“I don’t want you to take offense to this… but I don’t think that I can accept that A-IX did anything to me until I can prove it.”
Clovis nodded. “Sounds like a good idea. No use worrying about something that might not even be true.”
Anna smiled and turned to admire the landscape.
“...But if it turns out to be true… it’s not the worst thing in the world to happen.” He intended to try to reassure Anna, but his tone sounded like he was trying to reassure himself.
Before Anna had a chance to respond, her attention was diverted to the sound of bells coming from the church. They both sat very still as they listened to the soft melody.
“Isn’t that nice?” Clovis smiled once it finished.
Anna nodded. “It’s sad how much of this I took for granted. We lived a few blocks from a church and I just tuned it out most of the time.”
“Not only did I tune everything out… sometimes I hated it.”
“Even church bells?”
He nodded. “Even church bells.”
“Why?”
“When I was stationed over in Iraq, I missed the simple things from home. I missed drinkin’ a pint on the back porch and watching people walk down the sidewalk. I missed all of the colors and selections of the grocery store. I missed the glow that the TV gave off in a dark room. I missed normal people… normal people who would greet you with a hello and didn’t have that constant panic in their eyes. But when I got home… I didn’t feel the relief that I thought I would feel. I would go to the grocery store and watch people crawling around the store like ants, mindlessly throwing shit in their stupid carts. I would think, ‘What a bunch of assholes. They get to go about their lives without any clue of the pain and the fear that people in other parts of the world are feeling’. Even the church bells pissed me off. I wanted to escape. I wanted to go back to the desert and help… I wanted a way to make up for the people that I killed… but I couldn’t. So, I started drinkin’.”
“And now you like the church bells?”
He nodded. “Aye”
“What changed?”
“I was locked in that room for 10 years with nothin’ to do except watch how people behaved. Most of the time I couldn’t hear what they were saying, I could only make assumptions based upon their body language. It made me realize that human beings are pretty impressive creatures. Complex creatures. My mind had just been clouded from war where everything is black or white, live or die. In those ten years, I realized that life isn’t just about life or death. It’s about building something that will outlive us.”
“But everyone is gone.”
“You and I are here, yeah?”
“I don’t think there is enough of us left to rebuild what we lost.”
“That’s why you have to have faith, my dear.”
“In what?”
Clovis looked up to the sky that was beginning to turn pink. “Faith in God, and faith in humanity.”
“I can’t make any assumptions about God, but I think that humanity is pretty much out of options at this point. Based upon what I have seen, of course.”
“Sweetheart, you have no idea how deep the will to survive runs. Humans are greedy and self-absorbed. Do ya honestly think the powers that be would accept the idea of total extinction?”
“What powers that be? The government?”
“Think bigger.” His dark eyes grew wide.
Anna shook her head and laughed. “I’m sorry, but you’re going to have a hard time getting me to accept the idea of a secret global superpower.”
“Why do you think I exist? They knew the end was near and they were just planning for the future.”
“I’m sorry, Clovis… but I’m just not buying it. There’s no indication that I have seen so far that indicates that A-IX was anything more than a private company that wanted to play God.”
“Then I suggest that you keep looking.”
“I will.” She smiled indignantly.
“Maybe on your search you’ll even discover Greener Pastures.”
“Greener Pastures… actually, I remember seeing a mailer that was advertising for them.”
“I am sure that you did… and I’m sure that it looked quite lovely, didn’t it?”
“It did, actually. It had a picture of a little boy looking up at the stars. Do you know anything about it?”
“I know they were the solution to A-IX.”
“What do you mean by the solution?”
“I think you and I can agree that what A-IX was doing wasn’t exactly above board. One could go so far as to say that it was unethical. I mean, if it was this great solution to disease and suffering… why was it kept a secret? I think that many people who knew about it tried to shut it down.”
“Why couldn’t they if what they were doing was so terribly wrong?”
“Pff, that’s easy: Money. They had a lot of wealthy backers.”
“So where does Greener Pastures fit in?”
Clovis frowned. “I don’t really know. I know that the people hated them and everything that they stood for. I know they advertised at the end as a solution to A-IX. Unfortunately, I was locked in a room when everything fell apart. When I left the laboratory, the streets were still on fire from the riots and looting… but everyone was gone.”
