After The End Page 7

  A billboard on the side of the road comes up on our right. It’s for a place called Disneyland with a picture of a smiling life-sized mouse and a child that looks far happier than anyone in this time. It’s faded and flaking off on the edges. It would have been here from before the meteorite.

  “Has anyone heard of Disneyland before?” I ask.

  River and Garlind both grunt a ‘no.’ Claire replies, “My mom talked about it once. They said it was the happiest place on earth. Her grandparents would take her there when she was little. She wished she could take me there to see it one day. But not how it would be now, how it used to be before.”

  “It sounds like a nice place,” I reply.

  “It’s a big call to say it’s the happiest place on earth. It must have been something huge.” Her mouth drops open in a gasp. “We should go there! It’s got to be on the way or they wouldn’t have put this giant sign here.”

  “We’ve got other things to do,” River says gruffly. “We can’t be running off to every place we see along the way.”

  “But it will be fun. It’s not like we’re in a hurry or anything.”

  “Clare, we just can’t. Okay?”

  She sulks but accepts River’s decision. If that were me and I really wanted to go, I wouldn’t back down so easily. It is clear who is in charge between the two of them.

  After the billboard, it is very quiet between us as we continue to walk. Nobody says a word, just continues to place one foot in front of the other and search for our next place to shelter. The road is very boring with nothing but the occasional sign or unusual tree to change the landscape.

  It grows dark.

  My anxiety levels spike when I see the worried look on Garlind’s face. We’d slept outside before reaching Chicago so I don’t really understand what the problem is now. How is this any different to before?

  I sidle closer to him. “Why do you look like we’re all about to die?”

  “Because there’s no shelter out here.”

  “So? We’ll sleep under some trees or something. We did it before.”

  Garlind shakes his head. “It’s going to rain again tonight. If we don’t get undercover we’re going to dissolve into nothing by morning.”

  That doesn’t sound very appealing. “How can you be so sure?”

  He points to the sky. “Clouds. Everywhere. It rains in these parts more often than where we came from. They’re heavy with moisture so it’s only a matter of time before it starts falling.”

  “Okay, then.”

  So, we are all destined to die then. Good to know.

  I fasten my pace as I walk with urgency. I don’t fancy being dissolved by rain. Just that single drop on my arm hurt like nothing I ever had before. Imagining that kind of pain everywhere is enough to make me nauseas.

  My brows furrow as the day starts turning into night. Not being able to see the clouds is worse than seeing them. I know it doesn’t actually make any difference but it feels like I could will them not to rain if I could see them.

  I can’t believe I never had to worry about the rain just a few days ago. The droplets never made it inside and the water I used was from a bore that drew water from deep inside the earth. Obviously that water wasn’t contaminated. I’d always taken it for granted before.

  A clap of thunder shakes the earth.

  “The rain is coming,” Garlind says. In those four words, he manages to include his anger and an I-told-you-so. River and Clare both stop to turn back and glare at him.

  “So walk faster,” River says.

  “We’re going to have to run.” I can’t see him very well, but I am certain Garlind is glaring at the boy. I am too. If we die out here tonight, I’m going to haunt him in the afterlife for all of eternity. It will give me something to do.

  “So run,” River challenges.

  We all take him up on the task and pick up the pace. My arm starts to throb with pain from the movement. I cradle it against my chest to stop the bouncing but it only works a little bit. It is a constant reminder to run faster or it will be much, much worse.

  Running in the dark after walking all day is enough to crush a person’s soul. I have no idea where I’m going or what we’re going to stumble over. All I can do is listen for the others and make sure I don’t stray from the pack.

  My breaths come in gasps as I push through the cramps in my legs. I’ve never been this active before and it’s starting to become apparent I wasn’t made for life outside the bunker. I exercised, of course. But doing yoga on a two foot mat is supremely different to this.

  “There’s a car!” Garlind yells.

  His footsteps slow down so I match his pace. Eventually I catch up so I can see the vehicle he’s talking about. The others are already there by the time I join them.

  River tries the handle on the front door and it pops open. “This will do. Everyone get inside.”

  “Gee, you think so? You think we should get inside?” Garlind says with sarcasm dripping from every word. River chooses to ignore him, he’s probably too tired to fire back an insult.

  The couple get into the front seats while Garlind and I take the back. The seats don’t recline back here but there is more room. I think we’ve got the better positions in the car.

  “You okay?” Garlind asks.

  “Yeah,” I reply, trying to get my breath back. I don’t want him to notice how unfit I am so I quickly change the subject. “I’ve just never been in a car before. It’s small in here. Can we drive to Charleston?”

  “It’s rare to find a car that works anymore. Most of them just sit here and turn to rust.”

  “We can try it though, right?”

  “Yeah, we will. In the morning. We’ll be stuck here until the rain stops.”

  I’m about to argue that the rain hasn’t even started yet but a massive clap of thunder rings out and the deluge begins. Our conversation comes to an end as it becomes too loud to continue. The rain pelts down on the tin roof of the vehicle and smashes against the windows.

