Stasis (Part 2): Iterate

by E. W. Osborne

  “Wait!”

  She spun and glowered at him. “I wasn’t…”

  “It could be electrified,” he interrupted with a look that said, I know what you were thinking.

  “There’d be signs,” she replied dubiously, obviously not believing it herself.

  Neil sighed. “Does it really matter?”

  The final slump in her shoulders was all the answer he needed. She’d given up. He felt terrible for some reason, like he’d broken her spirit. He couldn’t remember any significant story from her childhood she’d told him about the waterfall, so he figured it was something else. Probably wanted a day that felt normal, to go do something familiar.

  With the sun dipping lower in the sky, leaving the forest darker than the time suggested, they decided they didn’t have the time for even a quick rest. There were no further complaints form Maggie as they started the trek back to camp. Before long, Neil realized they were actually well and truly lost. Following Maggie’s lead, they’d walked directly away from the fence and back in the direction they’d come from… or so they thought.

  After another ten minutes, they’d somehow veered off onto another narrow path and collided with the fence further down.

  “This isn’t right,” she mumbled, not allowing anyone to take control.

  Wills gestured wildly behind her as she blindly led them back into the forest. And yet again, they somehow intersected with the fence.

  “I think maybe you need to let me take a look,” Ian said in a hushed voice.

  “We’re so fucking lost,” Wills grumbled, scanning the forest in one big turn. “It’s either that or this fence lines the strangest perimeter.”

  Ian took a few steps away from the fence, nose buried in the phone. He blinked up and around, as if what he was seeing on the screen didn’t match what he saw with his own eyes.

  Neil whispered in Wills ear. “Can you get out some water and food? We’re gonna need to refuel for the hike back. I’ll go help him, yeah?” If he made him feel part of the rescue party, then he’d be less likely to blow up on Maggie.

  Neil approached Ian. His stomach dropped when he saw the worry plain on his face. “Everything okay?”

  “Not even a little bit. None of this makes sense. It’s like the GPS is deliberately messing up. Don’t laugh,” he said, waiting for Neil to nod before continuing. “I think whatever is behind that fence might be interfering with it. Like, it’s not supposed to appear on any map.”

  A knife of apprehension twisted between Neil’s shoulder blades. “Yeah, that’s about the furthest thing from funny I can imagine right now. You’re telling me we’re lost in the woods, miles from our campsite, and maybe right outside some secret installation?”

  “Yeah, basically,” Ian nodded with wide eyes.

  “And we’re trying to lay low and hide from some creepy men who tried to read our minds?”

  “Yup.”

  “Awesome.”

  They stood quietly, each running through their pathetically short list of choices.

  “Any ideas?” Neil asked finally. Please, please have an idea cause I’m all out.

  “The way I see it, the GPS is cooked. We have no idea how far the perimeter of interference might be, so even if it did work, it’s useless to us. We could try and wander our way back to the campsite or at least in a straight line hoping to find a road, but that’s probably not the best idea. We don’t have much in the way of provisions.”

  “Right.” Neil suppressed a shiver, hiding the chill by stuffing his hands in his pockets. He turned to check on the others who were cramming their faces with food as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

  “So, since that’s out… I say we follow the fence.”

  He rounded on Ian in shock. “Seriously?”

  “We don’t have much of a choice. There’ll be a way in at some point which is probably connected to a road. We can follow that back somewhere, maybe even grab a ride along the way.”

  Neil couldn’t fault the logic but it still didn’t mean he had to like it. He could practically feel cameras watching them the longer they lingered in front of the fence. But all things considered, it was the best decision.

  “Do we keep walking all night or…”

  “I think until we get too tired.” Ian dropped his voice to an unnecessary whisper given how far away they were from the others. “How do you think Rachel’s holding up?”

  “Rach? She’s fine. It’s Wills who’s about to lose his shit.”

  “I’ll try and keep Maggie away from him.” They laughed dryly. Neil felt a little better. At least they had a plan.

