by Amy Cross
“All clear,” she says with a grin, snapping her fingers. “Told you I'd be better at this.”
“Move,” Edward says, shoving me in the back and forcing me through the door until we join Natalie in the foyer.
“Sorry about all the insults I had to send your way,” she says to me with a faint smile. “I hope I was convincing.”
“Very.”
“This way,” Edward continues, grabbing me by the arm and leading me over to the door that leads out through the rear of the building. “It's not going to be long now before they realize you two are missing, and when that happens, they'll start to figure out that I must be involved. That's when things are going to get nasty.”
“There's still time to try something different,” I tell him. “My father might be able to -”
“Save your breath,” he says firmly, opening the door and looking out into the alley that runs behind the building. The sunlight is blinding for a moment, but once it's clear that no-one is out there Edward grabs my arm and pulls me through, before Natalie follows.
“Now where?” I ask.
“I've got a plan,” he replies. “Keep your voices down, both of you. One wrong move and this is all over.” He pushes us both away from the building and then keeps the gun aimed at us as we head along the alley.
Up ahead, the scene is desolate, with nothing to see other than buildings with broken windows. Looking up, I see that one skyscraper appears to have been torn apart from the inside, with scorch marks on the side and pieces of the damaged building flapping in a slight breeze. The sign on the building's roof has been mostly dismantled, but from the framework that's left it would appear that the place used to be a bank's headquarters.
Glancing over at Natalie, I see that she's looking up at the same building.
For several minutes, we walk in silence. Edward uses the gun to nudge us at each intersection, indicating which way we're supposed to go, but other than that there's no communication. Every so often, I hear voices in the distance, but there's nothing to suggest that our absence has been noted and Edward seems good at keeping us to the back-streets and alleys, well away from where anyone might notice what's happening. Although my heart is pounding, I can't shake the feeling that this whole situation is turning into a dream-like experience, with no sign that it's every going to end. All I can focus on is the task of putting one foot in front of the other while waiting for the next nudge to indicate a chance of direction.
“What's wrong with your foot?” Edward asks eventually.
“It's not my foot,” I mutter.
“What?”
“It's not my foot,” I tell him again. “Do you really want the full story?”
“That's gross,” Natalie mutters, looking down at my foot. “Kind of cool, though. Whose is it?”
“I don't know.”
“Classic!”
“Keep moving,” Edward says firmly.
For what feels like an eternity, we continue to make our way through the streets. We have to stop regularly, as Edward waits to make sure that there's no-one nearby, but eventually I start to wonder how much further we can go before we have to meet someone. At the same time, there's also the question of the barrier: at some point we're going to reach the edge of the city's safe zone, and I'm starting to think that Edward wants to somehow damage the barrier and find a way to let other people through. With my foot starting to hurt, however, I can barely even think straight, and I stumble a couple of times, starting to feel exhausted.
Above, the sun breaks from behind the midday clouds.
“Hey!” Alison says, suddenly coming around the corner up ahead. “There you -”
Edward fires twice, hitting her both times in the head and sending her jerking back against the wall before she falls dead onto the ground.
I stop, staring in horror at the blood that has been sprayed across the wall. I can't quite take in what I'm seeing, as if all the fear and shock is bottled up in my body and can't quite get out. I feel like I should scream. I want to scream. I have to scream. I don't scream.
In the distance, voices are calling out.
Coming closer.
I blink.
“Move!” Edward shouts, pushing us toward a nearby building.
He pulls the door open and then bundles into an old grocery store. The windows are broken and shelving has been ripped from the walls, almost tripping me as I'm pushed toward a door at the rear of the darkened room.
“Game's up,” Natalie says.
“Get in there!” he screams, shoving us into the next room, which turns out to be some kind of old office. He pushes us against the wall and aims the gun at us for a moment, before turning to look back out the door.
Someone screams nearby, then someone else.
I guess they found Alison.
“Now what?” Natalie asks, sounding strangely listless, as if she's no longer terrified. “You got any big ideas?”
“Shut up,” Edward snarls, pacing over to the other side of the room and then back toward the door, as if he genuinely doesn't know his next move yet.
“You're going to kill us, aren't you?” she continues. “Do it. There's no point delaying things. A few more minutes of breath won't really change much.”
He turns and aims the gun at her face.
“Hostages!” I blurt out.
He aims the gun at me.
“You can use us,” I continue, holding my hands up and taking a step back. “This doesn't have to be the end.”
“Get on your knees,” he replies.
“Please -”
“Get on your knees.”
I turn to look at Natalie, and after a moment she obeys.
“Don't make me tell you again,” Edward continues, with the gun just inches from my face. “Get on your fucking knees or I'll blow your brain across that wall.”
Reaching out, Natalie puts a hand on my shoulder and tries to gently force me to kneel.
Slowly, trying to stress my foot as little as possible, I get down onto my knees and put my hands on top of my head, and Natalie does the same alongside me.
