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  That was true, for Victor himself had designed the technology.

  FIFTY

  KYLE AWOKE FROM a dream. He’d been rummaging through his apartment finding clothes, rooms, and corners that didn’t belong. It was his place, but larger. It no longer felt like home.

  “You’ve been asleep since Phoenix,” Remmie said, “two and a half hours.”

  “That’s better than I expected.” Kyle’s head felt double its weight. He longed for his lumpy bed, but in his apartment as it was. “I couldn’t go to sleep for the longest time after you took over.”

  “I’ve never had trouble falling asleep in the car, or anywhere. I could use some black tea though.”

  “I’m still surprised we made it through the border after that guy started asking you about Shreveport. Why did Mr. Sands make you from a city that you’ve never even been to?”

  “I think that was the point.”

  “Oh, yeah, I guess.” Kyle felt stupid for a moment, then wondered why that was the point. Would it have made a difference if she was from Ravdale?

  They passed a sign: twenty miles to Las Vegas.

  “You want me to take over?” Kyle said. “I remember how to get to Samuel’s trailer.”

  “We’ve still got time. When we get close to town maybe we could grab something to eat then switch off.”

  “I’m starving. Maybe some fast food breakfast? And an energy drink wouldn’t hurt.”

  “How about something healthy?”

  Kyle remembered the Thursday Twilight. It seemed like years had passed even though it’d only been a month. “I bet they have great breakfast burritos around here. Come on, we deserve it.”

  Remmie smiled warmly. “Okay.”

  Kyle’s feelings for Remmie were bubbling to the surface again, but he couldn’t get Bosco out of his thoughts. He knew she’d slept with him. He felt his appetite wane at the thought of them together, and a part of him resented Remmie. Given their introduction to Bosco, at the warehouse, how could she have been with him?

  “Do you think they’re out looking for us?” Kyle said.

  “I’m sure they are.” Remmie rubbed her eyes, which were now moist. “I just hope we got away quick enough that we weren’t followed.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I am. It’s just a lot to take in, all of this.” She sniffled and looked at Kyle. “I’m sorry I treated you the way I did, back at the gas station, and always—”

  “I get it—”

  “No, please let me finish. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was angry at you for leaving me at the cabin. I felt betrayed.” She wiped her nose on her finger. “But now I know you did the right thing. And Bosco? I was stupid. I always think I’ve got some power over a guy when he likes me. It’s the opposite. They’re always in control, leading me along by the nose. I’m stupid—”

  “You’re never stupid. We’re surrounded by invisible forces—people, situations, the weather even—all the time, and we generally only know part of what’s really going on. Those forces pull us along, I think. Every decision we make is just a decision, nothing more, based on what we think are the best odds. We do the best with what we have to work with.” He paused. “You know, I really don’t know shit about odds, but I’d like to.”

  Remmie touched Kyle’s cheek, a touch that felt as though it brushed every surface of his body. He remembered the first time she’d touched him. He longed for that simpler time where everything was untainted, safe.

  But back then, he’d known even less about the world than he did now. Kyle touched Remmie’s hand, but she pulled it back to the wheel.

  “Do you really love Bosco?” he said. “You said you did, and I can’t imagine love just disappears.”

  “I’m not sure what love is. I was in lust with him, for sure, although now the thought of him makes me want to puke. Lust is selfish, but love is selfless. I guess I did care for him, his safety, but maybe only to my own benefit. I don’t know. Now, I don’t feel anything but contempt for him—a good betrayal will do that for you.”

  “I think I know what love is, and I think I’ve felt it.” Kyle thought of Brittney, but he knew his feelings for Remmie were no different. “I think love is selfish and selfless at the same time.”

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  Remmie smiled. Such a beautiful smile she had. Kyle again felt as he had with her in the beginning. They could just as easily have been on a trip together, as friends, or lovers. No conspiracies, no aliens . . .

  “If they activate the devices,” Remmie said, “and we’re able to live, I wouldn’t want my parents under control. Do our parents have Malclenersy?”

