by JJ Liniger
Tiffany stopped, and I bumped into her.
“Seriously, Trev?”
“Sorry. I’m a little nervous.” I released a deep breath. We stopped in front of an elevator.
Alex leaned forward to pressed his thumb against the button. A quick sensor ran across his print.
“Access granted,” an automated voice said.
Tiffany reached for her husband’s hand and bit her lower lip. Alex’s body stiffened as the elevator approached. I didn’t understand their apprehension.
The metal door opened.
“After you,” Alex said and gestured to me.
I stepped inside, and Tiffany and Alex followed. Once the door closed, it moved down. My heart beat wildly and perspiration gathered in my palms. What had I gotten myself into? I had no idea, but felt confident that I should’ve known about this years ago.
Either the elevator was slow, or we were going much further down than one level. The light over our heads flickered and went out. My breath caught in my throat. Standing in complete darkness, I didn’t move a muscle. The elevator shook and came to a stop. Neither Tiffany nor Alex said anything. I assumed this was normal for them.
The door cracked open, and my eyes squinted as the piercing light came through. I felt a tap to my shoulder blade and assumed it was Tiffany’s polite version of “get out of the way.” Blinking, I stepped forward. White, white, and more white. It was all I could see. Floor, sofas, beds, counters, clothing, walls, everything. No, not the walls. They were clear. Light reflected off the glass showing multiple rooms.
I felt like I had been transported into another dimension or realm. How was this possible? My mouth hung open, but my muddled mind couldn’t form a coherent sentence.
“Identification please,” said a lean woman with light brown hair. A straight white jacket covered her arms while a white desk hid her legs.
“Tiffany K. Black.” Tiffany showed the woman her identification card.
Alex reached for his wallet, and the tall woman stopped him.
“We know you, Alexander.” She gave him a smile and looked at me. Her pale gray eyes and tan skin stood out as color against the contrast of the room. “And you, sir?”
“Trevor D. Porter.”
She gave a horrifying scream and jerked her hand away from my driver’s license.
I jumped back as well, her reaction freaking me out. Should I be as nervous as she was? If so, good, because I was. My racing pulse accelerated and my breath caught in my throat.
“Stop! He’ll be with me,” Alex said. “I’d prefer no one else be told he’s here. I wouldn’t want a riot to break out.”
“Un-Understood,” she stammered. Rising to her feet, her fingers fidgeted at her sides. Her arms shook.
My breathing remained caged within my lungs or escaped in short rapid breaths. Our steps against the white linoleum echoed against the glass walls as we walked down the corridor. The rooms appeared similar to a hotel with connections on either side and a long hall between them.
Albino people with hair of differing shades of dark brown wore white short-sleeved scrubs with matching white pants.
Did these people ever see the sun?
They meandered throughout the rooms like mice in a pet store. There was no privacy. An older man washed in the shower with no regards to others seeing his nakedness. As though they were used to being observed by people, none of them looked at us, but simply carried on with their routine. Either the people inside never spoke or the glass barrier was completely soundproof.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“These are the people who’ve been Taken,” Tiffany answered.
“What does that mean?”
“You saw it happen to Nicholas at Game Zone,” Alex said.
“He didn’t want to go and kept saying he wasn’t infected,” I said. “These people are infected?”
“Yes.” Tiffany nodded.
“I don’t understand.”
We walked along the hallway and turned into a room disconnected from the others with stainless steel tables in the middle. Medical equipment lined all four walls.
“We use this equipment to test their blood to confirm that they are infected,” Alex said. “Once that has been determined, we use hair follicles to know how long they’ve been sick. Based on the results, we know which area would be best for them.”
“Different areas?” I asked.
“Yes, we’ve found various stages that require different treatment,” Tiffany said. “Seven years ago, the pastor of First Christian Church became sick. At first, he thought it was allergies because the symptoms seemed to come and go. But even when they were gone, he felt the tickle of a cough or a sneeze all the time.”
Alex nodded and added, “That’s what we look for throughout our community and why Chris reported Nick. We have a social governing system to keep everyone safe.”
“Sure that’s a good idea?” I asked. “I found my dad’s journal, and he mentioned that it had him. From what I can tell, he attempted suicide rather than be taken here.”
“Others made the same choice,” Tiffany admitted. “Regardless, this is our only option.”
“It’s freaky as hell down here, but it doesn’t seem that bad.” I circled around looking at the residents. Apathetic best described them. No one smiled, but they weren’t crying or frowning either. Their mouths remained closed as they meandered from place to place. “Okay, so maybe it isn’t great.”
Alex nodded. “The cough progresses into migraine headaches. We put them in almost total darkness to help relieve their discomfort. It never goes away, but people learn to cope,” Alex said.
“Six years ago, the illness spread from the pastor to his entire church,” Tiffany added. “We brought them to the hospital for observation and to keep them from the remainder of town, hoping their isolation would keep it from spreading. Then we noticed similar symptoms in the elementary school. Hundreds of kids were brought in. That’s when panic seized Becton.”
