Love Bug (4 page)

-7-

The Reds began to wander off as the sun dropped lower into the sky. Remmy could no longer feel his legs or butt and imagined Cora was feeling about the same. Xander had woken up for a brief period and then fallen asleep again.

Cora knew it was bad to let Xander sleep and that he could possibly have a concussion, but he hadn’t thrown up or complained and there really was nothing else for him to do. Remmy helped her tie Xander to the trunk of the tree with his belt.

“Looks like only one is left down there,”
Cora whispered. A shadowy figure grunted from near the base of the tree.

Remmy nodded. “
Okay, stay here. I’ll deal with the last Red and then we’re getting out of here.”

“Wait,” Cora said reaching out to touch Remmy’s arm. A small electrical
tingle danced through her fingers and ignited fiery butterflies in her stomach.

“Yeah?” Remmy asked, glancing down at where Cora’s hand touched his arm. They had been outside all day, yet her fingers still felt warm.

“Oh, um,” Cora mumbled as she jerked her hand back, trying to make it look natural, but failing miserably. “Do you think it’s a good idea to go and fight that Red?”

“Good idea?” Remmy chuckled. “No, it’s a terrible one, but I’m open to other suggestions if you got any.”

“Can’t we just wait for someone to come and get us? I’m sure my father will send someone soon,” Cora offered, but immediately realized how badly that would end for Remmy.

“Your father will send someone?” Remmy asked. He knew this girl had to be the child of someone important, but hadn’t stopped to consider it yet. “Who are you?”

“Me?” Cora asked, realizing that her comment had given more away than she had intended. Her heart hammered in her chest. “I’m no one. I was just saying that I thought all vehicles had an emergency call if they crashed. I thought maybe my father would have known by now and sent help.”

“No offense,” Remmy smirked, “but don’t you think they’d be here already if they were coming? Besides, I’m not waiting around for the ERC to show up. I’d rather take my chances with the Red. Stay
here, okay?”

Cora shook her head yes, but the idea of Remmy leaving her filled with a strange swirling sensation somewhat like the time she had ridden a roller coaster at
the amusement park in the Stele, but even that had felt more controlled than this. Her mind and body were in revolt and Cora had no idea why. She was in awe of Remmy’s bravery and selflessness and also terrified by the prospect of him never coming back.

“Be careful,” Cora whispered as Remmy began quietly moving lower.

Remmy paused to look up and smile. Why was this girl making him smile so much and at such inappropriate times? He needed to focus.

The Red paced around the base of the tree, a crude blade in its left hand. Remmy had no idea how he was going to handle this one. The first Red had been unarmed and distracted.

A large pinecone brushed Remmy’s cheek as he hovered on the branch above the Red. At first, he irately slapped it away, but then thought better and grabbed it. A pinecone was a poor weapon against a Red, but maybe he could still find some use for it.

Remmy pitched the pinecone
around the other side of the tree. It made a faint rustling were it landed in some tangled underbrush and leaves. The Red’s head snapped towards the sound and it dropped lower to the ground, flattening itself like the jungle cats Remmy had seen in his schoolbooks. This was what he was hoping for.

As the Red moved towards the
sound, Remmy aimed his feet and leapt off the branch. His boots landed squarely in the middle of the Red’s back. A sickening crunch sounded from the Red’s back, followed by its angry screams. It flailed the knife, but its legs refused to move.

Seeing that Remmy had incapacitated the Red, Cora unstrapped Xander and began moving out of the tree. She dropped to the ground just behind Remmy.

“Come on,” Cora hissed. “Let’s get out of here before anymore Reds show up.”

“We can’t leave yet,” Remmy said, a sad look in his eyes. “We can’t leave her like this.”

“Her?” Cora almost cried. “Remmy it’s a Red, a monster. It would have killed us if it got the chance, maybe worse.”

“She’s not a monster,” Remmy said softly. “She’s just sick. It’s not her fault.” Remmy searched the ground for a rock, but found none. “
Cora, go wait for me over by those trees, please.”

“Remmy,” Cora began to argue, but saw that he had already made up his mind. “Okay.”

Cora watched as Remmy stepped down on the Red’s arm and pulled the knife free. It was growing dark, but she could still make out his silhouette as he knelt down on the Red’s shoulders, pinning it to the ground. It screamed ferociously as Remmy leaned forward and made a quick motion with his arm. The Red fell silent.

“Let’s go,” Remmy said, tears in his eyes.

Cora could feel her heart breaking for Remmy, could feel the jagged shards of it travel through her body tearing her apart. She felt sick, but it was nothing like the colds or illnesses she had suffered before. This was worse.

