Surge (98 page)

I wake up on the couch. No, Olivia didn’t put me here, I put myself here. I wonder if my dad ever accepted the blame when it was his due? Probably not, but since I don’t want to be like him, I accept it with open arms.

Anyway, Olivia came back from wherever it was she went to meet Webby about an hour later. From there, she went into the bedroom, and told me she was going to bed, and no she didn’t want company. I was fine with it, it’s not like I expected a simple apology was going to repair our relationship to rights just like that.

Okay, maybe I hoped that it would, but I’m a realist; and was prepared to have at least two conversations, before I was out of the dog house. Besides, I still have to apologize for making her my fictional wife, with a bundle of joy in utero. But I’ll do that later, because I have to get ready to join the boys at the gate. Its three thirty now, which is what I set my watch for, but I still need to sneak into the bedroom to get my backpack without waking Olivia.

The guards finally got around to returning it along with my weapons at nine o’clock, which was while Olivia was still out. The bastards didn’t steal anything, but there were fingerprints on my ginsu knives, so the fuckers were obviously giving them a try. I’m hoping that I got a guard position, because as Webby said earlier, not everyone got their weapons returned to them; and seeing as I got mine, a guard would be my best guess.

I know from John that Mike got his teaching position like I expected, Whitney’s doing some kind of work in Dennigton’s building, what I’m not sure exactly. Akio’s over at the hospital, the twins are guards like they said earlier; same with Cory, and Tommy got a position working on the generators due to his construction background. Sarah and Danny are now enrolled as students, so I guess her child prodigy strategy didn’t pan out. Oh well, a little education will be good for her. Plus it’ll give her something to do during the day.

Approaching the bedroom door on socked feet, I turn the knob, and wince as I hear the door swing open on squeaky hinges. It’s dark in here with only the moonlight to guide me, but I remember where they put my bag, so I creep over to it. Reaching down, I grab up the straps to my backpack, and sling it over my shoulder. That’s when I feel the breeze. Turning toward the window, I see the white curtain billowing out of the room, which is impossible. There isn’t a draft in the cabin to have pushed the curtain out.

I look toward the bed, and find exactly what I feared I would, an empty mattress with an unwrinkled quilt. Upon said quilt, is a piece on paper. How it wasn’t blown around the room, is answered when I see a shine of something on top. Walking over to the bed, I pick up the metal objects, and lift the paper toward the moonlight so that I can read it.

Jared,

    I’m sorry. I’m sorry for making you care about me. I’m sorry for making you battle with yourself on what the right thing to do was. But most of all, I’m sorry for making you think that I ever thought less of you, or our relationship. Those eyes never lied to me, and I’ll be forever thankful to you for taking a chance on me. Because you did. I’m not the easiest person to get along with, but you and your obstinacy torched my icy exterior, then took a sledgehammer to batter your way through my walls regardless.

Don’t ever be ashamed of your nature, or dare let your father take credit for your strong backbone. You are more of a man than he ever was, that’s the true reason he chose to ignore you. He was envious that his son was a better man than he could ever be. So, keep your stubbornness, and wear it with pride; because your refusal to quit, is what makes you a survivor.

When you said that I was crazy to run around with my Jack Sparrow bullet, you were right. I know this won’t end well. That’s why I refuse to bring people into this. This is my mess that I have to clean up. My hurt that I have to end, and I won’t be responsible for any more blood on my hands.

Yes, I know that it’ll never bring back Travis or our baby, I’m not crazy, though I may act it sometimes. But it will make me feel better to know that the man responsible for destroying my dreams, isn’t capable of destroying more. To know that some other girl won’t have to sit by, and watch a loved one be tortured and murdered in front of her eyes. To have that same man, whose hands are still bathed in their blood, to then use you as their plaything. Or to make you feel guilty for being the one who’s left alive.

