Lethal Injection

by K M Lovold

  Nikolina took a breath. “I, um—”

  “It doesn’t matter what you think or what you believe.” Ian held his hand out to stop her from uttering another word. “Trust me when I say you should be yourself. That’s what he’s going to be after, the real you. So just be you, and don’t worry about anything else. Answer his questions naturally and honestly. And you wanting to leave this planet is being honest, correct? To the point of dying in order to leave?”

  She nodded.

  “Then be honest. And if he does decide to take control of you, then trust things will fall into place exactly the way they’re meant to. All right?”

  She cleared her throat and rubbed her hands together. “All right. I must say, I’ve never met anyone like you since I’ve been here. I don’t know what to make of you, but my gut tells me to trust you and help you in any way possible. And the truth is, I would be willing to die for a chance to get off this planet, and if you believe there’s a God up there who could help us, I’ll take whatever help I can get.”

  Ian furrowed his eyebrows. “Good. Keep doing your best. I’ll be doing the same and going to the train, and hopefully, the answers I seek will be arriving back soon. Besides that, our actual way out of here could very well be on her way to Reathran, so in the end, that’s my, and our, destination.”

  At his use of “our,” joy sprouted up within her. Something she hadn’t felt in… she couldn’t remember how long.

  He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Our destination being the spacecrafts, because I plan to fly out of here on a spacecraft. And you with me.”

  ****

  Malaki turned onto Ian’s long, narrow driveway. He pulled up to the eye scanner and instead of it scanning his retinas, he entered the passcode Ian gave him. The gate slid open and he drove through and immediately the gateway closed behind him.

  He gripped the steering wheel and took a deep breath, calm washing over him. It had been years since he’d been here, but the same tranquility saturated him as every time he came through those gates. A grin pulled at his cheeks.

  He’d told himself not to come to Ian’s until they were near the end of this farce. Last night, he finally felt the time was right. He’d heard from Ian via Morse code, and Waitforit was on her way up. It was time. And what better place to hide out than at the one place that had felt like a refuge to him?

  He rolled his window down and a warm breeze blew in. He breathed in the country air, scanning the large trees on both sides of the driveway, the leaves flapping in the slight wind, the scent of pine wafting over him. On he drove until he turned the last corner and Ian’s log home loomed ahead, the lake glistening in the sunlight beyond it.

  He stopped and put his truck in Park, then rolled his window up. He jumped out and darted to the large out-building off to the right. He found the key exactly where Ian showed him it would be and opened the padlock and yanked the doors open, immediately spotting Ian's BMW parked inside. Malaki ran back to his truck and drove it inside the building right next to the BMW. His truck now hidden safely, he grabbed the bag he’d had stuck inside it for months, and then closed and locked the building door, putting the key back in its hiding spot. Besides the overnight bag, he’d had a slew of his things packed in a bedroom in Ian’s house since before Ian left, waiting for Malaki's return.

  Malaki paused and looked out over the calmness of Canyon Lake, soft waves sloshing up against the dock. He was finally here, finally at the point where things were hopefully coming to an end. A good end.

  The lawn had been kept up neatly. Ian had hired someone to make the place looked lived in, no matter how long he’d be gone. Malaki didn’t know the arrangements or how the caretaker was paid, but Ian had covered it spectacularly.

  From this point forward, Malaki would live here. He’d take care of the place until Ian returned. The alarm would sound in Ian’s house if someone attempted to enter by way of the passcode. The next time the person came to cut the grass, he or she would not be able to enter through the security gate now that Malaki had activated the retina scanner, so he’d just have to introduce himself and let them know he’d take over from here on out. The ham radio was here, so he could hear from Ian at any point. As soon as Ian got to the spacecraft and was on his way, he would make contact. Malaki had to be ready and available.

  He pulled the key out of his pocket and pressed the security code to the front door. Thankfully, Ian had regular electricity installed throughout. Once Malaki stepped inside and locked the door behind him, he flicked the light switch on. Ahhhh, so nice to use a light switch. Like the good ole days. At least for those in The Circle who only used memroth, though the rest wouldn’t agree with the “good” part.

