The Undoing, page 18
part #1 of The Reckoning of Anecor Series
Rebecca wondered how far all of this reached. No one thought Council was really up front about much of anything. They told you what they wanted you to believe. They tracked people, dictated what they would do with their lives, limited their knowledge of what was happening in other regions. They made people disappear if they got too far out of line.
Were those disappearances connected to what was happening now? Rebecca sat up again. Wait! Is that who they were doing the testing on? The people they disappeared? That would make sense. But, from the tests they saw in the notebook, that would be a lot of people. Could be, though. But why? Killing so many citizens seemed to be going too far, even for Council.
All of this speculation was making her head spin. Sleep deprivation wasn’t helping either. With a groan, she flopped back down again. She made a mental note to talk to the others about the possibility that maybe they were using those they disappeared as the test subjects. She wasn’t sure that that piece of information helped them at all, but she still wanted to see what they thought about it.
Rebecca tried to think about what they could do to get inside, but her head was starting to throb. She desperately needed more sleep. She picked up her phone and fed music to her speakers, closed her eyes, and willed her mind to pay attention to the music and nothing else. In moments, Rebecca was back to sleep. A fitful sleep, but still sleep.
๛ ๛ ๛
Rebecca awoke at 2:00 in the afternoon, groggy, but feeling better than she had when she first woke up. Her headache was gone, and she felt like she might be able to string more than two cohesive thoughts together. After she ate, she thought, as her stomach rumbled loudly. She couldn’t remember when she had last eaten. Sometime on Friday. Did she eat dinner last night? Her stomach said probably not, so she rolled out of bed and headed downstairs.
Her parents were home. Her mom was in the living room watching the Council News giving an update on the virus. Talking Head was saying that the virus was reaching epidemic proportions. The city’s quarantine had not kept it contained, and it was spreading to other areas in the region.
Rebecca’s mom stared at the screen with unseeing eyes. She wondered how much of this her mom was hearing. Rebecca herself was disgusted. Of course, they had no information on how it was spreading or what it exactly this virus was. Of course not. Because they were responsible.
Rebecca had heard enough. She made a beeline to the kitchen. Her mom hadn’t even noticed Rebecca enter the room, and Rebecca hadn’t announced her presence. She glanced back at her mom once more, as she passed through the door into the kitchen. She couldn’t imagine her mom knew anything about this. Surely, she wouldn’t be involved in her own son’s death. It was beyond Rebecca’s ability to imagine that that could be true. Rebecca then realized that her parents could know about what Manglebee was up to without being directly involved in Jonathan’s death. That made her feel a little better. Not much, but a little.
“Rebecca? Is that you?” Her dad’s voice drifted out of the office, a room located off the living room. It was mostly her dad’s space. He worked from home much more than her mom. Rebecca guessed that’s what he was doing now. It was expected of him, but now it was also a way to stay busy, so he didn’t have to think too much.
“Yeah, Dad. It’s me. Just getting something to eat.”
“Ah, okay. Maybe you can finish off that pasta in there. Hate to throw it away.”
“Sure, Dad.”
“You doing okay, Rebecca?” Her dad was making an attempt again to check in on her. What do you know, Dad? She shook off the question as quickly as it arose. Her parents were devastated by Jonathan’s death. They couldn’t be involved, she told herself again, firmly. She felt sorry for them.
Poking her head around the corner and giving her dad what she hoped was a reassuring smile, she said, “Yeah, Dad. I’m doing okay. School is busy. That helps.”
“Good. Good.” He attempted a smile in return. It did not extend to his eyes. “Rebecca, you can talk to me anytime you need. You know that, don’t you?”
“I do know that. Thanks, Dad.” He gave her a nod, and a long look, checking to see if he should say more. He decided not to, and nodded again, absently, turning back to his computer.
“Oh, one more thing,” he said looking up from his computer again, just as Rebecca started to move away. She turned back to him. “Your mom and I are going to be gone for the day again tomorrow. You’re okay fending for yourself, aren’t you? We’ll be back late evening.”
“Yeah, sure. No problem.”
“Good. Good.” He turned back again to his work.
Rebecca went back into the kitchen, wondering what it was her parents were doing again disappearing for an entire day. She retrieved the pasta from the refrigerator. Taking the lid off and looking inside, she decided it looked fine to eat cold. She grabbed a fork from the drawer and wandered back into the living room, intending to head back up to her room with her food. However, she noticed that the news was finished and there was now a movie on. Her mom was still staring at the screen with that vacant look.
Rebecca felt the edges of her heart, the tightening, squeezing sensation that happened whenever she thought of Jonathan. Now, seeing her mother, she felt it again. She moved to the couch and sat down, pasta bowl in her lap, and leaned into her mother. Her mother leaned back, resting her head on Rebecca’s shoulder, but still staring at the screen.
They sat that way for a long time. Rebecca ate her pasta and let the movie distract her. Her mother seemed to relax a little. After a bit, they shifted positions, but the closeness remained. It had been a long time since they’d felt this close, and Rebecca enjoyed it while she could. They said nothing. And that was okay. It was exactly what they both needed just then.
