They wandered, enjoying each other’s company. Zach contemplated what he would say to Lizzie.
They wound back toward the playground on the trails, kissing once more before they came out in the open. Nev dropped his hand.
Lizzie had opened the care package box filled with food carefully placed in recycled yogurt and sour cream containers. There was sliced turkey and bread, olives and pickles, cranberry sauce and carrots. The three musketeers watched the boys play. Zach helped Saj get up onto the play pieces. Saj loved the bouncy bridge because when he jumped this time he went up and down. Nev and Lizzie didn’t seem to be talking.
Zach watched Lizzie when it was her turn, spinning Saj up in the air. Nev was more sedate, patiently walking him up and down the stairs, swinging with him wrapped in her arms.
When Saj fussed and the wind picked up, Zach called to Charley, “Olly, olly all in free.” Charley and Spike came rushing back, all red faced and laughing.
“I taught Spike,” Charley blurted, “Run, Hide and Stay!”
“Good job,” Zach said.
Lizzie echoed him and signed it.
They packed the Tank and Zach returned to the driver’s seat. Nev took shotgun and Lizzie sat in back. There was no discussion; it just happened.
The sun set as Zach drove into La Grande. A big temporary traffic sign flashed. GO TO EOU. WE HELP U. “Hey, we need a place to spend the night…”
There was no audible response from either of the girls.
“The university seems as good a place as any—assuming it has dorms.” Zach took the exit to the City Center.
As they got nearer, spray painted arrows repeated the directions. GO TO THE QUINN COLISEUM. 6th & G Streets. Zach followed the arrows and parked in the lot outside the Coliseum. Everyone got out of the car and stretched their legs. ”I'm gonna go check out what's at the end of the arrows. Who wants to come with me?" He looked at Nev, hoping to get more alone time together.
But Nev jerked her head toward Lizzie. Zach groaned inwardly. Nev was going to “fix” things with Lizzie by sticking them together.
He walked toward Nev, intent on dragging her with him. He pleaded with his eyes, trying for a puppy dog look. But before he got to her, she lifted up Saj like a barrier between them and said, "I'll stay with the kids. You and Lizzie go.”
"Uh—sure," Zach said.
Lizzie rolled her eyes and set off ahead of him, following the arrows. He had to run to catch her.
“Lizzie, wait up,” Zach called. He caught up with her inside the foyer. A bi-fold sign said, “This way” with an arrow. “Lizzie. Stop.” Zach heard his father’s angry voice in his words.
Lizzie spun around. “What, Zach? I know you didn’t want to come with me. You want to be here with Nev.” She shook her head and turned to walk away.
“Hold it.” Zach didn’t try to keep the anger out of his voice. “You said it didn’t mean anything. You said, ‘We can stay friends.’ You spewed all the things I told you years ago right back at me. Now, when Nev and I might have something starting you go all jealous on me?”
Lizzie glared at him. He watched her mouth working. “Fuck you, Zach. I’m not jealous. I’m lonely and I’m scared and if you and Nev hook up, what am I? A baby sitter or a fifth wheel?” She ran down the hallway following the arrows on the floor.
“Well, shit.” Zach strode after her. “It won’t happen,” Zach called. “You’ll find somebody.”
Lizzie stood staring at a spray painted X in the middle of a basketball court.
“I’m sorry,” Zach said, quiet in this gymnasium. He stood behind her and scanned the empty seats.
“Maybe we’re too late,” Lizzie said.
“We’re not too late. Nev’s cool. We can make it work.”
“Not that, dummy.” She motioned to the empty room. “I mean too late for whatever the arrows mean. But where are the bodies?”
Loudspeakers boomed a deep male voice. “Welcome. How can I help you?”
24
THE MOTEL WAS COLD, BUT when Mannie turned the heaters on in the room, they rattled to life, spewing stale heat. The women each took one of the double beds and Mannie slept on the couch, not bothering to pull it out.
He woke around midnight to nature’s call, pulled on his pants to answer and then went for a quick look around. Outside in the quiet street, the snow had started to fall. He stepped out into the silence. Holding out his hand he felt the tiny specks of cold hit and melt. The day had been long and eventful. “The damn planet’s nearly empty and we’re still fighting amongst ourselves.” He sighed and let the snow swirling around the street lamps calm him. Eventually the cold bit through his clothes.
