Skin Trials

by S Y Humphrey

  “Five… four… three….” The voice began to count down. “… Two…”

  N.G. fired. More shuffling outside, and then more firing. Silence.

  “All clear,” Seren heard Pike call.

  “Hurry up and let’s get out of here. I know there’s more waiting for us ahead,” N.G. said, as he and Aurora took over changing the tires where Pike had left off.

  “Seren,” N.G. called once they finished. He hopped onto the trailer bed to face her. “Look, this won’t be the last of those groups. Hide this under your pants, in case they try to take you. You should throw on Aurora’s pants and boots. They’re heavier. Aurora, you’ve got another pair, right?” He held up a long knife that folded in and pushed it toward Seren. “I have an idea. And you’re just going to have to trust me.”

  Shoving her distrust aside, Seren nodded. After all, he was handing her a knife. Aurora began moving without asking questions, shoving down her pants and pulling a fresh pair out of a knapsack.

  N.G. turned to Pike. “You okay? I’ll drive for a while. Calm yourself. There probably aren’t too many cops around to stop and check me for a license.”

  Pike didn’t argue. Visibly shaking, he took his turn to slide down the trailer wall, heaving a sigh of relief. He looked away as Seren undressed to put on Aurora’s heavily padded pants, filled with lots of lining underneath. N.G. revved up the engine.

  BOOM! Holes blasted through the metal.

  As the truck screeched into motion, they were all thrown. Pike grabbed Seren and pulled her down. All of them cowered from bullets that continued to fly around them. The truck swerved, as N.G. pressed forward fast as he could. In the scant light streaming through holes in the metal, Seren watched Pike grip his shoulder, and blood began to ooze through his fingers. His face scrunched up and he grimaced in pain. She shoved Galli’s food cloth against his body and applied pressure as the truck sped on. Bullets tore open the metal. They struck a back tire, but it didn’t flatten right away. Then she felt another tire hit. N.G. kept rolling, as each of them held on.

  The shooting finally stopped. N.G. kept driving while the tires fell flat and the truck wobbled.

  “Everybody still breathing back there? Talk to me!” Seren heard N.G.’s desperate voice cry out from the front of the cabin.

  “Yes,” Aurora answered, yanking everyone and checking their breathing. “We’re still here, but Pike’s been hit. Looks like they got his shoulder, but he’s all right.”

  “We’ve got a small town coming up in about twenty miles. We’ll see if we can find a vehicle to jump into there. I see another spike strip ahead. It’s about to get patchy. Just hold on. We’re almost in the clear,” N.G. spoke reassuringly, even as his voice shook.

  As soon as he said it, they felt the tires abruptly rumble over hard objects in the street. The tires became even flatter, hobbling forward on the hubcaps, as the rubber ripped apart underneath them. After N.G. pushed forward about a mile, and soon the smell of smoke entered their nostrils. A couple of minutes later, the hubcaps made popping and crackling noises, and they began to see flames as the trailer bed caught fire. The truck finally stopped.

  “Get up, this is it!” Aurora said, ripping through the boxes and pulling out yet more supplies.

  Pike pushed himself up from the bed. Seren helped him. They all heard N.G. get out and come around, Before the lid of the truck rolled up. Aurora unfolded many electronics that became familiar to Seren as she watched them revealed.

  Foldable floating boards, capable of operating similar to the SkyPads at Seren’s school. Aurora handed each of them one. “If we have to split up, don’t venture too deep into the woods. Seren, stay close by me, Pike or N.G. If they find out who you are…” her voice trailed off.

  They all got on, strapped with hand grenades, guns and smoke bombs.

  “What about all this?” Pike asked, as he breathed heavily. “We’re just going to leave it here for them?”

  “He’s right,” Aurora said looking at N.G. “There’s at least five more boards in there, three jet packs and an arm full of weapons.”

  “If we set it on fire, it’ll be an explosion that draws the police. The kind of attention we don’t want,” N.G. thought aloud.

  “But if we leave it all here, we risk it being found and getting traced back to the Tier Twos who gave it to us,” Pike replied.

