Mass Extinction Event (Book 8): Days 109 to 116 Page 16

“Charles Bloom set us up,” I reply. “That's what's happening.”

  “I know,” he says, before looking out at the street and checking both directions. “It looks like we walked right into this one, huh? But who knew Bloom would be so crazy as to -”

  Before he can finish, there's another loud explosion in the distance.

  “As to kill people like this,” Ringcroft continues. “I've overheard conversations, Elizabeth. He's even killed children. All the better for making us look bad, I guess.”

  “It's me they're after,” I tell him. “You shouldn't be seen with me. It's too risky.”

  “You think Bloom doesn't know that I was with you?” he replies. “He knows everything. Come on, we're going to try to find Natalie. She said she might know another way through the barrier, a way that Bloom won't be watching. It's not much of a chance, but it's something, and I don't have any better ideas.”

  He pauses, before reaching out and taking my hand.

  “It's not far,” he adds. “We can do this.”

  I pause, before nodding, and Ringcroft immediately gets to his feet. I stand too, and then I follow him out onto the street and we head back the way I just came. I can't help looking around, convinced that we'll be spotted at any moment, but I guess he was right when he said that there aren't so many soldiers out this far from the center. Bloom probably can't spare them, and Ringcroft's probably right when he says that most of the guns are likely aimed at the spot in the barrier that we came through earlier. I can't believe I came so close to walking straight into a trap.

  “Stop!” Ringcroft whispers suddenly, as we reach the next intersection. He looks both ways for a moment, and then he turns to me. “I thought I heard something.”

  I listen, but all I hear are voices shouting in the distance.

  “You see that yellow sign up there?” Ringcroft asks, pointing along the street. “It's the front of an old store. Once we get to that point, we take a left and then we should find a whole load of rubble. We climb past that, and Natalie should be waiting for us. Do you understand?”

  I pause, before nodding.

  “After that,” he adds, “we're in the lap of the gods. Let's just hope that they're smiling on us.”

  “They don't seem to be right now,” I point out.

  “We made it this far, didn't we?” he asks, with a faint smile. “And I've got to admit, it feels pretty good to be standing up for something, instead of cowering in the shadows. Now let's move!”

  He hurries across the intersection, and I follow.

  “There!” a voice yells, and suddenly I hear gunfire.

  I race after Ringcroft and duck around the corner, but already I can hear voices shouting and getting closer.

  “Run!” Ringcroft shouts. “I'll hold them off and catch up to you!”

  “I'm not leaving you here.”

  “I need you to check that the next street is clear!” he says firmly, as the shouting voices get closer. “Now's not the time for heroics, Elizabeth! Move!”

  I hesitate for a moment, before turning and limping away. As I do, I hear gunfire breakout out behind me, but I force myself to not turn and look. By the time I reach the next intersection, I can hear voices yelling. I check that the coast is clear, and then I turn to see that Ringcroft is engaged in a full-on gun battle with people I can't yet see. He keeps leaning around the corner and shooting at them, and they're returning fire. I want to go and help him, but he told me that I have a job to do and I know he's counting on me.

  And then, suddenly, the top of Ringcroft's head explodes and he falls back.

  Several soldiers quickly run into view, and one of them shoots at Ringcroft's chest.

  “No!” I scream, raising my rifle and firing at them.

  The soldiers quickly rush back around the corner, but I keep firing until suddenly my gun lets out an empty clicking sound and I realize that I'm out of ammunition.

  I toss the rifle aside and limp away, heading toward the yellow sign at the far end of the street. As I get there, I hear more voices shouting, and the air around me fills with the sound of gunfire.

  Thomas

  Still trying to smash the window, I suddenly hear footsteps nearby, and I turn just in time to see a figure rushing toward the door.

  “You have to let me out of here!” I gasp, rushing toward him. “I'm not -”

  Suddenly I see Toad's face, and I watch with a growing sense of relief as he tries to get the door open.

  “How did you find me?” I ask.

