“You three look awfully glum,” Parker commented over breakfast. Dr. Rain had taught them how to make cornmeal mash, and Parker was moving his around his bowl with his spoon. Although he worked the mash intently, he didn’t actually eat any of it.
“I didn’t sleep much last night,” 62 admitted.
“Me neither,” said 00, who looked as tired as 62 felt.
Blue sat with his arms crossed and his face contorted in a scowl. “Well I slept fine,” he spat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Parker. I’m doing just peachy.”
“Obviously,” Parker said with a raised eyebrow and a pinched cheek. “Well, whatever got you guys down, try to set it aside. Once we finish this gruel, we’ll head to the greenhouse and see how things are going. Blue, you said you’d already planted some stuff. Is it growing well?”
Blue shifted in his chair, losing most of the scowl he’d been wearing. 62 watched as his face lit up while he and Parker talked about radishes and yams, and the lettuces that Blue had been tending to. It had never occurred to 62 that Blue enjoyed farming. It was true he knew quite a bit about it, and had taken 62 around to see all the farm projects in Hanford. But 62 had assumed that was all part of Blue’s show. He always seemed to know something about everything, so 62 hadn’t made the connection that plants were something Blue actually liked.
00 was too tired to get involved in the increasingly excited exchange between Parker and Blue. He was sitting beside 62 with his head propped on one hand, his face sliding precariously closer to the bowl of mash on the table below his chin. His eyes were closed, and he began to wheeze. 62 nudged him, and he popped up like he’d been hit by lightning. His eyes shot open and his hands hit the table, palms down, as if he were ready to launch out of his seat and take off running.
“What’d I miss?” 00 stammered.
“I think we’re about ready to go see what Blue’s been doing in the greenhouse,” Parker said with a smile. “Care to join us, or would you rather go back to bed?”
00 yawned. “I’m fine, really. I was just resting my eyes a minute.”
“Sure you were.” 62 couldn’t help but chuckle.
The foursome walked through the building toward the walkway to the greenhouse. 62 peeked through the open door to the kitchen as they passed by. “What are the doctors up to?” he asked. “Aren’t they coming to help?”
“Hazel wanted to go explore Rattlesnake Mountain, and there was pretty much no way that Rain or I were going to convince her not to go. And I have no desire to go traipsing around out there when there’s work to be done. So, I convinced Rain to go with her, just in case Hazel stumbles across the mountain’s namesake and gets herself into trouble.”
“We haven’t seen any rattlesnakes since we’ve been here,” Blue said. “We haven’t been looking for them though, and haven’t spent much time outside.”
“Well, I never knew how much Hazel loved snakes until we came on this trip. I knew that she poked around the outskirts of Hanford a lot, but I never thought anything of it. Lots of people go to the ruined parts of town to scavenge materials. But the second we left Hanford, she started talking about rattlers. It’s a little scary, really,” Parker said with a grimace.
“So that’s what she was doing!” 62 exclaimed. Everyone looked at him with confusion. “A while back, I fell on my way to the library and got hurt. They put me in quarantine, remember? Well, Dr. Hazel found me and brought me to the hospital. It was so weird seeing her out there poking around in the dirt. But that must have been what she was doing, looking for snakes.”
“Or trading them,” Parker said warily. “Apparently, there are snake collectors in Hanford, and she’s one of their main suppliers.” He shook his head. “I don’t get it. But I guess everybody needs a hobby.”
“She’s not bringing snakes in here, is she?” 00 asked, the crack in his voice betraying his anxiety.
“Not if Rain has anything to say about it,” Parker said.
They passed through the doorway to the greenhouse and were bathed in sunlight. The windows rattled now and again from the wind pounding on the glass outside, but despite the noise, the sun-filled room was calm. Blue had done a lot more work than 62 had been aware of. The soil was freshly turned, aside from where more established plants were still growing. But in those areas, the plants had been trimmed and thinned so the rows looked neat and tidy. It was nothing like the wild strangulation of leaves that they’d seen when Blue gave them their first tour.