  “Good point.”

  They set it ablaze. Squatting on the sky boards, they set out, moving down the narrow street filled with makeshift tree cities. None of them looked back as they heard the sound of an explosion, popping, and whistling of fire. Riding forward, they flew close together. Aurora flew slightly above them, acting as the lookout.

  They passed random people on the street, scratching, reaching out their arms, asleep in the sun, washing themselves in muddy ditches of water. A man with no legs sat on the street where it meets the high grass, and merely held up his hand, as if to wish them well. Trash and piles of mess littered the street, along with torn clothes and random goods people had disposed of.

  They ignored the occasional veteran wearing fatigues who saluted, and the hospital patients wearing nothing but a thin gown with the flap open. Seren tried to stay focused on the road ahead, without succumbing to emotion. Did her parents know? This couldn’t have been them alone.

  They flew a little higher, over the heads of people who had seen them coming and wondered in their path to stop them. Pike’s SkyPad began to falter and veer. The others were busy scanning the area, and hoisting their guns to preempt gunfire or return it. Pike was losing blood. Seren directed her Skypad closer to his, and took his handle to help him direct it, so he didn’t shoot off course.

  “We’re almost there,” she tried to encourage him. “Stay awake.”

  In response to her, he jerked his eyes open, trying to force them to stay that way. Before long, she stepped off to her pad in place 1 foot on his to try and fly them both so she could hang onto him in case he passed out. A few minutes into the ride, the trees began to clear and they finally saw a set of small business buildings— a strip mall, a restaurant and a gas station. For the first time ever, Seren thanked God.

  But as she said it, Seren’s heart filled with dread as they watched more wheelchair men roll into the street ahead, blocking them from entering the small clearing.

  They looked to NG for the signal, of how he wanted to handle it.

  “Let’s just stick to the original plan. Negotiate, and if that doesn’t work, blow them to pieces and fly.”

  The slowed down on the SkyPads, Seren still holding onto Pike’s, while they slowed to a stop.

  “We heard some folks have been causing problems in our forest. You wouldn’t happen to have come across them, would you?” Another man with a gravelly voice and southern accent asked.

  “We haven’t come across nobody but ourselves, Sir. And we haven’t caused any more trouble than what’s been done to us,” N.G. spoke with the surprisingly convincing Southern accent that Seren hadn’t heard before now.

  “Well somebody’s got to pay for all this damage. Since there’s nobody but you here, and who do you suggest that should be?”

  “Your forest looked in pretty bad shape before we came through it, but we’re nice people. And we’re willing to work with you. We are the Anthistemi,” NG spoke slow. “Let us pass, join our cause, and we will bring you the supplies you need. Whatever you need, just you name it.”

  “All you hustlers just about sound the same to me. We don’t trust none of you. What’s that got to do with us?” his gravelly voice asked.

  More crippled men and sick people walked out from the woods. Coming through the crowd, Seren saw younger men and a woman approach, toting their arms and decked in full military fatigues, with towels covering their heads in this heat.

  “Petty officers, please explain why it’s 1400 hours, and you are not in your assigned location?” One of them barked. He wore a badge with the name Kilpatrick.

  The woman move
d forward, to the front of the group. She seemed to be a little more lucid in her thoughts. “I think what he means is what the hell are you doing trespassing in our city?”

  “We were just telling your friends here that we are Anthistemi, a group fighting on behalf of good people like yourself. We have access to a lot of resources and can bring you in, if you let us on through with no problems,” N.G. offered.

  They began to shake their heads, pace around and harden their eyes. “See naw, we don’t think we can let you do that. You boys would never come back. What kind of fools do you take us for?” The woman asked. “What’s wrong with him?” she asked gesturing toward Pike.

  “He was hurt by some of your friends up the road there,” N.G. said. “He really needs some help bad. We need to get him to some medical help. You let us pass, who will give you his Skype as he’s floating on.”

  Another young man stepped forward, who couldn’t have been more than third, young and lanky with blistered lips and bloodshot eyes, and skin that bled.

