by RJ Crayton
Her father shook his head adamantly. “No,” he said. “You have to leave things be. If you tell her and she tells others, everyone will know how she found out. They’ll trace it back to you and me. The two of you will likely be taken to the Basement, and I’ll lose any authority I’ve managed to gain.”
“But Dad, we can’t just let them do this to her,” she pleaded.
“And if we weren’t here,” he said, his green eyes staring directly into hers. “If we weren’t here, what would happen? This was in motion long before you arrived.”
“But we are here, Dad. We are here, and we can’t let them experiment on her because she’s not into guys.”
He sighed, and looked off at the pond. “Don’t say anything to her, alright? Give me a day or two to think about it. Nothing will happen before then.”
She sighed. A day or two. She supposed she could wait that long, if he was right. “You’re sure nothing’s going to happen to her in a couple of days?”
He nodded. “Absolutely. There’s no rotation for vitamins for anyone for at least a week. She’ll be fine.”
Elaan nodded. Give it time. Fine. She stopped walking. “What about Amadu?” she asked. “I still haven’t seen him, and I don’t think Josh has either.”
Her father put a hand on her back and urged her to keep moving. “I can tell you that he’s not in the Basement, but that’s all. Don’t worry about him, alright?”
She stared at her father, unable to hide her concern. “How do you know he’s alright?”
He shook his head. “Always full of questions, aren’t you? His records say he was transferred due to his age. I’m just having trouble locating his records at the new facility. I’m looking into it, but I know someone who works in the Basement, and she assures me no one meeting Amadu’s description is there.”
That wasn’t great news, but it was better than nothing. She kept walking. She hated this place more and more the longer she spent here.
Chapter 31 - Lijah
The past few days had been pretty normal for the SPU. Lijah had gotten used to the routine here and settled in. The world uptop, the danger from his own vulnerability to the outside faded into the background.
He didn’t trust Alex, but it felt somewhat safe here, and there was frankly no place else to go. His mother had been working on her own version of a cure for him. She’d offered him a couple of injections, things she thought would help him be less likely to become a carrier if he came into contact with the disease. The likelihood of such a thing happening here seemed slim. This was an SPU and people were healthy.
Alex still was overly watchful of his mother, but she’d insisted all was well. Lijah found he really didn’t like the guy. When Elaan had described her dislike for him, he thought it was simply because Alex was making a play for their mother. While Lijah didn’t like that, it wasn’t something that bred automatic distrust. The real problem was Alex was a creepy control freak who had none of their best interests at heart. He was in megalomaniac mode and was only halfway decent to them because he viewed their mother as a prize. Something he’d almost grasped a long time ago, but it had slipped through his fingers. The novelty of winning many years later seemed to sate him, but if Alex was like any other control freak, his win would soon not be enough. He’d need some other challenge.
At that point, Alex would think Lijah was a liability. He might decide turning Lijah over to Thoreaux, despite Shonda’s wrath, would be the best thing for his career. They needed to bounce before that happened.
The door in front of Lijah opened suddenly, startling him. He stutter-stepped back as Natalie watched. “Umm, were you gonna knock?”
He laughed softly to hide his embarrassment. He’d come by to play cards, but when he got there, he realized he was a tad early and had stood in the hallway a moment, thinking. He hadn’t expected her to catch sight of him and open the door. “Yeah,” he said, “I just had some stuff on my mind.”
She stepped back and motioned him to come in. They’d gotten into a bit of a routine here. He’d come over, they’d play cards and generally chill. Natalie actually was pretty funny. Wicked sense of humor and really sharp. He enjoyed spending time with her. He’d sensed she felt pretty loyal to Alex, but he couldn’t figure out for the life of him why. After their first discussion, he’d tabled all attempts to get her to talk about Alex. Instead, they’d talked about everything under the sun. He’d opened up to her about his life before, tried to share in hopes that she might open up to him. She wasn’t biting.
She’d dealt him a hand and said, “So, what were you so deep in thought about?”
He evaluated his cards and scrunched his mouth to the side. “Probably should have been thinking that I’d like to deal first. You know this is an awful hand.”
She laughed. “Well, I do try my best.”
They played a few cards, with Natalie winning the hand. She looked up at him. “Seriously though, what’s on your mind? You seem distracted.”
“I told you my mom and I had problems, right. That I was hesitant to come here with her. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care what happens to her. And I just feel like something’s off with her relationship with Alex.”
“That he’s controlling?”
Lijah nodded. “Possibly even abusive.”
Natalie leaned in, brow furrowed. “You’ve seen signs of abuse? Unexplained injuries?”
He shook his head. “No, I can’t say that I have. I just can say that she’s really guarded about him and she’s less open. Like she doesn’t want me around.”
She shrugged. “I don’t see it,” she said. “But I promise I’ll keep an eye out.”
He nodded. “You mind if I ask why you’re so trusting of him. I mean, how long have you even known him?”
She shuffled the cards on the table, the deck zinging deftly through her fingers. “About two years,” she said, watching the cards. Lijah tried to hide his surprise. He thought they were more recent acquaintances than that. “I knew him when I was a student at the university. I was in the nursing program here. He only taught one undergrad course. The rest were in the med school, but he was great, and he looked out for me. Told me I should consider pre-med instead of nursing.”
