Mother
The Seekers that Ralph had called as soon as he'd spotted the car parked around the back of the building would have to come from the next town. He'd been checking every abandoned house on this road; after calling for help he had hidden behind the car and waited. He hated to leave Ellen and Cloudy in danger a moment longer then necessary, but he did not want to risk loosing his prey. Better to wait and strike with surprise and overwhelming numbers.
Sirens! He said a word that made his ears blush red when it escaped his lips.
Were they trying to get the hostages killed? These stupid local Seekers were probably only used to chasing off raggedy assed wild humans stealing pets to eat.
Making a quick decision now that surprise was already gone, Ralph thought of Ellen and drew his sidearm. He chambered a round and ran into the house. The sound of voices upstairs drew him. He didn't give himself time to think, drawing a breath he kicked the door open.
His memories were hazy, very hazy, after that until the Seekers Healer dosed him with No Pain and carried him off in the back of a Medical Wagon.
….
Leo was never quite sure, afterwards, what he would have done.
It was one of those life changing, cusp of a new world moments where you can feel the world-or maybe just your own part of it- being shaped. Would he have put a single round between her eyes like he'd planned for years but never been able to bring himself to do? Or would he have left her there; taking Clemie and going on as before? A part, a very small and shameful part of himself, wanted to hold her against him and inhale the sweet perfume of her hair and skin and forget the injustice, the blood, hate and anger. It wanted to forgive.
He knew deep down that she would agree to this and while he lived she would pretend to be his. Love him…hold him and care when he woke up sweating and crying in the night.
It would be a lie, he knew, a shameful lie built on the bones of a dead woman…but he might have taken that path because it would bring peace. A man couldn't live on pop-tarts, Awake and hate forever.
Leo was about to do one of the above when a man burst through the door and emptied an entire fourteen round magazine from his pistol. Leo blinked in surprise, shooting his assailant once in the gut as the last round left the other guy's gun.
As the shooter writhed around the floor in agony, a dazed Leo patted himself all over. Not a single bullet had struck.
"That was…was…" His legs almost collapsed under him, reaching out a hand to steady himself on the wall. Bewilderedly, he watched as Ellen screamed and fussed over the Seeker.
"Ralph! RALPH!" She was trying to stop the blood by pressing on the wound, but that just made the Seeker struggle and bleed, more.
"Who the hell are you?" Leo hadn't felt this punchy for years. He pulled Ellen off and knelt on the man's gut. Seeker screamed as Leo patted him down and removed three spare magazines and a phone. He tossed the phone into the corner and pocketed the magazines.
"Time to go Clemie."
"No! Leo!" Ellen was tugging his arm, swatting at him like he was a giant fly or something, "Don't kill him! Please! NO, NO, NO! NOT Ralph!"
"Clemie, we're getting the hell out of here." He tossed Ellen away, looking at her face he felt a sudden urge…an urge to kill this Seeker and have Ellen watch. The urge made him sneer with delight even as he felt a wave of revulsion and disgust at himself. To have Ellen watch and remember forever, just like he had to remember every time he saw her face.
He was looking into her eyes as he took hold of the Seeker's hair. He forced the head back and shoved the barrel up inside its mouth, hearing teeth break. Ellen looked at him, eyes wide for a long moment as if she was seeing him for the first time.
"No…I'm better then you." He spat the words, shaking inside at how out of control he felt. Killing was one thing but if he did this… Leo jerked his knees and put himself upright, sanity returning.
"Clemie, we'd better get the fu-" Clementine lay on the bed, not moving as a pool of blood spread over her chest.
"Oh." He stepped forwards; reaching to her neck to feel for a pulse that he knew wasn't there.
Dead.
She was dead.
The story was ended…He'd come expecting this result, steeling himself for it, but after all the events of…what? The last ten minutes? It felt like a lifetime.
It was all too…unfair.
He turned to Ellen, the writhing Seeker not even registering to his dazed brain anymore, "She's dead."
Ellen stared, shaking her head, and he wondered why he'd ever been bothered to want her, or anyone else, dead…if was all suddenly so pointless.
"But…she's…no." Ellen shook her head, "No! She can't be!"
There was a crash downstairs…shouting, yelling. Leo wondered if he should fight. He could just sit here and let them kill him. That seemed like a good idea. Yes…to sleep, perchance to dream…the thought made him shudder. He looked around the room for another way out. He yanked the blanket from the window. Then rolling over the sill, he tumbled to the ground just a black clad Seekers burst into the bedroom. Leo felt bullets flying over his head. He hit the ground poorly taking the fall on his elbow. Winded, wheezing and hurt, he struggled up, his smashed elbow made him scream. He began to run, gritting his teeth against the pain.
…..
