Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The siren song filled the air. DW pulled on Pal’s leash as the sound echoed off the buildings around her.

They were coming.

DW was in the middle of the street trying to get Pal to move along. He had stopped to sniff something, but since he was almost half her size, there was no getting the dog to budge. She stomped her foot, but he didn’t even look up to her.

Across the street, George and Francine approached on roller blades. They stopped behind an overturned dumpster as the siren’s song became clearer. George looked around to see what direction they were coming from, but Francine’s eyes were locked on DW.

“Come on, Francine, she’s just a stray. We need to find a way out of the city,” George pleaded, but Francine wasn’t listening. She skated out to the center of the street as George looked on with a fearful gaze. Didn’t she know how dangerous the Tibbles were?

As the sirens grew louder, Francine’s skates got Pal moving. He allowed her to take the lead, and DW allowed it as well. Her purple hair flew behind her as Francine pulled Pal towards an overgrown fence.

Just as they ducked behind, the truck appeared. It was a garbage truck fitted with a loudspeaker and a siren and sprayed with a terrifying, twisting T. Behind the wheel were the Tibbles, laughing maniacally as they plowed up the street. DW swallowed hard as Pal whimpered, his eyes locked on the truck. His face was painted with blue circles around his eyes, DW’s doing despite Arthur’s protests.

There were no adults left to take his side.

The truck plowed up the street, the sirens still echoing as the Tibbles disappeared from sight. Tension was still in the air but not as sharp now. Francine stood down.

“Come on, where are you staying?” Francine asked as George skated up.

“They’re going to come back, they always do,” George said firmly, “We need to leave the city.”

“We need to get her back somewhere safe,” Francine said even sterner, looking back to DW, “Where are you staying?” she repeated.

“Arthur wanted to try Lakewood,” DW said, pointing, “Pal barks too much at the house, it’s not safe anymore. Come on, he’s waiting. I couldn’t get him to move.”

As they fell into step, George grew unhappy as they slowly skated up city streets. They’d grown up here, but the streets weren’t the same anymore. With no adults around, the city immediately fell into chaos and into mess. A burned-out car was overturned on the street, the graffiti tags on the doors burnt into the remaining metal. The group behind the tag wasn’t around anymore. Times were moving fast and hard without law and order, and the landscape showed it.

“Are you sure the school is safe?” Francine asked, adding, “Lots of kids know where that is.”

DW nodded, “Arthur scoped it out already. The barricades were still up when they used it as a feeding center.”

Those days were long over. Three weeks prior, the last one took place, and even that was from teens wearing police gear. It didn’t fit them, and they were very nervous about the exchange, and they had every right to be. Francine had skipped it, but rumor had it there was a stampede and kids were killed in the chaos. She gulped at the memory.

Lakewood Elementary came into view. As George and Francine slowed on their skates, Pal broke free from DW’s grip. DW ran and followed him through a gap in the fence. George and Francine exchanged glances. They couldn’t see past the tall, steel barriers, but Francine’s protective urge took over. She skated through the gap.

Arthur looked up from Pal, his smile fading. His glasses were cracked on the right side. He was wearing a costume hat with costume jewelry wrapped around it. Francine focused on his face and found he was as kind as she remembered.

“Are you safe here?” Francine asked. She tucked one of her braids behind her ear as George cautiously approached.

Arthur nodded, “What about you two? It’s getting dark soon. The gym door was broken open, but it looks easy to fix. There’s food in the cafeteria, I don’t mind sharing.”

Francine turned to George, who sighed, “I thought we were leaving Elwood City. If we get out of here, we won’t have to worry about the Tibbles rounding us up or someone breaking in during the night.”

“We’ve been weaving these streets for two days trying to find a way out. Maybe we stay a day or two and figure out a way out of here. We could help Arthur sure up the exterior, keep them safe,” Francine suggested.

George wanted to argue, but Arthur was right about the time. Shadows were getting longer, and the sound of the siren was still echoing in the distance.

Against his instincts, he followed Francine, Arthur, DW, and Pal into the school. It had been ransacked and graffitied on the inside, but the halls still felt like home. As Francine took off her skates by the office, she took in Principal Haney’s smiling portrait. Someone had spraypainted a symbol over his face, but his eyes still looked kind, even in the dim light.

George stood up from taking off his skates, his green, spiked hair shining under one last hint of sunlight. He moved towards the entrance, “Have you checked the place out? If it’s clear, we should close this up,” he suggested.

“Yeah, there’s some boards over here. DW, show Francine the food we found,” Arthur called out.

When he turned around, he stopped short when he realized a figure was in the shadows. George instinctively grabbed a broken broom from beside him as Francine protectively pulled DW behind her.

But Pal was wagging his tail. He approached the figure as Arthur seemed to breathe easier. The figure smiled, pulling a feather accessory out of her eyes as she scratched Pal’s ears. She looked up to the group and stepped out of the shadows:

“I hope I didn’t scare you, I just got here. I can leave if I don’t belong,” Sue Ellen said. Arthur shook his head, “We just got here too, you can help us make it safe here.”

George looked nervous as he put down his broom and went to where Arthur said the boards were. He heard George and moved to help him as the girls and Pal moved into the cafeteria to start making the school their home.

Mei-Lin whimpered in her sleep. She tossed and turned as Fern looked on from behind the counter. The only light in their room was from a lava lamp from the prize area. They were battery powered, but there were only so many of them left. Plenty of lamps were in the prize area behind the counter, but there was only one pack of batteries.

But the dark was scary.

Mei-Lin moved frantically in her sleep. Fern looked away, she knew what the girl was seeing—the stampede.

The food give away was the last one the adults organized, or at least that's how it seemed. Armored trucks deployed from the city’s government complex in Sector 1 and made their way into Sector 4. Fern couldn’t decide if she wanted to go or not. She’d found the bowling alley by then, which was ransacked early on except for the office. Fern had picked the lock and found food, a few blankets, and the body of a young adult with a scribbled note in their hand.

The virus had killed them the way it killed all the other adults.

Fern’s memory went back to that day. There were so many kids piled into the intersection just behind the barricade. On the other side was Sector 2, where a lot of businesses and other services were. The area was still dangerous, but not as large and unruly as Sector 4.

Fern remembered the moment she spotted trouble. The trucks had appeared, and the few scraggly guards had dispersed what little food packs they had. The ill-fitting police armor barely stayed on. By then, ALL of the adults were gone. Older teens were scared, their young adult former classmates were dying too.

As soon as the last bundle was handed out, the armored teens knew to leave, but that wasn’t the problem. The Tibbles, they were a problem.

Kids heard the siren and ran in fear. The barricade had been closed, so some kids were pressed against the wall. Others turned in different directions, but the truck appeared. They were like wild animals on the Serengeti, diving and weaving.

Mei-Lin was in the crowd, her green and yellow outfit catching Fern’s attention. As the garbage truck got closer, Mei-Lin lost her grip on Binky’s hand. He was pulled one way, and she was pulled another.

They were coming for her.

As the Tibbles ransacked the crowd, snatching whoever they could and hitting whoever else, Fern descended the stairs of the building she was in. She ran into the chaos to Mei-Lin and found her with a sprained ankle.

“BINKY!” she screamed. But the crowd kept running, he couldn’t turn back even if he wanted to.

Fern found the strength to pull her towards a car dealership behind them. She put Mei-Lin in the back of a tall pick-up truck before climbing in with her. Fern kept her hand over Mei-Lin’s mouth as she screamed.

Mei-Lin was reliving it. She squirmed, her brow covered in sweat. Fern looked up at her and frowned. They were now all they had in the world, and now it was up to them to survive.

Lydia looked up at the skylight of the government center. They kept their lights off as much as possible, the natural light plenty for daylight hours, but they had the power if they wanted to use it. This was why Lydia had come here, and it was why Brain had come as well. As she wheeled into the mayor’s office, she found him looking at a laptop screen, his brow fixed, contorting the EC tribal symbol on his forehead.

The flash of red made him look up. It wasn’t enough for Lydia to have blood red hair, but her outfit was red and lacey as well. Brain sighed when he saw her; he knew she would want an update.

“Carl and Sally are working on the hydroelectric manuals now. She got back from her house safely despite the Tibbles roaming around,” Lydia said, sliding up to the desk next to Brain and putting on her brake. She smiled, “Maybe we can get power all over the city now.”

“I don’t think electricity will help if they starve to death,” Brain murmured darkly. Lydia sighed, “Look, we were able to get that last truck running.”

“And look what happened after! Four kids died!” Brain exclaimed.

Lydia touched Brain’s arm, “We couldn’t have anticipated the Tibbles stirring up chaos. We know where they are now, that’s so far from their base.”

Brain shook his head, “They’re still circling the streets,” he said, pulling up security cameras. Some were malfunctioning, others were off, and a good handful had spray paint distorting the view. But others gave a perfect view of the streets below, and Brain had labeled each camera as best as he could with what maps were laying around.

Like Lydia, his priority was safety, but it was also getting the city back up and running. As a young leader, it was up to him, and the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

Lydia sighed, “Well, I’m getting closer on the combination to that last garage. The electrolock is pretty strong, but the program seems to be doing its job. And we weren’t locked out yet, so we won’t need any welding equipment. That’s good, we shouldn’t need anyone’s help for a while.”

“We’re lucky the Tough Customers agreed to help us do the give-away. Molly seemed tense, something is going on with them,” Brain whispered, looking up to Lydia, “I hope we don’t have anything like that. We shouldn’t be fighting our own friends.”

Lydia exhaled slowly, “Well…none of us have any intention of that. Sally is like us, she wants to help, and Carl? Well, he just needs us to listen to him. He’s got the commissioner’s office the way he likes it now, and he likes the uniforms we found. They make it hard for me to move, but it looks good on you.”

“Sally doesn’t seem to agree,” Brain whispered, shrugging as he leaned back in his chair, “She’s worried.”

Lydia thought for a moment before lowering her head, “She should be. Carl watches the feeds too, he’s got a spreadsheet—”

“I’ve seen it. The virus is still out there, she’s not safe,” he said quickly. Lydia nodded. Sally was lucky she’d lived this long. She’d graduated ahead of some of the teens they’d found, and there was only so much isolating they could do in the beginning. They were hoping to settle in now, but that didn’t mean they were safe.

Little was known about the virus. When governments realized what was happening, they locked down and forced everyone to stay in their homes. The city was divided into sectors, and each sector was allowed to leave on a schedule to get supplies…for a week or two. By then, they realized even that wasn’t helping. Adults were dying in droves, and kids were left orphans in their own homes if they weren't put in government-run containment centers.

They began to wander, grouping up with old friends. At first, they were met by officers or National Guardsmen, but soon? It was just them…and there were more and more kids around them.

The world as they knew it was gone, and uncertainty had set in. The city’s future lay in the balance, and Brain wanted to turn it in the right direction. There was a lot to do, much to rebuild, and so much more to discover…if there were any answers at all.

Chapter Text

With the barricade in place and the gym doors sealed, Lakewood was a fortress. Some groups had already attempted to hole up there but were run out early on. Francine studied the cafeteria as she and Sue Ellen finished making a breakfast of canned cream corn and crackers.

Sue Ellen scooped a serving onto Francine’s tray, “I haven’t been back here since I left fifth grade. What about you?”

“I did some sports talks here in sixth grade, but that was it. And it was just in the gym. Do you think those doors will hold?” she asked warily as Arthur and George entered the room. Pal barked from his spot beside DW, who was sitting in the corner reading a book.

Arthur accepted a tray from Sue Ellen, “The doors should work great now. George and I found a power drill in the janitor’s closet, battery powered. It had enough juice to screw the hinges shut. It didn't have enough to do the gate along the barricade wall, not that we have the tools for it. We're working on it.”

“How will we get in and out? That’s so dangerous,” Sue Ellen said sharply.

George pointed upwards, “There’s a service entrance to the roof up there. We scouted it this morning when we fixed the barricade outside. There’s a ladder leading down to the playground. That’s the only way in there, but you can set something up, maybe keep a lookout from the roof to help each other up.”

“And if we can’t get to them before the Tibbles or someone else makes a sweep?” Francine asked. George shrugged, “There’s other places to hide in the sector. They’ll be fine.”

“Are you planning on leaving?” Sue Ellen asked as they all took seats. Arthur gave a small serving to Pal, but DW remained in the corner. He turned back to George, who nodded and told Sue Ellen their plan.

Francine sighed, “I’m torn about leaving the city though. We don’t really know what’s out there, and it’s a lot of work to start your own farm.”

“You’ll never make it out of the sector system alive,” Sue Ellen said firmly.

George shot her a sharp look, “We made it here, didn’t we?”

“From where?” she asked, turning to Francine, “Your apartments are in Sector 4. That’s easy to get to from here if you take the right route.”

“And where we your before? You haven’t said,” George shot back.

“I was in Sector 1 for a bit. We didn’t see eye to eye, so I decided to go out on my own,” Sue Ellen murmured. George lifted an eyebrow, his green hair shimmering in the light, “How did you end up there?”

Sue Ellen sighed, “My dad was an ambassador, remember? I was part of a student leadership group, so when things got dicey and my dad had to leave town, I was ordered to shelter at the government building. The last of the adults lived there. And died there. No one is left, just kids. Brain is hoping to get the city back online though.”

Arthur scoffed, “I know he’s a genius, but we’re just a bunch of kids and teenagers. What could he do to bring order back to the world?”

“They’re working on it. I…I didn’t stay long enough to get the specifics. Lydia seemed to think I knew about my dad’s work, but he hasn’t been with the government for a few years now. He lost his credentials when he retired, it wasn’t like that,” she whispered.

“Sounds to me like you’re leaving some parts out,” DW said firmly, her pink lipstick shimmering in the dim light. Francine noticed she’d changed her cheek makeup to flowers, probably using the supplies in the art room. She’d found them herself but hadn’t decided on a mark yet.

Sue Ellen looked down to her tray, “Lydia wasn’t nice about it, and Brain took her side. I was hoping the others would take up for me, but you all remember Carl, don’t you? He just stormed back to wherever he’s holed up over there. He tries to stay out of the way, it’s too noisy for him.”

“Poor kid, his routine is probably all messed up,” George whispered.

Arthur scoffed, “The government center has power, water, food, and all the security they could ever need. I’m sure he’s doing just fine.”

“Better than we’ll ever be,” DW added grimly, grabbing a tray and sitting across from Sue Ellen, “I don’t care what they said about you or your dad, you’re an idiot for leaving.”

“Well, it didn’t help that they had me work with the Tough Customers to do that last food run. I was the one who got the truck back running, who figured out where the other supplies were so we could divide the rations. Molly and I had a deal worked out, and I paid her too. Things just didn’t go as planned,” Sue Ellen whispered.

George nodded, “Everyone’s heard about the stampede by now. Is it true what they said? Did kids die?”

“A few were squashed against the barricades, the Tough Customers got the hell out of there as soon as the supplies ran out. They knew the Tibbles might try something, and yeah, they hit some kids with batons. One got ran over. It was horrible,” Sue Ellen said, poking at her food. Her bright outfit with its fancy feathers was almost too festive for such a tale. She looked up and met George’s gaze, “They left me there in it. I twisted my ankle, had to hobble my way into a burnt-out house nearby. I was able to keep my backpack so I had water, and I found food the other day up the road. There was a small garden in a park, I had some vegetables. Nothing like this,” she said, looking back to her tray, “I can head out if you’d rather I stay away.”

“We’re serious about leaving, at least I am. We’ll figure out a safe way out of the sectors. The Tibbles like running during the day,” George said.

Arthur shook his head, “At night, they’re drunk and even scarier. We had to leave because they’d set of fireworks and get Pal barking, it was too dangerous there.”

Francine exhaled, “Well, we use the roof to scout the area. We can pair off to look for food if we need to, but there’s enough cans for a bit and the sinks still work a little. We stick around until we can safely leave, then we all go. A farm needs workers, and George is right, we’ve got to sustain ourselves.”

“Why can’t we garden here?” DW asked, adding, “The playground is walled off, and it’s got plenty of green space.”

“We’ll see,” Arthur said, finishing his food, “DW, we should wash up since Sue Ellen and Francine cooked.”

DW pouted but didn’t argue. Sue Ellen went with Pal towards the playground, but Francine tried to follow George back into the depths of the school. He disappeared down one of the darkened hallways, and Francine sighed, heading back towards the playground. She wanted to talk to him alone, to have a discussion away from the others, but enough had already been said, and she knew he wasn’t happy with her.

Molly tossed Rattles a granola bar. It was one of the last from the only ration bag they’d been able to drive off with. Rattles stared at it before tossing it back to her.

Molly smirked, “You have to eat eventually. You can’t let me have everything ALL the time.”

“I’m going out tomorrow to look for more. That garbage truck has to be out of juice here soon if they intend to drive it back wherever they came from,” Rattles said, swiping his hair from his face. A long accessory, a braid with leather strips and a feather, fell onto his shoulder as he looked back up to Molly, “You need your strength for when we go looking again.”

Molly sighed, “I told you, I know exactly where they took him, and…you’ve seen Sector 6, there’s no getting in there without a fight.”

Rattles stared off into the darkness. He and Molly were in Sector 4 in the Sugar Bowl. The windows were covered with thick plywood and steel sheets, and the small building was sturdy enough for just the two of them. There were more, but after the botched supply run, they’d cut their losses. Besides, once the Tibbles showed up, it was every kid for themselves. Wherever the others ended up wasn’t their problem.

Molly shook her head, “I don’t know what Muffy needs with slaves anyway. She has everything she needs in that big, stupid house of hers with her stupid, rich friends,” she spat, shaking her head. Her dark purple hair looked almost black in this lighting. It almost matched the black lightning bolt she’d drawn on her cheek, which matched the one on Rattles’s hand.

“I know what she’s getting from the Tibbles: protection,” Rattles said, adding, “She gives them booze, they leave her precious little neighborhood alone.”

Molly looked up sharply, “How’d you figure that out?”

“Fletcher got some from the government center before we left, a whole box of wine bottles. She and Slink were joking about it,” Rattles said, looking away, “I figure that’s what caught their attention in the first place, one fell out and broke.”

“So that’s what all the noise was both times,” Molly whispered, shaking her head, “They did it to themselves. We’re going to look weak without them, but we were weaker with them.”

“Yeah, well, this sector is a mess,” Rattles said, standing up and peeking out the one tiny peep hole on this side of the building. Trash blew up the street as smoke wafted by from a nearby trash fire. He stood back and turned to Molly, “If the Tibbles don’t kill them or make them work for them, we’re screwed. We should scout for other places while we’re out.”

Molly scoffed, “The only places left in this sector for the taking are other businesses, and this was the best-kept one. That was Carl’s last act before kicking the bucket.”

“Well…he did a good job, but there’s got to be something else around here, something easier to defend,” Rattles whispered, sitting back in a booth. He’d been trying to keep maps up on napkins, but it was a fruitless effort. By the time he’d make it back to some of the areas he’d mapped, other groups would’ve moved in. Older teens and young adults were gone now, and kids were moving around fast trying to find safety.

Molly put her hand on Rattles’s wrist. He looked up to her in the dim light. She smiled, “We’ve got all the time in the world. I say we keep up the rationing, keep our strength up…and we focus on Sector 6. They have nice security now, but everything weathers. Everything comes under fire. If we can find a way in, we won’t need anywhere in this place. We can take back James and take back what’s ours.”

“If he’s even there, Mol, he could be anywhere by now. I told you they’re leading people out of the city,” Rattles whispered. Molly squeezed his arm as tears welled in her eyes, “He’s got to be there. He wouldn’t make it anywhere else and you know it.”

He did. He put his other hand over Molly’s and squeezed, “I want the same thing, Mol. I’ll get him back for you.”

Molly rested her head on his. Night was falling outside, and yells and sirens filled the air. These weren’t like in the early days when the yells were from fear and the sirens were more people being carried off. This was chaos, the signs of a collapsed society.

It was terrifying.

Now that the others were gone, they were all each other had. They slept under the booth on sheets they’d nabbed from a house, their eyes trying to make sense of the dark as the world ended outside the building.

The roads in Sector 10 were desolate now that there were no remaining adults. Most of the businesses were service-related—mechanics, machine shops for the industrial district, and small farms on large lots. The land around the main road looked deserted, but the Tibbles knew where they were going. The city’s dump was this way as well, and that was their ruling grounds.

As they rounded a curve, Tommy slowed the brakes of the garbage truck. Timmy growled at him, not seeing the hooded figure standing on the side of the road.

“Keep going, we’re almost out of gas!” Timmy hissed, but Tommy pointed ahead. Timmy grinned, “Fresh blood. Okay, but turn the truck off.”

The truck came to a stop beside the figure, who lifted his head with a smile. A monocle flickered in the evening light, the figure’s toothy grin flashing as well as the truck powered down. A final hiss brought out a plume of diesel smoke, then the world was quiet save for the animals in the nearby trees.

Tommy leaned out the window, “Where you headed?”

“Into the city, but I believe we could be of service to each other,” the figure said, adding, “Let’s cut the crap. I’m Shelley, man of mystery. I’ve been practicing magic tricks and other schemes. The kids in that city won’t see what’s coming, and that’s good for business. I sell what you find, for a small cut of the profit, and I’ll bring you fresh workers from who I work with. Does that work for you?” he questioned as the twins looked on in awe. Not many people knew about the true nature of their business, and they were hoping to keep it that way.

Tommy and Timmy exchanged glances. Timmy leaned over and studied him, “Or what?”

“I blow that dump of yours sky high with the explosives I found over at the national guard armory. Your choice,” Shelley smirked.

“There’s no money anymore,” Tommy gulped, “so what do you want?”

“Food, a place to lay my head out of the city, and permission to watch if you ever need to dole out a punishment,” Shelley said firmly. Tommy turned to Timmy, who nodded. It was a deal.

Shelley nodded to them and stepped back. He nodded as he stepped into the shadows. He snapped his fingers, and when he emerged, the venom-dripping T was wet on his cheek. The twins nervously started the truck back and continued their drive as Shelley skipped into the city behind them. They had no idea who…or what…they just encountered, but they knew better than to cross him. Shelley might be the only person worse than them, and that was saying something.

The dump came into view and Tommy got out to open the gate. Once the truck was inside, he closed and chained the gate again. Only two could come and go freely, everyone else? Stuck in the mines trying to find riches for the boys to take advantage of.

Chapter Text

Emily looked over the mansion grounds from her upper floor room. The Crosswire mansion had become her home when her parents passed. Ed took her in, but he was already sick too. Within a day, he and Bailey were gone, and Millicent passed shortly after. It was early enough that someone picked up their bodies, but no one came to retrieve the two girls.

“I’ll take care of you,” Muffy had told her softly, but her voice wasn’t soft anymore. She held power as one of the few remaining children in the lavish neighborhood. Summer was approaching when the virus hit, so many kids and their families were already elsewhere.

Below at the pool, Muffy floated while James fanned her. Emily’s face contorted as she thought of him, her heart gemstone tribal mark twisting with her frown. It was hot pink, shiny, and detailed compared to the blocky M in the center of James’s forehead. A mark of the slave. Muffy had designed it herself and used her mom’s craft machines to make the stamp. The only reason it wasn’t a brand was Catherine’s intervention.

Catherine entered Emily’s room after a light knock. She entered with a tray and two glasses. Lemonade. It was powdered, but it was better than water or soda to Emily. She happily accepted a glass from Catherine, who settled with Emily by the window. Her butterfly mark, which she used a glittery purple for, shined in the sunlight.

“I guess that’s what she’s going to do today,” Emily whispered. Catherine grinned, “Well, that’s all she had intended this summer anyway from what she told me. What were your plans?”

“Our bags were already packed for France when the airports stopped having flights outside of the country. She got the first symptoms not long after, she could barely call around looking for a way out for me from the coughing,” Emily whispered, turning back to Catherine, “She didn’t suffer long.”

“My parents didn’t either,” Catherine said softly, looking out over the grounds. Under a gazebo, Jenna and Maria, also bearing the blocky M mark, wove a new bamboo mat.

Emily studied Catherine, her hot pink, lacey dress contrasting greatly with Catherine’s dark jeans and flashy top. Emily looked out over the grounds too, “What was it like in containment?”

“It sucked. I was older so they separated me from Francine,” Catherine replied, taking a sip of her lemonade. “I haven’t seen her since that first day in the facility. They held me for a few days before one of us died from the virus. They released us out of fear, they thought we were all sick.”

“And Muffy took you in too?” Emily guessed. Catherine smiled and nodded, “I kept hoping Francine would show up, but I guess they took her somewhere else. I know they held that age group longer, but I haven’t heard anything else. It got hard to get information when the radio and TV studios shut down.”

Emily nodded in agreement as James stopped fanning Muffy. She sprayed him with a pool toy and he frantically began again. She scolded him, which became a tirade. In an instant, he was banished to the gazebo and Jenna was made to fan her.

Under the gazebo, James flashed a smile to Maria, “That’s all I wanted, it’s hot out there.”

Maria smiled, “I won’t tell. You can help me with this last bit, the bamboo is dirty. I’m having a hard time with it,” she said, her brunette braid getting into her face. She pulled it back, revealing the matte red lipstick she’d put on. She noticed James looking at it and frowned, “She’ll beat me when she sees, but she doesn’t pay us much attention if we obey her.”

“I don’t like when you get into trouble, Jenna either,” he whispered. Maria shrugged, “It’s Muffy, as long as she has to feed us so we’ll work for her, she’ll hate us. It’s not worth struggling over, that’ll just make it harder to leave.”

James shushed her and lowered his voice to a whisper, “You don’t want her to think you have a way out.”

Maria scoffed, “It’s just a dream, James. You’ve got to keep dreaming when you’re in a position like ours. Don’t you have a dream?”

Of course he did, he wanted to say, but talking about Molly would only make him cry, and if his mark smeared from tears, Muffy would never let him hear the end of it. So he said nothing as they continued to weave in the pattern Muffy had forced them to learn.

As the sun reached its top height, Muffy decided the pool was too hot even with the fanning. Jenna was banished to the gazebo, and Muffy, who put on one of her mother’s lingerie robes, strutted into the house and closed the door, locking it behind her.

The gazebo was for work, and the pool house was where they slept. They could only set foot in the house when Muffy needed them for something, which was rare these days. She had orders for mats, which would get them food and supplies. Rice and beans? For the slaves. The nicer stuff stayed with Muffy, Emily, and Catherine, who roamed the mansion and did whatever they wanted. Emily would help Catherine maintain her braids, but Muffy was there only for herself.

And so things went day after day. Sector 6 was mostly empty where the houses were, and they never ventured further. The mansion had access to solar power and its own well system. They would all be fine, especially if the slaves continued to do their work without a fuss.

Mei-Lin poked at her food. Their rations were getting low again, but Fern was in one of her spells. She was curled up in her sleeping area muttering and tossing around, but Mei-Lin knew she wasn’t asleep. She didn’t know what was actually wrong with Fern, but she knew not to bother her.

Mei-Lin slipped out the service door of the back room of the bowling alley. Behind a flimsy fence was a trash area used by the bowling alley and the burnt-out laundromat next door. She dug through the dumpster and found a box of bagged chips. They were expired, but things like that didn’t matter anymore. She piled the bags into a cloth shopping tote before looking for something else.

Bingo, canned sodas. Some were broken or lighter than they should be, so Mei-Lin only grabbed the heavy ones. The tote was getting heavy now. She looked around to make sure no one was around before going back into the bowling alley and barricading the door back.

The light was dim in the bowling alley. During the day, a filmed-over skylight let in purplish light. Mei-Lin’s dark hair shimmered in the light as she pulled a bag of chips and a soda from her bag.

The crack of the can made Fern sit up, but she said nothing. She lay back down after taking in reality again. Mei-Lin didn’t know if she was aware of things when she was under the table. They didn’t talk about such things when Fern was feeling better. Mei-Lin was still recovering from losing Binky in the crowd. Her wrist was still bruised where his grip had been so tight. They were fading fast, and that hurt her almost as much as losing him to begin with.

Once the bruises faded, she’d have nothing left of him.

Mei-Lin shuddered as she chewed the chips. They were only slightly stale just as the soda was only a little flat. It was a decent meal, not the healthiest but no one was around to care about such things. A full belly was the healthiest of all, it didn’t matter if it was full of real food or junk. They just needed the calories.

When she was done, Mei-Lin crawled down the bowling lane and into the service area. The door leading in was locked, but this area was cavernous and had a roof hatch. Mei-Lin climbed the ladder carefully and emerged into the hot sun. She walked over to a covered area and took her usual seat.

She could see the entire block from this spot. A stray dog ran around, sniffing piles of trash before turning a corner and disappearing among the buildings. Two kids camped under a cardboard box beside an overturned dumpster. Mei-Lin didn’t recognize them, and she didn’t call out to them either.

“We stick together, just the two of us,” Fern told her when Mei-Lin went with her back to the bowling alley. Mei-Lin was too upset to question her then. She was starting to get over that, but she knew better than to draw attention to their home away from home.

The heat was stifling, so Mei-Lin climbed back down the ladder and crawled back into the bowling alley. Fern was sitting in a booth eating a bag of chips and drinking a soda like nothing had happened.

Mei-Lin sat across from her, “I found those in the dumpster. I might look for more tomorrow, it’s too hot,” she whispered.

Fern nodded, “Smart. Anyone around?” she asked. Mei-Lin lied and shook her head. She knew the kids were a few blocks away, and even if the dog came back around, he couldn’t exactly tell someone where they were.

Fern pointed, “We can cut the film off a few of those windows to let in a little light. We can work on the skylights, but you have to help me get the ladder.”

Mei-Lin agreed, and so they worked. This was just like Fern—sleep or whatever she was doing for days, then come to ready to make improvements to their home. Mei-Lin had gotten used to it, she realized, but she also knew she was in survival mode. Her goal was to make it through each day and to hopefully encounter Binky again as those days added up. She just wanted her brother back, and she was beginning to want to do anything to find him.

Lydia sighed as she put the next manual on the shelf. Sally’s father kept bindered copies of the manuals for the hydroelectric plant, but it was taking longer than Lydia expected to scan everything in. Sally was working on the next one, but there were a couple more to go.

Lydia wheeled next to Sally, “I wish your dad had a watered down version of this somewhere. I mean, all of this is going to help once we do get the plant running properly again, but for now? This is too much information.”

Sally cleared her throat and pointed to the smallest binder, “That’s the checklist for getting it up and running again and clearing any error messages. Those would display on the computers at the plant itself, so we’d need power to get that going. I just feel like we should review everything first. It’s not like we’re missing anything.”

Lydia sighed, “Yeah, all the adults will still be dead by then. I just wish the city wasn’t so chaotic still. Brain said the twins left town last night at least.”

“For now,” Sally noted, thumbing through the next binder, “I’m glad my dad took all of this. They scanned it in at the plant so there’s a copy, but we can’t waste generators and fuel reading it there. This was the better way,” she said, clearing her throat again, “My house got really dusty since I left,” she noted.

“Carl told me. He had to use his inhaler a few times when you got back,” Lydia whispered. Hearing Sally cough still made her nervous though. Lydia didn’t spend much time with the sick adults, but that was how it started. Everyone knew that.

Sally sighed, “The real problem is still getting power everywhere. I’m glad the previous mayor made a big push for underground wiring in most of the city. Those tend to stay out of harm’s way more than the above ground wires, but there’s still plenty of them, transformers too. No one should be doing lineman work, it’s skilled labor.”

Lydia grimaced, “Yeah, we’d kill ourselves trying that. At least with the plant going, we could get the water treated again, right?”

“Of course,” Sally nodded, “and some areas would get lights again. The plant also controls where gets power, so if we see some areas are too damaged, we can cut them off again. We wouldn’t want to start anymore fires either,” she said, sitting down again.

Lydia turned to Sally, “Do you think we were too harsh on Sue Ellen?” she asked suddenly.

Sally thought for a moment, “I mean, I got the vibe she didn’t want to be here anyway. I mean, you butted heads with her, and she and Brain seemed like they didn’t even want to look at each other. It made Carl so uncomfortable he couldn’t be around her either. I’d say it’s for the best.”

“I just didn’t believe her about her dad, okay? After hearing about your dad, I figured hers must’ve kept things from his time as an ambassador, plus he must’ve had connections,” Lydia said quickly.

Sally held up her hand, “My dad worked at a dam, her dad worked for the government. Those are two wildly different things, okay? I get it, I wish her dad had answers too. Maybe we could find a cure for the virus or figure out where it came from, if it could go away if we can knock it back long enough.”

“I get that he might not have the answers to that, but I didn’t mean to make it a big argument. She just…I don’t know, she seemed like something was bothering her,” Lydia noted.

Sally grinned, “Really? I wonder what that could be,” she said sarcastically, adding, “We’ve all got things to be bothered about. We lost our families. She was one of so many kids forcibly removed from her home when her parents either left or died. So now you’re in some weird place with kids you barely know, and you’re expected to just keep on going. Who knows what was going on in her personal life before all of this went down? That’s her business, I don’t blame her for that. And I think she left because she wanted to, she was never going to mesh well with Brain.”

Lydia nodded, “That makes sense, I just…I wonder if Brain would know.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. Seriously, you’ll just get him upset if you bring it up. He’s so busy right now trying to figure out literally everything,” Sally said, resting her hand on a binder, “He’s got big dreams, always has. Even I’d heard of him and I’m way older than you guys.”

“Yeah, we met in elementary school, but I kept hearing him after that,” Lydia whispered, listing, “He was some leader of the year, he was an organizer for so many other groups, and then the leadership group, that’s a big deal. We were hand selected, it wasn’t just something your counselor could set you up with for brownie points.”

“I’d say they did a good job then,” Sally whispered, looking over the binders, “We’ve got all the time in the world to get these scanned in and read. Brain is going to figure out everything in that time. A cure for the virus, a key to world peace, a way to feed everyone,” she smiled.

Lydia smiled too, “Yeah, he’s the man for the job. I just…I wish there was more of us, he’s working himself to death.”

Sally stood up and grabbed the next binder, “Well…the virus wasn’t exactly kind. Who knows what kinds of kids are roaming the streets who would belong here with us? The problem is…there’s too many who have no business getting that kind of power.”

Lydia couldn’t argue with her there, but that only made her worry more for Sue Ellen. She made a mental note to look through security cams when she got a spare moment. For now, she would help Sally finish scanning the manuals. Carl would go over them next, he had already started. He was going to build a database with the basics, and then they would debate the pros and cons of turning the power back on. It would be a group effort considered carefully, but Lydia was still worried about whatever there was to come.

Chapter Text

Francine liked the art room. Something about the space reminded her of being a little kid again, so she could go inside and find supplies and embrace that inner child. She had added a mark to her cheek after looking through the teacher’s stamp collection. She’d made many of them herself, but something about a pre-made bird she found just felt right. She’d put it on her cheek, her stern expression looking back at her in the mirror she’d found.

She wasn’t the same anymore.

But no one else was either. As she thumbed through a sketchbook looking for an empty page, Arthur entered the room. He wasn’t the same either. Francine hadn’t seen him since things started, and they hadn’t been friendly since elementary school. But she remembered he had a baby sister as well, and his cracked glasses looked more deliberate than accidental. Clearly they had been through some hard times.

Arthur grabbed a blob of clay and rolled it on the desk as Francine watched. She carefully selected a colored pencil before starting on some basic shapes. The arts weren’t really her thing, but it was fun to try.

Arthur rolled his snake into a ball and ran it over the table to smooth it out, “So, do you really want to leave as much as George does?”

“We all have our own goals of course, but it’s one I can get behind. There’s not much for us here, it’s too dangerous,” Francine noted. Arthur couldn’t help but nod along, but he didn’t say anything. Francine got back to her shape, “Part of me wants to stay and look for Catherine. George thinks she’s gone, but I don’t think so.”

“Gone how? The virus?” Arthur asked. He felt bad for saying it, but when Francine nodded, he realized she was close to that age group. He swallowed hard, “Sorry, I shouldn’t—”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Francine interrupted, changing out her pencil for another, “It’s the truth. I’ve seen people for myself, people she went to school with. Some were younger than her,” she said, shrugging, “but I haven’t found her friends yet. And I don’t know where she could be but I have an idea.”

“At least you have that,” Arthur sighed, shaking his head, “I don’t know where Buster was. He’d gone to be with his dad earlier than usual. He said he’d write, but a week later everything got started. He called a few times, but then the lines went dead and the power went out.”

“I forgot he used to do that. I mean, his dad would stay in major cities sometimes, right? I heard those were safer,” Francine said, but Arthur didn’t agree at all. She leaned in over her work, “Yeah, you’re right. I think smaller towns fared better, smaller than ours even.”

Arthur nodded, “That’s what DW thinks, but…she’s having a hard time with all of this. All of her friends are gone. Our neighborhood was hit hard by the Tibbles and chaos. Kids had no choice but to leave,” he whispered, shaking his head, “I hated to go, but it wasn’t safe anymore. This is the safest place we’ve found so far.”

“Same for us,” Francine said, adding, “and George wants to leave as soon as possible. He’s up on the roof guarding the place right now, but if he finds a way out? I won’t be able to stop him.”

“He needs something else to focus on,” Arthur whispered. Francine couldn’t argue with him there. She wanted that too. She’d gone from living an active life of sports and keeping up with her friends to running for her life and hiding out. Sure, the stakes were higher now, but that was still a boring existence.

Francine put her pencil down, “I’ve told him I want to map out the entire city before we go anywhere again, anywhere with people. I don’t want to get caught off guard again. I want to know who’s where and what’s safe. I want to know who would have the best supplies for the road too, not just half ruined produce and dented cans. I need a concrete plan or I refuse.”

“What’s he said to that?” Arthur asked. Francine shrugged, “I don’t know, but he got a blank one of these books. I’d say he’s taking it seriously.”

Arthur nodded, “Well…I don’t want to go anywhere just yet. Pal is happy with the playground, and DW…well, we can find a way to make her happy. She misses boys and being with kids her own age.”

“If we find any while we’re out that aren’t crazy like the Tibbles, we should invite them in,” Francine grinned, adding, “I hope she intends to be safe though. Like…it’s not just the crazy you have to worry about with guys.”

Arthur shuddered, “Yeah, the last thing we need is a baby to feed. It’s hard enough finding supplies for us, but…we should make a run soon, maybe find some batteries and first aid supplies.”

Francine scoffed, “You won’t find a single battery that isn’t being guarded by someone, but medicine should be easy. Most folks just wanted the things you could get high on,” she said, which Arthur agreed with. Now he just had to figure out where to go to be safe.

Molly held her breath as she watched Rattles leave the back of the Sugar Bowl. Their rations were running low, and since they hadn’t heard yelling or sirens in almost a day, they thought it was safe. But Rattles wanted to go alone, and that terrified Molly more than anything. Since the other Tough Customers left, it was just them against the world.

Rattles used a skateboard to navigate the unclean streets. He dodged an area of debris in the street behind the Sugar Bowl, then he went a block over using an alleyway. It was cleaner than the street somehow, but scrapes along the wall showed that was the Tibbles’ doing. They’d wedged their truck through the gap, paint scraping off against the bricks as they did. Rattles could practically hear it as he emerged from the gap and slowed up to check his surroundings.

Sector 4 was filled with many of the city’s businesses. It was helpful to wall this off from the rest, Rattles thought, but it didn’t leave much for those left behind. Chain stores were completely ransacked before the adults had finished dying off, which left only smaller stores and a ton of hangry kids. There were a few homes scattered about, but even those were businesses.

Rattles rolled up on an old realtor’s office. The sign out front was covered in various marks, some old and some current. Rattles ignored it and looked for signs of life as he entered the small parking lot behind the remodeled house. There was a dumpster, so he checked it out. All paper, some of it important…not that social security numbers and credit scores mattered now.

He picked up his board and carried it through the main entrance, which had been kicked in. The walls were covered with markings and punched-in holes. Beer bottles and soda cans littered the ground. Someone used this place as a party pad, probably a lot of someones but the looks of it.

Rattles entered the realtor’s office. The office chair was in ruins, clearly used as a toy. A tattered curtain sat nearby. Rattles grinned at the thought of the kids making their own fun. There were no adults to tell them what a bad idea it was to get to spinning that fast, which was evident by the child-sized dent in the wall.

But the desk and filing cabinets were intact. Rattles opened the drawers and felt a twinge of emotion as he spotted the leather purse within. Whoever worked here either had to evacuate quickly in the chaos…or they were so sick they gave zero thought to their belongings.

That was ancient history now. He went through the pockets, pulling out feminine hygiene supplies, a bottle of pain medicine, a roll of antacids, and a granola bar that had gone out of date months ago. There was a pack of gum as well, the minty scent filling the air. Rattles tucked that into a pocket before grabbing a cloth tote from a paper box behind the desk.

Next, he went through the filing cabinets. He knew from his mom’s job that sure, most drawers were for important paperwork, but the others were for whatever they needed to store. One held office supplies, another business cards wrapped with colorful rubber bands, but the last? Party supplies. There was an unopened package of cookies, a jar of pink lemonade powder that was mostly full, and two bags of fun-sized candies. Rattles piled it into his bag knowing this would be a sweet treat.

But that’s all the office had to offer. He nabbed a first aid kit from another office and the granola bars and coffee from their little makeshift kitchen, but there was no real food.

Back at the restaurant, Molly was growing worried. A small group of kids was wandering around kicking a ball spraypainted with their tribal symbol. The kids were dirty despite their bright colors, their cheeks brown with dirt. Somehow they walked without fear, but Molly knew better. She had to be careful, and she hoped Rattles would take a little longer to make sure they weren’t spotted.

A few blocks away, Rattles hit paydirt. He entered a small house whose signs were completely destroyed. Like the realty office, the front room of the business was trashed by partiers, but a locked door kept them out of the back. Rattles tried to burst it open with his shoulder, but it was too sturdy. He grabbed a bobby pin from his pocket and tried that next.

Bingo.

Inside were paper boxes, shipping boxes, and even some liquor boxes piled high along one wall. The desk was still covered with an open binder, an open highlighter, and a moldy cup of coffee. Another owner evacuated quickly.

Rattles checked the boxes and grinned. He then checked the desk, and, as he expected, there was a key in the drawer that fit the lock. He grabbed some canned goods from the boxes before locking the door. He grabbed a business card on his way out—ELWOOD CITY FOOD MINISTRIES was the business’s name, Helping the needy one can at a time was their tag line.

“You’re helping the needy today,” he whispered, skating a block over. He always scouted before heading back, and today was no exception.

Up ahead, he spotted the kids, who were talking with a hooded figure. Some sort of eyewear glimmered in the sun as Rattles watched in the bushes.

In the Sugar Bowl, Molly could even hear the interaction. Whoever this guy was, he was doing a magic trick for the kids, but Molly was uneasy about it. Her eyes were locked on the group as their colorful ball rolled into the gutter.

“Do you want to see a bigger show? A circus with REAL acrobats?” the guy sneered. The kids liked that, but they were hungry. This guy knew it, “There’s circus food too, funnel cake and popcorn, ALL your favorites!”

“Where, Mister, is it close?” the tallest kid asked.

“It’s not far at all. Right this way,” he declared, moving his cape towards an alleyway. Molly spotted the car and felt her stomach drop. Rattles swallowed hard as he went deeper into his hiding spot.

A moment later, a van painted in wild colors emerged blasting ice cream truck music. It tore out of the neighborhood so fast Molly had to remind herself she’d seen it. Her heart pounded in her ears.

When Rattles entered the restaurant, Molly jumped. Rattles pulled her into a hug, “It’s okay, it’s okay, I’m back. I found the motherlode, here,” he said, handing her the card.

Molly grinned, “We won’t have to worry for a while,” she said, accepting his bag, “Did you see that guy?”

“What a weirdo,” Rattles noted, adding, “What was his spiel anyway? Was he really doing magic tricks for those kids?”

“And he took them away,” Molly whispered. Rattles pulled her into a hug again, “They won’t get us, we’re too smart for that. Come on, there’s no reason to be scared, not with me being back.”

“Who was he though? I know to avoid the Tibbles and Slink and them if they come back, but who the hell was that?” Molly shook, burying her head into Rattles’s chest.

He shook his head, “I don’t know, but we’ll be more careful. I’ll only go out in the evening if things are quiet. This should keep us full for a bit, here. I even got lemonade so we don’t have to drink that nasty tap water plain. They only had sweetener packets though, I’ll have to look for sugar.”

“Not today,” Molly said firmly. Rattles agreed, not today. He couldn’t believe how shaken Molly was at seeing the weird guy, but he’d felt the person’s energy too. Whoever he was? He was no one they needed to mess around with.

Fletcher looked up as the van arrived. TC leaned on a shovel beside her as Slink hiked over to them. All three bore the vicious-looking T emblem on their foreheads, the mark of a Tibble slave. There weren’t many so far, at least there weren’t many digging through the piles like they were, but more were coming…if they could survive intake.

“Who’s this freak show?” Fletcher asked coldly as the hooded figure emerged from the driver’s seat. The twins were out now, dragging out the kids, who were clearly terrified of their surroundings.

“Welcome to the circus, kids! Let’s get you dressed for the event!” the hooded figure boomed as they disappeared into the offices, the door slamming shut behind them.

TC shuddered, “Seems out of his mind. Have you ever seen him before, Slink?” TC called out, but Slink was already back to work. TC sucked his teeth, “Really? You aren’t the least bit curious about that guy?”

“What’s it to us, huh? We’re stuck here and we’ve got a quota to meet, end of discussion,” Slink called back.

Fletcher grinned as she grabbed her shovel, “Someone is eager to get back to his bunk. Got a little tucked away?” she sneered.

Slink shot her a dangerous look, but he remained silent. The three spread out again as the shoveled through the mess. Elwood City’s landfill was not a good place to be. The stench in the heat was overbearing, not that the three noticed anymore. They were looking for anything the Tibbles could possibly sell to unsuspecting kids, but, most importantly, to Muffy and her group. She had the booze and other things they wanted, so they must be pleased.

After thirty minutes, the twins emerged with the hooded figure but without the kids. After using a can to fill up the van, the hooded figure floored it out of the area, ice cream truck music blaring out of the speakers. The piles and distance warped the sound to be creepy as the three continued to dig. The Tibbles took note of them with binoculars, then they returned to the offices.

“Hey, Fletch, what do you think they’ve done to the kids in there?” TC called out cautiously. She shrugged, “Not our problem. Slink is right, okay? The more attention they give to them, the better it is for us. Fuck ‘em.”

Loud laughter filled the air a moment later. The Tibbles were definitely up to devious things with the kids, but Slink and the others knew better than to intervene. They continued their work in the sweltering heat hoping to please the twins enough to get a decent dinner.

Chapter Text

The nights were the longest. Maria and Jenna shared a bed in what used to be the pool house, well, “bed” was a generous term. Quilts and old sheets from the house were the only softer items at their disposal. James used a rolled up quilt as a bed, but the girls had a pallet in the corner.

The pool house had no lights, and it was stuffy with the doors barricaded and the windows barely cracked. Jenna stretched, trying to find a cool spot, but there wasn’t one. She lay on her back staring up at the ceiling as Maria shifted.

“You can’t sleep either?” Jenna whispered. Maria shook her head and came closer, “James is passed out though, I don’t want to wake him,” she said softly.

Jenna scoffed, “Nothing can wake him once he goes down, maybe a nightmare or two.”

Maria shifted uncomfortably, “What do you think his are about?” she asked softly. Jenna looked up to her, “Probably the same as everyone else. I dream about my parents, about trying to get out of here.”

“I think about my brother and getting out to find him,” Maria whispered.

Jenna had only met Maria’s brother once despite being good friends with Maria for so many years. Steve would usually try to go to his friend’s house for the night if they were ever sleeping over, mostly because they were so different. Steve was more outgoing and more athletic than his sister, so his friends liked to roughhouse and watch sports together. Jenna and Maria wanted to play dress-up, watch a movie, or gossip in the dark with each other.

Jenna cherished those memories now. Being stuck in Muffy’s grasp wore her down, and all she wanted to do was make it through to the next day. Maria wanted the same, but Maria also wanted to leave. Jenna could feel that despite neither of them talking about it, and it scared Jenna. For one, she didn’t want Maria to get caught and be punished, but two? She was afraid of never seeing someone she cared about again.

“Jenna?” Maria called. Jenna shifted, “Sorry, I was just thinking about the last person who tried to leave. You’ve got to be careful or they’ll send you to be with the Tibbles.”

Maria turned to her, “They didn’t go with them, Jenna,” she said flatly. A look of confusion spread over Jenna’s face in the dark. Maria sighed, “I didn’t think you noticed. The Tibbles chased them, I don’t know where they went, but…they were in a truck, the kid was on foot. I doubt it ended well.”

“They’re monsters, Muffy and them,” Jenna hissed. Maria sighed, “What do you expect from the evil and the rich? Muffy just wants to keep her riches and her power. The Tibbles? They just want to hurt people.”

“How long do you think Muffy can get by on this weaving business? What are we making anyway?” Jenna asked. Maria shrugged, she tried not to think about that. Jenna sighed, “Well, I guess weaving is better than other things. Is it true the twins have a mine somewhere?”

Maria scoffed, “It’s probably the dump, and I don’t doubt it one bit. Who better to live in the muck than those two? I just hope James can keep up. Muffy treats him the worst,” she noted, which was true. He was the only one she regularly beat for disobeying her or not doing something correctly.

Jenna swallowed, “But he has an ally. I’ve seen the way Emily looks at him. Either they were friends once or something else.”

“She’s just like Muffy, she’s probably jealous he’s her toy instead,” Maria said, sighing softly, “I’m going to leave here one day and never worry about what they’re like ever again. I’m going to find Steve, and we’re…we’ll go wherever we want. We’ll go live by a lake somewhere or on a farm, somewhere with fresh air and plenty of shade. I’ll only work on what I want to do and not what someone is making me do.”

“What about me?” Jenna asked, her voice almost a whimper.

Maria smiled and took her hand, “You’ll come with me. We’ll tell people we’re sisters. We’ll have our own mark and wear our hair the same way, no one will be able to tell the difference. And when we’re free, we can be sister queens or princesses, we’ll have our own power.”

“Yeah,” Jenna said, but she wasn’t as dreamy. She knew that disobeying Muffy would mean hardship, that leaving could mean death. This was just a dream, and one that was bound to never come true.

Fern was having a better day, but that didn’t mean she could go on a supply run. She hid in the room behind the pins enjoying what little light was back there as Mei-Lin slipped out into the street. She took note of the sounds—no sirens, no screams, just fleeting bird song and occasional laughter from a nearby street.

As she walked along the block, she heard blaring ice cream truck movement. When she was young, that would’ve excited her. She used to be carried on Binky’s back as he ran to catch the truck.

But those days were over.

Mei-Lin cut through a gravel parking lot and entered what used to be a small drycleaners. Clothing still hung on the rotating belt, and a few bags were carefully placed on the counter. The sign was still flipped to OPEN, but the place was clearly closed. Graffiti was on a few walls, but the only real vandalism were some broken windows.

As the music faded, Mei-Lin took in her surroundings. She entered the office and found a tiny desk covered in picture frames. She didn’t recognize anyone in the photos, but they were nice to look at. Part of her wanted to return home to get pictures of her family, but that was another sector. And she couldn’t leave Fern, not with how sick she seemed lately. It was like she was seeing things that weren’t there, and that scared Mei-Lin.

The desk only had paper slips and a box of pens. A nearby cabinet had been ransacked, and the only things left were paper plates and an opened box of plastic silverware spread over the bottom. Mei-Lin sighed and returned to the street, taking note of the sounds again. No sirens, screams, or organ music, just bird song.

The next complex was a chiropractor’s office. Mei-Lin remembered their sign and thought back to the days when her mom would take her to school through this area. She had nothing good to say about this business, and Mei-Lin didn’t either. There was nothing inside but old magazines and equipment that had been sliced and graffitied by other kids.

No food again. Mei-Lin returned to the bowling alley to find Fern muttering and cleaning the counter furiously. Mei-Lin crawled back through to the service room and climbed up to the roof. The sector was getting quieter, which meant other kids were having the same problem. Gone were the days of food being practically handed to them, they’d have to get it themselves.

Tears welled in Mei-Lin’s eyes. She missed Binky more than ever. He could provide for her, and he wouldn’t let those nasty Tibbles snatch her or be mean to her. He’d take care of her, and he could probably help Fern too. She was sick, but Mei-Lin didn’t know about that kind of sick. Whatever she had wasn’t a cold or the virus, it was something in her mind, something that made her not act herself, something worth fighting that couldn’t be defeated.

Mei-Lin hugged her knees and looked over the desolate block before her. She pleaded for Binky to hear her thoughts and return to her, to find her in the horrible city, but she knew the hard truth—Binky was never coming back.

Brain looked up as Lydia wheeled into his office. He groaned and put his head back on the desk. Lydia sighed as she pulled up to his desk and waited for him to compose himself. When he didn’t, she sighed:

“I’m not coming in here with bad news or anything. I just wanted to check on you. Carl said you haven’t checked off a portion of your rations in over 72 hours. He’s concerned you’re either stealing or not eating,” Lydia said.

Brain checked his watch before putting his head down again, “I guess that’s why I have a headache. I haven’t eaten, and I’d never steal. Why would he think that?” he asked with a hint of attitude.

Lydia smirked, “It’s one or the other with him, and if you’re not checking off rations? You’re not following the rules or you’re not taking advantage of our services. You need to eat, Brain. Whatever you’re working on can wait.”

“There’s a new vehicle roaming around, I can’t tell who they’re with,” Brain said quickly, adding, “I’ve made sure our defenses are still up and they aren’t in our sector, but they’ve picked up kids in other sectors and disappeared from our network. They’re avoiding more and more cameras, and I don’t know what they’re up to but it can’t be good,” he ranted.

“And we’re nowhere close to figuring out those manuals even after scanning them in,” Lydia added, sighing softly, “Carl has started reading them, but he’s also worked on the city network and he says that’s a long way from being finished. Everything is a long way out, but we have plenty of time.”

Brain looked up to her, “Do you think so? Because by my math, we only have a few more years if that. I’d say twenty is the cut-off, maybe younger if the virus mutates without us knowing. And then what?” he asked darkly.

“That’s why we’re doing this, so kids can make do,” Lydia whispered, adding, “but I think a cure is still out there. I’m working on the mayor’s computer as much as I can, but so much is encrypted. I need someone with higher connections anyway, someone who was working with the federal government, not local.”

“Do you still think that’s Sue Ellen?” Brain asked. Lydia shrugged, “I don’t really know. I think she knows more than she realizes, but…I’m willing to accept a name or two now, someone we can look into. Maybe we get some folks to help us do security, it’s getting rougher out there.”

Brain nodded, “It is, and I don’t think we can trust anyone who’s not already in our circle to get us what we need. People like Sue Ellen especially.”

“If she was going to try something, we would’ve noticed by now. This sector is clear, there haven’t been outsiders in ages. And our security is too strong, no one would be able to get in,” Lydia said, leaning forward, “Unless you’re talking about sabotage. Do you really think she’d stoop so low over a disagreement?”

“No, but where has she ended up? She’ll always have ties here,” Brain said, which Lydia agreed with too but not enough to nod along. If Sue Ellen really felt tied to them, she would’ve showed back up by now, or she would’ve stood up to them in the first place.

Lydia backed up, “Well, the one thing I do know is that you need to eat and rest, and then we’ll figure something out. I’m going to look back through the mayor’s address book and see if anyone jumps out. I might get Sally to help now that she’s done scanning the binders,” she said as Brain followed her into the hallway.

“Is she feeling better? Carl said the binders were really dusty when he got them from her, but—” Brain stopped. He knew the answer without finishing the statement. Lydia stopped and turned around, “Listen…I think we need to focus on what I’m looking for. We need to find someone who might know something, and we need to do it fast. As much as I want water and power for all? We need a cure if we’re ever going to amount to anything. And we need it as soon as possible,” she whispered.

Brain swallowed hard but followed her into the cafeteria. It once serviced the government complex fully with several restaurants to go with the general cafeteria, but that was gone now. They kept their rations locked up except for whatever was out, and right now was rice and dried vegetables cooked in a rice cooker. Carl was already there, and he dutifully checked off Brain’s name.

“You should make sure to eat more often, you’ll get sick,” Carl said as he served Brain a helping. Brain nodded, “I know, I know, I lost track of time. I’ll set an alarm for tomorrow, I promise.”

Lydia accepted a cup of water before joining Brain at the table. Carl took a seat with them but didn’t say anything as he methodically began to clear his plate—clockwise with a set number of chews per bite. Lydia hadn’t counted, but she’d eaten with him enough times to know now.

Lydia turned to Carl, “Sorry to interrupt your meal, but I’m about to look through the mayor’s contacts again. Do you know of anyone who lived in Elwood City and had ties to the federal government? We’re trying to track down leads on who might have virus intel.”

Carl finished his set number of bites and nodded, “I met a few at a luncheon at my school. I can write down their names if you’d like.”

Lydia wheeled away and found a pad and pencil near where the cash register was once sat. Carl wrote down the names quickly and accurately. Lydia thanked him before exchanging glances with Brain. He nodded to her before she wheeled away, leaving the guys in silence.

Chapter Text

George and Francine stopped behind an overturned car and looked out over the neighborhood. Sector 3 had been quiet so far, at least since the garbage truck stopped barreling through. DW had spotted a colorful van during one of her times on watch, but it was in a different sector and heading in the opposite direction.

Still, knowing another vehicle was out there made them nervous. After so many run-ins with the Tibbles, the pair knew to keep their distance, but their other goal was the same: Figure out what was in the area and who else might be nearby.

And they had gone together because Francine didn’t trust George not to leave the first chance he got.

Their sights were on Elwood City High School for this mission. Unlike Lakewood, which was barricaded as soon as the schools closed, the high school was used as a containment center for displaced kids early on. Vehicles were overturned in the parking lot, which was covered in debris piles, graffiti, and vandalized cars, and the building was in a similar state. A fire had ruined the gym, the upper floors had no windows, and the flag was a bed sheet with a tribal symbol on it.

“Who do you think was holed up there?” George asked. Francine shook her head, “Catherine hadn’t gone there since the schools closed. She was helping an old teacher of hers tutor kids, it was a mad house though. I can’t really remember.”

George nodded as he looked over the grounds, “Those are barricades from the police department. I wonder how long ago they lost control of the place.”

“I mean, they sent kids here when they lost their parents. Who knows when they lost control? Once the adults started dying, they didn’t stop,” Francine said, looking around, “I guess kids argued their way elsewhere. I don’t see many people.”

“Is that mark over there from the Tibbles?” George asked. Francine studied the area where he pointed carefully. She had her braids pulled up and wrapped on her head for easy visibility, but the hot sun wasn’t helping. She shrugged as George looked around, “We should try to find binoculars or something.”

Francine scoffed, “Anything sensitive like that is broken by now. You’ve seen what these kids have done to things, it’s madness!”

George nodded, his green hair shining bright in the sun. He looked around carefully, “Well, there’s only a neighborhood right there. I remember having dinner in one of the houses when I was little. They had a piano.”

“I bet that’s broken too,” Francine muttered as she looked over the area, “Where do you think Catherine could’ve been sent?” she asked.

“I mean, she could’ve been sent there. We could try to look for paperwork, but I bet they burned it,” George whispered, adding, “I’ve heard Sector 4 had a large containment center, but they had little kids. I bet she was there or at the middle school. That’s…Sector 2 maybe? I’m still working on the map, and…I’m serious about getting that done. Arthur and Sue Ellen can use it to figure out where they want to go from here.”

Francine followed George as they quietly went to the next block. She sighed, “Arthur isn’t going anywhere, and Sue Ellen seems to be hiding from something. Well, if she’s not hiding from Brain and whoever else was there, she’s hiding something from us.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. I mean, it’s Sue Ellen,” George said as they approached a small hardware store. They hadn’t encountered any other kids, so George peeked in one of the broken windows before heading inside.

The shop was in disarray. The floor was wet due to the broken windows letting in the rain. A mold smell was present, and several cans with paper labels were molding on the shelf. Francine grimaced at the sight before heading into the aisles. The shelves had been pushed around and graffitied, but a lot of the items were still there.

“Hey, emergency meals,” George said excitedly, piling them into his bag. Francine smiled before looking back to the paint shelves. This was the area with the most stolen merchandise, which was no surprise seeing that half the city was covered in tribal marks and other graffiti.

Francine ran her finger over a snow shovel’s handle. She couldn’t begin to imagine what winter in Elwood City would be like now that the adults were gone…and the power was out and they had very few ways to keep warm.

“See anything good?” George asked as he walked over. He frowned, “Maybe we’ll get lucky and it’ll stay summer forever.”

“One can hope,” Francine whispered, looking around, “I think we should get hammers or something, something we can use to defend ourselves that’s easy to hold.”

George wasn’t the violent type, but after their encounters with the Tibbles and other nefarious groups, he couldn’t help but agree. They picked out a few before continuing up the block, which mostly had houses and land.

When they circled back to Lakewood, they carefully scoped out the area to make sure no one was around, then they found their way back through the barricade and up to the roof. Sue Ellen was waiting near the ladder, and Arthur was on the opposite corner keeping watch.

“See anyone out there?” Francine called to him. Arthur shook his head, “No, there’s not as many kids lately. Where do you think everyone went?” he asked.

Sue Ellen shrugged, “The stampede sent everyone in every direction. Kids know to stay wherever they are now, no grouping up.”

“It’s still strange to not see anyone. I mean, there are people out there other than the Tibbles, right?” George asked as they all went back into the school. DW and Pal greeted them, and they walked together into the cafeteria to put up the emergency rations.

Arthur sighed, “I think they’re roaming at night now with the heat. I mean, there’s still pools around and the lakes and stuff. Maybe folks are there during the day to cool off, so they’re roaming at night.”

“Should we keep watch at night then?” Francine asked. DW made a face, “I am NOT staying up all night.”

“No one is asking you to,” Arthur huffed, studying Francine’s hammers, “What are those for?” he asked.

“We found a hardware store and those rations, and George and I thought we’d grab some weapons. Hammers are easy to handle and not that hard to swing in a pinch. It’s better than nothing,” she shrugged.

DW looked at the hammers fearfully, “Do you really think people might try to get in here or hurt us?”

“You never know what people are willing to do these days,” Sue Ellen whispered, adding, “We need to make sure we have plenty of defenses. I say we hit up the store again tomorrow and rig up traps to keep people out, and we should figure out who can stay up late. We can rotate out if we need to.”

“I can do tonight, I’ll just go catch a nap first,” George offered. Arthur nodded, “I can get tomorrow night. We’ll let the ladies rest.”

