Whispers in the Dark

by Pam Jernigan

  He went still, probably not knowing what to do. She grabbed one of his arms, and held it against her stomach, pulling him closer.

  His other arm came around her waist, locking together with the first one, and she leaned back against his strength. Much better.

  The lead truck approached the house, and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Karen recognized it. A cold chill traveled over her scalp and she huddled into Leo. “That’s the guys from the camp. Borsa’s people. What are they doing here?”

  She felt him shrug around her.

  “Are they looking for you, or me?” There was no way they could be heard, but she was whispering, anyway. “Not that it really matters; I don’t want them finding either one of us.”

  The beam of a searchlight approached, and she ducked sideways, pulling Leo with her. “Crap. Hide.” Other side of the living room, back of the house? She’d like to be able to see but not if they could see her. Them.

  Through the window, she heard Curt yelling for somebody to get out the thermal goggles. Well, crap.

  #

  Leo didn’t know what that meant, but Karen’s fear was increasing. “What?”

  “Thermal imagers,” she whispered. “Military gear. Lets them see in the dark, basically. We’ll be lit up like human glow-worms.”

  Whatever those were. “Can’t let them get you.”

  “Well, I don’t plan to let them find you, either,” Karen snapped, still in an undertone. They retreated away from the windows.

  “Go upstairs?”

  “No, we’ve spent over a day in this house, the ambient heat signature might show that somebody was here. We’d just get trapped.” She chewed her thumb. “C’mon, Karen, think!”

  Leo thought. Whatever happened, Borsa couldn’t be allowed to threaten his Karen anymore. That was unacceptable. The men were searching. They would know someone had been here, and would not stop searching until they found that person. If they found one, would they look for more?

  “Do they know we’re together?” he asked.

  She blinked, looking up at him. “Probably not. Pip might have a clue by now, but I doubt it.”

  They needed to find someone. One. When they found one, they would stop looking. He grabbed hold of Karen’s hand and pulled her towards the rear door. “You run. I’ll distract.”

  She frowned. “What? No, we’re in this together.”

  “You run,” he repeated, pushing himself to explain. “They see me, they chase me. Not you. You’ll be safe.”

  “That’s a terrible plan,” she protested.

  She was pulling back on him now, but he kept going. He would not let her get caught. No matter what. “If you’re safe,” he said quietly, “It doesn’t matter what happens to me.”

  She looked unhappy. “No fair, using my own words against me. And that’s not the only option. We should both run.”

  He wavered; he would like to stay with her. Of course he would. If they both got away...

  She changed tactics, no longer trying to break his grip on her wrist. She moved ahead of him towards the door. “Come on, we’ll both run. It’ll be okay.”

  #

  She opened the back door, peering outside. The faint moonlight revealed a patch of woods, perfect for disappearing into. They could do this.

  There was a shout from the street. The house had been spotted. No time left.

  Leo pulled himself free. “I’ll distract,” he repeated. “You run. Please, Karen.”

  She stared at him, realizing that he wouldn't be talked out of it. And worse yet, he was right. Two people in one place would glow more in thermal imaging, and he would slow her down.

  She didn’t want to be turned Mindless. If that happened, she’d never see Katrina again, never get Borsa’s medicine back to the city. And that would suck, but at least she wouldn’t know it afterward. Leo would. And he would hate it. She couldn’t stand to do that to him.

  She had to run, and he was going to sacrifice himself for her. She peered up at him, trying to make out his features in the dimness. “Please try not to get killed.”

  He nodded, but she wasn't reassured. She likely wouldn’t ever see him again. Might never even know what happened to him. No, no, I don’t want to leave him… her heart cried silently, but she had to. If this was her last chance, she wasn’t going to waste it. She grabbed the back of his neck, and stretched up, kissing him hard. She retreated, looking at him one last time, and then made herself turn and run into the woods behind the house.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Leo stood still for what seemed like an eternity, watching her go. What had that been? If it hadn’t been impossible, he would have said she’d kissed him. But that was impossible, unthinkable, for so many reasons. So it couldn’t have been.

