by Penn Gates
“Never mind that. Let’s get away from the door. I’ll be right behind ya.”
“Listen,” the kid hisses when they’re crowded safely behind the dresser. “I only got a couple minutes. It’s gettin’ light out and I need to get out of the city.”
Lisa bites her lip to keep from asking questions.
“Late tonight - that’s when we’ll get ya outta here.” He pauses. “Ya got a watch on ya - one that’s workin’?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good - at 1 AM, crawl outta here. The gate’s open a crack - I squeezed through it, so you can, too - then lay down against the fence. Cover yourself with whatever junk you can grab, and wait. You’ll know when your ride shows up.” The kid starts to crawl away.
“Thanks,” Lisa calls after him.
“Save it until you get back to camp safe and sound.”
She feels around for her backpack, which has somehow become half jammed beneath the dresser. It contains a single bottle of water. She removes it and takes a couple of small sips. She glances at her watch for the first time. A little after 8 AM. Oh God - that’s what? 17 hours to go? They’ll be looking for her by now. But they’ve got a whole city to search. It could take them days.
There’s been a series of what she can only think of as miracles to this point. And Moz told her all would be well. She wants very badly to believe that. She looks again at the faint glow of her watch. She sets the alarm for 12:30 AM as an act of faith. It’s not whether she can sleep, but that she must - because she’s certain that her trip to northern Georgia will be difficult.
The faint beep of her watch startles Lisa awake. How is it possible I’ve slept for the better part of a day? But she knows how. She’d been awake continuously for the previous 24 hours - during which time, she’d dropped off a fire escape and walked for miles, all the while in a state of controlled panic.
She allows herself a few sips of water and finds something to tie her hair back out of her way. Then grabbing the backpack with its precious stash of antibiotics, she crawls toward her future - which, at this moment, is unknowable. She compulsively checks the time every few minutes, forcing herself to follow instructions to the second, as if this is just another scientific experiment.
At precisely 1 AM, she sticks her head out cautiously and looks both ways. Nothing. She rushes to the gate and is relieved to find that she - and her backpack - fit through the small gap, although not at the same time. Once on the other side, she pushes aside the flotsam of a world that had been addicted to plastic and fast food. She gathers the old food wrappers, bags, and other things she’d rather not think about, and makes a literal rats’ nest. At the last minute she pulls the stolen gun from her pocket before she burrows into the rubbish and partially disappears.
Slowly a distant buzzing penetrates her anxiety. As she listens intently, the odd sound reveals itself to be coming from several different directions at once - and then there’s a roar coming right at her. She gets a firmer grip on her weapon and sits up to meet whatever it is.
The motorcycle stops in front of her. “Jesus, I come all this way for you, and you’re gonna shoot me?”
The gun sags in Lisa’s hand. “Ed?”
“You better jump on. We got only a few minutes left of cover, then we’re on our own.”
CHAPTER 44: Running Away Toward Something
The rush of wind pulls strands of Lisa’s long hair from her pony tail and whips her face. She closes her eyes against its sting, but the odd sensation of falling sideways compels her to open them again. She feels a surge of pure terror. Ed hasn’t turned on the headlight, and they’re hurtling through the darkness like a rocket with no idea of what’s ahead of them. But from the way he’s swerving left and right, it seems he, too, can see in the dark. She tightens her grip around his waist and lays her face against his back to protect herself from the violence of the wind. In spite of her fear, she feels safe.
One by one, the sound of other engines fades into the distance until there’s just the growl of the Triumph and the wind rushing by. Holden stares intently at the road in front of him, and yet every cell in his body is aware of Lisa’s arms holding him tightly, her head pressed between his shoulders. He takes one of her gloveless hands and tucks it inside his jacket pocket, and she puts her right hand into the other pocket without further prompting. He forces his attention back to the road ahead, lit by a fitful moon.
Lisa lifts her head and tries to guess how far they’ve come. The motorcycle is speeding through an area much less populated now. The houses and strip malls grow farther and farther apart until they’re deep in farm country. After awhile, she lays her head against the warmth and comfort of Holden’s back again. She still can’t quite believe he’s here, even with her arms tightly hugging him.