In the distance he could hear dogs barking, or were they coyotes? He saw shapes coming toward him in the storm. As they got closer he could see they were dogs, baring their teeth and growling. At least they weren’t skinwalkers.
Mannie hustled back inside and crawled back into the now-cool bed.
But sleep would not overtake him yet. The strange dogs and the question of ghosts… What had happened with the virus? Where had is gone? How was it safe? He’d studied evolutionary biology when he got his eco-science degree at Huxley. The red queen had advanced. Could there really be a virus that would act so fast as to kill itself? Or was it simply waiting for a critical mass of uninfected, unexposed humans to reassert itself. Would the disease be coming after humanity for all time? Or could it really have killed itself off? It didn’t seem like usual Darwinian behavior.
A chill raced across his skin. Had it been Mother Nature or pure human stupidity, pride, folly? The idea that humans could have taken the power of the gods into their own hands. Had this been a military weapon gone awry? He might never know. No one might ever know. But whomever, Mother Nature or human beings who had set this virus in motion, it had risen like a shooting star, burning itself out just to keep itself alive.
God grant me the serenity… His thoughts chased themselves around in his head until his brain was tired enough to fall asleep.
Zach wanted a gun. He wanted to run. It reminded him of too many movies with psychos. “This is too weird.”
“We followed your frickin’ signs. How can we help you?” Lizzie hollered.
“I can hear you with your normal voices,” the baritone voice said. “Yes, this is weird. I’m not actually here, but I can see you.”
“What the hell?” Zach pulled at Lizzie. She set her stubborn feet and glared.
“I can answer your questions. Please answer some of mine,” the voice said.
“Okay,” Lizzie agreed, “What do you want to know?”
“Tell me where you’re from and why you’re traveling through La Grande.”
“Why?” Lizzie’s voice rose.
Puffer fish coming. Zach scanned the huge room. It didn’t make sense that no one was here. Where was the camera? The big screen hanging down lit up and he saw his own face. He looked scared.
“I am guarding something important. Not gold, not food, not jewels, but knowledge. I don’t have anything to steal, but what I can give you is priceless. Please, trust me.”
“Sounds pretentious.” Lizzie laughed. “Oh, great Oz, what do you want in return?”
“More knowledge.” The voice chuckled. “You’re traveling. At some point you might need my knowledge and you’ll be able to relay new knowledge back to me—city situations, population, road conditions.”
“What are we, your personal Map Car?”
“It’s your choice. I am not forcing anyone. But I promise, if you agree to help me, I will help you.”
“And if we don’t?” Zach asked, straining to not yell.
“You go. I’m still safe. No one knows where I am or what I’m doing.”
“Well, except we know what you’re doing.” Lizzie said.
“But you don’t know where I am.”
Zach took a breath and asked, “What do you want us to do if we agree?”
“Just a little toll to get t
he ball rolling. Information.”
“About what?” Zach wished he could face the voice’s owner.
“Where you’re from, what you’ve seen, where you’re going?”
Zach shook his head at Lizzie, mouthing the word, “No.” Then felt a little foolish as he saw the bigger version of him doing the same on the screen.
Lizzie cleared her throat. “I’m willing to tell you our story in exchange for your services.” She smiled.
Zach suspected the only reason she was cooperative was to piss him off.
There was an audible sigh on the loudspeaker. “Most of the people who’ve come through are too freaked out to deal with.”
”We are headed to Salt Lake City. My Dad’s coming from Texas to meet us there. Don’t know what we’ll do then. Maybe head down to New Mexico. We came from Bellingham, near the Canadian border.”
The voice laughed. “I went to Western Washington University for a quarter. How are Bellingham and Seattle?”
“Bellingham’s pretty subdued.”
That got a laugh. Zach wondered if Lizzie was consciously testing the speaker. If he hadn’t been at WWU he probably wouldn’t have gotten the reference to the City of Subdued Excitement.
