Emily recounted her story: how the rain had come from nowhere; the dead birds falling from the sky; the ma.s.s panic; and, finally, how everyone in New York, and probably around the world, had died.
Simon sat in shocked silence for a while. Then: "Everyone? They"re all dead?"
"As far as I know, yes. But there"s a group of survivors, scientists, in the Stockton Islands in Alaska. That"s where I"m heading. They think the cold has some kind of effect on the rain, which is why they survived." Emily went on to explain how she had been contacted by Jacob and why she was traveling north.
It was only when she began to explain how she had witnessed the dead transformed into the spider-aliens and how they had in turn created the strange forests of alien trees that she felt Simon pull back. He was still nodding attentively, but his energy had turned from sympathetic to politely cautious.
"Look," she said. "I know it sounds insane, and I know that you probably think that I am crazy, but I"m not. You must have noticed the way the weather is changing? I mean, it"s almost permanently red out there now. I think the dust I saw being released from the trees is spreading and changing everything that it touches. You didn"t see the rainstorm yesterday, but if you had, you would have seen how red it was. That"s how it"s spreading. And it"s not just humans that it"s changing-there are new animals out there, too...look."
She stood and unb.u.t.toned the first three b.u.t.tons of her blouse. Simon"s eyes went wide, and he glanced away.
"You can look now," she said as she slipped the blouse off her shoulder and turned to show Simon the still-healing wounds on her back.
"Jesus! How did that happen?"
She explained how she had been attacked by the creatures in the forest, how she had nearly died and would have if it had not been for Thor showing up and saving her b.u.t.t. "I know it"s hard to comprehend," she said as she b.u.t.toned her blouse back up, "that this is some kind of alien attack, but I"ve seen them and they"re real. And it"s spreading...fast."
"But I thought...I thought it was a terrorist attack. You"re telling me there"s n.o.body left out there?"
She shook her head. "Apart from the group in the Stocktons, no, none that have made contact with us. But look at it this way-they survived, I survived, and you and your children survived. The probability is that there are others out there, too."
Simon slumped back in the chair and gave her a long appraising stare, then he finished what was left of his whiskey in one swig, refilled his gla.s.s, and downed that in one go, too.
"Are you insane?" he whispered eventually. It was a question asked by a man who Emily thought was doing his best to understand what was surely the most ridiculously crazy story he had ever heard. She stood up and walked to where he was standing, staring blankly into the kitchen.
"No," she said. "I"m not crazy."
"You have to understand," he said in the same soft whisper. "It"s all a little too much to take in...in one go. But what am I going to do about the kids?"
Later, after Simon had settled the children into their beds for the night, he joined Emily in the living room.
"I hope you don"t mind, I helped myself," she said, raising a quarter-full gla.s.s of brandy. Simon nodded, picked up a gla.s.s, and poured himself a double before sitting down in the chair across from Emily.
"So," he said after taking a sip, "what do you think our options are?"
Emily considered the question, sipping from her brandy. "I don"t think we have any options other than to get out as fast as we possibly can."
Simon seemed unconvinced. "You have to see this from my perspective, Emily. My kids and I are safe here. We have enough provisions to last us for a couple of months. That should be more than enough time for any federal rescue to reach us and"-he paused choosing his next words carefully-"I don"t know you. Until today, I"d never even met you. You show up out of nowhere with some crazy story about people turning into alien monsters and constructing giant trees that are churning out this red dust." He paused as he let the words sink in, more for himself than her benefit, Emily thought. "And now you"re asking me to leave the one place that has kept us safe and follow you to Alaska. I mean, come on, if you were in my position, taking care of two kids, I"m sure you"d be just a little skeptical. Right?"
Emily could, of course, empathize with his position. In just the few short hours she had known this family she had become fond of the kids. They were just adorable, even Rhiannon with her blase response to almost every situation and her almost continual state of ennui.
