The Death Detail (The Securus Trilogy Book 1)

by Anthony Maldonado

  “I’m just glad you think I’m worth saving,” I counter, raising an eyebrow, pretending to be surprised by her decision.

  “Sayda and Hadwin are in the back of the hall waiting for you. I’ll finish here and meet up with you in a minute,” she says calmly.

  Talia addresses the crowd. When she does, the entire hall falls silent, entranced by the eloquence of her voice. With Talia present, they have already forgotten me. I am able to walk through the crowd unnoticed to find Hadwin and Sayda. Talia’s words are not very informative, which is expected since we know very little about the origins and patterns of transmission of the virus. But Talia’s presence and reassurance does more for the people listening than any specific details could. She is a natural leader.

  “Hey, Kagen, you looked like you were going to need a change of underwear before Talia saved you,” Hadwin laughs.

  “Don’t pretend you were never saved by a girl, Hadwin. If Sayda wasn’t here, that bully from when we were little, what was his name? Gerst? He’d probably still be following you around to give you daily wedgies.” Even Sayda laughs at my reminder. I turn back to watch Talia speak. “Sometimes it takes a real man to know when you need to be saved by a strong woman.”

  For a moment, our banter feels like we are back to normal, but that cannot last long. Not with everything that has happened. We cannot hide from the reality we are faced with. If we do not face it, then we cannot change it.

  I survey the crowd of people gathered around Talia. They hang on her every word. In this moment, I understand that we need her. Discovering the truth is not our only mission. If we find anything of significance, we need a way to get the word to the people of Securus. Who would believe the ramblings of three insignificant people over the credibility of Leadership? If we had Talia deliver the message, I cannot imagine it ever being dismissed. Though we need her help, I doubt Hadwin and Sayda will be so eager to enlist it.

  “Big setback today,” I say to the others.

  “Yeah, I hope the lockout doesn’t last long. If it does, whatever is going on out there will be the least of our worries,” Sayda responds.

  “Since we can’t return to that passage any time soon, I think we should concentrate on finding any supply lines. That could give us some answers. Plus you never know, if we find one, maybe it could lead to another route into The Caves.” I doubt another route to the Caves could exist and go unnoticed, but that does not mean we should not check.

  “That’s a start, but I was thinking, what’s our end game? How do we do anything about whatever we find? There are only three of us against all of Leadership,” Hadwin asks.

  “Hadwin’s right. We need a way to prove to everyone else what we find is true. I don’t think our words and a couple of pictures will do it. We need a way to get some real evidence and get everyone to see it,” Sayda adds.

  “I was thinking the same thing,” I tell them. “I have an idea, but you guys aren’t going to like it.”

  They both look at me. Hadwin appears curious while Sayda narrows her eyes in suspicion. She must know where I am going with this.

  “We need a voice. One the people will listen to. One they will trust,” I say.

  “No, Kagen,” Sayda says immediately. “We cannot trust anyone else until we find out more, especially someone from Leadership.”

  “Am I missing something here?” Hadwin asks.

  Sayda remains silent, allowing me to explain myself.

  “Look behind me, Hadwin. Take a good look at the crowd huddled around Talia. She isn’t telling them anything of substance. Yet they hang on every word she says. What better way to get people to listen to us than to have Talia deliver the message?” I ask.

  “I think you’re both right. She would be the perfect person for the job, but how can we trust her? She’s the daughter of Mr. Vaden after all. You don’t get more entrenched in Leadership than that,” Hadwin says.

  “I trust her. She’s already covered for me twice. The second time she specifically knew I was disobeying her father’s restriction. But mostly, I feel it when I look into her eyes. She would do whatever was needed for the good of Securus, even if it was at the expense of Leadership,” I explain.

  “Yeah, I’m sure that’s all you feel when you look into her eyes,” Sayda mumbles, rolling her eyes at me.

