Faceless, p.4
Faceless, page 4
“Why do you care so much?” Mina asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Bash didn't respond. She, of all people, should have understood.
“If they can’t remove their masks, how do they eat?” Maverick’s voice broke the silence. Bash was grateful when everyone turned their attention away from him.
“They don’t. At least not the same way you and I do.” Colt carefully turned the girl’s head to the side. She emitted a soft growl, but didn’t fight as he brushed aside her filthy mane and exposed the back of her neck. A strange metal disk embedded directly above her spinal column flashed in the light. Bash winced. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen a port like that.
“What is it?” Theo asked, looking over Mav’s shoulder as they crowded around the table.
“It’s what the Inferus use to make humans their slaves. Every night, they use this port to hook the Faceless up to a machine. It feeds them a slurry of all needed sustenance to keep them alive, while removing their living essence a little at a time to keep the Inferus alive. The process turns them into the mindless creature you see before you.” Colt scoffed in disgust. “I couldn’t imagine how dangerous they’d be if they actually thought for themselves.”
“What do you mean?” Theo asked, and Bash was glad someone else had said it.
Colt pointed to the metal disk. “The concoction flowing in their veins, the one the Inferus pump through their system every night that keeps them alive... it stimulates their bodies similarly to what an adrenaline spike does to ours and gives them enhanced strength. The fact that you were able to restrain her means she’s weak. A normal Faceless is at least twice as strong as any one of us. Besides leeching their memories, the mixture slowly destroys their ability to think and act for themselves. It kills their humanity. They’re more or less a machine, and if given an order, they’ll carry it out. But otherwise they can’t do much of anything for themselves.”
Bash felt sick.
“How do you know all of this?” Maverick asked, his dark, slanted gaze fixed on the Faceless.
A concerned look passed between Bash and Colt. The answer to that question wasn’t their secret to share.
“We have our sources,” Colt said.
Mav opened his mouth, but the Faceless uttered a soft moan and began jerking violently on the table.
“Why’s she seizing?” Bash raced forward and threw his weight against the girl's trembling body. Theo and Mav joined him as Mina held her head to keep it from thrashing against the table.
“She’s dying.” Colt said.
Bash’s eyes flew to the doctor's saddened face. “Isn’t there anything we can do? Can’t we reverse her condition?”
Colt’s pained blue eyes met his, and Bash knew he understood why he needed this so much. “I’m sorry. Her body can’t survive without the drugs the Inferus’ feed them. She’s going through withdrawals. If she doesn’t return, she’ll die.”
“She’s human; there has to be some way we can help her!”
“No, Bash, she used to be human. She’s not anymore. None of them are, and there’s nothing we can do to bring them back. Once a Faceless, always a Faceless.”
Colt’s words dug into Bash, leaving him hollow inside. The dying creature finally calmed beneath his touch. Eyes burning, Bash stumbled away and tore out the tent door.
It’s not Tempest; it’s not her. It never will be. Tempest is dead; There is no way she could have survived.
No matter how hard Bash tried to convince himself, he couldn’t get the blaring ‘what if’ in his brain to shut up. He shuddered, unable to rid the memory of the poor creature seizing from his mind. Once a human, now a Faceless destined to die.
“Bash?” a gentle, familiar voice shattered his spiraling thoughts.
He looked up from where he sat on his cot, knees pulled to his chest. Skully perked up from the rug beside him. The canvas door folded back to reveal a woman seated in a wheelchair.
“Deja.” Bash swung his feet to the ground and rushed to help the woman with the door.
“Thanks.” She wheeled herself inside the cramped tent, while he let the canvas fall behind her.
“How are you?” He maneuvered around the wheelchair in the messy space and resumed his seat on the cot.
She had been a beautiful woman, once, with the same golden streaked brown hair and big blue eyes as her children. But, because of the drug plaguing her system, she deteriorated a little more every day. Her hair was mere wisps around her sunken and hollow gaze. Even through her threadbare clothes, her bones jut out, straining against her paper thin skin. She was little more than a living corpse.
