I let out a groan when the nurse finishes patching up my shoulder. She shoves two pills into my hand-an antibiotic to keep the wound from getting infected and something for the pain. I take them down with a swig of water, exhaustion threatening to drag me under as the nurse walks away, heading to another room of the medical bay.
"Come here," Sam murmurs. Taking my hand, he leads me into a small room filled with cots. Jody, Tom and Nicole are all in there, looking just as tired as I feel.
I'm sure Janine is with Paula in another area of the med bay. It wouldn't surprise me if Paula insisted checking up on her with the other doctors here. This way the details of Janine's conditions can be discussed with them in case Paula is unavailable to treat her at some point. There's not much they can do, but it helps that they know.
Ellie will be buried first thing in the morning, after the storm's gone. The chief has told us repeatedly how sorry he is, but that doesn't mean the resentment isn't still there. Mistake or not, she's dead because of him. And I've got a stupid shoulder injury now as well. It's small compared to Ellie's fate, but it will make things harder as we go along, trying to get back what was taken from us.
I glance at Tom, who's sitting on a cot, bouncing his knee anxiously. Bluish-black circles cling to the underside of his eyes, but he barely allows himself to blink. Jody sits beside him and rubs his arm comfortingly. He's worried about Janine. I can understand why. She's his sister, and despite their... rocky relationship in the past, it's clear he cares for her very much.
I worry about him.
"You okay, Singer?" Nicole asks, and I glance over at her. She's tired, but as Janine said earlier, she looks the freshest out of all of us.
"I've been better," I reply flatly. "But I've also been worse."
I got lucky that only soft tissue was damaged and not nerves or bones. I should be healed in a few weeks, although I know I can't just sit around during this time, not when Janine's life is on the line. Nicole, of course, is my backup runner, but that was in case of the worst, if I died. If I'm still alive to do something, I'm damned sure going to do it.
"I can't believe you were able to keep it secret that you were immortal for so long," Jody says, and I shrug as casually as I can.
"It's easy to keep something hidden when no one's looking for it. I mean, a few people did get suspicious, but it never amounted to anything." I run my hand through my hair, still damp from the rain. "If I'd known this would have happened, though, I never would have gone to Sage."
"From what we've heard, Sage was already planning on making the nanites for Peter before you came to him with extra information," Tom pipes up. "The only difference is you wouldn't be used as a test subject and would have been stuck as an immortal. And then you'd be sitting in Abel with Peter right now."
I don't say anything, because I know he's right. There are many things I should have done differently, but not talking to Sage wouldn't have prevented the creation of these nanites. He traded them from the Hebrides and then refined them, making enough for me and Peter...
And I'm the only one who came out of it okay.
I hate that. If I could trade places with Peter, I would in a second. I think it would have been better if he were here with Janine, anyway. He's closer to her than I ever will be, and I'm sure he's been worrying himself sick ever since we left a mere few hours ago.
I suppose if the roles were reversed, if I were still immortal and was forced to stay in Abel, and he was mortal and here, I'd be worried sick about him, hoping he wouldn't forget he can't just heal up. Knowing him he would, offering himself up as a shield or who knows what else, and I'd just be in Abel, imagining every possible horrible scenario of what could happen to him out here.
I'd be worried about Sam too, of course. But Sam has at least some self-preservation instincts. I'd be more worried about Nicole beating him up than I would anything else. Plus he is immune to regular zoms, which are the only ones around these islands, fortunately.
And Nicole-well, I believe most of the things here should fear her more than she should them. I think the only thing she truly fears is Tom, which is understandable, seeing that Tom probably could kill us all if he wanted to. I'm always thankful that he got the help he needed and came to our side of the fight.
It's interesting how things change. Besides Peter, Tom is one of my closest friends, even if we've had our disagreements. He's been a good friend to me, which sometimes makes me forget that he blew me up once, and then the next day I nearly strangled him to death. With just about every close relationship I've had with someone, that person ended up hurting me at one point, with very few exceptions.
The door opens, and in steps Janine and Paula. Both are exhausted, but at least Janine looks a little better. I can assume they gave her food and water while looking over her before sending her back here to rest. She looks around the room, seeming displeased.
"There was no reason for you to wait up for me," She says. "You all need rest just as much as I do."
"We weren't going to be able to rest without knowing you're okay, Jane," Tom says, and her face twists.
"I still have many days left before I die," She says, and we all flinch. "We need to be awake and ready first thing in the morning to prepare for the burial of Miss Maxted. I suggest we all get some rest."
