Chapter 27: Carter
I can't sleep in the bed they give me. The bed is soft and comfortable, or I guess what I used to consider comfortable. Now, it is a distant feeling that makes me uneasy. I swing my feet to the side and push myself up with my arms. Everyone has fallen asleep already. It’s been a few hours now. Jon is in a bed beside mine. He is sound asleep. The twins are sharing a queen bed and look completely peaceful. Jocelyn, well, she looks perfect. I never get tired of waking up before her and seeing her asleep.
I go out to the front wall and look out the window. The compound is completely dark. It makes sense to have an eight-thirty curfew; those generators need gasoline and it’s best to save them for other priorities. They advised us not to go out at night. “It wasn't safe,” he said – too dark. I figure I'll take my chances with these people and open the door into the night air.
Really, they did do an admirable job turning the motel into this safe haven. All of the rooms, the wall, the farms, and the utilities make the compound a feat of engineering and society that probably exceeds anything that the youth of the country have achieved in the past year. The cars that they’ve flipped and the barbed wire especially add to the security. But I also feel trapped.
Something about this place rubs me wrong. I’m not sure why yet. Why would people not stay at this place?
I walk to the fence perimeter and gaze at the trees which are barely lit by the crescent moon. Some parts of the fence are chain-link and others are brick.
I exhale. If I had a cigarette I would light it. Luckily, I ran out a few months after the plague and managed to prevent myself from finding more. It was a nasty habit. I defy anyone to go through a pre-med program at my age and avoid all vices. I cling my fingers to the fence and breathe deeply. Maybe this place won't be too bad.
A muffled scream comes somewhere from the compound. Was it a scream? Maybe some boys are messing around. I start to walk back to the motel building.
I hear it again, and it stops me dead in my tracks.
There's no mistaking it: a young girl's scream. I start to run toward the other end of the complex. The scream sounds like it's coming from a room on the other side, far from our room. I race through the darkness and come out along the other face of the building. I clench my fist and prepare to take someone’s head off. As I turn the corner I see a group of the boys. Many of them were about the compound throughout the day. I instantly dive down behind a dark vending machine along the building.
A half dozen of them are standing along the wall between me and the room from which I think the scream came. Some of them have lanterns and a few of them seem to be coming from that room’s door. I remember it from the tour earlier. Saul said that it is the workout room. Each of the boys carries a machine gun on his shoulder. Where did they get those? They are laughing and carrying on. One holds a brown bottle – two guesses to what's inside it.
The muffled scream rings out again. It is definitely a girl, and it is definitely coming from the “workout room.”
They told us that Jocelyn, Caitlyn, and Sara were the only girls on the compound. They lied. I peer out to get a better look at the room. The curtains are shut, but white light shines through. I squint trying to get a better glimpse.
The door opens and light pours into the parking lot, blinding me for a moment. I withdraw my head slightly but keep looking out. A figure comes through the door. The farther it gets, the more I can make it out. It is a girl no more than fifteen. Her shirt is ripped and hangs off her left shoulder. Her nose bleeds into her mouth.
Some of the boys start to laugh. One grabs her around the waist. She resists, and he throws her to the ground in response. She pushes herself up and slowly walks a few doors down and goes into another room. What the hell is going on?
Then I see him. Saul walks out of the same room. His hands are fixing his belt, and he laughs.
Before I can comprehend it I'm running as fast as I can back to the room. I trip and scrape my knee along the ground, but it doesn't slow me down a second. I throw the door to our room open and it slams into the wall. Everyone jumps in their beds.
“Carter, what in hell are you doing?” Jon asks. His right hand holds him up as his left hand rubs his eye.
“Jon, guys, we need to get out of here now.” I close the door quietly behind me. I take Jocelyn and Jon into the bathroom and tell them everything I saw. Jon looks furious. Jocelyn looks like she might throw up.
“We can leave tonight. The car’s right outside,” Jon starts. He leans out the bathroom door. “Girls get your things together we are leaving in five minutes.”
“Why?” Sara asks. Caitlyn on the other hand is already up and throwing her few things together.
“Please just do it,” Jocelyn asks sweetly. She does a better job with the girls than Jon when there is stress.
I turn to Jon. I feel the disbelief on my face. “Jon, we can't just leave. There is that girl. She needs us.”
Jon looks at the floor and then his eyes meet mine. “I feel bad about it, but getting these three out of here is my first concern.” He walks past me and grab's Jocelyn’s bag. He pulls out the revolver and puts it in the back of his belt. It's the first time I’ve seen Jon hold a gun. We can't leave that girl. I grab his shoulder.
“We're not leaving her. She may not even be the only one.” I tell him, nearly pleading. Jon grabs my hand and throws it off my shoulder. I look at him in disgust. I have seen so many people since the plague that had forgotten what being human meant; I didn't think Jon would be one of them.
