“I’m sure we can come to an arrangement,” she finally said. “You can give us at least one doctor. A few others. Fifty percent.”
“How many people do you think I have in there?” Leon asked. “You make it sound like I’ve got a factory that’s producing top notch specimens. I assure you, it’s not the case. I might also remind you that although I’ve been humoring this transaction, I still don’t see how it favors me. Yes, the ferals may be coming, but I’m more than prepared to pull out my people if need be. There are other places that will host our needs.”
“But that’s where you’re wrong,” Mason said. “You can’t just leave. How would you get everyone out? All those people inside the casino aren’t going to just go in whatever direction you point. You’d have to leave them behind.”
Leon shrugged.
“That’s why you need us,” Mason said. “Because no matter how big you talk, you know that you’d be lost without your slaves. So much for that new world order. You’re nothing but a bunch of useless idiots without us.”
“Might I remind you, Mr Dowell, that you’re well aware of the things I can do. If anyone should know.” Leon took a sip of his coffee. “Do not assume for a moment that I’m going to give everything up.”
“What are you going to do? Load them on a bus and try and drive out? Most of the roads are destroyed. You burnt down the north shore. The Massey Tunnel is gone. The only direction you could drive would lead you straight towards them. The time to get out was a week ago. And you won’t cut your losses.” Mason reached over and grabbed a piece of banana bread off the table. “You don’t like to lose, Leon. You won’t give up Vancouver to the ferals. You’d rather die. And that is the one thing our sides have in common. We both have people worth fighting for.”
“Three people,” Leon said. “One will be a doctor.”
“You’ve got over a hundred in there,” Mason said. “Daniel and I have both seen it.”
“Half,” Aries said.
Leon gracefully folded his hands in his lap and crossed his legs. “Let’s wait and see, shall we. I’m curious to see how you make out first. Get me my army and we’ll talk about a higher percentage. I’ll allow you to send a few of your people out this afternoon. But until then, I think this meeting is adjourned.”
* * *
Aries knew things were steadily going downhill the minute the first group returned to the Plaza. Juan had gone out to talk to several groups they knew were hiding in East Vancouver. He was supposed to discuss the plans and bring back anyone who wanted to join in. There were at least forty people near Commercial Drive and they’d all expressed an interest in the past.
But when Juan returned, he had two people with him.
“They all refused,” he said. “I explained everything, but they’re scared. Many have already packed their bags and are heading south. They seem to think they’ll head across the border and life will be easier there. You know that all girl house? The one off Victoria Avenue? They’ve decided to try Mexico. Heard that it’s Bagger free. Wouldn’t listen to me at all.”
“What?”
“Mexico. They’ll be lucky to make it to Portland.”
“What about the others?”
“I had doors slammed in my face. I’m not kidding. Actual door slams. No one wants to fight. I hope the others have better luck because if Leon is expecting an army, he’s going to be disappointed. I don’t want to know what he’ll do if we can’t provide one.”
It got worse. Betsy came back from Main Street shortly after Juan. She’d found Jack and Joy. Instead of staying where they could be safe, they insisted on turning themselves in to the Baggers.
“There’s no way we’d leave you to deal with this alone,” Jack explained. “We’ll get through this together.”
“I’m just thankful you didn’t get stuck in the fire.”
“We almost didn’t. I never thought I’d ever say this, but I can’t believe West Van is gone,” Jack said. “It was crazy. Thankfully, we made it over the Second Narrows Bridge before dawn. We were at that safe house by the mall. I’d hate to think what might have happened if Joy hadn’t woken up in the middle of the night craving baked beans. She smelled the smoke and woke me.”
“I’m glad you got out.”
“Didn’t think we would. Joy and I couldn’t decide whether to go back or not. Didn’t know if you were alive or dead or if you needed help.” Jack looked down. “Both Betsy and I tried to convince her not to come. She won’t listen. She is going to fight. I don’t know what to do.”
