The Repossession (23 page)

The pig was sat there, covered in ash, singed for sure, but alive and eating wild mushrooms, as far as she could tell.

She hugged it. The pig snorted but didn’t resist.

‘Hope you find lots to eat in the forest, pig. I am so happy you’re still alive.’

The pig made no comment, just continued eating, stopping for just a second to look at Genie, perhaps in recognition, she hoped so. Genie felt her spirits lift. The pig was still alive.

She ran back to the truck, her face covered in ash.

‘She’s OK,’ she declared as she climbed in the back with Marshall. ‘Get going. Pig seems unhurt. She must have been pretty near the fire though.’

Rian set off again, shaking his head. Loving someone who cared so much about people and pigs gave him a good feeling, even if it did drive him mad from time to time.

‘Where are the sandwiches?’ he shouted through the open window.

‘On the floor, pass me one,’ she shouted back.

Rian found them, passed one out for her and ate his as he drove. They were still slightly warm. Tasted pretty good.

Genie winced as she saw Mashall’s burns. She pulled back the rug and started to soak the gauze bandage with ice.

She knew you couldn’t put the ice directly on the skin as it would burn it still further. The wounds were red raw.

She loosely wrapped the damp bandage on the worst affected areas to keep the air off it. She looked at Moucher watching her; he looked distressed.

‘Don’t worry, Mouch, I’m not hurting him, I promise.’

She tried not to think about where they were going.

She was dreading going back to Spurlake. She wondered how they’d ever get out of there again.

The track was bumpy and amazingly had mostly dried out from the rain the night before. The sun had risen above the treeline now. Rian concentrated hard. The truck was easy enough to drive, but he wasn’t looking forward to being on the highway. He hoped they wouldn’t be stopped. With no licence and an unconscious guy in the back, it would take a lot of explaining.

Working in Mysterious Ways

A man in a dark suit loomed into view, casting shade over his writing table. Reverend Schneider looked up and inwardly groaned. It was the overbearing security chief from the Fortress. They shared a mutual loathing for each other. He had a habit of arriving unannounced.

‘There’s a cop asking questions about your little volunteer scheme.’

Schneider frowned. He didn’t like these kind of unannounced visits. ‘Good morning to you too. What kind of questions?’

‘Seems some kids are passing around an offer to pay two thousand dollars for experiments in BC, no questions asked, no need to alert your parents either.

There’s a toll-free number.’

‘You call it?’ Schneider asked, laying his pen down, surprised that he was so well informed.

‘Disconnected.’

‘You want volunteers, you have to have the tools to find them.’

‘This is your set up? A little sick, ain’t it? Even for you.’

‘It’s non-traceable. They only stay up for a week at a time and the toll number dies after ten days. It’s based in Eastern Europe. They specialize in this kind of thing.

Don’t worry, it’s carefully targeted. Like I said, untraceable IP address. The cops can look all they like, but it all ends up in Moscow or some place and they aren’t the type of people to cooperate, if you know what I mean.’

‘I don’t like it. Fortransco doesn’t like it.
Particularly if it ends up in Moscow. Finish it.’

‘You’re the people who can’t find test subjects. I’m merely doing my part.’

‘You were just supposed to look for orphans, as I recall.’

‘And disaffected teens who wouldn’t be missed.

Spurlake is full of ’em. Their parents come here to pray for understanding. I should know.’

265

‘Spurlake is a cess pit now. Take months to get it straight.’ He looked around him at the elegant newly built glass church and its fancy tower, as well as the Mercedes Benz parked in the first parking bay.

‘You’ve done well out of Fortransco, Schneider.’

‘I only take what I deserve.’

‘Seems you live well on our generosity.’

‘It’s an investment in the wellbeing of the town, as the sign says: Fortransco, Building Better Communities for All.’

‘All I’m saying is, we’ve had a security problem.’ He lay a piece of paper on the table. ‘We want these two.

Matter of urgency.’

Schneider looked at the names. He wasn’t at all surprised to see Genie Magee’s name there. Didn’t know the other, but he supposed it was the boy who’d broken her out. It’d be a pleasure to teach him a lesson he’d never forget.

