The Reaping

by Annie Oldham

  The elevator finally starts moving and slowly lumbers upward. Jack removes the tube and carefully coils it up and sets it beside the machine.

  How long?

  He shakes his head. “How often do they administer that medication, Nell?”

  Nell squints at the ceiling. “Maybe every day or so. It’s easy to lose track of time.”

  “Of course. Yes, I think that might be too frequently. I’ll be sure to note it in your chart.”

  The elevator lurches to a stop, and I put a hand on the wall to steady myself. The doors start to slide and I peer through the growing opening.

  The intensive care unit is a large square space dominated by a station in the center with monitors and computers and shelves of equipment. Doorways lead off the open space into small rooms each with a large window. Every room has at least two beds, and most of the beds are occupied. The lights are dim, and I can’t make out any of the occupant’s faces from here.

  I brace myself for the doctors, the staff, the looks. I brace myself for the questions that will surely be asked of an unfamiliar doctor and nurse. Why would someone from the second floor be moved here? Why is her monitor beeping? When did you two get transferred here? My muscles are twitchy and I’m ready to run. The doors squeal as they stop.

  The open space is empty.

  I’m not sure which is worse—facing the doctors, or the eerie silence that creeps into my ears.

  The sound of the gurney’s wheels creaking echoes through the space. Nothing but the beep of machinery and the occasional wheezy breath greets us. The room is full of shadows.

  Nell tries to sit up as she looks around. “Are you sure Red’s here? He should be somewhere with more medical attention. The doctors told me he would receive the finest care.”

  Jack puts a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure, Nell.”

  He paces forward, peering through doorways until he pauses in one and his hands fall to his sides. My heart clenches at the defeat sagging his body. Nell grips my hand.

  “Jack? Is he there?” Her voice quavers. All Jack can do is nod.

  I can’t do this—the suspense. I push ahead and cross the threshold.

  Red lies on a bed, a sheet pulled up over his chest. His arms rest on top of the thin fabric. The lean, sinewy muscle I remember from the settlement has withered and his arms are nothing more than skin and bones. White hairs cross over the wrinkled skin. His beard is more gray than red. His eyes are closed and his breathing is shallow. If the machines weren’t persistent in their regular beeps, I would have thought he was dead.

  “Red?” Jack whispers.

  Red’s eyes move beneath the lids, but he doesn’t open them. I wheel Nell in so her gurney is next to the bed. Nell sucks in a breath as she looks him over. Then she reaches for his hand, and he flinches under her touch.

  “Red.” Her voice is stern. It surprises me after seeing her so docile.

  His eyes open a fraction. His voice comes out as a croak. “What do you want now?”

  “Red, you open your eyes this instant.” Nell sounds positively peeved.

  Red’s eyes flutter open, and he drags his head to the side to look at us. His eyes widen and his eyebrows rise. Not much, but they go up. His lips are chapped and they stick together as he closes his mouth to swallow.

  “Nell? Is that you?” He raises his head an inch off the pillow.

  A smile plays across her lips. “Who did you think it was? The queen?”

  “I wish we had a queen. It would be better than the president.”

  “Now Red . . .” Nell’s disapproving tone slices my heart.

  Jack peers down the hall. Still no movement. He leans over Red. “Red, it’s Jack. Are you getting good medical treatment?”

  Red squints. “Good medical treatment? Good? Have you been living under a rock?”

  Jack smiles. “Thank you. That’s all I needed to know.”

  I’m so relieved I could cry. I wrap my arms around Red and he groans.

  “Easy there, sweetheart.” He pauses and looks at me. “Terra?”

  I nod.

  “I knew we hadn’t seen the last of you.” Red touches my hair. “You got a hair cut.”

  I look away. Jack clears his throat.

  “We were in a camp.”

  Red’s eyes turn flinty. “A labor camp?”

  Nell glances from one of us to another. “Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no such thing. We always told those stories at the settlement, but you shouldn’t go believing it and spreading rumors.”

