by C C Roth
“You need a helmet for everyday use. Next time I see one I’m grabbing it for you.”
I giggled then winced. “Don’t make me laugh. I need drugs. Can you hand me the Tylenol?”
“Sure. Sam, I’m sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have—”
“No, I’m sorry. I’m the one that went off. We can talk about it later.”
“Yeah, okay.” He ran another hand over my hair then awkwardly jumped back when Mike walked in with a bottle of water.
“I, uh, you…you should rest. I’ll grab you some food or whatever. Um, yeah, so, bye.”
Mike and I stared as Navin fumbled his way out of the room and bumped into the door frame as he walked out. It was pretty hard to watch but harder to look away.
“This is going to be fun,” I said, taking the water and downing three pills.
“Take it easy on him, Sam. He’s nice. Too nice for you to be screwing with his head.”
“Noted.”
“So, you’re staying in bed today, right?”
“Sure.”
“Sam, I’m serious.”
“Me too, super serious.”
“Sam?”
“Yeah, I’m not staying in bed. I can’t just sit here! Besides, I think I left my backpack in the car last night, I need to get it.”
Mike glared at me with such annoyance I thought his face was going to get stuck in a permanent state of disapproval.
“Fine. But I’m going with you and you’re not leaving here until you’ve eaten and can walk down the stairs by yourself.”
“Deal.”
“How far away is the car?”
“I parked by the giant sheep.”
He shook his head and walked out, “I don’t even want to ask what that means.”
Turns out the giant sheep was real and not part of a hallucination as my brother had suggested. It was an art installation that went in a couple months before the outbreak. Pretty handy considering all the locals knew exactly where the sheep was, so the kids were able to give us simple directions on how to get back to my crash site. After a meal and my headache meds kicked in, I felt much better. Not skipping through the open fields while singing better, but I felt fairly confident I could go down the stairs without vomiting. Navin grabbed Luis and Wyatt on our way and we all headed out into the deserted city once more. It was sort of comforting just being the five of us again. I almost didn’t care about Wyatt’s obnoxious yammering… almost. The sun was just starting its day and the dreary streets were peaceful as we walked the 12 blocks back to my car. It took no time at all, which surprised me, but I suppose being injured, disoriented, and lost in the rain didn’t help my time the night before.
“It’s kind of nice, us being together,” I said to no one in particular.
The guys exchanged worried looks. “How hard did you hit your head?” Luis asked.
“What? I’m just saying it’s a nice day. There aren’t 50 kids running around driving me nuts, no standing in line for food, no rain. This is nice.”
“Sam?”
“Yeah?”
“There is literally a dead body hanging out of that window.”
“Yeah, well. We’re not dead, so you know what I mean.”
In minutes we were at the site of my crash and it did not look good in the light of day. The front of the car was completely smashed in, the windshield was shattered, and the Fresh Meat sign from the deli was hanging sadly atop the roof. And of course, there was the giant sheep looming overhead which made it all the more terrifying. Thick elastic cording rooted the enormous animal in place between the deli and a vintage store so it wouldn’t escape but could gently bob back and forth to attract attention from passersby. As if a 20-foot sheep needed movement to attract attention. He was dressed smartly in a blue suit with a red power tie, no doubt a political statement about our former president.
Luis whistled, “Man, Sam you really torched our ride. Does this mean we can get a truck now?”
“Sure, why not? Trucks are nice. Let’s look on our way back.”
“Wow,” Navin said, looking at me upset. “Sam, you could have died.”
“Nah, I’m fine.”
“Yeah but, look. You really smashed the crap out of that car.”
Mike stared at the wreckage and shook his head.
“Yeah, maybe I got lucky.” I didn’t need Mike getting triggered, so I hurried to get the hell out of there fast. “I’ll grab my stuff so we can go.”