  If it had been, though, it would have been the best thing that had ever happened to him.

  Another shout jolted him into action. He needed to move. Karen had headed right, so he ran to the left, passing between houses as the camp soldiers approached. He shambled through wet grass, the ground squishing under his feet, and exaggerated his naturally awkward body language. Had to make sure they saw him. He heard shouts, and looked back to see several dark figures heading around the corner.

  They'd taken the bait. He ran faster.

  “Is it her?”

  “Not sure, might be. Moves kind of like a Mindless.” No, no, no t good. He hadn’t bought enough time yet.

  “Follow it anyway, it might be going after her.”

  Yes!

  He pushed himself to speed up, still picking up on Karen’s fear, using that as motivation. Protect. He’d try to find her again, if he got away. If that had been a kiss - which it hadn’t, because that would be crazy - maybe it could happen again… but the important thing was for her to get away. Even if they caught him, it would still be worth it.

  The pounding footsteps got louder, closer. A beam of light stabbed across the dark yard, and he saw his own shadow. He spotted another stand of woods and headed that direction. Maybe it would slow them down.

  Something hit him in the back, knocking him over, tumbling him sideways, and he realized he was tangled in a net. Caught. The guards shouted in triumph. “Got it! Check the woods for the girl!”

  They ran right past him, and he tried to figure out how to escape the net, but it was heavy and his hands didn’t work all that well at the best of times. More guards ran past him, but one stopped, pulling at the net. Leo arched his back and kicked, but failed to connect. He was tied up efficiently, blocking any chance at escape. He closed his eyes, hoping desperately that he’d given Karen enough time.

  Two of them together picked him up and hauled him to the pickup truck. It was a very undignified way to travel, but what did that matter? Karen was the only thing that mattered. He caught glimpses of the group, but between the motion of being carried and the intermittent lights, he couldn't tell what was happening.

  The guards hoisted and then dropped him into the bed of a pickup truck. Not the one he’d been in yesterday, he didn’t think. He strained to hear, trying to make out the confused shouts from the rest of the group, but failed, aware only of the guard standing nearby, who felt proud of himself. “Hey, Curt, we got a Mindless.”

  Confusion for a moment. “Is that all?”

  The guard’s good mood deflated. Other emotions became clear, and Leo recognized the owner. Curt. “What was a Mindless doing…” the voice grew closer. A hand reached into the truck bed to push him sideways, and a bright light hit his face. He closed his eyes and tried to look as Mindless as he could manage. “Well, I’ll be… Ricardo, this is one that went missing the other day.”

  “What?”

  “Yesterday, that girl Karen disappeared and so did one of the Mindless. This is it. At least I think so; something’s different. Well, Dr. Borsa should be very interested in this one, now.”

  He probably ought to to worry about that.

 
; “How’d it get out here?”

  Maybe later. Didn't matter. Karen was safe.

  “How am I supposed to know? But if this is what was in that house, then we’re chasing a dead end.” The voice retreated, shouting out orders.

  Leo sighed in quiet relief. They didn’t think Karen had been here. They wouldn’t chase her. As long as Karen was safe…

  Karen had said the same thing about Katrina, multiple times. Karen valued Katrina’s safety over her own. That had confused Leo at first, but now he understood. It was the same with him and her.

  The truck jolted into motion, but Leo was no longer paying attention, thinking this through. Karen had been willing to die to save Katrina because… love. Leo was willing to die to save Karen.

  I think I love you, Karen.

  It was a revelation. It should not have been possible. How could he love when he could barely feel? Maybe… maybe love wasn’t entirely an emotion. Maybe it was a decision. A choice. Karen had felt love for Katrina, but she’d also decided to protect. Just as he had. It filled him with a sense of awe, which soon collapsed into a wave of sorrow. When the sorrow began to fade, he tried to hold onto it. To hold on to her, for as long as possible, even if it was only in his mind. His memories were all he had left.

