Fury Rising (26 page)

              “What do you mean?”

              Aries sighed. “Daniel told Leon we could get an army. To help the Baggers fight the ferals.”

              “We don’t have an army.”

              “Yeah, that’s the problem.” She looked up at the light fixtures and shrugged. “But they don’t know that and it’s the only thing keeping us alive. Until we come up with a plan, we’re sort of stuck.”

              “So what are we going to do?”

              “Try and come up with some people.”

              The absurdity of the statement was almost overwhelming. Clementine could see the defeat in Aries’ eyes, even as she spoke the words. They both knew there was no way anyone would be coming to their rescue. Feral threat or not, not a single person would willingly come down to the Plaza of Nations to fight on the Baggers side. Even if they could release everyone inside the compound, it still wasn’t enough. People were afraid. And fear made everyone look out for only themselves. Even the ones who had a bit of humanity left still wouldn’t risk it.

              “I’m tired,” Clementine said.

              “I can let you sleep,” Aries said, sounding relieved. She probably couldn’t wait to get away.

              That wouldn’t do. Yes, Clementine wanted to be left alone. She wanted to sleep. Curl up into a little ball and stop existing for a while. But she wouldn’t give herself the luxury.

              “Where are my clothes? I want to get up.”

              “You need to rest.”

              But Clementine pushed back the thin covers and swung her legs over the side, ignoring the fresh wave of pain washing over her entire body. As much as she wanted to curl up in a tiny ball and ignore life, she wouldn’t allow herself the pleasure. No, there was more important things to do.

              She needed to find Mason.

              “My clothes,” she repeated.

              “Hold on, I’ll get them.”

Aries got up and disappeared through the door, leaving her to lean against the bed, her feet planted firmly on the floor. After a few minutes, the nausea passed and Clementine managed to take a few shaky steps. Even with the stitches, she was able to manage as long as she moved slowly. She hobbled over to the window and peered through the blinds. She could see the casino off to the left and the plaza. Dozens of people stood around talking to each other. Some she recognized from Lighthouse Park. She saw Betsy chatting with Leonard Mack and a tall man wearing a windbreaker. They glanced around nervously.

No Mason. He had to be there somewhere.

Aries returned with her clothes. They’d been freshly laundered and still a little warm. Clementine held them tightly against her chest, inhaling the soft detergent scent. How long had it been since she’d had clean clothes? Sure, it’s not like she’d been running around in month old jeans or anything. There were hundreds of stores full of unwanted fashion. Whenever they needed new stuff, they simply went in and took it off the racks. But to have fresh washing that obviously came right out of the dryer? That was something she didn’t think she’d see in a long time. She glanced over at her glass of water and was disappointed to see the ice had completely melted.

Aries helped her get dressed; something Clementine reluctantly let her do. Her hands were shaking too badly to do up the buttons on her jeans. The shoulder bandage took a bit of tricky maneuvering too.

When they stepped out into the hallway, there wasn’t a single person in sight. The hallways were empty and had an abandoned feel. Aries stuck close to Clementine’s side, her hands ready to help if necessary. Clementine had to fight back the urge to shove Aries away.

I know she’s trying to help, Heath, but it’s too much. She’s feeling guilty and I don’t want that. I don’t deserve it. I love Aries but I can’t stand to be around her right now. I don’t want to see her eyes. All that pity. Screw that. I don’t want anyone’s sympathy. I just need to get things done so I can go far away from here. And I’m never coming back either. Sorry brother, but I’ve reached the end of the line. I’m going to bury Michael the way he deserves and then I’m gone. There’s got to be a place where I can go. Maybe I’ll get a boat and head south. Find an island off the coast of Baja Sur. Margaritas and refried beans. But first things first.

“Do you know where Mason is?”

“He’s over in the pit. Talking with Daniel. You’re not going to try and attack them are you?”

Clementine thought about last night when she’d told them to kill Daniel. She instantly regretted it. The pain had been too fresh. She was calmer now. No, she didn’t want Daniel dead. He couldn’t help what he was and unlike the others, he had some amount of control.

