Chapter 34: I'm With Stupid

My knuckles are white from the grip I have on my backpack strap.

Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.

I'm in the air. I'm in a plane-a microlight. I'm high up. I'm in the sky.

Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.

My eyes stay trained on Amelia's gun which is resting between us.

"Someone, please!" Jody screams through her headset.

"What the hell just happened?" Sam asks.

"Owen's bleedin'! You've got to help him!"

"Amelia shot him," Simon says, panicked. "She buggared off in a plan with Runner Five heading... um, uh..."

"It hurts," Owen gasps.

"North, due west."

"There's a massive storm!" Sam gasps. "They're flying straight into a storm!"

"Please!"

"Goodness' sake!" Janine exclaims. "She can hear every word you're saying."

Click.

Amelia hums in laughter. "I wondered how long it would take for them to realize that. Just you and me now, Runner Five."

She pauses at the sound of rolling thunder, and my heart stops in my chest.

I'm going to die.

"You, me and this bloody great thunderstorm. Not part of the plan, unfortunately. Still, needs must." She tsks. "Oh, you can stop eyeing that gun so covetously. I can fly one handed if I have to. At least, I think I can, and if I can't, it won't be just me who dies in the fall. I got the impression your survival skills are pretty strong, Five."

I don't answer, not when the microlight starts to shake from turbulence. A strained whimper manages to escape my throat, and Amelia bites her lip in worry, squinting to see through the sudden downpour. More thunder rolls, and my breathing turns erratic when I look out the window.

Dark clouds surround us, but it's so hard to see because of the rain that's falling-beating against the microlight. My throat is tight. I can barely breathe. My fingers are going numb from the tight grip I have on my backpack straps. I grab the bottom of my seat instead to keep me from shaking so much from turbulence. Not that it helps in making me feel any better.

"I'm to come in for a landing, I think," Amelia announces, and I let out a sigh of relief.

Then... it happens.

Lightning flashes through the sky, so bright that I almost think I've died, or that the Messiah has returned, but then it's fine in less than a second. The sky's returned to gray, swirling gray and the sky is now a blur as a loud, alarming sound fills my ears. A startling realization passes over me in silent fear when I see the things we were once below us is now above us.

We're falling, fast.

"Bloody hell! It clipped the wing!" Amelia yells, and I find myself to afraid to move, too afraid to scream.

We fall faster, and faster. Amelia tries to regain control over the microlight, but fails. Her jaw is clenched, her knuckles turning white.

I see flashes of a helicopter.

"Someone's shooting. That's not the township. Who the hell has a rocket launcher in this-"

I feel panic.

"Mayday, mayday, mayday. Jolly Alpha Five Niner going down, three miles east of Abel Township. Two souls on board."

I feel burning heat.

"Open your chute. Jump. Jump!"

Suddenly I'm jolted forward, my head slamming against the glass of the microlight, cracking it. We've hit the ground. I'm still alive. I think I am, at least. But before I can even properly come to my senses I'm being dragged out of the microlight. There's a gun pressed to the back of my head.

"Quickly. Quickly," Amelia urges. "I think the engine's going to go."

We make away just in time before it explodes, smoke going up everywhere. I can feel my ears ringing from the sound, and my head is killing me. I think I may have a concussion.

But I can't slow down, not when I'm being threatened with a bullet to my brain.

Amelia curses. "That will certainly let them know where we are. The zoms too. Time to get moving, Five. Run."

I don't have much choice in the matter, seeing that my head is pounding, there's a gun pointed at me, and I can hear dozens of zombies heading straight for us. So I run, and Amelia stays behind me, keeping her gun pointed at me, lest I try anything tricky.

Although, it's not like I would. I can't exactly run away, since I can't see where the zombies are through the rain. It's pouring, and my clothes are already soaked through. My feet keep sinking into the mud, and I cringe. I just got these running shoes.

