Counting Down

by Lilah Boone

  It seemed like a long while passed with nothing happening. Everyone in the room looked on, holding their breath and waiting for something – anything – out of the ordinary to occur.

  Each of them had been racking their brains for days trying to come up with some way to make their gifts materialize. It had to be more than just nightmares and shiny auras. Neither were going to help them survive in a harsh new environment without food or fresh water. There had to be some other reason for the spontaneous mass migration to Kansas. At least that what’s Abby’s gut feelings had made them believe.

  All at once the light from Evie’s hands began to grow outwardly. It peaked and popped into a bright flash before receding back into her skin.

  “Oh.” Evie’s mouth gaped open in shock. “I did it. I really did it.” Her face beamed as she held her hand out for everyone to see.

  In her sun-kissed hand was the slice of apple, no longer shriveled and sapped of its water. It was alive and fresh as through it had been picked from a branch and sliced only minutes earlier.

  “That was awesome,” Sam said with a boyish laugh. “Do it again Evie.”

  Abby smiled from ear to ear – perhaps the first genuine smile she’d been able to express since Kyle had shoved her away and ran straight into the face of shotgun wielding, panic stricken townsfolk.

  The timbre of Kyle’s voice interrupted the moment. “Great job Teach. Now we just have to figure out what the rest of them are good for.”

  “Not to mention figuring out what the two of us can really do.” She mumbled the words low enough but a few of the others turned to look at her in question anyway. She could feel Alex’s eyes on her and even noticed David giving her his sulky glare. Abby simply shook her head and smiled. “Wonderful job Evie. Now let’s see if the rest of you have some sort of active power as well.”

  Abby walked to the drawer under the sink and pulled out a red handled utility knife.

  Alex straightened from his leaning posture on the wall. “Um… what are you doing Abby?”

  She pulled the knife open, slid up her sleeve, and sliced the soft flesh of her forearm in one quick motion.

  “Abigail!” Jim’s voice bounced off the concrete walls of the shelter. He grabbed her arm, examined the fresh wound with a scowl.

  It was Kyle’s disapproving voice she heard next. “That was stupid Abby. I think you’re going to need stitches. Let’s hope your vaccinations are up to date too. Tetanus is no joke.”

  Abby ignored Kyle’s rant and glanced around the room at the stunned faces that surrounded her. “Don’t worry. I have a plan. Besides, it’s not that bad.” Her words were directed at her uncle and Alex, plus the image of Kyle that lived only in her mind.

  She felt the pain throb up into her shoulder and down into her fingers. She welcomed it openly. It was a comforting change from the endless dull ache of emptiness that consumed her every waking moment. She clenched her fist, watched as the blood ooze forth.

  Abby motioned for Hanna to come stand by her, winced once at the pain. “It’s your turn to shine now Hanna.”

  The little red head gawked at Abby as she stepped forward. “I… I don’t know if I can fix that like Evie did the apple. I don’t even know where to begin.”

  Abby tried to send the girl encouragement with her smile. “It’s in you somewhere. I know it is. I can feel it. You can do this Hanna. Just concentrate. Imagine the wound healing up, the skin fusing back together like two sides of a zipper.”

  “Gross,” Jake groaned. “What an image.”

  Abby ignored him and nodded to Hanna. “Go ahead Hanna. You’re our Healer.”

  Hanna visibly gulped and placed her hands over Abby’s wound. Blood dripped down Abby’s arm along the ground, spotting the grey linoleum tile with stains of deep red.

  They didn’t have to wait as long this time. In less than a few moments the room lit up with Hanna’s blue glow and a small flash sent Abby rocking back on her heels. When she looked down the wound was nearly gone. All that remained was a fresh pink scar that felt tender but not quite painful.

  “Did it work?” Hanna’s eyes were still clenched shut.

  “Open up and have a look.” Abby laughed as Hanna opened one eye and then the other.

  Abby held out her arm and allowed the younger woman a moment to examine her handiwork. She then moved to show the other members of the group, displaying her freshly healed skin like it was a trophy.

