by Amy Cross
"Oh shit, no," Joe says, fumbling through his pockets, just as we hear the truck's engine start up. "Hey!" he shouts, racing toward the vehicle, but it's too late. With screeching tires, the truck shoots forward and veers straight around Joe before speeding off down the street, leaving us both in the dust.
ELIZABETH
Manhattan
After double-checking that there's no-one nearby, I pull the key from my pocket and slip it into the lock on the front door of Harrison Blake's apartment.
Or, at least, that's what I try to do, because no matter how hard I try to get it to the fit, the key just won't go into the hole. After a couple of seconds, I suddenly realize that the lock has changed. Before, it was a scratched and old silver lock, but now it's shining new and gold. Before I can really react properly, I hear the sound of someone turning the handle from within, and the door opens to reveal Bob's smiling face.
"Good afternoon," he says politely. "Can I help you?"
"I just..." I look down at the key in my hand, and it's immediately clear that the game is up. "I just came to look for a book," I say, deciding to play it cool. After all, now that Bob seems to have found the books, I guess my best option is to pretend that I thought he knew all along.
"Well," Bob says, with a curious glint in his eyes, "the books aren't up here anymore. Henry and I took them down to the storage rooms. I figured books are a valuable resource right now, so we need to make sure they're safe. After all, it's not as if we can just go online and look for information, is it?"
"No," I stammer, my mind racing as I try to think of a way out of this situation. "Well," I continue after a moment, "I guess I'll just go and look downstairs for a -"
"Not so fast," Bob says. "Where did you get that key?"
"Harrison Blake gave it to me," I reply.
"When?"
"The other day, before he left".
"Why didn't you mention it?"
"I didn't think it was important. You've got a master-key to the whole building anyway, so... I assumed it wasn't an issue".
"You did, did you?" he asks, stepping out of the apartment and pulling the door shut. "So you had this key to Blake's apartment, and you figured there was no need to share the existence of all these books with the rest of us because... you assumed we already knew?"
I nod.
"I see". He stares at me for a moment. "So it's not like you decided to keep the books from your brother and myself for any other reason. It's not like you chose to deceive us, is it?"
I shake my head.
"That's good," he replies, starting to walk along the corridor toward the stairwell. "Nevertheless, it's hard to interpret this little incident as anything other than a slight against both your brother and myself. Elizabeth, will you accompany me down to the lobby, please?"
"I was going to take a nap," I reply.
"You can do that after you've come to the lobby with me," he says, heading through to the stairwell.
Figuring I have no alternative, I traipse after him. It's pretty clear that he's pissed off about the fact that I kept the existence of all those books from him, but I don't see why he's quite so mad; after all, he had a key all along, so it's not my fault that he didn't bother to come up and see if Blake left anything useful behind. At the same time, I can understand how, in his paranoid state, Bob might interpret my actions as some kind of threat. Maybe I should have been smarter and just let him know about the books, but I didn't realize that he felt he had to know everything about the entire building. I'm starting to realize more and more that this entire place is being run according to a new set of rules, and these rules are entirely decided by Bob.
Following Bob down the stairwell, I start to consider my options. The gun Bob gave me is up in my parents' apartment, and the only way out of the building is through the main door at the front of the lobby, or one of the doors at the rear. I keep telling myself that I'm over-reacting and that there's no reason to be so scared, but at the same time I feel as if Bob is consistently moving further and further away from sanity. At least Henry has a rifle, though, so I know Bob can't go completely insane.
"Our little group operates on trust," Bob says as we emerge into the lobby, where Henry is sitting by the door with his rifle poised, reading for any intruders. "I have to know I can trust you," Bob continues, turning to me, "just as you have to know you can trust me. When that trust breaks down, we have a problem, and when we have a problem, we have to rectify things". He pauses for a moment, clearly enjoying the sound of his own voice. "Now, ordinarily, I wouldn't view a lie of omission as a particularly serious thing. Sure, Elizabeth, you should have told us about the books in Harrison Blake's apartment, but I can let that slide. There are other things, though, that I can't let slide".
