Whisper Gatherers

by Nicola McDonagh

  “I don’t like blood,” Greatgrangran said. “Let me know when he’s bandaged up. I’m going back to my game.” She turned and ambled back to Santy’s resting room.

  “You’re right, we need to deal with Dreng. Go fetch the medikit from the cleansing area.”

  “Will do.”

  I went all quickly into the cleansingplace and opened the cupboard. In between reddy sponges and hairwash, were lots of Santy’s old Backpacker med supplies. I took out several swabs, packets of some kind of pain relief, various small objects, scissors, pincers, a wad of softwool and went back. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Yes, help me take off his jacket so that we might see where he is injured.”

  Santy carefully lifted Dreng’s shoulders a bit so that I could pull his sleeves. He gave out a moan, fluttered his eyelids and stared at me. “Ye are undressing me?”

  “What? Well, in a manner of speaking,” I said, then went redder than a ripe tomtom.

  “Glad you have awoken. We need to get at your injuries. Try not to tease Addy so.”

  He winked at me and through many sucks of air that ended in, “Ow, ouch, by the Greenman himself!” Dreng wriggled out of his slashed and dirty jacket.

  A trickle of blood spread around his waist. “You are oozing from the side I think.”

  He looked down and unbuttoned his shirt. This time Santy Breanna’s cheeks tinged pink. I guess Dreng noticed because he too, despite his pallor, went a bright shade of red. The comphone buzzed loudly, thus ending their embarrassment. Santy coughed and stood. “I’d better get that, might be urgent. Addy, tend to his wounds,” she said and left.

  Smiling all false-like, I pulled apart his now blood-soaked under tunic. “Yeuk and then some. You have a jaggedy gash for sure. I think some of those vile Agro metal bits are lodged within.”

  He winced when I touched the wound. “Ye have the skill to remove them?”

  I scratched my noggin and was about to say, “Dunno, maybe, sort of,” when Santy strode in.

  “That was the mayor.”

  “He says what?”

  “That we are to stay put until the all clear is sounded. There is no way of knowing whether or not more Agros are coming.”

  “If they do come, I’ll defend ye and yers, do nay fear,” Dreng said trying to stand. He did not get very far and slumped back down with a splatter of blood. Santy frowned.

  “He has stuff lodged in the injury that must come out,” I said.

  “Go ahead. Get rid. I’ll hand you the wipes.”

  “What? Me?”

  “If you are to become a S.A.N.T. you must learn much about how to treat ailments, dress wounds and the like. We have done work on this, have we not?”

  “Yep, but that was make believe, this is not.”

  “All practice on the virtual puppets is of use. I’m sure you know what to do before delving into the real harm.”

  Dreng stiffened. “Erm, Breanna, perhaps it may be more prudent for ye to…”

  “Nonsense. I have every faith in Addy. She is a good pupil and has steady hands. Are you afraid to let her try?”

  He squinted then stuck out his chin. “Afraid? Nay. Go to it lassie.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Aye. Be quick.”

  I gulped and looked to Santy. “You have to start somewhere. I shall assist.”

  “Right, I’ll do it, but if I barf you’ll have to clean it up.”

  She grinned.

  I rummaged around the stuff I had brought in. I picked up a pair of tinytongs and blinked. Santy squirted some Sterispray on the wound. With a swift wipe from a cleansing swab, I delved in. With shaky fingers, I probed, gouged and yanked at the objects wedged in Dreng’s flesh. He yelped now again, but remained as still as he could. Through half-closed eyes and retching most severely, I pulled out eight sharp objects. The blood came out fast. Santy handed me some bungs and I quelled the flow as best I could.

  “All gone?”

  I peered into the large slash on Dreng’s waist.

  “Yep.”

  “Be certain. For if even a tiny sliver of that Agro weaponry is left behind, then a most severe infection will ensue.”

  Puffing out my cheeks, I took in a deep breath, so did Dreng. With shaking fingers, I parted the wound. His muscles went into spasm. I quickly grabbed the lightfibre torch Santy held out. Swallowing hard, I searched the grizzly opening for signs of metal and the like. “All clean.”

