Does anyone know what I want this year?
No, don’t bother guessing. You’ll be wrong.
And I wouldn’t want to embarrass you by pointing it out.
CHRISTMAS EVE
MICHAEL
The Longhouse kitchen was empty.
Michael stood in the middle of the room where only a short while ago Ryder had leaned against the counter and cradled his sprained ankle. The spot was empty.
“There’s no sign of a struggle,” Heath said. “And the door’s intact. The crazies would have smashed through it if they came for him.”
“I don’t get it,” Michael said. “Why would he leave? How would he? He couldn’t even walk. He would have had to crawl away.”
“Do you think one of his friends might have found him?” Heath went over to the other set of doors and opened them. They led out into the alley, but there wasn’t anything there except for the stolen white van.
“I guess it’s possible.”
“It’s not like he really liked you,” Heath said. “I got the vibe that there was some bad mojo going on between the two of you. He seemed like kind of a dick.”
Michael nodded. “Yeah, he had issues, but I still don’t see how he could have just gotten up and walked away. I had to drag him in here, and trust me, he would rather have died than ask for my help.”
“Then let’s search for him,” Heath said. “But we’d better be quick. We don’t want to stick around too long with a stolen van. They’re probably already looking for us.”
They headed back to the reception area, but there was no sign of the other guy. Ryder had simply vanished into thin air. Nothing. Michael was confused. He replayed some of their conversations in his head, but he couldn’t think of anything that Ryder might have said to suggest that he wanted to head off on his own. Yes, Ryder didn’t trust Michael, but at the same time, he’d made it clear he wanted to get back to the safe house and find Larisa and any others who might still be alive. So why would he go off on his own?
It made no sense.
There was blood on the glass by the front door, but Michael couldn’t remember if it had been there earlier. He studied it, ignoring the tingling iciness along the back of his spine. Was it Ryder’s? He kneeled down and ran his finger along the glass. Only a few drops, but it was fresh. Someone could have just nicked themselves on the way out.
“Come on, man,” Heath said. “I’m nervous. I think we need to move on.”
Climbing to his feet, Michael took one last look at the reception area. “Yeah,” he said. “We should go. Clementine is probably worrying herself to death right about now. I can’t wait to see her face when I show up with you.”
Heath smiled. “It’s going to be amazing.”
MASON
He’d never been so tired in his entire life. Never. Not even the one summer he’d worked at the golf course, getting up at four a.m. to plant flowers and cut the grass to save up money for his car. Early wake-up calls were not something he was good at. The first few weeks had been torturous; it seemed like forever before he was able to climb out of bed each morning without feeling a hundred years old. He remembered complaining good-naturedly to Mom about how his back hurt from bending over to plant millions of flower beds with pansies and yellow mums. She’d laughed and told him he was too young to be complaining of old-man problems.
Suck it up, buttercup.
He’d give anything to feel like that again. A little back pain was nothing now. At least he’d had the sun and the way the air smelled when he left the house each morning. He’d liked the feeling of knowing the rest of the world was still asleep. The world was still fresh, untouched by the exhaust fumes and other stagnant smells that would start filling up the atmosphere once everyone had their morning coffees and headed out the door to work.
Mason yawned. The smart thing would be to retreat to his tent and lie down, but he was afraid that if he did, he wouldn’t be able to get back up again. Daniel was nowhere in sight and he didn’t have the strength to look for him either. So he limped over to the corner by the stage and stood there, using all his willpower to keep his eyes open and scan the surrounding area outside the compound for signs of rescue.
They would come for him tonight. He was positive about that. Of course, that didn’t mean much. He couldn’t follow.
Spasms raked his back and he bent over, trying to relieve the pain, but it was pointless. Nothing short of a needle to the spine would fix him. How many bodies had he picked up today? Too many to count. The burns from the cattle prod didn’t help either. Every time he glanced over at the inlet, an overwhelming desire to jump into the water grew more prominent. Of course, the salt water would sting beyond belief, but it would also cool his burning skin.
What he wouldn’t give for a bathtub.
Or a hot tub. Yeah, a hot tub would be fantastic.
Mr. Leon was trying to wear him down, bit by bit. Mason hated to admit it, but it was working. Would he still be able to stay strong after a few weeks of this? Or would he fold, babbling away his secrets in the confinement of that small office room? If he was lucky, his inner demons might explode, hopefully taking down as many Baggers as possible along the way.
How many of them could he kill before they overcame him?
“You don’t look so good.”
Daniel’s voice came from behind him.
“Yeah, had a long day. Spent it riding the roller coaster at Playland. Ate too many hot dogs, so I had to sit down for a while. Good times were had by all.” He turned to look at Daniel and immediately the sarcasm left his voice. “Holy God, what happened to you?”
If Mason had been hit by a car, then Daniel must have gotten in the way of a herd of wild horses. He limped the last few feet toward the fence, coming into the light, and his face was a mess of bruises and dried blood from a gash in his forehead.
“Leon,” Daniel said. “We had a fantastic debate today. Had a good argument, but his was stronger. Doesn’t matter. Could be worse. At least I’m still standing. At one point he threatened to remove one of my legs.”
