by Kip Nelson
“But we don't have an obligation to meddle in every situation we come across,” Saul said. “This situation doesn't involve us, and we don't have any stake in it. There's only four of us, and from what she said it sounds as though there's a whole army in there. What does she expect us to do? Go in, guns blazing, shooting down all the bad ones? How do we know who they are?”
“He makes a good point,” Luis said. “I mean, I'm all for helping people and trying to do good in the world, but I think there has to be a line. I don't want to put my life on the line when it looks like there's no chance of us getting out alive. I think it's terrible what's going on, but is it really our responsibility? We're not the police.”
“I can't believe you'd say that!” Grace said. “How can you stand by and let all those innocent people suffer?”
“I don't like it,” Luis said defensively, “but I'm just trying to be realistic here. Let's say we do go in and we manage to deal with the patients who are in charge, what then? We can't stay there to look after them all or take care of the place. What if it gets attacked again? Are we supposed to stand guard? Are we going to become caretakers of the place?”
“I don't know, but just because we can't stick around doesn't meant we shouldn't help them at all,” Grace said in a small voice.
“That's even if we accept that she's telling the truth,” Saul said.
“You think she's lying now as well?!” Grace exclaimed. “I don't know when you two became so bitter and mistrustful, but I don't like it. Look at her, the poor woman has been through a lot, and you're not even going to give her the benefit of the doubt?”
“All I'm saying is we have to be careful. A lot of people can come up with some fascinating stories and take advantage of kind souls. It's not like you'd be the first. It's certainly an interesting story she gave us, but it could be a trap. For all we know she was one of the patients and she's been sent out to lure people back,” Saul said.
The horrible thing that Mack had to admit was that Saul could be right. So far, Mack had remained quiet while the others had argued. Now they were looking at him to provide some sense of reason. He took a deep breath.
“I think you all have good points, even Saul. For as much as I'm loathe to admit it, we do have to take every possibility into consideration. And Luis, I understand what you're saying that we shouldn't take any undue risks, but ultimately, I think we should be looking to help others where we can, and there are people out there who need help. I'd like to think if we were in the same situation people would help us. I mean, Luis, when we first found you, you were being held captive. Imagine if Grace and I had thought it was too much of a risk to rescue you?” Luis was suitably chastened by Mack's words.
“I think we should help them, but we need more information first. We're must talk to Miranda again, and every step of the way we must be careful. If we get the hint that something fishy is going on, then we'll figure out a way to get out of it. Is that good with everybody?” He looked around at the others. Grace was eager to agree, Luis relented, too, and Saul begrudgingly nodded. They walked back to Miranda, and when Mack informed her they had agreed to help her, she was delighted and thanked them profusely.
“But we need more information first,” he added.
“Like what?” she said.
“Like, how many there are? What you expect us to actually do? I mean, have you thought of a plan or anything like that? And who is leading these patients? Or is there more than one leader?”
“I haven't thought of a plan. My mind doesn't work that way, I'm afraid, and ever since I escaped I've been too busy trying to hold onto my sanity to think clearly,” she said, chewing her bottom lip nervously.
“As for the one in charge, well, there are a few dangerous patients, but the one who started this all off is the worst of all. It was actually a toss-up whether he would be taken to the prison or the asylum. The chief of staff at the institution wanted to take him in to serve as an example, to show there was a way to treat and rehabilitate the criminally insane. His intentions were good, but he was too proud, too arrogant. He didn't know what he really was dealing with...”
“Who was he?”
“His name is Ethan Montney and he was in for multiple counts of murder and assault. He was a devious man, and had the cops chasing him for years before they managed to get any leads. It was a high-profile thing around the area, and when Gary got wind of it he thought it would be a good way to get the institute, and himself, on the map. You see, Gary didn't really see his future at Archer. He wanted to live the glamorous life and felt he only was paying his dues. He never really saw the patients as people, only as cases that could help his career. Everyone urged him not to push through the paperwork to transfer Ethan over, but he didn't listen. He just thought we all were jealous because we'd never be as famous as he was going to be.
From that moment, I could tell he was in trouble. He underestimated Ethan badly, thought he was the same as so many other people he had treated over the years, but Ethan was different. In my line of work, you tend to have a good feel for people, like whether they're bad or good inside. Some people don't get a choice. Their biochemistry or their upbringing force them down one particular path. But other people, such as Ethan, they seem to relish it, like they're put on Earth to do the devil's work.”
“Strange to hear a woman of science speak of the devil,” Saul said. Miranda seemed to catch herself.
“Faith and science are not as far apart as one might think,” she said, and carried on talking, not catching the pointed glance exchanged between Mack and Saul.
“Anyway, Ethan and Gary had a number of one-on-one sessions and Gary thought he was making a lot of progress. He went so far as to say he thought one day Ethan would be able to walk the streets as a healthy member of society. From the way Ethan behaved, Gary won over some of the doubters, but I never was convinced, and then one day it all blew up. You see, Gary had told Ethan that if he did show progress then he might be allowed to have some fresh air. Really Gary just wanted this for the photo opportunities, but the pressure on him was too great and there was no way he was going to get clearance from the board. When he told Ethan, well, it turned out Ethan had been acting the whole time and trying to keep a lid on his more psychopathic tendencies.
