The Yellow Pill (2 page)

Jin moaned as he covered his face with his hands,
leaning back against the seat. The words eventually came out as a muffed croak,
with him still looking up at the car’s roof. “Do you have
any
idea what
those are worth? What kind of money-”

“I
knew
I shouldn’t have said anything!”

“What the hell did you expect, telling me something
like that!”

“Jin, seriously. They’re gone. Let it go. I wanted
food, and I got it. I don’t need to remind you what those drugs do to people.
I’m not promoting that shit. Especially not by becoming a drug dealer!”

“Well, shit!” Jin clutched the steering wheel, looking
the opposite way. “Shit…” He dropped his hands to his knees and sighed, a slow
breath that filled his lungs to the max.

Frey clenched her jaw together to keep the words
inside. She knew she shouldn’t say what was on her mind, but she couldn’t help
herself and they came out anyway. “Jin, think about it. The packages, where the
hell do they come from in the first place? I mean, now I finally got one, and
trying to ignore all this is like trying to tell myself fire won’t burn.”

“Don’t.”

But she ploughed on regardless, the words almost
crawling up her throat on their own. “
Who’s
sending them through the
dome if it’s humanly impossible to be out
th
-”

“Don’t you do this to me Frey.”

“-
and
who are they?
Where
are they? Why do we never ever
see
them?”

“Stop it.”

“Why do people keep disappearing whenever they ask-“

“Shut up!” He yelled in her face, slamming his hand
against the steering wheel, making the car rock. “Stop asking questions! Be
like everyone goddamn else and stop questioning stuff or next time
they
might-” Jin snapped his mouth shut.

“I found another camera,” Frey said, circling her
thumb on her palm, watching it create small circles on her dirty skin. “It was
built into a street sign.” She shook her head without looking up. “Why would
anyone conceal cameras around the City? Who’s watching us, and
why
?”

Jin took her head in his hands, forcing her eyes to
meet his. “Stop this Frey. You know…” there was a small pause as he swallowed.
“You know what happens to those who start asking questions.” He let go and
stepped out of the car without another word.

After he was gone she realized she had not asked how
things were with him.

Even for all his, and Father Patrick’s warnings, she
could hear the thoughts echoing inside her louder than ever. One thought rang
clearer than the rest.

Who is making people disappear, and were do they go?

Frey locked and
secured the door as best she could. It was no secret that this building still
had running water in the bathrooms, but this was south gang territory, and only
a level
three gang
member was allowed here.
Trespassers were often found in some dark corner with a bullet hole between the
eyes.

She
left the window open, a lesson she had learnt the hard way. She had always been
a good climber, ever since she was a child, and climbing up and down buildings
had made it possible for her to reach places otherwise blocked by debris or
gunfire.

The
brick wall had proved a challenge, though, since its smooth and well-built
sides continued to defy the rules of general decay that seemed to apply to
everything else in Slum City.

The
south gang was the smallest of the four; so breaking into one of their
buildings was considerably less dangerous compared to the other three gangs.

Frey
shrugged off her dirty, worn jacket, kicking off her boots as she did so, but
being careful not to make too much noise. Pants and t-shirt soon followed onto
the pile and she stepped into the shower, letting a small whoop of joy escape
as she spotted a piece of soap crammed between the pipes.

Frey
scrubbed away at her dirty skin, looking as the brown water draining away through
the rusted and bent metal grid. The locked door would buy her some time if
anyone were to investigate the sound of running water.

She
dressed and carefully unlocked the door again, listening to make sure no one
was outside. Frey hadn’t, however, come all this way just to take a much-needed
shower.

She
climbed out the window again, grabbing onto the tiny handholds along the smooth
bricks. She fumbled twice before hoisting herself out into the cold night. The
dome was glowing from the digital stars, a hazy mist covering the city from the
sewers below. The bricks were thankfully not too slippery, but she still only
lost her footing once, sending a miniature avalanche of loose cement and brick
fragments down into the darkness. She held her breath until she was sure no one
had ended up getting the surprise gift on
their
head,
then quickly scrabbled up the fire escape.

She
braced herself and pulled the bottom part of the window upwards. It gave way
with only the smallest complaint.

