Chapter 10
The crack of the gunshot startled Five out of her stupor.
She grabbed Kefilwe’s hand and started running. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Janine step out of the shadows.
“Ministry soldiers!” She called. “I am your target. Catch me if you can!”
“Janine’s trying to get the soldiers to chase her. She’s drawing their attention away from you. You can get away, Five. Go. Please. Keep yourself safe.”
“After her! She’s the Minister’s primary target. After her!” Ian called.
“Run, Runner Five! Run!” Sam and Janine, both in danger themselves, were using any extra energy they had to beg for her safety. It seemed wrong.
“Guys please.” Five pleaded. “Please be safe.” She said it like a prayer.
She never believed in prayer.
What she did believe in was running. It was direct action. It was swift and controlled. She and Kefilwe were dodging soldiers, hiding. Trying to find someone - anyone else - who had been out in the field. She was vaguely aware of familiar voices in her ear. And acutely aware of some familiar voices that were missing.
“Runner Five!” That was Peter. “They’ve got Janine! I’m in the field, Five. With Jody and Tom. You’re getting close to us. We found Steve. Meet us at the rock.”
“They’ve got Sam!” Maxine, her voice strained.
“They’ve got Noah Base." Paula. "Sam seems to have hidden the things you found in Finland, but if we don’t get them out, they’ll find them eventually. Maxine and I are safe - in the RV for now. We drove away but Sigrid’s soldiers were coming out empty handed. Other than...you know.”
Five turned off her earpiece. She could see Peter, Jody, and Tom. She was heading for them. She’d just follow their orders.
Sam would hate it if he knew her earpiece was off. Sam tolerated a lot of things, but never turning a headset off. Sara Smith would always turn hers off, sending Sam into a frenzy. The memory gave Five a pang of intense sadness. If Sara were here now, she’d have already kicked Ian’s ass and saved our friends.
She watched her friends approach. She thought she was slowing down. Maybe she was stopping. Her breath was coming in rapid gasps.
Someone was yelling.
Do they have to be so loud?
Suddenly everything was moving in slow motion. She closed her eyes. It was dizzying. She felt her body tip slightly to the side and thought she might fall to the ground.
Someone else was talking. Maybe they were telling her what to do. A face was inches from hers, dark eyes staring into hers. They were intense but unidentifiable.
Her feet were off the ground.
“Up you go.” She was hoisted over broad shoulders. Tom. Slowly Five’s senses began to reboot. Tom was carrying her.
Her head tilted to the side to see another figure slung over another person's shoulder. Peter was carrying Steve’s limp, lifeless figure and Five felt every inch of her body go weak.
Sam. Gone.
Steve. Gone.
She screamed. Maybe. She wasn’t aware of whether or not any noise left her throat. Wake up. Wake up. It’s only a nightmare.
But it wasn't.
Five was aware of being tossed into an RV that smelled like sweat and mold. She was put onto a bed and covered with a blanket.
She rolled over to see Steve on the opposite bunk.
She turned away. Paula and Maxine were hovering. They were talking but their words were unintelligible.
She couldn’t find Kefilwe. She must have been on another bunk.
Five felt her bed sink and shifted her gaze. Jody was next to her. Her hand was gently stroking Five’s hair.
“We’ll fix this, Five. We will.” Jody’s gestures were too soft. Too loving. It hurt. Five turned away.
She woke up to harsh sunlight streaming through the window. She had no idea how long she’d been sleeping. She silently berated herself for wasting so many hours when people needed her. In the front of the RV, voices were whispering, almost drowned out by the sound of static.
“They don’t know how to be quiet. They must be broadcasting some victory speech somewhere.”
“Keep scanning. We’ll pick up something.”
Five turned her head to face the bunk across the way. There was still a body there. They wouldn’t keep a dead body in the RV, would they?
“You awake, love?” Five felt her stomach drop. She tried to say his name, but nothing would come out. She reached out a hand. He took it, but could only reach as far as her fingertips. Still, touching him, warm and alive, sent a pulse of relief through her veins. He moaned and pulled back. “Sorry. It hurts to move too much. Go to sleep, love. We’ll talk later.”
But Five wasn’t going to go back to sleep. She stayed awake, listening.
More static.
A man’s voice started cutting in and out. That awful, nasal, irritating voice.
“Surrender now, former Abel residents. If you are out there, surrender. The Minister will be merciful. It’s over. Give yourselves up.”
Something slammed hard on the table.
