Pipe Dreams (13 page)

The administrators gave their assent and half an hour later, several luxury cars pulled into the parking lot next to the abandoned post office. Haggard from a night of heavy excess, the administrators and their assistants followed Bowen to the front of the building. They shielded their eyes against the morning sun and peered up at the dangling body until Bowen motioned to a fireman and yelled, “Okay, cut him down.” 

When the body was on a stretcher, the administrators stepped up for a closer look. Though bloated and discolored, Isaac’s features were still recognizable. “Oh my god!” one of the men shouted. Lewis hid a smile as Harry sank to his knees and covered his face with his hands.

Back at the hotel, the sober administrators reconvened in the conference room. Harry was too distraught to lead the meeting, so Lewis stepped forward and asked them to join him in a prayer for the departed rabbi. He allowed a moment of silence and then spoke again.

“Gentlemen, it’s time for action. We can’t wait any longer. Danger is alive and well in our midst. It’s time to permanently quell the discontent and forever silence the evils of nature. Let this be the last time we see one of our own in such an ignoble state. Phase II will end the violence, ensure our safety, and allow us to finally achieve our dreams. The inoculations for designers, administrators, and their families are ready. When we have finished this last stage of testing, humanity will return to the garden and claim its intended state of grace.”

He glanced around the silent room, waiting for someone to speak. Finally, Harry raised his head and focused his bloodshot eyes. Lewis knew what he was thinking. All the years of planning, dreaming, and working to end violence, greed, and injustice had resulted in the ugly death of Harry
’s closest friend, the disappearance of the woman he had vowed to protect, and the transference of power to a man who would wield it without love. Harry had failed. Instead of creating a new world free from strife, he had unwittingly helped to create a slave race, bred to serve without complaint.

The hushed expectancy of the other administrators was revolting
and Lewis eyed them with contempt. As a group, they were slovenly and inept, rendered impotent by the fear that wormed its way through their hearts. They had grown weak and sniveling. Listless in the face of danger, greedy for the low power to which they had succumbed, and debased by unmitigated lust, the administrators had become everything Harry had fought against. While Harry swallowed hard, tasting the sour bile of his defeat, Lewis waited for the sweet sound of his acquiescence.

Finally, Harry spoke. “What do you want us to do?”

CHAPTER 25

In the time she had
been captive, Ashley paid careful attention to routines. The guards came twice a day with food and water and once to collect empty pails and hose out the cage. Other than these brief visits, the prisoners were left alone.

This surprised her. Ashley had expected to be rudely treated, like she had been the first night. If she had help, the sluggish guards might be overpowered, but her cellmates were useless. The older woman still had not spoken. She stayed by herself, tracking movements with sullen eyes. The boy followed when Ashley paced and sucked his thumb when she was still
– too small, frightened, and skittish to be of any use. So she watched, hoping for an opportunity to do something besides wait.

One night, voices she didn
’t recognize startled her awake. She opened her eyes to see the ugly, redheaded man. He railed against the well dressed man accompanying him. Fascinated, Ashley stared. She hadn’t seen anyone in a business suit in years. The suit fit the man perfectly, complimenting his salt and pepper hair and cool demeanor. He did not react to the redhead’s outburst. Instead, his shrewd eyes traveled to the cage, taking in the three, prone prisoners. When they lingered on her body, Ashley was embarrassed and suddenly afraid.

“It
’s not fair. I’m doin’ my part. I’ve already collected three for you. Don’t you see? You can’t just stop!  I won’t stand for it. What are we supposed to do without a supply?  Huh?  What are we supposed to do for food? This ain’t right, man. It ain’t right. I’ve always done it up for you. Anything you needed, ol’ Jeb made it happen and some of it was down right…”

“Shut up
,” the man said. “I’ll pay you for these three, but then we’re finished.”

“No, Mr. Lewis.
No!  Look, I got this one special for you. Here, I’ll show you.”  Jeb picked up a long pole from a pile of conduit and moved toward the cage. Ashley jumped to her feet, glaring at him as he jabbed the pole through the wire panel. Hopping around the cage to avoid his pokes, she spit at him, cursing him with every swear word she could muster.

