Noah was surviving as Worm, the spineless fool who kept his ear to the ground, kept everyone safe, kept himself safe. But when they used him as a hound dog, used his hearing to listen for the ragged breaths and scared whimpers of potential slaves, he hated his life. Sometimes he was brave enough to lie, say that he couldn’t hear anything, but he had to give up real information occasionally or they would start suspecting him. It usually didn’t work.
They are always testing me, Noah thought. Even when he lied, Redford was usually able to find his targets without Noah’s help. The man seemed to have a sense for smelling out fear. Whenever the Red Chain suspected he’d lied, Talbot would dish out the beatings, saying pain was the only discipline left in this world. Luckily, the orb helped Noah heal faster than ever, but not at an obviously inhuman rate, just a little faster than normal.
Noah watched Redford get off his horse and open a cabin door without knocking. Noah didn’t reach for the orb to listen in on their conversation. He knew what Redford and the cabin owner would be talking about—why the raiders were here. Besides, the pack on his back was getting too heavy to balance one-handed. The presence of the cabin meant the band would probably rest, and he was looking forward to it.
The young man watched Talbot’s eyes dart across the tree line in the nearby woods. The man’s unibrow made it look like he had a caterpillar on his face at all time. The facial hair somehow came across both ridiculous and threatening at the same time. Despite the beatings, Noah had learned not to hate Talbot as much as he had before. The man was just following orders. Even with Noah’s earlier confirmation that no threatening noises had come from the cabin, Talbot’s paranoia was on display as he scanned the woods. Noah caught a frantic look in the goateed man’s eyes, and he realized that Talbot was probably actually just like him—a man full of fear.
Redford eventually came out of the large cabin followed by a thin man in a plaid button-down shirt and overalls. Unlike all the newcomers, the man in overalls was completely clean shaven. He probably shaves in the nearby creek, Noah realized. Despite his well-groomed appearance, the man, Doc, came across like a mountain man or something. A few nods flashed among members of the Red Chain, making it obvious that the majority of the gang recognized him. Noah knew him too.
The plaid-shirted man walked with a bouncy gait toward the prisoners, ignoring Talbot. Noah reported, “Doc, there are five prisoners total. I’ve been trying to keep them dry this time like you told me to the last visit, but the winds brought rain in from every direction. It was hard to keep them dry from—”
Doc put his hand up and gave Noah a warm smile. “I’ll be the judge of that, Noah. I’m glad you tried. That’s really all we can do, isn’t it—our best? Send the walking prisoners inside right away, and get the others inside before the evening dark comes. Hypothermia is bad. I’ll see what I can do.”
Noah suppressed the emotion that swelled in his throat. Doc was the only one who called Noah by his name anymore. The thin man turned around and asked Talbot, “Did you get that supply of antibiotics from the Iron Wolves like I asked?”
Talbot’s eyes stayed glued to the trees. “Yeah. Worm’s got them in the pack.”
Doc smiled at that, pulled out a pack of smokes—valuable after the Shift—and lit a cigarette in his mouth. One of the slaves, a man with wiry muscles, gave Doc a pleading look. “Please. Help us.”
Noah shivered. The slaves—no, the people that had been caught—used to ask Noah to help them escape. They might have been able to sense the small grain of humanity left inside him. But now, the only person the slaves ever pleaded with was Doc. With Doc’s kind smile and easy demeanor, he was like everyone’s best friend’s dad, like he might crack a corny joke any minute.
The thin man in overalls puffed out a puff of smoke, his eyes closed, enjoying the slow burn between his lips. “Just what the Doc ordered.” Then he regarded the man inside the cage and gave him a sad smile. “That’s what I’m here for. To help.”
***
Christopher Broad watched Noah usher the prisoners inside his cabin. The young man brought a few of them to the medical beds that the Red Chain had hauled in from nearby hospitals.
