by T. L. Walker
I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing when she nodded."We will. And someone will stay here to watch them. And she’ll stay too." Jia jerked her head toward Virginia.
"That was the offer," I reminded her coolly. I could have sworn I saw a flicker of anger in her eyes, but when she spoke again she was calm and collected.
"Good."She looked at one of her people – a mousy girl who had the same hard look about her that Jia did – and then turned back to me."Allie will stay. I suggest you open that gate before I change my mind."
I turned away to hide my grimace."Virginia?"
"Of course, dear." She pulled out her key ring, and the first thing I noticed was that it was a lot less full than usual. I glanced at the group of teenagers on the other side of the fence; Jia was watching Virginia almost greedily, while the rest of them were alert, scanning their surroundings, keeping an eye on their leader, or studying me.
I couldn’t help but worry about the others, about their ability to keep a straight face. Please keep your shit together, guys.
One by one the padlocks clicked open, and Virginia slowly unwound the chains. I didn’t believe that she was being so methodical on purpose, but Jia was clearly in a hurry."Any day now," she said, finally looking up at me, obviously expecting me to hasten the process.
"I’m sure you know what happens if we make too much noise, and I don’t think any of us want to attract the zeds." Now that they know the word, might as well use it.
Jia glared at me but didn’t say another word as Virginia slowly pulled the last bit of chain through the bars and set it carefully on the ground. As she opened the gate, she turned her back on the kids for a brief moment, just long enough for her to glance at me, her expression the only proof I needed that she would be completely in control over this Allie girl while I led Jia and the rest of her people through this farce of a trade.
In fact, Virginia almost seemed more prepared than I was to fight these children...should the need arise. I inclined my head in thanks, just barely, but in the end Jia was too busy shuffling her followers through the crack in the gate to notice our exchange. I still didn’t feel great about leaving Virginia alone with this girl Allie, but I told myself that Virginia could handle her.
When they’d all filed through the gate – eleven of them, by my count – Virginia looped one chain around it and secured it with a padlock as they divested themselves of their guns.
"We’ll be keeping our knives,"Jia said."In case of...zeds...of course."
"Of course," I agreed.
"Lead the way, then."
I crossed my arms over my chest."Here’s the thing. You’re here to trade, right?"I had to swallow the ‘supposedly’ that was on the tip of my tongue."But it doesn’t look like you brought much with you."
Jia nodded. She’d obviously been expecting this."Don’t worry – our offerings are forthcoming. Remember, I’m the one running this trade – you don’t get to see our goods before we see yours."
"Well, you suggested this trade in such a way that we simply couldn’t say no," I reminded her, not bothering to keep the mocking tone out of my voice.
"So very true."Jia smirked at me."We are locked in here, and are leaving our guns at the gate. We could be walking into an ambush, but I’m choosing to believe you aren’t that stupid. Either way, by my last count we outnumber you almost two to one...and that’s just based on the people I brought with me. So again, I’m the one running this trade. We look first, we take first, and then we give...in our own time. Now, I highly suggest you bring us to those offices. Immediately."
There was nothing I could do, and I wanted to kick myself for losing my temper. So much for not showing her your weaknesses. "Actually, no. I’m going to tell you which way you are going. Six of your people will walk ahead; the other three can follow you and I. That is, unless you want to leave your knives behind, too."
Jia snorted."No matter what, it’s ten to one."
"Which is exactly why I assume you don’t have any problem with that arrangement. Especially as I have no reason to believe this trade will benefit us in any way."
She shrugged."It’s a new world, Charlie, and we have the upper hand here. To the point where I feel completely comfortable acquiescing to this nonsense."
I almost opened my mouth to respond, then decided that I would let her have that one. I pointed to the right."The offices are that way. It’s a bit of a walk, but just keep on the path until I tell you to turn right."
"Is it the only right turn?" Jia asked, her eyes glittering.
"Yes,"I sighed."But I’m not sure of the exact distance, and it’s hard to see the entrance if you don’t know where it is. Guess you’ll just have to trust me."
"Trust has no place in this world,"was Jia’s cold response."But I think you know what will happen if you try anything, and you care too much about your friends here to let that happen. Or maybe..."She gave me a sly look."Maybe you simply value your own skin enough to not take any risks here today. That’s something I can respect, at least."
I stared back at her, hoping that all she saw was my blank expression. Finally she chuckled and waved me off."Well, whatever it is, I’m fine with your little rule." She pointed to six of her people – three boys, three girls – and they started down the path. I followed, Jia immediately falling in step beside me. I could hear the footsteps of the others close behind us – two girls and a boy. Strangely, I found myself wondering whether I would ever know their names. Maybe it’s better that you don’t.
We walked for several minutes, and though I refused to look back at the people behind me, the ones in front kept glancing over their shoulders at Jia. Not that she ever acknowledged this – I could see her eyes darting from one side to the other, and I had an uncomfortable feeling that she was taking mental pictures of her surroundings.
That she was memorizing everything she was seeing.
