Bridget Bundy - The Secret Weapon

“Did they say anything about the warden?”

Rudy answered, “I heard them say that the warden wanted you dead, but they didn’t say why. They also said that the warden promised he’d get them out of here and set them up in Selatan once they took care of you.”

Coraset was satisfied that she knew the truth behind the inmates and the warden and decided to put those men out of her mind. They were no longer a problem anyway. She finished her food and cleaned herself up with the wet wipes Rudy brought out.

“You know, we’re stuck here. The warden isn’t going to send anyone to pick us up. I tried to tell those guys the same thing, but they wouldn’t listen to me.”

“I wasn’t depending on the warden anyway. I am getting out of here regardless.”

“How? There’s no bus coming, no taxi-”

“Walking, Rudy, that’s the only way.”

“Do you know how long the walk will take?”

“Probably 12 hours, and I figured if I leave at nightfall tomorrow, I’ll make it there before the sun rises.”

“I want to go with you, Coraset.”

“I figured you would.”

“Where are we headed?”

“We have to get to the prison first.”

Rudy jumped in front of her with renewed hope and asked, “Okay, so after we get to the prison, then what?”

“I’ll get us a ride and we’ll head to Baker.” Coraset answered.

“Where are we headed after we get to Baker?”

“I’m going to the Barat Region,” she answered before scrubbing her face.

“That’s where I need to go, too. Why don’t we just drive all the way there?”

“Because I plan on stealing a car, and we don’t want to be caught with it,” Coraset answered as she cleaned up the mess she made. She tossed everything in an open box of garbage. “I have another way back to Barat. It’s safer. We just need to make it to Baker before the late morning.”

“But how are you going to steal a ride? Everyone working at the prison parks their cars inside the prison, or they take a shuttle bus out there.”

Coraset smiled, but she never answered his question.

“I don’t know about this, Coraset.”

“Don’t worry, Rudy. It’ll work out.”

A silence fell between them. Coraset went outside to stare up at the star filled night sky. She hadn’t seen such a sight in over a year, and she suddenly realized how much she missed the stars and the moon. Something so far away, never to be touched, only to be seen, and she adored it nonetheless. The celestial bodies were the only sure thing to remain familiar despite everything else that changed in her life.

Rudy joined her. He shoved his hands in his pockets taking in the view, as well.

The morning arrived and Coraset stood outside the hut holding a packet of lukewarm water. She felt well rested, and she was in somewhat of a good mood despite where she was. She looked out onto the desert. The earth was already radiating heat.

Rudy came out stretching and yawning. He scratched at the sand stuck to his back and stomach.

“Good morning, Coraset.”

“Morning, Rudy,” she answered.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking in the moment,” she said as she glanced quickly at him.

“Are we still leaving tonight?”

“That’s the plan. We have to go through the boxes to see what we can take, but we have to carry light.”

“I can tell you what’s in most of them. There are bandages, gauze, aspirin, and some kind of ointments. One has nothing but ready to eat meals. There are snack packs in there, water, and some other stuff.”

Coraset turned and went back inside. She asked Rudy who was following close behind her, “I’ll have to use the other bag. Who did it belong to?”

“I believe it belonged to the big dude you shot yesterday.”

“Well, he won’t need it now.” Coraset commented as she went over to the far corner to drag out the bag. She placed it in the center of the floor and unzipped it. Inside were muscle man orange prison jumpsuit, his clean underwear, and a shaving kit. Coraset tossed all of those things except the shaving kit back into the corner and started searching through the boxes, only taking things they needed for the trip. They quietly packed for a while until Rudy couldn’t take the silence anymore. His increasing curiosity about Coraset was eating at him.

He asked as he sat in front of his bag crossed legs, “Coraset, do you have family?”

“No,” she answered without interest. “Actually, I do. I have a stepfather.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s in Barat.” Coraset answered quickly.

Rudy noticed her answers were short, and he got the feeling she didn’t want to talk about her family. He let it go and returned to straightening the items in his bag.

Coraset finished packing, satisfied with what she had. She saw that Rudy craved conversation. It was understandable. He was like a kid, eager to be heard, eager to listen to something interesting. Even with the both of them there, he was lonely.

She sat down across from him and asked, “What about you? Do you have family?”

Rudy’s face lightened up, and he answered, “I have my sister, thank God. Her name is Alice. She lives in Barat, too.”

“How old is she?” Coraset asked.

“She’s thirty something. That’s what she tells me. I don’t get the something part.”

Coraset laughed understanding what his sister meant and explained, “It simply means she’s over thirty but below forty. How old are you?”

“I’m twenty years old,” Rudy stated.

“Only twenty,” Coraset said as she smiled, thinking back to when she was that age. “I was in college studying international law when I was twenty.”

“What did you do after you graduated?”

“I started working for Erato Biotrade in charge of its worldwide humanitarian efforts.” Coraset felt a little pride, but it quickly fizzled to a dull feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“Sounds really important,” he stated.

“It was.”

“Is that what you used to do before you went to prison?”

Coraset wasn’t expecting so many questions, but she didn’t mind. It was refreshing to speak to another person after being in solitary confinement for a year and a half. She answered, “No, I was a horticulturist.”

Rudy gave her a strange look. “So, you went from having an important position at Erato Biotrade to being a gardener in the Federation to a dangerous inmate in the Mojave Prison?”

She laughed and answered, “Well, I was accused of murdering a police officer. That’s how I ended up in the Mojave Prison.”

“Did you really kill a police officer?”

“No.”

“So, why didn’t you stay a humanitarian?” Rudy shifted intently listening.

“There is no such position in the Federation, and if it did exist, I wouldn’t take it. Before the outbreak, Erato Biotrade was the leading company in the world when it came to altruism. Then it was like they stopped caring. They did nothing to stop the N12 Virus. I believe they had the vaccine all along. I used to have so much pride working for that company. Now, I really don’t want anything to do with them. That’s why I’m a gardener.” Coraset spoke with a bitter attitude, and she gave a quick angry smile.

Rudy was speechless.

“So…what did you used to do for the Federation before you were in prison?” She asked trying to beat back the heaviness in the room.

“I was an engine and airframe mechanic.” Rudy spread his arms with a huge smile and added, “I really want to be a helicopter pilot!”

“Why didn’t you test for it?”

He dropped his arms and answered, “I did, but I didn’t score high enough.”

Coraset looked at him curiously and asked, “Rudy, how did you end up in prison anyway?”