After killing his cigarette and crushing it under his heel, Chris sighed. The Red Chain called him Doc—everyone did. He’d never liked the nickname because he wasn't technically a doctor. Chris had never gotten his test results back or begun residency. He did come from a family of doctors, though. His father, grandfather, brothers, and sisters had all been doctors. After the Shift they had all died in various ways, most in raider attacks. It was ironic now how he was helping a group of raiders. They had him by the balls, though—he’d always heal and help anybody he could regardless of their current circumstances. Chris watched Noah, shaking his head at the weight of fear the boy carried—Red’s doing. Redford was definitely not Chris’ favorite person.
Men like Redford always ruled through fear. Talbot was a perfect example of its effect. Chris had watched Talbot morph from a man more like Noah to Redford’s ruthless second in command. There was a real possibility that one day Talbot might become a new Redford, and Noah would be Talbot’s replacement. Over the past few months that Chris had known Noah, he had learned to like the young man. The way he guided the prisoners to their medical beds without touching them, offered them blankets, and asked them if they felt any pain, were indicators that Noah probably carried as much guilt as he did fear. No mean feat. The boy was decent, just trapped.
He and Noah had chatted every time the Chain brought new prisoners to the cabin for a fix-up. The raider gang always needed Christopher to clean up their merchandise before they were sold to the Iron Wolves. The people would be worth more if they were in the best condition possible. Chris hated it. Every single time Redford paid a visit, his ethical dilemma grew.
Chris wanted more alone time with Noah so he could break through the hard exterior the young man had been building…just like Talbot had. Healing the spirit could be as important as the body, sometimes more. Luckily, he’d been able to help Noah in a way he’d never thought to help Talbot. Proof of the headway he’d been making lately had come when Noah had entrusted him with knowledge of his orb and its properties.
He’d been shocked by the boy’s claims at first, but after seeing its healing effects first-hand, the orb’s powers had been undeniable. He had gained Noah's trust—listening about the orb and never telling the rest of the Red Chain about it.
Chris snapped out of his memories and came back to the present. He still had patients, after all. Going through his normal procedure, diagnosing and treating the prisoners was a matter of routine, now. As usual, at first the prisoners were confused, wondering why the Red Chain had brought them to a doctor. Then as they always did, they eventually realized that they were just being cleaned up before being sold.
A few more hours passed before night. His work done, he and Noah sat on the back porch of the cabin alone. The rest of the Red Chain were busy eating their game they had hunted or were standing guard around the front of the cabin. Noah would eat last since he was the newest member.
The young man looked into the night sky using a telescope that Chris had propped up with old gaming consoles. Most of them had been side projects, things to pick apart over the years before the Shift. He’d grabbed them from his lab inside the cabin—they weren’t worth anything anymore. Noah glanced back and forth between a candle-lit astronomy book and the telescope. His face scrunched in confusion, he asked, “Hey, Doc. I can't find Ursa Major. I never really cared about constellations before—like, astronomy stuff.”
Chris nodded as he drew on his Marlboro Red. “Yes, I understand. I never looked at the stars before the Shift, but after that, there wasn't much to do without electricity. I guess the brightest things at night now are the stars, just like when our ancestors lived. That’s probably why we have so many songs and stories about the heavens from the past, when you think about it. Anyway, to answer your question, I recognized the
same thing about a few months ago—you’re not seeing things. I don't know if it has anything to do with the Shift or if that book is outdated, but there's something wrong with the stars.”
Noah’s eyes widened, his interest plain before he went back to the telescope with renewed concentration. Nervousness tap danced on Chris’ heart as he thought about the request he was about to make. What he had to ask Noah. This was serious. Finally, he cleared his throat and first asked, “Noah, is anyone here right now other than us?”
The kid reached into his leather jacket, then shook his head. “No, we're alone. Why do you ask?”
Chris absent-mindedly blew smoke out through his nose. Might as well get straight to the point, he thought. “I need you to give me the orb. Just for a few weeks.”
Noah froze like a deer in the headlights. He backed away slowly from the telescope and folded his arms. Chris saw a flurry of emotions pass over Noah's face—confusion, then trust warring with skepticism. Finally, the young man seemed to come to a decision. To Chris’ relief, Noah asked, “Why are you asking me this, Doc?”