  “I figured they'd have put you with Carter,” he replies, before stepping back and raising his gun. “Get out of the way.”

  I step aside, and he immediately opens fire, blasting the lock until it shatters.

  “It's crazy out there,” he says as he pushes the door open. “They're saying that Elizabeth is part of some kind of cult group that's trying to overthrow Bloom. Whatever's actually going on, I'm pretty sure Elizabeth's doing no such thing. This is part of Bloom's power-play with Patterson, it's his way of trying to cement his position. Most of the soldiers have been sent to secure the tracks leading out of the station. Something tells me that train's going to be put into action some time soon.”

  I hurry out of the cell, but then I stop and look through at Carter's dead body.

  “Is she okay?” Toad asks. “She looks...”

  I hesitate for a moment, before turning to him.

  “I need to check on her,” I tell him.

  “If she's dead, she -”

  “Trust me on this,” I continue. “Just give me one minute.”

  He pauses, and then he sighs as he raises his gun and blasts open the next door along.

  “That'd better not be a waste of good ammunition,” he mutters.

  I hurry into the next cell and drop to my knees beside Carter's body. I look into her dead eyes, and for a moment I'm overcome by the stench of death that's coming from her rotten flesh. At the same time, I feel as if there's still a chance, so long as she's still rotting, so I reach down and nudge her shoulder.

  “Hey,” I say, “wake up. We've still got work to do.”

  I wait a few seconds, but she doesn't stir.

  “She's dead, Thomas!” Toad hisses. “And even if she wasn't, I'd have second thoughts about helping her get free!”

  “I know you're in there somewhere,” I say firmly, staring at Carter's face. “The sickness is still alive, and it's keeping your mind going. Sarah Carter, if anyone can cheat death in a situation like this, it's you. Patterson's got the vials. I'm sorry, it's my fault, I was in a tough spot and I trusted the wrong person, but that doesn't matter now. All that matters is getting them back.”

  Again I wait, but this attempt to wake her up doesn't seem to be working.

  “Carter, please!” I nudge her more firmly, shaking her whole body. “We need you! Everyone needs you! There, I said it! We need you, and without you we're screwed! So stop being so selfish, and wake up!”

  “She's dead, Thomas,” Toad says, as more voices yell in the distance. “Come on, we need to get out of here. We need to find Elizabeth.”

  I stare at Carter for a moment, before realizing that he's right.

  “Fine,” I mutter, as I force myself to accept that Carter's really gone. In some weird, surprising way, I actually feel a little sad. “I guess Patterson won.”

  I start to turn, but suddenly I hear a gasping sound, and I glance back just in time to see Carter sit up. Her eyes are wide open, and she lets out a deep, guttural, zombie-like growl.

  Elizabeth

  Letting out a gasp of pain, I throw myself over the top of the pile of rubble, just as more shots ring out. To my surprise, I find that there's a steep decline on this side of the pile, and I quickly start rolling down the rough slope until I land hard at the bottom. I immediately start scurrying to safety, and finally I collapse behind another pile of bricks.

  “Where did she go?” a voice shouts far away.

  “She could be anywhere,” anothe
r voice adds. “Come on, stick to the plan. You know where she'll be soon enough.”

  I hear them still talking as they hurry away, and I realize that somehow I've managed once again to avoid capture. Leaning back against the bricks, I tell myself that I need to get up and get moving, but for a few seconds the pain in my ribs is too intense. I'm hopelessly out of breath after running for so long, and I feel as if I'll never get up again. It's a miracle that I managed to get away from the soldiers, but somehow – even with only one foot – I managed to make it this far.

  In the back of my mind, I'm worried that maybe I only survived because I was allowed to survive. After all, the longer I'm on the loose, the longer Bloom can maintain the chaos in the city. And I'm sure he's happy to wait until he can stage a suitably theatrical moment for me to be captured. Right now, I'm more useful to him alive. That's the only explanation for how a girl with only one foot managed to out-pace a bunch of soldiers.