“Do they have anything to do with that thing that attacked us?”
Clovis lowered his head and ran a hand through his hair. “I am almost certain those came from the A-IX lab. It makes me sick to think about. When you were in there, did you see the thick glass pipes that were broken?”
Anna nodded.
“I have a feeling that’s where they came from. I suspect that they were growing these empty human vessels to download preexisting consciousness. Clearly, we got to the point where we could grow all of the squishy parts of a human, but we couldn’t provide that spark of God. Humans can be so damn arrogant. So now West Akron has all these Godless abominations lurking in the streets. Every time I think I got them all… another one springs up.”
“... And you still have hope that we can rebuild?”
Clovis lifted his head and smiled. “Not hope, but faith.”
That evening Anna, Cole, Clovis, and Oz sat in the living room that was lit by oil lamps and candlelight. Clovis had made a pot of soup with the summer vegetables that he had harvested from the garden in the backyard. They drank warm tap water and talked about their favorite foods. After dinner, Clovis tried to teach Anna and Cole how to play Euchre, but ended up playing War instead. Clovis showed them where they could sleep after they got bored with cards games. There was a bedroom in the dormer up the stairs that had two twin beds that were divided by an oak end stand with a brass lamp and an analog alarm clock. Anna found a thin white undershirt in one of the dresser drawers and a pair of grey sweatpants that she used as pajamas.
“They must not feed priests very well… these sweatpants fit me perfectly.” Anna said walking out of the bathroom.
“Either that or---”
“Do not finish that sentence.” She glared at him.
Anna fell asleep almost immediately that night. Despite Clovis and Oz’s size and unsettling physical appearance, there was something about their presence that gave her comfort. It was true that she was concerned that she might actually be a downloaded copy of herself, but there was an overwhelming feeling in her gut that it wasn’t the case. The feeling was so strong that she was actually able to fall asleep almost immediately for the first time in days. That is, until she was awoken by Clovis softly tapping her on the shoulder.
At first, she gasped in horror at the shape his face took against the soft orange light of the oil lamp in which he carried. “What is it?” She asked as her heart rate lowered.
“I think there is something wrong with your friend," He whispered.
“Cole? What’s wrong with him?”
“Follow me.” Clovis said and walked down the stairs, through the living room, out the front door an
d onto the porch.
Anna followed Clovis to the porch to discover Cole was at the bottom of the porch steps on his hands and knees, throwing up into the bushes.
“Hey, Cole, are you alright?” Anna asked in a soft voice as she took the oil lamp from Clovis, walked down a few steps and sat down.
“I’m fine, it’s nothing. Go back inside," He said into the bushes.
“I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to go back to sleep knowing you’re out here puking in the bushes like a frat guy.”
“I’m fine, really. Go back to bed I’ll meet you up there in a minute.” He looked up at her and used the back of his hand to wipe his face, smearing his left cheek with blood.
“You’re bleeding…” Anna slid down the last two stairs and sat on the ground next to him to discover he had been vomiting blood into the bushes. She placed a hand on his shoulder and found that he had sweated through his t-shirt and was trembling. “Come back inside.” She stood up and tried to pick him up by his arm but he toppled over on his side.
Clovis hopped down the stairs and picked him up by his other side and together they were able to carry him into the living room and set him on the sofa. Anna lit the candles and the oil lamps again as Clovis rekindled the fire in the fireplace. Soon the room was filled with gentle light again.
Cole’s face was ashy and yellowed. There were heavy bags under his bloodshot eyes and his face and hands had spots of blood on them. Anna found a throw blanket in one of the closets and draped it over him.
“This is all very nice…” Cole cleared his throat, “...but not necessary. This happens from time to time.”
“What does? Puking blood?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s not normal, Cole… I think there is something wrong with you.”
Cole laughed and then began to cough. “No shit there’s something wrong with me. I’m not a complete idiot. I just ran out of my pills.”
“What pills?”
“The ones that I carry in my bag.” He nodded to his blue bag leaning against the end of the couch.
Anna walked over and unzipped it and pulled out two white bottles. “Prednisone and Prochlor...pera...zine ?”
“Prednisone to treat pain and inflammation and Prochlorperazine for nausea.” He rattled off like a post med student.
“Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“You wouldn’t have let me come with you.”
Anna shook her head. “I would have still let you come.”
“You would have feared that I was contagious.”
“I wouldn’t have cared, just like I don’t care now.”
“You probably should care…” Clovis added in a small voice.
“Well I don’t.” Anna snapped at him, and then turned her attention back to Cole. “So why didn’t you get more of these if you need them?” She waved the empty bottles before putting them back into his bag.
“I’ve been feeling better than I have in a while lately. I decided to see what would happen if I just stopped.”
“That was a bad idea.” Clovis chimed in handing Cole a cup of water he had heated over the fire.
Cole nodded in gratitude and wrapped his shaking hands around the mug. “I realize that now.”
“I could go get you more tonight so you’ll feel better by tomorrow morning.” Anna said.
“Nope, nope, nope.” Clovis shook his head and crossed his arms across his chest. “That is a very bad idea, to go roaming those streets at night.”
“Yeah, don’t do that,” Cole added.
“Then I can go tomorrow morning. There was a drugstore close by here, I remember passing it.”
“I can come with you.” Cole coughed.
“No, mate, I’ll go with her.” Clovis insisted. “You can stay here and dog sit Oz. He seems to have taken a liking to you.” He looked over at Oz who was laying on his back snoring in his dog bed. “I tell ya, a tornado could zip through here and rip the roof off this very house and he would sleep right through it.”
“Do you have anything for him to take tonight?” Anna asked Clovis.
“I think that there is an old bottle of aspirin in the medicine cabinet but that’s probably expired… hmm… there might be--- no, wait… I got it.” He snapped his fingers and rushed over to the pantry and opening the doors.
“I’m telling you guys… I’ll be fine by morning. I just have to really focus and pull myself together,” Cole insisted as Clovis grabbed the mug out of his hand and set in on the countertop. He pulled out a plastic bag filled with a dark green spice and began to chop it into fine pieces. He poured the pieces into the mug, added a small spoonful from a container that was labeled ‘lard’, stirred, and took a deep whiff. “Smells so good,” he said and handed the mug to Cole.
“It smells gross. Like skunk.” Cole said and took a shallow sip. “And it tastes like it smells.”
“What is it?” Anna asked.
“Just the father’s special herbal blend.” Clovis smiled wryly.
Anna picked up the bag off of the counter and smelled it. “This is pot.” She grabbed the mug from Cole’s hands. “Don’t drink this.”
“Why?”
Clovis laughed. “Yeah, Anna, why can’t he drink it?”
“Because. Because… it’s illegal.”
“True… but I don’t think that there’s anyone around to enforce that particular law.”
Anna hesitated. He had a point “Yeah, but… I mean, they had their reasons outlawing it. It’s not good for you.”
“I found it growing in the priest's garden in between the tomatoes and the peppers. I’m pretty sure it isn’t as terrible as you think. Have you ever smoked it?”
“Of course not," Anna snapped. “I’m a teacher.” She handed the mug back to Cole. “But I have heard that it helps people going through chemo… so I suppose it’s alright in this case.”
“So... you never smoked it because you are a teacher.” Clovis rubbed his beard. “Are you a teacher now?”
“Technically… no.”
“Why not try it now?”
Anna laughed and ran a nervous hand through her hair. “Come on, Clovis. You’re like the drug-pushing bully in an after school special.”
“I can light up with you. Or I can make 2 more cups of tea if you would prefer.”
“Does it even have any effect on you?”
“Nah.”
“Then why even bother?”
“I like the smell… and the feeling of doing somethin’ wrong without the fear of anyone being around to bust me. It be liberating.”
“No thank you.”
“Come on, just try some.”
“No, I don’t want to.”
“What are you afraid of? I promise that I won't tattle,” he teased.
“Just because the world has ended doesn’t mean we all have to behave like animals.”
“I never suggested that you act like an animal.”
Anna looked over at Cole to ask him what he thought about his tea, and found he had emptied the mug and his head and slumped back against the back of the sofa.
“He isn’t dead, is he?” Clovis asked as he walked out from behind the counter.
“I’m sure he’s just asleep…” Anna placed her fingers under his nose and huffed in relief. “Yeah, he’s just asleep.”
Rubber City Ruins Page 12