The Breaking, page 15
part #2 of The Reckoning of Anecor Series
CHAPTER 22
I
t had been a long night. Lucash made his way back to where he had left Juniper to find that she was burning up with fever and did not seem to recognize him. She kept mumbling his name, but no matter how much he told her he was there, she just kept saying his name over and over again. And then she’d fall into a fitful sleep for a while, before waking up and starting again with the mumbling.
The only thing at all that seemed to help was his touch, but he couldn’t hold her close. She was too feverish for that. When he tried, she started thrashing around, trying to get away. Instead, it was the light touches. His hand cupping her cheek or stroking her hair. These calmed her, quieted her movement, and seemed to help lure her into the times of sleep.
Lucash didn’t sleep at all, but he was glad for the times Juniper did. Not only because he hoped the sleep would help her to get over this, but also because she was quieter when she slept. He was afraid her mumbling would be heard if someone came looking for them. He’d heard the passing sound of a vehicle on the road. Twice. He thought it was likely that the Guard were now retracing their route trying to locate them. His only option at the moment was to stay hidden with Juniper. Her condition was too bad to leave her. So far, it seemed the vehicle had only been searching from the road. He hoped it stayed that way.
Morning had dawned with still no improvements in Juniper’s condition. They both needed water. He could use some food as well, but he doubted there would be anything edible in these woods. At least not anything he would recognize. He could go hungry, but neither of them could go without water. With Juniper’s fever, she needed it even more. He hadn’t heard a vehicle go by again since the last time one passed just as dawn was breaking.
“Lucash?”
Her voice brought his attention back to where Juniper lay curled up next to him. “Juniper? You awake?”
“Lucash…Lucash…”
No. Just more fevered mumblings. He sighed and began stroking her hair again. How to get water? And if he found it, how would he transport it back here for Juniper? Their packs hadn’t made it onto the truck with them. Lucash had lost his when the Guard took him down, and Juniper’s was taken from her when she was loaded in the truck. He looked around on the ground for something, picking up leaves and sticks, wondering if he could make something. If he could weave the sticks together…but then there were no large leaves to use to keep the water from seeping out.
Lucash wandered out of the hiding place, looking around on the ground until he found a hollowed-out piece of tree trunk that might work. It wouldn’t carry a lot, but it would be something. He’d keep his eye out for another similar piece of wood while looking for water.
Still no sounds coming from the road. Looked like his best chance to go was now, while it was still early, and Juniper was still asleep. He checked on her once again, and again he covered his tracks and disguised the opening when he left. He couldn’t be gone long. Lucash was not sure it was a good thing that he hadn’t heard the truck again. Either they’d moved on from this area, perhaps looking towards Westlow, or, a not-so-pleasant thought, they had ditched the truck and were now conducting their search on foot. In which case, it would be more difficult to hear their approach, and they would likely wander this far back in the woods. The thought made his stomach churn, taking away any pangs of hunger he had been feeling.
No, he definitely couldn’t be gone long.
Not sure where to begin, he made his way back towards the edge of the trees where he could see the surrounding terrain better. He knew that there was no water in the direction he’d walked the night before, but the road forked, with the one to the left heading towards what had appeared to be a town. Too dangerous.
Behind him, the ground rose up. Not likely he’d find anything there unless he went over the mountain, and who knew what he’d find then. Out in front of him, there was no cover. He would be out in the wide open. Definitely not an option. So, back towards Westlow it was. He’d head that direction for a short time. If he didn’t find a stream or puddle or something of the sort, he would rethink his options.
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Lucash had been walking in a zig-zag pattern, covering as much ground as he could. He had not found a water source that was anything more than muddy sludge with a layer of brown water over the top. He’d actually contemplated drinking it, but when he tried to fill his cupped hand, he could not get just water. Mud oozed up over the top. When he bent down to try to slurp it off the ground, the smell of leaf rot and algae was too much. He gagged. He stood up and moved on, getting discouraged and increasingly worried about being gone from Juniper.
His heart lurched and his stomach knotted up when he thought he heard the sound of voices. He stilled his movement and strained his ears. He heard it again. The words were indistinct, but there was no mistaking the rising and falling inflections for anything other than people speaking.
Without thinking, Lucash moved closer to the sounds. He had to see for himself. He had to know that it was the guards looking for them, to know what their current actions suggested about how much time he had before he and Juniper were discovered. They now had to be on foot. Otherwise, he would not have heard them speaking.
Lucash took a few careful steps, then stopped to listen, trying to judge how close he was getting. At the moment, they didn’t appear to be moving because the sounds continued to come from the same direction.
The voices stopped. Lucash kept listening, feeling every bit as vulnerable as he had the night before. More, really. Whoever had been there on the mountainside the previous night had wanted to remain hidden as much as he did. Not so with the Guard. Am I crazy? Just lookin’ for trouble right now. Still feeling the need to know, Lucash stayed put. The talking picked up again, so he moved closer. He was nearing a clearing in the trees. When he reached the edge, it wasn’t the Guard he saw.