“But there’s a big hippy contingent,” Lizzie continued, “working on gardens in greenhouses and stuff.”
“Sounds like Bellingham.” There was another sigh and a pause. “Hey. You guys want to meet? I’m really tired of talking through these electronics.”
Lizzie glanced at Zach, the question in her eyes.
You ask me now? He shrugged. “Whatever.”
“Okay,” Lizzie agreed. “It’s kind of cold out here.”
“Go back out the front door and turn to the right, follow the sidewalk and I’ll meet you at the Hub.”
“The hub?”
“Hoke Union Building. It looks like a giant Star Wars walker without legs. Follow the signs to the dining hall. I’ll meet you there. There are vending machines, they still work, but there’s no more Mountain Dew. Oh, I’m Glen. Glen Smith.”
Zach followed Lizzie out of the building. The description of the Hub was perfect. Glen is definitely a geek. But I knew what he meant. What does that make me?
Lizzie turned and pulled him in a hug. “Man hug.” Her hands pounded on his back and then released him. Then she punched him in the stomach and walked away.
Were they good now? Was it really that simple? Did Lizzie only need to know she wouldn’t be abandoned?
They got everyone else out of the Tank. No use having them sit out there now that it was safe. Nev raised her eyebrow at Zach as if to say Everything all right?
Zach shrugged and nodded. “There’s a guy here, says he can help us. There are snacks at least. Come on.” He pulled out the illicit wad of bills from Bellingham.
Lizzie lifted Saj from Nev and headed toward the building.
Zach and Nev followed with Charley and Spike. Lizzie was pulling on doors, but nothing opened. Then a loud click sounded and a powered handicapped door opened. Glen probably had cameras watching them. He better not be the paranoid psycho Zach envisioned.
Inside they found the promised row of vending machines. Zach handed money to Charley and Nev and they all punched buttons until they had armfuls of chips, candy and packaged cookies. They followed Lizzie in. Saj cruised around the room.
When Nev ripped open the cookies to share with the boys, Saj’s head shot up. He recognized the sound of food being opened. He toddled over to her.
Zach handed Lizzie a package of Grandma’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.
She nodded her thanks.
Glen came in a side door. Zach sized him up: a big guy, balding, glasses, no pocket protector, but it wouldn’t have looked out of place. His round, boyish face belied his size. No wonder he’d set up the theatrics, he didn’t look like he would or could harm a spider. He approached with his hand out.
“I’m Glen,” he said, pumping Zach’s hand, then Lizzie’s, then Nev’s.
“I’m Zach. This is Lizzie, Nev, and the kids: Charley, Saj’s the baby, and the big one’s Spike.” Zach watched Nev hustle off after Saj. Zach wanted to chase her.
Glen gave Spike a sad questioning look then turned to Zach. “Zach. Pleased to meet you. Who’s the leader?”
Zach shook his head. “Not me. Lizzie is if anybody is.” He hooked his thumb at her.
Lizzie glared at Zach. “We don’t have a leader. They came along to help me.”
Glen acknowledged Lizzie. “I’ve been trying to download everything of importance on the Internet since I got the first hint of the dispersion of this disease. I mean, who was going to do it? I was alive and somebody has to save the data. When the net goes down, can we rely on all those servers to maintain data? No, we— Shit, I’m geeking out on you.” He grimaced. “Glen, watch the language.”
“They’ve heard worse,” Lizzie said.
“Why are you saving data?” Zach asked.
Lizzie walked away from them.
“I don’t know. For me? For the future?” Glen chuckled. “Sounds silly saying it out loud. Guess I read too much science fiction.”
“No, this is so cool. Saving data is brilliant.” Zach called after Lizzie, “Hey, we need to get Glen connected with Seattle.”
Lizzie came back over and pulled out the card the politician had given her in Seattle. “Here, Glen. Keep it. They want the same things you do. This ought to be worth lots of your help.” She smiled.
Zach didn’t think she was even being sarcastic.
“Hey, who wants to see the server rooms? There’s a solar array on the roof. From a data standpoint the college rocks. The main power grid goes down? It switches to solar, turbine and battery.”
Zach watched Lizzie tune out, but he wanted to see the techie stuff.
