The Earth Died Screaming

by Chuck Rogers

  I told her the secret of Miss Puppy McPupface.

  Penny laughed.

  I took that as a good sign and she fell asleep in the sun.

  Four motorcycles arrived mid-morning. One of the riders wore colors. They rolled into the empty Lodge parking lot and I'm a liar if I say I didn't admire the expressions on their faces. They stared at the blackened foundations. Guns came out. They stared all around but there was nothing to see. No cars. No bodies. The fire had taken care of the blood. I suppose if they sifted through the ashes they might find a beam with a hole in it or a melted bullet but it was needle in a haystack.

  Suck on mystery, Sons of Ged.

  The leader jerked his head and one of his boys jumped back on his bike and pealed out north.

  Half an hour later the ramifications of my actions arrived.

  The Sons of Ged arrived in force.

  I counted thirty vehicles and well over a hundred swinging dicks. Mostly pick-ups and SUV's loaded with armed men and another dozen motorcycles. The rank and file carried hunting rifles and shotguns. The full-patch members had assault rifles. All of the vehicles had the broken-world logo painted on their hoods.

  So did the goddamn US Army 'Stryker' wheeled armored fighting vehicle.

  I was relieved that the remote weapons station with its cameras, thermal imager and laser rangefinder had been removed. It was too much tech for a bunch of post-holocaust bikers to maintain. But it had a pintle-mounted .50 caliber heavy machine gun on the main hatch, a pair of medium .30's over the other two and the Men-In-Black had gifted me with exactly one High Explosive Dual-Purpose grenade that might or might not do a mischief to the eighteen ton beast.

  Beasts arrived as well.

  A pick-up pulled up with half a dozen baying hounds of various breeds in the back. Another pick-up with great big metal transport boxes pulled up next to it. The Pit Bulls and mastiffs came out slavering and it was just about time for Penny and I to go.

  The Stryker's ramp opened and I noted the first man out. He was about as big as me. His blood red hair, mustaches and beard had been buzzed down to matching stubble. Real hammerhead-looking son of a bitch. Large and clearly in charge.

  He stank to high heaven like ex-military and operator quality.

  Penny woke to the roar of all the engines and cringed against me. "Penny, what can you tell me about Ged?"

  "I only heard his voice once and it was scary. One of the girls with sight told me he was a giant. They say if he summoned a slave, man or woman, they never came back."

  Hammerhead was big and bad but you wouldn't call him a giant. Gedheads fanned out in all directions. The hounds sniffed around the parking lot and began barking. I'd thrown buckets of lake water on the sentries' blood. No human would see bloodstains on the pavement but the hounds' noses were not fooled. They went straight to where I'd killed the access road sentries and next thing you know they were at the Medea Creek Bridge.

  I'd stuffed twelve, bullet riddled bodies in the back of the SUV. Blood must have dripped. The dogs paused baying and sniffing at the fork in the road.

  I grimaced as the sons of bitches split up. Half the dogs and a dozen men started down East Lake Shore Drive. That would take them to the dam. The other half started up Lake Vista Drive. That would take them to Lake Overlook Road. That would take them to Penny and me.

  It was definitely time to go.

  We jumped in the truck and flew down the backside of the overlook.

  The Mulholland Highway was tempting but God only knew what kind of shape it was in and what we might encounter on it. I went off-road and swung way wide around the back end of the dam. Penny hated being slammed around in the truck and whimpered with every jolt. There was nothing to be done. I picked up Crag's road. I knew from my own walk that it was washed out in several places but before it did it took me to Alice's 4 X 4'ing trail.

  The million-dollar question was whether the trail was clogged and destroyed or had the flood actually ripped it open and washed it clean.

  The answer was some of both.

  We began the long, slow, nerve-wracking slog through gully, culvert and arroyo. There were boulders and deadfalls. It got steep and deep. It was spring. Parts of the trail were swift running creek and there was plenty of mud. I had to get out and use the winch six times. The light failed before we were even halfway through and we spent a very nervous night stopped in two feet of water. Dogs couldn't follow exhaust fumes. Men might follow the fresh ruts. But I had gone on and off-road several times over miles of terrain. For them to somehow re-pick up my trail three times and figure out I had gone off Crags Road with the light failing was unimaginable.

