I looked at Nanako's troubled face. Getting thrown in prison on her birthday was not what she’d signed up for when she got up this morning.
Suddenly, I knew what to do. "We use the elevator."
"What?" Shorty asked in disbelief.
"Come on, follow me!" I went as quickly as I could down one more set of stairs and exited the stairwell on the seventh floor. With the others on my heels, I pressed the call button and waited with baited breath for it to come down from the tenth floor.
"What do we do if the Custodians are in it?" Nanako asked between breaths.
"Not much chance of that, I reckon. This is the last thing they'll expect us to do. And they won't know which level we'll get out on, either."
"You hope," David said.
"Come on, there’s only four of them, what are the odds of them guessing we’ll get out on the second floor?" I pointed out as the elevator arrived. We waited anxiously as the doors pinged and slowly opened, but to our relief, it was empty.
We piled in, trying not to knock each other around with the chairs and table. I pressed the button for the all the floors down to the first floor so they couldn’t tell which level we were going to get off. Then I jabbed the button to close the doors.
The trip to the second floor stretched out into an eternity. Every time the doors opened, fearful anticipation that a Custodian could be there sent my nervous system into a flurry. By the time we reached the second floor, I was a complete and utter nervous wreck.
And when elevator's doors finally ground apart, we got the shock of our lives when we saw a somewhat irate and fully armed and armoured Custodian standing there with his gun at the ready.
My face blanched with fear as the terrible truth struck home. We'd been caught! The Custodians would cart us away to one of their brutal prison factories to work sixteen-hour days for four straight weeks. It didn't particularly worry me that I would endure such a punishment, but I couldn't bear the thought of Nanako going through such an ordeal.
"Step out of the elevator and line up against the wall!" the Custodian shouted.
We filed nervously out of the elevator, but while the others headed for the opposite wall, I looked at my wife and hesitated. I just couldn't let them throw her in prison, and so, with my heart pounding in my chest, I slowly put down the table, pulled out my wallet, and offered the Custodian a hundred dollar bill.
"You trying to bribe me, Citizen?" he hissed.
I was about to deny it and rush over to the others when I realised he was eyeing my wallet greedily. So I dug out the other hundred-and-eighty and offered him the lot.
He snatched the money and turned to the others, glaring at them expectantly. David, Shorty, and even Nanako, emptied their wallets and pockets and he quickly grabbed their offerings and folded up the notes.
"Disappear!" he barked when he realised we hadn't moved, and then went back to counting the money.
Not needing to be told twice, we hurried to my apartment. As we went, we heard the Custodian report by radio to the sergeant on duty that we hadn't been in the elevator.
"That was altogether too close!" David exclaimed when we burst into my apartment and closed the door behind us.
"I know, right?" I panted with relief.
"Man, what a rush!" hooted Shorty, his face as animated as I’d ever seen it. "Who’s up for round two?"
"Shorty, you're a nutter," I laughed.
"Ethan, guys – thanks for the most memorable birthday ever." Nanako grinned broadly now that the threat was gone.
"Most expensive one too, no doubt," David grumbled.
"We’ll pay you back the money you gave him," Nanako assured them.
"Don’t worry about it, 'twas totally worth it," Shorty replied.
Nanako shot me a meaningful glance.
"No, seriously, we’ll pay you back as soon as we can," I added, digging her hint. Though to be honest, to my embarrassment, that hadn't even occurred to me.
"Whatever made you think you could bribe a Custodian, Jones?" David asked.
"Desperation."
"More like inspiration," Shorty chuckled.
We hid the tables and chairs under the bed just in case the other three Custodians did a door knock. We played cards at the dining room table until we heard the Custodian's G-Wagon drive off half an hour later.
"We’ll be off then," David announced, standing.
"The Custodians may have left a man behind to watch the apartments in case we break curfew again, so you’re welcome to stay the night." I thought it was the right thing to do, though the dirty look Nanako sent me seemed to indicate she thought otherwise.
