The Bleeding Crowd

by Jessica Dall

  The group of four guards didn’t move.

  Dahlia peeked around his shoulder. Jude forced her back, keeping her out of sight.

  “We aren’t going to shoot,” the tall dark-haired girl at the front said. “You don’t have to shield her.”

  Jude didn’t move.

  The woman sighed. “Come on, we need to keep going.”

  “Are you...?” Jude hesitated.

  “Hurry up.” The guard motioned.

  The six made it down the last two flights of stairs and with the guard’s help slipped outside without raising the alarm. The guards circled Dahlia and Jude shepherding them through the streets out of town in silence. They ducked out of sight into the trees, only stopping at what the guards seemed to think was a safe distance from the last road in town.

  They released a collective breath, finally looking at each other.

  “I’m Lucy.” The dark-haired girl offered her hand to Dahlia, breaking the long, tense stare-off that had started.

  She took it without pretense. “Dahlia, and that’s Jude.”

  “You’re on our side?” Jude asked, not willing to wait until the end of the introductions.

  “It would seem so, wouldn’t it?” Lucy gave him a tight smile.

  “And you’re...?” Dahlia looked at the other women.

  “Joanna, Maureen, and Tracy.” Lucy pointed at the two brunettes and one blonde in turn.

  “Nice to meet you.” Dahlia lifted her hand in a half wave.

  The first brunette, Joanna, looked Dahlia over with a smirk. “Nice show in there. Threw us off for a while.”

  Dahlia crossed her arms across her chest self-consciously. “I seem to be good at the on-the-fly plans.”

  “Escaping in a bra, though,” Lucy said. “Shows an entirely different level of commitment.”

  “What can I say,” she said with heavy sarcasm. “After twenty years of it, I’ve become a little fond of living. You’re willing to do a lot you wouldn’t do normally when your life’s on the line.”

  Lucy nodded.

  Silence took hold.

  “You aren’t wearing grey,” Dahlia said.

  “We aren’t lesbians,” the other brunette, Maureen, said.

  “No?” She frowned, recoiling at the look she received.

  “We’re just strong, straight women.” Lucy looked more good-humored than the others. “Our aptitude tests said we’d do best in physical careers and that ended up with us being trained as a military force for a hypocritical government.”

  “You’re combat trained? All of you?” Jude looked between the four women.

  Lucy unwrapped something at her hip pulling out a revolver. “They want people who can protect them.”

  “But, now you’re trained and you don’t want to protect them,” Dahlia said.

  “It’s a time bomb waiting to go off, I’ll admit,” Lucy said.

  “I don’t have a reason to fight for a lie,” Joanna said.

  Dahlia nodded. “Do you have a reason to fight against one?”

  “Lesser of two evils I believe is our thought pattern,” Lucy said. “You can use us. We know that building inside and out.”

  “We’re better trained than any of you, I’m sure,” Maureen said.

  “We have some good fighters,” Dahlia said. “Not me by any means, but some—”

  “Can you get Ben out?” Jude prompted.

  “Who?” Lucy frowned.

  “Our friend,” Jude said. “The other guy who was in the room with us.”

  “Oh, the turncoat,” the blonde, Tracy, finally spoke. “Yeah, Lisa’s got him locked away somewhere. Last I heard she had him moved to her room. You know, maybe a little ‘interrogating’ of her own.”

  “What do you mean?” Dahlia frowned.

  “I think she’s implying that she wants to sleep with him,” Jude said.

  “She would force him to have sex with her?” Dahlia’s eyebrows furrowed deeply enough for a crease to form between her brows.

  “Wouldn’t be the first time,” Joanna said. “I don’t really blame her, I mean he’s attractive. I’d have sex with him.”

  Dahlia released a tense breath. “She shot him.”

  “She’s not above mixing business and pleasure,” Tracy said.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it.” Lucy looked at Dahlia with sympathy. “From what I heard out of your room, he’s completely into you. I don’t think she could make him forget about you. Anyway, the longer she’s interested in him, the longer he’s probably going to live.” Dahlia’s skin prickled.

