by Amy Dunne
“Your pulse is a little fast,” Evelyn said. This time her smile reached her eyes, making them twinkle with mirth. Two rosy patches coloured her cheeks. Her touch lingered for a further few torturously long seconds. “Are you and Murphy together?” As soon as the question left her lips, Evelyn withdrew her hand. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that. It’s none of my business.” Her gaze dropped to the blood-filled bag. She began removing it.
“No,” Alex said a little too firmly. “He’s like my brother. Plus, he—well, men in general, aren’t my type.” It had been so long since she’d had to come out to someone, she felt surprisingly self-conscious. She could have just answered no. She hadn’t needed to admit her sexuality. Her guts squirmed as she waited to see how Evelyn reacted.
Evelyn tensed and whispered harshly, “Don’t ever say that again.”
Inexplicably hurt, anger quickly reared up. “Why not?” Alex asked.
Evelyn gripped Alex’s shoulders tightly, thrusting her face close. “This place isn’t accepting of people who are different. They have strict ideas of what the roles women and men have.”
“I don’t give a shit what strict ideas they have,” Alex said hotly, not caring that Evelyn’s expression remained grave. “I’m not allowed to say I’m a lesbian? What’s it got to do with anyone? Why ask me in the first place?”
“Because I’m worried about you. You can’t mention your sexual orientation here. We’ve never had anyone who has admitted to being homosexual. There’s a reason for that. As far as they’re concerned, you’re a woman. Therefore, you’re straight. They’ll make sure that you’re straight.”
“What do you mean?” Alex asked. Evelyn’s warnings were beginning to have an effect. Her palms grew sweaty and where Evelyn’s fingers dug into her shoulders was painful.
“There’s no time. I’m sorry. It’s for your safety. You just need to convince them that you’re straight.”
“Why?” Alex asked again, this time less forcefully.
“Because they won’t let you be anything else,” Evelyn said, pleading. Her eyes widened. “I’ve got it.” She closed the gap between them, her lips now a hairsbreadth away from Alex’s ear. “Make them believe that you and Murphy are married. It’s the only way you’ll buy some time.”
“Married?”
“Yes. If they think you’re already married, they may leave you alone. If not, you’ll be married off to someone here. One of the men. Do you have a ring?”
“What the fuck?” Alex felt woozy. This had to be a hoax—and done in bad taste. And yet, she was very convincing. But what she was saying was too messed up to be true. Wasn’t it? “A ring?”
“Here.” Evelyn took out a necklace from beneath her top. Looped on the chain were three rings. She carefully took a gold ring off before fastening the back of her necklace and slipping the chain and rings back beneath her top. “Try this. Hopefully with all of the commotion none of them noticed your hands.”
Alex reluctantly slipped the ring onto the correct finger. It was a perfect fit. The coolness from the metal felt surprisingly comfortable. “This is pointless. I’m only staying here until Murphy recovers. Once he’s able to walk, we’re leaving.”
Evelyn knelt in front of Alex. “There’s no nice way of saying this. And I really need you to understand. They’re not going to let you leave. You’re here for good.”
“I told David. He knows I’m only here to get Murphy help and then we’re going. They blindfolded me so I wouldn’t know where this place is.”
Evelyn shook her head softly. “The ratio of men to women in here is silly. They’ve sent most of the men out on a major scavenging expedition. Their main objective is to bring back women survivors, and they’re due back in four or five weeks.”
The room began to spin. Alex closed her eyes, clenched her teeth, and breathed heavily through her nose. This felt like a nightmare. In her mind’s eye she saw a flash of memory, which invoked a sense of foreboding. The army vehicles, the uniformed men, and the women who looked like prisoners huddled together. She’d seen them with her own eyes.
“I know you don’t know me and probably don’t trust me. But I’m trying to help you. They’re going to be wary of you because of your association with Gemma. How you look and the way you dress”—Evelyn’s expression looked pitying—“is only going to make it worse for you. Trust me—buy yourself time.”