“I can take a shift too if I need to,” Francine said darkly as Sue Ellen nodded along. DW stayed out of the conversation, but George was quick to agree, “That gives us three nights of normal rest if we all pitch in. Or do we want to pair off, do half and half each night?” he suggested. Sue Ellen liked that idea, but Arthur and Francine didn’t. They decided to toss a coin to decide. That was about all they were good for anymore.

Arthur called heads and Sue Ellen tossed the coin. She showed the result, “Tails, we each do one night ourselves. But if anyone wakes up, we should check on each other,” she said. The others liked that idea, but DW still seemed worried as they sat down to eat.

DW turned to Sue Ellen, “You came all the way from Sector 1. What kind of people are out there? You must’ve met some along the way or while you were there.”

“Early on, I stayed in the center. The people watching us were really strict, but as they died off, most of us stayed anyway. Well, most of us who wanted to help out. Brain wants to get the hydroelectric plant working again so the rest of the city can have water.”

“So they have water AND power downtown? That’s insane!” Arthur exclaimed.

“The last mayor was big on green initiatives, remember? We toured the solar farm in fifth grade,” Francine said. Arthur shook his head, “That must’ve been the one I missed.”

“The solar farm and the panels on the roof created enough power to fuel the government center and the downtown water treatment plant. While that still services a few of the sectors, the rest come from the hydroelectric plant,” Sue Ellen explained, “and that’s more important than power. But…not everyone agreed. I don’t know where they went since I did for the most part.”

Francine looked up, “What does that mean?” she asked. Sue Ellen met her gaze, “It means I know what linemen do for a living. I don’t see how something so temporary could matter right now. I liked the idea of trying to use our power for good. We could distribute food and water, and we tried to.”

George sighed, “You just weren’t expecting Tibbles or Tough Customers,” he guessed.

Sue Ellen nodded, “The ones that showed up had their own agenda. Molly and Rattles weren’t with them, they were the leaders. I bet there are more holed up somewhere, but we didn’t ask questions. We just needed people tall enough and strong enough for the job.”

Francine put down her fork, “So there’s a whole group of people somewhere in this city that you see as not too bad, which made them good enough to work with, yet they oversaw what became an ambush?”

“They were betrayed too, or at least, it seemed that way. Like I said, Molly and Rattles were in control of the group. I talked to her directly, and the other three volunteered, she said. She liked that, her sector was dangerous, but I didn’t ask where that was,” Sue Ellen explained, her gaze never moving from Francine’s.

Arthur cleared his throat, “Who were they afraid of?” he asked, but Sue Ellen didn’t have an answer, and she hadn’t been through other sectors either.

“I guess I’ll keep scouting most days,” George said, standing up, “I better get to bed for my shift tonight.”

“I’ll take your plate,” Sue Ellen said, pulling it towards her. She looked over the group, “Look, I don’t have all the answers, and I don’t like it when people assume I do. That’s why I had to leave. They thought my father knew something about the virus, that’s their other goal.”

“Did he?” Francine asked. Sue Ellen shook her head, “No, and neither did his friends. They were all retired, and retired people don’t get involved with government secrets. I don’t know who in Elwood City would have such information.”

“We believe you,” Arthur said firmly, adding, “I’m sorry they couldn’t. I guess they’re too focused on the bigger picture.”

“Elwood City isn’t some metropolitan utopia,” Sue Ellen agreed, continuing, “As much as we’ve taken care of our own through this, we weren’t the catalyst for some cure initiatives or anything like that. We were doomed just like everywhere else.”

“You don’t think the adults knew what to do?” Francine whispered. She shook her head, “I’m positive they knew nothing, otherwise they would’ve saved themselves.”

The group finished their meal in silence. DW left abruptly with Pal after that statement, but the others finished their food accordingly. Sue Ellen cleared the dishes herself before retreating to her room. Francine took a shift of watch as Arthur went off to find his sister, and the school fell into uncomfortable silence again.

Molly rested her head on Rattles’s shoulder. After a long and hot day, night had fallen over Elwood City. The heat had kept people off the street, but now they were out in full force. Molly was glad their dinner was done, she didn’t want the smell luring anyone in.

“Who all do you think is still out there?” Rattles whispered. Molly sighed, “I don’t know, but anyone we knew is probably long gone by now. That’s got to be where they are, right?”

“I hope so,” Rattles admitted, continuing, “We got lucky with that other place. I say we work together to bring back as much as we can and hole up through summer. We can use the boxes and tape to make fans or something to keep us cool. It’ll be fine for months if we ration it.”

Molly shifted as more yells and banging filled the street outside. She glanced towards the noise before looking back to Rattles, “Are you sure it’s safe for us to both be out?”

“I mean, we need to stay hydrated, but there was no one out there earlier. Kids are adjusting, they’ll figure it out,” Rattles said, putting his arm around Molly, “I don’t know if I want other people around again, Mol. What the others did was pretty scary.”

Molly took a breath, “Yeah, I mean…I never thought of Fletcher and TC as being so power-hungry, but that must’ve been why they were up to that. We trusted them to help us build an alliance with Brain and them. We could’ve gotten an invite over there, but they ruined that. I haven’t seen Sue Ellen around either. Do you think they axed her over it?”

“Maybe, I don’t know. I heard them arguing,” Rattles said. Molly glanced up at him and he nodded, “Yeah, yeah, when we met over at the movie rental place to talk terms. Sue Ellen stepped aside with Sally, and they were arguing about something else. I think they were trying to get information about Sue Ellen’s dad from her, but she didn’t know anything.”

“Do you believe that?” Molly asked. Rattles nodded, “Yeah, I do. My mom worked in the mayor’s office, she heard all sorts of crazy shit. I never heard a bit of it, my step-dad too as far as I know. She never said anything, and I’m glad for it. I don’t know what Brain and them would’ve done for information, but—”

Molly sat up abruptly, “You think they’d try to hurt her for info? Are you sure?” she asked.

“Positive. Why is it just them? Look, everyone in that program could’ve gone there during the evacuations. I didn’t so I could get to you, and then we went around trying to find James. Kids were headed that way, remember? Where are they now?” Rattles questioned.

Molly settled back in beside him. She wrapped her arms around him tight, and, despite the heat, he let her. She was lost in thought for a moment, but he knew it wouldn’t take her long to think of what to say next.

Molly looked up to him, “This whole town is full of snakes, isn’t it? Venomous ones.”

“Who’s to say what their motives are? I don’t know why they’d care so much about her dad in the first place. They’re working on getting power out and helping people. What did he do for anyone?” Rattles whispered as a loud bang sounded off from the street. They went to peep holes and saw teens playing with firecrackers.

Molly exhaled sharply, “They’re going to blow their hands off with that mess.”

“Hey, I’m surprised there’s any left,” Rattles grinned, pulling Molly into his arms, “Look, we hole up here, let things calm down. I can get the cans back this way if you’d like so we don’t have to go out as much. Then, we figure a way out of the city. Or at least into a quieter sector.”

“And my brother?” Molly asked. That was always the question, but it was one they’d yet to find an answer for. No one knew where containment kids went, and there was so little oversight that he could’ve gone anywhere with anyone. Until they had eyes on him, they’d never know.

But Rattles was willing to find out. He held her tight, “We’ll bust down every door in this town to find him if we need to. We won’t leave without him, I promise.”

Molly held him back, but Rattles knew it was a long shot. If they hadn’t found him now, he might not be in the city anymore. With so many people missing and dead, there was no telling, but he owed it to her to try.

Catherine watched from an upper floor window as Muffy saw to the Tibbles out front. They had appeared at daybreak with a wagon pulled by a slave. Catherine recognized him as Slink, one of the teens who did a rehab program she’d volunteered for. He looked rough, his hair pulled into dirty dreads, and he looked bitter. Catherine followed his figure and realized he was truly tied to the wagon, no escape.

Emily giggled as she entered the room, “Store day! I wonder what they brought,” she said with a giddy expression as she collapsed on the bed and used Muffy’s opera glasses to look down below, “Still talking, I see. Who’s that with them?”

“A slave, who else?” Catherine replied, sinking into a chair, “She’s bartering with the champagne today,” she added, but Emily didn’t care what they were giving up. She wanted to know what they were getting.

On the front lawn below, Muffy scrutinized Timmy’s stock, her hot pink lip gloss shimmering in the early sunlight. She was wearing another one of her mother’s robes, this one less transparent than the one she liked to wear around the mansion. Still, her hot pink hair was in an up-do, and her cheeks bore a gem-cut heart in purple eyeliner. Her look was perfect, child-like but neat, but her gaze was that of a dictator.

“There’s a crack in the casing, that won’t work,” Muffy noted, pointing to the next item, “What else do you have to offer me? Anything truly good? What about fruit? Something sweet?”

“We just have electronics today, everything works or can be repaired easily. Some still have batteries,” Timmy smiled, but Muffy wasn’t smiling. She pointed at a gaming device, “It’s wet. You can’t repair wet. What is this? Have you brought me garbage?!” she boomed.

Tommy emerged from the back of the cart, “Canned fruit cocktail? That’s the only food we have,” he offered, handing her a can.

Muffy read the label before thrusting it back to him, “Expired three years ago, gross! No deal, you’ve come unprepared. I want fresh fruit, fresh canned goods, not literal garbage you dug up from somewhere!”

“Hey, hey, now, these are treasures!” Timmy argued. Tommy nodded, “Yeah, we can get quite a bit for these!”

Muffy turned on her heel and called over her shoulder, “Then get me something fresh and we’ll have a deal!”

Upstairs, Emily put down her glasses and frowned, “No deal. I wonder what she was looking for that’s so important. What were you hoping to get?” Emily asked, but Catherine had no answer. Last time, she wasn’t allowed to pick, not that they had anything she wanted. Muffy and Emily wanted the finer things in life, but Catherine was fine having a roof over her head, a comfortable building around her, and food to eat.

Emily rushed downstairs to greet Muffy, who was on her way to the pool house. Emily followed as Muffy slammed open the doors. James, Maria, and Jenna sat up with alarmed expressions.

“What do you know of gardening?!” Muffy demanded, but the three just stared at her. Muffy grabbed a nearby broom and thrust it at them, narrowly missing James, “I want an ANSWER! I want fresh food! Can you grow it?!” she demanded.

“Not without seeds, water, and a lot of time,” Maria replied, adding, “You’re better off trying to find some in the area gardens.”

Muffy turned to Emily, “What kind of gardens were there before?” Muffy asked. Emily shrugged, “I never paid attention to that sort of thing,” she said, turning to Catherine, “What about you? Was there something in your neighborhood?”

Catherine scoffed, “I lived in an apartment, we weren’t allowed. Francine had to get Mr. Ratburn to write a letter to the landlord allowing her to do a grow project in third grade, we seriously weren’t allowed. We can look around maybe?” she suggested.

“Go, tell me what you find. You have until sundown to get me some answers,” Muffy demanded, fleeing the room. Catherine turned to the others, “Are you sure you don’t know anywhere?”

“There’s a community garden, but it was barricaded early on. The mayor didn’t want people trampling it in case people needed it later,” James whispered, adding, “Muffy can’t take it all, people could go hungry.”

“It could be dangerous if it’s being guarded,” Jenna added cautiously.

Catherine nodded and ventured into the house. She grabbed some sneakers from a downstairs closet before venturing up the street. Sector 6 was fairly quiet, but Catherine could hear sounds coming from other neighborhoods, and they weren’t good sounds.

But she knew better than to return empty-handed. She checked local backyards first but found nothing but landscaped scenes. Most were overgrown at this point, but there were flowers and bushes sticking out at odd angles, not food plants. Catherine ventured up the street to a barricade that had been pushed aside.

On the other side was a wasteland. Overturned cars were blocking the street, one of which was burned out. Both were covered with graffiti. In the distance, a kid with lime green hair walked with a taller kid with blue hair. Catherine had braided colored yarns into her hair, but nothing as wild as that. Her neat butterfly mark was subtle compared to whatever marks the kids had. They were visible even at this distance, and they were off-putting to sheltered Catherine.

She knew nothing of the world, but she knew one thing: She was dispensable. Emily and Muffy were high-class girls who wanted no part in the dirtier aspects of the world. Oh no, but low-class Catherine could be sent wherever for anything. The slaves couldn’t be trusted not to leave, but Muffy was counting on her to come back.

It was a hard decision. If Catherine knew where Francine was, she would’ve left. Instead she turned up the next street and went towards a small neighborhood she remembered from childhood. Her mom used to trade sewing projects with a woman who made zucchini bread and other garden-infused items. It was just a matter of finding the house with no distinguishable landmarks.

But the house was easy to spot, its overgrown yard littered with debris from a broken fence. On the other side, kids had abused her now toxic-looking pool, but her garden was in-tact. Catherine studied the plants, which were overgrown and running wild but still producing. Only a few items were the right amount of ripeness—many were already rotting on the vine, but others hadn’t gotten started yet.

Using a basket Catherine found on her porch, she gathered what she could and headed back. Muffy was pleased with this, but she wanted more. Catherine agreed to go back, but there was no waiting. Muffy wanted her there. NOW.

This time she took her time to explore the house. She used some reusable grocery bags to gather some items. Underneath a bottom insert, she hid some holiday chocolate the woman had on her nightstand. Catherine grabbed a few of her clothing items too and hid some cans of soda and a package of cookies. The rest of the bags were for produce.

Carefully, Catherine lugged the items back to the mansion. Emily’s delight at the tomatoes she’d found distracted her enough to hide the other tote behind her. When the girls went to put their items away, Catherine began up the stairs with her finds.

“Um, excuse me? What’s that?” Muffy demanded. Catherine blushed but turned around and held up a blouse, “I found some clothes, she’s more my size than your mom.”

Muffy glared at her, “Oh, okay,” she said, but Catherine knew she’d almost been caught, and she didn’t want to know what Muffy would do to her if she knew about the chocolate…but she knew it probably involved the pool house and a summer of hard labor.

Chapter Text

Exploring was meant for someone else, but today Brain was that someone else. With Sue Ellen gone and the others busy on other projects, it was up to him to venture into Sector 6 to see about a home where one of the federal contacts lived. Carl had worked with him to pick the best route, but the few cameras left in this area meant a lot of uncertainty.

Brain paused behind a pair of vandalized cars and looked over the neighborhood. The colorful van had been through here recently, but otherwise there was no sign of life. A few birds chirped in the distance, but the only other sound was his own breathing.

At the next intersection, Brain rushed into a backyard, down a narrow path, and through a gate into another backyard. According to their maps, this was the home, not that it looked any different from the others. It was an older, well-built home, its features blending well with the rest of the neighborhood. The only sign that someone with federal ties lived there was a flagpole in the front yard, a tall one at that.

This was definitely the place.

The house had already been ransacked once. Brain thumbed around with papers on a coffee table that had been split in two. The couch? It was now all over the living room, the cushions tossed and cut open before being painted over. A guest bedroom had been used to party, and discarded cans littered the floor.

Upstairs, Brain took a left and found a locked door. He shouldered it and it gave way easily—clearly other kids had tried the same thing and failed. It was enough to get him leverage, and he found himself in the right place, the contact’s home office.

The desk was slightly opened when Brain sat down. The laptop the contact used was on the desk but not plugged in, not that it would’ve mattered. Brain pulled his messenger bag onto his lap and tucked the laptop and its charger inside before opening the drawers the rest of the way.

The top drawers held the usual items: a few pens, a legal pad with several pages torn off, several small knickknacks, and some stained index cards, some of which had incomplete grocery lists written on the lines.

In the lower drawers, he found folders. There were several and many were packed full, but Brain didn’t come here to leave with only part of what he needed. His intention was to not come back, so he sought out a way to carry them back. His messenger bag was almost full, but a large backpack in the main bedroom’s closet gave him extra room. He shoved folders inside before venturing into the last bedroom.

This one belonged to a child. Brain saw a framed photo turned face down on the nightstand. He put it upright and studied the kid in the frame. They were much younger than him, so he didn’t recognize them, but he did recognize her father. He’d been to the ice cream shop almost weekly when Brain worked there. He’d get a cone for himself and a pint to take home.

Brain put the frame back the way he found it. He went downstairs and opened the freezer. A disgusting smell hit his nose, but he had to know…and he was right, a wrinkled pint sat front and center.

Brain turned around and took in the house a moment before retracing his steps. His moves were slower, more deliberate, and his breath was faster—the files and laptop were heavy. He just hoped the man’s security was easier to crack than the mayor’s setup so that Lydia could see the files inside.

When George emerged from his room, Arthur was waiting. He’d spent half the night awake listening to the noises outside, but he couldn’t bring himself to check on George and see the cause for himself.

George yawned and looked Arthur over. He sighed, “Waiting up for me?”

“I just wanted to know what was going on last night. Erm…DW said she heard a lot of cheering or something,” Arthur lied. George nodded, “Yeah, kids were roaming around with fireworks again, it was weird. I didn’t think there were any left. They seemed to be heading somewhere or from somewhere, I couldn’t tell.”

The two ventured into the cafeteria, where Sue Ellen was finishing the lunch meal, well, the only meal they’d be cooking that day. Francine had proposed stricter rationing and no one could disagree with her. If they wanted their food to last, they had to slow down and maybe find a way to grow their own.

The boys sat across from each other after grabbing a bowl of the rice and vegetable concoction Sue Ellen had fixed. It tasted nice, and they complimented her as she took a seat.

“Thanks, just working with what we have,” she murmured, looking George over, “Long night?” she asked.

George nodded as Francine and DW appeared. George repeated his story, “A lot of kids had fireworks last night, it was like a party. I couldn’t tell if they were going to it or coming from it, but I think we should be careful if we go out any time soon. Lots of kids have been staying in their safe places, so it felt weird to see them out like that.”

“A party? I wonder if that weird ice cream music we heard has something to do with it,” Francine wondered. Arthur shrugged, “Kids do all sorts of things. Maybe some found a stash somewhere and people followed the noise. Not everything is connected anymore.”

Francine scoffed, “We’re all looking for direction, Arthur. EVERYTHING is connected, it’s just a matter of figuring out where they got the idea from. I don’t like that van. I bet someone like the Tibbles are behind it.”

“Aren’t they a little young to be the masterminds behind everything?” Sue Ellen argued. DW looked up with wide eyes, “It’s the Tibbles, they’ve been horrible since they were born. Seriously, this is a playground for them.”

Arthur nodded, “She’s right, they’ve always been mean. Alberto and I used to have to protect the girls from them all the time. Vicita got tied to a jungle gym once, DW has lost toys to them, and she’s told me horror stories from school.”

“By the end, they were suspended a lot,” DW added, “They were always getting into fights or messing with teachers. Their grandma could never control them, and their parents weren’t around. They’ve been planning for this their entire life.”

“Okay, that’s scarier than I thought. Do you think they’d have the van though? I’ve only seen them with the garbage truck,” Sue Ellen said.

Francine poked at her food, “I mean, that’s diesel versus regular gasoline, so yeah, I could see them switch it up, especially if other kids with their…talents got involved. You’re not wrong that they’re young to have so much control, but they aren’t the only kids with backgrounds like that. I mean, you said you worked with the Tough Customers. Aren’t they bad too?”

Sue Ellen scoffed, “They’re a mixed bag. I think Molly and Rattles want something better, but the others? They had rough home lives. I think they wanted some kind of power, some kind of something, but they didn’t play their cards right.”

“You said they were ambushed at the stampede. How did that play out?” George asked. Sue Ellen shrugged, “Your guess is as good as mine. I met up with them away from their home base too, so I couldn’t tell you if they were still there or not.”

Francine put her fork into her empty bowl, “Maybe we should head over to that sector and find out. It would help the map, plus no one is going to be out roaming after all that partying last night.”

“We met up in Sector 2. I always thought it was a ploy or something, like it was a neighboring sector. The border between 2 and 4 was close to there, and that’s not far from here,” Sue Ellen explained.

“We should go,” Arthur said, adding, “George can stay with DW and Sue Ellen, I’m sure he’s tired.”

Francine nodded, and after the washing up was assigned, she and Arthur left the Lakewood grounds with DW’s help. Francine used her roller blades, but Arthur had a razor scooter. It was a little small for his frame, but he made it work. The two maneuvered past burnt-out cars and other debris as they took smaller side streets towards the area Sue Ellen mentioned.

Crossing into Sector 2 was the strangest. The streets were a little cleaner, and the symbols painted onto various surfaces meshed better than the ones in other areas. The pair stopped to look at some, and Francine kneeled to get a better look.

“Does it look like an arrow pointing?” Arthur asked, squinting through his cracked glasses. Francine stood up, “That’s what I was thinking. What used to be that way? The library?” she guessed. Arthur shrugged and pointed towards their destination, a side street with tall barricades and a large National Guard truck.

Francine refocused on the mission and skated in that direction with Arthur beside her. The crossover was what they were used to this time: trash piles, vandalism, and a ton of different graffiti themes on various buildings and even the asphalt itself.

Francine looked around, “I see some fresh firework wrappers. I guess the party found its way here too. See anything of interest?” she asked.

Arthur shook his head, “Everything looks the same to me, but there isn’t much here anymore. I don’t see how kids could live over here safely.”

Francine looked over the buildings and saw what he was talking about. Lots of the houses and businesses were already broken into. Windows were smashed out, doors were off their hinges, and there was very little green space. If they ventured away from the barricade, they would find themselves out in the open.

Francine shuddered, “Anyone with high ground could do whatever they wanted over here. It’s spooky.”

“And dangerous. I’d say even if the Tough Customers are here, they can have this sector. I don’t see how a group of that size could do well here unless they found a stash or something,” Arthur noted, turning around, “Let’s head back.”

Francine didn’t argue with him. They turned and headed back into Sector 2. This time they lingered a little and went a block over to see what they could see. More of the symbols were sprayed in various places, and they were definitely pointing in one direction.

While Arthur wanted to track them, Francine stopped him. She shook her head, “We need to do our research before we just jump into the unknown. Let’s see what the others thing, maybe Sue Ellen knows what they are. You got a pen? I want to sketch one,” she said.

Arthur handed over a colored pencil and a piece of scrap paper he’d brought with him. As soon as Francine was done, they booked it back to Lakewood, where Sue Ellen was waiting to help them back over the barricade. The neighborhood was still quiet as they put away their skates and found George in the library. Sue Ellen had followed them, eager to know what they learned.

Francine produced the drawing, “Have either of you seen this before? These symbols were all over Sector 2. And like…it’s cleaner over there. I can’t explain it.”

“Well, it’s the historic district. Most of the public buildings closed there first,” Sue Ellen explained, adding, “The library director didn’t want anyone damaging the books. I heard he stayed there until the end working with volunteers to barricade the place to keep vandals out. I’m sure the other neighbors had a similar mindset.”

“I’ve never seen that mark before,” George said, handing it to Sue Ellen, “That part of the circle has an arrow on it. What direction was it pointing?” he asked as Sue Ellen confirmed she’d never seen the symbol either.

Arthur nodded to Sue Ellen, “We thought about the library too. That’s about all we know to be over there other than some small businesses, mostly lawyers and stuff. My mom worked over there for a while.”

“The border into the sector wasn’t protected or anything,” Francine noted, “and while some accounting firm isn’t going to get attention, the quiet could. Who do you think could be over there?”

George shrugged, “I wouldn’t worry about it. If it’s safe for us to travel through, we could get over to Sector 5 and try to walk the highway out of town,” he suggested.

Sue Ellen shook her head, “The DOT barricaded every exit before they lost numbers. You wouldn’t get far, plus there’s nowhere to go out in the open like that. I’d cut through Sector 7 to Sector 9. Brain and the others want to head that way to get the plant working again, but a lot of it is wilderness outside of city limits. You could easily get away…or set up over there.”

George smiled, “I like the sound of that.”

“I don’t,” Francine argued, adding, “I get that Brain is a genius or whatever, but are you sure they aren’t going to accidentally blow the plant up? We’re kids, not engineers.”

“He’s doing his research thanks to Sally, it’s under control, but…I’d get as far out of the city if I could, you’re right,” Sue Ellen said, turning to George, “I don’t think you should go empty-handed though. You should develop supplies, make sure you have shelter. If you don’t have a destination in mind? You’re welcoming yourself to the elements.”

“Winter won’t hold off forever, she’s right,” Arthur whispered, looking around, “Lakewood has a gas boiler, but there’s also an old wood stove. We just have to connect the pipes.”

“The smoke would attract people,” Francine murmured, adding, “All the more reason to get out of here. Hey, what about your grandma’s house? Isn’t it way out there?” she asked.

Arthur hung his head, “When she died, no one kept the place up while my dad and his siblings argued over the house. By the time they settled their differences, they had to condemn the place due to mold. It’s an empty lot now, but it’s still in the family.”

“But no shelter,” George sighed, shaking his head, “Okay, we’ll figure something out. You’re right that I should put more thought into this, otherwise I’ll be right back here…if we can come back,” he said, yawning, “Okay, I will take that other nap. Who’s on tonight?” he asked.

“I’ll do it, I took a nap earlier,” Sue Ellen volunteered. With that settled, the group went their separate ways. Lakewood was big enough to get lost in almost, so each person had plenty of room to set up their own space…and be alone with their thoughts.

Fern was unusually calm. Mei-Lin had tracked down more dumpster food, and Fern was methodically eating a few bites between scribbling in a notebook. She’d been outside too for the first time in days, but the local sounds had brought her back in, or at least that’s how it looked to Mei-Lin. Maybe she’d just found what she wanted.

When they were finished eating, Mei-Lin washed their plates in the men’s room sink. The one in the ladies’ room didn’t work, not that it mattered. It was just the two of them, and Mei-Lin didn’t expect that to change. She went to bed every night hoping Binky would find them, but she knew it would be a long shot. Things were too chaotic outside.

Mei-Lin emerged to find Fern peeling back some of the film on the windows to let in more light. Mei-Lin helped her, and soon the room was bathed in dim light. Fern stared at the metal bars outside.

“I guess that’s why no one’s tried to come in yet. They can’t,” Fern said, looking around, “It’s not safe here though. The doors won’t hold if someone does decide to come in.”

“We could stay behind the lanes. No one would try to go back there,” Mei-Lin suggested. She had already taken to sleeping back there, but now that Fern was having a clearer day, they could really get a plan together.

A moment later, they were using soda crates to carry their few belongings across the lanes and into the service area. It was tight with both of them and their things, but Mei-Lin didn’t mind. Fern didn’t seem to take notice either as she looked over the walls.

“We should make this place look nicer or something, I don’t know. The outside has marks, so we should have marks too,” Fern said, looking around. Mei-Lin could since some chaotic energy behind her eyes, but Fern was still in control. She turned to Mei-Lin and looked over her marks. Binky had used his fingers to make a jagged lightning bolt, which Mei-Lin adopted as well.

Fern reached into her bag and pulled out purple paint. She matched the symbol and nodded, “We’re a proper tribe now. That’ll help when They come.”

Mei-Lin squinted at her, “Who comes? Do you think Binky will come back?”

“I hope so, one day, but no, someone else. I…I don’t know who, but I had a dream. Here, I drew their marks,” Fern said, handing over her notebook.

The page was covered in tiny, scribbled writing, but the mark was clear up top. The mark was circular with various lines moving around the center. There was another version next to it where some of the lines made arrows. Mei-Lin had never seen such marks before, but they looked simple enough for a child or a teen to mimic.

She handed back the book, “What are there plans?” she asked. Her heart pounded in her chest. This almost felt like a game of pretend with her friends. Mei-Lin was only six, that was still a common enough game for them. But Fern was older, maybe thirteen at most. Kids her age didn’t play like that, but Mei-Lin listened anyway.

And Fern answered: “They want to cleanse the world from evil. You’ve seen the chaos in the streets, the wickedness in people’s eyes. You’ve seen it for yourself,” Fern said, taking Mei-Lin’s hand. The bruise was almost gone now, but a few shadows remained. Fern ran her fingers over them, “We’re all survivors, but Them? They want us to go beyond the virus. They want us to prepare our spirits for the next realm so we can be pure.”

“So we’re all going to die?” Mei-Lin asked. Fern nodded, “Of course, but we can prepare now to make the journey easier. Listen, the dreams all say the same thing. I was fighting them, but now I’m embracing them. I feel better already, right here,” she said, pointing to her chest.

Mei-Lin nodded, not sure whether to argue with her or continue going along. Fern released her hand, “I know it sounds outlandish, but I saw some of their members. Prunella and her sister were there, and Rubella? She’s in her twenties. If she can survive on purity, there is hope to be had. Maybe the virus isn’t really the end, maybe we can lead full lives. But if not? We’ll be pure for our next life. The world isn’t like this over there. No, it’s better, and we’ll be reunited with our loved ones. Our parents, our friends, and yes, even our siblings.”

Mei-Lin’s eyes welled with tears, “I don’t want to wait until my next life to be reunited with Binky. I want to go find him, he’s got to be out there somewhere.”

Fern took her hands again, “No, it’s too dangerous, but…They told me to stay strong, that someone would come, but They said we should be safer too. I don’t know how to do that beyond what we’ve done. This area is hard to get to, we’ll be safe here. But…I saw us together still. I know I’m not always well, but I want to protect you. Binky would want that, he’d never forgive me if I didn’t keep you safe. We’ll see him again, both of us, and we’ll all be okay.”

Mei-Lin didn’t want to keep this conversation going. She looked around and found her backpack. Fern followed her gaze and nodded, “Yes, you’ve had better luck finding food than me. It’s quiet, so you should see what else is out there. Maybe you’ll find something that lasts.”

What Mei-Lin really wanted was a moment to process all of this away from Fern. She climbed out of the maintenance area and carefully crawled across the lane. Then she bolted from the building, running a few blocks before stopping behind an old retail store. The inside was ransacked and vandalized, but the area behind the store looked the same as always—dirty but in an organized way.

Before going through the dumpster, Mei-Lin took a moment to think. Fern clearly had something going on in her head, but a big part of Mei-Lin wanted to believe her. Maybe there were people out there who could find a cure for the virus, one that didn’t involve dying young. It was something she had to hold out hope for, especially the longer she was away from Binky. He was so much older than her, but she knew they’d have more time together.

Mei-Lin climbed into the dumpster and found a lot of cardboard and plastic, leftover packaging from the electronics department of the store. Below that were papers and other trash, mostly paper towels from the bathroom.

But below that was a canvas bag. Mei-Lin pulled on it and found the bag to be heavy, which made her smile. She dug it out and looked at her prize with a wide grin. Rice, a large bag of rice with a thank you note attached. Someone had brought this in to a manager or employee in thanks, but they’d thrown it away not knowing the world was about to end.

The bag was heavy, so Mei-Lin used some of the plastic to wrap it around her back. It was tight, but the method worked. She hiked back to the bowling alley to find Fern waiting for her, a big smile on her face:

“They told me you’d find success. I’ll keep you safe, and you’ll provide for us. What a lovely partnership,” Fern smiled, leading her inside. She already had a pot out with water in it. The campfire burner Mei-Lin had found early on was already lit and ready to go.

Mei-Lin felt spooked out, but then she remembered what they had: A large bag of rice, big enough to last the two of them ages. It was a blessing, even if Fern had a strangeness about her. Mei-Lin tried to focus on the positive, but she couldn’t help but worry about their future. Fern was better today, but what about tomorrow? Or the next day and the day after that? Fern could say she would keep Mei-Lin safe, but the girl didn’t believe it. The reality of their situation was just too strange.

Chapter Text

With the Tibbles focusing on their new fireworks source and parties, Slink, Fletcher, and TC were able to remain in their barracks. The former equipment shack was run down and open to the elements in many places, but it was good enough for now. Fletcher and TC sat on one of the more open sides trying to catch a breeze, but neither could find Slink.

Fletcher tossed down a tattered magazine scrap, “Well that’s not worth trying to read. Say, where do you think Slink went off to?”

“Where do you think? That other shack has drugs,” TC sneered, shaking his head as he lifted a makeshift barbell. Fletcher shook her head as she dug through another bag of recycling looking for something to read, “He’s going to kill himself with that stuff. Those kids over there don’t play. I think they were already on the real thing before this stuff started.”

TC couldn’t argue with her there. He stayed away from those kids for a reason. He didn’t mind a drink every now and then and some partying, but hard drugs? That stuff wasn’t for him.

Fletcher sighed as she flipped through a magazine, “I think everyone in this town read the most boring shit known to man. This is some stock market thing. What’s the point? The info will be outdated before the magazine even gets to you,” she huffed, tossing it aside, “And it’s always some middle-aged man in a suit. Not hot at all,” she growled.

TC scoffed, “Still looking for a hot lover to sweep you off your feet and carry you off to some island somewhere?” he jeered.

“A girl has to dream,” Fletcher answered, laying back on her makeshift cot. “I never was one of those girls before, but I get it now. I want a man to take care of me, to get me out of this hell hole, to treat me right,” she said with a wispy smile as TC shook his head. She sat up again, “And what’s wrong with dreaming, huh? You collect every big-tit picture you can find.”

“It’s different for us guys and you know it. You’re playing a dangerous game saying you want romance. You know what the Tibbles will give you if they hear. They’re always looking for new business ventures, and that’s one they wouldn’t mind getting you in on. Ain’t you noticed you’re the only girl around?” he said firmly.

Fletcher lay back on her cot. After a moment, TC got back to lifting his weight again. Fletcher exhaled slowly, “They would take advantage of me, wouldn’t they? And then what? What do we even do about that sort of thing here?”

“Nothing got done before, now is even worse,” TC whispered, putting down his weight, “Look, we need to figure out how to go out on these runs with that weird guy. We let him take us to some sector far away from here, then we run like hell.”

“And then what? You saw them at the stampede, TC, they don’t mind killing people. They’d maybe even put a bounty out on us, and you know that weirdo would do anything to bring us back in,” Fletcher argued in a low whispered. She shook her head, “If anyone hears you talk like that, we’re screwed, okay? We fucked up working with these guys, they’re monsters.”

TC sighed, “And they can just get their booze from that rich bitch, Muffy,” he said, shaking his head as he picked up his own bag of recycling and started going through it. He found a soap opera magazine and tossed it at Fletcher, “Here, dream on. Let me know if you get a good one, I could use it. This place stresses me out.”

“We’re going to die here, aren’t we?” Fletcher whispered. TC shrugged, “Not if I can help it, but we’re not getting any younger. We’re being smart at least. I haven’t had anything to drink since before we got here, and we’re not shooting battery acid into our veins.”

Fletcher flipped through the soap magazine, “Do you think Slink wants to die? Or is he just looking for a good time?”

“Who knows with that kid? I say…we do what we said,” he said in a low voice, leaning over, “and we make sure he stays the hell away from us. If we need to, we go back to Molly and grovel. That was a safe place and a good gig, and we blew it trying to make a quick buck.”

Fletcher shook her head, “We’re dead to them. They almost went with us and got caught up in that mess, and now they don’t have a tribe.”

TC shrugged, “The Tough Customers were the original tribe, we’re like family. They’d be stupid not to take us back, but…yeah, maybe you’re right. I was just being like you wanting my hottie and safety,” he smirked.

Fletcher grinned, “Say that around Rattles and he’ll cut your throat out. That’s his girl and always will be.”

“That’s what makes her so hot,” TC said, shaking his head at the memory, a smirk on his lips, “Knowing no one else will ever have her? I don’t know, there’s just something about that.”

Fletcher grimaced, “You guys are so gross. But…seriously, Sector 2? Somewhere nice, that’s where I want to go. Not 6 though, Muffy would be worse than the Tibbles.”

“I don’t know, making mats for broken windows is a good business. At least it’s in the shade,” he shrugged as a horn sounded. That was a call to action, so they emerged, well, most of them emerged. TC noticed Slink and one of the others stayed behind. Part of her was worried, but she didn’t have time to consider it. The Tibbles needed better loot, so back to the piles they went. They worked in silence, digging for anything nice or fixable, but Fletcher knew it was fruitless work. The Tibbles wanted something that didn’t exist anymore, and they were willing to go to dark places to get it.

Sally settled into the seat next to where Lydia was working. She had been through the contact’s files, but now she was going through his laptop. She had just started when Sally entered to check in, so she watched carefully as Lydia booted up the machine.

“I made a sheet with possible passwords when I went through the files. I’ve got his daughter’s name and birthday, his wife’s info, his anniversary, and a few other ideas. Hopefully he used one of those and not something cryptic,” Lydia said.

Sally shook her head, “I never thought I’d live in a world where breaking into people’s houses and going through their things could save the world.”

Lydia grinned, “It is pretty funny, but I doubt we’re going to find anything of interest. Carl said this guy was newly retired, so we might be too late. Huh, no password. That’s really strange,” she said as she turned to her notebook, “He had print-outs of like…ten different cybersecurity training assignments plus a manual for it. He should’ve had a password.”

“What’s the program coming up?” Sally asked, pointing to the screen. Lydia watched as a word processor began its start-up. She was expecting anti-virus software, maybe an email program, or some other pop up, but a word processor was the last thing she expected.

The girls leaned in as the document opened. In bold letters across the top, it said “Welcome to my computer.” In smaller typeface below, the contact had written: “Hello, if you’re reading this, I’m probably gone and so is everyone else. If you’re my daughter, know that I miss you and love you very much. If you are a stranger, know that I wish I had more to offer you, but, alas, I do not.”

Sally glanced at Lydia, “Why would he write something like this and have it open as soon as the laptop booted up?” she whispered, adding, “I thought we didn’t know about the virus until it was already too late.”

“That’s what the news wanted us to believe,” Lydia murmured, scrolling to the next page.

The document was quite long and filled with section headings. Lydia opened the navigation bar and found that the contact had been copying and pasting emails, memos, and other data, all of which was “still classified.” A warning was right after each heading: The following is CLASSIFIED information. If you do not have the proper clearance and the government is still in operation, close this document IMMEDIATELY and place me under arrest.”

Sally scoffed, “I guess he knew that wasn’t going to be a problem. Whoa, is that an email from the Secretary of Defense? That’s federal, right?”

“That’s exactly what we were looking for,” Lydia smiled, skimming the document. But the two-page email was just a warning for the contact and his family to bunker down and lay low for a while. All the Secretary of Defense said was that “something was coming,” but the email remained vague.

“I guess he was right that he can’t be of more help, but maybe one of these guys has an office here we can seek out,” Sally suggested, adding, “I guess you’ll have to dig through everything to be sure. I should let you work.”

“I guess so, but…will you stop by and tell Brain this was good? He hated going out like that,” Lydia said. Sally nodded in agreement, “Yeah, I should let him know. He’s still shaking like a leaf of going out.”

Sally left Lydia’s office and found her way to Brain’s, which was empty. She found him in the cafeteria going over something with Carl, who grabbed his lunch and headed back to his area. Sally sighed and took his seat, looking Brain over as she settled in.

“What’s going on with you?” Brain asked, looking her over, “You have news?”

“Lydia wanted me to tell you that you did good. The contact knew something was coming, he didn’t even password protect his computer. He had it set up to display a document on startup, and Lydia is reading it now. He said he doesn’t know much, but it’s a start, a good one. Your risk was worth it,” Sally smiled, clearing her throat.

Brain looked her over, “Allergies still? Carl said his inhaler—”

“I’m fine,” Sally interrupted, adding, “I need to clean the clothes I brought back, they’re still dusty,” she said, looking him over, “You’re not working too hard, are you? You look tired.”

Brain sighed, “I was tracking the cameras last night. Looks like the Tibbles returned with the strange van and a ton of fireworks. They traded them to kids for food for some reason. I guess supplies were running low for them.”

“Or whoever else they’re working with,” Sally muttered, adding, “They know not to mess with our defenses. I think we should focus on other things.”

“Kids are counting on someone to get things back to normal. Once they have power and clean water, we should do more, but we have to make it that far. Carl said he’s going over safety protocols and it’s taking longer than he thought. We’re trying to come up with a better plan,” Brain sighed, “but I don’t like his suggestion.”

Sally smiled, “Well, he hasn’t spoken to me in days, so enlighten me,” she said. Brain nodded, “Okay, he wants to only turn on the treatment plant. He said that would be the safest option seeing that so much damage has occurred in town. I don’t want that, but he won’t hear it.”

Sally sighed, “Then we should listen to him. I wish he’d talk to me though, it’s like he’s avoiding me for some reason. Do you know why he’d do that?” she asked, but Brain shrugged. Carl was hard to read for a lot of reasons, and, to Brain, the boy was just busy and not avoiding her at all.

But Sally felt otherwise. She headed back to her space and looked over her things. She had plenty she could be working on, but she’d been feeling nostalgic in recent days. She missed her friends, but she knew a lot of them were gone now, and she missed her house. Part of her wanted to go back, dust and all, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. The distance just seemed too far, and…she felt more tired.

Sally knew she had to start being honest with herself. How she felt wasn’t normal: they had plenty of healthy food and clean water, and the dust lie was barely good enough for her. She was tired when she shouldn’t be and achy when she hadn’t done anything.

Just like her mom.

Sally lay on her bed and looked up at the ceiling. She had joined this group hoping to give them answers and guidance. They were young, genius-level intelligence aside, so they needed that from someone, but she knew what would happen if she was right. They were nowhere near a cure, and while they had medicine to treat her symptoms, she didn’t want them to use it.

Sally sat up and opened her notebook. She’d developed a checklist when she first arrived of things they needed to do. She and Sue Ellen had talked about setting up a hydroponics area in an upper decorative area. There was good lighting, she just needed to rig up watering equipment and sturdy enough tables to handle growth. They could then grow their own food and use preservation methods to store it for ages. She just had to set everything up the right way.

As she worked on her drawings and plans, Sally could feel how scratchy her throat had gotten. It wouldn’t be much longer before her throat clearing and light coughs would become full-on hacking. She was racing against time, so she had to work fast. She had to get this set up before it was too late.

Catherine was nervous as she and Emily sat in her room. Muffy had finally gotten some fresh food from the Tibbles like she wanted, but she wanted something else too. What that something else ended up being was another slave, this one to be her “page girl” of sorts. A girl with cotton candy pink hair was led into the house in chains by a creepy-looking guy in a hooded shawl.

Emily gulped, “I don’t know about this. Do you think they did something bad to her?” she whispered.

“She’s a slave, what do you think?” Catherine muttered, adding, “I don’t know. She looks scared, but I would be too if I was chained up. I bet they’re heavy too.”

“THEY’LL SCRATCH MY FLOOR, TAKE THEM OFF!” Muffy screamed from below. Emily sighed, “Well, at least she won’t stay chained up in here,” she said as the figure carried the chains back to his multi-colored van.

Catherine backed away from the window and sat cross-legged on her bed, “What does Muffy need with a page girl anyway? She already has you work on her hair, and Maria has been helping with her nails.”

“She doesn’t want Maria in the house anymore,” Emily whispered, turning to her vanity to touch up her own hot pink nails. Emily glanced back to Catherine, “I guess she wants to keep them separate or something.”

Catherine lay back on her bed, “I just don’t see the point in this whole slavery thing in the first place. It was outlawed for a reason, and I think that whatever reason that was must be good enough for us. I mean, she’s having them make the mats as a trade item, but we could do that.”

Emily grimaced, “And ruin our fingers? No way,” she huffed, leaning forward to focus on her nails, “It’s not like that, okay? Muffy is providing them with room and board, food and water, and security, and they’re providing her with a service. There’s nothing wrong with that in a world like this. I mean, we’re benefiting too.”

“So we’re her slaves as well? At least I am,” Catherine said. Emily looked up to her, “How are you a slave? You live in the house, you wear her mom’s clothes, you have everything you want.”

Catherine thought for a moment, “Well…she doesn’t want me to go find Francine. I thought they were friends, you’d think she’d want her friend here with her so she could know she’s safe.”

“If we let in all the people we used to be friends with, there wouldn’t be enough to go around,” Emily argued, switching to her other hand. “Francine was an athlete, yes? And Muffy was class president and was a part of so many junior organizations. They knew half the town, and most of that half was kids. I knew everyone too, my parents entertained all the time so I got to know all of the spoiled brats around here…well, the spoiled brats that meant something back then. I knew this girl too, but she was just around, no one important.

“It’s over now though. The world is a terrible place now, Catherine, and if you want to brave it because she doesn’t want to throw open the doors to everyone she once knew? Well that’s on you,” Emily hissed.

Catherine understood limits, but not being able to find her sister was a bit of a stretch. Wherever Francine had ended up, Catherine was sure she could convince her to come back with her and abide by whatever rules Muffy wanted to come up with. Francine could use a place to stay, a meal to eat, and safety just as much as anyone else.

Downstairs, Muffy smiled to her new slave, “This is your room now. Sure, it used to be a closet, but this is bigger than most kids’ bedrooms. You’ll stay here until I need you…and don’t think of running,” she said, her smile fading as she lifted her father’s rifle. It was historic and most likely didn’t work, but Hana didn’t need to know that. She gulped in fear as the doors were closed behind her.

Muffy entered the room where Emily was painting her nails. Muffy gasped, “Oh, they turned out well! In the future, Hana will be able to paint them. I told them I want her to do all sorts of nice things for us, and she’ll be well taken care of. I want her to be busy though, so think of things you’d want her to do.”

Catherine nodded along with Emily, who turned her focus to her face. She used a metallic eyeliner to make the gemstone heart on her cheek stand out. Muffy smiled and asked for the same treatment for her mark. Catherine thought of asking for the same symbol, but she liked having a butterfly. It reminded her of her mother, plus it was more subtle.

Muffy turned to Catherine, “We have enough fresh food for a while now, but you can find more if you want. Do you think they’d be able to grow some for us? I don’t like you leaving the grounds.”

“I’ll go ask them,” Catherine said, glad that Muffy agreed to this. Catherine descended the stairs and went out to the pool house. When she opened the door, Jenna looked up from a tattered book surprised to see her.

“We were allowed to take a break,” James called out from the corner, his lower lip trembling, “Muffy said she needed more supplies before we could make more screens.”

“That’s fine, I’m not like her,” Catherine whispered, looking them over, “I came out to ask if you had any gardening experience. I’ve gone out for fresh food, but Muffy wants us to grow it here.”

“We helped with the community garden a few years ago,” Jenna replied. Maria nodded, “We can figure it out if we have fresh water and seeds.”

Catherine nodded and left the room. When she returned upstairs, she found Hana fitting Muffy with another dress. Catherine recognized it as her show dress, but it was too small now. Muffy huffed as she ordered Hana to remove it.

“Carefully! I want you to fix it not fuck it up!” Muffy snapped, looking up to Catherine, “Well? Can they do it?”

“I need to get seeds so they can try. They’ll need water too,” Catherine replied, watching carefully as Hana hung up Muffy’s dress. She looked up to Muffy, “Do you need them to sew for you?”

Muffy scoffed, “It’s an old dress. If I use my machine, it won’t take long. Hana, do you know how to work a sewing machine?” she asked. Hana shook her head as she emerged with another party dress. Muffy stepped into it easily as she sighed, “Well, maybe Catherine could figure it out, won’t you, Catherine? You don’t mind doing small tasks for me, do you?”

“Of course not,” Catherine said. Muffy smiled to her, “Good, good. Ah, dressed for dinner now. Hana, will you help Emily prepare our meal while I rest? What a taxing day,” Muffy sighed, seeming to float out of the room and down to her bedroom.

Catherine followed Emily downstairs as Hana trailed in front of her. The three of them worked in silence on dinner for inside the house and outside. The quality was different for both. Catherine made note of this as she took plain rice with canned vegetables to the pool house. Catherine would eat canned chicken in a thick sauce Hana whipped up with canned milk and other spices, and her serving would be larger. She’d eat it in a climate-controlled room that no one was going to invade.

The class difference was apparent, but Catherine knew it was still lopsided. Emily could tell her all day that she wasn’t stuck there, but she certainly felt that way without her sister around and with no way to go out and find her. And if she did show up? Even if she was alone? Catherine wanted to know how that would play out. She just had no idea where to even look.

Chapter Text

After her night overseeing the neighborhood around Lakewood Elementary, the last thing Sue Ellen wanted to do was venture out. George was eager to map a little more of the area, so as Sue Ellen woke up from a nap, George left with Arthur and the help of Francine. DW was in the library reading with Pal, so the girls went into the art room, where Francine had set up her bedroom near the windows. She settled onto a stool and used a hand mirror to check her braids.

Sue Ellen looked up from the sketchbook she was thumbing through, “I really like African braids on you. How long have you worn your hair like that?” she asked.

“I tried it during soccer season to see if I could keep my hair longer. One of my teammates had her mom do it for me. I’m glad Catherine and I decided to learn for ourselves. She had the same goal, and here we are,” Francine said, checking some of the braids at the top of her head by carefully leaning forward, “I hope she has someone who can keep hers in check. Not many people did this kind of hair in Elwood City.”

“I’ve always wanted to learn, but my mom wouldn’t let me,” Sue Ellen sighed, adding, “I had to do these buns around my head early on to help keep me cool and to keep my hair from getting tangled. I almost shaved my head, it was frustrating,” she said, watching as Francine braided her hair. Sue Ellen looked back to her book, “Brain and Carl kept their hair short, but Lydia and Sally liked to dye their hair and keep it long. I like adding feathers, it’s simple.”

“It matches your outfit too,” Francine noted, shaking her head, “I still can’t believe you were with them for so long. I hate that you didn’t get along with them. That place is probably a fortress now, the safest place in the city.”

“Plus they have power and clean water. What comes through the pipes now isn’t treated, and there’s no pressure either,” Sue Ellen whispered, closing the book, “Part of me wanted to go back and try to help, but a lot happened. I’m still trying to figure everything out.”

Francine glanced at her as she shifted on her stool, “Well, you’re welcome to confide in me. If I ever stay in the city with someone, it’ll be wherever Catherine is. I want no part of them.”

“That’s probably a good thing, all they have is agendas and goals. I’m all for getting things going again, but we’re kids, there’s limits. Plus, we’re children, we’re not adults. We’re going to make mistakes,” she whispered, turning to Francine, “What were you doing before things went down? I know you play sports, but what else?” she asked.

Francine thought for a moment, “I mean, I’d try to go to Muffy’s once a week for movie night. Sometimes we would go out with people, but I didn’t like that very much. Our coach didn’t really want us dating either, but…we’re eighth graders, people go out. It’s not serious.”

“With guys your own age?” Sue Ellen whispered.

Francine stopped and looked up to Sue Ellen, “Of course not, we had a ton of rules, plus my parents would have freaked. Your parents didn’t care?”

Sue Ellen shrugged as she shifted uncomfortably on her seat. She’d never talked about this with someone from school…or anyone else for that matter. She met Francine’s gaze, “Dad was worried about what his people were doing now that he was retired. His goals weren’t career-oriented anymore, so he focused on hobbies and keeping up with whoever he deemed a threat. My mom? Well, she had a bit of a drinking problem. She said she was out with her yoga group, and she was, but there were lots of other stops along the way.”

“And some guy came along and actually paid attention to you,” Francine guessed. Sue Ellen hung her head. Francine walked over to Sue Ellen and sat on the table beside her, “Look, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. That guy took advantage of you, of the situation. That’s not your fault.”

“I just…,” Sue Ellen paused, a single tear rolling down her cheek, “I’m scared. He’s gone now, I went to the government center willingly to stay away from him and so my parents would never find out, but…now I’m alone in this.”

Francine took her hands, “You have us, Sue Ellen. Look, George isn’t going to leave my side. We’ve saved each other’s lives multiple times at this point, we would die for each other. He’s the brother I never had. I don’t know about Arthur and DW, but…Arthur’s a nice guy, he won’t kick you out just because you got in a little bit of trouble.”

“Even That kind of trouble?” Sue Ellen asked in a low voice, adding, “I’ve heard him before. He doesn’t want a baby around.”

Francine’s heart pounded in her ears. A baby? Sue Ellen was pregnant? Francine studied her slender frame, “Are you sure? Like…did you take a test?”

“I never could find one, and after the stampede I was hurt, and then I came here. I don’t want anyone to know,” Sue Ellen said, hanging her head, “But it’s been three months. That’s how it works, isn’t it?”

Francine sighed, “Yeah, but…I have watch tonight. Tomorrow after I rest, we go on our own supply run. There’s a store not far from here, it was a dollar store thing in a neighborhood, you know how it is. They sold a little bit of everything. The food and booze is gone, but that area should be untouched. We’ll get some first aide supplies or something as a cover, and…no one has to know, okay? I won’t tell, but…you’ll have to say something eventually.”

Sue Ellen nodded before wiping away tears, “I know, I know, I just…what are we supposed to do? Like…I’ve heard it’s natural, but there was a reason we had hospitals for that kind of thing.”

“I mean, there’s books, right? Maybe we should try to library. It’s in Sector 2 where it’s quiet. I just…those symbols over there worried me,” Francine admitted. Sue Ellen nodded in agreement but didn’t say anything. Francine sighed, “Maybe we can go into houses with kids, see if they had any parenting books. There’s plenty of houses around here to check.”

A noise in the hallway stopped them from talking. Pal and DW appeared, and DW was looking into lunch. Francine quickly agreed and rushed out of the room so that Sue Ellen could compose herself. She did, but she knew this was just the beginning of a very hard journey.

Molly stirred in Rattles’s arms. He kissed her forehead as she squinted her eyes at the light coming through the small gap in the wall nearby. Yelling and loud pops had kept her awake most of the night, but her nap had left her refreshed. Rattles had spent the time reading, but Molly noticed it was the same book he’d already finished. She stretched and looked around the dimly-lit space.

“I know we’re good on food for a bit, but maybe we should find something to do while we’re holed up,” she suggested as she stretched. She nudged his book with her elbow, “You’ve only read that about three times now.”

“Hey, it’s an old favorite. I read it about five times in middle school,” he smirked, closing the book before pulling her into his arms, “I guess I could go find something for you to do. Maybe there’s still some board games around or something.”

Molly kissed him before standing up and peering out towards the street, “Has anyone else been around?”

“I think they had the same idea as you. Haven’t heard anything except your snoring for hours,” he smirked. She tossed a balled up napkin at him, which he easily dodged. He stood up, “Want to stay here while I go? Wouldn’t want you to get into any trouble.”

“Sure, and I’ll get something ready to cook for when you come back,” she said, looking towards the kitchen, “I guess I should clean up too, huh?”

“It is your turn,” he said, pulling a messenger bag over his shoulder and heading for the door.

The noon sun was bright overhead as he crossed the street and headed closer to a small patch of houses nearby. Sure, some of the stores sold things like games and books, but a house would have more character. He approached the first one but heard kids giggling inside, so he quickly walked two doors down to the fourth house. The windows were blown out, the rocks from a landscaping feature making the perfect weapon to use. Rattles studied them as he listened—no giggles.

He vaulted inside, careful to wrap his sleeves over his hands as he did. He landed in the dining room, where mold plates of food sat around the table. This was one of the evacuated houses, and he soon realized why: It was a foster home. Photos of dozens of different kids covered the hallway floor to ceiling. Rattles recognized a few “new kids” in the pictures, but he hadn’t seen them in ages.

Rattles entered a closed door and found a kids’ room with two bunk beds, a small dresser, and a toy box. He went through the dresser first, but the clothes were all for much smaller kids. He moved to the toy box, but it was half empty. There were a few action figures and a toy microphone, but nothing else.

The next room was arranged the same way, but there were two dressers this time and no toy box. There were books under one of the bunks. Rattles tucked them in his bag before turning his attention to the dresser. Bingo. He pulled out pairs of clean socks and underwear and stuffed them in his bag. They were all boys items, but he knew Molly wouldn’t mind. Having clean items was worth more than that.

As he moved into the last bedroom, Rattles finally found the gaming cabinet. The top half was video game equipment, but the bottom had various board games. He carefully selected a few card games and a board game he remembered, then he headed back towards the kitchen.

When he entered the hallway, he heard something bump on the porch. He dove into the bathroom and waited as tiny footsteps entered the front door. As his heart pounded in his ears, Rattles tried to jog his memory. Did he see used dishes and other mess? Was there anywhere a kid could hide that he might’ve missed? The house looked untouched aside from the broken windows, but he could’ve been wrong.

The footsteps were getting closer. Rattles used the picture frames in the hallway to view a reflection. He felt a lump grow in his throat as he recognized the girl. Rattles carefully stepped out of the bathroom, but the girl still jumped back in fear.

“It’s okay, Mei-Lin, it’s just me, Rattles,” he said, smiling to her, “What are you doing wandering in here?”

“I was looking for something to do later, we’re bored,” she answered, looking him over, “What are you doing here? Do you live here?” she asked. Rattles shook his head but decided not to reveal where he was staying. If Mei-Lin was looking for something to do, she probably wasn’t alone. Mei-Lin’s upper lip trembled, “Do you know where Binky is? I was in the stampede and lost track of him,” she whimpered.

“Aww man, no, I wish I did. I can help you look for him if you’d like,” he offered, but she shook her head, “I have to get back soon, I don’t want Fern to worry. She’s been taking care of me, but…do you know if she was sick before?”

The question took Rattles by surprise, but his first thought was the virus. Fern was younger than him, too young to be sick as far as he knew. He looked her over, “Sick how? She hasn’t got the virus, has she?” he asked.

Mei-Lin shook her head before tapping her forehead, “Sick here.”

“Oh, I didn’t know her well enough to answer that. Are you sure you’re safe with her?” he asked, worry growing in his gut. Even if Fern wasn’t trying to hurt her, it wasn’t good for a kid her age to be only in the care of someone who couldn’t even take care of themselves.

Mei-Lin seemed to follow his logic. She shrugged, “Where we are seems safe enough, but I don’t know. Who are you with?”

“Just Molly, um…the others were in the stampede too,” Rattles whispered. He didn’t want to admit their role, but Mei-Lin didn’t ask. She nodded solemnly and kicked the carpet nervously. Rattles sighed, “Molly isn’t going to like that I’m telling you this, but…if you and Fern need a place, we’re at the Sugar Bowl. Do you remember where that is?”

“Of course I do,” Mei-Lin said, adding, “The walls were mostly glass in front though. Is it safe?”

Rattles nodded, “Carl made sure the outside was well-protected before the virus got him. We haven’t had any issues, and we’ve got a little food. We can figure it out if you two decide to join us. I might not know Fern very well, but if she’s sick like that, I think we should help her…if she wants it. She might not like the change.”

“Yeah,” Mei-Lin agreed, pointing to his bag, “Where did you find the games?” she asked. Rattles took her back to the cabinet and helped her pick out a few. He even gave up one of his card games so it wouldn’t be as heavy for her to carry.

He debated trailing her after that. They went separate ways when they left the house, but Rattles decided he didn’t need to know where they were. If Fern didn’t want her business known, that was up to her. But he was telling Molly as soon as he got back.

When he returned, Molly gasped at the sight of the clean clothes. She sniffed them, the crisp detergent smell still present despite all that time in the dresser. When she looked up and met Rattles’s gaze, her smile faded:

“What happened? Why do you look like that?” she asked firmly.

“I ran into Mei-Lin in the house where I got these. You’re not going to like this, but I told her we were here if she needs us. She’s holed up with Fern somewhere, Binky got separated from her in the stampede,” Rattles whispered, adding, “Do you know if Fern had any mental issues?”

Molly’s mouth fell open, “That bookworm? No, but I didn’t know her well. If she was medicated before things went down, that’s long gone,” she whispered, taking his hands, “I’m not upset you told her. Do you think we should keep watch in case she shows up at night?” she asked.

“I don’t know, maybe. I don’t know if she can convince Fern to leave wherever they are. She didn’t say and I didn’t ask,” Rattles said, adding, “I almost followed her, but I let her keep her secrets. Plus I didn’t want to scare her,” he sighed, sitting down in the booth beside her, “She’s pretty upset about losing touch with Binky. She didn’t want me to look for him, I mean…I bet the poor girl has tried already with no luck.”

Molly swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry, “Do you think he didn’t make it out of the stampede? I heard kids died.”

Rattles shook his head and was rendered silent by the question. Binky was a good friend of his for many years. The only reason they were separated was how the lockdowns went—with Binky and Mei-Lin’s mom being in healthcare, they were taken to a containment center way before everyone else. They were lucky to be kept together, but maybe that’s why she was so upset—driven apart by the government, reunited for a few weeks, then ripped apart by forces beyond their control. It was hard to think about, so he decided not to.

Molly slid into the booth next to him and clung to his side. She could tell he was hurting, and she didn’t blame him. That was a hard thing to get in touch with, but she agreed with how he’d handled it. She just hoped they could handle whatever was wrong with Fern if she did decide to join them.

Brain pinched the bridge of his nose as Carl finished going over the problems he had discovered. They all knew failsafes would be a problem, and that they were a necessary problem to keep from making things worse, but Carl was going to face an uphill battle.

“The solution that works best for everyone is finding someone with an electrical background. I made a brainstorming map and decided kids who did the robotics program through the library would be good candidates. We just need to find a list of their names and figure out where they are,” Carl explained methodically.

Brain looked up to him, “Yes, that is a good solution. I believe they were posted in a newspaper a few months ago. Maybe we could send someone to the newspaper office and see if any copies are there. That would be…Sector 1 but the far side. Sector 6 isn’t far or Sector 2.”

“Are those sectors dangerous?” Carl asked. Brain scoffed, “Every sector but ours is dangerous and lawless, but…I’m not sure about Sector 2, their cameras were disabled. As for Sector 6, the high-end homes have their own security and barricades. However, that area has been a hotbed for Tibble activity. I think they have a contact there.”

Carl nodded, “That makes sense I guess. You wouldn’t think a Tibble would want nicer things.”

“The rich had more alcohol and things of that nature,” Brain explained, adding, “plus numerous other luxury items like food stores and whatnot. I feel for anyone trying to hole up there alone. They’re in for a world of hurt if they’re ever discovered. But…the newspaper office would be a few blocks from the border. Not entirely safe but not too far either. I could send you and Sally over, you could use scooters to get there and back faster.”

Carl squirmed in his seat. Brain sighed, “It’s her or me, and I need to help Lydia with going over those files. She asked for help looking for more contact names and figuring out how to get to their houses safely.”

“But she’s sick. What if she makes me sick too?” Carl asked with an uncomfortable tone. Brain squinted in thought, “Sick how? She said she was having an allergic reaction to the dust in her old home. If some of the clothing she got from there without washing it well was near her long enough, it could re-trigger a reaction, not to mention the growing dust in our own spaces.”

Carl shook his head, “I don’t think it’s allergies, I think she’s sick and not telling us. That’s very dangerous. I’ve read handbooks and guides, and the most important thing to do is tell the people around you when you feel ill so they can react accordingly. I don’t want to be anywhere with her.”

Brain sighed, “You can’t go alone, and I don’t want her going alone either. The newspaper office is a big place, and you’ll be outside as you go. Both of you can wear masks as well, that will help,” he said, taking in Carl’s discomfort. He knew Carl paid attention to details he didn’t find to be important and vice versa, but this was news to him. Was Sally sick with the virus or did she just have allergies?