"Like what?" I ask, my chest tightening as I realize Bob might know more than I'd realized.
"I've been thinking about Mallory," he says, "and how she escaped. You were very keen to let me believe that your brother left a door open, weren't you? But what if that's not what happened? What if your lack of loyalty to this building extended to other actions? When I found your little hideout in Harrison Blake's apartment, Elizabeth, I started to wonder what else you might be keeping from us".
"I didn't -" I start to say.
"I started to think about you as a person," he continues, interrupting me. "I started to wonder what kind of person you are. After all, until a few days ago, I'd never even given you a second thought. So I thought about whether I could trust you, and I came to a startling conclusion. I decided that, when it comes to it, I can't trust you. Not for a second. And do you want to know why I can't trust you? It's simple. I believe you released Mallory, and I believe you gave her some food from our dwindling stockpile, and I believe you did all of this despite knowing that both your brother and I have been working to neutralize the threat that she posed -"
"You mean by torturing her?" I ask. As soon as the words have left my lips, I realize I should have kept quiet.
"Here's the thing," Bob says. "At first, I thought that perhaps my suspicions regarding your behavior were unfounded, Elizabeth. I berated myself for thinking so little of someone I barely knew. So I turned to the one person who knows you properly. I asked your brother if he believed you might be responsible for Mallory's escape. I expected him to defend you. I expected him to uphold your honor and tell me I was wrong. But that's not what he did. No, he told me he'd been thinking the same thing. Your own brother, and he couldn't defend you. It hurt me, Elizabeth. It really hurt me to see the anguish in this boy's eyes as he admitted, not in words but in more subtle ways, that he knew you'd betrayed us both".
"Henry," I say, stepping past Bob, "we need to get out of here. Let's go and talk, we need to -"
"Fuck off," he says, staring at the window. It's as if he's refusing to even look at me.
"Henry -"
"Fuck off," he says again, his voice sounding calm and dispassionate. "I don't need you to tell me what to do, and I don't need your help. Bob's right. You let me take the blame for something you did. I can't forgive you for that".
"Bob was torturing her!" I say. "He was hitting her, and cutting her. He was pulling out her fingernails, Henry. He was -"
"I know," Henry replies firmly.
"And you just stood there and let him?"
"She came to spy on us," Henry replies, still refusing to look at me. "I trusted Bob, just like I trusted you. The difference is, he didn't let me down".
"I didn't let you down," I say.
"What about this morning?" he asks. "What about when you let Bob think I was responsible for Mallory getting away?"
Sighing, I realize I made a huge mistake earlier today. I should have told them both what I'd done; instead, I played right into Bob's hands. "I'm sorry," I say after a moment, "but you can't let that one mistake cloud your judgment, Henry. This man is a psychopath. He's insane! He's -"
"Standing right behind you," Bob says suddenly, sounding rather amused by every
thing I'm saying. "Now, don't get me wrong, Elizabeth, but I'm starting to get a little insulted by some of the things you're saying. I mean, I consider myself to have a fairly thick skin, but you're throwing some rather nasty accusations around. If you don't like my methods, and if you don't like the way things are run around here, maybe you oughta reconsider your options".
"What the fuck does that mean?" I ask.
"It means you're not welcome here," Bob continues. "We've discussed the matter, and we've voted on it, and we've decided that we're going to ask you to leave".
"You're going to what?" I ask, staring at him.
"You heard me. When you helped Mallory get away, you chose your side. You made us realize we can't trust you. That's your choice, and you're perfectly entitled to do whatever you want, but we don't have to suffer the presence of a traitor in our midst".
"Do you hear this guy?" I say, turning to Henry. "Listen to him. He's lost his mind. Can't you see? Bob's insane. He thinks we're in some kind of war! He's obviously watched too many movies! He's not like a -"
"You need to leave," Henry says suddenly, still staring at the door.