My hands are shaking, but I'm unsure if that's from the cold rain or shock from the crash. Amelia has lowered her gun, probably thinking that trying to fight her or run off would be stupid since running in a different direction would be heading straight towards hungry zombies, and fighting her would slow us both down, meaning the zombies would have time to catch up to us.

The trail we're walking on starts turning uphill, and I have to put in extra effort to keep going. But I have more stamina than Amelia does. I can hear her panting from behind me.

"Slow down, Five. It's getting pretty steep," She says over the rain, which I'm noticing is starting to get lighter-only slightly. "I used to love a spot of rambling before the apocalypse. Lovely, really. We don't take enough time to appreciate it. The sound of rain tapping against the rocks, majesty of mountain peaks rising with the sun, although we can't see much of the sun now, can we? Hmm, there's a few more shamblers stumbling through the heather. Maybe we should speed up."

I roll my eyes, but I decide not to waste my breath on smarting off. I wipe the water out of my eyes, trudging on as quickly as I can while trying to ignore the cold that engulfs my body. It's kind of hard though when I can hear my teeth chattering.

"I admire you runners, you know-taking on this danger on a daily basis." She pauses before shaking her head. "No, honestly. Actually, I don't. It's as if you haven't noticed how the world has changed. Altruism has had its day, I'm afraid. It died along with ninety-five percent of the population. It's all about dogs chowing down in each other now, and I'd rather eat than be eaten."

I don't give her the satisfaction of a response.

"Abel understands the law of the jungle. Those Deadlocks you seem so happy to shoot-they're just trying to get by. Abel's one shy, compare another, and you're competing for scarce resources. Violence really is the answer... but it's never really been my thing."

"I think Owen would beg to differ," I mutter, but she ignores my words.

"Do you blame me for finding a different way? It's a simple strategy: learn everything I can, figure out who needs their information most desperately, and sell it to them. It's a sound business model, and Abel was a terrific base of operations. You'd be amazed how many secrets find their way to that place, or maybe you wouldn't, given how you yourself keep so many secrets."

"You're just angry because you couldn't find out anything about me," I snap, frustration and anger boiling in my blood. If my head wasn't hurting so bad, I'd turn around and attack. With my training, I could probably easily take her down. But I'm almost certain I have a concussion, and if I get another blow to the head I could receive brain damage or even be put into a coma.

If that were to happen, then I'd be left to the zombies. There's no way Amelia would actually try to help me or get me to safety. I have to stay alive, keep myself safe until Janine thinks of a plan.

"Yes, I was a bit miffed. You really are a closed book. It's a shame. You seem like someone who'd be of good use to me in the future, but you're all about heroism, so the only way I could get any of your help is through blackmail. And I unfortunately have no ammo. But, back to the main topic," She says. "Been wondering why you haven't had to do so many fuel runs recently? Or where all that tin food's been coming from? You and all the other runners shared in the supplies I got for trading in that intel to the Exmoor Militia."

I breathe in sharply, my head spinning. She said it was from the Ministry when we asked. She said it was because we were doing such good work. All this time... it was because she was selling intel. What else has she sold off? What of Abel's secrets has she told? What of New Canton's? Or the Ministry's?

"Do you see that up ahead? Something carved into the mountainside? It... looks like a face. Come on now. No time to waste."

I grimace, but follow. Now that the rain is letting up and I can actually see what's in front of me instead of a blur of gray and brown, I recognize this place. I was sent here on a mission with Jody and Owen, back when they wanted to strangle each other. Maxine kept trying to get the two to talk, become friends and such. I have a feeling she was trying to set them up, but I have very little memory of that day.

Just that I was ready to kill Four and Six because they'd never shut up, and we nearly got killed by an avalanche because some weird artist wanted us to use dynamite to make a zombie Mt. Rushmore, so after the human race died out, the mole people would be able to see what wiped us out in the first place.

It was mole people she believed in... I think. Maybe it was aliens. I'm not quite sure.