  “I'm sorry, Dad,” I whisper, with tears in my eyes. “I've been so stupid. I should never have let things get to this point. You'd have done better. If you're out there...”

  I pause for a moment as I imagine him still being alive. After all, Bloom lied about everything else, so why can't he have lied about my father being dead?

  “If you're out there and you hear that I died like this,” I continue, “or that I ended up hanging from a post in the square, just know that I did my best. It might not have been good enough, but I did what I could. And I know you'll fix everything. One day the world will be better again, and it'll be because you did things right.”

  I stare straight ahead, and then I begin to close my eyes.

  “Natalie!” a voice shouts suddenly. “Over here!”

  I open my eyes, just as I hear the sound of someone running across the rubble.

  Scrambling onto my hands and knees, I crawl across another pile of bricks, and then I freeze as I see that Natalie is far away, hurrying down the side of a large crater.

  She's heading straight toward Charles Bloom.

  “Natalie, I'm so glad you're okay,” Bloom says as she reaches him, and as I duck down to make sure that I'm not seen. “It's all gone wrong. Patterson was onto us. I don't know how, but he found out about the red badges, and he used them against us. I'm so sorry, Natalie. I did my best.”

  “But we're not beaten yet,” she says, her voice shaking with fear. “I haven't seen Elizabeth, but I know she's alive. We're going to regroup, and we're going to try again.”

  I open my mouth to shout out to her, to tell her that Bloom can't be trusted, but then I see that there are two soldiers standing not far behind Bloom. If I shout now, I might end up getting Natalie killed, so I force myself to stay quiet. So long as Bloom thinks she's useful, he won't do anything to her.

  “Maybe you're right,” he tells her. “I don't know, I wish I had your courage.”

  “It's not courage,” she explains, “it's knowledge. I told you about the voices.”

  “You did, but -”

  “They're real,” she continues, “and they're telling me right now that we can pull this off. They came to me when it seemed certain that I was about to die, and they helped me escape. I think they've been helping me all along, even before I realized I could hear them.”

  “That's all well and good,” he says, “but we need to come up with a different strategy. General Patterson is scheming to leave on the train, and I'm certain that all this chaos is part of his plan to destroy Boston. Natalie, I need you to have faith in me for just a little while longer. No matter how bad things seem, I've never led you in the wrong direction before, have I?”

  “No, but -”

  “So just trust me one more time, that's all I ask. The bank building is virtually abandoned now, which means Patterson is getting closer to his endgame. I think the train is being readied to leave tomorrow. If that's the case, Patterson must be trying to use all this chaos as a cover for his departure. I've known for some time that the man is insane, Natalie, but this is taking things to new heights.”

  “It still doesn't make sense,” she replies. “Not all of it. It feels as if -”

  “What do the voices tell you?” he asks.

  “I... I don't know that I can hear them right now,” she says tentatively.

  “Try,” he says. “I'm sure they're still with you. They wouldn't let you down, not at this important moment.”

  “They're telling me to...”

  She hesitates for a moment.

  “They're telling me that it's too late to go back now,” she says finally. “They're telling me that Elizabeth's out there somewhere. They're telling me that we're going to win this fight, even if things look bad now. They're telling me that things always look dark, right before victory.”

  “Exactly,” Bloom says, before stepping closer to her and – to my surprise – wrapping her in a hug. “You've been so useful, Natalie. I don't know what I would have done without you.”

  “Wait,” she replies, suddenly sounding a little worried, “I think I was wrong.”

  “About what?”

  “About the voices. About what they're telling me.”

  “No,” Bloom replies, “you're not. Stay focused.”

  “They're telling me something else!” she gasps, still letting herself be held by Bloom. “They're saying that...”

  She pauses again.

  “They're saying that it's you,” she adds finally. “They're saying that it's all -”

  Suddenly she lets out a pained gasp, and her eyes open wide with shock. Then she gasps again, as Bloom steps back and I see that he's plunged a knife deep into her chest. He twists the handle, causing Natalie to cry out, and then he slices the blade up and out of her body before stepping back again.

