“I thought it’d be best if I told you before we spend this time together. You know, doing this MMC take-down stuff.”
“Spit it out, Cameron.”
“I’ve met someone else.” He cringed as he waited for my reaction.
“Already?” I was worried he’d thought I’d moved on too fast when in fact he was the one who was well and truly over whatever it was we’d had.
“Yes. We just started dating a few days ago. I wanted you to know so this wouldn’t be weird. I honestly thought you’d be with Joe and it’d make everything easier.”
“I’m just… it’s just…” I couldn’t find the words.
“I know it probably seems like I’ve moved on too soon after everything we had. Everything we went through. But almost dying has a way of putting your life into perspective. It makes you question everything. When I told you we couldn’t be together anymore, I needed someone to lean on and she was there for me. I just needed someone normal, someone who wasn’t involved in all of this.” He lifted his arms, waving his hands around him.
I released the breath I was holding and relaxed my shoulders, surprised to find a wave of relief spreading through my body. He’d been what the old Amelia wanted. The Amelia who didn’t stand up for herself and followed Sarah around like a lost sheep. I’d thought he was the safest choice after losing Dawn and attempting our first MMC takedown. Joe and I had hurt each other too much, and were dealing with too much pain to be more than friends. But it hadn’t occurred to me I had a third choice. A choice which would’ve been the bravest to make. To be with neither of them. At the time the thought of being alone scared me, but now the thought made me feel stronger somehow. The new Amelia didn’t need anyone to be whole. I’d learnt I could handle the world without my friends and family, even when things got tough.
“It’s okay. I think I’m even happy for you.”
“You are?”
“Yeah, I am. You deserve to be happy after everything I put you through.”
“I don’t regret a day of being with you or the things we went through, I promise. And I know one day you’ll get your happy ending too. You’re a different person from the girl I met in the Sleep Ward, stronger and more confident. When I look back over our relationship, I think we were always destined to go our separate ways eventually. We were so different, and we liked the idea of being with each other more than actually being together.”
“I don’t regret anything either. And I feel different. I can’t even remember who that Amelia was anymore. We were different, but I think we were what each other needed at the time.”
“You have no idea how much that means to me. I promise it wasn’t easy for me to let you go, to move on from what we’d had. But she’s what I need at the moment.”
Knowing I wasn’t what he needed still hurt, but I knew he was right.
“What’s her name?” I asked.
“Elise. Her name is Elise.”
“Earth to Amelia!” Sarah shook my shoulder from the backseat of the car.
“Sorry, what happened?” We were on our way into the city and it’d been a long drive. I kept finding myself zoning in and out of the conversation. I wasn’t sure if I was sleeping or half-dazed.
“You seem pretty comfortable with the fact Cam is in camp. If it were me, I’d be all moody and bitchy,” she said.
“Duly noted,” said Byron.
Strangely this warranted a quick make out session on the backseat.
Janine groaned beside them, turning her gaze to the scenery out the car window. Joe stuck his finger down his throat, pretending to be sick, making me laugh.
“Well?” Sarah had come back up for air.
“Well, we had a chat down at the waterfall. And when he told me he had a new girlfriend it didn’t upset me.”
“What, like, not even a little bit?”
“Okay, maybe a little bit. But not as much as I thought it would. To be honest, I was actually worried he was going to tell me he wanted me back. And the idea of it freaked me out. So I guess I’m over what we had.”
“That’s a good thing, right?” asked Joe.
“Yeah, I think it is. He seems to be happy with his new girlfriend, and I’m happy for him.”
“You’re strange, Amelia Bailey. Lucky for you, I love strange,” said Sarah.
“Obviously. You’re with me,” said Byron, prompting another make out session.
I wasn’t sure what’d gotten into Sarah and Byron, but the best part was, since I’d let go of my hurt, I was able to be happy for them. Even if their open displays of affection were sickening at times, Byron made her genuinely happy. It was something I hadn’t seen in her with any of her boyfriends in the past. And the way he looked at her, you knew he was smitten.
“If I have to witness any more of your PDA, I think I might go crazy and jump in front of a truck.” Joe kept his eyes on the road ahead.
“I’ll follow you,” Janine piped in.
Soon we were driving through the town I’d caught a bus from when Tech helped me escape from the city’s lockdown. The streets were quiet and empty.
“I wonder where everyone is?” asked Sarah.
“Cam reckons no one lives in these small towns anymore. That’s why we want to hit the major cities and towns. The MMC seem to have brought everyone together where they can spend their money as the MMC wishes.”
What would it be like in the city? To be honest, it was hard to imagine what people would look like when the MMC were controlling their every thought. Would they be walking around aimlessly like zombies, dragging a leg behind them, their arms stretched out in front of them? Or would they look completely normal? As though the Cambiar virus hadn’t infected them at all.
Once the high-rise buildings came into view, Joe pulled the car to the side of the road. Cameron pulled over behind him. Harper, Wade, and Kaelee would be taking their trip into the city to visit their drop-off point the following day. Cameron didn’t want us driving together through the city, drawing attention. He said the MMC was always watching. It’d sent a shiver down my spine.