“When he heard this disappointing news, he started attacking Gary and it took three orderlies to get him off. They hauled him down to solitary and put him in a straitjacket, and that was it. Gary washed his hands of him and said Ethan was beyond help. I thought it was so callous of him to just discard Ethan like that after he had gone to so much trouble to get him into the institute. He just thought he could leave Ethan there to rot.
“Some of the other patients let him out and Ethan took control, and made it his mission to get revenge on Gary for throwing him into solitary. But it wasn't just Gary he wanted revenge on, it was all of us. He shouldn't have been in the institution in the first place, he should have been in the prison, but now he's out and he can do anything he wants.” Desperation and terror appeared on her face as she told the group these things, and she wrapped the blanket a little more tightly around her shoulders.
“Are you sure you're going to be okay going back to this place?” Grace asked.
Miranda nodded. “I have to, I have a responsibility to these people, not just to the patients, but to my colleagues as well, and to anyone else who may come to the building. I know it's out of the way, but eventually some people might go there looking for shelter and I don't want them walking into that.”
“Where is the prison in relation to the institute?” Mack asked.
“Oh, I don't know. It wasn't too far away, about a fifteen-minute drive by car, I suppose. Why do you ask?” Miranda said.
“I was just wondering if there was any chance we could go there first and see if there were any guards there that could help us.”
If Miranda's face hadn't already been drained of color it would have turned even paler then. “The prison ha
d the same kind of locking mechanism as the institute...I wouldn't be surprised if something similar happened there,” she said morosely.
Then she held her face in her hands as the overwhelming sorrow of the situation overcame her once again. Grace moved over to her and put her arm around Miranda's shoulders. She looked up hopelessly at Mack, who pressed his lips together and folded his arms across his chest.
“Right then, I think, first things first, we should get to the institute and do a bit of recon about the building, see if we can get some idea of the outline.”
“What about the prison? Are we going to go there and see if anyone needs our help after we're done with the institute?” Saul asked. Mack looked at him with steely eyes.
“If somebody comes and asks us for help then, yes, but I'm not a fool, and despite what you think, I'm not trying to put us in danger at every opportunity.”
“Seems to me like you've got a bit of a hero complex going on,” Saul muttered, turning his face away.
Mack looked at him and then down at Miranda. He didn't want to make another big scene in front of the woman as she had seen enough violence already, and he didn't want to set her on edge. Instead, he grabbed Saul by the arm and dragged him roughly a few strides away from the other three, and spoke in a harsh whisper.
“What the hell is your problem? I'm trying to do my best to get us all through this, but you keep trying to undermine me at every opportunity. I wouldn't mind so much, but you're not coming up with any sound plans on your own. All you seem to want to do is push the rest of the world away, but that's not going to happen. I'm getting tired of repeating myself, but when you joined us I made it clear this lone wolf thing isn't going to work. If you're going to insist on pushing back, then maybe it is better if you go your own way. The only way we're going to make it through is to work together. I just don't understand how you can't see that.”
“I know what this is really about. You were all fine with leading those two and being the one in charge. Then when I came along you weren’t so sure about being top dog anymore. Don't worry, I don't want your job, I just don't much care for the way you order people around like it's your God-given right. We're not in the army, we're just trying to make it, day by day, but you'd have us interfere in anything if it made you feel good. You get off on this kind of thing. I bet you just love the thanks you get. You sound like that doctor she was talking about. It’s a shame there aren't any newspapers anymore to write a story of the great hero Mack, who walked around a wasteland and meddled in other people's business until one day he meddled too much and got himself and his companions killed,” Saul said, stepping forward, invading Mack's personal space.
It wasn't the first time Mack had been threatened by someone like Saul, nor would it be the last. He tried to remember his training and attempted to keep a lid on his emotions, but it was difficult. He, too, was feeling the strain of the apocalypse upon his soul. It wasn't an easy thing to maintain an emotional equilibrium in such a turbulent time, especially not when everyone looked to him to be a compass by which they could guide their own emotional states. He knew Saul was trying to goad him, trying to push him into action that would prove Saul right, but Mack wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.
“You might think you know what you're doing, but you have no idea. I was fine with not going after that patrol, but you wanted to get back at them for your brother and we got captured because of it. We could be in the city right now, but we're not. We're here because we got dragged back through the forest and had to start again. The last time I interfered was when I saw a man being carried along by the river.
I could have not taken the risk of being swept along by the current as well and let him float by, and mourned the loss of life, but I didn't. I went out there and I pulled you back to land. So, don't tell me you're annoyed that I interfere, because if I hadn't then we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. Frankly, I don't give a damn about whatever issues you're having, but you'd better sort them out pretty quickly because I don't need this bullshit hanging around. There's already enough to worry about in this world without you making things difficult.”
