The Wire Hanger

Chapter 33

My mother and I turned to Obadiah expectantly, and the rest of the women filed in from the other rooms. We were a tight fit. Noah came down the stairs, along with the rest of the Bears and Tigers that had been keeping out of the way, and stood next to the couch where I was sitting, so close that I could nearly feel him breathe. I looked up at him questioningly, wanting to know what was going on, and he smiled at me for half a second before looking attentively at Obadiah. I felt myself relax the smallest amount, and a wave of tiredness set in. It was the early hours of the morning, now, and nobody seemed to be thinking about sleep.

            “To catch up our very welcome newcomers, while you were being met by our volunteers here, those of us who did not go along on that particular mission were busy with a plan of our own,” said Obadiah. “This timing was not a coincidence – the Protectors were immediately trying to disrupt our broadcast, which we believe helped give the rest of you valuable time. Soon we’ll have the footage of the city’s reaction, which we expect to be overwhelming.”

            “What are you talking about?” asked the redheaded woman who had accused Jezebel of being a rumor.

            “We gathered up years of data,” said Obadiah. His voice was resonant and carried into every corner of the room, where we were packed like sardines, but listening quietly. I was pleased to notice that many of the women had made their way through one of the house’s two showers. The room felt damp and smelled vaguely of flowers. “There was footage stretching all the way back to the zoo riots.”

            “Did you hear that,” cried one of the women at the back. “I’m going to be a star!” She struck a pose as I turned around to hear who had spoken.

            “Yes, something like that,” said Obadiah, amused, once the titters had died away. “Years of violence, depravation, abuses of power – we had it all. And we spoke to them – myself, Adah, others. You all know we have the data. We were finally able to share it.”

            Spontaneous applause broke out and just as quickly died down. Next to me, Noah kept bouncing on the balls of his feet, waiting for the next announcement.

            “The Protectors were not able to disrupt our broadcast,” continued Obadiah. “Anyone who was watching television, they saw this instead. Every dentist’s office, every subway news screen, every advertising billboard. It was unavoidable – everything we know, everything we’ve learned, is finally public knowledge.”

            Several of us cast uneasy glances out the windows, but it was just as dark as ever. No Protectors were coming to break down our door just yet.

            “We’re still working on the response feeds,” said Obadiah. “Noah’s been on it. Anyone who wishes can come upstairs and view them in, what, half an hour?” He cast a questioning glance at Noah, who nodded. “Half an hour. Though of course we will understand if you wish to catch some sleep instead. This has been a long night for all of us.” With that, he took his leave.

            I looked around. Nobody looked like they had any inclination towards sleep; everyone’s face, no matter how dirty or exhausted, was alert and interested. It struck me that all of these women had been taken for a reason: they were in this fight, had been in it for, probably, longer than I had been alive. They were survivors. They were heroes. They weren’t going anywhere.

            Noah leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Don’t worry. I’m tracking him. We’ll get him back.”

            Pure relief flooded my body. I couldn’t imagine how we could ever get Esau back from the clutches of the Protectors, especially with my father in the mix, but Noah spoke so confidently that I couldn’t help but believe him. And anyway, he’d gotten us this far, hadn’t he? Here was my mother, sitting next to me, proof.