They didn’t have to wait very long. An hour or so later, someone ducked inside the tent. Bobby, who’d heard her approach, had positioned himself beside the flap, in case she tried to get away. But there was only one person. An adult woman.
“Where’s Maria?” he asked.
The woman screeched and made a grab for the flap, but Bobby had her in an iron grip.
“If you call out, I’ll make sure everyone knows you abducted my daughter.”
“Wha…what are you talking about?”
She was a slight woman with a haunted look about her. Her arms and the bottoms of her jeans were wet, and sweat ran down her face as she looked desperately into his eyes.
“You know exactly what I mean. Maria. My daughter. Where is she?”
She held her breath for a moment and looked from Bobby to Eve. “You’re…you’re Ellen?”
“No, my name’s Eve. But this is Bobby Rodriguez, Maria’s father.”
“She said…she said you’d gone off to get help but never came back. Then there was some kind of attack and she escaped with someone. I don’t know how much of this is true and how much she made up.”
“It’s all true,” Bobby said. “Now, where is she?”
“In Denver.”
“What?”
Bobby made to grab at the women in frustration, but Eve pulled him away. “You’d better explain,” she said. “Quickly.”
“Can I sit down?” the woman gasped, “I’ve just done a full shift in the laundry.”
Eve nodded and the woman picked up a folding chair that had been hidden beside the sleeping bags and slumped into it.
“What’s Maria doing in Denver?” Bobby said as Eve pulled on his arm until he sat on his daughter’s sleeping bag.
Fitzgerald shrugged. “She didn’t want to stay here anymore. She said you’d go find her there. It’s the camp where they send children.”
“But you’ve registered her as your daughter.”
“She never was happy with that,” she said as Bobby’s chest swelled with pride. “And soon after we got here, she told her school teacher that she wasn’t my daughter. I didn’t see any reason to deny it, so they sent her away.”
Eve leaned forward onto her elbows. “How did Maria come to be with you in the first place?”
“I found her. She was running away. Later, she told me the story about the island and how her friend—Jake?—was killed. I’d gotten caught in the flood. Me and my…my…boys. We were heading back to Phoenix.” She buried her face in her hands, tears leaking through her fingers.
Bobby fidgeted impatiently, but Eve held on to his hand and waited for the sobbing to subside. “Kathi. It is Kathi?”
Nod.
“I’m so sorry for your loss, but where did you find Maria?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what it was before the flood, but by then it was a lake with pine trees in the water.”
Eve turned to Bobby and whispered, “It sounds like she was near the cabin.”
“Did you see a burned-out pile of wood?” Bobby asked, as calmly as he could manage.
“Yeah. Just after I calmed Maria down. There was a man there, he came out of the trees. In a wheelchair.”
“Michael!” Eve hissed.
“At least it means her story checks out,” Bobby said, before turning back to the woman. “Why did you change Maria’s name?”
“I told her the men who had taken her would probably come after her and so it would be safer if she took my name. She seemed okay with that at the time.”
“That doesn’t explain why you wanted her to change her name to yours.”
She lowered her head into her hands again. “It was crazy. You’ve got to understand, I’d lost my…my…in the flood. I’d been crying for two days straight. I was out of my mind. I guess…I guess it gave me some comfort to have someone to look after. Someone to pretend with. She needed a parent, I needed a…a child.”
“Well, I’m sorry and all,” Bobby said, not feeling that way at all, “but you shouldn’t have kept it up when you got to Santa Clarita. I might have found you before you set off for here. I’d have Maria back by now.”
Eve tightened her grip on Bobby’s arm. “Come on, my love. Be fair to her. She probably saved Maria’s life. And she lost her children. Have a little heart.”
Bobby deflated a little, but he couldn’t find it within himself to be charitable out loud.
“I’m sorry,” Kathi said. “You’re right. But I thought you were probably dead. And I’d…I’d fallen for Ellen…Maria. She is a lovely girl.”