It’s light out by the time Ed pulls off the road and hides the bike behind an old gas station. To Lisa, it feels like she’s stepping onto dry land after a speedboat ride on the Arctic Ocean. It takes a minute to find her land legs, while her body still feels like it’s vibrating with the powerful engine.
Holden notices how shaky she is. “Let’s get you out of the cold,” he says, drawing his weapon. “But stay behind me while I make sure we’re not crashin’ someone else’s party.”
As soon as he’s cleared the squat, concrete structure, he returns to the station’s service office and pulls Lisa into a fierce embrace. “Thank Christ you’re okay,” he whispers.
Exposure to the relentless wind has made Lisa’s mouth so dry she can hardly swallow. “Ed,” she whispers, “I’d love to kiss you, but I need to drink something first or my lips will crack.”
He’s been eyeing a row of vending machines himself. He laughs softly and releases her. “Never have any change when I need it. Hold on a sec - I’ll be right back.”
He disappears into the dark mechanic’s garage again.
Lisa stares at the full-color graphic of a sweating can of Dr Pepper and thinks, If I had any spit left, I’d be drooling.
When Ed returns, he’s carrying a crowbar. “Stand back while I get this sucker open.” He pries apart the vending machine with remarkable ease. “Drinks are on the house,” he says and hands her one before he opens a can for himself.
Lisa knows carbonated beverages do little to actually hydrate the body - but nothing has ever tasted so good as her first sip of lukewarm cola.
Once she’s drunk the entire can, she croaks, “I still can’t believe you’re here.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? Once I heard the place was crawling with soldiers, there was no way I was leaving. And then there’s the ring you owe Baldy. Do you still have it, or did you need to use it as a bribe?”
“It turns out I didn’t - I used my weapon of choice—”
Before she can explain further, Ed laughs. “The quick-draw hypodermic - you’re getting damn good with that thing, Needles.”
He tosses the empty can into a corner and picks up the crowbar again. “I gotta dig out the supplies Hatfield left for us and then check out the storage tanks for gas. It might take me awhile.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Soon as I haul the supplies in here, you can sort through them and stow them in the saddle bags.”
He kisses the top of her head. “Yell if you need me.”
Lisa drinks another can of pop, and another. I might as well take a look at the saddle bags while I’m outside to pee, she thinks. I have no idea how much they can hold, but I know I’m at my limit.
She’s squatting in the bushes when a voice growls, “You owe me, bitch. Time to pay up.”
Aaron towers over her, his face leering. She hastily falls forward onto her knees and yanks her pants up, only to find herself at eye level with the fly of his jeans. Before she can rise, she feels a large hand exerting pressure on the top of her head.
“Just the way I like a woman - on her knees,” Aaron says thickly. “You got a debt to pay, little girl - with interest.”
Lisa doesn’t
even think about it before she does it. She drives her fist into Aaron’s testicles as hard as she can in a blaze of pure rage.
He falls backward, howling. “You fuckin’ bitch!”
Lia manages to scramble to her feet and yanks the chain from around her neck. At last she can be rid of this damned diamond. She holds it directly over Aaron, still on the ground and bellowing curses up at her.
“There you go,” she cries, dropping both ring and chain into his open mouth. “I hope you choke on it!”
That’s when she sees Ed running toward her, weapon in hand.
“Get inside, Lisa!” he yells.
“You can’t—”
But Ed’s standing over Aaron now. “You shouldn’t have messed with her, you bald bastard!”
Out of the corner of his eye, the air seems to shimmer. He turns his head and sees Moz standing a few feet away. This guy is beyond spooky, and Holden is pretty sure he’s not going to stand by and watch his twin brother die. He backs up a few feet so he has both men in his field of fire.
“Aaron has his diamond,” he barks. “And we’ll be out of here double quick. There’s no need for anybody to get hurt.”
Moz ignores the gun and approaches his twin. Aaron is curled into a fetal position moaning softly to himself.
“Are you all right, brother?” Moz asks. He lays a hand on Aaron’s shoulder and the moaning stops.“All will be well now, brother. Be at peace.”
Only then does he transfers his attention back to Holden.