  Even if they knew how to light a fire without matches, Neil didn’t think any of them would have the balls to do so right next to the fence. What seemed menacing in the light had become a protection in disguise. As night spread across the floor of the forest, they could at least take comfort in knowing nothing was going to come at them from the left side.

  Their plan wasn’t working. The mood was as low as it’d ever been. They were miserable, bickering, and hungry. Ian had wisely put a rationing order in place, spreading out what little food and water they had left. Neil thought that moment had been the real wake up call. This was a serious situation. They walked until the darkness made it too treacherous. And when the damp air seeped into their clothes, they pressed together for warmth.

  “How is it so cold out here? I thought it was almost July?” Wills whined.

  “It is July,” Neil corrected.

  “If we’re gonna sleep out here, shouldn’t someone keep watch?” Rachel whispered into the darkness.

  Neil felt Maggie shift beside him, a low groan rumbling in her chest. He chalked it up to her general bitchiness and ignored it.

  “We could try, but it’s so dark out here, I’m not sure I could keep my eyes open. I want to fall asleep right now,” Ian replied.

  “What kind of animals are out here, anyway?” Wills asked.

  “How about we don’t think about that, yeah?” Neil snapped, unwilling to let his mind, or the conversation, head down that direction.

  Maggie moved again. Neil looked even though he couldn’t see clearly in the dark. If he didn’t know any better, it felt like she’d doubled over.

  “I’m sorry the forest isn’t my natural habitat,” Wills threw back. “I’d just like to know what’s going to eat my face before it happens.”

  “I’ll fucking eat your face if you don’t shut up,” Maggie growled through clenched teeth.

  Her tone set Neil’s nerves on edge. He abruptly turned, sending an elbow into Rachel’s back. “What’s wrong?”

  She grunted again. The leaves rustled beneath her as she struggled to find a comfortable position. “My stomach hurts, that’s all.”

  Neil had known Maggie for a long time. He remembered when she broke her arm at school. He’d nearly passed out just looking at the lump on her forearm, but she’d been as calm as anything. Pain wasn’t something that bothered her, so to hear her wince from a stomach ache, his mind immediately jumped to the worst case scenario.

  He slid to his knees and turned on the spare flashlight they’d found at the bottom of one their bags.

  “Hey, you gotta save that for emergencies,” Wills complained.

  Neil shone the light on the ground, throwing just enough up and around for him to get a good look at Maggie’s face without blinding anyone. She turned away, unwilling to show any weakness even then. “Where does it hurt?” he asked, dipping his head to catch her gaze.

  “I told you, fuck face. It’s my stomach.”

  Ian met his eye over her head. He could tell they were thinking the same thing. Appendicitis.

  “Is it on one side or another?” Ian asked her softly.

  Neil was so worried, he didn’t even care that she spoke nicely to Ian and not him. “No, it’s kind of an—ahhhh,” she groaned, clutching at her midsection.

  “I can carry her, but I don’t know how far,” said Ian.

&nb
sp; “But moving her might make it worse. I think I remember hearing you were—hey!” he cried as Ian snatched the light from his hand. Before he could protest, he spotted exactly what Ian had seen.

  She was sitting with one leg extended, the other bent, gently rocking front and back. With the direct light, Neil caught a glimpse of a bright splotch of red growing between her legs.

  “You’re bleeding,” he gasped. Instantly, he flushed with embarrassment, both at his shock and at declaring it for the whole group.

  Maggie groaned, her jaw clenching as she was rocked with another wave of pain. Wills apparently had little sympathy.

  “Are you kidding me? All this over her period? What a freakin’ drama queen.”

  “This isn’t just a period,” Rachel said as she pushed Neil out of the way. “Right? This is worse than one of your periods?”

  Maggie nodded emphatically, her eyebrows knitted together in agony. Even in the cool air, sweat rolled down her face, matting hair against her skin.

  “Okay, we need to get her help. Guys. We need to carry her,” Rachel instructed. “This is too much blood.”