  #

  Karen ran as fast as possible, without making noise. Difficult. She heard shouts from behind, but they didn’t come after her. They’d be following Leo.

  Why had he done that? Her eyes were tearing up, and not because of the chilly spring night air. Why would he sacrifice himself for her?

  You know why, a little voice spoke from deep within. She ignored it. He saved her, looked out for her. She didn’t know how she differed from everyone else Leo had ever encountered, or why he would react so strongly to her, but from the moment they’d met, he’d protected her. They'd protected each other. Sometimes, you can’t protect, she’d told him, but she didn’t want to believe it. Didn’t want to let go.

  She tried to be rational. She’d only known him a few days, really. This shouldn’t be that big of a deal… nope, didn't work. God, why did I get to meet him if I wasn’t going to be able to keep him? The unfairness ticked her off. I want him back!

  With his limited vocabulary and halting speech, Leo had sometimes sounded childish. But he wasn’t. He had known what he was doing; he had chosen to put her welfare ahead of his own, to do what he thought was right instead of what he wanted.

  As long as you’re safe, it doesn’t matter what happens to me.

  That’s what he’d said - did he realize what that meant? Protect didn’t always mean love. Sacrificing himself to save her though… She was having a hard time interpreting that in any other way. Only the need to move forward, to run away, kept her from breaking down into tears.

  As the sounds behind her died away, she allowed herself to slow down, piecing together her composure, picking her way through the underbrush. Here under the trees it was so dark… and she was an idiot. She stopped and pulled her knapsack around to the front. Groping inside it, she found her music player/camera phone.

  Well, she shouldn’t have used it earlier, anyway; they'd have seen it. But still. She located the flashlight app and tapped it. Shockingly bright light flooded the forest floor in front of her. She blinked, waiting for her eyes to adjust, then moved forward again, with more speed and confidence now she could see where to put her feet.

  It reminded her of a Sunday School thing - something about a light for her feet and a lamp for her path. The Bible tended to repeat things, her dad had told her. Just to make sure people got the point.

  Why did she keep thinking about God? She hadn’t done that in years. Back home, she’d coped by focusing on the things she could manage, like teaching her kids, or raising her sister. Back home, she hadn’t felt that much of a need for God.

  She glanced around, listening for dogs, or other predators. Did she even still have that gun? She poked into her knapsack again, but to no avail. Although she did find two emergency meal bars. She had no idea how far she was from home, or which direction to head. Walking with Leo, the situation had seemed manageable. Out here in the middle of the woods, in the middle of the night, all by herself… she was way out of her depth.

  #

  Leo bounced around a little in the bed of the truck. He didn’t know what awaited him back at the camp, but it wasn’t terribly important. All he could see were the trees and the last traces of the sunset. Those didn’t interest him, so he closed his eyes. Maybe if he thought very carefully, if he could remember Karen perfectly, it would be almost like having her here.

  Or, well, being with her somewhere else. He didn’t want her to be here.

  The truck took a sharp turn, sending him sliding across the back. His eyes opened involuntarily. The sky held no more traces of sunset. Darkness on the ground, but so many stars, bright points above him. They stunned him with unexpected beauty. It looked so peaceful.

  The sense of significance prodded him. Some dim memory. Stars were important? No, not quite right. In the sky, somewhere… did God live there? Why did that mean anything? Memories stirred, but refused to emerge from the shadows of his mind. He tried to recapture something, anything else, but failed. He wished he knew more.

  Recent memories of Karen took center stage. He kept seeing her face, strained and white in the dimness, as she gave him one last look. Searching his face, unhappy, desperate.

  He'd hated to push her away, but at least she'd survive.

