Sifters

by Shane Scollins

  Chapter 28

  Tallon concentrated on the image at the corner of his eye but never moved them. He then shifted his concentration to Alex. Then up over the hill into the trees where Dia waited with the sniper rifle, crosshairs fixed on the man’s chest. If he gave the signal, she would gun all three of these Ezekiel-Clan Preppers down.

  “You have to let us in,” Alex asked firmly of the thin, gray-haired man who had a gaunt face and sunken eyes. His body didn’t portray power. But the two formidable men standing behind him certainly did.

  “I ain’t gotta do nuthin’, man,” the man sneered. “You still ain’t told me who you are.”

  “I’m Alex Simmonds. I’m here to see Laura, she’ll vouch for me.”

  The man shrugged. “Why would she?”

  “She was working with me. She hired me months ago.”

  “Dunno ‘bout that. You seem like a liar to me. I think I should just have my men kill you both.” The man crossed his arms.

  Tallon was about to raise his hand and give Dia the signal, but he waited another beat.

  “What’s your name?” Alex asked.

  The man narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Why d’you wanna know my name?”

  “Why not?”

  The man sighed. “Name’s Croc. I’m in control of this here clan, and we don’t allow outsiders.”

  Alex nodded. “Croc, I know Laura is sick. I know she doesn’t have much time. I met with her out in the hills above the Delaware River when she was on her quest. She told me about this compound, about your life here. I know this clan has been together for a long time. She told me where to find her. I’m a writer, and she wanted her story told. She hired me to do it, paid in full, in advance. I know about Tex, Lilly, and Merck, I know about the country dinner plates, the train tracks, the tire fires, and your schools. I know you all were the first Preppers who left society even before the crash.”

  Croc twisted his cracked lips. “Why would she hire a Juicer to tell her story?”

  Alex laughed. “I’m not a Juicer.”

  “You ain’t no Prepper. I ain’t seen many blacks ‘round here.”

  “No, I wasn’t smart enough to prepare for this. I was just left out in the sift like everyone else to fend for myself. I’m just like the rest of the folks out here. I just happen to have good connections in the city. I want the truth to get out just like you do.”

  The man looked at Tallon. “What’s your story?”

  “I’m working with Alex.”

  “You’re definitely a Juicer. In fact, you look military. How can I trust you?”

  Tallon nodded. “You can trust me. I’m not here to cause trouble.”

  Alex offered. “You can trust him. He’s on my team.”

  Croc sighed. “Fine. But these two men behind me,” he pointed to them, “are the Stowe brothers and they are ruthless. If you do anything even slightly sketchy, they’ll just kill you and I won’t stop them.”

  “Fair enough,” Alex said.

  Croc turned to the Stowe brothers. “Take them to Laura. When they’re done, lead them back here and make sure they leave with nothing more than they came in with.” He nodded and moved on down the wooded path toward a row of small shanties.

  The taller, slightly less dirty Stowe brother pointed them down another footpath that led to several small wooden sheds. Tallon looked back to Dia and gave her the subtle all-clear signal.

  They walked past the sheds and came into a clearing, an open pasture with log cabin houses. The small houses spread all over in seemingly random places, but Tallon suspected there was some strategic advantage to it. He was not expecting such a level of control in a woods compound. He knew that Sifters were not as bad as the people in the city thought they were. And no doubt Dia would yell at him for calling these people Sifters. They were another level removed from society, the Preppers as they were called. But looking at their homes, children running around playing, and women hanging clothes on the lines, it all seemed to humanize it. Their struggle didn’t seem as sinister as it looked on the outside. They were lawless and ruthless, but they did have a method to their madness.

  They passed by the cabins and into the place Tallon knew was coming, the undergrounds. There were several raised hills with angled doors leading into the ground. One thing all the Preppers apparently had in common was the ability to retreat to their bunkers.

  The Stowe brothers led them to a large bunker and stopped. One stood on each side of the door, and Alex pulled the bunker door open with a creak.

