Cody looked back at the man and his blood ran cold.
The irises of Mackenzie’s eyes were jet black. He looked demonic, like a supervillain out of a comic book – albeit a supervillain dressed like a lawyer.
He walked across the office towards Richards.
“No!” Crazy Diamond yelled.
Richards had by now struggled back to his feet. But the fight – if it had ever been one, was already decided.
Mackenzie seized the old man by the throat. Then he spun around and with one flick of the wrist, hurled Richards back over to the other side of the room. He might as well have been throwing a kid’s doll around.
Richards crashed into the opposite wall and dropped to the floor. It felt like the building shook as the old man was tossed around. Richards’ howl had faded to a dull, prolonged groan. He wasn’t getting back up this time.
“Stop!” Crazy Diamond said. She ran over to Richards but the guards turned their guns on her and she stopped dead. Nick and Cody made a move to help the old man but the guns were all over them.
Mackenzie walked over and picked the battered old man up off the ground. He gripped onto the wrinkled skin at the back of Richards’ neck and held him aloft, like he was scruffing a naughty kitten.
Richards opened his eyes and gritted his teeth. His eyes were alert and although the fire had dimmed, it hadn’t gone out.
“You’re the coward,” he said. “Your wife and daughter would be ashamed of you. Coward!”
He spat the last word out with contempt.
Mackenzie’s black eyes flickered with rage. He punched the old man square in the face and there was a loud cracking noise as Richards’ head snapped back.
The old man’s body went limp and he dangled in Mackenzie’s grip.
“Stop!” Cody yelled. He made another move to run over.
The guards turned their rifles on him.
“Back,” one of them said in a cold, metallic voice.
Cody and Nick looked at the guards, then over to the other side of the room.
Mackenzie lifted Richards’ head up and studied the old man’s face. Richards’ eyes were open but they saw nothing. Mackenzie then lowered the body gently onto the ground. Kneeling down, he placed his index and middle finger against the side of Richards’ neck. He probed the soft hollow area below the windpipe and shook his head.
“Dead,” he said.
Crazy Diamond let out a high-pitched shriek of horror. She ran over and Mackenzie, whose eye color had returned to its normal green, signaled to the bodyguards not to stop her.
“What have you done?” Crazy Diamond said.
She kneeled down and cradled Richards’ limp body in her arms. With a pitiful wail, she buried her face in his tweed blazer while Richards’ lifeless eyes continued to stare up towards the ceiling.
Cody felt dizzy, like the room was spinning.
Mackenzie wiped his suit down and walked away from the body.
“It was self-defense,” he said.
Crazy Diamond lifted her head off Richards’ chest. She turned her head towards Mackenzie.
“I’m going to kill you,” she said. “I don’t know how. But I will, I swear to God.”
Mackenzie stopped and turned to face her. He pushed back a cluster of blondish-brown hair that was hanging loose over his forehead. He wiped a few specks of Richards’ blood off the tips of his knuckles.
“Congratulations,” he said. “You get to live.”
Chapter Eleven
Mackenzie called Michael back into the office.
When the man who’d delivered the boxes returned, he walked over to where Richards was lying on the far side of the room in Crazy Diamond’s arms. With a poker face, Michael gripped the frail body under the arms and dragged it away from the young woman. He then moved back towards the door.
Nick stepped over and put a comforting hand on Crazy Diamond’s shoulder. She protested the removal of Richards’ body with her eyes. Cody wondered if Nick was standing beside her, not just for comfort, but to prevent her from doing anything reckless.
“Wait,” Rachel said, watching as Richards was being taken away. She wriggled free of Cody’s arms and ran across the room.
Michael looked alarmed as Rachel ran towards him. It might as well have been a mountain cat charging his way judging by the look on his face. Even the two bodyguards looked uncomfortable as the little girl, who’d been quiet up to that point, approached them.
Rachel looked up at Mackenzie. She held Bootsy aloft.
“Can I give this to him?” she asked. “It’s my bear.”
Mackenzie looked at the teddy bear dangling in mid-air. His lips moved, as if he was about to say something but no words came out. He could only manage a feeble nod.
