In the Lone and Level Sands

by David Lovato

A new sound entered Max’s ears. It was loud, and had a very distinct grind to it: The rip-roar of a chainsaw.

  “What’s that noise?” the woman said.

  “Ignore it. We need to find the manual.”

  Max looked around the control array and saw a small basket in the leg space below the counter. A stack of white papers clipped together rested within. He tore it from the basket and flipped through the pages.

  “Did you find it?” The chainsaw groaned somewhere close by.

  “I think so,” Max said. He found a control map on one of the pages.

  “That’s it! Can you turn it off?”

  “It says which button does it, but it doesn’t say if there’s a certain procedure. We may not want to just shut it off in one go,” Max said.

  “But my baby! They have to have some kind of emergency brake, right?”

  Max looked at the map again and found a switch labeled “Emergency”. He found the corresponding switch on the array (which wasn’t identical to the map in the guide, but was close enough) and flipped it. He heard the gears in the machine begin to slow down.

  Max and the woman stepped out of the booth to see that the rockets were beginning to lower. They also saw a large group of people fleeing from a man crazily flailing a chainsaw as he stumbled through the carnival.

  “Oh God, no!” the woman said.

  The man stepped right beneath the lowering rockets and cables, chainsaw raised high. One of the passing cables struck it. The cable was nearly severed, the chainsaw was ripped from the man’s hands and tossed into the night, and the man was thrown to the ground.

  The spin did the rest of the cable in, and it snapped. One of the rockets flew upward. It seemed to hang in the air a moment, and then Max’s heart sank, along with the rocket. It landed on a group of people with a loud crunch.

  “My baby!” the woman said. She started to run, but Max grabbed her arm.

  “Wait a minute. She might be on one of these other rockets.”

  The rest of the rockets were slowing down. The crazy man, minus his chainsaw, sat up only to get hit in the head by one of the rockets. He went down hard, blood gushing from his skull.

  The rockets slowed to a stop. Kids got out, most began looking for their parents. Many were confused.

  “Helen!” the woman said.

  “Mommy, what’s going on?” a little girl asked. The woman ran to meet her.

  Max looked for his own family. He didn’t see them anywhere. He started running, then looked back. The woman was hugging her child closely, which was thanks enough. The rocket that had crashed entered his mind, and his moment of happiness ended.

  Max made his way to the front of the carnival grounds. The aisles were capped by turnstiles and crowded with people trying to escape. Max wasn’t sure if it was any better than climbing the fences. People were hopping the bars and counters and fleeing into the darkness.

  Max saw his family off to the side, looking around. He rushed over to them.

  “There you are!” Margaret said.

  “I’m okay,” Max said, “let’s go.”

  They waited to get out of the carnival, moving in a hectic line, hoping for their lives and fighting against the constant pushing from behind. Finally they reached the gates, climbed over the turnstiles, and made their way to the parking lot.

  Andrew counted to make sure everyone was present, and Margaret asked if they were all okay. Max turned and looked at the carnival grounds, still full of people, still full of madness.

  He was not okay.

  18

  In Fred’s House

  Ben opened tired, cloudy eyes. He looked around the dark room and saw the outline of Fred and Sara lying side by side. Beyond them was a chair turned away from the desk beside it, and on the chair sat a basket of dirty laundry with the clothes spilling out. It reminded Ben of a dream he had in which a similar basket turned into an old, dead lady. That dream had haunted him for most of his childhood. Why could he remember that, but not Charlotte?

  She was lying silently on her side with her hands clasped together underneath a floral pillow. Her side rose up and down gently. Ben pressed the button marked “Light” on his watch. It was a quarter to six. He lay back down, closed his eyes, then opened them again. The sun was up this time, and Fred and Sara’s bed was empty.

  “Ben, come on!” Charlotte said. “Get up! We’ve gotta leave soon.”

  Ben got out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

  When he was finished, he used some of Fred’s deodorant. He didn’t want to smell bad, but he didn’t have time to shower, or clean clothes to change into.

