THE SON OF ELI

CHAPTER 12 : MIKE TAKES A STANCE

Mike Mensah broke into a fast run when he saw the growling searot on the rocks.

"Oh, Lord, Jo, no, no!" he cried as he brought up his gun. "Hey, motherfucker, hey! Come here!"

Behind him, Ebo, Attah and Dr John were also running. The doctor was slower, but he strained to keep up as his fear escalated.

He was afraid for Jo, so afraid. Why had she come out here in the first place anyway? She was a sensible, careful woman who knew the dangers involved, so why? Whatever it was, Dr John believed it was a good reason, or at least Jo had thought it a good reason. She was that kind of woman.

He was brought forcibly to the present when the roar of the searot shattered the train of his thoughts. The monster, despite his bulk, got to his feet nimbly. With that uncanny speed of theirs, he bore down on the men coming towards him.

Mike raised his gun.

Attah and Ebo took their places on each side of him and aimed with their rifles.

"Save the bullets," Mike hissed tightly. "I've got this."

The searot lunged with a bellow of rage, and Mike's gun traced his movements, then he fired. The slug smashed into the concentric circles on the forehead of the searot, and the purple eyes of the beast exploded outward. He landed on the rock and crashed full length, gave a gurgle, and remained still.

Ebo hurried forward and crossed over to the spot the searot had been lying.

"Jo!" he shouted. "Jo, are you here?"

The first lights of the day had broken, so when he paused on the rocks and looked down, he saw Jo inside the hole, and he breathed with relief.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Is she there?" Dr John shouted. "Is she okay?"

Mike appeared beside Ebo and looked down, then he dropped to one knee and put a trembling hand to his forehead.

"Are you alright, Jo?" he asked frantically.

"I'm fine," Jo said in a little voice, and her lips trembled. "I'm so sorry… the searot… he got Frank."

"s**t!" Attah cried and turned away from the hole as instant tears filled his eyes. "We warned you! We bloody warned you, but you wouldn't listen! Now it is him who had to die! s**t! s**t!"

"I'm sorry!" Jo shouted in anguish, then in a quieter voice. "I'm so sorry!"

Dr John pointed his gun at Attah.

"Watch it, boy," he said grimly. "I know Frank was your best friend, and it is unfortunate he's gone, but please, watch it. You know Jo would never deliberately put anyone's life in danger."

"But she did, didn't she?" Attah said, his pain evident, and kicked a skull on the rocks angrily. "Frank is dead because of her!"

His bitter voice carried down to Jo inside the hole, and she bowed her head with a crushing guilty feeling.

"We'll get you out, Jo," Mike said calmly. "There's a rope ladder in my bag. Just a moment."

Ebo stood on guard as Mike took off his rucksack and put it on the ground. He unzipped it, and a moment later took out the rope ladder. He sat on the rock, braced his feet against the edge of the hole, and let down the rope ladder.

"Alright, Jo," he called down. "Climb up."

Jo's voice came back up, a bit muffled.

"What did you say?" Dr John asked.

"Pat's down here!" Joe said. "I want to bring him up!"

The other men exchanged glances.

"We better hurry it up, folks!" Ebo cried. "Noise will bring other searots and tombers around!"

"Climb up, Jo!" Dr John said. "We'll come and get Pat later!"

"No!" Jo said instantly. "I need him out!"

"Jo, it has been years! He's decomposed now! Pulling him up will only tear him to pieces, fragments," Dr John said levelly. "I don't think you want that! Just come up, and we'll convert this place into a proper burial. We'll cover it up, put flowers on it, and you'll always know he's down there!"

There was silence for a while, and then Jo began to weep softly again as the men waited with tension.

"Jo, please!" Ebo cried. "Every minute we waste here puts our lives in danger!"

"Okay, okay, I'm coming up!" Jo said.

She tied the two trailing ends of the rope ladder to the hooked edges of the strange structure she was sitting on and which had saved her life. She held the ladder carefully and began to climb up.

The searot beneath the glass globule snarled and struggled wildly, but Jo was already gone. Dr John reached down and helped her out of the hole.

Mike stood up and tried to drag up the rope ladder, but it would not budge.

"What happened?" he asked, confused. "Did it get snagged on something?"

"Oh," Jo said, disoriented. "There's something down there, a glass tube. I think Pat was trying to get to it, and that is why he went into the hole. We should take it with us!"