  Neil took the flashlight back. Ian cradled Maggie in his arms. Rachel and Wills split the bags between them and in a single line, they walked along the edge of the fence. Their calm, deliberate actions were borne from barely checked fear.

  “This could go on for miles,” Neil said quiet enough he thought no one else could hear. But from the back of the line, Rachel spoke up.

  “Then we go for miles.”

  Maggie groaned, the pain guttural. Judging by the sounds she was making, it was coming in faster waves, some so sharp she was left gasping for breath.

  Luckily, even though it felt like more, it was only about a mile before they saw a light up ahead. Neil broke into a jog, the adrenaline overriding any concern about what he could be running into. When the uniformed security guards saw him approach, he didn’t even spare a thought about his own wellbeing.

  “My friend,” he panted. “She’s…”

  The two guards he’d seen as he jogged up were joined by four others. A total of six gathered under the pool of floodlights, harshly judging Neil as he struggled to catch his breath.

  “She’s hurt. Bleeding,” he managed to get out, pointing back to the group as they emerged into the light.

  “Not my problem,” a guard with a thin lips replied.

  Neil’s mouth fell open. Being turned away hadn’t even occurred to him. “There’s a lot of blood. I mean, she might die.” He said it for emphasis, not really believing it himself. But when he saw the amount of blood covering Ian and Maggie’s lower half, he didn’t think he was too far off.

  “We need help,” Rachel said, as if Neil didn’t have the wherewithal to state the obvious first.

  “We got lost on a hike. Our GPS wouldn’t work, we found this fence… and followed it here,” Neil explained, desperate for them to understand. “We don’t know where we are or what’s happening, but she just started bleeding and… she…” As Ian lowered her to the forest floor, Neil couldn’t finish his thought. She looked so tiny and frail on the ground. “Please.”

  The guards exchanged a few glances. One walked away talking into his cuff, the words stolen by the wind and distance. Neil couldn’t read their body language, couldn’t tell if they were about to be arrested, shot, or what. The guard in the distance returned, giving the one closest to Maggie a terse nod.

  “Okay.”

  Two other guards moved forward to collect her, yet Ian stood protectively over her, unwilling to let her out of his sight.

  “Just her,” one said, his hand going to his waist as if reaching for a weapon.

  For the first time, Neil saw how much Ian genuinely cared for her. It made him feel guilty that he wasn’t protecting her as staunchly. In the end, Ian backed off, hands up, and allowed them to bundle her off beyond the fence.

  “What’s going to happen to her?”

  “Couldn’t say,” the thin-lipped guard smirked. “But you’re welcome to wait.” Neil almost dumped a pile of thanks at the cruel man’s feet, but stopped short as he completed his sentence. “Over there.” He nodded toward a clump of rocks at the edge of the light.

  He opened his mouth to protest when Maggie let out a terrible groan. “Neil…”

  His heart shattered. He’d never felt so scared in his entire life. “Please, let me go with her. Please. She needs someone there with her in case…”

  “Fine, go.”

  Neil looked back to the others as he jogged after. The ragtag group looked as terrified as he felt.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  New York City, NY

  IT WAS like the first drop on a rollercoaster, a weightlessness urging all the squishy internal organs to float for an uncomfortably long moment. The sensation was only made worse as reality kicked back in, slapping it all back into place.

  That’s how Christopher felt as the news bulletin took over the car’s audio. He pressed his hand to his mouth.

  “The Center for Disease Control and the United States Surgeon General have released an urgent message. Over the past hour, hospitals and clinics across the country have reported a surge in miscarriages. Few details are known, but the spontaneous abortions are effecting women at all stages of pregnancy.”

  A low groan escaped between his fingers as he quickly called Kristine. They hadn’t spoken since their argument in the restaurant. He’d packed his bags and gone straight upstate with Jamie that night. There was no way he could live with himself if something horrible happened and they were still on bad terms.