  Ian’s kitchen lights flickered on, and Malaki strode to the guest bedroom down the hallway off the great room. He turned on a lamp and dumped his bag in the closet where his other things had been stored for so long now. The room looked immaculate like always—double bed with a log end table situated to the right of it with a lamp atop it; the log dresser was bare except for a mirror, although there was a good covering of dust.

  Malaki strode to the large window and pulled the curtains back. It overlooked the backyard and lake and he smiled. He tipped his head back and closed his eyes, drinking in the moment. He chuckled and then strode out of his new room to the one next door—Ian’s ham radio shack.

  The L-shaped room had a pool table set off from the desk. Tongue and groove cedar covered the walls, giving off a comfortable, rustic feel, and sunshine burst through the sky lights in the vaulted ceiling. A couple other large windows overlooked the deck and Canyon Lake. Built-in shelves covered the walls behind the desk with a variety of globes of the Earth as well as one of Reathran. There was also a small statue of an actual flag Ian had gotten from his grandfather, supposedly a mini-version of the flag on Reathran. Books squeezed in tight together on another shelf next to an old crank-up radio, that actually worked, from his grandfather. One wall was covered in a gigantic American flag.

  Most of the ham radio equipment was located on the large, oak desk, including an amateur transceiver with dual VFO’s for receiving two frequencies simultaneously. There was a trunk tracker scanner for listening to everything from police to fire to railroad to the drive-in at the nearest restaurant. There were also a few hand-held radios, a digital clock, a couple Morse code straight keys, some antenna switches, SWR meters, and frequency counters, as well as an ON-AIR light that lit up when transmitting. If the door was closed and the ON-AIR light was on, the door would automatically lock. Much of Ian’s ham radio equipment he’d inherited from his grandfather, along with a bunch of modern equipment Ian had invested in as well.

  This was the place where he’d hear from Ian. But for now, Malaki would settle in. He’d need to contact Shannon and let her know he’d be staying at Ian’s house temporarily, per Ian’s request, but then he shook his head.

  “How can I lie and tell her I’ve seen Ian yet again when she and Anthony haven’t seen him in years?” She was so pissed at him, despite the fact she thought he needed mental help. He scratched the back of his neck. “I do what I have to do.” He didn’t want her hearing Ian’s home was inhabited again and have her think Ian was back. Not until he was back. And then she could know the truth. The whole truth.

  But what to do about The Circle?

  He picked up his phone and dialed Lawrence’s number.

  “Yeah, are you somewhere safe?” Lawrence asked.

  “I am. Why? Have you heard from Price again?”

  “Yeah. Once more. Just reminding me of The Circle meeting tomorrow. As if I would forget. I can tell he just doesn’t sound the same. He’s… different somehow.”

  “He’s paranoid.” Malaki leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, staring at the hunter green rug under feet. “Please, let me know what he says about me since obviously I won’t be at it. Again. I sincerely don’t know what he’s thinking.”

  “I know. I know.” Lawrence
sighed heavily.

  “But for the time being, I’m safe and hidden. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be in touch with Ian, too, and hopefully, soon he’ll make an appearance himself.”

  Lawrence was silent. Then, “That would be great, Malaki. Simply the best thing that could happen right now. I hate the way our Circle is feeling. Price seems to be the one going mad these days. I don’t like it.”

  “I don’t either. But we’ll talk things through after the meeting. Things are going to be changing soon, just you wait and see.”

  Malaki shut his phone off and stepped out onto the deck. Tarp covered Ian’s boat where it sat on its trailer in the lawn. Malaki would have to take his truck out again to put the boat in the water. The thought of a boat ride caused a comfortable warmth to rise to his face. Being out on the water was just what he needed. Maybe tomorrow.

  For now, he had to figure out the food situation. He strode to the refrigerator, plugged it in, and tugged a small business card out from under a magnet.