Shorty caught her expression and sprang from his chair like a jack-in-the-box. "Thanks, but no thanks."
"Thanks for the invite, Jones," David added, following Shorty's lead, "But it’s her birthday, and we'd only get in the way."
"Fair enough, but keep your wits about you, yeah?"
"Don’t worry; we'll go out the back window." Shorty headed for the back door.
"You do remember we're on the second floor, right?" David asked fearfully as he trotted after him.
"Oh lighten up, we’ve done this millions of times out in the ruins," Shorty shot back.
"In the daylight."
"We’ll be fine."
We watched them dart over the balcony railing use the downpipe to climb to the ground. They crept off into the night using the stealth techniques I'd taught them.
Nanako pulled the curtains shut and flashed me a dazzling smile. "Just us, at last."
I took her into my arms and simply delighted in her presence. The bleak emptiness I'd felt for two years after recovering from my ordeal was completely gone now. Nanako completed me, as I did her.
We adjourned to the sofa and watched TV while I massaged her shapely legs until she fell into a shallow sleep. I didn’t watch TV after that, for I couldn’t take my eyes off her thighs. The way they flattened out while draped over my lap was completely mesmerising. She was one beautiful girl, and not just physically. I was the luckiest guy in the world.
After she woke a short time later, we showered and hopped into bed. I propped on my right elbow, ran my left hand through her silky, smooth black hair, and kissed her tenderly on the brow. "So, how’s it feel being twenty-one, old woman?" I teased.
"Don’t ‘old woman’ me, youngster!" She laughed and slapped me on the shoulder.
"I haven’t given you your birthday present yet," I said as I drank in the sight of her gorgeous, round face.
"Really? I thought dinner was the present."
"Nope, that was just dinner."
"And a show," she added with a chuckle.
I reached under my pillow, brought out a small brown paper bag, and handed it to her. She sat up, opened the bag, and her face lit up with delight as she pulled out two intricately made bracelets formed from pieces of matt-black metal twisted together.
"You made these?"
"Yep, after work today."
"That’s why you were so late getting home."
"Yep."
"They're so beautiful."
"You won’t be able to wear them outside, but you already knew that, yeah? One of the Founders many laws. ‘It is unseemly for women to wear jewellery other than their wedding ring.’"
"Figured as much, but that’s okay, I’d rather wear them at home with my normal clothes," she said as she slipped the bracelets over her small hands. After examining them for a moment, she looked at me with a twinkle in her eye. "You don't have any more birthday presents for me?"
"Well, maybe one more," I said with a grin as I pulled her down into my arms.
* * *
As usual, I was on point. The sergeant always put me on point because of my ability to locate our quarry with uncanny accuracy. I guess you could say I was cheating because I never told him or the rest of my Ranger buddies that I could echolocate.
Creeping silently through a field of gum trees and chest-high wild grass beside a dust
y, lifeless road, I came upon a rundown wooden farmhouse. A girl in her mid teens stood in the middle of the road, holding a rifle that was almost too big for her. A similarly armed bearded man in his middle ages was hiding inside a corrugated tin shed missing two walls. A third gunman was hiding in the bushes on the far side of the farm. Through the cracked and broken walls of the farm's primary dwelling, I was able to get glimpses of another two dozen or so people by using flash sonar. Their number included some old folk, women and even children.
"Raiders located, Sergeant," I informed him through my headset. "They're holed up in that rundown farm about half-a-click from your position."
"Understood Jones, we're on our way," the sergeant replied.
"Gotta say, though, Sergeant," I continued hesitantly, "They don't seem like raiders to me."
"Intel said a large raiding party had encroached upon Hamamachi lands in this vicinity. That's got to be them."
"They've brought old folk, women and children with them – that sound like raiders, sir?"
"They ransacked one of the cattle ranches not far from here, Jones – they're raiders."
I waited for the rest of my squad to join me and take up positions around the farm, and then pointed out where the two gunmen were hiding.