She doesn't say anything more, simply trudging over to a cot in the corner of the room and lying down. I'm not sure what I was expecting.
Sam lies down in the cot next to me, since these are a bit too small for two people to share. It feels odd to be in a bed alone, but hopefully it'll only be for a few days. We'll start devising a plan to find Jones as soon as Ellie's been buried. We'll have to tell Abel about her, so they can have a funeral since we aren't allowed the time to.
It's such a shame.
I close my eyes, letting sleep overtake me. It only takes a moment before I'm pulled into quiet darkness.
But then I open my eyes again, and I'm somewhere different.
"You've got to be kidding me," I murmur. I'd hoped since I haven't had any dreams like this in a while I'd not have to worry about this, and tonight I was so exhausted I was thinking my sleep would be dreamless.
Apparently that is not the case.
Why am I here?
I'm in Abel, although I not sure why. Nothing bad seems to be going down, nor does it seem like something's about to. In fact, in the quiet night, as I stand here in the middle of the street, I feel... peace. It's a sense of comfort-warm and whole and deep. It settles inside my chest, a weight off my shoulders, but I can't tell what weight was there to begin with.
I look around, but find no one, wondering where I'm meant to go, what I'm meant to do. Why am I feeling so calm? I never feel calm in these dreams!
There are many places I could go-the coms shack, the library, the nursery, the top of the coms tower. Only one place feels right when I think about it, and that's the little area in front of one of the storage buildings where Peter, Tom and I meet up when we can't sleep. I can't describe why, but it just feels right, making me feel...
Making me feel at home.
With a shake of my head, I head that way, my mind reeling. This doesn't feel like a vision, exactly, but I can't tell if it's anything else either. I am me. I'm still wearing my Abel uniform, the only indication I really have that I am me, but I'm unsure just what this is about. It could just be a regular dream, with me missing Abel and therefore dreaming about it, but I doubt that's the case. If it was, I wouldn't be able to tell I was dreaming.
And this isn't one of those dreams where I'm a different version of myself. This is my life. This is my township!
So why am I here?
I make it to the meeting point, but no one is here. I tsk, looking around for something, anything of use, but see nothing-
I hear something. Near the edge of the building, a shadowed area that's too dark for me to see. The sound is a mumble, a voice calling my name. It's so soft I nearly miss it.
"Hello?" I call, inching forward. I squint and try to see into the shadows, but it's an unending blackness, eating up the light. "Peter, Tom, is that you?"
The voice calls my name again. Against my better judgement, I take another step forward, into the shadows.
When I emerge, I'm no longer in Abel. I'm in a room-a bedroom, with gray walls with pretty paper flowers hung up on them. There are Winnie-the-Pooh stuffed bears in the corner, and a Toothless piggy bank on the bedstand next to a lamp. It sits beside a bed that has zebra-print bedding, and from across the bed is a chest-of-drawers which has different perfumes sitting on the top of it. Next to it is a little makeup desk, although there's no makeup items there, just a hairbrush and hair ties, along with dry shampoo and hairspray.
I know this room. I remember this room.
This was my room.
Why am I here?
I pull my hands to my chest, confusion swirling through me, breaking away at the bit of comfort that comes from here. I still feel it, breathe it in, the smell of the house, of my room that smells like the white mango perfume I used to put on before volleyball practice because Wes told me he liked it.
My breath hitches when I hear the voice calling me again. It's clearer now. There's still unfamiliarity around the edges, but I can tell it's a woman's voice. And it's not Nicole's. The only other woman that would be in this house would be...
"Mom?"
The voice calls me again, and within a second, I'm dashing out of my room, past the hallway and the ugly orange counter that the previous owners had built into the wall that we'd never bothered to change. I open the door at the end of the hallway and rush down the stairs, nearly tripping as I reach the bottom and run through the den.
"Mom!"
I leave the den to step into the kitchen, but I'm abruptly jerked into somewhere else, stepping in a room that's completely foreign. It's cold, blank, with nothing more than a bed and a little bathroom connected to it. It looks like a prison cell.
And yet, the comforting feeling still stays. It's at war with the panic and fear inside me.
"You're here."
I spin around, my eyes widening at the sight of a face-my face, staring back at me. Eyes of gold stare into mine, and I step back in caution. Catherine looks awful-her hair is wild, her clothes wrinkled and dirty. It reminds me of the last time I saw her, when she was upset at me for seeing into her memories of the NewOban Express. She looks weak, but that doesn't make me put my guard down. She's dangerous, and here she is a lot more powerful than I am.
