Real

by Dena Nicotra

  I stepped into my black jeans, and pulled on a matching black turtleneck. As I laced up my boots, I thought about all of the things that Mic had said to me. From the day I’d met him, I’d had my doubts about him. I’d always had an opinion about him, and yet somehow, I had allowed him to creep in. Maybe it was just about the sex. Maybe I’d just been that lonely. I tucked my knife into my boot and my gun into the back of my jeans. Fool me once…Yeah, whatever it was, I was over it now.

  Alice was in the kitchen washing dishes and I really wasn’t in the mood for conversation. She noticed me coming through the living room and to my surprise, she didn’t engage. Instead, she paused only to observe my appearance. “Wow. If looks could kill, Lee.” I didn’t respond. I closed the door behind me and headed straight for Idella’s place. I needed to talk with her before I headed to the jailhouse. If I needed approval from anyone, it was her.

  Dallas opened the door and, seeing the surprised expression on his face, I knew my efforts had paid off. He was clearly flustered and I couldn’t help but smile.

  “My mom isn’t here. She went with Giz to take Maude to an empty cabin across the way. Do you want to come inside?”

  “Thanks, Dallas. If you don’t mind, I need to talk to her, and I can wait.”

  “No worries at all.” Dallas opened the door and stepped aside so that I could enter. Their house smelled like waffles and old books. Everything about Idella whispered comfort and security and I breathed it in like oxygen. Dallas shifted uncomfortably and directed me to the couch. “Can I get you something to eat, or drink?”

  “Unless it’s whiskey, I’m good.”

  “I think I can cover that, but you’ll have to follow me to the barn. Momma doesn’t approve of liquor, so I keep it out there.” I followed him out the front door and down the path to the barn. The sound of our boots crunching in the gravel seemed loud against the quiet morning. Somewhere in the distance a rooster crowed.

  It was difficult to enter the barn because the last time I’d been there it wreaked with the smell of death. The bodies had since been removed, but the smell lingered. Dallas moved a few boxes aside and finally produced a bottle of unopened scotch. I smiled and shook my head. He was definitely my kind of man.

  We sat on the sacks of grain and shared a few pulls from the bottle. It was early in the day for libations, but I appreciated the fact that Dallas didn’t judge me on this. Instead, he took a long swig from the bottle and then passed it to me. I did my part and then returned it.

  “So, you want to talk about it?” I stood up and began to pace. Where did I start? My boyfriend turned out to be a giant asshole of a monster? “I killed his partner last night. Well, I guess they weren’t really partners anymore, so I guess that made them arch enemies, or something like that, because they both wanted something from each other. Oh, and I also killed that big, ugly, purple son-of-a-bitch. Killed…isn’t the right word, is it? No, I guess not, because that thing wasn’t human. At any rate, it’s done. Just like that,” I snapped my fingers. “No more bad simps.” Dallas stood up and stopped me in mid-pace.

  I hadn’t realized that I’d unleashed the waterworks. Tears were streaming down my face. “Hey now, it’s okay, Lee.”

  “It’s NOT okay, Dallas! It’s anything but okay!” I choked back a sob as he pulled me in close. The warmth of his arms around me felt incredible. “Shhh, easy there, Lee. I know you’ve been through hell, and everybody in this town knows what you did last night. Nobody blames you for any of this. Why are you taking it all on your own shoulders?”

  “Because I brought it here, Dallas. I did that!”

  “Did you know that it would turn out like this?”

  “No. I would never have put these people in danger.”

  “Exactly.” He stroked my hair. “If you had known, you wouldn’t have left. If you’re going to blame anyone, blame Mic. This is on him, not you.” He pulled me to the grain sacks. “You know, I’m not the highest achiever, but I’ll tell you one thing. That man didn’t deserve you.” I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and smiled. He was right about that. “I must look like a mess,” I said with a half-hearted laugh. I hated showing weakness. It wasn’t my style. “Lee, you always look good to me…but your make up didn’t survive.” I let out a heavy sigh. “That figures.” A long moment of silence fell between us as I studied his face.

