“Nothing obvious. Just a house with kids’ toys littered all over the place. Not like he had a warhead taken apart on the coffee table.”
Cliff chuckled.
“Does radioactive stuff really glow or is that just movie BS?”
“Yes and no.”
“That helps.” Harper followed the road east, cutting across the residential area to avoid going around in a circle.
“Depends. Like the stuff they put in nuclear weapons doesn’t glow. Just looks like metal. Radiation can glow, but the only time I’ve heard of it doing so is in the water of some nuclear reactors. Something about photons interacting with the water making blue light. There’s a Russian-sounding name for the effect I can’t remember.” He waved a hand around. “Chekov Radiation or Chelensky… something like that.”
“Wow. You’re really smart for a mall security guard.”
“Hey. I resemble that remark.”
She chuckled.
“Cherenkov Radiation.” Cliff snapped his fingers. “I think that’s it.”
“That’ll come in really handy to know.”
He gave her a flat look. “You asked.”
“I wanted to know if we needed to keep an eye out for anything making light. The name of a scientific phenomenon isn’t going to help us.”
“Whatever, Miss Too Cool for School.”
“Hah.”
“Learning is important. Just because the world blew up doesn’t mean you should stop doing your homework. People need to learn so we don’t slide back into being cavemen.”
“I’m not in school. I don’t have homework.”
He held a hand up at her. “Technicalities.”
“And cavemen? Isn’t that sexist?”
Cliff gave her major side eye.
She laughed.
Upon reaching Route 74, Harper sat to rest. She explained in detail what she’d seen inside the house, the body, the smell, and the boy’s appearance.
“I’m inclined to agree with Janice. Doesn’t sound like the boy suffered the same exposure to the source. If this North guy was a scavenger, he probably walked back and forth through an irradiated zone multiple times. Radiation damage doesn’t show up right away. If he went into a nasty enough spot, he could’ve picked up a fatal dose in only a few minutes.”
“Didn’t you say the radioactivity from a nuclear weapon strike falls off pretty rapidly? Like, nowhere near what the movies show where places are uninhabitable for decades and decades.”
“That’s true. The contamination from a nuke strike falls off relatively fast. A nuclear power plant melting down is a different story. That can create a dead zone that’ll last a good few centuries. Much more radioactive material involved, and it isn’t mostly consumed in an instant critical reaction like with a weapon.”
Harper shivered. “You think this guy might have gone into an old power plant?”
“Well, if the staff died before they could shut down, or panicked and left… the reactors might have run away. Those things, as far as I know, are supposed to shut themselves down if they’re abandoned. But, it’s not like anyone ever tested what happens by abandoning a real plant. Almost a year after the blast, who the hell knows what’s happened inside those places?”
“Great. Now I’m going to be scared of radiation.”
“That’s a good thing to be scared of.” Cliff rubbed a hand back and forth across her back. “Don’t freak out too bad. Roy runs around with that counter every so often. Hasn’t found anything really scary in town.”
“Whew.”
A few minutes later, Roy Ellis came riding down the highway while towing a second mountain bike at his side. She gave Cliff a quick hug, hopped on the extra bike, and started heading south again.
“Be home before ten, and if any boys try to give you radiation, say no,” called Cliff.
“Okay, Dad!” shouted Harper.
Riding fast made it somewhat difficult to attempt a conversation, so as much as she felt tempted to ask Roy about the Weldon investigation, she figured Elijah needed attention more urgently than a man who’d already died. It didn’t take them too long to cover the slightly more than a mile ride south to the sheriff’s department. Bikes definitely made the town feel smaller compared to walking everywhere.
Harper skidded to a stop in front of the sheriff’s office and blinked in shock at Darci sitting on the curb next to Elijah… inhaling from a joint her friend held to the boy’s lips. He appeared to have been given a bath as well as an adult-sized T-shirt to wear like a dress.
“Darce!” shouted Harper.
Her friend looked up. “Oh, hey. Welcome back.”