  I send a thanks out to my lucky stars for holding off the rain long enough for us to find shelter. The car isn’t ideal but hopefully it is watertight. There is nothing outside that will do in a pinch. And we are in a pinch right now.

  There is only darkness inside and outside the car. I rest my head on the back of the seat and close my eyes. We’re safe for now and that’s all that matters. Garlind is with me and he won’t let anything bad happen to us.

  All I can hear is the rain as I nod off. My exhaustion trumps everything else while I succumb. There is nothing else we can do tonight about our shelter or the rain. It’s up to fate now to decide whether we’ll stay safe or whether the toxic water will seep in.

  I must be too tired to even dream. It’s like only a moment has passed before someone is tapping me on the arm and stirring me from sleep.

  It’s still really dark but the rain is no longer making everything noisy. It’s eerily quiet.

  “Maisy.” My name is whispered and it’s the last thing I need to wash away the sleep making my body sluggish.

  “Yeah, I’m awake.”

  I realize the dark figure next to me is Garlind. My head was leaning on his shoulder. I sit up quickly, embarrassed and hoping I wasn’t drooling on him too.

  “We need to leave,” he says, so quietly I can barely hear him.

  “Why?”

  “They’re asleep. It’s our chance.”

  Oh right, we were going to sneak away from Clare and River when we got the chance. I thought we’d have longer, maybe learn to trust them, before we had to split.

  I was the one who initially pushed to stay with the couple but after yesterday I’m not so sure anymore. If we hadn’t listened to River who insisted we leave Chicago immediately, we wouldn’t have had to outrun the rain. Garlind might be more cautious but at least he was only trying to keep us safe.

  We were better off on our own.

  I nod. “Okay. Has the rain stopped?”

&n
bsp; “Yep.” He tries his door handle and it sounds very noisy as it pops open. “Follow me. Stay close.”

  It’s so dark outside that I stay super close to Garlind. If I get separated from him out here, I’m never going to be able to find him again. I can barely see anything in front of me.

  Our footsteps make a tiny sound on the road. The entire world seems to have fallen in a hush, like it’s holding its breath and just waiting for morning. I know how it feels.

  “Where are you going?” The voice is extra loud in all the silence.

  Garlind and I freeze as we recognize River’s voice. We turn and try to wipe the looks of guilt off our faces.

  I feel like falling to my knees and confessing all. Because surely it’s written all over my forehead anyway. To stop myself, I clamp down my teeth together so words cannot escape my traitorous lips.

  Thankfully, Garlind has more sense. “We are taking a bathroom break. Maisy needs to go and doesn’t like being out here in the dark by herself.”

  I know he’s lying, but he sounds very convincing. I actually start to wonder if I do need to go to the bathroom. It’s been a while, perhaps I do.

  River doesn’t say anything for a very long time. He’s weighing up the words carefully, deciding whether he wants to make a big deal out of it or not. I’m glad Clare hasn’t woken up to put her opinion into the mix. She’s more trusting than her boyfriend but she does tend to make everything overly dramatic.

  Garlind gives me a look. Like perhaps I need to do something other than just stand here being mute. I think of the only thing I can say. “I really need to pee.”

  River directs his gaze at me. If lasers were to shoot out of his eyes, I would have burned to a cinder. I press my knees together, hoping my act is convincing enough. If River knew we were trying to leave them behind, he wouldn’t trust us again. Which would make it much more difficult to get away another time.

  He opens his mouth to speak. “Hurry up and pee then. I’ll wait right here—with Garlind.”

  That is my cue to keep up the charade. Garlind gives me an apologetic look before I turn and step off the highway. There are a row of trees and then an overgrown field. I clear the tallest of the trees and then squat down. I figure I may as well attempt to go now the thought is in my head.

  I finish up and head back to the car. River and Garlind are exactly where they were before. They are both so stubborn they could probably be locked in the standoff forever. It was so much easier being on my own in the bunker with no male egos to contend with.

  “I’m going back to sleep,” I mutter as I breeze between them. They hesitate a few moments more before finally following me.

  I hate getting back inside the vehicle after tasting freedom. Sure, it was only a few minutes but it felt good being back to just the two of us. I completely trust Garlind but River is a whole different ballgame. He doesn’t know what’s best for us like Garlind does.

  Silence returns to the car as we all try to get back to sleep. I’m not in the least bit tired anymore. The steel around us feels like a cage. It may protect us from the rain but it also has trapped us here in close proximity to people we don’t trust and want to get away from.

  I watch the sky change from an endless expanse of darkness to a pretty twilight blue and then finally to the orange of sunset. I enjoy watching the phases of the sky now. It’s not something I could do in the bunker.

  Everyone starts to wake up as soon as it’s light. There is no point lingering in the car and it has long since stopped working so we head off on foot.

  River and Clare talk amongst themselves, so quietly I can’t hear what they’re saying. It doesn’t bother me. Every time I have eavesdropped on them, they’ve only been talking about food or something else essential for survival.

  Garlind is in a mood and doesn’t seem to want to talk. When I started to get a conversation going with him about the weather, he just grunted yes or no answers.

  So we walk.

