‘It’s the same thing,’ Vincent said under his breath.
‘You say something?’ Kristin called from the kitchen.
Emily’s grin exposed each one of her delicate teeth. ‘I told you so, Daddy.’
‘The news report – It’s the same as yesterday,’ he said.
‘So? That’s not unusual – it wasn’t, even before the outbreak,’ Kristin replied.
‘No. I know, but this whole news feed…’
‘What about it?’ Kristin put the knife down on the chopping board, disturbed by his unease.
‘Everything about this, right down to the words the reporter is saying; it’s exactly the same broadcast as yesterday.’
8
The young man in the hoodie came to a stop between a row of tents and the shower block, just out of sight of the guard towers on the back fence. Raine had managed to follow him without being detected and was now hiding behind the edge of a shower container.
The man scouted in every direction for witnesses. The majority of refugees had already retired to their accommodation to prepare what would be their first decent meal in weeks. He never noticed Raine lurking around the corner and proceeded to fall to his knees in the dirt. He placed the grey, unopened package next to him and rolled up his sleeves. The dirt was loose and easy to cast aside. Using both hands, he dug a hole, burrowing away like a frightened rabbit until it was at least a foot deep. Once he’d attempted another scan of the area, he grabbed the package and shoved it in its fresh grave, filling it in with the pile of dirt and trying to press it flat.
When he was satisfied with how it looked, he jumped to his feet, rubbed his dirty hands on the front of his pants, and started to stroll back towards the centre of camp. He didn’t get far. Raine startled him by jumping out from behind the shower block. She grabbed him by the front of his hoodie and threw his slight frame up against the wall of the container.
‘What the hell was that?’ she demanded through gritted teeth.
‘What was what?’ It was clear to Raine now that he had an English accent.
‘Unless you’re one strange-looking squirrel, you’re not coming back for that later.’
Recovered from the initial ambush, he stared at her with a sense of calm. ‘I guess I just don’t like chicken and rice.’
‘You never even opened it. What do you know?’ Raine lifted him away from the container and slammed his back into it again.
The man half-smiled. ‘The same as you. I’ve seen you watching them. If this had happened a week ago, we wouldn’t still be having this conversation: a guard would have been here already, asking you why you are bullying me.’
‘You haven’t answered my question. Why bury the food?’
‘You tell me?’
Raine paused for thought, coming to the conclusion she might have already guessed. ‘It’s poisoned?’
‘She shoots, she scores,’ the man said.
‘Bullshit.’ Raine scowled and the man looked down at her own pack, which was tucked into the front of her combat pants.
‘Feel free to sample the military cuisine. I hear the pecan and chocolate chip cookies are just to die for.’
Raine pushed him aside and started to walk away. ‘Don’t stray too far. I’ll be back for you.’
‘Where are you going?’ the man said, straightening his clothes.
‘To stop someone making a mistake.’
‘You’re going to spread our little secret?’
She ignored him and carried on.
‘You might want to rethink that.’ He unintentionally raised his voice, then glanced nervously behind him to ensure he hadn’t alerted their protectors. He took one step forward, as if he intended to follow her, but instead slipped both hands inside his pockets, lowered his head, and skulked off in the opposite direction.
9
Vincent was washing the pans in the basin as Kristin served up the first hot meal they’d had in almost two weeks. ‘Leave them,’ she said. ‘Eat before it goes cold.’ She picked a slice of green pepper from one of the plates and crunched into it.
Emily sat at the dining table expectantly, knife and fork already held upright. Kristin saw how grateful she looked and smiled. ‘Vincent, if you don’t sit down soon, I think she’ll finish yours too.’
The family jumped in unison as the door to their container burst open and Raine forced her way inside.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ Vincent said, shielding his daughter.
Raine ignored him and pointed to Kristin’s food. ‘Have you eaten any of that yet?’
‘Raine, what’s going on?’
‘Have you!’
‘What? No, I had a couple of mouthfuls while I was preparing it,’ Kristin said.
