Definitely Not Kansas (Nocturnia Book 1)

by Thomas Monteleone

“Can you get me out of here?”

  We would unlock your cell if we could, but even if we had the key, we have no physical presence. Without our interface we cannot move a dust mote, let alone unlock a door. We are sorry, Ryan O’Dell. Good-bye.

  He felt a tickle in his throat, opened his mouth, coughed. A stream of phosphorescent mist shot from him and spread out into a cloud the size of a basketball. Then it thinned again and flowed toward the exit.

  “Yeah, good-bye,” he said. “Oh, and, hey, don’t thank me for saving your butt – if you had one. All in a day’s work. You’re like really welcome anyway.”

  But no one answered. He felt singularly alone and abandoned. The feeling overwhelmed him, and a deepening sense of dread became a leaden weight in the pit of his stomach. He’d never felt like this before and instinctively he knew it was some indefinable after-effect of allowing that… being to occupy him.

  Really, could things get any weirder?

  Or worse?

  Suddenly exhausted, he flopped back on the cot. Too late he remembered his whipped back. But the expected blaze of pain never happened. His back felt fine. He sat up and reached under his shirt. The bandages felt dry. He rose and leaned against the wall – gently at first, then harder. No pain, no tenderness. Like he’d never been hurt. What? How–?

  Oh, wait. The ethereal. Had it healed him? Was that its way of saying thanks?

  Every time he thought he’d maxed out the weird in this place, Nocturnia pushed it up another notch.

  Too bad the ethereal couldn’t get him out of here, but he took some pleasure in having thwarted Falzon and his Uber-army, even a tiny bit. But that did little to brighten the prospect of sitting in the dimly-lit chamber with the knowledge that sooner or later, he and his brother were toast.

  29

  The clang of metal from the outer door awakened Ryan with a start. Apparently more exhausted than he realized, he’d slipped into a hazy half-sleep. He felt a sting of panic as he had no idea how much time had passed.

  Footsteps slapped the stone floor as the heavy gait of an Uber guard approached.

  This is it, thought Ryan, his gut clenching. They’ve caught Telly… and now Falzon’s going to tear us to pieces. He felt his pulse begin to jump, sweat popping out of his pores as adrenaline began to suffuse his bloodstream. Fight or flight. But he could do neither.

  Feigning sleep, squinting through almost-closed eyelids, Ryan saw the guy reaching out to unlock his holding cell. He was overweight and short, and his yellow jumpsuit made him look like a giant lemon with arms and legs.

  “Oyez, oyez! Up wiff youz, now!”

  Ryan decided he wasn’t getting up, wasn’t going to help them eliminate him. This big fat citrus was going to have to carry him or drag him.

  “Hey, kid youz gotta go now.” The Uber keyed the cell’s lock and threw open the door. “Up wiff youz!”

  Ryan did not move as the round Uber waddled into the cell; his bulk almost filled the narrow space. The guard leaned over and poked Ryan on the arm.

  “Time to go. Up now!”

  When Ryan remained still with eyes shut, the Uber grabbed him by the upper arm and yank-twisted him into a sitting position. The movement was so sudden and painful that Ryan cried out.

  “Hey!”

  “That’s more likes it. Up wiff youz.”

  “Where am I going?”

  “Well, youz ain’t goin’ t’breakfast, if that’s what yer thinkin’.”

  “Breakfast? Is it morning?”

  The Uber gave him an odd look, as if he were the dumbest creature on two feet. “Course it is.”

  “Where are you taking me then?”

  “Where else? It’s back to the farm for the likes-a-youz.”

  “Farm?”

  Ryan almost cheered. Although the work farm had proved to be a dreary, awful place, the idea of being sent back there instead of to his death filled him with joyous relief. For some reason, they weren’t going to be sending him to Falzon for fun and games.

  What had happened?

  Did they cancel the tests? Had Telly fooled them? Escaped? He had to know.

  As the Uber guided him from the cellblock and down the stone corridor toward the courtyard, Ryan gave a slight tug on the guy’s sleeve.