  Dreng relaxed. Santy gave me the softwool, bandages and tape.

  “You will have to hold the pad in place so that I can secure it,” I said.

  Santy held the swab against Dreng’s flesh with such tenderness that I almost blushed for them both. Ridding my skull of the picture of Santy and Dreng in a pash, I pressed Stickystrips all round the dressing, then indicated for Dreng to sit up a little so that I could wind the bandage around his middle. When I was done, I sat back on my knees and whistled through my teeth.

  “Ye will make a good S.A.N.T. Adara, ye are brave and resourceful.”

  “Thanks to Santy Breanna.”

  Dreng sat upright. “Shame my tunic is of no use.”

  Santy narrowed her eyes. “Here, hand it over. I’ll wash and dry it for you in a few secs.”

  He lifted one side of his mouth and said all flirty-like, “Will ye help me undress then?”

  With a raised eyebrow, Santy slowly peeled away his sodden under shirt.

  Yeuk! Both were nearing oldie age and acting like juves. In front of me. I thought best to turn them from their lustful carryings on. “Right, well, I’ll take that. Slam it in the washpod, okay?” I said and grabbed the garment. As I sped into the foodprep room where said appliance was, I asked, “So, did the mayor have any suggestions as to why the Agros have come now?”

  “No one knows for sure. Some think it is to do with you and your gift, whilst others believe it is something concerning the Praisebees.”

  “I was named in front of them.”

  “Ah, do not worry, there is more to this than your whereabouts I think.”

  I threw Dreng’s tunic into the whirlywash. As the thing spun round and round, my thoughts went back to the time I spent with Elijah and Lilith. I remembered some of the things she told me. I went back into the room where Santy and Dreng sat all cosy-like. “The Priasebee notion could be right Santy, for when I was locked away with them, the fem divulged that they had been plotting an attack on Cityplace for some time. Yet the way they live would suggest to me that they would not have the means to procure the bombs they used upon us.”

  “But Agros do have such weaponry. Adara, ye have been of use again,” Dreng said and for some reason that made me smile.

  “Now, it is time for the injured to rest. Addy, go rouse your bro. Tell him to quit whatever he is doing and come here for some chat. Dreng will take his quarters and sleep until the time for action is upon us.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Waiting For The All Clear

  I plodded to Deogol’s room and tapped on the door. There was nowt in way of response. I tapped again and called his name.

  “Go away.”

  “Santy wants you out so that Dreng can lie down and recover from his injuries.”

  “He is badly hurt?”

  “Not so much, but would benefit from a slumber so his bod can heal a bit.”

  I heard a rapid tip-tapping then the firm closing of a comp lid. A few secs went by then the door opened. My bro stood staring at me with bloodshot eyes. I pointed at his peepholes and he rubbed them. “Too much screen watching. Santy said it would do you harm.”

  “Yep, I know, Greatgrangran went on about the same thing too. Then sat down and stuck her mush into the slab game. Double standards or what?”

  Hmmm. Deogol never used to reason so philosophically before. Normally he wouldn’t care two howlet hoots what any of us did. “Well, she is an oldie after all.”

  “So, she should set an example for me to follow, not the other way
round.” He clenched his hands on saying the words and I became uneasy with his black mood.

  “Calmly Bro.”

  “I am calm. Shall we go?” he said and pushed past me, clutching onto his lapcomp.

  When we arrived in the kinsfolk room, Santy and Dreng were guffawing loudly. On hearing us enter, they changed their mood to serious.

  “Ah, good you have relinquished your sleeping quarters for Dreng to use.”

  Deogol pouted and shrugged.

  “Do you need assistance to get there?”

  “Nay Adara, but many ta’s for asking.” With a great effort, Dreng lifted himself from the cosycouch and walked all-hunched up like to my bro’s resting place.

  “Hungry?”

  “Strangely no.”

  “Strange indeed Adara. Deogol, would you care for some grub?”

