“Dead,” Crazy Diamond said.
Rachel took a step forward. She was about to call over to Crazy Diamond when the ground shook violently under her feet. A loud, unbearable cracking noise forced her hands over her ears. Some of the children screamed behind her, calling out to one another in frightened voices that were drowned out by the noise.
The Earth shook back and forth like it was having a seizure. The children were flung off their feet and rolled around the ground in a chaotic horizontal dance. Rachel went down too and as she tried to scramble back to her feet, she saw the black snow melting all around them. Her eyes lit up. There was a dull sizzling sound that accompanied the snow’s rapid demise.
The black sky made a crackling noise like a broken television.
Then everything stopped.
Silence.
A flood of light and heat shot down from the heavens like an avalanche. It happened so fast, like somebody had turned on a switch.
Rachel dropped to the ground and covered her eyes.
She heard footsteps running over beside her.
Rachel looked up, wincing at the fierce light behind Crazy Diamond who was standing beside her. She tilted her head in confusion and glanced briefly at a beautiful clear blue sky. But as beautiful as it was, it was hurting her eyes. She shrank from the sunlight like a vampire.
Crazy Diamond helped Rachel back to her feet. Rachel peered through her fingers and saw a flood of tears in the woman’s eyes. She didn’t know if they were happy tears or sad ones.
The other children, like Rachel, were trying to adapt to the sudden reappearance of sunlight. They stood there for a few moments, in muted celebration. Tears and laughter came a few moments later. The children looked to the sky, marveling at the sunlight on their skin.
Crazy Diamond turned to Rachel. The smile on her face was gone.
“Rachel,” Crazy Diamond said. “Your dad’s been shot.”
Rachel’s stomach lurched.
“What?”
Crazy Diamond nodded. “Yeah it’s a bad one. And Nick…”
“What about him?” Rachel said.
Crazy Diamond shook her head. “C’mon let’s get over there.”
Crazy Diamond put an arm around Rachel’s shoulder and led her back to the school bus. They passed Grandma Anna on their way. The old woman was waddling towards the children as fast as her old legs would carry her.
Grandma Anna stopped to embrace Rachel.
“I knew you could do it,” Grandma Anna said.
The old woman’s face was damp with tears. Like Crazy Diamond, she looked happy and sad at the same time. Wiping the tears away she pointed a thumb over her shoulder, gesturing for Crazy Diamond and Rachel to get back.
“Go,” she said.
Grandma Anna walked towards the children. They were still standing in the middle of the road celebrating victory. Rachel glanced over that way, just in time to see some of the kids pulling their winter coats off, their gloves and scarves too, and throwing them down like heavy chains that had been locked for too long.
14
Cody had dragged Nick out of the bus to show him the blue sky. He wanted his friend to feel the sunlight on his skin and to know that their long fight against the Exterminators hadn’t been in vain. Cody could feel it too, softly burning on his forehead – a tender kiss from a long lost friend. The blue sky was dazzling, crystal clear, and the sound of children laughing in the distance was a fitting accompaniment.
It should have been perfect.
Except it wasn’t. His best friend was dead.
Nick’s muscular body was stretched out next to a pile of freshly formed black slush. He was bloody and battered, still dressed in his winter garments. Cody had already closed Nick’s eyes over and he’d never know for sure if his pal had caught a glimpse of the blue sky before he slipped away.
He could only hope.
Cody’s own wound was in a bad way. He knew that. It wasn’t that painful but it felt deep – significant. He figured it would hurt eventually, once the adrenaline and excitement and despair had worn off. He was still wrapped up in his winter clothes and he could feel his body starting to bake under the sunlight.
He heard footsteps approaching the bus. Looking up, he saw Rachel and Crazy Diamond hurrying towards them.
Cody reached up for Rachel and she dropped onto her knees, burying her head in his chest. He felt a stabbing pain in his side upon contact but tried not to show it. For almost a minute, neither one of them spoke. They just held onto one another.
