by Ike Hamill
She saw the obstruction. A power pole had fallen. A section was cut away where she could get through, but she had to line the bike up carefully in order to cross perpendicular to the lines.
Her rear tire kicked out a little, bouncing over the line and Corinna put a foot down. Just over, when she let out the clutch and cranked the gas again, the bike cut out.
“Shit,” she whispered.
It wouldn’t start. In fact, she didn’t even see any lights.
“Shit!”
Corinna threw her leg over and pushed the bike, turning it downhill to get some speed. She threw her leg back over and took a deep breath. Holding her breath, she coasted in neutral until the lights flickered back on. Then, she pressed the starter and kicked it into gear. Corinna flew down the road, putting distance between herself and the power outage.
She no longer gave a single shit about how tired her shoulders were. She was going to ride until she fell off the motorcycle. When she got to a flat, straight piece of road, Corinna reached into her breast pocket and found one of the pills she kept stashed there. It had been years since she had used them. They were so old that the burst of energy she felt was probably just her imagination. Whatever the reason, her head buzzed with fresh energy after she swallowed the pill. It would be hours before she crashed, and then she could just take another pill. All she had to do was chase it with about a gallon of water and she would feel fine.
There was a bottle mounted just behind her on the motorcycle. Corinna reached for it and then changed her mind. The water would keep the headache away, but it would also mean that she would have to stop and pee sooner or later. She decided that she could live with the headache.
When her motorcycle cut out the second time, she managed to ride through it. Instead of hitting the brakes when the lights went out, she pulled in the clutch and took the motorcycle out of gear. Fortunately, there was enough moonlight for her to see the road ahead. As soon as the lights came back on, she downshifted and let her momentum start the motorcycle again.
The third time wasn’t so easy.
Corinna had forgotten to hold her breath and her lungs burned with bad air. Before she could start the motorcycle again, her vision was filled with flashing lights and her chest was heaving. Her lungs knew that there was no oxygen to be had. A heartbeat away from passing out, she rolled back into good air and Corinna managed to suck in a breath. The bike had nearly rolled to a stop on an incline when the lights flickered back to life.
Corinna started it again and got the hell out of there.
She kept trying to make a pattern out of the stalls—was it at a certain distance, or maybe every hour? If there was a reason to it, she couldn’t figure it out. Her mind was wandering. It was a side effect of the stimulants. They would keep her awake and keep her mind active, but sometimes she couldn’t control precisely what she was focused on. Corinna forced herself to blink and then stared down at the road ahead. The lines had worn off of this pavement years ago, but she could still see the shiny patches where they had been. She steered around a rough stretch where frost had heaved up chunks of asphalt.
Over a slight rise and down around a corner, she had a good view of a straight passage of road.
There was a weird shadow ahead—a line cutting across the road. With the moon nearly overhead, the shadow shouldn’t have been so long.
Corinna slowed to a stop, a dozen yards away from it. She kept the clutch pulled in and the bike in gear as she revved the engine. If anything weird happened, she was ready to gun the motorcycle and get out of there.
If forced to retreat, she could always find another road.
Corinna waited a full minute, studying the road ahead. Nothing changed. The shadow was a band of darkness. It looked to be five or six feet across. Where it touched the road, she couldn’t see a damn thing. It was far darker than even the woods off to her left. Her headlight splashed down on the pavement in front of her and came to an abrupt end when it hit the dark band.
She let her bike roll forward a bit and sucked in a surprised breath. When the headlights extended through the shadow, she could see where they hit the road on the far side. It was like someone had cut a black strip out of the world. Everything was normal on either side, but light couldn’t land anywhere in the strip. Turning her handlebars, she saw that the strip went off through the field to the right and into the woods to the left.
Corinna shook her head and pulled out her map.
Unfolding it, she stuck her flashlight in her mouth and tried to figure out where she was. It took forever—her attention was tugged by the weird band of shadow. A chill ran up her spine and she lowered the map. While she had focused on the map, the band of shadow had moved closer.
“Shit on this,” she said, shaking her head and hastily crumpling the map. She shoved the map in her saddlebag. Corinna was about to put the flashlight away and then shrugged—she had a dozen flashlights stashed in different places. Cocking her arm back, she whipped the light at the band of shadow. The beam flipped slowly in the air, winking out as it passed through the black band and then reappearing on the far side. For the first bounce, the light was fine. It didn’t survive the second impact with the road.
Corinna kicked the bike around in a U-turn, not slowing until she got to the top of the hill. She glanced back over her shoulder, wondering about that light.
Revving the bike in place, Corinna thought about fuel and time. She tilted her chin up at the shadow and whispered, “Fuck you.”
Once more, she turned the machine around and twisted the throttle. Before she reached the shadow, she was moving fast. Corinna clenched her jaw and gripped the handlebars tight as the front wheel passed into the shadow. For an instant, the world was black. Then, like nothing had happened, she was on the other side, her momentum carrying her as the motorcycle slowed down.