“Enough,” Lewis said. Jeb dropped the pole. It fell with a loud clank and rolled a few feet on the uneven floor.

“You see. I told you. And nobody touched her. I made sure of that,” he wheedled. Lewis said nothing while he looked Ashley up and down. Then his lips curled in the faintest of smiles.

“Jeb, I
’m tired of hearing your voice. I want you to be quiet. Do you understand?  Don’t say another word.”

“But, Mr. Lewis…” Lewis spun around and slapped Jeb
’s face.

“If you whine again, I
’ll kill you.” Jeb put a hand to his bleeding mouth and nodded, finally silent.

“Put the girl in the van. Do what you want with the others. I don
’t need them anymore. My man will make the final payment next week. If I were you, I wouldn’t tell the rest of your gang about this. I’d just take the supply and run. You can probably survive for quite awhile if you’re not sharing, but, Jeb, I don’t want to see your ugly, sniveling face again. Is that clear?”  Though Jeb pouted, he called for help and two of his men came bounding down the stairs.

Ashley screamed when the cage door opened and they rushed inside. One held a pitchfork at the ready while the other reached for her. She twisted away, but he lunged again, gripping her torso firmly. She struggled, clawing at him. When the sharp prongs of the pitchfork pressed against her neck, she stilled
.

In the van, she rattled the metal grate and yelled until Lewis signaled to his chauffeur. The tall man, clad in a tight, black tee shirt and black cargo pants, walked to the back of the vehicle, opened the grate, and smacked her jaw with his balled fist. Pain burst like popcorn in her head. Before crumpling on the prickly, carpet covered floor, she tasted blood. Stunned by the cruelty of her new captor, she silently cradled her face.

They drove a long way before stopping. Then the chauffeur opened the rear door and plucked her from the van. In the clean, well lit parking garage, a silver Mercedes, maroon Bentley, and black, Chevy Blazer were parked in a neat row.

The chauffeur carried her into an elevator and dumped her on the floor. Neither of the men paid her any attention as they rode to the penthouse. When the door slid open, the chauffeur took hold of her foot and dragged her into an enormous room furnished entirely in white. Her aching jaw throbbed as her head slid along the polished, marble floor.

“Where do you want her?” the chauffeur asked.

“Put her in the small bedroom,” Lewis replied.

Ashley was hauled down a hallway, into a room, and across a carpet that chafed her bare skin. Slamming the door shut behind him, the chauffeur turned a key in the lock. Alone in the room, she curled into a tight ball and willed herself not to cry.

It took awhile before she worked up the courage to move. She crawled across the floor and pressed her ear against the door. Voices murmured in the distance and she strained, without success, to catch their meaning. Then she rose to her feet and explored her prison. At the window, Ashley caught her breath. She had never been in a penthouse and the view awed her. The lights of the Zone twinkled like stars and the lake shimmered
in the moonlight. She placed the tips of her fingers on the cold glass as if the fragile barrier would break. For all its spectacular beauty, the height was dizzying.

Footsteps clicked on the hard floor in the hall. She hurried away from the window and kneeled in the center of the
room just as the door opened, revealing Lewis’s silhouetted frame. Swaying slightly, he stepped all the way inside and flicked on a light switch.

Ashley closed her eyes to shield them from the blinding glare. When she opened them, Lewis was standing over her. He undid the clasp on his belt and pulled it through the loops on his dress slacks,
savoring the sight of her. Ashley wrapped her arms around her breasts.

“I liked you much better in the other position,” Lewis said in a loose, wet voice.

He staggered around her, dangling the belt. “Jeb mighta been right. That could be a first. Good thing for you I came to talk to him personally. No telling what mighta happened to you if I wasn’t there.” He traced her back with the belt. Ashley cringed as the soft leather trailed over her skin.

“Hmmm. Would they of had you for themselves?  Or would you of rotted in the cage?  I wonder…”  Suddenly, the belt snapped, lashing her tender skin. She lunged away in a rush of pain.