“Time for what?”
“To see whether Murphy’s going to make it, to regain your strength. Time for us to make a plan. You’re going to get interrogated, sooner rather than later. You need to sort your story out now and stick to it. Don’t change anything—not a single thing. You have to be consistent, otherwise David will know you’re lying. Get him to believe you’re married, and you stand a chance.”
“Why are you saying this? Why are you helping me?”
“If I don’t, no one else will. And I think maybe you can help me.”
“Help you?”
“To escape,” Evelyn said so quietly, Alex wondered if she’d imagined it.
The door flung open. Jamie trotted over to Alex and offered her a steaming cup of weak tea and a cereal bar. “Did I miss anything?”
“Afraid not, kiddo,” Evelyn said, ruffling his hair with her hand. “How about we do this blood transfusion?”
Alex sipped the tea and felt better as the warmth spread down into her stomach. It was too sickly sweet for her personal taste, but she knew she needed the sugar. If anything, Evelyn’s warning demanded she prepare herself for the unknown and try to regain some strength.
*
Time elapsed. Alex managed to doze a few times, which considering that she sat in the most uncomfortable chair showed how exhausted she was. She would have preferred to lie on the floor, but that seemed rude and she didn’t want to spread dirt or get in their way.
The blood transfusion started slowly. Her bag of blood was attached to a stand beside a bag of saline solution. Her stomach squirmed with each crimson droplet that dripped down and diluted the clear liquid, and then travelled through the IV.
Evelyn started with a 2ml per minute dosage as a precaution, so she could monitor Murphy’s vital signs. His blood pressure, temperature, and heart rate were repeatedly checked. It was a disturbing thought that her blood was either a deadly poison or a life-saving elixir. There was nothing else to do but wait. Trepidation manifested itself as an ache constricting her chest. Panic built inside, clawing its way up to her throat and making her want to scream. She fidgeted, trying to find a comfortable position that alleviated her numb right buttock, when the door burst open. An elderly woman marched in. Her gaze snapped from Jamie, to Evelyn, and finally pinned Alex.
“Get out, Claire,” Evelyn said, marching forward.
Alex flinched at the harshness of Evelyn’s tone. She wouldn’t have thought her capable of such a sharp razor edge. She looked on as the women regarded one another coldly. Clearly, there was no love lost between them.
“I’ve come for her,” Claire said. “David wants to speak to her.”
Evelyn took another deliberate step forward, positioning herself between Alex and Claire. Her hands rested on her hips as if placed casually, but Alex could see the whites of Evelyn’s knuckles. “She’s not going anywhere. I need her here. I have a duty of care to her and her companion. She not only knows vital information regarding the circumstances of his injuries, she’s also just given blood for his transfusion. She is weak and in no condition to talk. Once I’m finished with her, she needs something to eat and then sleep. I won’t allow questioning today.”
Claire’s eyes narrowed and a sneer transformed her face. “It’s not your decision. She’s coming with me. David will decide if she’s fit to speak.”
Evelyn laughed bitterly. “Well, this is my area of expertise. In here, what I say goes. If he wants her so badly, he can come and bloody get her himself. Now, hobble along and deliver my message like a faithful servant of the Lord.”
“You h
ave no right to speak to me like th—”
“Tell someone who gives a shit.”
Alex watched the stand-off in fascination. She was seeing a completely different side to Evelyn. If anything, it made Alex trust her more. Her fiery temper was intriguing as it was alluring.
“You’ll pay for this. Just you wait and see,” Claire said, shaking a gnarly finger at Evelyn, before turning on her heel and storming out. The door slammed shut behind her, which took more force than she would’ve imagined the old woman had.
Evelyn turned to Alex. “You’ve probably got less than five minutes before more of them come to take you. I won’t be able to stop them.”
“Thank you.”
