“Not just that. Some of ’em are plain too valuable to keep outside. That of course leads to the gossip. Most people who go into the casino don’t come out. They’re not too sure what to make of you.”
“So what am I supposed to do?”
“Lay low. Don’t draw any attention to yourself.” The man nodded in the direction of the closest guard tower. Two Baggers moved across the grounds, armed with automatic weapons. “Especially with them. You don’t want them noticing you.”
Mason nodded. He watched as the Baggers stopped at a group of people. They spoke to the crowd and a few men stepped forward. A fourth man refused to move. He was rewarded with a sharp blow to the head. When he hit the ground, the closest Bagger kicked him several times.
Mason took a step in their direction, but his guide pulled him back. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“What’s happening?” Mason asked angrily. “Why isn’t anyone doing anything to help?”
“What can they do?” the man asked. “Fight back? There’s no more fight inside these people.”
“They could do something?”
“That would only get them shot,” he said. “That guy who got punched? He should have known better. You do as you’re told here and that’s how you stay alive. The second the Baggers think you’re useless, you’re dead. Dumb idiot must have a death wish.”
“Where are they taking them?” Mason watched the group move across the yard and toward the front of the compound.
“Cleanup crew from the looks of it,” he said. “Lots of work to be done. They just started sending out people every day to work the streets. Body removal and whatnot. Someone’s gotta clean up the mess they made. Those earthquakes did a hell of a job too. They been sending groups up to the power plant as well to get the juice working again. Every day they load up about twenty or so. You’ll find out soon enough. Pretty much everyone here has a job assigned to them. Some better than others.”
“What’s to keep them from running once they’re outside?”
“Fear’s a pretty good motivation. Some of them have loved ones that are here too.”
Not ankle monitors, then. Mason looked down at the guy’s feet. His ankles were bare. So Mason was the only one with a tracking device. Why him? It made Mason glad that his was covered by his jeans.
“The only way to survive here is to be useful,” the man said. “So you’d better hope you’ve got something they want.”
Mason nodded absently. Yeah, the Baggers wanted him. Leon had made that very clear.
“Come on,” the man said. “Let’s find you somewhere to sleep. Not quite the Holiday Inn, but I’m sure you’ve done worse this past bit. We all have. Got a few tents, although not as many as I’d like. More and more people coming in every day. But we can get you something that’ll keep the rain off your head.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m Chaplin,” the man said, and he extended his hand.
“Mason.”
They walked past a group of women spreading soil in an area where all the concrete had been torn up. There were bags of fertilizer stacked against the metal fencing. Beside them were bags of gardening gear: hoes, seeds, watering cans, and various other items. The women worked hard, carrying the bags across the man-made field. Their faces were dirt smudged and their hands were sliced up and covered in makeshift bandages. None of them looked happy, and most kept their eyes to the ground, occasionally glancing up and toward the guard towers.
“Nice thing about Vancouver is we can garden almost all year round,” Chaplin said sarcastically as he noticed where Mason’s attention was. “Probably won’t do much growing till the spring, but that doesn’t stop the Baggers from getting everything nice and ready now.”
There was a pile of sleeping bags under a canvas by the casino door. Chaplin went over and picked one up and tossed it at Mason.
He began to walk through the camp. As they moved along, he pointed in various directions. “Toilets there. We’ve got some stuff laid out if you want to try and clean up a bit. Everyone’s entitled to use it, but don’t take anything back to your tent. We don’t tolerate hoarders. We share everything.” He pointed to the only area where there were tables. A long row of them surrounded by what looked like a kitchen area. “Dinner’s around six. Nothing fancy, just basic stuff. But it’ll keep you healthy to a degree. Never enough to go around, though. I’d suggest you come later, let the others eat first. That’s our rule of thumb. Let the children and women eat first. Let me tell ya, that really annoys a few of the feminists here.” Chaplin laughed hard. “And if you’re as cool as you claim, well, the others will figure it out soon enough.”
Mason nodded.
“But I’d still sleep with one eye open if I was you,” Chaplin said. “We’re not Baggers here, but we’re not really human anymore either. Dark days. They change a man. They’ve changed all of us.”
They finally came to a stop outside an empty tent in the corner. It was a small two-person contraption that had seen better days. The zipper was broken and the door flap had a hole in the canvas from where it looked like someone had burned it with a candle.
“This is the best I can do,” Chaplin said. “I’ll send that friend of yours over if he ever comes out. Good luck.”
Mason watched Chaplin disappear into a group of people by one of the fires. He spoke quietly to them but it was obvious what was his topic of conversation. Several men didn’t bother to hide the fact that they were discussing Mason, glaring at him openly.
Determined to ignore them, Mason tossed his sleeping bag inside the tent and climbed in after it. The canvas was heavy and the air inside was damp. He sat down on the ground and unraveled his new bedding. There was no mattress pad to protect his back from the hard ground. No pillow to rest beneath his head.
Traitor? Really? Him?
There was darkness inside of him. Leon said he could see it. If Mason was being truthful, even he knew it was there just beneath the surface. Daniel told him once that he had that potential. How did Daniel even know that?