“My brother breaks my heart. He insulted the doctor.” He pauses. “And he might have done worse if she hadn’t fought back.”
“Your brother’s gonna come after us as soon as he can walk again,” Holden says. “He doesn’t like to lose.”
Moz dismisses any more discussion of Aaron with a wave of his large hand. “I rejoice that the doctor has come back safely.” He smiles beatifically.
As if he’s called her, Lisa comes out of the station. She looks at Aaron, still lying on the ground, as if he was a rattlesnake and is shocked to see that he seems to be sleeping peacefully. She examines him more closely. His chest rises and falls in a slow rhythm and there’s a smile on his face, as if he’s having a pleasant dream.
“Doctor, it is good to see you,” Moz says as Lisa stands next to Ed. He eyes them speculatively. “Before you begin your journey home, is there anything I can do for you, my friends?
Holden doesn’t know why the idea pops into his head, already fully formed. “Hold on a minute,” he says to Moz. “We’ll be right back.”
He motions for Lisa to follow him. “I just had a thought. What if - we had Moz witness our vows to each other, give us his special brand of blessing?”
Her eyes widen, and he hastily adds, “I mean, if you would do me the honor—”
They both turn and look at Moz, who is bent over examining something or other on the ground. He looks like a child discovering the wonders of the natural world for the first time. He seems to realize he’s being watched because he looks up and gives them a friendly wave.
“That guy is really spooky,” Ed says, “But I mean that in a good way.”
Holden is not so much nervous as awestruck when he tells Moz, “We’ve talked it over and we wondered if you could witness our pledge to each other and—”
Moz points to the eastern horizon. “Do you see?” he asks. “That is the morning star, a symbol of new beginnings. But it is also called Venus, after the goddess of love.”
He smiles at the two of them. “I tell you this because love between two people is always a new beginning. You must accomplish the difficult feat of blending your lives together without losing yourself.” He looks from one to the other. “Your task is to fulfill each other without hindering each other’s dreams. Will you remember to do this?”
“I will,” Lisa answers immediately.
“Absolutely I will,” Ed says.
“Congratulations!” Moz booms as he holds out his hands to both of them. “Now the two of you must return to your home where you are needed.”
Ed studies the heavy cloud cover. “Hope we can make it. Looks like snow.”
“I promise that you will be there in time for Christmas,” Moz says with his habitually blissful smile.
And for some strange reason, Holden - and Lisa - believe him.
THEY’D CROSSED THE Ohio River early this morning and hoped they’d be in Hamlin before they lost the daylight. It’s only a little after five now, but it’s dark already.
Lisa feels the sting of tiny pellets of snow on her face and puts her head down against Ed’s back.
They’d argued about who was going to wear the only helmet. Lisa had insisted Ed should because if they crashed, it wouldn’t do her any good to be alive if he was dead. He’d countered that if she died, he didn’t want to be alive anyway. In the end, neither of them had worn it.
About a half hour ago, he’d given up and put it on because the icy snow was stinging his eyes and he could no longer see the road.
Suddenly, he slows down and pulls onto what he hopes is the shoulder. “Look over there,” he says as he flips up the visor of the helmet.
“I don’t know how you do that,” Lisa says. “I can’t see a thing.”
“Don’t look for objects, look for a lighter pattern in the dark.”
Lisa shields her eyes with her hand and peers into the swirling nothingness. Gradually, she begins to see what Ed is talking about. It’s faint, but it’s there - the overpass and loops of two interstates connecting.
“I dropped Cindi Lou off at a truck plaza Hatfield told me about - where he scored a tanker full of fuel. It’s right over there somewhere.”
Lisa feels a chill that has nothing to do with the weather.
“We need to make a decision here,” Ed tells her. “We’re an hour or so from Hamlin - maybe more with the bad weather. We can try to make it before the snow buries the roads, or we can get to that plaza and wait out the storm.”
“What if it turns out to be a blizzard, like the one that trapped us at the lodge last winter?”
“There’s no way of telling which are the better odds.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s Christmas Eve,” Lisa says slowly. “It would be the greatest gift in the world to get home and be with our people.”
Ed snaps his visor down. “Then home it is,” he says. “Hold tight, baby. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.”
THE END
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