  “I’m sorry, Charlotte. I didn’t want to sleep this late.”

  “I’m just worried. There are more of them out there. But it’s fine, I’m not ready to go, either.”

  “Well, I’m gonna go see if Fred and Sara need any help with anything,” Ben said.

  “Okay. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  Ben headed down the hallway. He ran into Sara, who was carrying Angus’s bed.

  “Oops! Pardon me, dear.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about it,” Ben said. “Here, let me take that for you. Where do you want it?”

  “You can just put it on the kitchen table for now. We’re just gathering some supplies. Fred figured it’s probably best if we stay in one place, so when we get to Bangor, if it’s not too much trouble, we were hoping to stay there for a bit. We’ll leave whenever this craziness blows over.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” Ben said. He and Sara went into the kitchen, where Fred was packing a suitcase with cans, eating utensils, and other items. Angus was at his feet looking up at him, curious as to why he hadn’t received his second helping of breakfast.

  Fred looked up. The solemn expression on his face turned cheery. “Mornin’.”

  “Good morning,” Ben said. “Can I help you with that?”

  “No, I’ve got it. I could use your help when we load up, though.”

  “I made some toast and eggs,” Sara said. “If you’re hungry, I’ll fix you some.”

  “That’d be great,” Ben said. “I’m starving!”

  Charlotte walked in and smiled nervously at the three of them.

  “Do you want some breakfast, dear?”

  “No thanks,” Charlotte said. “I’m not very hungry.”

  “Oh, come on, Charlotte. You need to eat something,” Ben said.

  “Okay, I guess an egg wouldn’t hurt.”

  “As soon as you’re both finished, we should hit the road,” Fred said.

  ****

  Angus followed the four of them into the garage. He was exploding with energy, bumping Ben and Charlotte and wagging his tail. He took a seat beside the van.

  Ben and Fred lifted Angus’s kennel into the back of the van.

  “Angus! I’ve got a treat for you,” Fred said. He produced a hefty bone and tossed it into the kennel. It had Angus’s bed inside to cushion the bottom, which was made of hard metal bars. Angus jumped in and grabbed the bone. He gnawed on it happily, holding it propped up between his two massive front paws. Fred closed the door of the kennel. Ben and Charlotte climbed into the back seat and put on their seatbelts.

  “Fred, could I borrow your cell phone so I can call my parents?” Charlotte asked.

  “You sure can,” Fred said. He took the phone from his pocket and looked at the screen, and his smile turned to a frown. “Doesn’t look like it’s got any service. It’s probably just because we’re in the garage.” Fred handed the phone to Charlotte. “Wait until we get on the road, then try it.”

  “Thank you,” Charlotte said.

  Fred climbed into the driver’s seat and fiddled with a GPS unit under the radio. It looked like an old model, but it seemed to work just fine.

  “What’s the address?” Fred asked.

  “8401 North Enslin Avenue.”

  “Thank you,” Fred said. He typed it in and fiddled with the device for a while. He sighed in frustration
when he couldn’t get a signal. He tried again, but fared no better. “Well, I guess we’ll do it the old fashioned way.”

  When they were a mile or two from Fred and Sara’s, Charlotte said, “I still have no signal.” She checked the phone again when they had left Blackwater Falls. “Still nothing!”

  “Weird,” Fred said. “Service towers must be down.”

  “Damn it.” Charlotte reached forward to hand Fred’s phone back.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault. Thanks for letting me try.”

  “No problem.”

  “It’s okay,” Ben said. “They’re all right, and we’ll be there soon.”

  “Thanks,” Charlotte said. She glanced at Ben with a half-smile on her face.

  Once they got onto the highway, there wasn’t as much to look at. Charlotte gave directions where they were needed, so it was a smooth drive. They had over seventy miles to go, northbound on I-95. The traffic was minimal. Ben assumed it was because most people had already made up their minds; some decided to set up camp wherever they were when the whole thing began, others saw fit to cross the country during the late hours to avoid rushes or jams during the day.