Brain stood up, “I’ll go tell her. You should leave as soon as possible so we can start tracking people down,” he said. Carl didn’t argue with this, but Brain knew he was going to above and beyond to keep himself safe.

Brain ventured down to Sally’s room and knocked on the door. She was going over a file and put it down when Brain entered. He smiled to her before taking a seat nearby.

“I take your meeting with Carl gave you information,” Sally said with a smirk. Brain nodded, “He wants to track down kids who did the robotics program through the library. They might have the electrical knowledge we need to pull this off. However, your allergies have made him nervous. I told him dust allergies were common, especially in a world like this, but he’s scared. I promised him you would wear a mask especially inside the newspaper office.”

Sally squirmed uncomfortably, “The newspaper office is going to be really dusty I’m sure. Are you sure he’s comfortable being there with me? Mask or not, I might cough,” she said. Brain shrugged, “It’s you or me, and I’m working with Lydia to find more contacts with ties to the federal government.”

Sally nodded, “I understand. Maybe I can go alone. Carl doesn’t like being out anyway, and downtown is so far from here. I can go, spend the night there, and come back the next day with whatever I find,” she offered.

Brain didn’t like sending out people alone, but he had no choice. If Sue Ellen were still here, he’d have more options—more drama, but more ways to solve this problem. Part of him hoped Sally discovered someone like her and they could find them and easily get them onboard, but Brain knew they were inviting trouble as well, not that it mattered. If they were going to get the plant up and running, they needed whoever they could find.

When Brain told Carl the news, he was relieved and quickly took off the two masks he’d put on as well as the white coveralls he’d discovered. Brain thought that was overkill, but as he returned to his office to collect his thoughts and get back to work, he knew Carl’s theory held merit. Sally did look nervous over such a comparison, and the place wasn’t that dusty just yet. There was just no way of knowing the truth unless she told them…or unless she got sicker.

After Sally left for the office, Brain entered Lydia’s lab and closed the door. She looked up with a concerned expression and stopped her work with the laptop, “What’s going on?”

“Do you think Sally has the virus?” Brain asked, adding, “She’s so much older than us that I know it’s a possibility, but…if she has it, could she pass it to us?”

“Those are some heavy questions,” Lydia replied softly, wheeling over to the soft couch Brain had taken a seat on. Lydia parked across from him, “I know it’s a possibility that we all already have the virus in or around us and that when our bodily systems reach a certain age, our youthful immune systems stop protecting us, or at least that’s the theory I’ve developed. However, I think Sally is bright enough to tell us if that happens.”

“She’s been coughing so much that Carl is terrified of her. I thought he was being ridiculous, but I didn’t know Sally before to know how bad her allergies actually were,” Brain sighed, resting his head in his hands, “I don’t want to accuse her of that, but I might not have a choice. We should isolate from her if she is sick just in case.”

Lydia thought for a moment before whispering, “Well, we just have to see how this plays out, but…she showed me her new project over breakfast. She wants to develop a hydroponics area so we can grow our own food, and she wants to focus on that.”

“All the more reason to go all day and into tomorrow, she’ll need supplies,” Brain muttered, looking up to her, “Has she always been so concerned about fresh food?”

Lydia shrugged, “I don’t know, but it’s not a bad idea. All these preserved foods can’t be good for us, plus they’ll run out eventually. We should supplement them with fresh produce whenever we can, but…we have to get the lab going first, and she’s a good candidate. She doesn’t have my hacking skills or Carl’s attention to detail, and she certainly couldn’t handle all the projects you have,” Lydia smiled, bumping his elbow with hers, “Take some breaths, Brain, you’re playing leader all the time, and that can’t be healthy either.”

“Someone has to,” he sighed, standing up, “I have things I should be working on. If Sally says anything to you, will you tell me? I understand her want for privacy, but we should prepare accordingly.”

Lydia nodded and watched him leave. She then wheeled back to the laptop, where she was digging through archived emails from the contact. He had really thought of everything before powering down his device and leaving it out, but even with all the work spread before her, Lydia couldn’t shake the feeling that Brain was right. Sally was sick and dying, and this trip out then the hydroponics setup was her last hoorah. Lydia frowned at the thought before getting back to work. So many people had already been lost. It made sense that more would suffer the same fate; they would all die eventually. Lydia just hoped Sally had the time she needed to finish her tasks.

Chapter Text

Fletcher could sense the change. The Tibbles returned from town grumpy, and they took their anger out on a batch of new recruits. TC looked up from his dig site with a concerned look as Fletcher moved to another pile and tried to look busy.

But they were next.

Whatever they were digging up wasn’t good enough, and instead of seeing the logic of the situation where dump items usually means broken and unusable, they took their anger out on their slaves. Tommy and Timmy picked up Slink under his arms and carried him over one pile and behind a neighboring building.

Fletcher grimaced as Slink’s yells came from behind the building. TC sighed as he joined her, “At least he was high again this morning, he might not remember this.”

“If they don’t kill him,” she noted, turning to him, “We’ve got to get out of here, TC, it’s too dangerous.”

“We’re in the middle of nowhere, and they keep the front gate locked. Can you scale an eight-foot fence with barbed wire up top?” TC argued, but Fletcher pointed to the far end, “The fence is broken down there. We just have to move that way and make a break for it at the right time.”

TC didn’t see how that would help their situation. At least here, they had a decent enough shelter and could get a meal once or twice a day. The land beyond the dump was barren. There were very few houses, and most of the businesses were just as dirty as the dump, and they definitely wouldn’t have food. They were better off staying with what they knew.

But Fletcher had other ideas. As Slink’s yells continued, she moved to a pile closer to that far edge. Another pair of prisoners, a skinny guy and a younger girl, noticed and inched their way towards her, and TC joined them, feeling he had no other choice.

As Slink’s yells intensified, they ran through the broken fence and kept running. Fletcher took the lead as they entered the trees, her hands moving wildly ahead of her to clear any branches or spider webs. TC was taller and picked a different path, and the other two prisoners followed his lead.

After a few minutes, they came to the backside of a warehouse building. It was a junk yard, and cars of all makes, models, and conditions were piled within a dangerous-looking fence.

“Should we stop or go further?” Fletcher called out. The thinner of the prisoners shook his head, his hands on his knees as he fought to catch his breath. He couldn’t say it, but his vote was clear. The other prisoner shrugged, so she and TC approached the back door. It was locked, but TC quickly shouldered it open, and the four of them piled inside.

Fletcher fixed the door shut with a board at first, then she found some chain with the other prisoner as TC looked around for water to help the skinnier one. He found some bottles under a desk and offered one to him.

“That door should hold for now. How long until you’re ready to move again? I don’t think we should stay this close,” Fletcher said. The skinny prisoner shrugged, “I…I…—”

“Clark needs an inhaler, but he’s out of puffs,” the girl said, adding, “I’m Jessica. We were at a containment center together until they kicked us out. The Tibbles picked us up after offering food. They’re monsters. Do you think they’re going to kill that kid?”

“I hope not,” TC whispered, turning to Fletcher, “Where would an inhaler be?” he asked. She shrugged and turned to Jessica, “Does anything else help?”

“He needs to rest for a bit, who knows how long?” she said, looking around, “What’s in that office over there? Maybe we can cover the window and hide in there,” she suggested. TC followed her gaze and tried the door. It was locked, so he shouldered it open after a few tries.

Inside, the room smelled oily and gross. He shook his head as he closed the door back, “That’ll make his breathing worse. What about that van over there?” he asked, checking the front door and finding it open. It was warm inside, but at least it didn’t smell toxic.

Fletcher and Jessica helped Clark into the back of the van. TC entered behind them and closed the door. Fletcher shot him a look, “Shouldn’t we keep that open so it stays cooler in here?”

“We’re not far from the dump. If they’ve been here before and realize the door is open, we’re screwed,” TC explained, eying Clark as he continued to struggle to breathe, “I know it would help him, but we can’t risk it. As soon as they get done with Slink and figure out we’re gone, they’re going to look for us.”

“So you know the guy?” Jessica whispered, hanging her head, “Sorry I asked what I did, I didn’t know.”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up, kid, we were all thinking it,” Fletcher whispered, adjusting her position on the floor of the van. She sighed, “Slink is a tough kid, he’ll be okay. They’re just mad about something and want to take their anger out, they won’t go that far.”

Jessica scoffed, “It’s the Tibbles, they’re capable of all sorts of things,” she whispered, shaking her head, “I heard rumors about those boys when I volunteered at the library. Kids all around their age group talked about these kids that could do whatever they wanted because their grandma would just bail them out. Well, look at them now. They’ve enslaved people and who knows what else?”

“They k-killed…a kid…at the stampede,” Clark wheezed. Jessica glared at him, “Save your breath, Clark.”

“Yeah, we don’t want you passing out,” TC murmured, looking up to Fletcher, “We should’ve rescued him, he doesn’t deserve that.”

“It’s the end of the world, TC, it’s him or us,” Fletcher said firmly, shaking her head, “If he wasn’t high all the time, he could fight back himself.”

Jessica rolled her eyes, “So he’s friends with those guys too. Whatever they make back there smells toxic. It’s a wonder they haven’t killed themselves yet. Say, I think they come here to get their battery acid. There aren’t many of those laying around the dump, not unless you dig deep.”

“Clark, we need to move as soon as you think you can,” TC said, sitting up on his knees to check the car’s control panel. Fletcher tried to see what he was studying, “What are you looking for?”

TC sat down again, “Sometimes the gas gauge is visible, but this one only shows how much when it’s on. I figure if this thing is parked here, there must be keys somewhere. We could get out of here faster that way,” he said, which got Jessica’s attention. She was the smallest of the group, so keeping up was already a struggle.

But Fletcher didn’t think that was a good idea, “I don’t like that, we’d have to hide it once we got somewhere. Like you said, we’re not far from the dump. If they know this van and realize it’s gone, they could use it to track us down.”

“But if we’re far enough away, they won’t know where we went, and we could keep moving after a day. I’m going to look for some keys. What kind of van is this?” TC said, studying the logo on the steering wheel.

“My dad drove a van like this, I’ll help you look,” Jessica said, following TC into the oily office.

Clark, still wheezing, looked up to Fletcher with great concern, “Does…he…know how…to…drive?!” he asked.

Fletcher shrugged, “I’m fourteen and I’ve driven go-karts before. I think Slink drove the family car a few times in their neighborhood. Maybe TC has done the same things,” she said as they returned with the keys. Jessica climbed in as TC opened the garage door before getting into the driver’s seat.

TC cranked the van and found they had half a tank of gas, plenty to get them out of the sector and away from the dump. Clark jumped into the passenger seat and buckled in tight, but the back had no seats or seat belts. Fletcher held on to the driver’s seat as Jessica moved into the floorboard in front of Clark.

“Alright, here goes nothing,” TC said as he eyed the gear shift. Fletcher stared at him, “Do you know what you’re doing?” she demanded.

He turned back to her nervously, so she gestured for them to switch. She adjusted the seat, then she put the car in gear as TC kneeled between the seats. Remembering her previous experience, she went slow and navigated the garage gate easily. Once in the driveway, she found a clear path and turned right onto the road. She didn’t know if it was the right direction or not, but it was better than left. A sign for the dump was that way, so she knew not to try it. She carefully got up to speed, and once she got comfortable with that, she went a little faster. Clark and Jessica calmed down as TC settled into the back of the van.

They crossed a broken barricade and entered Sector 8. A few blocks later, a subdivision came into view. Fletcher slowed up as they all looked around the area. Clark’s breathing was getting better, but their nervousness was clear.

“We need a garage to hide the van, don’t worry about anything else yet,” TC whispered. Fletcher nodded as she took a wide turn into the neighborhood. Four houses down, a garage door was open and nothing was parked inside.

Fletcher carefully drove into the garage. She bumped into the interior wall gently, but otherwise she parked fine. TC exited out the back doors of the van and used the garage door’s manual handle to close the door.

Jessica sighed as they moved into the house. It had been ransacked, but it had hiding places.

They were free.

Francine’s goal was to go out on her own, but DW had some things she wanted. Francine was tempted to bring her along—at nine years old she could probably take care of herself—but Arthur insisted. Together they climbed down over the barricade and watched the rope ascend. Sue Ellen watched them nervously from the roof as they went towards Sector 2.

“Why this way?” Arthur asked. He wanted to browse some of the houses in Sector 2, but Francine already had a destination in mind. She adjusted the backpack she’d brought, “I was hoping to get more first aid supplies, and I wondered if that package store over here might have some things left over. All the vandals would want from there is the booze.”

After walking a few more steps, Arthur nodded, “That’s a really good idea if no one is holed up there,” he said, looking around, “It should be around that pile-up over there.”

The two navigated around some crashed cars and went behind another vehicle to scope out the building. The previous night was filled with the usual yelling and carrying on, but it was quiet now. The store had been vandalized to the brink—the doors were ripped out of their hinges, some of the shelves were on the street, and broken wine bottles were all over the place.

Arthur studied the wrecked cars, “I guess some kids decided to drunk drive, huh?” he guessed. Francine grinned, “That or they had their own demolition derby. Come on, let’s check it out before anyone else shows up.”

Inside the store looked worse. The counter was even misaligned with the floor, and it was clear that a vehicle had been driven through the entrance. Shelves were ransacked, their contents all over the floor. Arthur picked through some ramen noodle packages as Francine made a beeline for the first aid area.

The dim lighting made it hard to see, but Francine had thankfully remembered a flashlight. She held it with her mouth as she piled damaged glove boxes, a few bottles of rubbing alcohol, and some boxes of band-aids and gauze. When she was sure Arthur wasn’t watching, she put in a handful of pregnancy tests and condoms before zipping up her bag.

When Francine emerged, Arthur nodded, “I got some pasta packs. If we boil them long enough, it should be fine, right? Oh, and they had spaghetti sauce. It’s canned but better than nothing.”

Francine nodded nervously, “Yeah, that sounds delicious. Where to?” she asked. Arthur shrugged, “DW wanted something to do, so I thought of heading over to Mr. Fugue’s house by the library. I figured we could scope out those symbols, but I really wanted to see if he had some instruments around. His house is closer than Ratburn’s,” he said as they fell into step.

“Is DW much of a musician?” Francine asked.

Arthur sighed, “She wanted to be, but she never practiced enough before. She tried out for band, but they wouldn’t let her in the after school one, just the classroom one at Lakewood. It made her mad, but I told her to keep it up. I was doing recitals by then, but she just…I think she wanted to impress people like Emily who were already getting leads in ballet. Instruments were cheaper.”

Francine scoffed, “And look where we are now. Ballerinas have no place here, but musicians are a rare breed, especially if they’re good,” she said as they crossed over into Sector 2.

Arthur shuddered, “That is quite the contrast,” he muttered, approaching a symbol and running his finger over it. He pulled it back and grimaced, “It’s raised, almost like they used wax or something to place it.”

“Maybe they made their own mold. It wouldn’t take much to get wax warm, especially in this weather, and then you can bring it wherever and make sure it’s pointed the right way,” Francine guessed. Arthur shrugged as they turned the opposite direction. Francine grinned, “You scared? This is the wrong way,” she teased, but Arthur was clearly spooked out by what they were seeing.

A few blocks away, there were more symbols at the intersection. Francine listened and could only hear bird calls, which made her uneasy. However, they had made a promise to stick together, so Francine followed as Arthur cut into a yard and then over a low fence. That put them in Fugue’s backyard then, and Francine could just make out the library’s roof on the other side of the trees. Just seeing it made her uneasy, so she focused on the yard around her. It was grown up with weeds and tall grass, but it was untouched.

Arthur used a spare key to get into the door. He put it back under a rock, “I guess I won’t have to lock it back,” he said, sighing, “I used to water his plants for extra pocket money…and for lessons when Kate’s treatments got to be more expensive. Dad couldn’t work during them, so things got a little tight.”

“Treatments?” Francine asked. Arthur nodded as he led Francine into a small den. Mr. Fugue’s piano was covered yet dusty, but in a closet nearby, Arthur pulled out a few instrument cases.

As he studied a clarinet, he explained, “Yeah, about a year ago, Kate found a lump under her arm during a bath. Mom looked at it and decided to get it checked out, and her pediatrician agreed it wasn’t good. One biopsy and a dozen scans later and she was a cancer kid,” Arthur said, running his fingers over the velvet in the case, “It was really hard for us. We still don’t know how she is.”

“Why not?” Francine asked with a sterner tone than she intended. She sighed, “Sorry, I just…it’s one thing for me to not know anything about where Catherine ended up, but if she was sick?”

“They took Kate to the hospital as soon as the lockdown happened. Mom went with her, then she came back about the time our dad got sick. I think she was home two days when we got taken to a containment center, but no one would tell us about the hospital kids. We tried to go there, but it’s in Sector 1. That was the government center and downtown, so they had it locked down entirely to keep out the protestors,” Arthur said as he put the clarinet into his backpack. He then grabbed some plastic bags from the closet and put them in.

“You’d think they would…I don’t know,” Francine said with a deflated tone, “I guess keeping her at the hospital would keep her safe, but what happened when the last of the adults died? Health care workers were some of the first to fall.”

Arthur headed into the kitchen and started going through the cabinets, “Well…we don’t talk about it much. DW mentioned it a few times when we got reunited, about how she’s five and would need us, but…once we realized the hospital was off-limits? We hung it up. For all we know, she got the virus too and didn’t make it. She was in the middle of another round of treatment at the time, she would’ve been very vulnerable,” he whispered, pointing to the pantry, “There’s some reusable grocery bags in there. Let’s take everything he has before others come through here.”

Francine nodded and did as she was told. They fell into silence, but when they went to leave, it was clear the conversation was over. They lugged their loot back to Lakewood, where George helped hoist the bags over the barricade before lowering the rope again for them to climb up. Again, Sue Ellen watched from the roof. Francine nodded to her, and Sue Ellen nodded back.

Francine let the guys head into the kitchen area to put up their spoils. She unloaded her bag in the front office and organized what she’d found into some existing containers. The condoms and a few of the tests were put in the same cabinet, then she tucked one into a bandana she’d found in the desk.

On her way back to her room to put up her bag, Sue Ellen passed her in the hallway. DW was up ahead, but they were in the shadows. Francine quietly snuck Sue Ellen the test, then they kept walking. Pal barked at Francine, which made DW looked up—she hadn’t seen. Francine waved to them and told DW the good news. She jogged towards the cafeteria with Pal on her heels.

Francine got to the art room and sank onto her makeshift bed. It was one thing to know Sue Ellen could be pregnant, that Catherine was still somewhere unknown in what was becoming an increasingly dangerous city, but to hear that Kate had cancer and was missing? It hurt Francine to her core. They needed to start asking around and figure out where people were. Sure, George wanted out of the city, but there were a lot of people to check on before they went.

Hana looked ridiculous in her maid outfit, but it was the only one Muffy would allow. Emily studied her across the room where she was having breakfast with Catherine. Muffy called it a breakfast nook, but it was an entire room off the lavish kitchen, where Hana was scrubbing dishes in a large plastic container by the sink. Muffy supervised from the island, slowly munching her grilled cheese sandwich as she oversaw the operation.

“Do you think what she’s doing is harsh?” Catherine murmured when she caught Emily staring yet again. Emily sighed and wiped her fingers on a napkin, “I mean, she’s getting top care here. I mean, we have a working water pump and solar lighting and so many amenities. I mean, it’s so hot today, but we get to live in relative comfort with AC. That’s a luxury.”

Catherine studied the design on her plate, which was hand-painted china. She sighed softly, “I just…I have to wonder if she’d actually pick this if she was given the option.”

“It’s better than being with the Tibbles, they seem violent. Plus I heard Muffy, they dig in the dump to get things to sell for them. That’s…dirty, dangerous, and just straight up gross,” Emily grimaced, poking at her grilled cheese sandwich. She gestured to it, “She gets fresh bread here, no one else has that I bet. Sure, the cheese is some kind of preserved stuff, not the real thing, but that works better in these sort of sandwiches anyway.”

Catherine nodded, “Yeah, the fresh bread was unexpected. We didn’t even have that at the containment center, it was all frozen,” she muttered, watching as Muffy got up to scrutinize the pile of clean dishes. In a huff, she dumped them back into the water bin again. Hana stood there a moment, looking defeated.

Emily hung her head, “I guess she could want to be other places, maybe looking for someone, but…who’s even left in this town? With the Tibbles running around being crazy, I’m sure people have tried to leave by now.”

“I don’t know about that, they’re kids. Most of them barely left the city before all of this,” Catherine argued, adding, “I think if Francine was still around, she’d be here. She’ll probably try to find me too.”

“Are you sure about that? It’s really dangerous out there, you’ve heard the yelling all the way out here. Whatever is going on out there, you want no part of it,” Emily countered.

But Catherine had her doubts. Maybe Muffy had the nicest things and the best amenities, but she had nothing else of value. The girls weren’t friends, they were just sitting on their high horse watching the world go by, and the slaves certainly had no life of their own. They were stuck here within the high walls of the garden…or the locked closet. Catherine shuddered at the thought—in one swift motion, they’d gone back to slavery for no other reason than “I have more than you and refuse to do my own chores, so I’ll force you to stay here to do them for me.”

Catherine still finished her sandwich, there was no use letting it go to waste. She carried her plate to Hana and offered it to her, but Muffy dunked it out of her hand, splashing Hana with the water.

Muffy shook her head, “Just let her clean it, it’s her JOB!” she huffed, stomping back to her seat. Catherine met Hana’s gaze and wanted to apologize, but she was scared. She stepped away as Emily followed Muffy’s instruction, splashing Hana yet again.

Emily stepped ahead of Catherine and grinned, “See? Nothing hard about that,” she said, heading for the stairs. Catherine followed her more out of duty than anything else, plus she had nowhere else to go either. Sector 6 was filled with little compounds like this as far as she knew, but what else was out there. They could see several blocks from their windows, but that wasn’t far in a city as large as this one.

Emily studied Catherine as she took up her seat at the vanity to touch up her makeup. She sighed, “Catherine, you’ve got to put all of this out of your head, it’s not healthy.”

“I’m just thinking about Francine, okay? I get that you’re an only child so you don’t understand, but I have a baby sister. It was my job to protect her, and I failed her. I told her we should hide from the regulators. For all they knew, we had left the city to stay with out aunt. Our dad was one of the first to get sick, our mom died soon after,” she explained, her voice falling to a whisper as she hugged a decorative pillow tight, “We could’ve done so many things, but I thought listening to the government was our best option. They separated us, didn’t even let us say goodbye. They treated us like animals. Forgive me for not wanting to be like that, but it’s disgusting how we treat people.”

Emily sighed, “Okay, so go out there and find your sister, bring her back here.”

Muffy appeared in the doorway, “She’s not allowed here, no one else is. Look, we have enough food for the lot of us to live to be twenty and still have multiple meals a day. More mouths means less food, and I won’t have it!” she spat.

“Francine was your best friend! She told me what you said—”

“That was before, this is now. The world ended, Catherine, and it’s up to us to keep on surviving. Let them struggle out there, we’ve got all we need here, and I’ll ensure we keep these luxuries. If that’s a PROBLEM for you, then go. There will be more for us,” she sneered.

“I just want my sister, I don’t see how that’s a problem. I’m older, I’ll be twenty next week,” Catherine whispered, tears in her eyes, “She can have my place, I won’t need it then. Do you really want me to die without seeing her again? Do you want your best friend to rot on the dangerous streets while you live like a queen?”

Emily stared wide-eyed at the standoff, but Muffy’s position didn’t budge. She crossed her arms, seeming to deflect the emotions being flung at her, “Sure, she’s probably got a tribe out there. It’s Francine we’re talking about, she’s a bleeding heart just like you. You deserve each other, you do, but…you can leave whenever you like, but she’s not allowed in, end of discussion. I don’t care if your time is almost up, I’ve got several years to look forward to.”

“Is she really going to die?!” Emily cried. Muffy scoffed, “We all are, dimwit, there’s no cure. If the virus lives in us, one day she’ll have it, and she’ll die just like everyone else. She just better not make us sick in the process. You know, maybe we should keep away from you.”

Catherine stood up, “Sounds good to me. I take you want me outside with the pigs?” she guessed.

“You’re not one of them, but…if you want to be, so be it. Go wherever you’d like, just stay out of my hair,” Muffy hissed, closing the door behind Catherine.

Catherine descended the stairs and returned to find Hana listlessly staring into the water. She made moves like she was still washing the dishes, but Catherine could tell she was crying.

She kept walking. At the end of the hall was Ed’s office. Catherine stepped inside, and the smell of worn leather and old books filled her nose. A day bed was in the corner, so Catherine lay on it and looked out the window. She was close to the gazebo, so she watched James and Jenna weave a mat row by row while Maria worked on the border of one. They were nice mats, perfect for covering windows and still letting in some air. It was a genius move, but it was despicable that Muffy didn’t do the work herself, that she didn’t pay them an actual wage for their work. Why couldn’t they stay in the house?

Muffy was a monster.

Catherine sat up at the realization and debated her options. The world was a dangerous place, and Catherine was no fighter. She wasn’t built for a cruel world, but Francine was. Muffy was right: Wherever Francine was, she was leading her own tribe, probably of old friends and new. She was leading them to safe places, keeping them fed, and keeping their border secure. She was ruling the world.

Muffy just thought she was doing that, but, at the end of the day? Francine would be known as a real leader, and Muffy would just be that rich bitch of Sector 6.

Catherine knew her days were numbered. She’d read the newspaper and watched news broadcasts from leading experts, and she watched as kids not much older than her succumbed to the virus. Her day would come too, so why not live a kinder life? She would stay, but she’d keep Muffy at a distance.

Chapter Text

Mei-Lin was worried that Fern would be angry that she talked to Rattles and got invited to stay with them. As they split a beef ravioli cup, Mei-Lin told her about what she encountered, and Fern just listened. She’d grown quiet again, and that made her unpredictable. The worse part was that she went to bed right after, leaving Mei-Lin alone with her thoughts.

She sat up for hours playing one of the card games alone while Fern slept behind her. It was a restless sleep filled with outbursts and movement, but Mei-Lin tuned her out. She was used to most of them by now, but they were more frequent at the moment. As she realized this, Mei-Lin started to get concerned. Was Fern angry and wanted to spare her feelings?

With night falling outside, Mei-Lin packed up her game and went to her side of the back area. She’d found stickers in the arcade area to put on the wall beside her bed. Several glowed in the dark, bringing her comfort as the back area fell into near complete darkness. Mei-Lin stared at the stickers, remembering the days when Binky would come get her after school and take her to this same arcade. She wanted these stickers then, but Binky talked her out of them:

“Come on, I know you, Mei-Lin, you’ll put them all over everything and Mom will get mad. She got mad at me too, you know? I tell you what, we go pick out a scrap book from the craft store. You can put your stickers in there when you get them, but…you’ll have to wait to get these, okay? Just a little bit for me to save up my allowance. It’ll be an…early birthday gift for you, yeah,” Binky smiled.

Tears fell from Mei-Lin’s eyes as she realized how long it had been since he smiled. His plans to get her the scrap book were thwarted by the virus. Two days later, she went to school for the last time. Their mom was already sick, so they were gone soon after. Binky wouldn’t see that the world had changed, that she could put her stickers wherever she wanted. She’d already tucked more sheets into her bag in case they had to leave in a hurry—they were tiny, not even important in the least sense for most people, but they were hers.

Fern cried out and sat up in bed as banging started outside. Mei-Lin jumped in fear, her heart pounding in her ears as she heard Fern crawling across the back area, dodging equipment and drop cords.

She emerged with a lava lamp in hand and turned it on, sending purple and blue light over the area. Fern smiled, “I knew They would answer me, I knew it. Yes, we go to Molly and Rattles tomorrow. They are protectors, they are aligned with us in spirit, and they will keep us safe.”

“So you’re not mad at me for talking to him?” Mei-Lin whimpered. Fern shook her head, “Of course not, I’m grateful that went well for you. You should be more careful going into places when you’re looking for supplies. He can teach you now, Molly too. We can start recreating society together,” Fern smiled, pointing upward, “They have said it must happen, and I believe them. Don’t you believe?”

Mei-Lin was reminded of being on the jungle gym at Lakewood. Some of the second graders were reading mythology books for kids about mythical monsters from eons ago. Some only talked of them in past tense, but others were convinced the creatures from the stories were real. Mei-Lin learned to nod along with them, and she nodded along with Fern just now.

But she was scared. Who exactly was talking to Fern and were they actual real? The world was a strange place, but so far? Whatever visions Fern kept having were coming true.

A loud bang interrupted her thoughts. Fern turned off her lamp as laughter went from street side to in the building with them. Mei-Lin whimpered, so Fern held her as they listened to people ransack the bowling alley.

“Looks like some kids were here,” one called out. Another laughed, “Well they ain’t here now. Whoa, cool, look at these!” he called, the sound of shattering glass feeling the space. Mei-Lin almost screamed, but she managed to keep her fear under control.

Luckily that was as far as the kids went. They broke into a prize case and stole some of the trinkets inside. Some of their food was gone too, but most was in the maintenance area with them. They remained safe in their hiding spot, but the timing couldn’t be more perfect. In the morning, they would carefully make their way a few blocks over, and they would join Molly and Rattles.

Fletcher peered out the window. The neighborhood had been very quiet, almost too quiet, but she was on edge after their daring escape. It had only been a day, which wasn’t exactly long enough to organize a total search…, but she knew they would eventually.

Fletcher turned around to see Jessica watching her from the living room. The house was nice with brand new furniture and a pantry full of food. In the old days, it would be considered homey, but Fletcher didn’t like it at all. The glass patio door was an easy entry point, none of the windows had locks, and while the doors did have them, they were flimsy.

“You should take some breaths, Fletch,” TC called from the kitchen before handing her a sports drink, “They haven’t been anywhere near here. We’re safe.”

“For now,” Fletcher argued, shaking her head, “We’re only a five-minute drive from the dump, we’re right beside the main road between here and there. It’s not safe, and you shouldn’t pretend it is,” she said firmly.

“We’re really that close? It felt like we were in that van for ages,” Jessica whispered as Clark appeared from one of the smaller bedrooms up the hall. Thankfully the owner of the house must’ve had asthma too, and now Clark had three inhalers…for now. He studied them as he went for a sports drink and joined Jessica on the couch.

Fletcher looked back out the window, “Well, the drive felt longer because were running for our lives, but yeah, we’re five minutes away. You can practically see the first sign for the landfill from here. It’s too close, they’ll figure us out in no time.”

“Well, where should we go that we can be safe? And when?” Clark asked. TC sighed, “That’s the real problem here. It’s not just one enemy we have to worry about thanks to our past. I’m sure if that brainy group figures out what we did, they’ll want our heads as much as the Tibbles, and I’m sure Molly never wants to lay eyes on us again.”

Fletcher disagreed, “I think if we take a diplomatic approach, we could work something out with them. I mean…Slink was the worst of us. He’s the one who traded our food for smack. We were just getting booze to trade. We were trying to get our supplies back.”

“From the Tibbles? Maybe they won’t want you back because you’re dumb,” Jessica said firmly. Fletcher glared at her, “Oh, so you were kidnapped by the Tibbles? I thought you willingly went with them, which makes you dumber than we are. We had no say in the matter,” she said, turning back to TC, “They’re holed up in the restaurant. Where else in that sector can we go? We could go there and arrange a meeting in neutral ground to talk.”

“After what they saw with us? Molly will never leave that restaurant again, and I’m sure if Rattles is going out, she worries herself sick every single time,” TC argued.

Clark sighed, “Well, we were going to head to an apartment complex we heard about. It’s in a different sector than restaurants, but someone told us it was safe,” he said, but Jessica rolled her eyes, “People were saying all sorts of things those days. I don’t believe any of them anymore. You have to find your own spaces and scope them out.”

“Which we can’t do from here,” Fletcher said, turning to TC, “There was a strip mall near there, it had a thrift store, a Chinese restaurant, and a tax office. I say we go there, there’s a car wash nearby. We can hide the car in one of the bays while we look around.”

Clark laughed nervously, “You want to drive there? No one else is driving around, that’s too dangerous,” he said, taking a few uneven breaths.

Jessica tapped his arm, “Hey, you need to take better breaths, you’ll work yourself into another asthma attack,” she said, looking up to Fletcher, “The apartment has a parking garage nearby, what about there?”

“Hard to get out of once you’re in, and you can’t see to know what to expect,” TC argued, adding, “I do like the idea of a building versus the strip mall though. All those stores have large, glass windows. I bet they’re all broken out now from looters, and that’s not safe.”

Fletcher sighed, “We need to think this through,” she said, but Clark held up his hand, “We need to agree too. I don’t like the strip mall.”

“Me neither,” Jessica added as Fletcher glared at her.

Fletcher turned to TC, “That means majority must want the apartments. I say we find a different complex with garages but not an entire parking garage. TC is right, the visuals are wrong, and…we should figure out when to go. Early in the morning seems best, once the night owls crash for the night. We want them to be sleeping good as we go through.”

Clark thought for a moment before speaking up, “The condos by Lakewood had garages. How is Sector 3? Did either of you go there?” he asked.

TC nodded, “Yeah, we did some supply runs over there, but I didn’t go to that side. You know, the school isn’t a bad choice.”

“Absolutely not, it’s an elementary school. Every kid in the area would know that place, it’s probably swarming with crazies,” Fletcher said firmly. Clark exhaled slowly after a deep breath, “Well, the condos were out of the way. They had a gate too, but we could drive through it if someone hasn’t already.”

“And then what do we do?” Jessica asked. Fletcher scoffed, “What we did here. We find our way in. I’d like a unit that’s not on the ground floor, we need a height advantage. We hole up and find more supplies if it’s safe. If not, we keep looking for somewhere else, but Sector 3? Sounds like a dream compared to this.”

Clark turned to TC, “We don’t have enough food. Most of this family’s bulk goods have already rotted.”

“No one’s around, let’s hit up the rest and see. We can take trash bags and take anything of value—clothes, first aid, food, and whatever else we can find. We can put it in the trunk,” Fletcher suggested. The others agreed, and soon they were outside. Fletcher took the house across the street, TC the one beside that, and Clark stuck with Jessica in the neighboring house.

By mid-afternoon, the trunk was full. They had blankets and changes of clothes, and they had found more medicine and food. They even found a few weapons to use just in case things got dicey along their journey. Luckily they found a map, so TC and Fletcher spent the night going over different directions they could go. Neither of them could sleep with such nervousness in the air, but they knew it was needed. Nighttime was when the crazies came out.

The yells were from far away, but they heard and saw the multi-colored van go by. TC watched hoping to catch a glimpse of Slink, but it was just the hooded figure with his weird monocle. TC shuddered at the sight of him—however bad the Tibbles were? He was most certainly worse.

But he kept going, so they could breathe a little easier. They slept in shifts, then Fletcher prepared a final breakfast in the nice home. She had always wanted to live in a house like this after spending her childhood in bare-bones apartments and rental homes that had seen better days. But now that she was here, she couldn’t wait to leave.

The city looked different at night. As George and Francine looked out over the neighborhood, all they saw was darkness with little patches of light. The wild kids were coming out to play, and they were armed with fire and a love of mischief. Watching them from above made Francine nervous, but what could they do? If a bunch of wild teens decided to burn down the neighborhood, no one was coming to save them.

George sighed, “If we were in the country, we could see fireflies and hear all sorts of wildlife. Here in the city, all we get are the whoops and hollers from crazy kids who just want to make trouble. I don’t know why you like it here.”

“It’s not about what I like,” Francine said, glancing at him in the dark, “You know why I wanted to stay here in the beginning, and now? You have to admit everyone below us seems a little happier than when we first met. DW is starting to talk more, even Arthur seems to smile more. There’s power in numbers. There’s SAFETY in numbers,” she said, looking out over the city, “She’s out there somewhere. I’m hoping we find her as we make our map.”

“We’ve made good efforts in the neighboring sectors but no signs of anyone else. I’d go out at night, but that seems too dangerous,” George said, adding, “I think we know enough to have a route out of here.”

“You’re still thinking of hiking out towards Sector 9?” Francine asked with an accusatory tone. George looked away sheepishly, “I know it’s industrial, but there’s open land that way. It should connect up with the national forest land, and that’s country enough to me. It’ll be cooler there.”

Francine sat down, letting her feet dangle off the side of the roof, “I’ve thought about that path a lot. It makes sense to do that, but it’s dangerous too. The Tibbles run through that territory constantly. The state route through there is the only open path between the city and Sector 10. It’s too dangerous to do that now, we just can’t go fast enough to get through, especially if everyone wants to go.”

“I thought WE would go, just the two of us,” George replied, but Francine shook her head, “I can’t leave them alone. I mean, the two of us are the best at getting supplies and keeping the place safe. You’re the one who figured out how to link the barricades back together to close the gap, and you and Arthur fixed the broken gym door. This place is a fortress now, but we had to work together to get to that point. Plus, DW and Pal? They’re young and flighty, they need more supervision.”

George scoffed, “It’s a kid and a dog, and they’re not our responsibility. You said we would get out of the city as fast as possible. It’s the only way to stay truly safe with people like the Tibbles roaming around.”

“Yeah, well, who’s in the forests knowing they’re here causing mayhem? Who’s in the cities beyond that who want to conquer the rest of the world?” Francine speculated, adding, “I want a paradise of our own making too, one where we don’t have to worry about some hooligans running through during the night and setting everything ablaze with fireworks. But we have to be logical about this, and we should build a community. Arthur is on board, at least I think he is,” Francine said.

George sighed, “See, you just think you know them. Just because we had classes with them before doesn’t mean we know them now. The virus changed people, it changed how they act,” he argued.

Francine shook her head, “Arthur is still an average follower like he was back then. DW is scared, and she has reason to be. She said they don’t know where Kate is, their baby sister. She would’ve been five or six, but she had cancer.”

“They would’ve forcibly quarantined her at the hospital. I had an aunt that happened to in Metropolis,” George whispered.

“My theory is that with her weakened immune system, the virus got her and that’s why they haven’t found her yet, but…the hospital is downtown, and I know the Tibbles have gone through there. It’s well-protected so they haven’t gotten in yet, but…where is everyone else?” Francine asked.

George shook his head, “I don’t follow. Sue Ellen said there was a group of people at the government center.”

“Kids in elite program, but there weren’t many of them left. My guess is only a few were evacuated there, she hasn’t exactly mentioned other names,” Francine said, adding, “If they were there, cool, there could be other groups, but why wouldn’t she know about them? She said Brain has access to the security camera network. He would be able to see what was going on at all times,” Francine explained, questioning, “Where would everyone else go where they couldn’t be found?”

George swallowed hard, “Well…we didn’t know much back then about the virus, no one did. If they evacuated sick kids to the hospital, their parents might’ve gone with, so they wouldn’t have survived long.”

“Their mom was already sick, so that tracks,” Francine nodded.

George shook his head nervously, “With no one to watch over them, that left them guardians of the state. They could decide care, and…if they wanted to test vaccines or treatments, they could use the kids there. It could’ve killed them if they were already that sick.”

“We would’ve known if there was a breakthrough…unless they’re holed up somewhere,” Francine whispered, watching in the distance as fireworks shot into the sky. The pops were loud and rapid as the sound blended with its echo.

George knelt down beside Francine, “They’ll want to know what truly happened. For you, I figure Catherine is with some other teens her age, they would’ve paired off after the adults died off. We just have to find them somehow, network, but it’s been so dangerous.”

“And it’ll continue that way until someone deals with the Tibbles or they move on to something else,” Francine whispered, sighing softly, “I just want some time. I figure by fall, if we don’t know anything yet, then we can evacuate. It’ll be cooler and easier to get around during the day, it’s just too hot right now. It’s not safe for us to go in this heat, and we’ll need to go prepared.”

“I could build a wagon or something, maybe even big enough to carry a person or two so we can take breaks resting,” George suggested. Francine nodded, “And we could get more supplies and make sure we do this the right way. Why bother going if we’re not going to have enough to get there? We’ve got to be smart about this if we’re going to survive.”

A few blocks away, some kids set off more fireworks in an intersection. Once the crackling and popping faded, Francine focused on how kids were milling about. They seemed to be going to the same places, but the raucous laughter bouncing up to their ears didn’t sound like something they needed to join in on. However, Francine wanted to know where people were going. She wanted to know where kids spent their time and how they interacted. Not everyone would want to hole up the way they were, which would work out well for them. If they could find a kid who knew Catherine or Kate, maybe they could find the two faster.

George and Francine took turns napping after that. George napped first, then Francine. By then, the noises on the streets had died down. As first light showed on the horizon, the two climbed down and went to their rooms for the rest of the night, both of them finding renewed resolve to get through their days.

Chapter Text

Slink opened his eyes to realize he was in the back of Shelley’s van. The music was deafening from the inside, the bass line rattling his skull. He winced as he tried to sit up only to be yanked back down by the chains he was in. He felt awful, both from his injuries and withdrawals. He had no idea how long he’d been passed out, but it must’ve been a long time if he was withdrawing.

No one else was in the van with him. Part of him was angry—where were his friends when he needed them? But he was also glad—if they weren’t with him, then maybe they were somewhere safe. Maybe the Tibbles had spared them their wrath.

The van passed under streetlights and the music’s volume was lowered until it clicked off, not that it mattered. Shelley continued to whistle the tune as he turned into some sort of parking lot, the bump of the curb sending a shockwave of pain through him. Suddenly they were stopped under bright lights, and the door was opened by someone from the outside.

The figure was masked. They sighed heavily, “Gods, what happened to this one?” they asked.

Shelley giggled, “Just some anger management. They said he’s dope sick. Fix him and they’ll be something in it for you,” he said, snapping his fingers, “And hurry it up, I’ve got more kids to pick up while this one is on the mend.”

“You want them back?” the figure asked.

Shelley sighed heavily, his jovial mood fading, “Yes, of course, they’ll need him back to continue his duties. Just fix him, okay? Chop, chop, I’ve gotta go!” he huffed.

The figure pulled Slink onto a gurney. He was wheeled into a hospital, and if it weren’t for the tribal graffiti on the wall, he would think he was back in the old times. Antiseptic smells filled the air, and there were other figures around that were wearing medical masks and oversized lab coats. That part brought him back to reality—these were kids masquerading as doctors and nurses.

As Slink was pushed into an exam room, he started to fight. He sat up and demanded to leave, “Come on, man, none of you know what you’re doing. You’re just kids! You have no real training!”

The figure pulled on a pair of rubber gloves, “You’re withdrawing, bud, we’re the best you’ve got. You’re not the first, you’ll be okay, but you have to calm down.”

It was hard to calm down knowing some guy his age was the one in charge of his care, but Slink wasn’t allowed to fight much longer. After a few more attempts to get off the gurney, a sedative entered his veins. It was just enough to make him lay back, but he wasn’t completely knocked out. This made him comply, and that was what the figure wanted.

An IV was inserted and medicine dripped in. It was cold, but Slink felt the sick part of himself fade. The injuries started to scream louder. He grabbed at his abdomen, and the figure ripped off what was left of his shirt. He sighed heavily and left the room for a second. A moment later, another figure entered, this one definitely a child. Their scrub pants were pulled to their waist and still piled around their shoes. Their lab coat reached the floor, and their medical mask was too big for their face, though it was still enough to obscure their identity.

The medicine made Slink lay back, and he listened to their conversation. His figure told the other what was up, and they took a long time to think and look Slink over. His pants were removed, not that he cared. The medicine was starting to take his pain away, but he was still awake.

The child figure responded, “We can trade him for another. There’s no real reason why they need this one. I mean, there’s a guy, the one with the broken leg. He’s taller and stronger than this one. He would do better.”

“We’d be signing his life away,” the older figure argued, but the child figure touched Slink’s abdomen and frowned, “They almost killed this one. If he was truly gone, his life wouldn’t be his anyway. You’ve already been told what to do about the situation.”

The older figure remained quiet as Slink felt himself start to nod off.

Once he was truly asleep, the older figure took off his mask and pulled up a chair. They had enough auxiliary power for the lights, oxygen distribution system, and a few other vital systems, but the batteries in life support monitors had died long ago. Alex took it upon himself to watch patients like this one.

Alex studied his face. It was bruised and painted, plus he had a little more facial hair than he remembered, but Alex recognized him. He sat back and tried to imagine how Slink got into this mess, but he remembered what kind of Slink was. Like so many other kids, they were forgotten before the adults disappeared, before the kids had to truly fend for themselves. He’d cared for a lot of them, and he’d saved every single one. He was a healer, a guardian of their souls.

He knew he was called that in some circles. TG was painted on the hospital’s front doors ages ago, and then the shrine was erected. Candles consistently burned, and offerings of fruit, canned goods, sodas, and other goodies were left there. He knew they were meant for him, but that was helping the remaining staff stay fed.

Alex, like so many others, volunteered at the hospital when their containment center failed and they left to discover a hospital overrun with virus patients. The adults were all dead or dying, so these volunteers took it upon themselves to help others cross over…and to learn treatment methods. There were secret files on computers, and Alex felt he was close to a cure, not that he’d had time to test it. He wasn’t sure of it, but his other efforts had proven to be worthy. Kids were still alive that shouldn’t be. The future slave? They had a compound fracture from an accident not long into Alex’s stay. With the help of a manual, he set the bone, and now they could walk again.

Medicine was more of an art than a science, and as long as the art turned out okay—the patient was as human as possible—most left happy. Thus his reputation was born: TG, the boy wonder who could save them from harm.

He would embrace that for Slink. He didn’t know where to send him to keep the Tibbles from knowing, but he had plenty of contacts, and at least a week of recovery to figure it out.
*-*-*-*
Sally was afraid this would happen. After biking to the newspaper office and looking through both old issues and whatever new topics never got posted, she found herself sleeping in one of the executive offices. The couch in the editor’s office called her name the most, so she’d curled up under the editor’s coat and slept through the night.

But when she woke up, she felt different. She felt much sicker than she had before, even when she was younger and had the flu. It took her ages to convince herself to get off the couch and to move into the tiny employee restroom nearby to get water from the faucet.

When she did, she was shocked at her reflection. Her auburn hair was thin, wispy, and white. She looked like her grandmother, the one who lived to be almost 100 and spent the last year of her life wrinkling away on a hospital bed.

She officially had the virus.

Her mission wasn’t finished, but Sally needed to get the papers she’d found back to the government center. She had no clue where to go from there. Something told her not to go back at all because they would want to bring her in, which could make the rest of them sick, but her mission was too important. She’d found several published articles about the virus and people who were researching it, but she’d also found some classified files tucked into a writer’s desk. The editor’s filing cabinet had a few more.

What Sally had discovered needed to be in the hands of someone important, someone who could do something with it. Who better than Brain and the others? If anyone was meant to create an antidote to the virus, it was them.

Sally debated her options. She found a mini fridge and raided it for food. She found a can of soda and moldy food, but the soda was fine. A cabinet nearby had some microwavable meals and soups with pop-top lids, so she made one in the microwave nearby. She was shocked the newspaper office still had power, but she was grateful too. That meant they could come back with Lydia and look through the computers, at least if the elevator still worked.

Getting food in her made her feel a little better. She raided a few desks looking for cold medicine but found none, but she did find car keys for a Honda of some sort. Sally realized she could drive back, but only if she could find the car.

Downstairs in the security office, Sally found a floorplan of the newspaper office and the lots beside it. There was a loading lot, but there wasn’t much parking there. Most employees seemed to park at the parking deck next door. It was six levels and attached to numerous downtown businesses.

If the Honda was there, she’d never find it without knowing exactly where it was. She’d waste her energy getting there and possibly die before she made it.

Sally went into the warehouse zone. Her strength was fading despite her restful sleep. She coughed into her elbow as she searched for keys to one of the trucks. She found them dangling on a peg board by a large garage door, which was thankfully closed. She grabbed a few of the new issues that were bundled for shipping before the adults were either evacuated or too ill to function.

A small door took her out to the lot. There were two trucks parked in spots and one by the loading dock. She tried that one first and thankfully found keys inside. She tossed the other set into the bushes nearby and climbed the rest of the way into the truck.

Sally had driven before. She’d gotten her learner’s permit when she was fifteen just like her friends, and she drove some in high school because she had to, but she’d spent the last few years walking. She’d never driven a truck this size before either.

Luckily for her, it was a straight shot. After leaving the lot, she carefully got the truck through some barriers, then the roads were clear. The government center came into view, and Sally stopped to think. They needed her information, but they didn’t need her sick.

She would get their attention and drop off the items, but then she needed to leave.

Sally pulled into a lot beside the government center. It was a checkpoint as things ended, but before that, it was a loading zone. Sally parked by the loading dock, crooked but close enough. She then lay on the horn a few times before stopping and waiting for a response.

Carl and Brain emerged, and Brain’s face fell when he saw her. Carl shook his head as Brain approached, “I told you she was sick. Don’t go near her, Brain,” he warned.

Sally rolled up her window to half-way, “He’s right, Alan. Take my bag from the passenger seat, then I’m leaving. I’ll go hole up somewhere else until this passes.”

“But you’ll die, Sally, please, you have to let us try to treat you,” Brain said firmly, but Sally shook her head. Tears streamed down her face, “I can’t let you get sick too, any of you. Take the bag and leave me, please. But…,” she paused to cough then continued, “there was power at the office. You should take Lydia and see if they knew anything else. People with classified files were in touch with them,” she said, pausing to cough again.

Carl wrung his hands, “Oh man, did they have any classified files there? That’s bad, really bad, those weren’t meant to be there.”

“The world was ending,” Brain said, turning back to Sally, “Do you think the answers are in those files? If they are, we could fix you. You should stay nearby, please. There’s no one in the court rooms, you could stay there,” he suggested, adding, “We’ll stay away, but please, you need to stay.”

Sally appreciated the gesture. It was better than watching her leave for sure, but she worried if it was still too close. Could the virus get into the vents and spread to the others? She couldn’t risk that happening if Brain didn’t know.

But Brain assured her they had UV lights in the vents. As long as there was power, the vents would work and the UV purification would work. She could stay, but Sally made them leave her first. Carl eagerly went inside, but Brain took a moment. He then seemed to rush off, probably back to his office to check the cameras.

Sally opened the truck’s door and nearly fell onto the pavement. She was so weak, but she managed to get inside and use the wall to keep her steady. In the first court room, someone had already left a bottle of water, some warm food, and some cold medicine. Sally pushed the tray inside with her foot and went through the threshold before collapsing on the floor. She sipped the water carefully before laying down and looking up at the ceiling.

She was going to die. The cold medicine would help her feel better, but she knew the trajectory. If they couldn’t figure out a cure within a day or two, she would pass just like the others.

Somehow she was okay with this. She turned on her side and managed to eat a few bites of the food. She swallowed some of the cold medicine, which helped her throat feel less scratchy…but her skin still felt dry. Her wispy hair felt odd on her neck, and she could feel the wrinkles settled deep into her skin. She lay back and closed her eyes hoping the end would be quick.
*-*-*-*
Arthur decided to end his watch when the streets fell quiet. He climbed back down into the school and began his walk back to Ratburn’s old classroom. He had retired the year before, so it was someone else’s room now, but Arthur could push that out of his mind. He’d spent so much time in that room that it felt like home, so he’d made it his room. He’d made a fort out of desks and drop sheets from a nearby painting project, and he used a camping lantern to give him light as he settled in.

Pal’s nails quietly tapped on the floor. Arthur looked up to see DW entering with his beloved dog, who had glued himself to DW’s side as soon as their parents left. Thankfully she’d been allowed to keep the dog, but Arthur was jealous. Pal was more hers than his now and it showed. He stayed close to her as she crawled into his fort and sat cross-legged beside where Arthur was laying down. Pal remained just outside, guarding the pair with alert eyes.

“How bad was it tonight?” DW asked in a low whisper. Arthur shook his head after pulling off his hat and glasses, “Not as bad as other nights, worse than others. Kids are running free with fireworks and who knows what else, it’s going to be loud.”

DW nodded and lay down beside him, “I had another dream about Kate. She had her hair back, it was weird. It made me wake up, but that made me feel bad. I mean, her having hair meant she wasn’t sick anymore, right?”

“It was just a dream,” Arthur assured her, but he understood. He’d had the same dream and experienced the same paranoia, except his theory was that this was from a before time…except Kate was almost taller than him and looked older too.

DW sighed heavily, “I know George wants to like…leave the city or something, but I think I want to stay around. I want to figure out if Vicita was able to stay, and I want to see if any of the kids Kate knew made it out of the hospital.”

“We never knew any of their names, DW, and I doubt they would know. But yes, I’ve thought of that. I told Francine about her, about where she went. She understands, her sister is missing too,” Arthur whispered.

DW shot him an angry look, “What do you mean you told her? You told me you weren’t going to tell her, you promised!” she hissed.

“It just came up, and why shouldn’t she know? She and George have been to other parts of the city, and, besides, we’re a tribe now. We should know each other’s problems so we can stay on the same page. They’re right about leaving, you know. If the violence gets worse or the virus starts making us sick, it’ll be better to be away from everyone,” Arthur explained.

But DW was skeptical. She shook her head and argued, “You’re not looking out for us, you’re still trying to find Buster. You think he’s trying to come back and save you, but you’re wrong. Why would he come back here? HOW could he come back here? We don’t even know where he went.”

“His last letter was from a small town near here that had an airfield. He was trying to get back to his mom, but when they stopped to refuel, his dad started showing symptoms. He sent me a letter from the containment center there, and it’s not far,” Arthur said quickly, adding, “I’ve looked at it on the map. If he couldn’t follow the highways, he could follow the railroad tracks. The sector they’re thinking of going to from here is where those tracks begin to pass through the area. It’s the perfect chance to see if he’s come this way or for us to go to him. That other city was smaller, it’s probably less violent.”

“Every city has its own problems, Arthur, and what about Kate?” DW countered.

Arthur didn’t want to reply. He didn’t want to tell her that he thought she was long dead. She’d been very sick before she left for the hospital that last time, and that was the only thing that convinced their parents to let her go. She needed a higher level of quarantine, but with their parents already showing symptoms? Kate was doomed.

DW jabbed Arthur in the side, “Arthur, What About KATE?!” she asked firmly.

Arthur sighed, “We’ll check the house again and the hospital at some point, okay? She is my priority, okay? I get that. She’s my sister too, and I do want to find her again, but we have to play it smart. The hospital is in a dangerous sector, we might need to outsource—”

“I want to look for myself, Arthur, and if you won’t let me—”

“You’re nine, DW, let us help you. Look, maybe one of the others will go with us. I’m afraid if just the two of us go, we’ll get into trouble,” Arthur interrupted. DW wasn’t convinced as she settled back into her spot, but Arthur relaxed, “Look, this is a tribe, DW, and they do want to help us. Francine needs to look for Catherine, and I don’t think she’s checked that sector. Sue Ellen might know, but I haven’t talked to her.”

“She’s got something to hide, I don’t trust her,” DW said firmly, adding, “She’s thrown up a few times in the morning when the rest of you are asleep. I think she has the virus.”

Arthur rolled his eyes and pinched his brow, “Look, I’ve been up all night keeping an eye on things. Let me get some sleep and you can tell me all of your theories about how everyone has the virus and has secrets.”

“Well they do, Arthur, you’ll see. She’s been acting weird since she got here. I mean, she was in the government center with POWER and WATER and everything she needs to survive, but she lets a conflict of interest get in the way of that? They could’ve tortured me and I wouldn’t have left,” DW argued quickly, her voice raising slightly.

“Shh, someone might hear you, it’s almost morning!” Arthur hissed in warning. DW quickly crawled out of the tent, “I don’t care if they do, Arthur, and I don’t care if you want some tribe. Family comes first, and you should believe me. You have to make sure people are who they say they are in a world like this. Not everyone is as obvious as the Tibbles,” she said, standing up and leaving the room with Pal on her heels.

Arthur sighed and lay back. He was using a jacket as a pillow, which was lumpier and not as even as his pillow at home, but his neighborhood was dangerous. Even going there to check the house again was a risk he wasn’t willing to take just yet, but he knew he had things to do and places to look into. Kate could be anywhere, and it was his job as the oldest to find her.

But he knew there was strength in numbers, he’d learned that ages ago. Finding Buster was to make sure he was okay, and sticking with the tribe was for the same reason. Their goals didn’t have to align as long as they made it through another day.

He drifted off to sleep, his thoughts restless but his body tired. He dreamed of Sue Ellen, but he was chasing her through the school, trying to figure her out but she kept hiding. What if she was hiding a secret? It was none of his business, but a secret about Brain and the others was serious. They were supposedly trying to make the world a better place, so why would she leave? DW could be right, but just like Arthur’s dream, he knew he’d never find out unless she wanted him to. He chased her from room to room, the semi-darkened rooms changing shape and locations as he went through doors. She was always two steps ahead of him, so he fell further and further behind. As it would Is be he knew.

Chapter Text

The Sugar Bowl felt crowded with the two extra people, but they were glad to be together. On their first night in the restaurant, the chaos of the streets was close by. Fern confirmed the sounds were coming from their old hiding spot. She ventured out with Rattles the next day and nearly burst into tears—the bowling alley had been burned down by trespassers. If they had been inside, they wouldn’t have gotten out.

Rattles thought her reaction was because of the coincidence, but after talking with Mei-Lin over a game of cards, she told Rattles about the visions Fern was having. “It doesn’t help that they keep coming true, she’s starting to scare me,” Mei-Lin told him.

Now Rattles lay awake as the morning sun crept into the restaurant. He and Molly had taken over the tiny office to have a little more privacy while Fern and Mei-Lin slept in the main dining area. Mei-Lin was spread onto a booth, but Fern was underneath a table, her fitful murmurs echoing through the space.

Molly turned over in her sleep and pulled herself onto Rattles’s chest. She sighed softly, “She’s still at it, huh?” she whispered.

Rattles kissed her forehead and said, “I’ll keep watch if you want to get some more sleep. Mei-Lin wants to find more blankets, and I don’t blame her. It got a little cool last night.”

“Yeah, I thought so. I didn’t sweat through my clothes the other night. I’m a little chilly now,” she muttered, holding onto him tight, “I wish there was still a meteorologist around. I hope there’s not a hurricane coming or something.”

Molly somehow drifted back to sleep after that line. Rattles wondered how he could even check out that sort of thing. Weather patterns was something a friend of his had gotten into during one of their gifted kid sessions. She’d even started going by Stormy, which Rattles thought was a smart move. Her given name was Beulah after one of her grandmothers, and it caused her a bit of trouble in school.

When everyone was awake, Rattles made them a breakfast of rice with a can of beef vegetable soup mixed in. After a few minutes, he nudged Molly’s arm, “I thought of what you said about the weather. I think we should figure out where Stormy went.”

“Who’s that?” Mei-Lin inquired. Molly scoffed, “Just some genius kid with too much time on her hands I’m sure. Didn’t she hole up at the government center with the other nerds? I thought I saw her at one of our meetings.”

Rattles shrugged, “I wasn’t paying that much attention, there were only a handful I needed to deal with,” he said, looking up to Fern. She had met his gaze when he first spoke and not stopped. He cleared his throat, “Do you know where she is?”

“Somewhere tall overlooking the city,” Fern answered, adding, “I dreamed of her last night. Red hair, fair complexion, glasses?” she guessed. Rattles felt goosebumps form on his arms as he nodded. Fern smiled and went back to her plate, “She knows, and she won’t mind visitors. I heard a bell a few times.”

“The church on the square has a bell that chimes still,” Molly suggested, but Fern shook her head. Mei-Lin pointed her fork at Rattles, “I bet she’s at the old clocktower. Binky and I used to go sledding there when we were younger.”

“What sector is that?” Molly whispered, adding, “Things have gotten crazy out there, I don’t want you going far.”

Rattles thought for a moment, “I think that’d be our sector, but it’s all the way on the other side. I’ll go alone and try to get back before dark. If I can’t, I’ll go to the house where I found Mei-Lin. I can lock myself in the main bedroom there, plus I left behind some bats. I’ll go pick them up anyway on the way back.”

“Now isn’t the time for violence,” Fern warned. Rattles shot her a look, “I won’t be causing it, but I’ve got to defend us if anything happens. So far, the kids have kept their distance, but how long will that keep up? I just hope she’s there and alone. Stormy had some older friends I didn’t mesh with.”

Molly looked at him with concern, “You’re not walking into a trap, are you?” she asked. Rattles shook his head, “She told me dozens of times if anything ever happened, she’d be out there with the weather until the end. I believe her, she was so passionate about that stuff. Plus, the clocktower is one of the buildings they added solar too. She’d have power there, it’s just a matter of supplies. If she wants to trade, I can give her some of that fruit cocktail none of us likes,” he suggested. The others nodded in agreement, so that was what he packed.

After bypassing yet another overturned, burnt-out car, Rattles found a side street that cut over to the far side of the sector. The clocktower loomed overhead, and he listened as it chimed out eleven—early enough to get out and do business before the crazies got up from their afternoon naps.

As he expected, Stormy was waiting for him at the base of the clocktower when he arrived. Government barriers were all around it, and she sat happily on the top of the tallest one. She wore a grey skirt that shimmered like a dusty tornado in the sun. Her left cheek had a sun with a white cloud, and her right cheek had a grey cloud with rain and a lightning bolt. She wore blue eye makeup under her glasses, sky blue he figured. Just as she said, she had fully embraced her inner passion.

“You’re not who I expected to roll up. How did you know I was here?” Stormy asked. Rattles shrugged as he picked up his skateboard, “Just a hunch. They got solar, they’re high up enough to get clear data, and you’d be safe up there.”

Stormy smiled, “Quite the detective. Come on up, I’ll show you my setup.”

Stormy only used power on the instruments. Batteries were hooked up to store any excess, but she wasn’t taking any chances on running out. A product box of graphing paper notebooks sat nearby, as did empty paper boxes. A notebook as already inside, where she also had numerous pencils.

Rattles smirked, “I see you hit up a Staples before settling in,” he said, but she shook her head, “I got them all from the government center before I left. Who was going to need all this stuff anyway? Surely not those losers,” she said as Rattles carefully took a seat. Stormy looked him over, “Still with your girlfriend?”

“Of course,” he replied, laughing, “You know Molly couldn’t handle it if I was anywhere else. She hates that I’m here, but…she made a comment and I got a little curious myself. Seems a lot colder than it should be for this time of year. We don’t need to be planning for any hurricanes or storm systems do we?”

Stormy’s eyes were wide with concern as she ran her fingers over the spiral binding of her current notebook, “I thought so too, but that was two weeks ago when it started. You see, I also hit up the television studio and took their paper records about temperatures and everything else. They’re the only place in the area with authorized copies of those. It’s for fact-checking purposes.”