  Red finally looks at Nell—really looks at her—and frowns. “What did they do to you, Nell?”

  She looks puzzled. “They’ve been taking very good care of me. But I don’t understand why they aren’t doing the same for you.”

  Jack leans in to Red and whispers in his ear. Tears well up in Red’s eyes, and I don’t have to hear Jack’s words to know what he just told him. Red’s hands clench the sheet and his lips tremble. He turns his gaze to Nell, and the tears spill out.

  “Why Red, whatever’s the matter?” Nell squeezes his arm and leans closer. She brushes her lips against his hand. “Should I call for a doctor?”

  He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “No, dear, no need. It’ll all be fine. This’ll pass.”

  “Can I unhook you, Red?” Jack asks.

  Red shakes his head and glances at Nell, worry creasing his forehead. “Not sure. I think everyone who’s a little more resistant ends up here. I don’t know what’d happen if you took those things out of me. Any guesses what these infernal things do?”

  “A few,” Jack says, moving one of the carts next to the gurney. “I’ve noticed a few prisoners being moved, and most of them have these two machines with them.” He points to a monitor that shows heartbeat and temperature, and another machine with a frosty window with a small vial inside. A tube leads from the machine to an IV in Red’s arm. “The problem is that I’m not sure what’s in that vial. Nell’s wasn’t like this. I don’t know if it’s something important or just the loyalty serum. If it’s the loyalty serum, I want to take it out and just tape the tube to your IV so it just looks like it’s still hooked up. But if it’s something else, I don’t know if it’s safe to take it out or not.” He frowns and rubs the bridge of his nose.

  “Just take it out,” Red says. His face is serious.

  “I don’t know if I can do that,” Jack says, studying the vial.

  “I’ve been hooked up to too many machines for too long. Take it out, and let’s get my Nell somewhere safe.”

  Jack lets out a long breath and then nods. He reaches for Red’s IV, but Nell puts a hand on him.

  “What are you doing, Jack? The doctors treating Red think he needs that.”

  Jack gently puts his hands on her shoulders. “Does it look like there are any doctors treating Red?”

  Nell looks around and her eyes are pained. “I. . . . I don’t know. They took such good care of me. Why would they do this to Red?” She looks out the window and across the way where another man lies in bed in much the same condition. “Why would they do this to anyone here?”

  My heart hurts for her, and I hug her and then take her hand. We’ll talk about it later.

  She nods.

  “I’m ready, Jack.”

  Jack carefully takes the tube out. He rummages through a supply cupboard, finds some medical tape, and fastens the tube in place.

  “Are you feeling okay?” he asks Red.

  Red flexes his arm. “Yes. Better, actually.”

  Jack rubs his chin. “It might have been a sedative.”

  Red manages a smile, and it takes up his too-thin face. “They would need to sedate me, you know? The only way to keep me from fighting back.”

  Nell sits up. “Why would you want to fight back, Red? None of this makes any sense.”

  I soothe Nell back down, and Red lies back down in his bed. He clasps Nell’s hand, and his fingers are so bony he looks like a skeleton. “There’ll be plenty of
time for making sense of it soon, Nellie girl. Just wait.” He brings her hand to his lips. A smile spreads across Nell’s face that could warm this entire building.

  “You take Nell, Terra. I’ll get Red.”

  I pull the gurney out into the open space, and Jack follows.

  “Where are we going?” Red asks.

  I’m not sure how wise it is to reveal our plans in front of Nell. What happens if we’re caught? With the loyalty serum still in full effect, she would betray us in a heartbeat and not even realize she was turning us in.

  I shake my head at Jack. He nods.

  “I’m going to talk to someone about a hospital transfer. One where they could take better care of you both. I know the top official in this hospital, and I think she might agree with me.”

  “That’s sure sweet of you taking care of us like that, Jack.”

  I pat Nell’s shoulder. The sooner we get out of here, the better. If she was getting a dose of the loyalty serum every day, it’ll be a little less than twenty-four hours until it wears off.