  “Call this place,” Ian had told him one of the last times he’d been here before leaving for prison. “He’ll deliver everything you need, fresh and delicious. Then you don’t have to leave much. You’ll still have to go out for a few things, but not very often.”

  Malaki telephoned the number and told the man who answered he was living in Ian Mitchell’s house. The man sounded stunned. “Really? That was years ago when Mr. Mitchell told me to expect to hear from a man living in his house. I forgot all about it.”

  “I know, I know. But I’m here now, and he said you could help me. Are you still available? Can you deliver?”

  “Yeah… sure. I just can’t believe it’s taken this long. But whatever. That’s what I do. And Mr. Mitchell was one of my best customers, so let me know what you need, and I’ll come out.” He paused. “By the way, whatever happened to Mr. Mitchell?”

  “He’s taking a leave of absence for a while. But he’ll be back.”

  ****

  The next night, Klaus stepped into Nikolina’s cell. “Follow me,” he said flatly and turned on his heel, marching out of her room. He didn’t take control of her but made his demand known.

  Nikolina followed him. Obeying his directions without him having to take control of her would be the best-case scenario. She’d tossed and turned the last few nights at the thought of saying the wrong thing while under Klaus’s power. Could Ian be right that if she just relaxed and was herself that she’d speak the right things? No matter how much control he had over her?

  Klaus strode through the cell block and then stopped at a wall at the end of a hallway. He touched it, and the wall zipped open.

  Nikolina put her fingers to her mouth. A door? Right here? A hidden room?

  “Come on.” Klaus turned and motioned for her to follow.

  She stepped through the door, which slid shut swiftly and without a sound. She glanced around her. The room was small and dark with a desk and a chair on either side of it.

  “I’ve been watching you, and hearing things about you, too.” Klaus turned and faced her, not a brown hair out of place, his sideburns perfectly trimmed, a sly grin on his face. “You’ve been here a long while, over twenty years.”

  Nikolina swallowed and gripped her hands in front of her. “Yes, sir. Going on twenty-three.”

  “You get your work done fast. Always meeting your quota with time to spare.” Klaus narrowed his eyes at her.

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “And then you usually go and help others. And lately it’s been prisoner 4158. Ian Knockshine.” Klaus took a couple steps closer to her.

  She took a few quick breaths. “That’s correct.”

  “You and Knockshine are friends it seems. You sit with him at mealtime quite often, too. You two talk a lot.”

  “Yes, s-s-sir.” Her fingers tingled the closer he got to her. “Is there a problem with that, sir?”

  Klaus put his fists on his hips, still piercing her with his gaze. “No. There’s no problem. But prisoner 4158—Knockshine—is special. He’s different. I feel the need to know why the two of you have connected so much. Why is that?” He put his hands behind him and avoided pressing his fingers to the wristband.

  Be authentic, be myself, just answer the questions naturally.

  Nikolina took a slow, calming breath. “No reason, sir. He was friends with Jack who was one of my closest friends here, so when he died, Ian and I naturally connected.” The words fell out of her mouth smoothly, just like Ian said would happen.

  Klaus tilted his head while he seemed to contemplate what she’d said.

  “Jack was one of my best friends, sir,” she added.

  “Yes, yes.” Klaus crossed his arms over his chest. “Number 4158 is one of the smartest prisoners on this prison. He works hard. And so do you. The two of you could probably work well together.”

  “Yes, sir.” Nikolina bit down on the inside of her lip.

  “So, you want to be keeper, huh?” He took a few steps backwards but kept his eyes on her. “At least that’s what David tells me, and I’ve heard it confirmed by a few other keepers.”

  “I’d love to be the first female keeper.” Nikolina cleared her throat.

  “What if I tell you I want you to use your keeper duties to keep a special watch over prisoner 4158.” Klaus pointed his finger at her.

  An empty feeling dropped into the pit of her stomach, but she couldn’t let it show. “I’d do whatever you ask of me, sir.” Her voice quivered somewhat.

