Cadence

by Wilson, Dianne J. ;

  They were taken in a different direction to where they’d come from. The garbage seemed so much worse after the clean beauty they’d just experienced.

  Kai shook himself free from his captors, who seemed to be less fierce because of his compliance. “Is this really what you want? Living cut off, secluded. Hidden in the middle of this.” He waved his arms at the stinking heaps around them. “You’ve made it work, no doubt. But is this all you can imagine? All you can hope for? What use are you when you’re hiding?”

  Roach glared at him, fists twitching. “You are tainted. I will not listen to another word from your mouth.” He turned to the two escorts. “This is as far as I go. Take them to the edge. They must not be able to find their way back here.” He turned to go but stopped and motioned Bree closer. He slipped a piece of paper in her hand. “If you need anything, anything at all, just let me know. How’s your hand?”

  Bree slipped her hand out of her sleeve. The skin was still whole and smooth. She held it out to him and he checked it carefully, bending each finger and stretching it in turn. “There’s a world out there that needs what you have. You shouldn’t keep hiding here.”

  “You’re a walking miracle.” He grinned at her.

  “I could be one of many.” She shook her head at the rubbish and shrugged at Roach. With one last smile, she turned away and fell in line with the boys.

  27

  Blood ran down Evazee’s fingers as Shasta walked her through the OS. A small, detached part of her mind worried about who would clean up the drips before they stained.

  Shasta made straight for the basement where Zulu’s boys waited for the rest to come back through the testing arch. They squatted with ease on flat feet with their arms looped around their knees.

  A strange ripple passed through them as Shasta entered the room. One by one, they stood and turned towards him. Their eyes emptied and they tracked every movement he made.

  With a single flick of his hand, they lined up in front of him like soldiers for inspection. He paced down the line, examining the boys as he walked. He turned to the first one in the line, held his chin and stared at his face. “What is your ability? Wait, don’t tell me. Let me guess. I think you are a breaker.” He nodded sagely and patted the boy on the head. He moved down the queue and came to the shortest one of the bunch. The boy was lean, but strong. His ropey muscles bunched beneath his skin. All of them pulled taut as the grey man stepped close.

  Shasta planted a hand on his forehead and the boy swayed. Shasta nodded knowingly as he moved on to the next one. He hummed as he went as if he was choosing fresh veggies for supper.

  Evazee stood frozen and watched the boys succumb to the same compulsion that had her trailing after him like a puppy. All except one. The smallest who hadn’t been given an amulet. He stood off to one side, wringing his hands, staring at his friends as though they’d lost their minds.

  Shasta pointed at him. “You, there. Come here.”

  The boy refused. He was shaking so hard, Evazee could see it from across the room.

  A slow smile crept over Shasta’s lips. His fingers coiled around Evazee’s hair and pain prickled across her scalp. He leaned in close and whispered, “You tell him.”

  Evazee’s lips moved and she heard herself say, “Come here. Don’t worry. You’re safe.” She wanted to bite her tongue. It was all completely beyond her control.

  Shasta eased his fingers out of her hair and chuckled softly. The moment his fingers broke contact with her skin, she felt a sliver of willpower return.

  The boy stared at her, then Shasta, clearly conflicted.

  Evazee stared at him with wide eyes. Behind Shasta’s back she shook her head, willing the boy to resist and run. He frowned at her, puzzled.

  Shasta swung around and caught Evazee in the act of prompting the boy to say no. She froze and her hands dropped to her sides. A rolling wave of hopelessness flooded through her.

  He tsked once and shoved her out the way, extending his hand to the boy once again.

  The boy stuck to his guns and backed away as Shasta came closer. Shasta reached the boy in two steps. He stuck his hand on the boy’s forehead. The boy writhed, twisted, and fell in a crumpled heap. Shasta nudged him with a foot, but there was no response.

  Evazee’s heart pounded in her chest.

  Where was Zulu? If he could chase the priests, surely he could stand up to Shasta?