"What's going on?" I ask. "Where am I? What happened to you? Why was I just in Abel? In-in Arkansas?"
"That doesn't matter," She replies, and I grit my teeth because that's not the answer I want right now. "What matters is that you're here. I can feel it."
"Where is here? What are you talking about?"
"I'm trapped," She says. "Have been for a while. The others all think I've gone crazy. That's why I haven't been able to work on making us new bodies. Remember what I said? I think I've worked it out why it's started happening. Why we've started deteriorating. You were immortal before, and you gave it up. That immortality was what kept you okay, and since I'm connected to you, it kept me okay. You becoming mortal started it up again."
"That doesn't tell me where here is."
"It's where I've always been."
God, can she for once give a straight answer?
"I've been trying to remember how to create the clone bodies for us to place our consciousnesses into, but it's not exactly like I can write any of it down. They won't give me anything in here."
"What about Feive?" I ask. "Can't she just create the brain-dead clones? From my knowledge she's pretty good at it."
Catherine's eyes widen, then she looks away. "Pro. Feive is... unavailable. The point is, I'm working on a plan to get out of here, but I need you here, at the very least to cause a distraction."
"But where is here?" I ask, getting more frustrated with each passing second. "And how will I cause a-"
"You're close. I can feel it, and if you manage to get in the building, or maybe even just on the property, it'll be enough. But I won't be able to leave until you get here."
"And why should I help you get out in the first place? You say you want to work on this other project so neither of us will have to die, but before you seemed almost too eager to kill me. I know you don't like me, and you don't seem like the kind of person to have a sudden change of heart."
"I've weighed the options, and this is the best bet."
Realization dawns on me, and a sneer of a smile spreads across my lips. "Oh. I understand. I remember when I was you, you left the train heading for Mullins to go with Feive. You've been safe here, wherever it is, while I've been working, surviving, fighting." I laugh. "That's why you're so mean to me here, isn't it? You know if it came down to a fight to the death in the real world, I'd win. That's why you're doing this, because you know it's the only way you'd survive."
She grits her teeth, the secret out, but her expression morphs into one of panic at the sound of footsteps. "They're coming. You need to go. I need to wake up."
"What? But I-you haven't answered-"
"You'll find me. I know you will. Both of our lives depend on it. Now go!" She walks over to me and pushes me, hard. I stumble backwards, losing my balance and crashing down.
But I don't hit the floor of the cell. Instead, I just wake in my cot.
What the hell just happened?
•
Ellie's burial is quick, quiet. We all stand around, wearing the clothes that were given to us by Shona and some of the nurses in the medical bay. I wish they were black. I wish they were proper mourning clothes.
She's being buried in the cemetery in town. It's only fair that she be buried here and not out there somewhere. This place killed her. The least they could do is give her the respect of having a headstone, remembrance.
The plain, wooden casket is lowered into the ground, and one of the men that works patrol starts to shovel dirt over it. I watch, wanting to look away but feeling unable to. It all just seems so strange, unnatural. I can't think of any other way to describe it. I've seen death before, but the aftermath surprises me as we slowly accept that she's gone, never coming back.
I don't cry. My brain still seems to be trying to process what happened just hours ago, trying to process what's happening now, as a man we don't even know shovels dirt, still wet from the storm, onto the coffin that holds the body of someone we knew as a friend. Ellie helped us through so much and knew more about this island than any of us possibly could hope to learn. I don't know what we're going to do without her.
I feel numb, but beside me, Sam is crying. Jody is too, and Paula is wiping her face. Tom stares down at his feet, his arm wrapped around Jody as she hiccups through the tears. Janine sheds no tears, but her face is full of regret and guilt. She blames herself for this, just like we all do. Trying to comfort her or trying to convince her otherwise is pointless. It will do nothing but cause an argument.
Nicole's face is blank. She knows Ellie was useful, but other than that, she didn't know her. They weren't friends. I don't remember of a time the two went on a mission together. She was just a friend of a friend to her. Any tears she'd shed would be disingenuous, and she knows it.
It's more respectful for her to keep her neutral gaze and say nothing than to fake tears for someone she didn't truly know.
I don't know how many minutes pass, how long I stand there with my blank face, reaching out and grabbing Sam's hand as a form of comfort. I'd hug him if I could, but he refuses, worried he'll hurt me by squeezing too tight. I know everyone's worried for me now, even if they feel upset about me keeping my secret.