“What the hell?” Roy stared at the boy. “You better tell me I’m seeing things here.”
“What he said.” Harper jumped off the bike and stormed over to her. “Are you seriously giving a four-year-old weed?”
“I’m five,” said Elijah, his words written on the air in smoke. He barely even coughed. “Not four.”
“Oh, five.” Roy rolled his eyes. “Well, it’s totally okay then. Four-year-olds are a bit too young.”
“It’s all natural,” said Darci, right before taking a pull on the joint herself.
“So is arsenic.” Roy unstrapped a yellow metal box from the side of his bike and fiddled with some knobs. “I’m gonna pretend I didn’t see that kid tokin’ up. Better not happen again until he’s fifteen.”
“Must you?” Harper sighed at Darci. “Really? He’s just a little kid. People have to be at least fifteen for beer. Weed’s gonna be the same.”
“He needed it.” Darci looked down. “He knows what’s going on.”
“Still… He’s too small.” Harper crouched and examined the boy’s face. Eyes, slightly bloodshot. “He’s high.”
Darci made a ‘duh’ face at her. “Yeah. That’s the whole point. Besides, he only took three hits. It’ll wear off fast.”
“Would Daddy be this sick if we still had ambulances?” asked Elijah in a dazed voice.
“Umm. If we still had ambulances, he wouldn’t have gotten sick from this.” Harper wanted to pick him up like a lost kitten, but resisted.
Roy approached and waved a metal wand over the child. The box in his other hand emitted a series of ticking noises.
Elijah looked down. “We’re all gonna die, aren’t we?”
“Nah. We’ll be okay.” Harper ruffled his hair. “Yeah, things are different and a little scary, but people existed before technology. We can do it again.”
“You can stay with me.” Darci put an arm around the boy. “I’d like a kid brother.”
“You gave him weed. Not sure that qualifies you as a good role model to raise a kid.” Harper folded her arms.
Darci laughed. “In this world, I think the most important thing any of us can do is just take whatever happens in stride. There’s no point getting worked up over anything. Stuff’s gonna happen that we used to be able to stop, but can’t anymore. Like diseases. Getting sad or pissed off won’t change a damn thing.” She took a long drag, held it for a moment, then exhaled. “All we can do is have fun while we can and deal with the bullshit.”
Elijah leaned up, trying to get his mouth on the joint.
Darci patted him on the head. “You’ve had enough for now, little man.”
“He’s clean of radiation,” said Roy, turning the counter off. “If he had any contaminated dust on him, looks like they washed it off already.”
“Yeah, we gave him a bath in a sink. Janice said he might have particles on him.” Darci brushed a hand over the boy’s hair.
Harper nodded. “Let’s go talk to her. Darce, can we trust you not to turn him into a pothead by age six?”
“Okay, okay. I promise I won’t give him any more until he’s old enough. Little man’s Dad went to the Good Place. Cut him some slack.” Darci glanced at the joint. “Call it a one-off for severe circumstances. Medicinal, not recreational.”
Harper sighed, shook her head, and went inside wit
h Roy.
18
Glowing
Following a brief conference in Janice Holt’s office, Harper accompanied a small group back to the house where she’d found Elijah. She didn’t need to lead them, since Janice knew where Aaron North lived. On the way, she explained to Roy that the man had been a scavenger, heading out on his own again and again. Sometimes, he brought back useful things—ammo, weapons, clothing, medicine, canned food. Most of the time, he came back with ‘curiosities.’
Harper and Roy exchanged a look at that.
“If he didn’t get irradiated from being at a ground zero location, he might have found a piece of a radiotherapy machine.” Roy shook his head. “Maybe he found a capsule of cesium chloride. There was a bad accident involving that stuff in Brazil, around ’87 I think. If he found that shit, we are in deep, deep trouble. Could wipe us all out.”
A sensation came on like fleas crawling all over Harper’s body under her clothes. “Am I contaminated? I was in the house.”
