up with their surroundings. She wasn’t sure how long they’d been walking, but her legs were rubbery, her mouth dry. “What about that one?”
The house she pointed to was actually one of the closer ones. There wasn’t much of a clearing between the edge of the woods and the fence line, but they’d still have to hope no bored homeowners happened to be looking out their back windows when they went for it. On that particular house, the windows did look a bit grubby, and there was a hint of greenery poking its way between the slats of the fence.
“Good call,” sent Jack. “I don’t see any others, not from here, and it doesn’t seem worth risking working our way around the neighborhood when this one might work.”
He sounded exhausted, and Jemma finally noticed that he was leaning heavily on a tree. They weren’t exactly going to be able to go in through the front door of the house.
If they were able to get in at all. “Jack… These houses are gonna have alarms.”
“They are. Good point.” He slid down until he sat at the base of the tree. “We can try anyway and hope they didn’t bother setting it, or we can keep going.”
She took stock of her own condition, and she looked down at Jack. They had to try to get in. “We’ll need to go over the fence, and we have to be fast. Can you make it?”
Jack nodded and closed his eyes. “Just need a sec.”
Jemma eyed the house again, watching for signs of movement and not seeing anything. She didn’t see anything obvious in the houses nearest to it, either. She heard rustling as Jack shifted, and she reached down a hand to help him up, mirroring the grip he’d used to lead her through the woods. “Ready?” she asked. He nodded.
They moved confidently across the open area, people who knew where they were going, stopping when they reached their target in the middle of a section of linked privacy fences. Jemma hooked her hands over the top of the wooden fence, wincing as the rough surface dug into her palms. She looked at Jack, and he nodded. She looked back at the fence and pulled down as hard as she could, pulling her shoulders back and her feet up to get traction with her shoes. She felt Jack give her a slight boost with a hand under her thigh, and then she was over.
Loud scraping noises followed, and Jack came over the top a few seconds later, landing heavily at the bottom.
“All right?” she sent.
“Yeah.” He leaned against the fence for a solid minute while Jemma rubbed her palms and studied the backyard. It looked like the pool had been drained, but the backyard still held lawn equipment that was nearly hidden in foot-high grass. “Okay.”
They made their way over to the house. The back door had eight small panels of glass. Jack found a rag by the lawn mower while Jemma peered in through one of the larger windows in the back wall, into what appeared to be a living room. There wasn’t any movement.
“As long as the police don’t show up, I don’t actually feel guilty about this,” sent Jemma as she joined Jack at the door and watched him wrap a decorative rock so it was securely fastened at one end of the rag. “I’m not sure how I feel about not feeling bad about this.”
“Funny how being locked up for a few weeks can change your perspective on things, hmm?” Jack winked, then took aim, using the momentum of the rag to bring the rock around with controlled force into one of the panels near the handle. There was a clatter of broken glass, but no other immediate reaction. “Let’s go quickly so we can check the alarm. We need to get back out fast if we set something off.”
He reached in carefully and turned the lock, then the handle, and they were inside. They walked through to the front of the house, finding the alarm panel next to the door, a message across the top.
System Disarmed.
Jemma closed her eyes as she let out a breath of relief, and she opened them again to see Jack grinning at her. He gestured for them to move away from the door, which had almost as much glass as the back door had, then held out his arms.
“Celebratory hug?”
She stepped into his embrace, and he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face against the side of her neck. She did the same, leaning into him, letting down her barriers, letting him feel what she’d been through and accepting what he’d had to handle, letting him feel things she didn’t even want to deal with herself, letting herself revel in the fact that she was no longer isolated in a cell in a research facility, until it all became just a bit too much.
“I’ll stop with the sappy stuff now, promise,” he sent, pulling his face from her neck to press his lips against her hair.
“Thanks,” she sent back, stepping away when he loosened his grip. “I mean, not that—”
He interrupted her with a wave of understanding, and she smiled. “All right,” he sent. “Let’s see if we can find a computer in this place.”
SEVENTEEN
Survival
The alarm panel was powered by either battery or some sort of back-up reserve; nothing else in the house would turn on.
They had to pass through the kitchen to get to the living room. The refrigerator had been emptied, but the pantry still held canned foods and several boxed meals, and Jemma grabbed a box of crackers to take with them on their search of the house. Jack shoved three in his mouth before they made it out of the room.
The living room had a desktop computer and an entertainment center, neither of which would function without power. The downstairs bedroom had been emptied completely.
“They definitely planned ahead,” sent Jemma. “I don’t think they left a fully-charged laptop.”