Clementine was irritated to be dead again. Being dead was boring, just a long darkness with the occasional murmur or flash of…well, pain wasn't the right word, more like pressure. Were they taking her to be buried? She wondered if the Worms buried bodies or just cremated them. She didn't really care if they cremated her as long as it didn't hurt…it wasn't as if anyone would come to visit her grave. The world started to get lighter and she wondered if that was the Light that was said to lead to the Other Side. They probably turned it off to save power, she thought with a mental sneer. Yeah, turn the lights off when you go, Clemie.
Last girl in the world and she never even got to kiss a boy, well, except for hazy memories of that creepy janitor Cloudy had done the wild thing with in the boiler room of her apartment block. Clemie's skin crawled at the memory…the guy had smelt of B.O. and Cheeto's.
"She's coming round."
"Ughhnahh!" The sound was coming from her own throat, she realized with alarm. Crap! I'm still alive. She felt a wave of anger at the unfairness of being cheated of a clean death twice…she wondered of she would be able to put up a better fight when they implanted her the second time around.
"Clemie…open your eye's please." The voice was brisk and business like, she complied because not doing so gained her nothing.
The room was white, pristine white and lit by diffuse lighting. A group of besmocked Healers stood around, staring at her like she was an animal in the Zoo. She resisted the urge to growl at them; instead she studied the one who had spoken. He was wearing she reminded herself, a middle aged man, thickset with muscular forearms, and stubby, clumsy looking fingers. A grizzled shock of salt and pepper hair on his head matched the too-lazy-to-shave stubble on his face.
"How do you feel, Clemie?" he took a small pen-light from his top pocket, spinning it in his fingers in a way that said he'd had the habit since before he was him.
She considered, having never been asked this question before to the best of her memory, certainly never by a Soul.
"Like someone shot me." She deadpanned.
The group of Healers…Learners she guessed, tittered and whispered amongst themselves while the one beside her just smiled. She wondered if this was some messed up dream. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced around the room. Some one had put flowers in a vase by her bedside cabinet.
"You were quite badly damaged…the bullet hit you in the chest and tore out part of your left lung…we spent a goodly amount of time patching you up."
"Joy." She said, a sneer of disgust on her face. Angry at them for waking her up so they could gloat it was just so…well, more like something Father would do really.
"Clemie!" The voice just increased the sense of unreality. She hadn't seen Ellen standing a little apart from the student Healers. A man in a black suit stood next to her, looking like he'd bitten a lemon. Ellen wore a smart looking skirt and blouse, her hair freshly done. She walked rapidly over even as the Healer opened his mouth to protest.
"Clemie! I explained to them how Leo murdered Cloudy!" Ellen looked sickened thinking about it. Clemie recalled how hard Ellen had sobbed into her shoulder the one time Cloudy's fate had come up. She thought it was probably real emotion.
"Yes…" The Healer wasn't used to being talked over. He sat on the bed between them and went on, "Now please focus on the light- Let's see there's no neurological damage." He moved the light left and right, chuckling as she moved her head.
"Head still please!" he took a gentle hold on her chin, repeating the procedure.
"Very good." He watched her tracking the light left and right, then up and down, "Your in remarkably good shape considering…there's a mild tendency to diabetes in your genome so watch diet and exercise. Also you'll need corrective lenses in advanced age…open!"
She opened her mouth and was surprised as he popped a lollipop from his top pocket into it. She almost spat the candy out. The students laughed.
"Now Clemie." Ellen stroked her face, eyes warning her to play along, "I told them what happened."
She sincerely doubted that, but nodded sucking the lollipop.
"And…"
"And since…" The man in black spoke and as she looked again she recognized him for what he was, eyes narrowing in instinctive hatred. Seeker.
He looked like every word was burning his tongue as he went on, "Since Ellen is claiming that she's you Mother… your situation is…open to debate..." he glared daggers at Ellen who just glared them right back.
"You're coming home with me!" Ellen told her excitedly.
"You will be released into the care of your….Mother….until such time as your actual status is decided." He was too polite to say until such time as we put you down like a dog but it was quite clear that was what he meant.
"I…" She just nodded, not trusting her voice.
"You have been fitted with a security device." His eyes narrowed, "If you violate the safety of Souls we will use it to terminate you. Do you understand?"
"Uhh-huh."
"We're taking the shuttle this afternoon!" Ellen told her, "I'm taking you home Clemie! Home!"
….
Clemie walked beside her mom, resisting the urge to turn and run as they made their way through the teaming crowds at the Airport. No one even seemed to notice her, dressed in a spare pair of scrubs and gray rubber croc's that someone had given her.
"What happened?" It was the first time that they were relatively alone and unwatched since she'd woken.