  Kyle snapped out of his fantasy. “Maybe.” He thought of his mom, how much she did for him, loved him.

  “Say everybody that mattered had Malclenersy, and the rest of the world didn’t.”

  “You want to know if I’d be okay with activation?”

  “Bosco doesn’t have Malclenersy,” she said. “Guys I’ve dated. Assholes, people like Anthony. The world is pretty screwed up. It might not be so bad turning them all docile, assuming that’s what activation would do. They’ll be perfectly happy and won’t even know the difference. The world would be an easier place to live in.”

  “Do you really want that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I think there are plenty of good people out there, like us.”

  “What’s that mean? Are we really good people?”

  “Yeah, I believe we are, and there are others. We don’t have the right to take their lives from them. What if we weren’t a part of this and didn’t have Malclenersy? Would you want somebody else, someone we never even met, deciding our fate? I’d rather make my own fate, so who am I to take that away from somebody else?”

  “You’re right. I couldn’t go through with it. I couldn’t push the button. I’d put myself in their shoes. I’m a pretty empathetic person.”

  “I guess I am too.”

  “Hey, there’s a gas station burrito place coming up. Wanna stop?”

  “Yes!” Kyle felt his mouth moisten at the thought of a burrito in the good ole’ Southwest.

  They had picked up where they had left off. Kyle felt happy, at peace, a feeling he hadn’t had since they’d parted ways at the cabin. This was a good moment, and he would make the most of it for as long as it lasted.

  FIFTY-ONE

  ROWS OF DERELICT trailers extended to the horizon like a scene from a postapocalyptic film. The bright desert sun reflected chaotically from the weathered glass and metal, artificial remnants tainting the naturally formed desert landscape.

  Kyle gasped as the van rattled over a pothole.

  “This is a pretty shitty place,” Remmie said.

  “Wait until you see Samuel’s trailer.” Kyle slapped at his belly. “How do you feel? I’ve got a bad case of heartburn.”

  “I feel fine, but I didn’t get the Gut-Buster Burrito. I warned you.”

  “It tasted pretty good, but now . . . ugh.”

  “You were probably eating healthier down in Mexico than you ever have. Your body’s acclimated to simpler ingredients.”

  “Samuel may be a traitor, but he’s a damn good cook. We were eating a lot of beans, rice, and corn tortillas, basic stuff. I’ve been feeling more energetic lately. My mind’s been sharper too.”

  “And you’ve lost weight. You look good.”

  “Thanks.” Kyle squeezed his tummy pudge, which had shrunken considerably during his time in the Sierra Madre. And Remmie’s complement added another rung to his growing self-esteem.

  Gravel crackled under the tires as they pulled to a stop at the trailer. The turquoise paint was peeling in places, exposing metal beneath. Kyle had remembered having a worse impression of the place the first time he’d seen it. Now it felt like the promised land, maybe because this time he had Remmie at this side.

  “I think somebody’s broken into the place,” Remmie said. “The front door looks like it’s going
to fall off.”

  “That’s normal.”

  They got out, and Kyle lifted an old tire with a piece of particleboard underneath. He brushed aside a couple of weeds, picked up a key, and then opened the creaky door.

  Inside, Kyle approached the center of the living area. Remmie stayed close behind.

  “Victor said there was a trapdoor here if there was need for a quick escape.” Kyle tugged at the carpet.

  “Just rip it up.”

  Remmie went to the small kitchen and grabbed a butcher knife from the rack on the counter. Kyle cringed at the knife as she approached him, thinking for a moment that she was going to reveal that she was working for Mr. Sands. She handed him the knife and his anxiety dissipated. He sliced open the carpet and found the latch to the trapdoor. Below it was just flat ground.

  “Dig,” Remmie said.

  “I don’t have a shovel.”

  Remmie grunted then looked around the place. Kyle got on his stomach and reached down, pushing the dirt with an open hand. The ground bowed inward. He tapped with his finger.

