The Bleeding Crowd

by Jessica Dall

  “None taken.”

  Silence fell over the group. Dahlia tried to force a smile, but it felt weak. “Were you the one to take me to the hospital?”

  Heather shook her head. “That was all Ben.”

  Dahlia frowned and turned to face him. “You brought me to the hospital?”

  He looked away from her. “As far as the edge of town. Some woman found you on the side of the road and got a stretcher.”

  “Why didn’t you let Heather or Des...?” Dahlia began as she studied his face in profile. “You could have been killed, Ben. They could at least have been relatively safe going down there.”

  He didn’t respond.

  Heather spoke. “When you got sick, he went—”

  “Insane,” Des supplied.

  “Well,” Dahlia cut off whatever retort Ben was formulating, “thank you to anyone who got me there. I probably would have died without professional care.”

  “But you’re okay now, right?” Abel looked at her.

  “I’m not a hundred percent, but...”

  “Not one hundred percent?” Ben spoke again.

  “I almost died.” Dahlia crossed her arms. “I think the fact that I get worn out a little easier than I used to is completely justified.”

  “All the more reason you should have stayed in town,” Ben said.

  “They would have figured out who I was,” she said sharply. “They would have figured out who I was, and then I would have been locked up until I either sold all of you out or until they killed me, neither situation I’d particularly relish.”

  “So you’d prefer to end up getting yourself killed by sitting out in the middle of a damp forest.”

  “The bacterium is gone,” she said. “Killed. I was on enough antibiotics to make me literally nauseous. I’m not going to relapse.”

  “You don’t know that,” he said.

  “I’m a doctor, Ben. I’m a little more qualified than you are in knowing what’s dangerous for me.”

  “You didn’t know you were sick to start with.”

  “I did.” The words spilled out now. “I just misdiagnosed. Diagnosed it in a way that any other doctor with the same diagnostic tools as I had would have done.”

  “I’m not going to be responsible for your death, Lia!”

  Silence fell, the statement hanging out in the air long enough that it left a tangible tension among the group.

  Dahlia released a breath and spoke just loud enough for him to hear. “Did you drag me out here, Ben?”

  He sighed. “Dahlia...”

  “No, Ben.” Her voice grew stronger. “I’m here because I chose to be. You aren’t responsible for me or any one of my actions.”

  “You’re here because of me.”

  “I’m here because I was asked to help, and I chose to help.”

  He shook his head. “You’re going home.”

  “What home is that, Ben?” She threw her hands up. “I told you. I’ve been telling you. I can’t ‘go home.’ I’m as transient as any of you. I made my choice, and that’s that.”

  Heather sent a look to Des and they shepherded the others away in silence.

  Dahlia released a weak laugh and avoided looking at him. “It seems they thought we needed our privacy.”

  Ben compressed his lips. “You aren’t coming with us.”

  “I’m sorry.” She sighed. “I didn’t know you had final say over where I walked.”

  “For once in your life will you stop being so goddamn headstrong and listen to me?”

  “I will when you start listening to me,” she responded.

  “I do listen to you.”

  “You haven’t heard a word that’s come out of my mouth this entire time. Ever perhaps.”

  “You almost died,” he persisted.

  “So have you. Many times.”

  “I can’t...” He released a breath. “I can’t let something happen to you, Dahlia.”

  “Life’s a crapshoot at best, Ben. What are you going to do? Wrap me up and keep me on a shelf?”

  Ben crossed his arms. “If it works.”

  “I’m not a child. I don’t need you to shelter me from life.”

  “You’ve been living in a bubble, Lia.” He motioned somewhere off towards civilization. “Those towns? Those buildings? Those aren’t real. They’re a world that has been built to make you think the world is perfect. Orderly. It’s not. People get hurt. People hurt each other. People die, people kill. You don’t know what’s involved.”

  “If I don’t, it’s because you haven’t told me. I’ve been living out here a month waiting for you. I know life isn’t perfect.”

  “This isn’t your fault. You don’t belong here.”

  “You’re the one who asked me to help in the first place, if you don’t remember.”

  He clenched his jaw. “Only because I didn’t want to leave you.”

  “And now?”

  He remained silent for a moment. “I’d rather you be alive at the end of this than...”

  “Than...?” she prompted.

  “We’re more than likely all going to end up dead by the time this is over, Dahlia. We have nothing else to lose. You have a place to go. You can get out now. Say we kidnapped you, throw us under the bus. Just go home.”

  “I wasn’t kidnapped.”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Dahlia...”

  “I wasn’t kidnapped,” she insisted. “I’m won’t say I was.”

  He didn’t move.

  She sighed and walked towards him. “Ben...”

  He still didn’t move.

  She touched his face lightly. “Do something for me?”

  He wouldn’t look at her.

  “Stop trying to be so noble.”

  He arms flexed, but he didn’t touch her. “Dahlia.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” She looked at him, even if he wouldn’t look back.

  “Please,” he cajoled, his voice wavering.

  She looked at him, running her hands down his neck and shoulders. “Kiss me, Ben?”

  His entire body tensed.

