Pestilence Rising

by Lea Ryan

  Chapter 11

   

  We gathered in the back yard near a roughly-assembled, wooden dais. Led by Llewyn and Vic, a pair of guardians brought Emma's body out on a stretcher. The dark blanket they'd lain over her was embroidered with stars like the tunic she wore.

  They hoisted her up, then stepped back for another member of the family to light the kindling. As I watched her burn, I envisioned Bree in the flames, my brother, me. This was Llewyn's plan for all of us. Once she got what she wanted, we would burn. Some Ceremony of Light.

  I was relieved when people started leaving. I had to call Gideon.

  “I have to run out for a while.” I told Bree.

  She pouted and nuzzled my arm, “Can't I go with you? You always leave me behind.”

  “Not this time. We'll hang out later.” I wasn't happy about the way my voice sounded, that harried, defeated tone, but I couldn't hide my dread.

  Michael, Celeste and I started up the hill to head around the side of the building to the driveway where the truck waited. Vic intercepted me. He dragged me to a spot near the garden, in the shade of an elm tree. Michael hung back. Celeste was at my side in an instant, which didn't deter the guardian from spewing venom my direction.

  “I'm not feeling your faith.”

  I wanted to tell him how deranged I thought they all were. I wanted to grab his shoulders and shake some sense into him. Didn't he know that his name could pop up on the Ceremony of Light list at any time? What about his sister? I was suddenly angry that he put someone as trusting as Bree in such a dire situation. I chose my words carefully.

  “You'll have to excuse me. I've never witnessed a human sacrifice before.”

  He clenched his fist near my face, and I thought he might hit me. His face reddened. This guy could get out of control really fast.

  Temper, temper.

  “She wasn't a sacrifice. You might think you're better than us, but these are your people. Keep refusing what you are, and see where it lands you.”

  I asked, “Is that a threat?”

  “You're damn right it is. Maybe you have no loyalty, but I do.” He noticed the keys in my hand, “Where are you going?”

  “Why does it matter? Am I a prisoner?”

  He backed off, “You aren't,” He motioned to Michael with the top of his head, “but he can't go.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he's a security risk.”

  “That's bullshit.” I stepped forward to lay into him. I had reached the verge of not caring how big he was.

  Michael stopped me, “Hunter, it's fine. I'll stay. No big deal.”

  Celeste nodded at me, a signal that I should go with the flow. She started toward the truck. I went with her.

  “He'd better be in one piece when I get back.” I shot back at Vic.

  I worried he or some of his cronies would follow us as we drove the winding road, but we reached the intersection at the edge of the nature preserve without interference. I was surprised. With the level of tension rising, I expected our conflict would escalate to physical confrontation soon enough.

  “They won't continue to let me come and go whenever I want if they find out I'm talking Gideon. If something happens to me, I want you to cooperate with the Center to stop Llewyn.”

  “They attempted to capture us.” She looked down at her hands folded in her lap.

  “They're the lesser evil. I know they aren't trustworthy.” I hated to ask her to work with the Center after all they put us through.

  She said, “I understand.”

  I waited until we got to town before calling Gideon. A check of the mirrors revealed no one from the compound had followed us.

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “Again? I just saw you this morning. Do you miss me already?”

  “Let's just say that recent events have inspired a sense of urgency.”

  “How do I know this isn't some kind of kooky cult shenanigan? Is this a trap?”

  “Damn it, Gideon, you're going to have to decide at some point, once and for all, whether you trust me. Do you want information or not?”

  There was a pause, and then he said, “I suppose that was a convincing level of outrage. I will transmit our location to the GPS.” He hung up.

  I pulled into a parking space to wait

  “What would they do to me?” Celeste asked.

  “Who?”

  “The Center, if they decided I wasn't helping them.”