  A long, nearly pitch-black hallway led them into a large, open room. Tallon looked up when it suddenly grew brighter and saw skylights that cut through several feet of soil and rock to look right up into the blue sky. The concrete room had supplies stacked to the ceiling on both sides. There was a man standing at the only door.

  Alex walked up to him. “Croc let us in. We’re here to see Laura.”

  The man nodded and opened the door.

  They walked into a typically arranged studio apartment. There was a small kitchen to the right, a living area directly in front of them and a bedroom space off to the left. If it wasn’t for the drab concrete walls you’d think you were in a regular condominium apartment.

  Laura sat on a couch with a paperback spread open in front of her. She lowered it and smiled when she saw Alex. Her face was long and drawn, her body thin and sickly. But beneath that emaciated exterior, Tallon could tell she was, not long ago, a beautiful and vibrant fifty-something woman.

  “Alex, it’s nice to see you again.” She motioned to the tan couch across from her. “Please sit for a while.”

  They sat.

  “Who’s your handsome friend?”

  “I’m Tallon.”

  Laura nodded with a slow close of her eyes. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Tallon. I’ve not heard that name often.”

  Tallon nodded. “It’s rare.”

  “How’d you get it?”

  “It’s a family name. I’m named after my great uncle.”

  “How’re you doing, Laura?” Alex asked.

  “I’m hanging on,” she replied. “I stopped counting the days.”

  “I guess that’s good.”

  “I felt that it was a useless exercise. It doesn’t matter how many days we have left. It only matters how many days we are here. I’m in God’s hands now, and time only matters to those that don’t trust in Him.” She smiled. “How’s my story coming along?”

  Alex leaned back. “It’s done. I just need to write the ending. What you’ve done will live on long after we’re all gone.”

  Laura’s smile widened. “That’s good to hear. The world needs to know, America needs to know the truth.”

  Tallon looked at Alex, wondering about what they were talking.

  Laura said, “Tallon, tell me about you.”

  He shrugged. “There’s not much to tell.”

  Laura closed her eyes. “There’s always something to tell. Every human life is interesting in its journey. We tend to downplay our own experiences, but there is a great story in every one of us.”

  “Actually, Laura,” Alex offered, “we’re here because of his sister. He’s helping me see through on something you’re aware of. And his sister, Chloe Washburn, may have been involved.”

  “Chloe Washburn… hmmm.” She pondered to the ceiling. “Cute girl, pink and blonde hair, and a real take-no-guff attitude.” She smiled. “Yes, I know her.”

  “How?” Tallon was shocked his sister had such a hidden life.

  “Tell me, how do you two know each other?”

  Alex looked at Tallon. “It’s a long story.”

  “Alex,” Laura said. “You know me, I don’t do flippant, and at this stage of my life only the truth will do.”

  Tallon said, “I used to work for Cortech. They found out Alex was making waves and they sent me to kill him.”

  Laura shifted her weight in the seat. “Why didn’t you?”

  Tallon shrugg
ed. “He had a good story.”

  “Oh?”

  “He said if I killed him, thousands of innocent people would die.”

  Laura touched her hands together. “So you were going to kill a man, without knowing who he was?”

  “It was my job.”

  Laura nodded. “I’m going to make the leap that you were Chloe’s inside source at Cortech.”

  “No,” Tallon insisted. “I never told Chloe anything. I’d never wanted her involved with the things going on there, and I was shocked to learn she was involved.”

  Alex said, “He doesn’t know.” He looked at Tallon. “Didn’t you wonder who, or how thousands of people were going to die?”

  “I planned on finding out. That’s why I didn’t kill you.”

  “You had faith.” Laura smiled. “It’s hard to hold faith in man, when man can’t hold faith in God.”

  Tallon nodded. “There was something about him.”

  Alex moved to the edge of the seat. “You really don’t know what Cortech is up to? Shit, and here I thought you’ve been playin’ me this whole time.”