The
corridor was deserted and she gave a mental thank-you to the south gang for
making this easy on her for once. 

The
hardest part was to resist taking any of the junk food… chips, chocolate,
soda,
cookies, candy and much more packed the tiny room.
Sure, it was heaven while you ate it, but it left a burning hole in your
stomach after five minutes that was even more painful than the previous hunger.

Frey
started forming a pile on her blanket. She stacked soup powder, bread, some
dried meat, apples and a small bottle of water on it, munching on bread while
she worked. In the end she tossed a package of chocolate chip cookies on top,
folding the fabric together and tying it to her back.

As she
crouched in the window, the thought of Jin struck her and she couldn’t help but
feel worried. Lately he seemed to have developed a bad habit of hanging out
with people they would normally avoid.

Frey’s
gaze suddenly snapped up to side. She thought she had seen a movement, but now
that she was looking, she saw nothing. A shiver crept up her spine, staring at
the very base. Something kept giving her the creeps.

The
sky went bright as a drop was announced and Frey cursed at how close it was.
This close to the gang border, a drop always ended with a lot of corpses and a
red repainting of the walls…

Frey
climbed faster than she should have, almost losing her grip. She jumped the
last two meters and set off at a run, already hearing gunfire and shouting.
Frey tightened her own package while she bolted, deciding not to look back as
the first screams welled up behind her.

The
latch was well hidden under the staircase. Everything was rat and vermin proof.
Father Patrick made sure none of the precious food went to waste. So she
ignored the two rats running over the floor.

She
left the orphanage quickly, knowing he would be grateful for the food, but not
so happy with her for stealing it. He didn’t approve of her putting herself in
danger, even after all these years.

Frey
pushed the bottle of water into place, the only thing except an apple she had kept.
Shoving her hands in her pockets, Frey walked down the street, already troubled
over how little the orphanage had left for food. Their resources were becoming
more scarce and scattered and she knew it was only a matter of time before the
kids would be starving.

The
gangs damn storages are filling with more pills and less food lately…

Frey
stopped at an intersection. She couldn’t see it, but knew it was there. She
averted her eyes, feeling cold shivers running up and down her spine like tiny
mice playing tag. She left the hidden camera behind, doubt and suspicion only
rooting ever deeper.

A faint alarm was
going off in the distance, mingling together with all the other noises of the night.
There was still some time before sunrise, so she decided to go to her special
place and watch a part of Slum City come to life. She turned to the right,
heading down the main street.

The
broken neon signs soon came into view, so clustered and tightly packed they
almost touched those on the opposite side of the street. In many places you
couldn’t even spot the sky through the tight mass of pipes and store signs that
snaked like a rooftop over the streets.

The
Cantonese letters were just as impossible for her to decipher, or even guess
the meaning of. If you were lucky, there was an image underneath to guide you.
Otherwise you had to trust your nose and eyes to figure out what the steaming
food was supposed to represent. If you were able to ignore the stink from the
sewers, that was. The meat was hanging behind the thick bars, the
unrecognizable lumps well guarded.

The
smoke and fog was much worse down here, lying like a thick blanket, seeping
into the stores like uninvited, ghostly guests. The flickering from the lamps
and windows drew the eye, the broken, but still lit, signs contributing with
their eerie glow.

This
place was always full of people, never seeming to settle or sleep. There was
talk and clatter, yells and shouts, doors slamming, dogs barking, cook-fires
sizzling and smells in the thousands. There was life, and Frey had found
herself
drawn to this place because of it. She loved it.
Loved the smell, the mess and the crowds.

There
were all kinds of people, although all of them were as fifthly and haggard as
the next.

“Dog?”
Frey asked a man selling a steaming stew from a small stand, this one not
behind bars. Her voice was muffled through the bandana covering the lower part
of her face. Most were wearing proper gas masks as the steam coming
from  underground
was thick and hot, as well as smelly.

The
man with the gas mask shook his head. “Rat,” he said.

Frey
walked on.

She
moved along the market, heading for a tall skyscraper that was missing half its
lower walls. It looked dangerously close to collapsing on its neighbor. She
guessed that was one of the reasons she got the place to herself.