  “Do you think it’s okay to open the window?” Sara asked. “It’s kind of hot in here.”

  “Yeah,” Fred said. “We’re going over sixty. We’ll be fine.”

  Angus shifted in his kennel. He walked around in a couple of circles, arched his back, and then lay back down.

  A car rested on the shoulder a few miles down the road. A few people stood near the car. As they came closer, Ben saw one of the people try to get a bite out of another.

  “Wait, those people need help!”

  Fred pulled over to the shoulder and got out of the car, his shotgun in hand.

  A woman was waving her arms wildly and moving her mouth. While Ben didn’t know exactly what she was saying, he did have a pretty good idea.

  Her husband was fighting for his life as a zombie was getting its mouth closer to warm flesh. The woman tried to pry the zombie off of her husband, but Fred motioned for her to back up. The husband pushed the zombie back, and it fell to the ground, but was quick to get up.

  Fred aimed his gun and pulled the trigger. The zombie’s head splattered all over the side of the Sedan. Ben opened the door and got out of the van; it seemed as good a time as any to stretch his legs.

  “Are you two okay?” Fred said.

  “He got real close to biting me,” the man said. “I was about to be toast!” He shook his head and wiped his forehead.

  “So neither one of you were bitten?” Ben asked.

  “No, we weren’t. We’re clean.” The man walked over to his wife, who was still trembling. He hugged her. “We’re lucky you guys came along. Our car died.”

  “If you don’t mind little legroom, you should come with us,” Fred said. “We can’t just leave you here.”

  “Thank you guys! So much! The name’s Rich—”

  “Introductions can wait until we’re safe at sixty-five!” Fred pointed down the hill. A pack of zombies was shambling toward the three couples.

  “Oh shit!” the man said. He hurried to his car. “We have bags!”

  He grabbed two suitcases from the car while his wife got into the van, and he climbed into the back soon after. Ben got back in and sat next to Charlotte. Fred started the engine. Once the car was safe at highway speed, the man spoke again.

  “Anyway, the name’s Richard. This is my wife, Carah. Thanks again for your help!”

  “Are you all right, Carah?” Charlotte said. Carah wasn’t looking at her, and she didn’t answer.

  “She’s actually deaf,” Richard said while using sign language to communicate with Carah. You okay, Honey?

  I’ll be fine, she replied with her hands.

  “So where were you headed?” Fred asked.

  “We were actually heading back from a little motel in New York. We decided to go home because we couldn’t just stay there forever.” Richard scratched his head and put his arm around Carah’s shoulder. “We live in Lincoln.”

  “That’s a bit of a drive. We’re headed to Bangor.”

  “The more of us there are, the better chance we have of surviving this,” Ben said.

  “That’s true,” Richard said. He began signing again.

  These people are going to take us to Bangor with them. We’ll stake out until we can go back home.

  That sounds good. Thank you! Carah perked up a bit, and smiled.

  “She says thanks,” Richard said. “I’m going to say it again, too. Thanks! Without you guys, we would’ve been goners!” He leaned in to kiss Carah. Charlotte looked at the new couple with envy. She couldn’t help it. When she looked at Ben, she felt sad. But she wasn’t done trying, and she’d go as far as she had to to get him back.

  19

  Amid the Wreckage

  Layne couldn’t believe how tired he was. Of course, what he had just gone through had been physically demanding, but he felt like he could fall asleep at any minute.

  He looked around after getting off of the emergency slide. People were regrouping, Jessi was holding Kara, and the woman who had been rendered unconscious was being placed against the slide, her hands tied with a loose piece of cord, in case she woke up and freaked out again.

  It was dark out, and Layne didn’t see any sign of civilization. He did, however, see a lot of hills and trees and open areas. He also saw many people looking at him.