I was unnerved, but thankfully we were almost at the office building."There’s a small turnoff just up here on the right,"I pointed out."I know it doesn’t look like much, but you’ll be able to see a chair and a door."
By the time Jia and I reached the entrance, the rest of her group were gathered close to the door, peering at their surroundings, their hands on the hilts of their knives."Calm down, guys,"Jia ordered. She turned to me."This was much more well-hidden before, wasn’t it?"
This time it was my turn to smirk."I was fairly certain you wouldn’t follow my directions if I told you to walk straight into a dim alcove that looked like it was formed from vines."
"You think that would have scared me?" Jia laughed.
"Who said anything about scaring you?" I shot back. The silence stretched between us, but Jia never broke eye contact.
When she finally spoke, her voice was cold and hard."Open the door."
She thinks she can’t be frightened. I doubted I knew anything more important about this girl just now, but I didn’t have time to think about that at the moment. I turned and backed toward the door, trying to keep my eyes on as many of them as I could.
I rapped my knuckles against the hard steel three times; it swung open almost before I withdrew my hand. Richard was there, looking as stern as he ever had, though I doubted his expression would have any effect on Jia.
"There are six more of us inside,"I announced, speaking louder than I would have liked, wanting to make sure that everyone heard me."I’ll let five of your people go in with Richard here, and then I’ll lead the rest of you in myself."
"You’re very concerned about how many of us there are. How many people do you actually have here, Charlie?" She said my name like it was some sort of a curse; the first thought that crossed my mind was maybe she’s right.
"Like I just said, there areseven of us here...and Virginia back at the gate, of course," I replied without hesitation. We stared at each other for a long moment, and then Jia actually chuckled. I smirked at her."Seven against eleven isn’t bad considering you’re on our territory."
"Very true. But if you think there are only eleven of us, you’re woefully mistaken."
"I don’t doubt you have more people outside these walls,"I admitted."The thing is, I’m more concerned about what’s inside of them."
This time it was one of Jia’s followers, a tall and slim yet scrappy-looking kid, who laughed."You have no idea, lady." My eyes met his, and I didn’t move until he looked away. Satisfied that at least one of them knew that I was tougher than they thought, I beckoned him and four others to follow Richard. Jia and the rest – two boys and two other girls – crowded around me, pulling Jia back behind them, but I shoved out my elbows and slowed them down.
I rounded on them."Enough. You may do things differently, but we aren’t going to separate you just to take you down. After all, you don’t even have any weapons, remember?"
Jia stepped through her companions’ barrier; they parted like the Red Sea at Moses’ command. She looked calm and collected. Assured. "You’re right. We don’t have any weapons, and you are...well, I don’t know what you are. I only know that I’m shocked you’ve survived this long."She paused, peered around me into the dim hallway that split the concrete block of the building we called home, and shrugged."Then again, you have a nice setup here."
All the things she wasn’t saying were practically written on her face. She thought we would be eaten alive if we had to survive outside, and I knew that was probably true about a few of us, even if I didn’t count Mabel in that equation. Still, something like hope welled up inside of me just then. She’s underestimating us. Severely.
I headed inside, straight to Richard’s office. He and the five who’d gone with him were still standing in the hall, and his face was red, his posture tense."...think I’ll let one of you stay out here? With only your word that you won’t –"
"That’s enough, Richard."He clenched his jaw, but didn’t say anything else."Go on in. They can leave someone out here; tell Luke to come out in the hallway and keep watch."I turned to Jia."One person. Your choice."
She looked over her shoulder and jerked her head; one of the girls, tall and lanky with skin the color of cocoa, a head of gorgeous black curls, and the face of a movie star, stepped into the light. I immediately noticed the scar that ran across the bridge of her nose and down one cheek, a slash that hadn’t cut deep but had still left its mark. Somehow it made the girl even more beautiful, despite the size of it and the fact that it was still raised and red."Monika," she said, sticking out her hand.
But before I could grasp it, Jia coughed, and Monika immediately withdrew her gesture.
"She’s a bit too friendly sometimes, but trust me, she can take care of herself." Jia shouldered past me then, but not before I realized that she’d spoken with something like affection. I had to pull myself back to reality, finally gesturing to the others that they should follow their leader."Take them in with you, Richard. Get Luke. I’ll wait out here while you do. Just keep an eye on them."
Richard obviously wasn’t happy with the situation, but he only hesitated for a moment before disappearing through the door behind Jia and several of her companions.
"Hey, Monika.I’m Charlie," I said, keeping my eyes on the door even as I tried to figure out the best ways to ingratiate myself with Jia’s people.
"We know your name."
"We? The collective ‘we’? Or..."
There was no answer, so I chanced a glance in Monika’s direction. She was staring at the door, too, and there was color in her cheeks that hadn’t even been there when she’d attempted to introduce herself to me.
But is it because of my question, or because she can’t see Jia? At the moment, I had a feeling either reason was equally probable.
I half expected Jia to return with Luke, but it was one of the boys who stood in the doorway after Luke stepped out into the hall."Luke, this is Monika," I told him. His eyes met mine and I took a deep breath, hoping that it disguised me dipping my head at him. Of course he wouldn’t know exactly what I was trying to say, but he would understand that there was something important going on.