“We’ll think of something.”
“I can’t lose her.”
“Me neither.”
They both turned their gaze north towards the mountains. The sky was grey and threatening. Some of the very tops of the highest buildings had disappeared into a cloudy haze.
“Twenty people,” she said. “That’s all we’ve managed to recruit. With everyone else, we’re barely topping fifty. That’s a lot less than the army we promised Leon. What if he changes his mind and decides to just kill us all? We’ve walked right into it. I can’t believe how stupid this idea was.”
“It’s not over yet,” Jack said. “There are still others out there. More might come.”
“We’ve become nothing but a bunch of cowards.”
They watched two Baggers walking across the yard. When they realized they were getting close to Aries, they sped up and changed direction. Aries fame, just like the ferals, was growing.
“Not everyone is as strong as you,” Jack said.
Aries turned back to him. “That’s not true. We’re all survivors. Fighters. How else could we last this long without getting caught or killed?”
“Some fought. Others got lucky. I’ll bet a large amount is just good at hiding. Remember, we spent a lot of time keeping invisible.”
“Not good enough. We learned to fight.”
“And they might too, given enough time.”
Aries wanted to scream in frustration, but she didn’t dare. A group of Baggers were studying her carefully from a distance. They spent an exceptional amount of time watching her. She felt eyes following her no matter where she went in the compound. They looked, but didn’t touch. None of them wanted to get too close. They all knew what happened if they accidently brushed against the girl with the magic fingers.
“I heard there’s a group of people up at SFU,” Jack said. “We could send someone out to see.”
“It won’t matter,” Aries said. “We’ve lost. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find out the ferals have decided to somewhere else.” She looked up at the grey sky.
“Don’t say that,” Jack said. “There is always hope. Look at my eyes and tell me I’m wrong. Look at Joy’s belly. We will sort this out. You and I have been in a lot of tight spots. This one is no different.”
Aries gave him a sad smile. They’d come a long way from the first night in the school auditorium. Jack had been with her from the beginning. Several times she didn’t know how she would have made it that far without him. He kept her steady. Focused. She trusted him completely. More than all of them combined.
No. That wasn’t true.
She glanced across the camp where she could see Mason talking with the new kid, Jordan. A bit further down, Raj and Joy sat with a group of kids, laughing as Cleopuptra licked Casey’s face. Daniel had the hood open on a car, checking over the engine and arguing with Juan about something or other. Clementine was back in her room, trying to sleep off an emotional pain that would possibly haunt her for the rest of her life.
* * *
“Hey, got a minute?”
She looked up to see Mason.
“Yeah. Sit.” She moved aside some of the paperwork she’d thrown about the stage to give the illusion she was actually working on something. Realistically, she was trying very hard not to have a massive break down and start bawling on the spot.
Everything was going wrong. Only one group remained out. The others had returned ages ago, alo
ng with their handfuls of humans willing to fight. It was only a matter of time before Leon discovered that Aries had no army. Nothing to negotiate with. And once that happened, all he had to do was give the word and they’d be finished. The Baggers had all the power and the numbers.
What angered her most was that they’d allowed it to happen. Sure, they didn’t have much of a choice back at Lighthouse Park. Thanks to Colin, they’d been taken by surprise. Technically, no matter what anyone else said, that was Aries’ fault too. She should have listened to the others when they wanted Colin out. She’d had plenty of opportunity to work around his threats. Holding on to that small reminder of her past had cost her dearly.
“Sorry. You look busy.”
“No.” She gathered the last of the papers, most of them blank or full of scribbles. She pulled them close to her chest, ashamed to let Mason see her lame attempt at not being able to save them all.
Mason.
She hadn’t forgotten about the kiss. Obviously he hadn’t either, she could sense his uncertainty a mile away. It was almost sweet to see him this awkward. Normally he seemed so aloof and in control of his emotions. Even though she’d known it was mostly an act and that Mason was completely capable of caring for others, it was surprising to see how easily he could cast all that away and lay his feelings right out on the open like that.