Blinking rapidly, she glanced down and saw that the motorcycle was still running and she was still intact. Looking back over her shoulder at the black band, she laughed.
“Ha!” she yelled into the air. Corinna sped on.
Chapter 72: Jackson
The sun hadn’t come up yet, but the sky in the east was beginning to brighten. Amy Lynne steered through the underpass and let the truck roll to a stop. The engine idled. Denver and the mother dog both sat up. They could sense that something was about to happen.
“What time is it?” Merle asked.
“No idea,” Jackson said. “All the clocks have gone weird. Looks like we’re a few minutes until sunrise.”
“It’s too early,” Merle said. He scratched his head. “I mean, we haven’t been away that long. It shouldn’t be sunrise yet.”
“I know what you mean,” Jackson said.
They were all looking at the concrete wall. Up the road a bit, Jackson glanced at where the others had parked the supply trucks. Aside from those, there was no sign that anyone had been here.
“Where do we go now?” Amy Lynne asked. “Is there a door or something.”
“There’s a door,” Merle said, “but it only opens from the inside. It’s a long shot, but I’m hoping maybe they’ll open the door for us.”
Amy Lynne scrunched up her face in frustration. “Otherwise we’re stuck out here? We should have just stayed at my house then.”
“No,” Merle said. “There’s another way in, but it would be difficult with the dogs. If they don’t open soon, I’ll go around the long way and come back to let you guys in.”
They sat in silence for several minutes. Jackson reached down and stroked the head of the mother dog. All her puppies were asleep. She licked his hand. His arm was beginning to really throb, but he didn’t want to mention it. If he did, Amy Lynne would probably want to administer more first aid, and then it would really hurt.
He smiled.
“You remember when we met Tim?” he asked Amy Lynne.
She let out a weary breath. She hated reminiscing.
“We were young and stupid,” she said eventually.
Merle looked at her.
“We were half wild,” Jackson said. “Living on our own with no supervision.”
“Didn’t you try to kill him?” Merle asked.
“Not really,” Jackson said. “We wanted to scare him, not kill him.”
“Huh,” Amy Lynne said with a burst of air.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jackson asked.
The light came on in the truck as Merle opened the door.
“I’m going around,” he said.
“Just wait,” Jackson said. “You told us that it takes a while to get from the lower floors up to this door, right? Why not wait a few minutes and see if they open up?”
“I’ll go around. I’m sure the keys are in those trucks. I’ll take one and go around. If they let you in before I come back, I’ll see you inside.”
He slipped through the door and shut it before Denver could try to follow him. Amy Lynne leaned over and comforted the dog, whispering to him to settle back down. Eventually, under her gentle hand, he did.
“That was foolish,” Jackson said.
They watched Merle climb into a truck and start it up.
“I’m sure he would rather do that than watch us fight.”
“But we weren’t fighting. We were just chatting.”
“It was going to turn into a fight,” she said.
“That’s bullshit. I don’t see why we can’t have a conversation about the old days without it turning into a fight. We had some really good times back then, all things considered.”
“You never bring up the good times. And, if I’m honest, the good times weren’t all that good. You were always running off. You never could sit still for more than two minutes at a time.”
“There’s always something to do.”
“Right, but staying put with me and Merle was never high on the list.”
Jackson opened his mouth to tell her that he was always running around because she always wanted him to do something. She would suggest that he might go take a present down to Gladstone, or run over to check on the expedition that was headed out west. Half the time he left her, it wasn’t just with her blessing. It was her idea in the first place. He didn’t bother to say any of those things. He had said them all a hundred times before and they always led to more arguing. Jackson realized that Merle had gotten out at precisely the right moment. This was turning into a fight.
“Well,” Jackson said, not knowing how to finish the thought. He wanted to express his frustration and hurt. Instead, he said, “I guess I wish I had.”
She didn’t reply. Amy Lynne just bent over the seat so she could scratch Denver’s back. When she found just the right spot, his foot thumped against the seat.
“We have to name this dog,” Jackson said, petting the mother dog’s head. “I guess the kids should do it though. Jim and Janelle are the ones who first found her.”
“Oh? How are they?”
“Good. They’re good,” Jackson said.
The sun still hadn’t come up and the clock on the dashboard of the truck showed that they had been waiting nearly an hour.
“Oh!” Amy Lynne said. “Is that it?”
Jackson sat up and looked through his window.
“Hot damn,” he said as the concrete wall began to elevate and then tilt back. The big door to the shelter was opening. “I’ll carry Denver in,” Jackson said. “Maybe we can get some people to come help with the puppies and bags. Just leave them in the truck for now.”
“Nonsense,” she said. “I’m not going to leave them in the truck. You go send someone out to help and I’ll wait here with them.”
“I don’t know if that…”
“Just go.”