"Come on," doorway kid ordered.
"As if I would miss this," I muttered, squeezing by him, my elbow knocking his just hard enough so that he would know that he was in my way and I wasn’t having it.
I ignored the fact that he scoffed at my little display; once I was in the room, my attention was on Jia again.
She’d waited for me.
"Gang’s all here!"she said. She was smiling, her tone cheerful, and that almost scared me – because neither her expression nor her words were fake."And apparently so are all of your supplies." She continued staring at me, narrowing her eyes.
I rolled my own."Yeah. This is what we’re left with. Seven people living inside these walls for so long...what else did you expect?"
Jia sighed and shook her head."There’s not much here worth trading for."
"Well, what are you giving us in return?"
"I think I’ve already made it clear that it doesn’t work like that. Not quite yet. We take what we want, and I’ll send a group back with some things for you. Our choice."
"That doesn’t seem like much of a fair trade," Richard hissed, causing Jia to finally turn her gaze on him.
"There’s no such thing as a fair trade. You’re lucky we still have a nurse, or you would be coming back to the school with us."
I couldn’t help it – I finally snapped."Fuck that! You wanted to see what we have, there it is. No one said anything about taking people – or even threateningto take them."
Jia cocked her head at me."Damn. You really aresheltered here, aren’t you?"
"What the fuck are you talking about?" I could feel everyone staring at me, could feel the extra tension my loss of temper caused, but right then I didn’t care.
"We always take someone with us. Insurance, you know? Don’t worry, whoever we take will be treated just fine."She paused, pointed to her people, then to the supplies we’d thrown together."You know what to look for." They moved forward and began picking through our things, taking the best of what we had, stuffing items into their bags and their pockets.
"You’ll have a hard time getting out of here with all of that and one of our people," I pointed out.
"I think not. One of your people will go with us. Willingly. They always do, once they know what will happen to their friends if anyone tries to stop us."
"You may outnumber us, but at the moment you don’t have any weapons on you. And you’re not taking any of my people."
Jia’s eyes glittered with malice."We can leave the supplies, and take more people. We can take the supplies, and take no one, and then swarm your pitiful little compound from the breach in the back fence and any other undefended spot we find, and kill every last one of you. Take your pick."
"I refuse to force anyone here to be your captive."
"Force? Who said anything about force? I choose the captive, and that person agrees to return to our base. Very simple."
"Youchoose?"Somehow I knew that she wouldn’t take me, the one she perceived as the leader of our little group. I waved my hand in Ethan and Daniel’s direction."You already said you didn’t need Richard, and I know you aren’t thinking about me, though I’d go if you were. So it’s Ethan, Daniel, Virginia –"
"Oh no. No, no, no. None of them. The one in the hall. What was his name?"
My stomach turned, but I did my best to ignore the sickening feeling in my gut and instead forced a laugh."Luke? What the hell is he going to do for you?" I hated saying it, but in a way, I spoke the truth. Luke was sick, possibly even dying, and although there was a good chance Jia hadn’t noticed as much, it wasn’t as if she would be able to get him to fight for her.
“He’s going to keep you at bay,” she replied, grinning at me like the Cheshire Cat.
Never forget that there’s no such thing as a fair trade.
*******
Somehow I knew there was no getting out of this, but I was shocked that Jia hadn’t picked
up on the fact that Luke was injured. I wasn’t sure if this was something I could even use to my advantage, so rather than mention it, I forced a laugh and said,"My word is what will ‘keep me at bay’. Taking one of us won’t change that. But if you’re so worried about me, wouldn’t I be your first choice?"
Jia waved me off."Please. You’re more trouble than you’re worth – I’ve known that since we started watching you people. Besides, they need you to keep shit together more than they need military man out there."
How did she know?I shook my head to clear it."I won’t make him go."
This time it was Jia who laughed."But you know he will. And even if he didn’t, my next choice would be him."She nodded in Mike’s direction, though thankfully he was watching the others too closely to notice."He looks like he belongs in a school."She smiled at me, some twisted version of a"mother knows best"look."Maybe I should make you choose, after all – between your big handsome boyfriend out there...or the kid."
I didn’t want to think about what she may have seen that led her to assume that she knew me – and Luke– so well. I didn’t want to think about how long they’d been watching us."You’re right. Luke will do it. But if one of us goes, one of you stays."
"Of course, of course. It’s actually Bobby’s turn this time."
The tall, slim boy from earlier stepped forward, smirking."You don’t seem to mind drawing the short straw," I noted.
He shook his head, his smirk turning into a shit-eating grin. He looked like he was about to say something, but then Jia caught his eye and he merely crossed his arms over his chest and looked up at the ceiling, back to smirking now and still obviously amused.
"I completely expect you to keep him under lock and key,"Jia admitted."We’ll be doing the same with your...Luke. And if we return with our goods and Bobby has a single mark on him, you willpay."
"How do I know he won’t rough himself up and blame it on us?" He sure as hell looks like he would do just that.