Page 75 of The Paradox Club

Tess considered her assets in the light of Vivian’s story. Use your psychological weakness as a strength, she thought, and use it to exploit your opponent’s weakness. Her opponent’s weakness was clear. His head occasionally drooped to his chest and popped back up. He was sleep-deprived. Nemo 7 had remarked on it when they arrived at the motel. “Don’t you want to lie down for a while?” he had said. “You haven’t slept in two days.” Tess’s therapist had told her that lack of sleep led to bad decision-making. She hoped that was true.

As to her own psychological weaknesses—pick one. Anxiety, depression, voices in her head, compulsive behavior. Tess’s psyche provided a veritable smorgasbord of choices, none of which seemed tailored for leverage against a sleepy man with a gun. She had to force him to make a bad decision, and she needed to do it now while Nemo 7 was off getting burgers. If Nemo 7 really was a friend, perhaps he, too, was hatching an escape plan. But no plan would work unless Tess got out of this room. She pondered once more, sitting and staring at her captor, how dependent she had become on the voices. When they were active, Tess didn’t have to make decisions for herself. The voices took care of that.

Should I finish writing a history paper or should I go to the cafeteria and have dinner?

Neither—you should count the cars in the gold parking lot.

She sometimes felt used by the voices, but at least they had always been clear in their demands. And the voices may not have made helpful decisions, but they did often determine Tess’s next step. And they had chosen today to go silent. Still uncertain about her next move, Tess stood up and stretched.

“Where do you think you’re going?” said Montag 5.

“I’m not going anywhere,” said Tess. “Thanks to you. I’m just sick of sitting on the floor.”

“Nobody’s going out to buy you a La-Z-Boy.”

“You’re an ass, you know that?”

“Sticks and stones, Miss Maxwell.”

“Actually, I am going somewhere.”

“No, you’re not.”

“I’m going to pee, unless you’d like me to do that here on the floor.”

“Keep the door open,” said Montag 5, waving his gun in the direction of the bathroom.

“Gee, thanks for the privacy.”

“I better hear tinkling in there,” said Montag 5 as Tess stepped into the tiny bathroom tiled in sickly green.

“Have you always enjoyed eavesdropping on other people’s urination?” said Tess, but Montag 5 responded only with a grunt.

She had been frightened when she first saw him holding the gun to Aunt Vivian’s head a few hours ago. Then her fear had gradually turned into despondency and then annoyance at the sheer inconvenience of being kidnapped. But this latest insult to her dignity had transformed annoyance into anger. Maybe I’m going through the five stages of kidnapping, she thought. Fear, depression, annoyance, anger…surely the next stages had to be action and then escape. If the voices wouldn’t use her, she’d use them.

She flushed the toilet, washed her hands in the freezing-cold water in the cracked sink, and strode back out into the room. Staring straight ahead so no one could think she was addressing either the apparently sleeping Vivian or Montag 5 she shouted, “Why should I do that?”

“Why should you do what?” said Montag 5. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t you hear them?” asked Tess.

Vivian stirred from her “nap” and sat up in the bed.

“Hear who?” said Montag 5. “Nobody’s talking in here but you, and it’s fine by me if you shut up.”

“The voices,” said Tess, running to the window and pulling at the curtain that had remained closed since their arrival.

“Get away from there,” said Montag 5, jumping up and pushing Tess back from the curtain. She stumbled and fell backward onto the bed.

“You have to hear them,” said Tess. “They’re more real than ever. I can’t be the only one.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” said Montag 5. For the first time since he arrived at Vivian’s door, Tess sensed nervousness creeping into his demeanor. He feared not being in control, she guessed, and her behavior had wrong-footed him.

“It’s her OCD,” said Vivian.

“Sorry if I woke you up, Aunt Vivian,” said Tess, “but they’re so loud.”

“She has OCD?” said Montag 5. “Doesn’t that mean she should be cleaning or something?”