“So what did you tell him?”
Daniel managed a small laugh. “Please, Dowell, do yourself a favor and give it up. You managed to get through all that without spouting off your big mouth. I’m stronger than you. I said nothing.”
“Why us?” Mason asked. “I mean, I don’t see them torturing the crap out of the other people here.”
“We’ve got information they want,” Daniel said, nodding in the direction of the casino. “I guess we should be thankful that they keep giving us all this fresh air. Those people inside aren’t as lucky.”
A small thought formed in the back of Mason’s head, turning his stomach to ice. “Do you think they’re using us as bait?”
Daniel frowned. “It’s possible. Never considered that.”
“I saw Clementine today. They know we’re here. I think they might be coming tonight. Do you—”
A loud explosion interrupted his words. The far guard tower burst into flames. People screamed and rushed out of their tents in confusion.
“Hold that thought,” Daniel said. “Something bad is about to go down.”
CLEMENTINE
The fire was brilliant. She’d tossed the bottle over the fence, completely unaware of exactly how loud the explosion would be. She let out a little chirp of excitement when the bottle smashed against the silver box beneath the guard tower, eyes lighting up in amazement when the flames engulfed everything at once.
The explosion was an extra bonus.
“You hit a generator,” Raj said excitedly behind her. “On your first throw. You are amazing.”
“No time to roast marshmallows,” Clementine said. “Come on.” Using a lighter, she fired up another Molotov cocktail and sent it flying out into the night. It hit one of the tents and she hoped no one was inside. Most of the prisoners had evacuated into the middle of the compound, grouping together in confusion, trying to keep safe.
“T
ime to move,” Aries said. “We’ve been spotted.”
Sure enough, two Baggers were running toward them, guns raised and ready to fire.
They ran. Aries and Clementine headed off toward the water, leaving Raj and Joy to disappear in the other direction, where the casino was. There were more generators there and Raj had suggested they hit them first. Without light and power, they’d have a better shot at chaos.
Clementine lit another bottle and hurled it behind her without looking. Hopefully that would be enough of a diversion.
All they had to do was keep the Baggers distracted long enough for them to find a way through the fence. Hopefully they’d track down Mason quickly. If they were super lucky they might come across Graham’s daughter, too. They hadn’t actually discussed what they’d do if Mason wasn’t in sight. In fact, the thought hadn’t even crossed her mind until now. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was better than nothing.
As for the other prisoners, they couldn’t exactly take them all back with them to the safe house. But if they made enough holes in the fence, hopefully those healthy enough to run would escape into the city, temporarily free from the Baggers’ reign. Even those who once listened to the white vans and came down voluntarily wouldn’t be fooled a second time.
Mason tonight. Michael tomorrow. She couldn’t wait to see him again. The memory of his kiss was still fresh on her lips. And she would find him. If she’d been determined enough to travel across the country to find Heath, she’d find Michael, too. God wasn’t about to be that cruel to her.
Heath, this is it. The Baggers started it when they declared war on the world. Now we’re declaring war on them. I guess that makes me a soldier. I used to be so against war, thinking that solutions could be found by negotiation and not killing. I’m beginning to understand now that the world just doesn’t work that way. I feel so grown up. Mom used to say I’d understand things better when I got older. I get it now. Bring it on. World War Three has been declared and I’m going to kick as much Bagger ass as I can find.
She tried to remain this positive in her thoughts. But the little realities weren’t easy to ignore.
There would be no funerals if they failed. Their bodies would be left behind. End of discussion.
From the other side of the compound, flames exploded as Joy and Raj started tossing their own cocktails.
Bullets whizzed past her ear and she dropped to the ground, landing hard, the wind knocked out of her. Refusing to give in to the burning in her chest, she turned over, rolled toward the fence, and then pulled herself up and rushed for cover. Aries had escaped in the other direction and she watched as her auburn hair disappeared behind an abandoned car.
A Bagger stepped out in front of her, leering down with a big grin on his face. She smiled back, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the Taser. As he brought his gun down toward her face, she quickly leaned in, jabbing the small weapon right into his foot. He screamed and flew back through the air a good five feet, hitting the fence and dropping to the ground. She jumped up and went in for the kill, stabbing him again with the Taser until he stopped moving.
When it was over, Aries came over and joined her. They grabbed what they needed.
Now they had a gun.
Of course, neither of them knew how to use it, but Clementine was pretty sure they’d both learn fast given the opportunity.
“You take it,” she said, and she held up the Taser. “I’m really beginning to love this thing.”
Aries smiled and picked up the machine gun. Her auburn hair had come loose from her ponytail, and long wisps trailed over her face. “Better hope you have extra batteries. We’ve got more company and I’ll probably just end up shooting myself in the foot if I try using this.”
Another Bagger came running through the black smoke. He froze when he saw Aries with her gun; he didn’t seem to have a weapon of his own. He turned and dove behind a parked car. Clementine reached into her bag and pulled out another cocktail. She lit it and tossed it, right on target, sending the Bagger screaming down the pavement, arms flailing wildly as he tried to beat out the flames.
