“Clem?” Michael’s voice was soft and distant. Had he gotten turned around?
“I’m here. Where are you?”
“I don’t know. Can’t see. Are you okay?”
She pulled herself up and weaved back and forth on her heels for a few seconds. The pain in her thigh was bad, but nothing compared to her neck. She needed to get outside so she could check the damage. Get back to the van. Then she could pass out with a clean conscience.
“Go towards the light,” she whispered, very aware that there could still be more ferals closing in around them.
She pressed against the door, amazed at how heavy it was. Pushing hard on the handle, the light opened up once again. She could see Janey and the children looking up at her. Andrew clapped his hands together, but paused when he saw her blood soaked shirt.
“Michael?” She glanced back and saw him moving slowly towards her.
“Right behind you,” he said.
“Are you hurt?” Casey asked.
“I’m okay,” she said. But it took several tries to get her feet working on the steps.
The sun shone down on her face and Clementine squinted. Behind her, she heard Michael following. The door closed behind him, sealing away all that blackness and horror.
“We did it,” she said, turning towards Michael. He smiled at her, but something wasn’t right. Clementine frowned, trying to figure it out. Too much pain in her own body, complicating things.
But her head cleared up quickly when Michael stumbled on the final step. As he fell, she reached forward, grabbing him with her arms, trying to stop all his weight with her own aching body.
They both toppled to the ground.
“Michael?” She reached out, turning him onto his back so she could face him.
And she saw the long bloody gash in his chest, right below his heart.
Nothing
I have forgotten what I wanted to tell you. Maybe it was important. Most likely it was a lie.
Lie. Lies. Liar.
Which one am I?
I am trying to mend my ways. To turn against the creature I’ve become. To bring out the bright, sunshiny personality that my mother always said I had. But penance isn’t a decision to make all the bad go away. It’s not something you can turn on and off like a faucet.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The sharpest knife isn’t in the drawer. Sometimes you wake up and find it in your hand.
I’ve tried to stay away. To keep my distance. I’ve lied to myself. Over and over. No matter how many times I convince the angels, they keep sending me messages from the other side.
I love her. And that is not a lie. She is everything that is good in this world. And trust me, there isn’t much left.
How can the poor man lie in the gutter and still stare up at the stars? How can the woman who lost everything, still maintain her dignity? Her strength? Her love? How can someone like me still wish?
Wishes. If wishes were horses, there’d be a lot of horses. And what the hell kind of stupid analogy is that anyway?
No one needs a horse.
I will fight to my dying death. I will slay the dragons whether she wants me to or not. I will not give up. I will no longer stay away.
The time to run is over.
With all that light in the world, there is still hope. I see it in her eyes. In their eyes. A group. People who have come together and managed to stay alive. Impossible, but they’ve defied the odds. They’ve lived when millions have died. They held onto the light. Kept it in their pockets. Brought it out when times are at their worst.
But they’ve only scratched the surface.
Darkness is coming. And it’s going to get blacker than anything they’ve ever known before.
It’s a good thing they’ve got the light on their side. They will fight for all the things I wish I had. All the things I’ve lost. All the lives I’ve forgotten.
Even the worst nights must eventually end.
Chase the morning.
Don’t let the darkness drag you down.
Mason
“This isn’t right.”
The words flashed through his ears, along with another message from a million years ago.
There’s been an accident.
And Mason was back there again. The hospital. Sitting by his mother’s bed as she took her last breath.
An eternity ago.
Words could hurt you. They had meaning that couldn’t be undone, or taken back. And when Raj spoke those three, Mason’s brain exploded into a cool panic that twisted his heart into a downward spiral.
Raj leaned forward, staring straight down the main street of West Vancouver. Mason couldn’t see anything, but that didn’t mean a thing. Raj knew the area. He’d been there all along while Mason rotted away at the Plaza. Mason had never been to West Vancouver his entire life.
So when Raj said something wasn’t right, Mason didn’t doubt him for a second.
“What is it?” Daniel asked. He tapped the brakes and the car slowed to a halt in the middle of the street.
Raj didn’t say a word. He continued to stare. Sitting in his lap was the dog, a medium sized ball of matted fur and dirt. Raj had rolled down the window while crossing the bridge and the animal had alternated between sticking her head out to catch the wind and eating bits of kibble. Now she whined slightly when she realized she was no longer the center of Raj’s universe.
“Okay, what are we looking at?” Mason asked. He snapped his fingers to yank Raj out of his trance.
“That car,” Raj said. He pulled his fingers away from the dog, sticky with drool and bits of canned food. “I think I’m wrong. It’s probably nothing.”
“Which one?”
“The Lexus. The silver one. It wasn’t like that this morning. The dents. They weren’t there.”
All three of them studied the car. It was parked along the street, one of many abandoned after the earthquakes. Covered in dust and dried rain, it didn’t look like it would be moving any time soon. Raj was right. Along the side doors were deep scratches, scraping all the way down to the metal. But whether or not it was fresh, Mason couldn’t tell from his spot in the passenger seat.
