Refugee Road (Freedom Fighters Series Book 1) (20 page)

It would be weeks before I felt any danger or threat. Donnovan had a knack for finding me alone. It was not often that I ventured out without Alec by my side. The only thing that made sense was that he watched me, which was incredibly creepy.

“Hello Elizabeth.”

This time I was exiting the library, my arms full of books. Jumping, I dropped every one onto the ground. Donnovan gallantly scooped them up and held them, perusing the titles.

“I’ll take those back,” I told him, extending my hand.

“Interesting choices. The baby books are obvious. I didn’t take you for a classic lit fan.”

He shuffled the books under one arm and took my hand, pulling me along the sidewalk. Quickly he scanned the street and then crossed, dragging me into the coffee shop. I yanked my hand out of his, trying to reach for my books.

“I’d like some coffee. What would you like? Milk? Juice? A cup of tea?”

I stared at his retreating back and sat at a table, having little choice. He returned after a few minutes, setting down a tray of snack sandwiches, muffins, and a fruit cup. Setting down a cup of hot tea in front of me, he sat to my right.

“I thought you might be hungry. Please eat something.” He offered smiling.

I was getting hungry. I took a muffin and nibbled on it.

“You look radiant Elizabeth. How is Alec treating you?” He asked, an obvious attempt at small talk.

I raised an eyebrow. “Fine. Alec and I are always good.”

“Great. I’m glad to hear it.”

I wondered if that was true. He was smiling. Acting normal. He seemed sincere. Somehow, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Donnovan cleared his throat. “Can I trust you Elizabeth?”

Was he serious? “Yes, I don’t see why you should though. We don’t know each other that well.”

He nodded. “I thought you would say something like that. It’s precisely why I believe that I can trust you.”

Huh, I thought. He really was different. I sensed it this time.

“I need help. I’ve been brainwashed…by the militia.”

If he landed a bomb on my head, I would not have been more surprised.

“Who have you told about this?” I asked, suddenly serious.

“Not a soul. Until now.”

He looked directly into my eyes without blinking. I believed him.

“I don’t know how I can help you.” I admitted.

“I want you to help me escape the militia.”

I sat back, dumbfounded. The shoe finally dropped.

“Why do you think I can do that?” I asked.

“Because I finally figured out who you are. I finally remembered, once all their drugs left my system, where I had met you. It was driving me crazy before. My mind is clear now,” he explained, issuing another grin.

“Who am I?” I asked softly.

He leaned forward and glanced around. “Now that is a complicated question. I’ll start with what I know. You were there that night. The night the refugees bombed all those trucks. You’re part of the rebels. A radical.”

I paled. I had been dreading this moment for months. Sighing I met his gaze.

“I was, yes,” I admitted.

There was no point in lying. He knew the truth. My brain was screaming at me to deny it but I could not.

He sat back in the chair and relaxed. “I’m not crazy then.”

I looked at him questioningly. That was debatable.

“All this time, with the drugs running through my system, I thought I was hallucinating the whole experience.”

I smiled. “You might be a little crazy.”

He laughed, a carefree and happy chuckle that made me grin.

“I knew…that I could not hallucinate a woman as beautiful as you.”

His face was suddenly serious. His hand covered mine. “I really am sorry, for every way I acted. I was not myself.”

“I forgive you,” I whispered.

He looked relieved. “Thank you.”

“When did you realize you were being brainwashed?” I asked, the thought occurring to me.

“Before the bakery, when I spotted you coming out. I realized I had been drawn to you but I did not understand why. Now I know. It was because of the subliminal messages and the drugs.”

“What messages?”

“During the night when we sleep, they pump messages into your room, hidden under the guise of soft music, and they plant ideas. They put thoughts in your head. Things you would never act upon or think otherwise. I was led to pursue you.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I asked myself the same question. I’ve been trying to figure it out for months. It has to something to do with Alec. They are watching him. He is resistant to their plans. I don’t think they trust him.”

“But what does that have to do with me?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe they know more about you than anyone has led on. I know the messages were specific. I was supposed to think you were a traitor, a liar, and other things I can’t mention.”

“Is it really bad?” I asked, afraid.

“I was supposed to find you so attractive that I would take you by force. That I would try to rape you Elizabeth. Who puts those kinds of ideas in somebody’s head?”

He was clearly distraught. I reached across the table and held his hand.

“It wasn’t you Michael. Remember that.”

“Remember? All I do is think of you. I’m going crazy with wanting you!” He exclaimed.

I nearly jumped at the amount of emotion in his voice. He buried his face in his hands, embarrassed.

“Is it the messages?” I asked.

He shook his head. “It used to be. Now I don’t know. I don’t know why I can’t get you out of my head.”

He looked miserable. I didn’t know what to say or do. It almost made me feel guilty and I was not the one responsible. There was someone out there engineering this propaganda, planting these messages and desires, and trying to tear people apart. But to what gain? These were militia soldiers. Not the enemy. None of this was making any sense.

He sighed. “I didn’t mean to take my frustration out on you.”

“You aren’t. I can’t imagine what you are going through.”

“Perhaps not but I do think you are the only one who can help me escape from here.”

It was my turn to sigh. Trusting me was futile. I had no way to help him.

“Why do you think that? I no longer communicate with anyone. I left them because my leader tried to kill me Michael,” I admitted, truly confused.

“I don’t have the answer to that. I just believe that you are going to help me.”