Joe let Cameron overtake us, and he and Tech took off along the road, with us close behind. Once we reached the city, I found it hard to believe what I was seeing. It was buzzing. People walked along the sidewalks and traffic filled the streets. It was as if the Cambiar Virus had never touched the city. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t been there to experience myself.
Cameron led us down several backroads until he pulled over in a parking lot behind a brick building covered in graffiti. The word Dreamer was sprayed in bright yellows and greens. We climbed out of the cars and met at the front of them.
“Obviously the MMC haven’t seen this,” said Joe.
“There’s no surveillance here, but this would be remnants of the last Dreamers in the city. As far as I know, Joe, Amelia and Byron are the only three here now,” replied Cameron.
“Surveillance?” I questioned.
“Yes, the MMC keep an eye on everything nowadays. So we need to keep our heads down and try not to get noticed while we walk to our destination. We still have to walk a few blocks to get to the drop off point. The other point will be across the other side of the city. Amelia and Janine, I think I should let you both know we are going to be near the MMC building.”
I remembered when Janine told us the MMC were still working from the monstrous glass building. It had given me the creeps when I’d gone to visit Cameron in the city, and her revelation had explained why.
“We’ll be fine.” Janine put her arm around my shoulders.
My hard swallow couldn’t dislodge the lump forming in my throat. My heartbeat quickened although I tried to remain calm.
“Won’t we, Amelia?” asked Janine, removing her arm.
“Of course.” I hoped I was right.
When we rounded the corner, we found ourselves amongst the hustle and bustle of the city. We watched the people walking the streets, their gazes squared, staring out straight ahead of them. The hum of
the traffic filling the air. It was hard to believe the virus had infected everyone around us. All these people had been infected by the Cambiar Virus and survived. All of these people were under the MMC’s control. We kept our heads forward and focused, trying to imitate those around us as we began walking the few blocks to the MMC’s glass building. We made good ground with Cameron and Tech in the lead, and as we rounded the last corner, the MultiMind Corporation building came into view. It appeared to tower over the rest of the city. I couldn’t remember if it’d reached so high the last time I’d seen it, or if my memories had made it seem smaller somehow. The glass exterior still reflected the world around it, as though it was trying to make itself invisible in the cityscape. But it didn’t need to anymore. No one was left in the city to question them, except for us.
I’d stopped walking while staring up at the building, as my friends and continued walking. A tall, skinny lady ran into my arm drawing my attention.
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
Her eyes stared back, but nothing seemed to register in them. Her round face was expressionless, and her empty gaze pierced straight through me, as though I wasn’t standing in front of her at all.
“Are you okay?” I asked, hoping for some sort of sign she was a real person. Someone with her own thoughts and desires.
As fast as she’d looked at me, she turned around and continued on her way. Her eyes haunted me. Their shiny lustre was gone. Now they were a matt white with a grey tinge. No more laughter, anger, or fear lived behind them. Did everyone have the same look in their eyes now that the MMC were in control? I supposed they did. They weren’t like the zombies I’d seen in any movie, but this was worse. At least you recognised a zombie as being mindless. These people still appeared the same, but empty, and it was much, much creepier.
“Amelia, what are you doing? Keep up.” Joe grabbed my arm, snapping me out of my daze.
“That lady… her eyes.”
“I know. It’s so sad. But we’re going to cure them. Every single one of them. Remember why we’re here.”
I nodded at him, a fire burning in my heart. That lady, all the people around me had lost their fight with the MMC. Without our knowledge, they hadn’t stood a chance. But we were still here, still fighting for them. And this time we would win.
We arrived at an alleyway two buildings down from the MMC, out of the view from the street.
“Here,” Cameron said. “This is where your team will release the anti-virus. There’s no surveillance down here, so you’ll be hidden.”
“I’ve been keeping an eye on their surveillance systems,” said Tech.
It looked well hidden from the street, but I didn’t understand why it mattered. Once it was released, there would be no stopping it. Everyone would be cured and the MMC would lose. A part of me hoped they would know I had something to do with it. But I knew Cameron’s plan was to make sure they never knew who was responsible.
“When everyone starts waking up, you have to get out of here as fast as you can. Once the MMC realises what’s going on, they’re going to do everything they can to stop it,” said Cameron.
“They can stop it?” asked Tech.
“No, but it doesn’t mean they won’t try.”
“Do you think they’ll hurt people?” asked Sarah.
“It’s what they do best,” growled Janine. It was the first time I’d heard her openly show hatred for the MMC.
“But we’re trying to save these people, not put them in more danger,” I argued.
“I can’t say what the MMC will do when they realise they’re losing control. All I know is they won’t be happy, so you need to get back to the car and to safety as soon as possible.” Cameron stared at me as he stressed his point.
We travelled in silence on our long journey back to our rainforest campground. I’d known the MMC had spread the Cambiar virus, and I was aware of the effect it had on people. I still hadn’t been prepared for what it’d look like in person. Our visit to the city had showed us what we were fighting for. To wake up those who were already under their control. The memory of the lady’s eyes made me both sad and angry. So many Dreamers had already lost their fight. They’d either died or their brains had been altered to a Non-Dreamer’s. Even if we destroyed the MMC, there wouldn’t be many Dreamers left. They wouldn’t be able to manipulate people anymore, but they would’ve still accomplished one of their goals, for Dreamers to become extinct. Well, close enough.