  I shrugged, “I've never seen them take in an angel. When they got me, Gideon and a couple of enforcers beat me unconscious. I woke up as they dragged me from the back of a van, through a loading dock at the back of the asylum. That's what they use as a cover for their operation - an old mental asylum. I think they have some actual mental patients there to keep up appearances. I spent time locked in a room with a bed, more time locked in what looked like an interrogation room. They kept me drugged.” I could tell my story wasn't easing her concerns. “I was just a stupid kid, though. You're a badass guardian angel, right? So that probably wouldn't happen to you.”

  “I can't lose you.” She didn't mean she needed me to get back in Heaven's good graces. She cared about what happened to me because she cared about me.

  The female GPS voice informed us that we had a new destination. I put the truck into gear, and we were off. We followed the main drag until it ended at a curve at the top of a hill, then we veered right onto streets paved with brick. Like the downtown area, the residential district was untouched by the flood.

  Most of the houses were cottages with overstuffed gardens that belonged in fairy tales. Down another street and around the corner was the Center base of operations or as it was labeled from the outside - Lemon and Wallitz, Attorneys at Law.

  The office was a turn-of-the-century three-story house with a scalloped roof. Every square inch of the exterior (and there were many inches), with the exception of the window panes, was painted dark green on green on green.

  “With a name like Lemon, I would have guessed it was yellow.” Celeste said.

  The front room had been converted to a reception area. A burly enforcer was stationed behind the desk, among piles of papers and crayon drawings by children. A kitty calendar adorned the wall next to his head. The nameplate read - Doris Winters.

  “Hey there, Doris. Where's Lemon?”

  He grunted, clearly not amused by my wit and charm. He pointed to his left to the staircase leading to the second floor.

  Celeste and I ascended the creaking stairs to a loft where we found a computer setup with several monitors, much like the workstation at my apartment. A figure was bent amid the tangle of wires next to the black desk. He wore a pair of shiny athletic shorts and a Miami Heat jersey.

  “Teag?”

  He hit his head on the underside of a shelf, “Ow, shit.” He turned. “You're here.” He said it like he didn't quite believe it, then he looked afraid of what I might reveal about him assisting with our escape. He hadn't told them he helped me. I wouldn't have told them either. Center management wasn't exactly understanding.

  “They got you out of the city? What did that take?”

  “Only the threat of a loss of job security.”

  Working for the Center was almost as dangerous for him as it was for me. They liked to keep their secrets, and people who left, the nonanomaly variety, were coerced into keeping their mouths shut. From what I understood, they and their close family members were monitored to ensure no one outed the Center.

  A door down the hall opened and shut and Gideon came into the room. Nigel was with him. The sight of them together was oddly comforting. A part of the team dynamic had been restored. Nigel went to the computer and started typing.

  Gideon asked, “What do you want? We're still getting wired in.”

  “Smells like old people and furniture polish in here. What happened to Lemon, Wallitz and Doris?”

  “We sent them to Bermuda,” He snapped, “Vacation of a lifetime. What deve
lopments do you have to share? You know, since earlier today.”

  “They're offering human sacrifices to their gods.”

  “Good, should minimize the number of anomalies left to snuff out when we overtake them.”

  I bit my tongue. No matter how hard I pushed back, Gideon would never see us as human, not that he afforded regular people any significant level of compassion, either.

  “I want this to be over soon, preferably in the next day or two. I want you to raid the compound.”

  “We can't.” Gideon rubbed his forehead, “We're running low on men.”

  “Sounds to me like management isn't taking this threat seriously. They need to.”

  “I mean overall. I need to talk to you alone. Come with me.”

  For once, he didn't sound pissed. He hadn't threatened me since I arrived. When I noticed the loss of haughtiness, that's when I realized he was in over his head. We all were. I told Celeste to wait for me there, which pleased Teag greatly. He was already sidling up to her as my supervisor and I left the room.

