by Matt Ritter
“Look,” Will said, pointing to the sky beyond Zach. “We don’t have much time,” then to Zach, he said, “Check his backpack.”
Mary started to cry again. Her sobs were muffled against Will’s jacket.
“I can’t do this anymore. I can’t live like this. What has happened to our Valley?”
She pushed away from Will and looked down at the boy’s body. A hard and cold look came over her face. She kneeled next to the dead boy and removed bits of sand and leaves from his hair. She swept her hands down over his bluing face, pulling the boy’s eyelids closed, then mumbled something imperceptible.
Will glanced at Zach, who had opened the main pocket of the boy’s backpack and was extracting a cube wrapped tightly in thick gray plastic.
“Stop,” Will yelled. “Don’t move.”
Zach froze. “What is it?”
Will approached Zach cautiously.
“Careful. Hand that to me slowly.”
Zach cautiously set the cube onto Will’s hand.
“What is it?” Zach asked again.
“It’s an explosive. We used them when I was in the UP. This cube could kill all three of us.”
Will looked into the open backpack where several more gray cubes were stacked. He placed the cube on the ground, then opened the pack wider and went through the smaller pockets.
He removed half a loaf of bread and a clear plastic container of water and handed them to Zach.
“There it is,” he said while pulling out a small black box attached to two wires. Handing the small box to Zach he said, “Hold this. It’s the detonator. It has to be separated from the explosives.” He zipped all the pockets closed again and looked at Mary, who still had one hand on the boy’s forehead.
“Mary, we don’t have a choice but to leave him out here. There’s nothing we can do for him.”
Mary pounded her fist in the sand next to the body. Finally, she rose and squinted into the weather with a numb and expressionless face.
“It’s just not right,” she said, then without another word she walked off down the trail.
“Put that into your bag or a pocket, in a dry place,” Will said to Zach, pointing to the detonator. He carefully lifted the boy’s pack and put it over his shoulder.
“Let’s go,” he said as they hustled off to catch Mary.
The sky grew darker as they rushed along the gravel path. Farther downriver they came to more and more concrete until the river was entirely channeled in a deep culvert.
At the outskirts of the Spreckels Sector of Salinas City, Will crawled cautiously up the concrete bank onto a tall levee. The sound of distant thunder rolled across the sky in the unseeable mountains at the far reaches of the Valley.
“Wow, look at that,” Zach said, crawling up behind him.
Salinas City sprawled chaotically in front of them. A hundred rundown skyscrapers, maybe more, spread across the indiscernible horizon. The longvalley highway branched into the city at many places with raised concrete bridges that swept around buildings and down onto the unseen streets.
Will hadn’t seen Salinas City in several years and wasn’t happy to be seeing it again. The deep boom of thunder, which he could feel in his chest, trundled again across the Valley floor somewhere beyond the city.
They rose, looked at the dark clouds churning unpredictably overhead, and hurried down off the concrete embankment into the city streets.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
The three travelers headed toward the tall buildings at the center of Salinas City. They stalked along abandoned streets, each with a palpable hopelessness hanging in the dank air. Dark buildings stood like ruins, long past their prime, biding their time before returning to the mud. They moved under covered sidewalks built of wood and tin, partially consumed by foul rot and mildew. A few people walked hurriedly by them on the opposite side of the road.
As they got closer to the city center, the streets grew more crowded. Lights were on in some of the buildings, but there was no electricity for the street lamps. Strings of unlit bare light bulbs were hastily tacked overhead in the covered sidewalks. They passed countless old buildings with their concrete bases blackened with the wicked sheen of age and neglect. Clouds hung over the buildings like a mirror covered in soap scum, refusing to reflect. Nobody seemed to notice them, nor care.
Will hadn’t been as close to so many people since the labor camp, and he grew increasingly nervous as they walked. He palmed his lower back, confirming quick access to his pistol while watching Zach and Mary, who remained distracted by their surroundings.
