Nothing Happens in Sommerville (Part Eight)

“As always, I’d like to begin this meeting by thanking you all for your service to Sommerville.” Tye’s voice rang out through the quiet room. “Your bravery on the wall and your dedication to protecting our people are what allows our compound to thrive.”

The exhausted listeners managed to exude a glow of pride as they gazed up at their leader. For once, they didn’t seem to be weighed down by the bags under their eyes or the stress-induced streaks of grey in their hair. Instead, they bore their burdens like badges of honor as they crowded around the stage Tye was on. 

Bennet made himself stare straight ahead at the wall as he stood at attention behind Tye. If he allowed himself to look at any of the others, he wouldn’t be able to get through this farce. 

The Watchers were once a formidable group of Sommerville’s strongest and smartest members. He used to be honored to lead the compound’s protectors. Because of Sommerville’s small size, Tye had been assured they’d only need twenty Watchers to keep everyone safe until a year had passed and the world had reverted back to normal.

Seven years later, the world hadn’t healed. And the Watchers had dwindled from twenty members to nine.

Eight after tonight, Bennet thought sourly as Tye rambled on about the importance of rations and conservation of spare parts. 

He couldn’t help glancing at one man who slouched with a weary sigh, separate from the others as he pretended to listen. Tye could have called out Riley Sawyer by name and still wouldn’t have gotten a reaction. The faraway gaze in his eyes betrayed the hollow sense of loss that had completely destroyed Sawyer from the inside out. He’d once been as energetic and cheerful as his twin sister, Eden, but now he was nothing more than a walking corpse.

“We’re going to need to be more vigilant than ever. You all remember what happened to the last supply truck that broke down,” Tye said, drawing Bennet’s attention back. “Mallory’s survival was nothing short of a miracle.”

Though no one spoke, Bennet could feel their questions and comments simmering below the surface as they stared at him. Unlike the rest of Sommerville, the Wall Watchers knew Mallory’s leg was the result of a bite, not a car crash. Almost all the Watchers had been with Tye and Bennet as they saw her leg rot before their eyes. No one had questioned Tye’s decision to cut off the blistered and oozing limb before sending for the doctor. If anyone else had seen the infection, all of Sommerville would have found out just how deadly the world outside was.

“We know the roads between our compound and the others can get overrun with those creatures. They attack our vehicles and steal our supplies more frequently than we can afford. Which is why,” Tye hesitated and glanced back at Bennet. He nodded in encouragement while pushing down his own guilt at the blatant lie they were about to say. “All trade between compounds will be shut down.”

The lack of chaos and shouting spoke to the Wall Watchers’ loyalty. The closest to dissent were a few confused and worried murmurs before Willen raised his hand to get Tye’s attention. The surrounding Watchers held back their questions as Willen cleared his throat.

“For how long?” There wasn’t an ounce of suspicion on his weathered face.

“Until the other compounds decide it’s safe,” Tye lied as naturally as a politician. “But it’s not forever, I promise. In the meantime, we’ll just have to be conscious of our resources and keep the community from panicking.”

Willen dipped his head in approval as the rest of the Watchers expressed relief amongst themselves. The rest of the meeting went on smoothly. Tye said nothing about the crack in the dome and no one asked. They most likely assumed their leader had a plan for it, like he always did. None of them noticed the strained smile on Tye’s face or the beads of sweat on Bennet’s forehead.

When the Watchers were dismissed, Tye shot Bennet a severe frown before exiting through the back of the stage. Resisting the urge to run home and pretend none of this was happening, Bennet gritted his teeth and descended from the stage. He’d understood the silent order. It took all his effort to convincingly smile and respond to small talk from the other Watchers as he weaved through the group to the back of the room where someone was slowly ambling out the door.

“Hey Sawyer,” Bennet drawled as he flung his arm around the man’s shoulders in a familiar manner. “You got a minute?”

❂ ❂ ❂

They’d made it all the way to the elevator, before Sawyer finally seemed to realize something was wrong. From the moment Bennet had pulled him aside and led them to the Eastern Wall to when Bennet had hastily gotten himself suited up to go on the wall, Sawyer hadn’t reacted. All attempts at small talk were met with a low grunt or mumbled ‘fine,’ followed with a sigh as if even that much communication was too much effort. Now, as they rode up to the top of the wall, some alertness came back into Sawyer’s eyes.

“Wait. We’re going up?” He sounded dazed. “I’m not dressed.”

Bennet didn’t say anything. He didn’t even look at Sawyer.

“Bennet?” There was panic in his voice now. “You’re not going to make me go outside, are you? We have to go back down, I have to get a gas-mask, I—”

“Be quiet,” he ordered.

Too stunned to disobey, Sawyer fell silent. Bennet rarely snapped at anyone, especially at any of the Wall Watchers. But the idea of spending the next few minutes listening to Sawyer’s pleading was too much for him. It was too late for Sawyer’s protests to make a difference, anyway. Why should he have to suffer for following orders?

This is for the good of Sommerville. The eyeless gas mask in Bennet’s hands stared up at him accusingly before he slipped it on. This is what will keep everyone safe.

Sawyer was trembling by the time the elevator stopped and its doors dinged open. Bennet nudged him forward, bracing himself against the thick darkness and heavy wind that tried to fling them back inside. The storm would be hitting soon. They’d have to do this quickly.

They made it a few steps from the elevator before Sawyer froze, causing Bennet to bump into him. A gas-masked figure appeared out of the darkness, anger radiating from him with each tense step forward. He paused and crossed his arms, mask swinging from Sawyer’s face to Bennet’s.

“Anyone see you?” Tye asked coldly. Bennet shook his head. “Good.”

