Bruce gave her a long look, seemingly trying to weigh the options. Their eyes met and the desperate plea of her eyes reached his soul, beyond all the words she could have uttered. “What the heck, let’s do it. For you, my darling Jules, one more time,” he agreed in a shaky voice, obviously deeply touched.
She ran to him and hugged him fiercely, catching him off guard. “Thank you, Bruce!”
“The best way to take him out is with these used sheets.” He pointed to the container beside the door. “It’s easier to hide him on the way to the vehicle.” It seemed like an excellent idea, she agreed.
“Hang on,” Jules said to the young man, as she moved to the stretcher and looked at his frightened eyes. “Soon we’ll be out of here. I’ll be back for you.”
The rest happened in a blur. They moved the young man carefully into the box among the uniforms and Bruce pushed it outside, but not before they planned where to meet after the shift was over.
Back on the second floor, Emma sat at her station with her hyper-goggles on her eyes. She gave Jules a casual glance, obviously watching something on the hypernet or remotely checking on a patient, “Everything in order, Julia?”
“Yes, of course.” The answer came shakily; she hoped Emma would not observe her distress. “Everything went as expected.”
“Go on then, and hurry up. The pans are overflowing.”
Close to midnight, Jules finished her work, hurrying downstairs to change her clothes and leave the hospital. As she rode away on her e-bike, she heard Bruce start the van. In a darkened street a short distance from the hospital, she found the van waiting and together they traveled to the Servers’ compound. Bruce drove around to the back of the row of buildings. She placed her e-bike back in the shed and plugged it in to be recharged, while he backed the utility vehicle towards the forest. Together they carried the young man and placed him on the ground behind a tree, farther away from the forest’s edge, cocooned in a blanket Bruce took from the van.
“Goodbye, my girl,” Bruce said. “And good luck to you both.” She hugged him and he walked away, got into the van, and headed back to the hospital.
Jules slid down against the tree. “What a scare! I never thought I would be doing this in a million years.”
They looked at each other in silence for a while, eyes wide with an air of total exhaustion around them.
“Are you comfortable? Anything else I can do for you?” she asked, her hand reaching to touch his forehead and re-arrange a rebel lock of hair spread on his face.
He just smiled with a sigh.
She sighed and closed her eyes. “Let’s rest for a while. I hope you’ll recover somewhat by morning. Then we’ll decide what to do.” The exhaustion enveloped her and before she finished her thought, she was asleep.
4
The sound of birds chirping woke Allan up. His first reaction was one of utter confusion. Where was he? Then he remembered his close encounter with death the night before.
He opened his eyes and saw tree branches hovering over him. He felt chilly in spite of the blanket around him, and was suddenly afraid he was still critically wounded. Nothing hurts, that’s a good sign. He attempted a stretch of his body, and he was happy beyond belief when he succeeded without major pain, only some discomfort in the rib area and a dull headache.
Man, it feels good. I’ll be all right. He pushed his body up with his palms on the ground. Then he slowly stood up, trying to overcome an unexpected light headed sensation. He stretched once more, his arms reaching over his head and his feet apart, firmly planted on the ground. Alive and reasonably well, thank goodness! He felt chilled to the bone, naked as he was, so he took the blanket from the ground and placed it around his shoulders.
Allan saw the girl who had helped him sleeping on her side in the fetal position, probably trying to keep her warm breath close to her body and limbs. She looked so vulnerable, so graceful in her sleep. What was her name?
He tried to remember. Jules. The man had called her Jules. Well, thank you Jules, for saving me. The sight of her filled him with gratitude. He realized she must feel cold and looked around for something to cover her with. Then he remembered his blanket. He had nothing on underneath, but figured it was the least he could do for her. He took the blanket from his shoulders and gently placed it on her.
Tidal waves of troubling thoughts reached him suddenly, and in order to fight the settling panic, he decided to do something to clear his mind. He began with a tai-chi routine, which filled him with energy through fluidic movements and breathing patterns. Breathe in, feel light as the clouds, breath out, and feel heavy as the mountain. After a few minutes, he felt his body and mind invigorated and ready for the tremendous challenges ahead.
What now? He knew instinctively he should go home and straighten things out. Some terrible mistake had happened. His father would be able to help him. Allan was sure he was totally unaware of what had happened. How could he not know? He suddenly felt lost and scared. I thought tai-chi would help clear my mind. What a mess! He tried to cheer himself up. I’m alive. That was definitely a good thing. There must be an explanation. He just needed to get some clothes with Jules’ help and go straight home, where he belonged.
Allan saw some movement from Jules’ direction. She was waking up. He moved towards her. He thought all of a sudden of his nakedness, and for a moment he couldn’t think what to do to make himself presentable. He had a sudden idea, and he knelt down in front of Jules with his hands in front of his body.
Jules was still lying at the base of the tree and was stretching under the blanket. She opened her eyes and looked at him, a hint of fear on her face.