On one side, there were hundreds of seedlings poking their heads through the soft soil. He’d planted radishes, corn, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and pumpkins. Although the rows weren’t marked, he was able to name them all, and kept his jaw moving as he told Parker when he expected to be able to start harvesting each of the different crops.
62 and 00 were left out of the conversation almost entirely, and when Parker suggested that they grab masks to go outside to inspect the water collection system, he and Blue left without waiting for the others to catch up.
“Should we go with them?” 00 asked.
“I mean, probably. It wouldn’t hurt to know how the system works in case one of us gets stuck here on our own,” 62 said with a shrug.
The pair of lagging brothers retrieved their protective coverings and went around the back of the greenhouse where they thought Parker and 62 would be. But the water system was much more involved than they could have known. They walked all the way around the building, unable to find Blue or Parker. It wasn’t until 62 saw a flutter of movement above him that he realized the other two males were up on the jailhouse roof.
“I don’t really want to climb all the way up there,” 62 admitted. He shielded his goggle lens from the sun with his hand as he watched Blue duck behind the lip of the roof. “They’ll probably be done by the time we make it to the top.”
“Let’s just ask for the basics when they come down,” 00 said, looking up the side of the building. “Maybe we can get Blue to show us what’s up there after Parker goes back to Hanford.”
As they were talking, they noticed some movement in the scrub on the next rise of the hill. The pair wandered to the edge of the jailhouse yard, ignoring the wind snapping at their clothes as they trudged through the dirt. 62 could just make out Dr. Rain stomping comically through the desert toward them. Her limbs were flailing, and her stride was so wide that she hardly looked human. Behind her, Dr. Hazel was strolling merrily along. Her mask was bobbing in time with her rhythmic pace, and she almost seemed to be dancing, though the Boys couldn’t hear whatever tune she was bouncing along to. She held something in her arms, long and slender, like a section of rope.
Rain came closer and pumped her fists in the air. Her voice carried over the wind, although the breeze carried her words away before the Boys could discern them. It wasn’t until she was nearly upon them that they finally heard the tail-end of her rant.
“… snake! I thought she was kidding about going out there to find a rattlesnake, but then there we are, out in the desert, and she’s turning over rocks, and sticking her head in dark holes in the ground! And then, she reaches her hand in a hole and pulls out that… thing!” Dr. Rain roared in frustration as she marched passed them, too incensed to stop. By then, they could see the thing Dr. Hazel was carrying was no piece of rope.
The second doctor walked up to the Boys, holding out her trophy. If it was a snake, it didn’t look very lively. It laid limp and flat across her outstretched palms. “It’s not a snake!” Dr. Hazel shouted after her companion. Then, she turned back to the Boys. “It’s a snake skin. As snakes get larger, they grow a new skin under the old one, then slide out of it when they’ve outgrown it. It’s like taking off a jacket you’re never going to wear again.”
“Can I touch it, Dr. Hazel?” 00 asked.
“Sure!” Dr. Hazel held out the snake skin and 00 caressed it. “But you know, we’re not at the hospital. You don’t have to keep calling me “doctor.” Just call me Hazel. Same goes f
or Rain, though you might want to let her cool off a while before you start getting casual with her name.”
“It feels like paper,” 00 said, retracting his hand. “That’s gross. And neat!”
Hazel offered the snakeskin to 62. “Do you want to touch it?”
“No thanks. I think I’m with Dr. Rain on this one. Do you know where the snake that owned this skin went?”
“Oh, it’s around here somewhere. Pretty nice-sized snake, too. I’d love to see if I can find it before we leave, but this’ll do for now.” Hazel headed for the side of the building, and the Boys followed her.
They walked the length of the jailhouse and around to the front doors, where they could head straight into detox. The Boys helped Hazel with the radiation counter, and although 62 was clean, the snakeskin made the needle jump. When they tested their hands, both 00 and Hazel’s hands set off the counter.
“Oh, dustfeathers,” Hazel complained. “There’s no way to wash this skin. It’ll fall apart if I scrub it down.” She grunted in frustration and took the skin back outside. 62 followed her out, stopping on the stoop to watch her climb up the hill and over the edge of the ridge. She tromped back down the hillside empty handed, her stomping feet making big plumes of dust rise up as she kicked the dirt.