"Well, this is extremely peculiar," Amelia says. "That's the face of a zombie, or it was before it was blown up. The nose has fallen off. Wait. Wait, I think I remember something about this. Yes, I read the report on you visiting this place. You met the sculptor. She's gone entirely derailed, yes?"

"To put it simply," I reply. "Yeah. She'd lost most of her marbles, if she had any to begin with."

She shrugs. "Well, I'm not surprised, really. Seems like a fairly sane response to the current situation."

"She believed in alien mole people."

"It's the apocalypse, Five. If zombies can exist, who knows what else can? And that sculptor wasn't the only one. We've had intel that some of those zombie worshippers you and Louise met survived and set up shop elsewhere. Look at that shrine."

She points to my left, and through the droplets of rain and my drenched hair that keeps slapping me in the face, I see a bottle of olive oil and a can of chickpeas.

I contemplate stealing it. I mean, it's not like the zombies will have any use of it.

"Come on, Five, between those boulders."

I send her a narrowed eyes glare, but her eyes flicker down to the gun in her hand, then back at my face. It's a silent warning. I know she won't hesitate to shoot me, so with gritted teeth I keep running.

"I suppose there are worse things to worship than zombies," She continues. "Money, for example. Jody was very fond of that. How else to explain her arrangement with the Romanian Mob? She had greed. My motivation was a little more complex that that; The end result was the same. And yet it happens you're willing to forgive her. Will you extend the same kindness to me?"

"We most certainly won't," A voice through my headset says before I can. I expect Amelia to be shocked at the sudden interruption, but instead she just smiles.

"Janine. Lovely of you to join us."

"You really do-you really do talk a load of old cobblers, Miss Spens," She fumes. "Miss Marsh's actions were most certainly reprehensible, but she never got anyone killed."

"That she's admitted. At least I'm upfront about what I've done."

Janine huffs. "So upfront that you're willing to let Runner Four be executed in your place. I knew there was something odd about you right from the start. Your excuses really-"

"Unbelievers! Unbelievers at the sight! Kill them!"

I groan. "Oh, y'all've gotta be kidding me."

"Oh, dear," Amelia hums. "Looks like the zombie worshippers have arrived. Sorry, Janine. Have to dash."

•

"Stop, filthy unbelievers!"

"Goodness," Amelia pants. "They really are persistent. If they keep coming, I'm afraid I might have to send you back to fight them off, Five."

"Typical," Janine says, and I grin at hearing her voice again. "Get others to do your dirty work for you."

I bite the inside my cheek not to laugh. Even though Amelia has a gun, if I needed to, I could find a way to break her leg and leave her to the zombie worshippers. The only reasons I've not done that yet is because my head still hurts pretty bad, and something keeps telling me that I'm going need to keep her alive.

It's like a tug. It's like something's there, telling me I'll need her help-Abel will need her help. Why she would consider helping me or Abel in the future is a mystery, but I trust my gut. Usually these types of feelings mean something in the end.

"I'm a delegator," She argues.

"And a manipulator."

She laughs. "You say that like it's a bad thing. Good management is all about manipulation."

This time it's Janine's turn to laugh. "Good management? Ha! We've been searching through her room, Five. She wasn't just selling us out to the Exmoor Militia. She was selling Ministry secrets to Comansys as well."

My eyes go wide, and I breathe in sharply, nostrils flaring. Amelia seems undeterred by the accusation. She accepts it. She knows she did it.

Screw the gut feeling. I'm going to kill her. Or at least, I'm going to beat the hell out of her until she tells us where Caleb is. She must know.

"They're getting away!"

I roll my eyes in annoyance. You'd think these guys would've given up by now. We have gotten away from the mountain, although they might be chasing us because I stole some food from another shrine we saw.

"Finally," Amelia sighs, nudging me to encourage me down a grassy slope. "I sold to the highest bidder, Janine. That's how the market works."