  His dark eyes stood out against his pale skin, and I noticed for the first time that he had a small dark freckle just at the edge of his left cheekbone. I reached up and touched that freckle with my index finger, and then softly trailed my finger to his lips. He caught my hand there in his own. Turning it over, he kissed the back of it like a gentleman.

  “You’re a good man, Dallas. Thank you for always being there for me.”

  When Mic left to go back to the city, it was Dallas that checked in on me. He was the one that made sure I had propane and other supplies. He was the one that made sure I wasn’t isolating myself too much from the people in town. The corner of his mouth twitched, and then a slow smile spread across his face. “That’s what friends are for.”

  “You out there, Dallas?” Idella’s voice called from the distance.

  “Yes, Momma. Lee and I are in here, in the barn. We’ll come inside. Go on in the house and get out of the cold.” He stood and offered his hand for me to do the same. “I guess it’s time for you to make some decisions,” he said as he carefully tucked the bottle back behind the boxes.

  I wiped my eyes and followed Dallas to the house. Idella was sitting in her recliner as we entered and I could tell immediately that she wasn’t happy. Her eyebrows were scrunched and her lips were pursed into a prominent scowl.

  “Everything all right, Momma?”

  “No. Everything is absolutely not all right, Dallas. That woman is out of her damn mind!” I took a seat on the couch and tried to smile. It was Maude she was talking about and I could only imagine what she’d said to upset her. I’d been too hasty in my decision and immediately regretted having Giz send her to Idella.

  “I’m so sorry, Idella. I shouldn’t have asked Giz to send Maude over here.”

  “I’m not talking about Maude. I took her over to Bruce’s cabin and left her with Giz.”

  “Then who are you talking about, Momma?” That’s when it came to me. She was talking about Janelle.

  “I went over to the jailhouse to see if Ross needed some breakfast. Do you know what that snotty woman said to me?” I shook my head and glanced over at Dallas.

  “She said that it was about time someone came to take the food order and wanted to know if I’d prepare her some scrambled egg whites with a side of whole grain toast!”

  “Oh yeah? What’d you tell her, Momma?”

  “I told her she could have a knuckle sandwich. Dry.” She raised her fist for emphasis. I covered my mouth and looked away. It was comical to see her so worked up and I could just imagine Janelle’s face as she realized she wasn’t dealing with the hired help. Dallas got up to get her a cup of coffee and I gave her a few minutes to regain her composure as she sipped it.

  “Speaking of our unfavorable guests, I need to get your opinion,” I said. Idella took another sip from her cup and then placed it gently on a coaster on the end table. “What’s on your mind, Lee?” I cleared my throat and leaned forward. This wasn’t going to be easy. “There are two ways we could go about dealing with Mic and Janelle. The first is to wait for the government to send out a circuit judge and we go through the process of a trial. Now, I don’t know for sure, but I think that there is a possibility that Mic could find some way to either bribe or persuade someone to get out of a proper sentence. Or, even worse, he could find some way to get his own legion of bad simps together and…”

  “Stop right there,” she said, holding up her hands. I’ve lost too many people to give either of those scenarios a chance. What’s your second way?”

  “We hang them.” She didn’t hesitate to respond. “Dallas, get the ropes.” I had no
way of knowing how she would respond, but her quickness told me that she wanted them dead as much as I did. As far as I was concerned, it was the only way to ensure the safety of mankind. Mic was responsible for literally hundreds of thousands of lives and it was time he paid the price. We discussed the details of our plans over the next hour and then I excused myself to go see Giz. Telling him would not be easy, and I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. I didn’t really give a shit what his aunt thought.

  Bruce’s cabin was around the corner and walking there gave me a chance to prepare my speech. Bruce had died in the slaughter, and seeing the fat, dried droplets of his blood on the porch helped fuel my resolve. I knocked on the door and waited. Giz opened it and invited me inside. “She’s all settled in, I was just about to leave and go back to Two and Deraline’s to check on them and Isaiah.”

