D. MacHale - Storm

“Feel better now?” he asked her.

“Yes.”

“It won’t last.”

“Come on,” Charlotte said. “Through that door.”

I jumped ahead and opened the door so Charlotte and Kent could lead Jon through.

“Flashlights,” Charlotte said.

There were a few emergency flashlights fixed to the wall. Olivia and I each grabbed one.

“Here,” I said, handing the gun to Tori.

She took it and jammed it into her waistband.

We were in a plain hallway, which was a huge contrast to the extravagant casino we had just left. We had only walked a few yards when Charlotte stopped in front of a door.

“In here,” she ordered.

I opened the door to what was probably a security office. There were a few desks still covered with papers, as if whoever worked there had just stepped out for lunch. Charlotte led us down a short hallway and turned into an open door, beyond which was the barred cell used by the casino’s security force.

Charlotte and Kent shoved Jon inside, then Charlotte quickly slid the bars closed. She pulled a ring loaded with keys from her pocket and used one to lock the cell door. Old sheriff habits die hard.

“I’m sorry, Charlotte,” I said.

“For what?”

“For bringing him here. We had no idea.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Charlotte said. “We should have smelled him coming. That was my job, and I let him through.”

“I can’t believe he just… turned on us,” Olivia said, sounding dazed.

“He didn’t turn,” I corrected. “He was never with us. Think about it. He turned us in to Chris Campbell when we tried to escape from Faneuil Hall. He was the one who got us to come to Nevada. He told us all about the radio broadcasts and pushed us to find the survivors.”

“But he wanted to blow off Nevada and go to Kentucky,” Tori said.

“Sure! He wanted to know what that was about too! When we were in Ohio, I heard him talking on the radio, but the radio wasn’t working. He was probably using that little communicator to tell the Retros that something was happening in Kentucky. I’ll bet he called in the air strike there! No, Jon didn’t turn. He was using us from the get-go.”

“Got it all figured out, do you?” Jon asked, snickering.

“Shut up, or I’ll come in there and shut you up,” Kent snarled.

“Sure, come on in, Kent. I’d love for you to try to teach me a lesson. Let’s go.”

Jon sounded odd. His breathing was heavy, and his voice was raised.

Kent made a move for the cell.

“Don’t,” Charlotte warned him.

He stopped.

Jon wrapped his fingers around the bars.

“I’ll probably get a medal for this,” he said, panting. “We knew there would be pockets of resistance. That’s why so many of us are out there.”

“I said shut up!” Kent shouted angrily.

“No, let him talk,” I said. “How many are out there, Jon?”

“More than you can imagine,” he said breathlessly. “We’re everywhere. Hiding with you in your wasted cities. Listening in on your pitiful plans. Rooting out nests of pathetic survivors. But this here… this was a very big prize. We expected there to be retaliation in Nevada but never like this. Not right under our noses. I’m the one who first heard the broadcast, you know. We sent a few people to investigate, but nobody broke through… until me. I may have saved the whole mission.”

“Who are you?” I asked. “Why are you fighting SYLO?”

“SYLO,” Jon said with disdain. “The guard dogs of a dying society. They’re nothing more than a nuisance. The mission will be completed.”

Tori and I exchanged worried looks.

“What exactly is the mission?” I asked, trying not to sound too desperate.

Jon wagged his finger at me and smiled slyly.

“You think you want to know, but trust me, you don’t.”

“But we do,” Tori insisted. “Impress us.”

She was playing to Jon’s ego.

Jon chuckled. “Evolution is about to take a dramatic leap forward. But not just yet. There are still too many of you primates left. Especially in the cities.”

He was breathing hard, as if telling the tale was exciting him.

“Primates?” Kent said. “What the hell?”

“Eradication is more complicated with dense population centers. There are too many deep caves to hide in, and we don’t want to totally decimate the infrastructure. Before we can begin to repopulate, there needs to be another wave. More pointed this time. More city-specific. We’re going back to Moscow and Beijing. London has proved difficult. So has Sydney. New York will feel another bite. Los Angeles is the closest, so it will be the first. Once those cities are cleared, we can begin.”

“Cleared?” I said soberly. “That’s what you call it? You’re talking about wiping out every last living soul.”

“Oh no. Not entirely. You primates will serve a purpose. Rebuilding a society will be labor intensive.”

“You mean you need slaves,” Tori said with disdain. “Call it what you want,” he said dismissively.

“You think we’re primates?” Kent said, incredulous. “What does that make you ?”

Jon started yanking on bars of the cell as if trying to pull it apart. It was a sudden and violent move that surprised us all…

…and made complete sense.

“Look at me!” I yelled at him.

I flashed the light in his face and saw it. The wild eyes. The heavy breathing. I suddenly knew why he was acting so crazy.

“Where did you get it?” I asked.

“Get what?” Olivia asked, confused.

Jon dug into his back pocket, took out an empty baggie, and tossed it through the bars.

“From the sheriff’s pocket while she was twisting my arm,” he said. “Aren’t I clever?”

Charlotte’s hand went to her pocket.

“It’s gone,” she exclaimed.

I picked up the empty plastic bag.

“There was a ton of the Ruby in here,” I said. “Tell me you didn’t eat it all.”

“I did,” Jon said, his voice becoming a high-pitched squeal.

“My God,” Tori said with a gasp. “He’ll explode.”

Jon backed up until he hit the far wall, then charged at the bars. He hit them hard, bounced back, and hit them again.

“You won’t make it until tonight,” he screamed. “I’m coming for you now.”

Tori pulled out her gun.

I put my hand on hers and pushed the weapon down. “Wait,” I said.

The full effect of the Ruby was just kicking in. Jon was like an enraged animal with fire in his veins. He let out a bone-chilling howl, grabbed the bars, and furiously pulled on them. The metal squeaked and groaned, but held.

“You overdosed,” I said. “If you don’t calm down, you’re going to—”

He screamed again. It was primal and filled with anguish and anger. He grabbed the cot, lifted it up, and threw it against the bars.

“Go ahead and shoot me,” he screamed. “It’ll be like a bee sting.”

Olivia backed away, crying.

Charlotte watched in stunned wonder.

Tori, Kent, and I had been through this before. It was nothing new. The three of us watched dispassionately, waiting for the inevitable end.

“Is there anything we can do?” Charlotte asked, horrified.

I shook my head.

“No wonder he wanted me to go in there,” Kent said. “He wouldn’t have had the guts otherwise.”

Jon pulled the cot apart with his bare hands, tearing off a length of metal that he wedged into the door to try to pry it open. His hands bled, but he ignored the pain. He was stronger than the metal tool. So were the cell bars. The metal snapped in his hands.

He screamed in despair, grabbed the bars again, and shook them furiously.

“Let me out,” he begged, changing tactics. “I’ll convince them to spare your lives. I promise.”