It was growing dark, and the air was thick with garlic and diesel exhaust from the city’s power generators. The night sky covered the city like a rotting wet blanket, and each breath was burning in the back of Will’s throat. They came off the street into the lobby of a four-story apartment building. Zach and Mary followed Will up the stairs to the third floor. At the top of the steps, Will was struck by an uneasy feeling. The image of himself lying on a concrete floor, screaming in pain, flashed through his mind. He froze in his path and looked around.
“Everything okay?” Mary asked.
Even though something felt terribly off, Will answered, “Fine” and came off the wooden steps onto a carpeted hallway. The old floor creaked and smelled fermented and sour.
Will knocked loudly on an old door on which the number three was turned sideways and faced the floor. They looked at each other, waiting for an answer. Will knocked again, and they heard someone moving just inside the door. Will instinctively took a step back, pushing Zach and Mary away from the door.
“Who is it?” yelled a gruff voice from inside, the three words blurted in a long slurred single sound.
“Dick, it’s Willie Taft.”
“Who?”
“Willie Taft. Let us in.” Will’s voice was loud in the hallway.
Like a drumhead, the door amplified the sound of two chains being pulled from their slots, then a deadbolt unlocking, then another. The door came open just a crack at first. They waited. As Will reached out to push it, the door came open the rest of the way and a rotund, bearded man leaned his head out into the hallway and looked in both directions.
“Get in here. Hurry up.”
They stood on the worn parquet floor of the apartment vestibule, their eyes adjusting to the dim yellow light. The man standing in front of them was a few years older than Will, swollen and hairy. His full beard hung loose and the hair on his head was cut short and even, giving his head the appearance of a rounded ball of fur. He wore a black t-shirt and boxer shorts, exposing thick thighs blackened with short curly hair. His shoulders were massive, and the t-shirt strained over his ample belly.
“Willie,” the large man said loudly after the door had closed. His arms swung open. “Willie Taft. Come here, little man.” He pulled Will into a tight embrace, and Will could smell the alcohol on his breath.
“Dick. Thanks for letting us in,” Will said, pulling away from the embrace. “How have you been?”
“Not good,” Dick said with a smile. “Not good at all. Come, put your bags down. Sit in the kitchen.” Dick’s voice was overly warm and hearty.
They took their backpacks off and laid them on the wooden floor. Will’s shirt was wet with sweat. He kept the dead boy’s pack over his shoulder as they followed Dick down the hallway into the kitchen.
“Who are your friends?” Dick asked while offering the chairs surrounding his table.
“I’m Zach,” he said, reaching out his hand, watching their furry host carefully.
“And I’m Mary.”
“Charmed,” Dick said with a minor bow. “Please sit. Can I get you a drink?”
“Sure,” Will replied, setting the pack with the explosives onto the floor behind the kitchen table.
Dusty glasses clinked out of the cupboard in Dick’s doughy hands. He set the glasses on the table and left the room, returning moments later with a stool for himself and an unmarked clear bottle of reddish-brown
fluid. He poured short glasses for everyone.
“This is the good stuff,” he said, carefully pouring the same amount into everyone’s glass. “It’s not actually,” he continued, “but it’ll work.” He broke out into a booming laugh.
“For the Valley,” Dick blurted out.
“For the Valley,” they repeated.
The hot alcohol coated Will’s throat as he looked across to Zach, who was cringing from the drink. Mary drained the glass in one long gulp and sat stone-faced, pushing her glass toward Dick for another.
“I like her,” Dick said to Will, pouring another splash into Mary’s glass. “It’s been a long time, Willie.” Dick looked at him with the soft eyes of someone who’d drunk too much. His smile was warm. “Are you here to take down the empire? Destroy the UP?”
“Not really.”
“I always expected you’d be leading us someday. Ruling over this wretched Valley.”
“Well, you were wrong about that. Are you still working for the Administration?”