Thankfully it hasn't caused too many arguments, besides Nicole's snide remarks that pop up every once in a while. I think she knows why I didn't say anything, same with why few people know that I'm a clone or know about the Torrencers. It's just one of those things you can't say, either out of duty or fear or because if you do, you'll have to give more information than you want to.
But people are worried now, I think. Before they thought I survived because I was skilled and lucky, which I am and was, but it was also because I literally couldn't die. Now they know I can.
More minutes of silence pass, and soon enough, Ellie's casket is completely covered, and a small sign is put up. Chief McCallen said he would have a headstone made for her, but for now, there is just a small sign that says,
Ellie Maxted
January 3, 1987-February 27, 2021
I let go of Sam's hand, looking at him and waiting for him to speak. He doesn't, and after another agonizing minute of silence, I do.
"What do you want to do now?" I ask him as some of the others start to walk away. I'm sure Janine is going to go talk to the Chief again about preparations and getting the word out about Jones being on the island. Word is still getting out about visitors.
Most of the ones we've seen so far have been friendly enough, although we haven't talked to them. This came first, before everything. I haven't even told Sam about the dream I had last night. With the current situation, I think it would be best if I waited a bit longer.
"I uh, I think I'm going to go lie down again," He says, his voice raspy from either crying or tiredness. "I didn't sleep well last night."
I nod. "Do you want me to come with you?"
"You can't sleep with me. Not enough room on the cot," He says, a bit of a laugh leaving his lips. "Did you want to do something else?"
I shrug one shoulder. "I can stay with you, if you need me to."
He shakes his head. "No, no, don't make yourself stay with me if you wanted to do something else. I'll be fine."
He doesn't sound fine, and it takes a great deal of effort to not scowl at him for thinking he can hide this from me. But I don't want to force him. If he wants to be alone, I'll leave him be. It's the least I can do. Sam's always had a big heart, friendly with everyone, which means losing one of them kills him inside, even if they weren't the closest. I reach up on my tiptoes to kiss the corners of his mouth, my heart fluttering when a soft blush crosses his cheeks.
"Go get some rest, darling. I'm going to check out the town and then I'll come back to get you."
He grabs the sides of my face and pulls me into a deep kiss, his breath stuttering in his chest as he pulls away. I cup his face in my hand, and he looks as if he wants to lean into it, but resist it and gives me a forced watery smile before murmuring his goodbyes.
I watch as he turns and heads back to the medical bay. I don't miss how his shoulders are slumped and his head is hung low. How I wish I could take this pain away from him, but I know how grief works, and unfortunately it is something that takes its time.
By now just about everyone has disbanded, saying goodbyes to go off and work on other tasks. There's still much to be done.
I start walking towards the town square, looking as I pass a couple of houses made of rough stone and dark wood. For now, some of the windows are open. I suppose everyone is enjoying the good weather, since another storm is supposed to come in within a few days.
I pass by a blacksmith and a sewing shop, smiling when I see a little church with a pretty, white fence and a small steeple. What really catches my eye is the corner shop, and I curiously head inside. I don't have any money, although I'm not really sure what they use as currency here anyway. Still, I'm interested in knowing just what's in here.
A little bell dings when I enter, although I don't see anyone at the counter. With a shrug, I start looking around, impressed with just what I see in the convenient store. It's a lot like things were before the apocalypse, with makeup products, toiletries, even a few over-the counter drugs. The most notable thing is the aisles that have different sweets and snacks on the shelves. They're homemade, of course, or something that I'm guessing was bought from other people on the island, but it's so interesting to see so many different things here.
A lot of homemade sweets like taffy, hard candies, and licorice are here, and I think back at those old-timey stores Pawpaw would take me and Nicole to when he wanted to show us the candies he had when he was a kid. There are also bags of dried fruits and juices, along with a plethora of other things that I wish I had currency to get.
It's so quaint and calm. It feels like...
Home.
I freeze. That's the third time since I've gotten here that I've thought-or felt like this place was home-like. Why?
I don't get an answer, not that I expected one. But I do hear something, someone speaking near the back of the store. I curiously follow the voice, peeking around the corner of an aisle to see a young man talking-well, more like stammering at my sister.
The man looks young, maybe a bit younger than me, with curly strawberry blond hair. From the look in his ocean eyes, he's completely enamored by Nicole. I think he's telling her about the shipments and supplies and how almost everything is made here on the island, and she looks... exhausted.
But surprisingly, she isn't ripping the poor man to shreds with her words, something I've seen her do when she felt like someone was wasting her time. I've seen her do it to Sam on more than one occasion, only stopping when I started yelling at her. Then she just turned her attention to me, and told me off just as quickly. She has a tongue as sharp as knives and definitely knows how to use it.
