Long Live the Queen Read online

  He shrugged, drinking.

  She watched him, trying to make some sense out of this. He was just—a guy. A guy in Levi’s, basketball sneakers, and—today—a blue flannel shirt. An expensive one. Well cut.

  “What,” he said, letting out an irritated breath.

  “I just—” She looked at him uncertainly. “You really don’t like me?”

  “No,” he said. “I really don’t.”

  10

  IT WAS VERY, very quiet. So quiet, that none of this seemed real. Then again, the world—the actual world, where she would be hanging out in the solarium or someplace, reading or holding her cat or watching movies with her brothers—that didn’t seem real, either.

  But, this situation, so oddly civilized and violent, was even more mind-bendingly strange. Bizarre. Impossible.

  Exhausting.

  “You were going to kill me this morning,” she said, breaking the silence.

  He nodded. “Probably should have.”

  She sipped some of her drink, hunching her shoulders for warmth. If only her leg would stop hurting. “H-how come you didn’t?”

  “I don’t know.” He looked at his own glass. “I’d rather do it as planned, not because I lose my temper.”

  As planned. “You mean,” she had to swallow, “you’re still going to?”

  He nodded, expressionless.

  Oh. “You don’t have to,” she said, trying very hard not to sound panicky. “I mean—”

  “Don’t beg,” he said, “okay?”

  Jesus, had it sounded that way? “I wasn’t, I just—” Seeing utter contempt come into his eyes, she stopped. “I just wondered,” she said quietly.

  Neither of them spoke for a while, the guy staring straight ahead, Meg just sitting there.

  “What about—” He could, at least, answer this. She took a deep breath. “Did you kill him?”

  He smiled faintly. “Who, your boyfriend?”

  Even her heart muscle felt tense with fear, and she clenched her hand around the glass. “My friend, yes.”

  It was quiet again.

  “I don’t know,” he said finally. “I think I saw him out there, though.”

  “On the ground?” she asked.

  He looked at her, not answering.

  “Oh, come on,” she said. “You’re doing all this bad stuff to me, can’t you just—please?”

  He sighed. “He has glasses, right? Was wearing a red cap?”

  Jesus. He had been outside, then. She nodded, her muscles even tighter.

  “We were already leaving. He—” The guy moved his jaw. “He wasn’t involved.”

  “You’re sure?” she said.

  He nodded, and she felt her shoulders relax a little for the first time since all of this had happened.

  “You really wouldn’t lie to me?” she asked. “I mean, this time?”

  “He was fine,” he said. “Don’t piss me off, okay?”

  She nodded, blinking away tears of relief. “Thank you,” she said, almost whispering.

  He shrugged, lifting his glass.

  Again, they didn’t talk for a while, Meg struggling not to burst into thankful tears. He was telling the truth. She was almost sure he was telling the truth.

  Then, immediately embarrassed by the thought, she realized that the alcohol was having at least some effect.

  “What,” he said.

  “I, uh,” she didn’t look at him, “I need to use the bathroom.”

  He looked annoyed. “Christ.”

  “I really do,” she said.

  He sighed heavily, and fumbled in his pocket for the handcuff keys. “Got any bright ideas of how you’re going to get out there?”

  She shook her head, feeling—whether she should or not—very ashamed. He didn’t make any move to cuff her hands together once he’d freed the left one, so, carefully, she eased her bad leg towards the edge of the mattress. It dangled horribly, hurting so much—even through the haze of scotch—that she had to groan, new tears coming out of her eyes. She brought her right leg over to the edge, too, and tried to use it to stand up, fingernails pressed into her palms. It hurt too much and she had to cry in earnest, covering her face with her hands.

  “Can’t get up?” he asked.

  She shook her head, even more ashamed.

  “Christ.” He put his glass down on the floor, then moved next to her, bending to lift her.

  “I can do it!” she said, trying to pull away.

  “Shhh.” He cupped her cheek with one hand. “I’ll try not to hurt you.”

  Oh, yeah. Definitely.