“You two know this man saved my life? Twice,” Dick said, tapping the rim of his glass on Will’s and smiling widely at Mary. Turning to Will, he said, “I still do. Higher than I probably should admit. They call me Trade Minister now. Trade,” he scoffed. He glanced at Zach and said, “I should report this young man right now.” His loud laugh returned.
A storm broke somewhere high above them. Rain came down with a loud crack followed by a low rumbling boom. As the water pounded the building, Dick’s laughter trailed off. They all looked to the kitchen window where there was only blackness outside and sheets of water running along the outside surface of the glass.
“What does it matter anyway?” Dick asked. “This rain will be the end of all of us.” He looked at Zach. “Don’t worry, son, I’m just kidding you.”
Dick rose, went to the window, and pulled on the latch, making sure it was secure. He ran his hand along the thick rubber weather-stripping at the edge of the window.
“I’ve heard people have been dying without getting wet. In cars and out on the covered sidewalks,” Dick said, turning back to his three guests at the table. “It won’t be long until the rain starts killing us in our homes.”
Dick returned to his seat, stared at his glass, and was suddenly somber. “So be it,” he finally said. He looked up at Will. “Things aren’t like they used to be, are they, my friend?”
“No, they aren’t.” Will felt the effect of the alcohol.
“It’s great to see you, though. To what do I owe this unexpected visit?”
“I need your help. I’m looking for my daughter.”
Dick sat up and squinted, trying to pay close attention.
“She was taken by UP soldiers from the school in Gonzales,” Will continued.
“Why would the UP take a young girl?” Dick asked.
Everyone was silent. Will met Mary’s brief glance. Finally, Will said, “They forced the children into the rain, and she survived.”
Dick jerked his head back in surprise. “A rainwalker,” he exclaimed.
“I had no idea,” Will said. “This is my daughter, Dick.”
Dick stared at Will for a long moment, blinking. “I can make a call and find out if anyone knows about this.”
“I’d appreciate that.” Will fidgeted with his glass, then continued, “But I should warn you. I escaped from a labor camp and the UP is after me.”
“Where are you staying tonight?”
Will looked around and shook his head. “We don’t have a plan.”
“You’ll stay here then. I insist,” Dick said. “I’ll make the call now. In the morning, when the rain lets up, we can find out more. There’s a UP link line in the lobby. I’ll go down and find out what I can.”
“Sounds good. Thank you.”
Dick drained the last drop of alcohol from his glass and set it down loudly on the table. He left the kitchen and returned wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a jacket.
Standing in the hallway, he said, “I’ll be back soon. Make yourselves comfortable. Lock the door behind me, and don’t open it until you hear three loud knocks.”
Will followed Dick to the door, closed it behind him, and locked the two deadbolts.
Back in the kitchen, he sat at the table across from Mary. “Do you trust him?” she asked in a hushed voice.
Will shrugged. “What choice do we have?” Maybe it was the alcohol, but Will was feeling tired.
“He’s the Trade Minister? Who is he?” Mary asked.
“We served together in the UP. He was in my unit. He’s a good guy. When my tour ended, I heard that he took a position in the Administration. I visited him here once, many years ago, before returning to Gonzales and meeting Hannah.” Will looked around the apartment. “It’s barely changed in all these years.”
“Hopefully he can help us,” Mary said while pouring herself another small shot of the alcohol. “Do either of you want more?”
“Sure,” Will replied, hoping that it would help him sleep.
They had finished sipping the burning drink by the time they heard Dick’s three loud knocks on the door. Will unlocked the deadbolts and let Dick in.
“What’d you find out?” Will asked as Dick relocked the door.
“The guy I called hadn’t heard of any children being collected in Gonzales, but he said he’d ask around and return my call in the morning.”
Dick held his throat. “Man, the air burns down there.”
“Thanks for calling.”