  Unless the dogs had come back. Or other soldiers stayed behind to search. Had she left her bag in the house? That possibility froze him for a second. He thought he remembered her carrying it when she’d disappeared into the darkness, but he didn’t trust that. He had no way to tell what happened to her. He hoped he never found out, because the only way he’d know would be if she was captured, too. Better not to know.

  He was good at not knowing things.

  The truck carrying Leo slowed and shouting began. The guard tower confirmed they'd reached the camp. Better him than Karen.

  The truck pulled a stop, and rough hands grabbed him. He kicked a little for form’s sake, but his heart wasn’t in it. They deftly untied him while shoving him into the cattle pen. He stumbled to his knees, but didn’t fall further. There wasn’t room. He looked around in surprise.

  The pen was much fuller than it had been, a day ago.

  #

  Karen stopped when she reached a clearing, and leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees while she tried to get her breath back. A nearby fallen log might be okay to sit on. When she kicked, it failed to crumble, so she appropriated it, extinguishing the flashlight app. As her eyes adjusted, and the tiredness faded, she looked around, and then upwards.

  Oh, my… she’d never seen so many stars. They were… she would say beautiful, but that would be pitifully inadequate.

  The heavens declare the glory of God. They’d said that in church long ago, but she’d never understood it. Suddenly it seemed blazingly obvious. Just wow. There was no way that had just sort of happened. It made her feel small.

  A God who could do all that… could surely do something about the Mindless. Did God think they were evil? He would know, she supposed, but it didn’t feel right. Borsa had created them, but God had allowed it. Why? Her dad used to say God was “crazy serious” about the whole free-will thing. People - even Borsa - had choices; God didn’t override a person’s decisions, or nobody would ever do anything wrong. But, dad always asked, if they can’t choose to do bad, how can they choose to do good?

  Evil was a decision; it had to be. The Mindless had been stripped of the power to make any choices at all. At least until Leo had started to wake up and met her… had that just sort of happened? Or was it part of God’s plan?

  She looked around. Didn’t seem to be working out so great.

  Then again, maybe He wasn’t finished yet.

  She sat up straighter, a sense of purpo
se growing. Am I supposed to be doing something about this, God? Is that why You dragged me out here into the middle of nowhere? She had no clear idea what she could do, but she had to do something. Well, if she could get back into the camp, she could let Leo out again. Grab some of Borsa’s research? Hide, escape? There must be something, somehow.

  If she didn't even try, if she abandone d Leo… she might reach the city. Home... where Katrina loved her in an “always distracted by the next shiny object” sort of way, Jake would scold her for grabbing the wrong notes, and she could sing the alphabet song for the four thousandth time. The same as always and just as respected.

  Am I crazy? What can one person do to change the world?

  Dr. Borsa changed the world all by his lonesome.

  Of course, she wasn’t Borsa; she wasn’t anywhere near that smart. Or influential… except that she was, to Leo. He thought she’d done a lot. That what she did was valuable, that she was valuable. Yeah, consider the source. But so many weird, crazy, impossible things had happened this week.

  Rain had delayed their expedition; without it, they would have been back to the city hours before the Mindless had reached the library. If she hadn’t slipped on the stairs, she’d never have met Leo. If he hadn’t been awake enough to react, he wouldn’t have protected her. For that matter, if they hadn’t been ambushed by Curt’s group, Leo wouldn’t have been able to save her from that crowd.

  She shivered in remembered fear, but felt… if Leo had been there, she’d have assumed he was sending this wave of encouragement. Unspoken, just at the edge of her awareness, from nowhere and everywhere, like a half-heard whisper in the dark.

  A quote niggled at the back of her mind - something about God using the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. She snorted. This would certainly qualify.

  “Okay, God,” she said aloud. “I’m in. But if you want me to do something, You’re going to have to show me what it is.” She looked around, not even sure what she was waiting for. She was starting to feel a little foolish when she saw it. Straight in front of her, across a stretch of wild grass, was a bright light.