  “Not now Santy.” He plonked his behind down on the chair opposite her., opened his comp and tapped upon the keypad. I gave Santy a raised eyebrow look. She shook her head.

  “What preoccupies you so, little Earwig?”

  With a huge sigh, Deogol lifted his gaze from the flickering screen. “Please refrain from calling me that bub’s name.”

  “Apologies. What is it that compels you so to stare into that comp with such intensity?”

  “You would not understand. It is beyond your brawny ways.”

  “Oy, Bro, less lip.”

  He snorted. “It is the truth.”

  “Not the point. Show respect to the one that helped you grow.”

  “I am surrounded by thickies,” he said and returned to whatever he was watching.

  Santy stood. For a moment, I thought she was going to admonish him, but she did not. Instead, she beckoned for me to follow. I did. We went out into the landing are. “Things are looking bleak. The mayor is unable to contact the Agros to discover why they sent in their troops. Folk are scared and there is no info to help quell fears, if they can be quelled.”

  “Another onslaught is inevitable though?” A sigh was the answer to my question. “I do not like being so in the dark. Mebbe there is news without?” I said and made my way to the staircase.

  “Do not venture outside. We do not know what awaits.”

  Sucking in oxy, I raced down the steps. When I arrived at the exit, Santy was already there. “Huffin’ hell, how do you do that?”

  “Run past when you are least expecting it. That is all. A trick of the mind when it is elsewhere occupied. The skill is in knowing the moment, and that comes with practise.”

  I peered over her shoulder to see if there was any movement from friend or foe, but it was moontime. I saw nowt. “I am itchy to know more. It is too quiet. What if we went together?”

  “My thoughts exactly. I too cannot stand to wait for an onslaught, much rather have an inkling when it will begin. Let us be quick.”

  I nodded.

  Santy pressed the open button. A blast of cold air met us as we raced out of the building, not stopping until we reached Centralplaza. I expected it to be full of citizens, but it was not. We slowed and stopped outside the auditorium, where but a few moons ago I was collecting my sham award for finishing classes I paid no heed to.

  It was so still and quiet that I could almost believe that nowt had occurred in the way of turmoil. Normally there was some kind of noise, even if it was just the infoboard giving out the news of the day in a nasal compvoice.

  The only evidence of battle was the bits of torn off clothing, ammo and blood that littered the floor. If it weren’t for the threat of Agro, a purifying team would have swept it clean in a sec or two. I looked to the vidscreen in the centre of the square. For the first time that I was aware of, it was blank.

  “This calmness is most unnatural,” Santy said and strode around the square, cocking her head to listen for any kind of sound. She was not to be disappointed, for all of a sudden-like, there came a huge boom as though the sky had cracked and all the objects that lay beyond it had fallen through the gap, landing with a burst.

  I squatted. Santy raced to where I crouched. Bits of debris fell fast. We had to roll and dodge so as to escape the stone and rubble that near hit us. Smoke billowed around the square then another bang blast sent us staggering backwards. The end of Curfew bell sounded.

  “What the huff? Santy,” I shouted, “what gives? Why ring the bell to bring folk forth when clearly they should not?”

  Santy grabbed my arm. “I have no clue, but can guess that this is yet another Agro raid upon us. I further guess it is they who rang the bell to lure folk out.”

  Sneaky. Still it worked, for I spied through the diminishing mist, Cityfolk and to my amazement, Praisebees, scurrying this way and that. I was about to ask Santy what they were running from, when I saw a few of the Agro army males that had so suddenly appeared then disappeared, rounding up the Praisebees. After shoving them forward towards the city exit, they turned upon the crowd. Santy took my hand. We ran and hid behind the infoboard as the Agro thugs raised their weapons.

  “Down!” came a cry. From the direction of the Decontamination House came the familiar shape of Orva accompanied by some of her City S.A.N.T. guards. Santy showed herself to them. Orva called over, “They have stormed the Decontamination House. Freed the Praisebees. Hide yourself quick.” Her words were lost as the Agro force opened fire.

  They shot round after round of those horrible nail things and many of our folk fell injured. I saw the Praisebees cower behind their guards and put their arms over their heads.