"What?" I ask, suddenly feeling a cold sweat pass through my body. "Henry -"
"Bob's right," he continues. "You let us down. We can't trust you. How do we know you won't do the same thing again? How do we know you haven't already agreed to help Mallory and the others? You might sneak down during the night and let them in".
"This is bullshit," I say, almost shaking with anger at the way Bob has managed to turn my own brother against me. How the hell did I let this happen?
"Regardless of your thoughts on the matter," Bob says, "I'm going to invite you to leave the building now". He walks over and opens the door. "I don't feel that we owe you any resources from our supplies, but I'm confident you'll be able to find food nearby, and your new friends will undoubtedly give you something".
"This isn't your building," I point out. "You're not in charge".
"Am I not?" he asks, smiling.
"You can't throw me out!" I turn to Henry. "Come on, stop messing about. You know this is insane!"
"You know what?" Bob says, walking over to me. "You're right. This isn't my building. I don't have the authority to throw you out. But then... What are you gonna do to stop me?" He grabs my arm. "We can do this the easy way, Elizabeth, or we can do this the unpleasant way. It's entirely up to you".
"Henry -" I start to say.
"We can't trust you," Henry replies.
"You heard your brother," Bob says.
"Get off!" I shout, trying to get free of his grip. Suddenly, Bob reaches around and puts me in a headlock, before dragging me across the lobby. I push against him, trying to get free, but he quickly gets me out onto the sidewalk, where he throws me down onto the street before hurrying back inside and locking the door.
"Henry!" I shout, getting up and finding that I'm covered in dust and soot from the sidewalk. "Henry, for God's sake, you can't do this!" I walk over to the door and try to push it open, but the lock is in place. "Henry! Let me in!"
"You're not one of us anymore," Henry shouts back at me. "You made the decision to join the others. So go and join them".
"I'm your sister," I point out.
"All the doors are locked," Bob says, before Henry has a chance to answer. "There's no way for you to get inside. If you think you can indoctrinate your little brother and make him feel sorry for you, you're wrong. That's simply not going to happen. I'd suggest you go to your new friends, Elizabeth, because you'll get nothing from us. We don't give second chances to traitors. If you think our resolves will soften, you're mistaken".
"I'm not going anywhere!" I shout at him. "You can't just throw me out like this! This isn't your building, to decide who's allowed inside and who isn't. It's as much mine and Henry's. There's no way I'm going anywhere until you open this door!"
"Then you'll be stuck out there for a long time," Bob replies. "Looks like rain's on the way, too. If I were you, I'd accept the situation and try to find my pals. Then again, maybe they won't be so interested in you anymore, not when they find out that you can't help them get to us. You've burned your bridges here, Elizabeth. There's no amount of shouting and banging you can do to get back in. When trust is lost, it's lost and there's nothing you can do to win it back". He turns to Henry/ "Boy, I reckon it's time to go and make some new plans. There's been a big of a shake-up and we need to make sure we adapt to the new situation. That's one of the key aspects of this new world. We have to adapt and make sure we meet the current threat. This door's secured. Let's get into the office and work out where we're gonna go from here".
Obediently, Henry turns and walks across the lobby, heading for the office at the back of the building.
"Come back!" I shout as Bob goes to join him. "You can't leave me out here! You can't just toss me out like this!"
Ignoring me, they disappear from sight and I'm left standing alone in the empty street.
"Hey!" I yell, banging on the door. "Henry! Let me in!"
THOMAS
Oklahoma
"What the fuck?!" I shout as Joe races past me, trying to catch up to the truck. "Joe!"
"Fuck!" Joe shouts as he trips and falls to the ground, bouncing along the dirt until he comes to a halt. By the time I've caught up to him, the truck is long gone, and we can hear it getting further and further away.
"Were the keys in the ignition?" I ask, stunned.
"Of course the fucking keys were in the ignition," Joe says, trying to catch his breath. "How was I supposed to know someone was gonna come along and steal the fucking thing?"