‘Find them. You understand? I don’t want any prying eyes or cops looking under rocks. No more toll-free numbers. We’re getting too many “volunteers” from this location. Your profile is too loud. You understand me?

Praying for the missing is a nice picture in the local paper, but cool it, Schneider. No rocking the boat. Find these two and you’re done.’

He walked away without another word, his black suit and shiny shoes worn like a badge of authority. Schneider watched him get into a muddy Chevy Volt and silently drive away.

‘Everything all right, Reverend?’

He looked up at Alyssa and smiled. ‘You ever hear from your daughter, Renée? She’s been gone an awful long time.

I was hoping she’d found it within her heart to at least send you a letter to say how she is.’

Alyssa Cullins tugged at the white pearl necklace she always wore around her neck, her lips tight. ‘I ain’t holding my breath, Reverend. She was wayward from the day she was born and I suspect you’re right, she’s most likely on the street or worse. You can’t make a bad heart pure and I only pray she doesn’t make others suffer as much as she made me.’

Reverend Schneider picked up his pen again.

‘Nevertheless, I wish those who are so quick to leave us would set our hearts at rest. It grieves me that so many children have run rather than come to us for help.’

‘She’s a wicked girl. Wickedness finds its own punishment, Reverend.’

‘I regret to say that I believe you are correct in that matter, Alyssa. It’s a harsh world.’

Spurlake seemed uncannily normal, considering. Sure there was damage, but people were shopping again and Rian drove by McBean’s coffee shop –
Celebrate our re-opening with us
– where people sat outside drinking lattés, even though there were piles of debris in the road still to be collected. They had expected more visible signs of devastation. Perhaps it was the late-afternoon sunshine that made things better than they were.

Spurlake Community Hospital was still a mess from the floods, however. Mud was piled up on the walls of the east wing and several temporary buildings had sprung up in the car park.

The ER unit had taken Marshall off their hands and spirited him up to the burns ward. They didn’t like the fact that he’d been unconscious for hours already.

Rian had filled out forms, given phone numbers and played it as cool as he could. They’d wanted him to wait for the cops, but he made a genuine excuse – he needed to park his vehicle which was blocking the entrance – and

then got the hell out of there. No way he was waiting for the police. Frankly he was just surprised they weren’t waiting for them, considering it was a cop’s dad and all.

Genie waited with Moucher in the truck. Her heart leaped when she saw Rian heading back, walking with a calm determination. He was just one metre away when a cop car pulled up and Officer Miller got out.

‘You Rian Tulane?’

Genie slipped down in her seat, but Moucher barked excitedly, jumped over her and bounced clear out of the open window. He ran right up to the cop, wagging his tail in desperation, so happy to see the man.

Rian saw the cop bend down to greet Moucher and knew there was no escape.

‘I guess I owe you a great deal,’ Miller said, fending Moucher off.

Rian said nothing.

‘I got your message. They just called me. Dad’s on a drip and he’s pretty confused, but he’s going to be all right.

Thanks.’ He turned to look at the truck.

‘Thanks to you too.’ Genie popped her head up. It was dumb to hide.

‘I’m glad he made it,’ Genie told him.

‘I need to know what happened. You want to talk?’

‘We in trouble?’

‘Down, Mouch. Sit.’ He looked at Rian in the eye.

‘If you mean, do you need to talk to your mother, who’s been worried sick about you, I’d advise it. Genie’s mother is staying with Reverend Schneider, which is not a place I’d recommend you or she visit. So you’re still responsible for her, Rian. You understand? You broke her out. She’s your responsibility.’

Rian understood. The cop was giving him a long rope to play with.

Miller looked at them both and could see that they looked tired and scared. ‘Take the truck to Jonah’s Diner. Order what you like. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Can I trust you both to do that? Get Moucher something as well.’

Genie exchanged glances with Rian, both unsure about this.

‘Jonah’s, OK?’ Miller reasserted. ‘I’m going to check on my dad.’