The group stopped walking long enough for Roy to check her over with the Geiger counter. It made some scary noises, but his expression remained calm.
“Nope. You’re clear.”
“It’s squawking.”
“Background radiation. It’s unusual if these things are completely silent. That usually only happens in a shielded environment where nothing can get in.”
“Wow. You know a lot about radiation for a cop.”
“Hazmat training.” He bowed his head and shut the machine off. “Used to get some trains coming through transporting spent nuclear fuel, so we had to learn this stuff. Never imagined I’d need it for the end of the world.”
“Yeah…”
They continued without conversation, walking the relatively short distance down the road from the sheriff’s building to the street leading to Aaron North’s house. Roy turned the counter on again a good distance from the front door, then advanced on the property at a slow, cautious pace.
Harper stared at the needle. The squawking and ticking increased in volume and frequency as they neared the house. She almost asked how bad it was, but the noise lessened after they went inside. Still, it appeared the living room had more radiation than outside away from the house.
Janice and Calvin Velasquez accompanied them as they went upstairs and down the hall to the master bedroom. The Geiger counter increased in noise the whole way down the hall, going almost crazy when they entered the bedroom.
“Aww damn.” Calvin covered his mouth and nose under one hand. “Stinks.”
“Poor son of a bitch,” muttered Janice, seemingly unfazed by the odor.
Roy’s face scrunched up at the stink, but he didn’t hesitate entering the room and going over it with the sensor. The counter squealed louder near the floor and when he held it near the body.
“The guy’s hot, for sure. Definitely radiation sickness.” Roy took a step back. “Don’t think it’s too bad. Shouldn’t be dangerous exposure for the team carrying him out to a grave somewhere. Definitely suggest the hole be dug first to minimize time near the body.”
“All right. Let’s back away for now,” said Janice.
“Where’s it coming from?” Harper kicked a plastic fighter jet out of her way. “If there’s something radioactive in the house, shouldn’t we get rid of it so no one else gets sick?”
“Yeah. Mind looking for it, Roy?” Janice raised an eyebrow.
“No problem.”
Harper followed in curious silence as Roy went room to room upstairs. Elijah’s bedroom at the opposite end of the house from his father’s room didn’t have any more radiation than background. The steps registered a mild increase, likely from dust he tracked around. Roy followed the ‘glowing’ trail into the living room to the sofa, then another trail down the hall to the bathroom.
“Hey…” Harper pointed straight. “The guy’s bedroom is right over the garage and the counter went nuts when you held it near the floor.”
Roy backed out of the bathroom. “Makes sense. He’d put those curiosities in the garage.”
Calvin hung back, seeming worried. Roy led the way to the garage. Janice pulled Harper back by one shoulder.
She blinked. “What?”
“You’re too young to get radiation sickness. Hang back.” Janice stepped past her. “My ovaries are retired.”
“You’re not that old.” Harper nudged her.
Janice laughed. “Age has nothing to do with that retirement decision.”
Roy opened the door at the end of the hall and the Geiger counter went nuts. “Whoa. Cheese and rice, that’s hot.”
“What’cha got?” Janice stopped short and blocked Harper from moving forward.
Calvin retreated to the living room.
“It’s not ‘melt your face off,’ but it’s significant. Being in here for a minute is probably about the same as getting a few x-rays.” Roy entered the garage. “Mostly machine parts. Washers, dryers, generators. Road signs, traffic lights for some stupid reason. I don’t see anything that looks like it came from a hospital. Must be all this metal that’s giving off radiation.”
“What the hell?” asked Janice. “Radioactive laundry machines?”
Roy walked out of sight from the door. “Yeah, all this junk is glowing. Doesn’t look like any singular high source of radioactivity, but a collective dose… If he’s been around this stuff, working on it, for weeks. Kid’s been in the house. Probably climbed around in here watching his old man tinker. We need to get him to the clinic. No idea how much of a dose he got.” Roy retreated from the garage and shoved the door closed, pointing the Geiger wand back over his shoulder. “We’re going to need to get all this crap away from town. Best to bury it, but that’s a shitload of work. At least we need to get it out of here. My guess is that most of this stuff had been close enough to a ground zero to become irradiated but not vaporized.”
