by Pam Jernigan
Mrs Ambrico stared at the jar and nodded slowly. “I believe it might be, yes.”
Commander Harris led her to another room and scavenged up some paper and a pencil. “Can you sketch out the layout of this camp?”
She took a deep breath. “I can try, yeah.” Normally she was more of a stick-figure-in-crayon kind of artist, but she would do her best. While she was working, she was vaguely aware of several more people joining them, all looking over her shoulders. She sketched out the main features and then stepped back. “There are several buildings, but this is the main one.” She tapped it with the pencil. “It’s the nearest one to the gate. Mostly farmland further in, from what I saw. Not sure how big the whole compound is, honestly.”
Harris took the drawing and studied it. “Are there any other gates?”
She frowned. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“We'll approach the main gate.” He looked at her. “We’re going to try for some peaceful trade, first, Karen.”
“I’m coming along,” she stated. They’d better not try to leave her behind.
He nodded, surprising her. “Yeah, I figured. Once we get inside, you can go look for your friend, but that’s not my main concern.”
“Okay. But Borsa’s not going to want to make any deals,” she predicted.
“Maybe, maybe not. We’ll take two trucks. Sorenson, how many soldiers can we carry?”
Karen edged away from the table as the conversation turned tactical. One hurdle cleared. Finally, they’d found something worthwhile in the camp; she was a little tempted to be bitter about the relative values of a human being and a jar of muck, but told herself firmly that it was understandable and all worked out, anyway.
She would find Leo. She had to. They’d figure a way to get him out of the cage. And out of the camp. Once the commander met Leo, Karen was convinced he’d understand and let him travel with them back to the city. Hang in there, Leo, I’m coming…
“Karen?”
She looked up. Commander Harris waved her back over into the group. He pointed to the front of the main building. “This part, the cage? You said it’s built into the wall?”
“Yeah, it’s weird. There are doors on both sides of it, for the soldiers to get in and out. Leo’s managed to open the door before, but there wouldn’t be anywhere for him to go.”
“What if he lets out the Mindless?”
“He would not do that,” she stated firmly. “Especially not if I’m there. He knows they’re dangerous.”
The Commander raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. “So the people inside won’t go through there, right?”
“The cage? Only if it were empty.” Please don’t let it be empty.
He nodded. “Well, I’m putting a man at both these side doors, and the rest of us will go in the main entrance. We’ll negotiate if we can but I want to be prepared.”
“He won't cooperate; why are you bothering to ask?”
“Politeness should get us inside, at least.” The commander shrugged. “If we need to take the building, we can hold it while we collect this nutjob’s research and samples.”
“The infirmary is probably your best bet for salve and syringes,” she reminded him, pointing it out on the map. “You might want to turn Jake loose on the lab notes and file cabinets, though.” At the very least they’d have her pictures. His team might be able to figure something out from them. With luck they’d have the originals to study, but if not… well, the pictures were better than nothing.
“Alright, then. We’ll be leaving in an hour. Be ready. Meet us at the south gate.”
She nodded firmly. “I’ll be there.”
#
Leo watched Pip being dragged into the lab. It was almost his worst nightmare; Karen all over again. Pip wasn’t his friend - not exactly. Should he protect? How could he? He didn’t dare open the cage again; the starving occupants would attack everyone, her included.
Pip faced Borsa, chin held high. “She told me you weren’t right in the head. Should’ve listened.”
“You don’t understand,” Borsa said, moving about his lab gathering things together. Emitting almost no emotion. “I need a test subject. I had one - until you helped her to escape. With her gone, you've inherited her role. You're the most expendable option I have - unless you can suggest someone else?”
Pip looked towards the cage, meeting Leo’s eyes.
She knew he could talk. He was the only Mindless she'd spoken to. He was unique as far as she knew. She might tell. If she told, Borsa would experiment on him. If she told… he would never see Karen again.
“I think Curt would be a great candidate,” Pip said, looking away. “Except he’s pretty mindless already so I don’t reckon you’d learn much.”
