Colin splashed into the darkened dead end, his shoes soaked through from the puddles. The only illumination was the convenience store’s neon red and blue sign reflected in the water.
Ani was already there, sitting on their low wall, and she jumped down when Colin entered the alley. She looked like an exhausted wreck, and he told her so.
“Thanks.” She gave him a hug.
“Whoa,” said Colin, squeezing out of her embrace. “Don’t get out of character, or I’ll stop trusting you.”
She let go.
They sat across from each other on the little wall, leaning on either side of the alley. The telephone wires hanging above dripped a line of raindrops between them.
“Is Domino coming?” Colin asked his friend.
Ani shook her head. “He slept last night.” She didn’t look in his eyes. “Ten p.m., on the dot.” Right at curfew, right when the signal was sent out into the city, ten to six in the morning. Colin sank his head into his hands as Ani finished talking. “He dropped before we got to my car, to get here.”
“He’s out, then. He’s signaled, his chip’s activated. He’s not safe.”
“I know, I know.” Ani sighed. “Before I left him last night, I told you I have that sleep monitor? I hooked him up, and his REM cycle. When I checked in the morning. Uh. At the control. Exactly ninety minutes. On . . .”
“On the dot?”
“On the dot. Yeah.”
“That’s not good.”
“I think I said I know that.”
They sat for a moment. Colin didn’t know what to think, so he tried not to.
“The corner store stopped selling gum today,” Ani said, after a time.
“Oh.”
“They wouldn’t tell me why.”
“Oh,” he said again.
“Got the energy drinks, though.” She tossed the little bottle to him. He held it in his hands, fiddling the cap back and forth.
Ani watched him half unscrew it. “Can’t drink it until twelve.”
“You know, I’ve been doing this as long as you have.”
She pulled out her own energy drink. “I’m really starting to hate these things.”
Colin raised his eyebrows. “I’m starting to love them.”
After a moment of quiet, Ani cleared her throat. “Want to get up yet?”
“I can hang on another hour, you?”
Ani checked her watch. “Yeah. It’s only just ten.”
Colin listened to the silent city.
They’d met at the corner store, on the first night after it had all begun. They were both going after the energy drinks.
“I told you I was in college when they started chipping, right?” Colin said into the quiet. “I’m pinning you as a medical student?”
“I was nearly a doctor.” She paused. “It was scary, you know. I mean, of course you know. But they brought in these pallets and just lined us up.” She scratched the scar under her collar bone. “I was at my hospital internship. They explained it afterward.”
Colin could feel the little rectangle under his own skin. “They came to our dorms in the morning. The guy who did mine just sewed me back up and told me to go to class.”
They didn’t dare stop talking, didn’t dare to let the action in their brains dip into the danger zone. The chips didn’t activate until the signal got to them, and the wires threw off the signal, but not nearly enough. Colin knew his sleeping brain didn’t stand a chance against the signal, even with the telephone wires so nearby.
At eleven, his eyes started to slip. Ani slapped him and they began to pace the alley.
At midnight, the energy drink was sugared bile in a bottle.
Ani faked a gag. “Disgusting.”
“You should probably apologize. It’s saving your life.” Colin was half-joking, because if he admitted to himself that he was entirely serious he thought he might scream.
They walked. They stopped talking eventually, but the walking helped.
The sky was getting light when they sat back down. Colin knew there couldn’t have been more than an hour until six in the morning.
“I miss sleeping when it’s dark out,” he said. Ani didn’t answer.
“Ani?” Her head had fallen back against the wall. “You’re awake, right?”
“Ani!” Her eyes were closed. Her pulse was at exactly the government-sanctioned forty beats per minute when he checked it at her throat. He bit his lip and slapped his signaled friend across the face.
Her eyes snapped open and she froze at the look on Colin’s face.
He squeezed his own eyes shut for a breath. “They got you, I’m sorry,” he muttered.
“No, don’t.” Ani slowly stood up. “It was going to happen. I was too close to Domino when he got signaled. You have anyone else you could join?”
Colin shook his head. “You’re the only non-signaled one I know. Were the only one.”
“If we talk again —” she started.
“We won’t.”
“If we do, though, and let me finish, let me finish. I’ll try to find a place for you to hide out, they’ll trust me. I’m signaled now, can’t go back on that.”
“I can’t trust you, though.”
She paused. “I guess you can’t. Well. New-age vamps are a dying breed, but you’ve got this.”
“Two months and counting.”
“Two months and counting.”
