by Mark Tufo
She staggered back, running into a pile of trash just recently stacked, and then she scrambled into the path and ran off. The men laughed as she hurried away, their voices carrying past the mountains of trash as she quickly moved to put them behind her. She tried to keep from crying, but she felt her will deteriorating. Finding herself suddenly on the deviant side of town, possibly even in a neighboring district with no idea how to get home, she found herself dizzy with fear. She shook profusely, unsure what to do or where to go.
She could not see any signs of civilization anywhere. Knowing she could run into more deviants at any time, she stayed along the cusp of the dump, searching through the trash piles for a suitable weapon. She hoped to find an old hammer or a steel pipe, but she decided to settle for the time being on a piece of cinder block. She put the chunk of cement in her bag, and then swung it around a few times to get a feel for her new weapon. Satisfied, she continued forward with the dump to her left and nothing but overgrown, empty fields on her right.
The sun peeked through the clouds, and Shelley could feel its warmth against her cheeks despite the chill that persisted in the air. She did her best to ignore the growl hitting her stomach. Thirst soon compounded her hunger, and she knew one of the two would have to be satiated soon.
She stopped to search for a clean patch of snow in the field when she heard a rustling nearby in the tall grass. Certain that one of the young men she passed at the trash had followed her, she went vigilant and still. She considered what terrible deeds he had planned in that sick, deviant mind of his, and knew that it was up to her to put him in his place. She readied her bag and held her breath as the rustling drew closer. She saw two deviant eyes emerge from the grass, and a sudden impulse drove her to swing her bag with all that she had. The cinder block met the back of the young man's head, and he collapsed with a surprised cry.
Shelley's hands shook violently while she watched the blood seep onto the snow-spattered ground, and she knew right away that she had killed him. At a closer glance, she realized that the young deviant couldn't have been much older than she was, and he had been completely unarmed. Distraught and exhilarated, Shelley dragged the body back into the cover of the tall grass. She stared at it for a moment, watching its glassy blue eyes stare aimlessly up toward the heavens.
"This one's one for my mom," she said, her throat growing tight. She spat on the body, and then hurried back to the path. She began to cry again, screaming out her frustration as she forced away the immense guilt that filled her over what she had just done. She saw the blood on her bag, and her entire body froze. She felt dizzy, and then she found herself on her knees. She continued to stare at the blood for a moment, sobbing, when suddenly she realized that she was laughing.
She picked herself up and continued down the path, pulling her bag back up over her shoulder. She looked across the field, wondering how many more deviants were hiding in the overgrowth. She picked a random spot and entered the field, pushing aside tall grass and slushy masses of snow. She walked aimlessly through the grass for some time, and then she came upon a small clearing that had a tiny, three-walled shack and a recently extinguished fire pit. A clean pot and pan sat beside the smoking pit, and a stash of rice and canned fruits sat just inside the shack. There were blankets on the dusty ground, and a pile of clothing in the far corner. A pail of clean water stood next to a plastic bin of mismatched dishes and silverware, and strips of dried meat hung from a hook on the ceiling.
Listening carefully for the sounds of others approaching, Shelly hastily searched through the plastic bin, finding a large, well-sharpened knife worth adding to her bag. She helped herself to the dried meat, gazing at the drab plywood walls and considering leaving her mark.
Finding her permanent marker, she went to the flimsy wall and began to write. She came up with a simple poem off the top of her head, slowly chewing on the meat as she carefully yet quickly placed her words:
* * *
Thanks for the food,
sorry to be so rude,
I hope you rot in hell.
* * *
Finishing a handful of meat, she signed the wall in large, fancy letters. She drank as much water as her stomach would allow, and then moved to look through the small selection of canned fruits.
She threw three cans of peaches into her bag and pilfered the rest of the dried meat before stepping out of the shack. She opened one of the peach cans, eating the sweet fruit with her dirty hands. She glanced out over the field, contemplating her next move, when she spotted a small bug moving across the ground in front of her. She squashed it with a quick stomp of her foot.
Tossing the used fruit can to the ground, she chose a random direction and began to walk.
Chapter 114
VIRGINIA SAT near Ray, still clad in his robe, as she watched him search his updated files for a new job to assign her. The robe was warm enough, but she felt only half-clad wearing it. She was still waiting for a layer or two of her new clothes to dry out.
"Would you like to work on a field job this time?" Ray asked.
Virginia shrugged. "What would I do?"
"Well, wearing that fancy coat of yours, you'd have no problem handing out free samples at the district Food-Mart," Ray said, smiling at the prospect.
"Free samples of what?" Virginia asked.
"Does it matter?"
"People will just end up going to the hospital and disappearing," she said, her voice flat. "I don't want to be responsible for anyone else going through that."
"I can assure that won't be happening for much longer."
Virginia shook her head, hoping he might elaborate. When he said nothing, she finally asked, needing to confirm her suspicion: "You're planning a mass release?"
"We have no choice. We have to do this now, before Corporate has enough HD-1a to do the same," Ray said, the resolve clear in his unwavering voice. "Our most recent intelligence suggests a Corporate strike could occur as early as by the end of the week. We have to act before they do."