She hadn’t told. She still might, but maybe not. If she told… he would lose everything. I don’t want to forget you, Karen.
“My thoughts exactly,” Borsa said, almost smiling. “Curt, tie her to the chair, please.”
Curt complied, aiming hostile looks at both of them, faintly orange in the daylight.
Pip looked around the room at the two guards. “You guys gonna help a girl out?” she challenged. Some foot-shuffling and bowed heads were her only answer. “Alrighty then.” She closed her eyes and her lips moved silently.
Praying. That’s what that was. Her fear settled and washed out into a luminous milky white, hovering around her like a mist. It was beautiful.
She opened her eyes and stared at Borsa. “Go ahead. God’ll take care of me. Take care of you, too, sooner or later.”
She wasn’t going to tell? That made no sense.
He should be happy, but this was all wrong. He imagined telling Karen. Would it distress her? He glanced down. Only a few nights ago, they’d talked about protecting. Someone you liked, or someone weaker. How could he face her if he didn’t even try to protect a friend?
Pip’s glance flickered his way. “Meanwhile some of the rest of y’all had better wise up,” she added, a little louder, looking at the guards again. “None of us are human to the doc. You’ll be in this chair soon enough unless you do something.”
He sensed their confusion and worry, with some flashes of anger, but they still didn’t move. Didn’t even try to save her. He frowned in their direction, trying to push more anger at them; he had a good supply at hand. It was enough to stir the Mindless but would it reach the guards? Would they act? Would God protect?
One of the guards shifted, cradling his gun, but the worry shaded into fear and eclipsed the anger.
She shrugged. “Your funerals.” She glanced at Leo again. “Good friends are hard to come by. I reckon I might as well be Mindless; they’ll be better company. Plus they don’t know no better. Y’all do.”
He watched in amazement. She wasn’t going to tell. She was going to protect. She was going to lose everything; all her memories, history, personality. All the things he’d already lost.
All he had left was Karen. If she didn't return, her memory would fade away, but if she did, she would be upset about Pip. He wouldn’t be able to stand that, didn’t want her being unhappy. Certainly not over something he could have prevented. Except how could he?
“Are you done?” Borsa asked, syringe in hand.
Pip nodded and set her jaw. Her hands clenched and her breath hitched, but her expression was impassive as she looked towards the ceiling. “Do what you’re gonna do.”
An unhappy Karen was worse than no Karen at all. “No,” he heard himself say. “Take me instead.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Pip’s eyes snapped open when Leo spoke.
In front of her, Borsa stiffened, then turned. “Who said that?”
“Nobody,” Pip said, loudly, frowning at Leo. “Nobody said nothing. Come on, you wanna inject me so bad, go ahead and do it.”
Curt stepped closer, almost within arm’s reach of the bars. “I knew it! I knew that was the one.”
&n
bsp; The Mindless surged forward, reaching towards him, grunting. Curt flinched and retreated.
Leo straightened, just behind the bars, and met her eyes, before turning to face Borsa. “Let her go,” he said, clearly, pitching his voice to carry over the moaning.
Pip squirmed in the chair, frustrated. It wasn’t like she wanted to be Mindless, but jeopardizing Leo was worse. He was unique; she was unimportant. God was using him, and Leo was throwing that away.
Borsa stepped a little closer to the cage. “You… you can’t… it’s not possible.”
“It’s the same one,” Curt repeated, this time facing Borsa, looking excited. “I told you…”
“No! No, Curt, that’s not possible, therefore cannot be true.” His voice was shaking. “There is another reason, there always is.”
“The reason is, God’s moving,” Pip told them.
Borsa whipped around to frown at her, his ashen face turning red. “Shut up! You know nothing. Guards!” He snapped his fingers once, then again when Danny and Ricardo didn’t move fast enough. “Untie her,” he directed, “and remove her.”
Danny attacked the ropes, while Ricardo asked, “Where should we-”
“I don’t care, it doesn’t matter, just get her out! Curt, tranquilize these creatures.”