“I’m as good as I can be.” Deja chuckled, as Skully jumped up to greet her, wagging his tail. He rested his head in her lap, staring up at her with adoring eyes.
“Hey, Skull Crusher, it's been too long, hasn’t it?” She scratched behind his ears, turning her attention back toward Bash. “And how are you holding up, my boy?”
He looked down at his calloused hands. What was he supposed to say?
“Mina came by earlier. You know she worries about you.” Deja placed a withered hand on his leg.
“Well, she doesn’t need to,” Bash hissed. He regretted being so negative, but Mina needed to mind her own business.
“She told me about the Faceless.”
Deja was trying to comfort him, like she always had. He was grateful for her concern, but he didn’t need it. There was nothing anyone could do or say that would ‘help’ him. His problems were things he needed to work out on his own and something only time could heal.
“Why are you taking this so hard, Bash? It’s not Tempest,” Deja said softly.
He finally met her worried blue eyes. “Maybe not, but that Faceless was still a human. She was important to others the same way Tempest was important to us. Just because she’s not her doesn’t mean she deserves to die.”
Deja frowned. “Bash, no one here wants the death of another human being. We have no options. If there were, don’t you think we would have found them by now? If there was some miracle cure, I wouldn’t be stuck here dying in this chair.” Deja’s voice broke, and she dropped her eyes, covering her face with her hands.
Guilt churned Bash’s stomach, and he slipped forward off the cot onto his knees before the frail woman. Gently, he grasped her wrists and drew her bony hands away from her face.
“I’m sorry, Deja. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Deja gave a weak smile. “Bash, you didn’t hurt me, dear boy. Sometimes I just let my emotions get the better of me. Having this Faceless here, dying, I guess it hits home and reminds me of what I really am.”
“You’re not Faceless, Deja,” Bash insisted.
She laughed. “Bash, I might not have a mask, but in all other ways, I’m dying the same as any other Faceless. The only difference is that I was the lucky one. I got away.”
Bash shuddered. Deja was the only person he knew who had survived the aliens' grasp and from the little she could remember, death was a better fate. What horrors had she endured in their clutches?
As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. Deja had been dying for the past twenty years because they couldn’t find a cure for the poison lacing her veins. She hadn’t received much. She’d only been a prisoner of the Inferus for five days before her husband, Zachary, had found and freed her, but it was long enough to leave lasting damage. Not as fast as the Faceless dying in their camp, but sufficient to wear her body and her mind down a little more each day. She’d lost a lot of her memory already, and the use of her legs had gone a few months ago. Her life was a bomb waiting to go off, and it was only a matter of ticks before she ran out of time.
“I’ve accepted my fate, and I’m okay with it. I’ll get to see my daughter’s bright and happy face again. I’ll be able to walk again. Don’t be sad for me. When the time comes, I’ll finally be free.”
He remained silent, his throat tight.
She patted his cheek, inspecting his pained face. “It’s not my inevitable death you need to accept, is it?”
Bash dropped his gaze to the floor. She knew him too well. “Deja,” he whispered, afraid if he spoke any louder, his voice would break. “I can’t let her go.”
Deja moved her hand down to his chin, coaxing him to look at her once again. “I know how hard this is for you. I couldn’t help but notice you still have her things.” She nodded toward a couple of crates stacked against the side of the tent. “Why don’t you let yourself be free? She wouldn’t want you holding on to her so tightly and hurting yourself. Tempest loved you and you loved her, but she’s gone.”
“What if she isn’t? What if, by some horrible twist of fate, she survived only to be taken and broken by those diabolical creatures? What if she was the one on that table, slated for death without a hope in the world? What would you do? What am I supposed to do?” Bash hung his head, reaching up to clasp the engraved gold ring in his ear while a hollow ache swelled in his chest.
Deja sighed and dropped her hand. “I wish I knew how to help you, Bash, but all I know is that those ‘what if’s’ will never be. I say this with the utmost care and concern, but Tempest is dead. You should move on.”
