Dissidence (31 page)

“You want to negotiate resources for freedom?” I nod so enthusiastically that it sort of gives me a headache.
“With who?”

Here comes the crazy.

“
Perman
negotiated with the
President
for what he wanted,” Connor says slowly, clearly hoping he’s misunderstanding my intentions. He’s not. My lips stretch into a sly smile, and Connor only shakes his head. “You want to
negotiate
with the
President
.”

I nod again, and Connor throws his head back and laughs. It’s a deep, genuine laugh. One I’m not sure I’ve heard before, and it’s a really nice sound. “Girlie, you never cease to amaze me.”

***

Peter wakes me in the morning to tell me that the other remaining leaders are already gathering. “Connor’s telling everyone that you have a plan?”

“I do.”

“You have a plan?”

“Yes, I have a plan.” No faith. “And it’s a brilliant one.”

“I’m sure it is.”
Yeah, too little too late
,
back-peddler.
“Let’s get going
,
then, so I can hear this brilliant plan.” The smile in his voice does nothing to bolster his sincerity . . . or my confidence.

Once we’ve all settled in, I lay out my idea. For several long minutes
,
it’s met with nothing but silence from everyone. Then, of course, Jacob has something to say.

“All your plans have managed to do so far is get people killed. Why the hell should we listen to anything you have to say?”

His words are like a knife, and I can’t conceal the gasp that escapes my lips.

“Hey!” Peter immediately comes to my rescue. “Don’t be such an ass. None of that was
her
fault. We all agreed to go to O, even you . . . and Julie.”

“Don’t you say her
name!
” Jacob jumps to his feet, followed immediately by Peter, and then Connor
,
who’s quick to back him up.

I’m the next one up, and I place myself between them. “Did we come here to fight like little boys, or are we here to try and come up with an actual solution to our situation?”

I’m not much of a threat, standing there surrounded by guys who
are all at least six feet tall
and me clocking in at a whopping five foot four and a half, but when Allan takes a place at my side, they all back down. There’s something about his quiet strength that refuses to be ignored.

“H
ow exactly do you plan on reaching the President?” Allan’s question sounds like a genuine inquiry, with no malice or disbelief underneath.

“If he wants any of our resources
,
then he’s going to have to at least hear us out, right? I’m guessing it won’t be too hard to get his attention if we show up at the Presidential compound in Pennsylvania.”

“Or they could just kill
us all.” We all get it, Jacob. Y
ou don’t like this idea.
Shocker
.

“He hasn’t yet.” I’m honestly not sure why. I suppose it would really put a crimp in their style to lose this many workers permanently. For the time being, I’ll just be grateful for it, whatever the reason.

“They negotiated with
Perman
before. He just may be willing do the same with us,” Connor offers. “It’s not like we have a lot of other options
,
anyway.”

It’s not great that the best selling point of my idea is the lack of any better ideas, but I’ll take what I can get. Everyone eases into more rational discussion, and I just sit back and watch. I’ve said what I have to
say,
now it’s up to them. About an hour later, things seem to be winding down, so I call for a vote. Jacob is, unsurprisingly, the last to agree, but in the end
,
he does. The look he shoots me as he’s leaving, however, makes me wary of his compliance.

***

A harsh shake wakes me sometime in the middle of the night.  I have to blink away some sleep to make sure I’m really looking at Jacob kneeling beside me on the floor. What could he possibly want?
I’m tempted to ask him, but the dozens of other unconscious bodies sprawled throughout the crowded dorm space stop me
. At, least someone should be able to
get some rest around here. He moves toward the door, which is still standing open, and gestures for me to do the same.
Trying to fight off some of the fatigue still clouding my brain, I get up and follow him
outside. He’s about ten feet ahead and not waiting for me to catch up as I stumble along after him. 

The cold air helps my head to clear, and I briefly consider going
back for either Peter or Connor
but shake it off. I need to stop being so dependent on those two. We’re headed towards the fields
,
and he still hasn’t said a single word. Something isn’t right. What could he possibly need me out here for? Maybe I
should
go back for Peter or Connor.

“Look.” He points to something near the fence, distracting me from some of my more rational thoughts, but in the dark
,
I can’t see a thing. 

“What?” When he doesn’t answer, I move past him to look at what he’s showing me.

There’s nothing there but dirt and grass. As I turn to ask exactly what it is I’m supposed to be looking at, pain suddenly explodes in my right eye. The throbbing in my head is so bad that
I barely register the feel of
my body crashing to the ground. I try to pull myself back up, but a solid b
low to my stomach knocks all
the air out of me. I’m doubled over, gasping for breath when I feel hands closing in around my throat. 

“Jake,” I gasp.

“Shut up.” Another
blow
,
and I taste a mix of blood and dirt.

“You are
not
the one who should be making decisions for all of us. You’re going to get us all killed. Your stupidity got Julie killed. It’s
your
fault she’s dead.”

His hands are back around my throat, and this time I feel myself being lifted off the ground.  The chain link fence against my back sends chills down my spine. I claw at his hands
,
trying desperately to pry his fingers from around my neck. Everything is starting to get fuzzy, and dark spots float in the air. My lungs are screaming for oxygen. I keep trying to pull him off, but now I’m just pawing at him. I can’t breathe.
I’m going to die.