She set the cards down but didn’t begin dealing. “Did you take his advice?” Lijah asked.
She shook her head, smiled wistfully. “I should have. I should have taken his advice about a lot of things. He was nice to me, and he tried to help me make good decisions, like not marrying my husband, but I didn’t listen. I should have. And when I needed help, when I came back here alone, the world in decay, he let me in here even though he shouldn’t have. So, yes, I like Alex and I trust Alex. But I also know that people who are abusive can be good at hiding it.”
She looked him in the eye, as if trying to read his mood. Trying to figure out if she should proceed. “I think you’re right about that,” he said.
“I know I’m right about it. I just have never gotten that vibe from him. But if he’s not who I thought he was. If he’s hurting your mother, I’ll help her.”
Lijah tried to look reassured, though he was more stunned than anything else. He hadn’t expected such a definitive response from her. “How can you help her? He’s in charge of everything down here. I think that’s why she’s hesitant to talk to me.”
Natalie nodded. “Yeah, but she doesn’t have to stay down here. She’s like me, right. She’s already survived the virus?”
Lijah nodded. He hadn’t known Natalie had survived the virus, but he didn’t want to ask for details, since she seemed on the cusp of telling him something important.
“Well, she’ll be fine up there,” Natalie said. “I’m not in the lab, but I’ve heard talk of a new vaccine. That she brought an idea with her. If it works, she could give it to you, and the two of you would be fine up there.”
He wanted to say, been uptop, done that, and it worked like shit. But he said, “How would we get up there? It’s a sealed facility.
They’re not supposed to bring in people easily. I’ve never seen an exit.”
She nodded. “I know. It is a closed facility, except for transfers like yourself and your mother.” They both knew it was a lie that he’d been a transfer, but she seemed to like to stick to that story, even in private. “There are access points, and obviously, as one of Dr. Caldwell’s trusted staff, I know where they are. I can let you out.”
“You’d do that for us?”
“If he were abusing her? Damn straight.” Her eyes were steel, and he knew in that instant that she would.
She hated abusers, that was for sure. Josh had said her father thought she’d had an abusive husband. So, Lijah said the one thing he thought might get her to open up and tell him her story. “When Josh mentioned your dad, you didn’t like it,” he said, keeping his eyes laser focused on hers. “Was it because…because your dad was abusive.”
Her face transformed to shock and horror as she shook her head. “No. Of course not. My father is the nicest, kindest man ever. He wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
Lijah patted her hand. “I’m sorry. I just… I misinterpreted things. I’m sorry.”
She slid her hand out from under his. “Why don’t you have your mom join us for cards tomorrow? We can play poker. I can talk to her.”
“Alright. I can do that.” He looked down at the cards. “You ready for another game.”
Natalie shook her head. “Actually, I’m kinda tired. I think I’m ready to call it a night.”
Chapter 32 - Lijah
The day had started off fine, but it shortly went to hell. Lijah had been looking forward to seeing Natalie that evening, figuring his mother would be able to get Natalie to open up to them, to trust them and help them. He knew they’d need her help in getting out. You didn’t just walk in and out of an SPU. They were protected to keep the virus out and the healthy people in.
He’d stopped at his mother’s office to say hello. She’d given him a brief injection and he’d gone about his business, until an hour later, when Natalie told him they needed to talk. She walked him back to her apartment and asked him to sit down on the sofa.
She looked nervous, and she rubbed her hands on her pants before joining him. “Look,” she said, her voice soft. She turned her head to look toward the door. “We don’t have long.”
“What do you mean?”
“Alex,” she said. “He’s coming for you.”
Lijah raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“He told your supervisor that you were going back to the other facility, that you were needed there.”
His eyes widened. “Where is he sending me?”
She shook her head. “Nowhere. You’re going back to the cell. Back where you started. He doesn’t want you among the general population here. It’s almost as if he thinks you’re sick or something.”
She looked at him questioningly. He wasn’t sick. He knew that. He had no symptoms, but if he had somehow come in contact with a sick person, he was a carrier. Only, that was impossible. His mother wouldn’t have lied about his blood work. She wouldn’t have endangered people. “I’m not sick,” he said to Natalie. “I don’t know why he’s putting me back in there.” He racked his brain, and then it dawned on him. “Unless it’s to punish my mother. To keep her under his thumb.”
She bit her lower lip and avoided his eyes momentarily. “You might be right,” she said. “I hadn’t necessarily seen this side of Alex, or maybe I hadn’t wanted to see it, but he’s got a cold side to him.”
He breathed in. “What should I do? Is there a way to get out of here without him knowing?”
“There’s a way, but you can’t do it today, and you can’t leave your mom. It’s not safe for her.”
He squinted at her. “What does that mean?” he said. “Two days ago, you were saying how wonderful he is, and now…now… What exactly are you saying.”
She looked him in the eye. “I’m saying that I’ve known abusive people, that I’ve been in an abusive relationship, OK. Trust me when I say that you cannot leave your mother here with him if you’re right and he’s abusive.”