  In an office a couple of doors away from the others, Gideon flicked the switch, illuminating a brass table lamp. The place was frilly with quilted everything like a grandma had decorated it. Books were everywhere, stacked and lined on shelves. He sat in a leather armchair behind the desk. I took the smaller armchair in front of the desk. He laced his fingers in front of him.

  He said, “We already attempted a raid on the compound.”

  “When?”

  “While you were cavorting all over the countryside with your new girlfriend. Another team thought they could go in, guns blazing, and make a dent. We lost thirty men that day. As far as we could tell, we got maybe one of theirs. The problem is they're too damn big. Bringing an army wouldn't make a difference. Regular humans are no match for ravagers, especially so many.”

  “Management has given up.” I guessed.

  “They're exploring their options, which is probably code for readying the escape pods. They had packed up the base of operations and fallen back. They know Llewyn is going to come for the anomalies we already locked up. Most of the remaining forces have been relegated to guarding the Center.”

  “You could've warned me how dangerous Llewyn's people are.”

  “Oh, I apologize, your highness, but I was busy recovering from that delightful time we had at your brother's farmhouse.”

  I had never thought of Gideon as a courageous person. Cruel? Yes. Sadistic? Definitely. But seeing him there, taking up a post from which his cohorts had retreated, I gained respect for him. I still thought he was an ass, of course.

  “What about the anomalies in Center custody? Can we use any of them?”

  “We have several in training, but they've all been anxious lately. Management said we had three escape attempts in the last 48 hours. They're hunting for weaknesses in our security and maintenance systems. They do that all the time, but usually not in such close succession. They've gotten more desperate to get out.”

  “It's Llewyn. She's calling them to her.”

  He raised an eyebrow, “Calling them?”

  I thought for a moment about how to best communicate what I was attempting to say. I didn't particularly want to tell him about seeing her in the glass or that night in the field with the coyotes and the stars. That was crazy talk, even if it was true.

  “If the cult is a hive, she's the queen bee. She can communicate with her people through some kind of extrasensory method.”

  “So, she's psychic.”

  “Yeah, I guess you could call it that.”

  Is the ability to force images into people's minds psychic? I didn't have a better word for it.

  “Does that mean she knows you're here?”

  “I don't think so. I've been working on blocking her out of my mind, and it seems to be working. Celeste says Llewyn can only reach me that way if I allow her to.”

  “I hope you're right,” He slapped his hands on the table and stood, “Let's go discuss some logistics, and we'll see where we are.”

  We assembled in the tech loft. The center, top monitor displayed a satellite view of the compound. The top left monitor was a diagram of the building with no divisions for rooms or labels. The monitor to the right was a satellite view of the compound but zoomed farther out to show the grounds, the network of boardwalks, the river, part of the nature preserve next door and the road leading in. The second row of monitors displayed various Center communications, GPS tracking on vehicles in the area, including mine parked out front. Teag sat in the rolling office chair at the keyboard.

  “Okay,” I pointed out rooms and approximate sizes on the diagram, “The ravagers sleep here and the healers in this dorm. With the exception of some of the guardians and maybe Llewyn, they go to sleep at the same time. Then they eat meals together in the cafeteria. Here.” I estimated the times in which they engaged in these activities.

  “An attack would be much easier if we could get them all in a room together.” Nigel suggested.

  “That shouldn't be too difficult. They ring a bell when they want everyone in the temple.”

  Gideon asked, “Did you figure out how many people live on the property?”

  “I'm still estimating them at a couple hundred. I tried to get some kind of count while we were in the temple. Everything moved pretty fast.”

  “What about the guardians?”

  Celeste fielded that question, “We have counted about twenty so far. You can tell which are guardians by the tattoos on their arms. They sometimes wear camouflage, but they can also be dressed in regular clothes. I don't believe they have uniforms.”

  I added, “They communicate to each other via earpieces.”

  “Where does Llewyn sleep?”

  “I haven't figured that out yet. I'm sure it's not a dorm.”

