“Oh, he is sir…constantly.”
“Uh huh.”
Part 7
Trevor walked beside the guard away from the girl’s cell, and his brow was deeply furrowed.
“Gerald…may I call you Gerald?”
“Yes sir.”
“Gerald, that girl is no more insane than I am.”
“I wouldn’t know about that sir.”
“Do you know that they aren’t bringing her enough food?”
“Yes sir, I do know about that. I feel so guilty that there is so little on the cart to feed these people.”
“Have you asked about it?”
“Yes, and they said that it was my job to bring the food, not judge what is on the carts.”
Trevor stopped just short of the last door, “Gerald, do you find it a little strange that the government has a place like this?”
“Yes sir, it is more like a prison.”
“It is a prison Gerald.”
“Yes sir.”
The following morning Trevor walked into Philips office. Philips was sitting at the large window watching a group of children playing on the lawn. He turned as Trevor entered the room.
“Did you interview the new guest?”
“Yes I did, and she is very sane…and hungry I might add.”
“Did she say she was a fundamentalist?”
“Yes.”
“Therein lays her insanity. They appear normal, but they are mad as a hatter. If it weren’t the law that we had to interview them, It would be best to leave them to themselves.”
“I need more time to assess her.”
“How much time?”
“At least one more interview.”
“Well get it done Anderson, you will wrap this up by this week. I want your report on my desk by Friday with every block marked in the file…is that clear?”
“Yes sir.”
That evening he looked through the report file, and there was not a single box to mark that a patient would be anything other than insane.
He got ready for bed, then he looked around him at the luxurious hotel settings.
He lay down on the bed, and began processing. He was a slow processor; he didn’t process information as it came into his brain, his brain stored the incoming information, and then he looked at the whole picture. The scenes replayed in his head from the time he threw his graduation cap into the air, until his interview with the girl, and he didn’t like the picture he saw. The picture he saw was a government that was warehousing people they didn’t want in their big picture, starving them, and then when they died, they simply dumped them in an incinerator.
He wanted to free all of them, but his logical mind told him that it was impossible for the short term, so his logical mind zeroed to the one. He didn’t like one of the guards; the man was a cold and uncaring soul. He approached Gerald at the guard station, and invited him for dinner, and Gerald agreed. At dinner, he looked at Gerald across the table, and he knew it was all or nothing.
“Gerald, you do know what’s going on at this complex don’t you?”
Gerald kept chewing his food without raising his eyes for about thirty seconds, then he looked squarely at him, “Yes; I know what the government is doing, I didn’t want to face it at first.”
“Gerald…I know I can’t free them all, but I want to free 310. She won’t last much longer at the rate, they are starving her.”
“I didn’t know until you opened the door to her cell. She was here when I came here.”
“I figured as much. There is decency in you that isn’t in the other guard, and if we don’t try to do something we lose any human decency we ever had.”
“What can we do except end up in prison ourselves? I spent three years in reform school, and I can’t say I liked it.”
“If we can walk her out, I can get her on a train.”
“How are we going to do that?”
“We get her some nice clothes; make sure no one is looking when we open the door.”
“But there is a camera above the door.”
“You can control the camera at the guard cubicle can’t you?”
“That camera doesn’t move much.”
“Yeah, but it moves doesn’t it? Enough to get her through?”
“Yeah, I think it does, but how are you going to get clothes for her?”
“I’ll go to D.C. and buy some. I think I can make up some fake papers to get her through the train station, and onto the train.”
“Where will you take her provided you get that far?”
“Where ever she will be safe Gerald, hell man; I don’t know; I've never gone up against the government, all I know is I have to try.”
“Well, the government has never done anything for me except given me this stinkin’ job. I’m in, let's get it done. I know a place in Utah that you can take her; I was there once, it is an Indian reservation.”
“An Indian reservation?”
“Yes, the government has no jurisdiction there, by treaty that goes back hundreds of years. I visited there one weekend. They even had a car with a steering wheel. I believe one could hide there indefinitely provided the Indians agreed to it.”
“Do you think they might agree to it?”
“They might; they seemed pretty friendly to me while I was there, and they didn’t seem to care for the government much.”
“Ok Gerald, that’s where we will try to take her. I’ll go to D.C tomorrow, and buy her some clothes. Your stay in reform school gives me an idea. That is our story, we are taking her to the reform school in Utah.”
“How will we get the clothes in to her?”
“I’m new here so they are not used to what I look like, I will pad my clothes with hers.”
Part 8
The buzzer went off just as Tom, and Jenny Lund sat down for supper. He turned, and pushed the button on the communicator, “Get on in here Kristen; you're late.”