"Jesus, Jo!" Ebo shouted with exasperation. "A glass what?"

"If Pat was trying to get it, then it must be important, and the reason why he died!" Jo cried defiantly.

"Jo!" Mike said calmly. "We don't know what it is. Could be dangerous."

"I want his death to mean something!" Jo said, agitated. "Maybe it was something he wanted us to have, or me to have!"

"Jo, dear," Dr John said. "Surely, Pat would not enter this hole to bring something up. How on earth could he drag something out of the hole all by himself? If he's beneath whatever it is, then maybe he was already inside before that thing landed on him. We should leave it!"

Jo snatched the rope ladder from Mike's hand.

"Alright, I understand," she said and wiped tears from her face. "Look, thanks for getting me out. Could you leave me one of the guns?"

"What are you talking about, Jo?" Mike asked softly and tried to hold her hand.

She shied from his touch and slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me!" he screamed. "Don't touch me, Mike, ever again!"

Her fury and revulsion made the other men stare at her with shock. She had always been a calm, level-headed woman, but her sudden anxiety and disturbing behaviour filled them with worry.

"Are you alright?" Dr John asked carefully.

"No, I'm not!" Jo screamed. "I found Mike sleeping with Anita this dawn! He was licking her stinking p***y!"

"Jesus!" Dr John said, horrified, and put his arms around her as he stared at Mike with mounting fury.

"Look, Jo," Ebo said with compassion now. "I'm so sorry to hear that. But, right now, we're few, and not equipped to deal with an attack. Let's get back inside, and I'll come back with a team and get that thing out to you, okay?"

Weeping badly now, Jo nodded.

"Come, my dear, let's get out of here," Dr John said and began to walk away with her.

"Jo, please," Mike said miserably.

"It's over, Mike," Jo wept. "Just stay with her."

When they were out of earshot, Ebo looked at Mike with disgust.

"Jesus, boss, what got into you?" he asked tightly. "Anita? Why her, after Jo had risked so much her? Plus, damn it, Jo might be older, but she's hotter than Anita by a thousand! What were you thinking?"

Mike shrugged miserably.

"Long story, dude," he said resignedly. "Just meant to hit Anita up for fun, but she got pregnant, man. Complicated."

"You slipped up, boss, you did," Ebo said as he began to walk away. "I know you want babies, but you didn't have to treat Jo this way, man!"

Mike watched them moving off with a heavy heart, then he sighed tragically and walked after them.

***

The day passed in a blur for Jo.

By the time she finished attending to the batch of patients that morning, it was almost noon. She then spent about thirty minutes with Dr John attending to Mrs Tilly. They had still not found her blood type for the transfusion, and she was growing weaker by the second.

"She won't make it without blood," Dr John said, sounding stressed, as he looked at the pale elderly woman on the bed. "I was hoping the Utility Team could find her blood type today."

"They didn't?" Jo asked dully. "They're back already?"

"They didn't go on a run today," Dr John said. "Seems that glass thing in the hole was big and heavy. They had a tough time getting it out."

"Oh, they brought it in?" Jo asked excitedly.

"So I hear," Dr John said. "They put it under the canopy behind the clinic. We can go take a look together."

"But what is it?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"I don't know. Ebo says it is just a glass cylinder with a milky substance in it. Come, let's go take a look."

When they came out of the ward, they saw Mike walking towards them down the corridor. He was wearing his army fatigues with a cap, and he looked tired and stressed out as he stopped in front of Jo.

"Can we talk now, please?" he asked earnestly.

Jo's heart was beating with unbearable pain, and for one horrible moment, she felt faint again and had to lean against the wall for support.

"I'll leave you two then," Dr John said.

"No, John, no need," Jo said quickly. "I'm still coming with you."

"No, you're not," the doctor replied with a playful scowl. "He's your husband, he messed up, you two clean up as best as you could so that we all can move on in peace. The world is too scary to carry emotional garbage around."

He nodded and quickly walked away.

"Please, Jo," Mike said and removed his cap. "I'm so very sorry, love."

Jo fought the tears and opened one of the doors to her left. It led to a small ward where they had kept little Nancy when she was brought to the Complex. It was still Nancy's favourite room, so Jo had kept it neat and unoccupied, and came in sometimes with Nancy to lounge around.