"I"m not asking you to follow me," she said eventually. "I"m asking you to protect yourself and your kids. Of course I understand how crazy it all sounds. I"d be less than convinced if I were in your position, but look at it like this. If you"re right and everything I"ve told you is nothing more than some elaborate, crazy joke, then you have nothing to lose by coming with me." She let the words sink in for a few seconds. "You have to take the risk, Simon. Please."
She saw a flicker of anger, possibly fear, cross Simon"s face. "I really don"t appreciate you using my kids as bargaining chips."
Emily placed her drink down on the table, reached out, and took both of Simon"s hands in her own. "I"m not trying to bargain with you, Simon. Whatever you decide, I"m still leaving tomorrow and heading north again. If I"m right and you stay here...you, Rhiannon, and Ben are all going to die. And you better hope to G.o.d that you die first because I would not want you to witness the agony your kids will go through in their final minutes."
Simon met her gaze, pulled free of her hands, and swallowed the remaining brandy in a single gulp. He walked back to the wet bar and poured himself another double. When he turned to look at her, Emily could see that the dilemma was tearing at him: Did he stay where he thought he could keep his kids safe? Or did he listen to this stranger who had suddenly materialized in his life and head north into the unknown?
"Can you guarantee that if we leave here, the instant we set foot outside of the valley we won"t die? Will you look me in the eyes and guarantee the safety of my kids?" His words were delivered without emotion or anger, but as a simple question that he already knew the answer to.
"I can"t guarantee anything other than everyone else is dead. There will never be a rescue party. But whatever is happening out there"-her hand fluttered toward the darkened window-"will reach in here at some point and s.n.a.t.c.h away the lives of you and your kids. Just like it did to everyone else on this planet."
Simon placed the gla.s.s onto the wet bar, its contents untouched, and looked into the darkness beyond the window. "If Elise was here, she would know what to do. It would be simple for her. She would have liked you."
Emily allowed a smile to part her lips, put her own gla.s.s down, and walked over to stand behind Simon. She placed a hand gently on his shoulder. "You know what you need to do, Simon. You have to leave here because it"s your only hope. You have to take the chance because soon you won"t have any choice left."
Simon turned to face her, his eyes glistening with tears. "This is all just so d.a.m.n hard to take in," he whispered. "Jesus. How am I going to explain this to the kids?"
"Don"t worry about it tonight," she answered. "Just get a good night"s sleep and we"ll deal with it all in the morning, okay?"
Emily woke with a start.
In her sleep-fogged mind, she thought she had heard something. Had she? Or was it just an already forgotten nightmare?
Seconds ticked by, and the only sound was Thor"s deep rhythmic breathing as he continued to sleep, undisturbed.
Only nerves, she told herself eventually, allowing her chest to sink as she inhaled. She was no stranger to bad dreams, she reminded herself. Not since she"d left Manhattan, at least.
She had just begun to allow sleep to claim her once more when she heard a scream, shrill and sharp. It sounded like Ben.
Her eyes flickered open again. Disoriented, heart racing, she fumbled for where she thought the lamp was, cringing as she knocked over the gla.s.s of water she had placed there. It didn"t smash, but she heard the water slosh over the carpet.
"d.a.m.n it," she cursed just as her probing fingers found the switch and flooded the room with light. Smarting at the sudden a.s.sault on her eyes, she glanced around the unfamiliar room just to make sure there was nothing in there with her. The place was empty except for Thor, who, in the s.p.a.ce of a couple of seconds, had somehow managed to go from sleeping to standing with his nose pressed against the crack of the bedroom door, his hackles raised and his back ramrod straight. The malamute glanced at Emily as she swung her feet out of the bed and stumbled toward the door. The instant she opened it, the dog slipped through the gap and padded quickly toward the sound of the commotion as Emily stumbled behind him.
The screaming continued, but now she could hear Simon"s voice echoing down the corridor as he called out to his boy, "Ben! Ben! It"s all right. Daddy"s here. It"s just a dream. Ben, it"s just a dream."
By the time Emily reached the child"s bedroom, Ben was clinging to his father, tears streaming down his face as Simon rocked the child back and forth, cooing gently to his son, "Hush! Hush! It"s all okay."