Mack didn't even give Saul a chance to reply as he stormed back to the others, hoping he hadn't been too harsh on him. He knew the big man had been dealing with some things ever since they first had met him, but Mack couldn't afford to give him too much leeway, not when it was going to be detrimental to the group's cooperation. When he returned, Luis asked Mack if everything was alright. Mack nodded in reply.
“Miranda, do you think you'll be okay to walk?” he asked. Miranda nodded. She took the blanket from around her shoulders and carefully rose to her feet with Grace’s help.
“Grace, if you could lend her some of your clothes we'll be on our way once you get ready,” Mack added. Grace took Miranda away and handed her some clothes. Soon enough, Miranda was looking a little more human and a little less feral.
“I feel it,” Miranda said when Grace pointed this out.
The group got their packs together in silence and there was tension in the air as Saul returned. Neither Grace nor Luis wanted to raise the subject, however, so silence reigned among them until they were ready to leave.
“You coming?” Mack asked in Saul's direction. He slowly nodded and hung back, taking up the rear. Miranda walked at the front with Mack as they needed her to lead them to the institute.
“I don't really know,” she said fretfully, “it all looks the same to me. I remember I ran from that direction, or was it that one...” she said, tapping a finger to her lips as she looked in two directions.
She was still a little twitchy, and the others tried not to make it plain as they weren't sure if Miranda even was aware they were doing so. Mack still hadn't decided if she was being genuine as he had read many cases where people appeared to be something they were not. He knew they all would have to be on their guard in case the world they were walking into was one of Miranda's own making. After a little while Miranda finally decided which way to go and the others followed, hoping she was correct and that they would not be getting lost in the forest.
“There is another concern we have,” Mack began. Miranda looked at him as they walked. Unfortunately, the group didn't have any spare shoes or boots for her, but they did have socks and she seemed grateful for the slight protection they offered.
“What's that?” Miranda asked.
“It's all well and good, us helping you out with this, but what's going to happen when it's over? We're not going to be able to stay and help protect the institute or take care of the patients. I really hate the thought that these people aren't going to be able to get the help they need.”
“You don't have to worry about that. I'm sure most of the doctors would stay on if they had the chance, I know I would. It's going to be hard because we won't be able to get the medicine they need, but we can at least make sure they're safe and well-fed. The institute has plenty of food, and over the years we've created a bond with our patients. We couldn't abandon them now.”
“Even after they've put you through all this?” Grace asked.
“It's not all the patients who are bad, they're just being bullied by the more dangerous ones. There are still good people in that institute and they shouldn't be forgotten just because it's a challenge to look after them. I know this apocalypse has changed a lot for a lot of people, including yourselves, but it hasn't for me. I'm still a doctor and I still have a responsibility to my patients, one that I'm not going to walk away from.”
“Your attitude is commendable,” Mack said.
“Thank you. I got into this profession to help people and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I walked away now, not when they needed help the most.”
“Seems like the world needs more people with that attitude,” Mack said, and Miranda blushed.
The group walked on for a little while longer until Miranda started recognizing some of the area, and her pace quickened as she realized they were getti
ng close to the institute. Mack glanced at the others to remind them to be on their guard in case this proved to be a trap, and he tried quelling the aching feeling in his gut.
Chapter Eight
The cloak of night began to fall as they approached the institute. The trees gave way to a wide road that stretched out on either side of the institute, and Mack presumed that at least one of these paths led to the city. The moon hung like a lantern in the sky and provided enough light that they didn't need to light a match. That was fortunate as they didn't want to draw any attention to themselves.
“Before you left, did any of the other patients use the opportunity to escape?” Mack asked.
“Probably, but we didn't have a chance to do a headcount,” Miranda said.
“Okay, watch out for anything unusual. I don't want to be taken by surprise,” he said as he glanced around in the darkness, almost expecting something to leap out at them.
The air was cooler and a few errant leaves skipped along the road as the stars twinkled above. Before them stood the institute, a towering old building made of dark gray stone that seemed to glower at them with an air of foreboding. It was one of those old buildings that seemed to have a personality, in this case a strict and scary old man, like Old Man Herman, who lived on Mack's road in an old house with an overgrown garden. No matter how many times Mack's mom told him Herman was just a man, he never believed her. Not when he was so afraid to get his ball that had flown over the fence, not when he saw the crooked, gnarled fingers, the hooked nose, and the beady eyes of a goblin staring back at him.
The building had large iron gates, one of which hung loosely from the hinges.
“They always said they'd fix that, but I guess they'll never get around to it now,” Miranda said.
The name of the institute hung over the gates in an arch. A winding path led up to the wide doorway, which was covered in shadows. Steps led up to it, and pillars stood at either side. Some of the rooms were lit, and occasionally they caught glimpses of shadows moving about the place, but they couldn't see anything clearly. The moonlight bathed the left side of the building in a silver light, and Mack could see vines twisting and creeping up the side of the building, almost as though they were trying to devour it. From the look of the building it didn't seem as though it was very well taken care of, even before the apocalypse.
