Chapter 51: Getting Closer
Marek reached the northern relief center near the end of the light period. Outside the building, there were three government vehicles. There was also a temporary antenna raised above what seemed to be the school gymnasium. From the entrance toward the street, he could see a long line of civilians where two uniformed officers were checking their registration cards before allowing anyone through.
Marek stood across the road and watched them. That was why he decided not to enter immediately.
’I don’t think walking through the front entrance is a good idea.’
The stranger he killed was still fresh on his mind. The government probably did not know what happened in the alley yet, but someone could have already reported the body. Marek could probably explain that it was self-defense, especially if the injured civilian testified for him.
However, being innocent did not mean he would not be held there for questioning. Moreover, it would never hurt to be cautious around someone you saved. After all, a loose mind may result in a loose mouth. That civilian could use it against him.
And he did not have time for that.
Marek just watched from afar, hiding himself from an opposite building and observing every action the people from the government were making.
A supply truck eventually arrived and stopped near the side entrance. Several officers moved toward it while volunteers opened another gate to receive the crates being unloaded from the back.
The registration line began moving faster.
Marek crossed the road and joined a group of civilians carrying empty water containers through the second gate. Nobody stopped him. One officer briefly glanced in his direction before getting distracted by a volunteer asking where they were supposed to place several boxes of medical supplies.
’A kitten almost got caught...’
He continued walking nonetheless.
The relief center had apparently received eighteen Gemini minors from West District during the fourth light period. Marek found their names on a printed transport list taped beside the administration office.
He ran one finger down the names.
’Please. I just need a lead.’
But to his dismay, Mara Vale was not there. When he traced the list again with his fingers, he still could not see his sister’s name.
The woman managing the records eventually noticed him standing beside the wall longer than most people normally would. "Who are you looking for?"
"My sister."
Marek took out his phone and showed her Mara’s photograph.
The woman studied the picture for several seconds before shaking her head. "I think she’s not on that list."
"I noticed."
"Then she wasn’t part of that group."
"Did other Gemini groups pass through here?"
"Several."
Marek hesitated before describing the person he had been following through different accounts. "Was there a woman with them? Tall. Silver-white clothes. Dark hair."
The woman’s hand stopped over the papers.
Marek noticed.
’There it is.’
"You saw her?"
The woman looked at him. "I saw someone who looked like that."
"When?"
"Last light period. Near the end of it, I think."
Marek moved closer to the table.
The woman tried to remember which shift she had been working during that time. Apparently, the silver-white woman had never gone through the registration line. She had arrived from the northern pedestrian route together with four younger Gemini bearers.
They stayed only long enough to ask for water.
"Four?" Marek asked.
"Yes."
"How old?"
"Teenagers, mostly. Maybe one younger."
"Any girls?"
"Three."
Marek showed Mara’s photograph again.
"Look carefully."
The woman leaned closer. "I can’t promise you anything."
Marek merely nodded and let her study the picture again.
She then looked toward the hallway as though she was trying to compare it with something she remembered. "One of them had blond hair."
Marek felt his grip tighten slightly around the phone. "Like this?"
"Could be."
"Did she talk?"
"The blond girl?"
"Yes."
The woman thought for a moment. "She complained about the water."
Marek frowned. "What about it?"
"She said it tasted like metal."
Marek stopped.
Mara hated drinking water from old dispensers. She once refused to use the fountain at her school for an entire afternoon because she insisted she could taste the pipes inside it. Their mother had told her she was imagining things.
Mara spent the rest of the afternoon thirsty just to prove that she was serious.
’That already sounds like her.’
"What else did she say?"
The woman replied, "She asked whether we had noodles."
Marek exhaled.
’That’s definitely her.’
He no longer cared that blond hair was not enough for a proper identification. The water could have been coincidence. The noodles could probably be coincidence too.
Both together were already pushing it.
"Where did they go?" he asked.
The woman pointed northeast.
The group had continued toward a municipal learning center that had been converted into another stabilization facility. Unlike the normal relief centers, that one had started accepting mostly Gemini bearers after copied evacuation instructions caused problems in several ordinary shelters.
Marek wrote down the name and the route. This was the most recent information he had gotten since leaving the Exhibition Center. It was a very important lead to his sister.
’Mara had passed through here during the previous light period. I’m getting closer.’
He thanked the woman and left before somebody decided to ask why he had entered without registering.
Outside, the remaining light had already started fading.
Marek walked several blocks before the relief center finally disappeared behind the apartment buildings. His side still stung slightly whenever the replacement bag shifted against the shallow cut left by the stranger’s blade, but it was tolerable.
He sat on a concrete barrier and took out one of the water bottles.
His eyes briefly went toward his hands. He still seemed calm about the killing.
’Maybe later.’
Marek opened the bottle and drank.
"You knew something about that man, didn’t you?"
Celeste did not ask which man he meant, she answered, "Yes."
"That black fracture?"
"Yes."
Marek lowered the bottle. "What was it?"
"Something... something you should not attempt to contain without knowing what you are dealing with."
"What’s it called?"
Celeste did not answer immediately. "The name will not help you."
"It would help more than telling me not to touch it."
"You don’t understand enough about it yet."
"Then explain it."
Silence.
Marek sighed and drank again.
’Of course.’
He had already expected that much. However, there was another question he had been meaning to ask since leaving the convenience store.
"It seems you really do know me, am I right?"