Ben looked up as Emily entered his room, his hazel eyes moist with tears. "Monsters," he cried, choking back more tears. "The monsters are coming."
Thor lay on the bed next to Ben, his head resting gently against the child"s arm. It had taken a quarter of an hour for Simon to quiet his hysterical son, but with a mixture of soothing words and gentle rocking, Ben"s sobs had gradually grown fainter. Finally they faded to nothing but a trembling upper lip. His eyes had begun to droop as Simon laid him softly back down on the bed.
Thor nuzzled in beside the child. Ben opened his drooping eyes momentarily and looked at the big dog. "Love you, For," the child whispered, throwing an arm around the malamute"s neck. Moments later the child fell back to sleep. Emily didn"t have to tell the dog to stay; she knew there was no way Thor was going to move from his spot unless she commanded him to. Emily, Rhiannon, and Simon retreated into the corridor and quietly closed the door behind them.
The house was quiet again except for the distant m.u.f.fled thrum of the generator. Simon sent Rhiannon back to bed with a kiss on the cheek and the rea.s.surance that her little brother had just had a nightmare and was going to be fine.
"I think this is all finally beginning to take its toll on them," Simon whispered once they were alone, as he walked with Emily down the hall, their bare feet falling silently on the carpet.
Hoping she wasn"t pushing her luck too far, Emily spoke her mind. "All the more reason for you all to come with me." She caught a glimpse of a smile cross Simon"s face through the dimness and saw his eyes flit momentarily to her legs before looking back to her eyes. She couldn"t be sure, but she thought she caught his cheeks flush; then she realized why. In the rush to get to Ben"s room, she hadn"t even thought to throw on her pants; she was only wearing a tee and panties.
Embarra.s.sed, she crossed her arms across her chest and tried not to blush. As the light from her bedroom caught them both in its glow, Emily could see Simon"s cheeks had turned a deep crimson, and she couldn"t help but notice his overt attempt to keep his eyes fixed firmly above her shoulders. She felt her own cheeks burn even more fiercely.
Christ, here they were, facing an uncertain future and possible death from an unknown invader, and yet they still found themselves reacting like teenagers at the first glimpse of skin. At least it proved they were both still human, and that was a trait that had become the most precious of commodities in this world.
"Okay," said Simon, "I think we all need to get some rest. Good night." He took two steps toward his own room, stopped and turned: "Emily..."
"Yes?" she said, in the process of closing the bedroom door behind her.
"Thank you." He gave her a firm nod of his head and disappeared down the corridor.
"You"re welcome," Emily whispered into the emptiness and closed the door, Ben"s cry of monsters still echoing in the back of her mind.
"Good morning," Emily said through a hand-covered yawn. Her stomach grumbled its own greeting as the smell of bacon sizzling on the skillet filled her senses.
"I"d ask you how you like your eggs, but all we have is this..." Simon shook a carton of liquid egg whites above his head with one hand while he poked at the contents of a frying pan on the stove. "So, it"s scrambled or scrambled, I"m afraid."
"Sounds perfect," Emily replied as she moved to join the two children at the breakfast nook table. Thor jumped up from his spot next to Ben and met her halfway across the kitchen, fanning the air with his tail while pushing his head between her knees until she patted his head and scratched behind his ears.
Ben and Rhiannon were bantering back and forth about some comic book hero figure the little boy had insisted on bringing to the table. The boy didn"t seem any the worse for wear after his nightmare.
"How are you guys this morning?" she asked.
"Fine," said Rhiannon.
"I"m fine, too," echoed Ben, almost in sync with his sister.
"Here you go," said Simon as he brought the frying pan to the table, sliding portions of the fluffy eggs onto each plate, closely followed by a couple of slices of bacon.
"Oh. My. Goodness," said Emily as she swallowed the first bite of bacon. "I never thought I"d taste fried meat again."
"Why not?" asked Ben, a quizzical tone taking his voice up an octave.