“Are you kidding? It’s the least I could do.” Dick laid a heavy hand on Will’s shoulder. “In the meantime, let’s eat something.”
Will and Dick returned to the kitchen where Mary and Zach sat quietly looking at their empty glasses.
“Any luck?” Zach asked.
“We’ll know more in the morning,” Dick replied. “You all look like you’ve done some hard traveling. I’m going out to get some food. After we eat, you can take a hot shower. Hot water is one of the remaining comforts in this part of the city. The couch folds out into a bed, and one of you can take the floor.”
“Thank you,” Will said, lifting his hand to Dick’s hulking shoulder.
“No problem. Lock the door behind me and wait for three knocks. I should be back within fifteen to twenty minutes.”
“Will you be alright out there?” Mary asked, turning to the kitchen window. Driving rain came out of the darkness and hit it sideways.
“I’ll be fine. The covered walkways keep you dry, and I’ll take this just in case,” he said, holding up a gas mask.
The second time Will let Dick out of the apartment, Dick turned back to him from the hallway and said, “It’s good to see you, man.”
“You, too,” Will replied.
“I hope you can find your daughter.” Dick stared at him for a moment, then turned.
Will witnessed him carry his heavy frame down the hallway, the carpet slipping and creaking under his weight. As he closed the door and locked the deadbolts, he once again had a vision of himself lying on a cold concrete floor. It was as if he were remembering a forgotten nightmare.
The sound of rain was still thundering outside the building when Will returned to the living room, feeling uneasy. Mary sat on the couch and looked as if she may fall asleep.
Will walked into the kitchen where Zach sat at the table watching the rivulets of rain slide down the outer surface of the window. In the darkness beyond, drops of water could be heard pinging off the metal fire escape.
Will sat next to him.
“This city is so big.” Zach continued to stare out the window. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I feel a long way from home.”
Zach looked at the dark blue backpack of explosives on the kitchen floor near the window.
“What are you going to with that?” he asked.
“Hopefully nothing,” Will replied.
He took his pistol from the back of his belt and placed it on the table. He rubbed his sore lower
back where the gun had sat and stared out the window with Zach, not knowing what to say. Finally, he said, “Hopefully this will all be over soon. Do you still have that detonator?”
“Yeah, right here in my pocket,” Zach answered, tapping the front pocket of his jacket.
“We need to keep that dry and away from the explosives.”
“I’ve got it.”
“Remember, if we find Helen and anything happens to me, do what you can to get her upvalley, to any place that’s safe. That may be at the prison or even back with your grandparents.”
“I wonder how they’re doing,” Zach said.
“I’m sure they’re fine. We’ll probably be seeing them again soon,” Will said, but he worried it wasn’t true.
Zach turned back to the window and watched beads of rain rolling down it. For a long time, they sat in silence, then Zach said, “I’m curious.”
“About what?”
“This downvalley rain. I wonder if Dick is right, that it’s so much worse, killing people who don’t even get wet. I’m curious if it affects me.”
“Do you feel the burning in your throat?”
“No, nothing.”
Zach stood and went to the window. He touched the glass and stared at the water on the other side. He reached up, unlocked the window, and looked back at Will.
Will shook his head. “Not now. Not with Dick coming back.”
“The window’s low enough. I could just step out onto the fire escape for a second.”
“Wait.” Will held up his hand. “You’ll get your chance. Dick will be back any minute. We shouldn’t expose anything to him.”
“Why do you want to go out in it?” Mary asked, standing in the kitchen's doorway.
Both Will and Zach turned toward her, neither knowing how long she’d been standing there.
Zach shrugged and said, “To find out how I’d do in it.”
“You’re not scared?” Mary asked.
Zach shrugged again.
Mary stared at Zach. After a long pause, she said, “The children were so scared.” Turning to Will, she asked, “Why would they screen for children if they have soldiers who can survive in the rain?”
Will’s mouth fell open. “What do you mean?” he asked.