Bash shook his head. She made it sound so easy, but it wasn’t. He knew. He’d tried. Every day since then. Tempest would want him to move on, but he was too weak, he couldn’t. Not yet; maybe never.
“Deja!” a harsh voice called out as the door to the tent flew open.
Bash squinted against the bright light of day pouring in and shielded his eyes with his hand. He groaned, recognizing the tall, broad-shouldered form standing outlined in the doorway. Zachary. Tempest and Hades' father, Deja’s husband, and the appointed ‘Leader’ of the Reliquiae.
“Zachary. Welcome back from patrol.” Bash forced himself to be polite to the man who never returned the favor.
Zachary frowned, ignoring him, while his grey eyes rested on Deja. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
Deja smirked before spinning the wheelchair to face her husband. “Well, you found me, dear. What’s the problem this time?”
Bash ducked to hide his smile as Zachary’s eyes bulged and a vein pulsed in his temple, just beneath his receding brown and grey hairline.
“Problem?” Zachary sputtered. “I just got back from patrol to find that a group of clueless scouts dragged a live Faceless into Camp.”
“I know,” Deja said, her voice flat, but her tone did nothing to ease Zachary’s fury.
“You know.” Zachary stared at his wife, fists clenched, before he moved to glare at Bash. “Did you?”
“Yes.”
Zachary growled and threw his hands in the air. “Am I the last one in the compound to hear about this?!”
Bash and Deja shared a look of understanding as Zachary paced back and forth in the small doorway.
“Does no one even think of the implications of bringing that thing here? What if it got loose? What if it’s sick with a new strain of disease? Or just a scout and the rest of its pack come looking for it?”
Bash couldn’t blame him. Similar thoughts had plagued his own mind.
“And you,” Zachary growled, pointing his finger at Bash. “You knew and you still let them bring it here? Between you and my son, I assumed one of you would have enough sense to keep that thing outside the perimeter.”
Bash flinched while Deja touched her husband's arm.
“Zachary, don’t be so harsh on the boys. It’s not their job to make those decisions.”
Zachary finally stopped pacing to take in his wife. “No, that’s my job.” He sighed and folded his arms.
“I worried when I couldn’t find you,” Zachary offered in apology to Deja.
Bash didn’t hold his breath; Zach wouldn’t apologize to him. The man was a born leader for sure, but Zachary would never forgive him for Tempest’s death. He wasn’t sure he could even forgive himself.
Five
The Note
Reliquiae. Ri-li-kwe-i. Bash mulled the name over in his head, the name his people had dubbed themselves. Latin for remains, survivors, remnants... everything they were. He shifted beside Hades, surveying the others surrounding him with their dreary expressions. Ripped jeans and faded shirts hung from bony frames. They sat quietly on the logs that outlined a sandy clearing near the iron beacon they lit when patrols were out overnight. Bash sighed. Even with the sizable garden they kept along the river in the gorge, and the routine hunting parties, every one of them could have used several more good meals.
“Ugh, I wish Dad would hurry and get this over with,” Hades groused, drawing designs in the dirt with a stick, his leg bouncing up and down.
“I guess he just wants to drag out the suspense.” Bash smirked, patting Skully, who sat at attention near his leg.
“More like he’s punishing us all for our defiance.” Hades said. “It’s not like it was our fault he was out on patrol and wasn’t around to pass on his oh so precious ‘leaderly wisdom’.” Hades made air quotes with his fingers.
Like his father, Hades was in a foul mood. Not that he didn’t have every right to be. He had little to no sleep and then had to deal with his pregnant girlfriend. It was enough to send anyone off the deep end. Bash sympathized with his grouchy friend, but was glad he didn’t have to sit with Jezebel. Thankfully, she’d returned to her tent to get some more rest.
“Reliquiae. Thank you for coming, my brothers and sisters.” Zachary’s voice carried over the semi-circle as he pushed Deja on a cleared runway through the sand. The group mumbled a greeting in return.