Ricardo joined Danny, and the ropes came off right quick. They picked her up, one at each arm. She resisted standing, struggling to stay in the lab. “Doc Borsa, whatever that is, it’s different. You better not hurt him. I mean, it.” She sent a silent apology Leo-ward.
Borsa didn’t seem to hear, let alone listen. Typical. She switched her gaze to Leo, still fighting but giving up all pretense. God could handle things from here. “You shouldn’t have said nothing, Leo. I’d have been all right.”
He nodded. “Tell Karen…” his voice wavered. She strained to catch what he was saying. The guards dragged out of the lab, despite her struggles. “If you see her, tell her that I-”
It was no use; the last part was lost in the chaos. She stopped resisting. “All right, you big apes.”
They released her at the end of the long hallway, and Danny took up a guard position. The noise level from the other end was dropping. Suspiciously fast. Not likely the Mindless were chilling out voluntarily. Would they trank Leo, too? God, take care of him!
“You gotta get out of here, Pip,” Ricardo said.
She pulled a face. “Oh sure, now you’re concerned?”
“Pip, I dang near started shooting back there,” he said, shrugging, not quite meeting her eyes. “Me and the other soldiers, we’re exposed to the Mindless a lot, but the doc has a formula that protects us. Thing is, you need regular boosters…” he trailed off.
“You’re not supposed to tell about that,” Danny said, sounding vaguely alarmed.
Ricardo looked at him. “Danny, she deserves to know.”
She processed that, in a distant sort of way. “So he’s got you scared.”
Ricardo shrugged again, shuffling his feet. “He’s doing important work. We wanna be part of it. But, yeah… going against the doc wouldn’t be good. And even if I could have saved you, back there, then what? We got no options.” He met her eyes, finally. “But you do. You heard him; it doesn’t matter where you go as long as you’re out of here.”
“I think he meant the lab,” Danny suggested, but his voice lacked conviction.
“Shut up, Danny,” Ricardo said, not breaking eye contact with Pip. His expression was as bleak as she’d ever seen it. “You got a truck. Get out of the camp, find someplace safe. Maybe the city’ll take you.”
She shook her head. “Stuff it! That don’t matter - Ricardo, that Mindless, the one who talked? His name is Leo, and you gotta help him.”
“Don’t be talking crazy, Pip,” Danny said.
"I’m not crazy, dang it. I talked to him earlier. He helped that girl Karen; they were together for a while. She picked out his new shirt. God’s been healing him, and Borsa's fixing to throw all that away!" She peered up the hallway again. Way too quiet up there. "He maybe already did."
“I gotta obey orders,” Ricardo insisted.
She glared at him.
He shifted his weight, refusing to meet her eyes. “Listen, I’ll do what I can, okay?”
Which probably meant nothing. “You better.” One last agonized glance towards the lab. She was starting to shiver. “Get up there and do something, for the love of God.”
“All right. But you gotta move.” He grabbed her shoulders, turned her around and gave her a gentle shove, sending her stumbling forward. “Go on, get out of here.”
Dazed, she kept walking. All she could do now was pray.
#
It was nearly dark before the city contingent finally found their way to the camp after several wrong turns and one collapsed bridge. Commander Harris pulled up the troop transport to the gates. Jake, Karen, and six others were sitting in the back, waiting for the signal to emerge. They had some boxes of things to trade, but also guns. Not as many as Karen would have recommended, but… limited resources. She knew that was sensible. But she didn’t have to like it. Never mind; doesn’t matter. She just needed to get inside the camp. They’d deal with everything else later.
Some negotiations happened, barely within Karen’s hearing, and she didn’t bother to listen. She sat, one leg drumming as she waited. She just had to see Leo. It had been a full day; anything could have happened. An eternity later, the truck began to move forward. Karen didn’t want to leave the tenuous privacy of the covered rear of the transport if there was someone around who might recognize her, so she focused on Jake, silently urging him to check whether the coast was clear.
