Fury Rising (27 page)

              Clementine looked at him. Out of all of them, Mason had suffered the most. He’d been trapped at the Plaza for months; unable to do anything while Leon tortured him for information. Even worse, when he’d had the chance to run, he’d refused, willingly choosing to stay behind to protect Casey.  He’d never once given up any information to Leon. Mason was strong, probably more than all of them combined.

              “Why are you so willing to do this?” she asked.

              “Because Joy is going to have a baby,” Mason said. “Because Casey is happier than I’ve ever seen her. Because there’s a chance that we might actually be able to pull this off. None of these people deserve to be here. I’m willing to fight against the ferals if that’s what it takes.”

              “They’re worth dying for?”

              “We’re all worth dying for,” Mason said.

              “I have trouble believing that some days.”

“Before I met you, there was this girl. Chickadee. I met her in Calgary. She was amazing. Cute. Funny. Brave. She had this fantastic outlook on everything. The end of the world was just another adventure. She wasn’t going to let it spoil her mood.”

              “What happened to her?”

              Mason’s eyes clouded over. Darkness there.

              “She died. Diabetes. See. That was the problem. She had a disease. Something that was completely treatable back when the world was whole, but once the doctors and pharmacists were gone, she couldn’t survive. And I couldn’t save her. I would have given anything.”

              “I’m sorry.”

              “So am I. But you ask me why I’m doing this. I’ll fight because no one else needs to die needlessly. The Baggers have it right, you know. I used to think that being by myself was the answer. I didn’t need anyone because all it did was bring pain when I lost them. But people aren’t made to be alone. We aren’t meant to simply survive. There’s an opportunity here to bring everyone together and start a community. We can live again. Casey and those other kids deserve to grow up without fear. All of us do. And if we can accomplish that, it’ll make all those unnecessary deaths matter.  I can’t bring Chickadee back, but I can still love her. I can make sure I never forget.”

              “She sounded amazing.”

              “She was.”

              Clementine turned the knife around in her hands. It hadn’t been her cleverest idea. What was she thinking? That she’d take down the entire Bagger hoard? Sighing, she let it slip through her fingers, watching the blade tumble to the ground.

              “Michael’s dead.”

              Mason nodded. He didn’t look overly surprised. They must have been discussing it all night. Aries might have continued to stay hopeful, but Mason hadn’t. He’d known enough to prepare himself for the worst.

              “I think I killed him.”

              That got his attention.

              “How do you figure?” His words were calm and careful.

              She explained what happened. The tears started to fall and she didn’t even bother to wipe them away. At one point Casey came running over and gave her a hug before Mason shooed her away. The children were playing over by the waterfront. Janey had them all under control. When she spotted Clementine, she gave a little wave out of respect.

              Clementine talked and Mason listened. When it was over, they waited in silence.               “It was me, wasn’t it?” she finally said. “He tried to help me and I killed him.”

              “I don’t know,” Mason said.

              “That’s the worst part,” Clementine said. “I’ll never know, will I? I’ll spend the rest of my life wondering if I hurt the one person I loved more than anything else in this horrible world. And I’m never going to find my brother. I don’t know why I’ve continued to try all this time. Nothing but another pipe dream. I’m useless. Heath is dead. It’s time I finally admit it.”

              “No,” Mason said. “You got Casey back. I can never thank you enough for that.”

              “What does it matter? Fighting against the ferals? Most of us are going to die, Mason. Look at those people? Most of them have no idea how to fight.”

              “They know how to survive.”

              “As prisoners. They’ve been locked away in here all this time. The only reason they’re alive is ‘cause they haven’t had to deal with reality.”

              “You have no idea what it’s like being here,” Mason said.

              She’d gone too far. She could tell by the tone in his voice. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t know what I’m saying.”

              “You don’t.”

              “I’m just so angry. Eve’s dead. Michael. How many more of us? You talk about how necessary it is to have doctors, but what good will it do if everyone is dead?”

              Mason gave her a sad smile. “Now that’s the real question, isn’t it?”

              Someone shouted Mason’s name from across the plaza. They both turned and looked. Daniel and Raj were by the gate with third person. A young kid with crazy long hair.

              “I have to go,” Mason said. “But you can do me a favor first.”

              “What’s that?”

              “Tell me everything you can about the ferals. Which part of the mall were they at? How many? Anything you can remember that you think will help.”

              “You’re going back to the mall?” She looked back over at Daniel and the others. Four people. They’d be ambushed in a heartbeat.

              “Hopefully. Not sure if they’ll let us, but we’ve got a plan,” he said. “A few tricks up our sleeves thanks to the help of the Baggers. Going to try and even the odds a bit before they get here. Don’t worry, nothing completely crazy.”

              “Okay,” she said.

              “Let’s go talk to the others,” Mason said. “I want them to hear it too.”

              Clementine nodded.

              “And you can tell me where Michael’s body is so we can retrieve it. He deserves a proper burial. He’s still one of us. He doesn’t get left behind.”

              “Thank you,” she said.

             
Did you hear that Heath? Michael’s coming home.

              They walked back together towards the gate.

Aries

              How do you stop something once it starts spiraling out of control?

              When they arrived at the Plaza last night, she’d been too concerned trying to keep Clementine alive. Sleeping hadn’t been an option. Instead, she’d stayed up the entire night, watching Clementine, desperately hoping her friend would wake. Mason tried relieving her around three, but she wouldn’t leave. Instead, they watched her together, silent and lost in their own thoughts. The kiss they’d shared seemed a million years ago.

              Daniel didn’t show up at all. Aries wasn’t surprised. He was either hiding or trying to think of a way to fix everything.