It had a bed, some chairs, and a corner table for children books and some toys. She walked to the window and absent-mindedly drew the curtains and stared outside.

Her lips trembled, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

Mike came to stand behind her and raised his hands to hold her shoulders, but she spoke sharply.

"Don't, please, don't."

"Come on, Jo!" he said plaintively. "I never meant to hurt you. Look, I know I'm at fault, and I'm a damn oaf, yes, but please don't do this!"

"How long?" she asked softly.

He sighed.

"About a year," he said miserably. "You were busy in the clinic, I got a bit drunk, and Anita was in a flirty mood… look, I'm not making any excuses, okay? Hell, I tried to break it off last month, Jo. Told her I'll move her out of the house if she persisted!"

She turned finally and faced him.

"And what happened, Mike?"

He sighed again and threw his cap on the bed. He ran his hand through his hair, closed his eyes, opened them, and spoke in a rush.

"Two weeks ago, she told me she was pregnant and showed me the test results," Mike said softly. "I was a coward. I was seeking a way to tell you, but I knew just how hurt you would be, and I couldn't go through with it."

Jo put a trembling finger under her nostrils and gasped for air as the raw pain washed over her. She looked at him through a wall of tears, her expression so devastated that a look of sheer helplessness crossed his face.

He stepped forward to hold her, but she moved back against the wall.

"We're over, Mike," she said painfully. "I know how much you've wanted kids, and Lord knows I've tried all I could to get pregnant for you. But I guess I'm not ever going to be a mother, not after Pat and you. That baby is going to need maximum attention from both parents –"

"No!" Mike cried sharply and in anguish. "No, Jo! I need you! I love you! Anita is just a fling that went wrong, just a release of lust, nothing more! I still love you, and we can make this work! Don't throw it all away like this. I know I hurt you, and admit I've been a jerk. But do forgive me, please. I beg you. Let's sort this out."

Jo brushed tears from her cheeks violently and looked at him levelly.

"No, Mike, it doesn't work that way, not with me," she said in a firm voice. "I don't do half-bakes. I've always preferred the full gravy. These are horrible times already, so no need to make a big fuss over this. I'll be fine, okay? I'll just move in here temporarily to sort myself out. You stay with Anita, and be happy."

"I can't be happy without you, damn it!" he exploded and dropped to his knees suddenly and grabbed her hands. "Darling, please, forgive me! It will not happen again, I swear. She'll give birth, then we'll take the baby…"

"No, we won't, Mike. Never separate a baby from its mother. Plus, I can't trust you again. Anytime I see you, I see your face in her damn p***y and her juices all over your face! You made your choice, so stay with her!"

And Jo shot past him and made for the door.

Desperately, Mike tried to hold her, but she moved out of reach, opened the door, and fled blindly towards the main entrance. The door opened before she could touch it, and Anita came in. She was wearing black jeans and a pink blouse. Her feet were encased in a pair of white sneakers which Jo had given to her as a present.

They stopped and faced each other.

Jo, gasping for breath, saw the way Anita's eyes hardened and the way her jawline set, evidently preparing herself for a nasty showdown.

She crossed her arms under her huge breasts and looked at Jo's tear-streaked face. If she felt any remorse, she did a great job keeping it hidden.

"Look, Jo, it is unfortunate you saw us like that," she began quickly.

Jo wiped tears from her face again and smiled sadly.

"Don't worry. He told me you're pregnant. I've always wanted that for him, and I guess you have given him what his heart really craves, so congratulations. I already told him you two could have each other."

She saw the startled look in Anita's eyes, and this time there was a flash of guilt across her pretty, little face. Jo heard footsteps behind her, but she didn't turn. She knew it was Mike.

"Jo, I didn't mean to break up your perfect marriage," Anita said, her voice sounding high and defensive.

"No explanations, dear," Jo cut in gently. "Just keep him. You two deserve each other!"

"Now, look here, Jo!" she said, stung by her words. "It is not like we planned this! We just happened to get into each other, you know, the chemistry was right, and I believe we fell for each other. Let's be adult about this, please."

"What more do you want?" Jo asked harshly. "It is over between us, so you two should be free to enjoy this great, lovely union!"

She pushed Anita out of her way and opened the door.

"Jo, wait, damn it, honey!" Mike cried in anguish. "Not like this!"

But Jo was already gone!