“It’s high time you wake up, sleeping beauty,” Allan remarked cheerfully, feeling slightly embarrassed by his choice of words. Sleeping Beauty, seriously?
“Are you kidding me?” she replied, feisty even though barely awake. “Last night you were dying and now you’re teasing me?”
“No reason to be in a bad mood,” Allan put on a good-humoured face. “The fact that I am alive after last night’s scare is nothing short of a miracle. Besides, I’m terribly hungry. By the way, I’m Allan,” he said, putting out his hand. “And you are Jules, as I learned last night.”
“They call me Julia in the city, but I’m Jules to friends,” she explained. “How are you even up so soon? Last night you were a complete mess.” She sat up and moved away from his face, offering the blanket back to him. The closeness appeared to make her uncomfortable.
“The nanobots did their job,” he answered, taking the blanket and trying to cover his nakedness.
“I forgot you’re an Elite. The privileged class and all,” she replied, standing up.
“Was that sarcasm? Anyway, that’s just how my body was equipped, with enhanced natural abilities to heal,” Allan continued, wrapping the blanket around his body. “It’s rather chilly to be naked in the woods at this time of day.” He looked at her with a sheepish look in his eyes. “Do you think you could help me get some clothes so I can go back home?”
“So you want to go home now? After they killed you?” She drew quotes with her hands.
“What else would you suggest?”
“I suggest you take some time to think about what happened to you last night and think about all your options before you rush head first to your next untimely death.”
What’s wrong with her? Allan was puzzled by Jules’ aggressive reaction to everything he said.
Suddenly he remembered. “By the way, I forgot to thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving me. And I truly mean it.”
Jules just glanced back in his direction and started to wipe away the leaves and grass from her clothes.
“You know,” he said after a moment of silence. “I think you’re right. There was something odd going on. Maybe I should go to one of my friends.”
She shook her head, as if his agreeing with her wasn’t acceptable either. “Tell you what. You might be healed physically, but I think your
mind still needs some mending. It’s dangerous to stay here any longer. Why don’t you tear two pieces off this blanket and wrap them over your feet? Then wrap the rest of the blanket around yourself. We’ll go to my place. It’s time for you to meet my friends and get some advice from them. Oh, and thank you for covering me up last night.”
“You’re welcome,” he felt his lips curling up in a tiny smile, too embarrassed to admit that he had covered her only minutes earlier. ”I’ll follow your lead then.” He started ripping the blanket.
They entered the forest, leaving the city behind, and walked under the canopy of trees. Dead branches and last year’s leaves abundantly covered the ground. It was obvious that people took care of areas close to the city but nobody bothered to clean up further away. Jules walked in front, following an almost invisible path that started somewhere inside the forest.
She asked Allan about the details of his ordeal, and he was glad to be able to order his thoughts as he expressed them out loud. There was not much to be said, though, and he soon found himself again at a loss of understanding what had happened. He asked for her opinion, but she couldn’t come up with an explanation either. They continued their journey through the forest.
“Is it far, where we’re going?” Allan was curious, avoiding sharp stumps that could hurt his wrapped feet.
“About three miles,” Jules replied without turning her head.
“I’ve never been out here before. Is it safe?”
She turned her head, glancing at him. “Safer than the city; for me, anyway.”
“How far have you gone?”
“Just as far as the lake, on the other side of downtown.”
“Downtown?”
“That is what they used to call this place. That was before the great quake.” She was silent for a while, as if she was thinking of the tragedy.
“I know about the quake,” Allan remembered the stories his father had told him, which filled him with deep sadness. “More than two million people died back then. Most of the high risers were badly damaged. But there’s no point in fixing them, is there?”
“I guess not,” she replied absently. She didn’t speak again until they’d reached the other side of the forest. “We’re two miles away now.”
They both stopped for a moment, side by side, to look at the landscape. In front of them there were one and two-story houses in varying stages of decay. They were lined up in rows like spokes of a wheel leading to tall structures in the distance, derelict skyscrapers towering over the buildings like a gaping mouth.
Here and there, several people dressed in shaggy clothes were moving around, in and out of the decrepit buildings, carrying various items; a chair, a pot, all kinds of things that could be of some use.
“What is this place?” Allan asked, looking at her.
“This is the Scrappie neighborhood, the place where you will be able to work on your plan,” she answered with a smirk, as she emphasized the last word.
“Your sarcasm is getting on my nerves.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t help it. I’m not what one would call the biggest fan of the Elites,” she confessed, seemingly embarrassed at her unexpected aggression. “But I wanted to help you, somehow. And I still want to.”
“Why do you hate us?”
“You have it all just because you won the womb lottery.”
“What do you mean?”
“You came out of an Elite woman’s womb. Born rich and privileged, while all the rest of us are struggling.” Her face was getting red in sudden anger.
“Actually, I was born in-vitro.”
“Whatever,” she turned her eyes to the view in front of them.
Together they stepped into the crisp light of the morning sun and entered the compound.
