The Preston Six Collection: (Book 1, 2 and 3)

by Ryan, Matt

  “You think someone’s living here?” Samantha asked.

  “From the upkeep of this place, I would assume yes.”

  “Should we knock?”

  “I see a door over there,” Joey said.

  The dirt path led to the door. He raised his hand and prepared to knock. Samantha’s worried face questioned his raised hand. He hesitated, but knocked on the wooden door. He heard movement in the house and took a step back, keeping Samantha behind him. The door opened.

  A large woman in an apron appeared. She wiped her hands on a towel. “We don’t have any food—what happened to you boy?” She said as her attention focused on Joey. Did he look that bad?

  Joey opened his mouth, but something popped inside his arm. He grabbed his arm and felt his blood warming as it made its way up his arm and to his heart and neck. Had MM implanted something? His muscles weakened, and his mind became as foggy as the place they were in. He looked to the sky, at the white fog. The inside of his entire body felt like fire, he collapsed to his knees and would have screamed, but it hurt too much. He faintly heard Samantha yelling his name and felt hands touching his body, before it all went black.

  Poly is looking back at him in Mrs. Nires class, her hand touching his . . . She’s jumping in the hummer, screaming with joy as they make their way to New Vegas . . . The Gianni dress wraps around her curves and she model-walks across the mall toward him . . . He is stuck in a wheelchair, and feels Poly’s finger graze his. She gives him a determined look as they are pushed down the hallway . . . .

  They are on the roof of Madame V’s. Max is frozen in time, they all are. He slows down time to give Poly a kiss on the cheek, before returning to face her. He dies inside during that moment, making the choice to leave her and the rest of his friends . . . He watches Poly walk into the aircraft. He thinks he sees her face in one of the windows, right before Max shoots him with electricity . . . Julie heats rocks with her Panavice laser and he warms his hands over them. “She doesn’t know,” Julie says, pointing to Poly’s sleeping body. “You better not hurt her.”

  “I won’t,” he promises.

  “I think his fever’s breaking, Miss.”

  “Wake up, Joey.”

  He feels a hand on his arm. “Poly,” he calls out.

  “No, it’s Samantha.”

  Samantha? His head pulsed in pain and he felt heavy like he had a hundred-pound blanket draped over him. Chills ran over his body. He opened his eyes, while blurry, he made out Samantha’s face, holding his hand. Is she crying?

  “Samantha?”

  “I’m right here.”

  “Where are we?”

  “Wilferd Estate,” Samantha said. She was holding back tears. “But they’re at their other house for the year.”

  Joey tried to sit up on the bed, but his head rocked with pain and he lay back down.

  “Try not to move,” another voice said at the end of the bed.

  “Who’s that?”

  “Jen, she’s been helping me with you.”

  Helping with him? “How long have I been out?”

  “Two days.”

  He tried to move again, but his head and body wouldn’t allow it. He rubbed his sweaty forehead. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know, you just collapsed at the door. We brought you into the house. You’ve been out the whole time,” Samantha said.

  “You’ve got a good one here.” Jen had irritation in her voice. “She’s been by your side the whole time.”

  “No signs of MM?”

  “Nothing.”

  They did it, they escaped from him. Why didn’t he feel happy about it? His mind fogged with thoughts, and vivid images of Poly danced around his mind.

  “You think you can drink?” Samantha asked.

  “Yes,” Joey said. He drank from a glass held by her. He felt so weak, not being able to hold his own glass. How could he protect her from anything, when he can’t even drink by himself? She wiped his mouth. How long would he be like this?

  “Are there hospitals around here?”

  “No,” Samantha said. “We are in old times, cart and buggy stuff. But Jen’s taught me how to make bread. You want to try a piece I made?”

  With no appetite, he shook his head.

  “Bet this Poly girl never made you bread,” Jen spoke up.

  “Poly?”

  “You were talking a lot in your sleep, sometimes about Poly,” Samantha said. He opened his eyes to see her hurt expression. “Can we have a moment alone, Jen?”