  He picked her up, one hand around her back, the other under her legs. She had to gasp in pain, and he moved his arm further away from her bad knee. Being carried was humiliating, and she put her hand over her eyes, leaning away from him as much as she could.

  “Be easier if you put your arm around my neck,” he said.

  That was about the last thing she wanted to do, but then she remembered the gun in the waistband of his jeans. If she put her arm around his shoulder, maybe she could reach down, grab the gun, and—

  “If you go for that gun,” he said, “I’ll break every bone in your body.”

  She took her hand off his back, so frustrated that she wanted to hit him. “The hammer, the anvil, and the stirrup?”

  He didn’t answer, banging her leg into the doorjamb, instead, and she gasped, having to grab his shoulder for support. Horrified, even through the pain, that she’d touched him—voluntarily—she yanked her hand away, covering her face with it.

  They were at the bathroom door now, and he pushed it open, then set her down, Meg grabbing onto the knob to keep from falling. With her hands free, though, it was easier to get around, and she maneuvered herself into the little room, closing the door.

  The whole operation was excruciatingly painful, and after she’d lurched over to the sink to wash, she collapsed onto the floor, gripping just above the knee with both hands, rocking in an attempt to ease the pain. He opened the door, but she was in too much agony to look up, the leg throbbing and jerking in what had to be muscle spasms.

  “Oh, Christ.” He crouched down next to her, trying to ease her hands off. “Come on, take it easy now.”

  “Don’t make like a coach when you’re the one who hurt me!” she said, trying to protect herself. The leg really seemed to be jerking now, hot scary spasms, hurting so much that she couldn’t seem to breathe. And it was going to get worse and worse, and he was going to kill her, and, and—

  “Planning on having hysterics?” he asked, his voice breaking through the blur of terror.

  “You’ll be the first to know,” she said weakly, and he laughed.

  His hands were soothing the muscles, unexpectedly gentle, and she watched him do it, some of the panic—and a little bit of the pain—fading.

  “Trust me not to, all of a sudden, twist it?” he asked.

  She stiffened, just in case. “I don’t have much choice.”

  “No,” he said. “You don’t.”

  The muscle spasms had pretty much stopped now and he picked her up, still surprisingly gentle. There was something scarily intimate about being carried, and she was so exhausted and afraid that she wanted to rest her head on his—anyone’s—shoulder. To have him promise that it was going to be okay, that he wasn’t going to hurt her anymore, that she was safe. That everything was going to—she held herself rigidly in his arms, pretending that she had fallen on the tennis court or something, and was being taken to the hospital, and—he was lowering her onto the bed, which hurt, but not as much as it could have.

  Slowly, he recuffed her to the frame, then sat on the edge of the mattress. Feeling his hand touch her cheek, she opened her eyes all the way, startled by the strange look on his face.

  “You would, no doubt, have grown into a spectacular woman,” he said.

  “You’d better watch it,” she said, just as quietly. “You’re going to lose your edge.”

  Abruptly, he got
up. He stood there, looking at her, his expression unreadable, and then suddenly smashed his fist into the wall above her head, Meg cringing. He must have been even drunker than she thought, because even though he’d dented the plaster, his expression never changed. He picked up the scotch bottle with his other hand and turned to go, not speaking to her. The door slammed behind him, and she was alone in the dark, trembling, not sure where the scotch left off, and the real fear and confusion began.

  IF NOTHING ELSE, she slept heavily. Dead, dreamless sleep, waking up with a pounding headache—to go along with all of the other pain—and an unbelievably dry mouth. She licked her lips, trying to moisten them, wishing he would hurry up and come in, so she could get a drink of water from the bathroom.

  But, he didn’t. Not for a long time, anyway. She lay on the bed, just being in pain, her eyes so heavy that it hurt to keep them open, too tired to worry, or be afraid—or even to think. She was also too tired to sleep, so she rested her head against the wall, holding her aching jaw. Sometimes, the warmth from her hand made it feel better. Her leg and nose hurt too much to touch at all.

  When the door finally opened, she shook herself out of her doze with some difficulty. He didn’t look that great, either—wearing the same shirt, unshaven, shadows beneath his eyes.

