Chapter 1: Arsenic
Rushmere was a settlement located right next to Burwell Bay. The ocean air and abundance of fish brought what little normalcy it could to the survivors who lived here. Ana did whatever she could to get by: patching up the occasional wound, helping Mrs. Jones garden, and of course guard duty. Still, it was barely enough. She had a small hobble, with a makeshift kitchen that centered around a chimney — this way she didn't have to rely on propane or batteries. It was humble, but it had all Ana needed: a small table to prepare food, a wooden chair for sitting, and a single bed mattress to sleep when she could. Otherwise, her day was spent outside helping in the community garden, community kitchen, or in family homes. As long as she had the strength to do work, she could survive on her own.
"Ana?" she turns to see who addressed her.
"Hey Mrs. Jones" she lifts the left corner of her lip, attempting to smile. She's surprised Mrs. Jones has come to visit her shanty living quarters.
"The boys are coming back from the supply run tonight, so I'm going to need some help in the kitchen. About time we had a little celebration, don't you think?" Mrs. Jones leans against the entrance, holding a filthy cloth in her hand - no doubt already cleaning and cooking for the arrival.
Ana sits up from her bed, "Tonight? Wasn't the run supposed to take a week?"
"It has been a week. It's Friday hon. Come, we need to get started."
Ana starts with cleaning the squash that they harvested yesterday along with corn on the cobs. Two easy to prepare vegetables that will go well with any meat the runners bring back. Mrs. Jones already had a few loaves of bread ready for baking, a special treat. We only used flour a few times a year. Northern traders brought wheat down every couple of months in exchange for blacksmithing or fish products. The only thing left to do was to get butter, which I'm sure Ana's neighbor, George, would be more than happy to spare for a spot at the table tonight.
By the time dusk arrived, the runners were back. Niko, José, Remington, and Ethan. Remington was proud to present venison from an elk the men had hunted together. They gathered at the center of our town around a firepit that the men were now converting into a grill. Soon they had a group of twelve sitting and chatting while Mrs. Jones and Ethan kept a close eye on the food. It was a beautiful night, pitch black with a spattering of clouds blocking the moon.
"We were out there for three days, in the rain, mud, and shit before we even saw any living creature besides a squirrel. Nothing but stringy meat and potatoes. It was just miserable." Ethan smiled, eyes glancing in appreciation at the venison steak he was flipping over. Ethan was a thin, but sturdy man - a bald head and prominent brown beard framed his face.
"If it weren't for José, we wouldn't have even seen the herd! It was two males and I reckon three deer. He got a nice shot from the opposite mountain, but it took us a good hour or two to get to the body." Remington gave José a generous slap on the back in appreciation.
José nodded, looking past the gathering into the night. His lips were frozen into a slomen line. He stood up promptly ignoring the rest of the conversation. Ana followed his view and noticed a figure standing in the distance, the silhouette of a man outlined by the night.
Remington noticed the change in José's demeanor and looked towards the darkness, "Go on José."
José met the mysterious figure. Ana watched the exchange with indiscernible words continue while Remington picked himself up and meet them.
As the figure steps into view, she notices a backpack in his left hand and a rifle slung across his back. He has short dark-copper hair and a gruff beard, but she couldn't make out the color of his eyes from the distance between them. She feels like she's seen him before, but she can't put her finger on it. José takes the backpack out of the man's hands and proceeds to take out a pile of papers, he pauses to read the front of the stack and says another phrase she can't make out.
Remington motions towards Ana and her circle of friends. The stranger looks reluctant, but Remington grips him in a half hug, leading him to the grill.
"Everybody, this is Christian. We met him on our trip when we passed Solder. He's come down all the way from New England to make a delivery. Please let him join us tonight."
Mrs. Jones eyes the man with skepticism as Remington brings him closer.
"Take a seat, let me get you a plate." Remington takes a glass plate from a nearby table which Ethan fills with food without hesitation.
The man, Christian, appraises the circle for a minute before sitting on a lawn chair next to the boys. "Thank you." He says softly.
