by R. W. Ridley
“‘Back off, Canter. Don’t think we don’t know why you’re helping us. If the Délons fall, you’re in control. So, don’t tell me about the risks you’re taking. Just tell me where to find him!’
“‘Him who?’ I asked without thinking. It was none of my business, and I didn’t want to make it my business.
“Canter turned to me. ‘Curious boy.’
“I swallowed and shook my head. ‘Not really.’
“‘Then hold your tongue. Your sweet, delicious tongue!’
“I could hear the other Silencers smack their sewn lips. I grit my teeth and fought back the bile.
“‘I told you before,’ Lou said. ‘He’s none of your concern. Now, I assume you’re here because you have new information.’
“He slowly turned from me to her. ‘The Bashir are advancing from the west.’
“‘What’s the Bashir?’ she asked.
“‘Ask your new friend,’ Canter said.
“‘New friend?’ Wes said.
“Lou shot me a sideways glance.
“‘Me,’ I said. I turned to April and Tank. ‘Or us, rather. He’s talking about us.’
“‘Okay then, what’s the Bashir?’ Lou asked me. The trust had vanished from her tone.
“‘Ugly cusses,’ Tank said. All eyes shifted to him. ‘Hard to describe, really. Massive heads. Tusks that curve back, nearly touch their giant slimy eyeballs. Thick hands the size of Texas watermelons...’
“‘They stink to high heaven,’ April added.
“‘Yeah,’ Tank concurred. ‘Big, mean, and smelly. That about sums it up. Seen one squash a guy like a bug near Memphis. Guts and mess all over the place...’
“‘We get the point,’ Lou said, her gaze still fixed on me. “‘That’s a Bashir,’ I said timidly. ‘But I don’t see what that has to do with me.’
“Canter leaned in and sniffed me. He was so close he raised goose bumps on my flesh. ‘I know your smell, creyshaw.’ “‘Creyshaw?’ I said backing away. ‘What’s a creyshaw?’ “He laughed. ‘You are a creyshaw.’
“Back-off, Canter,” Lou said.
“Canter complied and moved to the edge of the orchard. ‘The Bashir are hunting your creyshaw,’ he said. ‘I told you, he is trouble.’
“‘What’s a creyshaw?’ I demanded.
“‘We can handle the Bashir,’ Wes said.
“Canter shook his head. ‘Even the Délons fear the Bashir. They are one of the reasons the Délons are so desperate to find the Source.’
“‘What’s a creyshaw?’ No one was listening to me.
“‘What about, Oz?’ Lou asked, her voice shrill and panicked. She was on the verge of losing her cool.
“Canter took a step in between the first row of trees in the orchard and turned back. ‘They keep him on the move and away from the collective. The swarm does not know where he is. Only General Roy and a few others know. I have agents close to the general. We will know soon enough.’
“‘You said it yourself, we don’t have much time,’ she said.
“‘You don’t,’ Canter said walking away. ‘But if you fail, I will merely find another way to get what I want.’
“‘Canter!’ Lou screamed.
“‘Travel east,’ he said. ‘General Roy is headed toward the coast. I will gather what information I can. Don’t be surprised if next time we meet, I have news of your Oz’s demise.’
“‘You bring me back that news,’ Lou said in a hushed tone. ‘I’ll kill you.’
“Canter and the other Silencers laughed.
“In a state of shock, I watched Lou and Ajax walk away. I caught a glimpse of Wes’s anguished face as he turned and headed back to the greenhouse. Tank looked at me and shook his head while April smiled timidly.
“Valerie whistled, and Kimball bolted towards her. Tyrone looked at me with sympathetic eyes.
“‘Anybody going to tell me what a creyshaw is?’ I asked.”
***
“‘A creyshaw is a coward,’ Tyrone said.
“‘Or a warrior,’ Valerie added.
“Tyrone rolled his eyes and nodded, reluctantly agreeing with her. ‘Yeah, yeah, sure, but that never has made sense to me.’
“April, Tank, Valerie, Tyrone, and I all sat around a small open pit fire. We were feasting on a meal of canned pears.
“‘Has to mean one or the other,’ Tank said with a mouth full of pear.