  ~*~

  Their escorts were silent and strong, never letting their guard down for a moment. Even so, they were not cruel or unkind. They left the house and went straight back into the garbage dump, the stench doubly overwhelming after the clean freshness of the house they’d been in. The guards led them to the left, deeper into the mounds of rubbish.

  Kai slid in next to Bree.

  Her eyes were watering, and she blinked hard to clear them.

  “So what was going on back there?”

  Bree squirmed. “Nothing.”

  “I’m not so sure about that. How’s your hand?”

  Bree shoved her hands in her pockets, a clear sign that she didn’t want to talk about them. She ignored his question. “Part of me would love to stay there. Didn’t you feel it too? I’m conflicted. Anyway. Enough about me. Why did they say those things about you?”

  Kai shrugged. Defiled. It made him want to run and never go back. Fine tendrils of mist appeared in the air as they walked, thickening every few steps. Blowing gusts of it rode the wind blocking off the road ahead forming a thick bank that brooded over the road like a hungry animal.

  Their guards slowed. “This is as far as we go. The way back is just beyond this bank of mist.”

  Zap rolled his shoulders as if he had an itch he couldn’t reach. “Is this mist burny?”

  The guard shrugged. “I guess so. I’ve never been through. You need to leave now.”

  Kai paled at the memory of the pain the mist brought last time. “I’m going to run. I don’t care for the slow burn, I just want to get it over with.”

  Ruaan, as amicable as if his tummy was full, nodded. “It’s a good plan, let’s all go.”

  They braced themselves and sprinted. There was no pain from this mist. Just the cold, clammy wetness from the ordinary kind. They would be soaked through by the time they reached the other side. The ground sloped downwards and they picked up speed. The moisture made the stone slippery and before they could stop, the angle sharpened and Kai slipped and fell. He slid and shot off the edge, heart pounding in his chest as he fell. The others screamed next to him, he wasn’t falling alone.

  Kai hit the water so hard, the impact smacked through his body and stole his breath away. He shot beneath the surface like a stone. The water was cold, and it clenched his head in a vice and made his teeth ache in his gums. A moment of breathless waiting, then slow floating in the same direction as the bubbles. Up.

  ~*~

  Zulu appeared as Evazee thought of him. He stopped with a jerk as he stepped into the room, blinked hard, and rolled his head. He crossed the floor as if his feet weighed a ton, fighting this compulsion hard. His eyes slipped from normal to milky and back. Seeing one of his boys get hurt was testing Shasta’s hold over him to the limit.

  Shasta turned to watch him cross the floor with his thumbs hooked in his denim pockets. Zulu got within a few steps and swung his arm back. If the punch had landed, Shasta would’ve been down, but he side-stepped and touched Zulu’s forehead with one fingertip. Zulu flew back, smacking into the wall hard enough to knock his wind out. Shasta closed in on him, pressed his palm to Zulu’s forehead and held it there, cracking and sizzling. Electricity zapped through Zulu, and the stench of burning flesh filled the air.

  Evazee choked and fell to her knees, her mind swimming. The conflict between Shasta’s compulsion and rebellion against it clashed inside with a force enough to shatter her consciousness. Feathery blackness danced around the edges of her vision. She toppled sideways and hit the floor hard.

  ~*~

  Kai h
adn’t known about the waterfall that had deposited them into an icy cold pool. The pool was in a secluded part of an overgrown urban forest on the outskirts of town. The longer it took to navigate their way out, the more antsy Kai grew. He didn’t like the thought of being away from the OS this long.

  Ruaan had taken the lead to get them out from amongst the trees. He trudged up in front now, humming to himself. Looking at the change in him, Kai was absolutely convinced that reuniting kids with their amulets was his first priority. The amulets seemed to enhance and strengthen gifting. A group of kids all operating at top capacity would be a formidable force. They just had to make sure that each one got their own amulet, otherwise it would be a disaster.

  The sun had started setting when they finally cleared the trees. They trudged down another street unfamiliar to Kai. It gave him no means of judging how long it would take to get back, and that soured his belly.

  He kept going over their rapid eviction. The only thing he could think of is that they must have been able to pick up on the serum. He owed his friends an apology. He coughed before breaking the silence. “Guys, I’m sorry. I don’t know what went wrong back there. Not exactly a great start to our recruiting.”

