Chapter 28
Sam A shifted in his chair, trying to position himself in a way that his bindings weren’t digging into his skin to the point that they might start to draw blood.
He felt the eyes of the three other men in the tepee snap to him as he moved, and he slowly moved his gaze from one to the other, thinking about the conversations he’d had with each of them in the past few days. There had to be a way to get through to these guys. He knew each of their names, and he’d had nothing but pleasant interactions with them, as far as he knew.
“Listen fellas,” he said, “all of this has to be some kind of misunderstanding.”
“Richie, Richie…” said the man near the exit. Blaine, his name was. “If anyone doesn’t understand what’s goin’ on, it’s you.”
Sam frowned. “So help me understand. Why are you doing this?”
“You’re messing with a good thing here, man. Why couldn’t you just leave it alone? You got some kind of messiah thing going on… we were gonna leave you to your delusion, but then you started making a grab for power.”
“I didn’t!” Sam protested. “I was just given an opportunity to help, so I took it. I didn’t mean to step on any toes, I swear.” He looked at the closer of the men; a shaggy-haired, bearded man with rosy cheeks. “Zachary—how’s your daughter doing, huh? Karma, right? You know we’re building that classroom so she can learn to read and write…”
“I was in favour of the classroom, Richie,” Zachary said, crossing his arms, “but you crossed a line with the dope.”
“Is that what this is about?” Sam squinted in puzzlement. “But the only reason you’d plant drugs in my lodge…” he licked his lips, trying to understand, “…is if you knew a raid was coming. In which case, you would have gotten rid of your dope anyway. Right? I don’t get it.”
“You were right, spaceman,” Danny said, drawing back the flap and entering. “There was a raid coming. I didn’t believe it at first, but when I spoke to my Pop in the Sheriff’s department, he admitted it. To think he was about to shut down everything I’ve built here. I think he wants to use his land for somethin’ else, so he was happy to get his only child thrown in the clink. Humph. Lousy pig.”
“So you knew? You knew there was a raid coming?” Sam said, eyes wide. “So why… why are you doing this to me when you knew I was right?”
Casually, Danny lit up a cigarette and blew a puff of smoke into Sam’s face.
“Well, you had to know for a reason, Richie. Got connections you’re not tellin’ us about?” He smirked, raising his cigarette, wedged between his index and middle fingers, above his head. “Or did you hear it from the mothership?”
The other men chuckled at this. Clearly, not all the members of the commune had been convinced of Sam’s extraterrestrial status.
Before Sam had a chance to answer, Danny continued. “At any rate, with all your talk, you gave me an idea. I wanted you outta here. There was a raid comin’. So I figured I’d plant a few things on you and call in a tip. Well, you stumbled on it a little early, but that’s okay. They won’t be much longer. You’ll be out of my hair soon.”
Sam couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I… I thought we were friends.”
Danny burst into laughter. “Richie, for a guy who built that impressive generator out there, you’re kind of a moron. I always thought it took a shrewd, crafty kind of person to convince a bunch of people to believe he’s magic, but it looks like you’re the exception. Not everyone is as naive as you, man. I saw right through your crap from the start.”
Sam bit his lip, realising that he’d had the wool pulled over his eyes. He’d wanted to believe that everyone here had good intentions. Wanted it so much that he hadn’t been nearly as observant as he should have been.
At that moment, the Imaging Chamber door slid open, depositing Al in the middle of the space.
“Sam, I got bad news—whoa!” He spun in a circle, taking in the scene. “What the hell happened? Who tied you up?”
Isn’t it kind of obvious at this point? he wanted to say, but kept his mouth shut, merely giving Al a look of defeat.
“But listen,” Danny continued, putting a hand in his pocket and rummaging around. He produced a syringe filled with some yellowish liquid. “I completely admit that you have quite a silver tongue. You’ve got charisma, Richie. People want to trust you. You’re… well-spoken. Too well-spoken.”