  “I only know about the undiagnosed. Beyond that, what they’re doing with them, what their plans are, I don’t know.”

  Laura groaned. “Oh honey, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Did you ever wonder why they are segregating those who’re smarter and stronger?”

  “There’s only speculation.”

  She tilted her head. “How can you work for a place, and not know what was going on?”

  Tallon sighed. “I grew up in a military family. I served my entire adult life until I went to work for Cortech. I did my job, and I didn’t ask questions. That’s what I was always taught. You get your orders, and you follow them. You don’t ask questions, you maintain your objective. I was selfish, filled with apathy, and maybe deep down I didn’t want to know. I just wanted to collect my money and get out.”

  “Get out of where?”

  “Out of the city and out of the society.”

  Laura smiled. “But I thought everything was so perfect in the city.”

  “Not quite. All the problems that existed in society before the collapse still exist, only now they’re concentrated and amplified. The cities are owned by the corporations now. America was for sale, and those with the most money won the bidding war. Cortech owns New York and everyone in it.”

  “And they own you,” Laura said.

  Tallon shook his head. “Not anymore.”

  “Now you want to be righteous.”

  “I don’t know what I want to be. I just know I don’t want to be me anymore, I don’t want to be what I was. I want to make it right.”

  Laura reached over to the small table near her and plucked a small white pill off a blue dish. “The Lord will always have a space in his heart for a new recruit. Give your heart to Him, and He shall take up residence in yours.” She put the pill in her mouth and swallowed. “Isn’t it amazing how the perspective of things can change, when one changes their perspective? We live in a divided world. Your world thinks our world shouldn’t exist, so the constant war of perception exists.”

  “How are thousands of people in danger?” Tallon leaned in.

  Laura frowned. “Your sister discovered something at Cortech. She discovered something called Project Pathogenesis.”

  “Pathogenesis?”

  Alex laughed. “Sorry, I’m just still amazed you really have no idea.”

  Tallon shook his head.

  Laura continued. “Chloe discovered that Cortech is leading a war effort. The government is about to wage war on everyone outside the city. The idea originally started as a way for them to take more annex space. As everyone knew it would, the city has outgrown itself, and now they need more land. The problem is that all those people living just outside the annex zones are in their way. The best way to get rid of them would be to make them sick and let them die off. It’s cheap and easy and they risk nothing.”

  “How did Chloe find this out?”

  “We don’t know.” Laura sighed. “Is she dead?”

  Tallon closed his eyes. “She’s in a coma. They beat her badly and shoved a popper in her head.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “She’s strong. If anyone can get back, she can.” Tallon hoped he was right.

  Laura leaned back into the couch. “The undiagnosed are the key, because they are the keepers of the secrets. The complete link between the pathogen and the undiagnosed is unclear. There’s a lot of speculation, but no one is quite sure what we’re missing. Perhaps they’re the ones being used to test the pathogen, or perhaps they’re the ones who are going to deploy. It’s impossible to know exactly. I suspect your sister knows because everyone called her the key piece. She was the linchpin of the whole movement.”

  “How do we stop them?”

  “To kill the beast, you must cut off the head.”

  Tallon nodded. “Arlon.”

  “No, Cortech is part of the beast, but the big head is Mayor Gabe Schumer.”

  Tallon knew she was right. But taking down the mayor was a tall task. He had an entire police force in front of him. He had all the security he needed. There was almost no way possible. “That’s next to impossible.”

  Laura nodded. “There’s a way. There’s always a way.”

  Alex blew a long breath. “I think I know a way to get him right where we want him.”

  “What’s that?” Tallon asked.

  “We might have to kill someone else.”

  Laura smiled. “Everyone has to die sometime.”

  Chapter 29

  Tallon gripped the handle and pulled up the door to his storage unit. He walked past the motorcycles and started rolling his finger in a circle on the touchpad dial of his gun safe.

