Domino Falls (ARC)

by Steven Barnes

  She’d found shampoo, so her hair smelled like hers again. She was wearing a black cocktail dress she would have bought— or at least swiped—from Macy’s. It fit her so well that she’d barely recognized herself in the Motel 6 mirror. And after being stripped of every aspiration, suddenly she was about to fulfill the fantasy she’d talked about with her friends at every ThreadieCon: their pilgrimage to the ranch. The ranch.

  And now they were here.

  Threadville Ranch was nestled in the hills east of Domino Falls, guarded by a twelve-foot gate that stretched like the Great Wall of China. The Threadrunner complex, which looked like about a hundred acres of vineyards and quaint colonial outbuildings, was surrounded by hundreds of acres of undeveloped land. Dozens of Gold Shirts patrolled the fenced perimeter, holding German shepherds by their leashes. Freaks lurched across the distant hillside like lost, hungry cattle, too many to count. They seemed a world away. The ranch was well guarded.

  They were hustled through a whirlwind of checkpoints where it seemed every uniform was fancier and more elaborate than the last—culminating with the Gold Coat who met them inside the house’s gleaming marble foyer. His coat hung past his knees in a princely fashion.

  “Like a fairy tale,” Sonia whispered to Kendra, who hadn’t said a word since the van ride, when she couldn’t stop staring at the DVD playing on the screen.

  The sprawling foyer was a museum, the walls covered with lighted display cases, movie posters, and enlarged book covers. A tattered gray raincoat in the nearest display case leaped out to Sonia on sight: Wales’s coat from Threadrunner Apocalypse, the one that had whipped around in slow-mo when he’d been attacked by the giant grasshopper with the human head. Sonia had skipped school to see the Threadrunner double feature with her friends, returning home to find she’d been ratted out by her little brother. Tears pooled in her eyes, pricked by deep nostalgia. The past seemed close enough to touch.

  “That’s from the shoot,” their guide said in a basso whisper. “He wore it.”

  “Cool.” Even Ursulina agreed.

  When Wales was suddenly in the room, Sonia’s weight seemed to vanish, as if she could float away on her dream.

  “There you are!” Wales was walking straight to her with a grin as if they had known each other for years. “I hoped you’d come today, Sonia. You and your friends. This is a good time to visit. We’re all very excited.”

  Yes, Sonia tried to say, we’re all excited too. The floating sensation came so strongly that Sonia’s ears failed her, so she missed some of Wales’s welcome.

  “… reason for our existence here, after all,” he finished with a good-natured laugh, patting her shoulder. She knew he’d said something vitally important, even life-altering, but she’d missed it because she couldn’t keep her thoughts in order when he was in the room.

  “Let me show you ladies around.”

  From the outside, Threadrunner Ranch looked like a prison dressed up as a mansion, which Kendra did not consider a good sign. Still, that wasn’t what bothered her most and made it hard for her to keep her thoughts in a single line.

  She couldn’t stop thinking about the DVD.

  How did he know my dreams?

  The DVD could have been a bizarre coincidence, or maybe the dreams were only a false memory, but her mind wouldn’t let it go. The déjà vu feeling sharpened once they were in the mansion’s foyer, as if she had been here many times before.

  No, that wasn’t it—she felt like she’d been meant to come, as if it was the sole reason she’d been spared when Grandpa Joe was bitten.

  “Kendra, is it?” Wales was standing directly in front of her, and he seemed like a tall oak above her. Kendra didn’t remember telling him her name.

  “Yes.”

  He squeezed her hand with his soft palm, free of work calluses.

  “I’m especially glad you came,” Wales said. She’d never seen such earnestness in any man’s lingering gaze, even Terry’s. Wales stared as if they shared a great, wonderful secret. She felt herself leaning toward him, waiting for him to reveal what they both already knew.

  Was he hypnotizing her? She’d been to other mansions and met other celebrities when her parents worked in Los Angeles, so she shouldn’t be starstruck. But there was something about Wales …

  Something about her …

  Something about …

  What?

  I’ve been having Thread dreams since before Freak Day, she realized.