  Abby stopped at David, narrowed her eyes and bent down to his face. “Keep your doubts to yourself from now on.” It was a warning but he only glared, turning the corners of his mouth up in a cocky grin.

  “Okay. I didn’t see that coming,” Kyle said from within the depths of her skull. “That will be an extremely useful talent to have around.”

  “Told you I knew what I was doing.” Abby grinned, realizing then that she had gained quite a bit of respect from the rest of the group. Well, with the exception of David anyway.

  She caught the eye of Alex and Jim, receiving nods of approval from each of them.

  “What about us then?” Jake straightened in his seat. “What do you think us yellow guys can do?”

  Abby hadn’t had the opportunity to think about that question as much as she would’ve liked. The other two gifts seemed easier to pin-point. They made sense. She knew the three men were all supposed to be builders of some kind; people who constructed and engineered. But she had no idea what kind of active talent the three of them should possess.

  “I don’t know yet Jake.” Abby pulled her sleeve down to cover the scar on her arm. “I need to think a little more on that one. I suggest the rest of you do the same. Let’s not forget we’re supposed to be a team.”

  “Oh really? Isn’t that convenient? We do all the work and you take all the glory.” David leaned his elbows on the table, sitting his weight forward in a challenging gesture. “What can you do then? You had dreams. So did the rest of us. You had the sense to run to Kansas and hide in your uncle’s bomb shelter, which let’s face it, is a no brainer. How can you contribute actively besides sitting around here giving orders and watching everyone else create little miracles?”

  Abby opened her mouth to respond when Kyle’s voice invaded her thoughts again. “You don’t have to answer that. There’s no getting through to that guy. He just wants to get a rise out of you. Don’t let him have the pleasure.”

  Abby nodded to her phantom Kyle and glared towards David with disdain. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see. You should think more before you speak David. And try to have a little faith.”

  David exhaled a derisive snort. “Right. Whatever you say queen Abby of the White Light.” His hands popped up to taunt her with a fake bow.

  Abby felt her temper flaring up and had the sudden urge to throw something at David’s smug face. Alex caught the look, obviously sensed the anger brewing under the surface and came to her rescue immediately. “Why don’t we all relax a little? I think that’s enough work for one day.”

  Abby sent David one last threatening look then headed back to her bunk in silence. She had done her job for the day and was suddenly tired. That might also have been due to the stress of being wounded and healed in less than ten minutes time.

  “Thanks Alex. I really can’t stand that guy.” Abby kept her voice hushed as he walked with her to her bunk.

  “I know. He’s a dick. I don’t think he likes not being the one in control of everything. He acts like a cult leader with the others when you’re hibernating in your bunk. Constantly telling them what they’re doing wrong, spouting off nonsense like he’s propagandizing for their loyalty. He’s like a dictator.”

  Abby snorted. “That son of a bitch. I’ll set him straight.”

  Kyle’s voice was a booming yell in her head. “You will not. He’s not stable and I don’t trust him. Let someone else do it.”

  She brought her hand to her temple and pressed. “Ah… not so loud.”

  Alex grabbed her upper arm, concern
written on his furrowed brow. “Abby? What is it?”

  Abby shook her head and groaned inwardly. “It’s nothing. I’m fine. Just a little headache.”

  “You should rest then. Get some peace and quiet and take a little nap.”

  “Yeah.” She leaned back onto her bed and sighed. “That’s a good idea. Don’t let that guy get out of hand though okay?”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll say something to him. You relax now.” Alex pulled her blankets up over her shoulders and closed her curtain

  Abby drifted out of consciousness quickly, sinking into a world of dreams where Kyle was more than just her personal phantom; more than just a delusion of her tattered, grieving mind.