“God, I hate him.” Jody said, forgetting to whisper. “I think I hate him more than Sigrid. And I hate her a lot. But at least she’s doing it because she believes in something. He’s just doing it because it’s easy.”
“Keep listening. Do you hear that in the back?” Tom quieted the others. “Listen carefully.”
“Is that- in the background? Do you hear it? Oh, it is. This is too much, even for him. It’s like he read the supervillain handbook.” Peter grumbled.
“Sam.” Tom confirmed. Five squeezed her eyes shut. She instinctively reached back out for Steve. His hand found hers. It wasn’t enough. She got up and placed herself precariously into his small bed. He shifted over to make room and took her hand, groaning a bit as he rolled. He was clearly still hurting, but he managed to hook one arm around her chest in a hug.
“I hear Sam.” She whispered. Steve’s grip tightened slightly as a show of comfort.
And then Sam's voice came through clearly. Ian must have moved him closer to the broadcasting equipment.
“...not…win. No…too many people know the truth.” Sam’s voice got clearer. “You really can’t stop the signal. Not forever.”
There was a sick slapping sound. Sam whimpered, clearly trying to hold it back. Five tensed. Ian laughed.
“Do you know who cares what you think, Sam Yao? No one! You’re a traitor to your country. You’ve plotted against our government. You’re mine now, and no one’s coming to you.”
“I hope not.” Sam was stern. “Runner Five,” Five sat up, nearly hitting her head on the top bunk. Steve grunted in pain, having been jostled so suddenly. “If you can hear me, don’t try to save us. Me and Janine are…we’re all right with this.” Ian’s next hit landed somewhere where Sam couldn’t pretend it didn’t hurt. He called out in pain. Five buried her head in her hands. “Five. Don’t try and save us.”
Five went numb. She was vaguely aware of Steve’s hands rubbing small circles on her back, but it felt like it was happening on someone else’s body. She wanted to get up and run to Sam, she wanted to lie back down and sleep forever.
A new voice joined the chorus from the front of the RV.
“I don’t suppose there’s any chance any of you are planning to listen to that? Five?” Amelia glanced back. “Five?”
The clicking of heels (heels?) signaled that Amelia was heading her way. “I think she already left.” She paused and turned “Oh, nope. Just getting cozy with Steven here.” Five glared at her. “What? No judgment here. We all get comfort in different ways. I would think you’d prefer a partner less, I don’t know, broken.”
“Enough, Amelia.” Jody joined her by the beds. “Look, we only need one thing from you. Tell Exmoor Militia we need them. We’re calling in our favor. That’s something you can do from your own luxury RV, I would think.” There was a pause as Amelia looked Jody up and down. She blushed slightly. “Now, Amelia. Make the call.”
“You’re so attractive when you take control.” Amelia raised a hand, but before anyone could find out where it was set to land, Jody swatted it away.
“Get out of my sight. Now, Spens!”
“Certainly.” The door slammed closed as she left. Jody was breathing deeply, trying to collect herself.
“Look, Five.” She said, finally. “We need to make sure that Abel’s weapons can fire on Sigrid’s soldiers, so we need Sigrid’s secret command code. I think I know how to get it. She and her rich friends are having a party in a fancy building not far from Abel. Five, you need to go.”
“Jody, Five can’t…” Steve started. He was mumbling, mouth still broken and swollen.
“Steve. I can. And I am going to.” She patted his leg. “I got your number one back, and now I’m going to get mine.”
There was a small sigh and the creak of the bed as Steve shifted.
“Go on then. Just…be safe, love.”
“Always.”
Five fumbled around and found her running shoes.
“What, Tom? Why are you-” Jody said softly, distracted.
“No, it’s just…you are attractive when you take control.” Tom said softly.
“Someone has to do it.” Jody grinned.
Five tightened her shoes and felt for the ring on her middle finger.
Fuck you, Ian. I’m bringing him home.
“Five, you ready?” Jody gently put an arm on her shoulder. “I’ll be on comms the whole time.”
Five left the RV without a word to anyone. Her brain was locked on her mission - get Janine and Sam back. At any cost.
“Okay, Five. Tom’s encrypted this frequency so Sigrid can’t eavesdrop. Her people will figure it out in a few hours, but we have a bit of time. We’re going to be okay. You can still hear me, right?”
“Yeah, Jody. I do.”
“Good. You’re doing well but you’re approaching the building with the party. You’re going to have to go into stealth mode here.”
“Right.” Five scanned the area. She was still surrounded by woods and trees, but in a clearing was an old building that she remembered seeing on missions a few times. It was a strange old abandoned office building, set back from the nearby village, crumbling and spooky.