“Sorry it didn’t work out,” 62 said as she re-entered the building. He held the door, careful not to touch her so that he wouldn’t pick up any of the radioactive dust on her.
“It’s fine,” Hazel sighed as they went back to the detox room. “That’s what happens sometimes with critters who spend their whole life slithering around in the dirt. They’re bound to pick up radiation sometime.”
As soon as they were back in detox, Rain could be heard shrieking at 00. “All that, and the stupid thing is irradiated? Are you kidding me? And now, I have to go through the whole procedure, just because I was worried about her going out to poke around in the dirt alone. For the love of Hanford!”
62 removed his mask and gave Hazel a sidelong glance. He gestured toward Rain. “Good luck with that.”
Hazel shrugged. She was still masked, so he couldn’t see her expression, but 62 had the distinct impression that she was smiling. She cupped her hand to the filter and said in a low voice, “It’s alright, really. Hearing her scream is worth the aggravation of missing out on the skin.”
“You mean you like having her mad at you?”
“She’ll get over it,” Hazel said, winking at him through her lenses.
62 turned on the radiation wand and checked himself one more time, making sure he was clear before leaving the room. He left the doctors and his brother to their cleanup and headed upstairs to change into some clean clothes. Blue and Parker were still on the roof, as far as he knew, and the three snake explorers would be busy cleaning themselves up for a while. 62 decided that now was the time to sneak up and say hello to Sunny.
He climbed the stairs two at a time, hoping to get out of the stairwell before his brothers came down from the roof. There was no sign of them by the time he made it to Sunny’s floor, and he ducked into the hallways as quietly as he could. As soon as he closed the stairwell door, he realized that something was wrong. Every door on the floor had been pushed open. It was eerily silent, and the open doors made him wary as he walked down the hall.
“Hello?” 62 said, trying to keep his voice steady despite the bundle of nerves growling inside him. “Is anyone there?”
62 peered into the open doorways as he passed by. In each room, the bed was unmade. The pillow and wool blanket had been flung to the floor, and the sheets were missing. Room after room was the same. 62 hurried toward Sunny’s room, his body vibrating with anxiety. Sunny’s door was open, just like all the others. 62 strained his ears to hear motion coming from inside, but there was nothing but dead air. He crept to the edge of the door, pressing himself flat against the wall. He cleared his throat. When he tried to speak, his voice came out brittle and weak. “It’s 62. Is everything all right?”
Sunny didn’t answer.
When he built up the courage to look around the corner, the answer was clear. Everything was not all right. Sunny was tucked up on the corner of her bed, face buried in her arms. All around her, covering the mattress and floor, were the sheets from the beds in the other rooms. They’d been twisted and tied into ropes. The ropes tied into knots and loops like 62 had never seen. The sight of it sent a cold chill down his spine.
“Sunny,” 62 managed to sputter, “what’s going on?”
Sunny lifted her face from her forearms. Her face was as white as the sheets around her, marred by bright pink blotches where it looked like she’d been hit by something hard. 62 moved closer, stepping over the knotted sheets on the floor. Before Sunny pulled her sleeves down to cover her arms, he noticed they were scratched from wrist to elbow. 62 didn’t know what to do. He wished he had someone, anyone, here to help him.
“I decided it was time…” Sunny whispered. She looked away from 62 as if seeing the concern on his face was too much for her to bear. She looked down at the knot closest to her and reached down to touch it. “I was practicing.”
62 made it to the end of the bed. He was afraid to get any closer, and gripped the footboard to hold him in place so he wouldn’t run away. “Practicing for what?”
Sunny pursed her lips and shook her head. Whatever she was doing, it was too much for her to say aloud. 62 didn’t push her, because he was terrified of hearing her answer.
“I’m scared,” 62 said. Sunny nodded. “We need help. This is too much for me. I don’t know what to do. I’m just a kid.”
Sunny shifted her gaze. She looked at 62. She assessed him with wild eyes, not seeming to understand. “Too much for you? If I go, if I really go, then you won’t have to deal with me anymore. This whole mess can be done with, and everyone can go on living without me.”