“My name isn’t Doc. It’s Chris Broad. If that’s too much for you, Doc Broad will do. Take this as a sign of trust. So, yeah, I'm not going to beat around the bush about the orb. I believe it’s capable of great good. My theory is that it can be used as a power source. I still remember when I was a kid and I pulled apart my first PC to see how it worked. I learned how to power it by combining solar power panels and a potato. “
“Okay, I already know you’re smart, Doc—Chris—Doc Broad.”
“That wasn’t the point.”
“No, I know that.” Noah shook his head and said, “Come to think of it, I don’t know why I spilled everything about the orb before. I think I just needed someone to talk to. I mean, I trusted you. Well, I still trust you.”
“I really appreciate that, and—”
Noah slashed his hand through the air. “No, you don't know what you're asking of me. I told you before that the orb is the only thing keeping me alive. It's the only reason the Red Chain see me as valuable. I'm not just a useless pack mule to them anymore. I'm the reason that some of them are still alive. Well, the orb is the reason.”
Chris put out the butt of his cigarette. The only light left on the porch was from a couple candles. Moonlight fell on the porch steps; a dome of stars covered the entire world. He scratched his head in thought and finally said, “Just a few weeks. Can you survive for…two weeks without the orb? When was the last ambush you warned the Chain about?”
“Two weeks ago,” said a deep baritone from the shadows. Chris froze in place and saw Noah do the same. A serious-faced Redford stepped out of the shadow and into the moonlight. “Tell me about this orb,” he ordered.
Chapter 4
“Hand me the orb, Worm,” ordered Redford. Noah pleaded with Doc Broad for help with his eyes, but the clean-shaven man just shook his head. With a sinking heart, Noah walked over to Redford and handed him the orb.
The Crimson Chain leader gently traced the crack in the otherwise perfect sphere with his thumb. He seemed to be concentrating but finally looked up in annoyance. “I can't hear anything.” Redford frowned. “This thing is probably something from the Aelves." He spat. "Bah…magic. As useless as it is evil. Alien bastards are probably just seeding poison for idiots to pick up.”
Noah felt like a million stones were suddenly dropped into his stomach. He no longer knew if he would survive the next day, not without the orb. Redford must have noticed his stress, because, in a rare show of reassurance, he gruffed, “You have a jacket. You're one of us, Worm.” The man was still obviously irritated, though.
Redford sneered at the orb, and Noah thought he might throw it out into the darkness before Doc Broad stepped forward, saying, “In time, I could make your group the most powerful in the area with that orb. We could have electricity, Red.”
Based on Redford’s reaction, that had caught his attention. Instead of hurling the precious sphere, he pocketed the orb inside his own leather jacket. Then the Red Chain leader towered over the thin and wiry doctor. He growled, “Is that a guarantee?”
Doc Broad calmly pulled out another cigarette, making Redford wait while he lit it. Noah goggled at the man’s sub-zero calm. Finally, Doc said, “There is no guarantee. But like I was telling Noah, I have had experience with alternative power sources in the past. All the broken solar panels and extra video game equipment on one side of the cabin were from my hobbies.
"I used to come out here to work. My family owned the place. It seemed like a good place to hole up after the world ended, and all my old junk was still there. Heck, most of my not-so-secret lab you saw before was just set up to break apart video game consoles for experiments. After I made this place home, after the Shift, I spent a lot of time trying to make electricity work again.”
“That doesn't tell me anything,” Radford growled. He took a threatening step forward, but Doc didn't move.
The smaller man said, "Give me two weeks, and I'll see what I can do. I'm no genius, but like I said, I feel certain that this is important and we can get results. Even if I was only able to use that thing to power basic, low-level electronics, you would still be the most powerful group in the entire area. With electricity, you could have radios. You could also have flashlights and other things that no one else has now. Maybe your group might even have a chance against a group of Aelves.”