The
dome was lighting up and Frey climbed the stairs at a run, taking three at a
time. She pushed the door to the roof open, panting. The heavy thumping of her
heart slowed while she looked out as far as the building would allow. Frey
could see the south and east part of The Wall.

The
“sun” was up, casting its light onto the ragged, broken constructions,
revealing the damage that was like a permanent stain on the city. Damaged cars
and shops lay scattered around like ironic reminders that they had once been in
working order. The naked mannequins a crude joke next to all the debris. The
empty, ramshackle restaurants, bars, hotels and gas stations lay like big slabs
of abounded history.

The
strange thing was, no one could recall it ever having been any different than
this, and yet they all knew that there had been a time when everything hadn’t
been in ruins.

Same
as no one knows what the outside looked like, or
who
built The
Wall and the dome.
Frey lay down with her hands behind her head.
The
sandstorm and radiation would kill me within seconds. But that doesn’t stop me
from wanting
to  sweep
this cursed prison away!
Her
hand swept over the dome as the thought came to her, her teeth
bared
at the sky as if she could threaten it into
dispersing.

Frey
closed her eyes for a while, suddenly feeling very tired. She no longer slept
during the night. It was like she didn’t trust the made up darkness from dome
or the digital stars. Although she had to admit that the worst nights were when
the sky was totally black, like a hole with no end. She dreamed.

 A
reflection caught her eye. When she turned to look, it was gone. She frowned.
There was another glimmer and she turned again, only to still see nothing.
A third glimmer made her twist
the other way. She twisted
and turned, always missing whatever was happening at the edge of her vision
time and time again until her knees bent and the darkness of the dome would
come pressing down on her, ready to swallow her whole. She tried to stand up
and run, to get away from the hole in the sky only to find that her legs
wouldn’t cooperate. Panic gripped her and she knew that whoever was looking for
her was getting closer. Frey snatched at the hand that reached for her, the
other balling into a fist.

Jin let out a
yell and fell on his
arse
. She was frozen for a
second before she let her fingers come up to rub her eyes. “Holy crap, Jin. You
scared me.”

“Bloody
hell!” He said, getting to his feet, straightening his big gasmask so it was
again resting between his shoulder blades. “I was calling your name, but you
didn’t answer.”

Frey
sat up and crossed her legs, trying hard to rub away the sleep from her mind.
“I was… it was just a dream.” She looked up at him. “How come you’re here?”

“This
isn’t just your spot, you know,” Jin said as he copied her and sat down. “You
smell good. Got another shower at south side?”

“Yup,
and by the smell of you, you could use one yourself.”

“You
know I can’t climb like you,” he said, putting his little finger in his ear.

“You’ve
never tried.”

“Anyway.
I actually wanted to find you. I’ve got a job for us. I spoke-“

“What's
the pay?” She interrupted.

Jin rolled
his eyes while he retied his hair at the nape of his neck, biting at the end of
the torn string that had definitely seen better days. “It’s not Yellow pills. I
do
know you, you know,” he said when he was done.

“Seems
to be the only thing they trade most of the time.”

“Not
this time. Spoke to Andree, and he needs help with moving one of the supply
storages.
Mould’s
gotten inside the old one somehow.
He’s confiscated a cooling room he wants it all moved to. He’ll need a roof
lookout,” Jin said. “And that’s where you come in.”

“And
where will you be?”

“Ground
level. I’ll be watching for your signals if you spot anything.”

Frey
was silent for some time. “You’ll be armed?”

“We’ll
both be.”

“I
didn’t know he had access to more than personal weaponry for his guards…”

“Well,
lets just say he’s been doing a lot better the last few months.”

Frey
clenched her jaw. She didn’t want to get into another fight with Jin, so she
kept her mouth shut. People dealing with the Yellow pill held the most valuable
product in Slum City. They could get anything for it and they all knew it.

Jin
saw her face. “He’s offering half a Quarter of food, each! That’s a whole
Quarter for less than half a days work. Seriously, it can’t get better than
that.”

Frey
had to admit that she would have taken the job for considerably less. Half a
Quarter each was a lot. She bit her lip. That could feed the orphanage for
another month, depending on what was in it.

“We
both know you’ve already decided to take it.”

Frey
put her boot into his chest, toppling him over with a grin. “Indeed“ she said.