“You know,” Wyatt started, “they say that most car accidents happen close to home so I guess it makes sense that you weren’t that far away of course they also say that men are more likely to get into car accidents than women but I’m not really sure Sam qualifies for that statistic given how much she likes to drive fast but do you think you died when you hit your head but then came back to life? I wonder what happens when you die do you think—”
“Wyatt! I have a headache. For the love of god, stop.”
Just then I heard someone whistle from behind me. Annoyed and startled I turned too quickly, losing my balance in my woozy state. Navin rushed over and held my arm then quickly remembered Mike was watching, so he practically shoved me away after I got my balance.
Then, from around the corner came the most ridiculous sight I can recall ever seeing in my short life. Axle and his band of hapless hipsters. They looked a damn mess all covered in badly bandaged boo boos with their perfectly coiffed mustaches and ironic tees. The swarm of leggings and thick glasses parted and out strolled the man himself, looking dapper with a fresh new hairstyle and a super pissy face.
Many words could have described what I felt in that moment. Elated, annoyed, delightfully enraged.
“Hey, Axle! You’re not dead,” I blurted.
“No. I’m not, you shit.”
“Hmm, something is different about you though. What is it? New leggings? Did you get a haircut? Navin help me out here, I just can’t put my finger on it, but something is very different, Axle. You’re almost glowing.”
“You blew us up and my beard caught on fire in the explosion!”
“Yes! That’s it! No more beard. That is a bummer. I know how attached you were to your face pubes. But I gotta say, I sort of like this look better on you. It’s way less, what’s the word I’m looking for? Oh, I know, douchey. Yep, you for sure look less douchey.”
“You threw a goddamn grenade at me!” His face was turning bright red, a sharp contrast to the white belly flesh protruding from under his lightning bolt t-shirt.
“That is true, Axle and I wish I were sorry but I’m just not. I thought we reached a new level of trust in our relationship and you learned to stay the hell away from me. I mean come on, if a grenade doesn’t say back off then what does?”
My words bounced off of him. He couldn’t hear me through his rage. “I am going to enjoy this.”
“I doubt that, Axle.”
“You are so dead—”
“Hold on Axle, just one second. Hey, Mike?”
Mike looked at me confused, his eyes darting back and forth. “What?”
“Can I shoot this guy or are you going to be mad at me? I mean, does this violate the whole ‘me trying to be good’ thing I promised?”
“Sam, I…” Mike was trying to read the situation, but these guys were out for blood. After multiple attempts they finally posed a threat. I was almost proud of them.
“Mike? They’re probably going to shoot us so, any input?”
Right on cue, Axle’s hipsters all drew their weapons and for once looked ready to use them. It seems blowing people up really gets their attention.
The guys and I dove behind our trashed car and crouched as the angry band of misfits unloaded a barrage of bullets on us. Two noisy minutes passed, more than enough time for us to make sure we were loaded and ready.
I yelled to Mike, “So you’re not going to be mad at me for shooting them, right?”
“Jesus, Sam. Maybe try to just scare them off. You don’t have
to kill them.”
“Hmm, don’t I though?”
Yes, you do.
Navin was exasperated, “Would you two shut up and start shooting? I’d like to not die today.”
“Right, I’m on it. Shoot the people without shooting the people. Got it.”
Ugh, what a waste.
I slowly craned my neck to steal a peek at our attackers. Through a broken-out window I could see them all huddled up in one flock of pissed off legging clad warriors. Much to my joy and their misfortune, I discovered they happened to be standing right next to the 20-foot inflatable art installation of the sheep. It bobbed gently forward in the breeze and as luck would have it, the thing looked pretty top-heavy.
Oh, yes please.
I waited for a pause in their firing and took aim through the window. It was too easy. I didn’t even have to stand up. One, two, three shots followed by a shuddering twang as the cords broke free from their anchors and the sheep was liberated. As the animal began its descent everyone scattered like ants under a shoe, but they weren’t quick enough. The sheep landed with a thud, effectively squishing poor Axle and his posse.
I turned to Mike, “Was that what you had in mind?”