"Right, we take out the gunmen and round up the rest," the sergeant's voice came over my earpiece. "Then Itoh can bring up the truck and we'll ship them out. Jones, you take out the girl – you've got the clearest shot at her. Nakada, the guy in the shed is yours. Nitta, you got the guy behind the bushes."
The sergeant's order hit me like a punch in the gut and sent my senses reeling in shock. He wanted me to shoot the girl? I looked through my scope and studied her young, troubled face. She was searching up the road for signs of danger, unaware that the very danger she feared was already close at hand.
"I can't shoot her in cold blood, Sergeant, can't we at least give 'em the chance to surrender first?"
"We shoot the gunmen and the rest won't be able to surrender fast enough. Now, on my mark...."
I sighted down the scope and placed my finger on the trigger, ready to fire...
Chapter Fourteen
...and my whole body convulsed as I tore myself awake, too afraid to witness what I knew must come next. For I had seen this girl before in one of my seizure triggered memories. She’d been lying on that dusty road with a large pool of blood spreading out beneath her while my fellow Rangers and I clustered around her.
Waves of crushing guilt swept through me as the implications of those two memories hit me – did I shoot that girl? Had I gone against my better judgment, cast my morals aside and obeyed an order I knew was wrong? The sergeant had justified the kill-order by claiming those people were raiders, but they simply didn’t fit the bill. They were underweight, malnourished, and looked more like refugees. And you don’t shoot refugee sentries to cower the rest of them into compliance.
I wish I knew what happened after that moment, after she was shot. What happened to the rest of the refugees, did they surrender as the sergeant predicted? And if so, did we force them into the truck at gunpoint and ship them off somewhere else?
If I could retrieve my memories, I would know the answers to those questions, but perhaps it was better if I didn't. I was suddenly very afraid of what I might learn about myself. Did I shoot that girl? Did that make me a murderer? Nanako said I haven't changed and that I was still the same me. But she's wrong. There’s absolutely no way I’d go along with something like that now. I’d have told the sergeant in no uncertain terms what he could do with his orders, and then suffered the consequences.
I checked the bedside clock. It was 5.23am. Nanako was still asleep, with her arm and leg thrown over my chest and her head on my shoulder. I considered telling her about the dream, but honestly, I had no idea how to broach the subject. Perhaps it was better to wait for more memories to resurface so that when I did talk to her, I had the complete picture.
Although I tried to go back to sleep after that, I failed miserably. My mind had become a quagmire of fearful considerations and doubtful deliberations, a trap from which I thought I’d never escape.
* * *
I tried to hide how I was feeling when Nanako and I had breakfast together, but as I tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve, she knew something was wrong right off the bat. I looked at the loving devotion shining through her eyes, and wondered if she would still love me if it turned out I had shot that girl.
In the end, I managed to fend off her probing questions by claiming I hadn’t slept well, and she eventually let it go.
I packed my obento lunch, fruit and water into my backpack, gave Nanako a kiss on the forehead, and rushed off to work.
Having no flowers to arrange today, she came to the door and saw me off as she did two days ago.
Not watching where I was going as I hurried down the footpath from the apartment block, I almost ploughed head first into Sienna King and her mother. They were using the footpath as a shortcut to the commercial sector. They wore modest ankle length, long sleeved dresses: Sienna's was pale mauve, and her mother's a much darker hue of the same colour.
As soon as Sienna caught sight of me, she lowered her eyes to the ground, as custom dictated when a young single woman met a man. All the same, I saw her haughty demeanour morph into loathing.
I knew I wasn’t permitted to speak to her directly, but I was furious about what the little vixen had done to my wife yesterday, so I didn’t hold back. "I would have a word with you, Sienna."
Mrs. King quickly moved between us, impressing me yet again by her height. She was at least as tall as I. "It is improper for you to address my daughter, Ethan Jones. But I forget, good manners are not exactly your strong suit, are they?"