  “That can wait. I need to talk to both of you,” I said as I pulled the door closed behind me. Bruce’s place was filled with pictures of a young girl, which I pieced together must be his daughter. I absently wondered if she was still alive and if she knew that her father was gone. I tore my eyes away from the frames as Maude entered the room. “The bed is a little hard, but —” she stopped short at seeing me.

  “Lee wants to talk to us,” Giz offered. She adjusted her sweater and took a seat on the couch. Giz sat beside her and then gestured for me to take a seat as well. “No thanks, I think I’ll stand.”

  “What’s this about, Lee?” Giz asked. I crossed my arms. “A decision has been made,” I said firmly.

  “And what is that decision?” Maude asked.

  “Idella is the matriarch of this town, and I’ve met with her to get her input. We will not be waiting for a circuit judge.” Maude’s face brightened.

  “So, you’ve reconsidered based on my suggestion.” It wasn’t a question. She truly was that clueless. I shook my head. “No. Your nephew and his colleague will not be going back into the world. We can’t allow that to happen.”

  “Lee, what are you saying?” Giz’ voice squeaked. “We are executing them both at four o’clock this afternoon.” Giz nodded and then lowered his head. His minimal response told me that he wasn’t going to fight this. Maude, on the other hand, immediately began to scream at me. “You can’t do that! You don’t have the authority to take a person’s life! I won’t stand by and let this happen!” She rose to her feet.

  “You don’t have a choice,” I said, flatly. If I were you, I’d go say my goodbyes.” With that, I turned and walked out the door, leaving Giz to deal with her. It was time to go say mine.

  The wind had picked up, carrying the promise of a storm. I looked up at the dreary sky and found it fitting. The walk to the jailhouse was depressing at best. The glass was broken out of many of the storefront windows. The bodies that remained were not human, but their littered presence served to remind me of the human lives that had been taken by their synthetic hands. I stepped over one that was lying on her back. Her blue eyes starred absently at the sky. I stepped around it and kept walking.

  Ross was sitting at his desk with his feet propped up. Seeing me, he set the book he’d been reading down. “I figured it was only a matter of time before I’d see you here.”

  Mic and Janelle were talking quietly together and neither acknowledged my arrival, which was fine by me. “We will need to talk, Ross, but for now could you give me a few minutes alone with them?”

  “Of course. I’ll be outside if you need me.” He leaned in close to my ear and whispered, “Have fun.” Then he winked and stepped out. I guess he knew me better than I realized. I sat on the edge of the desk and cleared my throat. It was Janelle that spoke up first. “Unless you are here to let us out, we don’t have anything to say to you.”

  “So you speak for him now, huh? That’s adorable. Nice bruises, by the way. Lovely work, Fish.” The ever polished Micah Keenan looked disheveled. His shirt was a wrinkled mess and his eyes were darting around the room as though he expected something to come for him at any second. Or maybe he knew the “something” was me. Either way, he wasn’t as impressive anymore.

  “So, I take it you’ve heard the news. I took down your partner. He was pretty pathetic, Mic. Not at all what I expected. All the way to the end, he was still hoping that you’d come back to him and together you’d…oh, I don’t know…save the world, build back your empire…and he’d get to have a body that wasn’t riddled with disease.”

  “You’re such a fool, Lee. You’ve destroyed the greatest mind in the history of mankind. You’ve robbed the world of a chance for a new future, all because of your personal fear of technology! You should have fought to preserve his brilliance, but instead you selfishly destroyed it.”

  “My personal fears? That’s rich, Mic. Between you and wonder brain, you destroyed the world, and don’t even talk to me about selfishness, you pious prick! Countless lives have been lost at your digital hand in the name of technology and you call me the fool?” I hopped down from the desk and moved closer to the bars. It was amusing to watch Janelle flinch and step back and I shifted my focus to her.