  “Understand how I ended up being pushed off a crate yet?” Jude almost whispered.

  “Shut up.” Dahlia shot him a look.

  Something glinted somewhere off in the woods.

  “What was that?” Tracy turned, staring off into the distance.

  “Someone friendly, hopefully,” Dahlia said. “Put your guns on the ground.”

  “What?” Maureen frowned.

  “If they are our friends, they aren’t going to come out here just to have you shoot at them.”

  The guards paused, Lucy finally lifted her revolver in her hand to show anyone out in the woods what it was and then set it on the ground. The others followed suit.

  Slowly shapes could be made out, Heather came into view, something large strapped across her back.

  “Heather!” Dahlia smiled, hugging her before even thinking about it.

  “I thought I heard you.” Heather smiled, hugging her briefly before pushing her back. “Hey, Jude.”

  He waved half-heartedly looking at the large gun on her back.

  “And who...?” Heather looked at the four other women.

  “Guards,” Dahlia said. “Well, not guard-guards, like your kind of guards. Different guards. They’re combat trained though.”

  “We’re the personal military the higher-ups have to makes sure that no one tries to kill them.”

  “Good to know.” Heather said.

  “Lucy, Joanna, Maureen, and Tracy.” Dahlia pointed to each one.

  “Nice to meet you,” Heather responded.

  “Impressive machinery you have there.” Tracy nodded at the gun on Heather’s back.

  “Raiding weapon caches tends to give you some awesome stuff, it seems.” Heather smiled briefly.

  “Is everyone back then? Away from the stores I mean,” Dahlia asked.

  “Jack and some of the guys are at one of the camps nearby since no one’s seen Ben.”

  “Yeah, there’s a reason for that,” Jude said.

  Heather frowned looking at Dahlia. “What’s he on about?”

  “Ben’s been captured,” she said tersely. “If you have a way to let Jack know to get away from the stores, that’ll probably be smart.”

  “Why?”

  Dahlia didn’t seem able to answer.

  “Because the other guy—Ben?—is more than likely ratting you all out as we speak,” Joanna said.

  “Ben?” Heather shook her head. “He wouldn’t turn on us. Him of all people.”

  “He cut a deal,” Jude said. “They offered to let Dahlia go if he told. Ben being Ben...”

  Heather sighed. “Des is going to love that one. She didn’t want Dahlia along in the first place. He sold us out for a girl.”

  “It was some misguided attempt at...” Dahlia searched for the word.

  “Chivalry?” Jude suggested.

  She gave him a questioning look.

  “Just go with chivalry.” Jude nodded at her.

  “What has he said?” Heather asked.

  “No clue.” Jude shook his head.

  “Bunch of stuff,” Lucy said. “Last I heard he was giving a list of names.”

  “I think we need to get back to camp and work out what we’re going to do if he’s actually saying...” Heather led off and then looked at the guards. “You better pick up your guns. You’re probably going to need them if you’re planning on joining us.”

  Chapter Nineteen

>   Ben hissed, pulling the gauze away from his shoulder. The wound was crusting with some sort of yellow puss around the edges. He moved to the bathroom to wash it. The soap stung as he tried to clean it, made him unwilling to do too much with it. He rinsed it off, splashing water to clean it before pulling the last of the gaze he had out of the pocket in the legs of his pants. All he had left was the baggy of oleander he hadn’t touched since he had shown it to Jude. Using that on himself was looking more and more attractive. He was still alive, but only because Lisa found some perverse amusement in him. Dahlia had apparently been sent away already, so he had served his purpose. There was no need to continue as some self-appointed oligarch’s plaything.

  The door in the main room opened, making him tense. He didn’t stop bandaging his shoulder.

  “Anyone here?” an unfamiliar voice asked.

  Ben frowned and stuck his head out of the bathroom. “Who are you?”