Tonight, it was mysteriously lit with strings of lights, bare bulbs emitting a soft glow, and candles. It looked lovely, but also vaguely creepy. Like it was set up for a tragic fairy tale wedding.
Five noticed a service van parked along the treeline. They were carrying boxes inside.
“Ugh.” Five snorted. “Is that champagne? For fuck’s sake. She’s got cases of champagne going in there.” Five took a breath to steady herself and grumbled, “Nothing like throwing yourself a goddamned ball while you’ve got people imprisoned and getting the shit beaten out of them.”
“Use her arrogance against her. Can you sneak in with those crates?” Jody asked. Five watched closely. There was a worker who had put down his crate behind a tree to have a smoke.Five shook herself out, hoping to appear more relaxed, and walked forward.
She cleared her throat.
“Can I bum one of those? I know, limited supply. But it’s been ages since I had a good smoke.” She batted her eyelashes at him, well aware that she looked ragged and beaten.
“Sure thing, beautiful. We can pop open one of these champagne bottles, too, if you like.” Five had to stop herself from wincing at his rancid breath.
“Won’t they be missing it at the party?” She asked gently, hugging her coat closed and trying to hide the Abel Township “5” logo.
“I don’t even know who I’m delivering this for. Boss says someone is going to do us some favors if we deliver these crates. So we deliver them. No questions.” He pulled out a bottle and toyed with the cork. “It’s a little….they’re old so sometimes they get a little stuck.”
Five grabbed the bottle and popped the cork with a loud pop and no difficulty. She took a large swig from the bottle.
“Got that for you.” Five winked as she tossed the cork to the side.
“Who are you? Where did you come from?”
“No questions, right?” She answered coyly. He cocked his head, ready to speak. That was all Five needed. She raised the bottle and brought it down straight on the crown of his skull. The man folded and hit the ground hard. She took another gulp from the bottle.
“This stuff is utter shit.” She took another drink.
“Five, that was hands down the most badass thing I’ve seen you do. And I’ve seen you do a lot.” Jody breathed.
“Anyway, let me just put on his stupid workman suit here and I’ll grab this crate and be on my way inside.”
As she approached the doors of the party, the stench of smoke and body odor wafting off the oversized coveralls, her heart began thumping in time with the heavy bass of the music. She carried the crate high, over her face, and followed the other coverall-ed workers through the door.
“Doing great, Five.” Jody assured her. “Drop off your crate of champagne and head toward the stairs on the right. Nobody seems to be over there so it will give you a place to hide while we get a lay of the land.”
Five placed her crate at the top of a pile, nodding briefly at a worker she almost accidentally made eye contact with. She followed behind him momentarily, to ease suspicion, turning sharply for the stairs at the last minute. She took the two at a time and found herself on a dimly lit loft overlooking the party.
“Oh, that’s a perfect spot. Hide in the shadows for now, but let’s get you out of there soon in case anyone else is looking for a dark, quiet place. I know that’s usually the first place I’d try to find if I were at a fancy party.” Jody grumbled. Five laughed.
“What? You?” She feigned surprise. “Not a party girl?”
“Nah. Also not much of a heights girl. Do you mind not sitting so close to the edge? The view from your headcam is making me dizzy.”
“Oh, now you just sound like Sam.” Five’s voice broke on his name. “Is he…do you think he’s here, Jody?”
“I - I don’t…” She was interrupted by a slight click and a brief burst of static.
“Home base? Are you receiving me?”
“That’s a 10-4, Paula.” Jody responded.
“Oh, good. I’m on the ground, just under a kilometer out. The Peter formerly known as Necropolis is inside attending the party.”
“He’s…what?” Five squinted her eyes, searching the crowd for him. Sure enough, there he was. Just on the edge of the dance floor, hips swaying, grin wide and sparkling.
“Weirdly, Amelia got him an invitation through her contacts. Apparently, appearing at a third-rate murder circus gets you into all the swanky parties these days.”
“Can we please listen in to his conversations?” Paula asked wistfully. “I really miss parties. The drinking, the dancing. Getting all dressed up. Flirting. Role playing.”
"Seems Paula used to find the dark corners of parties, too, for other reasons." Five muttered. Paula laughed.
“Ok. Yeah.” Jody cut her off by connecting Peter to comms. “Let’s see what he’s getting up to.”
Five watched Peter run his hands through his hair as he clinked champagne glasses with the two people he was speaking with.
