Flowertown

by S. G. Redling

  Olivia turned over the photograph and Bing closed his eyes, pulling Ellie closer. “Do you know this man?” Ellie shook her head.

  “What are you saying, Ellie?” Bing looked down at her.

  “I’ve never seen that man in my life. I swear.”

  Bing sighed. “I have. He was a doctor in East Fifth. He was your doctor, Ellie.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Ellie pulled away from Bing and found herself in the center of the group. She tried to laugh but felt short of breath. “So what are you saying? That I’m some sort of ninja death sleeper agent? That I’m going to be activated or something?” Bing reached out his hand, but she pulled back, folding her arms tightly across her body. “I’m telling you I have no memory of that man.”

  “You were on a lot of drugs. I know. I was there too.”

  She knew the more she argued the crazier she sounded, but she couldn’t stop herself. “I’m telling you, I’m good with faces. I may not remember names or how I know you, but I always remember faces.”

  “Yeah,” Bing said, “you’re a real people person.”

  “There are symptoms of Horizon psychotropics.” Olivia kept her voice neutral, like a doctor delivering a bad diagnosis. “Deep flushing on your face, numbness and tingling in your extremities, difficulty swallowing, constricting of airways.”

  “All right, all right, I get it.” Ellie paced to the back of the room. “I think we’ve all got the picture. But I’m not taking the meds anymore, so it’s not really a problem, is it?” She could read the answer on Olivia’s face and held up her hands to block it. “You know what? Let’s not worry about me right now, okay? I’m fine. I’m here. I’m aware of what’s happening. There are other things we should be worried about, right? Guy said something was going down Thursday night.”

  Bing shoved his hands in his pockets. “I think he meant you.”

  “You don’t know that.” Ellie kept pacing.

  “I know this,” Olivia said. “I’ve got to get back to the med center. I’m late and they’re going to miss me. We’re trying to get some kind of evidence against Feno together to give to somebody who’s getting out Saturday. We’ve got to find Es who are willing to help.”

  Bing’s voice cracked. “I’m an E. I am.” Rachel’s mouth hung open in surprise, and Ellie had to bend from the waist to catch her breath. Bing was leaving her. She could feel the blood rushing to her head. Bing didn’t seem to notice her distress. “I can help. I can take whatever you want.”

  “It won’t be that easy.” Olivia headed for the stairs. “They’re probably going to give you new clothes from the skin out and do a final cleaning. They’re not going to let anything get out of here easily.”

  “Don’t worry about that,” Bing said. “I’m very good at subterfuge. You get me whatever evidence you can and I’ll get it out of here.”

  Olivia smiled and pointed to his face. “You going hide it under your cheekbones?”

  Bing touched his bruised face. “This is a little gift from Ellie’s ‘source’ that I plan on paying back in kind.”

  “Well, however you get it out, we appreciate the help.”

  Ellie heard the hatch door close as she circled the room. One-two-three calming breaths and she felt her throat opening. She let her mind wander around the image of Dr. Tabor, but nothing about him raised any memory. She didn’t care what Bing said. She’d remember a doctor, wouldn’t she? Ellie stopped in front of one of the paper-covered walls.

  “I’ve seen this before.”

  Bing glanced at what she was staring at. “I should hope so. It’s our country.”

  Ellie threw him a dagger of a look. “Not just the map, these dots. I saw these.” She closed her eyes and thought, not wanting to admit that she didn’t trust her memory. “At the Feno compound, when I was locked in that classroom. This was on the news.”

  Matt looked over his shoulder to see what she meant. “Yeah, I think they keep the real news feed on in some rooms at Feno. That’s the map of their ‘discoveries.’” He held his fingers up for air quotations and then turned back to his computer. Annabeth came over to the wall.

  “These are the locations Feno claims that contaminees have been found. Red pins are confirmed sites, blue are rumored.” She pointed to pushpins in various states on the map.

  Ellie touched the pins in disbelief. “So people have broken quarantine?”

