by Kip Nelson
Behind her, Grace heard Saul trying to catch up, and in her current state of concentrating on following this mystery person she forgot it was dark and waved him away, not realizing he would not have been able to see the gesture. As it was Saul caught up and she had to whisper to him harshly to quiet down as she didn't want to do anything to scare away whatever was running away from them. She had chased the figure around the fence and down the road a little before it had dived into the forest. Just when Grace thought she had lost him, she saw the eyes blinking at her again. They were in an area where the moonlight broke through the trees, and in the faded light Grace saw a small man in a hunched, defensive posture. It was difficult to make out too many details given the extent of the darkness, but he seemed to be in a state quite similar to that in which they had found Miranda; feral and wild. He also had a childlike expression on his face, and plainly was terrified. Grace knew she had to be delicate, so she spoke gently and clearly, hoping he was able to understand her.
“I'm Grace, and this is Saul. We're not here to hurt you. We'd just like to talk. Is that alright? If we just talk for a little bit?” she asked.
She couldn't be sure because of how dark it was, but she thought she saw a nod, so she kept on talking. “What's your name? And what are you doing out here?”
“I do need help. You know I need help. How did you know? It doesn't matter...and names...names don't matter either. But you are here now and, yes, maybe you can help and maybe...maybe...but maybe not. It still might not be enough...”
“What might not be enough?” Grace asked, but the man in front of them only muttered something unintelligible to himself.
“Did you come from the building?” Grace said after a few moments, not even sure if the man was aware of their presence anymore.
Indeed, he seemed surprised as he looked at her and squinted, and then twitched as she pointed back toward the Archer Institute. Again, there was no luck as he rocked back and forth and his eyes passed furtively across the scene, until his head hung down.
Grace stepped back and turned to face Saul, who rolled his eyes and folded his arms in a defensive manner.
“What do you think we should do? Should we take him back with us? I hate to think of him being out here like this,” she said.
“You're as bad as Mack. Leave him be, I say,” he scowled. Grace was disappointed as she thought she had gotten through to him while they had been chatting.
“We can't be responsible for every wastrel we come across,” he added.
Grace was about to reply when she heard movement behind her and a cry of 'Excelsior!' She spun on her heels to see what was happening, afraid that she had been taken in by a trap. Saul reacted, too, and was ready to defend himself, but what they saw surprised them. The man, who mere moments ago had been curled in a helpless ball on the ground, now was standing up straight with his hands placed firmly on his hips and looking directly at them. No longer did he look like a child.
“Do you need any help?” he asked, as though it was he who had discovered Grace and Saul in the woods and not the other way around.
The two survivors glanced at each other and wondered how they should react, because neither of them were entirely sure what just had happened. Meanwhile, the man repeated his question and looked at them with a curious stare, seemingly unaware of the great change that just had taken place.
“Right,” Saul said dryly, and exhaled deeply as Grace tried to think of what she possibly could say.
Chapter Fourteen
Mack and Luis had made their way into the ward and were enjoying what little comfort they had been given. Outside the heavy doors, they could hear various noises, but it was impossible to tell exactly what was happening. There were eight rooms in the ward. Mack and Luis took the two nearest the door. Both of them were worried about their predicament as well as the people they had left behind. They knew that if morning broke Grace and Saul could well be discovered, and Mack didn't think Gary was the kind of man who appreciated being lied to, even if it was a lie of omission. That is even if he was Gary at all, as Miranda's last look was burned into Mack's mind.
Many thoughts were tossing around in his mind, and even if the bedding had not been lumpy he doubted he would have been able to get any sleep. He tried straining his ears to glean any more information, but it was a futile task. Had being placed in this ward been simply a hospitable gesture from Gary, or was there something more sinister at work? As of yet, Mack hadn't been able to work it out and this troubled him. He wondered if his trained instincts were fading under the stress of the new world. There already had been a few instances when his skills had let him down. The more frequently it occurred the more it worried him, as for most of his career he had relied on these skills. The last thing he needed was a crisis of confidence, not now, not when there were still people who depended on him.
He did not have much of a chance to ruminate on these thoughts, though, as just as they had settled into bed there was a knock on the door and it swung open. The silhouette of a man stood in the doorway.
“Dr. Richardson requests your presence for dinner,” he said.
“What? Now?” Luis said, rubbing his eyes.
“I'm just passing along the message. He doesn't like to be kept waiting,” the guard added bluntly.
Mack and Luis looked at one another and shrugged. Mack pushed himself off the bed and Luis followed suit. They joined the guard, who led them to a dining hall. On the way, Mack attempted to engage the man in conversation.
“It must be hard on you to maintain care over these patients in such stressful times,” he said.
“How are you coping with the changes?” The guard merely grunted in reply, and all of Mack's other questions were met with the same taciturn response.