  “Hey, I just remembered… what happened with the test they gave to everybody?”

  The waddling Uber barely glanced at him as he half-grunted, half-spoke. “Huh?”

  “You know… they were looking for some guy who was supposed to be human.”

  “All I knows is I passed. I don’ know nuffin’ more’n that, kid.”

  Ryan rolled his eyes. Not surprising. This guy wasn’t exactly ready for the next round of Jeopardy. But if anything had happened, if Falzon had actually found a human hiding his midst, it would be big news. Surely, it would have buzzed through the ranks of everybody in the compound – even numb-heads like this guy.

  And it obviously had not.

  Again, the question gnawed at him. So what had happened?

  Ryan followed the Uber though the early morning light to the waiting flatbed of a farm truck as it sat chugging and belching steam from its boiler. He looked around the area on the off-chance he might see Telly, but the yard was empty save for a few other trucks unloading barrels and bales.

  As Ryan climbed into the back, he looked out across the open space, enclosed by the high, fortresslike wall. Dead space, devoid of detail or any clue as to where Telly might be.

  Obviously, his brother had come up with a way to fool them. But how?

  30

  The shriek of the steam whistle split the air: The morning call to work for all the compound Ubers.

  Blinking, Telly rolled over in his bunk to see sunlight burning through the barracks windows. For an instant, as the fog of sleep lifted, he felt a bit of disorientation, but then the memory of the blood test came slamming back to him.

  This was it.

  As soon as the results were confirmed they’d be coming for him. And then they’d drag Ryan from his cell and it would be curtains for the two of them.

  Telly sat up and swung his legs off the bed. He stretched but it did nothing to relieve the gnawing tension in every fiber his body. He wished he’d had a chance to sneak in to see Ryan last night – maybe even spirit him out of here – but the security had been as high as he’d ever seen it. No way. No how. He’d been trapped.

  So what next? Did he just lie here until they came for him, or get up and act like everything was okay while looking for an opening, anything that might give him a chance?

  He rose. Where there’s life, there’s hope, right?

  He had life, but hope was fading. Still, he wanted to put on a good front. So he checked the hair on his palms – still firmly glued in place – and peeked out from the stall where he slept.

  Everyone in his row had begun to stir from their own stalls. Trying to look casual, Telly scanned the large open space and noticed that Falzon’s personal security squad goons were no longer in place. He could simply walk out of there, it seemed.

  What was going on?

  After waiting for his turn in the bathroom, he headed to the mess hall with Vertaj at his side. The young necro walked with an awkward gait and Telly had to kind of half-step to stay alongside.

  “So whaddya think?” Vertaj said. “You think they caught somebody?”

  Telly tried to sound disinterested. “Huh? Oh, you mean the blood test? I don’t know… but it would be real weird, wouldn’t it? I mean, having a human hiding among us.”

  Vertaj smiled, nodded. “He’d have to be one nervy human – or just plain crazy. The possibility gives me the creeps.”

  Sorry, Telly thought.

  If Vertaj had been truly alive instead of a zombie, Telly figured he would’ve been a fairly good-looking guy. Broad shoulders, affable grin. The kind of easy-going personality women automatically trusted. Telly had never been anything like that back on… or rather in Humania. The girls in school had al
ways found him way too… what?

  He thought of Geri Grauer, a girl he’d had a major crush on in sophomore year of high school. They even went out – two whole times. She finally told him he was too intense and distracted. He’d never forget her words: “I want a guy who’s with me. When you and I are together, even though we’re in the same room, you always seem to be somewhere else.”

  Yeah, that had been his problem – never in the moment, always in the next moment. Nocturnia had cured him of that. He had to be hyper aware all the time here or get found out. He still had a determined curiosity and a need to understand everything, but he could no longer afford to get distracted the way he used to.

  Especially now that he had Ryan to worry about.

  The door to the mess hall loomed just ahead. Everybody in his group formed a single file and passed through into a Spartan building filled with long benches and tables. Telly and Vertaj herded themselves toward the vats of juice and thick heavy pabulum that served as a poor substitute for really good oatmeal.