  Zap drew himself up tall and spoke in his most earnest for-the-good-of-all-mankind voice. “Those guys are something else. I don’t know that we can trust them anyway. Probably better that they weren’t interested.”

  Kai plucked a blade of grass as they walked and swatted his leg with it. “I don’t know, hey? We need everybody that will listen to us.”

  Zap slowed down until he was next to Bree who had gone all quiet at the back of the group.

  “So was your mom a cheese fan?”

  Bree wrinkled her nose at him. “What are talking about? You make no sense at all.”

  “Your name. It’s like the cheese. I like cheese.”

  Bree huffed, “That’s b-r-i-e. Not even close to my name. What is wrong with you?”

  Kai called over his shoulder, “Really? Do we have to do this now?”

  “Yes, Dad.” Zap rolled his eyes and shook his head. “You’re just annoyed because we’re lost.”

  Ruaan turned back with a fierce look on his face. “You might be lost. I am not. I happen to know exactly where we are.”

  Zap pointed at a building. “Oh, really? What’s that then?”

  It was a long, rectangular brick building with lights mounted at intervals along the wall, one positioned over a sign that read Comm Centre. Ruaan turned a slow circle as they walked, rubbing his chin and muttering. “It’s a community centre. Obviously. We should go inside.”

  Kai itched at the waste of time. “Do you think we can recruit some people from here?” The sarcasm in his voice was unveiled and deliberate.

  Ruaan stuck a fist on his hip and frowned at Kai. “It’s just a community centre. Are you daft?” Apparently Ruaan didn’t speak in fluent sarcasm.

  “If it’s just a community centre, why are we going in there?” The urge to get back to the OS overwhelmed Kai.

  “I’m allowed to have hunches too, you know. It’s just a feeling. Intuition.” Ruaan wiggled his fingers over his midriff and nodded as if he were a fountain of pure wisdom.

  Zap snorted. “More like indigestion in your case.” He pointed at a rusty sign stuck up on the wall. “Today was soup kitchen day. Sounds fun. At least if any of us get hungry,” his eyes shifted to Ruaan, “there’s food close by.”

  Ruaan sighed, a deep painful sound. “I’m not hungry. Besides, it doesn’t look like they’re still running, but I still think—”

  Kai pushed between the two of them and knocked on the door. A hollow echo bounced down the hallway beyond. A flock of birds flew overhead, swooping in low over where they stood on the doorstep.

  Bree clucked her tongue and pushed past the boys. “I’m not hanging around here waiting to get eaten by the birds.” She banged on the door with meaning, hunted around, found a doorbell and pushed long and hard.

  The intercom buzzed and a male voice spoke. “Key is under the mat. Let yourselves in.”

  Bree was standing on the said mat. She jumped off as if it were lava. Kai lifted it and peeped underneath. He found a key and unlocked the door. He hesitated for a second, but Bree stamped her feet while watching the birds circle, and Ruaan sighed loudly. Kai twisted the knob and the door swung back on rusty hinges that groaned.

  The hallway was a cavernous wooden space lined with black bags stuffed full, three rows balanced on top of each other.

  Zap waved at the bags. “That’s a lot of garbage.”

  Kai sniffed the air. “Doesn’t smell like garbage.”

  Zap prodded him with his bony elbow. “And we’ve got tons of experience in that department.”

  “I say we take a quick look around and then we get out of here.” Kai didn’t wait for anyone to agree. This felt like a waste of time, and they had to get moving. The passage branched off to the left and right. The left led to an enormous dining room, the external wall lined with windows that let in the last rays of the setting sun.

  Zap’s face sagged. “If there was a soup kitchen today, I’m not seeing any sign of it.”

  “But you don’t even like soup. You’d always skip if that was dinner at St Greg’s. Why are you obsessed?” Kai frowned at his friend.

  “I don’t know. I like the thought of hungry people getting free food. Why it has to be soup...I’m not sure, but I like the idea of it.”