He seemed certain of it. There was not a doubt in his mind.

“I should talk to Alec.”

“If you must but I would caution you against talking anywhere in your house. It is probably bugged. Mine was. That’s how I figured out the brainwashing.”

Shocked, I stared at him. If that was true then they knew everything. And I mean everything.

“Will you meet us tonight? I don’t think we should wait. There’s too much at stake.”

He nodded. “At the local bar, The Tap, tonight at eight. I’ll save a table. Don’t be late.”

He was teasing. I guessed that having so much lifted off your chest probably helped a person to relax a little. We finished our refreshments and I returned home, hoping that I was not right. Paranoia set in the moment I opened the door. Was everything we said in the privacy of our home scrutinized and recorded? What about when we were intimate? Did they listen to that too?

I dropped the library books on a nearby table and started pacing. Alec would not be home until five. Anxiously I began cleaning to pass the time. I looked at the clock. Only a half hour had passed. I nearly screamed in frustration, until an idea popped into my head.

I began scouring every surface of the house. Every piece of furniture was tipped over and inspected. I checked the phone, every plug and outlet, and every cabinet. Then I checked the appliances and every inch of the kitchen. I even inspected the bathroom and the back of the toilet. Nothing. If there was a listening device of some kind, it was well hidden.

Defeated I sank down on the couch and pouted. What did a bug look like? Was it super small? Was it just a listening device or did it have a camera? Could they be watching everything we did? Oh God, what a disturbing thought.

I must have fallen asleep. The next sound I heard was muffled cursing come from the front door.

“Lizzie? Lizzie, open this door before I break it down!” Alec shouted.

Oh no, I left the chain attached. Giggling I ran to the door and unlatched it.

“Sorry. I fell asleep.”

Alec swept me up into his arms. “What a long day. I missed you every minute.”

I kissed him, dragging him into the house. “We need to talk,” I told him urgently, in a hushed whisper. “And I don’t think you are going to like it one bit.”

The Tap was one of the best bars in Dayton. It was constantly crowded, offered cheap beers during happy hour, and sported a woodsy décor that felt warm and inviting when you walked through the door. The main bar was a long slab of oak, carefully preserved despite the scratches that littered the surface. Long rows of battered wooden barstools in multiple shades of stain, were mostly filled with patrons almost every night of the week. Neon signs advertised beer and liquor, while the lowered lighting allowed the guests to cozy up with whoever they wished. 

We entered through the front double doors, made of wood and puffy vinyl cushions, and took a seat at a booth in the back. Donnovan was already waiting for us. He started to wave, then thought better of it, and quickly dropped his hand. I smiled at his indecision. It was sort of sweet.

Alec led me to the table, his strong lean fingers protectively guiding my lower back. I slid into the seat across from Donnovan and Alec quickly scooted in next to me. Once the waitress had taken our order for beers and burgers, minus a lemonade for me, we finally spoke.

“Well, let’s have it out Donnovan,” Alec started, looking more than a little disbelieving.

Donnovan had the decency to look a little sheepish. “I know what you are thinking…and I don’t blame you for not believing what I have to say.”

Alec nodded. “You’re right. I don’t.”

I rolled my eyes. We were going to get nowhere fast if Alec kept this up.

“I think you should start at the beginning, like you did with me,” I encouraged, giving Donnovan a small smile.

Alec opened his mouth to object but I grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. Frowning he leaned back but did not say anything.

“It started with the dreams, nightmares really. I never used to have trouble sleeping, not before I joined the militia. But I started having terrible dreams that awakened me in the night. I would wake up shaking, covered in sweat, and yelling. It was my own voice that shook me out of the nightmares. And then it got worse…”

He took a sip of beer. We waited for him to continue.

“If it was only the nightmares I might not have ever realized anything else was going on. But it didn’t stop there. The nightmares carried over from my dreams. I would drift off during the day. I started having these intersecting thoughts that would scare the shit out of me. They progressed and got steadily worse.”

He shook his head. “The line between truth and reality became blurred. I tried everything I could to get them out of my head but I couldn’t. Before long I was living in a constant nightmare, almost as if somebody else was controlling my thoughts and ideas,” he explained, his voice tight and strained.

I watched him take another sip of beer, not wanting to interrupt, and the calm returned to his eyes.

“That’s when the messages became more specific. And violent. My head started pounding almost all the time. Images started to flash through my head. Blood, sex, and gruesome torture. Then you entered my mind Elizabeth…and I was unable to stop my actions.”

Alec nearly jumped out of his seat. “Elizabeth?” He repeated, staring down first Donnovan and then me.

“Later,” I whispered to Alec, grabbing his hand again.

He was angry. I could see it. A muscle in his cheek twitched.

“The living nightmares continued for weeks. They were always about you after that. Nothing I could do would get rid of my impulse to seek you out. I wanted you. In every way. To punish. To hurt. To enjoy…” His voice trailed off as he noticed Alec’s reaction.

Alec nearly exploded. “What!?”

My heart started to beat frantically as I attempted to calm him down.

“Alec…
Alec
, not here. Not now. Please,” I begged him.

For a moment I thought he was going to reach across the table and strangle Donnovan. His eyes were cold and menacing. Everything about him vibrated rage. It was Donnovan’s next words that calmed him the most.

“I was not the one who wanted to do those things to her. Don’t you understand? They were not
my
thoughts and desires. They belong to someone else.” Donnovan’s voice was desperate, rising with each word.