“I’m sorry you had to do that
, Remmy,” she offered, hoping it might help.

“Yeah,” Remmy muttered, “me too
, but it couldn’t be helped. Let’s go, I’m sure everyone back at my camp is worried.”

“You’re taking us there?” Cora gasped. “Is that safe?”

“For who?” Remmy laughed, “You or us?”

Cora felt waves of heat on her face,
could feel the prickle on the back of her neck. Had she just insulted Remmy?

“I just meant that,
well, I mean,” Cora struggled for the words.

“Don’t worry about it,” Remmy grinned. “We need to get your brother checked out and my camp is the
closest place, so that’s where we’re going.”

Cora nodded. As Remmy moved to pick up
Xander, his bare arm brushed against Cora’s. Millions of tiny bolts danced through her skin, goose bumps involuntarily rising on her arms.

“You okay?” Remmy asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Cora nodded, “I’m fine.” But the truth was that she wasn’t. Cora knew something was wrong with her. Something had happened.

The realization that she had spent the entire day in a tree with a strange and exciting
boy, surrounded by Reds and not once heard her Em-Pak’s telltale beep dawned on Cora.

“Let’s go,” Remmy smiled and started into the woods. Cora followed close behind. Something was definitely wrong, something terrible and life altering.
With trembling fingers, Cora gingerly touched the back of her neck. The Em-Pak was still there, still felt like it always had, but it had spent the entire day silent. Something was very wrong and Cora was beginning to think that she might enjoy it.

-8-

“Despite our best efforts and the tireless work of the ERC, the Red threat has reemerged even more dangerous. It is with great concern that I report the kidnapping of my children. It is with an even deeper sadness that I report the passing of my wife, as well as an ERC officer who fought valiantly to protect my family.”

Assemblyman Eldritch paused and let his speech sink in. It was strange to say “a
n even deeper sadness” about the death of his wife because the truth was he felt nothing, least of all sadness. But the expression was something that citizens had clung to from the old times. It was also an expression that Eldritch hoped would soon be forgotten. So many words wasted on sentimentality and ceremony.

Citizens had expected the annual speech commemorating the work of the elder Samuel Eldritch and
his invention of the Em-Pak. Assemblyman Eldritch’s words shocked them. He could almost hear Em-Paks citywide chirping loudly, doing their best to correct the fear that he was doing his best to foster.

The citizens had become complacent, had come to believe that the worst of times had passed and that
belief was dangerous. They needed to be reminded why they needed the Assembly and the ERC. Too much safety, too much freedom, those were the building blocks of independent thought. Eldritch was currently doing his best to scatter those blocks, to make citizens remember why they needed him.

“And now good
citizens, I must ask you to put aside your concerns for my family. Please rest assured that the ERC is doing everything in its power to rescue my children and punish those responsible for the death of my beloved wife. I ask you to put those concerns aside, because an even greater threat darkens our doorways, an even more malignant cancer has taken root outside the walls of our cities.”

The crowd began to shift uncomfortable at what Eldritch was preparing to unveil. There would undoubtedly be some feathers ruffled at the ERC, but with his family
planted at the center of this debacle, Eldritch could easily smooth things over. The ERC would need him, would need his family as a rallying call to the citizenry. Once this was over, Eldritch could practically vote himself in as the head of the ERC – something he had previously felt slipping through his fingers.

A few beeps from Em-Paks attached to those citizens in the front row shook Eldritch from his thoughts. He smiled as he listened to the faint chirps of the Em-Paks. His own quickly answered the call, correcting his own feelings. A few more Em-Paks sounded in the crowd. They were scared. That was good. It was time for Eldritch to drop a bomb and solidify his place.

“We have survived much, sacrificed much to secure our place in this world. We have faced the virus, conquered it with my father’s invention of the Em-Pak. We have significantly cut down on the numbers of those monstrous, mindless Reds that threatened our children, our way of life. But even this has not been enough. No, good citizens, it is our fellow man who currently poses the greatest danger to us. Those misguided few that choose to live without Em-Paks. I speak of Emos of course. They were once thought to be little more than the seeds of future Reds, but now they have proven themselves to be something far worse, something far more dangerous. The Emos have joined forces with the Reds to destroy all of our hard work. My family’s blood was the first drawn in this new war and I intend to ensure that it will be the last! My family will not have suffered in vain! We must punish these terrorists! It is our duty and will be my honor to wipe the Emos and Reds from the face of this earth!”

The citizens began to cheer and clap, though their eyes were blank and glassy. They were well trained. Eldritch had them exactly where he wanted them.

