Three (Article 5 #3)(32)
They had suffered beside me. Even Tucker had nearly been killed. If he was a mole, they wouldn’t have left him to die.
I shook my head. As much as I hated DeWitt’s accusations, I understood them. In his place I might have suspected the same things.
“A team to warn the resistance posts that the safe house was gone,” I said. “You yourself said that was protocol. When they left, only the carriers knew the locations of the bases.”
He nodded, and then was quiet for some time.
“We’ll send a team out to find your people first thing tomorrow,” he finally said.
It didn’t fix everything, but it was a start.
“When he calls back, will you find me?” I asked.
He nodded, a perplexed look on his face. It was like he knew what Tucker had done and couldn’t figure out why I was so worried about him.
He wasn’t the only one.
“Thank you,” I said.
He didn’t answer. He didn’t even look at me. Instead, he stared at the radio, as if expecting another voice to come through.
Our conversation was clearly over.
*
CHASE was waiting outside the room, pacing in the hall. When he saw me he blew out a heavy breath, but we didn’t speak because beside him was an armed guard, a short man with a pointed nose, who reminded me a little of what Rat might have looked like in twenty years. An image of the dead man’s face, bloated and pale in the water, crept into my vision, and I stuffed it down, feeling my stomach turn.
We were led back through the cafeteria, and outside past the empty playground with its rusted slide and monkey bars on a crumbling cement path lit by a series of torches. Night had fallen, and darkness stretched its shadow out before us, giving the illusion that Endurance went on forever.
Down the path a plain cement building came into view. The entrance was hidden behind clotheslines crowded with the tunics and pants worn by the residents, all glowing a pale silver in the moonlight and fluttering gently in the breeze.
“Dorms,” grunted the guard.
The muscles in my legs tightened. “How many people are in there?”
“Sleeps eighty. It’ll sleep more tonight with you all.”
All those people close together. More than fifty bodies within fifty yards. I shuddered to a stop, unable to go farther.
“Aren’t you afraid the soldiers are going to find out about Endurance?” I whispered.
“No.” The guard kept walking. “We got measures in place so that won’t happen.”
“Plants in the FBR, you mean,” said Chase. The guard didn’t disagree.
My anxiety rose another notch. “What about the bombs? They run by body heat. The FBR just needs to point one in this direction, and…”
“And nothin’,” interrupted the guard. “We’d know if they planned to bomb us.”
He turned when he realized we weren’t following.
“And if they planned to bomb the safe house? Or Chicago? Would you know that?” Chase asked.
My blood ran cold, contrary to the balmy weather. After my discussion with Dr. DeWitt in the radio room, it seemed like a bad idea to accuse these people of knowing the MM’s plans to kill innocents.
Our guide turned, and lifted his gaze skyward. “Look, sometimes we win, sometimes we don’t. That’s the way in war.”
Part of me accepted this, but as we entered the dorms I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone, somewhere was picking which tips to squash, and which to let slip by. That the safe house’s destruction could have been stopped. That all those people could have been saved.
*
I DIDN’T know what to expect inside. The large room resembled one of the evacuation centers after the War, packed with row after row of bunk beds, nearly all filled with sleeping occupants. The mattresses, no more than thin pads, were draped with assorted blankets. The scuffed floor was littered with shoes and scored by pale red lines, like those in my high school gym. A few small groups whispered or played cards in the aisles. Dim flames flickered from candles lining the walls, but they did little to light the room.
Our people grouped together in the corner to my right. They slept close to one another, keeping a layer of separation between them and the residents. Only the kids mingled; I passed a dozen of varying ages passed out on an old wrestling mat as I made my way toward the back.
I’d nearly reached Billy, who was dead asleep and lying halfway off a cot, when a hand closed on my shoulder. Startled, I jumped, and turned to find Sean lifting his hands in surrender. He was wearing the same tan clothing as the others here wore.
“Just me.” Concern shadowed his face. “What did DeWitt want?”
Confidential, DeWitt had said. I couldn’t help but feel like this was a test. Chase and I had already decided not to tell Jack that Truck was missing. It wouldn’t have done him any good to know, anyway.
I chewed my bottom lip; Chase was still buried in his thoughts, too consumed to answer.
“Just showing us around,” I said.
Sean waited for more, and when I didn’t offer any he frowned and pulled at the strings hanging from his shirt’s collar.
“I saved you guys a bunk. It’s above ours, so don’t make me regret it. You can pick up your cult attire and extra blankets over there.” He motioned toward an office, an offshoot from the main room where a stack of towels sat folded on the ledge of a half door. Chase went to pick up our supplies; though the idea of resting while Truck was missing, possibly captured, and half of our team was dead or injured, seemed selfish beyond belief.