62 found the courage to reach forward then. He touched Sunny’s arm, and although she started to pull it away, he grasped the hem of her sleeve and wouldn’t let go. “I don’t know what you’re thinking about doing,” 62 said, “but, I don’t want you to go anywhere. You’re my friend. Please, before you go, will you come downstairs with me and talk to the doctors? Maybe they can help.”
Sunny looked at the mass of knots around her. She fingered the knotted rope on the bed beside her again, considering 62’s words. “I can always do it after,” she whispered, “when they say they can’t help.”
“Sure,” 62 said. “You can do whatever you want. But first, let’s go downstairs and see what happens.”
“Where are they?” Sunny asked. “The visitors, I mean. Parker.”
“Parker and Blue were up on the roof the last time I checked. Rain and Hazel are with 00 in detox. Hazel found a snake skin and they all touched it. It turned out to have a ton of radiation.”
Sunny’s mouth turned into a sad smile. “Hazel loves snakes.”
“I know,” 62 said.
“Okay,” Sunny said. A deep breath rattled through her chest, as if she might break into a sobbing wail. Instead, when she spoke her voice was monotone and dry. “Let’s go see the doctors.”
CHAPTER 20
62 and Sunny were slowly descending the stairs when 00 found them. 00 had just gotten out of detox and was wearing scrubs instead of his regular clothes. Anxiety filled his eyes when they landed on Sunny. “What are you doing?” 00 hissed.
“I’m taking Sunny to the exam room. Go get Rain and Hazel. Tell them I need a doctor.”
“But not Parker. Don’t tell Parker.” Sunny shook her head violently and pulled on 62’s hand as if she were about to drag herself back up the stairs.
“Okay. I won’t get Parker.” 00’s eyes flicked back and forth between Sunny’s ghostly form and 62. He gripped the handrail and took a step back toward the main floor. “What should I say if I see him?”
62 grimaced. “If you don’t bring up Sunny at all, it’ll be easy. Tell the doctors I hurt my leg. If Parker or Blue try to come, say ‘
brussels sprouts’ and hopefully Blue will figure out he needs to keep Parker busy.”
“You think this counts as brussels sprouts?” Sunny asked.
“What you’ve been going through definitely counts as brussels sprouts,” 62 explained.
00 nodded. He turned around and started down the stairs, muttering, “Brussels sprouts,” repeatedly so he wouldn’t forget. As hilarious as the code word had been before, now it was too important to laugh about.
62 tugged Sunny’s hand and she followed him down the stairs until they reached the second floor. He guided her down the hall to the makeshift medical office. He closed the door while Sunny sat on the bed. 62 sat beside her, taking her trembling hand in his once more. Her skin was cold and clammy, her palm drenched in a cold sweat. 62 squeezed her thin fingers and smiled. They waited in silence.
It felt like hours before they heard movement outside the door. 62 squeezed Sunny’s hand again to let her know it would be all right. There was a gentle knock, and the door opened slowly. Both Rain and Hazel had put on lab coats, and suddenly looked like they’d just come from the hospital. They entered quietly, stoic faces appearing unconcerned by the Woman hunched over on the bed. But their eyes sparkled with surprise as they viewed her for the first time. They murmured quiet hellos, and Rain closed the door while Hazel settled into a chair near the bed.
Rain leaned against a table on the far wall of the room and assessed her patients with a thoughtful gaze. “I’m Dr. Rain, and this is my friend, Dr. Hazel. We were told 62 hurt his foot, but I gather that’s not why we’re actually here.”
62 looked from one doctor to the other. “No. My friend needs help. But, we don’t want anyone to know she’s here.”
“I see,” Dr. Rain said.
“Do you mind if I ask where your friend came from?” Hazel asked.
62 looked at Sunny. Her head was bowed so hair had fallen across her face. She was silent and unmoving. He was hesitant to tell her story for her, but he could tell she wasn’t going to say anything. He swallowed hard. A knot pulled at his throat and he tried to wish it away, but it only tightened around his voice. He took a deep breath and fought against his anxiety. “She was living here when we got here.”
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