  “Certainly, Miss, I’ll be down in the kitchen if you need anything.”

  “Thank you.”

  Jen left the room. The wood door clanked closed.

  Samantha climbed in the bed and lay right next to him.

  What did he say about Poly in his stupor? He studied her face looking for more clues, but it was blank, like she was concentrating on something. Was she thinking of him and Poly, did he talk about their time under the oak tree? His thoughts trailed, he was too weak to think about it for long.

  Samantha moved closer and placed her face against the side of his head, he felt her breath in his ear. He had become used to being close to Samantha, but at the moment, he couldn’t push Poly from his mind.

  “Do not react to what I’m about to say,” she whispered so low into his ear, he could barely hear it. “We’re still in the scene generator, Jen’s an actor or something. But for now, we need to put on a show, they’re watching us still.”

  Samantha kissed him on the cheek and draped her leg and arm over his body. She kept her mouth against his ear, he listened for a long time as her breathing changed and became slow and labored. She was asleep. Had she been awake for the entire time he was out?

  The thought of it made him want to cry. Her caring for him, staying awake for days at his side, all the while, listening to him talk about Poly in his sleep.

  Joey stayed still, not wanting to wake her. How did she find out they were still in the simulation? When he thought about it, it made sense. There is no way Marcus would allow them to escape. They were his property, his experiments. If putting on a show for him, gave them some time out of the labs and away from him getting leached, they would put on a show. He moved one of his hands from under the blanket and brushed back hair from her face. She looked even more beautiful asleep, it wouldn’t be hard to put on a good show with her.

  EVEN IF IT GAVE THEM protection from the outside chaos, Poly had begun to resent the apartment. Being in there for over a week felt like being trapped like a bird in a cage, wrapped in a wet blanket. Harris hadn’t contacted them, nor had there been anything from Travis, in over three days. If Julie wasn’t there, Poly thought she would have ran out the front doors a long time ago.

  She felt the edge wearing off. She rolled the pill in her fingertips in her pocket and glanced at Julie in the kitchen, messing with the food printer.

  “What’s for dinner?” Poly asked.

  “I don’t know, you want some pasta?”

  The food printer had become Julie’s obsession. She dissected it with her Panavice, trying to find a way to modify it into printing metal or hard plastic objects. Poly yawned at the idea, but liked that it kept Julie busy.

  “Sure, can it do ravioli?”

  “I think we have the ingredients,” Julie said, arranging some boxes near the printer.

  Poly dropped the pill in her pocket, with only a few left, she wanted to save them for as long as she could handle. She picked up the TV remote.

  Nothing but an aerial image of the city could be seen. Plumes of smoke rose from all over the city. It looked surreal from the aerial shot, like a video game or a miniature. Was it MM’s goal to make the city anonymous, faceless? Would the city get less sympathy if people couldn’t see the street view, or hear the words and accounts of what was happening? Julie said the rest of the world spread rumors and leaked videos of the door to door search.

  After the announcement stating there was no Orange, the city broke into
chaos. People rioted at the dispensaries, demanding their share. Poly watched from the crack in the blinds and saw hints of smoke wafting by and heard the occasional screams. MM had turned the city in on itself. Poly couldn’t bare the pressure of knowing it was caused by them.

  “How do you think we’re going to get out of here?” she asked. It was a favorite discussion of theirs ranging from a presidential motorcade, to a waiting plane, to a hot air balloon. Anything was better than thinking of what people may be enduring outside.

  “Maybe the sewers, like Harris took us through,” Julie said.

  Poly hoped not, nothing but bad memories in the last sewer. “Maybe they have jetpacks.”

  Julie laughed. “They actually have something similar to that, but I think they would shoot us down, or use a large net and drop it on us.”

  The thought of a giant net falling on them while they flew around in jet packs, made Poly laugh.

  Julie’s Panavice chimed.

  Poly stood from the couch, waiting for Julie to read whatever was on the screen.

  “It’s Harris,” Julie said. “He says the plan is for tomorrow. Be ready.”

  “What plan?”

