Abe walked out of the bakery shop with a slice of bread loaded with strawberry jam when Josef cut across the street and headed straight for him. Panic kick in, but he forced himself to use his breathing techniques to calm down before a debate. If he got frightened, he wouldn’t be logical. Beating Josef at his own mind game demanded his mind to work its hardest.

“Abe! I’m so glad I found you!”

“Yeah, here I am,” Abe said, immediately cursing himself for how wooden that sounded.

Josef fell into step with Abe. “You know how you volunteered to help me out? To help me find those who opposed me?”

“Yes,” Abe said before he took a bite of his bread.

Josef glanced around, then motioned toward the outskirts of town. All the red flags flew straight up. Josef wouldn’t trust him this quickly. There was no way he was going to return to this village alive if he followed Josef. This was all a trap, it had to be. Should he call out now? Scream, fight, and run while he had half the clearing there to see him? What good would that do?

“What I want to tell you shouldn’t be overheard. Let’s take a little walk in the woods,” Josef said.

Despite the paranoia that was now visible on his face, Abe’s feet followed Josef out of town. Abe quietly did some of his breathing exercises as he kept eating his bread. Calm. He needed to be calm to think clearly. Josef glanced behind them as the small clearing quickly disappeared from view. In the back of his mind, Abe went through every horrible situation that could possibly happen.

They walked for ten minutes before Abe dared speak. “What’s going on?”

“My spies inform me of a group beginning to form.”

“What kind of group?” Abe asked.

“Does it matter? It’s a group sympathetic toward Musical Land and its atrocious leader. They must be stopped, immediately,” Josef said.

Abe forced himself to keep eating, forced himself to keep a straight face. “You’re right. Musical Land was an awful place to be. Why would anyone in their right mind go back?”

“Thank you for your loyalty,” Josef said.

“So what’s your plan?” Abe asked as he finished his bread.

“You will join this meeting. I’ve heard they have another one tonight. Sam Morse is their leader. You know Sam?” Josef asked.

Abe was still doing his breathing exercises as he tried not to react to hearing Sam’s name. Josef knew what Sam’s been doing. Abe hoped Josef just barely found out. He must have. Josef seemed like the kind of guy to squash the rebellion the second he smelled it.

“Of course. We’ve done jobs together,” Abe said.

“You even came over the wall around the same time,” Josef added.

Abe did not want to remind Josef of that. Was this more a test of Abe’s loyalty?

“Yes, we did.” There was no point in denying it.

Abe kept his feet on the ground, making sure he didn’t trip over any roots or branches. It was heavily wooded in this area. It was a good enough excuse not to make eye contact with Josef.

“Join the meeting and tell me everything that goes on and how many people are there,” Josef said. Abe allowed himself to trip over a root. He fell, skinning the palms of his hands. “You alright?”

Abe closed his hand around a rock before getting up, placing it in his pocket, and brushing himself off. “Fine, fine. If I may, Josef, what is your plan of action for this group?”

Josef smiled. “Oh, the beginning is always the fun part. I’m going to break their morale. It’s funner than physically breaking them.” Abe fought to keep his face neutral. Josef still suspected Abe, he could tell by the suspicious undertone in his voice. “Sam has a family. I’ll go for his baby first. Force him to watch me torture his son until he does what I ask. It usually doesn’t take people long to break when I torture their children.” Abe couldn’t hold it back any longer and winced. He couldn’t go on pretending. “And, of course, I’ll search out the rats in my own loyalty. Pull them apart, show them the full force of my ideas to see if they quiver.” Abe felt his stomach turn to ice. He glanced at Josef who was staring straight at Abe with a dark, almost dead look to his eyes. Abe overcompensated on his breathing techniques. He was starting to breathe too fast.

The woods cleared, and Abe saw a building. His heart dropped to his stomach. Was this Josef’s workshop? Was this what Josef meant? Was he going to torture the information out of him? It seemed like a regular old, run down ruin, but Abe could see through the cracks and crumbling wall a well fortified basement.

“Did you honestly think I believed your little performance?” Josef asked.

Abe’s eyes shot toward Josef. The charming man had disappeared, and he was in full view of the psychopath. “Do you honestly think I didn’t know you were a part of this from the beginning?”

“Josef…” Abe started to say before he trailed off. His brain came to a full stop as he took in the situation. They were at Josef’s workshop. If he entered that workshop, he was going to die in a painful way. Josef knew about Sam, the rebellion, and he was going to stop it. Only Abe knew about Josef’s plans to destroy it.

