I stare at her not knowing what to say.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Evan?”
“They’re called paperbacks,” I blurt out. “At least that’s what Jeremin called them. We used to find books like this all the time.”
“Did you ever read any of them?”
“No, why would I? It’s stupid. We just burned them up. It was easier than recycling.” I close Fahrenheit 451 and shove it back onto the shelf.
“Well, I’m going to read every last one of them,” Val says brashly.
“You do know there’s no more downloading. You actually have to crack open the book.”
“I’m aware of that, Evan. Why would you think I wouldn’t know that?”
“Because you’re acting like everything is fine.”
“Everything is fine. We don’t have the L-Chip anymore.”
“We’re going to get old, Val, get wrinkles, gray hair, we’re going to die.”
“I know.”
“Doesn’t it bother you?”
“What’d you expect, Evan?”
“I don’t know, I just thought it’d be easier once we got here.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because I thought we were on God’s side. I thought once we got here, everything would fall into place. But look at us, we’re slumming it like we’re religious fanatics.”
“This is what we deserve, Evan. In fact this is better than we deserve. After what we did to these people, we should be outside freezing to death. But we’re not, we’re in here, we’re safe, she’s safe.” Val rubs her stomach and closes her eyes. “It’s just more than I can bare.”
The front door flies open, and Earl comes walking in with an armful of stuff. He dumps a pile of clothes on the couch with one hand and drops a sleeping mat with the other. He then pulls out various supplement bars from his jacket and tosses them on the table. “These should tide you over till morning. The one in the purple wrapper is my favorite.”
“Are all the clothes for us?” Val asks.
Earl nods. “I let our neighbors know two clueless teenagers came here with nothing but the clothes on their back.”
Val touches a few of the garments. “And people just gave you their stuff?”
“Yeah, people are stupid that way.” He pulls out a very colorful blouse from the pile. “Look at this one,” he says. “People will give their best stuff away if they know it’s for a good cause.”
“Is it silk?” Val asks.
“Yep, here take it.”
“I couldn’t, it’s too nice. I don’t deserve it.”
“No you don’t, but take it anyway.” Earl drops it on her lap and walks away. He heads down the hallway and into his room, shutting the door behind him, causing the crucifix to shake a little.
Valerie looks at the clothes and starts to cry.
CHAPTER 60
I wake up to the sound of Valerie’s morning sickness. She’s really loud. Earl emerges from his bedroom, confused by the noise.
“She’s in the bathroom,” I tell him.
He pauses to listen. “Is she…?”
I nod.
“But you guys had the L-Chip?”
“We did, but–”
“Never mind,” he says, holding his hand up. “It’s none of my business, I’m sorry.”
Val finally steps out smiling sheepishly. “Did I wake you?”
Earl chuckles. “Get dressed you two. We gotta sign you up for a shelter. Oh, and make sure you tell them your pregnant, it’ll expedite things.”
Earl goes back to his room while Val and I get dressed. After eating a supplement bar, we head on out.
The morning sun is hidden behind gray billowing storm clouds. The air is cold, bitingly cold. I have on a god-awful looking thick woolen black jacket that Earl gave me from his pile of clothes. It’s the kind of jacket I wouldn’t want to be caught dead in, especially at Santa Verde, but here in Utah, they don’t care about things like that. Staying warm is all that matters. Val on the other hand, doesn’t give it a second thought, she loves wearing her long dark patched up overcoat with frayed sleeves. It makes her feel better wearing something that’s probably been handed down a million times. If she had a choice right now, she’d choose something tattered and old over something new. She isn’t normal.
We walk by a whole row of tarps strewn all along the street. I saw them yesterday when we first got to Earl’s apartment. Earl told me the tarps are for individuals who are waiting for the additional shelters to be built. I look over to see the people who are actually living there. They’re huddled around one lone portable heater. They warm themselves up for a minute or two before letting someone else have a turn. The portable bathrooms that are set up near by smell, the trashcans are overflowing and everyone and everything is dirty. It’s disgustingly miserable. I fear Val and I will end up like that, freezing or dying of some disease. But as we walk by, I hear people laughing as they converse with each other. I’m not saying everyone is happy, far from it, but there is a sense of peace. Is that the right word? Peace? Peace in the middle of this? I don’t know. Maybe these people are like an abused dog that has no idea that life can be better. Maybe they’ve just been beaten down so much that they end up accepting that this is the way life is. I wonder if anyone around here knows the benefits of the L-Chip or the beauty of the Great Cities. If they did, would they still choose to be here? I have no idea if they would. But I know about the Great Cities and the L-Chip, and I’m here. Did I choose to be here? It doesn’t seem like I did. It just seems like I’ve been reacting to whatever life throws at me. And somehow I ended up here in Utah.
“It’s gone,” Val says suddenly, pointing up to the sky. “The billboard is gone.”
“Yeah, for now,” Earl says. “Sometimes Puck’s crew can disrupt the satellite signal and turn the damn thing off. It won’t last long though, maybe a day, maybe a week. But it’s sure nice when they can do it.”
Is that it? Are the people at peace because there’s a little bit of quiet? Maybe that’s all it is. They’re grateful for the silence, like I’m grateful for this horrible looking coat.