"So, what are you delivering Christian?" Mrs. Jones starts.
Her question is met with clear irritation by José and Remington, they look pleadingly at Christian.
"A backpack, from a friend of José." Christian deadpans, eyes dead set on Mrs. Jones.
"A backpack…?" Mrs. Jones questions before being interrupted by José.
"Gail." José seethes.
Mrs. Jones is startled by the use of her first name. She halts her question, but is still visibly confused by José's defensiveness.
Christian looks to José, seemingly nonplussed by the situation. He takes the filled plate from Remington and pokes at his food. He stares at the other folks digging in and seems to relax a notch, taking a bite of his venison meat.
Niko nudges Ana with his elbow, breaking away her attention from the odd scene, "That's a mercenary José hired from West Virginia." He speaks in a hushed voice then takes a bite of Mrs. Jones's bread. Ana is sitting across from the mysterious man and finds Niko's sad attempt at being discreet annoying. They are still obviously in earshot, Christian's look of acknowledgement in her direction says it all.
She has many questions at that point. This man, Christian, didn't strike her as a mercenary at all. No bulletproof vest, no military garb, or outlandish automatic weapon to display. She has met quite a few of them and they're usually unpleasant to be around and hot-headed with itchy trigger fingers. This occupation didn't sit with her well.
Then there's the matter of José's involvement, what would José need a mercenary for anyways? Was he in an area where extra protection was necessary? Weren't Remington, Niko, and Ethan enough back up and capable of anything this man could possibly do? Did José lose his backpack along the way?
"How was the trip here Christian? If we'd known you were close behind we would've stopped for you." José leaned back on his seat, looking to Christian.
"Hmm. Uneventful." Christian muttered, nearly finished with his plate already. He had no response to the missed opportunity for companions along the way. He didn't seem anxious at all. Just hungry.
"You got somewhere to sleep tonight?" José pressed.
"No." Christian stuffed the last piece of venison in his mouth.
"We got a room set up, you're welcome to stay the night."
"I need to head out."
"At this time of night? It's no problem Christian. We'll rustle you up some breakfast tomorrow and send you on your way."
Christian's eyes flickered around the campfire and settled on Ana for a second before answering José, "Are you sure?"
"Of course, come I'll show you the space. Ana, would you bring a blanket and pillow?" José leads Christian away.
"Oh, yes of course." Ana feels startled after being addressed directly, she felt like a fly on the wall for the duration of the conversation. She hurries to the garage sitting next to the gathering location, looking for the extra set of beddings Mrs. Jones had recently washed. People often stayed the night in the guest bedroom under José's watchful eye. She stops outside of the door of José's house once she gets the bedding and catches a snippet of a conversation inside.
"... boys are packing it up right now. Would you like it now or in the morning?" It's José.
"Tonight." She hears another voice respond.
The creak of the front entrance alerts them to Ana's presence. Ana follows the sight of the camping lantern down the hall. She finds Christian and José standing over the guestroom's mattress.
She pauses at the door frame as awkward silence fills the room. She has obviously stopped the conversation so she speaks up, "I have a wool blanket and a pillow for you Mr. Grey."
Forgetting himself for a moment, José finally cuts in, "Christian, this is Anastasia. You can call her Ms. Steele."
Ana glares at José's suggestion. Ms. Steele? Really? "Please, call me Ana."
"Thank you Ana." José teases, grabbing the bedding from her. She can see the glint of humor in his eyes.
Christian turns to look at Ana, something seems to be bothering him about her. Ana isn't sure what it is, but he acknowledges her nonetheless, "Ana…" he sounds like he's trying the word on his tongue. He quickly looks away.
"Have a goodnight." She attempts a smile then exits.
She heads back to the campfire to finish her meal and is immediately bombarded with questions from Mrs. Jones.
"Do you know who that is?" Mrs. Jones urges, "We don't need that type here, and we definitely don't need them sticking around."
"Niko told me he's a mercenary." Ana pauses in thought.