  “No!” I scream, getting to my feet just as Natalie slumps down.

  Bloom turns to me, still holding the bloodied knife, and then he slowly smiles.

  “I'd love to have my men cut you down,” he calls out, “but it's a little early for that, Elizabeth! I need you alive for a while longer! I need the madness to continue!”

  With that, he turns and gestures at the two soldiers, and then he leads them away from the crater.

  Filled with panic, I start scrambling down the rubble-strewn slope, desperately trying to get to Natalie. After a moment, my bad leg gives way and I start to fall, and I'm powerless as I tumble faster and faster. Eventually I slam into a rock at the bottom of the slope, and I let out a cry of pain before stumbling up and starting to limp over to where Natalie remains motionless on the ground.

  “I'm here!” I gasp, dropping to my knees and rolling her over. “Natalie! It's me!”

  As soon as she's on her back, she lets out a faint groan. Her eyes are blinking, but there's blood all over her chest and she's already starting to look pale.

  “I'm going to get you to safety!” I tell her. “Just hold on, I'll -”

  Suddenly she grabs my hand and squeezes tight.

  “I'm going to find help,” I continue, with tears in my eyes, “and everything'll be okay. You just have to stay strong for a few more minutes.”

  “The voices...”

  She stares at me for a moment, and then a faint smile crosses her lips.

  “The voices told me you were alive,” she stammers finally. “They told me not to trust Charles Bloom, but I didn't understand. Bloom tricked me into thinking they'd said something else. Now they're telling me that it's okay to let go, that I've fought enough.”

  “No!” I say firmly. “You've got a destiny, remember? You've got something to live for!”

  “I was living for this,” she replies, squeezing my hand again. “The voices say I'll understand eventually. They say it'll all make sense by day...”

  Her voice trails off, and she lets out a slow, pained gasp.

  “Stay with me!” I shout, as I gently tap the side of her face. “You're not going to die! You told me that yourself!”

  “They say,” she continues finally
, sounding much weaker now, “that it's all okay anyway. They say I'll still be here. And they say...”

  She pauses, and her eyes open wide with shock as she stares up at me.

  “And they say... that when you rise, Elizabeth, I'll be watching you from down here, and I'll be waving at you. Remember that. When you rise, I'll be smiling and waving.”

  “I don't even know what that means,” I reply, but then I hear another faint sigh from her lips and I realize that her eyes are no longer blinking.

  I shake her shoulder, but she doesn't respond. I try again, and then I check for a pulse but I don't find anything.

  “Come back!” I scream, as I start trying to give her chest compressions. Tears are rolling down my cheeks, but I can't let Natalie die. I refuse to let her die. “You have to come back!” I shout. “I need you!”

  Day 115

  Thomas

  “I'm a zombie!” Carter gasps, raising her hands toward my throat. “I'm going to eat your brain!”

  “Stop it!” I snap, pushing her hands away. “That wasn't funny when you woke up yesterday, and it isn't funny today.”

  After a night of chaos, the explosions and shouting have finally begun to die down. We stayed hidden for most of the night, but the streets seem safe now, so we're making our way back toward the bank building. I'd expected to find soldiers swarming everywhere, but we haven't met any so far, and all the other inhabitants of the city seem to have retreated indoors. I guess I don't blame them, but it's still eerie to be walking along empty streets.

  “Bloom had all his men sent to safeguard the tracks,” Toad explains. “Seems funny, huh? Almost as if he wasn't really worried about the so-called terrorist group at all.”

  “Elizabeth would never have been involved in something like that,” I tell him. “She must have been set up.”

  “Or maybe she snapped,” Carter suggests. “Maybe -”

  She stops suddenly, and I turn to her.

  This is the third or fourth time that this has happened since she woke up in the cell. She was basically dead for quite a while, and it was only her pure hatred of Patterson that brought her back. The sickness is keeping her moving, and it's kind of hard to believe that her hatred is strong enough to let her real mind retain control of her body. But that's what's happening, even if she seems to have these occasional moments in which she disappears into herself.