"I claimed you-I'm you Mother."
"Yeah…you always were. Didn't stop them putting a Worm in my head."
"A Soul, please Clemie. A Soul." Her mother pursed her lips disapprovingly.
"Yeah…Soul." Her throat was dry and she looked longingly at the food booth.
"Are you hungry?"
"Thirsty." She kept on walking, but Ellen took her arm and gently led her to the counter where a pimple faced Soul in a stripy hat waited.
"What would you like?" Ellen prompted her as the Server looked expectantly; Clemie's mouth went dry.
"How can I serve you?" His voice was just breaking. He was younger then her; she wondered if he'd been implanted as a baby. Did that make it better or worse?
"Coke please." She croaked.
"Diet or regular?"
"Diet…please." She had read about diabetes and didn't think Souls made insulin anymore. The Soul smiled at her, filling a big paper cup with ice and Coke and handed it to her with a smile.
"Have a nice day!" He sounded like he meant it.
Sucking the straw greedily she stepped away, willing her heart to stop thumping the front of her chest.
"Motherhood is…I guess, important isn't enough…is sacred among my people," explained Ellen.
For some reason when she said my people it made Clemie shiver.
Ellen noticed but didn't comment, "SO…after the Seekers found out you weren't Cloudy they were going to…" She shuddered, "to discard you as unsuitable for a Host. When I said I was your MOTHER, and said that I wanted you, it put them in a…difficult position."
"You could just…say "This is my daughter' and that's it?" She was incredulous.
"No…I said I am your Mother. You have no rights amongst Soul's. My being your Mother is what matters." She shrugged, seeing the other's scowl "Sorry."
"You could have done that…anytime?" Clemie felt herself scowl harder, thinking of cold nights in the forest and eating out of garbage cans.
"Your not…your standing is not known. I think we'll be ok…but…I can't promise Clemie."
"What does this thing do?" She twisted at the smooth and seamless steel band around her wrist.
"If you do anything…wrong… then the Seekers can activate it via Satellite."
"What does it do?" She bet nothing good.
"It will release a…Uhm…a very large dose of…Uhm…medicine."
"Medicine?" Clementine raised an eyebrow, "What kind of medicine?"
"You would…go to sleep. Forever."
"Eww…" She tried to slip it off, but the damn thing was smaller then her hand.
"Don't mess with it! If you try to cut it or break it, it'll activate!"
"What kind of evil person thinks of a thing like that?" She cried bitterly, holding her wrist before her face and staring hatefully at the thin silver band.
"Uhh…" Ellen went very, very red and didn't say anything else until they got on the shuttle.
…
"Here we are!" Ellen said happily, leading Clemie into the apartment and flicking the light's on.
"Wow mom…." Clemie looked around, eyes looking by long training for items worth carrying off.
"Rascal!"
Clemie's eyes opened with surprise at the name, growing wider as a large tabby cat came running out of the kitchen and yowled at Ellen who reached down and scooped him up, stroking as the cat purred furiously.
"Did you miss me?" She asked, her voice changing to baby talk, "Did you miss your moma? Did you? Huh?"
Clemie looked at the cat, which looked at her over Ellen's shoulders and hissed.
"Rascal! Be good for Clemie!"
She dropped the cat who ran off and showed Clemie the apartment. Then they went shopping for new clothes…to Clementine it was still very strange to be able to just walk into a store and take stuff up to the register without fear.
"Clemie!" Ellen admonished her, "Why are you taking three of everything?"
"Uhh…" because she didn't believe she could just come back and get some more when she needed to, "No reason I guess."
They checked out their purchases and got a coffee from Star Buck's on the way home, sitting out in the afternoon sun at a table and sipping it.
"So…what do you want to do, Clemie?"
Stay alive wasn't what Ellen would want to hear, so instead she just shrugged.
"You have to do something. I don't know if they would take you at a food preparation place…but perhaps an office? Or you could…would you like manual work maybe?"
"I always worked with my hands…" She smirked at her mothers face, "Just teasing."
"Clemie." Ellen said slowly, "Clemie you must do everything you can to fit in. I know it's not easy for you to…" Ellen considered her words, "The Seekers were… very upset with me…they don't like you."
"I hate them." Clemie said softly. She hated them for screwing her father's life up, more so for how they'd hunted her like an animal.
"Clemie…" Ellen said delicately, "Hate…anger is… Please, even if you don't want to live will you please try for me? Please? You know…." She sniffled, "You know how much I gave up for you."
"Yes Mom." Clemie nodded, feeling stupid and mean and selfish.
"How about college?" Suggested Ellen, brightening suddenly "You could take classes and we could eat lunch together?"
"College?" Clementine wondered what she could learn at college.