  “You know, I killed a woman in that cell, Janelle. She was standing just where you are now.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  “No, you pretentious bitch! I wouldn’t waste my time with a threat. If I wanted to kill you right now, I wouldn’t waste time talking to you. I’d just do it. I pulled my gun from my waistband and pointed it at her head. Instinctively, she raised her hands to protect her face. Smiling, I lowered my weapon and returned it to my waistband. “But what’s the fun in that? I’m not going to kill you right now.” I looked up at the clock on the wall, which read eleven am. You both have five hours. In that time, I suggest you both get right with your maker, or whatever you need to do.”

  “What are you talking about, Lee?” Mic’s eyes widened and his fingers gripped the bars.

  “I’m talking about your sentence. We’re hanging you both at four o’clock today. We’d do it sooner, but you know how it is. We have to gather everyone together, find the right tree. All of those little details matter.” I smiled and stepped closer to Mic. “You didn’t expect to get out of this alive, did you, Mic?”

  “You’re out of your mind, Lee! You can’t possibly be serious!”

  “Oh, but I am, Mic. As it turns out, your mind isn’t any more important that your partner’s.” Janelle rushed the bars. “Lee, you need to listen to me! I wasn’t involved in any of this until it was well beyond what I could have controlled. You can’t possibly blame me for the decisions of Aaron and Micah. My contributions did not factor into the genocide that occurred. Surely you can see that!”

  “Bitch, you’ve got an annoying accent and impractical shoes. I know from his aunt that you’ve been with them from the beginning, so just don’t.” I retrieved my pistol again and aimed it straight at her ivy-league head. “You might want to ask your boyfriend there how short-tempered I am. It would be just like me to make a hair-triggered decision and take you out right here, right now.” It was Mic that pulled her back. Maybe he knew me well enough to know I was serious, or maybe he was just afraid that I’d shoot her and then follow up with shooting him.

  “Lee, please. Don’t do this!” Mic begged. I turned to the door. Without looking back, I said, “If I were you, Mic, I’d be more concerned with how Two’s doing. I hear she’s…volatile.” With that, I walked out. I hadn’t even seen Two, and had no idea how stable she was, but I knew that would scare the shit out of both of them, and I took pleasure in doing it.

  Ross was leaning against the building and, upon seeing me, he gave me his usual smile. He had a certain coolness about him that always made me question what he knew that I didn’t. “All done?” I pulled out a cigarette and cupped my lighter against the wind to light it.

  “Yeah, I’m done. Dallas will come down and explain the details of what comes next.” He nodded. “Fine by me.” I walked away feeling more like myself than I had in a long time. Nothing like a li
ttle lynching to brighten a girl’s spirits.

  I knew what I needed to do next. The wind whipped between the wooden buildings as I headed toward Two and Deraline’s place. I stepped over and around simp bodies and avoided their glassy eyes. At some point, these things would have to be cleared out, but right now that was the least of my concerns.

  I opened the door and stepped inside. The little cabin was quiet. Two and Deraline were both sitting on the couch, their hands folded neatly in their laps. This was the standard position of powered-down simps, but seeing them both sitting there like life-sized dolls bothered me. Again, I had to fight the internal conflict this caused me. “Not human…” I muttered. Giz wasn’t there and it occurred to me that he was probably still with Maude. I was about to leave when I heard a faint clicking sound.

  Instinctively, I drew my gun and moved cautiously toward the sound. “Who’s in here?” I demanded. “Show yourself, now!” The clicking sound stopped. A few seconds later, Isaiah appeared in Deraline’s doorway. I lowered my gun. “What are you doing in there, Isaiah?”

  “I’m working. I’m helping Giz.” He smiled widely, revealing deep dimples in both cheeks. “Helping him with what?” I asked.

  “Well, it’s a matter of data recovery, actually.” He talked with his hands, as if this would help me to understand. I shook my head. “Did Giz come back yet?”

  “No, not yet. So as I was saying, Two had extensive data loss, which is pretty common after a simp suffers severe trauma. Anytime there’s an incident of improper operation this could happen—“

  “I get it Giz Jr., spare me the technical details. Giz said that she’s not the same. Can you fix her?”