“Rachel,” Cody said. “What are you doing?”
She spun around.
“I want Richards to have Bootsy,” she said.
“But Mom gave Bootsy to you,” Cody said. “Isn’t that why we brought him with us?”
Rachel nodded. “Yeah but Richards needs him more than I do now,” she said. “The Sliders got his wife and she’s still back at the airport. He doesn’t have anyone. He doesn’t even have us anymore.”
She turned back to Mackenzie.
“So can he have it?” she said. “My bear?”
Mackenzie was still cautious. “Well…”
“You’re going to bury him aren’t you?” Rachel said. “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do now?”
“Yes, I suppose it is,” Mackenzie said.
She offered Bootsy over to Mackenzie for a second time.
“Will you put this in with him?”
Mackenzie glanced at Cody. There was a dazed look on the man’s face. It was as if he couldn’t believe that Rachel would act so normal, so calmly, after what had just happened. A man had died – a brutal death. A child would be shaking, crying or screaming by now. But Cody knew what Mackenzie didn’t. Rachel had seen so much brutality since they’d left Spring Branch together. She was a creature of this ugly new world and the truth was that she’d adapted to it better than a lot of grown ups. It broke Cody’s heart to admit it but that’s what she was. Maybe Mackenzie had been right about one thing – it was the adults who crumbled first.
Cody didn’t know if Richards was going to receive a proper burial. For all he knew, the old man was going to be tossed in the nearest dumpster. Still, Mackenzie took the bear off Rachel. He looked at it for a long time. Finally he handed it to one of the bodyguards standing behind him. The woman took it, a look of disgust on her face like she’d been handed a warm bag of dog shit.
Richards’ body was removed from the room.
“A noble death,” Mackenzie said, watching the body being taken away. “He died to save a life. There was more to that old man than I thought.”
Rachel walked back over to Cody and they stood beside the table. Cody looked to his right and saw the last glimpse of Richards’ legs sliding along the corridor.
“We’ll bury the body,” Mackenzie said, edging towards the door where the bodyguards stood waiting. “You have my word on that Rachel. And now I hope you all understand the situation you find yourselves in. Stay quiet, stay put and this doesn’t have to be painful. If you try anything, we’ll play another game. There are two guards posted outside this room. Knock on the door if you need anything. Food, more water, to use the bathroom – anything. You’re free to eat, drink and get some rest. But remember – there’s no way out of this building.”
Mackenzie turned around and walked into the corridor. The two bodyguards followed and the door was locked.
Cody sure as hell didn’t have any words after everything that had just happened. Nobody else did too.
Crazy Diamond walked over to the mound of sleeping bags piled up in the corner. She pulled a faded blue bag out the pile, spread it out on the carpet and lay down. She turned her back to the others.
“You okay?” Cody said. It was a stupid question but he felt
the need to ask.
“Tired,” she whispered.
“Sure,” Cody said. He looked at Rachel.
“Why don’t we try to grab some sleep?” he said. “I think we need it.”
“Okay,” Rachel said.
Cody walked over, grabbed a couple of bags and pillows from the pile, and spread them out on the floor. They climbed into their bags and lay down on their backs, staring at the ceiling. Rachel’s soft breathing was a comforting sound.
Across the room, Nick sat at the table. His fingers tapped off the wooden surface, like he was typing on an invisible keyboard.
Rachel fell asleep quickly. Cody turned onto his side and wrapped an arm around her tiny waist. She was warm and fragile.
His eyelids grew heavy.
The last thing Cody saw before falling asleep was Richards’ head snapping back. He saw it over and over in his mind. And it was always followed by a glimpse of Mackenzie’s black eyes looking across the room at Cody. Mackenzie would speak:
“And there are other gifts too,” he would say. “They’re capable of great generosity to those who serve them.”
Cody woke up later, feeling surprisingly fresh. If he’d dreamed, he couldn’t remember. He was unsure of how long he’d been asleep – it could have been ten minutes or ten hours for all he knew.
