Civilization

by Stephen Drake

  “Be that as it may, I still appreciate what you did to make her life a happy one.” As Declan took one more look at Rose’s tomb, he felt himself drifting off to sleep again.

  #

  Shortly after Murdock had levitated the dozen workmen over the cliff and into a hidden spot by the stream, their nightmares stopped. By the time Declan, Annie, and Murdock were sitting around their fire by the river, they awoke and found their way to the transport pod. They were all extremely nervous and despite being late at night, were unable to go to sleep. It appeared, to some, that they were afraid to sleep. A few hours before sunup, the two guards that Phylicia had tasked with following Declan and Annie Cooper, returned to camp.

  Phylicia was awakened at her normal time and was informed that the work crew, that had gone out with Declan, had returned sometime in the night, and so had the guards she had dispatched to follow Declan and party. After giving orders that someone bring her water and something to eat, she sent for Heather Stevens, Kimberly Grey, and Doctor Harris. They arrived shortly after she started her breakfast and were shown in immediately upon arrival.

  “Has Declan and Annie Cooper returned?” Phylicia asked as she took another bite of fish.

  “No, they haven’t,” all three women said as one.

  “Heather, go tell Palmer to join us,” Phylicia ordered.

  “When and if Declan and Annie return, we need to keep a much closer eye on them,” Phylicia ordered after Heather left to comply with her instructions.

  The remaining two women nodded that they understood the instructions. “When Palmer gets here, I want you two to retrieve the workmen that had returned in the night, and the guards. I want to talk to the guards first, after Doctor Harris’ assessment, and then I want her to assess the workmen.” Phylicia leaned forward toward Doctor Harris. “I want your report right after and you’re to keep your findings confidential. You’re not to discuss anything you find with anyone, even the ones you examine. Understood?” Phylicia dismissed the two women with a wave of her hand as Palmer presented himself.

  “Have you heard?” Phylicia asked Palmer, obviously irked.

  “I have heard about the workmen returning,” Palmer responded. “Has something else happened that I didn’t know about?”

  “When Declan and the Cooper woman left, I told a couple of my guards to follow them, discreetly. They returned just before sunup and are being examined by Harris. They’ll be here when she’s finished,” Phylicia said. “Do you know anything about why Murdock would want Declan?” she asked as she paced.

  “I haven’t heard anything that would indicate a reason,” Palmer responded.

  “There has to be a reason why Murdock and Declan have been so amicable.” Phylicia continued her pacing. “To us, Murdock has been dictatorial, short-tempered, and arrogant, but he seems to be softer toward Declan,” Phylicia said aloud to herself, as if Palmer wasn’t there. It was then that the guards were shown in. “What happened to following Declan and Annie Cooper discreetly?” Phylicia asked the guards as she stood looking at them. She was as imposing as she could manage, considering her size and sex.

  “We were following them,” one of the guards responded. The other had obviously chosen him as spokesman. “We could hardly see them, but we could hear them. We saw nothing and heard nothing that would indicate someone else was there.”

  “So, what happened?” Phylicia asked, impatient with them.

  “We don’t know,” the guard responded. “It was like hitting a wall. One second we were following them, the next, it was close to sunup and we were lying where we once stood.”

  “Did you try trailing them?” Phylicia asked.

  “No, we didn’t,” the guard answered sheepishly. “We don’t know how.”

  Phylicia abruptly dismissed the guards with an angry gesture. “You’re useless,” she shouted at their back.

  “What do you make of it?” Palmer asked. He had remained quiet while the guards were present.

  “I don’t know! We don’t have enough information to even form an opinion, yet,” Phylicia said angrily.

  While they were waiting on Doctor Harris to finish examining the workmen, Palmer looked around the smallish room. A fortnight prior, Phylicia had commandeered one of the rooms in the transport pod for her own personal use. It served as her sleeping quarters as well as a place to hold private meetings. It had nothing in it to indicate that it was anything other than an empty room. No chairs, table, a proper bed, or embellishments of any kind. The only thing that made it hers was the fact that she was in it.