  The window behind the wall of monitors revealed the sky outside was darkening. If I didn't get back to the compound, they might think I wasn't coming back, or worse, realize that I was talking to their enemy. I told Gideon I had to leave, that I would come back with more information when I could.

  “I'll see what resources I have left to pull. Calling in a couple of favors might net more weapons, maybe some men. This is our probably our only chance. We need to make it count.” He said.

  Vic was waiting in the lobby with two other guardians when we returned to the compound. No one else was hanging out there like they usually did, and I was afraid that might be the end of my term as a spy.

  “The mother wants to speak with you. Come with me. Celeste, you may retire to your room.”

  Her eyes narrowed at him. She didn't appreciate the order but didn't argue. I wondered what she might do to him when she finally got the chance to give him the beat-down he deserved. I smiled at the thought.

  We moved past the temple door to a neighboring hallway. I made note of the hand scanner lock he used to gain entry. I hadn't seen another one like it at the compound, which told me that whatever lay beyond warranted heftier security. The corridor into which we entered was narrow, the floor an earthy, gray ceramic tile. At the end, we came to a wooden door with a prismatic window. No lock.

  He opened the door and shut it behind me without coming in. I was glad to be rid of him, even if I knew he wouldn't go far.

  Plants grew thick and lush in intensely humid air redolent of potting soil. Water dripped on me from above and for a second, I thought I might be outside. An irrigation system, a grid of pipes around skylights on the ceiling, sprinkled trees and the grass beneath my feet.

  A brick path wound through plants that showed evidence of obsessive trimming. Edges, both angled and rounded, were shorn so evenly, they no longer looked natural.

  I found Llewyn sitting cross legged on a small grassy hill where no trees grew. Her eyes were closed, her hair loose on her shoulders. I stepped over a babbling brook to reach her, then saw that the hill was an island surrounded by a creek. She didn't react to my presence.

  “Vic said you wa
nted to talk to me.”

  She opened her eyes and seemed surprised to see me. She smiled, “Yes. I'm happy you're here. Please sit with me.”

  I did as she requested, “This is a heck of a room.”

  “I spend many hours here. The quiet and the energy given by the plants are quite conducive to meditation.”

  Sitting on the grass was awkward. I pulled my legs up to cross them like she did, mostly in an effort to keep my shoes out of the water.

  “I want to understand why you worked for our enemy.”

  “What do you mean?” Request clarification before panicking - always a good plan.

  “Your job. You hunted your own, so those men would imprison them. Why would you do such a thing?”

  I felt a twinge of guilt. It was kind of a shitty way to operate, but really, what choice did I have? They weren't just my oppressors. The Center also provided a paycheck and a roof over my head. They kept me from accidentally ravaging the general public.

  “I didn't have many options. They caught me when I was a teenager. Once they determined they might have some use for me, they offered me a job.”

  “Did your conflict with Michael affect your decision to betray us all?”

  The phrasing of that inquiry didn't bode well for me. In her eyes, I was a traitor before I knew her group existed, before I met her or Bree. Did anyone else know? If Vic found out about my job, that explained why he had such potent animosity toward me.

  I shrugged, “Maybe.”

  “Have you forgiven him?”

  Had I? My childhood was a nightmare because of him.

  “He's not the same person now.” was all I said.

  “He is the same person. You need to forgive him fully in order to move forward. All you've done is choose to overlook what he did to you. That does not constitute forgiveness.”

  “I forgive Michael for terrorizing me.” It probably didn't sound very sincere, but I wasn't sure what else she expected me to say.

  “And you'll forgive yourself. Your mother's death wasn't your fault.”

  Geez, did this chick know my life story or what?

  “I know that.” As much as I distanced myself from people in general, there were those who had told me as much. The shrink/brainwasher at the Center. Celeste. A couple of marks who I opened up to before Gideon removed them from society. Hell, I practically chanted it to myself as a mantra when I lived at home with Dad.

