The factories outside the city walls were closed for now. Food factory labourers came in and out of the dorm all day: sitting on their beds, ribbing each other, treating the dorm like a sports field, stomping around, slamming doors and yakking on and on about the dramas in the Demi-slums. Ferrassie put her pillow over her head. Why couldn’t they all fuck off? Every sound stabbed her in the head. She didn’t care about LC’s dramas. She wasn’t going to live long enough for any of that bullcrap to affect her. She understood why the slummies were pissed off though. She wished she could blow something up and show LC what she thought of them too.
Amud kept coming over. Without a job to go to he had nothing to do except fuss over her. She pretended she was out of it. His sooky mug only made her feel worse.
Her body felt full of sludge. If she kept completely still she could live out the rest of her days in the cocoon of her bed. Except she was freezing. Someone must’ve turned up the air conditioning. She drifted off to sleep, shivering.
Ferrassie’s bladder finally pulled her from bed in the late afternoon. Her singlet and undies were damp with sweat, all her muscles ached and her throat was dry and scratchy. She kept her eyes locked on the bathroom door as she stumbled forward. One step after the other, ignoring the Neos playing keepings off with a workboot. She lowered herself onto the loo seat, closing her eyes against the bright lights. She massaged her temples and forehead for some relief from her headache. The loo bowl looked full of rust when she finished. She was dehydrated. That’s why she felt so crap.
She drank some water from the tap. The bathroom was empty, except for a cleaning bot scooting around the shower stalls. She staggered into the first shower and scanned her clone tattoo for her hot water ration. Water pounded her stiff, sore neck. White specks swarmed before her eyes and the world tilted and wavered. She placed her hand on the wall and crouched. Every muscle in her body wanted to dissolve into a puddle and slide down the drain. The water cut out and she slowly stood, waiting for her head to stop spinning. She had another drink of water from the tap. Nothing seemed to ease her sore throat.
Some useless memory of proper behaviour prevented her crawling back through the dorm. She kept one supporting hand against the wall and stepped gingerly.
Amud sat on the end of her bed waiting for her. She lowered herself slowly down. The throbbing in her head ramped up as gravity pulled her blood in a different direction.
‘How are you doing? Can I get you something to eat?’
‘I don’t feel so great, Mud.’ She couldn’t fool herself anymore. ‘I think I might’ve caught a virus from Lars.’
Amud looked away, clenching his jaw. Probably imagining what kind of contact would be required for Ferrassie to catch something from Lars.
‘I wish you’d listened to me and Shuqba and gotten your immune injections.’
‘Let’s not spend our last day together punching on.’ Ferrassie put her hand over his.
Amud closed his eyes and the veins in his throat bulged as he held back sobs.
‘I wish there was something we could do,’ he finally said. ‘I feel so helpless. Lars is a Citizen – he could’ve at least had a go at helping you.’
‘He did have a go.’ Ferrassie swallowed painfully.
‘Yeah?’
‘He was trying to get in touch with a colony of free-Neos. Said he could sneak me out of the city.’
‘Free-Neos?’ Amud drew down his brow ridge. ‘I think I saw something about them on one of the Neo forums. From what I’ve heard they don’t trust any Sapiens. I doubt they’d deal with him. I could try?’
‘There’s not much time left, Mud.’ Ferrassie struggled to keep her eyes open. The air around her became thick as water. It filled her ears and dulled all sound.
Amud stroked her forehead. ‘Get some rest.’