“They don't know we're here,” Edward says, heading over to the door and stopping for a moment, as voices are heard shouting in the distance. He turns to me. “All they know is that someone's got a gun, and someone else is dead. We've got a little time before they zero in on us.”
“You didn't have to do that,” I tell him, my voice trembling with fear and anger. “She never hurt anyone!”
“You don't know that,” Natalie says suddenly. “You don't know anything about her, really. She might've been a fucking mass murderer for all you know!”
“I swear,” Edward continues, “if you two don't stop talking to each other, I'm going to put a bullet in one of you. I don't need two hostages.”
“Do me first,” Natalie says darkly. “Let's get this shit over with. Besides, I've got the bigger mouth. At least Elizabeth would be relatively quiet.”
“Do you want to die?” he asks.
“I've seen things,” she replies, glancing briefly at me before looking back at him. “If you think this place is bad, you don't even know the half of it. I've been on the helicopters, I know what they do. We're all gonna die some time, probably after a great deal of hassle, so let's get it over with.”
“What do the helicopters do?” I ask.
“Yeah,” Edward continues, stepping toward her, “what do they do?”
She stares at him, and slowly a smile crosses her lips.
“They go and look for people,” I say after a moment. “My father told me, they get sent out whenever there's a report that survivors might have been found.”
“Sure,” she says, turning to me, “and then what do they do? After they find those sweet and innocent survivors, what do they do to them?”
“They report back.”
“Is that what Daddy told you?”
“What do they do?” I ask, starting to feel a sensation of dread creeping through my body.
“The last thing the council wants is too many other people out there,” she continues, “especially not if they're organized. They tolerate the idiots outside the barrier because they know they're no real threat, and because they don't want anyone else to know how they deal with other people, but the people the helicopters find?” She pauses, as if she's enjoying this moment. “What do you think they do, Lizzie? I'll give you a hint... It's very similar to what this asshole just did to poor little Alison.”
“No,” I reply, “you're lying. My father -”
“Is a lying sack of shit,” she spits back at me.
“You're getting confused,” I continue, “they... they only shoot at the creatures. If they find creatures, like they found at Lake Erie, then maybe -”
She smiles.
“It's true!”
“Those were normal people at Lake Erie,” she replies. “Trust me, I was on one of the helicopters. They need three people on them at all times. A pilot, a gunner and a general dogsbody. I get sent along sometimes so they can train me up.” She pauses again, with a hint of horror in her eyes. “I watched as they gunned then down and then chased the poor bastards through the forest. They were people, just like us, and they were murdered, and the council gave those orders.”
I shake my head.
“Oh, grow up,” she continues. “There's nothing the council won't do to protect this precious city. Shooting kids in the back? Not a problem, not if it means precious Boston doesn't get overrun.” She turns back to Edward. “See? You were basically right all along. The world is screwed and I've seen enough death to know that... Well, let's just say that my father wants me to be some big military leader. He's grooming me to take a place on the council eventually, but I don't think I've got it in me.”
In the distance, more voices can be heard shouting.
“They're going to go to full alert,” Natalie adds. “That means, among other things, that they'll try to put Elizabeth and me down into one of the reinforced basements. They probably know by now that we're missing, and they'll start putting the pieces together. Then they'll go from building to building, checking every room, and eventually they'll get here and they'll find us, and then what are you going to do?”
“I've got a plan,” Edward stammers.
“No you don't.” She turns to me. “He doesn't, you know. He did, but his plan's all run out now.”
“You're wrong about my father,” I tell her. “If what you're saying is true about those helicopters, then he doesn't know about it.”
She rolls her eyes.
“He can't!” I continue. “I know he's changed since all of this happened, but he'd never go along with cold-blooded murder! I have to tell him!”
“These people are murderers,” Edward mutters, heading back over to the door.
“Face it,” Natalie tells me, “this is how things are now. Welcome to fucking Boston.”
“I don't believe you,” I reply, with tears in my eyes. “You're lying.”
“She doesn't get it,” Edward says, checking his gun as more voices can be heard shouting in the distance. “She still thinks the world is a nice, safe place where everybody has honorable motives.”
“I'm not naive,” I tell him, starting to feel pure anger rising through my chest. “I know bad things happen, but -”
“Not when Daddy's in charge?” Natalie suggests.
“Go to hell.”
“Already there,” she snaps. “In fact, I think we've all fallen through several levels by now.”
“Everyone does whatever they think is necessary in order to survive,” Edward mutters. “It's just that some people are willing to go a little further.”
“Like kidnapping and murder?” I reply.
“You don't know anything about me.”
“I know you're a coward,” I say firmly, making my way over to him. “I know that even if you're right about what's wrong here, you're not going to change anything with these methods. You're just going to make sure there are more bodies on the pile.”
“Get back,” he replies, aiming the gun at me again.