No. He would continue to fight until there wasn’t anything else left to do. After that, well, he didn’t want to think about what came next.
He looked around at the green walls, taking in his surroundings fully. He tried not to think about how claustrophobic the dim light made him feel. The walls were so thin, so easily penetrable.
Easy target.
What was he going to do now?
He reached down and examined the ankle monitor attached to his leg. It was a slim device, definitely something that looked impossible to remove on his own.
His mind wandered. Was Aries even aware that he was missing? Had they checked his room? Would the others simply assume he’d just taken off? Would they look?
Aries would know immediately he hadn’t just taken off. Right? At least he hoped she would. They’d spent a lot of the past few weeks talking. She was the only one he felt even slightly comfortable being around. She knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t split without at least saying good-bye to her. But would she be able to convince the others?
What if they refused to help? It wasn’t like he’d gone out of his way to be friendly toward them. And even if they did look, even if they found him, what could they do to get him out? Should he even let them? Did he deserve it?
He’d been through so much in the past few months, but this was the first time he’d ever had to force back the tears that burned in the corners of his eyes.
MICHAEL
It would have been easier if the woods were dark or if it were raining. At least then they’d have had extra camouflage. But no, the sun was bright and the forest twinkled as sheets of brilliant light warmed their bodies. They could have gigantic “I Am Here” signs above their heads and they still wouldn’t be any less obvious.
They were hiding out by the dorms. Somehow they’d managed to work their way through the woods in the early hours and cross the road back into the main campus area. Ther
e they’d taken refuge in the woods near some of the student housing. The trees weren’t as densely packed here as by the museum, but it was still better than nothing.
Michael glanced over at Ryder, who was crouched in the dirt next to a slightly bent-looking pine tree. Ryder ignored him, a giant scowl on his face. Ryder’s ankle was swollen and bruised, an injury that he’d incurred while running through the dark last night. It was a bad sprain; Michael didn’t have to be a doctor to understand that. It slowed them down and that was a major worry.
There were only the three of them left, and the girl was fading fast. Michael had laid her out on top of the soft moss to try and make her more comfortable, but it was a worthless gesture. Most of the time she stared up at the sky, her expression dazed, but a few times she focused on him, her eyes wide and clear.
“Don’t leave me,” she whispered.
“I won’t,” he said. Michael held her hand as she inhaled in short, panicky gasps.
“I’m so cold. Don’t leave me.”
Ryder covered his ears with his hands.
She tugged at the end of Michael’s shirt, trying to keep him close. Each time she breathed out, more blood seeped from the wounds in her stomach.
“You’re better off putting her out of her misery,” Ryder said.
Michael gritted his teeth. They’d been having this running conversation since they stopped to take a break. “I told you before. I won’t do that.”
The girl wheezed and gurgled, trying to get air past the blood pooling up inside her lungs.
“Then let me do it.”
“No.”
Ryder rubbed his ankle and retied his shoes. “You’re only making things worse. You know she doesn’t stand a chance. You’d put down a dog that was suffering, right? What’s the difference?”
“Shut up.”
The girl moaned.
“This is war, loser,” Ryder said. “You can’t be going all soft and sweet at a time like this. The strong survive. Sitting around and waiting for her to die, that’s just going to get us killed. Have mercy. Send her to heaven.”
The girl coughed. Blood splattered across her lips and cheeks.
Ryder continued. “Do you think those monsters have soft spots? Hell, no. I’ve seen them work. They’ll just as easily kill their own to get to their goals. That’s why they kicked our asses. They have their objective and they stick to it.”
“We’re not Baggers,” Michael said. “The moment we become like them, then we really have lost.”
“We’ve already lost. All we can do now is play out the rest of the game. Go out with a bang. Take as many of them as we can with us for the ride.”
The girl’s breathing was slowing down. Her chest was still rising but not nearly as high or as continuously as before.
“That’s not what you said last night,” Michael said. “You had them all worked up. Talking about victory and taking back what’s ours.”
Ryder shrugged. “I’m a general. A commander. I’ll tell them what they need to hear to get motivated.”
“So you’ll lie?”
“Isn’t that better than telling the truth? Hey, you. All of you. You’re all going to die and it’s going to be painful.”
“Still doesn’t make it right.”
“Doesn’t make it wrong, either.”
The girl gurgled and sighed, and her hand went limp. Michael didn’t have to check for a pulse to know she was gone. He gazed at her sadly for a moment and then brushed her eyelids closed with his fingers. He slowly moved his body away from hers and stood up. Knees screamed in protest. He’d been sitting still for over an hour.
“Look,” Ryder said. “You can think of me as a monster all you want. I’m just being a realist. Decisions have to be made and someone has to make them. Ask the person who leads your group and they’ll tell you the same thing.”
Michael instantly pictured Aries. She had a completely different approach, always trying to remain positive and focus on the remaining good things in life. He couldn’t imagine her being so cold, not for a second.
“Come on,” Michael said. “We need to get out of here.”