“And you checked your facts, but…you don’t know why we’re cooler than average, do you?” he whispered. Stormy hung her head, “I’d love to know, to make sure we’re NOT in for something more dangerous, but how can I possibly know anything? I wanted to be a storm chaser, so I studied dangerous weather, not this stuff. This is climatology, that’s different.”

Rattles sighed, “So now you’re alone with your thoughts up here. What’s your theory?” he asked.

“I’m thinking government agents or scientists, someone with a lot of power, decided on an experiment before they kicked the proverbial bucket. I think they enacted a secret mission that wasn’t supposed to happen, something world governments wanted to ban,” Stormy whispered, looking up from a worn spot in the floor, “It was to combat global warming, except we don’t know if it’ll keep us from an ice age. That’s why you have to be careful playing with the climate.”

Rattles nodded, “We learned about some of that in class,” he whispered, exhaling slowly, “Well I’m glad I stopped by to discuss this with you. I’m sure you were going nuts up here.”

She hung her head, “Yeah, you can put it that way. Lots of stuff has gone on in the last few months, terrible things and not so bad things, and now…here we are. Stuck in the epilogue of a world once ruled by adults. Kids are trying to blow the place up and burn it down. You’re safe where you are, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Yeah, Carl did a good job with the place. I probably shouldn’t tell you, but with things the way they are…you’d be safe with us,” he said.

Stormy shook her head, “I’d just be a burden to you more than you know, so I’ll stay here. I just…are there any people around who are as kind and caring as your group is? Maybe someone with more resources?”

Rattles studied her, “The only group we know of are the folks at the government center. You know, Sue Ellen left too. Is there something going on over there that we should know about?” he asked.

“No,” she answered, smiling, “He’s been dealt with. The virus was unkind even to younger victims, but…it was satisfying watching him take his last breath. Sue Ellen would never admit it, but he wasn’t done with her yet,” she said, putting a hand over her stomach, “The world was dark before the curtains closed on the final acts…, and now girls like us get to figure it out on our own.”

Rattles’s face fell, “Wait a second, is that why you left the group?”

“I think you should get back to Molly, she’ll be worried,” Stormy said quickly, but that answer was all he needed. Sue Ellen had also debated leaving the gifted group, but only Stormy had gone through with it. The rumor around campus was that she was too weird and obsessive about her hobbies to stay with a dedicated group like that, but the rumors about Sue Ellen were darker. Realizing they were connected made him sick in his stomach, but there was no way to confirm. Stormy promptly led him down the clocktower’s steps and out to the street.

Keeping his word, Rattles went back to the foster house and got more of the kids’ clothes for Mei-Lin, an entire bag with twin-sized sheets and blankets, and whatever food he could find. He noticed baby supplies as well. Something made him box everything into a storage container he found in the main bedroom’s closet. He used a nearby hose to tie it to his skateboard, then he carried it back to the Sugar Bowl. He hid it in the office while everyone pawed at the sheets and food. It was just the distraction he needed to help him avoid his thoughts.

Lydia wheeled into Brain’s office, where the security footage of the courtroom was blown up large on his main screen. Carl was working on a laptop nearby while rocking slightly in his chair. They’d all been up for hours looking through the papers and files that Sally brought back with her. They were hoping to find an answer. They were hoping to find a cure.

Brain closed the file he was reading, “I want to know who gave this to them. They never should’ve left that person’s care, but they wanted someone to know the government was working on a formula. They understood how the virus worked, they just couldn’t act in time.”

“I doubt we can either,” Lydia whispered, watching the live feed as Sally sat up slightly to cough. She exhaled slowly, “At least for her. We can find a cure for the rest of us and distribute it to everyone who needs it.”

“We all will need a vaccine and several boosters most likely. I have the plan in this file here, but there is no mention of a formula or ingredients,” Carl said methodically, closing his laptop, “I can go no further with the information we have.”

“We need to go back to the list of names. Who could possibly have known about these files and what the government was planning? We’ve decided Mr. Armstrong wouldn’t have had the clearance anymore, but who would?” Brain inquired.

Lydia thought for a moment before replying, “If Sally found all of this information at the newspaper office itself, what about the reporters? Maybe we should ask her where she found these files,” she suggested.

Brain hung his head, “I already asked her last night through the security system. She shrugged, the desks had no markers, but…who was the head editor? She said they had the most files, and we decided if their name was somewhere, it would’ve been on the door.”

“Bitzi Baxter has been the editor there for ages. Do you think she would’ve taken the files home?” Lydia asked. When Brain nodded, she asked where their home was. Carl knew and pointed it out on the map. Her condo was in the middle of Sector 4, one of the many sectors they had no data for.

Brain stood up, “Well…desperate times call for desperate measures. I’m going to drive over there on one of the mopeds in the parking deck. I need to get there and back as quickly as possible. Carl, do you remember which unit she was in?”

Carl thought for a moment before replying. Brain used a pen to write it on his hand, then he rushed to the parking deck. He was nervous about riding what was essentially a motorcycle without a helmet, but he had no choice. If Bitzi had files in her home, he needed to find them before they could go anywhere else.

Leaving Sector 1 made him nervous. Brain hadn’t left his new home since he was evacuated, and being on familiar streets again just made him realize how far the world had slipped. He had to drive on the sidewalk in some places to avoid crashed and vandalized cars, and the tribal graffiti on every surface made his skin crawl. The children of Elwood City had grown wild, and now he was out among them, alone and defenseless.

The road was clear as he reached the condos. He pulled in the gated entrance, not that the gate was viable anymore. A car had driven through it, and he realized he could smell oil—whoever had driven through it had been through recently.

Brain looked around and spotted the van next to where he was headed. He drove to the other side of the parking lot as quickly as possible before dismounting and going behind the building.

As he expected, the van’s front doors opened and some kids tumbled out. They all looked tough, and their hands looked beaten up from work. He spotted their lightning-shaped markings that formed a T-shape, and he realized these were slaves of the Tibbles.

Across the lot, Fletcher looked around, “Looks like no one’s been here in ages except to paint the place up. Do you see anybody?” she asked.

TC peered across the lot, “I’m telling you I heard something over there. You can tell me I was hearing things all you want, but I know I heard something.”

“I thought I saw something go by,” Clark agreed, but Jessica shook her head, “You’re both nervous about being out. There’s no one here, okay? We should find somewhere to hole up, somewhere upstairs like we talked about.”

When they realized the duplex-style units had both an upstairs and a downstairs, they debated which one to use as their base. Brain could hear their conversation as they drifted closer to the units around him. They were further from the road and backed up to a high fence, the perfect place for them to hide out.

Brain walked the moped around the back alley of the units, around dumpsters and other debris. There were garages as well, which the group soon noticed. As they drove the van into one of the spots, Brain circled around and started to find his way.

The Baxter unit was near the front, so Brain left the moped and carefully went around the back of the building to keep from being seen. He heard them kick in a door, and soon they were in, which meant he could work in peace if he worked quickly.

As a habit, he checked under the welcome mat. He smirked at the sight of a key—no kicking in doors for him. He let himself into the Baxter unit quickly, and nostalgia hit him like a wave. He’d been here a few times with Arthur and Buster. The house still smelled the same, just stale from lack of movement through the halls.

Brain moved into the kitchen and found the dining table shoved against the counters so Bitzi could use them for more space. Files were everywhere, and her laptop was open too. The battery was long dead, so Brain closed the device and packed it with its cord in a case nearby. He then dove through the files grabbing anything of interest.

Next he moved into her bedroom. Something told him to search the house, and he was grateful he did. He found a child’s chemistry set with extra cooking supplies. Clearly Bitzi had been trying to work out a formula herself, but it must’ve been too late. If it had worked, surely she’d still be around.

But the condo was empty. Brain took her work notebook before moving upstairs, where he found Buster’s room untouched and smelly from the lack of ventilation. Brain crinkled his nose and began his escape.

Once out of the condo, he quickly retreated to the moped and walked it out of the neighborhood and down the street. Once he was sure he was far enough away, he booked it back to Sector 1.

Back in their hideout, TC moved away from the window before the others, “I told you I saw something. What do you think that kid was after?” he asked.

“That was Alan Powers, wasn’t it?” Jessica asked Clark, who nodded profusely, “Yeah, he’s that smart kid. Everyone at Lakewood called him Brain.”

Fletcher sighed, “Probably just getting something for some nerdy project, okay? It didn’t look like he saw us, and even if he did, he didn’t care.”

“Then why was he slinking around like that?!” TC argued angrily. Fletcher held up her hands, “Look, TC, you need to take it down a notch. If he wanted to rat us out or do something to us, he would’ve looked over here or something, okay? He doesn’t give a shit that we’re here. We’re safe. Let’s work on getting that door back on and secured. We can use the back exit if we need to get out. Come on, Jessica, I found a drill in the closet over here. Maybe its battery still has some juice,” Fletcher said, shooting TC a look of warning.

TC remained with Clark, who helped him cover the windows to make sure no one could see inside. They would focus on finding more security methods later, but for now, they were to secure the place. TC wanted that to mean taking care of possible intruders, but no one else seemed to mind Brain poking around. He bit his tongue, but the sighting only made him more fearful.

Catherine was on vegetable duty again, but this time Hana had to go with her. It was a strange set-up to Catherine, but she wasn’t about to argue. She hadn’t gone outside for days except to bark orders on Muffy’s behalf. This mission out was a breath of fresh air for her.

Hana fell into step beside her as they went up the road, “So…are you like me?” she asked, adding, “A slave, someone who exists just to do their bidding?”

Catherine scoffed, “In a way, I guess,” she said, turning to Hana, “I think I’m a political pawn if you want to know the truth. That’s probably a better spot but a more dangerous one.”

“What makes you think that? Were you with another tribe before this one?” Hana asked. Catherine shook her head as they entered a backyard where Catherine had previously gotten lucky, “Well, I’m the older sister of her childhood best friend. She doesn’t want Francine around and doesn’t want me to look for her. She thinks I’m too empathetic to you guys too, but I’m not rich like Muffy and Emily.”

Hana grinned, “That much I noticed, you look so uncomfortable with their luxury items. I mean, I never vibed with these kind of people either. If they were trying to be my friend, it was usually to make fun of me, and well, here we are. I got picked up by the Tibbles a while back. I have some technical know-how so they had me fix up electronics for them. I was the only girl doing that for them.”

“That’s pretty rad,” Catherine said as she frowned at the rotted vegetables in front of her, “These were fresh the other day, and more were coming.”

“I talked to Jenna and Maria when I took them their food. They said it’s gotten cold at night. I snuck them some blankets even for them to keep warm. Something weird is happening with the weather. That’s going to make it harder for things like this to grow,” Hana said, turning to Catherine, “Got any other ideas? We can’t go back empty-handed.”

The house they were at only had graffiti and vandalism on the outside. The fence was all painted over and broken, plus there were blasts of paint along the windows like kids had used paint-filled water balloons to hit the house. Inside, the space was stale but as the people had left it.

Hana picked up a framed picture and frowned, “I know this family. They used to shop about the time my mom and I did, nice people. I never got to know their names.”

Catherine studied the picture and sighed, “I remember them, Francine was in the same class as their son at one point. I don’t know where they are now,” she added, sighing, “I don’t know where anyone is now.”

Hana moved into the kitchen and opened the pantry door. She smiled and grabbed a reusable grocery bag from a hanging door organizer. The pantry was loaded with jarred vegetables probably from the same garden.

“Muffy might not like those,” Catherine hesitated. Hana shrugged, “Not our problem, right? She’ll probably just beat us or something. Why throw us out when you can yell and torment us another day? Come on, check the other cabinets, and…tell me about your sister. Where do you think she went?”

Catherine shrugged, “We were two different ages by a mile. I went to a containment center with older teens and adults. It didn’t last long, but I thought Muffy could help me. I figured Francine would try to come this way by now.”

“Lots of stuff has happened to people since all of this started, plus…no offense, but you’re kind of old. Most folks your age kicked the bucket ages ago,” Hana said, repeating, “No offense.”

“I’m 20, Hana, I get it,” Catherine said, opening a cabinet to find several canned goods and other items. Catherine accepted a bag from Hana and loaded them up. Catherine glanced over to her, “I’ve already decided I’ll probably be dead by the time Francine makes her way out this direction, if she’s able to, but…I don’t know if I want to try to find her or not.”

Hana put her bag on a rolling cart by the back door. She turned to Catherine, “It’s your baby sister. If I had a little sibling, I’d be worried sick, but…I’m glad I don’t. I get what you mean now. If your sister is out there and a part of some group, you’re just a pawn in Muffy’s game of power. You’re stuck with whatever plan she wants to cook up.”

“If Francine is in such a group, she’ll be the one in power, and…I know what I can say to get through to her what’s going on,” Catherine said, adding, “Francine is smarter than Muffy ever gave her credit for. It makes sense really, she’s always thought she was better than us because she’s rich.”

Hana grinned, “Well, we’re all broke here. She’s got power and resources, but that alone won’t safe her in the end. There’s no laws either.”

“She has ways to protect herself. She’s got a mountain of booze in the basement; she can pay the Tibbles whatever she wants to get their protection,” Catherine said as she loaded the cart. She looked around, “Should we look for anything else or just the food?” she asked. Hana was fine with what they had, so they pulled the cart out the back door then out into the street.

Hana glanced to Catherine, “Can I tell you something that might not surprise you?” she asked. When Catherine nodded, Hana continued, “I don’t know how long the Tibbles can keep their power. They’ve gotten with this scary dude, and things have escalated. Well, we were out at the landfill.”

“Our dad worked for them. That’s in the middle of nowhere,” Catherine said. Hana nodded, “And it wasn’t kept up well. I think kids are going to wig out if that guy keeps up. They’ll try to run before the Tibbles can do anything crazy to them. They’re dangerous and everyone knows it.”

“They need to find another way to pull people in,” Catherine whispered as they made it back to Sector 6, the road immediately going from bumpy to smooth. Hana stepped away as Catherine continued to pull the cart.

Hana turned to her, “I don’t know what’ll happen when they’re left to their own devices like that, but…chances are they won’t have anything of value anymore. Then all that booze goes nowhere, no supplies either. She’ll have to rely on more than just wealth and what little charm she has.”

“I wonder how loyal her people are. I’m mainly around for the amenities,” Catherine muttered. Hana grinned, “Same,” she said, and they laughed.

Back at the mansion, Muffy was displeased with their jarred goods, but Emily covered for them. She had already noticed the gardens were dying off, that summer plants were going away and spring ones were waking up. Muffy kept her feelings under control, but Catherine knew she wanted to be angry. She wondered how long until she blew her top.

Chapter Text

Francine wasn’t sure about going too far out of the sector, but with cooler temperatures making the daylight hours more bearable, George convinced her to start going further. Arthur wanted to find more bedding supplies too, so they ventured over to the residential part of Sector 4. The retail side was trashed, but many of the houses and apartment complexes looked better off.

Francine used her roller blades to get around while Arthur rode a bike. They went past a weird sign before doubling back to look it over. It was a picture of broccoli with an arrow pointing further down the street.

“What do you think it means?” Arthur asked. Francine shrugged, “Could be a code for danger to be honest, but I don’t know. I haven’t been to that part of the sector since we first ventured near Lakewood. There was a lot going on near the retail spaces, so it was hard to get around.”

Arthur sighed, “Yeah, we never really left our neighborhood. Do you want to check it out?” he asked. Francine shrugged, so they started off together.

They immediately found another sign, this one with corn and an arrow, then another with tomatoes and an arrow pointing down an alleyway. This made Arthur nervous, but Francine forged on. She led the way down the narrow strip, keeping her eyes keen for any danger.

But what they found was a produce stall. Bud Compson smiled to them as they arrived, “I see our signs got us some customers. We give one item free, but we ask for fair trades for anything over that.”

Francine looked over the fresh produce, “Whoa, where did you get all this stuff?” she asked. Bud shrugged, “Just from some plants we’ve got, nowhere in particular.”

Arthur smiled, “We get it, gotta keep things secret these days. We won’t press, but I am curious what kind of currency you’re looking into. Is there something you and your people need?” he asked.

Bud thought for a moment before replying, “I know batteries are scarce, so candles are good. We need more work gloves and any garden tools you can find. We can work out a deal when you get things together. I set up here once the crazies go back into hiding and before dark. Food is always fresh, and we’re working on learning to can things. We’ve got the equipment and supplies, we just don’t know what we’re doing.”

Francine shrugged, “We’re just kids, but that’s pretty noble of you. We’ll keep an eye out and work something out. You said we get one free for the road?”

“Sure thing,” he said, gesturing over his display. Bud had some strawberries, so they took one a piece. Bud handed them a second and third with wink before seeing them off.

As they skated to the next barricade, Francine slowed to study her map. She looked over the space, “Where do you think they’re holed up over here?”

“The community garden was walled off early on. He wouldn’t say, but I’d be willing to bet they’re there, the whole Compson family most likely. Their house is a block away, and I know they were volunteering there before. Buster put Ladonna in charge before he left for his dad’s,” Arthur explained.

Francine glanced up to him, “So you don’t know where he is either?” she guessed. Arthur shook his head, “Part of me wants him to be heading this way so we can see each other again, but I mostly want him to be safe.”

Francine looked around, “We should probably head back if we’re going by your neighborhood. We don’t want to be caught out here after dark.”

Arthur agreed and they doubled back through a few driveways and alleys until they got closer to Arthur’s house. His block still looked the same, but lots of the fences were damaged and several houses had graffiti and broken windows. His own house was covered, and it was clear some kids had holed up there for a while.

Francine looked around fearfully, “Do you think they’re gone?” she whispered. Arthur nodded but kept going to the next driveway. Francine rushed to keep up, “Where are you going now?”

“Alberto was keeping an eye on things. They stayed in their house,” Arthur explained, biking around to the backyard. Francine kept up but stopped when she noticed a sign on the door. Arthur got off his bike and approached it. He frowned, “It says not to come in, they’re under quarantine.”

“That’s a kid’s handwriting,” Francine noticed, looking around, “I guess his little sister made it,” she said. Arthur nodded and looked around too.

He ignored the sign and tried the door. It opened easily, but the smell sent him backwards immediately. Francine covered her nose as Arthur slammed the door shut. He left his bike and jumped the fence into his yard.

Francine walked on her skates over to the fence, “Where are you going? Shouldn’t we check this out?”

“I’ve got a telescope in the garage if no one stole it. I can look in from my house and…over there, they have a deck,” he pointed.

Francine nodded and waited as her mind ran in circles. If Vicita made the sign, was she sick or was Alberto? Did someone see the sign and decide to attack them in their weak state? Francine looked around for signs of forced entry, but the door looked fine. That meant someone had left it unlocked from the inside, probably a last-ditch effort judging by the smell.

Arthur lifted an upstairs window and pointed the telescope at the house. He looked around for a moment before pulling it back inside. He returned a moment later without it and picked up his bike, “It’s Alberto, he’s dead. He looks like an old man though.”

“And we’re just leaving? What about his little sister?” Francine asked. Arthur gestured around the house, so Francine carefully followed. In the dining room, Vicita had used red paint to leave a note on the wall: “I couldn’t face burying my brother. Please, if you find this, take care of him for me. I’m leaving. I don’t know where to go but I have to. I can’t stand to be here, Vicita.”

Francine sighed, “That is the saddest thing I’ve ever seen,” she said, turning to Arthur, “How old was he anyway? I didn’t think he was much older than us.”

Arthur thought for a moment as they went to his house to look for supplies, “I don’t know, I think he was eighteen, maybe nineteen? He left for college a year ago but came back when things got ugly. They were able to hide from government workers somehow and stay in the house. They were here when we got here.”

“And now Vicita is just wandering wherever,” Francine sighed, shaking her head, “So now we need to look for Catherine, Vicita, and Buster. It never ends, does it?”

“They said it was the end of the world. I guess things just have to get worse, huh?” he asked as he walked into his kitchen. It was the same as ever…except the cabinets were ripped open, some of them off their hinges, and all of their plates and silverware were on the floor. Any bit of food was already gone.

Francine opened their pantry and pulled out a bag of flour, a few bags of rice, and several bags of beans, “Well, we keep finding the basics when we go out. We figure out places like Bud’s shop to barter for goods, and we keep watch so our hideout stays safe. We keep going, and then things get better as we learn to cope. Maybe Bud can teach us how to build our own garden. I mean, if we’re not going to have a proper summer, maybe winter won’t be as bad either.”

Arthur pulled a can of kerosene from the pantry, “I wouldn’t count on it,” he said, pointing upstairs, “There’s some lamps in the attic. We could trade that for a lot of produce, and we can use the kitchen at the school to make preserves. My grandma taught me how before she died, well, I watched and Dad got the cookbook she used,” he said, picking it up from the floor.

Francine followed him upstairs and raided the linen closet for towels and sheets. She noticed the hospital-grade equipment in the other room, but Arthur’s room had two beds—he must’ve had to take in DW while Kate was sick. She stayed quiet as he emerged from the attic with a dusty box.

“Got any gardening equipment in the garage?” Francine asked. Arthur shrugged, “It’s getting late, we can come back to it.”

Francine stopped at the door, blocking his way. She looked him over, “We should do something for Alberto like she asked. Not now, of course. Maybe Sue Ellen will know when the smell might die down.”

Arthur nodded in agreement and followed her to their equipment. They raced back to Lakewood, but they only spoke of the stand Bud was running and the possibilities. Arthur refused to tell DW what they had found, and Francine didn’t feel it was her place to spoil the fun for anyone else. George and Sue Ellen were excited about the fresh produce, and she agreed to help Arthur make preserves and whatever else needed to be done. They had possibilities, they just had to find them.

Slink awakened and could tell the poison was gone from his body. He sat up to find himself in the MRI room. Alex was on the other side of a window speaking with a very short child. Her nurse’s cap was the only thing Slink could see as he sat up. He was dizzy at first, but soon he was standing.

Alex entered the room and took his vitals, blood pressure cuff and all. Once the thermometer was out of his mouth, Slink asked, “So, you really did learn a lot taking care of the adults.”

Alex shrugged, “What choice did I have? They were dying, and now there’s no one to help kids when they break a bone or get sick…or get themselves addicted to hard drugs. You’ve damaged your body, Slink, you need to quit that stuff. Plus I might not always be around to detox you.”

Slink winced as he became aware of the pains on his body. Alex nodded, “You took quite the beating. They’re brutal, those Tibbles. They keep me in business at least.”

“And what business is that? You’re in one of the most guarded sectors of the city, there’s no way you get many people like me,” Slink said. Alex nodded and led him down the hallway. He used a key card to enter a room, and Slink found himself in a lab. He looked around the room, his eyes settling on a few beakers with lemonade-like liquid inside.

“They were working on a cure before they died. I don’t know how they attained it or how far into testing they got it, but it was enough for us to continue the work…I think,” Alex said, shaking his head, “You’re right that the distance is too much. Older kids and even some younger ones are catching the virus, but I’ve yet to have someone to test the formula on.”

Slink exhaled slowly, “Yeah, that is a bit of a problem. I’ve been at the dump for ages, I don’t know who has what. I haven’t seen any sick people since the last days of the adults.”

Alex nodded, “I know, but there are others in this city who do know those people. I’ve saved you from the Tibbles. I vouched for your injuries and told them you were a lost cause. Some other schmuck is now doing your dirty work, which means you can now work for me. I’m not like them, I won’t beat you if I fuck up, and I won’t chain you down like some lab rat, but…this is for the good of everyone in the city. I need kids to know they can come here, especially if they have the virus.”

“Look, man, if I’m out there on those streets, Shelley could pick me right back up again. Are you sure this is worth the risk?” Slink asked. Alex shrugged, “It’s the only chance I’ve got, and you’re the first person I’ve found that could possibly work with me. I don’t want to say you’re our last hope, but…if this virus kicks back off in younger and younger kids, we’re screwed. There’s no way I can test the formula then get it distributed where it needs to go.”

Slink nodded. He knew from working with Molly and the gang that everyone was spread out and skeptical of each other. Convincing kids to come together for anything, even the deadly virus, wasn’t enough to overcome their fear of people like the Tibbles. Slink really was Alex’s last hope even if he wouldn’t admit it.

Alex shifted, “There’s one place you can go to get a read. The government center has—”

“I’m not welcome there,” Slink interrupted, shaking his head, “There was a bad deal, man, that’s how I ended up here in the first place.”

“Well, Brain has a surveillance system in those offices that I know he watches like a hawk. Maybe I can go with you and vouch for you,” Alex suggested. Slink was skeptical, but he knew it was better to venture out into the city with an idea of where he was going.

Reluctantly he agreed. Alex led Slink downstairs to a small patient room he’d converted into a bedroom. Alex put on a hooded robe, which Slink thought was a disguise until he saw the hazmat suit beneath it. The robe was just a way to make it look more dignified while he traveled the streets.

Once he was dressed, Alex told another kid where he was going, then they ventured into the parking deck from the fourth-floor pedestrian bridge. Slink followed fearfully; parking decks were bad news these days, but they came out to a row of golf carts. Alex checked a panel before gesturing for Slink to get inside.

Instead of going out at street level, Alex turned down to the lowest level then into a service tunnel. Slink had no clue these existed, but this one went directly to the block where the government center began. They emerged under the parking deck utilized by public works vehicles, the police department, and others there on official business. Then it was a short drive to the government center.

They waited by a service entrance in silence. Slink looked around, but Alex gestured for him to stay calm. A moment later, a door opened, and Carl ran out looking terrified. Alex leapt into action and followed the boy inside. Slink debated staying in the cart, but the boy’s frantic expression made him curious, so he followed them in.

Brain was up ahead in the hallway doing CPR. Alex brushed him away and rested his fingers on the neck of what looked to be an old lady. When he pulled his fingers away, he shook his head. Brain turned and hit the wall in anger as Lydia sat nearby and cried.

“How long was she sick?” Alex asked.

“We don’t know, she hid her symptoms fairly well. Maybe a week or two,” Carl answered. Alex sighed, “You should’ve contacted me sooner. Did you not get my communication?” he asked of Brain, who turned around and studied him. Alex gestured within his suit, “Did you get my email? I sent it just the way you said.”

Brain rushed back towards his office and they all followed. Slink debated covering the body, but he wanted to be with the others. So far, they had barely noticed he was there, let alone tried to kick him out. He was a part of this now without any effort on his part.

Brain pulled up his email on one of his computers and hung his head, “I’ve been so busy trying to find people who might have the information we needed that you never crossed my mind. We could’ve saved her.”

“I need to take her with me, I can use her tissues to do testing,” Alex said, turning to the crying Lydia, “Do I have your permission?” he asked. Lydia nodded before taking off her glasses to wipe her eyes.

Alex turned to Brain, “I’m leaving Slink here in good faith. You’re all three under quarantine after coming into contact with her. If I’m right, there is a cure, but I can’t risk you spreading the virus further.”

Carl rocked on his feet, “I told you she could make us sick, no one listened to me. I knew she was sick, I knew it.”

Alex took Carl’s shoulders in his hands and stared at him through the robe, “None of this could be avoided. You’re doing the right thing now, and…if I’m right, you’ll be safe.”

“We have some files,” Lydia sniffled, gesturing across the hall, “We’ve set up a lab area there, and we have information. You should take it with you.”

Alex agreed, and he went across the hall with Lydia. Slink remained with Brain, who seemed to take notice of him now. Except his reaction was neutral. Whatever had happened at the stampede, the nerd didn’t seem to care. Slink accepted his neutral gaze and took a seat nearby.

“What did you come here for if we didn’t call you?” Brain asked him. Slink answered, “I need a place to lay low for a bit, Tibble trouble. Alex was coming here to see if you could give me some direction, but we were hoping to find some virus sufferers before…well, you know.”

Brain sighed, “I feel horrible, this oversight is entirely my fault. I didn’t think he was that close. We’ve discussed his research and the resources available at the hospital, but he didn’t think what he had was going to get him where he needed for a cure. Distribution…distribution,” he repeated, looking up to Carl, “How close are you to getting the plant back up and running?”

Slink’s mouth fell open, “You’re trying to restart a plant? Dude, we’re just kids!”

“We know it’s a complicated situation, and I’ve calculated the risk. I can make the plant operational once I go through their safety protocol, but it’s too much risk to allow power for the entire city. However, we can get the water treatment plant up and running,” Carl answered.

Brain smiled, “And, hypothetically, if Alex has a cure, we can put it in the water there and distribute it that way.”

Carl thought for a moment before nodding, adding, “We should do careful math so the dosage is not excessive but is enough to inoculate the citizens. We might need to do an ad campaign to get the word out.”

“I don’t mind helping with that so you all can stay here,” Slink said, looking them over, “You folks do prefer to stay here, don’t you?”

Alex strolled past with a body bag a moment later. The boys fell into silence as a weeping Lydia sat in the hallway outside. Slink watched on the monitor as Alex took the body straight to the hospital via city streets. They remained silent for several moments after, the weight of the situation pulling them into a dark mindset.

Molly fell into step with Mei-Lin as they walked towards the park. After a few days stuck in the restaurant together, Molly felt sorry for the girl. Fern constantly fell into naps that became fits, and she was always muttering about something or other. She had even started going out on solo runs while Rattles waited up nervously to make sure she didn’t bring back trouble.

Molly kicked an empty soda can up the street, “So, what kind of altar do you think Fern is building?” she asked. Mei-Lin shrugged as they walked between two houses that were heavily vandalized. Molly sighed, “I was afraid of that. She doesn’t talk about what she sees, does she?”

“I know she thinks that what she’s seeing is real. It doesn’t help that her dreams keep coming true. She dreamed of you two and she dreamed of Stormy,” Mei-Lin said, stopping and following behind Molly as they reached some debris. Mei-Lin looked around with Molly as they re-entered the next street, “I’m almost afraid to ask who else she’s dreamed of. What if it’s something bad?”

Molly sighed, “Yeah, if they’re coming true, whatever she sees isn’t a good thing. I just…I don’t want her to be her own downfall,” she whispered, explaining, “She’s going out on her own to collect things, which is fine. We all need some alone time every now and then, but I worry that she’s not looking out for herself, that she’s following these visions into the unknown.”

Mei-Lin grinned, “You don’t have much alone time, do you? You’re always with your boyfriend.”

Molly smiled, “Yes I am,” she said proudly, adding, “Rattles is the only family I have left. I don’t know where my little brother ended up. He was sent to a different containment center, and they never told me which one. I hope I find him again one day. That’s why I wanted to try the park. We’re all looking for someone. Hopefully we just find some fun, but we might find other kids.”

As they reached the edge of the park, they could hear people gathered nearby. Molly remembered there being a small skating area complete with a covered picnic area and a small set of bathrooms. Sure enough, teens were spread around different campfires around the space. Mei-Lin looked around them all carefully as she and Molly settled into the bushes.

Molly peered around looking for danger, “I don’t think any of them saw us. It looks like they’re drunk,” she noticed, spying some large wine bottles on the ground. There were other bottles of harder liquor as well. Molly took Mei-Lin’s hand, “I don’t think we should be near them.”

Mei-Lin held firm, “I have to see if he’s here. I won’t leave until I know for sure,” she argued. Molly understood her pain and went with Mei-Lin towards the next clump of bushes. This one had a small tree, so Molly carefully let Mei-Lin climb up the side and onto her shoulders using the tree for support.

But the higher vantage point only confirmed her fears: Binky wasn’t there. Everyone was either too tall or too skinny, too something that was the opposite of her brother. Mei-Lin used the tree to help her dismount, then they carefully worked their way back to the streets. They quietly moved into a backyard of a run-down house to make sure no one could track them back.

When they returned to the restaurant, Molly found Rattles outside. Molly knelt beside him, “What are you doing out here?” she asked.

Rattles shook his head, “I couldn’t stay in there any longer, she was giving me the creeps,” he whispered, nodding to Mei-Lin and smiling, “Find anything fun?”

“Just a bunch of drunk kids,” she pouted, opening the back door, “Molly helped me look for Binky on her shoulders, but he wasn’t there. I’m going to get a juice box and read one of those books you found.”

When she was gone, Rattles sat on the stoop and Molly sat in his lap. She shook her head, “Seeing all those drunk kids scared me. Kids shouldn’t be drinking stuff like that, but…something I didn’t say to Mei-Lin? Some of them looked old…like our parents.”

Rattles pulled her closer and murmured, “They must’ve had the virus. There’s no way adults were roaming the park, the government would’ve captured them ages ago.”

Molly nodded and rested her head on his chest, “I’m worried. We’re sitting ducks over here if anything gets crazy, and there’s no room if any of us get sick. Not to mention the others. The Tibbles haven’t been spotted in a bit, only that weirdo with the van.”

Rattles shuddered, “I’m glad Mei-Lin hasn’t been up when he’s gone through, but he could change his schedule at any time. We need to figure out what to do and where we could possibly go.”

Fern stepped out into the sun and looked around before sitting on the pavement cross-legged and closing her eyes. Mei-Lin stepped out and sat on the stoop beside Rattles to study her. Molly stood up from Rattles’s lap and they watched Fern for several minutes while she hummed a low tone.

Suddenly her eyes came open. She turned to the others, “Have you ever traveled to Sector 2?” she questioned. When they shook their heads, Fern closed her eyes again, “There is a great power there. It will protect us from the darkness that’s coming.”

Mei-Lin scoffed, “What kind of darkness? Is it going to be night all the time or something? Is that why it’s always cold?”

“That’s not possible,” Rattles answered her, adding, “and Stormy would’ve told us if she thought that would happen. She has a bunch of different measurement devices, but she has a telescope too. She knows astronomy, she would’ve seen and told me. She had no reason to lie.”

“We need to be one with our larger family,” Fern said with her eyes closed, smiling softly, “Yes, my sisters are calling. They have the power to keep the darkness away but only if we believe.”

Molly glanced to Rattles before turning to Mei-Lin, “Hey, Mei-Lin, you said you were going to read that new book we found. Can you show it to me? I’ve forgotten what it was called.”

“Books, books, as far as the eyes can see…but the eyes are blinded, they read by touch. They are all-knowing, the eyes and the fingers,” Fern seem to chant as Molly rushed Mei-Lin inside. Rattles felt his heart pound in his chest as he remained seated but torn—did he go inside with Molly or stay with Fern?

Fern opened her eyes, “You don’t have to go with me, but I would appreciate your blessing that you would keep Mei-Lin safe if she decides not to go with me. They’ve done things that shouldn’t be possible. They kept summer at bay, they’ve given life to the lifeless, and they’ve discovered a cure from THE darkness. It’s not literal, you’re not opening your minds.”

Rattles shifted nervously, “I promise to keep Mei-Lin safe, you know that…. And you know the virus is still around,” he guessed. Fern nodded, “But they can protect me. I’ll go to them in the morning, the night is dangerous. There’s a difference, but I can sense none of you understand. It’s fine, I think it’s crazy too. I used to never be like this, then the virus came. Maybe it’s a symptom, but…I trust these dreams. They told me you were coming to save us, and we survived the fire. Now it’s telling me to go to my people, so I must follow.”

Rattles wasn’t about to argue with her. He entered the restaurant and focused on making dinner while Fern gathered her things. Molly watched from the front of the restaurant, where she sat with Mei-Lin in one of the brighter booths listening to her read.

Molly was terrified of whatever Fern was saying. Her main goal was to keep Mei-Lin away from whatever craziness Fern was spouting, and Rattles knew that. He wasn’t lying when he promised to keep Mei-Lin safe. Binky was his friend, it was the least he could do. He was just scared of what to tell her. She was too young for any of this, but she would have to endure it. If the virus was coming, they would need a plan, and if Fern was going to follow her visions away from her, then she needed to stay where people without wild dreams could protect her.

Once night fell, Rattles and Molly curled up in their quiet spot in the office. Molly held Rattles tight as the chatters of the night began outside. Molly put her head next to Rattles and whispered, “We have to just let her go, don’t we?”

“I’m afraid of what she’ll do if we try to stop her. Plus, we know where she’s going. Books, Sector 2, we know she’s going to the library. If we end up needing her, we’ll go there. It’s not far, but…we stay here with Mei-Lin and scout the area for better places. We might can stay here if it’s just the three of us,” Rattles whispered.

Molly smiled, “Our own family, at least until we find Binky. You don’t think he was one of the ones who died in the stampede, do you?” she asked.

“Of course not,” he answered, but he didn’t know for sure. Part of him wanted to ask Fern, for Mei-Lin’s sake, but he didn’t want to tempt fate. They would continue what they were doing. If they found Binky, great. If not, they would keep doing what they were doing. They would be a little family, or at least what counted as one in this new world of theirs.

After Molly drifted to sleep, Rattles lay awake thinking of the dangers. Drunk kids, crazies roaming the streets, kids getting visions, and the weather going crazy—all the signs of a world without order. He used to live for chaos, but now he wanted no part of it. He lay awake wondering how he could protect himself, his girlfriend, and their new charge. He wondered if they could actually survive.

Chapter Text

Fletcher worked with Jessica to clear the last of the units on their side of the complex. The one they’d holed up in had very few resources, but some of the other units had a lot to offer. They filled a spare bedroom with canned goods, dry goods, and care items to keep themselves busy, and TC kept an eye out for ways to repair the gate. The fence around the complex was intact, so a working gate would be great for security.

Jessica opened another cabinet and sighed, “Half of this stuff is already expired. That pudding company hasn’t used the logo since I was little,” she said, standing up, “This place reminds me of my grandma’s house. We weren’t allowed to eat with her, Mom said she’d make us sick.”

Fletcher grimaced at a ten-year-old jar of jelly sitting on the counter, “Yeah, let’s just look for meds and more winter clothes. I wish we knew why it was getting so cold. It was almost summer when this started,” she complained, adding, “We should be fighting over pools not gloves.”

“What do you think is happening in the world? Is it the virus?” Jessica asked. Fletcher scoffed, “I don’t think a virus can make it that much colder outside. Who knows what the scientists were up to though? They were probably grasping at straws those last days,” she said before ascending the stairs, continuing, “All those degrees and years of research and education, and for what? You’re dying on the street just like everyone else your age.”

The upstairs had an extra bedroom in this unit. Fletcher took the bigger one and opened the door to find stacks and piles of clothes, many of them with tags still on them. Jessica opened the door to the smaller room to find it packed to the brim with boxes of all sorts of items. Both girls stepped back into the hall and exchanged glances.

Fletcher sighed and descended the stairs, “We’ll tell the guys this one was a bust, a hoarder’s place but a bust. I wonder if they’ve had more luck,” she said, stepping out into the lot.

TC was dragging boards towards the broken gate as Clark walked behind with a wagon. Inside were a few drills, some chains, and other things the girls didn’t recognize. Seeing that they were busy, the girls returned to their unit and closed the door.

Jessica sat down on the couch and looked around, “I always like to think of who could’ve lived in some of these places and if we knew any of them. This place is a little dumpier than our last one.”

Fletcher peered out the blinds to watch the guys, “Well, everywhere eventually looks dumpy. They’re about the same to me. I’m with TC, I still want to know what Brain was taking from that house. There was nothing over there when we went, but the science experiment stuff was weird,” she said, sighing, “Should I relieve Clark or let him suffer?”

Jessica shrugged as she opened a pack of stale saltines they had grabbed from an earlier unit. She found herself bored; all those days with the Tibbles meant a structure of work, work, work, then work some more, and then you only felt like sleeping after. She didn’t need to entertain herself, but now that she was free? She was bored to tears.

Fletcher stepped away from the window and joined Jessica on the couch, “We talked about going back. TC thinks there’s power in numbers against those Tibbles, that we just got a bad deal, but I think he forgets what got us into this mess.”

“What did you do? Did those other kids sell you to them or something?” Jessica asked. Fletcher shook her head, “We got caught with booze. We were just looking for someone else to sell to, we weren’t stepping on their toes, but the Tibbles didn’t agree. They were judge, jury, and prosecutor, and they sentenced us to work in their dump. I guess it could be worse,” she whispered.

Jessica shifted uncomfortably, “Do you think they killed Slink?” she asked.

Fletcher reached her hand out for a cracker and Jessica obliged. Fletcher turned over the cracker in her hand, “He was an addict, he was cooking hard drugs with those other guys. If they killed him, they were doing him a favor. TC thinks they just roughed him up and left him to rot. I think that’d be worse for him, he was pretty messed up. I hope he’s okay, we were good friends before all this started. He didn’t deserve all of this, but…he did it to himself.”

Clark entered and immediately went to their stockpile of drinks. He was wheezing but not as bad as Fletcher expected. She finished her cracker and went outside to see what progress TC had made. She found an intact gate chained to the old one. Only a pedestrian could get through, but only if the intruders didn’t have a larger vehicle.

TC crossed his arms and smiled smugly, “How’s it look, babe?”

Fletcher slapped his arm, “I’m not your babe, and it looks fine, probably as good as we can get while we’re here. Say, that last unit belonged to some hoarder. The food is older than most of the kids running around here.”

“Eww,” TC grimaced, uncrossing his arms and looking over the complex, “We can leave that one. How much food do you think we have now that we’ve cleared everything?” he asked. Fletcher shrugged. Four kids was a lot of mouths to feed, and it wasn’t like there was a grocery store to run to if they ran out.

Fletcher looked around, “Any more sign of Brain?” she asked. TC shook his head and looked down to Fletcher as she walked back towards the unit he’d broken into. She glanced back, “I want to see that weird set-up again. What do you think was going on in this apartment for that nerd to come all the way down here to steal from it?”

“Is it really stealing if no one is left?” TC asked. Fletcher slapped his arm as she opened the door, “It’s survival when it’s food, it’s stealing when you take…well, whatever he took.”

The unit was mostly untouched. There were clear spots on the table in the kitchen, and there were some other blanks spots, but everything else looked just as they’d left it.

TC picked up a framed photo from the living room floor. He pointed, “Hey, I remember this kid, the little joker guy. Looks like it was just him and his mom.”

Fletcher looked around nervously, “You don’t think he’s holed up here scared out of his gourd, do you? Scared kids are pretty dangerous.”

“Nah, I remember him talking about his dad. Maybe he went to stay with him while his mom worked here. Things were pretty crazy that last month or so,” TC replied, looking around, “Plus that kid could eat, there wouldn’t have been all those cans of ravioli and jars of spaghetti sauce in that pantry if he was here.”

Fletcher sat on the couch and looked around, “Neither him or his mom seem like the type to be that important. What would Brain want?”

“I don’t know, who knows with those nerds?” TC muttered, putting down the picture and looking around, “We already cleared this place out. We could start working in other parts, but this sector seems pretty crowded.”

“I think we should send a message to Molly and Rattles,” Fletcher said, looking back, “We grovel, we admit our mistakes. We were being selfish trying to run booze when they just wanted to survive. We probably ruined that partnership, and now we’re all out here trying to survive alone. We can’t do that anymore, TC. We need a tribe.”

“Well we aren’t the Tough Customers if we’re doing shit like that. Come on, Fletch, what’s so wrong with what we’re doing now, huh? We got away from the Tibbles, and I don’t think they’re looking for us. They could’ve found us by now. Shelley is here every day, he knows who’s where,” TC ranted, gesturing to the gate, “That probably just tipped him off, but who cares? We’re free now, they won’t get us back.”

“What about when they go down, huh?” Fletcher argued, standing up and staring him in the eye, “They’re con artists. They want to dig up things and sell them and get their coin, but everyone can see straight through them. They’re only around because of fear, but what happens next? What happens when folks get angry enough to tell them off? What happens when some nut job like Shelley decides they’re dead weight? What then?”

TC shrugged, “We keep surviving like we are now.”

“Rats in a maze waiting on the snake to eat us whole. We need numbers, we need a bigger tribe. Yeah, we should probably ditch that Tough Customer shit. I don’t want to be tough, TC, I just want to survive, grow up, figure shit out,” Fletcher cried, turning away as tears fell.

TC placed a tentative hand on her shoulder, “Look, I’m sorry, you’re right. Maybe we should send a message and hold a conference. You’re more diplomatic than I am, you should do it. And Jessica maybe, I don’t know if Clark is up for something like that,” he whispered.

“Do you think Molly wants that too?” she asked, pulling her emotions together, “Do you think she can forgive us?”

“We’re family at this point, she has to,” TC answered, turning for the door, “I’ll go get some paper from another unit. I don’t want to touch this one other than the food. I don’t want Brain coming back and figuring us out.”

Fletcher nodded but stayed a little longer. She went upstairs and peered out the hallway window over the complex below. Movement caught her eye, and she watched a few dirty kids dig around in an overturned dumpster for scraps. She wondered if they had anyone taking care of them, but she doubted it when their full bodies came into view, revealing a few had tattered clothes and the youngest only had on one shoe.

She didn’t want that for herself. After surviving the Tibbles, she wanted a group, and she wanted to thrive with that alone. No more running booze for money or power, no more dangerous missions. She wanted to settle down and live out her remaining days in peace.

Lydia was very aware of the emptiness in her chest. Losing Sally so quickly was unexpected, and being under quarantine was even worse, not that she could go anywhere. The world was already unsafe in some places before, but now? Traveling around the city was impossible for her. She was thankful to be in the government center working on problems, but she was aware of their power. The government center was one of only a few buildings with power. That was going to make them a target.

Slink entered the room and took a seat across from her. Lydia realized she looked like she was working, so she shifted her chair to be more in front of her desk rather than the computer. Slink gestured to it, and she smiled nervously:

“I’ve been trying to crack different laptops we find to get information. I guess I’m just doing it out of habit right now. We’re still waiting on Carl and Brain to figure out this whole power plant thing,” Lydia said, looking him over, “You were with Alex. Do you think he actually has the cure?”

Slink sighed, “He worked wonders for me, so I wouldn’t doubt it. I came to him an addict with other issues, and now I feel okay. I’ve still got some bruises, but he fixed me up.”

“Where were you to get so many injuries?” Lydia asked, whispering, “Is it really that bad out there?”

“Depends on where you are and what trouble you get yourself into. I’m always finding myself in with something. It’s my own fault really,” Slink admitted, looking around, “I never thought I’d be in a place like this. I was in a prison before, well, a mine as they call it.”

Lydia sighed, “The Tibbles had you. How did Alex end up with you then?”

“They tried to kill me,” Slink replied flatly, shrugging, “They decided I was worth fixing up, I guess. Alex pulled some strings, so I’m his now so to speak. He just needs help, especially if he’s going to cure the city. I wonder if he’ll try to cure the world.”

“I’m sure just getting through to Elwood City will be enough for him,” Lydia smiled nervously as Carl appeared with a thermometer. He was masked and gloved up, and his hourly temperature checks were well documented in his notebook. He took Lydia’s temperature first, then Slink’s. He made a note before asking if they felt okay, then he left again.

Slink shook his head, “That kid is going to drive himself insane worrying about this stuff. Do you think they can make progress with him getting up every hour like that?”

“Who knows?” Lydia shrugged, wheeling out, “I’ve gotten a little hungry. Want some lunch?” she asked, leading him towards the government center’s cafeteria. They had to cook their own food, but there was plenty to choose from, especially with a working freezer system. Lydia warmed up a spaghetti entre and used an intercom system to call the others to lunch.

Brain appeared and immediately started discussing their theories. Carl thought they could do the procedure one way, but Brain interpreted the manuals a different way. They discussed semantics over the table as Lydia and Slink exchanged sympathetic glances, with Lydia’s confirming that yes, they were always like that.

Slink felt out of place. As they finished lunch, he volunteered to clean up, and the other three went on their way. He could feel their sadness. Carl was overreacting with his testing, Brain was talking faster than ever, and Lydia seemed to have a cloud over her.

The image of Brain doing CPR on Sally filled his mind. They fought to keep her alive only for the virus to take her anyway. Somewhere in the city, others were in the same situation, but they weren’t as smart as this group. Something like this should’ve been preventable.

That was where Alex would come in. He could test Sally’s tissues against his cure and know for a fact whether or not it was successful. They could work out a formula and release it into the water, and the entire city could be free from the date of their parents, grandparents, and older siblings, cousins, and friends. They would be free to build a world of their own making.

Slink dropped the fork he was washing and stood there for a second. Would a kid-created world do any better than the adults? Some kids were still kicking in other kids’ teeth because they had a bad day. People were stealing, becoming addicts, wallowing in self-pity. The world was a mess filled with even messier kids. What kind of society could come from something like that?

Slink finished his chores and went upstairs to find Brain had brought Lydia into the argument. She was reading the manuals while Carl and Brain glared at her from across the desk. Slink kept walking and found himself on the pedestrian bridge overlooking the street below.

Elwood City sprawled out around him. Tall barricades denoted sectors; he could see three from one side and two from the other. Kids milled around in parks, a lot of them wearing wild outfits but with jackets and other accessories. The weather felt like spring today. Slink was glad to be inside where it was warmer.

He turned around to see Carl with his notebook. Slink smirked, “Everything is the same as last time, kid. Why don’t you give it up?”

“I must report the data back to Alex when he returns. I promised him I would and I intend to keep that promise,” Carl said robotically. Slink shrunk down and let him scan his forehead. Carl frowned, “Half a degree higher. What activities have you been doing?” he asked.

Slink shrugged, “I washed everyone’s dishes, and I’ve been by this glass a few minutes now. Maybe it’s from the sun coming in or me walking up here,” he suggested. Carl furiously scribbled notes as Slink rolled his eyes, “I’m fine, okay? I think I’m going to go find something to do, maybe take a nap or something.”

“Are you unusually tired?” Carl asked. Slink sighed, “No, it’s just nice to have the option after digging in the dump for the last several weeks. May I go? I’ll be in the room you assigned me, you can come in and take my temperature while I sleep.”

This seemed to satisfy Carl, but Slink was worried. Would they get the virus? And if they did, was Alex’s cure actually going to work against it? He wondered how long he would think like that even if he was successful. He doubted this virus would ever leave their minds, not after all the damage it had caused.

Arthur argued for ages that DW should stay behind, but she insisted. It didn’t help that Francine just had to encourage her, so now the Read siblings were the ones pulling a wagon in the direction of Bud’s stand. They had found several candles in neighboring houses as well as different pieces of garden equipment. They had decided as a group to hold off on some of those for later, but they were eager for fresh produce today.

When they arrived at the stand, Ladonna looked up to them from her paperback. She grinned, “Bud thought that was you, said he didn’t think you’d be a hat guy though.”

Arthur shrugged as he studied her leather outfit and war-like marks on her cheeks, “Just thought I’d do something different. It’s not like many people are still around to notice,” he said, studying her offerings, “We were hoping to make a trade.”

Ladonna gasped at the sight of the items, “Well this is more than plenty! Thank you, this is great. Madison is going to be so excited about all of this. She worries about everything. She ain’t used to being the oldest, you know?” she said, lowering her voice to a whisper, “Don’t ever talk about Gussie around Bud, okay? He’s still pretty bent out of shape about it. Doesn’t help that he’s all ‘man of the house’ now if you can believe it.”

DW scoffed, “Boys always have to feel like they’re in charge,” she said, peering around, “Arthur said Bud was here the other day. I was hoping to see him again. I haven’t seen him since the last day we were allowed to go to school,” she said.

“I had him on bucket duty this morning, but…I trust you two. I told him he could lead anybody back, but Arthur got the citizenship award two years in a row. That’s got to mean something, don’t it?” she said, gesturing for them to follow.

Ladonna led them to an alleyway and whistled loudly in a few sharp notes as they kept walking. Arthur pulled the wagon and exchanged glances with DW, who just shrugged and kept following Ladonna. When they reached the other side, Madison appeared, her hair braided and woven with feathers and ribbons. She also had war-like markings across her cheeks that almost looked like slashes.

Madison stopped and looked over the Read siblings with a scowl, “You really think you’re going to take them back to the farm? No discussion, just lead them right on in?” she asked.

Ladonna scoffed, “It’s Arthur Read, remember him? He’s that good kid from school. He didn’t even help in the food fight that his best friend started. We can trust him,” she countered.

But Madison didn’t want the argument to drop. She sized him up, “This is a whole new world, a dangerous one. Why should we trust you to come into our farm and do whatever it is you’re doing?”

Ladonna stepped between them, “DW wanted to see Bud, and they’re trading. I figured I’d give them a basket of fresh and a crate of jarred. They’ll be back, they’ve got mouths to feed.”

“How many?” Madison asked. DW crossed her arms, “None of your bee’s wax. I just wanted to see Bud and Arthur wanted a little bit of food. There’s more supplies if you’re nice. If you’re not, we’ll keep the items for ourselves and make sure you never see them again. And we found a lot of neat stuff that you probably need if this farm is as big as you say.”

Madison could feel the sass radiating off DW’s gaze. She sucked her teeth before stomping back to the vegetable stand. Ladonna led the way again, and the Read siblings fell into step behind her.

“Sorry about her, she doesn’t always trust. Can’t say I blame her, it’s dangerous out there,” Ladonna said, glancing at them, “What do y’all do at night?”

“Someone keeps watch while the rest sleeps. We trade out nights,” Arthur replied. Ladonna nodded as they reached a tall military barricade. She smiled, “That’s what I like to hear.”

After doing a particular knock, the gate opened. The smell of fresh soil filled the air as a pig oinked nearby. The Read siblings stepped into the community garden, which now had fenced off areas for livestock and several make-shift greenhouses made out of tarps. A shack had been erected against the far side of the barricade, and Bud was inside of it stirring a stew pot, which was kept hot by a fire underneath.

As the gates closed, Arthur followed a ladder up the platform keeping watch. He smiled, “Oh look, it’s Vicita. We were wondering where you went.”

Vicita jumped down from the barricade, “I found Bud’s stand and told him what happened. They took me in. We’re trying to figure out how to go back, but none of us know how to do that. Madison said it wasn’t safe.”

Bud approached solemnly, “We didn’t even get to bury Gussie, we had to leave him in the house with our dad,” he whispered, extending a hand to Arthur, “It’s a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Read. I take you brought goods like you asked.”

Arthur nodded and gestured to the wagon. Vicita gasped and picked up a pair of purple gardening gloves, “These are so pretty! And they actually fit!”

“She can dig with us now instead of mucking stalls all the time, not that it’s a bad thing to get dirty,” Ladonna said, looking Arthur over, “We could always use more hands if you’ve got people who want to work. I figure we could get a proper partnership going. We could use some eyes around the sector, we’ve been getting a little nervous.”

“It gets so loud and scary at night. The fireworks scare the animals,” Vicita said with wide eyes. Arthur nodded, “They scare us too. That’s why we get someone to keep watch just in case those kids try to break in or a fire breaks out.”

Ladonna sighed, “We always got to plan ahead around here. We’re looking to building a roof over this, we just gotta get the supplies up and hope for the best. It’s slow going these days, we could use more hands.”

“I can talk to the others. I feel like they should have a say in it,” Arthur said, adding, “and, for the sake of fairness, I think you should know where we are—”

“You do?” DW interrupted. Bud smiled, “She’s got a point, Mr. Read. Maybe you should let your people vote on that too. Ladonna didn’t ask us, and I know Madison is mad about it. Gussie would be too if he was here.”

Ladonna nodded, “Kid has a point. You talk to the others and let them know we’re up for a deal. We can all look out for each other and make this work, and we can lengthen our food supply a little further. Heck, if you’ve got land, we could really make this work.”

“For what?” DW asked. Ladonna gestured around her, “You see all of this? We built it from the ground up. This garden had been trampled through when the National Guard took it over. It’s a safe haven though, we only got in because our dad had the right key. Vicita found us, and we’ve got some others out looking for livestock in the country. They’ll be back in a day or two.”

“We’ll keep an eye out for them and offer assistance if we need to,” Arthur said, nodding to DW, “We need to try to rebuild society one piece at a time.”

“Are we sure we can trust them?” she asked. Vicita stepped forward, “We’re kind over here. We know what you’ve seen, I was your neighbor. Those kind of people aren’t allowed here, and they never would be. That’s why we should work together to make sure the bad guys stay out and don’t take what’s ours.”

“Safety in numbers,” Arthur whispered, gesturing to the wagon, “We should probably get back soon. We were hoping for some fresh and some preserved goods.”

Ladonna nodded, “Sure, let’s look through out things. We can send you out a different way.”

“I think we should go the way we came,” DW suggested. Arthur agreed with her, so Ladonna relented. She and Bud helped clear out the wagon, then they filled it from some stacked milk crates and buckets nearby. There was enough fresh food to last several days, and it was more than plenty for the group back at Lakewood.

As they walked back quietly, Arthur hoped the others would agree to an alliance, but he knew this was a precarious time. It was hard to know who to trust with so much bad going on in the world, but they had to try to work something out. They couldn’t let the darker side of their new world get to them.

Chapter Text

The arguing was done. Slink decided it himself, and after one last argument of implementation, the group made plans to leave the government center and Sector 1 and drive over to the hydroelectric plant in Sector 9. They would use a van from the parking garage, which Slink would drive with the other three in the back.

Slink hadn’t driven much, but he’d driven more than the other two. He was proving himself as a worthy leader—he had them pack supplies, he helped Brain choose a route, and he refused to let them back down. It was now or never.

The following morning, they all went down to the parking garage through a side entrance, which was where the best wheelchair ramp was available. Lydia easily kept up with the guys as they wound their way up to the second level using the parking deck itself. Brain clicked the key fob, lighting up the van in the middle.

Slink looked around, “I can back up right there, then we can help Lydia on. I don’t think there’s enough room to use the side door.”

“Looks like it only has back doors. Is that okay for you?” Carl asked her. Lydia nodded and allowed them to help her out of her chair and onto the decking of the van. Brain helped her get settled in the trunk area as Carl settled into the back seat. Slink put in Lydia’s chair next to her, and they closed her into the back.

Brain took the passenger seat and unfolded his map. Carl sat in the middle of the backseat, masked and buckled in, as Slink and Brain went over the route one more time, or at least the route they hoped would work. Slink warned them the rest of the city wasn’t as orderly as Sector 1, but he didn’t know if any of them were listening.

Slink backed out of the space slowly, but the van lurched forward when he put it in drive. He slammed on the brakes, shifting everyone forward. After checking that they were all okay, he accelerated again, this time with a gentle push. The van obeyed, and he made a wide turn down to the lower level and out to the streets.

Slink stopped and parked as they looked over the main road leading through the sector. He glanced to Brain, “Do we let Alex know or come back later?”

“We can make a second trip once he determines if the vaccine is a success and how to administer it. The systems need to clean themselves first,” Brain replied, so Slink put the van back into gear and he pulled out into the street.

Leaving Sector 1 was easy, but the next sector had plenty of debris to dodge. They passed a few curious kids, but they ignored them. Their mission was too important to stop at gawking citizens.

Once they were further out of the city’s center, the path got cleaner and easy to travel, and soon they were in Sector 9. A county road took them out to the hydroelectric plant, which was barricaded off by military vehicles and a tall barricade.

Slink parked the van, “I guess we’ll have to walk from here and find a way around,” he said, slapping his backpack, “I’ve got the walkies right here. Lydia, is yours good?” he called back.

Lydia activated a chirp feature on her device. Slink’s lit up, then Brain’s. Carl didn’t want one, so off they went. Slink left the windows down but took the keys with him. Their goal was to not show that Lydia was there should someone come up.

But no one was around. They found a way inside through a small gap in the barricade, and they entered the unlocked building without incident. Auxiliary power left a few lights remaining, but the rest were dim.

“I think we’re doing this at the perfect time,” Brain noted, adding, “Any longer and there wouldn’t be enough power to get the computers going.”

Sure enough, a few of the workstations in the control room were powered off, but they only needed one. Carl took a seat behind one and used his notes to access the system. Sally’s father had kept his manuals up-to-date with passwords, not that it had changed in five years. Carl easily bypassed security and entered the control panel for the entire plant.

At the moment, it was in safety mode. All gates of the dam were open, the turbines were off, and powering up would require a manual override. Brain went to the designated area in another part of the plant, and Carl used Slink’s radio to guide him through the process.

The screen went from red to green, and machines came to life around them. A few alarms went off, but soon safety protocols were being run automatically. Brain returned, and they watched nervously as the plant came online.

Carl typed into a prompt box, “I’m telling it where to send power now. I hope Mr. MacGill’s manuals got this part right,” he said, swallowing hard before hitting enter.

The computer chimed, and they relayed the good news back to Lydia: The plant was operational and sending power to the water treatment plant nearby. The boys quickly returned to her, and Slink drove the van to the plant. Some of the tanks were dirty, but the lights were on in the building.

Brain looked around, “We can take manuals or copies of them with us,” he said, leading the guys into the director’s office. Luckily he was an older man, so he had bindered copies of the proper files. Slink carried them back in his backpack for them to decipher, and their goal was to return to do the cleaning process a few days later. Then, the city would have proper water again.

When they returned to the government center, Slink parked on the lower level and helped Lydia disembark. She sighed as she exited the van, “I guess I could’ve stayed here, huh?” she sighed.

“I felt better with you there. If anything had happened with that computer, Carl would’ve panicked, I could feel it. You know how he is when anything is different than expected,” Slink smiled.

Lydia nodded as Slink closed the back doors of the van and used the fob to lock it up. She wheeled ahead of him, but Slink quickly caught up to her, “You’re an important part of this group. You’re the most level-headed of us for sure, and I think you know more than them too, not that they’d ever admit it.”

“Thanks, but…there’s a lot I don’t know. There are some problems I’m working on, and…if you stick around after this, maybe I’ll let you help me with them,” Lydia said as they entered the building.

Carl and Brain finished a security sweep, then they all had a well-deserved dinner in the cafeteria. Carl was feeling better about the virus situation, but Slink knew they weren’t out of the woods. Until Alex could confirm his cure was a success, they would all have to be on edge.

Fern knew they wanted to follow her, but she made them promise not to. Her night was the most peaceful one she’d had since everything started. No fits, no calling out to monsters, no seeing horrific things. She saw a world covered in a blinding light. She saw her sisters in their long, purple robes, their sun-shaped marks on their foreheads, and purity in their hearts.

She smiled as she entered Sector 2. The symbol was just as she’d seen it in her dream. She walked faster, then she was running. The streets were cleaner here, and if it weren’t for the lack of traffic noise and the yearning in her heart, she would think she was back home again in the regular world.

The library appeared. Its barricade wasn’t like the others. It was painted with brilliant murals, and Fern knew they were painted by the sisters themselves. She slowed to take them in, her cheeks hurting from smiling so hard.

When she circled to the entrance, she found the barricade opened. Standing on the unkempt lawn were several figures in purple robes. Their hands were facing the sky and their heads were bowed, and they hummed a single note in unison as Fern stepped forward. She knelt before them and lifted her hands as they did before joining in.

After a few measures, they stopped humming. The bowed figures lifted their heads to face her. Fern felt tears running down her face as she stood and went to the first one.

“Marina, sister, how good to see you again,” Fern smiled, moving to the next figure across from her. Her smile flickered, “I don’t believe we’ve met before…but we have. This is so strange.”