  It was hollow.

  He brushed away dirt and found the edge of a piece of particleboard. He pried it away. Underneath was a cigar box in a shallow hole. Kyle opened the box to find an envelope inside a freezer bag.

  Kyle tore the envelope open with his index finger. “Poor man’s letter opener.”

  “Or woman’s. Don’t be sexist.” Remmie got to her knees and watched intently.

  Kyle pulled out a folded note and read it aloud: “Hi Kyle. You’re reading this because I’m dead or captured and you possess the tracking device. Below the cigar box is the other half of the device. You can pop the bottom off, at the notch, and connect it to the first half by lining up the matching connectors. The combined device can change the state of Dames within a three-meter radius. On the bottom is a retractable nut. Unscrew it to pull out the square. You can rotate the square, which has an arrow. Point the arrow to either one, two, three, or four. One is seeker, two is dormant, three is active. Don’t use four unless I specifically told you to. There are two small black buttons on the bottom piece. Hold these in simultaneously while you switch on the tracking device. The device only transmits the signal while these buttons are pressed, and they only work if the switch is flipped while they’re being depressed. Sorry it came to this, all the best, Victor.”

  Kyle wondered what they were going to do with the device. What was the point?

  “Remember Victor said two and three are reversed.” Kyle pulled the lower half of the device out of the hole and handed it to Remmie.

  A lighter on the kitchen sink caught his eye. He approached the sink and lit the instructions ablaze, dropping the burning paper into the sink.

  “What are you doing?” Remmie said, scuttling up next to him. “And why would Victor build such a thing? This can activate them. What does he want us to do?” She placed the device on the kitchen counter.

  “Maybe he wanted to use this for defense—we can get the people attacking us under our control. We’ll need two D cell batteries from the desk over there.” Kyle motioned to the desk where Victor had set up his workstation. “The tracking device needs fresh batteries. And don’t worry about me burning the instructions, we’ll be able to remem—”

  A black spot formed in Kyle’s vision. The sink sprung at his face. He could hear a faint scream trail off.

  “Kyle!”

  FIFTY-TWO

  AN ABRUPT HISS permeated the empty calm of the trailer. A flash of red spewed from Kyle’s forehead, and his body fell forward. Remmie instinctively grabbed at him as he fell, deflecting his body enough to keep his chin from hitting the sink.

  “Kyle!”

  She looked him over with a detached confusion and then turned to the door where stood Bosco, smoking gun in hand. The gun had a long piece on the end of the barrel.

  A silencer.

  Every tick of the clock seemed to dilate, making the present moment feel timeless. She still held Kyle and fell to her knees, sitting back on her heels as she lowered him onto his belly. She gently grabbed his head and turned it toward her. Blood oozed from his forehead, beads tumbling between his eyes and spreading around his nose, but there was also blood dribbling from the back of his scalp. His body was limp.

  He’d been shot in the back of the head.

  Her emotions simply failed to coalesce into anything coherent, but tears formed. She again looked at Bosco and tried to speak, but her vocal cords felt paralyzed.

  Bosco turned the gun on Remmie.

  All hope was gone. All the trauma that had built since that day at the warehouse rushed to the surface. Her body hung lifeless; tears flowed unimpeded. She gently rubbed Kyle’s cheek.

  Then she shrieked until her breath was gone and her face tingled.

  “Do that again, I will shoot.” Bosco tossed two yellow plastic ties at her. “Place tab A into slot B and put your hands through the hole.”

  Remmie’s vision was blurred by tears as she looked at the ties, then back to Kyle. “Shoot me.”

  Bosco cocked his gun. “I’ll knock you senseless, first.” He took a step toward her, but she couldn’t look him in the eye. “I’m sorry it had to go down this way. In time you’ll understand. I know you love me. You hated Kyle, so you’ll realize—”

  “You’re a lie.” Remmie wiped her eyes. “Did Eli know?”

  “Eli would never have allowed this unless it was necessary, but I think it was necessary. And you will too. You’re just in shock. I know you love me.”