  “Monica.” The guard smiled. “Lucy sent me.”

  “Who?”

  “Lucy,” the guard repeated. “Well, Maureen, but she’s following Lucy. They’re the ones that helped your friends escape—Dahlia and what’s-his-name.”

  “What?” Ben stared at the guard, dumfounded.

  “After they found out what you had done, they made a run for it. Lucy and her girls helped them escape.

  “But...”

  “Come on.” Monica waved for him to follow.

  Ben hesitated, but followed her to another wall. She opened it taking him down the staircase.

  She watched him. “Are you alright?”

  “Little dizzy.” He shook his head.

  “Lisa’s probably been drugging you.” Monica nodded.

  “Of course she was.”

  “It kept you alive.” Monica shrugged.

  “Is Dahlia all right?”

  “I haven’t actually seen her. Maureen had me running around trying to find anyone who would be willing to help us here.”

  “Help us?”

  “You guys.” Monica waved her hand dismissively. “Yeah, as far as I know she’s fine. Think you can move any faster? We’ve got about ten minutes of tunnels to get through before we’re anywhere near the forest.”

  Ben nodded, fighting off the odd feeling of lightheadedness that the physical exertion of their near jogging pace caused. They soon reached the end of the tunnels.

  Heather waited near the exit, her machine gun in her hands, but not ready to shoot. “Monica?”

  “That’s me.” Monica smiled helping Ben out of the tunnel. “I managed to pick up the guy Maureen talked about.”

  Heather looked at him for a long moment, her hands twitching slightly around the gun before she slung it around to her back and turned. “Come on.”

  The smiles at the camp dropped as they saw Ben. No one spoke.

  “Yeah, I deserve it.” Ben stuck his hands in his pockets. He spotted Dahlia kneeling next to a man he didn’t recognize, wrapping his knee. She froze, then stood, and walked away with her bag before finishing whatever she had been doing.

  “Dah...” he started. He looked at the faces staring at him with looks that ranged from curious to openly hostile. He started off all the same. “Dahlia! Slow down.”

  “No,” she called without turning.

  “Lia.”

  “You don’t want me to slow down, because if I do, I’m going to hurt you.”

  “I wouldn’t blame you if you tried.”

  She spun. “What the hell did you think you were accomplishing?”

  “I didn’t actually say anything useful,” he said. “You’re all right, aren’t you?”

  “No thanks to you,” she spat.

  “I did what I thought was best,” he said.

  “Well, next time do what you think is slightly less good.” She crossed her arms.

  He just looked at her.

  She frowned, assessing him. “You’re pale.”

  “Monica said they were probably drugging me.” He shrugged with his good shoulder.

  She let out a tense breath, some conflict playing out on her face. “What did you try to do to your shoulder?”

  “I just rewrapped it,” he said.

  “Let me see.” She motioned him closer.

  “Are you done yelling at me already?”

  “Hardly.” She moved a little closer. “Just fulfilling my professional duty for the time being. Let me see.”

  He let her pull the gauze away.

  “My... What have you been doing, Ben? They don’t know basic medicine over there?”

  “I don’t think they cared.”

  “It’s infected.” She placed a hand on his forehead. “Have you had a fever?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Sit,” she ordered.

  “Why?”

  “Sit down,” she snapped.

  He didn’t argue.

  She opened the bag and sought through its contents.

  “I’m fine,” he insisted.

  “No, you aren’t. Stop trying to be so damn noble.”

  He smiled and pushed her hair back from her face.

  “Stop it,” she groused. “I’m still debating whether or not I’m sane enough to not hurt you right now.”

  “Ow!” He jumped as she wiped the site.

  “Rubbing alcohol,” she said, “It’s necessary pain.”

  “Right.” He frowned. “Thanks for the warning.”

  “It doesn’t look that bad.” She ignored him and focused on the wound. “Bad, but not awful.”

  He waited for her to finish redressing the injury before touching her face again.