“Yes, you know…it does feel like pre-zombie days. It’s rather nice. Have you heard what the entertainment is?”
“Oh, the Minister says it’s going to be something very exciting. Quite unexpected. Doesn’t she, darling?”
“What, lovely? Sorry. I’m distracted by that woman’s hair. Does she have…what is that?” As his two companions began discussing the hairstyles of the other attendees, Five watched Peter closely. Even from her perch above the party, she could see he was nervous. Anyone who didn’t know him would never see it. But she noticed his empty hand making and releasing a fist. A nervous habit. Simon used to do it after a stressful run - a nervous habit that would continue often through dinner. His eyes were fluttering around the party, darting back and forth. Watching for danger. Looking for someone in need of saving.
“Oh, her hair is very striking.” He responded with easy laughter. A gentle touch on the woman’s arm.
The comms clicked again. Jody turned off Peter’s mic.
“I think Peter is mingling! Good for him. Anyway, we’ve got to get you moving, Five. We have to create a distraction. We think Janine and Sam are here in this building. Oh, shoot. Look.”
Sigrid was standing in front of the crowd, waving her hand in the air, calling for attention. “Honored guests!” She shouted. The music quieted. The crowd hushed and watched her in awe. Five tucked her feet under her and stood in a crouch, ready to leap if needed. “I have a wonderful surprise for all of you on this, my day of triumph. As you know, Abel Township went rogue at the start of the apocalypse. Its self-styled leaders cut themselves off from the legitimate government of the UK, and tried to hoard resources, and keep vital technologies for themselves. In these times, when so many of us have learned the value of community, there is no more shameful action. But I am happy to announce that we are taking our country back. After months of work, today, my team will break through into the underground storehouses, where Abel have kept equipment from us.”
“That’s not true!” hissed Jody. “It’s not vital equipment. It’s information that’d incriminate Sigrid.”
Paula shushed her.
“But I have even more glorious news. I have captured the leader of this rebel faction. I present to you - Janine DeLuca!”
A curtain behind Sigrid was pulled back. Five gasped and fell back on her heels.
“When can I go down there and kick Sigrid's ass?” She whispered.
“My God, she’s in a cage.” Peter sounded wounded. “She’s shackled. They’ve shaved her head. And they put her in a cage. I…I can’t…”
In the crowd, she could see Peter start to move away from his small group of new friends. Five turned her focus back on Sigrid.
“Where’s your master plan now, Janine?” She laughed. It was a cruel, heartless sound. “I have a little game. Who’d like to throw the first rotten tomato at Janine De Luca?”
“Are you fucking for real?” Five whispered.
“Runner Five. Runner Five, if you can hear me,” Peter was begging. “I know this isn’t part of the plan, but we have to get her. We can’t….we have to help her.”
“Peter, Five. Steve just told me - he knows this place. Sigrid had a few operations running out of here, apparently. He drew me a map. There are laser cutters in one of the other rooms. I can guide you.”
“I’ll get the laser cutters, Jody. The crowd will notice if Peter makes a sudden move, but nobody has spotted me and I’m still in disguise.” Five stood up, careful to stay in the shadows.
“When you have the laser cutter, Five, I have an idea. Bring it to me. Please.” Peter’s voice was shaking.
“Quickly, Jody. They’re…they’re throwing things at her. Where do I go?”
“Peter, get close to Sigrid again so we can hear her clearly. Five, go down the stairs. You’ll find a hallway just to the left. Head down that hall and you’ll find the cutters in the third room on the right.”
“While you’re in there, Five,” Peter continued, “It would be helpful if you could maybe make a small fire. Something to serve as a distraction. Clear a few people out of here?”
“I have matches on me.” Five smiled softly. “Steve taught me never to leave home without them.”
As Five ran, she listened carefully. Sigrid had stopped the crowd from throwing their vile fruit at Janine and was back to addressing the crowd.
“We of the Wakened Land know how long we have waited for today, how hard we have worked to make it happen. This is our independence day!”
Five turned the corner into the room. On top of a desk was a small machine that Five guessed was a laser cutter. She pointed her headcam at it.
“This, Jody?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Okay, I’ve got it. I’m going to light a small fire in this trash can. Hopefully it will be enough to distract but not enough to destroy.” Five said, striking a match.
As she let it fall into the empty trash can, small dust particles and miniscule scraps of paper starting to light, she realized she wanted nothing more than to light the whole damn building on fire. She wanted to watch Sigrid burn. But then she remembered Janine was trapped and Sam could very well be in the building somewhere, and she took a deep breath. She grabbed the laser cutter and made for the hall, heading back to Peter. She was pleased that she could smell smoke wafting from behind her.