Rubella stepped forward and rested her hands on Fern’s shoulders. Rubella smiled, “There is much to learn here, Sister. You’ve heeded our call, and now we can ensure your purity and the purity of this entire city. Come inside, there is much to learn.”

Fern paused, gesturing to the figure, “But her name?”

They stepped into the lobby of the library and they lowered their hoods. A second figure appeared next to the first unknown, and Fern exchanged looks between them trying to decipher how she knew them. She had seen them in her dreams, and she knew one was the pure one, but she had no clue who the other one was.

Prunella grabbed Fern’s hands and pulled her into what they called the sanctuary. Really it was the children’s area decorated and reorganized. The windows were covered with intricate art that looked like stained glass, but the colors came from…Fern squinted and realized it was crayons melted onto wax paper and hung up carefully. As candles were lit around her, Fern felt her energy center. It was time to learn the story of the sisters.

When Rubella was done lighting the candles, they all sat cross-legged in a circle. Rubella began, “Prunella and I were the first to come here. I got her from school that last day, but we returned home to an empty house. She told me she wanted to come here, to the library, so we did. We found it barricaded off already, but there was no one guarding it. We hoisted ourselves over the wall and let ourselves in. We were lost, but Prunella continued to dream. I dreamt with her.”

“The world descended into madness,” Prunella continued, “but we held our resolve. Our needs were met, and we were shown the path when we allowed our minds to see the truth. We listened to our hearts and the world around us, and we learned much from it. We heard our sisters calling, so we retrieved them.”

“They found me lost in the street,” Marina said, swallowing hard as she lifted her hands skyward, “I had been cast out from containment without any guidance. No one cared that I couldn’t see, that I had no place in this new world. I was jostled and pushed, then I was alone…until hands rested gentle on my arms. They pulled me upwards and helped me here. This is my home now. I am learning the sacred texts in my own way, and I have opened my heart. Together, the three of us called home the other sisters.”

The first unknown smiled, “You remember me, Fern, we met many times. You were the one who allowed me to see one of the many parades we used to have. You hoisted me on your shoulders and made me feel safe. I knew you would come join me.”

“Kate,” Fern whispered, smiling wide. She looked older than Fern, but she didn’t care or notice. She was just happy to feel the pieces clicking together.

“I arrived with her. Kate’s purity is the key to our future, to the future of mankind. Without her, we would not continue as a species,” the figure explained, taking Kate’s hand, “The adults helped her to ensure this. It was their final gift to us, and we, as sisters, will ensure that gift is used wisely.”

“Nadine,” Fern said. The figure nodded, “You didn’t know me before, but I knew of all of you. I knew you were all here waiting, hoping for a cure, especially Sister Rubella,” Nadine said, taking Rubella’s hand and smiling, “You were ill, you needed a cure before you joined your beloved mother, and…we ensured that,” Nadine smiled, taking Kate’s hand. She turned to Fern, “You’ll be safe here until your natural end.”

Prunella left the circle and returned with a small coffee can. Inside was a pigment and a brush, then Prunella added some drops of water. She stirred, then she painted the circular beams onto Fern’s forehead. There were no arrows on this symbol; she was already home. The pigment felt cool but perfect against her skin. It was the mark she didn’t realize she needed.

They stood and moved into the main area of the library. Marina’s room was located in the basement, but Kate and Nadine had made their room from sheets and tables piled into the study area nearby. Prunella and Rubella each had rooms upstairs, but Fern wanted her own space. She was shown into Miss Turner’s office, which was untouched after she left the last time. Soft light poured in from an upper window. Fern walked around the space, running her finger over the dusty desk.

“This is too sacred,” Fern said, stepping back out into the library. She walked behind the circulation desk and nodded, “This…This area feels like home.”

Marina returned to the basement to continue her studies as the others helped Fern with her space. Pillows were brought in from the children’s area, and sneeze guards were covered with brightly patterned sheets to give her more privacy. Fern picked through their collection of candles and picked a pair of tropical scented ones for the space. Then she sat in the center taking it all in.

After almost a month of fretting, of feeling her mind warp from the inside, she finally felt at peace. She didn’t understand how any of this was happening, but she knew it was real. She could feel the worn carpet under her toes from where Miss Turner would move from counter to counter to process books. The smell of the candles reminded her of a sunny place far away, and the sunlight from the stain glassed windows brought her an inner peace she didn’t think she would ever feel again.

Others might call her crazy, but Fern had never felt more sane in her life. She was home.

The mats weren’t going to be a good item now that temperatures had dropped. Nobody understood it, and Muffy wasn’t about to go around asking anyone about it. Her goal was to never leave the Crosswire mansion, especially not for something that trivial. In this post-apocalypse world, there was no one to ask questions to. The days of knowing things was over.

Catherine entered the living room, her hands brown from the soil. She’d been trying to get a garden going, but so far, nothing wanted to grow. It was simply too cold at night for most of the things they wanted to grow. Even Emily had agreed, and that was also a problem. Muffy had hoped fruits and vegetables could bring them money instead, or at least what passed as money these days—food, batteries, clean water, and whatever else a kid wanted.

Catherine wiped her brow, “I need to make a run. If I get some of that thick plastic from somewhere or glass, I can make a green house. The others can build it, I’d just supervise.”

“You’re the oldest, maybe you should build with them,” Muffy huffed sharply. Catherine shrugged, “I get it, just do it so you can do whatever. The world isn’t easy anymore, Muffy, even when you have slaves.”

Muffy turned around swiftly as Emily and Hana entered the room. Hana had colored Emily’s hair a vibrant pink and braided it with a string of costume pearls. Emily was wearing a princess costume gown, and her cheerful look was the opposite of the fury on Muffy’s face. Her arms were crossed, and she looked ready to blow.

Catherine dried her hands on a towel and stood up fully, “Just save it, I don’t give a shit what you want to yell at me now. I’m going on the run, I’ll do the work. Just save your fire for someone who deserves it, like those nasty Tibbles,” she hissed, turning on her heel and storming out the back. A moment later, she was leaving the yard with one of the gardener’s wagon and James pulling it along.

Muffy groaned loudly and stormed upstairs. Emily turned to Hana, “What do you think that was about?”

“Who knows with Muffy? If you want my guess…I’d say she feels the changes. The Tibbles haven’t been by in days. I bet they’re losing control over their little empire. You can’t get anywhere peddling broken goods to people who can’t use them,” Hana said, offering Emily some fruit punch. Hana had concocted it with off-brand Koolaid packets, sweeteners, and some candy powder. Muffy thought it was low-class and too sweet, but Emily loved it.

Emily settled onto the couch, “I think the scary one took over,” she whispered, turning to Hana, “I’ve heard his music several nights now. He’s planning something, and if it was really crazy, even the Tibbles wouldn’t participate. They’d be right in his path though.”

“It’s dangerous keeping people like that close,” Hana whispered as Muffy descended the stairs again. Her face was all business, no fury. Hana took Emily’s drink, and she followed to the entryway as Muffy stepped outside.

Shelley sneered in the sunlight, his monocle twinkling from under his large top hat. He had acquired a new suit, and while it looked like a formal suit, Emily recognized the coloring. Shelley was dressed as a circus master.

Muffy smiled, “I see you’ve upgraded your look, I like it. What are you doing here?”

“The Tibbles and I have a business proposal for you. The city could use a little entertainment, a weekly show. We’re over at the high school, it’s the only accessible place with a big enough space, and…we were thinking that if you supplied the booze, we could charge accordingly. Food, water, batteries—the usual items. What say you?” he asked.

Muffy thought for a moment, “A circus in Elwood City again?” she asked, frowning, “Kids are starving in the streets, but you want them to come do what exactly?”

“We’ll have games, fair games, you know the type,” he grinned widely, his gaze fierce and chaotic. He continued, “The house always wins, but they keep coming back. Kids are gullible, you know that. Games, a show, the chance to see things they’ve never seen before? We can’t possibly fail,” he smiled.

“Booze only lasts so long, you know that. All of this can only go on for so long, so why should I contribute?” Muffy asked.

Suddenly Shelley whistled, and the sound of ice cream truck music filled the area. Two vans rolled in, each driven by a Tibble, and the back was full of teens and kids in circus makeup and outfits. Collars were on their necks, signs of slavery. These kids were going to have to perform for their life every week or else, and these three were in charge, the nastiest kids Elwood City had ever seen.

And there were more of them than there were of her. If they wanted her, she’d be gone in an instant. Her wealth meant nothing here.

Muffy nodded, “We should draw up a contract. I provide…seven bottles each night you have a large show. Alcohol is only served those nights, we don’t want to oversupply the events. We can work on other provisions as this takes off.”

Shelley smiled as he whistled again. The vans tore out of the neighborhood and back to wherever they came from. Shelley extended a menacing hand, “Let’s get that contract written up.”

A block away, Catherine and James hid in the house they had started at. Catherine had spotted the garden from the road, so they turned to go inside…and then the music started. They both used to run and chase after the ice cream truck, but they knew this was nothing good. That music meant Tibbles, bad news. The only good thing about it was that, like the ice cream man, the music came and went in an instant.

James shivered as he stood up and looked around the house, “This place is really nice. Do you think they’ll have what we need?” he asked.

Catherine led him into the kitchen and out to the patio as she explained, “I saw a greenhouse roof from the road. Whoever lived here was a gardener, so they’ll at least have supplies for us. I’m surprised I didn’t notice it before.”

They entered the backyard and James dropped the handle of the wagon. There was no way to transport this, a paradise in an acre of space. The greenhouse was just one area the homeowners used for gardening. Raised beds filled the space, and they were overflowing with fruit and vegetables at various stages of growth.

“We can work this, but it’ll take me, you, the girls. I could never get Hana from them, but maybe we could bring in others. And if we’re over here, you all could enjoy it too. How would she know?” Catherine whispered.

James glanced towards her nervously, “It’s Muffy. She’ll beat us if she thinks we’re taking advantage of her. She’s dangerous.”

“If the Tibbles were over, she has more on her mind. The mats don’t matter now that it’s not as hot. Why bother covering the windows from the heat when it’s so cool at night? She could figure out something else, but…if the Tibbles paid her a visit, she has a new prospect on her hands. She won’t be worried about us, and if she does? Let me handle her,” Catherine growled, walking over to the greenhouse. It was filled with all sorts of items. Some were just flowers, but much of this gardener’s collection was edible.

This was a paradise, and Catherine knew she had to play her cards right to keep it in her hands.

Catherine returned with James just as Shelley left. James rushed back to the back with some leftover glass paneling and wire. It was a cover, and he fled to the backyard as Catherine began her spiel. He deposited the items on the far side of the wall before returning to Maria, who was weaving again. It was an attempt at a patterned design, but she didn’t know what she was doing. Jenna napped beside her—if they weren’t being made to work, Jenna was sleeping to avoid her problems.

“We found paradise,” James whispered. Maria looked up, “Well take us there and get us the hell out. She hasn’t fed us today.”

James pulled two tomatoes from his pockets. Jenna stirred and accepted one as Maria bit into hers. Red juice spilled down her chin and she smiled, “This is the best tomato I’ve ever tasted. Where did you get this?”

“Catherine found it on our run. She’s going to see if Muffy will let us work it,” James said, adding, “Under her orders.”

Maria frowned, “I don’t see that going very well. Muffy is a tyrant, plus those scary guys are here.”

“I think they’re going to take us,” Jenna whispered, sitting up, “I think they’re going to work us to death. They might even just torture us to death, it’s the Tibbles. We’re doomed.”

James shook his head, “Catherine can figure it out. She’s smart, she’s—”

“Old. She’ll be dead in weeks, months if she’s lucky,” Jenna interrupted, shaking her head and laying back down, “We’re going to go right behind her if she really is our saving grace.”

“You’re too negative,” James said, turning to Maria, “If Catherine keeps us there, maybe we can make runs to other sectors and look for Steve and Molly. The conditions might be better, more humane. We have so much to look forward to, we just have to be patient.”

They were yelling in the house. The argument was so loud they could hear who said what, but the shrill words were indecipherable as they echoed around the large space. Catherine and Muffy were at war with Emily trying to play mediator.

Hana emerged with plain rice. It was mushy and undercooked, and she apologized, “Sorry, I just had to get out of there.”

Maria produced a pot and a camp stove, “We’ve got this. Here, finish it off. Don’t go back in there right now.”

“What do you think will happen?” James asked. Hana looked up and shrugged, “I don’t know, but Muffy will win, she always does.”

Catherine stepped forward to Muffy, “You’re not thinking straight, you’re insane with power. You’ve got the Garden of Eden right there, but you want me to let it rot? You’re not thinking.”

“You’re just looking for an out! You want out of here so bad, you just won’t leave this precious sector to save your life. You’re useless!” Muffy hissed.

“You’re insane,” Catherine repeated, gesturing across the street, “You want a reputation in the city? Where it actually matters? You work that land, you get the goods to the people, and you work against the Tibbles. I’m sure everyone else is terrified of them—”

“I have a CONTRACT with them! Are YOU the insane one?!” Muffy screamed.

Catherine shook her head, “I’m the one with sense. They’re narrow-minded little demons, they don’t care what you do as long as it lets them keep up with their nonsense. You hide your hand, they don’t have to know it’s you. They’re not worried about you anyway.”

Muffy finally understood. If Catherine and the others worked the land, they could have enough produce for themselves and whoever they could sell it to. They could ask for the necessities in payment, and they could offer protection from the Tibbles if it came to that. But if it was over there, away from the Tibbles’ empire, they wouldn’t know.

Muffy stepped forward, “Can I trust you? You hate me, everyone knows it.”

“I hate your attitude, your classist ways, but I’m not stupid, Muffy. I know who I am to you, but they think I’m one of you. They won’t disobey me. They know you work with the Tibbles, they know better,” Catherine whispered.

“I guess it’s settled then. Get them out of here, stay over there. Come back when you’re ready to execute,” Muffy said firmly, adding, “Take Hana with you. I don’t want her knowing what we’re up to. The Tibbles and Shelly want privacy.”

Catherine nodded and stepped outside. Hana and the others were eating their rice, but they happily left it behind when she whispered the plan. They were told to frown on their way out, so they did. None of them met Muffy’s gaze as they filed across the street and down the block.

Emily watched from upstairs and ran down, “Where are they going?” she cried.

“To make us wealth beyond our wildest dreams, they begged for it,” Muffy smiled, turning to Emily, “We’re going to be the queens of Elwood City,” she said. Emily smiled, then the two danced through the lavish space, their thoughts on their wildest dreams.

Chapter Text

Alex arrived at the government center and met with the group in the lobby. He took their vitals and made notes before being led into a small conference room near the entrance. Brain had prepared a presentation with what they had learned about the water treatment plant. All they needed to know now was whether or not Alex had truly formulated the cure.

Lydia cleared her throat, “We successfully restarted the hydroelectric plant, and Brain returned to the water treatment plant yesterday to begin the cleaning process. Water pressure and cleaner water should return to the city within the day.”

“I noticed, thank you,” Alex said, smiling softly, “I can tell you’re anxious to hear if my work was a success. The good news is that what tissues I could extract and work on with Sally were successful, but the bad news is that I would like a living host to test the formula on. There were several warnings about adverse effects, but they were hypothetical. I’m sure the adults were just being careful, but we can’t risk it. Kids die every day from all sorts of things. We can’t create a deadly cure for a deadly virus, more kids would die.”

“What do you propose?” Brain questioned. Alex turned down to the back of the room, where Slink sat alone near the head of the table. Brain looked up, “Slink? What do you want him for?”

“Yeah, it’s dangerous out there for me with the Tibbles,” Slink argued.

Alex shook his head, “They have bigger fish to fry now. The dump might be where they spend most of their time, but they’ve got a new business venture. They’ve taken over Elwood City High School to have a circus.”

“A major disease vector,” Carl murmured to himself before rocking gently in his seat. Lydia shuddered, “If a sick kid got into a place like that, they could infect all sorts of people.”

“Exactly,” Alex nodded, rotating his chair to face Slink again, “I want you to go there. I want you to wear a disguise and keep an eye out for anyone who looks older than they should be. Talk to folks, see if they have anyone sick at home. Whoever you find, send them to Sector 4 at the old supercenter. There’s a coffee shop we’ve taken over, they can get treatment there.”

Brain adjusted at the podium, which sent a bumping noise through the microphone. Carl flinched as he waited for microphone feedback, but there was none. Brain turned off the microphone and met Alex’s gaze, “You said there were dangerous side effects. What are you expecting?”

“Worst case scenario? You’re better off with just the virus. Seizures, cardiac issues, major allergic reactions, and so on,” Alex replied, cocking his head, “Best case? Headaches, tingling sensations, dry mouth, maybe some nausea, things they can handle. Things that are worth it if it means surviving this plague. The adults couldn’t sort it out in time, not before it wiped them out. The FDA had strong rules against things like this. They couldn’t just made this cure and send it out into the population. There’s a protocol.”

“And we’re going to disrupt the whole process,” Lydia sighed, shaking her head, “It’s for the good of humanity if we get this worked out and into the water supply. You said before you thought folks would need repeated doses.”

“A strong dose for the sick, smaller doses for the rest of us,” Alex nodded, gesturing to the screen, “I appreciate all of this, I do. It’s taken a lot of work to get where we are, but…I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if we rolled this out without trying it a few times first to see what to expect.”

“Are you sure this is the best way to do it? I mean, your people can take over a coffee shop in a retail sector filled with starving, angry kids, but you can’t go to a circus by yourself?!” Slink argued.

“It’s the Tibbles, you know we can’t trust a thing they do,” Lydia countered. Alex nodded, “Except Shelley is their ringmaster. I expect things to get out of hand in a heartbeat, but I’ve got a map of the school. I’ve got a motorcycle you can store nearby. Do you think you could drive it?”

Slink tossed up his hands, “Sure, no problem, that’ll do great when they figure me out and pound me. I barely escaped the first time, remember? They almost killed me so they brought me to you. Otherwise where would I be? My friends are probably still under their control.”

Lydia shrugged, “Then maybe this is an opportunity to spring them too. That’s your Plan B: Spring your friends so they can go back next time. It’s the Tibbles, they aren’t going to do this once and be done, not if it’s successful.”

“Please, I wouldn’t ask you if I hadn’t calculated the risks already,” Alex pleaded.

Slink still didn’t trust the plan, but he was willing to go along with it just to see. As he promised, Alex had a map, and he’d labeled as much as he could. The Tibbles and whoever else had most likely done things to the floor plan of the building, but as far as Alex knew, the gym was the focus of the event. That was where the main show would be, and the courtyard between the gym and the back parking lot would be used for vendors. All Slink had to do was try to blend in.

Slink had taken over an old detective’s office as his new home. The black trench coat the detective kept on the back of the door had been his new attire, but Alex needed something different. He brought a trash bag full of clothes, and while most of it appeared to belong to the old ladies of the area, the rest he could work with. He wore a shiny, red vest with red slacks. There were brown shoes in the detective’s office he could pair with them; somehow they were the same size.

As soon as he’d figured out they had water, Slink had washed off the T-shaped tribal mark that denoted him as a Tibble slave. He hadn’t adopted the EC stamp Brain and Carl wore on their foreheads, but he wasn’t sure what else to do either. Remembering that he needed to disguise himself, he painted triangles around his eyes and braided his long hair into different pleats. He pulled them back with a blue rubber band before painting more triangles on his face. The colors he had at his disposal were very circus, and he hoped to blend in.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Slink opened the door to find Alex packed and ready to go back to the hospital. He stepped into Slink’s room and shut the door behind him:

“I appreciate what you’re doing, but I know there’s a lot of risk involved, both for yourself and your friends if you find them there. However, I wanted to double check with you about other things,” Alex hinted, adding, “You faced a lot of hardship from the beatings, sure, but the other symptoms were the most worrying. If I had hooked you up to a heart monitor…and actually knew what an EKG reading was supposed to tell me, I’d guess you had some bad rhythms. You were sick, sick enough that you could’ve died.”

Slink smiled softly, “Look, man, I get it, I do. The reason I did all that stuff was because my life was so shit before all of this. Before the virus even came through, I was already drinking and doing whatever I could to numb the pain. I then got stuck at a prison of sorts with nothing better to do and the wrong crowd around. Experimenting with something that could help me forget the rest, well? I think anyone would do the same.”

“Did your friends? I could—”

“They weren’t as bad off as me,” Slink interrupted, nodding to him as he pulled on a party hat he’d found in a supply closet, “I hope they aren’t there, I don’t know if I could get them to go with me anyway. In their eyes, I was just a fuck up. I guess that’s all I was too, but I’m not anymore. I won’t let you down, I know how important this is…but I am scared. What else can you tell me about them? About the show?” he asked.

Alex shrugged, “My people heard the top hat man on his loudspeaker, and they’ve been raining tickets through town. I think there will be games and refreshments, the usual things. I’m sure there’s a cost, this is a ruthless group of thugs we’re talking about, but…if you want my theory? I think they’re trying to go legit. Resources are scarce and they need to eat just like everyone else.”

That definitely made sense. What food he had access to at the dump was dirt compared to what they had here. Why not hold an event where they could have fun being stupid while getting resources from hungry kids? It was the Tibble way, but he couldn’t deny his fear. He was glad to have more time to rest before the main event, he was going to need it.

The craft store was somehow untouched. As Molly and Rattles organized a large table for the meeting, Mei-Lin dug around in jewelry supplies and other items. She had adjusted well to Fern’s departure, though Molly still felt they should’ve followed her and made sure she arrived safely.

Rattles stepped over to the window and moved to the door. He held it open for Jessica, Fletcher, Clark, then TC, who kept a firm gaze on Rattles as they moved to the table. Jessica joined Mei-Lin as Clark took a seat on a comfortable couch nearby. They weren’t the ones talking today.

Fletcher sat down and looked around, “Kinda surprised this place wasn’t ransacked already.”

“No food, no booze, no problem,” Rattles said, looking them over, “Where’ve you been?”

“We were enslaved by the Tibbles for weeks, Ciccone, take a wild guess where we were and how we’ve been,” TC spat, crossing his arms. Fletcher shot him a look, “We went through hell, but we see the light now. We know we fucked up and we want to see what we can do about it.”

Molly cocked her head, “From the way we saw it, everything you did was to and for yourselves. You knew the risks trying to work with a group like that. The only thing we want to know is pretty simple: Did you participate in the stampede?”

TC shook his head, “Of course not, we were snatched and dragged away as soon as it started. They thought we started it, but kids were pushing and shoving. We didn’t even know how bad it was until later, until they came along,” he said, pointing his thumb at Jessica and Clark, who had joined the girls in searching the bins.

Fletcher met Molly’s gaze, “We didn’t know people died,” she murmured, “but you know we wouldn’t have done something like that. We were there to do business and got burned, simple as that. Now we’re hiding out hoping the Tibbles don’t try to take us back.”

“They’ve got their sights on bigger things,” Rattles said, passing them a slip, “Found these all over the street the other morning. Looks like the circus is back in town, and you’d have to be a real clown to go see it.”

“You think it’s a front?” Fletcher asked. TC sucked his teeth, “Don’t play dumb, Fletch, of course it’s a front. That’s why we’re here,” he said, passing back the flyer, “We’re holed up for now, but supplies are low. We’ve got a lot of junk but not a lot of food. The water is back, but we don’t have power. Security could be better as well.”

Molly nodded, “Security is an everyone issue. With kids like the Tibbles roaming around, you aren’t safe, and the safest places are already taken. Food is a problem too, we don’t have much either.”

“What’s the game plan here anyway?” Rattles questioned, looking them over, “Are you making sure we’re kosher or did you have something else in mind?”

“The first one,” Fletcher admitted, shrugging, “We know we fucked up, okay? We’ve learned our lesson and won’t be dealing with that anymore, but…we all need food of some sort. Water will only get us so far even if it is clean for once.”

“Know anything about that?” Molly asked.

They shook their heads. So far, no one they’d talk to knew about it. Rattles had even made a special trip to ask Stormy, but all she could confirm was that the weather pattern was holding, which meant any food they grew needed to be grown in a greenhouse or inside.

Molly sighed, “Well…we have a space issue. We found some gardening things in a place near the restaurant, but we don’t have anywhere to grow it. What about you?”

Fletcher nodded, “We’ve got plenty of space, but…there is another security concern. Do either of you know why a kid like Brain would break into the Baxter house?” she asked.

TC explained, “First day we get back in the city, we find these condos and hide out. We’re figuring out which one to go into when we see him roll up on this scooter thing. He went in and took some things, paperwork I guess, then left. We don’t know what he was after.”

“Baxter? Bitzi? The paper lady?” Rattles asked, glancing to Molly, “What would she know about anything?”

“And why would a nerd break in?” Molly added, turning to them, “Has he been back? When was this?” she asked. When they answered, she sighed, “Well, he’s probably done then. What about inside? What places have space?” she asked.

“Several, we’re only in the one unit. Only the four of us escaped,” Fletcher answered, hanging her head, “We left when they were beating Slink. He’d been using hard stuff, nasty-smelling stuff. We don’t think he survived.”

Rattles shrugged, “Sounds like he should’ve made better choices. Well…we already talked. Mei-Lin is our only other charge, another girl left and won’t be back. Say, you seen her brother? Binky was at the stampede and they got separated.”

They shook their heads, and Rattles doubted the other two kids had seen him either. Mei-Lin would’ve exploded by then; she wouldn’t have waited long to ask. Rattles sighed and continued their talk. The plan was to use one of the condos as a grow area. Stormy could visit and show them how in exchange for any equipment they could offer, which they swore they had.

“Food is split by who does the work,” Fletcher said. Molly agreed, “We keep a chart, there’s plenty of white boards around. The extras? What do we do with them?”

TC shrugged, “I don’t know how to do anything. Maybe we grow stuff like potatoes—”

“We can only grow what we have seeds for,” Rattles interrupted. Fletcher nodded in understanding as Molly muttered under her breath, “It’s the apocalypse, not the state fair.”

With everything settled, they prepared to leave. Mei-Lin and the others wanted to craft, which was fine with them. Mei-Lin used a bag to carry back jewelry supplies, and Clark helped Jessica bring back some DIY painting kits. Rattles also grabbed items to use as row markers. They left the shop as orderly as they could—the place was useless for most, but he knew it could come in handy.

The meeting was a success, but Fletcher was still wary. She thought it would take more effort than that to get on their good side, and she wasn’t happy with TC trying to look tough. But there was work to be done, so she focused on that. Clark and Jessica were sent into the hoarder’s home to find equipment, and she and TC started cleaning out one of the units to be used for growing. Molly would return with Mei-Lin and Rattles the following day to get started, so they needed to be ready.

Marina was doing important work. With no power, the catalog system was down for the count, and there was no paper system to replace it. Society’s reliance on computers had become their downfall, and now this lover of literature was rebuilding their own system. Fern wasn’t sure how Marina was able to do this job by herself in the dim, dank basement, but she joined her and watched her work. They were going one shelf at a time, one cart at a time, and the most relevant books were put back out.

Fern studied a pile of rejected titles. One was older than her grandfather, so she put it down gently, “So…how do you decide what stays and what goes?” she questioned. Marina shrugged as she ran her fingers over a title. There was no braille, yet she somehow knew the subject matter from the title and who wrote it. She put it into a notebook, that was somehow neat without guidelines.

Marina smiled, “It’s like magic, isn’t it? Maybe it is, maybe it’s not. I’ll be honest, I can’t really decide. Part of me is aware that we’re different, all of us, not just Kate, but part of me…a big part of me remembers the old days of getting lost in the store and no one helping because they were pretending that THEY were the blind ones, not me.”

“People are cruel,” Fern said flatly.

“People are afraid of it becoming them,” Marina replied, passing her the book, “We have no need for a book about grooming and fancy dog breeds. Very few dogs are even left, I bet.”

Fern accepted the book and nodded, “I haven’t seen one since all of this started. Lots of people gave them to the shelter when they had to leave. They were taking them all because…well, I guess they were putting them all down.”

“Or setting them free,” Marina smiled, nodding, “I saw it in a dream. She used compost from a gardener next door to make the pile look larger. The manager died without knowing, and she died thinking she’d done the right thing. Who knows where they are now? Hopefully they’re living like wolves in the forest somewhere.”

Fern looked around the space, the lack of power casting shadows over places Fern could barely remember. The basement was for other things during the old days, and now it was Marina’s home and office. Her bedroom area was off to the side, her purple robe hanging next to her bed. She wore a halter top and a denim skirt, both of which had been embroidered.

Fern accepted the next book and placed it on the reject pile. No need for fine dining guides, there wasn’t exactly much food to go around as it was. She stood up, “What do the others do to pass their time?”

“Nadine and Kate like to do crafts and watch the birds from the upper levels. Rubella and Prunella keep an eye out for danger, they like to meditate,” Marina said, glancing towards Fern, “Nadine will know of any danger, she’s the one I trust the most. Rubella needs her strength for her fight.”

“What kind of a fight?” Fern asked. Marina smiled, “There’s only so much the blood ritual could do. She’s on borrowed time.”

As Fern went to see Kate and Nadine, she thought about the blood ritual. Kate had already explained it to her after her first dinner. Her blood was free of the virus’s hold, so the others had drank it in a potion, but that wasn’t enough for Rubella. She had used a letter opener to insert some of the blood into her palm, which scared Kate. She was worried about her.

Kate and Nadine were on the front lawn of the library pretending to have a tea party. Fern joined them and looked out over the once crowded neighborhood. In the old days, one couldn’t look up from their book without spotting someone different walking by. Now there were no people, only tall weeds blowing in the breeze.

“We were just discussing Prunella,” Kate informed Fern as she pretended to pour a cup of tea. Fern carefully picked it up, “What about her? I haven’t seen her since we were in school.”

Nadine smiled, “And much has changed since then. None of us are the same for many reasons, but Prunella? We worry about her. We don’t think she can handle leadership without her sister.”

Fern frowned, “Is she going to die from the virus?” she asked. Kate shook her head, “The ritual has done its job. She shows no symptoms, she’s just paranoid. She’s had the dreams we’ve had.”

Nadine nodded, “She’s seen her end, she just doesn’t know the nature of it. All we know it that she’s angry and determined about something, but that can mean anything when death is involved. We’re keeping an eye on things. In particular…did you know the circus is in town?” she asked.

Fern laughed, “A circus? It’s the end of the world, we have no need for a circus. How dangerous!” she added.

Kate shrugged, “It’s a good way to pretend things are normal. We’d be all for it if they weren’t the ones running it,” she said, Nadine shaking her head, “The evil ones,” she hissed.

“The Tibbles and their strange friend,” Fern murmured, hugging her knees in the cool breeze, “They were terrifying. Mei-Lin thinks they killed her brother.”

“They have blood on their hands, but I don’t know about it being his blood,” Nadine said, turning to Kate, “You were friendly with Mei-Lin, you would know. The dreams would’ve spoken to you and made you get the word out,” she said, turning back to Fern, “And the dreams would’ve told you as well. Do you think they killed him?”

“You really think the dreams would’ve told me?” Fern whispered. Nadine laughed, “Of course, Sister, they brought you to us, didn’t they?”

They did, Fern thought, but she didn’t say it out loud. As Marina had said, she struggled with the truth of things. Marina would struggle more than most—how could a girl born blind read books and titles and know what she was doing? This new world had rules that didn’t apply to the regular world, but they applied to them…and the dreams were a big part of that.

Fern shifted, “So…if the dreams could tell me things, why didn’t they tell me where he was? She’s worried about him.”

“Some people aren’t meant to be found,” Nadine shrugged, closing her eyes as the breeze picked up again. She smiled, “Silly scientists trying to control the world. At least we won’t turn into a Sunday roast.”

“Is that why it’s cooler? Desperate scientists?” Fern asked. Kate scoffed as she poured herself more invisible tea, “More like selfish scientists, narcists. They had to leave one final mark on the world despite no one knowing their names.”

Fern wondered if those scientists even knew what they were doing, not that it mattered. Just like with the virus, what was done was done. She listened birdsong and thought about where she was now. Coming here was scary, but now that she had settled in, the place felt like home. She’d taken to wearing her hair like Marina’s—two pig tails with various feathers and ornaments. Fern had borrowed her makeup look from Rubella—dark lipstick with light eyeshadow. There was plenty of time to figure out her look, or at least she hoped so.

Fern turned to Nadine, “So…what other signs am I missing from the world?” she asked. Nadine smiled and pointed upwards, “See the sisters, they can teach you to meditate and control the dreams. It’s a valuable skill.”

Kate nodded, “That’s how I track my siblings. I know they’re safe, and…I don’t want them to know about me just yet. I think they’d be scared, and I think they would want answers I don’t have.”

Fern nodded and stood up. She looked over the grounds, “Do you know if they have lawn equipment around?” she asked, but the girls weren’t sure. All they did was smile and congratulate her on finding her calling. This confused Fern, but she got back to her path. It was time to learn to meditate.

Chapter Text

Catherine wanted no part in the circus, but Emily insisted that one of them should go to keep an eye on things. Sending Hana or one of the others wouldn’t do, it HAD to be Catherine. So she put her braids in a tight bun around her head and put on a dress and pair of shoes she could run in, then she made the long walk towards Elwood City High School.

She hadn’t been there since she graduated a few years before. That felt like a lifetime away now, first from her college experience and now because of everything that happened. The last use the school had before the collapse was as an information hub. Citizens in Sector 3 could report there and be sent elsewhere. It was where lots of her friends went during their last days, and she was sure lots of adults had gone there only to die in the make-shift camp in the parking lot or in the hospital downtown.

Now it was a hub of activity. Music blared loud enough to be heard from blocks away, and kids slowly marched towards the school. The flyer asked for whatever kids had for payment, but Catherine had a pass from Muffy herself.

As expected, the Tibbles allowed her right in. They were working the gate surrounding the courtyard, which was filled with fair games being worked by kids who were chained to their tables. Catherine looked around but didn’t recognize anyone, so she moved towards the refreshment stand. The kid had figured out how to make cotton candy with a machine they’d pilfered, but Catherine had no clout with them. She moved inside.

The bleachers were extended and decorated with sheets to hide the lower part. Catherine could hear movement, and, remembering her time at the school, she figured kids were waiting underneath for their part in the show. She had no idea what she was about to witness, but she knew it would be dangerous yet dazzling. The mysterious Shelley, serving as ringmaster, was nowhere to be found.

Catherine ascended the bleachers on the far side and climbed up as high as she could. She hadn’t protested her assignment. Sure, she knew she was the best fit, but she also knew this was a good chance to find Francine.

Outside the gym, DW pulled George towards the next stand. They traded a jar of spaghetti sauce for two flimsy bags of popcorn. George hadn’t wanted to come to this crazy circus, but DW insisted that they go to have a little fun. Sue Ellen stayed behind to watch Pal, but Arthur and Francine were nearby chatting with some other kids.

DW was there to have fun, but the other kids were looking for information. Were there other large group of kids? Did they know of anyone with the virus? The story of Alberto caught some of them off guard. The kids of Elwood City knew each other, and knowing a kid so young had caught and succumbed to the virus was terrifying. Arthur moved to another pair, a set of young siblings barely able to walk in their mom’s shoes and the wild outfit they’d pieced together.

Francine pulled him back, “The little one is coughing, I saw him,” she said into his ear. The music was so loud he still barely heard her, but then he saw the child cough for himself. Francine kept hold of his hand and pulled him to the side, “Look, we’ve got to get out of here. We’re all going to get sick, plus you know the Tibbles. We can’t trust them. People are going to get hurt.”

“This isn’t the stampede, Francine, plus we’re making money for them, well, at least what counts for money,” Arthur argued. He’d brought several canned goods himself, and when he spied George’s empty bag from across the space, he knew their jarred goods were gone too.

Arthur snatched his hand away, “Come on, we’ll go sit up high. If something happens, we’ll be able to see better. I’ve been here before, come on,” he said, getting George’s attention and leading the way into the gym.

The four of them crossed the gym floor and ascended over an area that was covered with large, painted sheets. DW studied them curiously as George and Francine forced her way up to the top row.

DW dug in her heels, “I want to sit close, I can’t see up here!” she pleaded, but Arthur yanked her into the row behind him, “It’s too dangerous. We either sit here or we leave, your choice,” Arthur said firmly.

Reluctantly, DW followed them down to the edge of the row where another set of stairs were. In the next section, Francine took note of a tall figure hidden by the shadows as she split some cotton candy with George. The figure looked familiar, but the strobing lights made it hard to see the row below her let alone someone from that far away.

By the entrance to the gym from the courtyard, Slink kept an eye out for sick kids. A few had been coughing, but Alex made a full list of what to look for: coughing, sneezing, blood-shot eyes, unsteady gait, and any sign of premature aging. The kids he’d seen were coughing and sneezing, but there was plenty of smoke about with so many machines running at once. The Tibbles clearly found the equipment they needed to put on a show, and Slink knew it would be a dangerous one. Only the weakest of kids were chained to the refreshment tables.

Slink spotted a figure in the crowd and moved to follow them. Their gait was unsteady, and their hair looked thinner than it should. They wore a dog muzzle and a punk outfit that covered much of their skin, but when they got into the right light, Slink saw the wrinkles. The kid looked up and their ego deflated. Clearly they were sick and trying to hide it, and seeing Slink was enough to scare them straight.

“You shouldn’t be here, you’ll make people sick,” Slink criticized. The kid hung his head, “My sister wanted to come. It’ll be my last circus with her,” he sighed, turning away to cough.

Slink handed him a business card. One side was crossed out, but the other had the information they wanted to convey. It was a last-minute update to their plan when Slink reminded Brain that the Tibbles weren’t ones to obey a noise ordinance even in the before times, let alone now when there were no adults or law enforcement officials to tell them to keep it down.

The kid tucked the card into their pocket and faded into the crowd. Slink looked around for others as the Tibbles closed the gate and moved into the crowd. It was almost show time, and Slink wasn’t going to get caught anywhere near the Tibbles. He moved inside and climbed up into the stands to keep watch.

Francine stood up and looked around as Arthur looked up to her. She sat down again, “I was wondering if there was a bathroom nearby,” she lied, handing over her remaining popcorn pieces to DW, who was bouncing in her seat.

Arthur tapped Francine’s knee, “Who are you looking for?” he asked. George followed their gazes before looking around. Francine shook her head, refusing to answer the question.

George butted in, “If you think you see her, go. I don’t want to come to something like this again,” he said.

Catherine saw a figure stand up in the darkness as kids began filing in from the entrance. It was almost time for the show to start, but she hadn’t seen much of the booze or anything else. She wondered if it was a ploy as someone approached from the aisle.

Tears filled Catherine’s eyes as she pulled Francine into a hug. She pulled Catherine towards her group, who made space for them as the party music faded slightly. Some of the strobe lights went off and were replaced by spotlights on the floor.

“What are you doing here, Frankie? It’s dangerous here!” Catherine warned. Francine gestured to DW, “She insisted, and it’s not like we do much anymore. What are you doing here? Why are you by yourself?”

That would take too much explaining. The crowd clapped as the Tibbles took to the center ring to start the show. Catherine told her she was staying with Muffy, “But don’t go there,” she warned.

Francine flinched, “Don’t go? She was my best friend, why not?!” she argued. Catherine shook her head, “I’ll come to you. Where?” she asked. She had to get in Francine’s ear to be heard over the Tibbles and their wild opening music.

Francine leaned in and yelled, “Lakewood!” Catherine nodded and looked around. She wanted to leave, but the exit was blocked as a dirt bike entered the floor. Shelley rode it in a circle before thrusting his large frame onto the seat and riding it standing up, his arms spread wide. He sneered, his white makeup illuminating his devious features. George shuddered as he studied the exits. He, too, wanted to leave.

Slink watched Shelley’s entrance and looked around. If anything were to go wrong, there was no clear way out. The chained slaves from the refreshment stands were now guarding the door, and the rest of the room was blocked off by painted sheets and other equipment. There was no way to know what would happen either. Sure, this was a circus, but there were no clowns or funny animals, just tricks and jump scares from the twins and Shelley as they performed tricks on makeshift equipment.

“And now…a special treat!” Shelley boomed into the microphone. He gestured out, and Slink recognized the kids he’d cooked drugs with. They were high out of their minds, their bodies nearly naked and painted with strange colors. They emerged from under the bleachers somewhere with flaming torches.

“Juggle the fire, juggle the flames!” Tommy declared. Timmy took the mic, “Miss your mark and never play again!” he attempted to rhyme.

The crowd grew quiet with anticipation. Catherine could hear her heart pound in her ears over the impossibly loud music as the two guys took to juggling, first their own torches then passing them to each other. The music lowered in volume, so the sound of the flames passing through the air could be heard throughout.

“This isn’t going to end well,” George muttered to Arthur, who nodded in agreement. He’d watched the Tibbles grow up. While he didn’t know this Shelley kid, he knew enough about them to not trust this.

But the juggling act completed, and the Tibbles demanded applause. Kids obliged, but many were scared. Some kids were even crying, but the doors were closed. There was nowhere to go.

“Volunteers! I need some volunteers!” Shelley called from the center, hula hoops on his arms. Slink shrank into the shadows as the twins brought out flashlights and shined them into the crowd.

“Just a little game, just a little fun!” Timmy cried out, his spotlight landing on DW.

Arthur shook his head, “Hell no, you’re not going down there. They could kill you,” he argued, but DW was already trying to get out of his reach. He stomped his foot as the twins accepted her, both of them laughing.

“She’ll be okay, they need this to work out. They want to do more so they can keep resources, it’ll be fine,” Catherine said, but Francine knew her sister well enough to know she was just saying that to make Arthur feel better. He could tell too as another volunteer was picked from the crowd, this one just as argumentative as Arthur.

But the twins wouldn’t take no for an answer. The kid, no older than six, was snatched from the seat they were holding onto. Slink cursed under his breath as the music rose. Another pair of volunteers emerged, and the contest began.

Shelley stood on a platform as the music changed. He sneered at the crowd, “Fun for a prize, fun for a prize! Who can keep their hoop going the longest? Let’s find out!” he called, gesturing for them to pick up the hoops he’d given them.

The smallest kid was crying too hard. George flinched as he watched the kid’s hoop fall. Sure enough, Timmy snatched him under the bleachers. Another kid screamed for them as several others jumped to their feet.

This wasn’t part of the plan.

“I thought you said they wouldn’t hurt them!” George hissed at Catherine as the second kid dropped their hoop. Francine peered over the crowd, “Where are they taking them?”

Slink watched from his spot as DW and the other girl exchanged fearful glances. Both of them were almost ten, plenty old enough to get what was going on…but not old enough to have much stamina, especially after almost a month of living in an adult-free world.

The other girl started to cry. Arthur cheered, “Keep going, DW! Keep going!” he pleaded.

“What does she get if she wins?” Catherine muttered. Francine shook her head, “Hopefully her freedom,” she said as the crying girl lost control, the hoop sliding wide off her hips and hitting the floor with a pop.

DW fearfully kept going as the girl was yanked from the center by the twins and one of the druggie boys. Slink turned away as Shelley returned to the center of the ring:

“We have a winner! Let’s give it up for the little SURVIVOR, shall we?!” Shelley demanded. Arthur cheered and made others around him clap. He knew the right outcome depended on how they handled this situation. The game was over, so they had to appease Shelley for a moment longer.

Shelley held the hoop, “Such a star! You should come back next week and play again, see if you can be defeated,” he said, shoving her into the crowd. He glared at Arthur before the music rose and the lights died down again.

George and Arthur snatched DW into the stands and forced her between them. She was crying and kept asking, “Where did they take them?” but no one answered. Besides, the music was too loud again, and the dirt bike was back again.

Cages were brought out this time, the smallest no bigger than a dog kennel. Catherine swallowed as she realized the smallest kid was collared and stuck inside it. The next pen, this one much larger, had the other two girls from the contest. They too were collared and crying.

“Let’s see if they can win this game. We call it the JUMP! It reminds us of those beloved days of watching monster truck rallies on television,” Shelley said as he accepted the bike from one of the druggies, “Except we don’t have trucks, just this old thing! And there’s no junk cars, just KIDS!”

Screams came from all over as Shelley geared up to make his leap. Francine demanded they try to leave, but as Arthur predicted, there was a mad dash down the bleacher stairs. Slink watched from his spot on the side as kids in his section tried to climb down, but equipment blocked their way. The lights were turned off, the only light come from torches on the cages and flashing strobe lights on the dirt bike.

“Where’s everyone trying to go?! You wouldn’t want to miss the FUN!” Shelley boomed, jumping the small kennel with the first ramp. The kid inside screamed and held his ears, but there was no stopping the noise or his fate. If the bike hit his cage, it wouldn’t be enough to keep him from harm.

Francine pointed, “You can see down there, there’s no one. It leads to the girls’ locker room, and there’s a fire exit. Come on, let’s go before it gets worse.”

George wasn’t about to argue, but Arthur needed help getting DW to move. Catherine snatched the girl up and draped her over her back, then they climbed under a barrier and made the short fall into the space.

Slink watched as kids screamed and started pushing the doors, but soon the Tibbles appeared with chainsaws. The smell of motor oil filled the air as did shrieks of terror. Kids reared back and ran, some of them back to the bleachers but others out onto the floor. The druggies snatched them up and used whatever they could to tie the kids together. They were bigger and stronger; the kids had no chance.

Slink watched Arthur descend into the space across the gym. Slink looked around and noticed another was on his side. He nodded, the boys’ locker room. He could climb out a window or kick out the fire door.

Kids were too distracted to notice. He lowered himself into the space and found himself alone as the screaming continued. He could hear the motor of the bike and the chainsaw over the music, then just the music as he ran up the way.

The others had the same experience. Francine rushed them towards the fire exit, which they found was unguarded. She pushed the door, and—no alarm. They were using a generator for their music, so the building’s safety features were off.

The group ran from the school and back towards the other side of Sector 3. On the other side, Slink made a mad dash back towards downtown so he could report back to Alex and maybe, just maybe, get any hurt kids help if the crowds died down enough.

When they got to Lakewood, Arthur took no chances whistling loudly. Sue Ellen was on watch and lowered down the ladder with fear in her eyes as DW climbed up so fast she nearly fell.

Catherine watched on with tears in her eyes, “I have to go back, you don’t understand. I have to,” she cried as Francine took her hands.

Francine shook her head, “No, you can stay with us, we’ll take care of you. Please, I thought you were dead,” she sobbed.

“I will be if I defy Muffy. Look…I’m not safe there, but my needs are met. I’ll keep you updated whenever I can, but please…I have to go back,” Catherine whispered.

“No, Cat, I don’t want to worry about you anymore. I worried if you were alive, well, sick, dead—everything! Come on, you have to stay!” Francine wailed, but Catherine knew she had to defy her sister. Muffy wouldn’t let her hear the end of it if she didn’t return.

Francine ran after her, “Wait, why can’t I come?”

“It’s Muffy, Frankie, she thinks she has some power here. But if the Tibbles knew how to get into her wine cellar? Had her keys to get into the neighbors’ houses and get their booze? They’d kill her. She’s too dumb to see it,” Catherine said, hugging her sister one last time, “This isn’t goodbye. This is only the beginning.”

“You tell Muffy I hate her guts,” Francine demanded, but Catherine shook her head as she pulled away. She smiled deviously, “I’m not telling her anything. She doesn’t need to know about you.”

Francine smiled and watched her sister leave as screams echoed off neighboring buildings. She walked back to the school and climbed up the ladder, then she pulled it up alone.

Sue Ellen looked her over, “So it was really her? You found Catherine?”

Francine nodded, “She’s with Muffy, but she wouldn’t tell me what she was doing there, just that I can’t go. But she’ll be back when she can. We’ll deal with her together. What about you?”

“I’m holding it together,” Sue Ellen said, frowning at the screams, “I’m glad I stayed here. Are you all okay?”

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t hold out hope for the kids who couldn’t leave. If the Tibbles wanted to keep this going like Catherine thinks, they should pick a better gimmick than snatching people out of the crowd and jumping motorbikes over their heads.”

Sue Ellen squirmed as they climbed down the service steps and into the school. Everyone went to their separate rooms, then Arthur returned to the roof to keep watch. He expected to see smoke on the horizon, but none became visible as night fell. Screams continued, but the frantic nature of them and the running in the dark got quieter. He held watch, his body shaking. He never wanted to leave Lakewood again.

Downtown, Alex shook his head to Slink, “We don’t interfere. I may be a guardian over their injuries since many think so, and I will be if we can work out the cure, but I’m no savior. Those kids made their own choices to be there with those people. They’re probably building up their numbers again after losing you and your friends.”

Slink looked him over, “My friends? Did they hurt them too?” he asked.

Alex shook his head, “Nope, there was a breach and they ran. Why do you think they left the dump for the school? More security, better holding cells. They asked me about it, I told them sure, a place closer to town.”

“So people can’t escape?” Slink guessed. Alex frowned, “So they couldn’t hide from anyone anymore. Everyone can watch everything they do now. It won’t be pretty, but it was necessary. The circus might return to town, but only the worst kids will go now. Fear is a good teaching tool.”

Slink wanted to argue, but he was exhausted. He made the walk back to the government center, back to the detective’s office he had taken over. The guy had a private washroom, so Slink wiped off his makeup and returned to his favorite black t-shirt. He eyed the trench coat hanging nearby and couldn’t wait to put it back on in the morning. For now, he would rest…and try to forget the screams from the circus.

As the clock ticked midnight, Shelley looked over the remaining children. Tommy and Timmy had made a game of opening the doors and letting children run out, but some weren’t able. A couple weren’t moving, but others were cowered under the bleachers.

Shelley used a large lantern that illuminated the space. He smiled wide, “Come out, children, come out! Come now, let’s go home.”

The children whimpered, but they obeyed. They filed out into a hallway that led into a covered walkway. It was outside, but they were trapped between chain-link fences. They went through the doors and found themselves in the high school proper. The twins led them all into a classroom with makeshift beds.

“Welcome home,” Shelley smiled, closing the door and locking it behind him. He tossed the keys to Tommy, “I’m going to make a run, make sure they get the training they need. I’ll see if I can bring more for next week’s show.”

“Do you think there will be one?” Tommy asked. Timmy sneered, “Of course kids will come, maybe not as many, but there’s always someone willing to live on the wild side.”

They cackled, the noise echoing in Shelley’s ears as he mounted his dirt bike and rode out to the dark streets. He missed his van, but there was no need for it now. He had a new gig, a new identity, and a new way to torment the kids of Elwood City.

Chapter Text

Francine looked up from her book as Sue Ellen entered with a plastic tray. She sat in the corner and looked up to make sure no one had followed her, then she pushed the tray away. George had made pancakes to help lighten the mood, but the smell of the syrup made Sue Ellen nauseous.

Francine looked her over, “You okay? You’re looking a little green,” she whispered. Sue Ellen nodded, “I’m better now, I just had to be on my own a bit. I’m hoping I can eat them dry. They look amazing, I just…I don’t understand it. I never looked up…you know. I didn’t think it was something I wanted. I still don’t,” she sighed.

Francine closed her book and crawled closer so they could keep their voices down. Francine eyed the dry pancakes before looking up to Sue Ellen, “We’ll have to tell the others at some point so we can prepare. George thinks the cooler weather is here to stay, but now that he has the Compson farm to visit, maybe I can keep him around longer. Now that I’ve found Catherine, we need to stay, but…we need to know so we can make choices, make changes, do what we need to do.”

“What if they try to throw me out? Arthur was talking to George this morning about the circus and seeing kids caring for their baby siblings and a pregnant teen, and he sounded so disgusted with them,” Sue Ellen said sharply.

“He’s entitled to his opinion, but what’s done is done,” Francine said firmly, touching Sue Ellen’s shoulder sympathetically, “I won’t tell your secrets, but you should do something, okay? We need time to prepare.”

Sue Ellen hung her head but nodded. She looked up with tears in her eyes, “Can you do a run and try to find some books or something? I want to know what could happen.”

“And that’s all you want to know?” she asked. Sue Ellen shot her a confused look, so she continued, “You made it sound like you’re still debating things. I mean, it’s dangerous, but there could still be time if you don’t want to do this.”

“The time for that passed weeks ago,” she admitted, shaking her head, “I would say I’m maybe four months along? I don’t know for sure, but that sounds about right. He moved on to someone else after,” she said with a guilty expression, “I guess the novelty wore off.”

“Who was this creep anyway? You said he was older—”

“A teacher, a shitty one at that. All show, no substance,” Sue Ellen whispered quickly, meeting Francine’s gaze, “He worked with some of the gifted classes to get us ready for different things. My group was robotics, we were going to do a competition…about now actually. The group had just formed, but I knew of him. I was an easy target, but so were some of the others. He just had this way about him.”

Francine grimaced, “He was disgusting.”

“Well I can’t argue that now, but…it’s always been hard to get my parents to pay attention to me. Mom had her stuff, Dad was always away on business, and…he must’ve sensed it. He was willing to give me the attention I thought I wanted,” Sue Ellen said, shaking her head, “I know now how dumb I was, how stupid, but…what’s done is done. I need to get ready, but I need more time to tell the others. On another run? Please?”

“I’d rather go alone, but George and Arthur both won’t go for it, and DW will blab,” Francine said, looking her over, “Are you up for one? You haven’t left since you got here.”

Sue Ellen was reluctant to agree to this, but she knew it was the truth: The guys were too protective to allow a solo run, but DW wasn’t trustworthy enough either. It had to be the two of them.

But Sue Ellen couldn’t eat the pancakes even dry. She carried the tray back to the cafeteria and tossed them after spending a few minutes in the bathroom. She went back to her room and dug out the plain crackers she’d hidden for herself, but that wasn’t healthy. She needed to prepare better if this baby was going to have a chance.

Hana and Catherine worked hard to get their plot ready. Jenna and Maria worked nearby while Emily sunned herself on an upper deck. Muffy was still in the Crosswire mansion pacing the floor in anger. She was not happy with how the circus had turned out.

Hana stopped digging and looked over the space, “I think this is about ready for some of that soil you found. It’ll have better nutrients than this stuff,” she noted, looking around, “Have you ever planted stuff before?” she asked.

Catherine scoffed, “Not since some third grade plant project. I’m just winging it. I mean, what else can we do? We’re going to need food.”

Maria studied them as she and Jenna worked together to move pavers towards their bed. James was putting more on a gardening cart they’d found in the garage, but it was hard work. Catherine and Hana watched them before joining them in the work, their work gloves giving them grip as they moved the heavy stones around.

“Who all did you see at the circus?” Maria asked cheerfully as James emerged with the last paver. Maria turned from him to Catherine, “Did you see his sister?”

James scoffed as he put down his heavy paver and wiped his brow, “Molly wouldn’t go to something like that, it’d be too dangerous for her. Right, Catherine?” he asked.

Catherine nodded, “I saw all sorts of people, but no Molly. It was dark at times though, but there was enough light in other moments that I could’ve made her out I guess. It was pretty chaotic. I hope she doesn’t make me go again.”

The screams even made their way back to Sector 6 as kids ran from the scene. Emily had taken notice as well, and Catherine could tell the posh girl was desperate to find out what all had happened. Catherine would tell them all the same thing: The Tibbles happened. Shelley happened. It was dangerous, more dangerous than she expected, and if she had to guess? Any kid who couldn’t make it out wasn’t going to. They would be the show the following week.

Jenna looked around, “How much will she make us do? This is really hard work, I’m too tired.”

“I don’t know,” Catherine admitted, adding, “I don’t have that many seeds yet. I’ve taken some from rotten fruit, but I don’t know if they’ll be viable. I guess we’ll have to find out along the way.”

“If she makes you go again, what will you do?” Jenna asked. Catherine shrugged, “I’ll have to go, and I’ll look for whoever you want me to look for, but…I wish she would handle her own dirty work,” she murmured.

Emily shifted around upstairs on the balcony. Catherine sighed and looked them over, “Keep up the work, but…go slower. She won’t notice, okay? If you take a break, only one at a time. She probably won’t notice that either but I don’t want to take any chances.”

They nodded as Catherine wiped her feet and left her gloves by the back door. She ascended a marble staircase and made her way to the balcony, where Emily was sipping some of Catherine’s juice. She took off her sunglasses as Catherine took a seat next to her:

“I was hoping you could tell me about the circus. Were there clowns and tricks? Refreshments? Wasn’t it fun?” Emily grinned.

Catherine stared at her blankly, “People had to flee for their lives, Em. I think some kids didn’t make it out. They’re either dead or enslaved now, hopefully dead. They were messing with fire and all sorts of dangerous things. No one should be going to these events.”

“So that’s why Muffy is in a mood,” Emily said, shuffling back into her seat, “She was hoping for something more upscale, but I don’t know if that’s doable anymore.”

“Well, if it is, she can do it herself. We’re working on getting the garden growing, but none of us know what we’re doing. We should maybe find some books or something. Normally we’d just Google something like this, but no internet,” Catherine whispered.

Emily sighed, “Well…you’re all smart, you’ll figure something out. And if you don’t, well, Muffy will figure out what to do with your spare time.”

“We need supplies, and we do need a way to trade with outsiders. The Tibbles had that part down. The currency at the circus was food and batteries, some kids even had electronics, but…that’s what she needs to do. If it’s upscale, fine, but…kids are unruly, dangerous even. The Tibbles and whoever their ringmaster guy is? They’re even worse. It’s not safe out there,” Catherine said, looking Emily over, but the girl was barely listening.

Emily sighed softly, “You know what I miss? Going on dates with boys and watching movies and all of that. Maybe we should play into that side of things. I bet Muffy would like that idea.”

“Sure, you should ask her,” Catherine said flatly, standing up, “I better get back to work.”

Back in the backyard, Catherine worked on finding poles they could use to hold up the plastic and glass sheets they’d found. It was too cold at night to leave plants uncovered, but there was enough sunlight to get something going during the day. She hoped. She really did need to figure this out, but she wasn’t about to ask Muffy, and Emily was too daft.

Hana approached Catherine and handed her the work gloves she’d left behind. Hana smirked, “It’s hard work being the only person with their head on right. I know it’s rough out there, but…if she’s letting you leave, maybe you should.”

“I want to keep tabs on her. The Tibbles are malicious, but Muffy isn’t so nice either,” Catherine said, putting on her gloves, “Look at how she treats us, how she treats her,” she said, gesturing upwards to Emily.

Hana scoffed, “She doesn’t care about Emily, she just knows she has to keep the girl in her care. Her family was loaded, that’s how we got a lot of our luxury supplies that we’re not allowed to touch. They even have the Leduc family crest on the bottles.”

Catherine hadn’t noticed before, but she was right. Even the Crosswire’s didn’t have that, only a stamp that looked storebought. Catherine shook her head as she looked over the backyard deep in thought. There was so much going on behind the scenes with a girl like Muffy, and she wondered just how far that went.

Catherine turned to Hana, “She only meets with the Tibbles, right?”

“No one else will give her the light of day,” Hana said, smirking, “She’s alone in the world and doesn’t know it yet.”

Catherine cocked her head, “I wouldn’t rejoice in that. We’re doomed if she turns on us,” she said, looking over the others. She called out to Jenna and asked, “Who are you looking for on the outside?” she questioned, but she didn’t have an answer. Maria mentioned a brother, and Catherine knew about Molly, but Jenna had no one.

“I don’t have anyone either,” Hana said, shrugging, “Some of us weren’t blessed with big families…or our siblings were like Muffy’s and were too old. You’re pretty lucky.”

“I know that, and I know I’m on borrowed time. We all are. As soon as those resources run out or the Tibbles figure out how weak she really is? We’ll be the ones at the circus, and dimwitted Emily will go right along with it. I think she still sees last night as fun,” Catherine said.

Hana shuddered, “Where would we go?”

“You told me to go if I could. I won’t leave you all behind,” Catherine promised, looking around, “I’m going to find a book or something.”

But when she went through the front door, Muffy was storming over. She called for Emily, who quickly ran down the stairs and followed Muffy back across the street. Muffy demanded they return, so Catherine helped everyone clean up. They reported back to the Crosswire mansion, but she meant what she said: She was going to figure out the garden situation, but she was also going to look hard for a way out.

Stormy was surprised to see Rattles approaching the clocktower. She climbed down and greeted him as another kid came up behind him. He introduced her as Jessica, and they shook hands.

Stormy looked him over, “So, what brings you out here? Need to know something else about gardening in these conditions?”

“No, no, the notes you gave me were perfect,” Rattles replied, gesturing to Jessica, “We met up with her group when I was getting the specifics down. We’ve got everything set up as best as we can without electricity. We just wanted to know what you knew about the water situation—”

“And Alan Powers,” Jessica interrupted to add.

Stormy shrugged, “I haven’t seen Alan since…a few days before school ended. I normally had a thing with him, but I skipped the last few days. It kinda felt stupid to be planning for the future when the news was so doom and gloom. I don’t know about the water either, sorry. What’s going on?”

“It’s clean again and there’s plenty of pressure. It’s like the water treatment plant is back up and running,” Rattles replied.

“Hmm, maybe it is. That sounds like something Brain would do. You said they were at the government center?” she asked. He nodded, “I think so anyway, I doubt he’d lose an advantage like that.”

Jessica looked from Rattles back to Stormy, “You were friends before?”

“Classmates, smart kids. We were in some gifted programs together, some classes and some after school stuff,” Stormy explained, adding, “I had the opportunity to go with Brain and the others, but…I had some other business to tend to,” she said, meeting Rattles’s gaze. He nodded to her as she turned back to Jessica, “As soon as it was done, I set up here. What better time to explore the weather than when there’s no one telling you what to do?”

“Sounds smart, plus you’re really helping us out,” Jessica said, looking around, “Does anyone ever come out this way?” she asked.

“That weirdo with the van a few times, but I haven’t seen him since. I could hear the circus from here though. Did any of you go?” Stormy asked.

Rattles scoffed, “Are you crazy? We’ve got to look out for ourselves, and crawling into the Tibbles’ lair sounds dumb. Jessica’s group was held captive by them, they barely got out alive.”

“What of the other Tough Customers?” Stormy grinned. Rattles kept a firm expression, “Two got out, we don’t know about the third. Slink was always the wild card,” he said. She nodded and stood up.

Jessica turned to Rattles, “I’m going to start heading back,” she said, glancing up to Stormy, “Seems like you two have some unfinished business.”

Rattles looked back up to Stormy, who had stopped and turned around to face him. Rattles leaned against the barrier, “Is she right? Is there more for us to discuss?”

“I don’t know if you’re the right person or not,” Stormy admitted, stepping forward, “I’ve got a lot to be afraid of still even with that monster rotting in his own bed. A lot happened then. The virus was a blessing in disguise.”

“They weren’t going to do anything, huh? Even with you quitting and Sue Ellen debating it,” Rattles whispered. Stormy shook her head, “They said we were lying, but…if the same thing happened with her? There’s two pieces of evidence they couldn’t deny. I get why she pulled away now. She must’ve known he lied, found out the hard way.”