  From behind, Dia asked, “Do you have enough?”

  He didn’t turn to reply. Watching the numbers click by was more important. The lock had a failsafe built in. Two wrong combos and it would require reprogramming. That process took several hours, and they didn’t have that much time.

  Finally, after tuning in the combination, he hit enter and the safe began to cycle through the locks. One by one, they clicked and clacked open. “I have enough.” He answered Dia’s question from a few moments ago.

  “I hope so.” Dia looked around. “Are all these bikes yours?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why do you have so many?”

  “Each one serves a specific purpose.”

  Dia slid her hand over a blue Yamaha. “What’s this one for?”

  “That’s a ditcher. I’ll use it for a job and dump it into the water.”

  “Maybe you can teach me to ride.”

  Tallon studied her for a second. “I think you’ll pick it up quickly. I’ve seen the way your handle your bicycle.”

  The safe finished unlocking and Tallon reached into the steel chamber. He took hold of an aluminum case and tossed it onto the workbench. One by one, he removed several M16 rifles and boxes of ammunition.

  “We can’t conceal those,” Dia said.

  “There’s no concealing this operation. We’re going in hot.”

  Jocelyn walked into the garage. “Joce,” he said, “You two take the black Yamahas. There’re night vision goggles on that metal shelf. Everyone take a pair.” He held out a bucket of small satellite radios. “These will work anywhere within the annex. Keep them tuned to channel thirty-six. And keep in touch. You two go now, get in position. The sniper rifles are ready with digital seek ammo. Just hit the red button on the scope body to activate the round, and it will hit only the selected target.”

  Alex and Jocelyn loaded up and then fired up the motorcycles. With a dual of revving engines, they sped out of the storage unit.

  Tallon read Dia’s face. She looked nervous. “This should be no problem. Resistance should be garden-variety thugs. It won’t be hard to take them down.”

  She shrugged. “It’s not that.”

  He faced her. The
low light didn’t hide the sadness. “What’s bothering you?”

  “I was just thinking of the day they killed my parents.” She shrugged. “I just wonder what it would have been like, if I’d known people like you and Jocelyn.”

  Tallon nodded slowly. “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m over it.”

  “You don’t seem to be.”

  “I’m fine. Just every once in a while it hits me. But I push through.”

  Sometimes with all this insanity of the world, Tallon forgot the little things. Looking at Dia, it was impossible to ignore the fact she was just a kid. “I don’t have to tell you how crazy this world is. But maybe I should tell you I’m proud to have you on my team.”

  Dia nodded but didn’t say anything.

  Tallon handed her a pair of full clips for her pistol. He didn’t really know how to handle things like this. It was clear she needed a few moments to get back on track but they didn’t really have time for that. Finally, much to his relief, her face hardened again.

  “I’m fine. Let’s do this.” She racked the slide on her pistol to chamber a round.

  They gathered up what they needed and climbed onto the Suzuki.

  * * *

  Dia stretched into the skintight wetsuit and pulled the zipper to the top. The water wasn’t real cold but they also couldn’t afford to be dragging around wet clothes. She looked up from the rocky beach across the murky inlet. A large, crusty boat was anchored heavily just a few hundred feet off the coast. Boat wasn’t quite enough to describe it; it was a ship.

  Tallon handed her a black pullover. “Put this on.”

  Dia shimmied into the elastic sided vest. “Is this bulletproof?”

  “Yes.”

  “What if I get shot in the head?”

  “Don’t.”

  “Awesome.” Dia pulled on the tight, no-slip gloves and stretchy sneakers. The shoes were as comfortable as they were ugly, but the sticky bottoms would definitely be a bonus.

  After slinging the rifle over her shoulder, Dia followed Tallon into the black water. They chugged slowly through the waist-deep surf until it got too deep to touch the bottom. She wasn’t a great swimmer but she got by. Tallon, by contrast, looked effortless as he glided through the water like a dolphin. He had to slow several times to wait for her to catch up.