  “Not interested.” He scratched his head looking over all of them. “I’ve heard of the Anthistemi. Got the government running scared. Pretty sharp. How do we know you’re them? You don’t look that impressive to me.”

  “How do you think we got these here SkyPads? Not just anybody can get them, not without government authorization. Or the right connections,” N.G. narrowed his eyes. “Connections we’ve got.”

  The young woman and the bleeding man exchange looks with Old Gravelly in the wheelchair.

  Bleeding Man’s eyes stopped at Seren. “Who’s that right there?”

  N.G. swallowed. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Why do her eyes look like that?”

  “Oh I don’t know. A freak of nature, I suppose,” N.G. replied. “Look, I got some medical credits on me. Eyescans that are legitimate. Just put the contacts in your eyes. All you have to do is show up at the hospital and put on these here contacts, and you could get seen by a doctor, which it looks like you need.”

  He began to point, his dirty finger jabbing the air repeatedly now. “Wait a minute. Wait a minute,” he closed his eyes. “She looks familiar.”

  N.G. pulled out of his multi-pocketed pants a small, container, and flipped it open. “Look here, at what I’ve got. Contacts. They contain valid identifications of people with medical coverage. You can walk right into a hospital, and get scanned in with no problems. And receive level for healthcare. You could even use some of the remaining credits to going get yourself a nice hotel somewhere. How does that sound? A nice roof over your head, a bed to sleep in, hot meal,” N.G. talked fast.

  The young woman and Old Gravelly, along with a few others, spoke among themselves. “Frost, maybe we should take it. That sounds pretty doggone good,” the young woman smiled, displaying a mouse containing no teeth in the front.

  “Jernigan! I knew I’d remember,” Bleeding Man whose real name was Frost jabbed his finger in the air a final time. “Your daddy is Stephen Jernigan. He fought in Iraq with my grandfather. My granddaddy said he is one arrogant son of a bitch. That’s your daddy!” He concluded tipping forward on his toes excitedly. His finger started dancing in the air again, as he began to walk forward, leaning with each step. “That makes you rich.”

  Seren froze, terrified.

  N.G.’s SkyPad moved to block him. “Your mistake.”

  “No, I am not. Her picture used to be on those stupid Christmas cards Jernigan would mail us When he was trying to recruit us for his private military. I heard about you. You’re not even white. You’re a science experiment. Which means I get a lot of money for you. If not from your daddy, then from somebody else.” He turned to NG. “I’ll take these here toys y’all got, and her. Or you’re not leaving.”

  From out of nowhere, an extra set of SkyPads flew overhead. Gunfire battered the street.

  “Come on!” Aurora said. This time, Seren hopped up and jumped onto her SkyPad, hanging on as she swept up.

  “Let’s switch places. You drive, and I’ll shoot,” Aurora said.

  “Okay,” Seren replied, ducking down to sweep underneath her arm and take over steering.

  Surprisingly, one of the veterans whipped out a gun to shoot. Aurora was hit.

  Seren felt Aurora’s body jerk from the impact, and she immediately wrapped her arm around Aurora to keep her from falling. Seren quickly looked down to see the grimace of Old Gravelly, hoisting his gun while he died, and she knew that shot had been meant for her.

  “No! Hang on!” Seren said, turning to drive out of the forest, as new Anthistemi rebels continued to give them cover. While Seren drove the SkyPad, she saw Galli and some of the children from the farm.

  Together, they rode away from the gun battle and out of the woods. Galli took the lead, directing them beyond the forest and toward a clearing of businesses. In the distance, Seren saw more SkyPads approaching them. Fire continued to blast around her, from the other side of the woods.The friendly shots picked off enemy fire. One of the rebels fired from inside the woods, shooting at their enemies and continuing to take them out. Galli, Seren, and another girl kept riding forward. As they did so, a group of about ten kids emerged, tossing grenades, dynamite and smoke bombs, holding their enemies back and allowing them to exit that part of the forest.

  N.G. joined them remaining ten miles up the road until they reached a suburban area outside Gastonia. There, they pulled aside to an old dilapidated garage.

