Jacqueline Druga - Salvation

“Ouch,” said John. “Could you have any less tact?”

“We don’t have time for tact.” Malcolm said strong. “We don’t. It won’t be long before they find us.”

Nora spoke up. “We know that there are things questionable out here. Salvation raided Rantoul. Took their children and killed some of the residents.”

Malcolm shifted his eyes to Marilee then back to the group. “Listen to me. Salvation will always say they have a good reason for what they do outside their wall.”

“So it’s that bad inside?” Jason asked.

“Inside it is a clinical, sterile, and perfect utopia, where all your medical and daily needs are met. They tell you what to do, where to go and what job to have.”

John gasped with sarcasm. “Sounds like hell.”

Malcolm grunted. “We are the enemy. To them, those of us frozen were part of the conspiracy to release the virus. Guilt by association. There is no court system it’s a panel of people. There are no jails, its execution. The only choice is how they execute you. Our best case scenario is they get us, they try us, and hang us.”

“Worst?” Meredith asked.

“Shoot us on sight. I didn’t know we were the enemy until I went out to help them find the other Genesis labs. The one in Texas. No one had come out of stasis and they terminated them all…”

“Killed them all?” Meredith asked.

Malcolm nodded.

Hunter finally spoke up. “How many from Salvation will come?”

Malcolm started to answer, but since it was the first time he actually looked at Hunter, he stammered. “Um, uh, a lot.”

“East.” Hunter said. “We go east. No one goes east.”

“Before we decide,” Malcolm said. “There is something I need to tell you…”

“Malcolm.” Maggie’s voice called out over the Aldervice, and she sounded frazzled. “Malcolm.”

Hunter looked left to right.

Everyone looked around.

Malcolm cringed and reached to his pocket.

“I know you were in Rantoul,” Maggie said. “Trey and I followed you. It’s just us right now. No one knows you took the van. Malcolm, please answer.”

Malcolm brought the Aldervice to his mouth. “Why can’t we just go? Forget about us. I’ll leave the van. We’ll disappear. Never to be heard or seen again.”

“You can’t do that and you know why. You will run and keep running until they ultimately catch you. What kind of life is that?”

“Dad,” Trey spoke up. “Please. You saw. You know.”

Nora shook her head. “Is that Salvation?”

Maggie answered. “Yes.”

“You want us?” Nora asked sharply. “Like criminals? We didn’t do anything wrong. What did the kids do?”

“What?” Maggie asked surprised.

“The kids of Rantoul. You came in and took them all.”

“We took them to give them a better life. They’re happy, fed, and educated. Loved. They didn’t deserve to live on this side of that wall.”

Nora blasted. “That was not your call! You had no right to take them.”

“It’s a good thing we did now, isn’t it?” Maggie snapped back.

“What is she talking about?” Nora asked.

“Didn’t you tell them?” Maggie questioned.

“I just got here.” Malcolm replied.

“They’re dead. Your whole town of Rantoul is dead.” Maggie replied. “Of the virus.”

Her words cut through causing a silence.

Maggie continued. “Those who have survived this long have immunities. But not like Malcolm and Trey who got the vaccine and it worked. I know you couldn’t care less about me but I was exposed to this. It lives beyond its kill frame. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring for me, but I do know this. If I am not here to negotiate this then there will be no choices with the Council. Do the right thing, all of you. Do the right thing.”

The Aldervice beeped as she ended her transmission.

Jason stepped forward. “What is she talking about?”

Malcolm squeezed the device so tightly he could have crushed it. He ran his hand across his face and glanced to those who looked to him for answers.

NINETEEN – DECISION

Maggie didn’t know him, but he sounded like someone she would like. Someone that could be a friend. Then again, her head wasn’t in it. Selfishly, she worried about what was going on in her own body.

At first Maggie didn’t want to speak to Jason when he called, saying she’d only speak to Malcolm. But Jason was persistent and polite.

“See, you want us to make the right choice. We don’t know what the right choice is.”

“The right choice is for all of you to turn yourselves in.”

“That’s not gonna happen,” Jason said. “Is there a compromise?”

“No. Some of you are carriers. There’s no compromise.”

“You realize, we can take off, right? This is a big country. We can disappear.”

“Then why are you even bothering to talk to me?” Maggie asked. “If you can disappear, go. It’s on you.”

“I’m calling because I want us to do the right thing.”

“The right thing is to turn yourself in.” Maggie ended the call.

Trey approached her. “Is there really no compromise?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t even tried. I’d have to call Council and tell them that they don’t want to turn themselves in. I don’t know what would happen. I’m just so angry right now,” she said. “Angry at them for bringing this back and angry at myself for not taking precautions when I went into Rantoul.”

“Maybe you aren’t infected.”

“Maybe.” Maggie sighed. “Tomorrow will tell. Actually… tomorrow will tell a lot.”

Sitting with the others around the fire, Malcolm went through the contents of the envelope Nora grabbed from his office. “This is unbelievable. This…” he told the others. “Proves that none of us were willing participants. The screen captures from the video. It’s all here.” He smiled.

“We had no idea,” Nora said. “I saw your son’s name on it.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” He stood up with the folder.

“Where are you going?” Nora asked.

“Jason said they wouldn’t compromise. Maybe hearing about this…” Malcolm lifted the folder and the Aldervice. “Maybe they’ll be willing to talk.”

After he walked off, Nora looked at Marilee. She stared at the fire, looking so lost. Nora sat beside her. “Hey, I haven’t had a chance to talk to you. I am… I am so sorry. We are so sorry. You welcomed us and we caused this.”

“You didn’t know,” she said. “Even if you suspected you still didn’t know.”

“It took a lot for you to face us,” Nora said.

“Where else am I gonna go? I have no one. Everyone I knew and loved is gone.”

Nora felt her words, the pain in them, and they cut through her as she clutched Marilee’s hand. “If I can figure out a way to make this up to you, I will.”

“There’s no way.”

“I’ll try.” Nora told her, then noticed Malcolm was back. She stood. “That was fast. What did they say?”

Malcolm looked at everyone. “They’ll take the papers and they’ll let us live out our lives out here if… we all submit to a blood test and we give up the carrier, or carriers.”

John spoke up. “And one of us is a carrier. So we condemn this person to death, or whatever they choose to do with us.”

Malcolm nodded.

Meredith said. “Freedom for all comes at a price. A high price.”

“I say we go,” Malcolm said. “Let’s head east like Hunter said. They don’t go into the wasteland. It’s our best option.”

“No,” Jason said. “It’s not. It’s noble of you Malcolm because you know for a fact you aren’t a carrier, but I don’t know if I am, or not. And I can’t live with the fact that I feel fine but can easily cause death everywhere I go. We can hide, stay clear, but what if one of us has a child? What if we stumble upon a group, or they stumble upon us. I can’t take that chance.”