The guard barely looked them in the eyes. Was this a sign of guilt, pointing to Miranda's story that the patients had taken over the roles of the doctors, or was it merely a sign of the stress they had been placed under, and the exhaustion that they all undoubtedly were suffering from? Mack didn't know, and that was what filled him with anxiety. Still, he took a deep breath and prepared for another encounter with Gary. He knew he would have to have his wits about him if, indeed, it turned out that Miranda had been telling the truth.
Their escort opened some double doors and showed them through, but did not enter the room with them. Mack and Luis followed lanterns to a table in the middle of the dining hall. Like the other rooms, the far walls were cast in shadow. Gary was sitting by himself at the table, but at the sight of Mack and Luis he rose and greeted them warmly.
“I apologize for getting you out of bed so quickly after I had said you should get some rest, but I realized I had made a mistake in my hospitality. I do apologize for my oversight, but you must understand I haven't entertained anyone for a while. You must be so hungry, and I know it's late, but if you're anything like me then you can't sleep on an empty stomach. So we must eat! I know it is not much in the way of anything, but it's better than having your stomach growling all night long, isn't it? Please please, sit down,” he said, and gestured toward the chairs.
Luis waited for Mack to move first before he followed suit. There were plates and cutlery already laid out, along with plastic cups filled with soda. The plates and cutlery were plastic, too, something for which Gary apologized, saying it was for the patients’ safety.
“We do to try giving them a healthy diet, and I apologize that this is leftovers, but, well, it's all I could offer at this time of night,” he said, trying to make light of the situation.
“It's very much appreciated,” Mack said as he took his fork and lifted a mouthful of food, signaling to Gary that it was good, and this seemed to please the head doctor of the institute.
Mack already had noticed the doctor seemed to enjoy the sound of his own voice. So, he was happy to hear him continue as it presented Mack with more information. Yet, it seemed as though Mack not only had been brought there to eat, but also to talk more. Soon Ga
ry was asking him about their plan for the apocalypse.
“Well,” Mack said, wiping the corners of his mouth and taking a sip of soda, “it's pretty loose at the moment. Given what we've been through already, we've both agreed it's not a good idea to stick with one plan. The most important trait we can have is adaptability, but right now we're aiming to get to the city and see what the state of that is. Hopefully, there's an established community there that we can join, and if not, I suppose we'll head out and try finding one elsewhere.”
“I certainly hope people have managed to build safe havens. There are going to be a lot of people seeking them,” Gary said.
“You could make this place one, you have the room,” Luis said.
Gary seemed surprised that Luis finally decided to spoke, but a satisfied smile came upon his face. He enjoyed the act of tilting his head to engage Mack's companion in conversation.
“Perhaps in the future that could be a possibility, but I would worry about welcoming too many people through these doors. I'm not sure it would be good for the patients. They do rely on consistency, and there has already been too much upheaval in their lives recently. Plus, I would be concerned with the ability of anyone else to deal with the patients, as some of them do require…“special handling,” shall we say.”
“And what of your plan?” Mack asked.
“I mean, in the long term,” he added after Gary gave him a puzzled look, for the doctor already had told Mack he intended to continue caring for the patients.
“I would like to stay here for as long as possible since the patients are used to this place. I would not look forward to the idea of escorting all of them through the forest in search of a safe place that may not exist. I know that, at some point, we will have to venture outside for food and water, but we will have to deal with that when we come to it. I agree with you in that we have to be adaptable. I only hope we can prove to be as successful as you have been.”
“Well, perhaps when we make it to the city we can tell whoever is in charge about this place. Then they can send out some more supplies, or perhaps even some trained people to help, if there are any,” Mack said.
“We can but hope,” Gary said, and watched with muted delight as his guests enjoyed their food.
“I think it's very noble of you to be so concerned with the patients. I can imagine that there would be many people who would be willing to leave them to fend for themselves.”
“I took an oath a long time ago, and I will see that through until I die, and that is true for every member of my staff. I wanted to be a doctor ever since I was very young and that need to care for people has not changed. Besides, over the years here many of these patients have started to become family, and if there's one thing I've learned it's that you never should abandon family. Many of these people already have been abandoned by the ones who were supposed to love them. They saw this place as a dumping ground, and I will not be the same as them,” Gary said. His voice had a sharp edge of anger to it, one that did not go unnoticed by Mack.
“I apologize again. I get very passionate about my work,” Gary corrected.
“I can see that, and it seems the people here are in good hands. I was wondering if I could meet a few of them?” Mack asked as he finished the last bit of food on his plate. Gary seemed taken aback by the question.
“I'm sure that could be arranged, although I do wonder why you would want to. No offense, but this place isn't a zoo and, of course, we have the most dangerous ones sedated.”
“I mean no disrespect. I just would like to meet them. Perhaps it would do them good to see a new face, and if any of them have any questions about the outside world I can help answer them. If any of them have any desire to try escaping I can remind them how dangerous it is out there, and that they're much better off in here.”
This seemed to allay Gary's wariness. He considered Mack's request.