"A mercenary? So, what? He kills people for a living?" Mrs. Jones lips stiffen into a straight line.
"That's not all mercenaries do, sometimes they protect people." Ana finishes her plate and drops the dish into the designated bin.
"And that backpack he brought here? You think a mercenary is making deliveries now?" Mrs. Jones scoffs. "If he's willing to kill for our settlement, what makes you think he won't flip on us the moment some other gentleman offers enough."
"Doesn't look like we have a choice Mrs. Jones. Come on, let's clean up." She looks around at the smoldering fire and the few people chatting in groups. Everyone is done eating and there are a lot of dishes to wash.
Later that night, in the dark, Ana ponders the new visitor. Sometimes Rushmere will go months without any outside contact and she'll delude herself into thinking the war never happened. Her father offered her unparalleled protection and a community here, but never shied away from telling the gruesome truths of the past.
—
July 29th, 2033
Ana is laying on her stomach reading a book and soaking up the sun. It had been a dreary week of rainstorms and the warm rays were a small comfort. After a day of hard work of cleaning out the chicken coop and restocking it, she's finally able to relax.
A couple of hours into her reading, she can hear her father's arrival by the sound of the cupboards opening and closing in the kitchen. She hears the backdoor open and slam shut. Ana dog ears the page she's on to see her father arriving at the beach chair next to her.
"Hey Annie." Ray smiles, drink in hand. He plops down onto his designated chair.
"What you got there?" Ana eyes his beverage. He only drinks liquor on tough days. She's wary.
Ray takes a sip. For a moment she thinks he didn't hear her, then he speaks, "Whisky. Got this from the caravan that came through a year ago."
"Special occasion?" Ana presses. She brings herself into a sitting position, crossing her legs.
Ray looks speculatively at Ana, "Today is the day your mother passed away."
Ana doesn't have any words. She was right about the liquor.
"I miss her. I'm sorry Annie, I don't mean anything by it."
"Of course Dad." Ana knew she couldn't do much, but she could listen if he needed it.
"I fell in love with her twenty-four years ago. You know, you wouldn't believe what the world was like before the chaos."
"Tell me."
Ray takes another sip, "I told you before, she was a nurse. We worked at a hospital in Washington. We weren't supposed to be together, your mother and I. Being a doctor there… It was considered fraternization." Ray chuckles, "But there she was pregnant with you when the first bombs fell."
Ana listens intently, pulling her knees up to her chest.
"We were hearing all manner of rumors about who did it, North Korea, China, Russia, even our allies. It didn't matter much when we began fighting amongst ourselves. With our water supplies destroyed and shipments cut, it was every man for himself."
"Soon, there wasn't a single hospital in the state that could accommodate a critical injury. All of them were ransacked. It's a miracle I wasn't murdered while on the job. Yet, all I could think about at the time was the safety of your mother. I got the supplies I needed for your delivery, I was ready at a moment's notice. I had everything in place." Ray's voice cracks at the last word.
Ana knows the rest of the story. Her birth had gone horribly wrong, a postpartum hemorrhage.
"She wouldn't stop bleeding. She bled out. The blood that I stole… It wasn't enough. At that point, we didn't even have police officers to take care of the proceedings. My friends and I buried her in our backyard in Washington. I think about her everyday, Annie, I want you to know she would've been a great mother."
"I believe you Dad." Ana stands up and leans over to hug her father, "I'm sorry."
He reciprocates the hug easily, "It's not your fault Annie. Fate is cruel. It struck at the perfect time."
In the morning, she manages to scrounge up a lousy breakfast from leftover bread from last night and heads off to José's house for further directions. The daylight brings the peeling and faded blue paint to the forefront — José's house isn't much of a looker, but it's the only fully intact four bedroom house in the settlement and it beats living in a tent like most of the folks do. She pauses at the front door and knocks, shortly Mrs. Jones answers the door.
"Ana, come in, come in." She motions indoors, "Did you have breakfast?" The smell of eggs and pork fills the room." Nobody mentioned catching boar last night.