“‘Maybe,’ Valerie answered. ‘Have to ask the Silencers. It’s their word.’
“April shivered at the thought. ‘I’d just as soon never see them again. What were those things?’
“‘I don’t know,’ Tyrone said digging a juicy pear chunk out of his can with a fork. ‘One of the Storytellers thought it up.’ “‘What is this Storyteller business?’ I asked.
“Valerie looked at me surprised. ‘You don’t know?’ “I shook my head. ‘Should I?’
“‘It’s why we’re here,’ Tyrone said. ‘Dealing with the monsters and the undead and whatever else is out there. Ain’t you wondered how we all got here?’
“Tank looked at Tyrone cockeyed. ‘Wondered? That’s all I pretty much do from the time I wake up ‘til I go to sleep. Only a crazy man don’t wonder.’
“Tyrone smiled. ‘Wonder no more, my friend. For I have all the answers... Well I have most of them.’
“Valerie shook her head in disapproval.
“‘All right, all right,’ Tyrone said. ‘I have some answers. Does that work?’ he asked Valerie.
“She smiled. ‘Better.’
“He stuck his tongue out at her in a show of mock annoyance. Back to me, ‘Check it out,’ he said. ‘There’s these Storytellers, they were this bunch of retards...’
“‘Tyrone,’ Valerie protested.
“‘Sorry, sorry, I mean mentally challenged kids that went to this shrink guy. He taught them...’ He thought about where to go from here. ‘I’m not exactly sure what he taught them. It’s like magic, I guess.’ He turned to Valerie. ‘What do they call that again?’
“‘HMI,’ she said. ‘Hyper Mental Imaging, and it’s not magic. It’s science. He taught them a way to visualize and help them cope with their disability.’
“‘Right,’ Tyrone nodded. ‘What she said. This shrink taught them to visualize stuff, like having a good day, or that they were smarter than they really were, you know. It worked pretty good. Too good. They began visualizing things, and it would happen. You get it?’
“I turned to Tank and April hoping they would chime in, but they didn’t. I shook my head.
“‘Stuff that was happening in their minds started happening in the real world.’
“Tank shook his head. ‘You’re crazy.’
“‘What’s so crazy about that?’ Tyrone asked.
“‘You’re saying a bunch of retarded kids dreamed up all these monsters, and that’s that?’ Tank said sounding incredulous. “‘You got a better explanation?’ Tyrone asked.
“‘Where do you think these monsters came from?’ Valerie asked.
“Tank scanned our faces. Nothing he could come up with sounded as plausible as Tyrone’s explanation. He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Nuclear fallout.’
“‘Nuclear what?’ Tyrone asked.
“‘You know,’ Tank grunted. ‘Fallout from a nuclear bomb.’
“‘Nuclear bomb,’ Valerie snickered. ‘What nuclear bomb?’
“Tank tossed his empty can of pears to the ground. ‘Just because we didn’t see a nuclear bomb doesn’t mean one didn’t go off or three or four or a thousand. They could have gone off on the other side of the planet for all we know. The nuclear fallout, radiation poisoning, whatever you want to call it, still could impact us. Ain’t that right, Archie?’
“‘It wasn’t a nuclear bomb,’ I said.
“‘Tank laughed. ‘You believe this crap?’
“‘It ain’t about believing,’ Tyrone said. ‘The Storytellers are real. We saved one of them. Got him to his Keeper. Right?’ he asked Valerie.
“‘Right,’ she answered. ‘Fought the Takers. Kicked their asses.’
“‘Whoa!’ Tyrone screamed as he gave Valerie a high five.
“‘Language,’ a voice said from outside the circle. Lou stepped forward, sword at her hip, hair hidden beneath a red bandana. ‘Your momma may not be around to kick your butt for cussing, Val, but I am. You understand me?’
“Valerie nodded sheepishly.
“‘We’re just filling the newbies in on the Storyteller business,’ Tyrone said.
“‘Yeah, well wrap it up. We’ve got to get moving?’ She turned to me. ‘Your group joining us, creyshaw?’
“I narrowed my eyes and shot her a disapproving look. ‘We’ll be fine on our own.’
