Folsom (End of Men, #1)(69)
“Why is that so bad?” He jumps back in.
Pippa raises a majestic eyebrow at him.
“Because if they can do it to yous, they can do it to anyones.”
He doesn’t argue back.
“Yeah, thinking about that ones, right? Maybe your mom’s…”
Laticus blinks at her, the muscles in his jaw twitching.
“Uh-huh,” she says, looking at me. “They always thinks they know everythings.”
“Let me come with,” he says. “I’ll wear a disguise.”
Pippa and I exchange a glance. It’s risky, but perhaps we could pull it off.
The first time Laticus comes out in a wig and heels, I think I might go into labor right then from laughing so hard. Laticus is not an attractive woman, but once Pippa tones down the makeup, he’s passable for getting into the crowded places without being too noticeable.
At the first rally, he stands quietly in the back watching the women, seemingly fascinated by their passion. He listens to me too, a slight scowl on his face. When we are back in our room at night, he’s quiet and I don’t press him. I don’t know if it’s making a difference or not, but I’m glad he’s listening.
Pippa comes downstairs one evening when Laticus has already fallen asleep. She holds a finger to her lips and motions for me to follow her. I’ve not been upstairs into the restaurant very often, just once when Laticus and I snuck up for ice cream. When we reach the dining room, I see that all the lights have been turned off and the parking lot outside is empty. We turn into a kitchen where a Silverbook is on. I stand quietly as she turns up the volume, my eyes already glued to the governor.
“Good evening, Red Region,” she says, looking directly at the screen. “The wind of change is often met with resistance. Sometimes it can be hard to remember what we’re striving toward once the dissenters confuse the issues with slander and false truths.” She clutches her hands together, the gloves tapping lightly together. “I’d like to remind you exactly how far we’ve come since the epidemic took the men. We’ve been rebuilding—not just the technology we lost, but our crops are now all organic, cancer has dropped by ninety-four percent, the crime rate has dropped so drastically—did you know that our former prisons have been condensed by eighty-seven percent? We’ve found peace. This age of women, the term touted recently, has been an age of progress, and while some have had to sacrifice themselves to help us rebuild, it has been done in a decent and timely order. No one is a slave in this country. We have rebuilt on our terms, and once there are more men in our Regions again, we will keep the progress moving forward. It is not the end of men, but the beginning. We must not decline! To do so would bring an even bigger fall to the age of humanity and we’d be back to a time of disease and war. I urge you, do not listen to these rumblings of dissent and confusion. If we give ear to the voices who have no real evidence to back up the so-called facts, we will not just decline, we will disappear.”
She pauses, and it’s as if she can see me through the screen, her gaze is so venomous.
“I’ve asked our Chief of Police to close.”
Commander Hoffa steps forward and doesn’t bother with a greeting. “There is a warrant out for Gwen Allison’s arrest. Anyone found harboring her will be found in contempt. Contact the alert at the bottom of the screen if you have any information regarding her.”
A picture of me fills the screen and the alert icon flashes.
I look up and Pippa stares back with defiance.
“We won’t let them wins,” she says.
I’m languidly eating an English muffin with peanut butter and strawberry jelly when Doctor Hunley rushes in. I spot the urgency on her face and my heart lurches into a gallop. Laticus is suddenly next to me, looking between us with concern.
Pippa labors into the room not seconds after, her breathing ragged. “We have to leave. Quickly. Get your shoes on,” she says to Laticus.
He nods once and turns to find his shoes. Our questions are stilled by the looks on their faces. Obey now, ask later. Pippa wrings her hands from the corner of the room. There are too many of us in here; it’s making me claustrophobic. The doctor looks like she wants to say more, but she grabs my arm instead and helps me to the exit. I walk, an easy directive. It’s the only thing I can do. If I need to bend, if I need to crawl, will I be able to? I try to not think about all the things I can’t do.
I turn around at the top of the stairs, making sure Laticus is following, and Pippa has him by the arm.
“We have him,” she assures me. “No time for your sasses today, young mans,” she warns him.
When we reach the last door, Doctor Hunley stops and Pippa moves forward, hugging me.
“Go with the lights, little warrior,” she says. She smells like onions and I breathe her in for what I sense is the last time.
I open my mouth to respond, but she turns to Laticus. “Take care of each others, yes?”
He nods and she swallows him up in a hug.
“Thank you,” I tell her one last time as we get in the car.
The light is always so bright as we leave the underground, but today it’s not much different than below. The sky looks like it’s throwing a temper tantrum, dark and brooding with lightning flashing here and there. When we drive a few blocks, the first raindrop hits and hundreds quickly follow.