  Seren turned to Galli. “How did you get here so fast?”

  “One of our people, a lookout, came back and told us you’d run into a problem. We tailed you from the woods. Figured you all would need help in these parts. The cars waiting on this side were already part of the plan, courtesy of the Churchies where you’re headed. You all must go. You’re running behind now,” Galli said, and she quickly inspected Aurora. “And she looks pretty bad. You’ve got to get her some medical help. If you dare risk it.”

  “Thank you,” Seren said.

  “Don’t. Not yet. Tell Stephen Jernigan that the daughter of Cal Bartlett is coming for him.”

  A car sped up to them, with N.G. behind the wheel. Pike leaned over in the front passenger seat. Seren had never been happier to see them. Throwing the door open, she carefully laid the bleeding Aurora against the seat. They folded the SkyPads, and tossed them into the trunk, along with another set of jet packs. As N.G. took off, so too did Galli and her crew of young warriors, in the opposite direction, disappearing the deep woods.

  N.G. stared at her in the rearview mirror. “How is she?”

  Seren heard labored breathing in her lap. Looking down, she checked Aurora’s injuries. Two bullet wounds to her back. Which had probably punctured her lungs. Still, Seren turned her over and lied.

  “Doesn’t look that bad. Just a couple of scratches. Soon as we get you to a hospital, you’ll be fine.”

  Her thick black hair spread out across Seren’s lap, and her muscular thick upper body shook. “Liar. Just like your father.”

  Seren shook with emotion. “I’m not quite as good at it as he is.”

  She dragged in a breath. “Good. I hope not.”

  “Hang on. We’re on our way to get you some help.” Seren stared up at N.G. through the mirror again. Seeing the somber look on his face, Seren thought of a way to preoccupy her. “Oh! Zipman and Space-capades.”

  Aurora spit up blood, as she pushed out her next words. “What are y-you… talk… ing about?”

  “Video games I used to play,” Seren whispered, tears sliding down her face.

  Scoffing once again, more blood gurgled out of her throat. Her teeth spread into a bloody smile. “Those w-wimpy… n-nerd… games…”

  Seren wiped the blood that started gurgling from Aurora’s mouth. “Shhh. Stay awake,” she said, shaking Aurora when her eyes drooped. “No! Stay awake! Aurora! What’s your favorite game?”

  “Cr…oss… word puz-” Aurora answered.

  “I mean what’s your favorite video g
ame, dummy,” Seren said, her eyes darting at the passing woods as N.G. sped through the next forest. She felt the body in her arms deflate. Seren shook her again.

  “Aurora! Aurora!”

  Eyes still open, they looked at nothing now. Seren continued checking vital signs.

  The trees continued to whir by, as Seren’s own words floated inside her head, from the final fight they’d had just that morning.

  You would give up your life in a heartbeat to live my life for one day. So shut up already.

  12

  The Barracoons

  “Look!” Seren filled up with emotion again. “If you brought me here just to prove…”

  NG hit the steering wheel, and for the first time she saw him lose his temper. “This isn’t about you! All right? Not everything… is about you. I’ve got protection here. The police don’t come here. We’re safe here. We can hide out for the next few hours, get a little sleep, pick up some medicine, and figure out how to get Pike to a hospital. I’m sorry for bringing you here. I may wind up regretting it. Time will tell.”

  Right then, there was a knock on the window, and they all turned. Outside stood a black woman, large and shapely, wearing a dress that Seren was not sure was a shirt. Her we twisted on wrong, bright pink lipstick smearing her upper lip, and fake eyelashes hanging, she ran her hands over her body lustfully.

  “I got a special I’m giving out. Fifteen dollars,” she slurred.

  “Get out of here. Not interested,” NG called.

  “Five dollars.”

  “I said go.”

  As they got out of the car, Seren saw a small, old building across the street with the sign across the top that read “Slave Market”. Black men stood outside, of all ages, pants hanging underneath their buttocks, wearing white tank tops and T-shirts, and holding long brown paper bags wrapped into a cone shape, from which they drank. Seren tensed up and put on her shades. Their eyes searched