He rested his hand on her leg. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” she said, clipped. “We just need to worry about you.”
“And what should I do?”
“Nothing,” she said. “When Alex comes for you, go with him, be cooperative. He likes it when people listen to him. I’ll come visit you over the next couple of days. I’ll write you a note with the information you need. I’ll speak to your mother and figure out how to get you both out of here.”
Lijah stared at her. She did have similar features to Elaan, especially right now. Steely, strong, determination etched on every pore of her face. “And if you help us, he’s going to know it was you? Do you want to come with us? Head back to your father, even.”
She shook her head. “I need to stay away from my father.”
He wouldn’t usually pry, but this was the most open she’d been with him, and he wanted to find out more. “Why not? Josh said your father missed you. I know he’d be happy to see you.”
“I’d be happy to see him, too,” she said. “But I can’t. And I can’t explain why.”
Lijah nodded, and looked around the room, suddenly feeling trapped like a rat. He’d never felt that way at the other SPU. But with this one, he did. “Are you sure I shouldn’t hide or something, just go off-grid somewhere so he thinks I’m gone. Then, we can work on a plan to get my mother out.”
She shook her head. “If you think he’s punishing her by putting you back into the quarantine cell, what do you think he’ll do to her if you’re gone?”
Good question. Alex was definitely controlling and manipulative. But was he physically violent? His mother had given him no indication that was the case, but he felt Alex could be the type to totter on the edge. “Natalie, I appreciate the heads-up, but I don’t want to sit around and wait for Alex to come for me. Surely, there’s a better way. And I don’t really trust Alex. If he’d send me back to that room, what’s to stop him from sending me somewhere else?”
Facility One came to mind, but he couldn’t say that to Natalie. She had no idea he was wanted or why. She was the one person here who he genuinely liked and thought he’d actually become friends with. He didn’t want her to look at him like he was dangerous.
“He trusts me,” she said. “He talks to me. He’ll tell me if he plans something with you. If he plans to move you, he’ll need my help and I’ll get you out. But I need you to trust me. When Alex comes for you, just go with him. I’ll look after your mother. And I’ll help you both leave. It’s just going to take time to do it right. To do it so it looks like the two of you figured this all out on your own.”
He sighed. This sounded like a bad idea. Sort of like walking into a lion’s den with the promise that a plan for escape would be forthcoming. Only, he couldn’t think of any better options. Trying to leave on his own had the risk of failure, and Alex taking out his ire on Shonda. Though, if he just blindly did what he was told, it meant he’d really be trapped. No free rein. No possibility of finding an exit. He’d be completely reliant on Natalie. And his mother. He didn’t think his mother would leave him to rot. Though, he wasn’t sure he entirely trusted that, either. She’d already let him think she was dead once. And he’d spent much of his life worrying he’d disappoint her, some unformed, unexpressed fear that doing so would result in abandonment. And now, here was her chance to abandon him if he did what Natalie suggested.
“You can trust me,” she said. “I’ll get you both out.”
Trusting others had never been Lijah’s strong suit. He had always been the guy others relied upon. He met her eyes and nodded. “Alright.” Trust. He hoped he wasn’t making a huge mistake.
Chapter 33 - Elaan
The routine had been normal for the past few days, with Elaan trying to fit in with the group. She’d tried to hint to Ki that she needed to bond with her beau, and the girl
seemed to be intrigued that Elaan felt compelled to suggest this, though she couldn’t tell if her roomie was taking the message to heart.
It was two in the afternoon, and the ladies were supposed to be getting free time in their room, but Ms. Pace came and told Elaan she was needed in medical for another vitamin supplement.
Elaan frowned, but realized she didn’t have much choice and was escorted by a soldier to the doctor’s office. It was much the same as before, only this time she waited in the waiting room alone. On the upside, she was called in almost immediately.
On the downside, it was a different doctor. He drew blood and was fairly terse in his interactions. He didn’t mention being a friend of either of her parents, and it appeared he planned to inject her with the shot.
“I don’t want that,” she said, as he drew the syringe near her.
The doctor smiled and said, “It’s just vitamins. You had it last time.”
She wouldn’t admit that she did not, in fact, have it last time, but she hopped down off the table and took a step toward the wall. “I don’t want that,” she said again. “It made me feel funny. I think I’m allergic to it.”
The doctor looked at the syringe in his hand and then set it on the metal tray. “What kind of reaction did you have?”
She tried to think quickly about signs of allergy, things that weren’t normal. “I was short of breath,” she said. “And I got hives.”
“Hives?” He gave her a pointed glare, and his eyes went to her arms, which were covered. “Did you tell anyone?”
She shook her head.
“We’ve never had any reported symptoms like that. I’ll note it in your chart,” he said, going over and picking up a tablet computer. He typed something and then turned back to her. “Let’s try it again today, and this time, you can sit in the waiting room a bit longer. We’ll keep you extra, in case the symptoms show up again.”
“I don’t want it,” she said. “Can you call my dad? He’ll tell you not to do this.”