  “Please?” She left her hands there, unsure what to do with them.

  “No,” he said in barely more than a whisper.

  She stiffened and eased her hands away. “No?”

  He stepped away from her and swallowed. “Go home, Dahlia.”

  She opened her mouth and then shut it again. Her face set. “No.”

  He closed his eyes. “Dahlia—”

  “No,” she cut him off. “I’m just as capable as you of saying that word, and no matter how many times you say my name, I’m not going to change that answer. I’m not going anywhere.”

  He exhaled and looked at her. “Well, you aren’t coming with us.”

  “You think it’s safer for me to sit alone in a forest?”

  “Honestly, yes.”

  She inhaled and pulled herself up to her full height before turning towards where the others had gone. “Too bad you don’t have any say about whether or not I go with you.”

  “Dahlia!”

  Walking backwards, she faced him. “If you want someone to respond to a command like that, I’d recommend getting a dog.”

  “Try to understand—”

  “I understand perfectly,” she snapped.

  “No you don’t.”

  “Well, try me,” she said.

  He paused and shook his head. “We should find the others. It’ll be dark soon.”

  “I’ve had plenty of nights out here.”

  He walked towards the trees.

  She paused and called after him, “Ben.”

  He didn’t respond.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “You’re a fucking idiot.” Heather stood over Ben staring down at him.

  Ben dropped his head back to see her, looking at her. “Excuse me?”

  “Do you like upsetting her?” Heather crossed her arms. “She’s been crying most of the evening. I got her to fall asleep at last.�
�

  “Didn’t know she needed to be put down for naptime.” Ben rubbed one hand over his face.

  “She’s given up just as much as anyone else to be here. More than most. All she was asking for was some acknowledgement that you appreciate that. That you wanted her to be here. You couldn’t even give her that?”

  “She needs to go home.” He looked back at the knife he was sharpening.

  “Jesus Christ, it’s like talking to a chimp.” Heather snorted. “You don’t listen. She doesn’t have one, thanks to you.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Ben snapped, turning to Heather.

  “Go talk to her. Say you are glad she wants to help. Tell her you love her for god’s sake.”

  Ben shook his head. “Stay out of my business, Heather.”

  “If you keep making her cry like that I swear to god I’m going to stab you in your sleep, Ben.”

  “Jesus, Heather, you just met the girl a month ago. Don’t you think that sounds a little over protective?”

  “She’s my little sister, and I just spent three goddamn hours trying to get her to some other place than sobbing or catatonic.”

  Ben stood. “All right, all right. I’m up. Go back to your wife.”

  Heather crossed her arms watching him move across the camp.

  * * * *

  “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  Jack’s voice made Dahlia stop short. “It’s okay,” she responded, hidden behind the tent they had set up for her. “It’s just been a long, long...long day.”

  “Because of B—?”

  “Please don’t,” she cut him off. “I can’t stand one more goddamn conversation about that man.”

  “Well, you know he’s an idiot.”

  “You know him that well?”

  “Even if I didn’t, anyone who’d want to hurt you like this is an idiot.”

  “I don’t think he...” She stopped and glared. “You know what? This conversation needs to stop now.”

  “Sorry,” Jack responded. “What do you want to talk about then?”

  She yawned. “I don’t know. Did you have a hard time getting here?”

  “We were moving slower than I would have liked, but what can you do? I’m glad you didn’t have to walk here though. You’re still pale.”

  “Well, I just haven’t been eating well the past couple days.”

  “Do you need me to get you something?”

  “No, it’s okay,” she said. “I got a lot of sleep the last few weeks...well, at least until the rain moved in.”

  “Yeah, we got the tail end of that storm,” Jack said. “We all pushed ourselves in one of the tents. It was tight quarters to say the least.”

  Dahlia nodded. “Well, you made it. We’re not too far from town. I walked a couple hours, but I was moving slowly, so it’s not that far.”

  “That’s what Des said.”

  “Do we know what our plan is? I mean, we’re here. Now what?”

  “Now we find Patience,” Jack said.

  “How, exactly?”

  He shrugged that off.

  “That doesn’t sound like a good plan,” she said.

  He nodded in agreement and grinned. “Probably not.”

  “We might want to work on that before actually attempting anything.”

  “Well.” Jack considered a moment. “You, Des, and Heather are definitely assets. You can move around without too much danger. I bet if we dressed Jacob up right he could pass for a girl.”

  “That’ll get us as far as town, but won’t get us into government headquarters. I don’t have any of the keycards left, and they would have probably only worked in Palmerston.”

  “Heather has yours.”

  Dahlia scoffed. “I try to swipe in anywhere and all sorts of red flags will go up.”

  “Des said there’d be tunnels. We can find the nearest camp and see if there are any other guards who are sympathetic to our cause—”

  “I’m not a fan of ‘ifs’,” she said.

  “Well, we don’t have much more to go on.”

  “We have a chance, if not much else. I suppose that’ll have to do us.”

  “We’ll take care of you, you know,” Jack said. “You’re one of us. We’re all in this together.”

  “‘This’ might end up being a grave.”

