Quarter City

Chapter 24: Over It

Gareth leaned back on a pair of pillows he had propped up between him and the wall.  His hands clutched the hardbound book on his lap.  He didn’t have the concentration to read, having already tried.  He just wound up reading the same passage over and over, his eyes skimming the words, and his mind retaining none of it.

His neck ached uncomfortably as he leaned his head back carefully against the wall.  He rested his glasses atop his book, closing his eyes, looking inward.  The clock radio – flashing 12:00 as a result of the last blackout – received only one barely comprehendible broadcast, the reception fizzled in and out, single words clear but unconnected, and of little importance kept at such low volume.

There was enough clearly transmitted to keep abreast on the situation around Quarter City, yet, no conclusive reports on the result of the conflict.  No one was sure if it was still ongoing or if it was over.  There was a deathly quiet outside Gareth’s window that persisted even after it was reported the fighting had started.

But Gareth wasn’t much concerned with the Army, or Geo, or Trauma.  Judy was out there, somewhere, and Gareth’s insides burned thinking about what could happen to her. 

Judy… God… Judy… so bull-headed, stubborn, career-driven… Judy.

She had chosen to ignore all the warnings and the imposed curfew, opting to search for the story only the streets could tell.   She wasn’t going to get her news second hand. Gareth couldn’t get his mind off her, and he couldn’t help but feel as helpless as ever.  He had to force back tears, sniffing and wincing tightly on more than one occasion.

The crackles from the radio gave him little security.  Even hearing that the duel between Trauma and Geo had taken place outside of the city didn’t calm him.  He remembered too well Judy’s tenaciousness, how driven she was.  Gareth knew she had no limits to how far she would go for a story.  Gareth just couldn’t escape the dread, that sinking feeling he got in his stomach when he thought that he may never see her again.

Tears smoothed a path down Gareth’s dry cheeks.  Hopeless.  He felt terrorized by reality, and powerless to do anything to change it.

A pain jarred throughout his body, stabbing him in the chest, his stomach spastic.  He put his glasses back on, the world still blurry through tears.

He thought of going out and finding her, but he had no idea where to find her.  Plus, with the city on indefinite curfew, he couldn’t get very far.  But, how could Judy?

Because she’s smart, he thought, resourceful… energetic, that’s how.

A knock at the door startled him.

A knock? Judy?

He looked through the peephole before quickly flinging the door wide open. 

“Judy!”

He beamed at first, elated by her arrival, but his smile soon disappeared as he noticed the man standing behind her.  Though only slightly taller than he was, the other man seemed huge to Gareth, imposing and full of confidence and authority… the huge rifle slung over his thick shoulder only emphasized the man’s power.  His hat covered his eyes from the hall lights overhead, eschewing the army man with mystery and menace.

“Mrs. Hansen,” he said, his voice deceptive in its softness, “I trust that you’ll remain indoors and loyal to the curfew that’s in place, for your safety?” 

Gareth noticed the man’s hand grasped tightly around Judy’s right bicep.  As his grip loosened Judy frustratingly flung her arm, and rotated it in its socket.