“She chuckled. ‘I doubt that.’ She turned to leave and then stopped. ‘Your friend Little Bobby has been asking for you in the greenhouse. If he’s too much for you guys to handle, we’ll take him with us.’
“Part of me wanted them to take him. I seriously doubted our group’s ability to take care of him and survive. I felt like with us it was an either-or proposition. Lou’s attitude was beginning to grate on me so I said, ‘We can take care of our own.’
“She chuckled again. ‘That’s not what you were saying last night.’
“I stood. ‘Things change.’
“She gave me a lingering stare. I could sense she was trying to see what was different. Without another word, she walked off. “Tyrone chased after her.
“Valerie picked up the discarded pear cans. Before leaving she asked, ‘You decide which one you are yet?’
“‘What do you mean?’ I asked.
“‘Which kind of creyshaw, the warrior or the coward?’
“I looked at Tank and April for support, but they both looked away. Valerie waited patiently, almost pleasantly, for an answer. I walked away without giving her one.”
***
“I entered the greenhouse and marveled at what was not apparent to me in the dim, almost absent light of the previous night. Not only had the plants inside this glass enclosure survived, they had flourished. Every plant’s leaves were an almost impossible green. The blooms were a variety of rich, vibrant colors. The world outside this building was a dead, corrosive terrain, but in here, it was a Garden of Eden.
“April and Tank were awestruck too by the daylight viewing of the greenhouse. I don’t think any of us ever expected to see something this... alive again.
“Little Bobby was propped up against a stack of fifty-pound fertilizers bags. He flashed us a goofy grin as we approached. ‘Hey,’ he said. His voice as high-pitched and squeaky as ever. ‘I thought you left me.’
“‘Couldn’t leave Little Bobby behind, now could we?’ I said. “‘Not a chance,’ Tank added.
“April squatted and placed a warm hand on his leg. ‘How are you feeling?’
“‘Better,’ Little Bobby squawked. ‘You know what I was thinking?’
“‘What?’ she asked.
“‘I was thinking I wish I could ride a horse again.’
“She patted his leg. ‘Someday, Bobby. Someday.’
“‘I miss the horses,’ he said.
“Little Bobby was a simple man. He had the mind of a child at times. He could ride a horse like he was born for it, but he really wasn’t much good for anything else. He tried to stand again, but could only manage to lift himself off the floor a few inches before he flopped back down.
“‘Tired, boss man,’ he said looking at me. ‘We gotta go now?’
“I shook my head. ‘What are we in a hurry for?’
“‘Huh?’ he asked, missing my sarcastic tone.
“‘Rest,’ I said. ‘We’ve got time.’
“April plopped down on the floor next to him and leaned back against the fertilizer bags. Little Bobby leaned his head on her shoulder.
“Tank and I exited the greenhouse. Tank took a tentative look back at the glass enclosure. ‘Little Bobby kind of got shorted in the brain department, didn’t he?’
“I nodded. ‘Suppose, but then again none of use are genius material.”
“‘Seriously, he’s really dumb,’ Tank said without an ounce of remorse or cruelty. ‘I mean he’s a dumby’s dumby.’
“I smiled despite all efforts not to. ‘That’s enough.’
“‘You know,’ Tank continued, ‘I once asked him if he knew what two plus two was. You know what he said?’
“‘What?’ I asked.
“‘Penguin,’ Tank replied.
“I tried to hold it in, but laughter gushed from my mouth.
“‘I’m serious,’ Tank said.
“I slapped my thigh and continued to howl.
“‘I’m not joking,’ Tank pleaded. ‘What?’ He watched me in disbelief for a few seconds more and then he joined in on the laughter.
“‘That can’t be true,’ I said as I heaved.
“‘I swear,’ Tank said sighing deeply. “Hand to God.” He held up his right hand.
“‘Okay, so he’s not that smart. You’re not that good looking, and I’m not that tall. We’ve all got our problems.’
“I stopped laughing as I saw Lou and the others pack up the van. Part of me felt the need to go with them. They were much more adept at this survival stuff than my crew and me. Truth be known, the fact that we were still alive was pure luck.
