The Priest (15 page)

“Other plans for you.” The guard redirected
Mauricio to another hallway.

He saw the distressed look on Arias’ face
and saluted him with a nod, mouthed,
thank
you,
and
even tried to smile at the other man. Arias’ eyes stayed on him
until he turned around a corner. Mauricio dragged his legs after
the guard, his mind jumping to the conclusion that he was being led
to the slaughter. They walked for several minutes through a series
of well-lit chambers, and then the guard slowed down before a glass
door.

“Now, you’ll do what you do best.” She
pointed at a low table with a tray full of plastic cups, waited
long enough to be sure he understood, then left, sliding the glass
door shut behind him.

Mauricio took a depressed look at the room.
I was born and raised in a place like this, and I’m going to die
in a place like this.
He sat down on the customary white chair
and took one cup in his hand.
This is all I’m worth to them.
He gingerly tossed the cup from one hand to the other.
I’m not
going to make it easier for you.
He couldn’t have, even if he
wanted to.
Now that I know the truth, I want to make a
difference.
This’ll be my last act of rebellion before
dying. I was born a slave, but you are going to slaughter a free
man.
Mauricio put the cup back on the tray with the others. He
started playing with them, rearranging their order until he was
satisfied with the result.
I’m sure after today, you’ll remember
my number.
Then he stood up and knocked on the glass door.

“Done?” The guard appeared from around the
corner.

“Yes. I am definitely done with this,”
Mauricio answered.
You have no power over me anymore.

The guard looked at him for the first time
since she had come to his cell and then looked at the tray.

“What does that mean?” she asked,
enraged.

“Exactly what it looks like.” Mauricio
smiled proudly.
This feels good.

“You… you…” The guard was in shock; a slave
had dared to defy a woman’s direct order. She was staring at the
tray with the cups neatly aligned to spell the word ‘no’ and no
other sounds came from her mouth.

Mauricio knew that there was a camera
somewhere in the room and fervently hoped that later, when the
guards analyzed what had happened there, they would see how happy
he was at that precise moment.
Look at me; look at my face.
You’ve never seen me before; I’m a new breed of man.
He turned
around slowly, facing every wall to be sure that his smile couldn’t
possibly be missed. He was down on his knees a few seconds later,
but before passing out, he thought,
At least you gave me enough
time to do a full rotation; it should be enough,
and then
thanked the guard out loud.

* * *

He opened his eyes, knowing right away that
he was in his cell. The first thing he saw was the high ceiling
looming over him. He didn’t bother to move. The collar was
mercilessly scratching the blistered skin of his neck, and he had
probably woken up because of the pain that was making him cry even
while he slept. His muscles were having spams, and he knew from
past experience that he had to let it pass. Through the pain,
Mauricio’s lips managed to twitch in a vague smile when recent
memories of how he had ended up in his cell came back.
I’ve
defied a woman’s orders, and I’m still alive. I can’t be dead and
feel so much pain.

A strange smell in the air interrupted
Mauricio’s thoughts. It was a sweet scent that invaded his nostrils
and his throat. Mauricio saw white smoke coming out of the four
little windows in the walls. His eyes, already watery, started
stinging. He felt his throat constricting, and panic took over.
Before dark patches covered his vision of the tall ceiling, the
white fog filled his cell and the sweetness in the air became
horrid. Mauricio coughed until his throat felt like a floor of
broken glass. He brought his hands to the collar in an irrational
attempt to loosen the grip on his skin. When he couldn’t cough
anymore and his mouth froze in a silent scream, he thought of the
tiny baby girl he knew was his daughter and fainted.

* * *

From far away, Mauricio heard a commotion of
metallic sounds, human steps, and voices calling him, but he didn’t
react. How could anybody ask more of him? Why wouldn’t the voices
leave him alone? And what was it with all the beams of light
cutting through his eyes?

“He’s not responding.” He heard a familiar,
feminine voice say. Frantic. Worried.
For me? Why? I’m beyond
pain and misery. Leave me alone. I deserve to be pain free for once
in my life.
“I can’t move him. He is too heavy for me.”

“Get his arms. I’ll get his legs,” another
voice ordered. Equally familiar, but older.