Crazy Diamond sat down on the road. She reached over and stroked Nick’s blood-soaked hair gently. Rachel lifted her head off Cody’s chest and looked at Nick. She grabbed his hand and for a long time she stared at the dead man, as if trying to will him back to life.
Rachel noticed the bullet hole in Cody’s parka.
“Yeah,” Cody said, seeing the look of concern in her eyes. “Don’t worry honey. It’s not so bad.”
He couldn’t help it. Sometimes lying was the right thing – the kind thing.
Cody grabbed Rachel by the hand and squeezed tight.
“You did it,” he said. “I’m so proud of you Rachel. We won.”
A tear ran down Rachel’s cheek.
“Doesn’t feel like we won,” she said.
They sat in silence for a few minutes. This was broken when Grandma Anna came back, surrounded by a flock of giddy children. Cody tried his best to smile at the kids whose faces sobered up when they saw Nick. Cody didn’t exactly understand what part these children had played in the battle against the Exterminators – but he knew that whatever it was they’d played it well.
A little red-haired boy crept out in front of the crowd.
“You’re Cody MacLeod,” he said. “From The Forever Boys. Ain’tcha?”
“Benji,” Grandma Anna said, grabbing the kid by the collar like she was scruffing a kitten. “Not now.”
Benji stepped back in line with the other kids.
Grandma Anna kneeled down in front of Cody. Without a word, she opened up his parka and lifted his sweater so she could examine the wound. The sad expression on her face was all the confirmation Cody needed.
Grandma Anna glanced at Rachel. Then she turned back to Cody.
“We can go to the hospital,” she said. “Find some equipment to take the bullet out.”
Cody shook his head and sighed. “All the hospitals are gone,” he said.
Crazy Diamond leaned in closer. She had a hand pressed over the wound on her shoulder. “Don’t give up Cody,” she said.
Cody looked at Rachel. She was pressed up tight next to him, not giving her dad an inch of space. Her arm was locked around his.
“I won’t,” he said.
“So what now?” Grandma Anna said. “What do we do next?”|
Cody looked at the old woman. Despite everything, he smiled.
“I saw a lot of jerry cans in the back of the bus,” he said.
“We’ve got fuel,” Grandma Anna said. “If that’s what you’re asking?”
Cody nodded. “How about we take a road trip?” he said. “I think it’s time we were moving on from San Antonio, or what’s left of it.”
“A road trip?” Grandma Anna said. “Have you got anywhere particular in mind?”
Cody kept smiling.
“As a matter of fact I do,” he said.
Before they left San Antonio, the survivors took Nick and Marv’s bodies to the National Cemetery. At Cody’s insistence they’d also stopped in at the Rand to recover Lance as well. Last of all, they took several crates of of tinned food and some other supplies and loaded them onto the bus for the journey.
Cody wanted to stop at the funeral home to pick up caskets for the men. He wanted to dig graves too but it was Crazy Diamond who explained that there wasn’t enough room in the bus to transport three caskets to the cemetery. On top of that, they lacked the proper muscle to dig the graves.
In the end, they’d wrapped Nick, Marv
and Lance up in their sleeping bags. They placed the remains next to the wall of the cemetery beside Rita, Laney and Johnny Boy, keeping the bodies in the shade. All except Nick. Cody remembered what Nick had said about wanting the sunshine to linger over his gravesite.
They left stone markers with the names of the men carved onto the front.
After the funeral, they hit the road. They took the Interstate Highway 10 heading west out of San Antonio.
Grandma Anna was at the wheel while the children sat scattered around the bus in various small groups. Crazy Diamond and Rachel were at the back, tending to Cody’s gunshot wound with what little supplies they had. Crazy Diamond's own wound had turned out to be little more than a graze. Looking at her now, it was hard to tell she’d even been hurt at all.