  Doctor Harris finally reported to Phylicia and Palmer.

  “What did you find in your examinations of the workmen and guards?” Phylicia asked impatiently.

  “Physically, nothing,” Doctor Harris said with a look of perplexity. “However, the workmen seem to be having nightmares.”

  “Nightmares?” Phylicia asked exasperated, glancing at Palmer.

  “They seem to be suffering from some sort of flashback. It appears to be close to P.T.S.D. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,” Doctor Harris added seeing Phylicia’s questioning look. “That’s all that I can find, with these primitive conditions and tools.”

  “Did they say what happened?” Phylicia asked.

  “All they said was that they had climbed up the cliff on the other side of the stream. They took a few steps and then they woke not far from the stream, but on this side of the cliff,” Harris tried to explain. “They had no explanation for how they got off the cliff.”

  “Murdock did say that the cliff was off-limits,” Palmer added.

  “If you don’t have anything useful to add, Palmer, keep your mouth shut,” Phylicia snapped. The more she thought about it, the more irate she became. The more irate she got, the more she thought of the reason why she was irate. “Get out! Both of you,” she screamed. She was apoplectic.

  7

  When Declan awoke, he was alone. When he stood, he found that he still had his twelve-inch machete and his water skin. When he scanned the distance, he could see the transport pod. When he turned around, he saw that he was at the base of the cliff that lay upstream from the transport pod. He could see the stream off to his right, a fair distance away. He tried to ascertain what time of day it was and guessed that it was mid-morning, but had no idea what day it was or how long he had been gone. Without much thought, he started off toward the transport pod by the most direct course.

  As he walked, he remembered what was shown him of his sister’s life, visiting her tomb, and surprisingly, Murdock’s family. He hadn’t actually accepted the fact that he was also part of Murdock’s family. He had been told that Murdock and Rose were married, but he hadn’t seen the usual trappings to indicate that it was so. He saw no wedding ring on Murdock, no marriage license, and he wasn’t invited to the wedding, so, to him, it was just something that couldn’t be independently verified and was thus subject to interpretation.

  The closer he got to the transport pod, the more concerned he became, he knew he would be questioned extensively by Phylicia or her goons. He hadn’t, as yet, decided what to tell them about where he went and why. With each step he took, the closer he was getting to having to make a decision. Should he tell Phylicia and Palmer what Annie was doing and why she was needed? He had no idea when she would return, if ever.

  The more steps he took, the more he remembered Rose. She was the eldest and saw to it her siblings were taken care of when their parents had been working so many jobs to provide for them. Now, she was gone and he would never be able to express his gratitude for all she had done for him, when he was growing up.

  After all the years of being so close to Rose, he had thought he knew what type of man she would have married. Granted, her options were extremely limited, but he never would have considered someone like Murdock. The more he thought about it, and remembered what was shown him, he was starting to reconsider his opinion. From what he was shown, Murdock gave Rose a chance to live and gave hope to Mei Lee
when everyone around her had given nothing, but pain and suffering.

  It struck him, finally, that he couldn’t explain how he was shown what his sister’s life had been. How was it accomplished? For that matter, how was he transported without a cart or wagon? He saw none at the tomb. How was he made unconscious at Murdock’s command? What made the workmen unconscious? Murdock wasn’t around then, at least, not that he knew about. How were the individuals that were told to follow him and Annie dealt with? His first inclination was that Murdock had killed them, but he said he hadn’t killed the workmen and Annie knew that Murdock hadn’t killed the ones following them. So, how was it done? The workmen appeared to be asleep and so was he, but how? Without some explanation, he dare not bring up anything to Phylicia or Palmer else they think he’d lost what little sense he had.