Bobby ran his hands down his face, trying to rub the tension out. “Yeah, she is. Look, I’m sorry for giving you a hard time. I appreciate you looking out for her. Guess I’d better get on the next bus to Denver.”
He stood up and opened the flap of the tent before looking back. “Thank you. Take care of yourself.”
“Am I ever going to catch a break?” he said as they strode along the path between West Six and Seven, heading toward the administration building.
“At least we know she’s alive and well. And where she is,” Eve said. “Look, it’s been a long day and I’m exhausted. Let’s go get some food, have a wash and go to bed.”
Bobby smiled for the first time since they’d come outside. “That sounds good. But first I want to find out when the next bus to Denver sets off.”
“You know you’re technically deserting, don’t you?” Eve said as they sat in the communal mess eating what turned to be an excellent, though distinctly military, beef stew.
Bobby shrugged. “I could ask Earl. He’s a good guy, but there’s too good a chance he’d say no, and I’ll have no chance to get away.”
“I told you, I could go instead.”
He took her spare hand in his and squeezed it. “It’s got to be me,” he said. “I’m her father. I doubt the camp authorities in Denver would let you bring her back, even if she agreed to go.”
“Then I’ll come with you.”
“We can only afford one ticket,” he said, shaking his head. “You gave up your wedding ring for it.”
“Couldn’t you stay a few days? Until your first paycheck?”
Bobby swallowed the last mouthful of beef and potato, shaking his head. “Are you serious? Look, why don’t you see if you can get a message through to Josh while I’m away?”
Her eyes widened. “I can’t do that. I’d be the last person he wants to hear from.”
“You know that isn’t true. You’re good at sweet-talking, and there’s bound to be a messaging system between the camps. Just let him know you’re okay.”
She scowled. “You’re a complete son of a…”
“Now, now,” he said, raising a finger. “I know you’ve been thinking about him.”
“Why would he want to hear from me? I told you what I am.”
Bobby sighed. “Yeah. You’re his mother. How do you think he’s feeling right now?”
“Look, I can’t think about it, alright?”
He squeezed her fingers again and let her hand go. “I know you’ve thrown yourself into helping me find Maria, but please, while I’m away, try and get in touch with Josh. It’d be good for both of you.”
Eve nodded without making eye contact. Her gaze had drifted over Bobby’s shoulder and he twisted around to follow her.
She got up found her way between the other tables, squeezing through the hubbub until she reached the corner of the room. “Maybe they run a bus service to Santa Clarita,” she said.
“Don’t forget it was in lockdown when we…left.”
“Maybe it’s out now?” she said, shuffling through the laser printed leaflets. “Oh, here’s something about Denver.”
She handed it over to Bobby.
Special Evac of Minors 04/28
“So, that was two days ago,” Bobby said, before scanning the rest of the sheet.
All unaccompanied minors are to be evacuated to Delta Camp Denver. Space is limited, so only m
inors who cannot be assigned to local families will be considered.
Bobby scratched his chin as he read this. “I don’t understand why Maria would go to Denver.”
“Kathi said Maria didn’t want to pretend to be her daughter anymore.”
“Hmm. So why didn’t she tell them her abuelos live not far from here. Nearer than Denver, anyway. She’d know they’d come fetch her if they knew she was here.”
Eve thought for a moment, glancing at the other notices on the wall. “Maybe there’s something not right about it, but the only way you’ll find out is to go to Denver and see if she’s there. I mean, the only other places buses run to are Vegas itself and Phoenix. And the Vegas bus is only for people who work here. Camp inmates aren’t allowed out.”
Something nagged at Bobby’s mind. Some thought or memory. It tugged at him like a dog with a rope. He knew he was on the edge of understanding, and that, when it arrived, it would be a revelation.
“When’s your bus leaving?” Eve said.
“What?”
Eve stood up on tippy toes and kissed him on the cheek. “I said, what time do you leave tomorrow?”
“Nine.”