  Annabeth scratched her head. “In a manner of speaking, I guess. See this one?” She pointed to a pin in southwest Georgia. “That was where they found my neighbor, Paul Collins, on February eleventh of last year. Which is really interesting when you consider that Paul died on February ninth, two days before his ‘escape.’” Bing and Rachel looked over her shoulder.

  “And see this one? Up here near Pierre? That was Davis Chowith. You remember him, don’t you, Rachel? Went to school with your sister Elaine?”

  “Yeah.” Rachel stared at the map as if she would see him posted there. “He’s dead too.”

  “That’s right. Just before that Thanksgiving two years ago. They found his body frozen in a car in South Dakota on the Saturday after. Claimed he was the first escapee.” Annabeth’s voice got tight as she spoke. “There were a bunch in South Dakota, right around the holidays, mostly older folks. Some good friends, good people, who just couldn’t make it through another winter in here.” Rachel reached out and took her hand. “Maybe the meds were too much or their hearts just couldn’t take it anymore. I was with some of them in the care center when they passed. Never even got to give them a burial.”

  Behind them, Matt typed furiously. “We’ve got another one. A breaking story. Looks like another discovery.” He typed harder. “Damn it. They’re scrambling it again.”

  “Language, young man.”

  “Sorry, Grandma.” He typed in a few more lines and waited. “This is going to take a minute, but I’ll get it.”

  Annabeth smiled at her grandson. “He’s a good boy. And very talented.”

  Ellie wasn’t listening. She stared at the map of the United States with her head tilted. “Have they ever found anybody alive?”

  “No. I’ve never heard of anyone escaping. Or even trying. It’s impossible.” Annabeth shook her head. “And why would they? These were good people. They would never risk contaminating anyone else.”

  “And they’ve never found any sign of contamination at these sites?”

  Bing stared at the map. “What are you thinking, Ellie?”

  “Do you know what order these were found in, Annabeth?”

  The older woman tapped her finger against her lip. “Oh, let me think. It’s written under the pictures. I know Davis was first, and Sandra Sammons might have been second, or maybe she was after—”

  “No,” Ellie paced before the map. “Not by person. By state. Do you know the order of the states that were threatened with contamination?” She looked at Annabeth. “Or better yet, let me tell you. First was South Dakota. A bunch, all close together, you said. Then Oklahoma, right? A rural spot, not too close to any big cities?”

  “That’s right. How did you know that?”

  “Then the rumors started about Kansas and Mississippi.” Ellie pointed to the two blue pins. “But it wasn’t until Georgia that they confirmed another body. That’s right, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” Annabeth said, her eyes wide. “Just this January.”

  “It was in the South, not too close to Atlanta. Closer to Florida, closer to where they found the next body. Central Florida. Not Miami or St. Petersburg. Nothing on the coast, nothing touristy, but close.” Ellie was talking to herself at this point. “Then there was a gap. I’d say, a month? A month and a half? That’s when the rumors started about a body in Ohio, where?” She looked closer at the blue pin. “Just south of Columbus, the capital. Close, but that’s a pretty rural area, isn’t it? Mostly farms, but close to the capital city.”

  “That’s right. How did you know that? They’re all rural locations.” Annabeth s
tepped closer to the map, next to Ellie. “That’s why we think they’re going to relocate us. We think maybe they’re scouting locations that will work, that can be contained.” The older woman’s voice rose as she spoke. “We think maybe they’re taking soil samples or maybe testing the viability of the areas. Or maybe even, God forbid, testing another pesticide.” Rachel took the old woman’s hand again, trying to comfort her in what was obviously a frightening train of thought, but Ellie didn’t look away from the map.

  “I don’t think so, Annabeth. I don’t think that’s it.”

  Bing watched Ellie’s hand trace the path of discovery. “What are you thinking?”

  “It’s got to be Feno, right? I mean, who else could get a body out of Flowertown?”

  He shrugged. “The army?”

  “Yeah, but why would they? What would be the gain of creating a scare of contamination across the country?”

  “Maybe to keep the funding, more money for the military.”

