by Mark Kelly
He spun around on his heels and headed in the same direction Lucia had gone. Behind him, he could hear the sound of boots trudging through the underbrush. Now, all they had to do was find the girl. His life depended on it.
26
Banished
Baker and the rest of the soldiers caught up to Lucia at the edge of the forest. She was crouched in a ditch, hiding among the tall grass and cattails, watching a pair of men patrol the hospital’s main entrance. Baker heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Dines approaching.
“Can you shoot them from here?” Dines asked.
“No, it’s too far for a clean kill with the Sig,” he replied.
Neither of them mentioned the rifle draped over his shoulder. For a shooter of his skill, killing the two guards from this distance with the rifle would be easy, but the gunshots would be heard for miles, and if they were going to get Saanvi out alive, the operation needed to be a complete surprise.
“I’m going to do a quick check of the perimeter and see if there are any other ways into the building,” he said to Dines.
“Do you want one of us to come with you?”
“No, stay here and watch the front entrance.” He tapped the tactical headset attached to his helmet. “If you see any sign of trouble, you let me know—understood?”
“Roger that, chief.”
“And keep an eye on her,” Baker added, pointing to the ditch where Lucia lay hidden.“If she makes a move, you make sure she’s covered.” The tone of his voice was clear. Lucia was part of the team and the team sticks together.
As he turned to leave, he stole one final glance into the ditch. There was a fearlessness to Lucia that was almost frightening. He watched her lying in the grass and prayed she wouldn’t do anything rash. She was unlike anyone he had ever met, and he found himself oddly attracted to her.
Staying just inside the edge of the forest and dodging the guard patrols, Baker circled the building twice searching for a way in, but finding nothing. He was about to return to where he had left Dines and Lucia when the hospital’s rearmost fire door suddenly swung open. He dropped to his stomach, forcing his body tight to the ground, and went still as a mouse.
“Get me a chair, and something to eat. Something good,” a male voice said.
“And bring my new pet.”
Baker perked up, listening intently. He wondered if the man was talking about Saanvi and tilted his head to the side to take a look.
He saw four men standing guard at the corners of a small patio off the fire exit. They clutched their rifles with exaggerated seriousness and stared into the forest like a makeshift praetorian guard. A freakishly tall man with a bowtie and a black blazer that hung loosely on his frame stood behind them. He was slightly hunched over and used an umbrella as a crutch.
A woman stepped through the open door carrying a black leather high-back chair. She moved cautiously towards the tall man and placed the chair behind him so he could sit.
“Where’s the girl?” the man demanded. “And my food? I asked for food.”
Wide-eyed, the woman stammered as she spoke. “N-n-no one said anything about that. I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know—”
The tall man moved without warning and struck the side of her face with the back of his hand, causing her to cry out in pain.
Then he did it again.
His face turned bright red with apoplectic rage as he spoke. “How many times do I have to tell you—NEVER…EVER use the words DON’T KNOW. Was I not clear?”
The woman dropped to her knees. She bowed her head and whimpered an apology as he leaned forward and hooked a finger under her chin.
“Was…I…not…clear?” he said, slowly repeating the words in a patronizing voice.
She blinked rapidly and then nodded. When he pulled his finger away, her head dropped.
“Good. Now, get me some food—and my wife. Tell her to bring the girl.”
The woman rose and scurried through the open door back into the hospital, leaving the man sitting in his chair impatiently tapping his fingers on the armrests.
Baker waited with nervous anticipation, hoping the girl they were talking about was Saanvi. Minutes later his patience was rewarded when another woman, this one wearing knee-high black boots, walked through the door holding a dog leash that was attached to a choke chain collar that hung around Saanvi’s neck. The teenager had dark circles around her eyes and bruises on her face. She looked exhausted and stumbled as she tried to keep up.
Baker flinched at the sight and reached for the silenced SIG strapped to his leg.
Not now…not yet.
He willed himself to relax and slowly drew the pistol out of its holster, bringing the gun up and placing it beside the rifle lying in front of him.
The woman led Saanvi to the front of the chair and forced her to sit on the ground by the tall man’s feet. Then she handed him the leash. He wrapped it around his fist, pulling the girl closer.
“You’re so much prettier than the others,” the freak cooed, stroking Saanvi’s head. He leaned forward, his nose a few inches above her jet black hair, and inhaled deeply. “And fresh…so very, very fresh.”
“She is pretty, isn’t she, John?” the black-booted woman said. “I think we were fortunate to find her.”
“Fortunate indeed,” the man replied. He reached down to place his hands on Saanvi’s shoulders. The girl trembled as the tips of his long fingers touched the top of her chest.
The woman from earlier reappeared, holding a cafeteria tray in her trembling hands. As she walked towards the chair, the bottles on the tray wobbled precariously. Baker saw panic, and then relief in her eyes as she fought successfully to keep the bottles from tipping over. She stopped in front of the tall man and said, “I brought you water and the last can of peaches.”
When he nodded his approval, she eagerly thrust the tray forward. Unbalanced by the jerky motion, the plastic bottles tipped and rolled off the tray, spilling their contents on the patio.
