“I’m listening,” Leon said.
“There are ferals in the city,” Daniel said. “Lots of them. Hundreds. They’re coming towards downtown. And you’re right in their way.”
“There are no more ferals,” Leon said. “We got rid of them a long time ago. Too unpredictable.”
Meaning even Leon wasn’t strong enough to keep them in check.
“I’ve seen them,” Daniel said. “At least four hundred. Maybe more. This morning in Coquitlam.”
“Not conceivable,” Leon said. “I’d have known if they were here.”
“Yeah, you might want to look into that,” Daniel said. “You had a team out there. An old guy and a blonde girl. They haven’t checked back in. Can’t get them on the radio, can you?”
Leon didn’t answer, but he nodded at the Bagger holding the two-way radio. The guy moved off about twenty feet and began speaking into the receiver. They waited. When the Bagger returned, Mason could tell that the news confirmed it.
“They’re dead,” Daniel said. “Torn apart. Watched it with my own eyes.”
“So I lost a few people,” Leon said. “I’ve got plenty more. Doesn’t mean it was ferals. I wouldn’t be surprised if you did it yourself. You’ve taken out more than your share. You and Mr. Dowell, both.”
“Yep,” Daniel said. “But not this time. They’re coming and there’s a lot more than you can take. They’ll swarm the compound and kill everyone off. Can’t say that’s a bad thing, really.”
“Thanks for the heads up,” Leon said. “But I fail to see how this information is going to save you.”
“That’s the fun part,” Daniel said. “We’re willing to help you.”
They were?
A few of the Baggers chuckled, but Leon raised his hand and silenced them. “What makes you think I need your help? A group of useless teenagers and a few adults? Look around. I’ve ruined your camp. And I’ve got you all at gunpoint. All in a day’s work.”
“You’ll never be able to win over a bunch of ferals,” Mason said. “How many Baggers do you have left? A hundred? One fifty? It’s not enough. But if we join together, we can better the odds.”
“You’re hardly in that position,” Leon said. “I’ve killed most of you off.”
“Here, maybe.” Aries slammed the SUV door and moved towards the group. “But there are others. Lots of them. Small groups all over the city. And I know where they are. I could probably get them to join if the price is right.”
She joined the conversation so freely; Mason couldn’t help but wonder if the two of them had planned it beforehand. Aries gave away nothing, keeping her face perfectly expressionless.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Aries whispered quietly so that only Daniel and Mason could hear.
Nope.
“Aries.” Leon stepped towards her and offered his hand. “I’m very pleased to finally meet you at last.”
“You really want to shake my hand? You know strange things happen when I touch Baggers. And I’m not in the mood to wait for you to stop crying like a baby. We’ve got a deal to make first.”
Leon chuckled and withdrew his handshake offer. “That’s true. You are an anomaly. That’s what everyone keeps saying. I’d love to see it in action, but not upfront. Maybe later you’d be willing to run a few friendly experiments.”
“Send your men up to Rabbit Drive. Big large house at the top of the hill. There’s a woman there chained in the basement. Olive. I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to fill you in on the details.”
This time Leon did look surprised and he didn’t try to hide it.
“What? You think your kind are the only ones who know how to fight dirty?”
An amused look crossed Leon’s face. “I’m impressed. And here I thought you were a useless frightened dove hiding in the mountains. I may have underestimated you.” He glanced at Mason and Daniel and then at the others waiting in the vehicle. “I think I’ve misjudged all of you. I’ll be careful from now on. Fool me once, shame on me.”
“I can get you a few hundred people. People willing to fight for the cause,” Aries said. “But we want something in return.”
“Is this the part where you give me your demands?”
“We want to be left in peace when it’s over,” Aries said. “A truce. No more bad blood. You stay to your side of the city and we’ll stay on ours. No more killing.”
“Reasonable,” Leon said.
“And you give us everyone at the Plaza of Nations,” Aries said. “That includes the people in the casino.”
Daniel swore under his breath.
“Now that’s not going to happen,” Leon said. “You can have the outside cattle. All they do is take up space. But the others are far too important. The only reason I’m considering your offer is because of them. Otherwise I’d just gather up my group and leave town until this blows over.”
“Hold on a moment. Time out.” Daniel raised his arms up. “I’d like to speak to my clients. We might want to consider our negotiations before blurting them out.”
“By all means,” Leon said. “Take five.”
They moved over to the front of the van. Mason held up a few fingers to everyone waiting inside.
“What the hell are you doing?” Daniel whispered to Aries. “It’s called a bluff for a reason. You know we can’t offer up any of that to them, right?”
“You’re the one who started it,” she hissed.
“I’m trying to buy us some time. Keep you all alive. You start asking for unrealistic things, it’s going to turn bad.”
“Maybe it’s not a stupid idea,” Aries said. “There are people. Lots of them out there. They might consider fighting for a doctor.”
“They won’t,” Daniel said.
“Then I’ll offer up myself. It’s what Leon’s wanted all this time, right?”