“You sure?” Daniel asked. He turned around and glanced back at Raj. “I mean, it could be anything, right? One of your own guys? Maybe even Colin earlier this morning? He had to get downtown somehow.”
“No,” Raj said. “We rarely go out by car unless we have no choice. Too loud. Colin could have grabbed one off the side of the road, but unless forgot something and went back…”
“What do you mean?”
“Whoever crashed into that car, was going in the direction of the camp. And yes, I know this stuff,” he said as Mason opened his mouth to protest. “My Dad owns and auto body shop. I grew up fixing cars. Chemistry nerd is only one of my many talents.”
Daniel took the car out of park and hit the gas so fast that Mason reached out and put his hand on the dashboard.
“Look, it might be nothing,” Raj said.
“Or it might be something,” Daniel said. “I’m not taking any chances.”
* * *
There was a line up of white vans on the road leading towards Lighthouse Park. They were all empty.
Daniel didn’t pause. He floored the gas and did a hairpin turn onto the street. But they couldn’t go any further. The earthquake had done its damage in West Vancouver. The entire street had been torn apart. Cars had slid up against each other, making it impossible to do anything but get out and walk. Toppled power lines complicated things, a maze of rubble and wires in all directions. In the middle of it, a child’s bicycle slowly rusted halfway beneath a Rav4.
Mason was out the door before Daniel turned of the engine.
“Where is it? Where do we go?”
“Down the street. A few blocks.”
Pop. Pop. Pop.
Mason froze. He knew that sound too well.
“Oh god,” Raj said.
They ran.
* * *
People were spilling out of the forest.
A man ran past Mason. One of them had boxes of crackers in his hands. He stumbled on the curb and dropped a package of Saltines. As he paused to stop, he looked up and screamed when he noticed Mason and Daniel. Raj shouted out a name, presumably belonging to the man, but he was beyond listening. Leaving the crackers, the man sprinted down the road towards the parked white vans.
The whole thing would be comical if Mason didn’t fully understand the meaning.
The whole thing reeked of an unorganized panic attack and that wasn’t like Aries in the slightest. There’s no way she’d be running such a disaster show. People were moving about in all directions. A woman with grey hair sandwiched herself between two parked cars, a baseball bat in her hands. She swung it blindly at anyone who got within ten feet, singing a Madonna song at the top of her lungs.
They’re all crazy.
So where was Aries? Was she even there? For a moment, Mason wondered if Raj had set them up. Maybe he’d decided to change teams along with Colin? Was he part of some plan that Leon hatched to finally get Daniel and Mason back together? He must have assumed that together they’d go looking for Aries together. Mason looked at Raj. He had crouched down on the ground, his arms around the matted dog.
No, that made no sense. No one could have possibly known Daniel would show up that day. He had a habit of popping up when people least expected it. And Raj wouldn’t change sides. Not for anything. Anyone who went that far out of their way to rescue a dog wasn’t a team player for the Baggers. And Daniel might be whatever the hell he was, but Mason knew he’d rather die than betray Aries. No, it was Colin alone who sold them out. He’d better watch out. If Mason ever managed to get his hands on him, he’d make that boy wish he’d died when the earthquake first hit.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
The gunshots came from somewhere beyond the trees. No time to come up with a plan. Daniel rushed past Mason and onto a path that led further into the forest. Mason hesitated for a second before following. Raj came in third. As he ran, he could see the dog keeping up beside them, probably thinking the whole thing was some sort of game. She barked twice, happily.
They came across the camp as the woods opened up into a clearing. A dozen tents spread out in a circle. Many had been trampled and pulled down in the commotion. A fire smoldered in a barbecue pit, with the boiling contents of a pot forgotten. Several picnic tables had been pushed together to form a long line. Plates and utensils stacked neatly at the end. Off to the side, freshly washed clothing hung on lines strung between trees.
It’s just like the Plaza of Nations. Only without the prison walls and the casino. They’ve been living here in the woods all this time. Hiding in plain sight. Of course this is Aries. Only she could have come up with the idea. Brilliant when you think about it. There are no walls or doors to hide behind, but plenty of trails hiding spots. I’ll bet they have dozens of escape routes marked and more than one safe house to retreat to. She’s probably been organizing this since day one, working on every detail to make sure they’ll remain safe. But the Baggers caught them off guard. They’ve panicked. They’ve forgotten everything they’re supposed to be doing.
“Raj,” Daniel shouted. “Where will she be?”
“South side,” Raj said. “That’s where the weapons are. It’s just over…”
Daniel must have known the way because he didn’t wait for directions. Mason paused, wondering which way he should go. Five Baggers had cornered a small group of people by what might have once been public washrooms. From the way they were screaming, they were most likely going to die if they didn’t get help.
Mason had no weapons. He didn’t even have a penknife. There wasn’t much he could do, but he knew he had to try anyway.
As he raced towards the group, more shots rang out. One of the Baggers dropped to the ground. The remaining ones gave up their prey and fled back into the bushes. As Mason watched, Jack emerged from the bushes, alongside a young kid with crazy long hair and a rifle.