The man leapt to his feet with the leash in his hand, causing the choke-chain around Saanvi’s throat to tighten. She let out a strangled gasp and clawed at the metal chain crushing her larynx.
Baker raised the Sig, his finger tightening on the trigger. Risks be damned, if the tall freak didn’t release his grip on the girl, he’d shoot first and worry about the repercussions later.
It was as if the man had heard his words. He dropped the leash and with his now empty hand, pointed at the woman who was frantically trying to place the half-full bottles back on the tray.
“BANISH HER! I want her banished.”
“No…please don’t,” the woman cried out.
She dropped the plastic bottles and scrambled on her knees towards him. He kicked at her, striking her in the chest and knocking her backward. She struggled upright and began to cry.
“It was an accident. Please tell him it was an accident,” she said to the black-booted woman.
The guards shared a glance and looked to the black-booted woman for guidance. When she nodded, one of them ran into the building while the others restrained the woman who had dropped the bottles.
Minutes later, another man returned, wearing a surgical mask covering his face. He held a black box in his gloved hands. The woman screamed in terror when she saw it.
“Chief, what’s going on?” Baker heard Dines ask through his headset. “We heard screaming. Everything okay?”
“I found her,” Baker whispered into his throat mike.
“The girl? You found the girl?”
“Roger that. Hang tight. Something’s about to go down. I’ll call if I need help.”
The black-booted woman reached down to pick up the leash. She pulled on it, drawing Saanvi closer to her and away from the man with the box.
The tall man stepped forward and stood over the woman. “Banish her now!” he commanded.
Baker watched, transfixed, as the scene erupted in chaos. Two of the guards dragged the woman to her fee
t, each grabbing an arm while she flailed about trying to free herself. They pulled on her hands, stretching her out as if she were about to be nailed to a cross. The man with the box placed it on the ground and opened it. He carefully removed a dirty piece of cloth.
The woman’s eyes filled with terror. Jerking her head to the left and right, she begged the men to let her go and twisted to face the woman holding Saanvi.
“I’m sorry. Please don’t—”
The man with the cloth shoved it into her mouth and clamped a gloved hand over her face. He held it there as she fought him. After a few seconds, he stepped away and the other men released her. Spent, she collapsed to her knees and spat the rag out.
The tall man reached down and grabbed a handful of her hair. He yanked her head back and stared into her eyes as he spoke. “You are hereby banished.”
With Saanvi and the black-booted woman in front of him and the four guards behind, he turned on his heels and limped towards the door.
They’re going back inside, Baker realized in a panic. He dropped the Sig and grabbed the rifle, bringing it to his shoulder as targets danced in and out of the scope’s crosshairs.
Shit…He didn’t have a clean shot, and if he missed, he’d hit Saanvi.
Dejected, he lowered his gun as the last guard stepped inside and closed the fire exit.
Smacking the ground with his fist in frustration, Baker cursed under his breath. The woman on the patio looked up and stared into the forest. Her eyes widened when she saw him. He reached for the Sig but stopped and brought his finger to his lips, signalling her to be quiet. Then he beckoned at her to come to him.
She shook her head and spoke in a dead voice. “I’m infected.”
“So am I,” he said, climbing wearily to his feet.
27
I’ll Get Her
“Psst…”
Lucia rolled onto her side and looked over her shoulder to see Dines crouched at the edge of the tree-line motioning to her. Still angry from their earlier confrontation, she glared at the other woman.
“What?”
“Baker’s on his way back. He has someone with him.”
“Saanvi?” Lucia asked, feeling a surge of hope.
“Nope, someone from inside. Not a roamer, one of their slaves.”
Disappointed, Lucia crawled backwards out of the ditch and joined Dines and the other soldiers at the edge of the forest while they waited for Baker.
A few minutes later, he and a woman appeared, walking side by side in the space between two rows of tall pine trees. Every few steps, he placed his hand on the woman’s elbow to steady her. She was of average height, the top of her head even with his chest. Her dirty blonde hair hung limply down the sides of her face and she walked stooped over as if she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.
As they neared, she faltered and Baker grabbed her before she could fall. “This is Mya,” he said. “The roamers infected her using some kind of cloth.”
“Infected her? On purpose?”
He nodded and described what he had seen while Mya stood beside him, quietly sobbing.
“What about Saanvi?” Lucia asked him. “Did you see her?”
“I saw her, but I couldn’t get to her.”
“Was she all right?”
He blinked, but said nothing.
“What are you not telling me?” Lucia asked, narrowing her eyes.
Baker took a deep breath and spoke. “She looked exhausted and had bruises on her face. There was a dog collar with a leash around her neck and they made her sit at their feet. They were treating her like she was a pet. ”
The muscles in Lucia’s chest went taut with barely suppressed rage. “What is your plan? To just leave Saanvi chained up like a dog until they kill her?”
Baker set his jaw and frowned. “Of course not. We’re going to get her out, but we can’t just barge in. They’ll kill her for sure.”
“What then?”