Janice faced Harper. “Will you run Elijah up to the med center?”
“Yeah. Sure. No problem.” She didn’t necessarily mind getting away from radioactive junk, especially to rush a potentially at-risk child to the doctor. “On it.”
Janice patted her on the arm. “Nice job, kiddo.”
“Thanks.”
Harper ran out the door and hurried back to collect her bike, one slightly irradiated child, and her friend Darci.
19
Dangerous Stuff
Riding a mountain bike while carrying a five-year-old tested Harper’s sense of balance.
Her mother’s voice needled at the back of her mind for doing something dangerous, but no one had bothered installing kid seats on the militia bikes or even cargo racks. So, she did the best she could, balancing him in her lap with one arm around him. Darci, having no reason to stay in the south part of Evergreen, jumped on her bike and rode alongside.
Elijah didn’t seem to mind or even fidget much. Neither Janice nor anyone else at the sheriff’s office said one way or the other if the boy had been told his father died, but she had a feeling he knew. Darci giving him a few hits of pot likely explained his mellowness. Or, maybe he did know what happened and his relative calm came from sorrow.
The little orb of light brown hair under her chin smelled of scented soap, though she couldn’t place the brand.
Any radioactive contamination probably went down the drain already, but he might’ve gotten it inside. Kids eat and lick everything.
“Hang on, okay? We’ll be there soon,” said Harper.
“Where are we going?” Elijah peered up at her.
“To see the doctor and make sure everything’s okay.”
Elijah squirmed. “Is I gonna have’ta get needles? I don’t like needles.”
“I hate needles, too” Darci made a sour face. “Usually make me cry.”
“But you’re big!” The boy flailed. “You’s not s’posed ta be scared o’ nothin’.”
Harper pictured her friend saying something typically Darci like ‘when you get big, you see all the
really scary stuff they keep hidden from little kids—like jobs.’
“I’m scared of spiders, too.” Darci shivered. “Are you?”
“Nope.” Elijah grinned. “Spiders are good. They eat all the bad bugs.”
Harper chuckled. “Don’t worry. I don’t think this doctor is going to give you any needles.”
He dramatically wiped a hand across his forehead. “Whew. That’s good.”
“You know all the junk your daddy put in the garage of your house?”
“That wasn’t our house.” The boy looked down. “Our house is far away. It’s busted so we can’t stay there. We hadda walk for a long time.”
Harper squeezed him a little tighter as the road curved. They didn’t go too fast, but a fall on pavement would still hurt him. “Sorry. I mean, the house where I found you. He had stuff in the garage.”
“Lots of stuff.” Elijah held his arms out to the sides. “Big stuff.”
“Did you play in there a lot?”
He shook his head in a wobbly, exaggerated manner. “No. Daddy liked to find stuff that goes”—the boy made an explosion sound—“an’ ’cause that, he didn’t let me go in the g’rage.”
Harper smiled a conspiratorial little smile. “So, that means you used to sneak in.”
“Umm.” He fidgeted. “Maybe.”
“It’s okay, Elijah. I’m not that old yet. Still basically a kid, too. I promise you won’t get in trouble if you tell me the truth.”
“You’re not a kid ’cause you got boobies.” Elijah poked his finger into her left breast.
“Ow. Hey! Brat.” Harper tickled his side, distracting his errant hand to defense.
Darci cackled.
He thrust his left arm out, pointing at Evergreen Lake going by. “That’s where fishes live!”
“Yes. That’s where they live… until we catch ’em.”
“Wow, I’d like totally kill someone for some decent sushi.” Darci smacked her lips. “Wait, I probably shouldn’t say crap like that now. Someone might think I’m being literal.”
Evergreen (Book 4): Nuclear Summer Page 17