by Aman Gupta
“Apollo?” asked Karen.
“Long story. I’ll tell you later about it, but what you think you know is real,” said Vik.
“Oh my god. So I’m not...” said Karen.
“Crazy? Insane? Mad? No,” said Vik. “Just don’t tell anyone, okay? This is between you and me.”
“I meant wrong!” said Karen, and punched him in the chest. They both smiled.
“Yes, it’s all true,” said Vik.
Karen felt content. The last few crazy years in her life finally meant something. A huge weight had been lifted off her shoulder; she was done proving herself right. She could now focus on something far better.
Vik noticed she was lost in her thoughts. He snapped his fingers in front of her face to break her out of her state of trance.
“Sorry, I just don’t know what to say,” said Karen. “I don’t know what’s next. I never thought I would get this far so soon.”
“We can talk about it when we return to Morrow,” said Vik. “It’s not your fight, by the way. You can just walk away.”
“It never is, until one day, it’s all you can think about,” said Karen.
They returned to the group. Emma was looking at Karen and Vik, and realized they were hiding something. When she asked, Vik rubbished her claims, and said taking Troy was an act of professional curiosity. Eric reluctantly agreed.
Vik put Troy over his left shoulder and held onto him. Vik’s condition was already frail, but he dug deep for every ounce of strength he could find. He glanced inside his pocket and saw the ring was still flickering. His mind could only think of two reasons why – either Troy was still alive or something else was controlling the ring. The ring could be a homing beacon, Vik thought.
He approached Emma and told her to get rid of the severed hand.
“Oh, I forgot about that,” said Emma.
She took out the hand and threw it away along with the ring.
“What now?” asked Joey. “We can’t carry them.”
“Where are your bicycles?” asked Eric.
“We ditched them. They’re too far,” said Emma.
“All of you should go. I’ll catch up,” said Vik.
“Now’s not the time to be a hero,” said Emma.
“Who’s being a hero? We’re alone in a dead town. Let’s just go,” said Vik.
“Are you sure?” asked Karen, a little concerned.
“Yes,” said Vik.
“Okay, so I’ll tie myself to Mortan. Joey, you take Mark, while Karen will ride with Emma,” said Eric.
“Sounds good,” said Vik.
“Maybe Vik should go with Troy, and Emma and I should follow on foot,” said Karen.
“That’s fine by me,” said Emma.
“Don’t be a hero. Keep moving,” joked Vik. “It’s going to get dark soon. Just get out of here. I’ll take him to my car and see you at Morrow, okay?”
“I don’t feel comfortable with that,” said Emma.
“Trust me, I’ll get him and myself to Morrow. I have more reasons than any of you, to be there,” said Vik.
Emma understood he was talking about Katie and agreed to Vik’s demands disguised as requests.
Karen nodded at Vik one last time before leaving. Vik nodded back.
Vik saw them ride away, while he walked carrying Troy on his shoulder. Few houses down the road, he saw a broken wooden wheelbarrow.
He put Troy’s body on top of it.
“Much better,” said Vik.
He strolled the wheelbarrow down the road, soaking in the wind that was blowing. He hoped that his wound doesn’t develop an infection that Olivia had failed to mention. He had never been bitten by Olivia’s Emulations before. His mind wandered to the time when Olivia had accidentally bitten his finger while eating a fry out of his hand.
After walking for another twenty minutes, the wheel came off the front of the barrow. He tried pushing the barrow, but with a failing body, it was nearly impossible. He remembered seeing a toolshed in one of the houses a few blocks back. He left Troy’s body on the wheelbarrow, grabbed the gun, and went towards the shed.
He found the toolbox after searching for five minutes through the broken shed and the menacing mud. When he got back, he saw Troy’s body was gone. He looked around but didn’t see anyone.
“Commit to memory. Alphas without betas are cowards,” said Vik. “Guess it was the right decision to not go with them.”
After an agonizing climb back up the hill, Vik left for West Gate. He stashed the hand and the ring in his car.