“We didn’t have this facility then and your father was at the hospital daily tryin’ to figure out a solution. Carole put her life at risk to make sure the scared kids were comfortable. People were frustrated with your parents, but also knew they did all they could.”
“Were you scared about your kids?” I asked.
“Of course,” Tiffany answered. “At that time we only had Hannah, but it was still scary.”
“It helped us to understand what the other families were feelin’.” Alex placed his arm around Tiffany as he spoke. “As soon as the doctors cleared a child from the hospital the family packed up and left town. No one blamed them. In the next two years, those with kids close to HIM were gone.”
“Him? My dad mentioned that and I didn’t know what he meant. Who was he talking about?”
A set of feet thumped quickly against the linoleum, echoing to us.
“Mr. Black! Mr. Black! You’re needed on the upper level immediately,” said the same woman who checked our identification.
“What is it?” Alex asked.
“It’s Mrs. Porter. She’s requesting you and her son. They’ll soon know he’s here.” She nodded to me, her body shielded behind Tiffany.
“Let’s go!” Alex declared.
We ran back to the creepy elevator and rode it to the main level. The door opened, and a nurse stood on the other side. We followed her directly to my mother’s room.
People were wary of me, but I didn’t feel my life was in danger like it had been in many other places. Anger remained in the eyes of those we passed, but they had the manners to not be so blatant. This was one of the perks to being friends with Alex.
After returning from a place equivalent to an Alaskan whiteout, the paintings on the wall and soft curtains appeared more colorful. I needed a moment to process all the craziness taking place down below, but I wasn’t given that opportunity.
Mother lay on the bed, her stringy gray hair spread over the pillow. An oxygen mask covered her nose
and mouth. Her eyes were closed.
“What’s going on?” I asked, placing my hand over hers.
“She’s stable, but she has considerable blockage to her heart. We recommend immediate surgery. However, she refuses until she knows about Mayor Porter.”
Of course Mom would hesitate to save her life if Dad had finally crossed over. It wasn’t necessarily healthy, but for some reason I knew when I lost one parent I’d lose the other soon.
“Okay, I’ll find out. Stay with her.” I nodded to Alex and Tiffany and left the room, ignoring those who loitered along the hall.
I didn’t know how to get the information Mother wanted. What if I spoke to Dr. Worrell, and she told me Dad had passed on? Then Mom would refuse surgery. I couldn’t let that happen and made the decision not to wait for the truth
After another minute of pacing outside her room and ignoring the stares of those close by, I came back in. Tiffany held Mother’s hand, speaking to her softly. Alex’s green eyes met mine immediately since he’d been watching the door, waiting for my return.
Mother’s rough fingers found mine, and I gave her fragile hand a gentle squeeze. Her hazel eyes bore into mine begging for good news. I prayed she wouldn’t be able to see through my lie. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.
“Dad’s alright, it was his heart rate monitor. The speaker broke, but Dr. Worrell fixed it. Don’t worry.” I grinned trying to look reassuring.
“Are you sure?” Mother asked.
“Yes. It was simply replacing a cable. You need to quit being so stubborn and obey your doctors. I love you.”
“I love you too, Trevy.”
I smiled at the annoying nickname, knowing she believed me. We hugged each other as tightly as her fragile body could handle. I wanted her healthy again. I wanted a cure for what caused this disease. And I wanted to know what this had to do with me.
The nurse opened the door to take her for surgery and I heard a murmur of voices. They silenced when Mom’s bed rolled pasted them. I stood at the entry and saw the same gestures as when I had carried my mother through the front doors, tipping of hats and hands over their heart. It was a display of old fashioned esteem, I hadn’t seen in other places.
I felt a temporary sense of unity because we loved the same woman.
“Thank you for respecting my mother so much. She has a heart of gold.”
A woman nodded and said, “She provided fresh soil for a raised garden so I could feed my family.”
“Johnny needed help in school, and Carole went there every day to read to him. Now, he’s ahead of everyone in his class.”
People gave examples of her continuous generosity and giving spirit. I had never been prouder to call Carole Porter my mother. I should've been involved and been a better son. I felt the weight of stress the past two days had left on me.
Two days. Was it really only two days?
These people had been living in these conditions for years!
“Good people like you make it all worthwhile. Thank you.” I smiled at them.
“God protects her,” said an elderly man. “The fact she hasn’t caught IT is a miracle.”
Many in the hallway nodded.
“It’s not fair!” yelled a young man.
“It’s been three years for my Nathan.” Her eyes narrowed. “It’s worse each time I visit him!”
Their anger returned. A quick scan told me I had close to twenty people in front of me who wanted someone on whom to take out their frustration.
“You stole my daughter from me!” accused a woman.
I shook my head and backed up into Alex and Tiffany. Would they do anything to help me? I might be completely on my own.
“Look guys, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen,” I said.
