Running to Nothing

Chapter 3

My eyes shoot open as the tank shifts into park. We're underground, in a cavernous space I can only assume is for storing vehicles.

"We're here, and it's nighttime. So according to my calculations, we must not have done anything stupid." Kenji declares, shooting me a grin. "Adam needs to be taken to the hospital wing."

"This place has a hospital wing?" Juliette's voice sounds slightly far away, like she's still processing the fact Adam needs to be sent there.

Kenji grins. "This place has everything. It will blow your goddamn mind." He hits a switch on the ceiling. A faint light illuminates the old sedan. Kenji steps out the door. "Wait here—I'll get someone to bring out a stretcher."

"What about James?" I ask. The young boy's head has fallen onto my shoulder. I don't know him, yet I'm oddly protective of him.

"Oh." Kenji's mouth twitches. "He, uh—he's going to be asleep for a little while longer." "What do you mean . . . ?" Juliette's voice trails off again, like she's imagining all of the worst things that could be happening.

He clears his throat. Once. Twice. Smooths out the wrinkles in his shirt. "I, uh, may or may not have given him something to . . . ease the pain of this journey."

"You gave a ten-year-old a sleeping pill?" Juliette's voice is no longer weak or half muted. Her voice is full, powerful and loud, as if she's truly speaking for the first time.

"Would you rather he were awake for all of this?" Kenji fires back incredulously.

"Adam is going to kill you." It's a fact, helping me piece the context together. James must be Adam's brother.

Kenji glances at Adam's drooping lids. "Yeah, well, I guess I'm lucky he won't be able to kill me tonight." He hesitates. Smiles a little. "The kid is a saint. He'll be perfect in the morning." "I can't believe you—" Juliette is not backing down. James - probably because of Adam - clearly means a great deal to her.

"Hey, hey—" He holds up his hands. "Trust me. He's going to be just fine. I just didn't want him to be any more traumatised than he had to be." He shrugs. "Hell, maybe Adam will agree with me."

"I'm going to murder you." Adam's voice is a soft mumble. Kenji laughs. "Keep it together, bro, or I'll think you don't really mean it."

Kenji leaves and I have an odd urge to follow him. I don't do too well in new environments, and this is the first one in a long time. I want a full tour, I want to know where to hide, I want to know how to leave if I need to.

Four people run out toward the car. "Where is he?" an older woman asks. They're all looking around, anxious. I wonder if they can see me staring at them. Kenji opens Adam's door. Kenji is no longer smiling. In fact, he looks . . . different. Stronger. Faster. Taller, even. He's in control. A figure of authority. These people know him. These people respect him.

Adam is lifted onto the stretcher and assessed immediately. Everyone is talking at once. Something about broken ribs. Something about losing blood. Something about airways and lung capacity and what happened to his wrists? Something about checking his pulse and how long has he been bleeding? The young male and female glance in my direction. They're all wearing strange outfits. Strange suits. All white with grey stripes down the side. I wonder if it's a medical uniform. They're carrying Adam away.

"Wait—" Juliette stumbles towards the stretcher. "Wait! I want to go with him—"

"Not now." Kenji stops her. Softens. "You can't be with him for what they need to do. Not now."

"What do you mean? What are they going to do to him?" Her face shifts from worried to confused, head tilting as if she can't understand what he's saying.