"No thank you, just here to get my duties for the day." She enters and finds José and Christian standing in the dining room, presumably just finished eating breakfast and packing to leave.
"When can I call on you again?" José questions.
"I'll be back within the month." Christian looks to me, swinging an ammo sack over his shoulder.
"I can't exactly make a hunting trip around that time frame" José whines.
Christian shrugs, "If it comes to that, I can wait around here."
José appears to be dissatisfied with the response, but relents, "Thank you again Christian. You know what it means to me." He pulls Christian into a quick hug. Christian stiffens up, but lets it happen then turns to leave.
"Ma'am." Christian acknowledges me and exits out the front door.
When Ana is sure Christian is at a fair distance, she turns on José, "You're trading ammo with mercenaries now?" Her criticism is evident. If there was even a whisper of the possibility of ammo, Rushmere would be the target of constant pillages.
"Just some .22 rounds and Christian isn't the talking type."
It was hard to argue with the second part, but any ammo was well sought after these days.
"And what exactly has this trustworthy individual done for you?" She takes a dining room chair. She won't be leaving until this mystery unravels. Visitors are uncommon and a high risk.
"It's not your concern and if it was, you'd know it." José dismisses her.
"Everything that affects this settlement is my concern." She stands her ground. She does not take this situation lightly.
"It won't affect this settlement Ana. I know why you are concerned."
"Do you know that or is it a hope?" Her voice gets higher with anger.
José is exasperated, "Ana, stop it."
"Did you hire him to kill someone, José?"
José looks away from me, clenching his jaw, "Your father didn't die to a mercenary Ana."
She ignores the pang in her chest, "You don't know that. You trust a hitman not to betray you?"
"Most of us have had to kill to survive Ana and you seem to trust us. With Christian, he's just particularly good at it. That's all there is to it."
"And what for?"
"It's personal Ana. The man was a real piece of shit and during these times, that's really saying something. Christian… He's a capable man. I haven't heard so much as a word about disloyalty from him and believe me, I vetted him. He pulled through for this job even though I fronted half of his pay." José crosses the dining room, walking towards the exit.
She watches his back before he leaves, "I don't trust him."
"You don't need to Ana, I'm doing that for you." José pauses before leaving, "You're on guard duty today. Take up a rifle and end Niko's shift at the back gate."
She says nothing further. She said her peace. Maybe I am unnecessarily wound up, but Brokersville didn't survive from 20 years by creating a friendly neighborhood. Thieves, rapists, and murderers are abound and slaying a town is just a drop in the bucket for the lot of them.
She catches Niko in the radio tower at the back of the settlement. He's kicking back in a chair, hat slouched over and covering his eyes.
"I'm on duty today, Niko." She interrupts his slumber.
He shifts his hat back in place and looks at her, he rubs his eyes and stands up stiffly, "Thanks Ana."
"Get some rest."
"Ha, I wish. Jennifer's got me babysitting the kids today."
"Good luck with that." She teases, taking the abandoned seat.
"I'll catch you later Ana."
"Bye Niko."
I'm in for a long day. She can't help but to think that José put her here on purpose. However, she doesn't mind boredom when the alternative is turning soil in the fields. She decides to check the radio channels for any possible news. Frenedine, a neighboring settlement, is sounding off their daily news. Two thieves were hanged at 8:00 AM this morning. Just in time for breakfast. She flicks through a few more frequencies and hears the Quinton settlement communicating up North about a homicide of a woman with a suspect on the run — a tall man with long dirty blonde hair, a denim jacket, and armed with a handgun. Otherwise, there is no news for the day.
Georgetown, God bless them, is sharing their music on the radio. She leaves it on and keeps her eyes on the backroads of Rushmere. A few hours into her shift, she hears footsteps climbing up the steps. It's Ethan carrying leftovers from last night, "Lunch break?"
"Yes, please." Ana smiles and accepts the dish.
Ethan peers out of the guard tower, and settles on a chair opposite of Ana, "We got some news on our trip."
"About?" Ana bites a piece of sweet potato.