  “Need to use the bathroom?” he asked, not looking at her.

  She nodded, although if he didn’t carry her again, she wouldn’t be able to make it. “How’s your hand?” she asked, not kindly, seeing that it was swollen.

  He glanced down, a little self-consciously. “I’ll live,” he said, with extra irony.

  They didn’t look at each other.

  “Yeah, well,” he said, and came over to uncuff her.

  As he reached for the keys, there was an urgent knock and instantly, he had his gun out. He moved to the door, opening it partway. One of the men said something to him in a low voice, and she heard him say, “Shit,” before he answered, his voice just as low.

  Then, without any explanation, he was gone, and the other man had posted himself inside the room, machine gun ready, staring straight ahead through his mask.

  “Wh-what’s going on?” she asked.

  The man didn’t even look at her, giving no indication that he had heard.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked, although from the sounds of quick movement and muffled orders in the hall, the answer was obvious.

  The man never spoke, and when the regular guy—Jesus Christ, she didn’t even know his name—came back with another stocking-masked man, she knew. The way they came in—very quiet, very professional, emotionless. She stiffened even before she saw the syringe in his hand and then, felt bile come up into her throat.

  They were going to kill her. Jesus Christ. Right now, without any warning, or preparation, or—she drew her good knee up, moving defensively into the corner.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, voice shaking.

  None of them said a word, which was scarier than an answer. She edged further into the corner, making her body as small as it could be, hampered by the handcuffs.

  “At least tell me what’s going on,” she said, looking at the regular one, trying to find some sign of the man who had seemed almost—fond—of her last night.

  He avoided her eyes, turning to one of the other men. “Hold her down,” he said, which was when she panicked, forgetting about the handcuffs, trying to dive past them.

  The man in the stocking mask caught her easily, pushing her back down on the mattress, keeping her there. She fought as hard as she could, twisting and turning, never taking her eyes off the syringe—or the man holding it. He was going to kill her. Without even—she struggled harder, adrenaline bursting into her in uneven jerks.

  He just waited, letting the man in the stocking mask do all of the work. “Come on,” he said, sounding very tired—and maybe even a little sad. “Don’t fight.”

  When she didn’t stop, looking directly at him as she flailed at the other man with her free arm, fighting with more strength than she thought she had left, he sighed and pressed his hand into her left knee. The combination of that—and the other man’s weight and fists—worked, and she found herself pinned, breathing hard, trying not to cry, her left arm forced out at an unbearable angle along the bed frame.

  She watched him come towards her arm with the syringe, and as their eyes locked, a weight even heavier than the other man seemed to press into her whole body. She had to do something to stop him, say something, something to make him change his mind—anything to—it was almost over, the whole thing was almost—she had to think, had to—

  “Nurse Ratched, I presume?” she said, and managed, just as the needle went in, a very weak laugh.

  11

  SHE WAS AWARE of pain first. Darkness second. And—dirt. She was lying somewhere, with her face in the dirt. There was some in her mouth and she tried to spit it out, her throat so dry that she couldn’t. She was too dizzy and sick to lift her head, and everything else hurt so much that she let her eyes close again. She wasn’t ready to deal with this yet.

  The next time she woke up, it wasn’t as dark. She lay there for a long time, not trying to move. After a while, she turned her head, lifting it just enough to see where she was. Light. Not much—coming in through boards or something. The air smelled mildewed, but there was also a draft. A cold one. Jesus Christ, was she in a cave?

  Okay, okay, it wouldn’t make sense to freak out. Yet. The first thing to do, was to try and turn over. See what was going on. Assess the situation calmly. For all she knew, she was just in a different room, not in a whole new—a room with a dirt floor? But, maybe they’d just stashed her outside whatever building she had been in before, and that wasn’t as scary as—except, wait, that would be pretty god-damn scary, too.

  Okay, she needed to get up, and figure out what was going on. Using both hands, she tried to push herself to a sitting position, her arms weak and trembly. There was a heavy cuff of some kind on her right wrist and she pulled experimentally, discovering that it was attached to a chain. A short chain. Jesus Christ.