That was a loaded question, Emily realized. Simon had kept both of the kids shielded from the reality of the situation they faced, and until their father had spoken with them, she was going to have to watch what she said. She certainly didn"t want to frighten them.
Emily glanced across the table at Rhiannon; she was busy shoveling the remainder of her breakfast into her mouth, head bopping to some internal melody only she could hear. But Ben, his big hazel eyes regarding her with almost adult raptness, waited patiently for her to answer his question.
Simon must have sensed her reticence. His eyes moved first to Ben and then Rhiannon, lingering momentarily on each of them. "Kids, we"re going on a road trip for a couple of days," he announced without any kind of preamble.
That got their attention, Emily"s included. At some point during the night, he must have finally decided she was telling the truth. She smiled at Simon as she felt a swell of relief wash over her.
"Where are we going?" asked Rhiannon, her fork paused halfway to her mouth.
"There are some people, a little way north of here, that we"re going to see. We"re going to stay with them for a little while."
Rhiannon just rolled her eyes and continued eating.
"Is For and Emily coming, too?" Ben asked, spitting bits of bacon onto the tabletop.
"What have I told you about talking with your mouth full? Hmmm? And yes, they are most definitely both coming with us."
Ben"s eyes drifted to Emily, who smiled and nodded. "Yup, we"ll be joining you guys."
"Cool," replied Ben as his face broke into a huge grin.
"Now, why don"t you and your sister finish your breakfast and then, if it"s okay with Emily, you can take Thor outside for a walk. He looks like he could use some exercise to burn off all that junk you"ve been feeding him, Mr. Benjamin Keller. That okay by you, Emily?"
Emily thought about it for a second. She didn"t want to scare the kids, especially now that Simon was convinced of the need to leave, and tell them to stay inside. "Of course it is. Just, don"t stray too far," she said. Using the kids" affection for Thor, and his equal exuberance for their company, was about as obvious a manipulation of their emotions as you could get, but it was a means to an end. What the adults had to talk about was not for kids" ears. Even Rhiannon brightened, quickly finishing the remains of her breakfast in a couple of bites.
Emily noticed Ben sneak the final piece of bacon from his plate and slip it to Thor as the three headed out the back door, the echo of their laughter and excited chatter floating back down the corridor.
Simon disappeared into the garage, reappearing a couple of minutes later with a large red plastic gas can in one hand and what looked like a bicycle pump in the other. The pump had two long lengths of thick orange hose attached to it, one at each end of the body; on its side was a crank handle.
Emily and Simon had quickly figured out that the Honda Accord parked out front was not going to be of much use to them. They needed something larger that could carry more supplies, Thor, and the four of them. Emily had remembered the Dodge Durango SUV parked in the garage of the house across the valley, and Simon had decided he would go and try and find the keys and bring it back. While Emily wasn"t particularly happy about them splitting up, it would save time and time was their most valuable commodity right now.
"It"s a hand pump," said Simon, placing both items on the table. "That should solve our gasoline problem, but I"ll have to siphon gas from other vehicles. SUV"s are gas hogs, but as long as we"re careful and take every opportunity to keep the tank full, I think we"ll be okay." He placed a large spiral-bound book he"d been carrying under one arm onto the table. "This might also come in handy," he said. Emily canted her head sideways to read the book"s t.i.tle: Michelin Road Atlas-North America: USA, Canada, Mexico, it read in large black letters.
Simon flipped open the atlas, found the page for New York State, and tapped his finger against Stuyvesant. "This is where we are," he said. "We could head north up I-87 into Canada. Or we can head north for about twenty miles and can cross over the Hudson into Albany. Route 90"s right there, and that"ll take us west all the way into Michigan."
Emily followed Simon"s finger on the map. The Mackinac Bridge was a suspension bridge that ran for close to five miles across the Straits of Mackinac, bisecting Lake Huron to the east and Lake Michigan to the west, and connecting Mackinaw City on the southern Michigan peninsula with Saint Ignace on the northern peninsula. From there it looked like it was about fifty miles to the Canadian border at Sault Saint Marie in Ontario.