“‘Lou loaded Kimball into the van and then turned to me. ‘Last chance,’ she said. ‘We could use you.’
“Without sounding the least bit convincing I said, ‘We’ll be fine.’
“‘I’m sure you will,’ she said sounding even less convincing.
“Ajax stuck his head out of the van’s side door and grunted. He gestured with his hand and dipped back inside the van. Lou shook her head.
“‘What?’ I asked. ‘Did he say something?’
“‘Yeah,” she answered. ‘He did.’ She shut the van door.
“‘What did he say?’
“‘He said your hour is up.’
“‘Wait... What?’”
Oz
SIX
“I have another patient coming in,” Dr Graham says. “Your hour is up.”
I hear Scoop-face clear his throat and stir. “What?” “Wide awake, now. C’mon, we don’t have much time.” “Doc... I wasn’t finished.”
“You are for today.”
I hear the sound of a chair scraping across a wood floor. The door to Dr. Graham’s office opens.
“He giving you any trouble, Dr. Graham?” Chester asks.
“Not at all. We’re just a little lethargic from the regression.”
“Doc,” Scoop-face grunts. “I have so much more to say... I was just getting to the good part.”
“We’ll take it up next time,” Dr. Graham says with just a hint of impatience.
“Tomorrow?” Scoop-face asks.
“Tomorrow? You’re not on the schedule until...” There is a pause as I imagine Dr. Graham is looking through an appointment book or PDA or blackberry, whatever is used in this time. “Looks like three days from now.”
“Tomorrow, Doc. C’mon do an old, faceless jackass a favor. I ain’t never asked for anything before.”
Another pause. This time he is contemplating Scoop-face’s request. “Very well. Tomorrow, noon. I have a couple of hours open.”
“You’re a saint, Doc,” Scoop-face says. “A saint.”
“C’mon, Archie,” Chester says. “Let’s go.”
The door closes.
***
I wander the yellow-lined halls after I leave the janitor’s closet. Bones is close in tow. He talks of snarkle, hambone, and the others as we walk. Even if they are just a nonsensical string of words they seem to soothe his shattered psyche, and truth-be-known, I feel better the more he brings them up. So, I let him talk with very little input from me.
I turn Scoop-face’s session over and over again in my mind. I picture Lou coming to his rescue in the woods, Wes chowing down on snack cakes, Kimball w
agging his tail, Valerie and Tyrone finding a moment to play and joke despite the fact the world was falling apart around them, and Ajax - I could see his sad and noble face staring back at me in my mind’s eye. His steely stare is telling me something. He is disappointed in me. I’ve let him down. More than that. I...
“Boss,” Bones barks.
I turn to him.
“You all right?”
“What?”
His right eye twitches. “You went away... I mean you were gone, man.” He whistles. “La-la land, my friend.”
“I’m fine.” I try to capture the image of Ajax in my mind again, but he’s gone. “Just visiting old friends,” I say with a smile.
“Yeah,” Bones says. “Happens a lot around here.”
“How long you say you been here?” I ask.
He chuckles. “That’s the million dollar question, boss. Nobody knows how long they been here. That’s why they make places like this.”
I look at him with a narrowed glare. “Explain.”
“Time, the way we think things work... alarm clocks, lollipops, baseball, checkers... all those things that used to be... you know, our lives. They want us to think it’s still out there, but it isn’t.”
“It isn’t?”
“Oh, no, man. That stuff is gone. Way gone. There is nothing out there. There’s not even an out there out there. You get it?”
I stare and consider his statement. “No,” I answer. “Not at all.”
“Think about it, boss. Have you seen an exit sign in this place?”
I think about it. He doesn’t give me time to answer.
“Of course you haven’t,” he shrieks. “Because there is no place to exit to. It’s all in here.” He pats the wall to his right. “There is no out there out there. Get it? It’s all in here.” This time he points to his head. “In here.” He pokes me in the forehead.
“Damn,” a voice booms from the other end of the hall. Chester approaches. “The man’s first day with a GP pass since he’s been here and you’re trying to fill his head with crazy talk. He’s got enough insane snaking around in that head of his. He don’t need yours in there, too.”