“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?
“Please. Take your pick.”
“Why? Didn’t you go back and get Olive? I told you where to go. I’m sure she’s willing to tell you everything.”
“Sadly Olive never made it out of the house. In all the excitement, we forgot about her.” Leon took another sip of coffee. “And that’s the interesting thing. All these rumors and no real witnesses. You’re almost like the boogeyman to our kind. The one they tell stories about around the fire. I’d really like to experience this miracle with my own eyes.”
“Don’t do it,” Daniel said. He turned towards Leon. “You just want to make sure the threat is real.”
“Wouldn’t you?”
“What’s to stop you from hurting Aries?”
Leon chuckled. “What’s to stop me from trying to help the word return to normal? Hasn’t there been enough killing? Maybe this is the master plan. We’ve cleansed the world, but creatures like the ferals still remain. They’re a threat to everything we’ve fought for. This could be our chance to perfect things. Join together and rebuild society.”
Daniel made a big show of rolling his eyes. “Come on, Leon. You and I both know you’re not that good of a liar.”
“Very well.” Leon reached into his pocket and pulled out a handgun. He placed it on the table in front of them. “Either you give me a show, little lady, or I give you one. You’d be amazed at how much blood can drain from a knee cap.”
“Fine.” Aries pushed back her chair, harder than she intended, sending it crashing to the floor. Mason started to get up beside her, but she shook her head and gently pushed him back down. “I’ll give you what you want, but you have to promise to let Daniel and Mason go when I’m done. No one dies today.”
“Done,” Leon said.
“Or any other day.”
Lean leaned back in his chair. “Let’s see how impressive the show is first.”
She approached the group of reluctant Baggers. They shuffled their feet and refused to meet her eyes. Apparently her reputation had preceded her. They were scared and it gave her more confidence. Carefully, she made her choice. A big Bagger in the middle with the bald head and tattoo sleeve on his right arm. She didn’t give a warning. Quickly, she reached out and wrapped her hand around his wrist. He instantly tried pulling back, nearly knocked her right off her feet, but she held on. The other Baggers backed away and shrunk against the wall to watch.
The change overcame him instantly, faster than anything she’d done before.
“No,” he whispered. “Oh god, no.”
He began to cry, the whopping monster of a man who looked like he ate light bulbs for breakfast, followed by Jack Daniels chasers for lunch. But after ten seconds with her, he cried for his mother and curled up in a little ball.
“I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t mean to do it. I never would have done that.”
She let go of him and spun around, giving a fake lunge at the other Baggers, who quickly fell over each other to stay out of her reach. She wondered if they actually understood the nature of what she could do. Having their conscience returned to them, allowing them to feel the guilt over all the things they’d done, did it even mean anything? Or did they simply fear her because Aries could bring them to their knees, even if they didn’t quite understand the significance behind it. Were Baggers even capable of emotion other than rage?
When she turned to face Leon, he stood up in his seat and gave her a gentlemanly handclap.
“I can do you next if you want more of a show,” she said. Beside
her, Mason snorted.
“That’s quite all right.” Leon leaned over the bald biker who was slowly picking himself up off the floor. His eyes were glazed over, as if he wasn’t sure what just happened. Already he was returning back to his murderous, unfeeling self. Swaying on his feet, he refused to look over at Leon, but instead moved towards the other group of Baggers. They shied away from him, as if worried that what he had, might be catching.
“How long do the effects normally last?” Leon asked.
“As long as I want them too,” she lied. Admitting she hadn’t yet mastered control wasn’t something Leon needed to know. Best to keep that secret.
“Fascinating.” Leon returned over to his chair and sat back down. He waved at the Baggers to bring him more coffee. “No.” He pointed to the bald headed one. “You do it.” They waited while the Bagger, hands trembling, tried to fill Leon’s cup without spilling liquid everywhere. Aries noticed that Leon didn’t dare touch him. She had to cover her mouth with her hand to hide her victory smile.
Daniel, meanwhile, had been working on his speech.
“You’re not strong enough to take on the ferals yourself,” he said. “We can recruit enough people so that together, we’ll have a big enough army to drive them all away. We both win. I think we can agree that the ferals are something we can live without.”
“And what do you want in exchange?”
Aries didn’t hesitate. “Everyone inside the casino.”
Leon laughed. “My dear, those people are worth more than anything you could offer me. My position hasn’t changed. It’s not up for negotiation. Your little parlor trick isn’t enough to sway me.”
“Then you can give us some of them,” Aries said. “We don’t need them all.”
“And you’ll just let me pick and choose the ones I want?”
She didn’t like the way he said that, but there wasn’t much she could do to get around it. Leon wouldn’t give them all up. He was right, they were too valuable. Although many of the Baggers were capable, she doubted they were the ones responsible for getting the power on again in the downtown core. They weren’t the ones running the farm in Richmond that supplied the fresh goods. Everything the Baggers had was probably being contributed by good old-fashioned slavery.