Mason reached out and grabbed Aries by the arm. “No. I won’t let you. What do you think you can do? Give him a few days to run some tests? He has no intentions of just borrowing you. You’re a threat. Do you not understand that? He’s only interested in stopping you.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Aries snapped. “But this is a negotiation. We have to offer something more.”
“I’m not letting you give up your life.”
“I have no intentions of dying.”
“Mason’s right,” Daniel said. “You don’t know what you’re getting into. Don’t consider this, Aries.”
She looked over at the SUV. Raj raised his eyebrows and gave a questionable shrug. Casey waved at Mason, blowing him a kiss.
“We can make this work. What Leon doesn’t know, won’t hurt him. Let’s just let him think he’s winning.”
“You think you’re going to outsmart him? You have no idea what he’d like. If you make a deal with him tonight, he’ll collect. Any truce you try and offer, he’ll consider it useless. We have two choices. We can finish this on good terms and work together, or you’ll just end up being hunted for the rest of your life. And trust me, it might not be that long.”
“Mason’s right,” Daniel said.
“I can’t believe you,” Aries said. “Cowards. Both of you. At least I’m willing to put my life on the line for this group. And we need a doctor. Right now. Your friend is bleeding to death inside that van. Remember her? Clementine? Or are you both too far gone to care?”
She didn’t wait for an answer.
“I can’t let them die,” she said. “You started this. I’m going to follow through.” Aries turned and walked straight towards Leon, stopping a few feet away. The head Bagger gave her a big smile, but as usual, there was no warmth behind the expression. Mason had looked into those eyes more times than he could count. Aries had no idea what she was getting into. Leon knew how to play the game. Aries was nothing but a toy for him to play with. He would see through any lies she tried to tell. Why? Because Aries was a lousy liar whereas Leon was pure evil.
Mason knew it. Daniel knew it. But
Aries wasn’t going to listen to either of them.
“I think we can come to a deal,” Aries said.
“Why don’t we go somewhere and work out the details?” Leon said. “I know just the place.”
He meant the Plaza of course, and Mason knew that if Leon got them there, he’d never let them out again. If the ferals attacked, it would be over for all of them.
“No,” Mason said. “We stay here.”
“That’s not an option, Mr Dowell,” Leon said. “Look around. Everything is on fire. I’m afraid we’ve gone beyond that.”
“Then we go somewhere else,” Daniel said. “Where we’re both on even ground.”
“But we’re not even,” Leon said.
“Guys?” Raj stuck his head out the window. “We’ve got a problem.”
Mason was closest to the SUV. Inside, Clementine had slumped over the passenger seat. She no longer appeared to be breathing.
Shit.
Nothing
A contract is created and both sides lose.
Tick tock.
How do you trust the untrustworthy? A simple handshake won’t cut it. Nor will putting it on paper. Such things can hardly be signed in blood. Maybe someone can sacrifice a goat?
All this pressure is bad for the complex. I might break out in hives.
Or goose bumps.
It would be easier making a pact with the devil. At least Satan is bound by the rules of God, right? You sell him your soul and he’s going to give you fame, fortune, or whatever the hell you ask for. Sure, he might cheat, but usually not. He’s got no reason to try and rip you off. His contract is ironclad, his lawyers know better than to make mistakes. He’s already got your soul. And it’s not like all that fame is coming out of his own pocket. He’s not pulling it out of his ass.
You make a deal with the devil, you can’t change the outcome.
You make a deal with a Bagger, you’d better watch your back. Your neck. Your skin.
Because Baggers don’t play by the rules.
This puts us all in a peculiar predicament.
Try saying that ten times fast.
Peculiar predicament.
Peculiar predicament.
Peculiar predicament.
Nope. Already screwed that up.
Nothing is nothing. A white light in time or space. A blank piece of paper. But you can take that nothing and turn it into something. Take a brush and create a picture. Type up words on a blank sheet. Fuel your imagination.
If the law of physics apply, the law of physics are not nothing.
Now that’s something.
I started out as nothing.
I am nothing.
But as time goes on, I become obsolete. Although events and people have tried painting over my soul, the oil colors refuse to stick. The words become jumbled, glaring errors and lose their meaning. And no matter how much people try and mold my fate, they never get me into the kiln before I crack.
But I am trying. Constantly trying. Because although the monster lives inside of me, I will fight it. I won’t win. Oh no. There’s no winning in this game.
But as I once said, there is tomorrow.
And there are people. Some innocent. Some not so much. But they have survived for thousands of years and one more day of fighting isn’t going to kill them.
Tick tock.
We are coming down to the final days. Who will emerge victorious with their heads up high?
Who will sink back into the ooze?
I want to see her in love. Is that too much to ask? To see her smile without worry. To have her wake in the morning, after chasing away all her demons, and not have a care in the world.
I’m never going to get that.
Stray dogs that bite get slapped back into the gutter.
Clementine
When Clementine finally opened her eyes, she was in someone’s bedroom. Sun shone through the window. Lying on her back, her shoulder heavily weighed down by bandages. When she tried moving, pain stabbed through her leg and up into her spine, but not nearly as bad as it should be. Her shoulder was nothing more than a slight twinge.