No love lost there either. Whatever had my father been thinking in trying to marry me into that family? "Mrs. King, in the light of Sienna’s recent behaviour, propriety can be damned. Now, kindly step aside and let me speak to her."
Mrs. King didn’t move. "You may not speak to her."
"Fine, I’ll speak to you then. Please inform your daughter that what she did yesterday was lower than low. It was despicable."
Before Mrs. King could respond, a somewhat angry Sienna stepped out from behind her. "Huh – you haven't seen anything yet – I’m just getting started!"
I looked at her beautiful face, marred by bitterness and hatred, and I was about to tear her head off until I remembered she was just as much a victim in this situation as I was. So I let the anger bleed out of me and when I replied, it was with a degree of gentleness. "Look, Sienna, I’m sorry for everything that happened. It was never my intention to hurt you."
Sienna was not moved. "Ethan, you and Nanako completely and utterly humiliated me. If you think you can placate me with empty apologies, think again."
"You're blaming the wrong people. This mess is my father's fault, lock, stock and barrel. He's the one you should be blaming, not us," I said, refusing to let it go. There was no way I was gonna sit back and let her keep harassing Nanako.
"That's poppycock, and you know it!" Sienna snapped, taking a step forward. "If Nanako hadn't been playing her stupid little mind games with you and had come straight out and told the truth, the engagement would have been called off without me losing face. And you! Before you knew who she was – while you were still engaged to me – you stood me up on the night we were to plan our wedding date! Can you imagine what it was like, sitting with your family, waiting for you to come over so the marriage details could be finalised, and you didn't even show up? And as if that wasn't enough, the next night you told everyone you stood me up because of her! I hate you, Ethan, I hate you!"
I lifted my hands in a futile attempt to ward off her vitriolic attack. "Okay, I get it, you're really cut up about what happened, but I'm warning you – lay off the revenge campaign, or I'll have to report you."
"What, to the Custodians?" she laughed hysterically.
"You think I won't do it?" I grow
led back.
"Go ahead and see where it gets you," Mrs. King interrupted, "because you're not exactly in their good books at the moment, Ethan Jones!" And then, staring me in the eye, she added, "Why did you have to come back? He told us you weren't going to."
"Excuse me? Who told you what?"
"My son. He told us that you and Nanako were going to accompany him to Hamamachi and wouldn't be coming back," Mrs. King said.
"He gave us the option of staying there, but we declined. This is our home," I said. Surely Liam didn't tell them the truth about how he planned to keep us in Hamamachi – by nuking the whole town and us along with it.
Mrs. King's stern face hardened further. "Why did you two have to come back instead of him?"
I bit back the reply on the edge of my tongue when I saw the pain in her eyes. She was mourning the loss of her only son.
"Look, I'm late for work and have to go. But remember what I said, lay off the revenge campaign."
With that, I disengaged myself from the Kings and jogged the rest of the way to work, wondering if I'd managed to get through to them. Sienna said she was "just getting started," and that worried me. Two days ago, I ignored her threats as nothing more than hot air, but she'd proved me wrong. She was as capable as she was vindictive – just like her brother had been. Maybe it was a family trait.
* * *
I realised something was wrong as soon as I got home and saw the door wide open with the lock smashed and the wooden doorframe badly cracked and splintered.
Concerned for my wife's safety, I dashed inside, and then froze in shock. The apartment was completely trashed. Yet it was Nanako who caught my attention, not the vandalised flat. She was on her hands and knees beside what was left of our double bed, digging frantically through piles of shredded and torn bedding, clothing, and smashed bathroom amenities.
"What happened? Are you alright?" I rushed to side.
She glanced up at me with eyes bloodshot from crying as she dug through a pile of torn towels and clothing. "My photo-viewer – you gotta help me – I can't find it anywhere!"
Forager - the Complete Trilogy (A Post Apocalyptic/Dystopian Trilogy) Page 31