She kissed him again then stepped back, taking his hand in hers. “Come on then, let’s enjoy our last night together. Just make sure you get on the right bus. I don’t want you ending up in Phoenix.”
He reflected her smile. “No chance, that one goes out at five fifteen today.”
Then his grin froze. “Phoenix. Something about Phoenix.” Finally, the nuclear bomb dropped. “Oh, my God. Come on!”
He pulled her by the hand toward the door as concerned faces turned to face them.
“You okay, lady?” a big man in uniform said as they squeezed past at speed.
“What’s going on?” she called out as they emerged from the cafeteria.
“What’s the quickest way to the bus station?” he asked. “Eve! How do we get there?”
She gestured past him. “Past the administration block.”
Without another word, he ran off, leaving her following as best she could.
His heart hammering, he ran at full speed, pushing people away, giving no heed to the protests as he went. He knew. He finally knew. He only hoped he wasn’t too late.
He burst out the other side of the admin block to see the makeshift booth and temporary shelters of the station. Just as, in a cloud of diesel fumes, a bus pulled away.
“No! Stop!” he called out before collapsing in a cloud of exhaust smoke, hands on knees and eyes burning.
No, he would not, could not give up. He stood again, retching the poison from his lungs, and ran toward the retreating bus. He was too late. There was no way to catch it now. If he’d had a gun, he’d have fired on the tires, but his knife was of no use at all.
The bus turned to the right, heading for the highway. He cast around desperately, then he saw it. A short cut. He sprinted toward the shelters, heading for a gap in the chain-link fence, moving in a straight line as the bus was forced to turn a right angle.
He burst out onto the scrubby roadside just as the vehicle emerged onto the highway. He didn’t have time to wave; the bus was almost level with him. So, without thinking, he hurled himself onto the road in front of the vehicle’s wheels.
He gasped as he hit the ground, the wind knocked out of his lungs. A squealing of wheels and the air full of the black smoke of burning tires. He rolled over and over, trying to put distance between him and the braking bus as it came closer and closer to crushing him. He felt the heat against his back as it trapped his shirt. He waited for the weight to snap his spine. But it didn’t.
A hiss as the door opened to cries of anger and terror. Boots. Boots on the ground, thudding toward him.
He rolled over once more.
“Bobby!” He could hear Eve’s voice crying out above the other. “Get out of my way! Bobby! For the love of God!”
And then, as he opened his eyes and waited for them to clear, he saw Eve’s profile against the sun. She was looking down at him. “Bobby!”
He pushed himself up onto his elbows, and opened his mouth to answer.
“Papa!”
She threw herself at him, pushing him back to the ground. He knew her instantly. And suddenly the void in his existence was filled and the sea came rushing in again.
“What did they do with her?” Bobby asked as Eve shut the door of their hotel room and collapsed into the bucket chair. He was sitting on the bed holding a sleeping Maria close, unwilling to even consider letting her go again.
“They’ve got her in a holding cell. She’ll be on the next bus to Phoenix. Honestly, though, I feel sorry for her.”
Bobby shook his head as he stroked Maria’s hair—cut much shorter than it had been when he’d last seen her. “I don’t. She stole my child.”
“She lost her own, Bobby. “
“That doesn’t give her the right to take mine.”
Eve sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. Night had finally fallen and the temperature was dropping. She’d imagined she’d noticed snowflakes in the air as she crossed from the security block, but that just went to show how tired she was. “No, it didn’t give her the right, but maybe it gave her the excuse. She probably saved Maria’s life, after all.”
Bobby leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. He’d escaped with Maria in the confusion after the bus had stopped, leaving Eve to deal with the fallout. Fortunately, other passengers had heard Maria break away from Kathi when she’d seen her father running toward the bus, so there was no disputing the facts. In any case, the wretched woman had lost all hope as soon as the child was in Bobby’s arms and she hadn’t resisted when security had taken her away. Eve had been gone for a couple hours as Bobby and Maria had cried and held each other until the child fell asleep.