“We have several serious matters to discuss. The foremost being the Faceless. As I’m sure most, if not all of you, are already aware, this morning some of our scouts brought one back to the compound.” Zachary paused.
Bash wasn’t surprised by the lack of shocked expressions. Only curiosity and concern emanated from the crowd, along with a few congratulatory slaps and pats offered to Maverick and Theo by their fellow neighbors. They laughed, smiling and soaking up the attention.
Zachary scowled. “There is nothing about this development to celebrate.”
Their smiles vanished in a heartbeat. Zachary's gaze swept over the crowd, purposely skipping Bash.
“This is an anomaly, a change. The Faceless we have dealt with for the past twenty years, have always traveled in packs and under the order of the Inferus. Yesterday, for the first time we’ve ever been aware of, not one, but two lone Faceless were discovered.” The crowd stirred, followed by hushed murmurs.
Zachary held up his hands, and everyone fell silent. “My son... and Sebastian, came across another one last night, but were unable to apprehend it due to a large pack of rabids.”
Gasps and whispers erupted.
“Pack of Rabids?”
“We haven’t seen any for months.”
“Lone Faceless?”
“What’s happening?”
Bash’s stomach churned. He wished there was some way that he could help them, comfort them. But he didn’t know how.
“This is the other item of business that needs to be brought to your attention.” Zachary talked over the clamor. The voices once again quieted down. “We have no definite proof, and we never will, but one thing seems obvious. The Inferus and the rabids share one thing in common. Their food source; us.”
Another round of murmurs washed through the group, and a couple of women broke into tears. Zach paid them no mind and continued on.
“I’ve consulted with Dr. Colt and my wife. We all agree. These monsters are running out of food and we’re running out of time. As of today, there will be no more overnight outings. Unless you have a death wish, or special authorization, no one is to leave the compound in groups of less than four, and no one will stay out after dark.”
Zachary glared at Bash. He stared back as panicked whispers broke out among the crowd again. He’d done nothing wrong. Sure, Zachary held him responsible for Hades’ near death experience yesterday, but Bash hadn’t asked him to come; Hades had refused to let him be alone.
Zachary finally looked away. “Reliquiae,” his voice boomed, and all eyes turned to him once again. “We don’t know if this is an isolated situation, unique to just us or if others are having similar experiences elsewhere. As such, tomorrow we will send out two teams of runners. One to the Utah settlement and the other to northern Arizona. If their situation seems any better than ours, then it might be time for a change in scenery.”
Move? It wouldn’t be the first time Bash had to relocate, but he’d been in the same place for the past ten years, and the thought of leaving there without her... He wasn’t sure if he actually could.
Hades released a heavy sigh, then scowled. It was obvious he didn’t like the idea of leaving their home any more than Bash did.
“Zach,” a firm voice called from across the half circle. An athletic woman in her early thirties rose from her seat and moved toward him. A tall, slender man with short cropped brown hair and haunted caramel eyes followed her.
“Cal and I volunteer. We know the route to Utah and my sister is there. I’d like to visit her as well.” Her green eyes blazed as she brushed her long, sandy blonde hair out of her face. Callen nodded, coming to stand beside her, and rested his hand on her thin shoulders.
Zachary surveyed them for a moment and nodded. “Thank you Vera, Callen. We appreciate it. Is there anyone else who wants to volunteer to go with them?”
Vera shook her head before anyone could answer.
“No, Zach. You need others to go to Arizona. Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine on our own. Faster too.”
Zachary frowned, and sadness filled Deja’s features. In the last year, they had lost one of their children, but Vera and Callen had lost all three of theirs. Bash couldn’t remember a time he’d ever seen either of them smile.
“You’re sure?” Zachary asked. Without hesitation, the two nodded.
“Very well.” A look of understanding and gratitude passed between them before Vera and Callen returned to their seats. Deja’s head hung and her shoulders drooped.