  The sun heats up as noon approaches. It’s nice to feel the rays of sunshine on my back. I spent the first seventeen years of my life in artificial light, never realizing how good it felt to be outside. I wonder how my parents dealt with being in the bunker after living outside for so long. At least I never knew what I was missing. Returning inside permanently now would be difficult.

  We walk for so long that we eventually reach a small town. The highway dwindles down to a single road that weaves through buildings that used to be shops and businesses. Residential houses are in the surrounding streets.

  “Everyone split up and look for supplies,” River orders. “Meet back here in an hour.” He stares at us as he says it. He’s waiting for us to try something again. Part of him probably expects never to see us again once we’re out of his sight. He wouldn’t be wrong in feeling that way.

  I turn right and head away from the businesses. They are too obvious to have supplies. Someone would have raided them a long time ago. The houses are a safer bet, in my opinion.

  There is also another reason why I want to explore the houses. I’ve never seen how people used to live before the meteorite. My parents told me about it but it is different actually seeing it with my own eyes.

  I choose the nicest house on the street—a two-story white colonial style home. A wide veranda stands in front of the door with two rocking chairs rotting on the wooden floor. Rags still cling for a flagpole jutting out from the roof. It would have been beautiful when a family was still living here.

  The door is locked which boosts my spirits. If people haven’t been able to easily get in, they wouldn’t have bothered to search it for supplies already. I pick up a rock and throw it through the window. I hate causing the destruction but I need to get inside. The tinkle of shattering glass is loud in all the quietness.

  My hand finds the latch on the inside of the windowpane and I push it to unlock. I climb through the window and take in the pretty surroundings.

  Someone used to love this place. There are family pictures everywhere, sitting on tabletops, hanging on walls, even a huge one printed on canvas and hanging over the fireplace. Two kids lived here with their parents. They looked very happy together as they posed for the photographs. I wonder what happened to them. Did they survive the meteorite? Did they turn into monsters from the radiation?

  Perhaps it’s better not knowing.

  It feels intrusive and a breach of privacy to be walking around their home. They built something really nice here and now a stranger is raiding it for food and clothes.

  I imagine what it would have been like to live here as a family. My home was always the bunker. I’ve never lived anywhere else and I never saw my parents outside the bunker walls. Our life was so small and contained. Here…it’s expansive. Family members came and went as they pleased. They travelled to school and work, they went out for dinner, and enjoyed lazing around in a park on a weekend.

  It must have been marvelous.

  Despite how much time has passed, everything is so colorful here. The walls are painted a cheery yellow in the living room and then a mint green in the kitchen. There is no beige anywhere. Nothing looks like the bunker that I called home.

  As I’m walking, I pretend this is my house. That my parents are outside doing something interesting like tending the flowers or mowing the lawn. I imagine what it would feel like to have so much space around me. To see the pictures on the wall and know they are my family.

  Initially, my heart swells with the idea. I want it to be real so badly that I believe my own lie. I convince myself that if I look out the window right now, I’ll see my parents. I hurry to the window and rub away the cobwebs so I can see.

  Just an overgrown lawn. The grass is so high it could swallow me whole. There are probably a plethora of creatures living in the wilderness. Snakes, for sure.

  It’s a very nice house, but it’s not my home.

  I need to be sensible and remain focused on what I am supposed to be doing. I need food and the family that use
d to live here certainly doesn’t need it anymore.

  Returning to the kitchen, I go through all the cupboards meticulously. Spiders have made themselves at home, as have the moths. One probably feeds the other and keeps the lifecycle going into infinity. This world is far better suited to animals than it is humans.

  The small amount of food I find is so old that it’s gone off. If I could eat mold, I would eat forever. But I can’t, so I won’t. I head upstairs in search of other supplies.

  There are three bedrooms on the second floor. Two clearly belong to the children in the photographs downstairs. Wild decorations adorn the walls and toys are littered all over the floor. The third bedroom has a large bed in the center which is still neatly made, even after all this time.

  Clothes hang in the closets of each of the rooms. They are covered in dust and mold but are in good condition otherwise. A good clean could make them as good as new. I stuff some of the male clothing in with the female—it looks like they’ll fit Garlind.

  Sitting on the bedside table of the daughter’s room is a snow globe. It has a princess inside, dancing with some kind of a beast. Her yellow dress is frozen in a sweeping movement as they twirl around. When I shake it, glitter falls around them. It’s beautiful and magical.

  Impulsively, I take it.

  It doesn’t make sense and I don’t need it, but I want it. I’ve never owned anything so wonderful before. The girl that once possessed it isn’t going to return for it. The snow globe deserves to be with someone who will cherish it.

  I leave the house after gathering some soap from the bathroom and find Garlind two streets over. He leaves a house and sees me, waving in greeting.

  “Did you find anything?” he asks.

  “Just some clothes. All the food has already gone bad. How about you?”

  “Same. I did find something for you, though.” He pulls a book out of his backpack and hands it to me.

  There is a picture of a man and woman on the cover, their clothing very fine and regal. “Thank you,” I reply.

  “I thought you might enjoy it.”