‘We’ll be there,’ Rian said, making a decision.

Miller took off, walking towards the hospital entrance.

He didn’t look back. Clearly he believed that they would do as he said.

Genie watched Rian get in and Moucher jumped up beside her.

‘He’s got Marshall’s eyes,’ Genie remarked.

Rian looked at Genie and shrugged. ‘I guess we go to Jonah’s.’

Genie sighed. Ninety per cent of her wanted Rian to get them out of town, drive till it ran out of gas and they were miles away from Spurlake, but that ten per cent would make them do what the cop said. He hadn’t seemed mean or angry. If he were anything like Marshall, he would be fair. They’d find out soon enough.

Genie waited until they were back on the road before talking again. Her head was full of ‘what if’s and ‘what to do’s.

‘You going to call your mother?’

Rian had to think about that. He knew he was supposed to call or go see her, apologize for running out or whatever, but . . . he glanced across at Genie’s pensive face and knew that his heart was full. Genie was his responsibility now and she came first, before mothers or anything. The cop had said as much.

‘Later,’ he replied. Jonah’s Diner was one block away.

‘Moucher needs walking,’ Genie said. ‘Order me fish and chips. I heard it’s good.’

‘You’ve never eaten here?’

‘Never allowed. You forget I’ve been held prisoner all my life, Ri. I’ve never eaten anywhere out, anytime.’

Rian felt a hot flush of anger. The way she had been raised and treated. He was going to make it all up to her one day. Somehow.

‘Order a burger for Mouch too, with extra gravy. He deserves it,’ Genie added.

Miller was sat at his father’s side. He was on drips and painkillers. They’d covered his exposed skin with soothing creams and bandages and his father was awake.

He looked rough and his front teeth were broken. They had beaten him good. His upper torso was bruised to hell.

Someone was going to pay for this.

‘The kids?’

‘Sent them to Jonah’s to eat.’

‘Don’t do anything to them, Max. They’re good kids.’

‘I know. They got you here, remember.’

‘Fortress might know about them too.’

‘Dad, just calm down. I’ll take care of them, OK? You want to tell me what happened? The message said that the barn was torched and men with guns came.’

Marshall seemed to go in and out of consciousness. He opened his eyes again.

‘We found proof in the forest, Max. They’re using kids and dogs for testing.’

‘Who beat you?’

‘Fortress security chief. I shot and wounded one of the guys. He tried to kill me. They were looking for the transmission sample. The dog. It was in the freezer. I . . .’

Marshall went under again. Miller put a hand on his father’s arm.

‘I’ll be back later. Rest.’

He got up to go. Was his old man ranting and raving again? Or was this something real? Why would the security chief beat him up? Didn’t make any sense. His dad was getting a pension from Fortransco. Certainly there hadn’t been any report of a shooting. He glanced back at his father, couldn’t believe he looked so old. The Fortress had used him up and spat him out.

He looked at his watch. He hoped the kids were still there. He was counting on them being hungry and the boy being too scared to go home. He stopped at the nurses’

station on the way out, made sure they knew it was his dad they were dealing with. He wanted him to get the best care.

‘Aren’t you Genie Magee?’

Genie looked up, surprised to hear her name called.

The girl with frizzy dark hair seemed to look genuinely surprised to see her. ‘It is you!’ she added with obvious relief. ‘My God, you’re alive. Rian Tulane too. I love the clothes, so retro, genius.’

Genie blinked. ‘Mandy?’ They went to some classes together and Mandy was always full of gossip. She had the attention of a gnat for learning but was big on sports, she remembered. ‘I didn’t recognize you. What happened to your hair? And I swear you used to wear glasses.’

Mandy looked embarrassed and flicked her hair in front of her face. ‘Nooo, don’t look. I went blonde and my dad went absolutely crazy and forced me to dye it back and I think I killed it. I may have to shave it all off and top myself it looks sooo bad. My God!’ She was looking more closely at Genie. ‘You’re so brown and your skin looks great. You look so different. We all thought you were dead. You too, Rian. I mean, so many people are missing