“Your final test. You should have no idea what this building is for. But you do. Someone tipped you off. In an hour, you’re going to tell me who,” Josef said, the dead look having a hint of glee. “No one has lasted an hour. Not if I don’t want them too.”

Abe had no time to think. Josef was nanoseconds from grabbing Abe and pushing him into the workshop. Only one thought spun through his mind. What would his friends do in this situation?

Abe looked just past Josef’s shoulder, squinted, then gave a gasp. “Is that Elvis Presley?”

Josef turned ever so slightly, and Abe didn’t waste the opportunity. He kicked Josef in the knee, then threw the rock at Josef’s face. The second Josef fell, Abe turned and ran.

The moment he was a few paces away from Josef, his mind screamed at him how stupid this was. What was his plan? He needed to go back to the clearing. He needed to warn Sam. Josef knew, and they needed to get whatever numbers they had to fight against him. Surely they had enough at this point.

A shot rang out and something whizzed past his face. He instinctively ducked, then cursed. He forgot to disarm Josef. Abe chanced a backwards glance and saw Josef stumbling after him. Abe was certain he had kicked harder.

A madman chasing Abe gave him the energy he needed to simply run. Having to constantly move to dodge trees and bushes felt like they slowed him down, but when Josef made another shot, he was glad for the constant movement. Josef would never let him return to the clearing alive.

At this point, Abe wasn’t concerned about finding the clearing. He just needed to live. He needed to be as far away from Josef’s disgusting workshop. He needed to outrun a mad scientist with a gun who had talked way too calmly about torturing a two year old.

Two more shots rang out, and Abe started sprinting. Nothing mattered anymore except for getting away. Abe felt tears falling down his cheeks before he registered just how terrified he felt.

The next shot sounded farther away, and the exhaustion hit, but the fear of Josef kept him running. He dodged trees and branches. Even though he hadn’t heard another shot, Abe refused to slow down until he had been sprinting for twenty minutes.

His body couldn’t take it, and he fell on his knees, breathing deeply. Three breaths in, he finally realized something wet was dripping down his cheek. Quickly he swiped at it and realized he was bleeding. How long had he been bleeding? He felt around his head until he realized how close he had been to dying. A bullet must have grazed his head.

He tried to stop the bleeding. A tree branch somewhere in the distance snapped. His heart leapt to his throat as he got to his feet. He couldn’t keep running. He was too exhausted. He glanced up to see a huge pine tree. He didn’t think twice. As quickly as he could, he got to his feet and began to climb. The rough pine needles bit his skin, but he paid them no mind as he kept climbing. His hands started to gather sap, but he ignored everything as he continued to climb. Once he got high enough, he began climbing over to other trees, hoping to get as far away from the tree he originally climbed. The woods were densely packed with trees. He had to be farther away.

Another branch snapped, closer this time. Abe stilled, hoping he was far enough away. He hoped it had just been an animal. He’d never seen large animals, since Musical Land got rid of them before he was born, but he honestly would rather face a bear than Josef right now.

The bushes rustled below. Abe held his breath. Now that he was in the tree he could feel the sticky sap covering his hands and arms. The needles pricked him, his price to pay to hide among them. The graze on his head began to sting as his sweat mingled with the cut.

Josef emerged below, and Abe let out his breath through his teeth as quietly as possible before taking more short, shallow ones. Josef had his gun in his hand, and Abe’s wound began to sting even more. He closed his eyes as blood fell down the side of his face. Josef took a careful look around, gun out, ready to shoot anything that moved. Abe quietly wiped the side of his face. He couldn’t risk having his blood dropping with Josef beneath him.

Abe’s arm brushed against a branch, and he watched in horror as a pinecone loosened and began to drop. Instinctively Abe reached out, his fingers close around the pinecone. Abe stopped breathing, his eyes wide, staring at the pinecone that might have brought about his death. Josef looked around once more before hobbling forward to the tree he originally climbed. Abe buried his face in the trunk of the tree as Josef glanced up. His body was screaming for oxygen, but he didn’t dare.

In a quick movement, Josef pointed his gun toward the tree Abe originally climbed and fired. Abe gave a gasp, thankful for the loud explosion that made his gasp impossible to hear. Josef glanced around the trees again before he hobbled away. He passed under the tree Abe was in, and Abe could see the bruise on the side of his face. Abe stared ahead of him, listening to Josef’s receding steps, tears running down his cheeks as he let in quick, uneven breaths. He was going to pass out in this tree if he wasn’t careful.