  “Look, I’m not saying we should tell her everything now,” I continue, ignoring the look Sayda gives me. “But unless you have a better idea, she’s our best option.”

  “We need to wait until we really know what we’re dealing with. There’s no point in stirring things up unless we have to. When we do tell her what what’s going on, we should leave her father out of it. That part may be too emotional for her to handle at first,” Hadwin says.

  “You’re right, Hadwin,” I say. “We have a lot of work to do first, and really, I’m not yet convinced that Mr. Vaden’s involved, anyway. Aamon, on the other hand, I don’t see any way that he’s not directly involved.”

  “That sniveling little coward,” Sayda hisses.

  “Don’t worry, Sayda, you’ll get your chance,” I reassure her. “What do you guys think, should we tell her anything?”

  “I don’t think we have a better option. I hope you’re right, Kagen,” Hadwin says. “But like I said, we should wait. We need some solid proof.”

  “Well, since I’m outnumbered, I have no choice. But when we do tell her, we only say what we have to in order to get her to help, agreed?” Sayda asks.

  “Agreed,” I answer. “We can start by telling her about Aamon being suspicious. That wouldn’t reveal anything of significance, and maybe she could keep an eye on him.”

  They both agree, though Sayda is not happy with the decision. We turn our attention back to the crowd of people around Talia. She has finished speaking and they are now quietly dispersing. Talia walks toward us with a satisfied grin.

  “Thanks again for saving me,” I tell her as she nears.

  “You’re very welcome, Kagen,” she answers.

  “I don’t know how you do it. People always listen when you speak,” I compliment her.

  “I simply reassured them. They were frightened by the unknown. It’s a natural response,” she explains. “That’s why Leadership sent people out to all the different sectors tonight, to help calm their fears. Lucky for you I was assigned to this hall.”

  “Talia, there’s something we wanted to talk to you about, but we need some privacy first,” I say.

  “Okay, there’s a research storage room nearby, we can go there.” After Talia points us in the direction to go, her forehead wrinkles as she looks at me with curiosity.

  We walk away from the social gathering and down the hallway to an inconspicuous doorway. Talia uses her identification badge to access the room. I have passed this room numerous times and yet, never really noticed it. I wonder how many more like it there are in Securus. The room inside is not large, but it contains a significant amount of equipment. On the numerous shelves are sophisticated electronic devices I am completely unfamiliar with. Hadwin, on the other hand, appears to recognize some of the pieces as he takes stock of the room. We have no way of knowing if this room is monitored, but we are not divulging everything now anyway.

  “Talia, I’m concerned about something, but I don’t have any direct evidence to support it,” I start. Talia waits for me to explain. “Aamon has been acting really suspicious lately, at least more than usual for him. Ever since the night Merrick died, he’s been watching me. He’s up to something, but I don’t know what. I think somehow he got it in his head that I’m a threat to him.”

  “That’s just Aamon. He gets very aggressive when he feels threatened or out of control. I can talk to him about it,” she offers.

  “No, it’s more than that. I think he’s hiding something significant. Please don’t say anything to anyone, especially your father. He made it clear how displeased he would be if I distracted you,” I tell her.

  A look of exasperation show
s on Talia’s face with my last words.

  “I was hoping you could keep an eye out. I don’t want to stir things up unless there’s actually something to it. I’m already in enough trouble as it is,” I say.

  “Okay, I’ll keep this to myself. If anything pertinent comes up, I’ll let you know,” she says. “And Kagen, I’m sorry about how severe they made your punishment. I really tried to convince the others to suspend the Solar Panel detail, but by the time I found out, it had already been announced. Leadership felt they couldn’t change it then, because doing so would send a conflicting message to the people.”

  “Thanks for trying, but I’ll be fine. At least I get the Solar Panel detail done with and won’t have to worry about it later,” I say, forcing myself to maintain a cheerful tone.

  “What’s all this stuff used for anyway?” Hadwin interrupts, pointing to the electronic devices. I had almost forgotten he and Sayda were with us in here since they had both been so quiet.