“If they had enough of them, they might’ve left a spare behind,” sent Jack. “I’ve got three, and I’d guess these people had more cash than me. Even if we can’t find a computer,” he continued as they made their way up the stairs, Jack taking the lead, “we’ve got some food. That’s more than we had before we stopped.”
“A place to rest, too.” Jack had opened the door to the master suite, which held a large, stripped bed. There were two doors in the room. Jack opened one while she opened the other. Jemma’s door revealed a bathroom that nearly dwarfed the bed. The closet just inside released a burst of artificial-flower scent, and she saw stacks of clean towels on the lower shelves, clean sheets and a comforter near the top.
“Just clothes in here,” sent Jack, and Jemma joined him, glancing at the walk-in closet, empty hangers mingling with clean clothes.
“Bathroom over there,” sent Jemma. “Is it safer to stay the night here or to hide somewhere in the woods?”
“I don’t think we left anything for them to follow,” he sent. “There aren’t exactly lights for us to turn on to get attention. We stay away from the windows, nobody thinks to look in the back yard, we should be safe enough, I think, but…” He sent discomfort. “I’m just still not sure about being so close to where they were keeping us. What if they look for abandoned homes near them? I’m sure we’re safe for
a few hours, and probably even for the night, but beyond that…”
Jemma touched Jack’s arm. “We’ll find somewhere different. We both need food and rest, though, and we still need to make a plan. I guess this is me trying to get us started on making the plan.”
Jack covered her hand with his, then nodded. “We have a couple more rooms to search for some way to make contact. Let’s finish that first.”
“Right.” Jemma followed him. What would they do, though, if they didn’t find any means of contact? Did they still want to risk trying to get to their families? And how were they going to find someone who would be able to help the people still in the facility? What about the rest of the world and the research needed to save it? She watched Jack as he led the way into the next room, bypassing another bathroom. How could he be so calm with so many questions unanswered? Just because they might still find a working laptop didn’t mean they couldn’t make plans, just in case.
Before she could starting working through ideas on her own, her mind moving at a frustratingly slow speed, Jack’s mental voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Here we go.”
They’d entered what could only be a home office. There were two more desktop computers set up at individual desks, and there were two closets, each open and brimming with a random assortment of electronics.
Electronics that looked like they included laptops.
Jack and Jemma again split up, each taking a closet. Jemma found two computers, one laptop and one netbook, and she brought them to the desk closer to her, glancing at the window to make sure the blinds were drawn. Jack brought over another laptop.
They tried the netbook first.
Nothing happened.
Next was Jack’s laptop, but again, it seemed to be fully out of battery. Jemma held her breath as she pressed the power button on the last laptop, and she let it out as she was rewarded with the illuminated logo on the screen.
“Excellent!” sent Jack, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him. She rested her head on his shoulder while the startup finished, then straightened.
“I’m guessing safest contact in your family would be Jill?” sent Jack, his fingers flying across the keys faster than the computer could keep up with. Jemma felt a surge of anger that their captors had kept this man out of his element for so long.
“Yes. Are we doing the email thing?”
He sent an affirmative. “In a way, but not directly. If they’re monitoring our families, it will be in person, like their clumsy attempts with us, or they’ll be watching public Facebook feeds. They were able to access the city system, but they mentioned asking the police for help, so that might not have been technical knowhow. Still, they might be able to get into email accounts or Facebook if they’ve got people who are good at acquiring passwords. I think phones might be safe, though. They’re harder to access, at least. We should still be smart about what we say.” Jemma watched while Jack found an unsecured WiFi network, then logged in to an email account. “There’s no way they have this account information. I haven’t used it in years, and it isn’t under my name. It is, though, set up with a digital phone number that I can use to text.” He navigated to another page, then angled the computer toward Jemma. “I hope she has the phone on her during class, or we’ll have to try again later. We’ve only got about thirty minutes of battery.”
Jemma thought for a few seconds before typing, trying to figure out how to let her sister know it was her in a way that wouldn’t make sense if the wrong person intercepted it. It’s not a plane; it’s a JET! she typed, using their shared initials. It’s trying to land but needs a runway.
Jack nodded and clicked send. “Jill’s smart for seventeen. She’ll get the reference, and the metaphor. Good thinking. Let’s wait five minutes. If we don’t get a response, we’ll power down while we rest and try again later.”
Jemma felt some of Jack’s weariness trickling through the connection. He didn’t seem to be aware he was sending it, which meant he was even more tired than he looked. She took a few more crackers and gave him the box. He put it in his lap, eating with one hand while he browsed—if you could call it browsing, at that speed—with the other. Before the five minutes had passed, the crackers were gone.