“Open up Mr. Lund, we are here to inspect your apartment.”
Jenny Lund looked up sharply at the strange voice. She had expected the voice of her daughter. She had been worried that her daughter hadn’t gotten home, but Tom had assured her that she had probably just missed the train from Cheyenne.
“Our apartment has been inspected.” Tom said through the enunciator.
“That was two years ago, and we have news about your daughter.”
“Oh God!” Jenny looked at Tom horrified.
Tom pushed the button on the electric lock, and the door opened to two people in government uniform. The two stepped inside the apartment, let's get this done Mr. Lund, and then I’ll tell you about your daughter.”
“Is my daughter ok?”
“She’s fine.” The man said as he started looking round the room.
“Can you show me Kristen’s room first?”
“This way.” He tried to keep his hands from shaking as he pushed the button on the lift, and the two crowded in the lift with him. The lift opened into the hallway, and he led the way into the room. The two looked around the neat room, in the closet, and then raised the mattress of her bed.”
“I want to know about my daughter!” Tom watched them as they searched the room.
“Soon enough Mr. Lund, we have to inspect the rest of the apartment first.” The man placed his gaze directly on Tom. He decided it would be best to say nothing as the two rumbled through bedrooms. Eventually, they arrived back down to the living room, and kitchen of the small apartment.
“Mr. Lund, your daughter brought a Bible to her history class, which the teacher found in her back pack. She was sent to the school psychiatrist who notified us, and it was decided that she would be sent to the Greenbrier Resort outside of Washington D.C.”
“A resort?”
“Yes, it is a very nice place, and you should be thankful for that Mr. Lund. Normally, she would have been sent to St. Louis to the psychiatric ward there. It’s not near as nice as Greenbrier.”
“Can we see her o
r call her?”
“I’m afraid that is impossible at this time. You can make an application with the government psychiatric board in a few weeks though, and you are welcome to do that.” The two turned to go.
As soon as the door closed Jenny burst into tears, and Katie looked at her parents with fear in her eyes, “Come, let's pray.” Tom said.
“Pray? I want my daughter back!”
“Then what harm will prayer do?” Tom looked at his wife. She and Katy ran to him, and he hugged them close as they wept at the sudden turn of events that left them shocked to the core.
Part 9
Kristen's lungs rattled with every cough. She arose painfully from her bed and moved to the filthy smelling toilet. She felt so weak as she eased herself down on the thing, her intestines felt all twisted inside of her, and she almost fainted from the pain. Some liquid spewed out of her, and she did faint.
She awoke some time later laying on the floor next to the toilet, and she struggled to pull herself to the bed.
She did not know whether she was still sane or not, but her mind slid to the brightly lit apartment. Her mom and Dad were there with Katie eating breakfast; they were talking and laughing as she observed them, they each turned to her and smiled to her.
“You have dirt on your face miss clean!” Katie looked at her and smiled, “Why are you so dirty? And you smell awful! What have they done to you?”
She heard herself mumbling what she thought might be a good answer, but she couldn’t make out what she was saying. The next thing she knew she was in the corner of her cell, feeling the walls.
A moment of clarity touched her, and she pulled herself back onto the bed. She heard words very clearly in her head, “I am your savior, and your redeemer, and I will rescue you.”
“But Jesus, I don’t know how much longer I can hold out.” Her mind slid again, and she was in a different place. She was in a forested valley, with mountains rising up on each side. There was horse's grazing on the pasture below the log house. She touched the smooth log rails of the porch with her fingers. She had never seen a place like this before, yet it was so real. Her senses reeled at the strange reality of this place. A dark-skinned woman walked through the wood door, and smiled at her. “You will be coming here soon.”
“Oh, if only I could.” Kristen sighed, and then she slept.
Part 10
Trevor, and Gerald strolled through the grounds of the Greenbrier complex to avoid any listening devices that might be in the rooms.
Trevor stopped beside one of the groomed trees.
“Gerald, do you realize that we all have become dependent on the government for our very existence?”
“I wasn’t before they sent me to reform school, but since then I realize that I was looking to it to take care of me. I became dependent without even knowing it.”
“We grew up with the lie Gerald. I didn’t know anything different, but now…I can’t live with it.”
“Do you really think we can succeed in getting that girl to Utah?”
“I think we have a chance; the government is so used to people falling in line, and that may be their Achilles heel. You know that if we do, we will become wanted men…can you deal with that Gerald?”
“When you grow up as poor as I did in the Bronx, you can deal with what comes your way.”
“That is your strength; I envy you.”
“Trevor I used to envy the ones that always had plenty, now I see that it is their curse.”
