Cages & Those Who Hold the Keys by Gary A. Braunbeck

Author:Gary A. Braunbeck [Braunbeck, Gary A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Generation Next Publications
Published: 2011-02-13T00:00:00+00:00

“Okay,” she said, not meeting my gaze.

“Hey?”

She looked up at me.

“What’s your name—your real name?”

A single tear slipped from her eye and slid a slow path down her cheek. “I don’t remember.”

“Really?”

“Really. Only Road mama and Daddy Bliss remember their real names. The rest of us, we kinda…don’t bring them with us when we come back.”

“How old were you?”

“I would have been twenty-one on my birthday.”

“Christ…I’m so sorry.”

“Not your fault. I really like you, Driver. It’s been a long time since…well, since a new guy’s been here who’s still got all of his face and stuff.” She shrugged. “I get lonely sometimes.”

I touched her face, using my thumb to wipe away the tear. “How bad is it, being trapped here?”

She stared at me for a moment, blinked, then gave her head the slightest shake. “I’m not trapped her. None of us are.”

“You stay here by choice?”

“Yes. Everyone here is given that choice. The Highway People bring them back, and if you choose to stay, then your Repairs begin.”

I really couldn’t get my head wrapped around this one. “But…for God’s sake, why would you choose to stay here and take part in all of this?”

“The people we leave behind. If we choose to stay, they are protected. I mean, it’s not like it can be all the people we leave behind, but our immediate family and closest friends, they’re okay.”

“Their numbers are withdrawn from the order?”

“If they have a number, yes. If, like, my sister didn’t have a number—and she didn’t—then I got to pick an extra friend.”

“How long do you have to stay here?”

“Until the people we pick die of natural causes, or however it is they do die. Just not by the Road. Once they’ve all passed on, then we can follow them.”

I tried doing a little arithmetic in my head—if you picked five people, and the youngest was only twelve, then how long…?—then realized it was pointless. She was talking about a long time, no matter how you looked at it.

“Can I ask you stupid question?”

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