I couldn’t, and wouldn’t, be able to live with myself if I sat back and did nothing, when I know what that monster’s capable of. That’s why I’m leaving. And that’s why I’m leaving alone. Tell the twins and John that I’m thankful for their offer, but I couldn’t accept it. Same goes for you, since I know that your protective instincts would have prevailed at some point, it’s just your way. And that isn’t a bad thing. Those very instincts are what make you a great leader. So, use those instincts to protect your new home and family.

Keep your promise to your mom, because you’re right, it is the only one that counts. Find a good girl, treat her right, and be
happy
. You could use the ring if you want; maybe it’ll even have better luck the next time around. If not, give that and the watch Cory, he’ll know what it means.

–Olivia
♫

P.S. I wanted to thank you for taking care of him for me, but could you do me a favor? I know that I have absolutely no right to ask this with all that you’ve already done for me, but if you could find it in you to do this last thing for me; I’ll be forever grateful. If not, I understand, I wouldn’t do anything for me either. But if you can, make him live his life, not bury himself in senseless guilt. Without me around to hijack his time, he should finally be able to find happiness of his own, he deserves no less. You too, for that matter.

Once again, I apologize for any and all pain that I may have inadvertently caused. It wasn’t intentional, and I hope that you could come to forgive me in time.

I squeeze the watch in one hand, and the ring in other, until the prongs dig into the flesh. I’m fucking pissed. She’s sorry? She’s
sorry?
That’s it? Not so much as a fucking wave, or written goodbye? I stomp over to boots, and pull them onto my feet, before stomping out of the cabin. Find a good girl? Give the ring to someone else? Fuck that. I already found her, and she’ll be wearing this goddamn ring for eternity. And what the fuck is up with this Rolex?

After shoving the watch into my pocket, I stomp through gardens to get to John’s cabin because I’m not walking around the fucking block to get to his. Fuck their perimeter fences, and whacky ass plot scheme; these fuckers are a pack of morons for constructing it this way in the first place. I’m pretty sure I massacred six tomato plants on the way over, but do I care? Hell no. I’m the new neighbor that everyone wants to get a petition going to evict. Jogging up the stairs to John’s cabin, I pound on the door repeatedly, until a squinty eyed Danny opens the door with his hair mussed, and his scrawny chest hanging out.

“You better have your own room,” I warn as I push past him. Satan’s Spawn, also known as Morris, hisses at me from the couch; but I ignore the temperamental feline, and I continue down the hall toward the bedrooms.

“I do,” he replies. “So don’t Sarah, John and Tommy. They put us all in here.”

“Good, go back to bed then.”

“What the hell are you doing here in the middle of the night?” Danny asks.

“I need John,” I answer.

“At four in the freaking morning?”

“Yup,” I say. “Now, which door is his? I don’t want to wake the others.” Danny points to the second on the left. One of the two that I couldn’t see earlier from the living room, since it’s further down the hall. “Thanks, now go back to sleep.”

“Alright then,” he says with a shrug.

I hear Danny’s footsteps trail down the hall, before a door closes, so I walk into John’s room without knocking. After twenty years of friendship, I’ve seen him naked on numerous occasions; since the fucker sleeps in the buff and doesn’t think that it’s necessary to slide on a pair of boxers, before waltzing down to the kitchen to get himself a drink. Stepping into the room, I see that John is thankfully dressed, and already awake.

“I thought we were meeting at the gate,” he says as he pulls on his boot, and checks his wrist watch; a cheap one that couldn’t compare with the one worth 50k in my pocket. “I still have twenty minutes.”

“Change of plans,” I say.

“You chickening out?”

“Nope, I’m absolutely 1000% positive that I will be heading out.”

“Then what’s the change?”

“That Olivia won’t be with us,” I reply and he raises an eyebrow at me.

“How’d you convince her to stay behind?”

“I didn’t, she decided it would be a good idea to sneak out alone, and leave us this bull shit letter.” I wave the piece of paper at John. “It doesn’t even say goodbye.”

“The fuck?” John asks as he walks over and I hand him the letter to read. He scans the first two lines before going immediately to the bottom. “The fuck?”