‘Then go into the bathroom and make yourself puke.’
‘Huh?’
‘Stick your fingers down your throat. Right now!’
Vincent moved towards their intruder. ‘Get out of here, you maniac. You’re scaring my daughter. You’re scaring us.’
Emily sat rigid in her seat, her eyes fixed on Raine.
‘She should be scared,’ Raine said. She then spied the small plate littered with cookie crumbs on the arm of the sofa. ‘What’s that?’
‘Emily had something to eat before her pill,’ Kristin said.
‘From the package?’
‘No. Will you please tell us what’s going on?’
‘The new food is poisoned.’
‘By whom?’ Vincent said, about ready to drag her to the barracks to report her.
‘The same people who gave it to us.’
‘The military? Spears? Don’t be ridiculous,’ he said.
‘Are you willing to take the chance that I’m lying?’
‘I’m going to take the chance that you’re crazy. Didn’t I tell you, Kris? Even I never suspected this. You need help. Now get out before I throw you out,’ Vincent said.
Kristin stared into Raine’s eyes. The intensity burning behind them did not look like madness to her. She pushed past her husband and rushed into the bathroom.
Vincent stood within touching distance of Raine. They remained silent, listening to Kristin heave up the unsubstantial contents of her stomach. She emerged a few minutes later, a little paler and wiping the sticky remnants from her lips.
Confused, Vincent looked to his wife for reassurance. ‘Kris, wha—’
‘I’m fine,’ she snapped. ‘So we’ll hear you out, but you better start making sense or we’ll march you out of here and you’ll be arrested for trespassing.’
‘You go into those barracks and you’ll never come out again,’ Raine said. ‘I have someone in the camp – a source. I don’t know how he knows, but he knows.’
Vincent rolled his eyes. ‘That’s it?’
‘No, that’s not it.’
‘Why are we even entertaining this, Kris? You barely know this person.’
‘The number of soldiers in this camp is decreasing by the day. They are leaving in fours and fives in the middle of the night and not coming back. There aren’t even enough to regularly man all the guard posts anymore,’ Raine said, looking at Kristin. ‘Don’t you think it’s strange that they have supposedly cleared the roads in order to get all this food to us, and yet not a single unit has returned?’
‘They’re probably regrouping at the army base in Johnston,’ Vincent said.
‘If the base in Johnston is still standing, they’ll be fortifying it for the long haul; they won’t be coming back here.’
Vincent threw a hand up in a dismissive gesture. ‘More guess-work?’
‘What about the TV, Vincent?’ Kristin said. ‘What you said about the broadcasts repeating themselves?’
Raine nodded. ‘They’ve been recycling the same shit on that fake news channel for weeks. They wanted us to think they had everything under control, so that everyone would be compliant and unsuspicious for just long enough.’
‘So that’s it then,’ Vincent said. ‘All of those kids
out there, who probably have family in camp just like this one, have decided they’re going to arbitrarily exterminate the very people they were assigned to protect?’
‘Only the officers and a few trusted men will know. Once it’s done and no one comes out of their trailers and tents in the morning, the others will have no choice but to fall in line. It’s gone too far now. When it comes to the bigger picture, we’re just collateral damage. Those young men and women will have to accept it if they want to survive,’ Raine replied.
‘Daddy?’ said Emily, who had almost been forgotten since Raine’s unceremonious entrance, looking to her father for reassurance.
‘It’s OK, sweetie. Just sit tight. We’re only talking to the lady,’ Vincent said.
‘Say you’re right and they do intend to do what you claim, what do we do about it?’ Kristin said.
‘If our illustrious sergeant gets wind that we know, he’ll immediately separate us from the rest of the population. We need to lie low here until nightfall. I know which area of the fence we have the best chance of escaping through without being seen. It’ll be much easier now most of the guards are gone. They won’t have a big presence outside tonight because they’ll want everyone to feel at ease.’