  “I scheduled an appointment downstairs. If the official agrees with me, there’s a truck we can get on right away.”

  “Where would we go?” Red asks, glancing out the corner of his eye at Nell. His lips are turned down in worry.

  Jack presses the elevator button. “Somewhere on the west coast, I think.”

  Nell closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “It would be nice to be by the ocean. I haven’t seen the ocean in so many months.”

  I smirk. Oh, the irony.

  Chapter Nine

  The elevator jostles us as we descend to the loading dock. My shoulder bumps up against Jack’s, and his eyes are hard when he looks at me. Things just got a hundred times more complicated now that we have Nell and Red with us. My fingers tighten around the metal bars of the gurney, but Nell just smiles up at me. She folds her hands, and she looks so serene. If only she could feel what I do—the way my stomach clenches with every jolt of the elevator, the way my heart pounds with dread because we’re getting closer and closer to the loading dock. Will the physician’s assistant be there? Will she be able to get us on the truck?

  Jack leans closer. “Relax.”

  Right. Relax. It was one thing when it was just me and Jack—we can turn and run. Now we have two invalids—two invalids that I would never let anything happen to.

  Can’t.

  “I know.” He looks up at the lights that wash his face out.

  The elevator rumbles to a stop and the doors open. We stand on the edge of a huge hangar. Three enormous trucks are lined up next to a door. The sun glares through it, silhouetting them and putting the rest of the loading dock into shadow. The space is filled with the smell of gasoline and exhaust. Workers scurry from stacks of pallets to the trucks while an agent marks their progress on a tablet. They’re loading small cardboard boxes that I recognize from the med drop I went on with Red. That seems like ages ago. Then I look closer to us. Two soldiers stand on either side of the elevator. I glance around, but I don’t see the physician’s assistant.

  Jack stares at them. He shifts his weight to one foot. “Excuse me,” he finally says. He tries to put authority into his voice, but I hear the quaver running through it.

  For a moment, I’m afraid the soldiers aren’t going to move. I wish I could see their expressions, but they’re hidden behind the black masks. Then one nods to the other and they both stand aside. Jack wheels Red out and I follow with Nell. I’m just about passed them when one clears his throat.

  “Sir? Where are you going with the patients? They aren’t allowed on the loading dock.”

  Jack keeps walking. “Special transfer.”

  One of the soldiers leaves his post and the scuff of his boots on the concrete follows us. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Please leave us alone.

  “That’s against established protocol, sir. Do you have authorization?”

  Jack quickens his pace. There are three huge trucks a hundred feet from us. One of those is the one we need. Jack changes direction toward the far one—the one farthest from the agent—and doesn’t look back. “Yes. This is a special case. A containment issue. We didn’t want these two exposing other patients.”

  Nell opens her mouth like she’s ready to say something, but Red shakes his head. She frowns but lies back down.

  “Yes, sir, of course. But I’m still going to need to see your authorization.”

  Jack nods. “I have it with me. Let’s just get to the truck.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The soldier follows us, but his posture is still relaxed—he doesn’t suspect anything. Not yet, anyway. I tighten my grip on the gurney to keep my hands from shaking. I don’t know if it will help because surely the soldier can hear my knees knocking together. I try to take even breaths, but my heart is pounding too hard. It’s scorching hot in here, and the sweat is already beading on my forehead and trickling down my skin. I blink a drop of it out of my eyes. I stand up straighter and try to look the part.

  “It’s too hot out here,” Jack says, his tone offhand.

  “Yes, sir. Can’t believe how hot it is for April.”

  I look out the corner of my eye, but the agent is still counting boxes as the workers load them onto the truck, and she doesn’t notice us. We’re to the front of the truck, and Jack slips around the side where we won’t be exposed to anyone else in the loading dock.

  “I have the authorization here in my pocket. Let’s just get to the rear doors. Do they give you enough to drink down here?”