  “Most of the pieces are either back up research equipment or partial inventions some of the researchers from Leadership have been tinkering with,” Talia answers.

  “Are there more rooms like this,” he asks with a distant look on his face. Knowing him for as long as I have, it is obvious something about this room bothers him.

  “A couple, but not a lot,” she says, now studying him, attempting to read his intentions.

  “I was wondering because there are so many electronic pieces here. I didn’t think we produced enough for this much extra equipment, but it makes sense if some of it is generated by the research team themselves,” he explains.

  “Well, I have a few more things to tend to before my day is over, so I gotta go,” Talia says, urging us out the door.

  “Don’t be a stranger, Talia,” I say as we leave the room.

  “Of course not, especially with your uncanny ability to get into trouble without me,” Talia says as she walks down the hallway with a smile.

  Her smile warms me, making the light sensation in my stomach return. Sayda watches me with a smirk, but says nothing. Hadwin does not seem to notice any of this. His eyes have not moved from the supply room. Sayda notices his odd behavior as well.

  “What is it Haddie?” she asks. I have not heard her use that nickname before.

  Chapter 14

  “I recognized some of the pieces. They came from my department. They’re relatively new, but I don’t recall any recent allotments for Leadership use. Most of our parts are supposed to be building up for the upcoming Solar Panel updates,” he says. “It makes me wonder where else my parts are going.”

  “Well then, we need to figure that out,” I say.

  “I have an idea, but I need to work it out first. I’ll let you know tomorrow if it’ll work,” Sayda says, already heading down the hall to get started.

  “I may be limited on time, depending on what comes into the infirmary over the next couple of days. I’m sure we’ll have an overload of worried people because of the announcement. Watch Sayda so she doesn’t get over excited and get into any trouble,” I tell Hadwin.

  “I’m all over her. I mean, I’m all over it,” Hadwin says with a chuckle.

  We both scatter to our own quarters for the night. It was good to see Talia doing well and without any signs of infection. I find my bunk and quickly fall asleep, knowing I need my rest for tomorrow at work. We never have a shortage of patients after an announcement like today’s.

  The next morning at breakfast, the tighter rationing of resources is already evident. I sit with Arluin and our mother, laboring to stomach the artificial gruel with the limited water we are given. Today our plates contain no natural food, only synthetic substitutes. Hopefully this does not last long.

  “You looked in better spirits last night,” Arluin says. “What were you up to?”

  “Nothing, I was just talking with Hadwin and Sayda. They aren’t avoiding me anymore,” I answer.

  “Abira was looking for you. Did you see her?” my mother asks hopefully. She has been getting more persistent lately.

  “No, I didn’t, but I’m sure she’ll catch up to me later.” I finish my breakfast quickly, wanting to get to the infirmary to see how the night went. When I arrive, Kesia already waits for me in my exam room.

  “Do you ever get used to the decontamination chamber?” she asks. “I felt nauseated just walking past it this morning.”

  “Not really. I hate that thing too, but it’s a necessary evil,” I say. “Let’s find Rana and see what we missed last night.”

  We hear Rana and Jace talking about a prior patient when we near her exam room. Not wanting to interrupt, we wait quietly at the door for a break in their discussion.

  “Don’t be afraid to come in,” Rana says.

  “How was the night?” I ask as we enter the room.

  “One more case, the other two are stable,” Rana says. “I do expect a busy day today though.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. We’re going to check with Adara and then get ready. We’ll let you know if we need help,” I tell her.

  Kesia and I leave the appointment area to go find Adara. She is busy with the three ill patients in the intensive care unit. The two men from before, Delvin and Grant, look about the same as they did yesterday. This is encouraging since they are not declining as quickly as the others did. The new patient is a woman who is completely unfamiliar to me. I almost feel glad the patient is not someone I have crossed paths with, but the thought immediately causes me to feel guilty. I do not wish this illness on anyone. But my constant connection with the other patients was getting disturbing.