Chapter 29

All of a sudden
,
there’s air, and then there’s the ground again. I hit it hard and gasp, taking in as much oxygen as I can. From somewhere far away, I can hear the repetitive dull thud of flesh hitting flesh.
Maybe not
so
far.
From the blurry edges of my vision, I can vaguely make out two forms rolling around on the ground beside me. All my muddled brain can think is, I need to get up, I need to get out of here, but my body isn’t working right. I can’t get it to stop shaking long enough to move. The feel of hands on my shoulders starts me convulsively flailing. 

“Hey, hey, hey, Leigh.
It’s all right. It’s just me. It’s all right.” Peter’s face swims into view, and I stop trying to fight him off.

After that
,
I’m not really sure what happens until I wake up in a hospital bed. I run through a quick mental check to get my bearings. How did I get here? Peter. What happened? Jacob. What happened to Jacob? That one I don’t have an answer to. 

Sunlight assaults my eyes when I finally manage to pry them open.
Really
,
only one of them.
The other feels like it’s been glued shut. Peter and Connor both have chairs beside my bed. From the look of him, I’d guess
Connor
is what happened to Jacob. They both move at once when they notice I’m awake, and the suddenness make me woozy. 

“Hey, Girlie, how
ya
feelin
’
?”
Not great, and from Connor’s soft tone
,
I’m guessing I don’t look so great either. He never handles me with kid gloves.

“All right,” I croak.

“I’m
gonna
get the doct
or, you just lie still, okay
?” Connor gets up and disappears, I assume
to track down the doctor.

Peter hovers by my bedside. His fingertips gently brush over my bruised cheek, and he winces. I must look really bad. Why did this happen? It doesn’t make sense, why did he do this to me? All at once
,
all of the fear I felt last night comes crashing back down on me. He almost
killed
me. I almost
died
.

“Why?” My throat is tightening, and it feels as though I’m being strangled all over again. A lump lodges in my throat, making
it hard to breathe, and a half-gasp, half-
sob escapes.

“Hey, hey, Leigh, don’t cry
,
you’ll only make yourself worse.” Peter’s voice is gentle as he shifts closer to me. “Jacob’s crazy. There is
nothing
that you did or didn’t do to deserve this, okay? He’s secured in one of the towers now with a guard. He can’t hurt you. You’re safe, I promise.
All right?
I promise.”

“What happened . . . after?”
My throat feels like it’s on fire every time I speak, but I have to know.

“I woke up and saw that you were gone. When I couldn’t find you right away, I woke Connor
,
and we went looking for you. When we found you, Leigh . . .” He pauses and swallows so hard that I can hear it. It must have been a scary sight. Jacob is no small guy. “Connor tackled him and beat him bloody.”

He tries to smile at me, but the worry in his eyes does nothing to calm my fears. Before I can say anything else, he’s pushed aside when Connor returns with the doctor in tow. At least it isn’t the nurse.

“How are you feeling?”

I just nod. I’m fairly certain that if I try to say another word, I may actually breathe flames.  He’s a
doctor. S
houldn’t he know that?

“It’s going to be painful to speak or swallow for a few days.”

Well
,
if he knows that, then why is he asking me stupid questions?

“You should try to avoid talking as much as possible.”

Seriously?
  Where’s the nurse?

“I’ll get you a cold pack for those bruises, and if you can keep it on for about fifteen minutes at a time
,
the swelling should go down in a few days.”

He heads off to get me that cold pack, and I’m beginning to wonder if medical degrees grow on trees around here. Peter takes the pack when he returns with it, and sits on the edge of my bed so he can press it to my cheek. At first
,
the pressure stings, but then the whole area becomes blissfully numb. Now, if only the rest of my body could feel that way. Connor sits back in one of the chairs, and for a while
,
we’re just quiet. I’m not supposed to talk
,
anyway. Instead, I take stock of my injuries. My throat and eye hurt
,
obviously, but also my jaw and my tongue
—
I think I bit it. My ribs are
sore,
he must have kicked me at some point. And my head hurts, it’s pounding. 

“What about . . .” I start
,
but Peter stops me.

“No talking, you heard the doctor. Here
,
hold this, I’ll get you a paper and pen.”

I take the cold pack from him and hold it against my face. It’s already starting to warm up, and some of the pain is returning. Beside me, I can hear Connor breathing harshly, and when I look at him, his jaw is clenched so tightly it looks painful. I don’t think I’ve ever really seen him this
angry before. I
t’s a little scary. I touch his hand to try to calm him, or maybe it’s to calm myself I’m not sure, but either way
,
it seems to do the trick. His face softens as he turns his hand over, threading his fingers through mine. 

“I’m sorry,
Girlie
. I
knew
something was off with him. I should have done something
sooner. I should have been paying closer attention.”

I shoot him an ‘are you serious’ look
,
and he laughs. “How can you be so mocking without even speaking?” His grin fades, and he gives my hand a small squeeze. “I don’t want you to worry. You’re
gonna
be all right, and we’ll figure out what to do with him.”