  “Stop it.” She pulled away.

  “I can’t.”

  “I’m sure you can.” She repacked the bag.

  “You mess with my head, Dahlia. I’m stupid around you.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t be around me until we finish this then,” she said. “We can’t have stupid right now.”

  “I just want you to be all right.”

  “Stop trying to save me, okay?” She looked at his face at last. “I can take care of myself.”

  “Not in a fight.”

  “Lucy’s taught me some of the basics,” Dahlia said. “I can shoot a gun now. Not with any sort of aim, but...”

  “She didn’t teach you how to aim?”

  “Heather made her stop,” Dahlia said.

  “Why?”

  “Because if I knew how to shoot properly, she’d have to let me fight,” Dahlia said. “You aren’t the only one who’s overly protective of me around here.”

  “Well you have plenty of people who care about you.”

  “I have a lot of people who think I’m completely incapable of keeping myself alive,” she responded.

  “Well, no offense, Lia, but compared to the rest of us...”

  She frowned. “That’s only because you’ve all been trained. Nobody’s been willing to train me.”

  “I’ve been trained since I was six, Lia. Even if we gave you all the basics, you’re a little behind the curve.”

  “In a life and death situation I think I’d pick it up,” she said. “I’m the one who got Jude and me out of that room, you know. I’m not an idiot.”

  “I don’t think anyone ever said you were.” He touched her hand, playing with her fingers.

  “I’m still pissed at you,” she said, but didn’t pull away.

  “You have every right to be,” he admitted. “I really was just trying to do what I thought was best.”

  “For me, maybe,” Dahlia said. “What about everyone else that’s depending on you?”

  “I told you, I didn’t say anything important. I barely even said anything that was true. I’m a great liar. You should know that of all people.”

  “Except when you end up tripping all over yourself in your stories.”

  “I only do that when I’m around you.” He shook his head. “I had been spying for years before I ended up with you. You were the only one I managed
to fuck up a story and get called out on it. Then again, part of that was you were smart enough to pick up on some things I didn’t even think about.”

  “If you’re trying to flatter me into not being mad at you—”

  “I’m really not,” he said. “It’s just you put things together that very few other people see. Quite frankly, you’re brilliant.”

  “While that might be true, you need to stop this. We need you to be rational right now.”

  “Dahlia...”

  “I’m serious, Ben.”

  “So am I. I never seem to be rational when you’re involved.”

  “You’re no fun when you’re all gooey.” She got to her feet.

  He followed suit, drawing her against him with his good arm and kissing her.

  She pulled back. “I’m serious—”

  “Just shut up, Lia.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “We can finish this later.”

  “What makes you think I’m even in the mood to kiss you?”

  “We fight or we have sex, remember?”

  “Well, I’m more geared up for the fighting right n—”

  He kissed her again.

  “You’re an ass.” She pushed back more.

  “Part of what you love about me.”

  “You think so, huh?”

  Someone cleared their throat making Ben and Dahlia jump.

  “Sorry to interrupt.” Jude looked at Ben coolly. “They wanted to make sure you hadn’t killed each other. Personally, I predicted something more along the lines of this scenario.”

  “Great, now go away,” Ben said.

  “You’ve forgiven him that easily?” Jude looked at Dahlia.

  “Oh, I’m still trying to explain that I sort of want to hurt him.”

  Jude sighed, “Pete is still half wrapped up.”

  “Heather couldn’t have taken care of it?” Ben frowned.

  Jude just looked at him.

  Dahlia slipped away from him and picked up her bag.

  “Dahlia...” Ben sighed.

  “If you hit him, Jude, don’t hit the shoulder.” She moved past him. “I’m not redoing the bandage. We don’t have the supplies for it.”

  Ben sighed, watching her leave before looking at Jude. “You did that on purpose.”

  “Maybe,” he said.

  “Any reason?”

  “Other than the fact that you sold us out?”

  “I didn’t tell them anything important.”