“But it did,” bellowed a man. He pulled out a pocket knife and flicked the blade open with his thumb.
“Whoa! Put that away!” Alex commanded.
The man glared and slowly returned the knife to his pocket. It made me realize the authority Alex had within the community. People follow his commands even if they didn’t want to. The man’s angry eyes told me it would only take a few seconds for him to bring it back out. The danger remained close.
“You should be down there, too!” demanded a woman.
“Yeah!” Several around her cheered.
“Stop!” I leaned closer to a door. “I’m not sick.” I continued taking steps backwards, despite not knowing where they would lead. Was this the direction I had come from or was I heading to a portion of the hospital I hadn’t seen yet? I didn’t know.
“Neither is HE!” a man yelled.
“Put him with HIM! Put him with HIM!” they chanted.
The man with the knife grabbed at me with his strong hand.
I flinched. Going in reverse was my only option. I turned and bolted through the swinging double doors.
A stampede of feet thumped behind me. The wide and well lit hallway didn’t help me know where I was going. As I ran, I created obstacles behind me by knocking over chairs or trash cans.
“Trevor!” Alex shouted.
“Stop!” said a voice, sounding like Tiffany.
Was she trying to help me or them?
If they weren’t furious with me before they were going to be now from the mess I left in my wake.
Somebody grabbed my leg, wrapping their arm around my calf. With all the backyard football practice, it didn’t surprise me that one of them had finally been able to tackle me to the ground.
With my free leg, I kicked the man. Had he been the only one after me I might’ve been able to get away, but one person after another flung themselves on top of me, creating a dog pile on the hospital floor. Each person applied pressure to my arms and legs. I couldn’t move and my face pressed into the hard linoleum.
Several panted as they bantered among themselves as to what to do with me.
“We aren’t Takers.”
“They can do it.” The man pointed at Tiffany and Alex. For the first time their glares weren’t on me.
“Why are you of all people hesitating?” someone yelled at Tiffany.
Had she and Alex been trying to help?
“Yeah, Coach King was down there!” challenged another, shaking her finger at Tiffany.
I didn’t see her father in the sea of white, but few people looked familiar. They appeared different with their alabaster skin and dark hair. It saddened me to know Tiffany’s father had been Taken.
“Leave her alone!” Alex authorized, looking at everyone. His gaze landed on Tiffany. A silent exchange passed between them.
Of all people to decide to lock me up or release me why did it have to be her? She wouldn’t help me. I didn’t have another crisp Benjamin to bribe her assistance.
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me.
“I’d apologize, but you know very well, I’m not sorry.” Tiffany nodded. A hard fist connected with my temple and everything went black.
CHAPTER 13
PLAY TIME
I awoke with a headache worse than the morning before. Opening my eyes, I squinted against the bright lights and closed them again. I groaned.
Tiffany turned me in! Now what? Wouldn’t those here hate me more than the people outside?
Keeping my eyes closed, I lightly rubbed my forehead. My fingers inched closer to my temple where the goose egg rested.
Great! A new addition to my already battered face.
Either she was strong or someone else helped. Alex was the logical choice. Did my best friend turn against me?
I couldn’t lie here pretending to sleep any longer. Whatever came next, I needed to face it. Placing one hand near my eyes to shield them from the light, I opened them and looked to the ground. It wasn’t white. Everything in that room had been white or stainless steel. I sat up and blinked, finally focusing enough to see the patterned fabric of a familiar couch.
She didn’t turn me in. Instead, I awoke at their home.
My head throbbed. I walked to the kitchen and smiled at the pill bottle and glass of water sitting beside it. After swallowing the aspirin, I drank the rest to quench my thirst.
I wanted to return to the garage and read the other binder inside the “Becton Poison” backpack. The first one gave me more questions than answers, hopefully the other one would help to explain it.
Passing the laundry room, I entered the garage. Standing in front of boxes had been a camouflage bag, but now it was gone.
Well crap.
I stretched to look through the stacked cardboard and still couldn’t find it. The remaining items lined the wire shelves, making the missing backpack noticeable.
Where else should I look?
My stomach growled as I meandered through the home. From the hall, a light glowed. I needed to be careful or I’d be caught snooping. A nice beat and repetitive lyrics played and a young voice sang along. Moving closer, I saw Hannah sitting on a fluffy pink and purple rug on the floor of her bedroom in front of a three-story pink dollhouse.
She grabbed a Barbie and grinned at me. “Great! You’re awake!”
“Yeah. Where’s your dad or mom?”
“She took something to him at the hospital.”
“Was it for my mom? Did she need anything?”
“Don’t know.” She shrugged and placed several Barbies in different rooms of the dollhouse. In her hands, she held a male and female doll.
“And she left you alone?” I didn’t know much about kids, but it surprised me.
“Yep. My brothers are with her.”
“Does she do that often?”
Another shrug. “If she isn’t gone long. I promised to stay in my room.”
“Looks like you kept your promise.” I smiled. “When did she leave?”
“Don’t know.”