  “These factors have contributed to a conflict with what you are. A ravager is neither good, nor bad. They simply exist. You deserve to exist and to be what you are without interference from others.”

  I hated when she started to make sense because that meant I was a step closer to being one of them. I conjured mental images of Emma's stabbing to remind myself what being one of them meant.

  She said, “Close your eyes, Hunter.”

  I did as she told me to, and her cool, slender hand slipped into my grasp. A dizzying calm swept over me in a wave that almost knocked me onto my back. My heartbeat took on a slow, heavy rhythm in my chest. I opened my eyes, and the room was dark. Fireflies blazed everywhere, or were they stars? Their reflections skimmed the surface of the water all around us.

  Llewyn was no longer holding my hand. She stood at the crest of the hill, arms raised over her head. The stars surrounded her to swirl up her tattooed arms to her wrists and beyond.

  “Our brothers and sisters who have ascended remain close. What you witnessed today in the temple wasn't violence. They don't die. The enlightened transcend their mortal bodies. I can draw them when I need to feel them close.”

  “What are the statues for?” Emma's soul had left her body for the statue of Ekash.

  Llewyn lowered her arm into the ring of souls at her waist, and they circled her faster, excited by her presence and her attention. Some of them drifted over to me and duplicated the movements. I put out my hand. They didn't stir the air. However, I could feel them like static electricity, without the shock, coursing across my skin.

  “The statues are gathering places, homes in which the Sidera live until the day of the resurrection.”

  “Sidera.” I repeated her word for them, wondering if I was making the right decision by siding with Gideon. I turned my palm up, and three of the shining stars whirled in my hand.

  “They are beautiful, aren't they? We are beautiful. Being extraordinary doesn't make you evil.”

  “This is definitely extraordinary.” I agreed.

  “Would you do something for me, Hunter?”

  I had to stop myself from telling her I would do anything.

  “What?” The light from the Sidera brightened until it blocked out the darkness completely.

  “You must send Celeste away. Her presence has disrupted the harmony we work so diligently to maintain.”

  “She hasn't done anything wrong.”

  “She's part of an opposing force.”

  “God is an opposing force?” The wonder drained away, and normal lighting returned to the room.

  “He has always worked to keep humanity in their place. We appreciate Him for the physical life He has given, but the desire to be more is only human. She can't stay.”

  Play by the rules; that was the plan. Against my instincts, I agreed to ask her to leave.

  As I left the room, Llewyn called after me, “Tomorrow is a new dawn. You'll see how happy we are, how loved you can be.”

  I opened the door to see Vic standing there.

  “You never wander far, do you?”

  “Never.”

  He escorted me to Celeste's assigned room. She turned from the window as I entered.

  “What's wrong? What happened?”

  I didn't want to say the words. I'd gotten used to having her around. She had my back, unfailingly. She was honest and fearless. I admired her. No matter how confused I had become about what was right and wrong, I knew I didn't want her to go.

  “You have to leave.” The words caught in my throat. I stared at the floor, unable to make eye contact.

  “Is that what she said?”

  I nodded. I couldn't tell her to go to Gideon while Vic was standing there. I hoped she remembered what I said earlier and went along with the plan. This separation wasn't mission-ending.

  “Then, I will go.”

  I followed her to the lobby and handed her the keys to the truck outside, “I'm sorry.”

  She pulled me close and then hugged me, “I will be fine. We'll be fine.”

  Then she passed through the front door into the night. I stayed there until the sound of the truck engine faded.

  Vic slapped me on the back, “Good. Now you'll really be one of us.”

  He grinned, which was terrifyingly unnatural in a face I had only seen twisted in anger. However, the change in his attitude - was it a step forward? I was less of a threat with her gone. In fact, I wasn't really much of a threat at all. I couldn’t even leave the premises anymore because she'd taken the truck. I was trapped there with the pit bull and Llewyn, the gatherer of souls.

  I smiled back.