Mauricio opened one eye, but it was dark.
There were cones of cold light cutting through the obscurity, but
his head was bent at an odd angle and he couldn’t see anything.

“How long do you think it’s going to take
them to restore the electricity through the main building?” Rosie’s
voice sounded as if coming from underwater.

Mauricio was slowly regaining consciousness.
He was still disoriented and queasy. A throbbing ache enveloped his
body, making it difficult to think.

“Not more than ten minutes. Probably less.
We have to hurry.” He recognized Guen’s muffled voice. A loud thud
reverberated inside Mauricio’s ears.

Rosie cursed, saying, “I dropped my light. I
can’t see where I’m going.”

“Calm down. Follow my voice. I’ll aim my
light higher, so it illuminates the vaults.” Guen sounded calm.
Mauricio automatically relaxed at the sound of the older woman’s
voice giving instruction to Rosie.

“We’re almost there. I can see the door. Lay
him down. I have to cut his collar before we go out,” Guen
explained. After a moment she said, “Okay, slowly, careful not to
bend his neck too much. Keep the light straight at his face. Yes,
good, like this. Just a moment now—” Guen grunted and then he heard
a small
snap
. “—perfect, just perfect. The seam just gave
way. Now, to cut through the material… and… done.” Something fell
on the floor and the guard sighed in satisfaction.

Mauricio felt the skin on his neck getting
colder, and then he realized that the collar wasn’t there
anymore.

“Okay, give the light back to me and take
care of him while I signal to Arias that we are ready.” Guen left
Mauricio’s side.

“Rosie?” he croaked.

“Mauricio!” Rosie was close to his face, but
everything was dark again.

“Shhh!” Guen whispered from somewhere.

“Mauricio, I was scared that it was too
late,” Rosie whispered in his ear.

“How…” Mauricio was still too tired to
formulate whole sentences, but Rosie understood his question
anyway.

“I heard my mother giving the order to get
rid of you. Someone besides Guen noticed my escapade two nights
ago.”

“Two nights…” Something loud was banging
inside Mauricio’s head, but he thought he had heard correctly.
How long have I been out?

“They kept you asleep while withdrawing…
what they wanted from you. My mother doesn’t think that you are
really worth the trouble, and today she decided that whatever they
had was going to be enough.”

“Guen?” Mauricio was struggling to stay
awake when his mind and his body wanted to faint.
Why is a guard
helping a slave?

“Guen… it’s a long story. I’ll tell you
everything later. For now, what matters is that you are alive,
thanks to her, and that you can trust her.” Rosie stood up at the
sound of faraway steps. “Guen?”

Mauricio felt the floor vibrating with a
stampede of steps and shuddered.

Rosie put a hand on his shoulder and
squeezed softly. “I think I see Arias. Yes, there he is. I’m going
to open the door. Be ready to haul him out. We don’t have much time
left before the guards arrive,” Guen said. The whoosh sound of the
door seemed louder than usual.

“Hurry!” Arias called from outside.

“Can he walk?” Guen asked, while coming back
from the door.

“No, he keeps dozing on and off,” Rosie
answered.

I’m here.

Guen made a guttural sound when she tried to
raise Mauricio’s body from the floor. “We need help; he’s too heavy
for the two of us.”

“I can’t come in. The dorms outside of the
main building have a different power supply. My collar hasn’t shut
down.” Arias was frustrated.

Guen swore loudly. “I hadn’t thought of
this—” And she swore again.

“We’re going to make it.” Rosie breathed
hard and then raised Mauricio by his shoulders. They took a few
steps and were almost at the door when Mauricio’s body was shaken
by a sudden tremor. Guen lost her grip on his legs and let him
down. Rosie was dragged to the floor beneath him.

“I hear voices. Hurry up, now!” Arias was
getting anxious. The steps were getting closer.

“Be still, please.” Rosie was now
crying.

I can hear your heart racing,
Mauricio thought, feeling comforted by her proximity.

“Now!” Arias was yelling.

“Are they coming for him?” Rosie asked.

“I’m afraid they’ve already discovered he
hasn’t died. When they gassed the chamber, they also activated a
vital-alarm.” Guen helped Rosie move Mauricio out of the way. “I
had hoped we had more time.”