Evelyn rushed around and presented some tablets with a plastic cup of water. “Painkillers. At least if you’re not distracted by pain, there’s less chance of slipping up on your story. And don’t worry about Murphy. We’ll do everything we can to keep him comfortable. I can’t be certain, but I think the transfusion might be working. I’m going to up the dosage.”
Alex took the tablets and drained the cup. “What’s likely to happen to me now?” Fear crept up her spine. The thought of being interrogated made her feel helplessly exhausted. She was running on empty.
“I don’t think they’ll physically hurt you, providing you don’t give them reason to. The next few hours are probably going to be intense questioning. Keep it as close to the truth as you can, that way there’s less chance of getting confused. Once David is satisfied, you’ll probably be locked in a private room. They have to take these precautions. They’re worried about strangers, especially those they suspect may have helped Gemma escape. Just use the time to sleep and heal. If anything major happens to Murphy, I’ll find a way to get news to you.”
“When will I see you again?” Alex asked, her voice breaking with emotion. The thought of being alone scared her more than the prospect of interrogation.
Evelyn sighed. “It depends on how quickly you convince them you’re harmless. You’ll be okay. I can sense you’re strong.” She patted Alex’s hand. If she felt the trembling, she was kind enough not to mention it. “Just take it each question at a time.”
A commotion erupted outside. Evelyn gave one last squeeze of Alex’s hand and then rushed around the opposite side of Murphy’s bed. A split second later, the door opened and Phil barged in, followed closely by Claire and two other men.
“You’re coming with us,” Phil said, marching toward Alex.
Alex stood on wobbly legs and gave a nod of compliance. “Okay.”
“Tell David to go gently on her. I think she’s in shock. She’s also just given blood for a transfusion, so she’s going to be weak,” Evelyn said. No one gave affirmation that they’d heard, let alone planned on relaying her message.
“Hurry up,” Phil said, shoving Alex harshly toward the door.
Alex bit down on her tongue, stifling the venomous retorts that desperately wanted to spew from her mouth. She left the room, deliberately choosing not to look back at Murphy, Jamie, or Evelyn. She tried to get her mind in gear. She’d already worked out her story and quickly went through the components in her mind. The cool caress of Evelyn’s ring gave her solace and reminded her she wasn’t alone. The rain soaked her. Her clothes clung to her body. The sky was dark and the rain unrelenting, so she couldn’t make out much of the camp around her. Only glimpses of walls, grass, and pavement were possible, thanks to the splintered torch lights. She struggled with each step, but her mind focused on the matter at hand. She felt as ready as she could be for what lay ahead: a battle of logic and words.
She would do as Evelyn warned. She would convince David she was married to Murphy, and more importantly, that she was harmless and could be trusted. In the long run, both lies might become her only advantages.
Chapter Seventeen
“Who was with Gemma when you found her?” David asked, for the twelfth time.
Alex hissed an exasperated sigh and massaged her temples with trembling fingertips. She had no idea how long she’d been inside this claustrophobic room. It felt like forever. It must have been a few hours, because her clothes had dried stiff while she sat at the table. The light from the bulb overhead hurt her already sore eyes and the annoying high-pitched buzzing was equally torturous. The room was hot. The heat wasn’t intended to comfort her—quite the opposite, in fact. It made her tired and uncomfortable. She felt it niggling away at the constraints of her patience and threatening to ruin her subdued act. She’d never considered herself an actress, but she was giving it her best shot now. David appeared unconvinced by her persona. He clearly wasn’t in a hurry to go anywhere and seemed to derive perverse pleasure from trying to break her.
“I’ve already told you. She was alone. Two motorbikes came from the direction you came from, pulled up, and looked like they were going to attack or kidnap her against her will. Murphy ran out to stop them.”
“While you remained inside the building.”
“Yes.” She tried to moisten her cracked lips, but her tongue was too dry and scratched over her husky lips. Every word took effort, and her throat felt as though it was lined with sandpaper.
“You didn’t want to help her, then?” David asked. He sat back in his chair and unscrewed the lid off his second bottle of water. He raised it to his lips and drank.