“That’s better,” Lewis purred. “I like to watch you move. I don’t think Jeb’s got the balls to have at you, measly coward that he is. No, he’d a let you rot. I’m gonna to make sure they burn his place first. I might even bring you to watch.”  He giggled while Ashley crawled further away. Putting his foot on her back, he pressed down hard. She froze and he laughed.

“I think I will. You can sit with me while the prickly
, little bastard squeals. Whadya  think?  Hmmm?  Do you wanna watch him burn?” Lewis lifted his foot, teetering around to face her. As he bent unsteadily to lift her chin, Ashley smelled the strong odor of alcohol. Her heart racing, she twisted her head free, ignoring the pain in her jaw. He slapped her shaved skull and a shock of pain coursed through her entire body.

“You bastard!” she screamed, rolling away from him. A murderous rage took hold of her. Instantly, she was on her feet, charging him. He raised the belt and swung it. As the leather made contact, her thighs burned, but she didn
’t stop. Lewis whipped her face and the edge of the belt caught her nose, cutting into the flesh. A cascade of blood poured down her chin and onto the carpet. She staggered back, crashed against the wall, and fell to the floor.

“Oh, you are fun! After the purge, I think I
’ll keep you jus’ like this. Isaac doesn’t need his shot anymore so I’m gonna give it to you. Keep you feisty. It’s not half the fun when they don’t fight. Didn’t think it would matter, but you know what? Does. Then you can stay here and I’ll have my Lucy an’ you. I’ll go back an’ forth. One who likes it and one who doesn’t. Fun.”

Ashley
’s blood went cold. The mere thought of a purge was terrifying. Nothing else he had said made sense, but she knew what a purge was and didn’t ever want to experience one again. She had to escape and warn Jeremy. Cringing against another attack, she held her hands to her face and tried to staunch the bleeding.

Lewis fumbled at the button on his pants, tugged at the zipper, and let them drop to the floor. He wore no underwear and his weak erection jiggled like a fat worm as he wobbled toward her.

“Let’s have some fun now. I wanna watch you move again,” he said, raising the belt. 

With his pants tangled around his legs and his arm raised, she had a clear shot at him. Not hesitating, she sprang up and hit him in the groin. He fell back
, groaning. His head smashed into the bed frame and he crumpled to the floor, unconscious. Snatching the belt from where it had fallen, she whipped him savagely with the buckled end, slashing his face, chest, and legs. Her fury knew no bounds. When spent, she flung the belt across the room and sprinted out the door.

In the basement parking garage, she bolted toward the smell of fresh air, not waiting
to see if she had been spotted. Free of the building, she relaxed. She knew how to disappear in the streets and was feeling confident until she caught sight of her reflection in a storefront window. Well inside the Zone, streetlights illuminated the sidewalks and her pale, naked skin was a luminescent beacon. Her face was caked with blood from the gash on her nose. Coupled with her shaved head, she looked like something from a nightmare.

There was no obvious method of camouflage in this clean, ordered world so Ashley ran, zigzagging through streets and alleys until she found a dumpster. Climbing in, she pulled the lid shut and blindly searched for something to cover her naked body. Finding a garbage bag, she ripped off the knotted top end and emptied its contents.
She turned it inside out, tore holes for her head and her arms, donned the makeshift garment, and climbed out of the bin.

On the street, t
he purr of an engine made her heart leap. As the vehicle approached, she squatted against a building, tucked her arms and head inside the garbage bag, and willed it to pass. When it did, she furiously scanned the area for a safe place to hide. A storm drain under a street lamp was her best option. She sprinted across the street and pushed herself in feet first. The going was easy until the thick, plastic bag bunched around her hips. She ripped it to shreds, rushing to get free before she was spotted. Finally, the bag gave. With one last shove, Ashley was in the cold, metal pipe. She wriggled backward several feet until the pipe ended and her feet dangled in midair.

Gasping, she tried to pull herself up, but the sludge of dirt and debris on the slanted floor of the pipe were slippery. She didn
’t have the leverage she needed. Afraid to drop into an unknown darkness, unable to move forward, aching from her numerous wounds, and exhausted from exertion, Ashley lay still in the grime and rested.