Three people stood among some boulders. They looked quite young. Can’t even be as old as me and Juniper. How’d they get out here? This was definitely not what he’d expected to find, but it was still troubling. They didn’t look distressed to him. Concerned maybe, but not distressed. He did not think it likely that they had escaped the same way he and Juniper had. That would be a crazy coincidence. None of them looked sick or injured. They kept looking at phones that did not look like his standard Council-issued phone.
Just then, he heard the sound of tires spinning over dirt and rock. He looked towards the road and back at the three standing by the rocks. The Guard. They’d catch these three if they saw them. But why weren’t they moving to hide? They had large boulders right there, but they didn’t make a move. Just looked towards the road, expectantly.
A truck came into view—different from the one he’d been put in the back of—and drove off the road and headed straight for the rocks where the three were standing. Now it was clear that whoever these three were, they were expecting this truck, and it had nothing to do with the Guard.
Lucash looked for a way to get closer. He wanted to be able to hear what they had to say, and the noise of the truck made it easier to move without being heard. He followed the trees around the clearing to where they grew closer to the fallen boulders. The truck was facing right in his direction. The people inside would be able to see him if he moved any more between trees. This’ll have to be close enough.
He watched from behind the full branches of a pine tree as two people got out of the truck and headed towards the others. Of the two, one looked to be the same age as the others, while the second looked more like him and Juniper.
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“How’d it go at BRO?” Rebecca asked as Remy and Selby approached.
“It was…interesting,” Remy replied. “Karl was there still. Definitely in a panic. He looked rough.”
“As rough as you’re looking right now?” asked Cassidi. “Cuz you’re looking pretty bad.”
“Ha. Thanks, Cass. And you’re looking quite spectacular yourself.” Rebecca looked from Cassidi to Remy.
“And?” Rebecca asked to get them back on track.
“He came up on me and Bryn when we were talking, and I swear I’ve never seen him look so distraught. He looked like he was wanting to ask us something, but then he just turned around and walked away without saying a word. Very not like him.”
“What did Bryn say about all this?” Rebecca had been a bit surprised that Bryn wasn’t with Remy and Selby. She was almost certain Bryn would have demanded to come along. “I thought she’d come with you.”
“She wanted to. But then we needed to see if those contacts had any more information for us. One of us had to stay and follow up on that. So. It had to be her. And, of course, she wasn’t thrilled at the idea.”
“She was really pretty mad at you. That’s what you mean to say,” Selby said as he stifled his laughter behind his hand.
“Was she mad that we’re out here?” asked Rebecca.
“Well…she was mad that I brought you all out here. She told me I was being irresponsible.”
“She called you an idiot, man!” Selby was quite enjoying this line of conversation.
“Did you tell her we are the ones who made the decision? She should know by now that we are quite capable of making up our own minds here,” Rebecca found herself irritated at Bryn’s insistence at treating them like they were incapable kids.
“I did. She can’t help but still feel some responsibility for you. We both do, but Bryn is a little more stubborn than I am. I might feel responsible, but I know when to step down.”
“Glad we don’t have both of you harping on us all the time. It isn’t like you guys are that much older than us. Just a few years…” said Cassidi. “So, did you find out anything useful?”
“Maybe. But we’ll wait for Davi and Mel. They should be here any time now, shouldn’t they?” Remy looked at his phone for any more messages and they all glanced around the clearing looking for signs of the last two of their little search party. They looked right past Lucash, who hadn’t dared to move.
“Thought they’d have been here already,” said Daniel. “Hey, Selby, how’d it go with the parents?”
“Better’n I’d a thought!” said Selby. “They were worried, I think, that I had gone so long without contacting them, but they tried not to show it.”
“Unlike Bryn,” said Cassidi.
“Right. They’re pretty good about trustin’ me. Thank god I didn’t screw that up with all this. Anyways. They’re actually glad we’re lookin’ for these two. Can you believe that? They wanted to help, too, but said maybe it’d be better if they stayed back. They’ve got my Colossus phone. If we get in trouble, we can message them from one of our other phones. Kinda feelin’ naked without my phone,” Selby laughed as he patted the pocket that normally held his phone within close reach.
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Lucash was sure he’d just heard this last guy refer to a Colossus phone. He’d never heard of such a thing. They also seemed to be looking for someone, which at least said something about what they’re doing out here, but it didn’t really answer the question of why? Or who? Or how?
He hoped they kept talking. But fast. He had to get back to Juniper.
“Well, well, well…what have we got here?” came the voice from behind, as hands grabbed one shoulder and twisted the other arm behind his back, making it impossible for Lucash to run.
CHAPTER 23
B
endi had awakened with her head cradled in her arms and leaning over the top of her desk. She didn’t remember laying her head down. The tablet where she had copies of the photos she’d taken of the scientists’ notebooks and her computer’s screen had both gone dark. It was still dark outside, though a faint glow was just visible over the ridges to the east. Bendi rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched her arms overhead in an effort to wake herself up more.