  Except that I did imagine it.

  I had waking Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid "Who are these guys?" nightmares. I'd already brutally underestimated the SOG once today. I could only imagine that once done injury their tenacity pegged the gauge on the berserker side of Nemesis. The only upside was that I had stolen all the SOG's supplies at the Lodge and I saw no reason to ration. I dug around in the MRE cartons and came out with the prize.

  Not just one but two chili and macaroni menus.

  Chili mac is the pick of the MRE litter. If you're lucky enough to get ahold of one on deployment you need to sneak off to eat it by yourself or people will come out of nowhere and steal it. If you're my size? They'll bring friends and create diversions. I mean there is always one weird guy in the platoon and Puppy McPupface who like the veggie burger, but that right there is the MRE heaven and MRE hell. The other twenty-four menus in between are subject to debate. Chili mac also comes with the awesome marble pound cake, coffee, and, despite the fact that the US military has been actively discouraging smoking for years?

  The chili mac comes with matches in the accessory packet.

  Bonus round.

  I opened up a bottle of red. I only took a few swallows and switched to coffee. Penny drank half the bottle and between that and the food she conked out early and thankfully slept through the night. I stayed awake in the back seat keeping an eye on the trail behind us.

  I was really jonesing for some night-vision gear.

  Dawn kept coming earlier and earlier but it was still a long night. I waited for decent light and we hit the trail again. I only had to winch three times and then we broke out of the twisting crevasses and into open ground. The Goat Buttes were where they were supposed to be and now I used the park's access roads. We drove through the M*A*S*H production site, waved at the camels in passing and found Alice at the ranger station at noon.

  The ranger station still had propane, I'd stolen a big box of canned goods from the SOG and lunch was two cans of Spaghetti-O's, a Pinot and an apple. We proceeded at an amble and reached the visitors center ninety-minutes later. Colin tipped his hat from where he was line-bossing the fence crew. He was making good progress.

  "Miss Alice!"

  Alice grinned. "Colin!"

  Of course, the horsey people all knew each other.

  "I like your truck, Frame!"

  "Thanks!"

  Alice dismounted. "Frame, I think I'm going to stay here a little while. Then I'm going to ride up and visit Clarice. I'll probably be staying there for the time being. At least until I can claim a house around here. I'm sure there'll be a town meeting real soon. Until then?" Alice shook her head. "Thanks for kicking the hornets nest."

  I deflated a bit. I guess she didn't have much to thank me for, actually.

  She suddenly shot me the smirk. "The possum was awesome."

  "Thanks."

  Alice walked the string of horses across the field to Sophina and Tom's graves and took a knee.

  I felt sudden panic and looked over at Penny. Truth was, I'd assumed Alice would take her. Then I realized the truth.

  I was a total dick.

  Alice was homeless.

  She was arriving in Malibu with her horses and her hat in her hand.

  Penny sensed something was wrong. "Is something wrong?"

  "No, nothi
ng's wrong."

  She knew. Her lip trembled. Tears spilled. "Where do I go?"

  Literal, blind desperation will break your heart. Even if you wander around telling yourself and anyone else who will listen you don't have one.

  "I'll do anything you want. You can--"

  I put a smile in my voice. "You want to meet my dog?"

  "Please?"

  I took Penny to my place.

  Face gave a Woor-oor-oor! of warning to Lalli as the gate rolled back. The front door opened as I pulled up and Face charged out. Lalli's face shone like the sun at the sight of me.

  Her face turned to stone at the sight of Penny riding shotgun.

  I clambered out under Lalli's dark gaze, went around and opened the passenger door. "Lalli, this is Penny."

  Lalli's eyes flew wide as she realized Penny was blind. "Hello."