He explained to Virginia that he had assigned workers to seed hospital and shuttle garage air ducts, some to infect school hallways, and others working the outskirts of all the tunnels, handing HD-1-tainted cards and jewelry to anyone with non-deviant eyes.
Virginia glanced at the computer screen, surprised at how vast and organized his operation actually was. How one man could pull together such complicated logistics with just that little hand-held computer and a synch port was beyond her. It seemed he truly did have the means to succeed in pulling off the quadroplex-wide endeavor. From what she had seen on the Corporate Internet, however, the deviant's attempt really did need to be made either immediately or not at all.
"Are you in or out? I need to update my computers," Ray said, finishing up with the rest of the assignments.
"I'm in," Virginia said, although she still was not exactly sure how dirty she wanted to get her hands.
"Are you positive?" he asked, sensing the hesitation in her voice. "I can put you on a job that starts tomorrow."
"Positive," Virginia said, still trying to convince herself. "I'm going to go check on my clothes."
She quietly walked out, into Ray's room, going to the side of the tub and feeling the different articles for dampness. She decided to wait for them to finish drying in the solitude of the quiet cave, away from Ray, his computers, and his men. She needed to take a breather, if only for a short while, to calm her nerves and find the strength to continue.
"Hello? Are you decent?" Mary called from the other side of the tunnel.
Virginia turned, making sure the robe fully covered her. "Yes."
Mary hurried in. "Virginia?"
"Yes?"
Mary hesitated for a moment, then said, "Your husband is looking for you. I ran into him today at the market."
Virginia felt her body go weak, and for a moment, she thought she might pass out. Dizzy and distraught, she began to cry. "Is he still there?"
"He said he would meet you the
re this evening," Mary said.
"George is looking for me?" Virginia cried, still in shock over the news.
Mary nodded. "I can take you to him."
"You can't go back to your old life," Ray said, having listened in on the women and decided it was finally time to step in. He held a glitter-covered business card up between two fingers. "You can, however, bring your family into the new." He walked up to Virginia and offered it to her.
Virginia stared at the card, afraid to touch it.
"The dust doesn't do anything to us," Ray said, shifting the card to his other hand and licking a layer of blue glitter from one of his fingers. He held it out again, and Virginia hesitantly took it into her shaky hand.
"It's completely safe?" Virginia asked.
"Completely." Ray gathered Virginia's half-dried clothes and dropped them in her arms. "Mary will escort you." He motioned to Mary, moving toward the tunnel.
Mary nodded then followed Ray out to his office.
Virginia quickly put on her clothes, ignoring the large wet spots. She slipped on her boots, and then grabbed her hat and jacket on her way to the tunnel, tucking the business card in one of the pockets. She moved quietly as she neared the cave mouth, realizing that Ray and Mary were whispering.
"I just want you to keep an eye on her for me," Ray said. "Make sure there aren't any last-minute changes of heart."
"Does that mean I'm on the clock?"
Ray chuckled lightly. "Of course."
Virginia quietly entered the cave, and Ray and Mary both went silent. Virginia gave them both a strained smile, feigning ignorance of their brief exchange. She brushed at the wet spots in her clothes, pretending to be distracted. "I'm sorry, was I interrupting something?" she asked.
Ray smiled. "Nothing at all."
"Ready?" Mary asked her, smiling and taking a deep breath.
Virginia nodded.
Ray gave Virginia a friendly pat on the back. "You're doing the right thing."
Virginia nodded again. Without another word, she followed Mary out through the cave and began down the hidden trail that led to the market.
Chapter 115
GEORGE ONLY LEFT his spot once, and only long enough to relieve himself nearby in a patch of tall bushes. Joseph had long gone, content with the bag of rice, fresh razor, and pound of dried fruit he ended up with by his final trade. The hours went by slowly, but the afternoon eventually lapsed into evening. The sun set, and twilight soon turned to dark. The temperature dropped back below freezing, and George watched as the people, one by one, packed up their wares and the crowds thinned to just a handful of stragglers. He held his jacket tightly around him, wrapping his scarf over his nose and mouth.
He worked to look calm and controlled, feeling increasingly threatened the darker and the more desolate the market became. He noticed that a few younger males who had been loitering and goofing around for hours had been taking turns looking over at him for some time. He made sure to establish eye contact whenever he could, to let the young deviants know that he was aware of them and not intimidated by their presence.
The group slowly made their way closer, wary of the trespassing human. One of them built up the courage to face George, and he stood in front of him with a malevolent sneer. "Do you have something to trade?"
George stared down the young man, ignoring an intense urge to look away. "I'm just waiting for someone."
"You picked an interesting place to meet," the deviant said, holding his fix just as intently on George's unwavering eyes.
George gave a light shrug. "You could say that."
The deviant turned back to his friends, who inched closer behind him. "I think we should make a trade," he said.
George felt himself go tense. "I don't have anything to trade."
"That jacket looks warm," the deviant said, turning back once more to flash a smile to his friends.
George continued to stare down the young man. "I'm not trading my jacket."