“Following this speech, I will be going directly to the ERC Council to petition for increased patrols, increased funding and increased protection! I will ensure that no family suffers as mine has. I will ensure that you are safe! That is the legacy of the Eldritch name! It is my birthright, a torch passed on to me by my father and my honor to carry! With your support, good citizens, I will lead us through these dark times and into the future that we have all dreamed of, the future that is rightfully ours!”

Walking back through the double doors and into the Assembly
House, Eldritch could still hear the crowd cheering. He momentarily felt a flood of pride before his Em-Pak chirped loudly and returned him to baseline. Before the implantation of his Em-Pak, a speech like that would have made Eldritch smile for days. Now, he was allowed a few fleeting seconds of pride before it was lost to the device’s influence.

“Um, sir,” his aide hesitated, “the ERC
Council phoned at the conclusion of your speech. They have requested your presence at their office, right away.”

“Splendid,” Eldritch nodded. “Please ready the car. I’ll be going there right away.”

“Splendid?” the aide repeated, confused. A request to appear before the ERC Council was many things, but splendid surely was not one of them.

“Yes,” Eldritch nodded, “splendid
, indeed. Now let’s not dawdle. Bring the car around and notify the ERC that I’ll be arriving shortly.”

-9-

Noises sounded softly throughout the forest. Remmy appeared unfazed by them as he carried a semi-conscious Xander over his shoulders.
Cora, on the other hand, was overwhelmed. She had been to city parks, the best city parks, reserved only for those with money and political connections, but she had never experienced nature like this. She had heard dozens of birds sing, but had never felt their songs. Never had they resonated within her being, echoing to some long lost poetic yearning. Cora was amazed that such a few simple notes could create such a reaction.

After a second
time, tripping over tree roots, Cora decided that she had better find some way to focus or Remmy would be carrying her too.

“Are you sure it’s okay to bring us back?” Cora asked. A strange tightness had wound itself around her guts after Remmy told them where he was taking them. She was unsure of what it meant, but could barely contain the onslaught of questions that filled her mind. “I mean, are you sure no one will get upset?”

“Upset?” Remmy shrugged, eliciting a mumble from Xander, “I don’t know. Don’t really care either. There was no other choice. Everyone is just going to have to deal with it.”

Was it really that simple Cora wondered?
Everyone is just going to have to deal with it?
Could it really be possible to live your life with little concern for the reactions of others? Cora had spent her entire life in the spotlight, in front of cameras, judged by everyone, especially her father. But Remmy was different. He appeared to care little for what others thought of him and it gave him lightness, a certain degree of freedom that Cora was beginning to desire for herself.

“I guess so,” Cora answered. “But what about the ERC?”

“What about them?” Remmy grunted. “It’s not like I haven’t lived my entire life hiding from them and looking over my shoulder. The ERC trying to kill Emos is not exactly news to anyone I know.”

“They try to kill you?” Cora asked, suddenly realizing what her father’s use of the words “unacceptable” and “unsuitable” actua
lly meant. It was true that all citizens knew that ERC patrols were trying to exterminate the threats posed from Emos, but Cora, like all those with an Em-Pak, had lacked the ability to feel compassion and empathy. Stopping, to think of the Emos as actual people, like
Remmy
, sent waves of nausea roiling through Cora’s gut. She stumbled and grabbed a nearby tree, trying to steady herself.

“Cora?” Remmy asked, panic swelling in his words. “Cora
, are you okay?” He set Xander down and rushed to Cora’s side.

“I…I…think so…I’m not
…” Cora’s words were cut short by a violent burst of vomit. She collapsed to the ground, her head swimming and the world appearing to spin. “Remmy,” Cora said weakly. “Remmy, something’s wrong?” Cora struggled to steady herself, but her body revolted against her.

“Cora?” Remmy cried as she fell to the ground. Her eyes fluttered, her breathing slowed and Cora stopped moving. Remmy shook her shoulders. “Cora! Wake
up, Cora!” Remmy quickly checked Cora’s breathing. It was shallow and slow, but still there.

“
Sorry, man,” Remmy muttered as he sprinted past Xander. The boy was slightly conscious. Remmy hoped he wouldn’t wake up in the middle of the woods with no idea where he was, but there was no way, Remmy could carry them both and surely no way, he could run with Xander on his shoulders.

The woods blurred as Remmy pushed his legs to move faster and faster.
He dodged rocks and sprang over downed logs, never slowing down or stumbling. Cora was all he could see. What was it about her? She filled his mind’s eye, allowing his brain to focus on nothing but thoughts of her. Cora’s image willed him to move faster, and ignore the burning in his legs and lungs. He just needed to keep going. He needed to save Cora.