๛ ๛ ๛
When the movie was finished, Rebecca took her bowl into the kitchen and placed it in the dishwasher, then headed back up to her room. It was early evening, but already she felt like she could go to sleep again. She sat on the edge of her bed. Exhausted. Overwhelmingly exhausted. She didn’t think that she could come up with any sort of plan tonight. Not as tired as she was. And, quite frankly, she really just wanted a night of not thinking about it. She didn’t choose any of this. It wasn’t like her to get involved in anything that would cause trouble.
She picked up a pillow and heaved it at the wall. She did it again with her second pillow. And her night clothes. Top first, then pants. She looked for something else nearby to throw, but everything else was breakable. At that moment, she felt breakable as well. But she also felt angry. Angry at Jonathan for dying. Angry at her parents because they seemed to need her reassurance rather than giving her theirs. Angry at BRO and Council. Angry at the loss of her childhood.
She hadn’t been totally innocent. She knew that life was a game you had to play to get along in this world, but now she knew it was so much worse than that. She knew it was a game she could no longer play. And she was angry about that. She wasn’t ready for the responsibility that was now hers, but she had no choice. She had to make herself ready.
But not tonight. Tonight, she would rebel against her new role. Instead of thinking the thoughts she didn’t want to think, instead of trying to plan for a mission that could cost them someone’s life, she opted for avoidance. Just for tonight. She could think again in the morning. The gang wouldn’t be there until after lunch. She picked up her pillows and night clothes from the floor, placing her pillows back on her bed and changing into her sleep shirt and pants. Rebecca climbed into bed and spent the evening watching mindless videos on her phone.
She fell asleep early, phone falling on her chest and staying there.
CHAPTER 28
A
hand covered her mouth, pressing hard so that she couldn’t scream. Rebecca thought it was another dream, until she opened her eyes to find the hand still there, and a second hand pinning her down to the bed. She tried to thrash, to break free, but she was no match for the figure looming above her. It was pitch dark in her room. She couldn’t see who it was. She forced herself to relax, hoping it would make the intruder relax. He did, but as soon as she made a move to escape, he had her again; this time he held her down even tighter.
“Rebecca. Stop. I do not want to hurt you, but I cannot have you screaming or alerting anyone. I cannot have you running out
of this room to your parents.”
Rebecca thought she detected a movement across the room. A second person. She knew she had no chance. Oddly, she felt herself calm down. She felt her rational mind awaken from its sleep. Think. Don’t make any sudden movements. He said he doesn’t want to hurt you, so don’t fight.
She tried to see who it was. She knew, of course, it had to be someone from either Council or BRO. Her eyes were adjusting to the dark, but not enough to see details. There was something vaguely familiar about the figure above her, however…
As if reading her thoughts, the voice said, “You and your friends were at the BRO facilities last night. We know you were there, and now we intend to find out why.”
That voice…she knew it, didn’t she?
“Now. This is how this is going to work. If you play nice, so will we. For now. For obvious reasons, we cannot stay here for our little chat. So, we will blindfold you. But you have a choice. You can cooperate and walk out of here on your own two feet, or we can give you a little something to knock you out, and we will carry you out of here.”
That last bit caused her to panic. She tried to shake her head no, but the grip on her was too tight. The intruder seemed to catch what she was trying to do, however. “Okay, I think you are choosing the first option. If so, nod yes.” He released his hold a little so that she could move her head. She nodded yes.
“Okay. Good choice.”
“Bring the blindfold over,” he said to the darkness on the other side of the room. So, there was at least one other person in the room.
“I’m going to let you sit up. My partner here will then place the blindfold around you. When we are finished, we will walk you down the stairs and outside to where we have a vehicle parked. I am only warning you this once: do not try anything. You will quickly regret it. Understood?”
She nodded yes again.
With that, he let her sit up, as the second individual crossed the room. He had the blindfold over her eyes before she could see any more than the movement of a shadow in the dark. The hand at her elbow indicated it was time to stand up and move. Rebecca complied.
Her mind was racing. Her parents would be gone for the day, certainly leaving before she would normally awaken on a Sunday, so they would never suspect anything was up. The gang wasn’t going to get here until 1:30 in the afternoon. She had no idea what time it was now, but she assumed 1:30 was a long way off. Long enough for these two to make her into their next subject. Or worse. Or maybe…
We were looking for a way to get on the inside. Maybe this is it. Maybe if I can keep my cool, I can get the intel we need. If I’m not here when they get here, they’ll guess what happened. I know they will. They’ll come looking for me. All I need to do is stay calm, see what I can get from these two, and play along until the gang comes to get me. Selby will know what to do.
Her captor led her down the stairs and out the front door, with his “partner” following closely behind. Their vehicle was, as he’d said, just outside. In this area of the city, houses were widely dispersed. Neighbors were not sitting right on top of each other because each government house had property around it. He helped her into the back seat. His partner climbing in the door on the opposite side, sitting next to her. Making sure she did not try anything.