We arrive at a clearing to what was once probably a park. It’s hard to tell for sure in a place like this when all the structures have been leveled. There’s a grove of newly planted trees and shrubs. It’s definitely not the gardens of Santa Verde or the pathway at the hover hotel, but it’s nice in its own way. A table is set up in the middle of the area and a woman, bundled up in a coat and scarf, sits on the other side. A plastic tarp stretched tightly above protects her from the elements. A piece of paper hangs down from the tarp. It reads ‘Shelter Sign Ups’. It’s written by hand in black ink. Not exactly the most welcoming sign, but it does its purpose. The line for the sign ups isn’t too bad. I was expecting it to be worse.
Half an hour passes, and it’s our turn at last.
“Hello, welcome to Utah.” the woman says cheerfully. “How can I help you?”
“My husband and I would like a to sign up for a shelter,” Val says politely.
Husband? I think to myself. Husband? All right, I’ll go along with it.
The woman looks at Val. I don’t think she believes we’re married. “Okay,” she says doubtfully. “May I have your name?”
Valerie Sparks.
Hmm, she changed her last name already. How very old-fashioned.
“And your husband’s name?”
“Evan Sparks.”
The woman stops for a moment; my name sounds familiar to her. She pulls down her scarf to get a better look at me. She smiles warmly. “So the rumors are true?”
Val nods subtly, trying not to garnish too much attention.
“Are you two really married?” she asks.
“They are,” Earl butts in. “And she’s um, expecting.”
“Oh,” the woman responds, sounding startled. “Well congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Val answers.
“Do you belong to any relig
ious affiliations or certain denominations?” the woman continues.
“No, do I have to?” Val frets.
“Of course not, we just like to inform the new people when their specific group meets.”
“I don’t have a group,” Val reacts anxiously.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to.”
“But I want one.”
“Okay, which one would you like to join?”
“I don’t know, I was thinking all of them.”
The woman chuckles. “Why don’t you start off with a few, then decide.”
“Okay, when can I start?”
“Um, anytime. You see that big building behind me? It’s our worship center. You can go there anytime.”
Val and I look over the woman’s shoulder, and across the field about 300 yards away is a rather large gray structure. It’s nothing fancy, just a giant box of a building, obviously built using the 3D replicator.
“What’s with all the people waiting outside?” Val asks.
“They’re waiting their turn to go in. Every hour, the congregations rotate. It’s all spelled out on the schedule,” the woman says, directing us to look at a bulletin board.
“But today isn’t Sunday.” Val indicates. “Or is it? I don’t even know.”
“No, it’s not. We can’t accommodate everyone on Sunday, so people worship at different times during the week. Some denominations and religions have to worship on certain days, but others don’t mind and seem flexible to worship whenever. But on cold nights the worship center opens up for people without shelters. If it’s a cold day like this one is turning out to be, we might have to cancel worship services all together.”
“Please don’t, not today,” Val says abruptly. “Don’t close it today.” Val turns around and starts hurrying over to the gray worship center.
“Miss, uh excuse me Miss Star, I mean Mrs. Sparks! You haven’t finished signing up!”
Val doesn’t stop; she’s determined to get across the field. Earl and I look at each other for a second and then go on after her.
All of a sudden, the hologram billboard appears in the sky again. There’s a collective groan from the people. And there on the screen is none other than Senator Willenger. He’s dressed in his usual dark suit seated behind a desk next to a window overlooking the Salt Flats. “Greetings, people of Utah,” he announces in a condescending way. This stops Val in her tracks. It stops everyone in their tracks. We all look up. “Have you ever wondered why I haven’t destroyed you all?” Jokes the Senator. “Well I’ve been thinking about that a lot, lately. People say it’s because Puck has the bomb, and threatens to use it if I attack. I’ve destroyed your solar panels, your windmills; your crops, cut off your supply lines and yet Puck still doesn’t use the bomb against me. What more can I do to get him to fight back? I’m beginning to wonder if Puck ever had the bomb to begin with. I’m willing to launch one of my nuclear warheads right now just to see what your benevolent leader might do. And if he does have the bomb, well so what? I have thousands of warheads at my disposal, and I’m ready to use them at anytime, maybe even today… unless…” The Senator pauses for a moment. The camera moves closer in on him, his look becomes more sinister. “Unless you do one thing for me. There is someone living among you directly responsible for all your misery, all your sorrow. All you have to do is deliver this person to me. So who is this person you might ask? It’s none other than Valerie Star, the Diva of Death. I know you must be scratching your head asking yourself, why is she in Utah? Isn’t she a Youth Nationer? Well she was, she’s now one of you, part of the Resistance. You might be saying ‘that’s great, good for her.’ But is it? Think about it people, she’s hurt you, hurt you bad. Remember how she made your children hate you, and how she convinced them to call on Youth Patrol to have you arrested? You remember that don’t you? And those songs, those incessant songs your children sang over and over again. With all the evil she has done; don’t you think she deserves to get hers in the end? She wants God to forgive her, well fuck her. Why should she get heaven when you’ve gone through hell? That doesn’t seem fair. She doesn’t deserve God’s mercy; she deserves his wrath. She forced you to live in filth, in squalor. I appeal to you, the good upstanding righteous people of Utah. It’s time you took a stand. I’ve arranged a Drone to wait outside your city gates. Bring her there alive and I won’t annihilate Utah. Ask yourself one question; is her life worth more than yours? Quickly people, I grow impatient. Bring her to me and I won’t destroy you. Bring her to me if you know what’s good for you.”