"It"s a toll bridge," said Emily, lifting her face to smile at Simon. "Better make sure we bring exact change."
He gave her a toothy grin back. "Ah! A sense of humor...I"ll have to watch out for that." Simon"s eyes dropped back to the map and he was all business again, flipping across pages of the atlas as he talked. "Once we"re in Canada, we can just head northwest toward Edmonton. From there it"s basically a straight line to Fairbanks in Alaska. I"d estimate it"s going to take us about a week or so if we drive a maximum of eight hours a day, maybe less if we don"t hit any bad weather." He glanced up from the road map at Emily, his eyebrows raised questioningly. "What do you think?"
Emily wasn"t happy about the detour. It was going to take them into areas that were more populated than she was really comfortable with, but there was no arguing with Simon"s logic. It would shave so much time off the trip doing it his way. Still, she couldn"t help but feel uneasy about the decision. She had already seen how fast the world had changed; who knew what had happened since her last encounter?
Emily was still studying the route when Rhiannon and Benjamin, closely followed by a barking Thor, came tearing into the house. They were yelling at the top of their voices, "Dad! Dad! You have to come see what we found."
Emily spun around in time to see the kids almost collide with their father. He threw his hands up as they skidded to a stop next to him. "Whoa! Whoa! What"s going on?" Thor padded along behind them, ignoring the two kids and heading straight to Emily"s side. Instead of sitting next to her, he circled her, stopping momentarily to sit, only to be up and pacing again a second later.
"Dad, you have to come see," pleaded Rhiannon, tugging at Simon"s sleeve. "Come on."
"Kids, I can"t. We"re going to have to leave very soon, and we need to plan. Okay?"
"But, but...you have to come see this." Rhiannon"s voice had turned shrill. Her little brother stood quietly off to one side now, silently staring up at his dad with those big hazel eyes.
"No!" Simon almost snapped, probably a little more forcefully than the children were used to, because she saw them both flinch.
Thor was still restlessly pacing back and forth around her. Something had obviously spooked both the kids and Thor.
"Simon," she said, trying to be heard over the children"s excited chatter as they pleaded with their father to follow them.
Simon apparently didn"t hear her because he kept on talking. "Ben. Rhia. Please. Emily and I are trying to talk here. Could you give us just a little time, please?"
"Simon!" Emily snapped, loud enough that everyone, including Thor, turned to face her. She managed to force a smile through the growing miasma of anxiety she could feel settling over the room. "I think it would be best if we let the kids show us what they"ve found."
Simon met her gaze for a few long seconds. She thought she could see anger behind his eyes, but then it was gone, replaced by a look of bemus.e.m.e.nt as he stared down at his two children, as if seeing them for the first time since they had rushed into the house. He sank down to one knee and pulled first Rhiannon and then Ben to him, kissing them both on the tops of their heads. "I"m sorry, guys," he whispered. "Dad"s just a little stressed out right now."
The children hugged him back, then each grabbed a hand and pulled him in the direction of the back door.
On the way out, Emily stopped by the bedroom and pulled her shotgun from the shelf in the cupboard, where she had stored it out of the kids" reach. She checked the chamber to make sure it held a round, then slung the weapon over her shoulder and went to join her newfound family.
The kids were pulling Simon along a path that led away from the back of the house up toward the summit of the hill, still babbling excitedly. Emily jogged to catch up with them. All signs of the tension she had seen in the man just minutes ago had disappeared and he was now laughing, playfully leaning back to make their job of towing him that little bit harder.
Ben and Rhiannon were both giggling and laughing between complaints of "Daaaaad! Stop it. Come onnnnnn" as they tried to drag him faster.
"All right, I"m coming. Hold your horses." He laughed, winking at Emily as she caught up with them. Then he noticed the shotgun slung across her shoulder and raised a questioning eyebrow. She smiled back at him and gave what she hoped was a rea.s.suring nod. She didn"t want this family to find out the hard way just how dangerous their world had become.