“You go ahead,” Lizzie said. “Nev and I will hang out with the kids. Glen, there any place we can stay here? Dorms?”
“Yeah,” Glen said. “There’s family housing. I fixed up a place for myself, but usually end up sleeping on a couch upstairs.”
“Great.” Lizzie shoved Zach. “Go do the gadget guy thing.” Saj pulled at Lizzie’s pant leg. “We can get settled in later.”
Glen’s set-up was brilliant. He’d set each of the computer labs to run software he’d created to cull information, then it dumped into the school’s extensive servers. He looked most proud when he talked about deleting all the student loan and personal data. The building was state of the art, a perfect oasis for a techie. Zach understood even more now why Glen would be paranoid.
Glen told him his dreams of saving the data and sharing with people who needed it. He’d been a teacher to pay for his post-grad, but as good as he was at it, what he really wanted to be was a student, learning forever.
After the tour Glen got them settled in Eocene Court, family student housing. The apartment smelled like old gym socks and bleach.
Zach volunteered to have a night with the big boys. Nev said she’d join him. Lizzie and Saj went next door after an exchange of hugs. Things were starting to feel back to normal between them, Zach thought. Now, how can I get another night alone with Nev?
The next morning Lizzie traded phone numbers with Glen over breakfast. “Any idea how long cell service will last?” she asked.
Glen shrugged. “Depends on power. Near as I can tell, back east, where the power comes from coal or nuke plants, cell service and Internet is already down. Out here in the west, we have more solar, wind and hydro power. Things’ll work until the power goes down. That’s why I’m here. When a circuit breaks, though, I don’t know there’s anybody anywhere fixing them.”
“What about when bills don’t get paid?” Lizzie had been worrying about that since Mama’s land-line had gone off-line. An idea made her smile. “Can you use your techie skills to keep my bills paid?”
Glen’s face exploded in a mighty grin. “Hell, yeah. I can do that for all of you. Are these all your numbers?”
Lizzie passe
d the sheet around to get Nev and Zach’s and the extras. Then she added Jess’ and her dad’s. “That ought to do it. They’re not all in our names. Some are uh, repurposed.”
“You won’t have to pay the bills ever again.” Glen glanced through the list, verifying a couple numbers.
After breakfast they loaded up the Tank and headed south toward Idaho with Zach at the wheel, Nev riding shotgun, Spike and Charley in the back practicing sign language and Lizzie playing with Saj in the middle.
About an hour down the road, Lizzie’s phone buzzed. Glen.
“Thought you’d want to know. I had a guy come through here. Asked if people had come through here from your neck of the woods—I got the feeling he was following you guys, but he wouldn’t say what he wanted.”
Lizzie shook, feeling clammy and hot.
“Wouldn’t offer me any information, except his name. Duke. I told him I hadn’t seen anyone from Northwest Washington, but I don’t think he believed me.”
Lizzie hugged herself, going inward. “Can you describe him?”
“Yeah. Young guy, mid-twenties. Camouflage clothing. Looks like a hunter.”
“Thanks, Glen.” She ended the call. “Shit. C.J.’s brother is on our trail.” Lizzie tried to swallow, but felt choked. “His name is Duke.”
“Should we stop and try and catch him?” Zach asked. “Sorry, I didn’t believe you.”
“And do what?” Lizzie felt exhausted, drained, the warm sweat now chilled her. “I don’t want to kill him, too.”
“We better get some additional protection,” Zach said. “Keep an eye out for a sporting goods store. Shoulda grabbed Grandpa’s rifle.”
“Forget the rifle, Zach.” Lizzie laid her hand on his shoulder.
“We’ll need something anyway. We’re heading into the wilderness. Two legged predators might not be the only ones.” Zach slammed on the brakes. The Tank skidded to a stop. “Where’d I put the guns?” His hands twitched.
“I don’t know,” Nev answered.
“Mine’s up inside the back seat,” Lizzie said.
“Shit.” He slapped on the dashboard. “The ones we got from Yeager’s are on Snoqualmie Pass, stuck in the tool chest on the trailer.”
ALL IS SILENCE Page 20