Rattles adjusted his stance, “Where do you think she is now? I know you said she left up there, and she should have. People like Brain wouldn’t be able to handle something like this.”

“Men are weak,” Stormy spat, staring him down, “The men who once ruled the world were weak and spineless urchins. They deserved to die, and he can’t handle that either. Brain looked up to that piece of pond scum. He’d deny it too, just like the other adults did. That’s why Sue Ellen left, she’d be further along than me. I just realized about the time he died. He let me love him,” she cried, tears streaming down her face, “He let me be stupid.”

“You weren’t stupid, you were manipulated,” Rattles whispered, pulling Stormy into a hug, “I meant it, you’d be safe with us. Jessica’s group is in a condo complex, you’d have your own unit. I’ve already found some supplies, you’d be safe.”

Stormy shook her head, “If I showed up pregnant, Molly would question you for days. She knows we were close when we were in the group. You didn’t tell her, did you?”

“It was none of her business,” Rattles said, releasing her from his hug, “It’s still not if you don’t want it to be. You can’t be the only girl around here in a predicament and not because some sick fuck got handsy. It’s inevitable. I mean, if she wasn’t already on the pill, we could have a little problem of her own.”

Stormy wiped away her tears, “I’ve been having dreams. I had a dream that my sister called me…except I don’t have a sister. But then the other one showed up at my door, here, where I am now, and she said I’ve always had sisters, that I could come home to them and be free, and…I want it to be true,” she sobbed.

Rattles pulled her into another hug and held her until she could compose herself. He then sat her down on the steps of the clocktower. He held her hands in his, “Describe the sisters.”

Stormy shot him a confused look, “It was a dream, Rattles. My subconscious wants me to believe there’s a way out of this—”

“Describe the sisters,” he repeated. Stormy’s eyes flickered with confusion. Rattles sighed, “We had Fern with us. She had weird dreams and fits, Mei-Lin worried she was on drugs, but…they called to her too. She left a few days ago, to the library she said. Maybe you should go too.”

Stormy laughed nervously, “No offence, but Fern sounds mentally ill. No, there’s no way.”

“Well…the rules are different here,” he said, standing up, “The adults are dead, the kids are in charge, the weather is backwards, and kids are having vivid dreams that must take them somewhere safe. I’ve been to that sector, it’s quiet there. You should go there, just check it out, especially if they call again. Seriously, I believe it now. I already had all the thoughts, but…if Fern was crazy, why would she come stay with us? She had a good gig going, but…they told her it was time to go, and now the bowling alley is burned to the ground and they’re still here.”

“They could’ve died,” Stormy whispered. Rattles shrugged as he began walking off. Stormy called out to him, “Are you sure? What if I don’t want to stay with them?”

“Tell them you’ve got some work to do here, just…let us know when you go so we can keep an eye on this place. We’ll take turns,” Rattles warned. Stormy nodded and ascended the stairs to the top. She climbed the ladder and sat on the ledge, watching as Rattles met up with Jessica a block away. They fell into step and turned towards the condos.

Stormy could almost feel them whisper in her ear. She’d had vivid dreams before, dreams that felt real, but this was different. Was it the same as Fern? Were they both crazy or could they both pick up on this new-found magic? There was only one way to find out, but she didn’t know if she could do it.

Chapter Text

George finished packing a foam cooler full of freshly jarred tomatoes. Some were destined to become spaghetti or pizza sauce, but others were there if someone needed them for something else. It was ambitious, but this group had the skills. The Compson’s had already learned a lot of these skills. Living with a big family meant making do with what you had, and sometimes that meant making your own.

Ladonna handed George a smaller jar. Madison had worked all morning on making preserves from the few blackberries they harvested before the cool nights got to them. George licked his lips at the thought of such a treat.

Bud sauntered over and shook George’s hand, “It was a pleasure working with you today, Lundgren. You’ll be back soon, right?”

“A couple of days probably, I should check in with what we need. I’ll tell Arthur you’re looking for yeast and flour. Maybe we can find that in his old neighborhood or something if things have calmed down,” he whispered fearfully.

Ladonna’s smile faded, “So it’s true things went nuts after the circus?” she asked in a whisper. Despite this, Vicita heard and tiptoed over.

George eyed her and nodded, “Yeah, the circus was really bad. I don’t care how tempting the flyers get, don’t go. I passed some kids on my way over who were looking for their brother. He went to the circus with them but hasn’t come home yet.”

“I bet they took them prisoner or something. Those Tibbles have always been nasty little things,” Bud hissed. Ladonna shuddered, “That other guy seems worse than they are, and that’s saying something!” she exclaimed as Bud nodded in agreement.

“Why call it a circus if it’s not fun?” Vicita asked. George touched her shoulder sympathetically, “Trust me, they were the only ones having fun. They got a bunch of food off people in exchange for grainy cotton candy and burnt, tiny popcorn. Who knows what else they’ll try to scam out of people? Francine thinks they’ll start embracing the dark side next. Nobody in their right mind would go by that place now. Even those kids knew not to go back.”

Madison stepped forward with a basket of laundry, “They were at the high school, right? I don’t plan on going anywhere near there, but just in case.”

George nodded, “Yeah, it was at the high school. Francine thinks they’ll move in. If it’s built anything like Lakewood, it’s pretty safe for them. It’s not safe for any kids they held captive, and I’ve heard the weird guy’s bike. You shouldn’t go out at night, he might grab you.”

“I wish Albert was here, he’d fight the guy if he tried to touch me,” Vicita said with some force but a hint of sadness.

Bud took her hand, “You’re a Compson now, we’ll fight them for you. We wish he could’ve come with you, y’all would’ve been welcome here. And George, same to you if you ever need anything. I don’t know if here is any safer though.”

“We’ve got sturdier walls if you ever need it, and it’s not far,” George said, adding, “Maybe you should figure out some routes to get to us if you ever have need. Arthur is installing a bell outside the barricade by the playground. We’ll hear you if we’re not already on watch.”

Ladonna praised the new idea, then she helped George out of the area. He began his walk back and spotted Sue Ellen and Francine walking up the road with backpacks on. George realized this was the first time he’d seen Sue Ellen outside of Lakewood since they moved there. He noted her figure and realized that despite skipping meals, she seemed to be bursting out of her outfit in places. It was an old bird costume from a school play, so maybe it was just old.

No, he thought as he got closer, that was her trying to spill out. George looked away as the girls took note of him. He didn’t want them to realize he was looking at her like that. Francine waved and smiled, and George somehow got the timing right as he returned the gesture. Sue Ellen waved nervously, her expression just as grim as always.

“Finishing up a day at the farm?” Francine asked. George nodded, “I feel more productive now. I helped them jar some tomatoes for later. We left them as they were for now, you don’t want to season them until they’re ready to be turned into something. They’re smart about things like that, I never would’ve thought to keep them neutral.”

Sue Ellen pointed, “What is that?”

George grinned, “Blackberry preserves. There’s not many so this is the only jar they gave me. I’ve got some dried seasoning in my pockets as well. I figure we have enough canned items to last a bit, and we still have produce from my last trip,” he said, his smile fading, “What are you doing out?”

“Just looking for some older reading material,” Francine said flatly. Sue Ellen noted how the lie slid off her tongue so easily that George didn’t notice. Francine patted her backpack, “I’ve got room if there’s anything else I should look for.”

“They want to branch into breadmaking but need flour and yeast. They’d prefer actual bread flour, but they’ll take what they can get,” George explained, looking around, “It’s getting a little late to start the search now. I wanted to check on Arthur’s bell situation anyway. They asked about the circus.”

Francine frowned, “I hope none of them tried to go.”

“You could tell Vicita thought about it, maybe even Bud too, but I warned them. I told them about some kids I saw on the way over. Their kid brother was with them at the circus, but he didn’t come home. They wouldn’t go that way to look for him. I think they already know he’s a goner,” George whispered.

Sue Ellen shuddered, “Or he’s their prisoner to do more sick tricks. Are the Compson’s safe where they are?”

George shrugged and fell into step with them as they turned back towards Lakewood, “The barricade around the garden is pretty strong, but the shed isn’t well made, and the shacks they’ve made wouldn’t take an attack if someone decided to ram the walls or something. I told them they could evacuate to our place if they needed to. We’ve got plenty of room, but yeah, it is childish. What kind of books were you looking for?”

“I found a series I’ve always wanted to read. The public library had it, but it was always checked out,” Francine said, shaking her head, “Four books and somehow the one you needed was always with someone else. I’ve got them all now, and we’re going to share them. Maybe we could start a book club or something,” she smiled.

George grinned, “Hey, that’d be fun, but a little like school, no? I don’t see DW joining in.”

“Maybe it’s a teen only book club,” Francine suggested as the school came into view.

Arthur was on the roof and moved over the ladder. Once it was down, Francine went first, then George. Sue Ellen insisted. She’d felt him looking her over, and she didn’t need that. She knew she was getting bigger, bigger than a girl who rarely ate should be.

Once they were back in Francine’s room, they put their books on a shelf. Sue Ellen held the pregnancy and parenting books close to her chest. She had no clue where to hide them where no one would notice.

Francine pulled the decorative covers off two of her books and handed them over, “Now no one will know, but…George was looking at you. Arthur is pretty daft, you’d have to be crowning for him to notice, but DW is a wild card. And a loud one. George won’t say anything, but she will.”

“She’s seen me throwing up,” Sue Ellen whispered, hanging her head, “I told her I was still getting used to eating all this canned food, but I don’t know if she believed me.”

Francine exhaled, “Well…I’m here for you, and I know George will be too. Arthur might’ve said those things, but I’m sure he didn’t mean them. It’s a baby, not a loud toy or another dog.”

Almost on cue, Pal barked and ran behind the girls. DW entered the room eager to hear about their new books. Francine showed her as Sue Ellen backed out and went to her room to hide her titles. No one needed to know, but her secret wasn’t going to be hidden for much longer. She was starting to show, and her clothes weren’t hiding her bump anymore. She had to get up the courage to tell.

Alex wore a hazmat suit along with the other team members he’d brought with him. One was Liam, who was a gifted child who thankfully had a knack for healthcare before all of this virus business started. He agreed to take blood samples from anyone who showed up, something Alex was grateful for. If his cure killed the kids that showed up, they would need something to test.

Not many kids showed. Slink assured Alex he’d given some business cards out before he’d been forced to flee the scene, but he admitted there weren’t as many sick kids as he expected, that the few he found seemed to realize they were doing something unethical by showing up to a crowded place while sick.

Scoping out the city streets was too dangerous now. Alex knew that after hearing Slink’s tale, and the others at the government center where he was staying agreed that the Tibbles had most likely captured or killed any of the kids who got caught in their snare. That was likely the whole point, Alex thought, but he focused himself.

Liam finished getting a sample from an older teen…maybe preteen. It was hard to tell with so many wrinkles and so much wispy hair. The kid was coughing so much that Alex didn’t want to ask too many questions.

The kid lay on the stretcher but immediately sat back up to cough. Liam helped lift the head of the stretcher as Alex prepared his vials. He would go with the smallest dose first.

“Do you give me permission to administer this cure? We’re not sure if it works yet, but you’d be helping us learn,” Alex inquired.

The kid faced him with weary eyes, “Look, man, I’m dead anyway. This is my only hope of watching my siblings grow up,” he said, turning away to cough. He accepted the vial and drank the liquid. He grimaced at the taste, but he kept it down.

No one else showed up. Liam and Alex closed their outer space and locked themselves into the store they’d chosen. The hazmat suit had to stay on while they were around the sick kid, but there was a back area they could rest in while they took turns.

As night fell, the store plunged into darkness. Alex lit a candle as the kid coughed and stirred. The kid looked around and met Alex’s gaze, “I wish I’d brought my siblings, I didn’t think you’d keep me.”

“We have to know if it works, I’m sorry. Do you want me to go get them?” he asked, but the kid declined. The streets were too dangerous at night.

Liam reentered and they sat for a while in silence. Alex caught himself on a shelf when he accidentally fell asleep. Liam was slumped against a wall asleep in his suit, the shield fogged up by his breath. Alex picked up the lantern to dim it and looked at their patient.

Alex smiled. The kid was a kid again.

As soon as the yelling in the streets dissipated, Alex helped the boy out the door. Alex and Liam packed their things and used their hidden golf cart to get back to the hospital. They cleaned themselves, then Alex took a cart to the government center. He found them in the cafeteria having breakfast.

Lydia turned her chair and smiled, “It worked?”

“And the smallest dose, the water is the perfect way to get it where we need it to go. The city can be free of the virus before it gets to more of the population!” Alex exclaimed, a wide smile on his face as the others cheered. Even Carl, who normally didn’t like loud celebrations, let out a whoop.

Alex and Brain rushed to the mayor’s office to finalize calculations as Slink began packing a bag to take to the plant. Lydia helped him as Carl got back to his project in his quieter area of the center. He and Lydia remained behind as the other three got into a police SUV and headed up towards the plant.

Back at the ramshackle house where the kid stayed with his siblings, he rejoined them to find that his kid sister was starting to cough too. They rejoiced over his healing, but they could see the virus was spreading fast.

The kid knelt beside her princess themed sleeping bag, “I made you sick. The doctor can cure you, the guardian can make you well again,” he cried.

His sister took his hand, “Okay, but not yet, I want to stay here a little longer and sleep.”

She wasn’t old yet, just raspy and feverish. The others agreed, but their youngest sibling had news of another small group of neighbor kids who were all sick. Kids all over their sector were hiding coughs and runny noses. No one wanted to admit the end was so near.

The saved kid took to his bike and rushed back to the hospital to find the guardian. He found the barricade to Sector 1 closed, and a group of sick kids protesting outside. They were shocked at the healed kid’s story, but it also added fervor to their protest. The kids wanted the cure, and they knew the guardian had it.

Fern awakened and could feel the mood was different. She pulled on the purple robe she’d been gifted, and she emerged to find the library filled with lit tea candles. Part of her worried about a fire risk as Nadine appeared on the balcony and gestured for her to come upstairs.

When she reached the top of the landing, Kate greeted her by lowering her hood and pulling her aside. Fern could make out low hums now and the droning of one of Rubella’s meditating bell. Whatever was happening within their covered room area wasn’t good, and Fern could practically taste the tension in the air.

Kate frowned, “The blood ritual hasn’t held. We’re going to perform it again, and we’d like you to help. You’ll be exposed to the virus in the process, but if this works, you’ll be saved.”

Fern and Kate raised their hoods as Fern’s thoughts raced. Rubella was the oldest person Fern had seen since the virus killed the last of the adults. At 22, her time very well could be coming to an end, but it was worth trying to save her. Kate was right: If the ritual worked for her, it would work for all of them.

But this was an advanced state. When Fern entered Rubella’s room (a futon between stacks of weathered romance novels), she saw an old woman propped up by pillows. Prunella was over her head running the tuning fork over the meditation bell. The reverberation sent shockwaves through Fern’s chest as she held hands with Marina and Nadine.

Kate joined Prunella at the head of the bed. A ceremonial dagger was produced. Fern recognized it as the letter opener Miss Turner used for her mail. It was from a show, a novelty item mass produced for adoring fans, but now it was a ritual device. Fern imagined it flowing with power as she closed her eyes.

She knew the moment Kate started. A metallic wave filled her nostrils, but she didn’t dare open her eyes and break her concentration. Rubella needed them to be successful.

They chanted, they hummed, and they knelt for what felt like hours. Fern kept her breathing even and tried to focus as hard as she could at picturing Rubella as her youthful self again.

But her coughs continued to sound, and as the afternoon light began filtering in the space, they admitted defeat. Prunella lay over her sister and sobbed as the others left the space to give them privacy. Nadine led Marina, Kate, and Fern into the small employee lounge at the back of the building. They used a gas camping stove to warm up two cans of organic soup.

Nadine poked at her bowl as they sat around the tiny table to eat, “What’s going to happen now? The ritual should’ve taken hold by now. Her spirit is weak.”

Marina hung her head, “Or maybe her age is catching up to her. Death is inevitable for all of us especially in this new world. You’ve said that plenty of times yourself,” she noted. Nadine shrugged. She was the one who normally said such things, not their loyal bookkeeper.

Fern looked them over, “If Kate was cured, why isn’t the ritual working? I thought vaccines were made from cells, and the first inoculations were basically what we were doing. Why wouldn’t it work now?”

“Because someone was playing god in a lab,” Kate said flatly, putting down her spoon, “The adults got cocky and decided to play around with things they shouldn’t have messed with. There were even laws and regulations against such things, but they ignored them. They ignored the right thing to do in pursuit of eternal youth…and now even the young die of old age because of their carelessness. It’s disgusting, they deserved their fate, but…we don’t know what they did to us.”

“Forgive me for asking, but what did they do? No one ever told me,” Fern said meekly. She thought Kate wouldn’t answer such a personal question, but Kate proved her wrong.

The girl met her gaze, “I had cancer. I was taken from my parents when things first got bad in the city. My parents were sick from taking me to and from treatments too close to sick people, so they forced me to come in. I don’t even know if they cared that I had two siblings back home. I don’t know where they are. I tried checking my home, but the street was too dangerous. Arthur was smart, he would’ve left with DW if they were there.”

Fern nodded as Kate continued, “Anyway, the hospital was clean and all of that. They told me they were continuing my treatment, but the vials looked different. They told me not to worry, it was just because of a shortage, but it would do the same thing…yet they tested my blood more often. It was frantic, they were doing doses more often as well.

“The last day there were adults, one of the young female doctors shut herself in the room with me and pulled the curtain. She sat on the bed with me cross-legged so no one could tell she was there…and she told me everything. They had infected us with the virus intentionally then immediately started treatment. Each kid was given a different amount of the virus, and a different cure was given to each one. I was the only one who had survived,” Kate said flatly.

Nadine shook her head and wiped away a tear, “So many innocent children killed by those selfish doctors.”

“They worked so hard to discover the truth that they ran out of time themselves. I went to find them the next day to find Alex looking over the ward. He was in your classes with you, he’s THIRTEEN years old, and he was running the hospital,” Kate said sternly, meeting Fern’s gaze once more, “And he runs it still probably trying to keep kids alive, but…they were poor excuses of professionals. So much was everywhere, files were missing. It’ll be a miracle if we can use their work.”

“We don’t want it,” Nadine hissed. Marina nodded, “Their medicine would kill us the way it tried to kill you.”

Kate nodded as well, “We don’t want their poison in our blood. If society is intended to fall, it will. Entirely. There will be nothing we can do to stop it, but…part of me hopes they cured me. My cancer seems to be gone, I don’t have the pain anymore or the weakness. But I look older, so I might be older inside. I might still be at risk for the virus. I guess we’ll know in the coming days. We spent a long time kneeling with Rubella. The virus is airborne.”

The girls fell into silence, then they finished their lunch. Kate and Nadine worked on the dishes as Marina walked with purpose back down to the basement. Fern thought of returning to her room, but she didn’t want to be alone with herself, alone with her thoughts. She took off her robe and stepped out the employee side entrance. She walked down the ramp they used for loading books, then she worked her way into the small garden shed nearby.

The mower had no gas, but it also appeared to be missing a starter. The weed eater had no line, and she wasn’t sure how it worked anyway. The grass was a mess, that much she knew, so she looked through the tools. She found a sharp blade on a handle—a scythe. Her brain clicked at the memory of the Amish farm. That was how they cut their hay for their animals.

The tool would work fine for this. She put on work gloves and started at the far side. It took her a few tries to get the motion right, then she fell into a pattern. To keep hope alive, she thought of her work as healing Rubella. The taller and thicker the weed she encountered, the more power behind her magic.

But it was just that, a thought, and nothing more. She could hear Rubella coughing when she returned inside. Fern took to the men’s washroom to wash herself off from her work, her thoughts grim. Rubella was going to die if their ritual didn’t work, but she wasn’t okay with that. There had to be another way.

Fletcher was the one who suggested they do guard duty. With how loud the streets had been and the improvements on the gate, she expected to at least tell other kids to buzz off throughout the day. TC didn’t seem to have any trouble the first night, but this second one was scaring her a little. She could hear whispers and yells from a street behind them, and there were flashes against the trees from some sort of lights.

Rattles stepped out into the night and pulled his jacket tighter. Fletcher grinned, “Yeah, I had to hit up the hoarder’s place for a jacket. It’s freezing out here tonight. I can’t believe it’d be, what, July now? Those scientists must’ve done some wacky shit to the weather for this sort of thing to be happening,” she said, looking him over, “What made you two move over here?”

Leaving the Sugar Bowl wasn’t an easy decision, but it was one Rattles made with Molly and Mei-Lin. Both girls wanted more security than the restaurant could offer at the moment, plus heating was a bit of a problem. The unit on the other side of the one they were gardening in was the perfect size for the three of them, plus the upstairs bedroom was already a little girl’s room. They could play family.

Rattles glanced over to Fletcher, “I think we wanted a better vantage point, something with less glass, something a little further from the high school.”

Fletcher shuddered and pulled her sweater tighter, “I’ve never been more grateful to miss something. What that kid said about their missing sibling was terrible.”

Clark had been on guard duty when they came by. He whistled for the others when the kids approached the gate, and they all stepped out to take in the group. The oldest was eight at the most, and the kid they were missing was four, newly four. Fletcher hoped the kid had gotten killed in the action, but she knew he was probably a Tibble prisoner now, and the circus gig wasn’t going to be kind to a kid that small.

“So…that bad with those freaks, huh?” Rattles asked. Fletcher exhaled, a cloud of her breath shrouding her face from view, “You don’t want to know, man. The regret was instant of what we were doing. We thought we were working the event, helping to give out food. In exchange for some alcohol we found, we were hoping for a cut to bring back here.

“Now, I know you both said not to, we just had hopes we could do business. We weren’t expecting them to stage the stampede and run off with most of the food. Maybe three sets of kids got something before one of them set off a firework or something? I can’t remember, it was hazy,” Fletcher whispered, glancing to Rattles, “The dump was pretty bad, but they were being stupid about it.”

“Stupid how?” he asked. She shrugged, “I don’t know, something about digging electronics out of a landfill sounds pretty dumb to me.”

Rattles couldn’t help but agree, “Yeah, that’s a good way to get people mad at you, but so is running a night at the circus and pulling crazy stuff that makes kids scared and run away. What do you think they’ll pull next? Kids in every sector must’ve heard about this by now.”

“My guess? Gaming place, they’ll call it a casino but it’ll be little more than fair games and card tricks, shit they can get away with,” Fletcher whispered, shaking her head, “Maybe they open a skeezy bar or something. Who knows? I know one thing though: We won’t be seeing what’s up.”

Rattles looked up when he clocked movement nearby. Fletcher stood up with him and looked out into the dark. Rattles saw some moonlight flicker off a necklace, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Rattles called out, “Stormy? Is that you?” he asked.

Stormy stepped into the beam of Fletcher’s flashlight. She waved and gestured to the gate, “Trying to keep people out? This won’t do much if someone with a car comes through.”

Rattles stepped forward, “Luckily there aren’t many of those around anymore. What’s up? What are you doing here?” he asked.

Fletcher gestured to her, “How do you know this one?” she grinned, adding, “Does Molly know?”

“We were classmates, and yeah, she knows I went to her. This is the girl who helped us figure out the grow thing,” Rattles explained, turning to Stormy, “She stays at the clocktower, doesn’t get out much. Is something going on?”

“I wanted some advice. From Molly,” she said, gesturing to the gate, “Mind letting me in and waking her up?”

Fletcher opened the gate as Rattles began walking towards their unit. Fletcher returned to the lawn chair she was sitting in and curled up into the heat. She smirked over her shoulder as Rattles and Stormy entered the unit.

Molly was in the main bedroom and covered her eyes as Rattles entered with Stormy and the flashlight. Molly sat up and stretched as Rattles sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her back. It took a couple of minutes for Molly to compose herself and look up to Stormy, who was nervously standing at the foot of the bed.

“Is something wrong?” Molly murmured. Stormy shook her head, “No…but yes. It’s important, okay? I could use advice, a girl’s advice,” she said, glancing at Rattles, “No offense. Maybe you can get back to guard duty.”

Rattles handed over the flashlight and stepped outside. He closed the door behind him, and Molly moved to the center of the bed. She grabbed the flashlight from Stormy, who settled in at the foot of the bed as Molly grabbed a battery powered tea light. She muttered about the brightness before yawning and stretching again. Then she apologized and asked Stormy to fill her in.

“I…I don’t know what all Rattles has told you about me,” Stormy said. Molly’s eyes flickered in the light, “You’re going to have to be specific if it’s more than just you being an amateur weather girl. That’s all he’s ever told me.”

Stormy nodded, “I thought so. Rattles was always pretty trustworthy with other people’s secrets. He’s a real gentleman,” she whispered, looking up to Molly, “This isn’t about him, I should probably start with that. He only knows because we were in the same classes and crossed paths. He didn’t know until about the time Sue Ellen and I left the government center that things were really bad.”

Molly squinted in confusion, “Wait, I thought Sue Ellen left because she felt responsible for the stampede. Was there something else going on?”

“Nothing current,” Stormy said, sighing softly, “Before…when we were in school and everything, before the virus, there was a coach mentoring our group during his off season. He’s the hockey coach, boys I think? I don’t know. He has an engineering degree, so they let him teach smart kid stuff.”

“Hmm,” Molly hummed, hanging her head, “So the rumors about him being a fucking creep are true?” she asked.

Stormy nodded, “Sue Ellen first, then me…at least from that group. He was so good at making us feel like someone was paying us attention. We both craved it, her more than me. She didn’t know about us until after.”

“After how?” Molly asked. Stormy gestured around her, “After all of this, the virus. My parents were out of town and got stuck in Metropolis trying to get back. I went to his house, and he opened the door an old man. He was hiding from medical officials, so I promised to help…except I didn’t go there for that. I was late. I thought he should know.”

Molly nodded solemnly. She knew what that meant, and she sighed softly, “You wanted some kind of advice from me. That’s what you said when you came in here, and…I don’t think you’d be here at one in the morning if it wasn’t serious.”

“I need to hear from you about Fern’s dreams. Was she crazy? Did they make sense? I want to hear it from a girl because…I’ve been having them too. They were relentless last night, I’m running out of time,” she whispered frantically.

Molly cocked her head, “I thought she was out of her mind when they first told me, but I heard her the last couple of nights before she left. It was like that, like they were calling her. She was so calm the day she left. Rattles and I argued about following her, but something told me not to. That was her journey, and…it must’ve worked out okay. We haven’t heard from her yet. No news is good news, right?”

Stormy nodded, “Yeah, that’s what my mom used to say. I know that wasn’t true in the end. My parents are gone just like everyone else’s, and we’ll probably get it too I guess, but…if I go to the sisters, I won’t have this anymore. I don’t want it, I never did in the first place. He wore protection, but…Sue Ellen and I think he did something to it.”

“That’s why my mom said to do it yourself. I got an implant, and she had a pharmacist friend pack some birth control before her last shift at the grocery store,” Molly said, smirking, “I’m sure there’s plenty left, kids are stupid, but…you and Sue Ellen weren’t, and if that’s your choice? Well…you should see if the sisters can help you. I just…Fern didn’t come back. I hope you get that choice.”

The front door opened again and Molly sighed. She looked up as Rattles appeared in the doorway. He handed Molly a flyer, “Brain just rode by and handed it to us. He said the water has the cure in it, a cure from the virus. He did it himself.”

Stormy scoffed, “No way, really? I guess those genius kids got something figured out, huh?”

“He said if we don’t believe him, there’s kids already cured roaming around,” Rattles said, sitting next to Molly and pulling her close, “We’ll be safe going ahead. We’ll be free.”

They kept their celebrations to a minimum though. The late hour was getting to them, so Stormy took to the couch to sleep. Rattles got into bed with Molly and held her close. Outside, Fletcher kept an eye on the shadows to make sure no one else came waltzing by.

In the morning, Stormy had breakfast with them. Mei-Lin asked her questions about weather, and Clark seemed enraptured by her grey tornado dress. But Stormy had other places to go. She bid them farewell, but instead of going towards the clocktower, she walked towards Sector 2, her head held high as she marched up the sidewalk.

Chapter Text

Fern raked the mulch. She had no idea what mulch did just yet, but Marina had found a landscaping section and given Fern each book. She spent each night reading them by candlelight, but there was still much to learn. Fern didn’t realize just how involved such activities were. Her teachers and parents and every other adult acted like people who did landscaping duties were poorly educated immigrants with no place in life. In reality, those “poorly educated” people knew more than she did, and she wished they were around to ask.

Fern hummed, but it wasn’t to satisfy her own need for sound. It was to drown out Rubella’s chanting from the roof of the library. She had climbed up on her own with a ladder she’d found in Fern’s shed.

Rubella had been healed. She was near death, delirious, and Prunella tended to her while openly crying. Kate, Marina, and Fern gathered in the lobby, chanting and hoping but none of them really feeling it. Night fell, dark and foreboding. Rain pounded the roof, lightning flashed at times, and suddenly Prunella was screaming.

Then Rubella appeared at the top of the stairs filled with rage. Fern was confused—why would she be so upset about beating the virus once and for all?

But then she got the visions too, and she knew that it was the doing of someone else. All they could see was an EC logo, the water treatment plant, and a girl approaching with a task for them.

The girl arrived the next morning.

Fern raked more mulch and thought about that ritual. It was another that made her understand their powers but fear them. The sisters surrounded her, Fern included, and once Stormy gave permission, they began their ritual. They chanted, they held hands, and suddenly the girl writhed in pain. She lay bleeding out in the basement bathroom for three days, but she lived and left them to their own devices.

She didn’t like that.

Fern stood up as Kate and Nadine entered the lawn. They’d taken to having a picnic each day, but food was low. Today they were pretending to have a tea party again. Normally Fern avoided them during her care sessions, but she left the rake behind and put her gloves on a memorial bench.

Nadine smiled to her, “The gardens are looking better already. When you hone your craft, they’ll be returned to their usual state. You should feel proud.”

“Well, that’s going to take a while,” Fern admitted, accepting a cup and saucer. There was no water—that was forbidden now. Only bottled water except for bathing, and even then you had to make sure not to get it on your face. Rubella’s rules were fierce, her punishments savage. Prunella was still locked in a supply closet for disobeying her.

Kate looked over the streets, “Has anyone been by lately? Any new visitors?” she asked. Fern shook her head and Kate nodded, “Well…maybe it was just a dream,” she said, nodding to Nadine, “The tea is lovely, Sister.”

“Thank you, Sister. What of this dream?” she asked. Kate hung her head, “Maybe it was just remembering, I’m not sure, but…no. There is another, but she won’t be here for the same thing. It would be too dangerous.”

“Another?” Fern croaked. Kate’s eyes fell on her with a heavy weight. Fern knew the girl was onto her, but she tried to play it off, “Just seems like a dangerous choice in a world like ours.”

Nadine shook her head and frowned, “It wasn’t a choice…. The ritual wouldn’t have worked otherwise,” she said slowly. After a moment, Nadine continued, “There was a demon in the before times, many demons I’m sure, but this was the same one. Stormy was a victim, and she came to her sisters for help. This sister won’t be as lucky. She’ll have to see through the choices of another.”

“She’s strong, I can sense that. Can you, Sister?” Kate asked. Nadine nodded, “Much stronger, but much weaker too. She’ll come for advice if you’ve seen her. We have the tomes. Perhaps Marina should get them ready.”

“Maybe we could deliver them,” Fern suggested. Their eyes shot to hers as both girls shook their head in perfect timing with the other. It was one of the many freaky things Fern had learned to ignore, but this one still sent shivers up her spine.

Fern cleared her throat, “What I mean is that it’s dangerous out there. She shouldn’t be traveling in her condition, not with so much unrest, so much going on.”

Their gaze became less intense. Kate nodded, “I’ll keep that in mind. One of us would have to go, maybe it should be you,” she said, smiling and pulling an empty platter from the picnic basket, “Scone, Sister?” she offered Nadine.

Nadine smiled, “Yes, Sister, thank you,” she said, taking a pretend bite of the invisible item as Fern also accepted and played alone. Nadine’s eyes lit up, “Cranberry, my favorite.”

As always, it was like the girl could taste it. She always seemed to have her hand in an invisible world, and Fern let it happen. She was with her sisters, and she felt safe. Her mind was her own again.

But the strangeness? She wasn’t used to the absurdity of it all, and thinking about it just made her doubts worse. So she got back to work, studying the bushes around the front of the library so she could look them up in the plant encyclopedia Marina had given her. Fern had full reign over the horticulture and other plant books of the collection, some of which were older than her grandparents. She would read them and master them. The knowledge would keep the doubts away.

Bud and Vicita shared the library with DW and Pal. Ladonna was across the hall from Mr. Ratburn’s old room, and Madison chose the principal’s old office. They filled Lakewood with laughter, with a sense of family, but first? It was fear.

A few days after the flyers boasting of a cure in the water were spread around the city, Bud was working the fruit stand when he heard a car coming with sirens blaring. He ran and returned later to find his table ransacked and robbed. He went back to the garden, and Madison decided they should take George’s offer to evacuate to Lakewood. She’d found a pickup truck, and they had already worked on moving plants into paint buckets Arthur had found.

And now the playground was full of their buckets. Tomatoes were growing alright, but the strawberries were shocked by the cold. Francine was working on building a greenhouse with Arthur’s help, but he was distant. There was a lot on his mind.

Sue Ellen’s announcement went how she expected it. With the school suddenly full of people, Sue Ellen found it hard to hide herself from others. George had already been eying her, and now Madison and Ladonna were exchanging glances. There was no more hiding, so she told them at dinner.

Arthur was angry. He demanded to know why she’d get herself into such a situation. Sue Ellen was stunned into silence until Ladonna piped up that a bump that big was pre-virus, she couldn’t have known. Madison must’ve read her face because she slapped Arthur’s hand with the intense of a bee sting.

“Not everything is a CHOICE you stupid boy!” Madison screamed, rushing to Sue Ellen’s side. They were a pair now with Sue Ellen staying in the counselor’s office. There was a nice couch there, a window with a view into the playground, and a small closet next door Madison and Ladonna were turning into a nursery.

As evening fell, Ladonna climbed onto the roof to relieve George of guard duty. When the sirens started passing at all hours, they took turns standing guard. At least there were more eyes and people to help with the duty.

Ladonna sighed, “Any more sign of those guys?” she asked. George nodded and pointed into the distance. At the high school, blue police lights flashed against the windows. Ladonna frowned, “Well, do we know who they are yet?” she questioned.

George passed her a homemade sketchbook made with construction paper from the kindergarten wing. He’d drawn their mark that was now showing up all over the city, a blocky M with a T over it. The T was twisting, and the more intricate marks had snakes on them. It was the same mark a lot of the kids at the circus wore, a sign of the Tibbles. They just couldn’t figure out who the M belonged to.

George stood up, “We have a theory, but Francine won’t talk to me. Ever since this started, Catherine hasn’t been able to come here. She’s afraid again, distant. She won’t talk to me at all about leaving.”

Ladonna lifted an eyebrow, “Still set on that, huh? I thought being Mr. Farmer was helping those urges. That’s what Francine says anyway.”

“Well…a lot has changed. I agreed to stay because it was hot and summer, but now it’s spring all the time. The flowers like it, some of the plants too, but it’s not normal. But that took the heat factor away,” he said, pacing the roof, “Now she wants to stay to help Sue Ellen, but…I think she knew before I did.”

Ladonna couldn’t help but laugh. She apologized, “Sorry, but…you’re a guy, George, guys don’t notice those things, and some are assholes about it.”

“Can you blame him? Arthur knows how much food we have, how many supplies. He’s been making more solo runs, DW is worried,” George whispered as Ladonna frowned. George stopped pacing, “I’m worried too. He was here first. If he decides to leave, I think I’ll go with him. It’s one thing to be an older brother to one girl. It’s another to be a leader, a possible father figure even.”

Ladonna couldn’t argue with that. Men had always feared such responsibilities, at least the ones she read about in old magazines. Her dad had always been there for her mom, for all of them. She missed him terribly, and…she knew deep down that Arthur was nothing like him.

Sirens sounded in the distance. The police car was making another ring around the sector—up one street, cut through the abandoned park, turn to the hotel, where it would stop for a bit. It was curious, and Ladonna was curious. She was a storyteller, so she knew there was a reason for everything. That wasn’t just something for fictional writing, no. Life worked that way too, and if they were moving? There was a purpose for it, especially with gas being so hard to come by.

Ladonna turned to George, “Do the signs still talk about the games?” she asked. George gave her a fearful look. Ladonna sighed, “I just want to know, George, I’m not stupid enough to go myself. I worry about other kids going, sure, but I wouldn’t. I’ve got too much to do around here.”

George nodded and hung his head, “Yeah, it’s all the time now. There’s new payment things that go around, I guess they get short on stuff and change things up. Must be a good business though, that doesn’t happen much, and…they can keep running the car. I wonder where they got it, everything I’ve heard about Sector 1 says they should be locked away.”

Ladonna laughed again, “Sorry, I just…not the eye for detail, huh? That’s a hobby car, and…,” she stopped, laughing again, “Sorry, I knew the guy, I cheated. He lived a few doors down from us, used to be a cop. That’s from his garage.”

“Did the guy collect guns too?” George asked softly. Ladonna’s laughter quickly dried up. George went for the ladder, “I know Arthur said no guns, but…if they have them, we need to do something to protect ourselves. We’ve got kids here, we can’t let them get hurt.”

“No, we can’t,” Ladonna murmured in agreement as George descended the ladder. Ladonna exhaled firmly, “Damn, didn’t think of that.”

George went for the garden and looked over Francine’s framing. They needed more nails, more plastic sheeting or glass, more of all sorts of things. Toilet paper was in good supply, dry goods were okay, and Madison had learned to make fry bread over the hot plate. They were getting medicine, and Francine was working on baby supplies with Madison.

But they were sitting ducks. George walked through the dark school. Only some of the classroom windows that faced the street were boarded. He debated taking boards from homes they knew were empty and bringing them back, but they didn’t have the tools for it without a lot of heavy work. That would take too long, but it was something Arthur liked the sound of. Anything to keep him out of the school and away from Sue Ellen, whose bump expanded past her as she walked. She’d changed her clothes to fit the baby, and George knew it was only a matter of weeks before she needed to change again.

A baby. In the apocalypse. Maybe it was funny, George thought, but he wasn’t laughing. This was serious business—kids playing doctor, kids pretending to be mothers and fathers, and kids rebuilding society after a crap education from self-important adults.

He yearned for the hills, the forests beyond the city’s reach. He could be alone there, away from the politics and the inevitable hardships they were to face. No one roaming the streets with sirens and spotlights, a show of power more than anything else. Kids knew to run from them now, they were young not stupid. George growled to himself and went back to his room, his thoughts a mess.

It was a surprise partnership. Muffy wasn’t expecting to take a liking to the guy in the top hat, but something about the way he carried himself caught her attention. As she lay in his bed waiting on him to finish making their breakfast, she realized what that something was: Power.

The Tibbles were in charge of the circus, well, the Games as they were called. Kids didn’t come out for the circus anymore; they knew it was a wicked trick. The games brought in lots of kids, mostly troubled kids that could easily be convinced to do this or that. Shelley needed those skills. He was the one in charge of the city itself, not the naughty Tibbles. Sure, they were who got the blame, but that just kept Shelley high above the rest.

Shelley, still in his hat and monocle but only wearing black shorts and a tank top, brought in a tray with powdered eggs, canned asparagus, and fruit cocktail. Most of what they were eating came from the games—like the circus, the price of admission were supplies of some sort. Kids were giving away all they had just for a chance at the games, which were always rigged against them. Not that they noticed. They could drink and smoke at the games, and they could meet others that had such contraband.

Muffy poked at the powdered eggs, “These look much better than the last ones,” she smirked as Shelley crawled into bed towards her. She fed him a bite, “Fluffier. You did something different, didn’t you?” she asked with a smirk.

He lunged towards her and they kissed. He poked her nose playfully, “I found some powdered milk in the storeroom. I think I know where to get more too,” he said, rolling over and resting his head on her legs, his top hat and monocle still in place. He never took them off, not even when they were intimate. She loved that about him.

But she hated when he left her. She frowned, “You’re going on another run today. I was hoping we could stay in, maybe watch over the games from the roof again. That was so nice, and…I need to work on some of these tan lines.”

“You need to check in at the mansion, and I have some things to pick up from your workers. Then, yes, I’ve got a run to make into Sector 8. They have the goods and a need to get out of there,” he smirked, glancing up at her, “They’ll make good candidates for the next circus if there is one. There’s a national guard event center near there, I was thinking of using it.”

Muffy finished her fruit cocktail, “I mean, I guess I should check in on things, but I’m sure Catherine has everything under control. Emily is playing queen and keeps her in check for me.”

Shelley studied her, “You’re going to let a ten-year-old control your empire?”

Muffy pushed away the tray and leaned over his face, “I’m going to let her think she controls it all, then,” she paused, kissing him a few seconds. She stayed over his lips and whispered, “I’ll make sure they both get out of the way of us.”

Shelley kissed her again, “Yes, you’re so sinister, babe. They’ll never know what hit them.”

Leaving the mansion for the high school wasn’t part of the plan before, but when Muffy realized she needed to branch out, Shelley was there to help her. He had a room on the upper floor of the high school with roof access, something she thought was just an urban legend before. Now it was their favorite place, and she was scouting the area to put a tavern of some sort. She was working out the details while she waited, and while Shelley found new staff. Catherine was good for housework and gardening, but she was no bar maid, and she wanted Emily nowhere near it.

After they cleaned up and got dressed, Muffy joined Shelley on the back of his motorcycle. They rode over to Sector 6, where Catherine was helping James with a cart of goods. They were shipping them off to the Tibbles for distribution, not that they would go far. The Tibbles had people to feed (mostly themselves), and they needed to give some perks to keep kids coming.

Muffy pawed at the tiny potatoes, “I thought you were going to grow them a little longer,” she frowned, looking up to Catherine, “What are you trying to pull?”

“There’s some kind of mold,” Catherine replied with an air of importance, “We harvested what we could, but we need to get the mold in check or nothing will grow there.”

“Who do you think would know something about that, babe?” Muffy smirked to Shelley, who shrugged and gestured, “Why don’t you check out the situation and I’ll ask around while I’m out?” he suggested.

Muffy sighed, “Okay, I guess I can do that,” she said, dismounting the bike and turning to kiss him, “Don’t take too long. Be safe.”

Catherine wanted to throw up in her mouth. Ever since Muffy fell hard and fast for Shelley, they were all over each other and she was never around. Thankfully Emily just wanted to play dress up with Hana’s help each day. The last she saw of the girl that morning, Hana had helped her put on one of Millicent’s opera outfits, and she was parading around the game room playing queen with some of Muffy’s collectible dolls. It was frightening, but it left Catherine free to control the slaves, which meant better treatment. They were eating good now, and they each had their own room in the other house. Catherine maintained the barracks in case anyone asked, namely Muffy whenever she came up for air.

Muffy watched the motorcycle leave with a forlorn look. The only good thing about their partnership was that, so far, any time she did come by, her thoughts were on him. That had worked out in Catherine’s favor so far, but she was preparing herself. She knew Muffy would come crashing down eventually.

Muffy frowned and looked around, “Is the cellar still locked and the way I left it?” she questioned. Catherine nodded, “I only go by to check on Emily now, I don’t stay there. The slaves don’t either.”

Muffy smiled. Hearing Catherine willingly call them slaves warmed her heart. She looked up as Hana crossed in front of a window, “What about her?” she asked with a snarky tone.

Catherine hesitated, “I’m not sure, but she can’t stray too far from Emily. She keeps her very busy.”

“Good,” Muffy said, turning to her, “Is she still wanting out of here?” she asked. Catherine nodded. Now that Muffy had a boyfriend, Emily wanted one too, but her childish games were keeping her in check at the moment. Catherine knew that wouldn’t last much longer.

Muffy entered the main house and Catherine returned to James to continue their work. Muffy went upstairs and found Hana looking through a music book with a tense gaze. She looked up as Muffy entered the room and smiled in greeting, but her focus was still on the book.

“What are you doing?” Muffy asked as Emily entered the room with a few more books. Muffy turned to her, “Are you two planning something?”

“I want music again, live music. I can use the solar to power up the stereo, but it’s been so long since I heard a recital or a symphony. Hana used to play, she’s trying to learn from your books, but they’re complicated,” Emily frowned, adding, “Do you have more?”

She didn’t notice the malice in Muffy’s gaze as she turned to Hana, “No, I don’t have more, and I don’t see how this is important. I thought I told you to think of some things for me.”

“Yeah, names for a bar, but I’ve never been, and Hana didn’t—”

“I asked YOU, not Hana,” Muffy interrupted, looking the girl over, “but I’m open to suggestions.”

Hana laughed nervously, “Well, I…I figure you should use your name, either your first or your family name. People still know the name Crosswire even now. You should take advantage of that,” she suggested.

Muffy nodded in satisfaction, “Sure, yes, that makes sense,” she said, turning to Emily, “and this music? What importance is it BEYOND your wants and needs?”

“Well…if we can offer live music, that could draw people in,” Emily whispered meekly, gesturing to the nearby karaoke machine, “Things like that only work in neighborhoods like this with solar, and even that has to be used wisely. The piano is smart, and…there’s some in churches, and I’m sure other places downtown have them. Have you thought of going there?”

“Sector 1? With all of its security? I’d be insane!” Muffy yelled, turning to Hana, “You. You’re smart, you’re quick on your feet. If I got you what you needed, could you play?”

“I played guitar last, not piano. That’s why I need something simpler, but…maybe someone else plays piano? You could get Mr. Shelley to ask around,” she suggested. Emily nodded, “Yes! He knows everyone too, he could help.”

Muffy nodded. Her ideas were really coming together, and her people were helping her. This gave her pleasure, but she missed Shelley already. She knew he was going out to find things they needed, but she could feel his absence when he was away.

Back at the high school, the Tibbles were doing inventory with the help of one of their newest recruits. He was a nerdy kid who wore glasses and seemed to have a knack for fixing things. He was currently going through their inventory of items from the dump. He had actually called for more, so mining was back in, but so was gambling. Thanks to John, the true games could begin.

Tommy sneered at John, “Is it going to work?” he asked. Timmy rolled his eyes and added, “Like it’s supposed to. I don’t want another machine breaking and hurting our people.”

“This one will work, I’ve made something before,” John replied, turning to them, “It’s basically a roulette wheel or a wheel of prizes. You can use magnets to control where it tends to land,” he explained, pointing to a pile of poster board and other art supplies scavenged from the art lab, “I can make it look okay with more time, just another day or two.”

“A prize wheel, yes,” Timmy grinned, laughing, “Maybe we have punishments too!” he cackled. Tommy roared with laughter, “We could get more recruits!” he exclaimed.

John didn’t like that part, but the Tibbles treated him well enough. He had plenty to eat, and so far he was inside instead of out in the cold. But he had seen other beatings. Even the injuries he accidentally gave another recruit weren’t as bad as the beatings. John pushed the thought from his mind and gave another list to the twins. He needed more bicycle wheels, gears, and other small items, and they would see to it he had them. John would make the games, and the Tibbles? They would ensure the house always won.

Chapter Text

Molly didn’t even know her cousin was in town. When she came across Prudence on the road during a supply run with Rattles, the two cheered and hugged in a way that Rattles didn’t understand…and then he heard the accent and remembered the stories. They didn’t get to see each other often due to the distance, but family was family, and cousin Pru was always welcome in their group.

Their tribe didn’t have a name, but they were a family of sorts. Clark and Jessica had their own unit next to the Baxter condo. Fletcher and TC lived out of their own unit in the back of the complex, where Fletcher would take target practice with her slingshot if any roughians got too close. Molly and Rattles were in a larger unit with more bedrooms. They shared the main bedroom, then Prudence and Mei-Lin had rooms upstairs. One had belonged to a little girl, so Mei-Lin took to it, but Pru spent a lot of time there herself playing with the girl.

And then Stormy arrived. Rattles was on guard duty underneath a full moon. He was snacking on cherry tomatoes, their most productive crop, when she showed up. She immediately burst into tears and fell into his arms, but it was done. And now she lived in one of the disabled units alone with her weather equipment, her mind on the books she’d brought with her.

Molly poked Rattles’s arm to pull him from his memories. She handed him a steaming cup of instant coffee made from the camp stove Fletcher had found in the hoarder’s unit. Rattles took the mug as Molly sat beside him.

“What were you thinking about so closely? I tried talking to you but you were in another world,” Molly whispered. Rattles took a slow sip of his coffee and shrugged as he put down the mug, “Just thinking of these last few weeks. It’s been nice having Pru around, I just…I’ve heard you both talk about James more.”

Molly shot him a dark look but kept her cool, “And that worries you because?”

“I don’t want anyone going off on a suicide mission if he’s with the Tibbles or worse,” Rattles answered firmly. Molly scoffed, “What’s worse than the Tibbles? You’ve heard the stories. Fletch thinks they killed Slink before they moved here, and people think they’re bad news now? They were ALWAYS bad news, and my brother told me that. He wouldn’t willingly stay with them, which means—”

“He’s somewhere else,” Rattles interrupted, taking her hand, “He wouldn’t go anywhere near them, he’d run the other way. He’s not there, so stop thinking like that,” he said, looking up as Mei-Lin entered in the princess nightgown she’d found in the girl’s room. Her face was smudged by some makeup she’d been playing in, and her pigtails were lopsided on her head.

Molly immediately stood up, “Hey, want some more of that chili we had yesterday? I found another can after all,” she smiled nervously. Mei-Lin nodded with a sleepy tilt and took a seat across from Rattles.

Much like arguing parents, Rattles quickly dropped his feelings. He smiled to Mei-Lin, “Sleep well?” he asked. She nodded and yawned as Prudence came down. Her ginger hair was pulled up in an intricate braid that had grown fuzzy in the night. She joined Molly in the kitchen as Rattles debated his morning.

Supplies were running low. The condo complex had a lot of working families that didn’t keep much on-hand, so what little they had was gone with so many people needing to eat. The indoor garden was working for certain things but not others, and that meant supply runs.

But with Molly wanting to run off to rescue her brother, Rattles wanted to keep an eye on them. He was certain James was not with the Tibbles, but trying to tell Molly that was like arguing with a wall, and strong-willed Prudence wasn’t helping.

TC entered the apartment and grinned, “I guess expired chili isn’t so bad after all,” he said, nodding to Rattles, “We were thinking of hitting up Sector 2. Stormy said the graffiti isn’t bad over there, but she wasn’t sure what the houses had to offer. She just advised us to stay as far from the library as possible.”

“I don’t know, I was thinking of trying to work on those water pipes again. I found a plumbing book in the hoarder’s unit that seemed pretty helpful. Maybe Fletcher can join you or Clark,” Rattles suggested.

TC exhaled, “Clark needs to stick around here. What about Jessica? Do you think she’d go with me?”

Rattles smirked, “Ask her yourself, I’m not some mind reader,” he said, standing up, “I’m going to walk the perimeter,” he said, gesturing for TC to follow him.

Once outside, Rattles gave it to him straight, “I don’t trust Molly and Pru to stay close to home. I’m worried they’ll convince others to go with them and cause even more problems. Honestly? Maybe we should check out those games when the time comes. I know I might have to do it, but Molly won’t rest until we know for sure.”

TC groaned, “Really? Maybe her bringing that Scotswoman back wasn’t good for us. I mean…she doesn’t get it still, does she? How many times does Fletch have to explain it to her?”

“She’s a MacDonald, dude, she’s not going to go off what some bro tells her. She wants to see it for herself, but I can’t let that happen either. Molly would never forgive me if she lost her too,” Rattles said firmly.

“Well…maybe I could dye my hair and go with you. You can’t go into it alone, you know that, and I know Fletcher and the others won’t want to go anywhere near them. They’re too noticeable anyway. The twins had the hots for Fletch while she was there, and Clark is so rat-like. Jessica could maybe dye her hair too, but I don’t know, I’d rather us guys handle it.”

Rattles patted his shoulder, “Thanks for hearing me out. Yeah, maybe bleaching your hair and stuff will help. Maybe you could find a hocket mask in the hoarder’s unit or out and about, but…I don’t know about Sector 2 either.”

TC threw up his hands, “You get to working around here and you get to thinking too much, man!” he exclaimed.

“Keep your voice down, I don’t want them to know about this one either,” Rattles whispered, shaking his head, “Whatever those witchy sisters are up to? You don’t want to fuck with that.”

TC leaned in closer a murmured, “Is this about Stormy? About the lack of graffiti? You think a bunch of girls holed up in a library are that scary?”

Rattles couldn’t tell him the whole truth, but he nodded firmly and kept a steady gaze with TC. He held his gaze long enough to get the message across, and TC threw up his hands again, “I don’t know, man, where else can I go? This sector has been picked dry. We’re running out, and none of us want to go hungry.”

“We won’t go hungry,” Rattles said firmly, “We’ll be fine, okay? Stormy is going to teach us how to make tortillas once we find some good oil. We’ve got rice and running water. I don’t think the pamphlets said, but we can cook with it.”

TC was still sketched out by the water cure, as was Fletcher, but he had to agree that running water was nice. What they had before was metallic, and there was no pressure to get anything done. They didn’t have that problem now that Brain’s group had stepped in, but knowing there was a cure in the water made him leery of it. What else was in the water that they weren’t talking about?

Rattles held the bridge of his nose, “Look…we can do this, and I’ll go on a run with you or something later on. I haven’t decided yet, I just…you get it, don’t you? Molly is missing something none of us here understand, okay? Her kid brother is probably out there without her doing who knows what? We can hope he’s not under the care of the Tibbles, but the truth is that we don’t know.”

“What about Binky? Has Molly told Pru about her to get a plan for that?” TC asked, adding, “She talks about him all the time. I can tell she’s looking for him too. She ain’t looking at no stars with that telescope.”

Rattles sighed. He had noticed. Finding that telescope in what was Buster Baxter’s old bedroom had given her a wave of excitement Rattles hadn’t seen before. However, despite using the rooftop deck they’d built up, Mei-Lin wasn’t pointing the device upwards. She was sweeping adjacent blocks hoping to catch a glimpse of her brother. She did it every day without fail, but she didn’t talk about it with Molly or Prudence. Well, at least he didn’t think she did.

Rattles and TC did a handshake before Rattles returned to the unit. The girls were eating chili around the dining room table, and they all looked up from their bowls when he appeared. He eyed the counter and found a small bowl with a little serving inside.

Prudence grinned, “We thought you wouldn’t mind the smaller serving, more incentive to find something good on your run.”

“I told him to take Fletch or something, I want to work on the pipes,” Rattles said, looking them over, “Why? Got something you’re planning to do.”

Molly rolled her eyes as Rattles took the seat beside her, “We’re not going to do anything irrational, okay? We’re just…playing our options.”

Rattles nodded, “Sure, trying to sort out the best way for you to get killed,” he said, holding up his hand to stop the snarky remark he knew was coming next, “I talked with TC outside, okay? He’s going to look for a way to change his look so we can go, ALONE, to the games.”

Mei-Lin shuddered, “But won’t the Tibbles be there and recognize you?”

“Maybe we can both change our look, I’m sure it won’t matter though,” he said, turning to Molly, “It’s not like we’ll be there for anything crazy. We’ll take the entry fee with us, walk around figure out who all is there and what all is going on. Then we report back what we find. I’m hoping it’s nothing, but if it’s something? We’ll figure out a plan from there, okay? There’s no need to do anything brash.”

Molly nodded, “I can accept that, I just…are you sure? You’ve said how dangerous this is ever since we brought up the theory, and you’ve tried to convince me otherwise so much that I thought you’d had some strange dreams too,” she said nervously.

Rattles shook his head, “No strange dreams, just hope. I thought you had some left yourself, Mol. Until Pru came along, you were just as convinced as I was that he was one of the nomads outside the city. That’s where we think Binky is too. He got scared off and found the quiet outside of the city inviting. That sounds like something James would want too.”

Mei-Lin shifted uncomfortably, “But you’ll look for him too? Just in case?” she requested. Rattles nodded and met her gaze, “We agreed to that as well. TC reminded me, and he’s right, you both are. Binky could be there, but in my heart? I know he’s not. I think he’s out there waiting on things to calm down.”

“Maybe he’s with James,” Mei-Lin smiled, but Rattles didn’t quite agree with that. He didn’t have the dreams like Stormy did, but he did have intuition. He just hoped it was right as he busied himself with tasks around the compound. He really did want to work on their watering system. Their supplies were running low, and they needed a way to sustain themselves before they were going to the Tibbles for something else—work.

They’d had to lock down the sector. Alex peered out his office window at the barriers below, all of them large walls used by the military in the final days of the adults. They helped to maintain order in a world that had none. Alex doubted there would ever be much of a society again, but it helped that they had found the cure. It helped that the cure was being regularly created in the hospital labs and added to the water treatment plant. It helped that they had rationed gas and could utilize equipment to move things around.

The chaos was unexpected. As Alex sipped some weak coffee from a mug he’d pilfered from a nursing station, he watched as kids paced outside the barrier. Their lives were safe from the virus now, but for some reason, this angered some people. Brain didn’t understand it either, but with Slink’s help, they acted quickly.

And then Slink disappeared.

Alex had his theories where the boy had ended up. His addiction wasn’t completely gone yet and never would be, but there were other temptations out in the world. Brain wanted a curfew; Slink wanted his freedom. Lydia wanted Slink to have something he worked on; Slink wanted to be left alone. He wasn’t supposed to be at the government center in the first place. He wasn’t one of them and it showed in everything he did. Alex felt for him, but he understood. He just wished he’d left some sort of note.

Liam knocked on Alex’s door and stepped inside. Only he knew the location of the room Alex had made his own. It was hidden in a ward on the upper-most floors of the hospital, and it allowed him to see everything without being seen. Most importantly, he could also use the roof to escape.

Liam handed Alex a clipboard, “I did an inventory of all the supplies we have on-hand after we did our treatment. I made a star on all the ones we used to treat the Tibble prisoners like you asked.”

Alex exhaled deeply and nodded, “Thank you, this is…more than I expected. I don’t know what to do about this.”

They’d been allowing the Tibbles through so far. They would haul in some slave hurt doing some sort of acrobatic trick or burned by their crude fires, and Alex would treat them and send someone else in their place if someone was available. It was barbaric in his eyes, but it was a way to keep them out of his hair. They had things those twins would want, so they had to be careful.

But it wouldn’t matter if they used everything they had to treat those kids. Alex handed the clipboard back to Liam, “I think we need to have a meeting with Brain and the others. If we decide to cut them off, those barriers won’t hold Shelley back from doing whatever he wants. He’ll do whatever he can to make sure those barriers fall, and then everyone will swarm in.”

“So you’re leaving again?” Liam asked. Alex stood up and finished the last sip of his coffee. He looked Liam over, “You’re welcome to join me. They aren’t dangerous, this group.”

Liam thought for a moment as they entered the hallway. He shrugged, “I don’t know, people that smart are pretty scary to me.”

“Intimidating, yes, but not terrifying like those twins,” Alex corrected.

Liam took this in as they descended some staff stairs into a lower ward, a bypass to help throw off the scent. They emerged in the labor and delivery ward, still decorated with the details of the last babies to be born there. Alex briefly wondered where those babies were now as they crossed into the intensive care side of the unit. They then emerged in a main hallway, lit only by auxiliary lighting, and made their way to the main stairs. On the second level, they got off and used a pedestrian bridge to cross a side street that led to the emergency department, then they boarded a golf cart.

Liam hadn’t done this part yet. He held on tight as Alex descended into the tunnel and kept going forward. Liam tried to picture the streets overhead but couldn’t. They were under Main Street, maybe even Second Street or some other road. The tunnel went on and on, lit only by the lights on the cart.

And then they emerged behind the dispatch center. Alex drove the golf cart to the back door of the government center and waited quietly. There was no need to honk their horn, knock, or do anything else.

Sure enough, Carl was watching the cameras inside and alerted Brain, who met them at the door and guided them inside. Lydia wheeled into the cafeteria as Carl joined them. They’d been keeping the lights off, so the group went to the windows and settled around tables that were once very nice tables. Now, like everything else, it was just a piece of furniture. There was no luxury VS plain in their world. If the item still functioned, then it fulfilled its purpose.

“I was hoping we would see you today. The symbols have expanded out of Sector 2,” Lydia said, gesturing to Carl, “He’s been tracking their spread. Kids are listening to whoever is making them. That’s why there are so many protests.”

Alex sighed, “I was here to talk about something else, but I am curious about this group. Do we know anything about them?”

“I went to one of their meetings near the library,” Brain replied, explaining, “It was very crowded, kids piled in from everywhere, and it was led by a cult of some sort. I was able to blend in with the crowd. They have a lot of followers who believe their stories about purity and whatnot. It’s a new religion of sorts.”

“They believe that the virus was our destiny,” Lydia explained, clarifying, “When their leader was healed, she found the pamphlets we sent out and got very angry. We’re afraid she might try to seek us out once they get the numbers they need. They call themselves sisters. They’re like this…coven of witches I guess.”

“Well…that goes along better than I expected,” Alex said, turning to Liam, “This is Liam, my faithful assistant. He’s been helping me make some decisions about the hospital and how we can continue to provide services.”

Brain shot them a concerned look, “You’ve been helping people with more than just the virus?”

Alex squinted at him, “Yeah…it’s a hospital?” he said, turning to Liam, “I asked him to keep inventory of our supplies and make some notes along the way. We’ve been tracking patients for the last few weeks. Some were just lost kids with boo-boos hoping we had their parents locked away somewhere. Lots of traumatized kids are roaming around not knowing what all happened. However, there’s another group we’ve been helping.”

Liam cleared his throat, “The Tibbles are really mean to their slaves. They used to beat them and stuff, but now that they have this circus thing, they do tricks and kids are getting hurt. We’ve been treating them as well as we can. A few have died, but several have lived that would’ve died otherwise. However, they’re stretching our resources. There’s some medicines we’re out of, and we’ll be out of other supplies if we keep this up. We got Slink to unearth some old fashioned supplies before he disappeared, but that’s not going to matter if we’re unable to have the medicine we need.”

Brain exhaled slowly, “Yeah, most hospital-grade medications are different than what you find in a pharmacy, and most of those were looted when the adults were still around. What were you thinking of doing about this?” Brain asked, turning from Liam to Alex, “You wouldn’t have come here if you didn’t have a plan.”

“We want to completely close off the sector, nobody in or out. Well, we want them to stop coming to us. Everyone else is welcome within reason, we just…we don’t know how to enforce any of this,” Alex explained, adding, “We’re aware this could be starting a war with villains who don’t care if we live or die. We’re also aware that more kids are going to die if we can’t treat them, but we can’t keep doing this. It’s bad enough we usually have to trade them someone healthy to avoid mistreatment.”