  CHAPTER EIGHTTEEN

  Monday, December 31st 2012, 11:19pm

  It was New Year’s Eve and Abby wasn’t feeling at all like celebrating. She was more content to hide in her bunk and listen to her figment of Kyle then to drink and play cards as the clock ticked down to 2013. Besides, there was no one she wanted to kiss at midnight. No one alive anyway.

  He spoke to her softly. Or at least she imagined his voice sounded soft. The tone of his words made him seem tired and maybe even a little miserable. “Why don’t you go out and have some fun with everyone else? There’s beer to drink and knowing Jim, at least one shot of tequila for everybody.”

  “I’m not feeling much like a party at the moment.” She methodically recorded the things she I had learned about the Gleamers over the past few days, jotting down experiences in detail on the pages of the leather journal Kyle had given her for Christmas. They had been able to feast on fresh fruit salad for the past two days thanks to Evie and Abby had a half a dozen new scars to show for Hanna’s newfound confidence.

  “Why not?” He yawned at length before going on. “I think it sounds like fun. I could use a shot of tequila.”

  “Ghosts can’t drink. Or more accurately, figments of my imagination can’t drink.” Abby continued her work, fixing her attention to the black ink marks she made on the page. “Do you seriously need to ask me why I don’t feel like celebrating New Year’s right now? Isn’t it rather self explanatory?”

  “Come on Abby.” He was annoyed but he didn’t yell. “You were picked to live. Yes, the world ended, but you didn’t. Stop punishing yourself.”

  Her face remained expressionless, her voice calm as she kept writing. “I think I’ve gone through enough traumas lately. Why would I want to punish myself?”

  “For surviving.”

  Abby stopped writing and stared at the wall without actually seeing it.

  Kyle continued. “Look, I’m just saying you can’t pretend to live. You walk around here like everything is okay and everyone knows it’s not. Every single person in this bunker has lost someone now.”

  She continued her thousand yard stare at the wall and thought of Alex’s parents lying dead amid the rubble of their home. She had met them only once but they were nice people with a charming house in Cape Cod and a little black poodle they called Petunia. Abby had overheard Alex talking with Evie about his family earlier, relaying a light hearted story to cheer Evie up while the dark haired girl shed tears over the people she had lost.

  Abby wasn’t the only one suffering. She knew that. Which made it a million times harder for her to spend time with any of them. They gave her sympathetic glances while she could barely look them in the eye.

  “You’re not responsible for their pain,” Kyle said. “It’s not as though you could’ve stopped the end from coming and there was no way to save everyone we loved.”

  “We could’ve given the rest of the world some warning.”

  “They had warning.” He sighed. “And a few of them did make it. What would our warnings have accomplished anyway? Should we have unleashed our burden on them so they could spend their last moments in panic, killing each other out of fear? Is that how you would’ve wanted to spend those last days?”

  “That’s different though. I believed we’d survive. All of us. I was afraid, but I knew I was safe too. Because of you… and all the work you’d done. I knew my life wasn’t going to end.”

  “Well it looks like it’s over now. Isn’t it?” He was goading her.

  “No, it’s not.” Her words were forced, laced with regret.

  “Glad to hear it. And that is a good thing. Sweet Abby, you didn’t want to die up there. You weren’t meant to.”

  “But you were? I would’ve rather joined you instead of facing all of this alone. Do you have any idea how terrified I am of going back to the surface? I’d rather suffocate down here than see what’s up there. I’m not strong enough to lead these people to anything but their deaths.”

  “Yes you are Abby. You have all the power I have, all the gifts and strengths you need. The others would most likely have never figured out their abilities if it wasn’t for you.”

  She shook her head, clenched her jaw to keep from crying for the millionth time. “You’re wrong. They don’t need me.” She sniffed, collected herself. “Not to mention all of this is all very easy for you to say since, again, you’re dead. You left me to do it all on my own.”

  “I haven’t left you. I’m right here.”

  “No Kyle.” Her voice cracked. “You’re just in my head.”

  There was a long silence before he spoke again. “If that’s true – if you’re sitting there talking to yourself – then somewhere inside your mind you believe you have the strength. You believe you are powerful and that you can do what you must. You’re giving yourself this pep talk then.”