Five was back at the entrance. Luck was on her side - the workers were stacking empty champagne crates next to the rest of the full ones. Five dropped the laser cutter inside one, heaved it up, and started into the party. She stopped at the doorway and turned to one of the soldiers.
“Do you smell that?” She took a wildly dramatic sniff. “Is that smoke?” The soldier, on alert, also sniffed the air.
“No. What - well, maybe.” He elbowed the soldier next to him. “Smell anything?”
“Maybe. Let’s check down that hallway.”
Five nodded and carried her box into the crowd. She found Peter standing just at the edge.
“In here.” She whispered. Peter nodded, looking pale and determined.
“After all of our struggles and setbacks,” Sigrid droned on. “Today is the day it all comes to fruition.”
“She is just talking to hear herself.” Five grubled. Peter nodded but put his finger to his lips to quiet her.
Sigrid stopped. She put her hand to her earpiece and looked confused. Her eyes darted to the side and she said something inaudible, covering her mouth with her hand. She turned back to the crowd, flashed a dazzling smile, and continued.
“I have come to realize everything happens for a reason. My success has been mandated by forces much greater than any one of us.” A soldier approached her cautiously and whispered urgently into her ear. Sigrid closed her eyes. A beat of breath later, she spoke to all.
“It appears there is a fire in the wing adjacent to this room.” The crowd began to rumble with the beginning twinges of panic. “Be calm, please. There are systems for dealing with this. I’m going to move the party outside and then we can seal this wing of the building. When my experts deal with the small fire, this room should be safe and smoke free and we'll come back inside. Everyone, please make your way out to the patio. Bring a drink. No need to stop the celebration.”
The crowd collectively turned and began heading out the door.
“Wait, if she’s sealing the doors..hold on.” Jody thought for a moment. “She will need her code. Five! Get into place. Hold the door for her. Put your headcam somewhere…somewhere not obvious. Try to get her security code on camera. It may be the same code everywhere.”
Without thinking, Five placed the camera down her sports bra, sticking up ever so slightly, lined up with an opening in the coverall buttons.
“Meanwhile, I’m going to get Janine. I’m just hiding behind this table here until the room empties.” Peter chimed in.
“Keep the camera steady, Five. You’re doing great.”
“Someone is here. One of De Luca’s minions is at this party.” Sigrid was grumbling as she waited for (what she thought was) the last guest to leave.
“We had to evacuate ma’am. No matter how it started, the building still is on fire. Seal up this room, we’ll get everything under control. You’ll be back in no time.”
“Very well. I’ll just enter my access code and then head to the other wing to take care of it.”
“Yes ma’am.”
The soldier left, heading down toward the - now very smokey - wing where Five had started the fire.
The security system beeped. Five realized how close she was to Sigrid, who would not be fooled by coveralls. Five turned and walked into the center of the gathering crowd.
“We’ve got it!” Jody yelled.
“And I’ve cut Janine free.” Peter said.
“Is Miss Marsh on the headset with you?” Janine was asking.
“Yes. We are rescuing you.” Peter explained, disappointed that he wasn't receiving more praise.
“Good. I have something to attend to here. Just a small thing I spotted at this party. Mr. Lynne, go help Runner Five. I assume she is here with you? I’ll catch up with you later.”
“But-”
“Go.”
“Roger that, ma’am.” All joy and triumph were gone from Peter’s voice.
“You can do this.” It wasn’t clear if Janine was talking to Peter, Five, or Jody. Maybe all of them.
“Five,” Jody took over command. “We need you at Abel. Paula and the other runners are waiting for you. You’re needed at the head of the charge. Five, go. You’re not far. I’ve driven the RV near Paula - we’re all meeting here. To the South of the building. Just run. Maxine is ready. Paula is ready. Peter - you come too. We’re taking our home back.”
Five was about to say something when a burst of static came through her earpiece.
“Hello?” A voice broke through. “Is this working? Jody Marsh? Can you hear me?”
“Veronica? How are you talking to us? Our comms are encrypted!” Jody responded.
“Oh, yes, but not very seriously.” Five rolled her eyes. Veronica continued without missing a beat. “Listen, Nadia told me what you’ve been up to. We can’t let Ian Golightly stay in charge of Abel so…I have a hidden way into Abe for you. But…you…” Veronica paused. It was unlike her to sound so hesitant and unsure of what she wanted to say next. “You won’t like it. And you might be very angry with me.”