  She didn’t seem to be strong enough to sit up, but she managed, groaning, to turn over onto her back. She stayed there, exhausted by the tiny achievement, letting her eyes—one of which wouldn’t open—get more accustomed to the darkness.

  Oh, God, she hurt. Everything hurt. Pain she didn’t remember from before. Something must have happened to—oh, Christ, was she alone? Or was he sitting there, watching her? All of them, watching her. Or—it was so dark.

  But, she didn’t see anyone. In fact, she didn’t see anything. Just a tunnel or something. She reached out, tentatively, to feel the wall with her left hand. Rock. Cold, dry, fairly smooth rock. Which established—what, exactly? If she was in a tunnel carved out of rock—well, that sounded a hell of a lot like a cave. She could be near the end, or it could go back for miles—it was too dark to tell.

  She made herself listen for a few seconds, still trying to figure out if she was by herself. Wind. What might be a bird. Maybe some creaking, over where the light was. Sunlight? Maybe. Daylight, anyway.

  Okay, okay, it was time to find out how badly injured she was—starting with her legs. She flexed each foot, cautiously; moved her ankles, bent her right knee. Small, dull pains; some old, mostly new. Bruises, probably—no reason to panic. Her left knee felt as bad as it had before, and she didn’t try moving it.

  One hip hurt a lot, the other one was just stiff. It was her ribs, where the serious new pain started, the slightest breath or movement causing twinges sharp enough to make her gasp. Vaguely, she could remember being punched—repeatedly, by a very large man—before the other man jabbed the syringe into her. Had they kept hitting her after she went unconscious? Had they tried anything else while she was—no. She couldn’t feel anything to indicate that they had done something—awful—and the drawstring—she checked, and double-checked—to her sweatpants was still tightly knotted.

  She tried moving her
head. Her neck. Her arms. Just bruises. And stiffness from lying in cold dirt for God only knew how many hours. Either she had been battered around during the transfer to this place—she could smell and feel a smear of motor oil across her clothes—or they had intentionally hurt her, tried to beat her to death, maybe.

  Jesus.

  She touched the cuff on her wrist, then followed the chain with her fingers to a metal stake driven deep into the rock wall. She yanked on it, neither finding—nor expecting—any weak points. Christ. Her working eye was starting to be able to see better, and she looked around, seeing man-made, but very rough, rock walls, and a thick wooden beam here and there, supporting the ceiling. Was this place a mine shaft, maybe? It obviously went further back—and down?—but, she couldn’t tell how far.

  Only a little bit of light was coming in through the boards, and she realized that it wasn’t a door. No, someone had put them across the entrance, and—apparently—nailed her inside. Nailed her in with dirt, and rocks, and—nothing else. No food. No water. No blanket.

  No water. She swallowed, her mouth and throat so dry that it was difficult. No water. He and the others might be out there somewhere—but, she doubted it. He’d left her here, nailed in, chained, without any water.

  Left her here.

  Panicking, she yanked on the chain with both hands, trying to pull free. It wouldn’t budge, but she had to try, struggling with it until she was out of breath and crying, and too weak from pain to continue. She collapsed into the dirt, trying not to pant because it made her ribs hurt so much.

  Help. She should call for help. So, she turned her head towards the light.

  “Hey!” she said, her voice rasping out. “In here!”

  Talking made her throat feel as if it were rupturing and she tried to swallow again, not able to come up with much saliva.

  “Hey, help!” she shouted. “In here!”

  There was no answer. No sound at all, except for maybe the damned wind.

  She felt in the dirt until she found a rock, and then threw it at the boards to try and break them. It fell harmlessly inside, about ten feet away, and she threw another, with the same result. For the hell of it, she threw one towards the back of the cave, hearing it go at least twenty feet. So, she threw a whole handful of small rocks, listening as they hit dirt, other rocks, and maybe some more boards. No comforting splash to indicate that there was a pool of water, or something, back there.