  Abby rolled her eyes. “Delusions can be a real pain in the ass sometimes.”

  “Yeah, well the truth isn’t always easy to accept. Believe me, I should know.”

  She closed the journal, tilted an ear to listen. “What do you mean by that?”

  He sighed. “Nothing.” She heard the smack of his lips as his words sat on his tongue. “It’s nothing.”

  Abby wanted to push for more information but she knew there was no point. She would only be talking to herself anyway. And suddenly she felt the strong urge to talk to someone with a pulse. She’d had enough of this weird, one sided conversation.

  “Alex!”

  Maybe a minute went by before he showed up at her bunk and pushed aside her curtain.

  “What’s up? You want a beer or something?” His cheeks were flushed from drinking and he held three beer bottles in his hands. Two of them were unopened. “Sam and Jake can really suck down some booze so I’ve got my own stash.”

  “No. Thanks anyway. Listen, can I talk to you about something?”

  “Yeah, of course. What’s going on?”

  Alex plopped down next to her on the bunk, flipped the switch to turn her light on. Abby squinted against the light and waited for her eyes to adjust. She never used the strip light. She didn’t need to. Complete darkness was something she never saw anymore.

  With her hands folded in her lap, Abby began. “There’s really no other way to put this. So uh… I’ve been hearing Kyle’s voice.”

  Alex didn’t skip a beat. “I know. I hear you talking to him. So does everyone else.”

  “Shit. So I’m the resident crazy person then?”

  “Well I wouldn’t go that far.” He took a swig from his open bottle. “Since you figured out the girl’s powers there seems to be a quiet understanding that you have unique methods that just happen to pay off in the long run.”

  Abby frowned. “I’m not sure that’s any better Alex.”

  He shrugged. “Well, at least they’re not calling you Circus Freak anymore.”

  “What? They called me a circus freak?”

  “Not a circus freak. The Circus Freak.”

  She threw up her hands. “Well that’s just great.”

  Alex chuckled. “Calm down Abbs. It’s not that bad. They listen to you and believe you can help them with their special talents… or whatever they are. Don’t worry about it.”

  Abby wasn’t convinced but let
the subject drop. “Why didn’t you say anything to me about talking to Kyle?”

  “I figured it would pass and I thought maybe it was kind of normal considering the circumstances.”

  “The circumstances that he was a guy I knew for three days who sacrificed himself right after he found out we shared a past life together?”

  Alex sent her a look. “There was more to it than that and you know it. You cared about him and he cared about you. It was obvious.”

  “It was?” She was usually the observant one, but sometimes people outside a situation saw things better.

  He nodded as he drained the last of his beer and opened another one. “After what you told me, about the connection between the two of you, I was worried you were going to do something stupid when he died.”

  “Like what?”

  He gave her a look, ran a hand along the inside of her thigh.

  She smacked his hand and jumped back an inch. “What are doing?”

  “Where’d that scar come from Abbs?”

  Abby looked down, fidgeted with her hands. “It was a sad time for me. I wasn’t thinking straight then.”

  Alex nodded knowingly. “As long as you’re thinking straight now.”

  “I was just sad. I don’t think I really wanted to succeed at… ending it all. Maybe I just wanted to stop for a while. Stop all the hurting.”

  “And now you’re hurting again. And so you hear his voice sometimes. I don’t think it makes you crazy and it’s better than coping by hurting yourself. You’re just sad right now.”

  She shrugged off her past with a shake of her head. “Maybe. But it’s not like I hear him every once in a while when I’m thinking about him or sitting alone killing time. I don’t hear him calling my name in the bunker or anything nondescript like that. I literally have conversations with a dead man.”

  Abby grabbed one of unopened bottles from his hand and twisted the cap off. “Thing is, I don’t want it to go away. Not really. I mean I argue with him about it… well I guess I argue with myself. But I don’t really want to stop hearing him.”