“What happened?” She asks.
“I’m not exactly sure. Are you okay? Anything hurt?” Gonzalez asks.
“My arm hurts,” she answers.
“Which one? And where?” Gonzalez asks looking down.
“My left arm. On the forearm,” she replies.
She watches as Gonzalez unbuttons the sleeves of her top and gently rolls the sleeve up. The left forearm is swollen and red at about the midpoint.
“Flex your fingers for me, Bri,” Gonzalez says.
Bri brings her fingers to a fist but it’s difficult and increases the pain to the point that beads of sweat break out on her forehead. She groans as she brings her fingers to a fist once again.
“That’s okay, Bri. Relax them. You may have a fracture so don’t move your arm,” Gonzalez says beginning to unlace her boots.
“Hey you! What are you doing?” The guard asks once again.
“This girl may have a broken arm and I’m making a splint for her. Can you see if there are any rulers in the desk I can use?” She asks the now standing guard.
He eyes her suspiciously for a moment and then reaches down to open a drawer. Rummaging around, he places two long rulers on the edge of the desk.
“You can come up and get them but if you try anything, I won’t hesitate with this,” he says waving his gun.
The guard backs away from the desk and motions for Gonzalez to approach the desk. She rises feeling the sharp pain shoot through her head. Nausea grips her. She pauses to get her balance and waits for the feeling to subside. The guard gestures impatiently and Gonzalez holds out a hand asking him to wait a moment. Her equilibrium restores and she walks slowly to the desk retrieving the rulers.
Removing her socks, Gonzalez has Bri hold the rulers in place making sure the ends extend past the wrist in order to keep the forearm as immobilized as possible. Bri grimaces as Gonzalez ties the socks tightly against her arm.
“If you feel your fingers go numb or tingly, tell me or, if I’m not around, loosen the socks and retie them looser. How does that feel?” Gonzalez asks.
“It’s still throbbing but better. Thanks,” Bri says giving Gonzalez a smile which she returns.
“Where are we?” Bri asks looking around.
“I’m not sure to be honest,” Gonzalez answers.
“Where is everyone else?”
“Michelle is here behind me but I’m not sure where Robert is.”
Bri sighs and stares at the ceiling. What she took to be an adventure at the start, with the exception of not knowing where her mom is and the possibility that she turned into a night runner, has turned into anything but that. First her mom, then Nic, and now Robert. She feels a terrible sadness thinking she is the only one left. A tear runs down her cheek. Gonzalez gently wipes it away.
Gonzalez looks to the guard, who is staring out at the sunny day, and whispers, “We’ll get out of here, you have my word on that.”
“It’s not that. I’m the only one left,” Bri says as another tear follows the first.
“Now Bri, I’m sure Robert is fine. I think they segregated us. Look around, there’s only women here,” Gonzalez whispers. Bri turns her head and looks around slowly. A small vestige of hope rises as she verifies Gonzalez’ words.
“How are we going to get out of here?” Bri asks focusing once again on Gonzalez.
“We’ll worry about that when we rest up and feel better. And, don’t forget, there are the others. They’ll find us,” Gonzalez says.
“How will they find us?”
“I was able to get a radio call out and your dad’s a very resourceful man,” Gonzalez answers to which Bri smiles. The tears clear up but her thoughts still remain on her mom and Robert. Looking around further, a light bulb goes off in her head.
“I know where we are,” she says quietly. “This looks like Mrs. Watford’s classroom. I think we are at my high school.”
“That’s enough! I said no talking unless I can hear you. Back to your cot,” the guard says coming out of whatever reverie he was engaged in.
With a gentle touch on Bri’s shoulder, Gonzalez retreats back to her cot. They are held in the room for the rest of the day, the only break coming when meals are brought. They and the others in the small classroom eat their meals quietly. Sitting in the classroom, Bri verifies they are in fact in her “old” school. Michelle is withdrawn but when Bri tries talking to her, she finds that Michelle is also worried about Robert. She repeats Gonzalez’ words about the appearance of being segregated. Bri watches as she sees the same hope, which she had upon hearing those words, leap in Michelle’s eyes.
Another guard joins them in the classroom for the evening. Bri hears a few night runner shrieks erupt during the night along with a gunshot. Her fears come alive knowing there are night runners about and she hopes those that have taken them know how to handle them. She realizes she feels naked and vulnerable without the familiar feel of her M-4. The feeling that she has become so used to it surprises her. Not that she’s been in any firefights like Robert and her dad but she likes the feeling that she could attempt to defend herself if needed. The training Lynn gave them and their solo training times with her dad has elevated her confidence to a great degree. She holds onto the reality that she can’t storm a night runner domain by herself, but the confidence is there.
She has a sleepless night. Her arm throbs throughout the whole time; sometimes intensely and other times settling down to a low ache. Her mind also races; her mom, Robert, how to get out of this place, the night runners she assumes are outside, along with remembrances of Nic. Her feelings follow these thoughts and tears silently form remembering Nic. She feels like a hand is gripping her heart tightly. She wants to wake up from this horrible dream and find herself tired but rising to her alarm to get ready for school. The reality that this isn’t going to happen settles and her mind heads back to thoughts of escaping.
She wakes to Gonzalez lightly shaking her shoulder. Apparently I did fall asleep, she thinks opening her eyes to a room lit by the sun cresting the eastern horizon. Her arm still aches and she repositions the makeshift splint with help from Michelle. They are guided into a cafeteria and are the only ones seated. Afterwards, they are brought into the gym and allowed to shower. Bri dons her black fatigues afterwards wishing for a change but knows there’s nothing she can do about it. She slowly pulls them back on being careful with the rulers tied to her arm.
They are then led outside, the bright light blinding her momentarily. Standing, her arm throbs even more with it below her heart. With her good arm, she cradles it against her chest. She sees they have been joined by others but stays close to Gonzalez and Michelle. Bri eyeballs the fence across the fields and feels a yearning to be on the other side; yearns to be free. The guards seem much too aware for her to make a break for it. Plus, the distance she’d have to run and the fact that her arm wouldn’t allow her to climb the fence once she arrived keeps the desire in check. She notices the wire stretched across the top of the fence. That’ll slow me down a bit, she thinks focusing back on the others in the yard with her.
She notices they are all inter-mixed; men, women, boys, and girls. A familiar dark blond, short-haired head rises above several others a short distance away.
“Robert!” She cries and takes off towards the familiar head. She is instantly reminded of her arm and, with a cry of “Ow,” slows to a brisk walk.