“Who is this guy?” Al asked, before spotting the needle. “Oh god, Sam, what is that he’s got?” Al leaned over, inspecting the mysterious substance. “Don’t let him inject you with that—it could be anything! You gotta fight him off! Ziggy says the cops are coming, and they’re gonna shoot you, Sam. You have to get out of here!”
Sam swallowed hard, his eyes wide as he watched Danny preparing the needle. Meanwhile, Zachary tied a bandanna tightly around his bicep.
But what could he do? His hands and feet were tied down. And even if he could get free, he just didn’t want to hurt anyone. He couldn’t. All he could do was try and talk his way out of the predicament. The pen was mightier than the sword, right? Or in this case, the tongue was mightier than the fist.
“Don’t look so scared,” Danny said as he inspected Sam’s arm for a vein. “This won’t kill you or nothin’. I’ve tried it myself, and man, it’s a trip. You never know, maybe you’ll have a good time.”
“What is it?” Sam asked shakily.
“The dealer calls it ‘hog,’” he replied.
“Hog?” Al tapped at the handlink frantically. “Oh boy. I think he might be giving you PCP, Sam.”
“PCP?!” Sam exclaimed, squirming in his seat as the needle drew close. He knew that PCP was well-known for being one of the more dangerous street drugs. People on it were known to do some unhinged, unpredictable things. He didn’t want it anywhere near him.
“Uh, yeah,” Danny said, grinning. “PCP—I think that’s what the narcs call it. Just relax, Richie. It’s only so you can’t talk your way out of being arrested. You’ll feel good, too.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Sam said. “I’ll even give myself up. Please don’t put that in me.”
Danny grinned. “Don’t think you’re in much of a position to negotiate, buddy. Happy trails, man.”
With the help of the other men, keeping his arm still, Danny stuck the needle into Sam’s vein.
“Oh no, Sam!” Al cried out.
“Get Sam B!” Sam said pointedly to him.
“There’s no time! You’re gonna die long before he’d get here!”
“Sam B?” Danny said, raising an eyebrow. “Who?” He stroked his chin. “Are you talking to the Great Gazoo or somethin’? That would explain a few things.”
“Or something,” Sam said, narrowing his eyes.
Danny finished his injection, and pulled the needle out with a shrug.
“Well, I’m sure you and your alien pals will have lots to discuss once this kicks in.”
“You know what, Danny?” Sam said with a frown, “You’re kind of a jerk.”
Al clawed at his hair. “King of the understatement, you are.” He crouched, lowering himself to Sam’s level. “Hang in there, Sam. Ziggy says the cops shoot Richie during the raid ’cause he’s acting erratic. So all you gotta do when they arrive is sit here and not do anything. Okay? If you don’t try to move, they’ll just see you as mega stoned or something.”
“Okay…” Sam said, as his perception slowly started to shift, as if the ground beneath him was turning on its side.
Despite himself, he still felt like he could talk himself out of this situation, and he lifted his suddenly very heavy head to Danny.
“Danny… if you wanted me to leave, you could have just asked,” he said. “It’s not too late. I’ll go.”
Danny snorted. “But it is too late. Once this stuff kicks in all the way, you won’t even know where you are. So forget it. Just relax. No point fighting it now.”
Danny nodded to his friends, and they moved to Sam, untying him and standing him up.
“What are you doing with me now?” Sam asked, finding himself leaning on one of the men—for some reason, he could no longer remember what the guy’s name was.
He was roughly pushed, stumbling towards the exit of the tepee.
“We’re gonna go show everyone what’s become of their star child,” Danny said, and Sam looked down to see him extinguishing his cigarette on Sam’s arm. He barely felt it.
“I’m here, Sam. Okay?” Al’s voice insisted, but Sam wasn’t sure where his voice was coming from. He was too busy trying to will his legs to move, so they would stop dragging on the ground.