by Darst, Matt
Peter Sumner is married to a woman, and this woman has married another. They do not like the implications.
Roger tunes them out. He always does. He is anxious to get home and see his son.
It is not until his return home that Roger learns his son is missing. The elders never mention it.
It is a page from the church that waits for him on horseback. His youngish face is bruised, the result of another one of Statten’s explosive outbursts. The page tells Gerome of Van’s death. He even apologizes for it, asks for Gerome’s forgiveness. He says he should have defied Statten’s order.
What order?
Statten’s order. The order to keep the crash of Flight 183 secret. The order to not send word to anyone, even Gerome.
Then the page leaves Gerome alone with his rage.
Epilogue
Ian stands before a grave, a headstone, in the cemetery near the church. Sons of heroes are granted such an honor.
Ian wears a suit, no tie. He clutches something red against his chest.
Shoes.
He touches the tombstone, says a few words in his head. He smiles to himself. He’s praying. Van would have teased him mercilessly for being such a hypocrite.
He examines the trainers. They are clean, like new. He spent hours scrubbing them, scouring until there was nary a trace of dirt or grass or…
A violent memory grabs him and tries to hold him firm. Ian shakes his head for release.
He grips all four laces and pulls them away from his body. He twists them back over themselves, then under and through, tying the shoes together.
Ian bends slightly at the waist. He hangs the red Converse All-Stars gingerly over the granite marker. He balances them, strokes the name etched there. V. A. N.
He is aware that Kari is watching him, tenderly, from the sidewalk.
Goodbye, old friend.
Ian joins her side and enters the church.
**
Pastor Statten’s lecture is winding down.
The church is full again this Sunday, but today Ian did not have to worry about finding a pew. He and Kari stand near a small fountain just to the left of Statten’s pulpit. Kari holds a baby, and today he will be baptized.
Ian and Kari made a pact. They are going to keep Tempel-Tuttle’s secret. At least for now.
For now, it’s finally time for Wright to stop surviving and to start living.
As Statten drips water on the child’s head, he says the baby’s name. “Welcome to the family of Christ, Vincent “Van” Peter Sumner.” He almost chokes mid-way through.
They worshippers clap thunderously.
Ian looks into the crowd, and beams at a man in the first row. The man who sits between Josh on one-side and Anne and Burt on the other.
Peter smiles back, a tear streaming from his eye. For once he thanks God, thanking him for these gifts of his son…and grandson. He shifts to Anne, places his hand on hers and squeezes.
She giggles and grins.
She is happy for Ian and Kari. She’s happy for Peter. Mostly, though, she’s happy for another reason.
Bits of Temple-Tuttel fell last night—the Leonids, red traces falling from the sky like the streamers that signal a new year. They danced outside the window, the window of a study housing an incredible collection of antiquities, reminders of a time before the New Order, and a tattered American flag.
The flag silhouetted Van’s father from behind his desk as he spoke to her and a small band of people, his warriors, about a revolution.
Anne knows the truth. She knows the comet heralds a paradigm shift, the death of a regime, and the birth of a new one. The messenger’s secrets will no longer be whispered. The whisperers will no longer cower. People will listen. People will follow. Or people will die.
Freedom comes with a price.
Tonight it starts.
Tonight Roger Gerome will assassinate Statten while his team hunts down the elders.
This is the night this house of cards comes tumbling down.
Tomorrow holds a promise.
The promise of a new life….in the world of the dead.
About the Author
Matt Darst was born in Louisville, Kentucky. His early years were spent there and in Downers Grove, Illinois. As a youth, he was fed a steady diet of Star Wars, Svengoolie, and dog-eared Stephen King novels. His father and mother, now accomplished artists, encouraged Matt’s creative side early on, especially writing.
Matt studied political science at the University of Illinois and received his law degree from DePaul in Chicago. For a time, writing took a backseat to school and work. That is, until he began carving out time to write a novel…a zombie novel.
“Dead Things” is Matt’s first book.
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