  “He must mean the plan to get at MM.”

  “What the heck are we supposed to do here?”

  Julie shrugged.

  Poly plopped back onto the couch, letting out a long annoyed breath. “Great,” Poly said. “I got to get out of here. The boys are out having a great time, meandering around the world, while we’re trapped, caged in here, with ten million citizens looking for us.”

  An annoyed look crept into Julie’s face. Poly saw Julie smoothing it out, keeping her composure. She couldn’t believe how much you could learn from a person, being confined with them for a week. She loved Julie, but how much longer could she handle being stuck in an apartment with only her. If only she could switch her with Joey, they could find a way to kill the boredom.

  Julie pressed the print button on the printer and Poly saw the machines arm move around as it printed their pasta.

  Julie’s Panavice dinged. Poly raised an eyebrow at Julie as she read.

  “It’s Harris again,” Julie said. “He sent codes for us to hack into the TV stream of Sanct. He wants us to tell them Orange will be delivered tomorrow morning courtesy of Harris Boone.” She slid her finger over the screen. “I don’t know how he got these codes, but we’ll have full access to the TV system with this.”

  Poly’s mouth wouldn’t work, paralyzed with fear. “He wants us to hijack the TV and broadcast ourselves?”

  “Yeah, he’s sending packages of Orange. He’ll be a hero,” Julie said.

  “Or a villain, there won’t be enough for everyone, it’ll be another riot. He didn’t say how he was going to do it?”

  “No.”

  At least there was action again, even in the form of a TV anchor, anything was better than doing nothing. Waiting to be caught by marauders was getting old. This gave them something to do.

  “Why just talk about Harris’s Orange? I bet we could get some shots at Max too,” Poly said.

  In thirty minutes they set up a bed sheet on a wall and lighting with two lamps. They placed two chairs in front of the bed sheet and placed Julie’s Panavice on the back of the couch.

  “It doesn’t show any of the apartment, does it?” Poly asked.

  Julie looked at the screen to verify. “Nope.”

  Poly cleared her throat and crossed her legs. Julie sat on the seat next to her. She felt the nerves kicking in, the pressure weighing on her. One last time is what she kept telling herself, as she reached into her pocket.

  Julie jumped from her seat and grabbed Poly’s hand and pulled it out. Poly’s fingers gripped the white pill. Julie wrenched it from her hand.

  “What’s this?” Julie pushed the pill in Poly’s face.

  “Nothing.”

  Julie rolled the pill in her hand, inspecting the small letters. She yanked her Panavice out and typed into it. Poly sighed and leaned back in the chair. Julie’s eyes slowly raised her gaze to meet Poly’s. “It’s a drug.”

  “It’s safe.”

  “Well, you’re wrong. It’s got a whole list of side effects, including clouded judgment, and permanent heart damage. I knew you’ve been acting weird. I mean, who stares at them self in the bathroom for thirty minutes?”

  Poly struggled to find the words to argue against it. “I’m not like you. I can’t take this world.” She stood and pointed to the TV. “Look at what we’re causing, what we caused. How can you handle it?”

  Julie scowled at Poly. “You think this is easy for me?” Her face turned red. “You think I don’t want some pill I could escape in?” She threw the pill on the floor and smashed it with her foot.

  Poly’s eyes narrowed. She didn’t have many left. “Well, I guess you’re the bigger person.” She reached into her pocket. She didn’t need to deal with this.

  “Oh no.” Julie reached into Poly’s hand and yanked out the small foil wrapper.

  “Give those back.”

  “No.”

  Poly moved against Julie’s chest as Julie reached her hand back, keeping it out of reach. Julie pushed Poly back. Poly pulled a knife out from her side.

  “Give them to me.” Poly’s stern face reflected off the steel.

  Julie’s shocked face cowered at the sight of the knife. Good, she should be scared and if she didn’t hand over the pills, she’d give her something to be terrified of.

  “Here.” Julie tossed the pills to Poly. Shaking her head, she started crying. “What’s happened to you? You were my hero.”