Head dull and woozy. Had someone given her pain medication? There were clouds in her brain, making her want to close her eyes and just go back to sleep. Memories flitted back and forth, things she should care about, but for some reason, seemed too distant to worry.
She turned her head to the side, more of a reaction than an actual process. There was a pitcher of water on a desk beside the door. Ice cubes in an empty cup. Clementine licked her lips. Dry mouth, like a cotton ball stuffed with toilet paper.
“Need a drink?”
Aries sat on a chair beside the bed. Getting up, she walked around over to the glass and carefully helped bring it to Clementine’s lips. Brilliant cold water washed across her tongue. Such a strange sensation. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt ice against her lips. Luxuries like that no longer existed.
“Thanks.”
“Any time.”
Her head began to clear as the cobwebs washed away. Twisting in her bed sheets, she banged her arm against the table, sending several bottles of pills rolling onto the floor. Aries quickly got down on her knees to retrieve them from under the bed. Where on earth had Larissa managed to find all those meds? They’d checked the hospital weeks ago and the whole place had been cleared out. All the local pharmacies were empty shelves. Even basics like Tylenol and Benadryl were gone. Clementine would have to thank her later. Larissa may only be a nursing student, but she’d come a long way on her own. How terrifying it must be for her. Clementine didn’t think she’d be able to stick a needle in someone or hand out strange medicine, no matter what the cost. What if she made a mistake?
If Clementine had been a nursing student, could she have saved Michael? Or would it have been worse, having the knowledge to save someone and still have him die? Did the Baggers have soul mates? Would they care if the people they loved were left behind in a pool of blood?
Her brain wouldn’t stop wandering. She chose to try and concentrate on something worthwhile, like where she was.
The room wasn’t very comfortable. A single bed with white sheets. Hard backed chair beside it. Desk. Bedside table. Nothing else. No paintings on the wall. A window with cheap blinds. This wasn’t a bedroom. No, it was something else. More like an office, but that made no sense.
“Where are we? Is this a hospital?”
“Not quite. But there’s a doctor here. Maybe I should go get her. Are you in pain? Do the stitches hurt? They did your leg. Twenty of them. She couldn’t do much about your shoulder. Apparently you can’t stitch up a bite.”
“No,” Clementine said. “Stay here.”
Aries nodded and went back over to her chair. She sat on the edge of the chair and dug her hands into the armrest. One foot bounced up and down against the floor. This wasn’t like Aries at all. Nervous energy.
“How long have I been asleep?”
“Just through the night. It’s late morning. You haven’t missed much.”
“So where are we then?” Clementine tried pushing herself up a bit with her arms, ignoring the pain. Now that she was waking up, her injuries were coming back to life. Every single bump and scrape. Maybe she should take some of those pills and have a bit of a pity party.
“We’re in a safe place,” Aries said.
Those drugs might be there, but not a good idea, Heath. Wouldn’t it be nice to fall back to sleep and not deal? I don’t feel like living today. Maybe tomorrow. You and I can hang out on a cloud in comatose land. But we both know that won’t end well. I don’t want to forgive and forget. Delaying it won’t make the pain go away. I need to focus. Aries isn’t telling me the truth. No such thing as safety anymore. She’s keeping something from me. But what?
“Tell me.”
Aries sighed loudly as if the whole thing was getting out of control. “You’re not going to like the answer. We’re at the Plaza.”
“The casino?”
Clementine pulled herself into a sitting position at once, forgetting about the pain. She tried to remember what happened. They’d been in the car and made it back to Lighthouse Park, but everything had been on fire. Then the Baggers came. Oh, crap. They’d been caught. Someone must have spotted her driving back and she’d led the Baggers right to the camp.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
“No. We’re not exactly prisoners. At least not for now. And this isn’t the casino. It’s an office building beside it. Leon loaned us one of his doctors.”
His doctors? Like Leon owned them?
“I don’t understand,” Clementine said. She glanced over at the bottles of pills. How many had already been given to her? Could she trust what was coursing through her veins?
“A lot has happened. And not just the Baggers attacking Lighthouse Park. Something worse.”
“They attacked the park,” Clementine said. Although most of last night was hazy, she still remembered all the trees going up in smoke. “What happened?”
“Colin,” Aries said. Her eyes went dark and hard. “He finally sold us out. I’m sorry. I keep apologizing to everyone. I can’t seem to stop.”
“Why? You didn’t sell us out.”
“I insisted on keeping Colin around. I let him bully me with his threats. I should have thrown him out ages ago. Jack never understood…”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Clementine said. “You were only trying to protect everyone.”
“And instead I put everyone in danger,” Aries said. “I’m good at doing that, aren’t I? It’s not the first time.”
Clementine knew she was thinking about last Christmas when Aries made a bad decision and Nathan died as a result. It wasn’t Aries’ fault. They all made choices that led down the wrong path. Choices that got people killed.