"But you never got you hands on what you really wanted, did you? Our bio lab. No wonder you ordered me off coms."

I gasp. Yes, of course. She kept sending Janine on little errands, saying they were for the Ministry. She must've thought she could sneak into the bio lab while Janine was working, and end up making a fortune selling what was inside-technology, seed banks, weapons. She would've sold it all to unsavory friends.

I smirk. Too bad Janine doesn't give access to just anyone. The only people I know who could go down to those labs were Janine, Sarah and the Major. I only have access because of Sarah's gift that she gave me-well, that I found when I scattered her ashes. There was a few other things in that little box that I guess will come in use later.

But I think Janine is contemplating on giving me access now that I'm Head of Runners, and I think that might be one of the reasons Amelia wanted to know my name, to use that if she thought I already had access.

"Five, I just want you to know you're going to be fine," Janine states stiffly. "Mr. Yao told me to tell you that. He's talking with New Canton, organizing a pursuit. But he told me to assure you."

I smile. Of course, he says that.

"Runners are closing in from both sides. There's no possible escape route, Miss Spens. If you return Runner Five to us unharmed, your death sentence will be commuted. You have my word on that, and unlike yours, my word is to be trusted."

"I'll take your offer under advisement. In the meantime, it's been lovely chatting, but..."

"Don't you dare hang up, Miss-"

Click.

I mentally curse, sending a glare back at Amelia. She notices it.

"Sorry, Five, but I don't want you telling her where we're going. I know how much of a chatterbox you can be."

"Screw you," I spit.

"Maybe some other time, you can," She smirks, making me grit my teeth furiously. "But for now, keep running. We're almost there."

We head towards a nearby cliff face. I bristle at the thought of being near heights again, but the idea does pop into my head that I could shove Amelia off the cliff. It would be easy, and I'm already determined to kill her at some point, but I think it would be best if I killed her after I get information on where Caleb might be.

Muddy water keeps splashing up on my ankles. I can't call it a puddle since it's nearly everywhere. And where the water isn't, mud is. Courtesy of the rain that's barely drizzling down now. I guess it is a good thing the rain has slowed. It's easier to see, easier for me to try to figure out just where I am.

Amelia walks over to a spot of draped ivy, and I raise a brow. She looks back at me, gun raised, jerking her head to call me over. She pushes back the ivy as I walk toward her, and I blink at the sight of a reinforced steel door in the cliff, with a keypad beside it.

Amelia hums silently as she types in the code, and after the keypad lets out a loud beep, the door swings open.

"What are you waiting for? Go on in," She says, and I obey. She closes the door after she enters in. "Seem a bit familiar? All these concert tunnels, top notch security systems... they should. Your earnest well leader, Runner Seven, built them."

I blink in surprise. Evan? I haven't thought about him for ages. Haven't heard from him either, not since he stole a plane and flew off with his dog to the Caribbean.

"Secondary storage facility for his import-export business," She explains. "You didn't think he told you about all his hideouts, did you? There was a man who knew about the value of risk immortalization. Turn left here. I took the precaution of memorizing the schematics. Never know when a secret escape route might come in handy. Knowledge is currency.

"You scrabble around for a few extra clips of ammo, a bar of chocolate as a special treat, but I deal in the hard stuff. Too many people stopped asking questions after the apocalypse. Afraid of answers, I suppose. Not me. You'd be amazed what people would give me in exchange for what I know."

"Yes, I'm sure," I grumble, but she just smirks at me.

"Take your Runner Seven. When he got in touch with the Ministry, I scratched his back and he gave me some very useful intel, including the location and entrance codes for this place. Told me some interesting stuff about Janine too. Did you know she and Travis were already acquainted?"

"What?" I choke, and her smirk broadens.

"No, of course you didn't. They don't exactly shout it from the rooftops, but there's very little anyone can keep from me."