Cody was lying in the backseat. He had a blanket over him and a couple of pillows propping up his head so he could look out the window and watch the natural progression of day to night. Such a simple thing, how he’d missed it. Crazy Diamond checked the wound regularly. It wasn’t bleeding too badly but the bullet was still in there. Taking Grandma Anna’s advice, Crazy Diamond cleaned out the site of the wound, administered a gauze bandage roll and wrapped it around Cody’s waist. With any luck they’d find some facilities and equipment on the way to help them remove the bullet. Otherwise, infection remained a possibility.
Grandma Anna had a small flask of whiskey. She’d given it to Cody, told him to drink what he needed.
He did.
The trip from Texas to California took a little over twenty hours. They passed nothing but ghost towns along the way, including the remains of El Paso and Tucson. Now the bus approached Los Angeles on the San Bernardino Freeway, which was deserted except for a long parade of cars and other abandoned vehicles scattered across the freeway.
Cody forced himself to sit up as they neared LA. He wanted to see the city again, to catch the choking stench of the smog but of course that was absent now. The air was thriving, cleaner than he’d remembered.
In the distance, a dark red sun was shining over downtown LA.
“Where do you want to go Cody?” Grandma Anna said, calling from the driver’s seat. “Anything in particular you want to see.”
“Yeah,” Cody said. “Let me come down there and I’ll give you directions.”
He threw the blanket off and got to his feet. His arms and legs were weak and he felt lightheaded. With the help of Rachel and Crazy Diamond, he walked down the aisle towards the driver’s seat. He felt the eyes of the kids all over him as he passed, especially that little redheaded boy who thought he was the second coming.
Grandma Anna kept her eyes on the road.
“Just tell me where to go,” she said.
Hollywood Reservoir, also known as Lake Hollywood, was just a short drive north of Los Angeles. The reservoir was located in the Hollywood Hills area, hiding amongst a small brushy valley.
Cody remembered the last time he’d been there. Ten years ago, not long after he’d moved out of California, he’d been forced to undertake a solo journey back from Texas to scatter Kate’s ashes. He’d done the walk around the reservoir that day with the urn in his bag, taking in the dramatic views of the water, as well as the expensive looking houses that could be seen in the distance. Then he’d scattered the ashes in full view of the Hollywood sign. Kate would have liked that.
Now he was back.
The school bus stopped in the car park a little south of the hiking trail.
Cody had to be helped off the bus by Crazy Diamond. Rachel was glued to his side, her hand locked in his. Cody was dressed in a blue t-shirt and khaki pants – glorious summer clothes he thought he’d never put on again. Now with the California sun on his face, the dark and wintery nightmare of San Antonio was like a bad dream.
Cody nodded his appreciation to Grandma Anna, who was still sitting at the wheel.
“Thank you,” Cody said. “For everything.”
“Go on,” she said with a smile. “Take your little walk. We’ll be here waiting.”
“Will you be okay?” Crazy Diamond said, standing beside Cody and Rachel outside the bus. There was a look of concern on her face. “I know this is a private thing between you two but I can tag along. I can hang back. You know, just in case you need me. You’re in no condition to go on a friggin’ hike Cody.”
Cody gave her a gentle squeeze on the arm. “I’m alright Crazy Diamond,” he said. “I’ve got enough left in the tank yet.”
Crazy Diamond bit her lip nervously. “Alright,” she said. “If you say so. Just make sure you come back in one piece. You hear?”
“Yeah. I hear you.”
Cody and Rachel followed the path that led around the reservoir.
The silence of that place was its greatest asset. There was nothing to be heard except the constant chirp of birdsong and an occasional duck squawk. The Hollywood sign peered down at them from the hillside above. It was a piece of symbolism that Cody had never managed to escape in life, no matter how many miles he’d put between himself and the industry. But now that he was back, he was surprised at how happy he was to see the sign.
Cody and Rachel didn’t talk much as they walked. They were content just to enjoy each other’s company and Cody was careful to preserve his energy for the hike, which although mostly flat, was still more grueling than he’d thought it would be.
He’d forgotten how hot the sun was.