“We are leaving now.” Jon replies and he slams against my shoulder as he walks past. I can't believe him. Jocelyn stares at both of us. She wants to help me, but she will side with Jon. Needless to say I cannot blame either of them. It doesn't matter. Right is right. I walk to the bed and reach under the bed for my bag. I pull out my pistol, check the barrel, and tuck it into the holster along my back. I shove another clip into my front pocket.
“Fine Jon, get them out of here. I'm staying.” He nods, acknowledging my resolve.
Jocelyn comes up with an idea, “Jon if you're so worried we can take the girls out and then we can come back after this girl.”
“No, they may hear or see the car. It’s not a risk I’m willing to take. This discussion is over,” Jon definitively answers.
We silently head out the door and I help them pack up. Jocelyn gets in the passenger's side door. “Please get in Carter,” she begs. I shut the door behind her. Jon looks over and gives me a dirty look. He turns the car on and they drive out without turning the headlights on. I watch as the red from the brake lights slowly drifts off. As they head out of the entrance I hear the yells of the boys. They see them. Now is my chance.
After running to the building, I press my back against the wall and slide around the corner to make my way to the front. I peer over to the room I saw the girl go into. Then men are distracted by the SUV. They don't know what to make of it. I continue around to the door. Closer. Closer.
My eyes become blinded and I squint. The facility's lights have been turned on.
If any of them simply turn around, they will see me. I nearly run to the girl's door. The boys are still distracted by the entrance. Some seem to even be running after it. One boy is within ten feet. I reach for the bronze door handle and pull it down. I push the door open, go inside, and shut it. The security latch is missing.
I turn around. A small table lamp illuminates the room and I see her squatting in the corner. Her arms bend in front of her face and her back pressed against the wall. She looks dirty, her clothes are torn, and she shakes. She may not even be fifteen.
“Please, not again.” her blue eyes quiver between spread fingers.
“Shhhh, no honey, it's okay. I'm here to help.” I hold my hands up in front of me open-palmed. She looks at me with uncertainty. She doesn't trust me, and I can't blame her. “I just arrived here earlier today and I was hiding outside and saw when you left the work-out room. I'm gonna get you out of here.” Her defense breaks down and instantly her arms are around me and she is crying into my chest. I hold her tight. Damn Jon for leaving. She releases me and sits on the bed.
“What's your name?” I ask
“Tina,” she answers. “I came here a few weeks ago with my two cousins. They were all nice to us, then after a while they separated us and started this. They are both dead...” her voice breaks.
“Tina, you are going to be alright, but we have to leave now. They are all distracted outside. It may be our only chance.” I reply. I reach into by holster and pull out my pistol. “By the way, my name is Carter.” I put a round in the chamber.
I look out the window, lifting up the curtain with my left hand. Several of the boys are now missing and the others seem distracted. They seem to be paying little attention to this room. Then it darkens. The lights are out. They’ve shut down the generators again. I grab Tina’s hand and slowly open the door. If we go around the other side, we may be able to make it out the exit. Once we get off of the property, we can quickly disappear in the woods.
We slide along the building. I use what little light the stars give me to search for any weak spots in the fence. The bricks, chain-links and barbed wire make it impossible to get out. The entrance is the only way. We make it to the other side and the only sounds are the boys still yelling. It will be a sprint to the entrance. We can make it.
“Can you run Tina?” I ask. She nods. She looks uncertain, but I sense the hope she feels that she has not felt in probably a long time. “Hang on.”
I grab her with my left hand and grip the gun in my right. We accelerate to a run, and close quickly on the entrance. They don't see us. I hear the patter of our feet against the black pavement. Just twenty feet left.
Fifteen feet.
Ten feet. Almost there.
The lights in the compound come back on around us. Behind us I hear yells. We can still make it.
“Just give up Carter.” A voice says... in front of us. We come to a halt. Saul walks into the light from the entrance. I begin to raise my gun but the two boys beside him already have their rifles pointed. Instead I use my left hand to pull Tina behind me and drop the gun to the ground. The two boys move close to me with their guns inches from my chest. I guess this is how I die. Saul opens his mouth. I wish I could ignore him.
“Nice try. Well not really. Tina, go back to your room. I will deal with you later.” I feel her start to drift away from me. I turn my head she is backing up slowly. Then she starts to run. She runs to the entrance. To freedom.
“No, don't...” I reach out with my hand. Just as she’s about to make it through the fence, the air explodes as gunshots fill the motel lot. She falls. My chest tightens. How could they do this? “Saul I'll kill you, you son of a...”
“Carter, enough. You are going to be laying beside her in a moment, boy.” My teeth clench. Saul walks up to her body and flips her over with his foot. I want to kill him. I want to kill him so badly. He looks at me with a grin. I feel my eyes widen and I grin, too. He sneers at me, “Finally seeing the humor in this all?”
I answer, “Yea. Look to your right.”
Saul turns as he hears the unmistakable click of a revolver hammer snapping into its armed position, and looks directly down the barrel of a Smith and Wesson pointed at his skull.
Jon came back.