              She wanted to be angry with him, but she couldn’t. Daniel’s quick thinking had kept them alive. And she only exacerbated things by adding to his empty promises. Once she’d climbed out of the van, there’d been no turning back. Desperate to keep everyone alive for a few more hours, she’d followed his lead.

They might be still alive, but it was borrowed time.

              Once Clementine woke up, she thought she might be able to get a few hours, but no, her brain wouldn’t shut off. They’d given her a tent over by the food area. Equipped with a somewhat clean blanket and a saggy pillow, she tried to lie down. But with all the people talking and movement outside her ‘sleeping quarters’, she simply couldn’t do it. She got back out and went off to help with the morning dishes. Drying pots and pans wasn’t difficult and it allowed her to simply let her mind wander. She would find a solution to get them out of this. She had to. She’d fought too hard and too long to let the game end. The Baggers weren’t going to score the winning goal. She was betting her life on it.

             
If I’m going to die here, I’ll go down fighting. And I’ll take as many with me as I can.

              The Baggers came for her shortly after lunch. Her presence was being requested. Leon wanted a nice friendly chat. At first, they tried to bring only her, but Mason and Daniel quickly came to her side. Refusing to leave, the Baggers had no choice but to usher the three of them out into the street and to one of the condos. They had set up a meeting room in which to talk. Baggers on one side of the table, humans on the other.

              They spent the first ten minutes or so staring each other down. Aries had never been that close to Leon before. She’d only seen him at a distance. Amazed at how average he was, she’d always expected him to look different up close. More terrifying perhaps. But what she got was a clean-cut male, who during a different time, might have been trying to sell her a used car or home insurance. The Bagger leader displayed no signs of his monstrosity. No black veined eyes or blood dried under his fingernails.

              “Coffee?” Leon gave her a polite smile once everyone sat down.

              Some of Leon’s lackeys were serving and they obviously didn’t like it. A female Bagger moved between them, pouring glasses of water. Another came around with a pot full of coffee. A third had an arrangement of snacks. Baked goods! When was the last time she’d had a cupcake? She couldn’t remember.

              “We’ve got a farm out in Richmond,” Leon said. “A good chunk of land that didn’t get destroyed during the quake. Cows. Chickens. Cinnamon roll? Go on, help yourself. I assure you, they’re delicious.”

              It dawned on her that the Baggers were far more organized than them. Of course it was easier being a Bagger. They didn’t have to hide away, worried that every time they went hunting for supplies, they might end up dead. They had the prisoner labor that emptied bodies out of the condos, cleaned up the broken glass leftover from the earthquakes, and gathered food for their population. This revelation only made her more determined to get the others involved. Until the Baggers were stopped, they would never be free. Whether hiding or in captivity, they’d always be slaves.

              “Where’s Colin?” Mason asked. “We know he’s here.”

              “Colin?” Leon pretended to think about it. “Yes. Your little friend. Came in the other morning. Had a lot to say. Didn’t seem to think too highly of you and your operation.” He smiled at Aries. “Couldn’t wait to rat on you. In fact, he gave me more information than I would have thought possible. I’ve been trying for months to figure you out, and he gave it all up in the blink of an eye.”

              Aries didn’t say anything. All she could think about was how much she wanted five minutes alone with Colin and what kind of hell she would impose.

              “He wanted a position with the company,” Leon said. “Sadly, I didn’t offer him the job. I have very little empathy for those who betray their companions. He swallowed you up and spit you out. Who’s to say he wouldn’t return the favor the second I let him on board?”

              “I’d like to speak with him,” Aries said.

              “I’m afraid you cannot. I killed him. Like I said, zero tolerance.”

              She felt like the wind had been knocked right out of her. Colin dead? He may have been a total pain since the beginning, but she wouldn’t have wished that on him. Sure, she’d considered banishment. Forcing him to leave. But he’d threatened to go straight to the Baggers on more than one occasion. When he finally came through on his threat, it backfired.

              Aries wanted to feel bad, but she didn’t. She felt relieved and hated it.

              “I’d offer you the body for burial, but I’m afraid you wouldn’t want it after everything we did. There’s not much left.”

              She needed to stay composed. Leon was testing her. He wanted to see what kind of reaction he could get. The way she behaved would determine the entire meeting. If he thought she was the type to break down and get hysterical, he had another thing coming. She had no plans on letting Leon see any emotion on her behalf.

              “That’s okay,” she said in a harsh voice she barely recognized. “We don’t bury traitors.”

              “Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Leon didn’t take his eyes off her for a second. “Now then, shall we get down to business? Remind me again why you need my help? Let’s go over your demands again.”

              “It’s the other way around,” she said. “You need us more than we need you.”

              “Not true,” Leon said. “Yes, the ferals are coming. But I might remind you which side they’re on.”

              “You broke all ties to them when you started killing them,” Daniel said. “You’re the one who forced them out of the city. The ferals would happily tear you all apart. Don’t try and pretend otherwise. I’m still one of you.”

              Leon allowed the waitress to pour him an ample amount of coffee. He brought the cup up to his lips and inhaled deeply before taking a sip. “Does that make you a traitor too? What exactly would you be without her protection? Without that unusual power she’s controlling you with? You’d be lying on the floor by my feet.”

              “Aries doesn’t control me and you know it.”

              “Yes, you’re a little anomaly too, aren’t you? A glitch in the machine. A half breed.” His eyes went down the row, from Mason to Daniel and back again to Aries. “The whole lot of you. Now that reminds me of something. I believe a demonstration is necessary.”

              Aries had been expecting it. Leon wanted a show. He stared straight at her with a sly smile on his face before motioning to the row of four Baggers standing against the wall. She wasn’t sure if she should agree to it or not. Wasn’t there something in the rulebooks about never letting the enemy know the full extent of your powers? Didn’t it rank up there with not killing the hero before describing the evil plot in great detail?