  “I know we’re probably all tired,” he said, “but I think some of us should look for the other part of the plane. There may be other survivors who need our help.”

  “We need help, dude,” the snarky man said. Layne looked at him.

  “What’s your name, kid?”

  “Dexter, pops.”

  “Dexter—”

  “Dex.”

  “Dex, everyone, we’re in the middle of nowhere. It may be a while before anyone shows up to help us. If nobody saw the crash, help may not be coming at all. We may need to set up camp for the night. In the meantime, we need to get to the other part of the plane.”

  Two small groups swiftly assembled. Layne, Dex, and three other men were going to look for the other half of the plane, while the rest of the survivors gathered wood to make a campfire. It wasn’t too cold out, and Layne was thankful for that.

  The group headed off, following the pieces of metal and flaming chunks of things, hoping it would lead them to the front of the plane. Layne figured once they were close enough, a high hill would provide them with the location of the wreckage.

  He tried not to pay too much attention to the heaps they passed. Looking just long enough to find a trail was enough to notice that some of them were bodies.

  They pressed on. Layne saw a bright glow peaking over a hill. He headed up and on the other side he found the front of the plane. It was banged up and broken, but didn’t look much worse off than the rear.

  “There it is, guys,” Layne said.

  The team headed down to the plane. They rounded to the back of it, where it was open. Layne could see shadows moving inside and hear voices and cries over the sound of the flames.

  “Hey! Is anyone alive in there?” Layne said.

  A woman came to the opening. “Yeah! There are four of us! But the emergency door isn’t working. We can’t get down!”

  Layne looked beneath the opening and saw a large, fiery cut in the earth.

  “Is there any way we can put this out?”

  “Yeah, man,” Dex said. “I carry fifty gallons of water with me at all times.”

  “You’re not helping,” Layne said. He looked around and saw a long scrap of metal. “Maybe we can use that as a bridge. Help me carry it over here.” The group rushed over to it, lifted it, and carried it to the opening. “Is anyone badly injured?” Layne asked the woman, who was patiently waiting.

  “Yeah. We’ve got a man with both legs broken.”

  “We’re going to set this scr
ap over the pit so you guys can walk over the fire. It won’t be easy, especially if you have to carry someone, so be careful, okay?”

  “Got it. Thank you all so much!”

  “Hey, we’ve all been through a rough time,” Layne said.

  “You were on the plane?”

  “Yeah, we’re from the other half. We have over a dozen survivors. We’re in the middle of nowhere, and I don’t know if anyone’s coming.”

  The woman soaked in the information. “All right. I’m Katie.”

  “Layne. Be careful getting down here!”

  Katie turned and headed into the darkness. When she emerged, she and a young man were carrying a middle-aged man by the rear, his arms draped over their shoulders. He was moaning fiercely, a stream of blood ran down his head. One of his legs was broken internally, the other had a compound fracture. Blood poured from where the bone was sticking out of his skin. Layne tried to avoid looking at it.

  “Are you going to be able to get him down here?”

  “I think so,” Katie said. “How much weight can this thing hold?”

  “Enough, I hope.” Katie was struggling to lift the injured man, who was nearly twice her size. “Want me to come get him from you?”

  “Yeah.”

  Layne started up the makeshift ramp, and it tilted slightly from side to side. He met the others halfway up and took the man from Katie, who headed back up to the plane to remove some weight from the ramp. Very carefully, they carried the man to the ground. Dex and one of the other men had already made a stretcher out of some scrap metal and seatbelts. Layne hadn’t expected anything but attitude from Dex, so he was impressed. They very carefully placed the man on the stretcher.

  “You’re going to be okay,” Layne told him. “The worst is over.” The man groaned.

  A girl in her late teens made her way down the ramp. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she stopped on the ramp to clear them of tears. Layne was nervous, but she made it safely to the ground. Katie started down next, but there was a loud groan as the ramp fell from the severed metal of the plane, but caught on a lower layer. Katie nearly fell.