Sawyer squinted in confusion. “Tye? Is that you?” He sniffled and rubbed his nose, the infected air no doubt irritating him. “What’s going on? Why am I up here?”

Tye didn’t acknowledge him. Instead, he looked around then shook his head. “Damn, you were right, Ben. It really is a mess out here. Way worse than last year.” He sighed then snapped his fingers at Bennet. “Come on, let’s get this over with. I don’t want to be out here when the storm starts.”

Bennet was grateful his own mask hid his stomach-churning guilt as he grabbed Sawyer’s arm and yanked him toward the edge. 

“W-Wait,” Sawyer stammered in panic. “Stop, wait! What are you doing?” 

He tightened his grip as Sawyer resisted. The younger man fought Bennet as hard as he could, inhaling a lungful of toxic fumes in the process. Sawyer's eyes turned red and his nose started to run before a coughing fit wracked his body. Bennet took advantage of his momentary weakness and moved him closer to the edge.

“Please, Tye! Bennet! Don’t do this!” Sawyer’s voice cracked and he struggled to catch his breath. “Whatever it is I did, I’m sorry!”

“Sorry doesn’t protect the wall,” Tye snapped. “If everyone started slacking off the way you did, we’d be just as dead as all the other compounds!”

Sawyer’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What?”

“You heard me. All the others failed. We’re the last ones left, which means I can’t afford any distractions,” Tye spat the word, “if we’re going to have a chance of surviving.”

“I-I’ll do better! Please, please, I’ll do better! I just. . . after Violet died I couldn’t. . . But I’m fine now!” He turned to Bennet and grabbed his shoulders. “Right? Right?! Tell him, Bennet!”

Bennet froze as the man stared into his gas mask with the feral desperation of a wounded animal. It was hard not to look away as blood and mucus trickled out of Sawyer’s nose while his bloodshot eyes bored into Bennet’s own. Somewhere in his mind, Bennet was telling himself to shove Sawyer away, to throw him over the wall and get this infected being as far from him and Sommerville as possible. But he couldn’t move a muscle.

“Bennet did tell me,” Tye said flatly, apparently bored by Sawyer’s pitiful display. “Why do you think you’re up here in the first place?”

“What?” Sawyer's already crushing grip intensified on Bennet’s arms. “No. No! Why would you—” 

Another coughing fit interrupted him. He let Bennet go as he doubled over, trying and failing to breathe in air that wasn’t thick with death and waste. Behind them, growing ever closer, black clouds released shimmering droplets of contaminated water that puddled on the ground with an oily film.

As if released from a spell, Bennet staggered back, chest heaving with quick breaths of filtered oxygen. He ran his hands down his arms, checking to see if Sawyer had ripped his suit. When it was clear he was unharmed, he almost laughed in relief. Until he caught Tye’s expressionless gas mask focused on him.

The leader of Sommerville remained silent. And though he eventually turned his gaze back to Sawyer, Bennet could sense Tye’s ire at his cowardice.

“You bastard,” Sawyer finally managed once his coughing had subsided. He straightened with a wince and glared at Bennet with murder in his eyes. “How could you report me?”

Bennet averted his gaze, somehow finding his voice again. “You missed too many shifts.”

Sawyer hacked out a bitter laugh. “Oh, and you’re such a saint? If something happened to Mallory, I bet you’d miss your shifts, too. Knowing you, Bennet, if Mallory died, you’d probably save Tye the trouble and jump off the wall yourself!”

His words hit Bennet’s chest with painful precision. He inhaled slowly and only spoke once he knew he’d sound calm.

“Be that as it may,” Bennet retorted as his hands balled into fists. “You still abandoned your post. I had to do what was right for the community.”

“And what about what’s right for me? For my sister? What about Eden?!” He shouted in a voice that was rough and scratchy. “I’m all she has! Who’s going to take care of her now?!”

“We are.” Lightning reflected off of Tye’s mask like a cruel smile. “Just like we take care of everyone in Sommerville.”

“You two. . .” Sawyer’s face turned red with another wave of violent coughing. In between wheezes, he gasped, “You’ll doom them all!”

Tye’s composure finally broke with an explosion of thunder. He strode forward and grabbed Sawyer by the collar of his shirt, nearly lifting the shorter man off the ground. Bennet almost reached a hand out to stop him, fearing how close they were to the edge, but held back as Tye’s enraged voice cut through his mask.

“I’M SAVING THEM ALL,” He bellowed as the wind howled around them. “Everything I do is to keep Sommerville safe and to protect my people from all the danger out here! You and every other traitor we’ve had to dispatch have done nothing but get in my way, and I won’t stand for it anymore! Sommerville IS safe because of me! And I will stop at NOTHING to make sure it stays that way!”

Tye released Sawyer and turned his back as the man collapsed to his knees. He stalked past Bennet with nothing more than a quiet order to ‘finish it.’ Sighing, Bennet approached the edge of the wall.

Sawyer’s hands were in his hair as he sobbed, his wails keeping tune with the roar of the storm. His cries and coughs turned into screams that were drowned out by the hiss of his bare skin burning as the rain began to pour. Bennet set his eyes straight ahead, not wanting to look as Sawyer’s exposed body began to redden and blister. He forced himself to ignore the way the man’s sounds of anguish grew more strangled, until he could do nothing more than emit a wet, rattling sound. Bennet hoisted Sawyer to his feet, fighting back a shudder as his gloved hand sunk into the acid-burned flesh as he dragged him to the edge. He closed his eyes and shoved every memory of Sawyer to the darkest corners of his mind, before shoving the man himself off the wall.

“I’m sorry,” Bennet whispered to the night sky.