Stop talking so loud; my head hurts.
But his wish wasn’t granted; nobody cared about being quiet
anymore. Rosie’s, Arias’, and Guen’s voices were drowning under the
noise of the guards running toward them

Guen and Rosie made a final, desperate
attempt at carrying Mauricio outside. Arias reached his arms
inside, and the shock from the collar kicked in. He screamed, but
still managed to help the two women haul Mauricio through the door.
Once outside, the older man relieved Guen and Rosie of their cargo,
took Mauricio in his arms and started running.

“I’ll catch up with you later. I’ll try to
buy you some time by locking the door from here.” Guen’s voice
became fainter as Arias put some distance between the main building
and them.

Mauricio wanted to throw up; his head was
being tossed every which way, and his neck was bleeding.

“Don’t give up. We’ve almost reached
safety.” Rosie was running along with Arias.

Mauricio hooked his mind to Rosie’s voice
and used it as an anchor to remain conscious. He could feel the
cold air of the night biting at his skin, which also helped.
Finally, Arias stopped running and put him down on the ground.

“Are you too cold?” Rosie was immediately by
his side.

No, I don’t feel cold.

“Are you in pain?”

“Yes,” he managed to answer.

“Is it too much? Can you bear it?” She was
talking fast. “Arias, I don’t think he can bear it. He’s
shivering.”

“I don’t know…” Mauricio couldn’t finish the
sentence.
My tongue is swollen and my lips are cracking every
time I try to say something. Is this normal
? “I’m happy—”
I
got to see you one last time.

“He’s not making any sense,” Rosie
cried.

I’m fine; don’t worry,
he wanted to
say, but his eyes were closing despite his efforts to remain
awake.

“He fainted,” Rosie cried.

No, I haven’t; I’m still here.

“It is a normal reaction to the gas they
pumped inside his cell. He’s going to be fine,” Arias answered.

Am I?

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Don’t worry, Mistress,” Arias
said.

You don’t sound so sure, do you?
Mauricio laughed.

“Arias, is he crying? Is it the pain?”

“His body is trying to release the
toxins.”

“What are we waiting for?” Rosie took one of
Mauricio’s hands in hers.

Your skin is so soft and warm. I feel
better already.
His mind was slowly starting to clear, but he
was still confused about what was happening around him.

“We are waiting for Leander to jump start
the van and pick us up here,” Arias answered Rosie, but he was
preoccupied and it showed in the way he spoke.

“What if—” Rosie started while stroking
Mauricio’s hand.

“Don’t think about that, Mistress. Leander
is coming.”

Mauricio could hear the older man pacing
back and forth. Rosie was stroking his hand absentmindedly, but the
prolonged silence between her and the slave was difficult to
ignore. The surreal atmosphere was broken by the ominous sound of
angry voices rapidly approaching.

“Arias, the guards are already here. Where
is Leander?” Rosie stood up alarmed.

“Rosie…” Mauricio murmured when her hand
left his.
Come back.

“I won’t let anything happen to you. I
promise,” Rosie crouched down immediately and whispered to him.

“I see Leander. I see him!” Arias shouted
and then came to help Rosie with Mauricio.

“Where is Guen?” Rosie asked with sudden
apprehension.

“We have to leave as soon as the van
arrives.” Arias put his arm under Mauricio’s armpit and pulled him
up. “Man, you’ve got to help us. Stand up,” he coaxed.

“Mauricio, hang in there. It’s just for a
little while longer.” Rosie went to the other side and tried to
keep him standing.

“I can hear the engine,” Rosie said to
Mauricio.

Mauricio felt the van coming through the
vibrations under his feet. He opened his eyes, but it was still too
dark to see anything farther than his nose. Rosie faced the
incoming vehicle and he turned with her.

“I’ll be right back; I need both hands to
light a match to help Leander find us.” Arias cautiously removed
his support.

Mauricio felt it immediately, but he tried
not to fall on Rosie.

He saw the light showing through Arias’
fingers, and for a moment, the night was less dark. The match
consumed itself faster than Leander could have possibly seen it.
Arias lit a second one and then proceeded to light another three
before the sound from the van’s engine got increasingly closer.
Meanwhile, the shouting voices were getting louder. Mauricio’s
heart was pounding with adrenaline; not knowing where the guards
were was torture.