  Penny was recently blind and she still tried to look for Lalli with her eyes. "Hi, I'm--"

  Penny yipped in surprise and then made a happy noise as Face started licking her ankles. She sat down against the front wheel and Face lunged straight for the chin slurping. Penny laughed happily. Then she started crying. She hugged Face to her and kept on crying. Face lay against her and went into soulful, stuffed animal with a pulse mode.

  Pupface Therapy.

  I needed to start charging.

  Lalli spoke low in Spanish. "Who is she?"

  "I rescued her."

  Lalli's black eyes went hard.

  The samurai had a saying. 'Help a man by the side of the road and you owe him for the rest of your life.'

  I'm pretty sure there was a similar saying in Nahuatl.

  "Lalli, I couldn't just leave her. Not for those bastards to find again."

  Lalli took in the visible cuts and bruises clinically. "I can understand that."

  She might as well have said: 'I understand why you saved the thirteen kittens from drowning, Frame. But now we have thirteen kittens.'

  Penny was pretty, another mouth to feed and blind.

  Lalli was not pleased. "And just what is it you propose I do with her?"

  God damn it.

  Penny spoke forlornly from the Raptor's wheel well. "I speak Spanish."

  I'd never seen Lalli's foot-in-mouth face. The stone-face shattered as her eyebrows shot straight up and her eyes flew back and forth in a blind panic.

  It lasted a heartbeat.

  Lalli knelt beside Penny and took her hand. "I am very sorry. For days I have been terrified that Frame would never return. Now he comes back with a beautiful woman and I forget my manners. You are our guest. For as long as you like." Lalli handed me Face and took Penny by the hand. "Come with me."

  Lalli led her inside.

  I unloaded the truck. I managed to manhandle the bikes down and put most everything else in the garage. The yard was starting to get clogged with vehicles. The liquor and food I brought inside. I loaded the canned goods and one case of MREs into the pantry and earmarked the other two for the bomb shelter. I put the SOG's beer in the refrigerator and saw two big mason jars of pickled eggs and a 12-pack of Longboard Lager had appeared in my absence.

  My master bedroom currently didn't have a door. I heard the tub filling and sobbing.

  I grabbed an MRE veggie burger, a tennis ball and a couple of beers. "Come on, Face."

  There had been changes.

  Out back we had a new chicken coup with at least six chickens visible. A shiny new RV mostly filled the side yard. I looked at Face. I'd only been gone a few days but I swear the girl had grown an inch at the shoulder and put on five pounds.

  She was eyeing that tennis ball.

  I eyed her back.

  I'd been gone for days. Time to see if the rest of the clan had been productive. I took a knee on the lawn. "Face?"

  Face wagged her tail.

  "Watch me."

  Face locked her soulless gaze with mine.

  Oh, fuckin-ay, yes, bubba! Cecilia had gone to work.

  "Good, girl! Sit . . ."

  Face sat. My heart surged. "Good girl! Down . . ."

  Face bobbed her head a couple times. She clearly wanted to romp around instead but she slowly laid down.

  "You are such a good, good girl!"

  Face burst out of 'down' without permission and launched into my arms. I didn't care. I was so happy I didn't know what to do. She squirmed against me and I gave her the good lovin' skritchin' all over.

  "Did you miss me? Of course you did! I missed you!" I found the sweet spot and she made a face like a dinosaur and her right leg started vibrating. "Skoodgie-boodgie-woodgie-Facey-wacey-puddin-poo!"

  Yeah, I baby talked my dog.

  You got a problem with that?

  I was proud of her.

  I'd left home convinced my new dog was a moron and returned to genius. "Oh, that's a veggie burger! You know it! Don't you know it? Of course you know it! Because you're the smartest dog that ever there was! Aren't you? Of course you are!"

  Oh, she recognized that plastic wrapper I pulled out of my pocket.

  I tore open the patty package and oozed forth love from the BBQ sauce packet. I cracked a Longboard lager and watched with great satisfaction as my dog ate her prize. When Face was done eating I scooped her up and went to the hammock. It was the only piece of furniture I allowed her on so lolling in the hammock with Lalli or me was pretty much the ultimate treat.