“The fuck,” I repeat, and no, there isn’t a parrot in the room. We’re just a little taken aback by this piece of news. “Now, I have to go tracking after her, give her the ring, and kiss the fucking life back into her.”

“Good plan,” he says. “But we’ll need some backup.”

“I was already planning on getting Cory,” I tell him. “I know he’s pissed at me, but he’ll be murderous if I didn’t tell him about Olivia flying the coop, or taking him with us to retrieve her back.”

“Fine, you get him, and I’ll get the others,” John says. “I’ll round up the troops, and meet you at the gate in ten minutes.”

I nod at the plan, so John hands me back the letter, and he leaves the room. I take a minute to tuck it into my jeans pocket with the watch, before pulling off the whistle Olivia gave me. I slip the tiny metal band on the chain, and reclasp it around my neck. Tucking the necklace inside my shirt, I unzip my backpack, and rummage around the bottom. Feeling the supple leather, I tug it out, and slip my arms inside. Game on.

<~~~<~~~
~~~>~~~
>

They put Cory in fucking east Guam. Okay, not east Guam, but pretty damn close. Or maybe it’s because I’m in a rush that makes two rows of crushing gardens Godzilla style, seem like two thousand miles. Finally seeing the big 26 on the cabin across the dirt path, I kick someone’s rosebush off of me, and jog the last twenty feet. I use the same method I did back at John’s house, and bang on the door until Cory’s scowling face answers.

“The fuck you want?” Cory demands as he rubs his eyes.

“Get dressed, we’re going after Olivia.” That wakes him up.

“What do you mean,
‘going after Olivia’
?”

“She snuck out,” I explain and pull the letter out from my pocket. “Read it, and she wanted you to have this.”

I try to hand him the Rolex, not having one clue as to its importance, but from the way Cory eyes it like it’s a rattlesnake; it must mean something. He leaves the watch in my hand, and snatches the sheet of paper from my hands, reading it in its entirety. His face goes from pissed, to confused, and back to pissed again. Without a word, Cory disappears inside his dark cabin and comes back out a few seconds later. He has his leather coat from Wilsons, his backpack, knife holsters and guns all in place.

“Let’s go, fuckhead,” he orders.

“Don’t you want the watch?”

“It’s not mine, and I want nothing to do with it,” Cory says. “Now, let’s fucking go already.”

I pocket the piece of jewelry and listen, because the faster we meet up with John, the faster we can find Olivia’s trail. I set a steady jog toward the gate, but seeing as this place is fucking huge; it still takes a few minutes. As we round the Mess Hall, I see John with a crowd of seven people. Four of which are in fatigues, two identical twins, and one silent man in Carhartt cargos.

“About time you showed up,” John says with a grin. “I rounded up the troops, so we’re good to go.” I glance at Olivia’s compound friends, Ace, Wally, Patsy and Webby.

“You sure you can go?” I ask. “You guys are supposed to be guards, so who’s gonna be here to do your job?”

“There are thirty of us,” Wally answers. “I told them to cover our shift, so that we could go for a run. It’s nothing new, so they know how to handle it.”

“This might take a while,” I say. “We don’t even know where she went, or how to find Cole, so we could be gone for weeks.”

“Who said we don’t know where she went?” Patsy counters with a sly grin. I look at him. “We’ve learned that our little Ollie likes to disappear in the night like a dude after a bad lay, so we tried something different.” Webby waves a little handheld thing with an antenna.

“Snuck the tracker in her coat pocket when she tucked Sammy in,” Webby says.

“What about Sammy?” I ask. “Who’s going to be here for him while you’re gone?”

“Melly,” he replies. “Sammy knows that I was going on a run, I told him before he went to sleep.”

“But what if you don’t come back?”

“I can take care of myself,” Webby says. “And nothing will stop me from getting back to Sammy.” I go to tell him that many things could stop him, and he wouldn’t be able to control them, but an elbow to the ribs from Cory stops that.