Episode 1
Plath57
She springs from the open window on the second floor down into the dark alley. There is a soft splash as her feet land, and then she quickly rolls herself over, to minimize impact. Quiet, like a cat. Every once in a while she has to admit to herself, the ambush training the Rulers forced on her when she was a child is serving her well. Except that the wet mud will leave stains on her garment. She will have to make up another story to explain them. That’s not a skill she was taught, and she fears the Mothers will soon stop believing her. But she can worry about that later. Right now, she needs to focus.
No one can see her in this dark alley between the two ancient, empty buildings. Like paper, she thinks. She lets her fingers out of her sleeve, and touches the wall next to her, gently. Yes, like old paper stacked into two piles towering over her on either side. She looks up, and far above, in a sliver, she sees the purple sky, dotted with three stars. She feels something, as she looks at the sky, still touching the wall as she walks forward. An unfamiliar feeling, one that has no name. She tries to comprehend this thing she feels, this wish to reach up and touch the sky, to clamber up the papery walls of one of these buildings and stand on the roof and take off her veil, let down her hair and breathe…
“Stop! Who goes there?”
She stops dead in her tracks. A man stands in front of her, a little distance away. He has a gun, of course, which he is pointing at her. She hadn’t realized she had walked out of the alley and was now on the open road. She slowly raises her hand and places it on her pounding heart.
Slow down, love. This is going to be a long night.
“Sir, I am only here to offer my services…”
He comes closer, the gun still pointing. He pushes her against the wall, against her paper-wall, and holds the gun to her chin. “Aren’t you a little far away from where the rest of your kind operate?” His face is so close she can feel his breath through her veil.
“I…I’m lost.”
His mouth curves into a dirty grin.
“Don’t worry, whore. There’s business everywhere.” He takes a step back, puts his gun on top of a garbage can. He begins unbuckling his belt.
Now.
She squats suddenly, sliding her leg forward and slicing past his. He falls with a heavy thud, and tries to scramble up and get his gun. She jumps, she is on his back, she has him now. The right points along the spine…her fingers move before he can, and in a matter of seconds, he is lying still, screaming more in shock than in pain.
“What…what have you done?” He is dribbling down the corner of his mouth as he speaks. She gets up, comes around and sits next to his face.
“I can’t remember the technical term for it, but it’s clear enough if I say I’ve paralyzed you. Temporarily, of course. For the next few hours, the only muscle you will be able to move is your tongue. So talk. Where do you store the pills?”
“Wh…hore…hhh”
“Not quite. But it’s a convenient ruse, don’t you think? Now. The pills. Where do you store them?”
“I’m nevher tehling you…”
She bends down, so that he may see her. She still has her veil on, but he can tell from her eyes that she is smiling. She reaches behind her ear and takes the veil off. He lets out an involuntary shriek at this unexpected gesture.
She stares into his eyes.
“Now tell me where you store the pills.”
He feels something coming over him. He wants to look away from her, but he can’t. He continues to stare into her dark brown eyes.
“Thu…thuhd floor. Easth tower, room E 29…”
She smiles, pins her veil back on and stands up. In front of her is the medical storage building. She looks at the little third floor window on the east tower. Too bad these things are not better guarded.
She steps over his foot as she walks towards the building.
“Well done, bitch!”
Within the hour, she is at the back wall of the camp. She crouches on the rock behind the wall, looking inside. Two of the Mothers are patrolling, she must wait until they go around to the other side. If she is seen, she will be searched and questioned. And tonight, she cannot afford that. She holds the sack of pill bottles she has stolen close to her, and wonders if she can hide it in her garb somewhere. She reaches in, takes out a bottle and holds it up, looking at the little white globes rolling around inside. She gently touches her stomach, holding her palm upon the little bulge.
You’re the last one I will ever bring into this world.
She looks up at the sky, and senses the same unfamiliar feeling taking over.
Not now. I haven’t the time for this.
She looks over the wall again. There is no one there this time. She puts the bottle in the sack, slings the sack over her back, climbs onto the wall and looks down at the ground, twenty feet below her. Jumping will not be very difficult, but she should take care not to break any of the bottles. Then there’s the distance of about sixty yards between the wall and the Plath house. She must cover that distance before the Mothers come around from the other side.
Alright, then…