Ethan presses his hands down on his knees, "The missing party's whereabouts."
Ana can tell he's nervous. It's about her missing father, Ray.
"Paul's been found alive."
Ana stops eating. Paul is one of the missing members that was on her father's first aid team.
"Alive? After all these years?"
"We met a man in Maine who got stitched up by a Paul, a Paul Richardson with blonde hair and blue eyes. We left him with our radio frequency, told him we'd pay him a pretty penny if he could get this Paul Richardson to contact us.
Ana practically sneers, "Why would he contact us now if he didn't bother for years?"
Ethan rolls his eyes, "Of course we thought of that Ana. We may have not so subtly said force may be necessary, but strictly no killing in this particular case. José and I have been keeping the channel open now and for the foreseeable future."
"I'll visit the town he was spotted in. We can get a search party going." Ana stands quickly.
"We're not wasting resources and risking people if it's not essential Ana."
"So, we're going to sit around waiting?"
"For the time being, if Paul can give us anything, it may be enough to set up a search party. We already lost enough Ana. We don't need to double it."
Ana calms herself, poking at the cubed venison, "This lead is better than anything we've gotten so far."
"Yes and we don't want to blow it."
It's two days until the man from Maine follows up on his promise. Ethan is on duty when his voice comes through, he manages to get José and Ana into the room to listen in.
"We ready?" A voice sounds off over the intercom. The connection isn't great, but it will have to do.
José speaks into the radio, "Let's hear the man."
"Just so you know, we got him tied up. We softened him up a bit too, he should be ready to speak."
The news is sombering, Paul was once an upstanding member of their settlement. He was Richard's best medic and a friend to all present in the room.
What would drive him to this? Ana wonders.
"Roger. Paul, you there? It's José."
There's gasping over the radio, "Please José. I got nothing, tell these men to leave me—" there's a sharp thwack that stops Paul mid-sentence.
"Paul. You know why this is happening. We didn't want it to come to this, but we all have family… loved ones that didn't come back. Is someone threatening you to keep quiet? Do you have something to do with why they're gone?" José speaks with urgency.
Ana notices Ethan in a reflective state, his brother went missing on this trip.
"José," Paul speaks with desperation, "They'll kill me José."
José looks around the room, at Ana and Ethan, he suspects not everyone will agree with what he has to say next, "You know your captors? If you don't give me what I want, I'll make sure you die today."
Surprisingly, Ana and Ethan are stoic. The wait for any information has been enough.
"José, I can't."
"Larry?" José asks, calling one of the captors by name.
"Yep?" Larry pipes up.
"Are you willing to kill Paul for supplies?"
There's a pause, "How much supplies?" Larry seems all too willing.
Paul's voice yells in the background, "We were robbed! It was an ambush on our way back."
"Put him back on." José smirks.
"We made it to North Dakota, we got the medical supplies."
"Then?" José urges.
"That militia group… the Phoenix Abolitionists, they were all the way up there — I don't know why. They kidnapped the whole party and stole our supplies. No one was able to escape."
Ana's heart drops. Images of her father in their final moments together come to mind. She sees Ethan is shaken too. Phoenix Abolitionists were not merciful people. News of their brutal execution demonstrations, raids, and other nefarious practices was a common occurrence across the continent.
"You made it out Paul. Why's that?" José's tone sounds accusatory.
"I- I hid. I made it to the forest, but I saw the whole thing."
"You just told me they'd kill you. How did you know that if they never spoke to you? Why didn't you come back Paul?"
"I didn't want to be a disappointment."
José has heard of this situation a million times, "You're lying Paul. Did you rat on your friends? Collect money in exchange for information?"
"I swear it, José. I had nothing to do with it."
José now turns to Ana and Ethan, "What do we do with him?"
"We don't have enough information José. We need to know the men who did this, anyone in that squad."
José nods and speaks into the mic, "Give us names, squad numbers, anything — and I'll let you live."
There is momentary silence, before Paul answers, "I don't remember much, maybe three names... Aiden.. then" another moment of silence, "a woman named Bailey… and a man Christian."