I could sense a shift in the energy in the car. Even Janine made her disgust of the MMC known for the first time, discussing her anger with Byron. Sarah stared with a thoughtful expression out of the car window. Joe’s jaw was set, eyes were narrowed, as though the trip had renewed his anger.
“They were just plain creepy,” said Sarah, addressing the group.
“Their eyes were… it was like they were empty.” Janine backed her up.
“I can’t believe they’ve gotten away with this.” Joe balled his fists at his sides.
“Not yet they haven’t,” said Cameron. “We can still stop them from controlling everyone. Right now that’s the most important thing. I’d hate to think what’d happen to those of us who are immune if they found out.”
“I know exactly what they’d do,” I said, more to myself than to the group. “They’d torture us and experiment on us until they worked out how we were immune. Then they’d kill us.”
“But that isn’t going to happen.” Harper stepped in to bring the mood back. “We have the answer to this problem, and once the canisters have been distributed to the other groups, we’ll finally end their reign over us.”
“How much longer do we have to sit out here? Why don’t we do it now?” asked Byron.
“Because it may give them the opportunity to stop the others. The attack has to happen at the exact same time everywhere. That way they won’t know what hit them, and they won’t be able to stop us,” replied Cameron.
It was the approach he’d urged us to take from the start. Slow, thought out, and methodical. But we’d let our emotions drive us, and it’d ended in heartache and tears each time. He was right. This time it’d work. It had to. It was our last chance.
“In exactly one week’s time, we’ll make our way into the city and release the anti-virus. Until then, I urge you to relax and work out what it is you want to do once this is over,” said Harper.
It was hard to believe it would ever be over. The one time I’d believed it was, I’d been thrust back into the MMC’s nightmare. A reminder I couldn’t escape it. But if we could take them down, my friends and I could emerge from hiding and live a normal life.
A normal life. What was that? I wasn’t sure I even knew anymore. Harper would go back to her shop and unit with Wade, living amongst her boho hippie mashup of things. Joe had his house on the beach in Sandhaven where he could surf every day if he wanted to. Sarah had Byron now. I had no idea what they’d planned for their future. Rose and Ethan would go back to their home, where Ethan could be with his friends, and Rose with her mum. And there was me. I had my family, but I wasn’t going to live back out on the farm with my mum and dad.
I was getting too far ahead of myself. We still had to actually defeat the MMC before what I was going to do with my life was an issue.
“You okay, Amelia?” Joe asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied.
Chapter Nineteen
When the weekend arrived, a new energy filled the camp. One of anticipation mixed with anxiety and excitement. Each of the canisters were where they needed to be and we decided to spend a night in the town on the outskirts of the city, ready to head in the following morning. We packed our sleeping bags, clothing, torches and food into the cars. Rose and Ethan came for a ride in the ute to the end of the off road track to see us off and when we arrived Rose hugged everyone one by one.
Before she came to me, she stood in front of Janine, starring at her for a moment as though fighting an internal battle in her head, before closing
the meter-wide gap between them and wrapping her in a hug. She whispered something in her ear that made Janine grin and her eyes water. Rose stepped back, wearing her own grin.
Leaving Janine, she came to me, wrapping me in one of her warm, motherly hugs. “Stay safe, Amelia. I love you.”
“I love you too. I’ll see you and Ethan soon.”
Ethan wrapped his arms around my body, and I realised how much taller he’d grown even in the short time we’d been living in the rainforest. He’d grown both in size and maturity. I guess it was to be expected when you spent so much time with adults, and although Rose had done her best to keep him out of everything, I knew he was much more aware of what was going on than he led her to believe.
“Let’s do this,” called Harper, and we climbed into our cars.
As Joe took off down the track, I watched Rose and Ethan in the rear-view mirror growing smaller until we turned a corner and they were hidden by palms and tree ferns. I knew Rose would’ve loved to be helping us. But she was doing one of the most important jobs there was, protecting a young Dreamer. There weren’t going to be many of us around anymore.
When we arrived in the town outside of the city, Cameron took a right turn down a backroad. We followed him along a few more streets before he pulled into a driveway leading down beside a single-story, white, timber-clad house on stilts. He parked in the backyard, and Joe parked next to him.
As we climbed out of the cars, I pulled on the hem of my shorts and ran my fingers through my hair before tightening my ponytail. The yard we stood in was surrounded by a six-foot-high timber fence, the grass reached up to my knees, and a three-by-three shed sat in its corner. The overgrown hedges and flowers lining the fence looked as though they’d once been someone’s pride and joy. They reminded me of Dawn’s gardens out on her farm. I wondered what’d happened to the owners to let it get into such an unloved state.
As if reading my mind, Cameron spoke up. “The owners were patients of mine. An elderly couple who fell ill at the same time. Neither of them made it.”
Rise of the Dreamer Page 15