Looking at her Colossus phone, she could see that it had been quiet as well. She wondered how everyone was doing with their missions. Selby should have been out by now. Rebecca and Daniel, too, actually. Why had no one contacted her?
How did it go? Bendi typed the message into her Colossus phone and waited for a response from Rebecca. None came immediately. This caused Bendi some concern since they all tended to keep their Colossus phones close. She hoped that the lack of communication did not mean trouble but decided that at the moment there was little she could do about it. If Rebecca didn’t respond and no one else contacted her by full daylight, she would try to reach one of the others. Melody, even, if it came to that.
Bendi tapped her device awake and zoomed in on the images of the scientists’ notes. There was something that she felt she was on the verge of figuring out. Some hints in the notes as to what they were doing with this virus. The testing they were doing suggested that there was more to it than simple interest in killing off the targets. Had that been the case, a simple high dose amount would have done it. They would not have to be making alterations based on the genetic profiles of each individual. The reason for this made no sense at all to Bendi. At least not yet.
But she felt like she was getting close. There had to be something she was missing. Bendi woke her computer up to look at her notes again and started flipping through them, going between her notes and the scientists’ notes. She kept seeing the same patterns but couldn’t quite pull out the thought that was sitting on the edge of her understanding. Going back to the images on her tablet, she studied the handwritten symbols and letters that were written in a bound book of paper.
Paper. Such an odd thing for the scientists to be using to record their data. It was still used, but not often. Writing in this old form had been completely replaced by computers. Children now did not grow up learning how to make letters and numbers on paper. Everything was electronic. Some parents taught their children how to write, but very few, as most children saw no use for the medium. The scientists who made these notes were definitely familiar and comfortable with writing.
Bendi went through the images again, not really expecting to find anything. She swiped quickly through each one, unsure of exactly what she was looking for. Then, she saw it. The pattern she hadn’t quite been able to identify suddenly jumped out at her.
The number of survivors actually increased over time. They wanted these victims to live. That had to be it! She looked more closely at the trials and saw now the similarities between the trials where the victims lived. She didn’t exactly know how to interpret it all. She didn’t completely understand how the virus was altered, but she did know the scientists were interested in one gene in particular and in injecting a dose that would not kill the victim.
But why? What would be the point of that?
Bendi picked up her Colossus phone again, though there had been no incoming message. What she knew was confirmed with a quick glance at the screen. Bendi’s eyebrows knitted in concern. She sent a message to Selby, Troy, and Cassidi to see if any of them would respond. When none of them did, she grew even more worried. Troy wasn’t even with the groups going into BRO. Why wasn’t he responding?
Looking through the notes again, Bendi typed up what she was thinking on her tablet. She didn’t want to lose the connections she’d threaded together. Typing them up was also a good distraction.
Her phone buzzed. It was Troy.
Sorry. Busy with Destin. Not paying attention to the phone. Nope. No word from anyone. You neither?
No. Still nothing. Getting worried. Not like Becs.
No it isn’t. Try Remy or Bryn.
I don’t want to bother them, but if I don’t hear from Becs soon, I will message Bryn. Have to discuss something with her anyway.
What?
Can’t say now. Too much for a message. And I want to check with her first. It might be nothing.
Coming from you, I doubt it.
Thanks. If I am right, I’m sure we will meet up soon enough. How is it going with Destin?
Good.
Good? Really?
Yep. Really.
Bendi was happy to hear that. She knew the tension had been high between those two. Whatever changed it for them, she was glad of it. Good. Anything important I should know about?
There was a long pause. Either Troy was still busy, or he was trying to think of what to say.
No. Nothing important. But we did get the key cards completely finished.
Good. Destin was helpful then. Bendi wasn’t sure she quite believed Troy, but she let it go, as was her nature. He would tell her when he was ready. She wasn’t one to push.
Yes. Very.
Good to hear. In the middle of something. I have to go. Will message you if Becs gets back to me.
Ok. But I think you should message Remy or Bryn.
Will do. If I don’t hear from Becs soon.
Keep me posted. Later.
I will. Bye, Troy.
Bendi returned to her notes and her computer. She still could not figure out why anyone would be interested in creating a virus that would make people so sick but not kill them. Yet, they were telling everyone that there were no survivors. There were so many questions, too. If these people survived the virus, where were they now? Anyone she knew of that had gotten sick had died and been carried away after the final ceremonial farewells. Like Jonathan. He was gone. Bendi was certain of that. But, if one of the targets were among the survivors, did that mean that they never got sick? Or did they only get a little sick, so their illness was thought to be a normal virus.
So many questions. Bendi’s head was starting to swim. She closed the notebook and rested her head on the tips of her fingers, elbows propped on the desk. Lifting her head, she reached again for her Colossus phone and messaged Bryn.
Bryn’s message came back immediately. I have heard from them. All are okay, but things did not go as planned last night. We should meet to discuss. But don’t worry.