“No response from your sister yet,” he sent, shutting down the computer. “If they’ve asked the police to help find us,” he continued, carrying the laptop into the master bedroom, “it hasn’t made the scanners yet. Nothing on the local news about any escapees, either, so it seems like so far it’s just them and whatever in-house resources they’re working with.”
“Time for at least a nap, then,” sent Jemma, grabbing a fitted sheet from the linen closet. It wasn’t cool enough to need a comforter, and she didn’t really want to split up in case someone came into the house while they rested, but as close as she and Jack were, making up a bed with the intent to slip under the covers with him just wasn’t something on her radar for the day.
When he saw what she was carrying, Jack grabbed one side of the sheet, and they made the bed quickly. Jack lay down, closed his eyes, and was asleep before Jemma could even join him. She couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at her lips at how quickly he had fallen asleep, even under the circumstances.
She got comfortable on the other side of the bed, propping her hands under her head in place of a pillow. She stared at the ceiling. Her legs felt rubbery, her stomach confused. She was exhausted and knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep for long. She had to assume the people who’d locked her and Jack up were searching for them, and they’d need to find a way to stay hidden while also seeking out someone who could help them with what they needed to do next.
But for now? For now, she was comfortable enough, she was with Jack, and she’d escaped.
***
The room was much dimmer when Jemma woke. She blinked as she recalled where she was, listening to make certain she hadn’t been woken up by any sudden noises, but the only sound she could hear was Jack’s even breathing.
She nudged him, trying to wake him gently. His lips moved in silent protest, so she backed up the motion with mental reinforcement. “Jack, we should get up, check for a response from Jilly, figure out what we’re doing next.”
“Mmm.” He sent enough of an affirmative with the sound that she was fairly certain he was awake, but she was still surprised when he took her hand and squeezed it. “Good nap. Everything still look safe?” He opened his eyes, brown eyes finally meeting hers.
She squeezed his hand back before getting out of the bed. “Everything’s still quiet. I’m going to check downstairs and see what else there is to eat before it gets too dark. You check the email phone thing.”
“Will do.”
She sighed at herself as she headed for the stairs. Their separation, those nights in her room, her cell, had forced her to admit, at least on some level, that she wanted things with Jack to be different. She wanted a shift in their relationship, but she just was not equipped to handle it under these circumstances, not ready to try to adjust to while dealing with everything else that was going on. She knew herself well enough to know that.
What she didn’t know, though, was whether she could either ignore her feelings or shove them to the back of her mind as thoroughly as she had other emotional issues in the past, because she refused to let them get in the way. Maybe she’d just have to figure things out as they came, just be who she was with Jack, trust that his patience would let them exist in whatever gray area was necessary in order for her to focus.
Right now, she needed to focus on the food.
She sorted the pantry quickly, moving the food that could be eaten cold, no matter how unpleasant, to one side, pushing the rest toward the back. She started a third section for things they might be able to figure out if they set up camp here and got desperate: they could soak pasta in water in the sunlight and try not to gag.
“She responded,” sent Jack when she was nearly finished with the narrow pan
try. “I’m hoping it makes more sense to you and she didn’t misunderstand. Want to come up, or want me to read it to you?”
“I’ll come up,” she sent, taking a package of gummy snacks with her and wishing the owners had thought to leave something chocolate behind. Jack was sitting with his back against the headboard, and she sat next to him. She quickly found Jill’s message.
Cece? It’s been forEVER. You coming to that movie you wanted to see at 8 tonight?
Jemma read the message again, then once more before Talking to Jack. “She understood, I think. She used to call me Sissy, when we were little. ‘Cece’ sounds about the same. The movie, though, I’m not sure… What’s playing?” Jack brought up the listings, and Jemma zeroed in on one immediately. “There. Jill teased me about wanting to see that. Is it playing at 8 at the theater closest to the library? That’s where we always went.”
“It is,” Jack confirmed. “That where we’re meeting?”
“Looks like it.” Jemma glanced at the clock. “Can we make it in time? I know we have a few hours, but that’s across town.”
Jack brought up a map. “This makes things so much easier, being able to see where we are. Okay, if we cut through here, then around here,” he sent, motioning behind the subdivision and through the woods, further from the water than they’d planned, “we can get to the highway pretty quickly. I’ll check on the police and media again, but our odds are pretty good that we’re safe if we don’t take too long to catch a ride.”
“All right. I’ll let Jill know we’re coming, then?” Jack switched back to the relevant page, and Jemma typed, If you can cover my ticket. Kinda broke. “You check what you wanted, and anything else that might help,” she sent. “I’m going to see whether I can find a backpack or two, and we’re going to take some food and water this time, just in case.”
Listen (Muted Trilogy Book 2) Page 12