  “Since the two of you are already friends, it might be perfect.” Klaus started pacing in front of her. “Knockshine might be smart, but that doesn’t make him foolproof. There’s something about him that gives me a negative feeling sometimes, and I’m not sure why. But it makes me feel he needs to be watched. Friendship aside, if you’re a keeper set to watch him specifically, you’ve got to be ready to do whatever necessary to keep him in line. Period.”

  “Sir, why would you want me, one of his friends, to be the one to watch over him?” Nikolina dared to ask.

  “Because he trusts you, that’s why.” Klaus came to a halt in front of her. “You will get a fresh injection of Tetracaphoxin if you’re to become keeper, and it’s of a higher dose. All keepers do, which is why keepers are tougher and stronger. You’ll have no problem using your authority over any prisoner here on Reathran once you’re injected with it. Knockshine trusts you. Therefore, if there’s anything he’s doing that he shouldn’t, or if he’s not being honest, you’ll be the one to find this out because he’s friends with you. He’ll talk to you. And as a keeper, you will have powers you didn’t realize possible, and you’ll be focused on keeping prisoners in line, following the rules. Most prisoners don’t know what happens to make a keeper a keeper.”

  Nikolina swallowed. “Yes, sir.”

  “We’ll set things in motion. David will let you know when the transfusion will take place. They’ll drain you of the chemical inside you at the same time they infuse you with a fresher, higher level of the same. You’ll be a different person than before. You’ll be a keeper. You’ll be set to specifically watch over prisoner 4158, in addition to all the other prisoners, and if you discover anything about Knockshine that isn’t fitting to what should be happening within the invisible walls of this prison, you will be the one to bring it to my attention. Together, we’ll get to the bottom of anything dishonest about him. Anything that we should know about.”

  He grabbed her arm and approached the wall they entered through. When it slid open, he said, “And if you discover anything dishonest that I haven’t, you and I will destroy prisoner 4158. If that’s what needs to happen.” Klaus gave her a light push out of the room, and the door was closed before she could turn and look back.

  She gulped and ran back to her cell, her hands shaking uncontrollably.

  What had she done?

  CHAPTER eighteen

  “I heard you had your meeting with Klaus?” David sat across from Nikolina at mealtime
that night.

  Her hands still trembled, and her heartbeat raced. “Y-yes, he spoke with me.”

  “How’d it go? Aren’t you excited?” David beamed. “You’re gonna be the first female keeper! Klaus said it’ll be happening soon.”

  Nikolina pushed her tray of food away from her, her stomach rolling. “I never knew that keepers get injected with a different chemical than the rest of the prisoners.”

  David moved her tray of food back towards her. “You need to eat more than this. Go on now.”

  She picked up her fork and poked a piece of chicken, dropping it in her mouth and forcing herself to chew and swallow.

  “And it’s not a different chemical. It’s the same chemical you have running through your veins now. It’s just a higher level of it.” David spoke with a full mouth. “It’s pretty potent and does make us different from the other prisoners.”

  “I don’t know if I want that.” She quickly ate as much as she could and pushed the tray away again. “That makes me nervous for some reason.”

  “Why?” David held his hands out to the side. “It gives us power. Power over every single prisoner here. That’s why we’re able to do what we do. And keepers cannot take control over other keepers. Only Klaus can take control over the keepers, so get used to it. It’s a sense of freedom, actually, because you don’t have to worry about keepers taking control over you anymore, because you’ll be one. That alone will make you feel and act different.”

  “I didn’t know that though.” Nikolina glimpsed around her. She knew it was safe to speak openly here. “Does it, like, literally change us? Completely change us?”

  “What do you mean by that?” David raised his eyebrows.

  “Does it change our personalities? Who we are as a person? Our wants, our goals?” She gripped her food tray in front of her.

  “Wants? Goals? What are you talking about? The chemical gives us control. Power. Period. I don’t have any wants or goals besides that. That’s all any keeper wants.” David gulped down his water.