He looked at Mya and said, “You’ve been inside. Tell us everything you can about it and don’t leave anything out. Even the smallest detail might be helpful.”
“It’s horrible in there,” she said with a shudder, “Worse than anything you could imagine. It’s dark and stinks—probably from the dead bodies that used to be inside.”
“Used to be? Where are the bodies now?”
“In a pit in the forest. When the roamers arrived, they forced a bunch of us from town to clean up the hospital. Then they killed everyone who did the work.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “In case they had become infected.”
“How many people are there in the hospital?” he asked.
“Around twenty roamers and thirty or forty of us. They treat us like slaves and make us sleep in the lobby while they live in the lodge.”
“Lodge?”
“It’s like a residence for long-term care patients. The patio where you found me is part of it.” She choked back a sob and started to cry. “My sister is still in there. She cooks for them.”
Baker placed a hand on her shoulder, urging her to continue. “It’s very important that you tell us everything you know. Is the lodge where they keep the girl?”
She nodded.
“How do you get to it from inside the hospital?”
“It’s off one of the corridors, through a door they keep locked and guarded.”
“Is everyone inside armed?”
“Just the roamers. The rest of us aren’t allowed guns. They took them away.”
“What about an ambush?” Dines suggested to Baker. “If they go out scavenging, we could get them then.”
Baker pursed his lips as he thought about it. “That’s a possibility. How often do they go out?” he asked Mya.
“Whenever they need supplies, but they don’t all go out at once. Usually, it’s just a couple of them and one of the work gangs. Lilanne sent a group out yesterday, so it might be a few more days before they go out again.”
Lilanne?
Lucia stiffened upon hearing the name. It, along with one other, was etched in her memory. “Tell me about this Lilanne,” she said, remembering what Callie’s mother, Samantha, had told them about the woman who liked to hurt children.
Mya’s lips curled into a sneer. “She’s King John’s wife, the Queen Bitch. He does whatever she tells him to do. They all do. She’s the one who is really in charge. I heard she likes to watch when he does things with the girls. Then when he’s finished, she lets the others have their turn.”
“Who’s King John?” Baker asked.
“Un cabrón,” Lucia said, spitting the words out. “He is their leader, a filthy pig who deserves to die.”
“I think I saw him. Is he a tall freaky-looking guy?”
“Yes.”
“You know him?” Baker asked, surprised.
“I know of him,” she said and told Baker about the ambush at the roadblock outside of Douglas. “He and his pig wife and their pig friends escaped on a bus.”
“Son of a bitch!” Dines exclaimed. “They showed up at the roadblock a while back and we turned them away. They must have doubled back and taken the side-roads to get here.”
Lucia flashed back to the tenement house in New York City. She remembered the men groping her, the stench of their breath and the self-loathing she felt as they did what they wanted. She couldn’t let that happen to Saanvi again, not after what the child had been through at the school in Washington.
She grabbed Mya and shook her. “Did they do anything to Saanvi? Have they hurt her?”
“I don’t know. You’re hurting me,” Mya cried out. “Let go!”
Lucia stared at the woman’s arm where her hand gripped it. She let go and watched the white imprint of her fingers on the flesh fade away.
The time to act was now.
“Where are you going?” Baker asked as she started to turn away.
She spat the words out. “If this king and his queen want a whore, I will be their whor
e; the last whore they’ll ever see.” Then she marched out of the forest and stepped into the ditch.
Ignoring Baker’s pleas to stop, she pulled her pistol out of her holster and stuck it in the back of her pants. Then she dropped the holster on the ground and brushed the tall grass and cattails aside. Stealth was no longer a concern. In fact, the opposite. She wanted to be seen.
She stepped out of the ditch and onto the road and peered at the men standing guard outside the entrance to the hospital. They hadn’t noticed her yet, but they would. She would make certain of it.
She dropped her chin and looked down at her chest where the buttons of her shirt came together. The trim of her bra was barely visible. She undid a button, and then another.
“Hey, you, stop right there.”
She lifted her head and snuck a peek. There were two of them—both men in their twenties or early thirties. One clean-shaven and the other with a goatee. Their rifles were cradled in their arms. They wouldn’t shoot, she wasn’t a threat yet, and ammunition was too valuable. She shuffled towards them with her hands out and spoke in a woeful voice.
“I am hungry. Do you have anything to eat?”
“Beat it,” the clean-shaven man yelled back. “And don’t come any closer.”
She took another step, cautiously making her way towards them. “Don’t shoot…” she begged. “I am not infected. I don’t need much, just a few bites of food. I haven’t had anything to eat in days.”
She placed her hands on her hips and gave them a broad, slutty smile that softened her voice as she spoke. “Come on, please…If you give me food, I will do whatever you want.”
“Like what?” the goateed guard asked. “What are you gonna do for us, sweetheart?”
“Do I have to spell it out for you?”
She undid another button, showing them more cleavage. The men snickered, elbowing each other. As they bragged about what they would do to her, an older man stepped through the half-open glass door behind them. He froze when he saw her.
“What the hell is going on, and who the hell is she?”