He seemed even less enthusiastic now than he had been five hours ago. “You sure you want to do this, Karen?”
“Yes,” she said, as an alternative to screaming. Explaining it hadn’t worked before, and she was long past the point of being able to concentrate. Or caring if anyone understood. Please, God, please, please, please… She merely endured, torn between hope and fear.
Jake poked his head out of the canvas at the back, looking around as they fully entered the camp. One last look and he turned, nodding in her direction. “It looks clear.”
“Thanks,” she muttered, and moved past him to the rear of the truck. It was moving slowly enough that she could jump out without killing her ankle again; at least that one part of the plan they’d adjusted to suit her. She looked around warily. The gathering darkness should obscure her. Taking a deep breath, she hopped down. She stumbled on the landing but at least she didn't fall. This area of the camp still had asphalt, in most places, and she had too good of a memory of the last time she’d fallen on pavement. Healing potion or not, that hurt. Glancing around, she headed to the main building, angling towards the cattle pen.
As she approached it, in the dying light, the first thing she noticed was that the cage was a lot more crowded than it had been. Okay, that wasn’t good. She searched the crowd for him, but in the shadows it was hard to see. “Leo?” she called, quietly. Didn’t want anyone inside the lab to hear her. No sense tipping her hand.
There was movement in the dark, outside the cage, someone emerging from the side of the building. Crap, a guard? Her heart rate sped up, and the Mindless moaned, surging towards her. She had nowhere to hide.
“Karen?”
She relaxed as she recognized the voice. “Pip! You scared me.” Belatedly it occurred to her that the last time she’d seen Pip, they hadn’t been on the best of terms.
Pip came around the corner and grabbed hold of Karen’s arm, dragging her to the shadowed area. “Karen, you have to be careful.”
“Trust me, I’m trying.” She looked over her shoulder, peering into the cage from this new angle. No green shirt. Where was he?
“Karen,” Pip said impatiently. “Pay attention.”
Karen glanced back at her. She couldn’t see anything, anyway. Leo would know she was he
re; he’d find her.
“Karen, Leo’s not here.”
“He has to be… wait… you… how do you know?”
Pip looked down, reaching out a hand to lay on Karen’s arm. “I talked to him, this morning.”
“So he is here.” Unless…
“Not really. Something happened,” Pip said, and Karen felt her blood freeze, heard her heart pounding in her ears.
“No…”
“I’m sorry,” Pip said, looking genuinely miserable. “I tried to protect him but he outed himself. I should’ve done something, but I didn’t know what… and then Borsa’s been injecting all of them today.”
“What, Leo got the enhancement formula?” Well, that wasn’t too bad, right? She could work with that…
Pip shook her head, and Karen’s hope died. “Borsa re-infected him, Karen. Same shot he wanted to give to you. Made him Mindless again.”
Moaning from behind her as her sorrow flared up. One of the voices sounded familiar; Karen forced herself to look around.
Leo. Standing there, looking just the same, except for the vacant expression on his face. Muscles slack, mouth hanging open, eyes half-shut. He was trying to walk through the bars, just like the rest of them. No trace of recognition, not even the vague puzzlement he’d originally shown. She stifled a sob and stepped back. “Oh, my God. He’s gone. He’s really gone.”
#
An alarm sounded, drowning out the moans, adding a layer of unreality.
They were too late. She was too late. God was too late, and that wasn’t supposed to happen. What had all this been about, then? Was God just an imaginary construct, and she’d been deluding herself this whole time? “Why?” she asked, her voice shaky and weak, still staring at the empty shell that had been Leo.
Pip pulled on her elbow. “Co me on, we need to get inside, meet back up with your group. Borsa’s planning something.”
Around the corner, they saw chaos in the heart of the camp. The camp denizens were running away, from what Karen could tell, heading for various outbuildings. They didn’t want to get stuck in the main hall. Figures. A few guards approached, firing sporadically. One of them fell as the patrol from the city returned fire.