Allan felt a slight fear gripping his heart. Had he escaped one danger only to step into a worse one? This place is creepy. Can I trust Jules? He admitted to himself that she could be part of the plot that landed him in this situation in the first place. He vowed that if he was attacked again, he wouldn’t go down without a fight. He started to look closely at the people they encountered. Some of them gave him curious glances, but then they resumed their scavenging activities. Allan started to feel curiosity more than danger.
“What are these people doing?” he asked.
“They’re shopping,” Jules answered. “Whenever someone needs something, they go and look for that particular item in the old houses. There’s still a lot of stuff there; a plate, a cup, a pot, a table and so on. Some of the people you see are newcomers to the Scrappie compound, others are in need of a replacement for something that broke. Their needs are many.”
“Do they live in these houses? Some of them are falling apart, literally.”
“Most of the Scrappies live closer to downtown. They fixed those buildings the best they could. They like to keep an additional buffer between themselves and the city, in case someone ventures to this side of the forest. Nobody wants to be the first to be seen and taken. The farther away, the better.” Jules let off a deep sigh, and added, “Still not far enough for me...”
5
After walking through a couple of blocks of decrepit buildings, they turned a corner and found themselves in front of a small weather-beaten looking house covered with brown bricks and climbing plants in the front. A fenced yard surrounded the sides, continuing towards the back of the house. In the front, a few chickens were running around chasing each other for a worm one of them had plucked from a hole in the dirt.
The scene was so unexpected; Allan let a small laugh escape his mouth.
He gestured at the chickens. “Is this the welcoming committee?”
With the hint of a smile, Jules opened the gates and walked towards the house. Allan followed her. The chickens stopped suddenly, moving their heads sideways to look at them curiously for a moment, then resumed their chase.
“I’m home!” Jules announced loudly as they entered.
“Good, ‘cause it’s your turn to milk the goats,” a voice answered. A slim, dark haired girl with her hair braided in two pigtails ran down the stairs facing the front door. She was wearing a long, flowery skirt down to her ankles and a white peasant blouse.
“Goats…?” Allan echoed as he entered the house.
“His name is not Goats, it’s Allan. And this is Mel.” Jules made the introduction with a smirk on her face.
“Right. And why did you bring him here?” Mel asked with a frown on her face.
“It’s a long story. He needs to figure some things out for himself.”
Mel lowered her voice, thinking only Jules could hear. “You know what Tom said. No strangers in our home.”
“No worries,” Jules continued in a normal voice. “He’ll be gone soon.” She turned towards Allan. “Let’s go upstairs so you can get cleaned and dressed. There’s a collection of clothes and shoes you can look through.” She looked him up and down, his body covered sparingly with the blanket. “Hopefully some will fit you.”
~~~
They returned downstairs to find a young man, his blond hair in a ponytail, dressed in black track pants and a grey t-shirt, sitting at a table by the window. He was slouched over a book, eating scrambled eggs.
“Hi, Daniel!” Jules greeted her friend and took a seat at the table, one hand gesturing at Allan to do the same.
“You’re late. I was worried about you.” He looked at Allan. “Picking up strays again?”
“Daniel, this is Allan, a friend. Allan, meet Daniel, our scientist in residence.” Jules started picking scrambled eggs from Daniel’s plate and placing them in her mouth.
“How many times have I told you to keep away from my plate?” Daniel mumbled, his mouth full.
“But you always cook the most delicious food. Is there any left for us?”
“Sure. On the stove,” he pointed with his head. ”What’s up, man?” he asked Allan.
“I needed some help and Jules offered to take me in.”
&nb
sp; “She does that a lot. She did that to me, a while back.”
“And look what happened. Now we’re stuck with you,” Jules smiled, chewing the food she had retrieved from the stove. Looking at Allan, she said, “If you want to eat or whatever, just help yourself. We’re rather casual around here.”
“All right, thanks. And thanks for the clothes, Daniel. Hope you don’t mind I raided your closet.”
“No problem, man,” Daniel responded, his head bent over the book he’d resumed reading.
They ate together, while Jules described briefly to Daniel the sequence of events that led to Allan’s rescue. She finished her breakfast in a hurry and rushed outside to the back of the house to do her chores. Allan found himself alone with Daniel and wondered at the lack of interest on the young man’s part, who seemed oblivious to the world around him. He decided to try making conversation to try to find out more about his new acquaintance.
“So you really are a researcher,” Allan remarked.
“No, I’m not. Not anymore,” Daniel lifted his eyes from the book and placed it aside.
“Why, what happened?”
“I got burnt out and left, came here to live with the Scrappies.” Daniel kept his eyes on the table, in a reflective state of mind, as if trying to find the right words, and continued. “It feels good, you know? Feels wholesome, like life makes sense when you take pleasure in simple things and live close to nature. Planting something in a garden for example, then picking the veggies or the fruits and eating them right then and there. We are screwed up when we sell our conscience for material wealth.” He stretched his back and looked at Allan, as if seeing him for the first time. “So what’s your story, man?”
Elysian Fields Page 3