“Leon’s given us permission to go pick up Michael’s body,” Mason said. “I think it’s a bad idea, but I gave Clementine my word.” He leaned in closer until his lips were almost pressed up against her ear. “Listen to me and smile. Laugh if need be. For all everyone knows, I’m telling a great joke, okay?”
“Sure,” she said, forcing herself to smile.
“I don’t think Leon will do anything while I’m gone. I think he has this great plan that involves us all being together. He knows we’re bluffing. And I know him, Aries. He’s playing us. We are going to lose.”
Her eyes scanned the area as she listened. When she spotted Daniel, he instantly looked up as if psychic. Even from a distance, she could see the curious look on his face. Did he know about them? Had he been hiding in the bushes?
“I’d ask you to come with us, but I don’t think Leon would allow it,” Mason continued. “And I don’t want to force him to take action right now. I’d rather let him continue to think he’s got the upper hand. But if something happens while we’re gone, I want you to get out of here. Take Clementine. Casey. Jack. Joy. Whoever you think you can save. But run. And don’t look back. Do you understand me?”
“Of course,” she said. “I understand. I’m not stupid. We’ve gotten ourselves into one hell of a mess. We’re still alive. That counts for something.”
“We’re still alive because Leon doesn’t want us dead, just yet.”
“I’ve been thinking it over,” she said. “I can’t stop. There’s nothing we can do, is there? Either we fight the Baggers and lose, or wait for the ferals to show up and lose. We have no plan, not one that works. The Baggers win no matter what. We’re not walking away from this, are we?”
Mason reached out and took her hand. Once again, she could feel the heat pressing against her skin. How did he manage to stay so warm, even in the rain? She wished she could lead him away, out of the Plaza of Nations and somewhere they could be alone for a while. She imagined sleeping next to him, just sleeping, his body pressed against hers. How wonderful would it be to stay curled up with his arms wrapped around her. Together they could be safe from the world for a few hours.
She looked back at Daniel again where he was passing over a box of ammo to Jordan as they packed the car. She almost felt guilty, but the feeling quickly disappeared. She owed Daniel nothing. He’d been the one to push away, not her. He couldn’t complain when he discovered she’d moved on.
No, that wasn’t the right word. She hadn’t moved on. She’d simply moved.
If he came over and told me he couldn’t live without me. If he pulled me into his arms and pressed his lips against me, what would I do?
Best not to think about that.
This was complicating things in a bad way. She shouldn’t be wasting thoughts and energy on this. There were far more important things going on, like how they were going to get away without dying. She shouldn’t be thinking about Mason and Daniel that way, like a stupid lovesick girl. What the hell was wrong with her?
Mason’s hand squeezed hers.
“Don’t do that,” she said.
He instantly let go. “I’m sorry.”
“No, not that,” she said. “Everything else. Telling me to get out and save myself. This isn’t right. We can’t be doing this. We can’t put ourselves first because we care about each other.”
“I didn’t mean it that way,” Mason said.
“Did you tell Jack the same thing? Joy? Did you wake Clementine?” She paused. “You can’t just try and rescue me. Don’t you see? I’m doing the same thing. We can’t, Mason. I care for you, but there are others we have to think about too.”
“Are you sure you’re not just saying that for yourself?” Mason asked. “Because you’re putting words in my mouth. Casey means everything to me. And you’re suggesting that I said to ‘only save her if you could?’”
“I didn’t mean that…”
Mason sighed. “We’re all on edge. It’s not surprising that we’re going to be angry at each other. That’s a bad idea. We’ll be lucky enough to get out alive. I’d rather not die hating you, Aries. Or anyone else for that matter.”
She nodded. “Come back safe.”
“I will.”
And then he was gone.