José doesn't miss a beat, "Any last names?"
"No, I'm sorry."
"Can you describe Christian for me?"
"Sure, he's got dark hair, an average height, and gray eyes."
The description matches with Christian Grey, but it's still too vague to be certain.
"Anything else?"
"I don't know what else to say, it was such a long time ago. They all had the same uniform on, bullet proof vests, black armbands with the X on them… this Christian looked like all of the rest of them. I'm sorry José."
Alright, José stands up, "Let him go. We'll have someone leaving this week to deliver your cases of buckshot and food Larry."
"Got it." It's Larry again.
José swivels around to look at Ana and Ethan once more, "Do you think it's him?"
"Christian is capable of such a deed." Ethan agrees.
Ana glares at José, it takes a lot of effort to not tell him she saw this coming. He feels her stare, but ignores the gesture, "How will we find him?"
"He said he'd be back this month." Remington pitches in.
"Do we make him speak?" Ana wonders.
"This is Christian we're speaking about." José is incredulous. The stories he heard were not in their favor. He has only seen Christian's neutral side, but he knows the man stopped counting his body toll years ago.
Ethan agrees with José, "Ana, Christian has been through practically this entire country by himself and is still alive. He can probably spot a trap from a mile away."
"No one is invincible." Ana knows they have strength in numbers. There is no way he could make it out alive if they at least scrounge up three willing participants.
"You're right, but we need to be smart about this. Are we willing to sacrifice one of us for this, when we could find a better way?" José knows they could kill him, but at what cost? Christian wouldn't allow himself to be killed without consequences.
"There are other ways of extracting information, we can talk to him or bribe him." Ethan suggests. "He doesn't seem to be in the militia business anymore."
Ana knows there simply isn't enough evidence to make assumptions,"We can't risk Phoenix Abolitionists leveling this town over him."
"I'll ask him where he's heading out to next, maybe we can have a man or two tag along with him. Get buddy buddy." Ethan looks to José for approval.
"How would that help?" Ana questions, "That sounds like a long game to be playing when our families are on the line."
Ethan throws up his hands, "It's better than springing an inquisition on him when he gets back. Plus, leading him away from the others and any form of communication doesn't hurt."
José frowns,"Once he clams up, we've lost our only lead. Ethan may be right."
So, they devise a plan. When Christian makes it back, they will ask him to be an escort to Duluth, Minnesota. Nobody in their settlement has traveled that far, but from José and Christian's few conversations, Christian moved his way up and down the US more often than anyone else he knows.
They would set up a deal to sell their few antibiotics in exchange for seedlings and livestock. If things went according to plan, they'd get information along the way and dispatch Christian. This was not up for debate, Christian was an outsider, responsible for the disappearance of many innocents.
The main point of debate was who would go. Remington, Niko, Ethan, and José were all willing, but they could not leave the town vulnerable for long. As such, Remington and Ethan stepped up to the plate. The decision sat well with everybody, except once it was decided, Ana insisted on going. Her father, Ray, was all that connected her to this place. Without her foundation, she was not anchored here.
After much argument, José could see that no amount of reasoning would sway Ana from this mission. She would be going with Remington and Ethan, to their chagrin.
With everybody gone, José pulls Ana aside. "Before Christian arrives…" He looks around before looking directly into Ana's eyes.
"Listen carefully Ana." José stresses. He reaches into his cargo pants and gently opens the palm of his hand to reveal a white capsule, "This is arsenic."
"All it takes is ingestion and you will be out of this world within minutes. When it's time, break it and pour it into his drink or hide it in his food. Do not let it touch your skin." He looks down at the capsule and gently transfers it into Ana's palm, "Hide it well and make sure it's protected."
Ana gracefully pockets the item, but looks to José in confusion, "Why not give this to Remington or Ethan?"
"I don't mean this as an insult Ana, but I do not see a physical altercation with Christian going in your favor. Don't get into an unnecessary struggle if possible."
Ana has never killed before, but for her father back, there isn't much she wouldn't do.