‘You want us to make a run for it – out there with no protection?’ Vincent said.
‘Have you been listening to anything I’ve said? Most of the refugees are filling their bellies right now. They’re already dead; they just don’t know it yet.’ Raine began to back away in the direction of the door. ‘I suggest you pack some supplies – essentials only, nothing that will slow you down. I’m going to get some of my own things together and collect my source in the process. Then we wait until lights out before we make our move.’
‘What makes you think we won’t just walk right across the camp and report you as soon as you leave?’ Vincent asked.
‘I don’t know. Maybe because you aren’t as dumb as you look?’ Raine said. She left, closing the door behind her.
Vincent and Kristin both let out their breath and held each other close. ‘What do you make of all this?’ Vincent asked.
‘I think it sounds insane, but we have everything to lose if she’s right and we ignore it. We should see how it plays out, meet this source of hers,’ Kristin said.
‘I can believe that Banks would lie to us about what’s really going on out there – but to slaughter us like cattle?’
Kristin shook her head. ‘I don’t know why, but I trust her.’
During their embrace, something dawned on Vincent and he broke away. ‘Can you look after Emily for a minute? There’s something I need to do.’
‘Sure, but what are you talking about?’
Vincent made for the door. ‘If that woman’s right, she’s not the only person who’s done us a great favour today. If it’s not too late, I’d like to return it.’ He glanced back to Emily, who seemed about to burst into tears. ‘Be brave for Mommy. I’ll be back before you know it.’
‘OK, Daddy,’ she replied softly.
10
Vincent hastened towards the tents on the other side of the camp. He was more aware of the patrolling guards than ever. With each step, his paranoia intensified. Of course the guards didn’t know; how could they?
Fortunately, he was able to find Adam’s tent from memory by retracing his steps from the medical station. He made sure the coast was clear before ducking through the canvas opening. It was dark inside, and it was hard for him to see if anything was moving. ‘Adam?’ he whispered.
‘Mr. Graham?’ Startled by the voice coming from outside, Vincent tried to stand up and banged his head against the tent’s frame in the process. Adam was still wearing his sweat-shirt and jogging pants.
‘Adam. Have you eaten from your pack yet?’
‘No. I didn’t finish my run earlier, so I decided to go for another one. Why?’
‘We can’t talk about it here, but I need you to trust me.’
‘Sure, Mr. Graham. Whatever you say,’ Adam said.
‘Good. Do you have a bag inside?’
‘A bag? Yeah.’
‘Go pack some essentials and I’ll wait for you out here.’
Adam’s eyes narrowed. ‘Pack my essentials?’
‘I thought you agreed whatever I said?’
‘I did, but I don’t—’
‘Adam, please. I’m trying to help you.’
Adam saw the sincerity in his eyes. ‘I’ll just be a second.’
Once he’d emerged with his backpack, they hurried to the container block without saying a word. Kristin waited for them at the door and embraced Vincent as soon as he stepped inside. ‘Did you see her?’ she said.
‘No, I didn’t.’
Emily scampered from the living area into her father’s arms. ‘See, I told you I’d be right back,’ Vincent said.
‘Erm, I don’t mean to press, Mr. Graham, but would you mind telling me what all this is about?’ Adam was still standing by the door nervously, with his backpack over his shoulder.
Vincent ushered Emily into their living quarters before addressing the teenager. ‘You might want to take a seat for this, son.’ He proceeded to talk and Adam listened, occasionally glancing at Kristin to see if she had also been taken in by this elaborate conspiracy theory. He told him about the depleting guard detail, the claims they had sent the camp’s only doctor into a dangerous area to be killed, the looped news feed broadcasting events that had probably happened months before, and most crucially, the plan to poison them using the much sought-after food packages.
Adam sat in silence, doing his best to take it all in. His healthy glow had faded to a sickly shade of grey when he looked Vincent in the eye again.