  As they scooped portions onto their tin plates, Vertaj spotted a tall heavyset lycan wearing a security armband. He was standing off to the side watching the line of Ubers in the foodline shamble past.

  Vertaj waved at him. “Hey, Hootie! Howzit jumpin’?”

  The big guy grinned. “Not so bad. What’s up?”

  Telly said nothing as Vertaj leaned closer to the Uber guard. “Hey, you hear anything about those blood tests we took? They find anything? Anybody get nailed?”

  The big lycan chuckled. “Oh, that? Nah… false alarm. That little brat must’ve been lyin’ or just goofy. I heard Falzon was none too happy about it – I think he wanted to find himself a real human spy. Have some fun, ya know?”

  Vertaj laughed. “Yeah, I’ll bet he did!”

  Telly ventured a small chuckle himself, as much for their attempt at humor as for the total relief he felt. Everybody had passed? How the hell had that happened? Could there have been a mistake? Or had someone discovered him and decided to help? Or… worst of all, maybe they had caught him, but were letting him think he was safe – just so they could watch him and learn what he was doing in their midst.

  That last possibility sent a shudder through Telly like a blast of cold wind.

  As he sat at one of the long tables, he had very little appetite, but he knew he had to force some of the compound’s standard morning gruel down the chute. It would be a long time before lunch.

  He ate in silence as he continued to examine his options, trying to decide if he was indeed safe… or under close observation. Because that would hinder his rescue of Ryan.

  Vertaj continued to interrupt his thoughts with random conversation, and Telly responded as best he could. He didn’t want to act in any way suspicious or give his closest friend in the compound any reason to get curious about him. Vertaj was by nature a garrulous fellow and he asked a lot of questions just to hear himself talk.

  Telly could handle Vertaj and the other Ubers in his circle. Falzon and Simon could be more of a problem because of one important fact: They had control of his little brother. And that knowledge was corkscrewing through Telly’s every thought.

  How did Ryan end up in Nocturnia? What about Emma? His parents? How were they? So many questions needed answers.

  Whatever routine he’d been able to establish was gone. No way he could continue here in the Uberall compound tinkering in their technology division while Ryan was languishing in a jail cell or worse. The idle chatter of Vertaj and the other Ubers became a penumbra of background noise as Telly began to pull together a plan.

  A plan to get Ryan to safety.

  31

  Emma glanced at the cloudless sky. The heat of the late afternoon sun had finally slacked off as evening approached, and even though she was exhausted from the tedium of harvesting sangreflors, she almost looked forward to the long march back to their cells and something to eat. Her throat was dry and a long draft of water from that dingy trough was going to taste so good…

  Dillon had told her they’d brought Ryan back around midmorning, but her little brother had been working in a row far from her own, and she hadn’t been able to talk to him. She was dying to find out what had happened, and she really needed to know if the feelings and “flashes” she’d been seeing had any meaning.

  Finally the quit horn sounded and they trooped back. As all the workers entered the fenced-in area and milled around, Emma searched the crowd for Ryan but couldn’t find him. The dinner bell rang and so they all funneled through the cramped doorway into the dining hall.

  Where was he?

  Someone tugged at her sleeve. She turned. Ryan! Looking as strong and unfazed as ever, he flashed a small but confident grin.

  “Hey, Sis…how was your day at work?”

  “Ryan! OMG, I can’t believe it! Are you okay? Where did they take you? What happened?”

  He sighed. “I have a lot to tell you…”

  And he did.

  After they’d passed through the food line and picked up their dinner ration of gruel, they met up with Dillon and Amelia and a few others who’d befriended them. Ryan recounted his adventures since Simon had spirited him away from the plantation. Emma listened in amazed silence, but Dillon and Amelia interrupted with questions and clarifications. Emma sensed he was holding something back.