Chapter 13: Deliverance
Vik arrived in wee hours at West Gate. The atmosphere was much more appealing and friendly than Orange Town. The sense of edginess had disappeared from the air. He headed to the local hospital to get his wounds checked out. He met a nurse and got his wounds cleaned and stitched up. He knew he had to get out of there before Martha arrived, as he wasn’t particularly inclined to think of answers to the questions his injuries would likely pose. In the middle of the blood transfusion, Vik managed to sneak past the guards and leave the hospital. The nurse didn’t recognize him, which worked in his favor when he posed as a lost traveler.
He dropped by his house to eat and rest. Somewhere in his heart, he hoped that he would find someone waiting for him at his home, but he was left disappointed. A few hours later, after changing his clothes and putting fresh fuel pellets into the car, he drove towards Morrow Town.
Making his way down the hill, he saw a car in his rearview mirror honking incessantly. Though there was little room for allowing passage to overtake, Vik slowed his car down at a bend to let the other car drive through. But the car didn’t overtake him; rather, it slowed down as well. Vik wasn’t able to see the car’s occupants due to the tinted windshield on that car. After waiting for a few seconds, Vik drove off. A minute later, he saw that the sedan was back in his rearview mirror, driving at crazy speeds through the turns. Before he could do anything about it, the car rear ended Vik’s car. Thinking it was a mistake, Vik slowed down his car to park it on the shoulder. The sedan came parallel to Vik’s car on the left side and smashed into Vik’s car, which almost went down the cliff on the right.
Vik quickly accelerated through the curves. A chase began. The sedan was way too quick for Vik to outrun. Vik noticed it had reinforced exterior when he saw the sedan was barely dented after hitting Vik’s car multiple times. He looked at the severed hand on the back seat of his car, thinking if it was worth his life or Katie’s. He picked it up and threw it out the window. But the sedan didn’t stop. Vik knew he wouldn’t be able to outrun his pursuer on the straight road, which was only a mile ahead after a couple of sharp turns down the hill.
He slowed down his car, hoping that the sedan would take the bait of coming parallel to him again. A couple of seconds later, the sedan took the bait. Vik drove dangerously close to the cliff. He anticipated it would trigger the attacker’s instinct to push him down the cliff. He hoped to slow down his car when the attacker swerved towards the right to push Vik’s car down the cliff, and get on the outside of the attacker himself. After a couple of mistimed brakes, Vik finally managed to get behind the attacker’s car and come around to its left.
“Bye,” uttered Vik as he swerved right to push the sedan down the cliff, hitting its rear fender, before braking hard at the turn.
He got out of the car and saw the car tumble down the cliff into the ditch, before exploding. He looked around to see if anyone else was around, but couldn’t see anyone. He got back in the car and sat for a minute. His fingers were shaking as the adrenaline started to wear off. He realized he missed the rush. After thinking for a minute, he headed back and got the severed hand that was still lying on the side of the road. The ring was still glowing. He crossed the explosion site again before taking the Morrow Road, named after the town from where it originated.
When he arrived at Morrow a couple of hours later, he returned to an empty precinct. He headed to the surveillance room and saw it wa
s vacant. Surprised, he used the cameras to monitor the town and spot any cops. He saw their cars parked on the road, which led to the cemetery. He wanted to go there but felt like he didn’t owe another visit to Anthony Arnold. The knowledge of the fact that Anthony Arnold knew that Katie was alive and was using her for his own ambitions, had already been burning Vik’s heart ever since he learnt about Katie’s survival. He wondered if Anthony Arnold knew about Vik’s past and kept him around to keep an eye on him. A man consumed by revenge falls blind to everything else, Vik remembered Anthony had told him once at Nucleus.
Vik stashed the severed hand in the lab and went to the surveillance room to watch the funeral. The grave was nowhere close to the camera, so he could only see them while they were leaving the cemetery. He saw Emma and Joey walking together, while Karen was having an animated discussion with Bill and Eric.
Tyson entered the room.
“Hi, you’re back,” said Tyson.
“Where’s Fred?” asked Vik.