  The thought startled her so much that she nearly blurted it aloud, but she could swear that Wales seemed to know already. He kept glancing at Kendra the way he might a daughter who was expecting her first child, watchful and gentle while he guided them through his museum and library. A large number of bookshelves were dedicated to international editions of Threadie books, but the library was also stocked with enough classics and DVDs to make her wish she could spend a day exploring.

  Kendra fought to pull herself out of her daydreams. She had to listen to try to learn something about Rianne and Brownie’s daughter, Sissy. Terry was right: she couldn’t just barge in and ask questions, not with an army outside. How could she find out without courting disaster?

  “You’ll have to come back and spend some time in our Special Collections,” Wales said to her. Secrets played happily behind his eyes, teasing her.

  “I thought I might like to be an ambassador,” Kendra said, her voice soft.

  “A what?” Ursulina said.

  Wales’s face changed, his cheeks sloughing off their too-bright smile.

  Kendra was sure she’d jumped in too fast, just like Terry kept warning her. But the light in Wales’s eyes put her at ease. The smile returned, full of delight after the surprise had passed. “Would you?” he said. “Then you’re familiar with our program?”

  “Ambassadors to the others,” Kendra heard herself say, full of confidence. “Wherever they are.”

  Wales waved toward his attendant suddenly, and the Gold Coat held up a small notebook. “Is that K-E-N-D-R-A?”

  Kendra spelled her first and last names, feeling breathless. She might be digging herself deeper into trouble. What if she wasn’t allowed to leave with the others? If he said she should start her training right away?

  Sonia’s face was pinched with irritation. “You don’t know anything about Threadie culture,” she said pointedly.

  Kendra’s face flared. She felt like she was back in high school, sparring with the head cheerleader to catch the attention of the star quarterback.

  “I’m here to learn,” Kendra said, trying to sound lighthearted. “And the ambassadors program sounds like a great way to travel and see what’s left.”

  “No,” Wales corrected her gently. “To see what’s beginning.” Kendra nodded. “Exactly. I want to see what’s next.”

  Then she purposely took two steps away from Wales, toward Ursulina, just to show Sonia she wasn’t trying to jump in her way. Sonia gave her a grateful smile before she darted to take her place.

  “That does sound like a great program,” Sonia said, snatching the baton. Wales’s face soured just long enough for Kendra to notice. Then he flashed his smile again and seemed to disappear into Sonia.

  “There are a host of other jobs here, not just ambassadors,” he told her. “We’ll find a place for you, darlin’.”

  Sonia’s face glowed. Wales was flirting with Sonia, different from the way he had been with her.

  “A real pendejo,” Ursulina muttered to Kendra. “But what’s he selling?”

  Kendra hoped they were out of earshot of the Gold Coat who was walking slightly ahead of them. But maybe not.

  “He’s selling hope,” Kendra said. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth.

  “Don’t jump into the fire to get warm, chica.”

  Kendra nodded, but she had already jumped.

  “… in the kitchen …” Wales’s voice prattled. “You wouldn’t be interested in housekeeping or groundskeeping, but we have decorato
rs … radio operators …”

  “Yes, I’ve been to the radio station!” Sonia said, as if they were soul mates.

  Kendra was admiring Sonia’s poise when she felt a steady burr, a pulsing thrum that seemed to shake the floor. The feeling grew stronger as she trailed Wales, Sonia, and the Gold Coat through the vast hall.

  Was it an earthquake?

  Kendra grabbed the wall for balance, but the others walked steadily on, unaware. Sonia never stopped asking questions about the ranch, and Ursulina never gave her a glance to say Did you feel that?

  Her nervous breakdown must have arrived. What had taken so long?

  Wales threw a gaze at her over his shoulder. His lips were moving, talking to Sonia, but his eyes were talking to her again. We’re the only ones who feel it, Kendra, Wales’s eyes seemed to say. Don’t be afraid.

  Then Wales smiled at her. It was the closest Kendra had come to believing she knew what was in someone else’s mind.

  “If you have special skills, of course, I’d love to know what they are,” Wales said to Sonia, not missing a beat.

  Kendra felt dizzy. Had someone drugged her? But when? What was going on?

