Five Survive

by Holly Jackson

‘It concerns every single one of us. “No one is leaving this RV,” that’s what you said, back when you thought it was your secret they wanted. I see the rules are different for you, then! We’re not kicking Red out!’

Oliver ignored them both, turning back to Red. ‘Red, listen to me,’ he said, softening his voice, but it wasn’t soft at all, it was stiff, barbs and thorns at the end of his words. ‘You need to accept what’s happening here. There’s nothing the rest of us can do. You know it, don’t you, you know you have to leave the RV to save the rest of us. To protect Maddy. She’s your best friend, isn’t she? You’ve known each other all your lives. Save her.’ His chin moved up and down with those final two words, drilling them home.

‘I know you’re all protesting because you have to in front of Red,’ he said. ‘Because you care about her.’ His eyes spun, another circuit of the RV. ‘That’s why we’re going to put it to a vote. A blind ballot, so you can vote whichever way you want and no one else will ever know.’

‘No.’ Arthur shook his head, teeth bared in horror. ‘We’re not doing that. We’re not voting on whether Red gets to live or die. Are you sick?’ ‘It’s the fairest way,’ Oliver brushed him off. ‘That’s how democracy works, how law and justice work. We each get a vote and the majority wins. That’s fair.’ Was that fair? Maybe Red’s understanding of it was skewed, because it didn’t seem fair at all, her life in the hands of five other people. But when had life ever been fair to her, why should death be any different?

‘YES to leave, NO to stay.’ NO to live, YES to die.

‘I’m sorry, Red,’ Oliver said, voice too flat, too normal in this most un-normal time and place. It happened so fast. Oliver lunged at her, arms coiling around her waist, iron- tight, pinning down her arms. ‘Oliver, no!’ Red screamed. He lifted her off her feet, body braced against his as he stumbled toward the front door. ‘NO!’ Maddy screeched, inhuman, the sound curling in and out of Red’s ears as she writhed in Oliver’s grip.

‘He didn’t shoot you.’ Oliver’s voice, from farther away.

‘Why didn’t he shoot you, Red?’ Oliver said, straightening up with a wince, his voice finding its footing again. ‘Oliver, no,’ Reyna said, a hint of warning, a growl just beneath the surface. But Oliver couldn’t be stopped. He wasn’t sorry. That was what he’d said, before he threw Red out of the RV, but he hadn’t meant it. He couldn’t. He took a step forward. ‘You’re the anonymous witness in the Frank Gotti trial, the entire case rests on you, why didn’t they kill you?’ he said, shaking his lion head. ‘He had his opportunity. You were right there. For three minutes. Why didn’t he shoot you, Red?’

‘He didn’t shoot you,’ Oliver said again, like saying it would bare the answers, wringing them out of the words. ‘Why are you immune? He killed that old couple out there. He shot at Simon in the mirror. Would shoot any of us if we tried to leave the RV, but he didn’t shoot you, Red. And there’s only one reason why.’

she must have finally lost her mind, like she lost everything else. Retrace your steps, Red. When did you last see your mind?

Maddy was still nodding, she’d never stopped, but Red could tell that she didn’t want to do this. She was terrified, almost vibrating with it. And Red wasn’t sure now if Maddy was more scared of the man out there with the rifle, or of that look in her brother’s eyes.

‘Why are you making her do this, Oliver? You don’t know it will work. We don’t know why they let me live just then, but it’s not because I’m working with them, I’m not! I don’t care if you believe me, but we both care about Maddy! She is not expendable, just a pawn for you to use in one of your plans. How many of those have gone right for you tonight? Oh, that’s right, none of them! You can’t send her out there in front of a rifle. If Maddy doesn’t want to do this, then she doesn’t have to, and you can’t manipulate or bully her into it. Or throw her out like you did to me!’

Red had known Oliver all her life, but she didn’t know this version of him, the person the red dot had turned him into, pushing him to the farthest point. But it must have always been there, somewhere inside, this Oliver. Dormant, waiting until he was needed. He didn’t even look like himself anymore, hair greasy with sweat, pushed back in chaotic clumps, skin red and blotchy, those puppet strings making his head hang sideways on his neck again as he studied Red back.

What a ridiculous word that was. Fine. She was undressing at knifepoint and there was a sniper outside and she was supposed to be dead. But she was fine, you know?

Red stood, in this RV, in her underwear and socks, and she looked up at the others. She wasn’t ashamed to be standing here in her underwear. Red knew real shame and this wasn’t it. Real shame was killing your mom and having to live with it, knowing that she died and the last thing you ever said to her was that you hated her. If Red survived that, she could survive this. She stared around at the others, daring them to look her back in the eye. Could they put a stop to this? If Arthur, Reyna and Simon all stepped up, could they stop Oliver from making Maddy go through with this? There were three of them. But Oliver was the one with the weapon. And he was probably the only one who would use it. Or maybe that wasn’t the reason at all. Maybe they didn’t trust her either, thought she was working with the sniper. What did Red expect, she was still lying to them.

‘It’s okay, Red,’ Maddy said, staring right at her, eyes locking on. ‘I can do it. I want to do it. I trust Oliver. I’ll save us all. I can. I’m not scared.’

Maddy did, her feet dragging against the floor, like she was hoping the RV would grow up over them and trap her inside so she didn’t have to go. But she’d chosen, and she’d chosen Oliver, just like Red had countless times tonight. He was the natural leader, her big brother, and Red couldn’t compete with that.

‘My name is Arthur,’ he said, pausing, eyes flicking to Red, latching on. ‘Arthur Gotti.’

His eyes darted side to side. Because it was a choice, in a way, between his mom and his little sister. That was what this came down to. A life for another. But Oliver Lavoy didn’t like making hard decisions. He had everything and more.

Oliver Lavoy was the danger, he had been all along. And now he wouldn’t let them save Maddy, not unless they found a way to communicate with the sniper, here, from the RV.

‘No, you won’t,’ Red said, one final look at him before turning back to the open door. Oliver wouldn’t burn the RV for one reason: he was inside with them. His survival came first, above everything; he was the highest-value here, in his head. Oliver wouldn’t drop that lighter, and she knew it.