Lydia threw up her hands, “Wait a second, back up: You’ve been trading human beings with them?”

“They were going to shoot us if we didn’t,” Liam answered quickly, “We had no choice.”

Alex nodded in agreement, “The first kid they brought, they came in with machine guns. They shot up the last of their ammo long ago, but yeah, we had no choice. The threat of violence was enough on that front,” he whispered, hanging his head, “I’m not proud of it, okay? It was the only choice I felt comfortable with in the moment. If we were killed, what chance did anyone else have? Liam and I have always liked medical stuff, and our other staff have helped since the start. We had no choice if we wanted to keep helping others.”

Lydia shook her head, “That’s still not much of an excuse for letting it go on for so long. I mean, if they’re out of ammo, why didn’t you lock it down sooner? You have the means, you’ve said so yourself. We just…we find a way to vet people, to make sure they can get treatment if they need it, I just…”

“They forget we don’t have any allies right now,” Brain interrupted, glancing from Lydia to Alex, “I don’t know why you came, we can’t do any of that. Those sisters are out to get us, and I’m sure others are mad we’re sitting over here eating government rations under our solar-powered lights living the good life. Kids aren’t very rational, especially kids who don’t want rules and regulations. You said yourself that’s probably why Slink left, he couldn’t handle that we actually want to WORK,” he sighed, turning to Carl.

Carl looked from Brain to Liam, “We thought of keeping a database of citizens, but we would need barcodes or some other identifier to help differentiate people. This requires more information than a lot of kids would be willing to give. The barcode wouldn’t change, but the person’s appearance might, so recognition would be difficult.”

“We’ve been working through this idea for a few days,” Lydia said, adding, “It started as a way to get payment. We’ve got the national guard stockpiles still, and we would like to try to distribute it again, but we need a program. Asking kids to put on military gear wasn’t the smartest way to handle things.”

“Would the Tough Customers still be interested in helping out with distributions?” Brain inquired. Lydia shook her head, “I don’t know. I wish Slink were here, maybe he could tell us where they stand.”

Alex nodded, “She’s right, he was with the Tibbles because of that stampede. He was with other members of his tribe.”

“They could’ve all been captured then,” Lydia said, turning to Brain, “You said people were settling into the condo complex. Who were they?” she asked. He shrugged. Lydia rolled her eyes, “Look, let’s cut to the chase: Who’s willing to go check? We need someone to get boots on the ground to see who all is out there and who might work for us. I’d do it myself if the apocalypse was ADA compliant,” Lydia said fiercely.

“Liam can handle the hospital. Brain and I could go, two is better than one,” Alex said, turning to Liam, “Do you know how to drive the cart?” he asked. Liam shook his head fearfully. Alex sighed and looked to Lydia and Carl, “Do either of you know how to drive it?”

“I probably can’t if it has pedals, but Carl might. You could wear your headphones so it’s not as loud,” she suggested. Carl nodded and disappeared without a word. He emerged with headphones as Brain and Alex finalized their plan. They would make contact with the people at the condo, and they would keep an ear out for anyone else who could help. The world was different now, but the need for companionship and alliances was stronger than ever.

Arthur needed to check on what they’d seen from the rooftop for the previous few days. He and Francine walked quietly towards a park near the school where the latest symbols had pointed to. Neither knew what they were getting themselves into, but they both wanted to see for themselves what was going on.

The two stopped near a side entrance to the park. A stage was still set up from an event that never happened. The grass around it was grown up, but the lawn was well manicured now. The two exchanged glances as they took in the figures sitting on the grass and milling about the grounds. On the stage, two figures in purple robes stood over something and seemed to be doing a ritual.

“Do you think this is anything like the circus?” Arthur whispered. Francine shrugged as she looked over the area, “I don’t see any slaves milling about. They’re weird, no doubt about that, but at least they aren’t that messed up. Want to get closer?” she asked as a few more figures stepped out onto the stage.

As Francine and Arthur joined others getting closer, the two new figures started pounding on drums in a slow rhythm. What little talking there was outside the stage stopped as kids moved in closer. The two figures doing the ritual were standing over a small fire in a metal barrel. It was multicolored, and the smoke was filled with glittering sparks.

The rhythm of the drums grew faster as more kids moved in. They bore different marks and looks, some in similar groups but many looking like individuals in the crowd. Arthur looked around him hoping to see someone he knew as Francine did the same. She was hoping to see Catherine as the rhythm became a steady heartbeat over the crowd.

Suddenly the drumming stopped. A hiss filled the air as the flames rose green and purple between the two figures. Then Rubella appeared, her purple robe on but the hood pulled back. She moved like a serpent between the sisters and took to the front of the stage:

“You join us for the mystery, but we, your sisters, ask that you stay to listen to our tale of TERROR that befell us!” Rubella exclaimed, her eyes darting over the crowd as Arthur and Francine shared suspicious glances. Rubella continued, “Our bodies were VIOLATED by humans, human children who followed the way of the evil adults. The adults perished! They fell to their own sins! We were almost free.”

Francine glanced around as the crowd murmured with skeptical tones. Rubella knew she would have to convince them. She slunk over to the far side of the stage, “I was of age! My body was being called home, and I saw my mother and father standing over me with smiles on their faces. I asked for water, the life blood of our species! But alas, I found it contaminated. I awoke, far from Mommy and Daddy, back in this purgatory.

“We all live in purgatory. You live in purgatory,” she pointed into the crowd, “YOU live in purgatory as well. You, you, and YOU, you ALL live in purgatory!” Rubella hissed, her index finger pointing straight at Arthur.

Rubella stepped into the crowd and lifted his chin, “You drink the water that flows through this city, and you are doomed a fate worse than death. Your soul’s weight tarnished by a people who believe themselves to be God,” she said in a low voice, using her finger to lift Arthur’s chin.

Rubella turned to Francine, “We found our sisters. We listened to our dreams and found ourselves together again,” she said, looking up over the crowd and moving to another pair, “We found our family in the great universe where we are one, a universe that is now tarnished. A universe we must now return to order.”

“Kill. Kill. Kill.”

Francine went pale as the robed sisters on the stage chanted to the beat of the drum. Rubella ran through the crowd, her purple robe trailing behind her as she wove between the groups. The fervor was there. A summer wave of heat filled the crowd as Rubella joined the sisters on stage. Together they drummed or stomped their feet while chanting.

With the wave of her arms, the group stopped and Rubella stepped forward, “We must execute the one responsible to return order to the world. We must atone for our stupidity, we must remove the cancer of this new society. We can all live as one, together and forever, without the POISON they have tainted our water with. Who will help me discover who is responsible?” she requested, joining hands with the others, “Us alone cannot see them, they are shrouded in mystery.”

As the group hummed, a few kids went up to the stage and joined hands with them. Arthur and Francine exchanged glances but neither joined the slow trickle to the stage. They were curious about who created the cure and got the water going again, but they weren’t about to buy into whatever this was.

A few kids left the park, and the two joined them. They walked slowly at first, then they broke and ran until they found themselves at the Read house. New graffiti was sprayed across the garage door, but the house was still empty. They went into the living room and sat on the stairs to catch their breath.

Francine sighed, “I want to find Catherine again, but now it’s to make sure she doesn’t wind up with a group like that. Do you really think they’d kill someone just for finding a cure to the virus?”

“Rubella was always into strange religions. Now there’s no one to guide her, so she figures out her own rules for living. It’s dangerous that she’s taking so many with her, but…whoever was smart enough to find a cure, create it, get the water treatment plant going again, AND put just enough of the cure into the water to cure us but not kill us? Well, they’re smart enough to take care of themselves,” Arthur ranted, glancing up at Francine, “We’ve got bigger problems anyway.”

Francine rested her head on the cool wall. She exhaled slowly, “I was hoping we could talk about that. Sue Ellen thinks you hate her for having this baby. She knows you’re sorry about the means thing, you didn’t know, but—”

“I don’t hate her for having a baby. I just…I’ve always been a big brother, so I know what it takes to raise a kid. You’re the youngest, she and George are only children, DW was too old to remember—”

“And Madison and Ladonna have the same experience as you and can help out,” Francine interrupted, sitting up again and slinging a braid out of her face, “Listen, Arthur, I know you feel like you’re in charge of everything, but now that there are so many of us? Maybe you should let some of that go. Besides, she’s the mom. It’ll be her responsibility for most things.”

“What if something goes wrong? We’re just kids, not doctors. People used to die in childbirth before medicine became accessible, and even then they could still die. It’s a dangerous situation,” Arthur argued.

Francine couldn’t deny the danger of the situation. She stood up, “Listen, we’re trying to prepare for that too. I heard rumors that the hospital is still running. Maybe we make a run over to Sector 1 and see if they can help. There’s time, but we should plan now, which Sue Ellen is doing, but she’s scared to go out. I can’t say I blame her. Look at those kooks,” Francine gestured, “What if they want to use her baby as a sacrifice?”

Arthur stood up and looked Francine in the eye. With her standing below him, they were finally the same height. He looked away nervously, “Do you think it’s true about the dreams? Them dreaming of each other and finding their way to each other?”

“Dreams are just our brains processing memories and experiences. They’re practically make believe content-wise,” Francine answered.

“Well…I’ve been dreaming of Kate, and I think she was on stage with the rest of them. I dreamed of her playing the drums while wearing a purple dress, and now—”

“She lived in a purple dress for like a year when she was little,” Francine whispered, touching his shoulder gently, “Rubella is a cult leader, Arthur. She’s just building the lore, trying to get others to join her. Don’t fall for that.”

Arthur nodded, “You’re right, I just…I can be rational about food and supplies and healthcare, but my baby sister?”

“Well…if she was telling the truth, why did it take me going to that crazy circus to find MY sister? And we’re actually related, Kate doesn’t know them. It’s a metaphor for something. She’s trying to guilt people to join her, and you saw the circus. Kids were a little scared, but I’ve seen plenty more go to those games knowing what happened there. They love danger,” Francine whispered, gesturing, “Come on, we should get back and tell the others.”

Arthur followed her then fell into step with her as they walked back to Lakewood. He kicked an empty can of spray paint into the gutter and looked around, “Did any of those pamphlets say who created the cure? Who did all the work?” he asked.

“I really hope not. If there’s even one clue, those girls will find them in a heartbeat, and they won’t stop with just one person if they think a group is responsible. I mean, there are some genius kids out there, Sue Ellen could tell you that, but I doubt just one could get all of this done,” Francine smirked, her smile fading, “Do you think it was Brain? That kid couldn’t fight to save his life.”

Arthur nodded, “And he’s there with the others from that smart kid group, so Carl—”

“Who’s autistic and wouldn’t be able to fight if they use that against him,” Francine interjected. Arthur continued, “And Lydia Fox, who’s in a wheelchair. None of them are fighters.”

Francine sighed as the school came into view, “It won’t take them long to figure that out if anyone else left. We should see what Sue Ellen knows.”

George took note of them and lowered the ladder. Arthur held it as Francine climbed up, then he returned to the roof. George pulled up the ladder and looked them over with a frown. He could tell that what they went to see wasn’t very pleasant.

Below in the playground, Pal lay in a shady spot while DW and Vicita tended to some of the plants. Madison and Ladonna moved a barrel into position hoping to catch rain—they were afraid the water being on wouldn’t last forever. Bud was digging a hole under the jungle gym, the mulch underneath piled up around the edge of the building. So much work to help keep them alive, but there was so much more happening outside that could tear down everything they knew.

Chapter Text

TC was on guard duty when Brain and Alex appeared at the gate. They were on scooters with small motors, and Brain wore a helmet that made his long hair curl on his head when he removed it. TC stood before them, arms crossed, trying to look tough as the obvious nerds tried to gather their thoughts. They were smart, sure, but they weren’t so good with words, not with his stern gaze.

Rattles peered out the window and cursed under his breath, which got Molly’s attention. They cleaned their hands in a bucket of water and left the grow unit, where they were trying to weed out their carrots. They appeared at the gate the same time as Fletcher, who turned to Molly for guidance as she stepped in front of TC.

“Thanks for the intimidation, TC, but maybe we should see what these guys want,” Molly said, looking Brain over before turning to Alex, “I don’t believe we’ve met, at least not in this shitshow.”

“Alex has been running the hospital,” Brain answered. Molly kept her eyes on Alex, “Ah, The Guardian. We’ve heard about you when we’re near others. We don’t do that anymore,” she glared, turning to Brain, “so you better have a damn good reason to come crawling over here. By the way, your little apartment is picked clean. Thanks for saving the food for us, that was real suspicious of you.”

Brain smiled nervously, “Well, um…,” his smile faded, “Are you sure we can’t talk? We were hoping to get a price going for some protection.”

By now the others had taken note of what was going on. Jessica and Mei-Lin emerged with Clark from the family unit. Stormy and Prudence were behind them, Stormy holding back while Pru marched forward with her head held high. Molly glanced behind her before looking back to Brain:

“This is everyone. Looks like a bad ass bunch, huh? The Tibbles would eat us alive after that creepy fuck they’re with skins us for himself. That’s some good protection huh? Looks like you wasted a trip out,” Molly said, turning to Alex, “You were wanting us to protect the hospital for you? A big building with its own barricades?”

“We were worried Shelley would barge through somehow. He likes stealing equipment, the bigger the better,” Alex whispered. Molly smirked, “Yeah, he’s gonna ride a tank through the barricade, through the wall, knock the whole city down, and we can stop him with the laser beams in our eyes. Fuck off,” she said, turning around.

“Do you know who could help? Since you’re so unwilling?” Brain called after her.

Rattles laughed, shaking his head, “Did you not hear her? No one in this city could stand up to those freaks. Look what happened last time you had a little get together? These two got captured. These two got picked up along the way, this one lost her brother, and everyone else in town has heard about it. Just admit it, you’re a bunch of brains in a world of brawn. You’re fucked if anyone with real insight decides to take you on.”

“What makes you think they want anything to do with you anyway?” Fletcher demanded, her arms crossed over her chest. TC nodded, “Yeah, we heard the Tibbles have some rich chick supplying them. What do they want with you?”

“Someone wants us dead, we don’t know who,” Brain said, his eyes lingering on Stormy, “And Alex needs to cut the Tibbles off. He’s afraid of how they’re going to react.”

Rattles smirked, “Really? The geniuses who help the world can’t figure out how to plan ahead? I’d evacuate then. Go into hiding. Get the fuck out of town and stay there. You’d be insane to tell those twisted little jerks No,” Rattles said firmly to Alex. He turned his gaze back to Brain, “And I’m sure you both already thought of that, you were just hoping you wouldn’t have to leave your comfy little plaza with all the little lights and gizmos and gadgets. Yeah, we know you have power, and if other people find out? The Tibbles won’t even need slaves to barge in, everyone will do it.”

“Well…if you’re not going to help us, will you at least keep things quiet?” Alex requested. Prudence scoffed, “You’re the ones roaming out in broad daylight. Maybe YOU should keep things quiet.”

The other Tough Customers couldn’t argue with that logic. With nothing left to discuss, the two boys rode off after Brain got his helmet back on. TC watched and looked the others over as they stood in the overgrown parking lot trying to make sense of their encounter.

TC threw up his hands, “So they get freaked out because someone wants to kill them, big deal. I almost died of diarrhea from those fucking BEANS the other day.”

“You should’ve read the date, dummy, and we told you not to eat anything in the hoarder’s unit,” Fletcher muttered, looking over the others, “Any of that make sense to anyone here?”

Stormy tried to walk away but Prudence caught her arm and turned her around. Prudence whispered softly, “Look, no one will be mad, but if you know something, you should say something.”

“Rubella was acting weird when I went to the sisters for help. They had to argue with her to get her to participate, and she seemed…worried? Anxious? Before I left, I heard her ranting to Prunella that she was weaker now that she was cured. That would’ve been a few days after those pamphlets appeared, and…the sisters were out there. I could see them be mad enough to kill over a cure like that, especially Rubella. She was always a little spacy.”

Fletcher scoffed, “A little? Girl was a bigger space cadet than…well…NASA,” she blushed, looking over the others, “So do we all think those girls are the real threat or did they really want us to go after the Tibbles, the psychopaths that took us hostage and probably killed Slink?”

Molly pointed, “That one. They think we’re a bunch of army members waiting for a contract. We’ll take the highest bidder, do their dirty work, take all the hits while they sit in their castle. We’ve got our own problems.”

“Are we safe here?” Jessica asked, kicking at some weeds on the ground, “I mean…if they’re worried the Tibbles are going to destroy the hospital or something, should we be worried too?”

“They haven’t found us yet despite doing their rounds with that other guy,” Clark argued. Mei-Lin nodded, “Even with the gate, no one has tried to come over. We’ve only had some kids ask for food.”

Prudence shook her head, “Look, if these Tibbles are as bad as you say, it’s only a matter of time. If they’re thinking about kicking the hornet’s nest, maybe we should figure something out.”

Molly shook her head, “I don’t see how there’s anywhere else to go. Besides, this sector is several blocks from there. I think we’ll be fine for a bit. They’re just scared because they’re new to this whole violence and hatred thing. They get so caught up in being smart that they forget how dirty the world is for the rest of us,” Molly said, gesturing, “Let’s get back to work. TC, you good at the gate?” she called out.

When TC nodded, Molly turned and followed Stormy. She gave a knowing look to Rattles, who nodded and let his girlfriend follow. Stormy was trying to get back to her book, but Molly followed her and led her into a back bedroom of her unit.

Once the door was closed, Molly whispered, “I’m going to trust your word over everything else. What do you make of this?”

“I think you called it. They have so few kids left thanks to people like me, the virus, and who knows what else. I bet Alex doesn’t have many allies either, the hospital was locked down for a while. Sector 1 was a ghost town, it was cut off pretty well by the barricades,” Stormy whispered.

Molly nodded and studied her, “And the sisters? Are they more dangerous than the Tibbles?”

“It’s like magic when they call you, but it’s only if there’s a need. I haven’t dreamed of them since they helped me,” she said, looking Molly over, “If they call to the city’s children to end them? They’ll listen and obey.”

Molly swallowed nervously. She nodded, “I believe you. What do you think we should do?”

“Stick together, keep doing what we’re doing, and…if anyone starts trying to go off on their own or to Sector 2? We stop them from going,” Stormy said with a firm voice. Molly nodded and patted her shoulder in thanks. Stormy picked up her book and moved closer to a window as Molly returned to the garden unit.

Rattles studied her as she got back to digging. He cleared his throat and asked, “So, the plan?”

“We survive,” Molly answered, plucking out a weedy carrot and tossing it into the nearby compost bucket, “and we stick together. Stormy says the sisters are a big deal, and I believe her.”

When the couple traded out duties with TC, who was now joined at the gate by Fletcher and a stone-faced Clark, they let them know the plan. Everyone seemed worried by the visit, not because of who Alex and Brain were, but because they represented true fear. If the geniuses in charge we at a loss about what to do, how should they be feeling?

Marina was sticking to her task. The smell of incense was in the air as she finally got to the wide variety of fiction books. Prunella and Rubella had come up with a whole list of things they didn’t want people to read, but Marina didn’t like all of that. She didn’t see the point in keeping kids from reading whatever they wanted. Besides, the library was still closed anyway. Marina’s request to make it public or request only was met with silence, then the other sisters ignored her.

Fern entered the basement and brought a potted plant with her. She placed it on a sunny windowsill and poured a little bit of water onto the soil. She covered it with moss, then she went over to the table where Marina was working.

“What are you going to do with the books they want you to burn?” Fern whispered. She and Marina had grown closer since the other sisters became so ravenous, so close that Marina had admitted to her the feelings she had about the ban, about the eventual burning of the books.

Marina glanced upwards, her eyes focused well behind Fern—the one sign of her blindness that remained. Marina exhaled and frowned, “I don’t know. They’re so focused on their own events and rituals that I haven’t had time to ask. The park, you said it was crowded?” she asked.

“Yes, lots of kids there, most of them on their own or in small groups,” Fern whispered remembering the ritual. She was there with Kate and Nadine, but Marina had remained in the library. She had wanted to use the opportunity to move books then, but there weren’t enough hands. They needed someone who could help them.

Marina glanced towards Fern again, “You have someone in mind, but you’re afraid to ask them,” she said knowingly, turning back towards the book she was running her fingers over. Romance, newer, definitely banned. Marina put it on a stack nearby, “Is it not worse to watch what literature we have left go up in flames?” she questioned.

“I need to reach out to them somehow, but I don’t know. What would they do to me if they found out?” Fern asked. Marina ran her fingers over the next book—older, classic, male author, boring. Keep. Fern looked around the room as Marina put the old book on a different pile, “There could be a thousand or more books in flames. I guess it really doesn’t matter if they find out. We’re doomed if I don’t try.”

“Now you understand,” Marina said, cocking her head, “Jack. You should send him over.”

Fern laughed nervously, “Look, Marina, I made him up. It was just a way to scare people in a fun way, he was never…,” her voice trailed off and her smile faded. “Nadine is a ghost too, isn’t she?”

“Imaginary friend,” Marina corrected, her tone as if she was saying the sky was blue. Full conviction, not a shred of doubt. Fern’s arms covered with goosebumps as Marina ran her fingers over the next title. Worn paperback, tattered edges, well-read—ah, a famous movie was based off this. Prunella would never go for it, so she put it on the reject pile.

Fern sank onto a stool, “How does that even work? I mean, was she the imaginary friend of one of you? That’s impossible.”

Marina turned towards Fern, “Lots of things are possible these days. Someone made a cure for the virus when the adults couldn’t and put it into the water. We called to others in dreams and they arrived when we said they would. We cast out the evil from a girl, an unborn child that was viable until we demanded it leave its mother. Our powers are undeniable, which is why we have to fight the deranged, the power-hungry. Kids need to read whatever they want. If they don’t, our future children won’t be able to read. That unborn child wasn’t the only one to come from evil, and there will be plenty more made out of love…and poor choices.”

Fern nodded but barely heard. She tried to think of how she could use this power for her own good. If the sisters could reach her in her sleep and make others think she was out of her mind, then she could recreate a boy from her past. She just had to remember what he looked like and who he was.

Jack was the unluckiest boy alive. He was susceptible to all of the superstitions. If a black cat crossed his path, he was sure to have bad luck thereafter. He once broke a mirror, and for the next seven years, he never won a game or went a single day without something awful happening to him.

His red hair appeared in a flash. Fern closed her eyes and imagined the boy on his bike. A graffiti-font 13 was spraypainted on the sidewalk. He couldn’t avoid it for the debris, and a moment later his tire flew off. Jack looked around and saw the condo complex.

Fern’s eyes shot open, “I think I’m doing it.”

Marina smiled, “Then tell them to come quick. Rubella and Prunella have another ritual tomorrow, but after that, who knows? They might go after whoever made the cure, or they might come after us. Either way, we have our callings. You’ve pruned back bushes and brought lawns back to their former glory. My calling is the books, and we’ve got to get them into the hands of these young readers.”

“Jack should take them to Lakewood,” Fern whispered, nodding to herself, “Rattles and the others should get the books and take them to the elementary school, and there will be people there willing to take the books. They want them, they NEED them,” she said, turning to Marina, “Thank you for your help. I’m going up to the roof to think clearer.”

Fern almost ran to the side area where a service ladder led up to the air conditioner unit. Fern climbed from there onto the roof and closed her eyes. Jack appeared again, walking his limping bike up the messy street. Fern could picture Rattles standing at the gate. He saw Jack, a frown on his face. Rattles whistled behind him, and suddenly a boy Fern didn’t recognize was there.

Jack noticed and shivered with worry, “Don’t beat me up, I have a message from Fern. It’s important, she needs your help.”

The boys exchanged glances as Molly appeared. Fern knew Molly would listen. Jack stepped forward and took her hand, “Please, Fern says Rubella is going to burn up all the books. She and Marina want to save them. Come to the library and get the books, then take them to Lakewood. The kids there will make sure they’re safe.”

“Who are you, kid? Why should we believe you?” Molly asked. Fern didn’t know what to say to that. She opened her eyes and her concentration broke as she tried to come up with an answer.

She closed her eyes and concentrated again. She felt Jack standing in his worn sneakers, and suddenly the image of the Tough Customers returned. Rattles held a bat at the ready. The unknown boy had jumped back and looked amped up, ready for a fight. Molly was forced behind Rattles.

Jack apologized, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Fern didn’t know what to say, she lost concentration. She doesn’t know why you should believe any of this, but if this is really happening, she’ll tell you when to come. They have to make sure the sisters aren’t there or we’ll get caught.”

“Caught moving the books from the library, stealing, a book heist,” Rattles muttered, shaking his head, “Fern the bookworm really wants us to steal a bunch of books.”

“If it keeps Rubella and Prunella from burning them, sure,” Jack shrugged, backing away, “I’ll come back when we know when to come. Don’t try otherwise, the sisters are dangerous now, mad with power. Mad with grief.”

“Over what? Who died?” the unknown kid asked. Jack glanced back and shrugged again, “Their purity or something. Religion isn’t the same without all the adults and all those traditions,” he said, walking away.

Fern opened her eyes. She told herself this was all a daydream, a very vivid daydream, but it felt real. Molly was there, and she could still feel the girl’s rough hand in hers. Fern hung her head. She wanted to believe, but could magic really be reality? The former detective had her doubts, but part of her wanted to believe. Without the help of someone strong like Rattles, the books would never leave the property, and they needed them hidden away. Marina’s calling had become her own.

Muffy looked over the space and nodded before turning around to Emily. Getting her out of the mansion had taken some effort, but Muffy didn’t want some common girl like Catherine giving her advice. She needed someone with a privileged upbringing to give it to her straight.

Emily ran a finger over the dirty table. The ice cream shop had closed several weeks before the lockdowns started. The Powers family had moved it elsewhere, or at least that was the intention. Emily couldn’t remember now because it wasn’t important to her. Businesses were important to Muffy, but Emily craved experiences, and right now she wanted to go back to the clean mansion.

Shelley stepped into the dining area from the back, “There’s plenty of storage space back here, and the alleyway gives us good cover from the street. We can move barricades if we need to,” he explained, nodding to Emily, “Why does she look like she ate a sour candy?”

“Because she lacks the unique vision that I have,” Muffy spat, glaring at Emily, “I intend to MOP, Emily, I wanted to know if you think this could work as a cute little café or bar. I haven’t decided yet. I mean, it’s not like I want to be giving food out to people. Booze doesn’t matter to me though.”

Shelley smirked, “Well, you’ll be charging them anyway, so it doesn’t matter what you decide to do. You can get your resources back if you play your cards right.”

Muffy frowned and pulled Shelley towards her, “Well…is that working for the twins?” she asked.

Shelley kissed the top of her head, “Of course it is, I’m overseeing it, all of it. They wouldn’t stand a chance without me.”

Emily grimaced at the couple, “Look, you can have sex in here later, I don’t care, okay? Bring me back out when you’re done with the place, eww,” she complained, stepping back towards the street.

Muffy gave Shelley a quick kiss before stepping outside. Muffy stomped on the pavement, “Hey! You’re really pathetic, you know! Such a spoiled little brat living in MY house and acting all high and mighty when I ask for help with something. This is yours too, you know. If it’s successful, we’ll BOTH get something out of this! So suck it up and help me out! Can we keep the windows?!” she asked forcibly.

“They’re already cracked and ugly, plus that’s dangerous,” Emily said, forcing herself to look at the space. She glanced around, “You can keep them if you build out to the road somehow. It’s not like it matters anymore.”

Shelley stepped outside and sneered, “That’s a good girl. What else? Answer my darling like a good little princess.”

Emily rolled her eyes but kept going, stepping back into the space. She pointed to the coolers, “You can keep that, maybe add stickers. Washable labels too? Something to give names and prices. You should mix the booze, kids won’t know the difference and it’ll go further. Let him figure out currency, he knows what we need,” Emily whispered.

Muffy patted her shoulder and smirked, “Good, thank you. Can Hana and the others make the décor? These chairs are awful, and I’d like a curtain for the back area and maybe for the windows. Can you oversee that with them?” she asked, frowning as she noticed Emily’s attention waning, “Or are you going to sit around in my HOUSE all day letting them do their own thing?”

“They’ve got the garden going, remember? They’re trying to grow fruit, there’s too many vegetables,” Emily pouted, looking around, “It’s a small space, I can see, and yeah, if they can sew, they’ll do it. What choice do they have? Even Catherine knows it’s best not to leave.”

“Well…we need fruit. If the garden isn’t producing, I want her looking around,” Muffy said, turning to Shelley, “Does anyone else have fruit?” she asked.

Shelley shrugged as he picked at his dirty fingernails, “I don’t think so, canned maybe but even that’s getting scarce. This is the northeast, there’s not exactly pineapples and stuff going around, it’s too cold.”

Muffy sighed, “Well…that’s better than nothing. We can use sugar or syrups to sweeten the drinks. I can work on recipes while we get this place cleaned up,” she said, looking around, “I need staff,” she whispered, her eyes falling on the spoiled Emily, “You need to be here and help me.”

“I’m not made to work,” Emily said firmly. Muffy shook her head, “You want to keep staying in my mansion, you’ll do what I say, and I’m telling you that YOU will help me run this place. Understood?” she asked.

Emily knew she had no choice but to agree. Muffy had already threatened to send the slaves to the twins if they couldn’t keep up. They had gotten into shape quickly after that, but Emily knew it was risky. She just didn’t see why she had to fall into that group. She saw herself as Muffy’s equal, but now…maybe she was just as good to Muffy as Hana and Catherine.

Shelley took them back to Sector 6. He’d made a cart out of an old wagon and a bicycle to transport the girls, and it was somehow both roadworthy and comfortable. They returned to find Catherine and Maria working on cleaning jars. Shelley had acquired a canning kit, but they weren’t sure they knew what they were doing. They wanted books, but Shelley refused. The library was dangerous territory for him.

Muffy stomped inside and began looking at fabric as Emily sulked up to her room. Hana entered with Jenna at her side, and they helped Emily change from a street-worthy outfit of a hot pink t-shirt and fashionable jeans to a lacey number that was babydoll pink and feathery. Hana misted the girl with perfume, then Jenna brought in lunch.

“You two take such good care of me,” Emily smiled, thanking them both. She sipped her carrot juice and grimaced, “I’m still not used to that mix. Maybe Catherine and Muffy can get drink recipes ready. She’s going ahead with the bar downtown. Can you all make chair covers and stuff? Maybe tablecloths and curtains too,” she added.

Hana glanced to Jenna before nodding, “Of course, it’s something we can do at night when working outside is too hard. Might take us a few weeks,” she said, looking Emily over, “And who’s going to run this bar?” she asked.

Emily shrugged, “I don’t know. She wants me to work there, but I can’t do that by myself. We should all work it. It’ll be more successful than this stupid garden idea. All you’ve gotten so far are baby carrots and mold.”

“It’s too cold,” Jenna whispered, hanging her head, “We don’t know what we’re doing either. The weaving was easier.”

“Well, you can make the stuff Muffy wants during the day, and I’d be more than happy to let you replace me at the bar,” Emily pouted, looking out over the grounds as Shelley disappeared up the street. Muffy, dejected without her boyfriend, moved into the kitchen to begin writing up ideas. She was determined to make this work, and Emily knew the Crosswire girl wouldn’t allow dead weight.

Emily lay on her bed and tried to nap as Hana and Jenna returned to the garden. They passed on word to Maria and James, but Catherine knew what was up. She frowned as they worked to dig out some plants that had tried to grow before molding. Nothing was going right—plants wouldn’t grow, and then they couldn’t preserve what was growing because they didn’t know what they were doing. Having a bar to focus on would be better, but it was Muffy’s bar. Muffy’s word would be law, and with the threat of the Tibbles behind her every complaint, the group worried about what sort of hardships were to come.

Chapter Text

Carl was in his own world. He had returned to his office as soon as he could and gotten back to work on something, probably models. Lydia sighed as she stirred a cup of coffee. It was late, and the sun was setting behind the government center. They’d kept all the lights off during the day, and tonight would be the first time keeping them out all night. To keep themselves safe, that was the strangest part.

Brain entered the cafeteria and used the drink machine to get warm water. He mixed in a packet of soup, a supply Slink had found before he disappeared. The smell hit Lydia’s nose as the last of the intense sunlight ducked behind a building. The room instantly cooled a few degrees as she sat and waited. Sure enough, Brain brought his bowl to her table and sat down.

“What did Alex end up deciding?” Lydia whispered. As soon as they got back, Brain followed Alex to the hospital, where Alex and Liam discussed their options. Lydia doubted it went well. She watched patiently as Brain stirred his soup, his mind formulating an answer.

Brain put down his spoon and opened a package of stale crackers, “He has to stand up to them and see what happens. People need him, not just injured kids or the victims of slavery. Liam had a visitor today while Alex was gone.”

Lydia took a sip of her coffee, which was more creamer than coffee. The cups would expire soon; some had already soured. She hung her head, “I guess we should decide what we’re going to do then. The Tibbles do seem to have the most resources.”

“The Tibbles have the most charisma and danger, so kids follow them blindly. They’ve got that weird guy working with them too. No one knows who he is, and that’s fine with me,” Brain whispered, turning to her, “I had hoped we would have leadership, but I forgot that smarts and resources need an army behind them. Groups like that don’t exist anymore.”

Lydia rested her hand on his forearm gently, “Well…it’s up to you how this goes. If they’re saying no, we need some sort of defenses,” she whispered, picking up her hand again. Her red gloves looked black in the dying light. Brain clicked on a battery powered tea light on the table, casting a soft glow on the room.

Brain exhaled and lowed his eyes to his food, “I considered some options. The officers were working on some tasers with the help of the national guard. I haven’t tested them yet, but they’re a way to stun without hurting the other person fatally. Maybe we could implement that.”

“Sounds like something those twisted Tibbles might like,” Lydia murmured. Brain shrugged, “Probably, but what other options do we have?”

Lydia turned as Carl emerged. He passed a binder to Brain before going to the cafeteria area to cook himself dinner. Carl wasn’t much for talking some days, but mostly for things like this. Brain opened the binder and saw schematics, the first being the ones for the taser, but the next? He wasn’t so sure.

Carl returned with a pastry. They were filled with preservatives so most were just stale, but they were trying to finish them before eating more canned goods. Lydia had a wrapper under her cup from her own. It crinkled as she shifted uncomfortably. Brain couldn’t decide what he was looking at, and he eventually looked up to Carl, who was staring out the window.

Brain sighed, “I’m afraid I don’t follow,” he admitted, gesturing to the page, “I’m not sure what I’m looking at. The schematics are similar, but the placement is…strange. The dimensions—”

“Are scaled up,” Carl finished, pointing, “That’s the camera poles. This is what is underneath the solar panels powering each one.”

Lydia turned her chair to face both boys more comfortably. She turned to Carl, “Are you saying they weren’t just making personal tasers? There’s some kind of electro-whatever in the security poles?”

“It’s a prototype, I’m not sure if they even work, but yes, there’s files about it in Slink’s office. They were classified, so there were black panels over lots of the words,” Carl said, pointing to the page, “I found some code when I looked back at the folder. Brain needs to try to run the code on the command center’s computer.”

Lydia and Brain exchanged tense glances. Testing some unproven thing wasn’t new for them, but this was a weapon, not a cure for a horrible disease. What could they possibly test the laser on anyway? Were there even viable targets?

As soon as they finished eating, they made their way to Brain’s office. Lydia easily kept pace with the boys as they entered. Carl closed the door, and Brain turned on a small lamp on his desk. No one would see that, he thought, as Carl produced the page of code. Brain recognized it immediately.

Brain pulled up the panel, “I noticed this button on the cameras already. I didn’t know what the code did, so I never worked on the buttons. There was a testing switch on as well, so I guess they were close to looking into it.”

Lydia shook her head in amazement, “I can’t believe Elwood City’s leaders were looking into lasers.”

“They were working with Metropolis on better security measures,” Brain explained, continuing, “There was a security initiative put out by the federal government, a sort of pilot programing. I thought it just paid for these cameras and their eco-friendly designs, but it seems there was more to this project. If I activate this switch and Carl is correct, I’ll be able to shoot lasers out of the pole. I imagine there’s a range of accuracy, and there must be a limit due to the solar power, but…maybe this could defend the sector. Most of the poles in Sector 1 are still fully functional.”

Lydia looked up to Carl before glancing back to Brain, “And we’re okay with this? I mean…I understand this situation is pretty dire. You said Liam has been fielding questions from the public, and if the Tibbles decide to get revenge, things could get ugly, but…we could possibly take a life with this.”

“We need to see what the code says, how it works. Carl, did you see any simulators or other things?” Brain questioned. Carl shrugged but pointed to the computer, “There’s a laptop in Slink’s old office. It’s in the filing cabinet.”

Lydia wheeled out from behind Brain’s desk, “Show me. I bet I can crack it if the detective was anything like the mayor.”

“Be careful,” Brain warned, “He might be smarter than you think if he’s been working on programs like this.”

Lydia nodded and followed Carl. For the first time in a while, she thought of Sally. It would be nice to have another girl providing input, but most were gone. Lydia swallowed as she thought of Stormy and Sue Ellen. They had bigger problems, problems she didn’t understand and Brain couldn’t live with. It was a long-ago thing now, but Lydia missed them. She could use someone to actually talk to.

The laptop was ancient. Carl helped Lydia by plugging it in and setting it up on the side of the desk so Lydia didn’t have to move the detective’s chair. The tea light they’d brought with them showed the stains on the chair. Slink had sat there and made himself comfortable despite being dirty. Lydia had to admit she missed him too, but mostly because she was worried about him.

The computer booted up. After cycling through several screens for a few moments longer than Lydia expected, a welcome banner appeared. Without prompting a password screen, the laptop began its work. Sure enough, the control program was there, but there was an icon labeled DEMO-X12 in the middle of the screen. Lydia double-clicked the icon, and the program came to life. Icons covered a simple page, but there didn’t seem to be any instructions.

Lydia turned to Carl, “Any idea how this works?” she asked. He shook his head, “I never found anything else. Maybe it was in one of the files they blacked out.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Lydia whispered, checking the connection, “I’m going to go offline then run it. Maybe that will keep it from doing anything bad.”

Carl liked that idea. Sensing that Lydia was done with him, he left the room without a word. A few minutes later, Brain appeared, but he was weary from travel. Lydia gestured to the small couch, so Brain settled in. He covered himself with a blanket, and Lydia clicked the first icon that jumped out at her, a notepad symbol.

Instructions appeared and Lydia smiled. Maybe she could figure this thing out after all.

Slink felt more at home in Sector 8 than he did in Sector 1. Living in the poorest area of the city was more sensible to him than staying in what was now arguably the richest sector in the city. Having electricity and a working shower and all the food he needed was too much, and so was the pressure. Living among the smartest kids of Elwood City made no sense for someone who knew he was below average.

No, Slink was no award-winning kid. Before the virus hit, he did good to make it to school each day and perform at all. No, this neighborhood was a better fit for him.

This area wasn’t as barricaded off as the others. The city wasn’t about to waste resources on the people who were already receiving welfare and other programs. If they needed medical care, there was a free clinic in the center of the neighborhood. It was in the middle of a strip mall that had seen better days before tribal kids took it over. Slink had passed it on his way to the projects. He could still see the spray painted on the sidewalk, indicators from a bygone era of where sick adults had to stand. Not that it mattered, they were all gone now.

The kids here were resourceful already. Slink had moved into one of the housing blocks with a couple of other kids who didn’t mind taking in a stray. He had to work though, which Slink didn’t mind. Instead of being beaten into submission, these guys just asked that he pulled his weight if he wanted a meal. The work? Hunting in the woods behind the complex or helping the girls with the garden.

But Slink usually stuck to the oldest kid in his unit. Otis was someone he went to school with at Lakewood. Slink didn’t know much about him, but the kid was good at finding things just like Slink was. They’d already broken into a few cars together and found some emergency kits. These were great—the windows in their unit were busted, so now they had weather-proof curtains, and the flares were a good way to cook food in a pinch.

Slink fell into step with Otis as they walked up a block at the far end of the sector. Otis looked around nervously before gesturing for Slink to follow him into the backyard. Mill houses lined the streets, most so close together you could stand between the two and lean to touch each one.

Slink swallowed nervously, “Yo, did you see something? Why are we hiding?” he whispered. The houses had long been cleared. No one stayed in them because of the fire risk. Several had burned a few streets over; there was no fire department to put them out.

Otis gestured past the overgrown thicket behind the houses, “Tibbles, man, I hate it over here. You never know when they’re going to do another sweep.”

Slink shook his head, “They’re not at the dump anymore. I was there, remember? They moved downtown. They needed more kids to terrorize and take advantage of,” he explained. Otis nodded but looked past the field in horror. Slink tapped his shoulder, “Seriously, they’re gone. Did you get taken up there or something?”

“No, but the guy in the unit above us is looking for his sister. He thinks she went there,” Otis whispered, “and they did stuff to her.”

“If she wasn’t older, they didn’t touch her,” Slink murmured, shaking his head to clear out the bad memories. Sure, the twins liked tormenting girls, but they liked going after the older ones that were taller and bigger than them, the ones that should’ve easily been able to take them if only they weren’t so scary.

Otis exhaled in relief, “His sister was pretty small actually, pretty meek. Are you sure they wouldn’t do something like that?”

“I saw things, man,” Slink said firmly, stepping back into the street, “Come on, let’s go back and I’ll tell him myself.”

“We can’t go back empty-handed, bro, let’s check this house,” Otis gestured. Slink nodded and followed him up a set of stairs that were so rotted they were barely standing. They creaked loudly as the boys stepped into the house, still unlocked from the before times.

The tiny house was cluttered with ancient furniture. A couch was repaired with newspaper and a cloth table runner, another was covered in piles of newspapers. The smell of stale cigarettes was intoxicating. Slink wrinkled his nose—the smell was nothing like his mom’s favorite brand.

Otis opened some kitchen cabinets. A can of chili appeared, but Slink slapped Otis’s hand away, “That shit is long gone, bro. They haven’t used that design in ages.”

Otis squinted and picked up the can. He grimaced, “Eighties? Who the hell lived here?” he said, prowling through the cabinet. Every canned good was either long expired or didn’t have a label. The boys smartly left them and moved to a DVD cabinet.

Slink opened the door and smiled, “This is fresher,” he said. Otis nodded and produced a bag that Slink quickly filled with tins of potted meat, cans of soup, and a few cans of Spam. They’d be eating good later.

They snagged some toilet paper and a bottle of wine from the house, but everything else was useless. They walked back to the projects, where some kids were using one of the concrete pads to play a game. Spaces were marked out with spray paint, and a plastic ball was thrown between players. They shouted clues to each other, but Slink couldn’t follow the course of the game. He followed Otis into the unit’s stairwell then up to the top floor.

Steve opened the door for Otis. He had more facial hair than either boy, and he’d dyed it blue. His hair was also tinted blue, and he had a poor attempt at a mohawk. Otis smirked at the sight, “Want me to look for some razors or something?”

“You could help me even it out, I chickened out,” Steve said, glancing at Slink, “You went to school with us,” he realized.

Slink nodded, “Yeah, I think we had an assembly together. We got to carry the flags one time.”

Steve stepped out onto a tiny landing as Otis appeared with a razor. Slink quickly took it from him and did the work. He shaved the sides of Steve’s hair dry, but the kid liked it. He nodded in thanks before looking them over again.

Otis hung his head, “This wasn’t a social call. I just…Slink showed up a few days ago, so we went out together. He didn’t like how I was wigging out over the Tibbles, he said they aren’t there anymore.”

“They still march kids up there to the dump. I watch them,” Steve said, pointing to binoculars, “She’s not with them, but I know she’s out there.”

“Who’s your sister?” Slink asked. When Steve said Maria, Slink shook his head, “She wasn’t there, okay? And even if she was there before me, I doubt they did anything to her. They didn’t start getting really crazy with us until…well, until they beat the shit out of me. If Alex wasn’t still running the hospital as best as he can, I’d be dead.”

Steve cocked his head skeptically, “And why should I believe you about my sister? Do you have any sisters, Slink? Do you know what it’s like?”

“I ain’t got no family,” Slink admitted, gesturing to Otis, “He can tell you, I ain’t even got a tribe, man. I fucked up a lot, I still do, but I wouldn’t play around with something like that, okay? If your sister is out there? She’s not at the dump, I would’ve seen her.”

“Who else holds captives? You’ve been to town, you might know,” Steve said, but Slink shook his head, “I didn’t go around meeting every snake in this city. It’s tempting though. I need something to keep me busy. I’m going crazy having nothing to do really. Trying to survive is nothing, I’ve been doing it all my life. I need something else to do.”

Otis looked out over the compound, “The band is getting ready. I told you they’d be back to the city soon,” he said, but the boys ignored him. Otis shrugged and left the unit. Steve patted Slink’s arm and led him into the living room. Steve drank to forget, Slink had already learned that before he knew who was doing all the drinking.

Steve passed Slink a handle of whisky. Slink held his hand up, “That shit almost killed me. I did drugs too, but I’m trying to be clean. If I can stay busy, I won’t be sick anymore. Being dopesick ain’t fun,” he said firmly, but Steve didn’t seem to hear him. No booze for Slink meant more for him, and he tipped the bottle back.

Slink shook his head, “I won’t sit around and help you. I promise to make my way back to the city and look for your sister though. She was a good kid, we need to find her. She’s probably out there looking for you,” he whispered, but Steve didn’t seem to hear.

The music called to him. Slink stepped out into the courtyard and found the game replaced with a band. One kid was so surrounded by instruments that Slink couldn’t see him, but the music was okay. There were horns, drums, tambourines, and an accordion all rigged up around the guy, not to mention the bells on the jester hat he wore. He bobbed his head in time and danced around making the notes play. Slink recognized the tune eventually, an old theme song to a show.

Slink found Otis and sat on the weathered grass beside him watching the kid perform. Kids gave him offerings as he played songs he made up and a few from the old days. That was probably his job now, Slink thought.

He needed a job too. He decided that he would go back to the city when he could just to look around. He’d look for kids like Maria whose family was looking for them. Maybe he could bring them back home. Would he charge for it? Maybe. He’d figure that out later. Right now, he focused on the music and trying not to feel so alone.

The girls were fascinated with her. Sue Ellen had taken over the kindergarten wing now that her desire to nest had grown. A small office was her bedroom, but she was preparing the floor to be a very large nursery. Vicita and DW were eager to help. They helped her improve the reading area, a series of beanbag chairs piled in a corner. They were there now, and the girls lay on either side of her waiting for the baby to move again.

Vicita’s hand flinched, “Ooh, I felt it again. Did I?” she asked. Sue Ellen, who nodded absentmindedly. She was still torn on how she felt about the whole thing. She was going to have a baby, a whole little human, in a very short amount of time.

The baby kicked more towards DW’s side. She gasped with delight then turned to Sue Ellen, “Does it hurt when he does that?”

“I think it’s a girl, SHE!” Vicita interjected. Sue Ellen smiled nervously, “We’ll find out when they get here, and yes, DW, sometimes they kick my ribs or somewhere else. You get used to it though. They sleep a lot just like…well, babies.”

DW sat back on her bean bag, “I want to have a baby one day, maybe two or three. I haven’t decided yet,” she said, turning to Sue Ellen, “Mom always said there was a mommy and a daddy. I guess she lied to me, huh?”

Sue Ellen shrugged, “Just to protect you. It’s a lot more complicated than that. I…I don’t want to talk about it.”

Vicita frowned, “I was hoping the baby would have a daddy. I miss having a daddy…and a mommy and Alberto even though he was always stinky even before the virus hit.”

“Arthur stinks too,” DW grimaced, turning to Sue Ellen, “I guess if that daddy was mean or something, you could find a new daddy that’s nicer. My dad was really nice, I miss him. I even miss him making gross meals. I bet they’d taste great now that everything is so gross.”

George entered the room and sighed with relief, “There you are. Francine said you had moved in here,” he said, eying the girls, “Are they moving in too?”

“We’re going to be her nannies,” Vicita announced with a wide smile. DW nodded to back her up.

George laughed nervously, “Well, that’s a good job to have if we need it, but right now Ladonna is looking for someone to help with laundry. Why don’t you girls go help? Now I think I know why she’s so short handed.”

The girls frowned but left the room. George watched them leave before looking down to Sue Ellen, “Can you even get up?” he asked. She tried and shook her head. George grabbed her forearm and helped pull her up. Sue Ellen pulled down her straining shirt and gave up. George took a step back, “I can try to find more clothes for you the next time we go out.”

“I would really appreciate it. This was Jane’s, but she wasn’t as big as I am now,” she frowned, looking him over, “You tried going to the hospital for me, didn’t you?”

“They’ve closed off the barricades,” George nodded, sinking onto a preschool chair, his face showing surprise as he realized how far down he was sitting. Sue Ellen didn’t bother trying and sat on a table beside him. George glanced up to her, “I told the person at the barricade I needed information, but whoever is in charge there is out.”

“Well it’s not an adult, so you wouldn’t have gotten very far,” Sue Ellen murmured, looking around the space, “I know it’s big, but I don’t intend to do this again. I never meant for this to happen the first time, it’s…it’s complicated.”

“The girls aren’t asking too many pressing questions, are they? I can get Arthur involved,” George offered, but Sue Ellen held up her hand to stop him. She really didn’t mind. If she was nine or ten, she’d be curious too. George nodded, “Well…I guess we should be thinking of how to support you after.”

“You’re sticking around that long?” Sue Ellen inquired, smirking as George blushed, “It’s no secret you want out of here, George. The farm kept you quiet for a while, but now that things are getting dangerous again, I can feel it. You want out of here.”

George sighed, “Yeah, I do. People are dangerous now. I think it’d be much safer out in the country somewhere, somewhere the Tibbles can’t drive a garbage truck to. Kids are getting weird too, that show in the park was too much. What are kids going to do now that weirdos are making up their own religions?”

Sue Ellen shifted as she thought about it. She met George’s gaze, “Humans have always sought a higher power to guide them through life, especially when they don’t know what’s going on. I’d say we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing, but…you’re right, it’s scary. I’m about to bring a baby into this. However scared you feel, I can assure you my fear is ten times that, and that’s just for them,” she said, pressing her hand over her belly. Sue Ellen frowned, “It’s twenty times that much for myself. I know the statistics, I did an essay on them once for Ratburn. I didn’t know what it meant back then. So many people lost kids in childbirth, or the baby died within a year.”

“You’re too smart to let that happen to you,” George said. Sue Ellen scoffed, “I could be a PhD-level genius and I could still hemorrhage after delivery. The cord could cut off their oxygen, an infection could kill us both. So much could go wrong at any time, and it doesn’t matter if you’re smart or stupid, rich or poor. It’s dangerous for every person who bears a child.”

George hung his head shamefully, “I’m sorry, I just…I guess we were pretty coddled,” he whispered, looking up to her, “I’ll go back to the hospital in a few days. If anything, I think we should ask for gloves. We haven’t found any yet in the homes we’ve looked in. I know we can use rubbing alcohol, but I want to be safe. For you and them.”

“How long before you leave after that?” she whispered. George met her gaze but said nothing. Sue Ellen smiled, “You still might leave before then. Well…Vicita and DW have a point about a daddy. I wouldn’t ask that of anyone, but…I need people around me I can count on. If you’re going to leave? Maybe you should do it sooner rather than later.”

“I don’t want to leave Francine or without her blessing,” George whispered, adding, “She saved my life in the early days. She was the only one willing to help me out, and we’ve been together ever since. She’s like a sister to me, and…you are becoming my family. Whether Arthur wants to admit it yet, he’s family too. You’re in good hands with everyone here. I mean, the Compson’s are there for you too. You should talk to Madison.”

Sue Ellen shook her head, “I’m not ready yet. They’re good people, but if she’s anything like Ladonna? She’ll ask questions I don’t want to answer. The girls understand, they don’t press, but she’s older. I don’t trust her.”

George nodded and carefully stood up. It was time to get back to work, so off he went to their playground garden. Sue Ellen made her way to the kitchen, where they were sorting supplies to help ration them. With so many mouths to feed, it was easy to lose track of how much food you really had. Sue Ellen and Francine were working on a system together, but it was slow going doing all that math. And here was Sue Ellen adding to the burden. She frowned as she worked, her mind on the future.

Chapter Text

Rattles checked his bag one last time to make sure it had what he wanted to take with him. The chants in the night had died down, but he didn’t want to go out underprepared once the sun was up. The world was a dangerous place, and after a visit from a kid that kept popping in and out, it had gotten weird too.

Molly turned over in bed and realized Rattles was long missing. She ran her hand over the cool spot in the bed and looked up. Her eyes quickly found him in the dark. He went to her and hugged her as she raised up to him. She was always slow to wake up, so he gave her time to get oriented.

“I thought you’d already left. You scared me,” she murmured.

“I wouldn’t do that to you. Stormy said we should wait until morning to make the walk. Lakewood is several blocks from here, and she wanted plenty of time to get some weapons together. The chanting was pretty loud last night,” he whispered.

They hadn’t listened in fully, but the chants were about not drinking the water and killing people. They didn’t know who or why, but it was a concerning development in the area. Stormy’s weather instruments said the cool wave was holding, but she had no explanation for anything else. It was one thing to dream of the sisters, it was another to be visited by an apparition wanting to do their will. They had their doubts, but finding out who or what was at Lakewood was a good first step.

Sunlight flickered on the far wall signaling the arrival of morning. Molly sighed and held Rattles tighter, “Promise me you’ll ask anyone you see about James. He’s got to be out there. Someone must’ve seen him.”

“And Binky for Mei-Lin,” Rattles promised, looking up as the sound of footsteps crossed the floor above. A moment later, Mei-Lin and Prudence appeared in the living room. Rattles greeted them as Stormy knocked on the door. Molly groggily let her in as Fletcher and TC left their unit nearby.

Mei-Lin stepped forward and offered the police flashlight she’d found in the hoarder’s house. Rattles thanked her for it before handing it over to Stormy. He showed Mei-Lin his own club, a ceremonial bat for the local Grebes. Mei-Lin nodded in satisfaction as Pru looked him over.

“You sure you don’t want me to join you and crack some heads?” Pru asked as Fletcher and TC entered the room.

Fletcher heard her remark and scoffed, “You’ve got a lot to learn before we send you out on a mission like this. Any idea what you’re going to find over there? Sector 3 is pretty crowded from what we’ve seen.”

“I doubt that’s changed, but it was mostly houses and stuff. Kids need food, so we’re hoping we won’t encounter much. Houses only have so much to offer,” Rattles said, looking over the group, “Our goals are to reach out and see if they know about these sisters. Stormy doesn’t know why they would want to house their books somewhere, but we’re hoping anyone over there knows about all this chanting and stuff. Is there anything else we should ask about? Clark?” he asked.

The boy had quietly weaseled into the unit, but Jessica’s appearance gave him away. Clark stood up taller but shook his head. Rattles sighed, “I’ll see if anyone has inhalers. Are there any other supplies we might need?” he asked.

“Maybe more seeds if you can find them. We’re going to be over tomatoes with how well they’re doing,” TC suggested. Rattles nodded and pulled on his bag. Molly practically ran to him, slamming her body against his with tears in her eyes.

Mei-Lin stepped forward and patted her arm as Rattles held her, “They know how to fight, they’ll be okay. They’ll be back tonight, you’ll see.”

“You better or I’ll kill you myself,” Molly cried, shoving Rattles away and running upstairs. She’d been more emotional lately, but Rattles knew it was the chaos in the air. So many new symbols were popping up, and the chants weren’t helping. Neither was standing around waiting.

Stormy and Rattles climbed over the gate and started up the street. TC took over guard duty and watched them leave with binoculars, not that he could follow for long. They quickly took to alleyways and other small trails to avoid any kids who might be out this early.

Stormy glanced at Rattles as they crossed a large street and neared the barriers signaling the entrance to Sector 3. She sighed, “I tried to reach out to the sisters last night before I went to sleep. I figure it’s like praying or something, but I didn’t get a response. I don’t know who created that kid or why they’re doing this. It’s weird, but…after their ritual healed me? I believe them. All of them.”

Rattles scoffed, “I don’t see how we have much choice. I know what happened needed to happen, but…if they can do that and send some ghost after us? I don’t want to get on their bad side.”

“I do think they’re behind the chanting, the organizing,” she said, pointing at a mark painted in the middle of the next intersection. It was right in front of the Sector 3 barrier, and there was no denying the arrow inside pointing down towards the park.

“Well…all the more reason to see who’s over there. I haven’t been back here since I got to middle school. What about you?” he asked. Stormy shrugged as they ducked down an alleyway. It was littered with trash and overturned garbage cans, but it was still cleaner than the street. Rattles slowed to walk beside her, “Bad memories there too?”

Stormy shook her head, “I just didn’t feel seen there. They let me skip a grade but wouldn’t let me pursue other things. There were some teachers who didn’t like me because I was easily bored, because I wouldn’t stay on task. But I was already done with the task, it was a lot. Kids would try to use me because they knew I was smart. Not good memories, but…nothing as bad as what it was later. It almost feels like a vacation now that I think about, the days of Beulah the Genius,” she smiled weakly.

Up ahead, the school came into view. Rattles and Stormy entered a backyard of a two-story house with a double level deck. Stormy debated climbing up the deck itself, but Rattles pointed at the back door that had already been kicked in. They went inside.

At the school, Arthur was on duty and bored out of his mind. A lot of kids were going to a nearby park, probably to start the day with the next…whatever the sisters were doing. They were getting the attention of more and more kids, and while Arthur didn’t think they were as dangerous as the Tibbles, there was no ignoring the chants about killing. Who? He didn’t know, but he hoped it wasn’t him.

A flash of movement caught his eye and he used a toy telescope to look in that direction. It was a backyard, so he decided it must’ve been a bird, until he realized the door was closed. The door of that yard had been open for weeks now, so he took notice.

Sure enough, a pair of figures entered an upstairs bedroom and looked out the window towards the school. Arthur peered below and saw George beginning some work with Bud. Arthur whistled and Bud immediately looked upwards. He saw Arthur’s gesture as he went back to looking at the house. The two figures were gone now, but Arthur was ready and waiting.

Arthur heard footsteps behind him. Madison, Bud, and George climbed onto the roof and looked around. Francine appeared a moment later as word spread. Ladonna remained down below but was gathering weapons. If anyone else noticed, they didn’t let on.

Rattles and Stormy stopped in the living room of the dark house. They were arguing about whether or not they were seen, but Rattles could feel them waiting. He turned to Stormy: “We just go straight up the road with our hands up. I’d wave a white flag if I had one. There’s several people over there.”

“Do you think they’re dangerous?” Stormy asked, adding, “I’ve seen the Tibbles rounding people up, I’ve heard lots of screaming and bad stuff, but…you can’t trust anyone anymore, even if you knew them in the before times.”

“Well…there’s only one way to find out what we’re dealing with,” he said, leading the way out of the house and onto the street. They turned the corner, and Rattles did what he suggested. He walked slowly with his hands up, his eyes locked on the roofline. Stormy followed suit, walking beside him slowly.

Arthur glanced at Bud, “Ever seen them before?” he asked. Bud shook his head, “Not lately. That looks like Rattles.”

“He was a Tough Customer,” George whispered fearfully, “I see his hands are up, but can we really trust them? The Tibbles were bad before and they stayed bad.”

Madison scoffed, “Are you sure those kids were even bad or did they just not want a bunch of weird little kids messing with them? They have their hands up, I say we just talk to them.”

Francine appeared in the playground below and turned her gaze up to the roof, “Why is Ladonna getting weapons ready? What’s going on?” she called up.

“Rattles and another kid,” Arthur said as they got closer. Arthur called down to them, “What business do you have here?” he yelled.

Rattles cupped his hands around his mouth, “It’s going to take some explaining, but we come in peace.”

Arthur glanced back, “What is there to explain?” he asked with a confused tone. The others shrugged as George stepped forward and called out, “Why the weapons? I see your club, Rattles!”

Rattles took out the club and put it at his feet as he reached the side of the school. Stormy did the same, putting down the police flashlight and putting her hands back up. She looked from Rattles to the kids above her fearfully. She didn’t like being out in the open this much.

“Alright, start explaining,” Bud called down, “We can hear you just fine now.”

“Have you heard of the sisters?” Rattles replied, gesturing towards Sector 2, “They used to stay in the library. They’re a little kooky.”

Madison scoffed, “A little? They’re doing weird evangelical crap all over town and you’re saying they’re just a little kooky?”

Arthur looked from her back to Rattles, “What are you doing working with them if you think they’re crazy? That’s dangerous.”

“We know it is, that’s why we wanted to see what was so special about this place,” Stormy said, adding, “We don’t know what happened. This…ghost-looking kid came to us. He said we needed to transport books here, I’m guessing from the library in Sector 2. He poofed, and I don’t want to roll up to the library and start asking questions. We think they’re behind the chanting kids.”

“We know they are,” Bud said firmly. George nodded, “We went to one of their rituals. They want to kill whoever put the cure in the water, and now we think they want kids to stop drinking the water.”

Rattles rolled his eyes, “As if that wasn’t in short supply enough. Look, we’ll investigate ourselves. We won’t let on that we know you’re here, but if it’s a legitimate mission, can we bring the books here? I mean, you’ve got the room.”

Francine appeared on the edge of the roof, “There’s kids here too, and some of us are sick. We can’t just give up space and resources for this.”

“We would do the lifting, they asked for us,” Stormy said quickly, glancing to Rattles. He nodded and looked up, “Do you have James MacDonald? Molly is looking for him. And Mei-Lin is looking for Binky.”

“We haven’t seen either of them,” Francine said, adding, “Have you seen my sister, Catherine? She’s got braids like me. She was living with Muffy, but we haven’t seen her since the circus.”

“Muffy works with the Tibbles, maybe she can’t leave,” Stormy replied, adding, “We avoid them, they’re dangerous.”

“Are the sisters dangerous?” George asked. Rattles gestured, “George said he went to one of their rituals, and…they did a ritual with Stormy to heal her. They’ve got some freaky powers, but we don’t follow about the book stuff. We’re just tracking leads, but we don’t really trust them. Too much is going crazy.”

“Well…what do we get in return for housing these books?” Madison demanded, adding, “I’m assuming they want a trade,” to the kids that looked back to her.

Stormy shrugged, “We can work something out. We’re trying to grow our own food, but we mostly have a lot of tomatoes so far. Do you know where we can find seeds?” she asked.

Bud rolled his eyes, “We’re having the same problem. Nothing else has really performed yet, the weather is weird. Do you know anything about that?”

“Just that the pattern is holding, I’m watching it. I can share my data with you and growing tips. You’ll need a greenhouse, it’s cold,” Stormy said. The others nodded; they had already figured that out.