Jackson didn’t feel like he had a choice. When Amy Lynn gave an order, she expected it to be followed. He told the mother dog to stay and let himself out. Denver smiled and wagged when he opened the door. The old dog was way too light. It made Jackson’s heart ache as he helped Denver to the pavement and gently held up his back end until he found his feet. The old dog made an attempt to lift his leg and then continued to pee as he followed Jackson toward the door.
Mike was on the other side.
“Hey,” Mike said. “You found her.”
“Yeah. Did you see Merle? He was going around the other way.”
Mike shook his head. “Liam came and got me—said that you were waiting here. Maybe they’ve seen him on the other side.”
“Can you go help Amy Lynne? We have another dog, some bags, and a mess of puppies to bring in.”
Mike nodded. “I’ll get some carts. You’ll have to hold the door for me.”
Jackson nodded. He remembered. Denver was perfectly willing to sit and wait with him there. The two of them watched Mike disappear inside for a minute and then return with a string of low carts. He pushed them out to the curb and then worked with Amy Lynne to load the precious cargo aboard. The sides weren’t tall enough to contain the puppies now that they were awake and playful. After a quick conversation, Amy Lynne sat on the cart with the dogs and Mike pushed it up to the door.
“I propped open the elevator,” Mike said. “You guys can head on in.”
“You go,” Amy Lynne said to Jackson. “Take the puppies this time, get them settled, and then come back for Denver.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to wait here in case Merle comes back this way.”
“He’s probably already inside.”
“Then send him up to get me if you find him,” she said.
Jackson could tell she wasn’t kidding around. She was going to stand there until she knew that her son was safely inside.
He sighed and turned to Mike.
“Hey, we’re going to wait here. Is there any chance you could find someone to watch over these pups?”
“A cart full of puppies?” Mike asked. “I can’t imagine how I would ever find someone who would take on that.”
Jackson frowned.
“I’m kidding. Half the people down there would be thrilled. If I can get them to stay on the cart until I get to the elevator, I’ll be fine.”
Mike started to push the cart down the passage, into the depths of the bunker.
“Hey,” Jackson said, making Mike pause. “Have you guys been losing power down there? Did anyone have trouble breathing?”
Mike shook his head. “Nope. It’s all been fine so far.”
Jackson nodded and Mike continued on his way.
Amy Lynne leaned back against the frame of the giant door. Jackson lowered himself to the floor and sat next to Denver. If the door was going to close, it would have to crush all three of them to death. He looked up at the heavy concrete above him. There was no doubt that it weighed enough to do just that.
“Who made this place?” she asked.
“I don’t know, military?”
With his good hand, Jackson scratched Denver’s head.
“Seems solid.”
From where he was sitting, Jackson could barely see the patch of brightening sky to the east. He had seen the sun rise more than a thousand times, but it had never taken this long before. It was like the sun had gotten stuck, just below the hills. Either that or the Earth had decided to stop rotating. The moon was still moving across the night sky though. He figured that if the Earth had stopped spinning, the moon would stop as well.
“Maybe it’s a fire,” she said, guessing what he was looking at.
“Maybe. I don’t smell smoke though.”
“Wind could be blowing it the other way,” she said.
A million times, Jackson had imagined getting Amy Lynne in a position just like this. She couldn’t leave. Maybe he could finally get her to answer the question that she always walked away from.
He cleared his throat and she didn’t look over at him. He asked anyway.
“Why did you leave?”
Amy Lynne closed her eyes and sighed.
“Can you just tell me so I know? I apologize
for whatever I did. Can you just tell me so I don’t do it again?”
He waited.
At least this time she didn’t leave. He hadn’t counted on her simply ignoring the question.
“I’ve told you before, Jackson,” she said.
With clenched teeth, he held back the desire to contradict her.
“I shouldn’t have to tell you. It wasn’t fair that I had to take care of Merle and you at the same time. It wasn’t fair that you got to go out and do whatever you wanted. On top of that, I always had to explain to you what I was upset about. Sooner or later, I didn’t have the energy to do it again.”
Jackson wanted to tell her that he would do better. He wanted to tell her that he could change and make her life a dream. Back when they were all alone in the world, living in the lake house and figuring everything out for the first time, she had always told him how good and strong he was to take care of her. He could be that for her again—he was sure of it. Instead, he kept his mouth shut. It was the most that she had said to him in years.
“You remember when I told you about my grandmother.”
He nodded, but she continued away.
“It wasn’t so bad when she lost her memory. She was still kind and sweet. We all loved her just as much, and she never got mean or anything. It broke my heart when she would get sad, but sometimes I couldn’t help it. She would ask me the same question that she had already asked a hundred times and I would snap at her. She didn’t know why I was so mad because she couldn’t remember that we had already had the conversation before. That’s when she would get sad.”
Amy Lynne looked down at her feet. Jackson remembered the story about the grandmother, but he had never known how much guilt that Amy Lynne was carrying around.
“I would apologize to her and tell her the answer again. She couldn’t remember the answers, but she would remember that she was sad for hours and hours. It was the worst part. How could she forget what had made me angry but remember to be so sad?”