              “No. I’m over it.”

              Aries opened the door and the air hit Clementine’s face. The office building had been overwhelmingly stuffy and she hadn’t even noticed until now. Outside wasn’t better. The smell of smoke was heavy. No matter where she looked, a fine haze made everything slightly fuzzy. Above her, the sky was a mixture of blue and grey.

              “The fire,” Aries said. “It’s still burning in West Vancouver. If it doesn’t rain soon, the whole city might go up in flames. Would be a real shame with all those empty million dollar houses.”

              “And all those trees,” Clementine said.

              “Trees can grow back. Maybe the Baggers have a carpenter we can borrow?”

              “My brother, Heath, was good like that. He spent a summer building houses in Des Moines. We were all surprised when he decided to get a degree in computers. That’s why I think he’s still alive. The Baggers would never kill him if they knew how useful he is.” She glanced over at the casino and wondered again for the millionth time if maybe her brother was inside. But that made no sense. They kept people far more important than computer programmer/carpenters inside.

              Aries reached over and slipped her hand into Clementine’s, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll find him one day. I have no doubt.”

Clementine turned to Aries, but she couldn’t think of the right words to nicely tell her friend to go away. It wasn’t personal; she just wanted to do this on her own. But Aries must have been a mind reader because she was already backing off.

              “I’ll be over by the food area. Going to finish organizing the afternoon stuff. Holler if you need me.” She turned and headed off into the crowd. “If I locate Larissa, I’m sending her after you. And if you start bleeding again, for God’s sake, make sure you find one of us. I don’t want another scare like last night. I don’t want to lose…well, you know.”

              “I promise,” she said.

              Once Aries was gone, Clementine stood at the edge of the plaza, trying to force herself to start walking towards the crowd. She looked at all the faces, overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. So many people in such a tiny enclosed space. She watched two men pass by, close enough that she could see the black veins in their eyes. Baggers. They were everywhere. They moved throughout the Plaza, keeping watch. The front gates were closed and several Baggers stood close by and heavily armed. Aries may think they weren’t prisoners, but Clementine didn’t believe that for a moment.

             
Dear Heath. It’s finally over. We’ve lost. All that time spent trying to stay alive and it ended in a single evening. That’s all it took. One moment in time. I know Aries is blaming herself, but it’s really not her fault. Colin is a Grade A douche, but we all knew it. We were all aware of what he is. Aries was right. What were we supposed to do? Sending him off wasn’t an option. He only would have betrayed us that much quicker. Draw and quarter him? Kill him? The Baggers have an excuse. They had their humanity removed against their will. What would our justification be?

              It wasn’t hard to ignore the nervous tension in the air. Lots of untrusting glances were being thrown back and forth. Like the lions and gazelles had realized they had to work together to destroy the zookeeper.

              Some of the Baggers were even mixed in with groups of people, chatting as if they were long lost friends. Clementine passed a few of them sitting cross-legged on the ground, playing poker with three people. They were betting cigarettes and small bottles of booze instead of money.

              The whole thing freaked her out. This wasn’t right. How could they do this? The Baggers had taken everything from them. Clementine thought back to the night when Henry and James Tills walked into the Glenmore town hall with their weapons and opened fire. In an instant, her parents were dead. Her friends. Her boyfriend, Craig Strathmore hunted her down. Clementine might have survived, but she’d lost her life that night. She was a completely different person now. Just like everyone in the plaza. These people were exactly the same as her. Not only had they lost everything too, but they continued to suffer at the hands of the Baggers. They were tortured. Starved. Imprisoned.

              And now they were being asked to put all that pain and misery aside and become friends? 

              The thought slammed into her and the air drained out of her lungs. Clementine tried inhaling, but she couldn’t draw in any oxygen. A Bagger passed right by her, bumping against her damaged shoulder. She barely registered the pain, but the Bagger’s touch vibrated straight into her bones. Clementine moved away, unaware where she was going, only that she needed to get away. But there were people everywhere. She couldn’t escape. They were sucking up all the air. That’s why she couldn’t breath.