He sat up in the sleeping bag. His body cracked and popped, like a bowl of cereal.
Nick was still sitting at the table, staring out the window.
When he heard Cody sitting up, Nick jolted forwards. It was as if he’d forgotten there was anyone else in the room with him.
“Thought you were asleep,” Nick said.
“I was,” Cody said. “How long was I out for?”
“Couple of hours maybe,” Nick said.
Cody looked down at Rachel. She was moving, groaning softly as her mind crawled back to the world. No point in talking to her now – Rachel was a slow starter, like her mother had been.
Crazy Diamond still had her back to the room. Cody couldn’t tell if she was sleeping or not.
“Did you sleep?” Cody asked, turning back to Nick. He kept his voice down.
Nick shrugged. “Dozed a little,” he said. “Dreamed a lot. I was back on that damn plane, taking off and landing all over again. Hey, what was the name of that guy in the Greek myth? The one who had to roll the giant boulder up a hill, only for it to roll back down again every time he reached the top.”
Cody shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Sisyphus.”
It was Crazy Diamond who spoke. She turned over in her sleeping bag and faced them. Her brown eyes glistened under the pale light.
“It was King Sisyphus,” she said.
“That’s the one,” Nick said. “Well I was King Sisyphus, sitting in the cockpit of my plane. I took her up every time – a perfect takeoff. San Antonio was on fire down below. I got those people away just like I said I would. Then I see a pair of silver eyes up ahead, like two moons in the sky. They’re blinding me so I can’t see a damn thing. I close my eyes. When I open them again we’re sitting in the airport about to take off. It’s like Groundhog Day man.”
“Except we didn’t take off,” Cody said. “Not according to that sadistic prick.”
“Damnedest thing.” Nick said.
Crazy Diamond sat up. She ran her fingers through her jet-black hair, pushing it over her forehead. With the back of her hand, she wiped away the damp tearstains that lingered around her eyes.
“Maybe your dream’s telling you something Nick,” she said.
“Oh yeah?” Nick said. “Like what?”
“That you’re trapped,” Crazy Diamond said. “That there’s no way out of here.”
“Screw that,” Nick said. “We’ve got no choice but to try. You heard what’s going to happen to Rachel. As for the rest of us, we’re expendable. That means we’re dead sooner or later anyway. Richards was just the first.”
Nick shook his head.
“What the hell happened to Mackenzie?” he said. “Did you see his eyes? Did you see how far he kicked Richards across the room? That shit ain’t real.”
“He said something about gifts,” Cody said. “Remember? He sold his soul to the devil. Or something worse.”
Crazy Diamond got up and walked over to the table. She picked up one of the jugs and lined up four glasses to fill with water. She stopped pouring before she’d filled the first glass. She put the jug down. Cody saw her staring into empty space. Was she thinking about Richards?
“I’ve got an idea,” Crazy Diamond said.
She turned towards the others.
“I think there’s a way out of here,” she said. “It’s a long shot but it’s worth a try.”
“I’m all ears,” Nick said, sitting up straight. Despite a lack of sleep, Nick Norton looked fresh.
“Careful,” Cody said. His eyes roamed across the ceiling. He checked for signs of anything unusual poking out of the walls. “What if this place is bugged?”
Nick shook his head. “Negative,” he said. “While you guys were sleeping I was combing every inch of this room. Top to bottom, side to side – it’s clean. They don’t have the technology to install fancy equipment like that anymore. I’m surprised they’ve even got electricity running in this place.”
“Alright,” Cody said. “But what about those things – the Exterminators or whatever they’re called. What if they can hear us? What if they’re…what’s the word? Omnipotent – what if they’re omnipotent?”
Nick shrugged. “Fuck the Exterminators. The girl’s got a plan.”
Cody gave Nick a sarcastic thumbs up. “Okay,” he said. “Glad we had that discussion big guy.”
He looked over at Crazy Diamond.
“So what’s the plan?” he said.
Crazy Diamond pointed to the large jug with the purple juice. It was still mostly untouched.
“This,” she said.
“The juice?” Nick said.