  The pills hit her stomach and fell to the floor. Poly looked from the cellophane package to Julie. Julie still looked scared. Poly lessened her grip on the knife and let it fall to the floor. What had she done? Had she really pulled a knife on her friend over those pills? The hurt look on Julie’s face was more than she could bear. She slammed her foot against the pills on the floor and grinded them into the wood flooring. Julie watched her, but still recoiled as Poly walked toward her.

  “I’m so sorry.” Poly started to cry as well. How could she have ever done something so horrible to her best friend?

  “You freaking pulled a knife on me.” Julie wiped a tear away from her face, only to be replaced by another one.

  “I’m sorry, Julie. I’d never hurt you. I think those pills were messing with my mind.” Poly pleaded her case, hoping the shocked, scared face on Julie would change.

  “He gave them to you, didn’t he?” Julie’s face did change, to pure anger.

  “Yes.” Poly felt so stupid.

  “I’m going to kill him.” Julie’s nostrils flared.

  “It’s not his fault, I was the one that took them. I was the one that asked for more.”

  “The next time I see him, I’m going to find a way.”

  Poly wanted it to be over. Like there wasn’t enough for her to think about. Now, she had Julie worrying about her, wanting to kill another man for her. “Can we just do the rehearsal?”

  “Oh sure, let’s get away from the subject at hand here. How long have you been popping these pills?”

  Poly opened her mouth when the aerial view on the TV changed to Max, standing at a podium, with Travis behind him.

  “People of Sanct, this is a brief announcement.” His eye’s smoldered as he stared into the camera. “I am Max Boone, rank eight of MM. I am now speaking directly to you, Julie and Poly. Take pity on the city, turn yourself in.”

  “Can we break into his broadcast?” Poly said.

  Julie paused in shock. “I think so.”

  Max continued, “Look at the destruction you’re causing, the people who are suffering.”

  The video changed to people crying, with soot on their faces, buildings burning in the background.

  A rage built in Poly, and maybe some guilt. Julie handled her Panavice.

  “It’s ready,” Julie said, pointing the Panavice at Poly. “You sure you are ready to d
o this? It’s going to be live.”

  Poly wiped her nose and tried to clear the fluid from her eyes. “Yes, we can’t have him killing people in our names.”

  “When the red light appears, it’s live.”

  Poly stared into the camera, ignoring the image of Max behind it. The red light blinked on. The image on the TV changed to her.

  “People of Sanct, am I searching your homes? Am I setting fire to your belongings? No. Max is burning the city, cutting the power, killing the net and stopping the Orange shipments in the name of MM. While I don’t expect you to stand up for me, I do expect you to stand up for yourselves. How can you be free, as long as Max and MM control the very thing that keeps you alive?” Poly paused, taking in a breath.

  “They have a permanent solution, but he chooses to keep you down. I say stand up with me, Julie, and Harris Boone.” She let Harris’s name hang. “Tomorrow we will have a large shipment of Orange delivered to Sanct. I ask all citizens to join me in a walk against MM tomorrow morning. Fill the streets, block the gates to Center City, and don’t let them push you down ever again.” Poly stood and walked closer to the camera. “And Marcus, I know you have them, and I’m coming. See you soon.” Poly waved at the camera with her pinky finger. The red light turned off.

  The TV image changed back to an empty podium. Was that blood splatter on the wall? The shot returned to the standard aerial shot of the city. Panic swept over Poly. Was that Travis’s blood? It must have been her imagination.

  Julie didn’t say anything, but stared at Poly with an astonished expression. “Where did all that come from?”

  Poly shrugged but felt drained. Her mind ran through the things she said. Did she cause harm, did she help anyone? “Nothing matters to me more right now than your forgiveness.”

  “As long as you promise to never keep anything from me again.”

  “Deal.”

  Julie stepped forward and hugged Poly.

  “Was I really your hero?”

  “Maybe for a split second.”

  “I won’t let you down again. I only wish I could just face them.”

  “Well, you may have your wish. Doing that stunt gave them a digital road to trace us with. We might have a day at the most.”