  Ellie scrunched up her face and then shook her head. “They wouldn’t need to go through all that to make that argument. Think of the risks. They could create the illusion of a crisis right here with just a few well-placed disruptions. Or even just reports of them.”

  Bing stared at her. “You mean, like, explosions? Hello.”

  “No.” Ellie waved him off, staring at the map like the answer was emerging from the faded ink itself. “Those just started. This has been going on for two years. At regular intervals in a sort of spiral. See? It’s moving away from Iowa but not in a direct line. Radiating outward. Never in an urban area, but always getting closer to one. Moving out of the center of the country toward the coasts. Toward the East Coast.” Ellie pressed her fingers to her forehead. “Did you say there was another one, Matt?”

  “Yeah, I’m trying to unscramble it right now. It’s running through the program.”

  Ellie’s voice was a whisper. “I know where it’s going to be.”

  Bing moved in. “Where? How can you know where it’s going to be?”

  “Here.” She pointed to Washington, D.C. “Not here exactly. Not in the District, but nearby. Within driving distance, less than two hours, I’d say. In a rural area but affluent. Maybe Virginia. Suburban Maryland.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  Ellie smiled at Bing. “Because that’s where I’d put it.”

  “Got it!” Matt pounded on the desk. “Breaking news, PennCo contaminee discovered, woman, deceased, come on, tell me where. Here. Just outside of Falls Church, Virginia.”

  “You were right.” Annabeth sounded impressed.

  “Oh shit.” Ellie put both hands on her head, trying to absorb the implications of being right. “I am right. That’s what they’re doing.”

  Annabeth put her hand on Ellie’s shoulder. “Honey, if you know something about where they’re taking us, you’d better start talking.”

  “This has got nothing to do with us going anywhere. This has got nothing to do with us period. At least, not directly. Didn’t you say Feno was going bankrupt?” Annabeth nodded. “How’s Barlay Pharma doing? Matt, can you check their stock prices?”

  “I do it every day.” He spoke over his shoulder, keeping his eye on his screen. “They’ve been going up slowly, but rose pretty sharply last month.”

  Ellie nodded. “They’ve spread the rumors to the investors. It’s happening.”

  “What’s happening?” Bing grabbed her arm. “What are you seeing?”

  “This!” She banged on the map. “This is not an accident. They didn’t place those bodies randomly. And they’re not researching anything. They don’t need bodies for that. This isn’t an investigation.” She turned and looked at the bewildered faces before her. “It’s a campaign.”

  Nobody spoke for several seconds until Rachel whispered, “For what?”

  “For fear. Or more precisely, concern. Not terror. They don’t want panic. They want concern, awareness. They are slowly and carefully bringing awareness of Flowertown back into the forefront of the American consciousness.”

  Bing shook his head. “But why? What’s the benefit of that?”

  “They’ve got a vaccine.”

  Annabeth cocked her head to the side. “Well of course they’ve got a vaccine. What do you think we’ve been taking all these years?”

  “No, not for us. We’ve been taking treatments. Barlay is marketing a vaccine for the rest of the country. They’re banking on fear of contamination to market their vaccine. And I’d bet they’re not playing small potatoes. They’re going for a government contract. A big one. Nationwide. Maybe even global. How else could they possibly recover the money they've lost?”

  Bing nodded several times. “That makes sense.” Rachel bit her lip, a gesture Ellie knew meant she was uncertain. Before she could say anything, Matt let out a sigh.

  “Oh shit.”

  Annabeth marched over to his seat. “What have I told you about language like that?” She caught her breath. “Oh shit.”

  “What is it?” Rachel hurried over to them and saw what was on Matt's screen. When she looked back at Bing and Ellie, her eyes were filling up. “They've identified the woman in Virginia. Oh Ellie, I'm so sorry.”

  “What? Who is it?” She stepped close enough to look over Matt's shoulder, and he rolled away to give her a clear view. On the screen, in an enlarged ID photo, was Big Martha.