  When he got to the part about the ethereal and how he’d helped it escape, Emma felt a sudden wave of dizziness ripple through her. The validation of her premonition had brought no gratification – quite the opposite. Because in the past she’d experienced only vague impressions. This time it had been so much more detailed, and so much on the mark. It chilled her to know she really did have an ability, and that Nocturnia seemed to be somehow amplifying it.

  He turned his back to her and lifted his shirt. She gasped at the sight of the bloody bandages.

  “Oh, Ryan!”

  “Pull them off. I can’t reach them.”

  “But won’t it hurt? Won’t you get infected?”

  “Just pull them off.”

  If he needed a bandage change, he should be back at the infirmary.

  “C’mon, Em. It feels okay.”

  Okay. She’d lift just one and look under.

  She lifted and saw smooth, unmarred skin.

  “What?”

  She pulled that off, then another, then another. Ryan’s back was perfect. Not even sunburned.

  “How–?”

  “The ethereal. When it was inside me it must have healed me. That’s my only guess.”

  Emma wanted to cry with relief. But what about her other vision… the one with Telly?

  Without thinking, she blurted, “What about Telly?”

  She saw Ryan stiffen, then turn and shoot her a hard look. “Telly? What’s Telly? I’ve never heard of anyone or anything named Telly.”

  The reaction shocked her. What was he–?

  Oh, wait. That look. He was trying to warn her off the topic of Telly. Why? Was something wrong? Had something happened? How could she cover?

  She composed herself and said, “If you’d let me finish. I was asking about television. Did you get to watch any?”

  He looked relieved. “Television… yeah, I did, and this world is stranger that we could ever imagine. I’ll tell you about it later.”

  “You mean there’s something to tell?”

  He nodded. “Ohhhh, yeah. Later.”

  She couldn’t wait for some unspecified later – she needed to know about Telly now.

  “I need some air,” she said. “Walk with me?”

  Ryan nodded. No dummy, her brother. “Sure.”

  Dillon looked at her and pointed to her bowl of gruel. “But you haven’t finished.”

  “You can have mine,” she told him. “Talk to you later.”

  The two of them hurried through the door and into the darkness of the fenced-in open area. The cool night air felt good, but Emma couldn’t savor it. She grabbed Ryan’s arm.

&
nbsp; “So what was that all about? That dummy act?”

  “We can’t let them know about Telly.”

  “What? Why not?”

  “Because he’s here. He’s really here.” Ryan turned to see if anyone had followed them. “I saw him. I talked to him.”

  Emma felt another surge of vindication – another premonition panning out.

  “He’s okay?”

  “Seems to be.”

  “What’d he say? How’d he get here?”

  “We didn’t have enough time to talk that much. He’s a member of the Uberalls.”

  “What?”

  “I’m not kidding. He–” Ryan cut off as his gaze fixed somewhere past her left shoulder.

  She turned and saw the big front gate swinging open.

  “That’s weird,” he said. “Don’t they keep that locked all the time?”

  He was right. Otherwise Simon’s workers would all wander away. Not that there was anyplace to go…

  “Never mind that. Tell me–”

  She was interrupted by a loud hiss of steam as a beat-up car raced into the clearing and swerved to a stop before them. The front passenger door swung open and a voice barked from the dark interior.

  “Bubbles?! My God, you’re here too? Get in, both of you!”

  She knew that voice–

  “Telly!”

  “Get in now!”

  She and Ryan ran to the car. He didn’t hesitate to pull the rear door open and leap inside. But Emma stood frozen by the front door, staring in at her older brother.

  “Telly! It’s really you!”

  “Yes! Really me! Get in so we can really get out of here!”

  “But how–?”

  “I’ll explain everything as we drive.” He leaned across the seat and grabbed her arm. “Now, Emma!”

  Emma instinctively recoiled at the touch of the hair on his palm. And at that instant she heard a cry from close behind her.

  “No!” Two arms wrapped around her waist. “Let her go!”

  Dillon.

  “It’s okay! He’s my brother!” I think.

  He’d called her “Bubbles” but what was up with the hairy palm?