  Kai had no words. This boy was always on a different mission. “Soup or no soup, let’s see what’s down the side passage.”

  They moved off to the right and into a waiting room full of comfy bean bags. The temptation to sit was high. A circular staircase curled down from the middle of the floor. He checked his companions. “Down?”

  Ruaan flicked his hands, “Lead on.”

  ~*~

  It was the dream of snakes biting her hand that woke Evazee. The pain from her slashed palm burned like a pulsing, living thing. She lay on her side in the dark basement, lit only by the flickering glow from the testing arch. Shasta and Zulu’s boys were gone. Three small bundles slept at her feet, curled up together for warmth. They stirred as she moved. Runt, Peta, and Paintbrush.

  Then she saw Zulu, lying like a felled tree in a pool of his own blood next to the body of the small boy who’d resisted. Zulu’s breathing was shallow and his dark skin ashen.

  Evazee crawled over to him, wincing each time she tried to put weight on her injured hand.

  Zulu’s eyes followed her, but he didn’t speak. Couldn’t. A single tear slipped down his cheek. He was losing this battle, his life slipping away. The three small girls gathered around him with looks of deep concern on their faces.

  Evazee felt for the last bottle in her pocket, praying it’d still be intact. She eased it out awkwardly with her left hand, popped the lid, and dribbled some of the liquid between Zulu’s stiff lips.

  He nearly choked swallowing it, but Evazee persisted until the bottle was empty. It was hard to judge from the light of the testing arch, but Evazee thought his colour seemed better. His breathing evened out and he slept.

  It was too late for the small boy next to him. She covered him with the tarpaulin that had come off the testing arch. Deep anger burned inside Evazee. There was only one thing she could do about this.

  She called the three small girls close. “Will you watch him while I’m gone? I’m going to fetch what he needs to get better.”

  They nodded and earnestly slipped in next to him to watch over him while he slept as if their presence could delay his body failing.

  Evazee washed the wound across her palm in the kitchen and found some cloths to bind it with. The bleeding had slowed, but it was still a messy, tender wound. While she was there, she dug out the biggest empty bottle she could find and stuffed it in a backpack. She was on a mission for more Healing Stream water.

  Back in the basement, Evazee checked on Zulu. No change. The three girls huddled toge
ther, close enough that their knees touched him. Evazee couldn’t think of anything to say to them, so she flashed a quick smile that sat false on her face. She lined herself up at the Testing Arch with her stomach churning at the thought of stepping through. She sent up a quick prayer, not knowing if it would be heard. Please lead me, take me where I need to go. Let me meet the right people. Not for me, but for Zulu.

  ~*~

  Kai led the others down the stairs feeling like an intruder. This whole setup felt vaguely familiar, though Kai knew he’d never been there before.

  A guy sat at a desk with his back to them, bent double over a laptop. He pushed away from the desk and spun around on his chair before bouncing to his feet and holding out a hand. “Beaver’s the name. It’s good to meet you.”

  “Hey! We met before, though it wasn’t for long.” Kai shook his hand, feeling a deep peace wash over him. He waved towards the others. “This is Bree, Ruaan, and Zap.”

  Bree dipped her chin. “We’ve met too.”

  Beaver nodded. “Yes! I remember you.” He grinned at them all, holding out his hands in welcome. “Can I make coffee? Come and sit. I’ve been waiting for you.”

  Kai stepped forward, away from the rest. Beaver had helped him once before, but he didn’t know him well enough to trust a statement like that. “What do you mean waiting for us?”

  “You don’t have much time, am I right?”

  “Well, yes, but...”

  “I’m here to help. Do you want to show me your plan?”

  Kai looked at the very ordinary Beaver and couldn’t help himself. “I’m sorry if this comes across as rude, but you run a community centre. How much would you honestly be able to help us?”

  Beaver blinked a couple of times, his face blank. “Oh, you read the sign. That makes sense now. It’s an easy mistake to make. Follow me, I want to show you something.” He led them through a door into a larger room full of equipment. One entire wall was taken up with a map identical to the one they’d seen at the Stone City Rebel’s house. No names, just co-ordinates.