Abe glanced around to see trees as far as he could see. There was nothing to indicate where he was. Abe hugged the trunk of the tree, his fist tightening over the pinecone he was still too afraid to let drop, not caring that he was getting sap all over him. He took deep, quiet breaths. Tears dropped from his chin as he began to process what was going on. Josef knew about the meeting Sam was going to hold tonight. Josef would most likely go in with guns blazing and kill everyone in that meeting. Abe knew Josef knew, and Abe was completely, hopelessly lost in a vast wood he’d only traveled through once.

***

Marie’s eyes snapped open. She grabbed her head and let out a scream before she stopped herself. The front of her brain vibrated, and screaming didn’t help, despite that being all she wanted to do.

“Marie?” It was her dad. Her dad was somewhere, but her vision was so blurry she could hardly see. Could she see anymore? Had the omnitocsil taken her sight from her?

Her dad helped her sit up, which she didn’t want. She just wanted to curl into a ball and black out. She wanted this pain gone. The left side of her brain vibrated again as it tried to break her skull and eek out. Another scream escaped her before she had to shut up. It hurt her brain to scream. She’d never felt this kind of pain before, and she hated it.

“Blood pressure is still too high,” she heard Alice say on one side of her, the voice way too loud and causing her already cloudy vision to dim.

“Vitals are beginning to spike,” Charles said.

“Not dangerously, though. Blood pressure is the only dangerous spike in the past three hours,” Alice said.

“Marie? Tell us what’s going on,” Charles said. “Tell us if you can.”

“Shut up,” Marie hissed, her voice sounding warbled. Tears coursed down her cheeks. “Please. Too loud.”

There was a pause. Marie didn’t know what their reaction was. She had collapsed back into bed. Painful tears leaked out of her eyes as she covered her face to block the light. Nausea hit her, and she felt herself dry heave.

“What’s going on?” her dad asked, sounding alarmed.

Charles grabbed her and helped her sit up again, giving her a bucket. She continued to dry heave in the bucket.

“We need to get her in for a scan,” Charles said, his voice at least quieter than before.

“Oh, and how do you expect us to go about that? Can’t exactly bring a CT scan down here,” Alice said.

The nausea dyed down and Marie collapsed back into bed. “Hurts,” was all she managed to get out.

“Where?” Alice asked again.

Marie pointed to the left side of her face, then she pointed to the light. “It hurts,” she said again, too exhausted.

There was a pause. “Vlad, turn off the light,” Alice said.

The room darkened and Marie felt a bit of relief, but only a bit. “Marie, when you had the forgetting formula injected into you, would you get headaches afterwards?” Alice asked softly, not sounding as stressed.

Marie tried to remember back when she was injected. She had only been injected twice, but she distinctly remembered a pounding headache the next morning.

“Yes,” Marie said.

Alice gave a sigh. “My best guess is she’s got a migraine.”

“Are you sure? Just a migraine?” Charles asked.

Alice scoffed. “A migraine is no laughing matter, but since we can’t get her in for any scans, that’s the best I can do. No more injections of the forgetting formula for now.”

Marie was confused, and she cracked her eyes open. She saw Alice’s warbled frame. “Forgetting formula? How?”

“That is a story for when you're better,” Charles said. “Also, do you know how to reverse the symptoms of the formula? Sophie would appreciate it.”

“You’d need syrophil,” Marie said.

“We’ve got it. What else,” Charles said.

Marie opened her eyes completely, despite the pounding in her head. “What?”

“Don’t worry about it. How do we reverse it?” Charles asked.

Marie mumbled the ingredients, ones she could have done in her sleep. She had made and remade it so many times in the lab in the clearing, she had it memorized.

“Okay, that’s enough. Let the poor girl rest,” Alice said as Marie finished. “Marie, I’ll check our supplies and see if there’s anything I can give you for the pain, but there’s not much out there for migraines.”

Marie nodded and instantly regretted it as she placed a gentle hand against her forehead.

“And let’s hurry up with this overtaking the government thing,” Alice said. “A CT scan isn’t a bad idea. Just to make sure.”

Alice and Charles left. Marie thought she was alone until her vision cleared enough to see her dad standing quietly in the corner, watching her carefully. She smiled at him, and he gave a smile back. She closed her eyes, feeling the constant pain, but the silence and the darkened room helped.