“How did you know?” Eve asked, finally.
“I couldn’t figure out why Maria wouldn’t have mentioned her grandparents if she’d been put on a bus to Denver. If she didn’t want to be with Kathi, she’d have been happy to stay with my parents and I can’t believe she wouldn’t have been asked at some point.”
Eve looked doubtfully at him. “Uh-huh.”
“And there was something about her when we were at the tent. It really didn’t look as though she’d packed Maria up and sent her away. I mean, why wouldn’t she have taken her sleeping bag and pack? And then I remembered she came from Phoenix. It was where she was going when the flood caught her.”
“Then you saw the bus timetable. You put two and two together and got ten.”
Bobby sat up, carefully laying Maria’s head onto the pillow. “I was certain.”
“I know. Certain enough to throw yourself under the wheels of a bus! Idiot!”
He smiled. “Yeah. Well. I wasn’t thinking.”
“No, you weren’t.”
They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment and understanding passed between them.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It was stupid.”
“What would I have done without you?” Eve said, getting up and walking over to the side of the bed.
“I thought you said I’m an idiot?”
“You are, but you’re my idiot,” she said, taking his hand. “And I’m so happy you’ve got Maria back.” She leaned down and kissed him. “Now, I’m going to write a message to Josh.”
Coda
Wendell Kurbain watched the rocket come down right up to the moment he thought it might drop on him. When he got back to his feet, he scampered through the trees and down the slope of Pine Mountain. He’d been surviving fine on his own, but he was bored out of his skull by now. He’d taken a hunting trip a few weeks ago, getting up into the woods where he wouldn’t be able to hear the nag-nag-nag of his wife, but he’d thought he was only going for a few days. Mind, if you’d asked him beforehand what his idea of heaven was, he probably wouldn’t have imagined anything better than this. Plenty of game that had run up hill as the water came in, a pair of hunt
ing rifles and a ton of ammunition.
When he’d gotten particularly bored, he’d allowed his mind to turn to the millions of fellow Georgians who were now dead as doornails, but the truth was, he didn’t much like folk whether they were neighbors or not.
And then he’d looked up and seen what he thought at first was a meteor. Then he wondered if it could be some sort of sign. He prided himself on being Bible-learned—and he knew a Biblical flood when he saw one—and that there thing in the sky sure looked like the Lord striking down some poor jackass. Once he’d realized he wasn’t the target of God’s wrath, he was keen to see who had bought it.
He almost missed the waterline in his haste, putting his foot down into a raft of leaf litter and floating pine needles.
He nearly blasphemed, but he slapped his hand over his mouth and backed up the slope a little.
A hundred yards away, in the water that covered Warm Springs, the remains of a long metal tube bobbed up and down. Half of it had blown off, and flames licked the ragged edges, giving off huge clouds of smoke that clawed at his throat when the wind blew it toward him.
Was it a plane crash? Don’t be a fool, Wendell, there ain’t been no planes in the sky for weeks. Then what? Aliens? He instinctively slapped his hand on the back of his pants in case any thin, gray fella was about to shove a probe where he shouldn’t.
He watched it in complete silence, listening to the crackle of the flames and the hiss of steam as, finally, it dropped beneath the surface. For a long time he stood there, just in case there was another development. It had been a long time since anything interesting had happened on Wendell’s Island and, after all, he didn’t have anything pressing to do. He’d eaten the last of that stag for breakfast and he had plenty stored away.
So, he waited until, finally, he gave up. With a groan, and a shake of his head, he turned to go, but slipped, fell back, and put his foot down below the waterline again.
He cursed and glanced up in case any further lightning bolts might appear out of the sky, but all he could see was the steam above the wreck that had now spread so it was over him. He went to lift his foot.
“What in tar—” he muttered to himself, before leaning down and thrusting his hands into the now-congealing pine litter. “Cold as ice,” he said.
Deluge | Book 3 | Survivors Page 19