They shook hands.
* * * * *
Colin’s been alone at the alley since.
Ani was already there, sitting on their low wall, and she jumped down when Colin entered the alley. She looked like an exhausted wreck, and he told her so.
“Thanks.” She gave him a hug.
“Whoa,” said Colin, squeezing out of her embrace. “Don’t get out of character, or I’ll stop trusting you.”
She let go.
They sat across from each other on the little wall, leaning on either side of the alley. The telephone wires hanging above dripped a line of raindrops between them.
“Is Domino coming?” Colin asked his friend.
Ani shook her head. “He slept last night.” She didn’t look in his eyes. “Ten p.m., on the dot.” Right at curfew, right when the signal was sent out into the city, ten to six in the morning. Colin sank his head into his hands as Ani finished talking. “He dropped before we got to my car, to get here.”
“He’s out, then. He’s signaled, his chip’s activated. He’s not safe.”
“I know, I know.” Ani sighed. “Before I left him last night, I told you I have that sleep monitor? I hooked him up, and his REM cycle. When I checked in the morning. Uh. At the control. Exactly ninety minutes. On . . .”
“On the dot?”
“On the dot. Yeah.”
“That’s not good.”
“I think I said I know that.”
They sat for a moment. Colin didn’t know what to think, so he tried not to.
“The corner store stopped selling gum today,” Ani said, after a time.
“Oh.”
“They wouldn’t tell me why.”
“Oh,” he said again.
“Got the energy drinks, though.” She tossed the little bottle to him. He held it in his hands, fiddling the cap back and forth.
Ani watched him half unscrew it. “Can’t drink it until twelve.”
“You know, I’ve been doing this as long as you have.”
She pulled out her own energy drink. “I’m really starting to hate these things.”
Colin raised his eyebrows. “I’m starting to love them.”
After a moment of quiet, Ani cleared her throat. “Want to get up yet?”
“I can hang on another hour, you?”
Ani checked her watch. “Yeah. It’s only just ten.”
Colin listened to the silent city.
They’d met at the corner store, on the first night after it had all begun. They were both going after the energy drinks.
“I told you I was in college when they started chipping, right?” Colin said into the quiet. “I’m pinning you as a medical student?”
“I was nearly a doctor.” She paused. “It was scary, you know. I mean, of course you know. But they brought in these pallets and just lined us up.” She scratched the scar under her collar bone. “I was at my hospital internship. They explained it afterward.”
Colin could feel the little rectangle under his own skin. “They came to our dorms in the morning. The guy who did mine just sewed me back up and told me to go to class.”
They didn’t dare stop talking, didn’t dare to let the action in their brains dip into the danger zone. The chips didn’t activate until the signal got to them, and the wires threw off the signal, but not nearly enough. Colin knew his sleeping brain didn’t stand a chance against the signal, even with the telephone wires so nearby.
At eleven, his eyes started to slip. Ani slapped him and they began to pace the alley.
At midnight, the energy drink was sugared bile in a bottle.
Ani faked a gag. “Disgusting.”
“You should probably apologize. It’s saving your life.” Colin was half-joking, because if he admitted to himself that he was entirely serious he thought he might scream.
They walked. They stopped talking eventually, but the walking helped.
The sky was getting light when they sat back down. Colin knew there couldn’t have been more than an hour until six in the morning.
“I miss sleeping when it’s dark out,” he said. Ani didn’t answer.
“Ani?” Her head had fallen back against the wall. “You’re awake, right?”
“Ani!” Her eyes were closed. Her pulse was at exactly the government-sanctioned forty beats per minute when he checked it at her throat. He bit his lip and slapped his signaled friend across the face.
Her eyes snapped open and she froze at the look on Colin’s face.
He squeezed his own eyes shut for a breath. “They got you, I’m sorry,” he muttered.
“No, don’t.” Ani slowly stood up. “It was going to happen. I was too close to Domino when he got signaled. You have anyone else you could join?”
Colin shook his head. “You’re the only non-signaled one I know. Were the only one.”
“If we talk again —” she started.
“We won’t.”
“If we do, though, and let me finish, let me finish. I’ll try to find a place for you to hide out, they’ll trust me. I’m signaled now, can’t go back on that.”
“I can’t trust you, though.”
She paused. “I guess you can’t. Well. New-age vamps are a dying breed, but you’ve got this.”
“Two months and counting.”
“Two months and counting.”
They shook hands.
* * * * *
Colin’s been alone at the alley since.