  “Don’t be like that”

  “If I hadn’t developed a morbid sense of humor, I wouldn’t be able to deal with this at all,” Dahlia said.

  Jack gave her tight smile. “If it ends up that way, with us heading for a mass grave, Dahlia, I promise I’ll do my best to get you out of here.”

  “If it’s going that way, I might as well not prolong the inevitable. I don’t have anywhere else to go. I lose you guys and I’m back to living alone in the forest until they catch me or something out here kills me. A quick death might be preferable.”

  “We’ll get through this. We’re all here for a reason, right?”

  “There’s always a reason,” she said. “For everything. The reason just might be completely obscure and irrational.”

  “And yours was—”

  “Don’t you dare,” she snapped.

  “Wasn’t going to say anything.” Jack grinned as if to reassure her. “Well, whatever brought you here, we’re all very grateful. We needed a doctor.”

  “Abel’s showing a real aptitude for medicine,” Dahlia said. “Heather’s taught him some stuff. If we manage by some stroke of fate to make it through this, I think I might take him on as a student. You know, an apprenticeship of sorts.”

  “You’d take on a man as an apprentice?”

  “Any reason you think I shouldn’t?”

  Jack considered the matter. “He’d be lucky to have you as a teacher.”

  “You’re sweet.” She smiled. “There are better doctors than me.”

  “Don’t sell yourself short.” A long pause followed.

  Outside, Ben considered joining them. Then, Dahlia spoke.

  “Do you want to stay here tonight?” she said. “I could use some company.”

  Ben turned on his heel and left.

  * * * *

  “So we get into the tunnels.” Des drew in the dirt. “Go to the capital–”

  “Assuming the tunnels go to the capital,” Dahlia said.

  “They have to,” Des countered. “They did back—”

  “Is it where the head of government resides?” Dahlia interjected. “If there’s another government pavilion or...”

  “We’ll know soon enough,” Des snapped.

  “I know,” she said and sighed. “When Heather gets back, but there’s no use in planning anything until we know...”

  “Hear that?” Des straightened.

  “You know I hear jack squat out here.” Dahlia shook her head

  “Need to work on that.” Jack smiled, coming around the trees.

  She smiled in greeting and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Where are the others?” Des didn’t wait for her to release Jack.

  “They’re just a little behind,” Jack smiled, leaving his arms around Dahlia’s waist.

  She pulled back a little, touching his face. “What happened to your eye?”

  “Snuck up on me,” Ben said as he dropped a bag, making Dahlia jump away. He gave the group a tight smile. “It was a reflex.”

  She looked between him and Jack before realization hit her. “You hit him?”

  “Not on purpose,” Ben said with innocence.

  Jack glared at him.

  “Look at me,” she directed Jack, studying his eye. “It doesn’t look bad. We don’t have any ice or anything to put on it, though.”

  “I’ll be fine.” He nodded before glaring at Ben. “It was a pretty weak hit.”

  “I’m going to put some arnica around the edges.” Dahlia ignored the staring contest going on between the men. “It’ll help it heal faster. Is anyone else hurt?”

  Heather shook her head, standing next to Des. �
��There are five other guards and nine more men. They’re waiting a little ways off. I think they were worried about an ambush.”

  “Of course.” Dahlia shook her head. “It’s a culture of fear around here.”

  “It has to be,” Des said.

  “I didn’t say it wasn’t justified,” she answered. “I was just saying it all makes perfect sense.”

  “Why don’t you get them, Ben?” Heather nodded. “It should be enough proof that we aren’t going to attack them.”

  Ben released a breath. “Fine.”

  “I’ll get the other guys.” Dahlia pointed in the opposite direction. “I seriously can’t take any more battle planning. I’m useless at it anyway.”

  “You’re the one that knows what happens in those buildings,” Paul said.

  “Back home, yes.” Dahlia nodded. “Not in New Zealand.”

  “I need food.” Jack slid his arm around Dahlia’s waist. “Why don’t we get the other men and something to eat?”

  Dahlia nodded, smiling at Heather. “Glad you’re home safe. Des was about to go insane if you didn’t get back promptly and in one piece.”

  Heather smiled. “Glad to be back.”

  * * * *

  Dahlia took the ember she had taken in a small pot from the camp and lit a small fire by the pond they had been getting their water from. She set it on some tinder and blew lightly to make it catch.

  “Getting the outdoorsy stuff down, huh?”

  She didn’t so much as turn. “You keep doing this, Ben, and it’s going to become a cliché.”

  He crossed his arms and leaned against a tree. “What are you doing?”

  “Making it so I can boil some water.”

  “Why?”

  “To burn off any possible bacteria in it,” Dahlia said. “I have no desire to reenact past events. Do you?”

  “So if you boil the water you won’t get sick.”

  “It’ll be less likely that I’ll get sick, yes,” she said. “Nothing is ever one hundred percent certain. What do you want?”

  “What makes you think I want something?”

  “You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want something.”

  “Maybe I just want to talk.”

  She turned at last, twisting at the waist to look at him.

  “What?” He frowned at her.