With nothing else to discuss, they decided to end their visit. They retraced their steps back to the condos, where Molly was standing at the gate waiting. She jumped over it and hugged Rattles as he returned.

“Well?” TC asked as he and Fletcher appeared from the grow unit.

“They’re skeptical, but there’s some kids there, Arthur and the Compson’s, a few others I’m sure,” Rattles said, sighing, “Stormy…I think you need to reach out to them some more, try to figure out what this is about. Going to Lakewood felt smart, but going to the library? That feels like a suicide mission.”

Molly clung to him, “You’re not going there without me. This was too much.”

Suddenly Jack appeared. Mei-Lin, who had stepped out of their unit to greet everyone, screamed in surprise. Jessica and Clark ran out, then Pru and Fletcher. Jack looked at them all with surprise as he seemed to fade in and out.

“Make it quick, kid, you look like you’re having a hard time,” TC called out. Jack nodded but remained silent. Stormy walked up to him as TC glanced to Rattles, “Should she be doing that?”

“Better her than us,” Molly muttered as Stormy reached out her hand.

Once Jack took her hand, his figure stopped glistening and appeared real. Stormy closed her eyes in concentration as Jack looked around and oriented himself. The others watched carefully.

Rattles cleared his throat, “We need to know which of the sisters are sending you. We can work out a deal with them, just tell us who sent you and why you’re doing this.”

Jack spoke, but it sounded like a girl’s voice this time. Stormy’s. Jack explained, “Marina and Fern, they’re protecting the books. Prunella and Rubella are going wild with power. Power and chaos. Burn the books, burn them. Power and chaos,” the voice chanted.

Molly sighed, “Well, that explains why they knew to contact us, it’s Fern’s doing. But why burn the books? Prunella was a ravenous reader. She used to get detention for it in school, Marina too I bet. They used to do book premieres at midnight.”

“The books have obscene material to them,” Jack said in Stormy’s voice. Stormy released her grip and Jack popped out of sight. Mei-Lin flinched and TC scooped her up. He’d seen enough himself and carried her back to his unit.

Rattles looked around, “Alright, that kid needs to come back. I’m not going over there with that little info,” he said as Stormy stood up again and shook off the effects. Rattles studied her, “Please tell me you know more.”

“That makes no sense,” Stormy coughed, looking up, “I could see them in the basement, Fern concentrating on sending Jack here. The others are gone off to do rituals, it looks like the Deegan’s plus…Kate…and…Nadine,” she thought hard, rubbing her forehead, “That felt like a dream, even worse than the real dreams. I…I think these two are going against the others. They felt rebellious, scared.”

Molly shook her head, “If they want to go against the others, that’s on them. We shouldn’t get involved with this even if they are going to burn the books.”

Clark disagreed, “If we lose books, what will we have of our history? Of math and science? We should do something if we can.”

“But the sisters are dangerous,” Jessica countered, reminding him, “Did you hear them talk about the rituals? They’re the ones stirring everyone up. There’s a lot of power in numbers, it’s scary. If enough kids listen, things could get really bad REALLY fast,” she said, turning to Rattles who was nodding, “See? He thinks so too.”

“I heard they were trying to get kids from drinking the water. Even if they aren’t planning anything, bottled water is in short supply everywhere. Kids will either fight for what’s left or get sick drinking from ponds and stuff. It’s bad all around, we should do whatever we can,” Rattles whispered, pulling Molly closer, “I know, I know, but we’re prepared. It’s a bunch of girls.”

“A bunch of witches!” Molly shrieked, “Sending ghosts to talk to us, calling to people in their dreams, it’s weird!” she exclaimed, shaking her head, “I want no part of it.”

“Well…we’re in this now whether we want to be or not, and the kids at Lakewood know now too,” Fletcher said, adding, “They’ll just keep calling to us if we don’t answer.”

“I’m in too,” TC shuddered, “I don’t want some witch coming after me,” he said, gesturing behind him, “Mei-Lin wants no part of it though.”

“Neither do I,” Molly stomped, but Jessica and Clark wanted to preserve the books, and adventurous Prudence wanted to see what the fuss was about. What kind of books were so obscene that witches didn’t want them around? That left only Molly and Mei-Lin on the No side, defeated by popular vote.

Rattles held Molly’s shoulders, “We plan this right. Maybe we get the van or another van to go faster, we go during the day while the sisters are at their rallies or whatever and there’s less kids on the streets. We play it safe.”

“And the Lakewood group is cool with this too?” Molly asked. Rattles shrugged, “I think they’re just as lost as we are, but…as weird as this whole thing is, we should do what we can. It’s for the greater good.”

Molly didn’t believe that. She stomped back to her room and locked herself in the tiny upstairs bathroom as the others got back to their day. Mei-Lin cried alone in the unit next door. She was worried about her brother, about the world around her, and about herself. She was scared of what was to come, but at least no one argued that with her. The others were just as scared if not more…it was them that would have to make the dangerous trip over.

Muffy didn’t care that Emily wanted no part of her business, but they were going to be a team. The garden idea was a huge waste of time, and it turned out a lot of kids, young and old, wanted to try the whole bar idea. Shelley would help advertise and watch the door during operating hours, and the others would help with the rest. Or else.

Emily checked her nails behind the counter. She wore a pink sundress that set her apart from Muffy’s business attire. Beside her, Catherine was also in a uniform—one of Ed’s smaller button-up shirts, a red vest, and black slacks and shoes. Muffy was impressed with her for wanting to look the part, but Catherine saw this venture as an opportunity.

Maria was getting desperate. All she talked about with Catherine was heading out into other sectors and trying to find her brother. Jenna insisted on going with her, but she was in no hurry to try Muffy’s patience. Catherine wanted to be back with her sister, but the garden had taken all of her time and energy. Now? She was standing behind the bar making watered-down mixed drinks for kids who had no business buying alcohol with what little supplies they had.

Shelley stepped into the space and Muffy practically ran to him. He was all business, his mouth a grim line as he pulled her back to the office. Muffy felt the memories wash over her—she’d been back here looking for Brain numerous times in the old days. His mom’s worn desk was still there despite them moving before the lockdowns. But the dim lighting and the smell of dust pulled her back to reality.

“Is something wrong?” Muffy asked. Shelley closed the door behind them, plunging them into darkness. Muffy frowned, “You’re scaring me a little, Shel, what’s up?”

Shelley pulled her towards him and kissed her. When he pulled away, he whispered, “I’d never do anything to hurt you, I just needed privacy. I think your people want to leave, but the twins have some loyal people who are capable of doing more than washing dishes. Do you want them?” he questioned, holding her still.

Muffy frowned, “If I get them, I’d have to send them away, wouldn’t I?” she asked. Shelley nodded, his mustache tickling Muffy’s face. Muffy pulled away, “Maria and Jenna couldn’t handle themselves, and James can barely deal with what I have him do, but Hana and Catherine?”

“Catherine is one of them?” Shelley asked. Muffy sighed, “Well, she’s not of the upper crust like Emily and me. I’ve mostly kept her around to piss off Francine, not that she’s anywhere around. Catherine was always the more fun of the two. She cared about boys and fashion, Francine hates both.”

Shelley was growing impatient. He shifted, “If you’re going to make the move, we should decide soon.”

“Catherine and Hana, but…maybe we should tell Catherine it’s something else. Isn’t there some kind of job for her?” Muffy asked. Shelley hesitated, so Muffy carefully put her hands where she knew they would make a difference, “I’m sure you can think of something…for me. You know I’d make it worth your time,” she pleaded, feeling him squirm under her touch.

Shelley kissed her hard, but Muffy pushed him away, her smirk hidden by the dark. Shelley sighed with a frustrated tone, “Yeah, I better…I’ll be back tonight. There’s no kids out, they’re at the rally.”

Muffy stomped her foot in frustration as Shelley opened the door and reentered the space. Muffy grabbed his arm, “What are they going to do about those, huh? They’re bad for business for BOTH of us!” Muffy exclaimed as Catherine watched. Muffy noticed and studied her, “Well? What do we do about it?”

“Look, those witches are dangerous, okay? It’s in your best interest to let them do whatever they want. The rallies can’t last all day, kids gotta eat sometime,” Shelley said, stepping out into the barren street. Muffy huffed then took a stool outside to keep an eye out.

Hana emerged from the back with a pair of dried drink mix containers. Catherine accepted them and moved with Hana into the workroom to make up the next batch of punch. When they did get kids back, this was the top seller, and all they had to do was mix the drink mix with a ton of water and a little bit of alcohol to be convincing enough.

Jenna and Maria looked up from their jobs as the girls entered. James was slumped in the corner trying to catch a nap after moving crates of heavy bottles around. Catherine eyed him sympathetically as she and Hana started the mix.

“I heard Muffy yelling. What’s going on out there?” Maria asked. Catherine shrugged, “Something about those rallies. I get the feeling whoever is holding them isn’t someone the Tibbles want to cross. Shelley is refusing to deal with them.”

Jenna shuddered, “That’s not good for us either. Anything bad enough to scare them must be terrifying.”

“Maybe they want kids to stop drinking and follow rules,” Hana smirked, laughing, “Those boys seem like the type to be terrified of true laws. They know if this was still the old days, they’d be in prison now, maybe even a mental institution.”

“They went once,” James called out, shaking his head, “Their grandma refused to medicate them, so they kept acting out. I think she was glad to be rid of them when she got the virus. I’d be glad too.”

Jenna turned from him back to Catherine, “So the streets are too dangerous for us to leave, huh?” she asked. Catherine shrugged as Maria interjected, “They’re no more dangerous now than they used to be, we just have to do research. Catherine is out on the floor, she can talk to people. She can ask where they are and who they’re with…but only if no one is listening.”

Hana screwed on the top of the drink dispenser they’d filled up, “I mean…Emily is too busy checking her nails and Muffy is thinking of money and when she and Shelley can hook up again. As long as there’s enough people around, we can talk to whoever we want.”

Catherine nodded in agreement, “We’ve got a lot to figure out. I know where Francine in, but I have no idea where your brother or his sister are. We should go together, don’t you think? There’s power in numbers, and…the back alley isn’t covered. We’d just have to keep running and not stop.”

“Unless she separates us. That’s what Muffy was talking about with Shelley in the office,” James whispered. He met Catherine’s surprised gaze, “You’re one of us, but I think you already knew that.”

Catherine exhaled—she didn’t, but she’d had her fears. She screwed on the top of her dispenser, “Well…what’s the plan?”

“He’s going to ask the Tibbles. They might make a trade,” he said as Jenna burst into tears. Maria comforted her, “It’ll be okay. Maybe they aren’t as bad as we’ve heard.”

“Maybe they’re worse!” Jenna sobbed, shaking her head, “I never should’ve gone with her, I never—never—I,” she sobbed uncontrollably. Hana pulled her into the back alleyway with Maria on their heels.

Catherine approached James, “What else did you hear? And for how long?”

James shrugged, “I just felt like listening today. If it makes you feel any better, she’s reluctant about a trade. That’s why Shelley is going back, but…Muffy knows it will be worse there. She’s hoping there’s something we can do instead. Maybe we can be a caravan or something. I hope they figure it out. She’s not wrong, they can’t handle it. Even I can handle it better than them. I’m used to being around bullies, it just hurts,” he said, resting his head on the wall to signal he was done talking.

Catherine sighed and took the two containers out to the floor. No one was at the tables, and Emily was now painting her nails behind the counter. Muffy had gone from sitting outside the door to pacing up the street. The door was propped open to let in some air, and she could hear chanting from another street nearby. There was a small park with a stage in the middle. That must be where they were, whoever They might be.

Catherine eyed Emily, “So, do we know who these chanting people are?” she asked. Emily looked up from her nails and sighed, “Does it look like I care? I was told we’d have customers, that I might find a boyfriend here, that it’d be worth the walk over here. What’s so worth it about this?”

Muffy stomped inside, “Well go back then, we can handle some work, can’t we?” she asked Catherine, who nodded and pointed to the containers, “These should last the next two days if we keep up this pace.”

“I was hoping we’d do more than that, but sure,” Muffy said, eying Emily, “I thought I said you could go.”

“When I’m done with my nails, they’ll get messed up if I leave now,” Emily argued, but Muffy could care less about the girl’s nails. Muffy snatched the applicator from her and closed the bottle, “Just go! You have ALL the time in the world to do your PRECIOUS nails!” she shouted bitterly.

Tears welled up in Emily’s eyes, but she did as she was told. Catherine wiped up some spilled polish with a rag and studied Muffy as she tidied the menu cards they’d made. Catherine thought about asking if what James overheard was true, but she didn’t want to betray the boy. Muffy was in a mood, and that told Catherine everything she needed to know: Things were bad, Muffy didn’t have a plan to combat the bad things, and there was no change in sight.

The afternoon wore on slowly. Maria was able to calm Jenna down before Muffy noticed, but Catherine could tell both girls were upset. She wanted to join them, but there was no time. For now, all she could do was wait and hope the economical yet powerful Muffy Crosswire would make the right decisions.

Chapter Text

Fern was tending the garden. That was the only way she could get out of the rallies Rubella insisted on having every day for hours on end. Fern tended to the landscaping of the library and several small parks in the area—those were pretty easy. She would show up in her robes and kids would flock to her, then she’d tell them to clean the place up. Some sectors were looking better for it, but others were still disaster areas.

She knew from her dreams that sending Jack had worked. She didn’t understand it, but it made no sense that Marina could do her work without vision. Every book was being sorted, and each pile was being resorted constantly as Rubella and Prunella came up with more rules. Classics were out, the girls hated them. Trendy teen romances and other books were top-tier, and they were already back on the shelves upstairs.

That meant there were piles and piles in the basement that Marina had to get rid of. Fern insisted she was preparing a place, and that was enough to keep the sisters busy. They had rallies to run, and eager disciples Kate and Nadine were following close behind them. The four of them made quite the team as they went around the city convincing kids that the water was dangerous, that whoever created the cure was evil and deserved to die for their sins.

Fern couldn’t believe kids were listening, but if her magic worked, then why shouldn’t theirs?

Fern looked up as a figure approached. She bowed her head and pulled up her hood just as they were doing. Her robe was majestic, probably worn by some well-off ren-faire attendee. The figure wore a black hoodie that had been faded with wear. It was several sizes too big, but that helped the illusion.

The figure approached the fence, “I need more information. I tried asking, but I don’t know what to do. I don’t have the power you do,” they admitted.

Fern nodded, “Yes my child, I will answer you here. There’s hundreds, more forbidden every day. The other sisters are away most days, come then. Bring the biggest truck you can find, the most hands that can carry. Fast, swift like the fox we must work. Education first, classic later. Understood?” she asked with a mystic tone.

The figure nodded. They cleared their throat and looked around, “Are you safe here, Fern? Are you sure you can stay here if we go through with this?”

“I’ll speak with my sister to decide. They’re the ones taking the risk, I just…I knew you’d hear. I knew you’d come,” she whispered. The figure nodded. They promised to get a message of when they were coming, and Fern knew he was telling the truth. Rattles wasn’t one to lie.

After her job was done, Fern got a bottle of water and headed down into the basement. Marina pointed to the pile of books in the corner. It was orderly at one point, but some had fallen, and she hadn’t bothered fixing them. The pile was too much for even a couple of people to move quickly.

Fern sighed, “What can help hold them to make it easier? They’re coming, they just need to get a plan together.”

Marina thought for a moment before replying, “Milk crates, liquor boxes, dresser drawers—anything that can handle some weight and be carried by a couple of people. How many?”

“I felt a lot of eyes on Jack when I sent them, but…I felt Stormy’s energy, she’s probably weak still. Some felt young, they might be too small to help with much. We’ll have to be careful,” Fern admitted, getting close to Marina, “They want to know if we’re safe here. If we do this, even if we don’t get caught right away, is this where we really need to be?”

“Our sisters will be very angry with us, maybe just as angry as they are with the others. I don’t know. My heart wants us to have a home here, but my gut says…my gut says we should run,” Marina whispered, taking Fern’s hand, “If we leave, the magic leaves. We’ll never have our sisters again. We have to decide before we go if we can live with that or if we’d rather face their wrath.”

Fern nodded and bowed her head against Marina’s, “I understand, Sister. I’ll think on it, long and hard,” she said, stepping away and heading back upstairs. The grass by the street needed tending, so Fern grabbed her scythe from its place in her shed and went out front.

As she fell into a methodic rhythm, she had her answer. She was crazy without the sisters before, but she wondered if that was them reaching out to her in the strange world they lived in. She witnessed atrocities at the stampede, and Mei-Lin’s grieving didn’t make those days any easier. They were two kids trying to make sense of a world that made no sense anymore, and probably would never make sense.

Fern looked at her handiwork. The street looked as it did in the before times. It was hard work but work that she enjoyed, work she could turn to if she left, if the nightmares and visions returned. She knew how to cope now, but she knew it would be harder for Marina to decide. When she was with the sisters, their magic gave her vision. She was safer here in the orderly walls of the library.

But Fern knew what Rubella wanted to do to whoever created the virus’s cure. Prunella egged her on, and the other two, despite their youth, seemed to have made the same decision. If the sisters thought she and Marina were on their level, they would call for their execution as well. It wasn’t safe anymore for her or Marina.

Fern moved to a small playground nearby. She uncurled a swing’s chain from the top bar and sat down to think. Her time with the sisters was the calmest she’d been since the chaos of the virus unfolded, but now she had to face the unknown. She couldn’t stay, she would leave with her helpers. She stood up and returned the scythe to its spot before grabbing a few small food items and heading into the next neighborhood. She would find the boxes, she would make their job easier, and then she would flee with them while she still could.

Marina worked on her books, her mind carefully weighing each title against what Rubella wanted. The magic her fingers could perform still astounded her. There was no explanation for what she was able to do now, no reason why she, a blind girl from birth, should be able to tell what each book was and know its place without feel.

Yet she performed her work, her judgment. It weighed on her to toss so many books about the history of the town, their people, and other events, as well as science titles and how-to manuals, and other books of worth. Her sisters wanted people helpless and scared. They wanted the confusion from the early days of the virus to live on.

Marina didn’t want that. Tears fell as she realized what that meant. While this would keep others from their work, she kept sorting. There were so many fiction titles left to sort through. She hadn’t even made it to the work room where new titles were in various stages of processing, the work frozen when the town shut down because of the virus. So many decisions, so many books. There wouldn’t be enough hands to save them all. She had to try to sort them.

Toss, toss, toss, her mind ticked off. The toss pile was growing ever higher. She hadn’t found a title Rubella would want to keep in ages, so she stopped. She carried the rejects over to her pile and dropped them, then she retrieved the rest without checking. She carried them over to an area between shelves…and then she sorted.

As she picked which of the rejected titles were the most important, tears fell. She’d grown up with Prunella as a friend. They had learned so much about each other in those years, made so many great memories. But Prunella was tainted by hatred now, Marina could feel that. A fire burned within the sisters that Marina couldn’t feel, didn’t want to feel.

She didn’t know Fern’s helpers, but when they touched, she knew what Fern was thinking. She could suddenly read the body language her eyes could never see. Fern promised she was deciding, but she had already made her decision. She was going to flee with her helpers, and as much as Marina cried, she knew that no matter what that meant for her, she had to leave too.

Shelley had enough to worry about between his girlfriend and the Tibbles, but now he was stuck outside the Sector 1 barricades like everyone else. In the back of his truck was a kid that had fallen at the games. Shelley told the Tibbles to cut off access to certain areas, but they were too busy playing their own games and eating their own stock. Typical, he thought, as kids gradually made note of him and disappeared.

Shelley marched up to the barrier and slammed his palm against it again. His hands were large, and his strength made the sound carry, but no one approached. He kicked the barrier before climbing back into the cab. The kid was pale and barely moving. Shelley didn’t know if Alex could help him or not, but that was the deal: Alex healed, and they got another healthy hand out of it.

A megaphone chirped and Shelley stepped out of the truck. He climbed onto the truck bed and looked up to see Liam in his lab coat and surgical mask, a poor attempt at disguising himself Shelley thought.

Shelley pointed into the truck, “I got a kid in here, hurt bad. He’s gonna die if you don’t let him in!” he yelled.

“We’re not helping you anymore, you’re using up our supplies too much. You’re going to have to help us get more or we won’t help you,” Liam called out through the megaphone.

“Look, man, I don’t have time for this! He needs medical attention!” Shelley exclaimed.

Liam went behind a column and disappeared. Alex returned a moment later carrying binoculars. He was wearing a doctor’s outfit too, but his face was there for all to see. Shelley turned around as he heard something fly across the street. It was an empty soda can kicked by two angry children with circular marks on their cheeks.

The kids slammed their hands against the barrier and started chanting. Shelley rolled his eyes when he realized what they were saying. What kind of idiots were mad someone came up with a cure for the virus? Shelley looked back up to Alex, “We can work something out! Just take him, please!” Shelley called.

Alex could barely see the kid in the passenger seat, but what he could see didn’t look good. He sighed and glanced at Liam, “That kid is hurt bad, he might die from his injuries even with our help. We decided we’re under oath.”

Liam nodded solemnly, “We should at least try, but what if he doesn’t agree to our terms?”

“Then we’ll have a war on our hands and it won’t matter anyway. I’m sure this kid is just like the others. They don’t come in here because they lost a game of kickball,” Alex murmured.

The two took an employee stairwell down to the first floor. The chanting children had grown in numbers from two to twenty. Shelley had retreated to another part of the barrier, which Alex appreciated. This was near the emergency department, and it only took some maneuvering for him and Liam to open it up.

Shelley parked under the awning and turned off his truck. He picked up the kid and carried him inside with Alex and Liam not far behind. The boys were surprised to find a kid with scrapes and bruises from a fall more than a beating.

Shelley noticed their stares and scoffed, “We don’t beat everyone, okay? He fell. There was a platform over the gym, I told them to block it off, but they’re too busy eating food and drinking whatever they can. The Tibbles are pathetic. I don’t blame you for not wanting to help them anymore, but this kid didn’t ask for it, okay? We didn’t want him to get hurt, at least I didn’t want this to happen.”

The kid groaned as Liam examined his legs. One was definitely broken, but he couldn’t tell if the other one was or not. The xray machine used too much power to turn on. They had to go by feel, and the kid felt like he had several painful injuries.

“He’s in shock,” Alex noted. Liam nodded and moved to a locked cabinet nearby. Alex looked up to Shelley, “Look, we meant what we said. I already talked to the others. If we want to provide medical services for kids who need it, we can’t keep wasting resources on kids they beat up.”

Shelley nodded, “Yeah, yeah, I follow. What supplies do you need? Maybe we can work something out,” he whispered, looking up at them, “I don’t want it to keep being like this, you know. Terrorizing kids is kinda fun, I like watching them squirm, but…this isn’t going to end. We need to figure something out.”

Alex and Liam exchanged glances as Liam administered a medicine. Shelley asked what it was but received no answer. Alex and Liam were having a silent battle between themselves, and Shelley couldn’t take it. He knew what they were trying to decide, and he knew he needed to advocate for himself.

Shelley sighed and brushed some dust off his tuxedo jacket, “Listen, I know you have no reason to believe me. I wouldn’t believe me either after all that’s gone on. I just rounded the kids up though, I didn’t know they were going to do all of that. And now…I don’t know what to do. Some of the kids they have? They can’t fend for themselves, they need someone to look out for them and keep a roof over their heads.”

“Slavery isn’t the only way to make a living,” Alex noted. Liam nodded in agreement as the boy calmed slightly. Alex nodded, “It’s working, but he’s in for a long road to recovery. How far did he fall?” he asked Shelley, but Shelley wasn’t so good at distances. He gestured and Alex sighed, “Far enough. I think that right leg is shattered, there’s bone trying to stick out. We can’t fix that very well. We can try a splint, but infection is a problem, and our antibiotics are expired.”

“That’s a thing?” Shelley asked with confusion. Liam nodded, “Some of them were living cultures. It’s a delicate process, and we can’t just give him expired medication. They don’t work as well, it could make him worse.”

Shelley sighed, “Is he worth keeping alive? I mean…I want him to get better, I want to figure this out. You’re right, trading people feels…it’s not right. I wish I’d never gotten involved with these people. My girlfriend has some kids herself. She doesn’t beat them, but they can’t be happy there.”

Liam and Alex exchanged glances at the mention of this girlfriend, but they held firm. They had already discussed the hospital with Brain and Lydia, and they couldn’t decide what to do. But the chanting kids grew in number every day. It was getting too dangerous even if they wanted to help people.

Alex nodded to Liam and led Shelley into a dark waiting room. They sank onto a plastic bench, and Alex sighed, “Look, there’s another problem in case you haven’t noticed. We’re in danger here, us here in the hospital and the kids in the government center. Someone is riling them up, telling them the cure is deadly. Kids are about to be fighting over bottled water, drinking out of streams, you name it. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

“Well what do you want me to do about it? We have nothing to do with those weirdos!” Shelley exclaimed.

“I didn’t say you did, I’m saying…when we first talked about supplies, there were only a few kids mad at us. That’s to be expected I guess, but now? You saw those kids. There were more than that there earlier, you scared them off. We need that. We need protection or we’re all doomed,” Alex said firmly.

Shelley sighed, “Maybe we’re doomed anyway. Maybe you should pack what you have and get the hell out of here.”

“And go where? The kids in the government center haven’t been anywhere else. Lydia uses a wheelchair, the streets are dangerous for her. Carl likes the quiet for his own reasons, and Brain, well, he’s Brain. He likes being so close to what used to run the city. It gives him hope someone with sense can run it again,” Alex whispered as Liam appeared. He sank into a chair nearby.

Shelley turned to him, “What’s going on? Why are you back in here?”

Liam was pale. He hung his head, “Femoral artery.”

Alex cursed under his breath as Shelley looked between them in confusion. Alex met his gaze, “He bled out, Shelley. There was nothing we could do.”

“I tried to set his thigh and felt it. I can’t believe I didn’t notice sooner, I’m such a failure,” Liam lamented.

Shelley shook his head, “Look, you’re just kids. I…I’ll see what I can do. There has to be a place Lydia can go that’s safe, and the others. I…I don’t want things to continue like this.”

“Well…if you can’t do anything about protection or a place to go or supplies, could you at least figure out who’s causing all of this? If some other group organizes against them, we’re going to have a war on our hands, and then what?” Alex said, patting Shelley on the shoulder, “You can redeem yourself for what all you’ve done. You have the power to change things for the better.”

Shelley listened but didn’t believe it. He drove back to the high school and noticed that Alex and Liam were right. Dozens of kids were in waiting as he drove past, and they swarmed the barrier the moment they noticed he was gone.

Kids were terrified of him. It was fun at first, but something changed when Muffy came along. He thought she was different until he opened his eyes to how her household was run. Watching her business come together, he realized she was just a nicer Tibble, a people-owner just like them. He used to think it was funny until he started hauling them to the hospital. Seeing kids at their worst had broken him.

The high school was busy with activity as he parked by the front entrance. At the gym, John had gotten a few more games going. A few kids were chained to new tables as John worked in the former automotive lab. He had acquired a boombox from someone, and classic rock music poured out into the lot.

No, this wasn’t the place for those good kids. Windows were broken out from both fights and partying. There were piles of garbage everywhere that no one was doing anything about. One on the far side of the courtyard had caught on fire somehow, probably from one of the many kids walking around smoking. The smallest looked to be a preschooler.

This wasn’t a good place for anyone.

But Shelley had a job to do. He grabbed his cane and knocked it against a game where a slave was trying to sleep on the job. He called over some kids to give the guy some business before storming into the school. The Tibbles were holed up in the front office playing their own version of checkers. Game pieces from different games were used in their own way; the twins were taking shots and eating candy depending on the move.

He needed to ask about the bar, about who could help provide security and supplies and different jobs. There was so much for him to do that met his nefarious ways, so much for him to bully kids into doing.

Shelley went upstairs to an old science room he’d claimed for himself. He took off his monocle and top hat, his figure changing in the darkened room. The scar on his cheek was more noticeable now, and his towering facade became more average when he removed his coat. He took off his shoes and sat on his bed, his thoughts on Muffy. He was crazy about her, crazy enough to do the craziest things he could imagine with her, but he was scared too. She was like the Tibbles, but he was realizing how different they were. He could put on his costume and keep up the act, but could his soul recover from such a choice? He still didn’t know.

The cafeteria was usually just an eating space, but today it was meeting time. Vicita and DW filed in with Bud as Madison shooed them from behind. She rolled her eyes at Francine and Arthur before taking a seat nearby. Getting everyone together was difficult, but it needed to be done. George watched Francine nervously as she exchanged glances with Arthur. He remained steadfast behind the table they were using as a podium.

Francine sighed, “Let’s quit dragging our feet. We’ve got a serious problem if the Tough Customers are coming to us with something, but we’re going to have a bigger one if these weird sisters have any true power.”

Bud raised his hand and spoke, “I’ve seen them symbols they use all over now and on the kids coming by for produce. They’re loyal to those girls even though many admit they’re spooked out by them.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” Francine whispered, turning to Arthur, “We’re fully prepared to say no, but we thought it should go to a vote.”

Vicita shifted nervously, “But it’s books, right? They just want someone to store some books for them that’ll otherwise be thrown away.”

“We could use more books, especially if they’re educational,” Sue Ellen said firmly, “What kind of a world are we leaving for the next set of kids if we get rid of all the school books? All of the historical accounts from the before times? We’d be doing them a disservice.”

“I agree with Sue Ellen,” George said, adding, “We don’t know if the sisters would even care. As long as we promise to keep them to ourselves, maybe they won’t mind.”

“I get the feeling they don’t want this going on in the open for a reason. That’s why Francine and I are worried about this. The Tough Customers aren’t known for helping people anymore. The stampede damaged their reputation,” Arthur explained.

“Rightfully so, kids got killed,” Madison said grimly. Ladonna nodded, “Some of them are into some rowdy things. I’ve seen Slink breaking into a liquor store. It was early on but still, are they all like that? They’ve always been rough around the edges, downright mean depending on who you ask.”

Sue Ellen scoffed, “Most of them are just regular kids like us. Slink had his own problems, the others seem fine.”

“Well…we need all of you to take this seriously,” Francine said firmly, “If you want to house the books, say as much, but know that if we agree to this, we can’t just take it back. Those weird sisters could see it as an act of war. Times are different now, and they’re gaining followers fast. I know the barricades are tall and strong, but we have to think this through.”

“I say no,” Arthur said firmly, looking over the group, “Who else?” he asked. The others shifted but didn’t raise their hands. They still looked undetermined, and Arthur sighed, “Okay, let’s discuss this further. What’s the hold up?”

“I’m with Sue Ellen about the books. I mean, we could use some farming books, maybe some repair manuals,” Bud said as Madison nodded behind him.

DW shrugged, “I don’t care about any of that, I just want something that’s not a bunch of kiddie books. Sue Ellen has enough for the baby, but we’re running out of stuff to read.”

“I can’t argue with that logic,” Francine whispered as Arthur glared at her. Francine threw up her hands, “We’re not really that sure what they’re going to give us, but it’s a big operation. I guess that’s the other thing: If you’re willing to house the books, are you willing to help transport them?”

“Like out in the open? On the streets?” Vicita asked. Arthur nodded, “Yes, and breaking into a place that isn’t ours to do something they don’t want us to do. That’s why I’m so against all of this.”

Francine agreed, “That’s the part I’m afraid of too. We’ve kept to ourselves all this time, but now we’re going with a group we don’t know to do something that’s dangerous and disruptive. I agree that we need to preserve knowledge and history and human achievement, but we’re dealing with a different climate now. Plus, if we want to share that with others, we’d be inviting strangers into our space. This is a heavy decision, and I want everyone to think hard about this before you make a final decision.”

“Rattles hasn’t been back, but I’m sure they’ll be gearing up to go soon. Did anyone catch where they were staying?” Arthur asked.

“I heard something about Sector 4. There seemed to be several back at their base, so maybe they’re in some of the apartments over there,” George answered. He looked the group over, “The more we talk about this, the more I’m unsure about it. I agree about wanting more books, there’s a lot we still need to learn, but we’re doing a dangerous mission. These sisters seem pretty sinister, and kids are falling hard for their propaganda. We’ve got to be careful.”

“I say it’s worth it,” Madison said firmly, “I think we do enough dangerous things keeping a vegetable stand going and trying to trade with people. Besides, if the Tough Customers are as good as they claim to be, they should perform this heist pretty easily. All we have to do is help it go smoothly, then we’re home free. As long as no one runs their mouths, no one will know we have the books.”

“And the barricades can help stop anyone who wants to break in?” Vicita asked. George shuddered, “I hope so, but maybe we should beef up security while we can. I say those of us who want to help go find the Tough Customers and offer a hand, and the rest stay here and work on security.”

“So we’re doing this?” Arthur asked. Ladonna stood and patted his shoulder, “We’ve thought about it, okay? We’ve all been thinking on this since they came over, and if they think it’s something worth trying, well, what choice do we have? Plus this is an alliance, it’s a step towards the future. We need to build something better for who comes next, right Sue Ellen?”

Sue Ellen was scratching her belly. She nodded solemnly, “Yeah, but this is still really dangerous. Are you sure we can keep the place secure through this? After you get back? These sisters have this air about them, they’re scaring me.”

“You’re in charge of security then. Who else is staying with her? She shouldn’t do any heavy lifting and the kids aren’t strong enough,” Francine called out.

DW crossed her arms, “I am too strong enough!” she declared. Francine nodded but looked around. Arthur joined DW at her seat, “I’ll stay. Who all is going?”

George stood beside Francine as the Compson sisters left their seats and joined them. Bud started to join, but Madison shot him a stern glare and he sat back down. The sides were chosen, and with the afternoon fading, they decided to wait until morning. George went up for guard duty and looked out over the neighborhood.

In the distance, he saw figures heading his way. He stood ready and whistled. Francine and Madison reported to the ladder next to the roof. Madison had a broken shovel handle with nails through it, and Francine sported an aluminum bat.

But as they got closer, George recognized TC and Rattles from their time in school together. He stood down and told the girls to let them in. Francine and Madison pulled the gate back, and the two stepped in.

“She sent that kid Jack after us again. We’re going in the daytime while they do their rallies. We’ve got a van and some luggage sets, but it might take a while to get everything together,” Rattles explained. Francine returned from closing the gate and picked up her bat. He smirked, “Ready for battle?”

“We’re coming with you. Some will stay behind to make sure we can maintain a perimeter, but we figured you could use a hand,” Francine explained. Madison backed her up, “Yeah, we thought you could swing by or we could meet you over there. Which do you pick?”

“We can escort you back,” TC said, adding, “Leaving together sounds smart, but why wait? Plus if the plan changes, you guys are all the way over here.”

George nodded, “I’ll tell Arthur he gets night duty. Do you have rations or should we bring our own?” he asked. Madison rolled her eyes, “Really? You northern folks have no manners, you bring your own. I’ll help you pack, I gotta read Bud the riot act before I go.”

Francine remained with the guys and sized them up. Both were strong, but she doubted they could handle any real problems. She wondered what they might encounter, but she got the feeling they didn’t know either.

Francine looked them over, “What did you mean about the plan changing? Fern sends some ghost every time she has something to say?” she speculated.

“We guess,” Rattles admitted, shifting as Arthur emerged and took his spot on the roof. Rattles looked Francine over, “You have your doubts about this whole thing, I can see it on your face. You and Molly will get along well, she thinks it’s dumb.”

“Then we will get along. I don’t think stealing books is dumb, I think tempting these sisters is the worst thing we could do. It’s been pretty peaceful over here, and now you want us to start a war with some kids who can send ghosts to you and call kids to them whenever they want. Yeah, that’s pretty dumb in my book,” Francine said as Madison returned with a backpack full of canned meat and stale crackers. George returned a moment later with Ladonna on his heels. Bud wasn’t far behind them.

Madison sighed, “I thought I told you to stay back, Bud, this could be dangerous.”

Bud tossed his backpack on his back, “All the more reason to see if I can help out. Lead the way, boys,” he smiled. Madison hung her head as George opened the gate. Arthur climbed down and closed it once they were gone. He watched them disappear up the street, and he couldn’t help but feel anxious. They were walking into grave danger, and none of them had any clue what could happen next.

Chapter Text

Slink watched the afternoon performance from the roof of the building that was once the office. Now it was a catch-all of meeting space, graffiti zone, or a better spot to see the show when there was a ladder around. Slink sat on the edge of the roof, his feet dangling into thin air as the one-man band made slow circles as they jumped. That was the only way they could make certain instruments make their sounds, but it was effective. Strange, but live music was a luxury these days. Slink knew to appreciate the song and listen on.

Another kid climbed onto the roof and plopped down beside Slink with the precision of someone who’d done that time and time again. Slink glanced over and recognized Kenny. He was the musician’s handler, and it was his genius that allowed the show to go on each afternoon.

“Say, do you think that horn needs a tune up?” Kenny asked, shaking his head and sighing, “Never mind, the damn thing fell off again. You know anything about that?” he asked as Otis appeared and remained standing behind them.

Slink shook his head, “Nah, building stuff was never my thing. I think you’re a genius just for getting a strap for the drum, and I know that was the simplest of what you put together,” he smirked.

Kenny laughed, “Yeah, I guess most kids never thought of that sort of thing. I didn’t grow up with much, I guess my parents were preparing me for a world where nothing existed anymore,” he said, glancing up to Otis, “You know anything?” he inquired.

“No, I just came to ask Slink about something,” he said, handing off a flyer, “These have been popping up all over. Kids keep running off to meet these people and coming back with their marks on their forehead. You know anything about them?”

Kenny glanced at the mark and scoffed, “Those sisters put on a good show, but they’re not nearly as good as I am. I wouldn’t sweat it,” he said, pulling himself up. Apparently the song the kid was playing was one he’d practiced, and as it came to an end, Kenny appeared among the crowd with a contractor’s bucket. In went a piece of this, a dab of that, and now the two had enough to each for the night.

Otis sat down next to Slink, “I’m worried about this. You were all over before you came here, and now some new group is recruiting people? Do you think they’re as bad as the Tibbles?”

Slink scoffed, “If Kenny thinks it’s a bunch of girls, how could they be? I told you about those guys. I don’t know what they’re up to anymore, but I know to avoid them. Maybe we should avoid the sisters too, I don’t know. I came out this way trying to change things up a bit, live a new life. I don’t want to worry about what’s going on in the city. That’s not really a problem out here.”

“It is when they’re coming to us,” Otis whispered, nodding at the group below, “Half of those kids have this mark. I saw a pair of them fighting over unopened water bottles earlier. We’ve got working water fountains now that the treatment plant is up and running, so why are they avoiding it?” he asked.

Slink took the flyer from him and gestured to it, “Says here they know the truth about something. Methinks they’re not into the whole cure thing.”

“What kind of nut jobs would want to die from the virus?” Otis argued, shaking his head, “It’s got to be something different than that.”

“The timing is right. You came to me to see what I know, and I know people are crazy. They always have been, just think back a bit. How many times did some new show come out and now everyone is dressing up like the stars? Now we live in a world where we have to do our own thing, and like…these sisters? So they’re doing whatever, and now there’s a cure in the water, but they don’t believe in that for whatever reason. Now they’re roaming all over trying to get us to think the same way,” Slink ranted, shaking his head, “I might be crazy, it is far-fetched, but I also grew up in a neighborhood where those kinds of sheets got hung up every Tuesday like clockwork.”

Otis gaped at him, “What do you mean every Tuesday? I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life. It’s hand-drawn with a stencil to make the mark, the paper is recycled somehow.”

Slink grinned, “Someone didn’t have some kind of primitive church nearby. Missionary work, they’d make their own stuff because they hated technology. If they weren’t inviting you to some kind of service, they were warning you of the dangers of wi-fi and how cell phones are a gateway to Hell. Those people had kids, bro, and even if they didn’t, folks have been religious for ages.”

Otis stewed on that for a moment and watched Kenny lead his partner to the upper floor of the building across from them. When the instruments were carefully removed, Slink realized he recognized the kid. He laughed and shook his head.

“What’s that about?” Otis asked. Slink gestured across the way, “The band kid is Buster Baxter, class clown. We used to dare that kid to eat weird junk, but usually he was already eating it,” he grinned.

Otis nodded, “I remember him, but I thought he left to be with his dad,” he said. Slink stood up and shrugged, “Who knows, man? Elwood City isn’t hard to find, and travel isn’t impossible now that the adults are gone,” he smiled, glancing back at Otis, “What’s wrong?”

Otis shrugged as they descended the ladder and made their way across the complex, “I don’t know, I guess I just thought…if it was only kids from here, maybe it was just an Elwood City thing.”

“We haven’t heard a plane in months and the highway hasn’t changed since the lockdowns started. It’s everyone, okay? We should count our lucky stars there’s geniuses out there who could decipher what the adults left behind,” Slink said.

“Yeah, I guess,” Otis muttered. Slink eyed him, “What’s that about? You know the adults had to be cryptic and all.”

Otis nodded, “Yeah, they knew they’d probably get the death penalty if people figured out they’re the ones that did all of this. I mean…why’s it so cold still? It feels like spring out here, some days there’s even frost. It’s summer, man, it should be hot as hell out here.”

“It’s a good thing that it’s not, right?” Slink muttered, adding, “I wasn’t so good with that sort of thing.”

“Sounds intentional to me, man, all of it. I think all of this was planned from the jump…, and if a bunch of kids could figure out the cure? They just didn’t realize what they were putting out there,” Otis whispered.

Slink shook his head in disbelief, “The whole world gone, wiped out by some virus that only kills adults, and you think the people here created it? That’s a conspiracy theory, bro,” he laughed.

But Otis wasn’t laughing. He held out the flyer to Slink again, “You’ve seen this, right? They must believe something is up too, but yeah, I guess a bunch of kooky girls calling themselves sisters is too much. Look, man, things used to be connected. Everyone talked to each other, even country to country. I think they worked together on this and fucked up. Something went on and they wanted to try to control it, so they released this thing and couldn’t pull it back.”

“It could’ve started on its own and they just didn’t warn us until it was time,” Slink suggested, but there was no convincing Otis. He firmly believed this was all man-made by the now dead adults.

Slink entered the apartment they’d been sharing and unearthed the canned goods he had hidden away. He grabbed an army can opener out of his pocket and made his way to the gas hot plate in the living room. Otis had gone to his room too, and he returned with an entire sketchbook half filled with some kid’s tracings and his own crazy writing.

Slink stared at him, “Look, dude, I get it, you want to figure shit out. That’s fine, but you’re freaking me out and I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I don’t care. So the adults unleashed a virus and now it’s cold all the time, I don’t care.”

“You’ll care in winter if it doesn’t stay mildly warm. We’ll all freeze to death,” Otis whispered, adding, “I’m sorry you don’t want to see the signs, but shouldn’t we prepare for this sort of thing?”

“I’m done looking that far ahead, man. I lived in a slave mine for a while, I’ve been around the city, and all I want to do is look forward to tomorrow,” Slink said, adding, “It’s cool that you’ve got your hobbies. I guess you should check out what these sisters are saying, see if you’ve got anything in common.”

Otis seemed to take offense to that. He packed his sketchbook in his backpack and headed out the door. Slink shrugged and finished warming up his food. He warmed it just enough to be warm so the gas wouldn’t be wasted, then he ate straight from the can in his room.

When he was done, he decided to look around. He noticed Otis talking with some of the kids with the new marks, but Buster and Kenny were sitting at the complex’s sad playground with some other kids. Slink joined them, taking a seat on the jungle gym.

Kenny pointed to him, “Slink has been around the city some. What do you think? Could we take this on the road?”

Slink scoffed, “I wouldn’t go back into town. The Tibbles are dangerous, there’s new dangers every day, and those kids don’t have much anyway. It’s up to you, but I wouldn’t go.”

“I mean, I guess I could go try to find some of my friends. I came all this way hoping to run into them again,” Buster said solemnly. Slink nodded to him, “That’s the only reason you want to go into the city? Who are you looking for?” he asked.

Buster listed some names, but Slink hadn’t seen them. He suggested some locations, but he was adamant about the Tibble threat. Some kids in the complex agreed with him, but the ones nearby didn’t seem convinced. One had the new mark on his forehead, and Slink wondered what these sisters had told him about the world.

At least Buster and Kenny seemed to listen. They thanked him for the suggestions, but neither made any commitment to town just yet. Slink looked around the complex feeling out of place again. He’d been feeling at home until now, but his conversation with Otis left him feeling uncomfortable.

Slink caught up with Kenny and Buster, “Hey, guys? If you leave, let me know. I’ll show you around, maybe check on some of my people. I can help point out the dangerous folks, it’ll be fun.”

“Are you sure about that?” Buster asked. Kenny agreed, “Yeah, we don’t want to put you in any danger.”

Slink shrugged, “I think danger is all around us, don’t you?” he asked. The others nodded and waved as they parted ways. Night was falling, and while some kids made fires from scrap wood and garbage, Slink returned to his room and barricaded his door for the night. He lay on a broken bed and listened, his eyes closed as he focused.

Yes, he was making the right decision. This area was changing too fast and no longer felt safe to him. It was time to go somewhere else.

Kate and Nadine held hands in the center of a patio. They were in an abandoned neighborhood full of nicer houses, but that was the new routine. There were some parks they visited daily, but new spots were being added each day. Rubella and Prunella spent hours each night praying, and those prayers would tell them where to go next.

The routine was simple. Kate zoned out as she and Nadine chanted what many thought was divine law, but it was just nonsense that Rubella came up with. Her speeches were carefully written each night or improved if she felt the need, but this part was always the same.

She missed the tea party days. Kate held friendship above all else, so her time with Nadine was special. She wished there were more people around, but the sisters insisted it remain just the lot of them for now. Nadine seemed content with this as well, but Kate yearned for more. She yearned for her siblings.

Crowds always gathered. Kate learned after several days of the rituals that Prunella would make up flyers and use a scooter each night to roam the city and deliver them to the necessary places. This system was working. As Kate and Nadine lifted their arms to begin the final part of their chant, more and more kids piled into the backyard. It was huge, but now it barely held the groups of children entering the space.

Many already had the mark. Rubella had made up stencils with Nadine’s help, and it was Nadine who applied them. She was the one who could tell when kids were genuine, that they truly wanted to help the sisters fight the ones responsible for the cure. Kids would bring some water from home these days and toss it on the ground during her speeches. They were coming along to the message.

But Kate had her doubts. As she and Nadine faded into the shadows, careful to keep their hoods up for whatever reason, Kate thought about her family. Arthur was thirteen going on fourteen, and she’d seen kids that age die of the virus before the cure came along. She knew Alberto was dead, and he was only a year older than her brother.

Kate squirmed at the memory, the dreams of Vicita alone in her house after Alberto passed. She wanted to go home then and return to her siblings, but Prunella wouldn’t let her. She held Kate down and repeated over and over, “Think about the ritual! Think about the lives you could save!”

Except it wasn’t Kate’s blood that cured her, it was the water. Kate wasn’t sure if the small dose she got before figuring it out was enough to save her, but she hoped it was. She clearly was no help.

The kids in the crowd seemed dirtier today, hungrier. Kate thought about the time she was wasting here in the crowds when she could be helping Fern figure out a garden. She could be assisting Marina, except she knew most of Marina’s job these days was to purge the collection of titles the sisters deemed inappropriate or not fit for today’s society. Kate had always liked books. Seeing several hundred piled in the far side of the basement awaiting The Great Burning was too much to take. She tried not to think about it.

Rubella was getting to that part now. She leaned towards the crowd, “And listen to one final announcement from the sisters. Next week during the full moon, we will BURN the books of our ancestors! The needless tomes of history and science that DOOMED them to an early grave! Our souls must remain pure if we are to survive. To perish before our time is a sign of our sins. We must take back control, we must take back our world. Power and chaos!” she cheered.

Prunella joined her, and several of the kids with marks joined as well. Kate could hear Nadine nearby, so she pretended to cheer too. She didn’t like the “Power and chaos!” chant, but there was nothing she could do now. She was powerless to the sisters, just like the gullible were powerless to their charm.

The rally was dying down now. Some of the dirtier, hungrier kids looked around for signs of food or water, but with none available, they stomped off to scrounge up a meal somewhere else.

But the patio was full. Nadine and Rubella stood at the center while Prunella minded the line. Kate moved to her spot in all of this. The backyard only had one way in or out, so she stood by the gap in what used to be a very nice fence and spoke to kids as they passed by. Whenever kids expressed doubt, she encouraged them to come again. If they had marks, she thanked them for their time and repeated the “Power and chaos!” phrase to them.

Her eyes were on the kids themselves. Were her siblings among them? Any of their friends? She’d nearly forgotten what so many looked like. Her cancer meant kids had to play away from her, so her siblings stopped inviting friends over. If they went to their friend’s houses or play spots, they couldn’t come near her for days.

It was a lonely existence alone in her room, but now, surrounded by children, she’d never felt lonelier in her life. She spoke to the crowd without conviction and prayed no one would notice, mostly wrathful Prunella, but she was busy with Rubella, busy minding the line. It stretched onto the deck despite the numerous kids leaving. This was their biggest crowd yet.

Suddenly Emily appeared dressed in a formal dress. Kate recognized her sister’s best friend and smiled to her, but her robe concealed her features. Emily didn’t have a chance to tell who she was really talking to. Kate frowned as Emily approached:

“I don’t see what the big deal is with the water. I mean, it runs now. I can run a bath now, not a warm one of course, but a proper bath,” Emily ranted, looking Kate over, “So the kids buying into this stuff have to avoid it? Like all the time?”

“Yes, in order to stay pure,” Kate answered. Prunella had taken note of the confrontation and moved towards them.

But Emily was done with the conversation. She shook her head, “Sorry, I just don’t see the point in all of this. You put on a good show at least,” she said, darting from the yard.

Prunella stomped her foot in frustration, “Do you know her? Rubella was hoping she’d see her, she’s dreamed of her.”

“Oh, not really, I haven’t seen her in so long that I’d have no clue where she is now,” Kate answered, half lying but half telling the truth. Emily liked fancy things, so she was probably housed nearby, but Kate had no way to know for sure.

Prunella exhaled sharply and marched back to the line. Kate returned to her duties, but she could hear sharp whispers between the sisters. They were arguing about what to do about Emily, and Kate knew it wasn’t over.

Finally, the line died down, but instead of moving on to their last stop in the old projects, they began marching the streets calling out for kids to see them. Rubella was determined to find Emily, but Sector 6 was clear of people now that the show was over. Nadine eventually convinced them to head towards Sector 8 for their last stop, but Kate knew this wasn’t done, and she knew the sisters would turn to her for answers.

Alex sat across from Brain. Brain had been arguing with Lydia and Carl for two days about evacuating the center. Neither of them were ready to leave what had become their sanctuary, and they both felt like Brain and Alex were being paranoid. So Brain had gotten fed up and gone to the hospital, where he heard people pounding on the barricade by the hospital from the tunnel in the parking garage.

Now he was in Alex’s office. Liam stood in the corner playing with a Rubik’s cube. It was a novelty one he’d nabbed from an office, and he was nowhere near solving it. He just needed something to do with his hands.

Brain had brought food. Alex opened the thermos of pea soup and smiled. He used to hate when his mom served that before, but now it reminded him of her. He poured some into a coffee mug before passing it back to Brain, who did the same and passed the rest to Liam. He accepted it and sat on the floor to use a coffee table as a dining one.

Brain met Alex’s gaze, “I get the feeling there’s something you’re not telling me. When you came by to tell us you’d stood up to the Tibble’s, but only briefly, I could tell you were hiding something. I mean, I wish you weren’t, I hate being wrong, but…there’s no denying it now.”

Alex poked at his soup with his plastic spoon, “No, no there’s not. So…we got the message to them through Shelley. He delivered a kid who fell, terrible accident. There was nothing we could do for him anyway. We told him this was it, and we haven’t seen him in a few days.”

“And the number of protestors grows, so why haven’t they joined in?” Brain whispered. Alex shrugged, “I stay up here just like you stay in your office. Listen…the kids protesting are yelling about the cure. They want the plant shut back down, so you might want to focus on that now.”

Brain sighed, “There’s always something,” he muttered, studying Alex’s posture. He exhaled again, “What about Shelley?”

Alex looked up knowing his body language had betrayed him, “I didn’t want to say this because I feel like what he told us was said in privilege, but…Shelley wants out of this mess. He’s sick of slavery and the Tibbles beating the shit out of people. He’s over it. We get the feeling he’s been joyriding around looking for kids to toy with not realizing who he was working with until it was too late. He’s seen too much now and has had enough.”

“What do we even know about that kid? I don’t remember him,” Brain said. Liam looked up, “We never see him without that hat and eye thing. He’s always got this long coat on, I think it’s a magician’s outfit. Even when it was hotter, he always had it on.”

Brain nodded and looked back to Alex, who nodded and said, “He’s a strange kid, but if he’s having a change of heart, I’m here for it. I think you should be too, but…seriously, what’s the plan here? We know those barricades will fall eventually. These kids keep showing up with these symbols on their foreheads, and we’ve seen flyers about rallies.”

“Something about sisters,” Liam added from behind them. Brain turned to him before meeting Alex’s gaze, “Well…if their focus is the plant, so be it. We should figure out what to do about the cure though. You have most of the ingredients here.”

“And they won’t last forever,” Alex whispered, cocking his head, “I figure I’ve got three more large batches left before I have to improvise. This first batch is almost through, so we’re looking at several weeks, but not if whoever is behind this gets ahead of us. I do think we need to move, but I’m not sure about you three.”

Liam approached and stood beside the desk, “We were thinking of scouting the university. There’s tons of buildings, and there’s a fallout shelter we could use as a base if no one has found it yet. Plus, we think they would have the resources we need to improvise or make more batches.”

“That’s on the opposite side of town,” Brain noted. Alex nodded, “We’ve sent one of our helpers out with his brother to see what’s even over there. The university was out of the way and closer to Sector 5, the highway. We don’t know what happened once the lockdowns started. Liam heard rumors it was being used by the national guard as a base while they worked the streets.”

Brain nodded, “I heard that too. I could check the papers Sally was able to retrieve before…you know. You could check there again maybe…,” he trailed off, “Do you even leave anymore?” he asked.

“Not if we can help it. There’s enough kids downstairs keeping an eye on things. We don’t have many patients right now, but…here’s the problem: Kids have asked about things that aren’t a right now thing,” Alex said. When Brain shot him a confused look, he continued, “If we leave, those kids might seek someone out in this area, and that could lead them to you. There aren’t many people who know about the selection program you and the others were a part of, but the one I’m thinking of would know.”

“I’m lost, Alex, you’re going to have to tell me the whole story. I understand you’re trying to maintain privacy, but I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on,” Brain whispered. Alex nodded and cleared his throat, “A few days ago, just before the protests scared us into action, some kids showed up asking about maternity care. The kid they were asking about isn’t due for a while, but she’s scared, they all are. They wanted to get something figure out before they needed it.”

Brain nodded, “I see. I don’t know anything about maternity care, and I doubt Lydia could help. Carl wants nothing to do with it, but…you said she would know about us. Why?” he asked.

Liam had picked up his Rubik’s cube again. It clicked and popped as Alex leaned forward and said softly, “They didn’t say explicitly, but we think it was Sue Ellen. Something about their story? It checks out.”

Brain had asked Alex after Sue Ellen left to keep an eye on her. He had his concerns about her, especially when Stormy also left, but he didn’t know what to do with these concerns. Alex was someone outside of his circle, someone who wasn’t there before. Lydia and Carl defended their teacher, but Brain didn’t know who to believe. His mom had taught him to believe women, but would a teacher really do that to someone so young?

Now the answer was staring him in the face. He hung his head, “Where did they go? Did they tell you?” Brain questioned. Alex exhaled as he finished the last of his soup. After wiping his mouth, he replied, “I tried, I told him that might be better, and we wouldn’t tell anyone, but they were nervous about security.”

“Well, the city is dangerous,” Brain muttered, leaning back in his chair as Liam’s toy continued to pop as he twisted each section. Brain looked out the window, “They must not be far if they came out here to ask, but I doubt they’d come back now. Who were these kids?” he asked.

Alex thought for a moment and answered. Brain nodded, “Not with the Tough Customers then, but I wonder if they’d know,” he thought out loud.

“What would they have to do with this?” Alex asked. Brain replied, “They’re on the front lines while we hide in our buildings, they could know. But…that still doesn’t solve this problem. So, if the university is clear, you leave with the material you have and some of your charges. You hide and we wait to see what this group does, but that is still a big unknown.”

Alex nodded in agreement, “We don’t know what will happen, but…those symbols are everywhere, and their beliefs are scary. One of my helpers went to one of the rallies. These sisters, they’re chanting about power and chaos and they want kids to quit drinking the water entirely. That seems to be their plan right now: To get kids on their side and following their beliefs.”

“Then they do whatever they want,” Liam called back, “Including taking over wherever they can to cause the chaos. We’ve got to get out of here, but you can lock down, close the barricades on the building and stay underground.”

Brain nodded, “That is always an option, but…are you sure?” he asked.

Alex gave Brain a stern yet fearful look, “It’s the only option. You have to throw us under the bus, then figure something else out. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but I figure as soon as they get their act together, they’re busting down that barricade and storming the hospital. We’re gone, they move on to the water treatment plant and take it over, but you’re between here and there. If they don’t find us, they might want you.”

“The barricades will be obvious. We lowered them early on, remember? They’re bright and loud, people will know,” Brain whispered. Liam leaned against the wall, making a picture frame bounce onto the carpet. Liam put down his toy, “Then you need to find another way to hide, but you need to do something.”

“And I get to figure out how to get the cure out without the treatment plant,” Brain muttered, running his fingers over his face, “Kids are going to take out their only way to get water all over the city for a bunch of zealots. Are we sure there’s no one to help us fight back?” he asked.

Alex scoffed, “I told you about Shelley because it was strange, but also because he’s out. If they find out he’s having second thoughts, he’ll be our next patient. I hope he’s not that stupid. Either way, what good will he be? The dude was having an existential crisis.”

“Are the Tibbles the only people he works for? Maybe there’s someone else,” Brain suggested, but Alex shut down that train of thought: Shelley was an enigma, and they weren’t going to crack him.

Alex stood up, “You need to focus on what I said: Security and a backup plan for the plant. There’s no stopping these weird sisters, and there is no army to protect us. As long as there are people more interested in their own interests, there’s nothing we can do.”

Brain stood up and shook Alex’s hand, “Well…at least you’re trying. Be careful if you leave.”

“Be careful if you stay,” Alex said back, nodding to Liam, who had picked up his game again but put it back down to lead Brain outside.

As he entered the tunnel, Brain could hear the chants again. He recognized the words now—Power and chaos! The energy was growing, and he knew a climax was coming. They were making the right choice to leave the hospital, but—names, faces, and ideas filled Brain’s mind as he drove back. Sue Ellen, Sally’s dead face, the water treatment plant returning to life, Carl programing a few screens and the plant coming to life, Slink’s cheers as they celebrated, Alex’s grim look as they chatted.

Brain entered the government center and went around studying the windows again. The only coverage system was a mechanical one that would use an entire day’s charge to close each one. Kids would hear it and know someone was inside. Instead, his focus was on how windows came together, how the dim light of sunset flowed over the room, how they could go through the building without being seen.

Lydia found him standing in the lobby. Brain could tell he was visible outside, and the way he was moving wasn’t easy to mimic. He was done for if they were truly having to hide.

Lydia couldn’t help but giggle, startling Brain. Lydia apologized, “Sorry, I just thought I heard footsteps.”

“That’s the other problem, sound carries through here,” he said, looking around before he let his eyes fall on Lydia, the red of her hair and outfit filling his vision. He cleared his throat, “The protests are getting worse. Alex is scouting the university, they’re going to evacuate. He thinks they’ll go after the plant and they could come here.”

“We could close the barricades, but I’m guessing you don’t want to do that,” Lydia said. Brain nodded, “Too obvious. I say we hide in the lower levels with whatever supplies I can get down there. Maybe Carl can step away from his projects long enough to help. You could help us get supplies together, like an inventory.”

Lydia nodded and adjusted her chair, “How will I get down there? The elevator doesn’t work on generator power.”

“I could carry you, or you could scoot the stairs yourself,” Brain suggested. Lydia sighed but nodded. Whatever needed to be done was what she would do. Brain studied her before blurting out his most dominant thought, “Alex thinks Sue Ellen is pregnant.”

“Thinks?” Lydia asked. Brain nodded and explained the story. Lydia frowned, “I guess they were telling the truth then. I still can’t believe it, but…when Stormy said she watched him die, and she was happy about it? I knew something was up.”

Brain scoffed, “Well, a baby is the other confirmation. He wasn’t sure where they were staying. I might go see the Tough Customers and ask them.”

“I thought we needed to get ready for a war,” Lydia argued. Brain nodded, “I am, but I have to know. Plus…if they’re leaving for the university and she’s not near them, we need to try to help her if we’re still around then. If she’ll let us,” Brain added.

Lydia nodded, “She probably wants nothing to do with us for thinking she was lying, and I wouldn’t blame her if that’s the case. But if she’s going to be a mother, fear could take over. I’m scared for her and I can barely comprehend it. He did that to them, didn’t he? Both of them.”

Brain shrugged, “I guess. How could he lie so easily? How did he even get access?”

“We worshipped him like a god, Brain, he ate it up!” Lydia hissed, shaking her head, “You boys are dense, you know that? I mean, sure, I fell for it too, but…it doesn’t matter what the answer to those questions are, it happened. We have to help her, and…we need to help ourselves. If we need to leave, Carl and I can figure something out.”

Brain exhaled, “I’m sorry, I don’t want to leave either, but…all the more reason to see the Tough Customers. The complex they’re in is pretty big, and there’s accessible units if you could get there. They might know a quiet place for Carl, somewhere special for him to make his own.”

“Brain, I’m terrified of what could happen. Who are these people? What do they want?” Lydia cried, wiping away tears.

Brain shook his head, “We don’t know, but their mantra is Power and Chaos. I don’t know what that means, but they think the cure is poison, and kids are eating up their words like candy. No matter what their plan is, they have an army to back them up, and all we have is knowledge.”

“Knowledge and order,” Lydia whispered, wiping away a few more tears. She groaned, “How pathetic. Who cares what you know or what laws you want to come up with if there’s no one around to follow them?” she cried, tossing her hands in her lap.

Brain knelt down and hugged her. He felt awkward at first, but Lydia hugged him back and held on for dear life. She thanked him next, then she composed herself and wheeled back to her office. They had a lot to work on, and if Brain was going to the condos to see the Tough Customers, then she needed to do what she could while he was gone…and that included convincing Carl that leaving might be in their best interest. They weren’t meant for war, and if humanity was to stand a chance against the virus, they couldn’t let a mind like his go to waste.