  “Symptoms of a miscarriage include mild to severe cramping, bleeding, back pain, and even the passing of tissue or other organic material. Women are encouraged to stay in a safe place unless bleeding or pain becomes severe. Emergency rooms across the country are feeling the stress of this new crisis and must concentrate on those who need help most.”

  There was no answer. He immediately typed out a message. Call me. Then tried again. He looked at the time, his surroundings, and guessed he was at least a half an hour away from home. He rocked back and forth on the seat, as if his movement could will the car faster. The repetition almost turned into a prayer. Rocking, redialing, message. Rock, redial, message.

  I’m never letting her out of my sight again. I can’t believe I left her like that at all. I can’t believe all the shit I’ve done to her. Please, please don’t let anything happen to her. Please. Oh Jesus, why aren’t we moving faster? I need to get home. I need to get home.

  He tried to convince himself it was his imagination, but the world outside felt different. As the car zipped into the city, flying through the tunnel and into the towering buildings, there was a tangible panic in the air. More sirens than usual echoed in the concrete valley. Stopped at an intersection, he watched as two men lifted a semi-woman into the back of a waiting ambulance.

  It was too much. He was twenty blocks away from their unit, but he couldn’t stand to sit any longer. Just as the car was about to pull away, he yanked open the door and hit the ground in strong sprint. Minutes later, Christopher launched up the stairs, taking two or three at once. He was out of breath and choked with sobs as he reached the landing. Beating the door with his left hand, he unlocked it with his right.

  Kristine groggily sat up in bed. “What the hell are you…”

  Relief flooding through him as he saw she was at least alright. Images of her bleeding out on the floor were still fresh in his mind, but thankfully she was alive.

  He jumped onto the bed and tore the sheets away looking for blood. “Are you okay? Why didn’t you answer me?”

  She pushed herself away, disturbed and scared by his sudden arrival. “I was asleep. What are you doing?” she demanded, slapping his hands away from the hem of her shirt. He was trying to lift it to see her underwear.

  He didn’t care. “Are you in pain? Are you feeling any cramps or anything with the baby?”

  “Chris! Tell me what’s g
oing on!” The tremor of fear in her voice stopped his inspection.

  At least for the moment, he was satisfied she or the baby weren’t in danger. He rocked back onto his ass and released a ragged breath. They stared at each other, the silence broken only by the slight hitches of his sobs.

  He took a deep breath and tried to get control of his runaway emotions. “It’s all over the news. Women are having… fuck, what are they calling it? Spontaneous miscarriages… all across the country. But you’re okay? You don’t feel weird or anything?”

  With a trembling hand, she wiped the hair from her face. “I feel okay. Freaking out a little, but yeah.” Her hand went to her stomach and she nodded, as if confirming it with herself. “I think everything’s fine. We’re fine.”

  “We’re fine?” he repeated, the question heavy with meaning. He watched her reaction, feeling as though even the slightest negative twitch would break him.

  She let out a soft sigh and rubbed her neck. “Of course we’re fine.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Alfreton, UK

  “MUM, can’t you stop for a second? I haven’t seen you in days.”

  She huffed and dropped the bag to the bed with a thud. She turned and looked at him as if he were asking the entire world of her, but didn’t reply.

  “Where are going? Where have you been?” he asked with genuine concern.

  Maybe it was the light, but she looked terrible. Dark circles emphasized the bags under her eyes. Her thin skin sagged and made her face more skeletal than he’d ever seen.

  There was a moment when he thought he might’ve gotten through to her, but she scoffed it away. “The kitchen’s empty, is it? I’ll send Tracy round with some food since that’s all you care about.”

  Alex stepped into her bedroom. Even from a distance, he could smell the stale booze rolling off her skin. “Mum, please. What’s happening to you?”

  She slumped on the side of the bed. He took a step forward when he thought she might slide off and hit the floor, but somehow her feeble legs held her up. Dark, wet spots appeared on the shirt she pulled and twisted in her hands. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs.