Sifters

by Shane Scollins

  Ebo smiled. “That’s the good news. I’ve run every test I could, and the pathogen is neutralized. They’re not contagious, and I’m not sure they ever were. This virus is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. The pathogen is inside them, but it wasn’t active. It seems to be in some sort of suspended dormant state.”

  “So that’s good news then, right?” Chloe interjected.

  Ebo nodded. “It’s good and bad.”

  “Tallon said something about them being like human dirty-bombs,” Chloe said. “According to what he learned, the virus would be activated upon death.”

  Ebo nodded thoughtfully. “That’s explains a lot. I wish I would have known that, although it ultimately wouldn’t have mattered.”

  “Is Ray going to be okay? That’s all I want to know.” Dia didn’t want to sound selfish, but she felt it.

  Ebo nodded. “I think so. C’mon. You can see him. He’s tired right now from the drugs I gave him to sedate him.”

  They headed down the hallway and into a room where Ray lay on the bed. He turned his head and looked at Dia, managing a weak smile. She ran to the bed and gave him a heavy hug for several long seconds. She didn’t want to let go, but knowing he might be weak stopped her from squeezing him.

  Standing back up to get a look at him, she had to wipe away the happy tears that escaped. “I’m speechless. I never thought this day would come.”

  Ray smiled weakly. “Dia, you look all grown up.”

  “Me?” She laughed. “Look at you, you’re practically a man. I can hardly recognize you.”

  “I’ve missed you. When I heard about mom and dad, I thought you were killed too.” His brown eyes were glassy, but grew wetter.

  Dia narrowed her eyes. “How’d you hear about them?”

  “Kate, she told me.”

  Dia looked at Chloe. “How’d she know?”

  Chloe shrugged and shook her head slowly.

  Dia put her attention back on Ray. “What did she say?”

  Ray frowned. “I’d been getting in trouble a lot, and I wanted to go home. I hated it with them. And then one day we were arguing, and she said you can’t go home because your family is dead.” Ray firmed his quivering lips. “I didn’t want to believe her, but then I hadn’t heard from anyone, not even on my birthday, and dad hadn’t missed one yet. He always got a card to me or something.”

  Dia felt like she was gut-punched. She said to Chloe, “If she knew about it, that means…”

  Chloe just nodded.

  Dia felt a new rage build up inside her. She didn’t want Ray to see it, so she turned to him and said, “Ray, you need some rest. I have a few things to take care of, but I’ll be back. You just rest and get strong. And whatever Doctor Ebo says, you do, okay?”

  He held his thumb up and then closed his eyes.

  Dia stormed out of the room with Chloe close behind.

  “Dia?”

  She didn’t respond to Chloe, just kept walking, letting her rage build.

  “Dia, please stop.” Chloe stepped quick and grabbed her shoulder. “Hey, listen to me.”

  Dia finally turned, but said nothing.

  “Calm down, okay, just chill out for a minute.”

  “Chloe, you know what this means. The DeRomeos had something to do with them being killed. There’s no other way they could’ve known. Am I right?”

  Chloe’s wide eyes searched. “I don’t know.”

  “It’s not like the news here would cover the murder of two Sifters. There’s no possible way she could’ve known that quickly.”

  Chloe looked up. “I’m so sorry Dia—I don’t know what to say. But I know I don’t want you going off on a revenge plot without thinking it through first. Let it settle in. Rash decisions are never the right ones. At least wait and talk to my brother, he might know how to handle it best. Please.” She took Dia’s hands and faced her. “I can’t bear to have anything happen to you. I just found you, I won’t lose you.”

  Dia took a deep breath. One look into Chloe’s blue eyes made it impossible to argue with her.

  Chapter 37

  Tallon typed the message and pressed send. With a flick of his fob hacker app on his phone, he opened the doors of the black Mercedes and climbed into the back seat of the sedan.

  Arlon would be along any moment to congratulate Frank in person for accomplishing his mission. After he killed Frank, Tallon made sure to take his phone just so he could send Arlon a nice message.

  In the silence of the parking garage, the emerging sound of expensive shoes snick-snicked in the shadows. Tallon sank deeper into the seat and pulled his hood up. The front door opened and Arlon got in, gasping in surprise. “Geezuz, Frank, you scared me. That’s the kind of shit Tallon used to do.” He glanced up in the mirror. “Why’re you in the back seat?” He turned, and when Tallon raised his chin out of the shadows, Arlon’s jaw fell open.

  “What’s the matter, Arlon? Am I not who you expected?” He leveled his pistol at the back of the seat. “Start the car and drive.”

  “Tallon, let’s be reasonable—”

  “Shut your lie-hole and drive.”

  Arlon started the car. “Where’re we going?”

  “Long Island. And don’t try anything stupid, because I will kill you.”

  “You can’t kill me, the car will crash.”

  Tallon laughed. “I’m not worried.”

  “You can’t just kill me, Tallon.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s not right, it’s not the way to go about things, just killing people.”

  “Maybe you should’ve thought about that once over the past few years when you were signing my paychecks. Besides I’m not going to kill you. I need you.”

  “What’re you going to do with me?”

  Tallon flashed a sinister smile in the mirror. “Something very special.”

  They came to an intersection. “Which way?”

  “I think you know the way.”

  “I’m sure I don’t.”

  “C’mon, Arlon, do you take me for a fool? I put a bullet in Frank’s head. And your little parrot Hendrick sang just before I killed him. Do you think I don’t know everything?”

  Arlon looked up at him in the mirror. “How long’ve you known?

  “I don’t know—how long ago was it the mayor chewed the pavement from the twentieth floor?”

  “You sonofabitch.”

  “Do you remember that reporter you wanted me to rub? Right now, he’s writing the story of his life, the story that’s going to make things difficult for you and your plans. And you’re going to help me link all that to Cortech, the mayor, and the president.”

  “You bastard. I won’t do it.”

  “Arlon, you don’t have a choice. This is the beginning of the end of your little game. I know everything. And soon the entire world is going to know about your group of undiagnosed and your plans to wipe out the Sifters. You can’t declare war on people in secret.”

  “What do you care about those people? Since when do you care about anything other than your paycheck? What, are you going to lead an uprising? A revolution? Are you sweet on that Sifter girl, is that it?”

  Tallon just shook his head.

  They came to another intersection, Arlon slowed the car to a stop, whipped open the door, and ran down the street into the darkness.

  Tallon jumped out, took a deep breath, and busted into a sprint. It was a pure joy to chase this man down. There was no way Arlon’s soft executive ass was going to get far, and Tallon knew it.

  Foot-by-foot Arlon got slower and Tallon got faster. When finally Arlon turned back to look, Tallon dropped his shoulder and slammed into him hard enough to send him flying across the pavement.

  Arlon hit the asphalt with a thud and moan. Tallon stood over him and watched him try and catch his breath. “You really should do more cardio. You’re in terrible shape.”

  Between deep breaths Arlon said, “How could you? You’re just as guilty, you sonofabitch, you�
�re just as guilty. You’ve been cleaning up our messes for years. You’ve been just as dirty, and you know it.”

  Tallon nodded. “Admittedly I turned a blind eye to your endeavors, but I never once did anything that would have endangered a child, and you damn well know it. And I certainly wouldn’t have condoned war on an unsuspecting lot of women and children.”

  “Maybe not directly. But the things you did for us facilitated this.”

  “You’re right. That’s my problem. That’s my sin to atone for. I have to make amends, and I start now.”

  Arlon managed to get to his feet, standing bent with his hands on his knees. “It’s too bad. You could’ve been on top of the world with us.”

  “You fired me, in case you forgot. You sent a hit squad to take out my baby sister. You started this war with me. You can’t just declare war on someone and then expect them to back down.”

  Arlon took off running toward the railroad tracks. Tallon shook his head and yelled, “Where’re you going, Arlon?”