  Nad.

  Something nasty was about to occur. An Agro thug pushed his way through the turmoil and let loose a projectile. It landed on the ground smack in the middle of where everyone lay.

  It quivered.

  We held our breath.

  Nowt came out, just a loud bang.

  Orva and the other S.A.N.T.S. came to a halt. “Move! Now!”

  All stood.

  The Agros and Praisebees ran quicker than quick. Cityfolk backed away from the object that stuck out from the ground like a simple pole. I turned my head in the direction of where the Praisebees and Agro army had fled, but saw nowt.

  The bomb exploded.

  Bods flew into the air, landing hard on the ground. Dust swirled, smoke plumed, yells and screams near deafened me. Before Santy or I could do anything but cough, there came another great bang. The whole place seemed to shudder.

  I lost my footing and Santy had to grab my arm to stop me from falling. Through the haze of chaos, I saw street lamps fall and folk stagger around all befuddled.

  “Get cover! To the Auditorium. Quick!” Orva ran amongst the injured and confused, shouting instructions. The other S.A.N.T.S. did their best to steer folk up the steps. We emerged from our hiding place and went with fleet-foot to the same place.

  Two fems, dressed in bedtime clothes pushed past us and ran shrieking for the steps as another great bang sent chunks of buildings crashing down around us.

  Folk lay strewn around the square. Some were moaning, trying to stand, others lay motionless. I could not help but gulp when I saw a bub crawl from underneath a blood-soaked bod. I raced to the tot, bundled it up in my arms and felt a hand on my shoulder.

  “Addy. Give the kiddle to me, you are injured.”

  A sharp pain in my forearm almost made me drop the bubby. I handed it over to Santy right fast. She took the newbie from my grasp and pushed me towards the Auditorium. I held my hand over the wound to stop the blood that gushed from it and continued up the stairs. At the top, I saw many Cityfolk piling in. We were near squashed in the rush to get through and out of harms way. Eventually, we were able to enter.

  I gasped when I saw the horror inside. It looked more like a Trauma Room than a rec venue. Medics tended to the sick and injured on makeshift beds, which were no more than blankies on the floor. Santy handed the bub to a nursey, then took me to the back of the stage. “How is your injury?”

  I lifted my hand and saw no free flowing blood. “Nowt but a scratch.”<
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  “Things are bad Addy. We must return to Deogol and Greatgrangran.”

  I did not need to be told twice.

  We headed for the exit, giving Orva a friendly wave as we left the relative safety of the building. Stepping over rubble, we raced through the carnage, back to Puritytowers.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Calm Before The Storm

  Once away from the main plaza, the noise and smell of combustibles eased. I did not notice the gash on my left arm until we reached the entrance of our Homeblock. It began to throb. When I looked down, I saw that it was deep, dirty, and had something stuck in it.

  Santy opened the doors. We ran into the hallway. All was calm. Clean as normal. However, our muckiness attracted the dirt sensors. I heard a click and buzz sound as the disinfectant spray nozzles in the ceiling came on. A pitiful amount of cleansing fluid came out and merely dribbled onto the floor.

  “So it begins.”

  “So what begins?”

  “Things going wrong.”

  “Ow.”

  “Your wound is angry, Addy.”

  “Seems so.” I held my arm up so that she could take a peek.

  “Nasty. It needs cleaning out and joining together. Come, there’s enough Medstuff at home for that.”

  We made our way up the stairs slowly, both suffering the effects of our fast pace to reach Puritytowers. My legs ached and my wound hurt badly. I wanted more than anything to be in my own restroom. Santy’s breathing was forced. Another thing I had not noticed in the confusion of escape. Also, her face was bruised on one side, her eye black and swollen.

  “That must hurt.”

  “What?”

  “You have sustained a bruise above your left eye.”

  She touched it and flinched. “That I have.”

  We soon came to our abode. Santy went to swish the door with the cardkey thingy, but it was flung open by Dreng, who stood holding his hand over his face. He removed it revealing a great puffiness and swelling on his right cheek.