  Her legs stopped walking. The pulsing tremors stole the strength from her knees, forcing her to rest her palm against the wall.

  And her palm met another’s. Kendra was certain that someone else stood on the other side of the wall, palm pressed to hers. She could almost feel the heat of the fingers splayed open on the other side of the block of marble, a perfect mirror.

  Someone was there—a massive presence, like a lodestone concealed behind a sheet of paper.

  Was this where the pulsing was coming from?

  There are no dogs in here, Kendra realized, such a random thought that she was sure she’d been drugged. A sign in the van had banned dogs, she remembered. Scores of dogs patrolled outside, but she hadn’t seen one inside.

  But Threadville Ranch needed more dogs. Any dogs in the library or this vast hall would have been barking themselves hoarse. There was no actual smell in the air, but every fiber of her being said that the hall, the foyer, maybe Wales’s entire mansion … reeked of freaks.

  Seventeen

  K endra’s shaking didn’t stop until she was back at the Motel 6, knocking on Terry’s door. A glance inside, and she saw Piranha lounging on his bed. She didn’t want to hear jokes about virgin sacrifice, so she kept her mouth shut.

  “What?” Terry said, concerned.

  Kendra shot her eyes toward Piranha, and they both understood.

  “Give us a minute?” Terry said to Piranha.

  “Thought we were heading over to dinner,” Piranha said. “I’m hollow.”

  Terry gave him a look that could melt iron, so Piranha shrugged. “Ya’ll have five minutes. Sonia back in your room?” Piranha asked Kendra on his way out.

  Kendra nodded, but it felt like a lie. Sonia was back in the room physically, but she was nowhere Piranha would find her. At the ranch, Sonia had said that she would stay behind, since Wales had offered guest bungalows for the night. They had practically dragged Sonia back to the waiting white van. Sooner or later Sonia would go back to Wales’s mansion; she was probably already laying plans.

  The memory of the ranch danced across the hairs on Kendra’s arms. Her hand still seemed to vibrate from touching the wall—from something on the other side. She had thought the feeling would go away once Threadville Ranch was in the van’s rearview mirror, but she had brought it with her.

  And it would never go away. She didn’t know how, but she knew that too.

  “Good luck,” Terry said to Piranha.

  “Gonna take more than luck,” Piranha said. The depth of his sadness surprised her.

  And he was gone.

  “What happened?” Terry said. “What’s got you so worked up?”

  Now that she was free to talk, Kendra didn’t know what to say.

  Terry came closer. “Hey, are you shaking? Here, Kendra.” He pulled a thin brown blanket from the bed and draped it over her shoulders. The blanket smelled like it hadn’t been washed since Freak Day, but it felt perfect because he had given it to her.

  “What happened?” Terry prodded.

  Kendra held up her palm as if Terry might see the feeling she’d brought back with her from touching the wall. She felt marked now. Terry only peered at her, confused, so Kendra hid her palm inside the blanket.

  “Nothing I can describe,” she said. “It’s just … I got a very funny feeling there. The way Wales kept looking at me … Something’s not right, Terry. I know it. The DVD player was showing my dream — exactly.”

  Terry looked concerned. She must sound crazy to him. “Did you see those missing girls?” he said, looking for information he could use.

  Kendra shook her head. Terry was so much taller that she had to upturn her face to see his eyes. They were standing nearly close enough to touch, but Terry had never seemed farther away. What could she say to reach him?

  “It felt like freaks inside,” she said.

  Terry’s eyes narrowed. “Where?”

  “Everywhere,” she said. “It felt like freaks all over his damned ranch.”

  “Did you smell anything? Rotten oranges?”

  She thought for a moment. “No. Nothing.”

  “See?”

  Kendra shook her head. “No. I didn’t say I smelled flowers but not freaks. I said I smelled nothing, as if there was some kind of odor-eater working overtime. Maybe one of those ozone generators or something.”

  Terry struggled to make sense of her, sighing when he failed. His eyes looked pitying instead of intrigued. He thought she’d had a nervous breakdown too, and she hadn’t even told him about the loud noise, or how the floor had seemed to shake.