  Bing stepped up behind her, but Ellie pushed past him, hurrying to the other side of the room. She didn't breathe until she pressed her forehead against the bulletin board, and when the jagged sob broke free it rustled papers all around her face. Ellie pushed her fists into her stomach, trying to hold back the howl that wanted to rip out of her. She didn't want to turn around and see the soft eyes of the others in the room. She didn't want to see the map of Feno's marketing strategy. She didn't want to see the tough, thick face of her boss being spread across the national news as a domestic terrorist. Ellie raised her head. She did want to see it.

  “Bring that picture back up.”

  “Ellie, don't do this to yourself.”

  She pushed past Bing again and pounded on Matt's desk. “Can you bring the picture back up? Full screen?” Matt nodded, checking with his grandmother before scrolling back through the story to find the photo. He clicked on the photo and Big Martha's face filled the screen again. Ellie jabbed at the print underneath the photo. “Look at that. Look what that says.”

  Rachel leaned in to read. “It's her med tag.”

  “Yeah, look at the end. Big Martha was an H just like me. Only she was an H seven.”

  “Big Martha?” Bing looked to make sure. “Wow, I wouldn't have guessed that. If I'd have known I would have been more careful about bringing that stinky soup up.” He looked at Ellie and they both laughed, even with tears in their eyes. “I'm really sorry. I know you liked her a lot. And she liked you too.”

  Ellie let Bing pull her to his chest. She felt his shirt get damp against her cheek and breathed in the smell of clean laundry. She knew it had to be killing him, letting her wrap her arms around his bruised ribs, but he said nothing.

  “What are the odds of two dangerous psychos like Martha and me getting jobs in the same office?”

  Bing laughed and rubbed her back. “Maybe they thought they could bore you into submission.”

  Ellie drew her head back from Bing's chest. “But you know, really, what are the odds? Isn't that weird? It was supposed to be a secure facility, and they put two people who are supposed to be so dangerous in the same space?”

  “Don't start down that road, Ellie. The situation is weird enough without getting paranoid.” Bing stepped away. “You were assigned that job after the BTM scale was assigned, but Martha was probably there from the beginning. It's just a coincidence.”

  Ellie nodded, unconvinced. “It's kind of hard not to get paranoid, though. If Feno brought in a team of psychiatrists to profile us, they obviously put some stock in that sort of thing. And the records office was
the only classified building to blow up. The other places were all storage facilities. I can't help but wonder if whoever set the bomb might have known about my and Martha's classification. You know, if they knew about the plan to have the H-sixes and H-sevens become violent.”

  “If that's even the plan.” Bing took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. “No offense to anyone in this room, but this is all a bunch of supposition. We have no proof there is any kind of plan.”

  “But Olivia said the Horizon meds have psychotropic compounds to make us violent.”

  “No, she said they think the meds have them.” He dropped his voice to speak to her alone. “Not to point out the obvious, but you were in lockdown before they even came up with Horizon. If those meds are doing anything, I think they're making you paranoid.”

  “I wasn't being paranoid when they put a guard on me because they thought I was stealing classified files.”

  “You did steal classified files.”

  “Yeah, afterward.” Ellie dropped her gaze. She felt an odd sense of shame and embarrassment, as if the revelation of her medical class had revealed her to be unworthy. Everything she said sounded stupid and desperate to her ears. She couldn't stand what she saw in Bing's eyes. She pushed him away, hating how juvenile she sounded. “What difference does it make to you? You're getting out of here on Saturday.”

  “Ellie…”

  Ellie walked away, relieved when Matt announced he had unscrambled the evening news feed. She joined Rachel and Annabeth before the big screen and waited for the headlines. The news program began with the usual serious drone and the flash of the logo, then the screen filled with an alert of a special bulletin. Annabeth shook her head.

  “These are never good.”

  The camera cut to the news anchor sitting at his desk. Behind him, a specially designed graphic flashed: PennCo Crisis.

  “Do we have sound?” Rachel asked, and Matt nodded.

  “It's going to take a second. It may not be all clear.”