He threw his hands up, baffled. “Sure, that works.”
“Holy crap, Sam,” said Wyatt, “did you just kill someone with a sheep? Is that even possible? I mean I’ve heard of some strange deaths before, but this might be the first death by giant inflatable sheep of course there was that one incident with the Thanksgiving parade a few years ago do you guys remember that? I can’t believe—”
“Wyatt, shush. We’re leaving.”
He did have a point about it being a pretty epic death and if I wasn’t in so much pain, I would have been prouder of myself. I didn’t technically shoot anyone, so Mike couldn’t be mad at me which was a bonus. And now I could add “death by sheep” to my roster of confirmed kills.
Things normal teenagers don’t say.
────♦────
The rain came back with a vengeance that afternoon, putting an end to any of our excursions for the next day and a half. So, we were homebound until the night of the mission. Not that I was going anywhere in my condition anyway. People kept forcing me to sit down, which was super irritating, but I was still wobbly after the crash and I was starting to question if I’d be ready for the mission at all. The stairs were a challenge, sitting up too fast was a challenge, it was miserable. Almost like smashing your car at high speeds isn’t a great idea. I knew if I had any hope of being ready for Quantum I’d need to rest, even if it killed me. Wyatt tried to comfort me by acting out Assassin’s Creed, but I just didn’t get it and I couldn’t handle his rambling. After ten minutes I threw a trash can at him and sent him running. I still insist it wasn’t my fault, he brought it on himself.
Unable to sleep but forced to rest, I slowly made my way to the main room sofa in need of a television to drown out all the help that was buzzing around me. Mike and Navin were taking turns hovering which although necessary, was incredibly annoying. They set me up on the couch with some pillows and after much insisting, agreed to leave me alone for a while. In an attempt to return to normalcy, the networks had started airing reruns of the most popular shows from the last decade, so I was set for entertainment. But instead of commercials there were half hour updates, news briefings, and safety warnings. And of course, one channel was dedicated to around the clock election coverage to provide everyone with the information they needed to vote. I did not watch that channel, I’d already heard it 50 times and I wouldn’t be voting anytime soon since I was still under 18. Suffice to say our government was doing everything to make the process as simple as possible and their goal was to have working internet for every single voter in the U.S. regardless of what zone they were in. It sounded far-fetched and ballsy but who was I to judge?
I was two hours into an epic binge session when my show was interrupted by Marta Cline.
“We are interrupting your programming to bring you the latest in world events. Last week, Russia publicly denied many reports of their heavy losses due to the Avian-X virus, despite multiple sources confirming they are in desperate need of aid. This is not the first plea for help from across the pond and it will not be the last. Health organizations worldwide are doing all they can to alleviate risk and send aid where they are able. The International Red Cross, WHO, and other organizations are tirelessly working to provide assistance. However, with our populations suffering such heavy losses to Avian-X, most countries have taken an ‘every man for himself’ position and are strictly enforcing travel bans. This includes humanitarian efforts. Earlier today, an unprecedented standoff between aid workers and the Russian Federation border guards erupted as workers transporting masks, gloves, and food, refused to be turned away. After an hour-long stalemate, several soldiers fired upon the unarmed humanitarians, killing eleven and injuring six. Our hearts go out to these brave individuals who sacrificed themselves for the greater good. We are receiving new information and will continue to update you on this situation as it unfolds. This is Marta Cline, bringing you the latest on our ever-changing world. Be safe, America.”
My show jumped back on the screen so abruptly my brain couldn’t process it right away. I grabbed the remote and turned it off, suddenly not in the mood to be entertained. Why the hell would anyone shoot people who were just trying to help. They didn’t even have weapons to defend themselves. But that’s what was happening everywhere, just on different levels. I thought about the kids, Mitchell’s kids, stuck in the lab and wondered if I’d be able to get them out. I didn’t have much hope for them or Noah, but if anything, they deserved to be avenged. My parents did too. I pictured Ross’s face for the hundredth time and tried to will myself to feel better. I could do this. I could get him. But my head throbbed, reminding me I wasn’t quite battle-ready yet. Smashing my hands against my forehead, I tried to annihilate the ache with pressure.