“He’s at the funeral,” said Tyson. “Sheriff’s orders.”
“You didn’t go?” asked Vik.
“I did. I just came back early,” said Tyson. “I didn’t want to leave the MSC for much longer.”
“MSC?” asked Vik.
“Yeah, Fred and I named it as Morrow Surveillance Centre,” said Tyson.
Vik smiled. “Glad to see you two are doing the work diligently.”
“Yeah, we have planned to do it 24 X 7 by alternating our shifts. But..?” said Tyson.
“You need one more,” said Vik.
“Yes,” said Tyson.
“Got anyone on your mind?” asked Vik.
“Yes. Just a minute,” said Tyson.
He went out and came back with another cop.
“His name is Willy. He’s a rookie,” said Tyson.
“So honored to meet you, sir,” said Willy, offering a salute.
Vik turned around to see if anyone else was in the room.
“Who are you talking to, officer?” asked Vik.
“You, sir,” said Willy.
“Yeah, I don’t do salutes,” said Vik. “So, why do you want to be a part of MSC?”
“It looks fun,” said Willy.
“What about you, Tyson? Do you believe it looks fun?” asked Vik.
“No, sir. It’s our duty, our job to protect the people, and MSC is a weapon that we should use for the safety of the town,” said Tyson.
“Dismissed!” said Vik.
Willy and Tyson left the room. Tyson was furious with Willy for his amateurish stance. Willy asked if he should apologize to Vik, to which Tyson commented that Willy should keep his distance for the foreseeable future.
Vik stayed in the room while he heard everyone arriving with their rush and noise. He didn’t feel any remorse for Mortan’s death, and he hardly knew Mark, so he felt his presence could ruin the sanctity of the moment. Fred and Tyson arrived, and they, along with Vik, held the fort at the MSC.
“Does the sheriff know about it?” asked Vik.
“No. I told him it’s an old janitor closet, where we store our cleaning supplies,” said Fred.
“Should we tell him?” asked Tyson.
“I’ll update him at the right time. Till then, no one can know. Do you trust Willy?” asked Vik.
“Yes, we do. We’re all he’s got,” said Fred.
“Okay,” said Vik.
Vik got up and went to the door when Tyson interrupted.
“Sir, is there a special reason why we have this now and not a year ago?” asked Tyson.
“Yes,” said Vik, and left.
He was unlocking the lab’s door when Emma came out of Eric’s room. He caught her visual through the corner of his eyes but didn’t look. He entered the lab and hid the severed hand in a secret hiding space near the morgue.
Emma knocked on the door and entered the lab.
“Hey, you’re back,” said Emma.
“Yeah,” said Vik. “How was the funeral?”
“Depressing,” said Emma.
“Is there any other kind?” asked Vik.
“I don’t know. I think we should celebrate the life of the dead, rather than mourn,” said Emma.
“How hard did Eric cringe when you suggested it to him?” asked Vik.
“I didn’t… I.. Very hard,” said Emma.
Vik smiled.
“So where’s your mystery guy, Troy?” asked Emma.
“I left him there,” said Vik. “Too much of a hassle.”
“That’s what I said, but you and Karen were too excited,” said Emma. “Kind of like having a Varen moment.”
“Varen?” asked Vik.
“Yeah, like Vik and Karen. I’m sorry, I’m just exhausted. Been a long week,” said Emma
“I personally like Jaren, but that’s just me,” said Vik.
Emma laughed and said, “So like Jemma or Jarah.”
“Yeah, Jarah and Jaren are fine, but Jemma..back to the drawing board with that one,” said Vik, catching a glimpse of her face.
Her real smile disappeared. A fake one took over.
“How was the ride back from Orange town?” asked Vik, when he saw Emma looking at his arm, trying to sneak a peek. “Hope you and Karen didn’t take out your claws.”
“It was fine. Karen joined us later on the road in her car. She went back to help you when we reached our cars, but later told us she couldn’t find you,” said Emma.
“Oh. I didn’t see her,” said Vik. “Must have left already.”