Eventually they arrived at the ornate Mulholland Dam, which for many people had been the highlight of the hiking route. They walked across to the middle and leaned over the edge. Cody pointed out the lavish arches and the sculpted bears that decorated the columns. He’d always liked those little details – he liked them even more so now. Rachel didn’t seem interested. He noticed that her eyes were red and sore. Cody had lost count of the number of times he’d heard her crying on the bus during the journey.
The dam offered a clear view of the Hollywood sign. From the other side, Cody could see towards Hollywood and Los Angeles. He felt at home here.
A wave of lightheadedness came back. His body was running away from him.
Cody gripped onto the edge of the dam, not trusting his ability to stay upright for much longer. He felt weak and didn’t know how he was going to make it back to the bus.
“Are you alright Dad?” Rachel said.
“I always said I’d take you here,” Cody said, ignoring the question. “Well here we are at last. At least one of my plans worked out.”
She took his hand and brushed up tight against him.
“Is this where you…?”
“Yeah,” Cody said. “This is where I scattered your mom’s ashes. Still don’t know if I was allowed to but what the hell? I’m the bad boy of Hollywood, remember? This is my town.”
He laughed and it hurt like hell.
Cody turned towards Rachel. He was about to say something else but before he knew it, he’d dropped onto his knees. Rachel shrieked with fright and grabbed onto him, seizing Cody by the shoulders to stop him tipping over further.
She was standing over him. He was on his knees looking up at her.
“You’re safe now,” he said. His voice was faint and scratchy. “You don’t need me to be safe.”
Rachel’s lips were pursed tightly together.
“You’re not going to die,” she said. “Please don’t Dad. I still need you.”
He reached up and ran a hand over her cheek. Her skin was soft and warm.
“Remember what I told you?” Cody said. “No burial. I want you to put me here beside your mom. You understand? It’s where I want to be.”
She shook her head.
“No,” she said.
“No grave,” Cody said. “No marker either. I’ve earned the right to be anonymous, don’t you think? And besides, I don’t want that creepy little redheaded kid to write ‘Here lies the stutter kid’ on my headstone.”
Rachel didn’t laugh.
“You’re safe,” he said again.
“That’s all I wanted – all I could hope for. Damn, I tried my best Rachel.”
Cody collapsed, slipping out of Rachel’s grip and falling onto his back. If nothing else, this position offered him a great view of the summer sky and he bathed in its warm magnificence. Rachel sat down and lifted his head so that it was resting on her lap. The last sensation he felt was her stroking his hair. The last sound he heard was Rachel talking to him in a soft voice.
“Don’t worry Dad,” she said. “We’ll be alright.”
That night, Rachel was led down the trail and taken through the gap in the chain link fence. The path led towards the water’s edge.
This was where the cremation would take place.
Crazy Diamond was right there beside her.
Rachel started walking down the trail to the water. Then she stopped. Her body went stiff when she saw her dad’s sleeping bag lying on a standing platform of wood. The two jerry cans were sitting nearby on the ground. Rachel imagined they’d already soaked the funeral bed and all that was left now was to light it.
Would they ask her to do it?
She felt breathless. Her legs were rooted in the dirt.
“I don’t want to go,” she said, looking up at Crazy Diamond. “I can’t watch this.”
Crazy Diamond put an arm around Rachel’s shoulder and pulled her close.
“Well how about we stay here?” she said. “On the path. Keep our distance from the water. That way we’re still there for your dad but we’ve got a little breathing room. Does that sound okay?”
Rachel wanted to run back to the bus. But she didn’t want to leave her dad with a bunch of people he didn’t know with the exception of Crazy Diamond. Wouldn’t he want her there?
That was easy. He’d want what was best for her.
And that’s why she should be there.
Rachel nodded. “Okay. We’ll stay.”
They sat on the path while the cremation took place. The flames rose high above the reservoir, thick smoke plumes gushing out and floating up towards a sky that was covered with bright stars.
Mega Post-Apocalyptic Double Bill Page 88