Page 60 of Redemption
For her.... Refusing to make her more vulnerable than she already is at the hands of a tyrannical psychopath who has turned this town into a living embodiment of Hell.
Thankfully, I have others to look out for her in my place. My eyes and ears that are allowed to be where she is when I’ve not passed the tests to be able to do so. Unbeknownst to David and his assembly, they’ve become her protectors in the unending darkness. They keep her humanity so that I may keep my sanity.
Until the day we’re able to be free again.
Fortunately, we might have a new option to help us do just that. A strong individual, of both body and mind, who may also find himself in the same predicament. Who also has allies he can count on. Who just might be up to fight for a worthy cause. He only needs to see this place as I do. And from what I can tell, he already does.
I shuffle around the papers in his file until I come to the results I finished earlier, turning the paper around so David can also take a look. “Results show he’s passed all his testing, except one.” I lift a finger and point to the last note on the page. The one that causes David’s eyebrows to furrow with frustration. Besides the immunity testing, this is the one the leader of Phoenix Risingis most concerned with. The one that grinds the gears for the true underbelly of his operation.
Fertility: Negative
“Such a waste.” He tosses the paper back at me, unsatisfied with the results. “But I will not put good stock out to pasture. Do you think him capable of work?”
I scan the document again. “I don’t see any reason not to think so, sir. He showed aggression during transport and upon arrival, but he seems to have calmed down since then. And apart from the dislocated shoulder that still needs time to heal, he should be able to be put onto light duty. Maybe in the fields? There are always weeds to be pulled and crops to be planted.”
And it’ll keep him out of trouble until it comes time for me to make use of him.
David hums to himself as he turns over my suggestion with narrowed eyes. “That man killed three of our guys. Pacified or not, the truth of the matter remains.” He looks down the hallway to the room Mr. Rhodes is being kept in. “I have a better idea. Have Forge take him to the Narrows to recuperate. It’ll free up the bed for those who need it and get him out of your hair. If you think he’s capable of being put to good use, I’m not going to allow him to fester in a medical ward when there are more pressing duties to be done. As to your earlier suggestion, we have enough men in the crop fields. Too many, if you ask me. I’ll send a message and have him added to the lineman roster. Tank will officially take over his assimilation once he’s taken him into custody. If our newest recruit gives any pushback at all on the matter, I’m sure Tank will be more than happy to take care of him for us. I trust him to uphold the ideology that we have no place within the community for disorder or mutinous rationalities. This new addition will keep his mouth shut andwork as he is designated to, or he will die. Simple enough, even a brainless deadhead can understand the concept.”
Lineman duty.
That’s pretty much the lowest you can go here. It’s practically a jail sentence and barely a breath away from death, and all because he didn’t pass one measly test. I instantly feel sorry for the guy. And myself, to be honest, as my barely conceived plan goes up in flames.
“What about the other?” David moves on, unconcerned that he just signed a guy’s life away.
With a barely restrained huff, I clench my jaw and turn to the growing pile on my left, lifting the document I completed just this morning. “Patient is currently being held in the Narrows,”—against my explicit instructions to deliver him here but since overruled by the recommendation of field leaders who hold a higher rank than me—“exhibiting hostile and aggressive behavior upon arrival, according to those currently in charge of his care. Toxicology reports show that the tranquilizers are still being administered to sedate the patient in order to collect test data and maintain compliance. Urinalysis shows a small amount of blood, indicating possible kidney damage. Immunology reports show the patient is immune as well. Fertility testing indicates the patient has passed and may be a prime candidate for Ascension.”
David grunts, pleased with the results as he rubs his palm across his jaw. “A prime candidate... However, also aggressive.”
The assessment gained my attention, as well. And my interest.
I could use aggressive...
I give a noncommittal, “Hmm,” in return before asking, “With the results I’ve gathered, I’d like to transfer him into my care, rather than remain in the Narrows. I believe he might benefit from a more delicate approach. Not to mention, if he is set for Ascension, he’ll need wound care and a chance to recover.”
The Narrows. It’s a fancy name David conjured for the manacled interrogation rooms hidden in the basement of the building next door. Many have been down there, but rarely do any of them ever come back out alive. Fortunately, if the tests were accurate, this man, like me, would be valuable in David’s eyes. The last thing he’d want is for another precious commodity to be ruined at the hands of his degenerate thugs.
David seems to agree as he nods in return, tapping his fingers twice on the paperwork before me. “See that it’s done. I’m trusting you to fix him up, Stitch. Mind and body. Get him ready. For if we wish toascend, we will need every able body and strong back to do so.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Cole
“Ya know...” I stare at myself, taking in the drastic change. I’ve never done anything like it, and I barely recognize myself. “I didn’t think I could pull it off, but I might actually like this color.”
Unfortunately, having already been through the town and being blessed with red hair, I was a walking, talking billboard for suspicion. Everyone would have noticed me from that first encounter. But with black hair? I’m less conspicuous, average, and—dare I say—looking pretty damn good.
I managed to find a pair of scissors in my quest to completely alter my look and took some time to clean myself up, trimming down the sides into a tapered cut while keeping the top messy and long. I also hacked off a decent bit of my scruffy facial hair, turning my ragged, homeless, and helpless look into a neatly trimmed beard and mustache. After dyeing every single hair left on my face—including my eyebrows—midnight black and taking in the fact that my Irish heritage plagued me with naturally pale skin, I think I’m pretty damn close to resembling Colin O’Donoghue.
I tilt my head left and right in the bathroom mirror, making sure I didn’t miss any spots. Aly and the guys are goingto shit a brick when they find out it’s me under all this, but I’ve wasted enough time preparing.
While I’d like to go in there all guns-a-blazing, I’m no Clint Eastwood. But one thing I am is cunning. My brain is my biggest ally, and I intend to use it to the fullest to get my family back, safe and sound.
Stalking back into the inner perimeter of Phoenix Rising takes a bit of agility. Plainclothes guards are stationed all throughout the small town, which must have been why we didn’t recognize them on our initial walk-through. No visible weapons. No discernible uniforms to indicate they were security. But as I huddle in the shadow of a building, peeking around the side, the signs are there.
One man, on the far corner, is completely alone, yet he’s carrying a full conversation with himself. I’ve seen Aly do this a time or two, but the few seconds I observe his hand pressing on his ear confirm all I need to know—he’s on a line, the earpiece hidden to the naked eye.
My attention is drawn to another man, about a block down the road, who hasn’t stopped pacing the same patch of pavement for over ten minutes. Not in an impatient or agitated way, but in a conspicuously nonchalant, indecisive kind of way. It’s almost as if he’s saying, “I’m going for a stroll this way... but no, I’ve changed my mind and want to go this way now... but this other way is just as good.”He scuffs his boots on the ground, pulling my focus to them. Military-issued. Anyone could have picked up a pair of those online or at an Army/Navy store, but the way he carries himself? I think it's safe to say he has some sort of military background.
