James Hunt - GMO 24 - The Coalition

Alex’s body hit the dirt with a thud, and he could feel the warm, sticky liquid mixing with the dirt and clumping along his body. He tried pushing himself up, but his limp shoulder wouldn’t allow him. His fingers grabbed at the dirt around him, attempting to find anything solid to hold on to, to give him strength. But the dead earth around him offered no such gift.

Alex’s head rolled to the left and right on his neck. The thick, blood-soaked sentry uniform had been removed from his body and was replaced by the standard rags given to community members. His body was propped against a wall, with an IV bag hung above his head, dripping its solution into his veins. He slowly opened his eyes, very aware of the throbbing pain still in his shoulder.

The blood and metal that had covered his arm had been replaced by bandages and a sling. There was a clang of a door opening, and a blurred figure, followed by a few others, walked briskly toward him. Alex blinked and rubbed his eyes, trying to make the images come into focus.

“It’s good to see you alive, Alex.”

Even though Alex still couldn’t see the man, he recognized the voice. It was Gordon.

“We had the doctors patch you up as best they could. You almost lost that arm, which would have been bad for both of us,” Gordon said.

“Meeko. Where is—”

“The boy’s alive and well. In fact, he’s going to come inside and join us in just a little bit. Your people, this community,” he said, exposing his palms openly to the walls around him, “they love you. They’re loyal to you. Those other seeds you told me about, no one gave them up. Not a single person, and trust me, we were very, very thorough.”

Flashes of screams and gunshots began to break through Alex’s mind. He could feel his body start to tremble. He shut his eyes, furiously trying to quiet the noise.

“It didn’t matter how many times we beat them. Or what we threatened to do to them. They just wouldn’t betray you,” Gordon continued.

Alex could feel the heat of fire. The flames licked his arms, legs, chest, and face. More screams. More gunshots. More pounding. More pleading. More heat. More gunshots.

“And the fact that they didn’t betray you tells me either one of two things: one, there are no seeds, which would make sense, seeing as how most seed silos were burned down by the extremists in the first few months of the famine. But with your history and track record, you were never the kind of man to bluff. So that leads me to option two: you do have the seeds. Your community does know where they are. And you were such a powerful, polarizing figure to them that they would let themselves die before they’d betray you,” Gordon said, his hot breath beating down on Alex’s ear.

The visions started to subside, and Alex felt himself come back to the moment. He slowly opened his eyes, and the smooth, rounded features of Gordon’s face came into view. “I still want my deal,” Alex said.

“Oh, the seeds for Meeko and Harper’s freedom? Well, I want a new deal.” Gordon turned around to his associate in a black leather jacket and nodded. The man walked out of the room and wheeled in a man with bandages on his face, neck, and arms.

“Warren?” Alex asked.

“And he was worried you weren’t going to recognize him,” Gordon said, slapping Warren on the shoulder. “So here’s the deal, Alex. You’re going to do something for me, or I’m going to kill Warren.”

“Not until you coordinate a release for Meeko and Harper approved by the representatives and the President’s office,” Alex said, his upper lip quivering. “You hear me? You’re not going to get the seeds until that happens.”

“Alex, you really think what representatives are left have any jurisdiction here?” Gordon squatted down to his knees, making sure he was at eye level with Alex. His voice softened. “And what makes you think I still want the seeds?” Gordon extended his hand behind him, and the man in the black leather jacket handed him a pistol. Gordon rose and pressed the end of the pistol’s barrel into the side of Warren’s head. “You’re going to come back and work for me again, or I pull the trigger.”

“What?”

“There’s a community in Wyoming that has something I want. And if you don’t go in there and get it for me, then I’m going to bring in your community members one by one and shoot them in front of you until you agree. Starting with him. I’ll give you to the count of three, Alex.”

“Don’t make me do this. Please.”

“One.”

“The seeds! I can still give you the seeds.”

“Two.”

“GODDAMMIT, LISTEN TO ME! The seeds are buried out behind—”

The high-pitched ringing that filled Alex’s ears following the gunshot silenced his own voice. He could feel the pain in his throat, the pressure in his head, and the thrashing of his limbs, but no matter how hard he screamed, he couldn’t hear himself.

Warren’s body was dragged out and replaced with Meeko, who broke down in tears at the sight of Warren’s lifeless body. Alex could see the stitches on Meeko’s cheeks. Gordon had given everyone medical attention to make sure they were alive and well for when he put a gun to their heads.

The man in the black leather jacket positioned Meeko right where Warren had been. Bits of blood and brain matter still soiled the floor. The ringing in Alex’s ears slowly subsided, and Meeko’s sobs grew louder. Gordon placed the gun to Meeko’s head. Alex became aware of Gordon mouthing his countdown. He didn’t let him get to two.

“I’ll do it,” Alex said. The words came out hoarse, tired. “I’ll do it.”

Gordon lowered the pistol. “Excellent. Now, everyone here in your community will remain alive and well as long as you do your job. We’ll let you heal up and then brief you on the specifics. We’re going to need you healthy.”

The bits of dried wax from the candle were crushed in Todd’s grip as he picked it up from the barrel. He lit it, and the candle illuminated the still-healing wounds on his face. He spit on the plaque and entered the community hall. He joined Emma, Nelson, and Ray at the bench, where Billy’s spot was vacant.

The orange glow of the candle cast half of their faces in shadow and half in light. Everyone was sullen, quiet.

“When did it happen?” Todd asked.

Ray’s voice caught. “Last night. Ben said he thought it was some kind of aggressive cancer. There wasn’t anything he could do.”

Todd remained silent. Billy was the community’s hunter, and the only way for Todd to stay in contact with the other communities in Wyoming. “If we move forward, we remain on guard. The process doesn’t change. Does everyone understand?” Todd asked. Everyone agreed. “We start back up in the lab tomorrow. Normal time.”

The group extinguished their candles, exited the community building, and headed their separate ways. As Todd made his way up to his house, he saw a sentry truck drive by, splashing his ankles with mud. The vehicle stopped by Emma and rolled down the window. Todd watched the two go back and forth, then the truck pulled up to the sentry housing. Todd waited for Emma to catch up, and the two of them headed back to their homes. “What was that about?”

“It’s the new hunter,” Emma answered.

Todd looked back at the man getting out of the sentry vehicle, grabbing his bag out of the back seat, and favoring his right shoulder.

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Starvation has wreaked havoc on the United States, and the Soil Coalition’s fascist communities aren’t making the situation any better. Alex Grives is torn from his community by the Coalition’s founder, Gordon Reath, and blackmailed into locating the scientist who Gordon believes has found a cure for the damage done by GMO-24.