  How often did crazy people realize they were crazy?

  Terry slipped his hands inside the blanket to rub her shoulders above her jacket. When his warm lips touched hers, she knew she would stop trying to explain. For those seconds, Wales’s ranch didn’t exist.

  “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, Kendra,” Terry said when the kiss ended. “Don’t worry so much. We’re safe. Let’s go get some chow.”

  And kissed her again.

  Her eyes fell closed, as if she were asleep on her feet.

  His kiss carried her away.

  Sonia left her room in such a hurry that she almost ran into Piranha on the way out. Her face drooped into a guilty frown.

  Piranha hadn’t seen Sonia with eye makeup on since the early days of camp, before the freaks, when she’d routinely sashayed past him to make sure he noticed her. He’d forgotten how dark mascara framed her eyes and made them leap to bright life.

  But she hadn’t dressed up her eyes for him.

  “How was it?” he said, trying to sound neutral.

  “Good.”

  A long silence wrapped around them. The doorknob was still in Sonia’s hand, the door cracked open an inch, but she slowly pulled it closed. He’d seen in a glance that the room was empty, but Sonia wasn’t inviting him in.

  “Thought we’d talk,” Piranha said.

  Sonia snorted, as if to hide a laugh. He knew what she was thinking: after they started hanging out at camp, she’d cornered him from time to time saying, Can’t we talk? What do we call this? He’d told her to play it cool, not to push so hard. He’d punished her by ignoring her for a day or two afterward, and she’d always come back as if she had to apologize. After Freak Day, she’d stopped asking to talk.

  “Since when, Chuck?”

  “You’re right.” Piranha’s head screamed at him to keep his dignity and walk away. But he couldn’t. “Where you headed so fast?”

  “Trying to get to town before dinner shuts down.”

  “They didn’t feed you at the Big House?”

  Sonia’s eyes flashed. “Oh, there was plenty! Fruit. Little bitty sandwiches. Egg rolls, even. But I was so busy taking it all in, I didn’t eat much. So now I’m hungry.” Her voice dared him to
say another word about the ranch.

  “Then I’ll walk with you,” Piranha said. “It’s getting dark.”

  Sonia sighed, impatient. He followed her eyes to the motel’s driveway, where two Gold Shirts were waiting at the edge of the road, smoking cigarettes. They were young, close to their age. “I met a couple of guys who said they’d walk with me.”

  The alarm panel in Piranha’s hind brain blared loud and bright red. He didn’t know how he’d come to this crossroads so fast, but he had lost her. His anger was like a cloud of gasoline vapor: one wrong word might ignite it.

  “Let me walk you instead?” He was careful to phrase it as a question.

  Sonia sighed. “Piranha, look, I don’t think—”

  Not here, he thought. Not on the second-level balcony of a Motel 6 in the plain view of every camper in the parking lot and bored spies through the windows. Not when he didn’t have anywhere else to go.

  “I thought I was going blind,” he said. “That’s why I was a jerk. I was scared.”

  “All you had to do was trust me,” she said. “You know it’s not just that.”

  But Piranha didn’t know, so he sighed with frustration. He and Sonia had weathered the worst time of their lives together, back when neither of them had anyone else. Now she was breaking away, an ice cap melting. She could barely look him in the eye.

  When she began walking toward the stairs to the first level, Piranha didn’t follow until she beckoned him. He walked behind her in silence. The road was flat, but the walk felt steep. He couldn’t see a star in the sky beyond the fog.

  “Let me talk to my friends,” she said.

  Downstairs, he hung back to give her the space with the Gold Shirts. One of them turned to give Piranha a glare. Piranha fought the urge to flip him a bird.

  In the parking space nearest Piranha, a man was cooking a foul-smelling stew from God knew what scraps. Piranha wasn’t sure why, but many of the newbies avoided group dinner, especially if they didn’t have children, maybe for fear of imposing too much. Maybe for fear of something else. The old man’s bundled belongings were piled in a cart, quickly replaced if he moved them. He was always ready for a quick escape.

  “She’s good as gone,” the man said, nearly under his breath.