  Tallon broke into a run after him across the rail yard. The busy train hub bustled with slow moving trains. But Arlon was heading straight toward the pass line, where speeding trains zipped through. In the near distance, a speeding commuter train started rumbling toward the yard. This was actually bad news. If Arlon got past that train before Tallon reached him, he might be able to squirt away. And with Arlon’s resources he’d disappear.

  Tallon kicked it into high gear trying to get close enough for a shot, but he didn’t have one at this distance. The train was within sight, and Arlon was going to make it. Tallon had to take a shot just to scare him. He raised his pistol and fired. Another two shots both missed on purpose.

  Arlon stumbled, probably out of fear of the shots. He was going for it. The train was coming. He stumbled again, fell, and landed in the path of the onrushing train. “Oh, no you don’t.” Tallon ran at Arlon. He needed him alive.

  Arlon got up and stumbled to the next set of rails out of the train’s path. He turned and screamed something at Tallon over the sound of the rushing train. But he made a fatal error. He wasn’t on the safe track after all.

  Tallon watched Arlon get blasted off the track into the air. His body must have sailed two hundred feet before it slammed into some concrete barriers.

  Chapter 38

  Dia hadn’t watched a television connected to the real world in what seemed like forever. There used to be a guy who had one with a bunch of DVDs that he used to watch, hooked to a tiny solar generator. But the Preppers killed him and stole it.

  As they watched President Hollenbeck speak about the current state of the disaster that was the United Seven Cities of America, it started to become clear that things on the inside were not all that much better than they were on the outside.

  They watched the news report with disdain. They were blaming the entire thing on the Sifters. They said the Sifters were blackmailing the mayor, and Arlon McQuaid was their fall guy. Then they announced big changes were on the way.

  “That doesn’t sound good,” Chloe said.

  “No.”

  Chloe shook her head. “The bastards will get away with it.”

  “Of course,” Dia replied.

  Tallon entered the clean clinic waiting room. “They’re setting up a war.”

  Chloe quipped, “We didn’t stop them.” Rolling her eyes in reply, she waved her hand angrily.

  Tallon stepped toward them. “We’ve delayed the process and maybe caused them to get sloppy.”

  “I hope so, bro. I hope we’ve delayed it enough to do something about it.”

  Dia moved closer to Tallon. “Have you given any thought to my little problem? I hate to be selfish, but…”

  He thoughtfully nodded. “I know you won’t want to hear this, but it’s reckless to go on a mission of revenge, especially right now.”

  She knew he was going to say that. “I know—I know the first step in a journey of revenge starts with the digging of two graves.”

  Tallon raised his chin. “That’s something a very wise man once said. And it is advice well heeded.”

  “What if I don’t kill them? What if I just scare them into admitting to me what they did and why?”

  “Speaking from experience, that’s not really a wise move either.”

  “Why, what’s the big deal?”

  “The big deal is when you push people into corners like that, you’d better be prepared for them to respond. People pushed to that edge, sometimes they come out ready to kill. You must be ready and willing to meet their rage.”

  Dia leaned back into the wall and thought about it, and then she finally said, “I have to know, Tallon. I can’t just wonder why they had my parents killed. I have to know.”

  He crossed his arms and looked at her. His muscled forearms twitched with bulging lumps and vascular roadmaps.

  Chloe snaked her arm around Dia’s back and side-hugged her. “I understand why you want to know. But will it really matter if you do find out? What will it change?”

  Dia looked up from the floor to meet her eyes. “These people took everything. We trusted them like family, and they betrayed us.” She stood upright. “I deserve to know, and they deserve to pay.”

  Chloe faced her. “I can’t stop you and I won’t try. But just please be careful.” She leaned in and hugged Dia, long and hard.

  * * *

  The cloudy sky rumbled with thunder and threatened to unleash a torrent of rain. But so far it had just been empty threats.

  Tallon hanged his helmet on the bike. “This is the place?”