              Clementine headed toward the kitchen tent. A man and a woman were clearing away the breakfast dishes. It wasn’t hard to tell that the guy was a Bagger. He gave Clementine a nasty grin when he noticed her staring. Had they all sat down together to break bread as if they were old friends?  There was still food out on a buffet style section. Bread. Hard-boiled eggs. Holy crap, was that orange juice? Where were they getting these items? And why share them now? Just a few weeks ago the prisoners of the Plaza of Nations had been starving. They may have had the all-you-can-eat breakfast that morning, but the gauntness still showed on their faces. It would take more than a few meals to make up for the damage done.

              The whole thing was wrong. Bright red warning flags going off in all directions and yet no one seemed to notice. Instead they were chumming around like they’d been friends all along.

             
They’re killers, Heath. They haven’t changed. I don’t give a damn what Aries says. The Baggers are never going to work together with us. They kill us. They’ve destroyed the entire world and a few more isn’t going to make a difference. It’s nothing but a new game for them. They’re manipulating us. Feral or Bagger, they’re all the same. And they killed Michael. I’m not letting them kill any more of us.

              She’d picked up the paring knife before her brain even registered it. Clutching it tightly in her hand, she started walking towards the closest Bagger. A loud, brassy woman stood with a group of her peers, mocking some of the ex-prisoners over by the stage.

              Clementine got behind her and went in for the kill. Before she could raise the knife, Mason appeared out of nowhere and took her by the arm.

              “Don’t be stupid,” he said.

              “Stop it,” she said. But she didn’t struggle and allowed him to pull her away from the group. The Bagger must be telling a joke because the others burst into laughter.

              Mason led her over to the edge of the stage. There was a small clearing by the fence where they had privacy. Clementine fell back against the wall. The air had drained itself from her lungs again. Still clutching the knife, she leaned over, trying to inhale, wondering how long it would take before her heart exploded in her chest and she collapsed.

              “You’re having a panic attack,” Mason said. “It’s okay. Slow breaths. I’m right here.”

              He waited with her for several minutes while the terror in her chest subsided. Eventually her heart slowed down until it was a steady empty thump. Her breathing returned to normal. But her fingers remained clamped down tightly on the knife. She couldn’t let go if she tried.

              Mason waited patiently beside her the whole time.

              “How did you know?” she asked.

              “I used to get them when my father died,” Mason said. “Horrible stuff. It got so bad I used to hide in the toilet at school. For a while I couldn’t go through a day without having one. It feels like your body is dying and you can’t do anything to stop it. And no one notices you’re drowning. Even if you were able to jump on a table and wave your hands in the air, it wouldn’t matter.”

              He couldn’t have given her a better description. She nodded.

              “Want me to get you something to drink?”

              She pictured the orange juice on the table and her stomach clenched again. The Baggers weren’t going to win her over with their luxuries. “No,” she said, glaring at the crowd as they ate. “I don’t need what they’re offering. I’m not going to be bought over a breakfast.”

              “Most of the people here have been living off of cabbage soup. They’re starving. Don’t judge.”

              Mason’s face was thinner than she remembered it. He was right of course, she was being selfish. She’d had it a lot better living up at the park. They may all be tired of eating canned food, but at least they had enough to eat. Not like these people.

              Mason shrugged. “It’s odd, isn’t it? I’ve been trying to figure it out all morning. Leon’s hospitality only goes so far. So why is he offering up the good stuff now? He’s putting on a show and I can’t figure out why. He’s got his wish. We’re here. Aries. You. Me. All of us.”

              “Leon’s not going to keep to his word,” Clementine said. “He’s going to allow us to fight and then he’s going to kill off those of us who survive.”

              “Probably,” Mason said. “But not likely. We aren’t going to give him the chance. There’s always a way out and we’ll find it.”