How did he do that, Noah wondered. How can the Doc just look at Redford straight in the eyes without folding?
“The Aelves, huh?” Redford's hands tightened into fists as he stared Doc down. Noah could practically see wheels spinning in the brutish man’s mind. Trust didn't matter in this situation; Red just weighed the pros and cons, deciding who and what was valuable for his own survival and wealth.
After a long, uncomfortable silence, Redford finally decreed, “You have two weeks with the orb. If you don't produce electricity for us by then, you're dead. I can't have you running around sharing secrets or helping other groups, not after you know about this. As another safety measure, I will have one of my lieutenants stay here with you to keep an eye on you. This is an investment after all.”
Noah mentally sighed in relief. He hadn’t realized how stressed he’d been about Doc’s safety until Redford had finally backed down. However, the leader of the Red Chain turned his head slowly to Noah and frowned, and in that moment, Noah recognized the future beating he’d have to endure. He also knew there wasn’t any way to avoid it, not now. One of Noah’s nightmares had come to pass–Redford knew about the orb and knew that Noah had been keeping secrets.
***
In the past, Noah had thought he might actually get used to the taste of blood in his mouth, or become accustomed to pain. However, every new beating Talbot had given him always brought new agony and additional ways to hit rock bottom. This time around, Redford had watched the whole time, repeating his senseless mantra, “Pain is the only discipline.”
Noah must have blacked out at some point. After waking up sometime later, he overheard voices.
“What do you think has the boss in such a flurry?” one person asked. Noah recognized the voice, a high tenor. The Red Chain wasn’t a talkative group, especially with Redford around, but Noah had heard snippets of conversation over the last couple months. He didn’t really know many of the raiders’ names, though. Other than Talbot and Redford, most of them didn’t have a direct impact on his life, and it wasn’t like he wanted to bond with them. Noah was like them now, but he didn't want to try to be like them. At least, that’s what he always told himself.
A second voice, a scratched with a husky baritone answered, “No clue. Whatever it is, I've never seen him excited before. I mean, I saw him smile, and it gave me the creeps.”
“I think it has to do with the Doc,” said the high tenor. “I overheard Talbot and the boss talking about getting rid of him in a couple of weeks once whatever he was doing for the boss was finished.”
/> Oh no, Noah thought. Red is going to kill Doc once he creates electricity.
In a ruthless way, it kind of made sense. Redford would never want knowledge spreading that he could use for himself.
Several memories passed through Noah's mind all at once, and it was hard for him to focus on anything, his brain still addled from the recent beating. Instinctively, he searched for the orb, longing for the familiar warm feeling and a respite from his aches and pains, but then remembered he no longer had it.
As his head cleared, Noah kept repeating one thing over and over in his mind—the bastards wanted to kill Doc, the only person that had treated him with any sort of respect or dignity in months. The last man who had treated him like a person before Doc, Noah had either directly or indirectly killed. He hadn’t thought about Yusef for a while, but all the old guilt came rushing back in, unaffected by time.
None of The Red Chain cared about Noah as a person. None of them knew about his past, or how his family had died on their journey from the outskirts of Grand Rapids to a fortress in Indiana. They hadn’t asked, and he hadn’t told them the story of how it had already been too late when his remaining family and friends reached the so-called fortress.
Fear of the Aelves had brought humanity’s baser instincts to the fore, turned people into animals. Of course, he would never need to explain that part to the Red Chain; they were already a perfect example of the lows some people would go to for survival.
Noah was part of that cycle now—he couldn't deny it.
These days, after the Shift, some of the only places with any remaining sense of community left were small towns, but they were becoming less common, destroyed over time by raiders, or competing factions…or the Aelves.
All of this had begun warping Noah, turning him more into someone he couldn't recognize. The Chain had given him a name. They had given a title to the spineless thing that he was becoming, Worm. But Doc, Doc Broad, had taken the last speck of humanity inside Noah and given it some room to grow. He’d helped Noah remember who he really was.
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