"Did you see who took it?" I ask.
He shakes his head.
Turning, I look along the dusty, empty street. "Now what?" I ask. "What the fuck are we gonna do now?"
"Don't panic," Joe says. "We'll be okay. We'll just have to find another vehicle, and then I can -".
Suddenly he stops as we both hear a distant sound. It's like the motor of a vehicle, in fact it's like the motor of our vehicle, except instead of getting further away, it seems to be getting a little closer. We stand and listen as it seems to pass a few streets away.
"Come on!" Joe says, racing off along a short alley that leads away from the main part of town. We spring along a couple of smaller side roads until Joe pulls up short and grabs my arm. "There," he says, pointing down another street to where our truck is sitting outside a small house. "Son of a bitch," he says, starting to march over there, just as a guy runs out of the house and shoves some boxes into the back of the vehicle.
"Joe -" I start to say.
"Hey!" Joe shouts as we reach the truck. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
As soon as he sees us, the guy gets back into the truck. Before he can get going again, however, Joe pulls the passenger-side door open and leaps inside, grabbing the guy and dragging him across the seat. They struggle for a moment, before Joe finally hauls the guy out of the truck and dumps him down to the ground.
"You like our truck?" Joe shouts, pressing his foot against the guy's face. "Huh? You like our truck? You want our truck, do you?"
"Joe, don't hurt him," I say.
"Don't hurt him?" Joe laughs. "You hear that, pal? My little brother wants me to not hurt you. He wants me to be all nice to you, despite the fact that you tried to steal our vehicle". Turning, Joe walks a couple of paces away, before coming back and kicking the guy hard in the gut; the guy curls up into a ball and tries to toll away. "This is what we do to people like you," Joe continues, kicking the guy hard in the back.
"That's enough!" I say, pushing Joe back.
"You're lucky my brother's here," Joe spits at the guy, "or I swear to God, I'd kick your fucking head off". He climbs back into the truck, switches the engine off, and removes the key from the ignition. "Do you get this guy, Thomas?" he asks, getting out of the truck and walking around to the back of the vehicle. "Thinks he can just come along and take our property. Now let's see what we
've got here". He opens the boxes that the guy placed on the truck. "Food. Some water. Not bad. I guess you had it all figured out, huh? Only problem is, you didn't keep going. If you'd just kept your foot down, you'd be long gone and we'd never have seen you again. Unfortunately, that's not what you did". He comes back over to the guy and, before I can stop him, he kicks him in the back of the head.
"Stop it!" I shout, pushing Joe away. "You're gonna kill him!" Turning, I see that the guy is trying to get to his feet, although he seems dizzy. After a moment, he collapses back onto the side of the truck, and he seems to be having trouble getting his bearings.
"What's your name?" I ask.
The guy blinks a couple of times, as if he's a little spaced out.
"You'd better answer my brother," Joe calls over to him, "or he'll stand aside and we'll go back to doing this my way!"
"Clyde!" the guy shouts over at us, sounding as if he's having trouble breathing. "Clyde Langman, okay? My name's Clyde Langman!" He leans over and spits some blood onto the ground. "I think you fucking broke a couple of my ribs!"
"Did I?" Joe asks. "Shit, I was aiming to so much more fucking damage. Maybe I should try again?"
"Why did you try to take our truck?" I ask.
"I'm sorry," Clyde replies, standing up straight. He's a middle-aged guy, slightly overweight and with a receding hairline. "I swear to God, I just panicked. You're the first people I've seen for days. I just really needed to get out of here, and when I saw your truck with the key still in the ignition... I didn't know if I could trust you, so I just decided to take it".
"Why didn't you just come over and talk to us?" I ask.
"I didn't know who you were," he says. "I didn't even know if you were normal or not".
"Why wouldn't we be normal?" I say.
"Where have you been?" he asks. "Seriously, have you been living under a fucking rock? Where'd you come from, anyway?"
"We live out of town," I tell him. "It took us the best part of half a day to get here".