A small part inside of her felt sorry for him. What a terrible way to go. But it was only fair, right?
“Come on,” Aries said. She riffled through her backpack until she pulled out the wire cutters. “Let’s get this fence open.”
Clementine stood guard while Aries began snipping the fence. They were clear. The Baggers had headed off in the other direction, to where Raj and Joy had managed to take out another generator. Most of the prison camp had been reduced to darkness. She could make out the forms of people running about, but she could no longer tell who was who. Somewhere in the distance she could hear a child crying and a woman screaming for someone named Henry.
So much chaos. But the prisoners were beginning to get organized. Through the dim light she saw a Bagger brought down, bodies piling against him as he tried to fire on the crowd. Once the Bagger was subdued, another man took his weapon and raised it up into the air with a victory cry.
More shots were fired, sending the man to his knees. Someone else took his weapon and scurried off into the darkness.
“Done,” Aries said. She’d clipped the last wire, stood up, and revealed a hole about three feet wide.
“Let’s do this,” Clementine said. “You rock, by the way. Have I told you that lately?”
Aries grinned sheepishly.
No matter what words had been spoken, Clementine knew she’d been wrong. Aries was a fighter, it was clear to her now.
There was no one else she’d rather have had on her side.
Clementine dropped to her knees and crawled under the fence.
MASON
Frenzy.
He left Daniel the minute the guns started to fire. After a quick discussion, they agreed to split up and try and help Aries and the others.
“We need to get as many people out as possible,” Mason said. Funny, this was almost like when they did their sweeps of the Bagger hideouts, only this time they were trying to save lives instead of take them away.
“Okay, you hit up the day care and I’ll take the casino,” Daniel said. “They’re gonna need the most help.”
“Meet me back in the middle?” Mason asked. “And if you find Aries before I do . . .”
“I’m going to give her one hell of a lecture,” Daniel said with a grin. “Seriously? All this for us? Girl needs to sort out her priorities. I’m starting to feel like a movie star.”
“Get over it,” Mason said. “And be careful.”
Outside, there seemed to be a lot of indecision and confusion. Some people were running around, trying to get others to follow them toward the gates and out of the line of fire. Others stood there stupidly, looking up in the air as if they thought the fire had come down from the heavens. Mason ducked as another Molotov cocktail hit one of the tents a few feet away from him.
“Come on,” he said, grabbing the arm of a bewildered onlooker and dragging him toward the middle of the camp. “People need help. Do what you can.”
The man looked at him and finally nodded. When Mason let go of his arm, he headed off in the right direction, only to be gunned down seconds later.
One of the generators had caught fire and several Baggers had managed to round up a few people, forcing them to beat at the flames with sleeping bags. When one of the people caught fire, a Bagger simply shot him.
There was another explosion to his left and Mason looked just in time to see a Bagger raising his gun toward him. Diving behind a tent, he rolled along the ground, ignoring the blinding pain in his back from where they’d tortured him. Stars popped into his vision, and for a second, he thought he might either faint or throw up. But it passed. When he finally scrambled to his knees, he discovered that a few others had managed to attack the Bagger, stealing his gun and rendering him unconscious.
A man wearing a John Deere baseball cap jogged over to him. “Chaplin says I can trust you,” he said.
&n
bsp; Mason nodded.
“Good to know. We need to organize better,” he said. “They’re tearing down a hole in the south fence. Try to send as many people as you can in that direction. They can’t kill us all if we fight back!”
“I will,” Mason said. “And thanks.”
The man just looked Mason up and down before nodding and taking off in the opposite direction.
The day care tent was on fire. Mason stopped, repelled by the intense heat as fire ate through the canvas. It was like getting punched in the chest. Ignoring the lack of oxygen, he tried to move in to get a better look, but the heat blistered his skin, forcing him back.
If anyone was inside, they were no longer alive.
“They’re okay,” a woman shouted at him. She was holding a package of diapers under her arm. “We got them out. They’re over at the casino.”
Gunshots brought the woman down the second the words escaped her mouth. She hit the ground with a thud; her body sprawled out, the bag of Pampers bouncing off her arm.
He froze, standing in the middle of the nightmare, watching people stumble and fall as the Baggers exacted their revenge. It was like being in a movie, with him sitting in the front row, watching but unable to participate. His legs no longer listened. He wanted to move, find cover at least, but he couldn’t. Everything grew silent; his ears throbbed and sound became diluted, as if he were underwater. Someone fell at his feet, another woman, her eyes wide and staring up at him. She had a nose ring. The gleam of silver caught his attention and he couldn’t look away.
A Bagger came up from behind, grabbing him by the hair and yanking him backward. The pain in his back exploded and the edge of his vision went all blurry. Struggling, he twisted his body around. Ignoring the blinding pain, he managed to throw a punch, forcing the Bagger to let go. Mason hit him again.
Two other men jumped in. One of them was Chaplin. They pinned the Bagger down, bringing him to his knees, and then they kicked him until he stopped moving.