But here she just stands, leaning slightly against the far wall, raising a brow at the man as he stammers and tapers off, seeming to have run out of things to say.
"So," He says, clearing his throat. "You uh, you're here to take Lachlan Jones in?"
"Yes," She answers shortly.
"Oh. That must be scary since he's pretty dangerous. I never really knew him since I was a kid when he left, but we all know he-"
"Killed the laird? Yeah. Shona told us yesterday. I've dealt with worse than him. I'm not afraid." Her voice holds a bit of arrogance, and a half smile grazes her face. It makes the young man perk up.
"Oh. You... you have?"
"My sister was the one who took down Sigrid Hakkinen, the old Prime Minister, on the mainland. I've helped on coms and in the field. Surprised no one's talked about it. I thought she had some connections with you guys."
He shrugs sheepishly. "I uh, I never really got much into politics."
She hums, and she turns her head and sees me standing there. I cringe, immediately trying to duck behind the far aisle, as if that will make her forget she saw me.
"Singer!"
I cringe harder, sighing as I step out from behind the aisle. "Hey, Songbird."
"Singer and Songbird?" The man repeats, and Nicole shrugs.
"Old nicknames."
"Oh. Maybe you can tell me about them later."
She takes a moment to reply. "Maybe." Her tone is flat, but I'm surprised she didn't give a flat-out no. She looks at me. "What are you doing here?"
"I decided to look around the town. Came here. You?"
"Same thing." She notices my staring at the young man beside her, and she gestures toward him. "This is Rory."
Rory raises his hand to wave awkwardly to me, glancing over at Nicole with a bright look in his eye.
"I'm Callista," I say, trying to keep from smiling too widely because of how obvious this poor guy's being. "But you can call me Five, if you want."
He blinks. "Oh... Okay."
A few awkward beats pass between the three of us, and I rock back and forth on my heels. "Well, I suppose I'd better get going. I told Sam I'd go find him once I was done looking around."
"I'll go with you," Nicole says quickly. "I need to speak to the Colonel anyway, see what we plan on doing next."
I nod, and after giving a wave goodbye to Rory, whose eyes remain focused solely on my little sister, we leave the store.
"That was awkward," I mutter, and Nicole sighs beside me.
"He was trying too hard to impress me."
I smirk. "And yet you showed mercy on him and didn't destroy his self-esteem."
She doesn't say anything, and my smirk widens.
"Don't tell me you're going soft, Songbird."
"I'm not going soft. I'm just not an asshole all of the time."
"Were you being nice to him because it was clear he likes you?"
Her eyes widen. "He doesn't like me. He's just met me!"
"Then he must think you're pretty."
"'Course he does. I am pretty."
I snort, which causes her to frown. "Sorry, sorry. You are pretty. Just wasn't expecting that much confidence."
"When have I ever not been confident?"
"Touché." I pause, glancing up at her. "So do you think he's cute?"
Nicole deadpans. "Don't start that."
"What? I'm just asking."
"I didn't come here to find a boyfriend."
"I didn't come to Abel to find a husband, but I did."
"I've met your husband. That's not exactly inspiring words."
I pout. "You were in my wedding, so you must have not had that much of a problem with him."
She takes a moment, chews on her words. "Sam's an... alright person, but he gets on my nerves almost as much as you are right now. Now I don't need you turning into Maxine Meyers and trying to set me up with anyone."
"I'm not going to try to do that. We're hoping to only be here for a few days though, so if you're going to go on a date with him, you might want to do it quickly."
She huffs at my teasing. "I'm not-"
"You wouldn't have put up with his stammering unless you saw something in him," I interrupt. "I know you a lot better than you think I do, Songbird."
She clenches her jaw in embarrassment. "You may know me, but I know you better. I have files on you, remember?"
"You're changing the subject." I grin when she glares at me, a silent warning. "Alright, alright, I'll drop it for now. But you picked on me because of Sam, so I hope you know I'm definitely gonna pick on you because of Rory."
She rolls her eyes, seeming to hold from telling me that I actually liked Sam when she was taunting me about it. But she doesn't, almost as if she doesn't want to say she doesn't like Rory, or at least, the idea of him.
"Yeah, yeah," She sighs. "Come on. Just help me find De Luca so you can get back to Sam, alright?"
I laugh. "Alright."
A/N: Things are getting pretty interesting now, huh? What do you think Callista's dream means? I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please be sure to vote and comment! Thank you and have a blessed day!