  As he entered the camp, under the transport pod, Declan had decided not to mention anything about where he was or why. He could have, but the only person that he would consider family would be hurt. He had seen how visibly upset Murdock had been at Rose’s tomb. For Rose and Andrew, Declan decided what little he did know, he would keep to himself.

  Declan hadn’t gotten very far before Phylicia’s guards stopped him and instructed him to follow them. In short order, he was in front of Phylicia and Palmer.

  “Nice to see you, Declan,” Phylicia said with a mock smile. “Would you mind telling me where you were and what you were doing?”

  “As a matter of fact, I would,” Declan responded coolly. “My business is my business.”

  Palmer had gotten to his feet and crossed the space between them surprisingly fast. Declan was knocked to the ground by the bigger man with the back of his hand. “You better answer up, Mister,” he warned angrily.

  “Ben! Ben! Declan is one of us! He wouldn’t consider being rude to us, would you, Declan?” Phylicia asked sarcastically. “You’ll tell us what we want to know, sooner or later.” Phylicia motioned for the guards, who tied his arms to his side and stood him back up. “One more time, Declan. Where did you and Annie go?”

  Declan could taste his own blood where his lip met his teeth. “To Murdock’s cabin,” he said as Palmer made a move toward him. I don’t know anything, so why not tell them what I know, he thought. Rose would understand, he told himself.

  “Where is this cabin?” Phylicia asked with a hypnotic tone.

  “I have no idea,” Declan responded truthfully.

  “How did you get there?” Phylicia asked, again with her hypnotic tone.

  “I have no idea,” Declan answered again.

  Palmer slapped him with an open hand, again. The strike was sufficient for Declan to see stars. “Answer the question!”

  “I answered truthfully,” Declan answered back hotly. “I was unconscious most of the time.”

  Palmer back-handed him again, knocking him to the ground. Declan was starting to feel woozy.

  “Now, Ben, don’t be so anxious to inflict pain on poor Declan,” Phylicia mocked. “Who was at this cabin?” she asked Declan softly.

  “Murdock, Murdock’s wife, their kids, and Annie,” Declan said weakly.

  “Do these people have names?” Phylicia asked sweetly.

  “Probably,” Declan responded. Palmer promptly punched him in the solar plexus, leaving him gasping for air. The guards held him upright.

  “As you can see,” Phylicia said with a false sadness, “I have trouble controlling Ben. He really seems to enjoy inflicting pain and he really doesn’t like wise-ass answers. What was the purpose of your visit to Murdock’s cabin?” Phylicia asked silkily as she paced back and forth in front of him.

  “To visit my sister’s tomb,” Declan managed to get the words out between the gasps.

  “You had a sister here? I didn’t know that!” Phylicia said with some surprise. “Why didn’t I know that, Declan?”

  “Because I didn’t tell you,” Declan managed to say.

  “I know that,” Phylicia said impatiently, “but why didn’t you tell me?”

  “You didn’t ask. Besides, I only recently found it out myself,” Declan said somewhat easier. Palmer had gotten behind him and punched him in the right kidney. Declan’s knees buckled and the pain was excruciating; so much so that he passed out.

  #

  “Get Harris in here,” Phylicia demanded of the guards. She then turned to Palmer. “If you’ve killed him, I’ll put you in his place!”

  Doctor Harris rushed in and started to tend the bloody mass that was Declan as best she could.

  “Just bring him around,” Phylicia ordered Doctor Harris. “We have a lot more questions for him!”

  Doctor Harris looked up at Phylicia and could see the sadistic pleasure on her face in seeing Declan in pain. When she looked to Palmer’s face, she could see his eyes widen when he inhaled and slightly close when he exhaled, showing signs of an almost sexual pleasure in his ferocious punishment. “He won’t be answering anything for a while,” she said to the pair. “He’ll be lucky if you didn’t rupture something.”

  #

  Even though Declan knew he was unconscious, he knew he was still alive. His mind had disassociated itself from his body a few moments after the final blow. It seemed he was floating above his body. He could see Doctor Harris tending him, but couldn’t hear what was being said. He could, however, hear his sister’s voice in his head.