"But you still didn't get what you wanted. You didn't get into those labs, and you never will," I taunt, grinning wickedly at the annoyed glance she sends me.

"We'll see." She looks ahead. "There it is, the tunnel leading down to the river. I've got a speedboat waiting for me, and you... well, you and I will be saying goodbye. For now, just in case your people get ideas about firing one of these rocket launchers at this base," She presses the pistol against my head, "keep running."

I growl, but obey. It's either that or a bullet to the head, and this isn't how I die.

The hallway is dark, and I'm unsure how this will lead to the river. It must lead out to a trail to it, since there is no possible way this hideout could lead directly to it. It's in a cliff. She'll probably leave me at the exit. That's when I'll have to strike, even if it risks me getting shot.

I can't let her get away, not when she has intel on Comansys. I won't let her get away without telling me where Caleb is. She must know. She has to know.

So I'm not going to just let her leave.

I can't exactly tackle her, not with my injured head. My vision is a bit blurred just from running. I imagine tackling someone to the ground would be... not good. If I can just knock the gun out of her hand, I can pin her down and possibly knock her unconscious. I can find out where we are and tell Janine, who will send backup to come get us.

Yes. Yes, that is a good plan.

"Nearly there now," Amelia says after about ten minutes of running. "Should have reception on the coms too. Time to give Janine a quick bell."

"I need runners in the eastern side-"

"Janine? Are you there?"

"You," She says angrily. "Where did you go? What've you done to Runner Five?"

"I hope you'll forgive me if I don't answer that first question. But Runner Five is fine, aren't you?"

"I'm alright, Janine," I say. "Just a small head injury from the plane crash. I'm fine."

"See?" Amelia asks smugly. "We've been having a good chin wag, but shortly we'll be going out separate ways. Before we do though, there are a few things I thought I'd share with you.

"You were right; I have been in touch with Comansys. Look for references to contacting Charlie in my notes. They'll tell you how to get in touch with this Laetitia Greenwald. I know you've been puzzling over that name. It's a code name for something, obviously. The real Laetitia Greenwald was an agent in World War Two."

"What possible reason have we got for trusting you?" She hisses, and Amelia's eyes shine.

"The best one of all-self interest. While you're off chasing Comansys, you won't be bothering about me, will you? And speaking of which, here's the exit now." She looks at me expectantly. "Will you do the honors?"

Alright. This is it. She may have given us some information, but I don't trust her. I'm not letting her get away that easily.

I open the door, waiting for her to look away from me to leave, just for a second.

"Janine, it's been lovely talking to you."

She looks away, and takes a step outside. I ready myself to attack her, when another person suddenly steps in front of her, wearing an almost sinister grin.

"Ah, there you are. And here I am," Simon says, giving me the perfect opportunity. I kick Amelia in the back of the knees, causing her to fall. Then I grab her arms, struggling to get the gun, but Three takes it from her first.

I let go of her, smiling at him. "Great work, Si. Now, let's get on back to..." My smile fades when I realize he's pointing the gun at me. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Sorry. I just feel more comfortable when I'm the one in charge and holding the gun. Funny that."

"Simon," Janine gasps, pain in her voice. "How..."

"Amelia isn't the only one who knows a few secrets," He explains. "Soon as I knew where the plane had crashed, I guessed where she'd go. And those treatments of Van Ark's really had given me a nice bit of speed. I circled around the mountain and came here to wait."

"That's great and all, but why are you still pointing that gun at me?" I growl, causing him to laugh.

"Well, it is the only way I can ever make you stay." Simon looks over to Amelia, who has risen up from her knees. "Heard you mentioned a speedboat, Amelia. That could be very, very handy to me. Why don't you lead the way? Five, you run on beside her. Don't mind me. I'll just be behind you with my nice, new gun."

•

"I can hear that river right now," He says. "Can't you? Guess we're almost there."

"I don't know what you're thinking of doing, Simon, but I want you to give your gun to Runner Five right now," Janine says, and the masked man grits his teeth.