  “Yeah, James works here. He’s the weak link.” Dia took some strides toward the door, pulling her business attire back into shape from the ride. This skirt was annoying. She didn’t like skirts in general, but this was the only business type attire Chloe had to offer.

  Tallon looked good in a suit. Of course, even that suit couldn’t hide his impressive physique. His shoulders were pushing tight against the seams, but it was his only suit.

  They entered into a stream of people walking through the rotating doorway. With confidence, Dia kept going through the black and gold foyer, past the large desk, and down the hallway. No one questioned them. This wasn’t exactly a secure place; it was just a lot of random offices.

  James DeRomeo was a financial advisor at a small firm. Dia looked at the tall directory board to confirm that Manhattan Prime Financial was on the first floor, down in the east wing in suite 108.

  Dia waited a beat for Tallon to catch up, and they strode side-by-side down the hallway as the people slowly filtered into their offices. By the time they got near the office, they were the only two in the hallway.

  Tallon held the door to suite 108 so Dia could walk through. They came up to a smiling blonde girl with big hair. “Hi, welcome to MPF, how may I direct your visit today?”

  Dia smiled. “We’re here to see James DeRomeo.”

  The cute blonde tilted her head. “Who should I say is visiting?”

  “We’re here from Washburn and Demarco.”

  “Oh, okay. Do you have an appointment?”

  Dia nodded once. “Yes, we do.”

  The receptionist started typing into her computer. “Hmm, I don’t have it under that name. Could it be under another name?”

  Dia frowned. “I don’t think so.”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t have it. Was it for ten o’clock?”

  “Yes.”

  “Hmm, there’s nothing here.”

  Dia held up a finger. “Hold one second.” She took out her phone and called Chloe. “Hi, can you confirm our ten o’clock with MPF?”

  She waited a beat for Chloe to say, “I miss you.”

  Dia tried not to smile. “I told you to confirm with them. This is not acceptable.” She paused a beat.

  Chloe replied, “You sound cute on the phone.”

  Dia kept her mad face on. “I don’t want to hear any excuses, this is grounds for termination. I made perfectly clear what you
were supposed to do.”

  The receptionist frowned at Dia and waved her hand. Dia pulled the phone away from her ear.

  The receptionist said, “Don’t worry about it. I can push back his next appointment. I don’t want anyone to get in trouble. It could have just as easily been our mistake.”

  Dia nodded. “Very well.” Then into the phone, she said, “I’ll deal with you later.”

  Chloe playfully replied, “I can’t wait for that.”

  She put the phone into the small purse and said to the receptionist, “Thank you so much. I apologize for that.”

  “It’s no bother. I’ll tell Mister DeRomeo you’re on your way. He’s in the large office at the end of that hallway.”

  Dia nodded to Tallon, and they both turned and headed across the lobby.

  “That was some good work,” Tallon offered.

  “I felt bad. I didn’t want you to have to shoot her with a tranquilizing dart.”

  “Empathy can be a motivating incentive.”

  Dia opened the door so Tallon could walk in first. She swung in behind him and pulled the door closed. She wasn’t sure if James would recognize her or not, but she hadn’t planned on taking that chance.

  Pulling the pistol from her purse, she emerged from behind Tallon and stuck the gun into James’ face. “Get your hands up.” She scurried around the large mahogany desk and pushed his phone away from his stunned face.

  James was balding, pudgy, and had a neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper beard and large glasses. He looked the same as he always had to her, just slightly more wrinkled and slightly more tired.

  She could tell by the confusion on his face that he didn’t recognize her at first, but then as the moments passed the recognition came to him. “Dia?”

  “James, been a long time.”

  She put her foot between his legs on the chair and sent it rolling away from the desk into Tallon’s waiting arms where he wrenched James’ arms behind the chair and zip-tied them.

  “James, I’d like to you meet my associate. He’s not nice like me, so don’t try anything stupid.” She put the gun away. “James, how are you? Did Kate mention I was in town?”