  Face forgot about the tennis ball and instantly went to sleep on my chest. I lay in the hammock with my dog, drank beer and put my mind in neutral. I stared up into the sky and picked out little pale moon chunks in the blue. I enjoyed it while I could. There was girl trouble in the bathroom and I knew word of my return would be spreading through Malibu like wildfire.

  Lalli came out after about an hour. "She is sleeping."

  Lalli climbed into the hammock, gave me a big slow kiss, took a sip of beer, and kissed me again. I was mostly sure I wasn't in trouble anymore. Lalli laid her head on my chest and sighed. "That girl has suffered."

  Lalli told me Penny's story.

  Penny was a nice girl. From a nice family. From a nice neighborhood in Oak Park. Three months ago she looked up into the sky and saw the beam. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. She was a nice, Christian girl and for a moment she thought it must be God and the Rapture and she'd hoped she was worthy. Then she blinked, and all she could see were the after-images.

  When those faded she couldn't see anything at all.

  Then things had gotten rough.

  I told Lalli about my walk, Alice, spatchcocked possum and everything that had happened at Malibou Lake.

  "These Sons of Ged. They will come?"

  I felt it in my bones. "I think they will. They took Penny out of Oak Park. That's north. They've reached Malibu Lake. That's south. Sounds like they're having to scavenge further and further off the 101. Unless we can convince them otherwise, we're most likely next."

  "What do we do?"

  "My first instinct is to take you and Face and run."

  "Where?"

  That was an excellent question. I'd been chewing it over for days. "If they have the Santa Monica corridor then they have everything between LA and Newbury Park. With the PCH gone we'd have to try and sneak past them. We could do it, but we'd have to go on foot, it would take weeks with only what we could carry, and I don't know what we'd be walking into, and that's if there's anything to walk to at all."

  "You have had other thoughts."

  I had.

  None of them good.

  "There's a reservation. Not my people. But still Human Beings. Maybe with my blood and your . . ." I searched for a word,

  Lalli smiled. "Aztecness?"

  I kissed her. "Yeah, that. If the rez is still there, then there are ranches and farms and God knows they'll be needing braves like me."

  "Where is it?"

  I sighed with the weight of a broken world. "North of Bakersfield."

  "Frame, that is at least two hundred miles."
>
  It might as well have been on the moon.

  And there wasn't any moon anymore.

  "Yeah."

  "You have thought of other things."

  "Do you know how to ride a motorcycle?"

  "When I was a teenager? In Mexico City? I had a Vespa scooter." Lalli grinned. "It was pink."

  "I can't even imagine how cute that was."

  Lalli shrugged modestly. "I was very popular. Tell me about your me on a motorcycle plan."

  "We could go down to the coast. We take the dirt bikes and pick our way north. Or we could take the horses. Whichever you felt more comfortable on. Horses would be better for Face."

  Lalli consulted her mental map. "What is north? Oxnard?"

  "Naval Base Ventura County."

  "Will it not have been wiped out?"

  "Maybe, but they have a bit of barrier peninsula between the air base and the open ocean. There's also the Naval Construction Battalion just a few miles further north. It's a naval base, and if any part of it is still operational they'll need Marines. My dog tags might get us in, and that's only twenty miles away."

  Lalli laid her head on my chest. "But that may be the lair of the hombres oscuros."

  The lair of the dark men.

  "Yeah, the black helicopters broke for the sea. That's the closest military base, and the Men-In-Black are playing with radioactive rocks and shooting people."

  "You are thinking of staying here, and that Malibu may be worth fighting for."

  "I am."

  My heart withered as utter misery contorted Lalli's face. "Reconocimiento . . ."

  Reconnaissance.

  "I have to find out how many of them there are. How big their territory is. What kind of firepower they have. What their table of organization is. What resources they have. I need to know just who this Ged guy is and what his plans really are. Do they have allies? Do they have enemies? Do we want to be friends with them? If they have slaves I need to see if there is any chance of organizing a revolt."

  "So you must learn everything."

  "If we're going to stand any chance at all."