The billboard begins to show highlights of Valerie singing on stage and preaching to the crowds. Then, Willenger’s speech repeats.
Valerie looks over at me, shaking her head as if to say, ‘how did he find out?’
Earl comes up behind us and pushes us forward. “Get inside the worship center before someone sees you.”
CHAPTER 61
The people who are waiting to go inside the big gray building don’t notice us as we hurry right past them. They’re all too busy staring up at the billboard in the sky. Val pushes the front doors open and we follow her in. The lobby of the worship center is colorless; it matches its exterior. The whole place feels more like a warehouse than a church. Of course I don’t know what a church is supposed to feel like. Right in front of us is an entryway that leads down a long and wide hallway with eight doors, four on each wall. I assume behind each door is a different church service. Val rushes down the hall and heads for the first door on the right. She pulls it open and goes inside. I rush to follow her but stop at the doorway while she goes on ahead. The people inside are standing, singing their heart out. Down near the front, up on the stage is a pretty petite woman with long hair leading the people in song. She has on a faded pink and blue dress with a ribbon in her hair. Behind her are three men. Two are playing guitars while the other pounds on a drum kit that’s missing a few drums. Tall audio speakers are situated on either side of the stage. They’re old. They crackle and hum, distorting the music, but the hundred or so churchgoers don’t seem to care. Val continues to walk down the center aisle, taking it all in. She goes all the way to the front. When the song ends, another one doesn’t begin. There’s silence. Val’s presence has disrupted the service. I wonder if they know who she is? Could they have heard Willenger’s speech? Val finally realizes she’s the reason they’re not continuing.
“I’m sorry, I… I didn’t mean to,” she stammers. “You’re singing was beautiful, it’s just beautiful.” Val starts to walk backwards away from the stage.
“You can stay,” the woman in the front says to her.
“I can’t, I’d like to, but I… I just can’t.” Val turns and rushes up the aisle, running right pass me.
She runs across the hallway and into the opposite room. I follow her in, but this room hardly has anyone in it. Most of the folding chairs are unoccupied, but down near the front, the few people that are here, are sitting in a circle. They’re quiet, solemn, but with Val rushing in, she’s totally disrupted this service too. They turn to look at her.
“Can we help you?” one of them asks.
“Are you praying?”
“We are.”
Val takes a few steps forward. “What are you praying about?”
“All sorts of things. Would you like us to pray for you?”
Val doesn’t answer; she panics. She begins to retrace her steps backwards just like she did in the first room. She then turns and runs out.
She dashes down the hallway to go into another room. This one has a man up in the front, preaching like a crazy man. The people are jumping around with their arms up in the air yelling out “Amen” and “Hallelujah.” It’s nuts. But Val is lovin’ it. She almost joins in with the frenzy, but suddenly she catches herself from raising her arms up. Her shoulders droop. It’s like she doesn’t want to enjoy it. She turns to look at me; her face is downcast.
“What’s wrong, Val?” I ask her.
She remains
silent and goes running back up the aisle. She heads for yet another room, but this one, she just peeks in and quickly leaves. She then goes to another room and then another. She goes to all eight rooms and ends up at the end of the hallway.
“It’s not working,” she cries out in exhaustion.
“What are you trying to do?” I ask.
“It’s not working!”
“What’s not working?”
Then, the doors of the rooms open up and the people begin to exit. The people that were waiting outside begin to file in. The services are over and the new services are beginning. Val takes a deep breath and resumes her mission.
The next room we visit has all the women on one side and the men are on the other. She watches for a while and then takes off. The next room has mostly black people in it; the room after that has mostly Asian. Some sermons are quiet; others are loud.
We then visit one room where the people are worshiping in the religion of my parents. I stand in the back watching the service. I want to stay longer, but Val has already left.
We go to room after room, hour after hour, all day long, getting little tidbits from every single service. Most focus on Jesus, a few do not. I pick up words and phrases like grace and mercy, dying for our sins and rising from the dead. I keep hearing about forgiveness and resurrection and heaven and hell, but have no idea what it all means.
Val continues on her quest, she goes in and out of rooms at a frantic pace, I try to stop her, to slow her down, but she’s so determined to do whatever it is she’s doing. She finally collapses to the floor in the middle of the hallway just as the services are changing over. She covers her face with her hands and starts to sob. The people take notice, but they’re not sure what to do with her, I don’t know what to do with her. I don’t know if she wants to be left alone or not. She could be praying for all I know. But someone does come up to her, and that person is Earl. I thought he would have left by now, but he hasn’t. He helps her to her feet and walks her to the end of the hallway and sits her down on the floor. She leans up against the wall.
Youth Patrol Page 32