  I smile. Sweet, charming Jack. Just like him to keep the soldier off his guard.

  “Probably, though it never feels like enough on a day like today.”

  “Just pay attention to how you’re feeling. If you’re dizzy or nauseated or have a persistent headache, you need to let someone know.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Jack’s eyes dart to the oxygen tank on the bottom shelf of Nell’s gurney. It’s small, just the right size to heft. I nod. Jack keeps talking to the soldier, and he turns his back on us. Careful not to make a single sound, I bend down and undo the strap holding the tank in place. It’s heavier than it looks with the compressed oxygen inside, but not too heavy for me lift it up over my head. I grip it hard, focus on the back of the soldier’s head. I’ve ready to swing it down when a voice makes me pull up sharp.

  “What are you doing?”

  I fumble with the tank and clutch it to me awkwardly so it won’t clang to the floor. All the blood has drained from my face, and even though it’s unearthly hot in here, my fingers feel cold. No. We’ve come so close to be caught now. Red reaches across the small gap between him and Nell and grips her hand hard.

  “I thought I told you to bring the patients to the truck bound for San Diego.”

  The voice is familiar. I look up and see the physician’s assistant. She’s shed her lab coat and is wearing the black suit of an agent, and her hair is scraped back into the too-tight bun. She even wears the haughty eyes and sneering mouth. I hardly recognize her.

  “Yes, of course. My apologies.” Jack smiles a we’re-in-this-together-right? kind-of smile to the soldier, and the soldier tips his head.

  “This way.” She flicks two fingers and turns on her heel.

  Jack and I gratefully follow her. The soldier hangs back, unsure what to do. The woman turns around.

  “You are not needed, soldier. Return to your post.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He salutes and hurries back to the elevator doors.

  The physician’s assistant sweeps back a thin strand of hair that has escaped her bun. “I thought you were never coming,” she murmurs. “I didn’t know how much longer I could keep this up.”

  “Sorry. It took us a few extra minutes to get our friends.” Jack pats Red’s shoulder.

  Her eyes lower to the floor for a brief moment. All I can hear are the shuffle of cardboard boxes and the click of her heels on the concrete. “I never knew how
they felt about the agents until I was one. I hate the way they look at me—the way they’re afraid.”

  The workers ahead of us look away as soon as we get past the truck. They don’t want to make eye contact with the woman. They hurry to load their cargo.

  “It won’t be much longer,” Jack says.

  “Thank goodness.” She turns to the workers. “All of you. Wait over there.” She points to the opposite wall.

  The workers shuffle away.

  “The truck is almost loaded. Get in with your friends. You won’t be able to take the beds, so they’ll have to walk—I’m sorry, ma’am, sir. Stay up as close to the front of the truck as you can. You’ll be better hidden that way. There shouldn’t be too many stops or inspections, but stay up there the whole time, just in case. I’ve put a pouch of food for the two of you,” she looks at me and Jack. “I didn’t know there would be two more, though. It might be able to last you if you ration it. Once you get to San Diego, you’re on your own.”

  I clutch her hand. Thank you. Come with us?

  Then she does something surprising. She smiles. Her face loses the sadness and fear and becomes beautiful. “No. I’m not that brave.”

  I want to take her hand. I want to say, “You are one of the bravest people I’ve met up here; you just can’t see that.” I want to tell her, but there’s no time to spell the words. Instead I take both her hands and hope my eyes tell her what my fingers cannot.

  I help Nell off the gurney. She stumbles as she plants her feet, but then she manages to get her footing, and she climbs up into the truck.

  “But I don’t understand, Jack. How will this provide me better treatment? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  Jack puts a hand to her cheek. “I’m just asking you to trust me, Nell. Let’s just get to San Diego and then we’ll explain everything. I promise.”

  Nell puts her hand on top of his and studies him for a moment. Then her clouded expression clears. “Alright, Jack. San Diego.” She wags a finger at him. “And then you’d better explain everything, and I mean everything. Do you understand, young man?”