  “Hi, Adara, any progress in our patients’ condition?” I ask, hoping for some good news.

  “Unfortunately, not. Delvin’s holding steady. But the labs for Grant are concerning, though you couldn’t tell by looking at him now. Our new patient, Sonela, already shows troubling signs of her infection worsening,” she answers.

  “Well, let us know if you need any help. We’ll be close by,” I tell her as we exit the room.

  While preparing for the day, I show Kesia the important equipment and supply checks she will be responsible for while working with me. As we talk, I remember something that has been bothering me.

  “Kesia, can I ask you a personal question? I wouldn’t be offended if you declined,” I ask.

  “Sure, ask away,” she says without hesitation.

  “Does your family come from Leadership? I had the feeling when we first met that you did, but you don’t have the Leadership marker on your uniform,” I ask her.

  “Well, yes and no,” she answers sheepishly. “I didn’t think anyone remembered since it’s been so long.”

  “I don’t remember anything. It was only a feeling,” I say. “What do you mean by yes and no?”

  “We used to be, but not anymore. Long ago, before I can even remember, my father was invited to the Detention Center by Leadership. He never talks to us about what he did or about his time in there. Ever since then, we’ve been stripped of all the privileges of Leadership. So, yes we were in Leadership, but now our status has been revoked. I guess that’s always been one of the things motivating me. I feel like if I work hard enough, maybe I can restore my family’s good name and standing in Leadership.” Kesia looks down at her feet, letting out a faint sigh as she finishes explaining.

  I feel bad for bringing the painful memory up, but there was no way of knowing her circumstances. The reminder of her situation strips the enthusiasm from her. She must have felt obligated to tell me, though I am sure she would rather avoid the subject entirely.

  “I understand. I don’t like to talk about it either, but my father also spent time in the Detention Center. After that, he was never the same. The stigma and emotional toll it takes on everyone is difficult to bear, but not impossible,” I tell her with a hand on her shoulder.

  She turns to me with surprise. Most people do not know about my father except those old enough to have first-hand kno
wledge. With our limited physical space, Securus does not afford a lot of privacy, so most information and rumors are spread quickly. But some subjects, such as the Detention Center, are avoided in conversation. Certain things are too taboo for idle gossip.

  Before we say another word, the patient chime goes off twice in succession. The flow of patients has begun. Not long after, the waiting area becomes full. For the most part, we examine waves of frightened people with no significant symptoms. Yet each one of them is convinced they have contracted the new disease.

  The subtle intricacies of the Healers craft are often considered somewhat of an art form. Convincing worried people they do not have a life threatening disease is definitely one of the more complex aspects of it. The day is hectic, but each case brings good lessons for Kesia.

  Luckily, the flow of patients begins to slow as we near lunch time. This is another sign indicating most are not as ill as they fear. I dismiss Kesia and go to check on Adara before heading to lunch, hoping the detour will give me enough time to avoid Kesia following me. It turns out Adara was right about Grant’s condition. He passed halfway through the morning. With each death, it becomes increasingly clear that anyone who becomes infected faces a grim prognosis. Enough time has passed, so I go through the decontamination process and emerge from the infirmary only to find Kesia waiting for me. Apparently, time alone is not a privilege I will be afforded today.

  We arrive at the lunch hall and gather our food. The meal consists of the same artificial sludge we had for breakfast accompanied by another miniscule portion of water. Hadwin and Sayda are already seated, so we join them.

  “Hadwin, Sayda, this is Kesia, my new understudy,” I introduce them as we sit.

  “What did she do to deserve that kind of punishment?” Hadwin exclaims with an exaggerated empathy for her.

  “It’s a good thing they assigned two new understudies early because we need the help with everything going on now,” I say, ignoring Hadwin’s joke.

  While we are eating, I notice Jace on the far side of the hall, sitting alone. Rana must have dismissed him early.