"Give my gun to Five? Is that really all you've got to say to me, Jenny? After all this time?"

"No. As it happens, I've got a very long list of things I want to say to you." Her voice is shaking with emotion. It's one of the few times I've ever heard it do so. "I trusted you, and you made a fool of me. All those times you went for long, solo runs and I allowed it. I covered for you. You told me you needed some time alone. Time alone... you were meeting with Van Ark. Don't deny it."

He scoffs. "Bit late to deny it now. Not that you gave me a chance to explain myself back then, did ya?"

"What was there to explain? You betrayed me."

"I didn't betray you, Jenny."

"No. No, you didn't. You betrayed everyone."

"Yeah..." He looks almost defeated, heartbroken at her words. I look ahead, unable to keep looking at him like that. "Yeah, I did. Nothin' more to say, right? Case closed. When Travis catches me and shoots me, I'll just be gettin' what I deserve."

"Yes, you will."

"No!" I say quickly. "I mean, yeah, what he did was bad, but-but you don't know the whole story."

"The whole... He has you at gunpoint. Why are you still defending him?" She asks.

"Because he's my friend. I mean, if it weren't for him, I would've died when I got lost back in Deadlock territory. He was the one who showed me those notes and files on Comansys. He's not-he's not evil, Janine. Believe me."

"Stop wastin' your breath," Simon says. "I'm about as welcome around these parts as a stale fart, which is why I'm gonna have to half inch your boat, Amelia."

"Well, you could steal it, or... we could head off in it together," She suggests, and he scoffs.

"Didn't you hear? I'm a maverick, solo operator, lone wolf."

"And how far has that got you? Pardon me for commenting, but you don't look to be in particularly great health at the moment."

"Don't listen to her," I say quickly. "Come back to Abel with me. I won't let Travis, or-or anyone hurt you. I swear it. If they wanna get to you, they'll have to get through me first. I-I'll convince Janine to talk to you-just talk. Please."

"Simon," Janine sighs, "if you bring Runner Five back to Abel, she won't have to convince me to talk to you. I will. I promise."

"You could do that," Amelia says, "or you and I could head off together, and I can share some of the data I've been collecting. Some very interesting data in regeneration therapies, for example."

I look back at Simon, cringing at how he perks up. "That's one devious thought to another. I'd like to know why I should trust you."

"Because I might be telling the truth. Imagine if you shot me, and then had to spend the rest of your life with one hand and whatever kind of face you have beneath that mask, wondering. And if I'm lying, you can always shoot me later."

We've made it to the speedboat, and Simon sighs as he hops in it. "Fine. Get on."

"Simon, don't be a fool!" Janine pleads, and he looks down at his feet sadly.

"But I always have been, Jenny."

"Just one loose end to tie up," Amelia says, looking me in the eye and then at the gun.

I pale. "Simon?"

"What?" He looks down at the gun, and then at me. He shakes his head. "No. No. I'm not gonna shoot her."

"You've done so before."

"Yeah, and she survived and for some reason forgave me. I'm not sure she'll be as forgiving a second time around, and if you haven't noticed, she's about as hard to kill as I am."

"We can't risk being followed."

He looks at me. "You won't follow me, will you, Five?"

"Please don't do this," I beg, tears welling up in my eyes. He offers me a sad smile.

"Thought not. Too much to do back at Abel, and I'm not-whatever I am-I'm not a man who shoots his friends in cold blood... Funny. Never knew that about myself."

Amelia starts up the boat's engine, and again I plead for Simon not to do this-not to go.

"Cheerio then, Five," He replies. "Jenny, the Laetitia Greenwald you were talkin' about, I used to teach aerobics on her back in the day. She's not a person; She's a ship."

Then he and Amelia speed off, not looking back.

A/N: That was an interesting turn of events, wasn't it? Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please be sure to vote and comment. Thank you and have a blessed day!