“Yeah,” she said.
“What the hell are we supposed to do with that?” Nick said, looking disappointed. “Throw it at the guards? I don’t think there’s any hydrochloric acid in it.”
“Not quite what I had in mind,” Crazy Diamond said.
“Then I don’t follow,” Nick said.
“First things first,” Crazy Diamond said. “Did Mackenzie see any of us drink that stuff?” Her eyes darted back and forth between Cody and Nick. “Think fast guys.”
“We didn’t drink it,” Cody said. “Nobody did, apart from Mackenzie.”
Crazy Diamond’s eyes lit up. “That’s what I thought,” she said. “Now tell me this boys. What’s of value in here? Right here, in this room.”
Nick and Cody looked around the office. Their eyes probed the furniture – the tables, the chairs, and then around the edges of the room, looking for anything remotely expensive looking.”
“Nothing,” Nick said. “The tables are cheap, the chairs are plastic and…”
Crazy Diamond turned sideways and pointed to Rachel, who was still buried deep inside her sleeping bag.
“Guess again.”
“Rachel?” Nick said.
“What’s the one thing they care about?” Crazy Diamond said. “Why are we here? It’s Rachel.”
“Where are you going with this Crazy Diamond?” Cody said.
Crazy Diamond held up a finger, as if to say wait a minute. She picked up a glass of water off the table and took it over to Rachel.
Rachel took the glass and sipped at the water. “Are you talking about me?”
“We sure are gorgeous girl,” Crazy Diamond said with a grin. “Think we might have a way out of here and guess what? You’re going to be our secret weapon.”
Rachel smiled, enthused at the idea.
Cody wasn’t happy that Crazy Diamond had brushed off his question. He had a right to know what the hell was going on – especially if Rachel was involved.
“What’s going on?” he said.
“Okay,” she said. “What if right now I’d just handed Rachel a glass of that juice instead of water? Mackenzie didn’t tell us what was in that stuff, right? It looks gross, it smells gross and I’m sure it tastes worse. What if Rachel was allergic to something in there?”
Cody and Nick exchanged confused glances.
“What is she got sick?” Crazy Diamond said. “How much would that scare the shit out of Mackenzie?”
Crazy Diamond sat down cross-legged in front of Rachel. “What do you think sweetheart? Think you could pretend to be sick? Fool those people out there into believing it was real? That’s all you’d have to do.”
Rachel smiled shyly. “Dad was an actor,” she said. “So was my Mom. But I’ve never done it before.”
Cody looked at her and frowned. “Oh really?” he said. “What about all those mornings when you didn’t want to go to school? Remember? You tried to play sick even though I knew there was nothing wrong with you. Can’t kid a kidder honey.”
Rachel giggled.
“You think you could do it?” Crazy Diamond asked.
Cody held both hands up in the air. “I don’t know about this Crazy Diamond,” he said. “She’s just a kid.”
Rachel threw a furious look in Cody’s direction.
“Hey!” Cody said. “I’m looking out for you. It’s my job.”
“I’m not just a kid,” Rachel said. “How can you say that?”
“I didn’t mean it like that honey,” Cody said. “It’s dangerous, that’s all.”
Crazy Diamond nodded. “Your dad’s right Rachel,” she said. “It is dangerous. But it’s also our only chance of getting out of here.”
She looked at Cody.
“Mackenzie’s terrified of the Exterminators,” Crazy Diamond said. “He wants to put us off the idea of escape so much that he killed one of us, hoping it would scare us into submission.”
Cody let out a long breath he didn’t even know he’d been holding onto.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“Lots of people tried to escape here CD,” Nick said. “I don’t think anyone ever did.”
“You heard Mackenzie,” Crazy Diamond said. “The Resistance were predictable – they tried all the usual methods – charging at the guards, trying to get out through the window. But we have something they didn’t have – we’ve got Rachel. She’s the grand prize. Right? If Rachel gets sick he’s going to have to take her out of here and get some treatment. They must have some sort of medical room in a building this big with all these people. Rachel gets out of here. And she insists that you go with her Cody.”
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