  “Maybe it would have been better that you stay with Murdock,” he heard her say. “People in power seem to want to hurt others for the benefit of the powerful. The man who killed me was the same way.”

  “James Whittier!” he heard himself say.

  #

  Phylicia, waiting for Harris to finish tending Declan’s wounds heard him say a name that she hadn’t heard in a long time. She did her best to show no sign of recognition at hearing a name that was the same as her second cousin. “What did he say?” Phylicia asked Harris.

  “Some name. He’s delirious,” Doctor Harris said.

  How could Declan know the name of my cousin? Phylicia asked herself. “Tend to Declan as best you can,” she instructed Doctor Harris. “If he regains consciousness, I want to be informed immediately!” Doctor Harris nodded acknowledgment as the guards were carrying Declan out of her quarters. Until she’d heard his name, Phylicia hadn’t thought of James W. Whittier, III for many years. Her second cousin, the son of her mother’s cousin, had been groomed by his father to take his place in politics. She had briefly worked for his campaign for Mayor when she was still in prep school and because of the experience, had always looked up to him.

  After everyone had left her quarters, Phylicia started running the facts she knew of Murdock in her mind. She knew that he and his wife were the only survivors of the first pod. Everyone else had died. For Declan to know the name of her second cousin, meant he had to have heard it somewhere. Murdock’s camp being the only place he could have heard it. Declan’s sister had been on the first transport pod and had done something worthy of being placed in a tomb versus just being put into a hole in the ground. Murdock, the murderer, killed my cousin! The thought hammered through her brain. She figured that James had been on the first pod and had run afoul of Murdock. Murdock, the murderer, killed my cousin! It was then that she decided to make Murdock and all his family pay. This is vendetta! She gave the guards instructions to keep Declan from disappearing. She insured her instructions would be followed by telling them their lives would be forfeit as the price for failure.

  #

  The next day, Declan was better, but was still bed-ridden and conscious only part of the time.

  “What did Murdock tell you about your sister’s death?” Phylicia asked sweetly and quietly once everyone had left her alone with him.

  “He said . . . she was killed . . . by a man called . . . Whittier,” Declan managed weakly.

  “Was that James W. Whittier, III?” she asked sweetly, hypnotically, “if you know,” offhandedly.

  “I think . . . that was . . . the name,” Declan
said. “How . . . did you . . . know?”

  “You told us when you were delirious. I would like you to listen and consider,” Phylicia said in her best hypnotic tone. “James W. Whittier, III was my distaff second cousin. I knew him quite well! Back home, he was a kindly man who was a Mayor of a smallish town. I know, for a fact, that he wouldn’t — couldn’t — hurt anyone or anything. To say that he had hurt someone is something very hard for me to believe. Does Murdock strike you as someone whom your sister would consider being with? Since no one else survived, who is to say what really happened? Who would argue if Murdock secretly did away with everyone else?”

  “No, not . . . true,” Declan said emphatically as he tried to shake his head to emphasize his negative answer.

  “I wasn’t there,” Phylicia continued hypnotically. “Neither were you, so who is to say? He could have lied to you and you’d never know!”

  #

  As soon as Phylicia started talking, there was a sweet voice in Declan’s head, which sounded like his sister, saying, “she is lying”, and it kept repeating with every sentence Phylicia spoke. The pain from his injuries was intense, but he did what he could to hang onto the sweet voice in his head.

  #

  “Did he show you any diaries, journals, logs, or any other written record?” Phylicia continued, even though she could tell that Declan was drifting off again. “My cousin was an avid keeper of a daily journal. He never let a day pass without making an entry,” Phylicia was impressed with herself. Even she was starting to believe her statements. Even though Declan had lost consciousness again, Phylicia stayed with him, holding his hand, and repeating her arguments.