“Or what? You'll shoot me, like you shot Alison?” I step closer, until the gun is pressing against my chest. “If the people in charge here are able to rule like tyrants,” I continue, “then it's only possible because people like you make it easier for them.”
“You don't know what -”
“You think they won't react to Alison's death?” I continue. “If anyone had any doubts before, her body is going to end the debate. Thanks to you, the people outside the barrier are now going to be seen as a bunch of murderers, and maybe those helicopters will finally be used closer to home.”
“I didn't break into the city to kill anyone,” he replies, “or to make a political point. I broke in with my brother and some other men because we needed food. Do you understand what it's like out there beyond those fences? There are hundreds of people starving to death! So we came here because we had no choice, and despite knowing the risks, and then your father's cronies arrived to start carrying out summary executions.”
“But if you -”
Before I can finish, I hear someone entering the main part of the grocery store. As Edward turns to look through the door, I open my mouth to call for help, but at the last moment I realize that I might just bring about a firefight. I wait, listening to the sound of multiple sets of footsteps coming closer, and finally I realize that I have half a chance to grab Edward's gun and hold him down.
“Don't even think about it,” Natalie whispers suddenly, putting a hand over my mouth and pulling me back. “I know exactly what you were about to do, and it would've gotten a lot of people killed.”
“Who's back there?” one of the soldiers shouts. “Show yourselves!”
“Fuck,” Edward mutters.
With Natalie's hand still over my mouth, I watch the doorway until I see a shadow coming into view. For a moment, all I can manage is to stare in horror, until finally I pull away from Natalie and scream:
“Help!”
Edward immediately steps through the doorway and starts firing, before ducking back as shots are returned. He ducks down and takes a moment to reload.
“I've got hostages!” he shouts. “Elizabeth and Natalie! If you don't recognize those names, ask your bosses!”
“Come out with your hands up!” a voice calls back to him. “No-one else has to get hurt! There's no other way out of that room!”
“If you try to break in,” Edward replies, “these two girls will be dead before you get a chance to put a bullet in my head. How's that for a trade-off?” He aims the gun straight at me. “One wrong move,” he calls out, “and Elizabeth goes first!”
***
“What do you think they're going to do?” I ask a few hours later, as Natalie and I sit on the floor with our backs against the wall. “Will they storm the place?”
She shrugs.
Looking over at Edward, I realize that he hasn't moved from his defensive position by the door, not since the siege began earlier in the day. I don't know how much longer this situation can last, but I'm starting to think that sooner or later he has to start getting tired, and that might be our chance to get out of here. Nearby, a fly is buzzing, but I don't have the energy to hunt it down.
“This is my fault,” Natalie says after a moment.
“How's it your fault?” I ask.
“I took him to your room, didn't I? I knocked on your door and made you open up.”
“It's okay,” I reply. “You don't have to apologize. He had a gun to your head.”
“I'm not apologizing,” she replies quickly. “I'm just saying... I know it's my fault.”
I stare at her for a moment, and I can tell that she's struggling to hold back tears.
“Were you really on one of the helicopters that went out to Lake Erie?” I ask finally.
“No,” she replies with a hint of sarcasm, “I just made that stuff up for fun. Jesus Christ, of course I wen
t!”
“And did you really...” I pause for a moment, imagining that brief conversation with some guy named Thomas. “Did you really open fire on a group of innocent people?”
“Not me personally,” she replies, swatting the fly away as it tries to land on her face, “but yeah, our gunner joined in with the action. Those were our orders, straight from the top.”
“I still can't believe that my father knew,” I tell her.
“Get used to the idea,” she says firmly. “My father's not much better. He's a member of the council too, remember? He's just as much responsible. If you ask me, those assholes have seized power between them and now they think they know better than everyone else. I just...” She pauses, staring into space for a moment. “I saw them running,” she continues. “We flew in low over this, like, campsite they'd set up, and they were waving at us like they thought we were gonna save them. Then we pulled back and got into position. I was in the back, I didn't have a job to do once we were ready to attack. In a way, that made it harder. I just had to watch as we went swooping back in and opened fire. I watched as bodies fell, and then I watched as we flew over the forest and picked off as many people as we could. We didn't even get all of them, there were a few stragglers, but the council says our main task is just to disrupt any kind of organization or mass gathering, and I guess we did that pretty well. And then we came home and -”
As the fly tries to land on her again, she swats it away.
“For fuck's sake!” she hisses. “I swear, that fly is the most annoying thing in the room right now!” She glances at me. “And it's got some serious competition!”
I want to tell her that everything's going to be okay, that somehow she'll get over what she saw, but I think I'm finally starting to understand why she acts out so much. She's been traumatized by everything she's seen, and -
“Are you in there?” a voice calls through from the main part of the building. It takes a moment before I realize that it's my father. “Who am I talking to?”
“Never mind who you're talking to,” Edward shouts back. “I've got demands!”
“Are your hostages safe?”
“For now.”
“I want to speak to them. Let me speak to Elizabeth Marter.”
