The Girl in Red

“What have you seen?” Regan said, and took a step forward, looming over both of them. “Tell me now.”

The change in him was instant and astonishing. Gone was the professor pose, the kindly soldier. He wasn’t even the barking stereotype he’d pretended to be when he first walked into the barren grocery store. This was a hunter, a killer, a man accustomed to getting his way and doing whatever it took to get it.

“People with their chests busted open,” Adam said in a hurry, like he was trying to get the words out before Red told him not to say anything (which she certainly would have done because she still didn’t see the value in sharing information with people who wanted to lock them up).

“And tracks on the floor,” he continued, despite her side-eye glare. “There’s two of the bodies in this store, if you hadn’t noticed the smell.”

“We find this smell everywhere,” Sirois said. “Because of the victims of the Cough that have been left behind.”

“Two bodies with open chests?” Regan asked, and when Adam nodded he said, “Show me.”

Some kind of parasite, Red thought as they all trooped obediently in the direction of the bodies. Not an airborne disease like the Cough. But where did it come from? And how did people get infected?

At least the bodies have distracted Regan for now. Maybe I can get away without being implanted by the tracker gun.

For she still believed that it was implanting something rather than testing—the idea of an instant blood test result within that little machine seemed more like science fiction than reality.

You don’t think planting trackers is just as sci-fi? Red, when are you going to stop thinking that stuff you read is real? This was Mama’s voice, of course—the voice that told her to stop letting her brain run away hand in hand with her overactive imagination.

Stop worrying about the gun and start worrying about how you’re going to get away, Red thought.

They arrived in the aisle with the bodies. As soon as he saw them Regan told Sirois to call somebody on the radio and collect the corpses.

“Those other guys were collecting them, too,” Adam said.

For chrissakes, is Adam going to tell them every freaking thing?

“What other guys?” Regan asked. “Where did you see them?”

And so of course Adam named the town and the date that he and Red saw those other men and how they seemed like a militia but not real military.

“They aren’t,” Regan said. His lips pressed tightly together. “What else did they do? Did you talk to them?”

“They can’t have, Lieutenant, otherwise they wouldn’t be here,” Sirois said.

“Are they kidnapping people?” Red asked, looking from one man to the other. “Why would they be doing that?”

Sirois seemed to realize he’d said too much, and neither of them answered her.

“Why would they take that guy’s body?” Red asked. “Are they doing some kind of tests?”

Sirois shook his head at her. “Sorry, that’s not something we can tell you.”

He did seem genuinely sorry, which made her more angry. How could their stupid orders be more important than people’s lives? Why was everyone so flipping secretive?

Uh, pot, meet kettle. You’re not exactly forthcoming yourself.

But it was different when Red didn’t tell them something. They were just being nosy, trying to herd her into a box. When she held back information she was just keeping herself and her (stupid) brother safe.

Of course, said stupid brother seemed willing to tell their life story to these guys.

“How are we supposed to protect ourselves from these people if you don’t give us any information?”

“You won’t have to worry about protecting yourself anymore,” Regan said. “We’ll be protecting you.”

“Like hell,” Red said. “I don’t trust me with anybody but me.”

“Show me the tracks,” Regan said to Adam.

And with that, Red was Dismissed. Their little game was over and Regan had determined that Adam would be cooperative, so she was out. Fine. She had more important things to think about. She was getting the hell away from them and all she needed was the right time to do it.

Adam went to one knee to show Regan the slithery tracks in the blood trail.

“Did you follow them?” Regan asked.

“Yes, into the back room,” Adam said. “And I found a hole in the concrete back there. Red said it was just a rat hole but I don’t think so.”

“Can you show me?” Regan asked. “Sirois, stay here with the girl.”