She couldn’t escape once the doors were closed, not from the back. She heard the back doors lock automatically. Only a person on the outside could open them. What they were more worried about was her trying to take off her blindfold and attempting to harm them. It would be a foolish move, of course, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try. Going to BRO was foolish, and she had done that. So, as a precaution, the partner would sit next to her in the back seat.
To Rebecca, the drive felt long. She guessed they were heading away from the city because of the lack of turns they were making and because, after a short time, they picked up speed. They had to be outside of the city boundaries. Where could they be?
The only things outside of the city were the agricultural regions and the parks, and the few other occupied city units within Region 3. Beyond that was the Borderlands, closer to Montrose than Montrose was to another city unit. The areas surrounding each region that were out of bounds for citizens. They were meant to provide a barrier between regions, to keep citizens contained. Rebecca had no idea how large the Borderlands surrounding her region was.
The vehicle finally slowed. A final turn. A stop. The driver got out. She heard the sound of a garage door opening, except that this one seemed to be operated manually, as she didn’t hear a motor, just a scraping and a creaking. Strange. The driver got back in the vehicle and pulled it forward. He stopped again and got out to close the door behind them. He also turned on a light. Rebecca could see the hint of the light through the edges of her blindfold. The door on her side opened, and a hand was again at her elbow.
She let him guide her out of the car. They were inside, but it was still chilly. Rebecca was wearing just her sleep clothes. The hand stayed at her elbow and guided her through two more doors. Still chilly. Did they not have any heat in this place? Rebecca’s teeth started chattering.
“Get her a blanket, would you?” A new voice. Female. Moments later, the weight of warmth draped around her shoulders, and she pulled the corners close, waiting for her muscles to relax and her teeth to still. A blanket. Okay, so they were at least somewhat thoughtful. Apparently not into torturing her just now. That’s a relief.
“Hello, Rebecca. We need you to leave your blindfold on. Got it?” Rebecca nodded. “Seems you have been doing some digging into some dangerous territory. You know that, don’t you?” It was the woman again. Rebecca nodded once more. She didn’t yet trust her voice.
“You entered dangerous territory as soon as you crossed over that mountain. I am not sure how you and your friends did it without being detected by SMALS and called in. But you’re going to tell us.” This time, the male spoke. The only one who had spoken before.
“Rebecca, we will need you to tell us what it is you and your friends are up to. But, take your time. We will know if you aren’t telling truth. So be sure when you start talking, you are willing to divulge what you were doing and how you did it. Honestly. All of it.”
Rebecca swallowed hard. Her mind raced. What should she tell them? How much could she say that would satisfy them without telling them everything. She would not give away Troy or Selby’s secrets. This was her doing. She would somehow have to convince them that she was the one responsible for all of it. That her friends were just along for the ride. If anyone was going to take the fall for this, it would be her. Her palms were sweating. She wiped them on her pants, then grabbed the corners of the blanket tight again.
She risked a question, first. “Who are you? Are you with Council, or BRO?”
“That is not something you have a right to know. You are the one providing us with the information. Not the other way around.” The male voice. Impatient and barely contained.
Well, that didn’t work.
Rebecca decided to start with Jonathan. For one, it would buy her time. It was part of the story, but there was no real risk in telling it. No risk to anyone other than herself, that is. Rebecca cleared her throat and wiped her palms again.
“My brother,” she began, “Jonathan. He died. From the virus.”
“Yes, we know,” said the woman, in a gentler, softer voice. “We are sorry you had to experience that.”
This reaction took Rebecca by surprise. She felt the stinging behind her eyelids, the tears threatening to emerge. She had not at all expected empathy, and it caught her off guard. She squeezed her eyes tight. She would not show weakness, not to these people.
“Yeah, well, he was the reason I went inside BRO.”
“I’m not sure I follow. Why would your brother’s death lead you to trespass onto the ranch and into the BRO facilities?” said the female voice. Rebecca wondered if she was the one in charge. She hoped she was because the woman seemed to be less inclined to lose her patience. She was almost kind. Which was odd.
“When my brother got sick, he knew he was going to die, just like everyone else. At first, we thought he could fight it. The first morning I found out about it, I promised him I wouldn’t tell our parents right away, just in case he got better. He was never one to get sick, so we thought he would be different. But he wasn’t. I could see it as soon as I got home from school that day.
“I told my parents, and by the next morning, he was bad. He knew for sure he would not make it. I knew he would not make it. So, a couple of days before he died, when we were in his room alone, Jonathan told me that he was suspicious of this virus. He told me he didn’t think it was a virus at all.”
“He told you this after he got sick? After the first couple of days? How did he manage that?” the male voice said, then sucked in his breath as if he did not mean to say what he did.
“What my colleague here means,” said the woman, with a tone of admonishment directed towards the man, “is that, from what we understand, the virus completely incapacitates its victims very quickly. How was it your brother was able to carry on conversations with you? Are you sure he wasn’t hallucinating?”
“I thought maybe he was when he first started talking to me about it. I mean, I knew that was a symptom, and his fever was high. But Jonathan never actually hallucinated during his illness. He tossed and turned a lot in his sleep. It seemed like he was having bad dreams.