Aries. Daniel. Jack. Clementine. Colin. Joy. Nathan. Eve. Michael. Mason.
The names were a mantra and she spoke them over and over in her mind.
Four down.
Six remained.
She loved them all. She trusted them. Even Daniel.
No, especially Daniel.
Come back to me.
Mason
“Princess Fluffy. They’ve renamed the damn pooch, Princess Fluffy. What am I supposed to do about this?”
Raj hadn’t stopped ranting since they got into the car.
“How difficult is Cleopuptra?”
“I don’t know. I think Princess Fluffy has a nice ring to it,” Daniel said. He put down the binoculars and handed them over to Mason. “Over by the main doors. Two of them. Rest must be inside.”
They’d parked the car back at the last Skytrain Station and walked along the rails until reaching Lougheed Mall. The empty building gave them a good view of the area.
“It’s horrible,” Raj said. “I don’t want to go through life telling people my dog’s name is Princess Fluffy.”
“You’re just going to have to deal with it,” Mason said. “Are you really going to tell a bunch of little kids that they can’t name the only pet dog in the city?”
“Yes,” Raj said. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do. Bloody kids can get their own dog. When my mate, Sally, got herself a cat, I didn’t go off telling her to name it Puffball or Mittens or whatever stupid name I could come up with. And she picked a really shite name too. Lucyfur. But did I say anything? No. Why? Because it was her cat. Not mine.”
“Good luck with that.”
Mason put the binoculars to his face and searched the area Daniel pointed at. Sure enough, he could see the two ferals by the doors. They didn’t appear to be doing much. One of them had a pile of food spread out at his feet and was steadily working his way through a bag of chips. Another had pulled a mattress out and dumped it in front of the glass doors. He’d wrapped himself in a plaid duvet and appeared to be out cold. Nothing like a little relaxation time after a hard night of pillaging.
“Want me to take them out?” Jordan peered through his rifle scope. It was the one weapon that the Baggers had allowed them to take out of the Plaza. Since Jordan was unarguably the most advanced gunman of the group, he got to hold onto it.
“There’s no way you ca
n get them from here,” Mason said. “That’s straight across the parking lot. No one is that good of a shot.”
“I am.”
“I’ll put money on that, Tourist Boy. Our kid here has one hell of an eye.”
“You’re both insane. And yeah, I’ll take that bet. Million bucks? Two? I’m good for it. Just let me hit up the nearest bank. I’ll withdrawal my savings.”
“Piece of cake,” Jordan said.
“It’ll draw too much attention,” Daniel said. “And pointless anyway. Even Jordan’s mad skills will be useless if there’s not enough bullets for all of them. We need the element of surprise if we’re going to make this work. Looks like we’re going to have to do this the hard way.”
“Can’t imagine doing it any other way.”
Mason glanced through the binoculars again. The potato chip eating feral had gone back inside. With the sun reflecting off the glass doors, it was too dark to see how many of them might be hanging around the entrance. They’d be taking a big chance. Even with the safety of the car, they’d be in trouble if enough of the ferals managed to surround them. All it would take is a broken windshield and they’d be dragged to their deaths. That was the difference between Baggers and them. There was no reasoning. You couldn’t barter for your life. For a feral, the kill was the only thing.
“Let’s wait until we get Michael before we start shooting up the place. We might not get a second chance.”
“We’ll have to go back and get the car first,” Mason said. “No way we can carry a body that far. Especially if we have to get out in a hurry.”
“Engine will attract them,” Daniel said.
“Then we have to be ready. We won’t get a second chance.”
“Let’s do it then.”
* * *
They came in through the back and around to the loading doors exactly the way Clementine explained to them. Thankfully both Daniel and Raj knew their way around Coquitlam. Although he’d now technically lived in Vancouver for several months, Mason still had no idea where he was half the time. The lower mainland was just too big. With all the suburbs included, Mason wondered how anyone managed to travel anywhere without getting hopelessly lost.