“Yeah. So, anyway, what’re you going to do about Katie?” asked Emma.
“Still searching for the clue that they have supposedly left for me to find them. But I investigated every aspect of Charlotte’s murder. I have no idea how to find the killers, if that was the clue they left me,” said Vik.
“That would be an odd way to drop the clue,” said Emma.
“I know. At this point, I would rather want them to show up at my doorstep and hand me a piece of paper with directions,” said Vik.
“Looks like you need to find your Tamina,” said Emma.
“Who’s Tamina?” asked Vik. “A friend of yours? Good to know you’re making friends outside the precinct.”
“No, a mystery woman who showed up one night at my doorstep and disappeared,” said Emma.
“You got a weird life,” said Vik. “Must have been a prank.”
“Kate and Joey had someone visit them too, the same night,” said Emma.
Vik dropped the gloves he was trying to wear. He didn’t believe in sudden coincidences after his stint at Verati and President Clifford.
“The same woman?” asked Vik.
“No idea, but she left a paper,” said Emma.
“Paper? What paper? What did it say?” asked Vik.
“It was a bunch of numbers, nothing else,” said Emma.
“Can I see it?” asked Vik.
“I don’t have it with me. I could get it for you tomorrow,” said Emma.
“Okay,” said Vik.
“Good night,” said Emma.
“Night,” said Vik.
Vik looked lost in his thoughts. He knew it was a long stretch, but it was the only lead he had. If they could come after Emily, they could’ve come after Emma too. After waiting in his car for an hour, he drove to Emma’s house.
He rang the doorbell to Emma’s apartment.
“Who is it?” asked Emma, through the machine.
“It’s Ja...Vik,” said Vik.
“Be right there,” said Emma.
She quickly changed her clothes from her nightgown to a more casual attire. After fixing her hair, she came down and opened the building’s main door.
“I need to see it,” said Vik.
“See what?” asked Emma as she looked at herself in the mirror behind the door.
“The paper,” said Vik.
They went upstairs to her apartment on the first floor.
“Sorry, you had to wait. The buzzer’s broken,” s
aid Emma as they entered her apartment.
“Sorry for coming in unannounced,” said Vik. “But, I couldn’t wait till tomorrow.”
“It’s okay,” said Emma. “Please sit. I’ll get it from my bedroom.”
Vik sat on the couch. He was shaking his legs out of nervousness. After waiting for three minutes, he asked if everything was alright.
“Yeah, I can’t find it,” said Emma. “Be right there.”
He got up nervously and started running his hand through his hair. He couldn’t get himself to sit. Every second that went by, he felt it added a mile between him and his daughter. He tried to calm himself by saying that it could be about something else entirely, but his heart wouldn’t listen. As another minute went by, he turned teary-eyed. He looked up at the ceiling and prayed for a miracle. He felt he needed every blessing and luck in the world thrown his way when another couple of minutes went by. His throat began to choke up. He couldn’t take it anymore.
He went to Emma’s bedroom. When he went there, he saw she had cleaned the entire closet, while searching for the paper. She was searching frantically, like her life depended on it. She saw him standing at the door.
“Sorry, I thought I had kept it here,” said Emma. “It must be here.”
“Could I look for it?” asked Vik.
“Sure, please come in,” said Emma, inviting him inside.
“What did it look like?” asked Vik as he rolled up his cuffs.
“Just a small piece of white paper,” said Emma.
Vik searched through the pile of clothes on her bed. Emma had one eye on Vik, while the other going through her second closet. Most of the clothes were wet and soiled. He didn’t seem to care. She felt embarrassed she had put off doing laundry for a couple of weeks. As half an hour went by, Vik was starting to lose hope. He kept going through everything Emma was sending his way after checking herself. After running out of clothes, Vik checked the rest of the room thoroughly. Emma left the room to check in the study and the kitchen. She was holding onto the last glimmer of hope. After searching for another twenty minutes, she returned to her bedroom, where she saw Vik was sitting on the floor, his back against the bed.