“Ok, let's talk about tomorrow, tomorrow is Saturday, and most of the staff will be gone, or off duty.”
“Yes, the week-end is our best bet; do you have the fake papers?”
“Yes, I have them; the story will be that we are transporting the girl to Denver, and from there to Utah; We will have to change trains in Denver. There is a special psychiatric unit in Salt Lake. That is where we are taking her.”
“You may be able to get her through by yourself, but how do you account for me?”
“You’ll wear your guard uniform. She has killed four people, and a special guard is needed. Do you have a weapon?”
“I can get one from the guard room I think.”
“Try to get one tonight, even if it is a non working weapon, so even a training weapon will do. We don’t intend to shoot anybody anyway. If that happens, we won’t get five feet, so be sure what you have isn’t loaded with live rounds. If someone is in the guard room, tell them you lost your badge.”
“Ok, I’ll do my best, but what if I can’t get one?”
“Then we’ll just have to wing it Gerald, maybe change our story slightly.”
“Alright, did you get the clothes today? It’s important she don’t draw attention.”
“Yes, I have them in my room.”
“We are ready then Trevor?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be, let’s go, and get some rest, drink plenty of water, and we are going to need some water, and food for her.”
“I have the run to the kitchen; that's easy enough.”
“Just don’t take too much at one time, make a couple of trips if you have to."
Trevor lay with his hands behind his head thinking how his life had suddenly turned from the elation of getting a cushy job to the promise of being a criminal. He wondered what his mother, and father would think of him.
Part 11
Trevor carefully padded his clothes with Kristen’s new clothes, and opening the door he walked down the quiet hallway.
It was just coming light outside, and he saw no one on the grounds.
He walked past the front desk, and saw no one there either.
Gerald fell in with him as he walked past the guard cubicle, and on to the great doors that let down to cell 310. The place was deathly quiet, and he dimly heard a moan here, and a cough there, behind the thick cell doors. His heart ached because he was only trying to free one of the persons behind those doors. His heart ached also because; like those hallways that went a long way down, the people had allowed the government to take them a long way down.
He realized just how people would be willing to believe a lie to be cared for, and the government had gladly rocked the people in its bosom of lies, crooning to them as it wrapped them in a cocoon of disgrace.
They came to cell 310, and Gerald pushed in the code that unlocked the door. Kristen was sitting at the side of the bed when Trevor walked in.
He quickly removed the clothing from his pants, and shirt, “Get into these Kristen; we don’t have much time.”
“Why?”
“We are taking you out of here, now hurry please.”
“I’m going home?”
“I’m afraid that is impossible; we are taking you west. Please, there’s no time for questions, strip those off quickly.”
Kristen began stripping her filthy clothes off, and for the first-time, Trevor saw her frail body. He turned his head in shame at her nakedness, and stared at the wall, but he couldn’t help turning to look again at the bones protruding through her skin. There were sores where she had lain on the sharp points.
My God, I didn’t realize just how bad a shape she is in; I doubt if she will be able to walk very fast.
She pulled the clothes on which consisted of a gray jump suit, frilly blouse, and sweater. The shoes were soft, and comfortable, and when she put them on, they were a slight bit large.
“Here, let's get these tangles out of your hair, that will never do. Turn around.”
He began combing her hair, and she winced as the comb pulled at her tender scalp. He got the tangles out as best he could in the dim light.
“Hurry, we’ve got to go.” Gerald whispered through the door.
“Ok, we’re ready, Kristen will walk between us.”
Kristen began walking unsteadily between the two, “Here; we will hold you up by the arms until we reach the gate, then you will have to walk on your own as best you can.”
They hurried toward the gate, helping her walk, and by the time
they reached the large door Kristen was out of breath, and breathing hard.
“let's give her a second before we open the door, we can’t have her huffing, and puffing all the way out the door.”
They waited until Kristen’s breathing became normal, and then they opened the large steel door. They walked her through the hotel, and past the front desk. The girl was there that had taken a liking to Trevor.
Trevor smiled at her as they passed the desk, and she smiled back at him, and then looked wonderingly after them as they exited the hotel.
They walked across the grounds toward the gate that led to the train quad without incident. There was a couple walking through the gardens, but they paid them no mind in the early morning.
The train quad was empty, and they sat down to wait for the train which ran ever thirty minutes.
“Kristen, if anyone approaches us, you are to let us do the talking; the story is that you have killed four people, and we are taking you to the Salt Lake psychiatric facility. It’s a simple story, but we don’t want, anything complicated. If it’s too complicated that alone may bring suspicion if we are checked. Got it?”