"No?" The deviant grabbed George by his backpack, sending him to the ground. He kicked George in the stomach. "You and your expensive clothes! Did you come here just to flaunt what you have? Don't you have anything better to do with your time, rich man?" he asked.
George balled up on the ground, struggling to regain the wind that had been kicked out of him. He covered his head and face, should the deviant throw another kick his way.
"What is your problem?" Mary yelled from the edge of the field.
The young men froze and turned to Mary, and then backed away from George.
"Get the hell out of here!" Mary yelled. "Ray has immediate assignments for all of you!"
The young men silently disappeared down the path.
Virginia came up behind Mary, wearing dark glasses. George assumed she feared his potential reaction to her eyes, and she visibly shook with apprehension. The sunglasses left her virtually blind in the dark, however, and she didn't even notice George until she heard his voice.
"Virginia?" George called out to her as he caught his breath.
Virginia stumbled across the clearing, peeking below her glasses as she quickened her pace. "George!"
They came together in a tight embrace, and then kissed passionately. They both cried, holding on as though they might lose one another once more if one of them were to let go. The rest of the world seemed to fall out of existence for the moment.
"How did you know I was still alive?" Virginia asked.
"I just knew," George said. He went to remove her sunglasses, and she grabbed his hand. "Let me see," he said.
Her hand slowly eased up, and he slipped the sunglasses from her face. She looked up at him, anxiously holding her breath.
"I missed you," George said, looking into her eyes. "Let's go home."
Virginia glanced over at Mary, who silently shook her head at her.
"I can't go back," Virginia said. "Not yet, anyway."
"We'll find a way to make it work!" George said, his voice going desperate.
Virginia took a deep breath. "The world is changing. Half of the quadroplex will be infected with HD-1 by the end of tomorrow. The deviant underground is in the middle of a strike to overturn Corporate. The world as we know it is at an end."
George shook his head. "What are you talking about?"
Virginia pulled the business card from her pocket, and George jumped back when he saw the glitter dropping from it.
"What are you doing?" George asked, his voice shaking. He stared at the card, holding a comfortable distance between them.
"I want you and the kids to come with me. We can start over," Virginia said, extending the card to George.
"Keep that thing away from me!" he cried.
Virginia pulled back, unsure what to do next.
George noticed that Virginia's hands were bare. "Where's your wedding ring?"
Virginia looked down at her ring finger, and then shook her head. "I lost it."
Mary hurried impatiently up to Virginia. She glared over at George. "You should come with us."
"I'm taking my wife home with me," George said firmly. "Please excuse us."
"I don't have time for this," Mary mumbled as she attempted to snatch the business card from Virginia's hand.
Virginia resisted her, and the two women went to the ground as Mary swept her legs. George jumped back, his eyes staying on the glittery card, as the two women fought over it. After only a moment, however, Mary let her go.
Virginia jumped to her feet. "Go home! I'll find you!" she yelled to George, then ran off with the card, a trail of glitter shimmering behind her in the cloud-dampened moonlight.
Mary looked at her hand, noticing the small amount of Blue Dust she had been able to pull off the card. She lunged at George as he attempted to pass her, smacking him in the face with her infected hand.
George stared at the woman for a moment, stunned.
Mary held up her hand, showing him the remnants of glitter that still stuck to her fingers. "It's for the best. T
rust me," she said.
George wiped at his face, finding traces of glitter on his fingers. "Why?"
"You'll thank me later."
George cried out, swinging at Mary with an angry right hook. He hit her squarely in the temple, and she fell to the ground, going quiet and still.
George kept his distance despite the fact that she stayed down. He felt bad that he had hit the woman, but he agonized over the fact that he hadn't been quick enough to keep her from hitting him first. He looked around, seeing no one else around, and then turned to the trail to find his wife. "Virginia!" he yelled as loudly as he could.
Virginia heard George's call, but she continued along the trail. She sobbed uncontrollably, running as quickly as her legs could take her. She had no idea where she was going, but she figured that it really didn't matter at this point.
"Virginia!" George called again from the distance.
Virginia continued down the path, falling to the ground with a loud cry as she ran straight into Shelley.
Shelley went down with her, and she scrambled to her feet. "What the hell is your—" Shelley fell silent when she recognized Virginia's face. Shelly began to shake, eyeing the glittery business card in Virginia's hand and the expensive Corporate coat now soiled with mud.
Virginia gasped, and then took a strained breath. "My baby?" Tears streamed down her cheeks and a relieved smile fell across her face. "I thought I'd never see you again!" she cried. "God, what did you do to your eye?" She got to her feet, dropping the business card, losing herself in the moment and forgetting the glitter that remained on her fingers.
Shelley backed away from her. Her throat knotted up so tightly she feared she might stop breathing. "You're dead!" she gasped.
"They lied," Virginia said, carefully matching Shelley's steps, desperate for Shelley to know the truth.
Shelley quickly dug into her bag and pulled out the knife. She held it up, pointing it at Virginia. "You're lying!" She forced in another heart-wrenching gasp, crying out, fighting to breathe. Tears streamed down her confused, horrified face. "Stop haunting me!"