  She didn’t bother to respond.

  “Put on the ties.”

  “No.”

  “Do you want to die too?”

  “Yes.” She felt dead inside. She regretted so many things and believed that Kyle’s fate was her fault. Her body shivered. She didn’t have the strength to move, but she touched Kyle’s hand.

  “You and I have both endured trauma in our lives,” Bosco said. “We’re kindred spirits. You with your disease and all that’s happened since you met Victor. He’s to blame, you know? I thought you hated this guy. I love you. What was on that piece of paper?”

  Remmie remembered what Bosco had said the night before, when she was eavesdropping.

  “You said I was weak,” she said, finally looking him in his eyes. “That a good lay was all I needed to be hooked.”

  “I said that for Samuel’s benefit. I love you. I have since the moment I first saw you back at the warehouse.”

  Remmie looked at Kyle again, his blood-matted hair. She didn’t have control over the present moment, but she had influence. She willed all emotion away and smiled.

  “I love you too,” she said. “I did hate Kyle, but I’m not so sure I trust you. I mean, you’re pointing a gun at me. Let’s prove ourselves to each other.”

  Bosco’s demeanor lightened at Remmie’s words and he lowered the gun. “It’s all going to be okay.” He approached and petted her head.

  She felt a gag brewing, rage covering her like armor, but she took a deep breath and held a calm face. She grabbed the ties and got to her feet, putting her hands through them. Bosco kept his gun in one hand with the other he pulled the ties tight around her wrists.

  “What was on that piece of paper?” he said, calmly.

  “The paper was a list of instructions for this device.” She motioned to the box on the kitchen counter. “The tracking device is in the van. It combines with this device, but it needs fresh batteries. There’re batteries in the desk over there, D cells. The combined device holds the key to activation. We can put it together and take it to Eli.”

  “Are you trying to trick me?”

  “Why would I trick you? I just don’t care anymore . . . about the world. I want to live in peace, to love, and be loved. I’m angry, and a little lost, but love is my strongest emotion. What do we have to lose?”

  Bosco let out a sigh of relief, his eyes welling up. By God, he really did love her. Or thought he did. “Yes, I know. Love is strong
er than any other emotion. It drives me. It controls me. Love is our fate. I believe you, Remmie, because I know you feel the same as I do. But you must understand that I have to be careful, so I need to keep you tied.”

  “I understand. In time we’ll find our trust again.”

  Bosco grabbed batteries from the desk and shoved them in his cargo pocket. He put the gun in his other cargo pocket and grabbed the device, then tugged Remmie along by the wrist.

  “It’ll be days before they find him, maybe weeks,” Bosco said. “The smell will lead someone to check out the trailer eventually.”

  Bosco’s apathy toward what had just happened made it harder to not scratch his eyes from his head. But she knew her life was in the balance. She took a last look at Kyle. His death would not be in vain. She would make sure of that.

  Bosco led Remmie to the van.

  “Let’s head back,” he said. “We’ll be well over the border before Kyle is discovered. Hell, maybe the world will be active by then, assuming this magic box is real.”

  “Let’s get the tracking device running again before we leave. It may come in handy . . . We’re always at risk. It would make sense to go ahead and put it together while the instructions are still in my head.”

  “Okay, but let’s do this quick.”

  They got into the back of the van. They knelt facing each other.

  “Pop off the bottom of the tracking unit at the notch,” she said.

  Bosco turned the unit around and popped the bottom panel. Inside were circuitry and D cell batteries. He replaced the batteries. “Now what?”

  “Pop the top of the other piece at the notch and line up the connectors.”

  He followed her instructions and pushed the pieces together. When Kyle had been looking over the device, she had noticed that the arrow on the bottom was pointing to two. Dormant, according to the instructions.

  But two and three were reversed. The device was set to activate.

  “You need to hold in the buttons on either side, then flip the switch at the top,” Remmie said. “I can flip the switch if you hold the buttons.”