Alex looked away. The sound of the water lapping at the sides of the bottle and being guzzled made her wince. “I didn’t know what to do. I was scared. I just froze. But Murphy didn’t hesitate. He saw what was happening and ran straight out to help.”
“He got shot.”
“Yes.”
“And then you went out.”
“Yes. I grabbed the handgun and fired. I’m awful at shooting. Murphy’s much better, but he knows it makes me feel safer having the gun.”
“How many guns do you have?”
“I’ve told you. Three. One handgun, and two shotguns.”
“One is a rifle and one is a shotgun,” David said testily, as if speaking to someone he considered stupid.
“Really? They’ve always looked the same to me,” Alex said lamely, hoping he believed she was inept.
“The shotgun is in exceptional condition. The same cannot be said for the rifle.” He paused, waiting for Alex to respond. It was only when she shrugged nonchalantly that he continued. “Where did you get the guns?”
“We were attacked by three men a few months ago. We managed to fight them off. Murphy grabbed the handgun and threatened to shoot them. We daren’t leave the weapons with them because we knew the moment we turned our backs they’d kill us. So we took the handgun and shotguns—rifle, and the knife.”
“What happened to the three men?”
Alex shrugged. “I don’t know. We got away and they didn’t follow us. That’s all that mattered.”
“Why did they attack you?” David asked, taking another mouthful of water. A droplet trickled down his chin. He lazily wiped it away.
“Truthfully?” she asked hoarsely and waited for him to speak. He nodded, clearly irritated by the question. “They wanted me.”
“What’s so special about you?”
“I’m a woman. Do you really need me to go into details? Or do you think you can work it out for yourself?”
David smiled humourlessly. “And then?”
Alex sighed. “We carried on walking. A few days later we went through a small town. There was a clothes shop and we decided it would be safer for me to dress and look like a guy. Murphy cut my hair and I wore men’s clothes from then on. For the most part, it worked.”
“When Gemma got attacked you say you shot two of her attackers. Why only two?”
“I’ve never shot at someone before. My hands were shaking and I was nearly sick. But I had to shoot the woman. She was aiming the gun at me and had just shot Murphy. Instinct took over.” Alex took a deep breath and encouraged her eyes to well with tears. She’d cried earlier in the day when Murphy had been shot, and after
the day’s events and exhaustion, it was easy to turn the waterworks on, but difficult to keep them going, especially with being so dehydrated. “Then the other guy started coming toward me. I closed my eyes and pulled the trigger again. The bang was deafening. And I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get his scream out of my head.” She wiped harshly at a stray tear leaked down her cheek.
“Then they left?”
She nodded. “Then Gemma helped me to carry Murphy over to the canopy. She took out the radio, called you, and we waited.”
She could sense his eyes boring into her. He was watching everything; each blink, sniffle, and micro-mannerism. She begged her body not to give anything away. The silence became tense and overbearing. She knew he was hoping it would make her talk, but that wasn’t going to happen. She’d always been comfortable sitting in silence. It gave her time to calm down and reevaluate the situation. She tapped her foot and nibbled on a fingernail as if anxious. In reality she felt okay, with the exception of being too hot, thirsty, and pissed off. “Why do you keep asking me the same questions?”
“I want the truth.”
“I’ve told you the truth. Every time. Why don’t you believe me?” She coughed, trying to clear her raspy throat. “I don’t know what it is you want from me.” She looked up and met his cold stare. “As soon as Murphy’s fit, we’ll get out of here. I appreciate you helping him. I really do. But this,” she indicated to the room by waving her hands around, “is just too much. I can’t stand it anymore. You’re treating me like a prisoner. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Nice ring.”
Alex was surprised by the comment. She looked down at Evelyn’s ring and then hid her hands beneath the table. “Thanks.” His silence now made her feel uncomfortable. Did he recognize the ring belonged to Evelyn? Had he noticed she hadn’t been wearing it when she’d arrived? “Murphy and I chose it together.”