“Here,” Mitchell walked in, “try this instead. Time for medicine.”
I gladly took the Tylenol, “Thanks.”
“No worries, young warrior. So,” he took a seat next to me, “you’ve done a fine job resting today. Are you feeling more like yourself?”
“Almost. I’m still off. Tomorrow will be better.”
He eyed me with a warm smile, “We will see then, I suppose. It seems your brother has softened a bit since you came home bruised and broken. Has he had a change of heart?”
“I guess you could say that. He said he’s on board, but he’s worried about me. He doesn’t…”
“Doesn’t trust me?”
I shook my head.
“He is a good man and you are lucky to have him. You take tomorrow to think Samantha, if you’re not up for the challenge you can go on your way and that will be it. You can remember us fondly and find your next adventure. But my offer still stands, even if you aren’t well enough to go into Quantum. You will always have a home here.”
I smirked, “Like the sign says, right?”
“Exactly. I wouldn’t want to be accused of false advertising.” He winked and patted my leg. “Now, up to bed and rest young warrior. There are always more battles to fight.”
I stood slowly and made my way to the stairs, looking like one of those people that say they haven’t been drinking but then fall on their faces two seconds later. Mitchell gave me a nod of encouragement before heading back toward his office. When I looked up Karina was standing next to me, her face an unusual mix of kindness and concern.
“You’ve really turned into his new little pet, haven’t you?” Her tone was sharp but not quite as nasty as usual. “That’s how it started with me you know. Lots of compliments, attention, entrusting me with important things ‘only I could handle.’ Don’t let him suck you in, Sam. You’re not my favorite person but, there’s no going back with Mitchell. Once he knows how to use you, he will. Look at me. Still here after all these years. I could have left anytime. I still could. But
I won’t. He becomes the voice in your head, you know?”
“I already have one of those,” I blurted.
“Huh, yeah I bet you do. Just thought I’d try, in case there’s a chance you don’t want to do his bidding the rest of your life.”
“I won’t be doing anyone’s bidding. I don’t have it in me.”
“We’ll see, I guess.”
I clenched onto the railing for support. “But what about Quantum? What would happen if we just left and did nothing?”
“It wouldn’t be what he wanted but I’d take care of it. That’s what I’m here for, right? To clean up his messes. I always do.” She trudged down the stairs, her shoulders looking heavy and tired. “Just try to imagine it if you can. One day he won’t need you anymore, and then where will you be?”
Karina could have been messing with me. She could have just been jealous and trying to spook me. She said it herself, that Mitchell relied on her for everything. I knew she wanted me gone and I didn’t blame her at all. With me out of her hair she could be Mitchell’s number one again and have Mike all to herself. Regardless of her intentions the seed was planted, perhaps Mike hadn’t been so far off about Mitchell after all.
────♦────
By day two of my recovery, Mike was leaving most of the babysitting to Navin. He hovered around me barely letting me go to the bathroom by myself, which while thoughtful was a bit obnoxious. Of course, it did give Navin and me a chance to be alone without arousing suspicion. Not that it mattered anymore since Mike already knew about us, but Navin would flip out so I kept it from him and played along. Besides, sneaking around and trying to find new places to be together was half the fun. Closets are handy but don’t have locks, bathrooms have locks but are high traffic in a house at maximum capacity, and building a fort out of sheets provides privacy but does tend to raise an eyebrow or two.
Navin had forgiven me for my crazy sex attempt in the car and Mike seemed to have forgiven me for all the things, but he was still acting distant. With a nudge from Navin, I couldn’t ignore the nagging thought that I needed to fix things. I found him the morning before the big day just flopped in a folding chair, staring at the rain running down the windows out back. He looked like a dying puppy in a commercial asking you to donate money.