Wait. Jack was walking? And heading straight towards him?
“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Jack said with a grin.
“You’re good?” Mason grinned back. The two boys wrapped their arms around each other and hugged.
“Not a hundred percent, but good enough. It’s been some sort of miracle, if you believe in that crap,” Jack said. “Great to have you back. Wicked timing as usual.”
“Where’s Aries?”
“Holding down the fort with Larissa and Joy. At the main house. Jesus, is that a dog?” Jack held out his hand at Raj’s mutt raced over for a sniff.
“Cleopuptra,” Raj said.
“Worst dog name ever,” Jack said.
The kid behind Jack raised his rifle and fired off another shot into the woods. He quickly reloaded before holding out his hand. “You must be Mason. I’m Jordan.” Pulling back, he took aim and brought down another Bagger. Mason nearly whistled. The kid was impressive.
“You missed most of the fight,” Jack said. “We’ve nearly got it under control. It’s strange. You’d think Leon would have sent out his full army, but no, only a handful. Fight was over before it even began. Most of the Baggers fled the moment they saw we had guns.”
“Anyone die?”
“Not a single person. Seemed more for show than anything,” Jack said. “I’m not kidding. The whole thing is weird. You know what I think? Leon’s trying to split us up. Knows he doesn’t have the advantage while we’re on our own turf. So he’s waiting out in the woods and watching. Then he’ll follow the people he wants. Aries thinks we should stay here. I agree. But others, not so much.”
“Others?”
“Some of the adults. A few people have already fled. It’ll take a while to round everyone up again. Come on, let’s go find Aries. She’ll be thrilled to know you made it.”
It didn’t take long for them to go down the path. The clearing opened up to a group of old buildings and just beyond it, the caretaker’s house. A few people stood around, guns in hands, guarding the area. One of the men, nodded at Jack, before giving Mason the onceover with his eyes.
“That’s Juan,” Raj whispered. “He used to be a cop. Good to have on our side if you know what I mean.”
Mason casually studied the tall man as they walked past. “Yeah, I can believe that.”
“He’s been teaching everyone self-defense. Techniques. How to handle the weapons. We’ve got guns now. First time I fired one, I nearly knocked myself on my arse.”
They went around to the front of the house. A black Honda was parked in the driveway. It looked completely out of place in the middle of the forest. Further down the path, Mason could see the lighthouse, surrounded by chain-link fencing.
Jack led them up the steps into the house.
And there she was, standing in the kitchen, talking with Joy and another girl, presumably Larissa. This was the first time he’d seen her in daylight in months. Auburn hair spilled off her shoulders. He could almost reach out and touch her without being separated between the chain link fence of the Plaza.
“Mason!” Joy squealed his name. She threw her arms around Mason and pulled him in tight for a hug, nearly knocking him off his feet. How could someone so tiny possess that much strength? Mason remembered that Aries had told him Joy was pregnant with Jack’s child. It made him wonder how tightly he should be hugging her?
Joy finally pulled back, grinning from ear to ear.
“You made it,” Aries said. She wrapped her arms around Mason and pulled him close. He could feel the warmth radiating from her body. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”
“Me too,” he said.
“I’m sorry we had to be cloak and dagger with you. I would have told you everything, but I didn’t want to give you time to change your mind. You’re not mad at me, are you?”
Mad at her? Never. Having his arms around her was better than anything else in the world. If they
could just stay like that forever, he’d never ask for anything else. There would be no point. He’d have everything he wanted.
“Are they here? Is Casey here?”
“Not yet. But they will be. Michael and Clementine are on it. I trust them. It’s still early. I wasn’t expecting you back until late tonight.”
“Things didn’t go exactly as planned, babes,” Raj said. “Few slight hiccups, but overall, I got it done. Turned out even better if you ask me. Walked right in and out. Baggers never suspected a thing.”
Mason had to concentrate on keeping his face expressionless. A few hiccups? But he wasn’t about to make Raj lose face in front of everyone. Besides, it didn’t matter how badly Raj screwed up. Mason was free and holding Aries in his arms. And from the way she clung to him, she had no intention of letting go anytime soon. If Raj wanted to play the hero and exaggerate the end results, Mason wasn’t going to complain. He’d better enjoy it while he could because the second she discovered Daniel was there, things would get complicated. They always did.
She still had her arms around him so he felt it when she tensed up. Mason reluctantly pulled back, letting his hands linger on her shoulder. Behind him, someone coughed. Mason turned to look.
Daniel appeared at the door.
“Got turned around,” Daniel said. “Went left when I should have gone right. Haven’t been here since I was a kid.”
Aries didn’t say a word. She brushed past Mason and crossed the room.
Of course. She still wants him more.
Aries pulled back her arm and sent the punch at Daniel’s nose, hitting him hard enough to send him stumbling back a few steps and straight into the doorframe. Joy gasped and Raj jumped out of the way. The dog whimpered and crawled underneath the table.
“Holy crap, lady,” Daniel said, rubbing his face. He gave her a big smile to suggest he was impressed with her powerful right hook. “Way to say hello. I’ve missed you too.”