‘I can’t say as I’ve noticed any of those things. The soldiers have never been anything but nice to me. I don’t wanna believe it – don’t wanna even consider it… but I can tell you folks believe it, and what do I know after all? Before all this, I just thought about grades and playing ball. If you say this is the right call, Mr. Graham, then I’ll do what you think is best.’
Vincent smiled at the boy in order to mask his own self-doubt. Adam was placing his trust in him. If it turned out to be wrong, and this whole thing was some paranoid delusion cooked up by their intense new acquaintance, then he would never forgive himself for bringing such a sweet kid into unnecessary danger.
There was a gentle tap on the door before it opened. Raine stepped inside, holding a drawstring bag that looked virtually empty. Someone else followed close behind her, head bowed. Kristin immediately recognised the black hoodie and the young man’s shifting stance. ‘This is your source? The guy who you said you wanted to avoid?’
‘Your source?’ the man said, flipping back his hood to reveal his gaunt face. ‘Gosh, this is exciting. I sound like Deep Throat or something.’
The Grahams looked at each other in disbelief at his flippancy.
‘His name’s Ethan,’ Raine said. ‘He may be a little odd, but I doubt we’d all be here if it weren’t for him.’
‘I don’t think you give yourself enough credit. You were spying on me, remember?’ Ethan said, before losing interest in the adults and starting to smile at Emily. ‘Hello there. What do they call you?’
‘Emily,’ she said, smiling back.
‘I’d prefer it if you didn’t speak to my daughter,’ Kristin said.
‘I agree,’ Vincent added.
Ethan held up his hands and backed away. ‘Fair enough. Your home, your rules and all that.’
‘Who’s the kid?’ Raine said staring at Adam, who seemed a little more than intimidated by her.
‘This is Adam,’ Vincent said. ‘He’s—’
‘My friend,’ Emily said.
Her interruption seemed to disarm Raine and she relaxed her rigid posture. ‘I hope this is it. The more people who know, the more dangerous it becomes. There’s already gonna be quite a procession to get to the back fence.’
‘How exactly are we going to get
there without being seen?’ Vincent said.
Raine leaned back to rest her muscular butt against the breakfast bar. ‘I’ve been mapping the guard rotations for the past few days. If we move at nine thirty, I know exactly the route to take to avoid detection.’
‘You were planning to leave before you found out about the food?’ Kristin asked.
‘I told you. I don’t like being caged – especially with people I don’t know.’
‘Amen to that,’ Ethan said.
‘Your plan only gets us to the fence. How do we get to the other side?’ Vincent said.
Raine jumped down from the breakfast bar and loosened the top of her bag. She reached in and pulled out a pair of wire cutters. ‘I stole them from one of the engineers.’
‘I don’t know about anyone else, but I feel safer already,’ Ethan said.
They sat in silence for a moment as the enormity of what they were about to attempt started to sink in.
‘So I guess we just have to wait until it’s time?’ Kristin said.
‘Does anyone have a pack of playing cards?’ Adam said.
‘I have some,’ Emily declared excitedly. She raced to her room and returned with a deck of cards in their own box. She threw them on the dining table, spreading them over its surface. The backs of each one were illustrated with images depicting classic nursery rhymes like Humpty Dumpty and Jack and Jill.
‘Wow. These are great,’ Adam said.
‘Maybe we can play Go Fish.’
‘That sounds swell, Emily.’
‘Well, golly gee willikers,’ Ethan said under his breath. Raine, Vincent and Kristin all glared at him accusingly. He stopped sniggering, put his back against the wall and slid to the floor, then folded his arms like a scolded child.
‘Who else wants to play?’ Emily said.
Raine ignored her. Instead, she moved over to the window and peered through a gap in the blinds across to the east end of the camp.
‘Mommy and Daddy will sit this one out, honey,’ Kristin said.
Adam smiled and shrugged his shoulders. ‘Looks like it’s just us.’
‘We can play with two. We just have to remember to deal seven cards each,’ Emily said.
Everything Dies [Season One] Page 4