“It’s all gone,” Ryder said, more to himself than Michael, as he stumbled after him. “I brought them together and now it’s gone. I knew we weren’t ready, but I never thought they’d go down so quickly.” Ryder’s eyes narrowed suddenly. He looked at Michael with renewed hatred. Michael knew what he was thinking. He still blamed Michael for bringing the Baggers. As far as he was concerned, they’d been safe until he and Clementine showed up.
That’s why he’d attacked Michael from behind. A completely cowardly action.
But none of it mattered now. Ryder could shoot death looks at Michael all he wanted. It didn’t change a thing. With his injury, he needed Michael.
And Michael had saved his life.
Last night, after parting with Clementine, Michael had raced back through the woods and toward the sounds of people crying. He’d gotten there too late to save the group of girls. Two Baggers had lined them up against the wall of the museum and executed them one by one. Ryder was the last in line. Lying on the ground and sobbing, he’d covered his head with his hands and was waiting for the fatal blow.
But somehow Michael had managed to get in there first. He’d taken out the closest Bagger with his spear before anyone even noticed he was there.
The second Bagger almost killed him, but he prevailed. As the Bagger turned his weapon toward him, Michael managed to knock the gun out of his hands with the tail end of his spear before he could pull the trigger. Then he speared him, too.
Afterward he stumbled over to Ryder. “Come on,” he said and he held out his hand.
Ryder refused his gesture. But he wiped the tears from his eyes and followed Michael back into the woods.
Now after they’d spent the entire night hiding out, it was obvious to Michael that he and Ryder would never be friends. Michael could live with that. But they weren’t going to last much longer if they didn’t find a better place to hide.
“We could take cover in the dorms,” Michael said. They’d been watching the buildings for the last forty minutes and no one had gone in or out. They appeared empty, but of course that didn’t mean anything.
“Not a good idea,” Ryder said. “They haven’t been in there to clean up yet. Lots of dead bodies. It’ll be one of the first places they check.”
“Fine,” Michael said. So far Ryder had vetoed all his suggestions. “You pick, then. Where should we go?”
“The First Nations Longhouse.”
“Are you joking?” Michael asked as he pictured the big public building they’d passed earlier on their way to the dorms. “That place is wide open. All the windows are broken. We can’t even decently barricade ourselves in. We’d be sitting ducks.”
“When are you going to learn that the most obvious hiding spot is usually the safest?” Ryder said. “It’s called hiding in plain sight. That’s why I chose the museum.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to point out just how well that had worked for him, but Michael kept silent. According to Raj it had been their fault the Baggers found them. Getting into a huge fight wouldn’t exactly be a good strategy right now.
“Okay,” Michael said. “Let’s do it. But as soon as you’re good enough to walk, we’re heading back to Clementine and the others. I’m not staying here any longer than I have to.”
The Longhouse wasn’t that far away, but because of Ryder’s ankle, it took them half an hour to creep across the parking lot and around the side where they crawled through one of the broken windows and into the auditorium.
Aside from all the shards of glass scattered on the floor, the place was in decent shape. The main room was huge, designed to look like a wooden cabin. There were a few chairs piled up in a corner and an overturned garbage bin, but the rest of the place looked untouched. There were no signs of life. If anyone was hiding here, they were doing a fine job of keeping invisible.
They made it halfway across the auditorium before Ryder’s ankle gave out on him. Collapsing to the ground, he cried out and started swearing loudly as he rubbed his leg.
“Let me see,” Michael said. Kneeling down, he waited as Ryder pulled up his jeans and showed his wound. The bruising was darker, black-and-red designs spread out from his ankle and all the way down his foot toward his toes. “That’s really not good. We’ve got to get you somewhere you can lie down for a bit. You shouldn’t be walking.”
“I have no choice,” Ryder said. “We can’t stay right here.”
“Agreed,” Michael said. He glanced around the large, bare room with all its broken windows. If anyone were to walk across the lawn right now, they’d spot them in a heartbeat. “I’m going to have to carry you.”
“You’re not touching me.”
“Fine. You need to wait here, then. Stay right in the open.” He glanced over at the stage, with the PA and other electronic gear. “Maybe we can give you a microphone and you can make your whereabouts even more obvious. That speech you gave last night was breathtaking. Think you can do another?”
Ryder grunted. “You’re not helping me.”
“At least haul yourself over to the stage, then, where you can somewhat hide yourself.”
Ryder nodded in agreement. He had to half crawl, half drag himself, but he managed to get over to the corner of the stage where there were some stacked chairs to hide behind.
“I’ll scout ahead and see if there’s a spot where we can rest,” he said. “If you need me, holler. I’m sure I’ll hear you and come running.”
Ryder gave him the finger.
Michael went over to the doors beside the stage and tried to open them as quietly as possible. Beyond them, a long hallway waited that branched out in both directions. He stepped into the hall and the door closed behind him with a bang. The noise echoed, bouncing off the walls, and he involuntarily flinched.
He paused, waiting for the sound of footfalls as the Baggers came for him, but nothing happened. No Baggers.
But that didn’t mean the building was empty or safe. Not by a long shot.