“Of course, you would have to be monitored and they would have to be short visits. I wouldn't want to get them too excited,” he said.
Mack tilted his head back. He figured if anyone was going to tell him the truth it would be the patients, and he still couldn't decide if Gary's reluctance was because he didn't want the truth to come out, or if it was just a doctor being protective of his patients. Still, the three of them soon stood up and walked out of the dining room, down to the floor below. As they entered there were a couple of orderlies on duty.
“Are you sure we won't be waking them?” Mack asked.
“No, they keep odd hours, unfortunately. Insomnia is quite common around here. I'm afraid it's not confined to the patients, but it does allow me to get a lot of work done,” Gary said as he led them through to a ward that was almost identical to the one that Mack and Luis had been given.
“Why are they on this floor, instead of the floor we were just on?” Mack asked.
“After what happened we decided it was best to keep a floor just for staff. During the day they are allowed up there to enjoy the common room, and to eat, obviously, but we didn't want any of them wandering around at night and doing something they shouldn't,” Gary explained.
Then he gestured to Mack that he was free to go around and talk to the patients. There were five people in the room and they all seemed harmless. Gary walked around with Mack and introduced him to the patients, one by one, and most of them refused to make eye contact.
Mack tried engaging them in conversation, although he couldn't really ask them what he wanted as Gary was lurking close by. Again, Mack was not sure if this was the act of a suspicious man, not wanting his lies to be betrayed, or simply a concerned doctor. Mack asked them if they felt as though they belonged in the institute and tried to probe for information, but most of them were either unresponsive or offered nothing but gibberish in reply. The only one to offer anything substantial was a man who answered in the negative. That instantly caught Mack's attention and he swore he felt Gary stiffen beside him. Mack's heart began racing as he thought the truth finally was going to be revealed. If it was, then he and Luis would have a fight on their hands, but the tension soon evaporated when the patient claimed he was a time traveler locked in that body. When Mack didn't respond in the manner that he wanted, the patient became aggressive and the visitors were ushered away.
“As you can see, it is difficult sometimes, and I'd suggest you have as little contact with them as possible,” Gary said.
“Now then, I'm sorry for keeping you up so late, but I'm sure you feel better now that you've had some food in you. I'll leave you to rest now and see you in the morning.”
Once again, Mack and Luis were left with much on their minds as they returned to the ward and their beds. But were they free to leave whenever they pleased or had they wandered into a makeshift prison?
Chapter Fifteen
Outside, Saul and Grace were staring in astonishment at the man standing before them. Previously, he had been a cowering sort, scared and hunched on the ground with nothing to offer except blubbering whimpers. Now, however, he was the one offering help to them, standing tall and proud with a straight back and broad shoulders, no trace of the other identity within him. It struck Grace how amazing it was that he seemed transformed into a completely different person through just his body language and posture. Both Saul and Grace were speechless because they were so struck by the person standing before them, leaving the man to repeat his question.
“Do you need any help?” he said again, earnestly.
Grace and Saul glanced at each other, and while she wasn't exactly sure what to do in these types of situations, she decided to play along.
“Actually, yes, but first can you tell me who you are?”
“I'm Captain Avenger,” the man replied, “and you said your names are Grace and Saul,” indicating that he shared the memories of the previous personality.
“That's right, er, are you sure you can help us?”
“I help wherever I can, that's what it means to be a superhero, after all,” he boa
sted, and then seemed to take notice of the puzzled looks on their faces.
“Ah, I see you must have just met Billy. Unfortunately, we are very different sides of the same coin. It’s fortunate for you that I arrived.”
“Well, yes,” Grace said, “we were actually in the process of offering him help. He seemed frightened. I only can imagine that it's about what happened at the institute. Are you...aware of that place and what happened?” she asked tentatively.
A shadow came over Captain Avenger’s face and he cast his glance over Grace's shoulder in the direction of the building. “It was terrible. I tried helping, but there are times when I can't get through. Billy holds me back. He always has, but I can't fight him. I need him, just like night needs day. The doctors in there, they didn't seem to understand. They only wanted to speak to Billy. They never listened to me, but even they didn't deserve what happened to them.”
“What happened?” Grace asked.
“The lights all went out and the doors opened. There was yelling and so much confusion. Billy was there at the time, and I wanted to help, but he was in charge. I heard the doctors screaming, yelling at the patients to stay in their rooms. Billy walked up to the door, peered out and saw that only a few people were being obedient. Most weren't, and this time it was the doctors who were scared. I saw Ethan march through and it was clear he was a powerful villain and had rallied allies to his cause. The staff didn't stand a chance. It fills me with great shame to know that when I was needed the most, I wasn't able to help, because when he got a chance Billy ran out here. The last thing I remember is Ethan was shouting about making all the doctors into patients. What do you know of it? I don't recognize you from the institute.”
Grace's face fell as she heard this man's version of events. It meant there was no doubt to Miranda's story, and that Mack and Luis were most likely in a dangerous situation.
