Dark Inside (35 page)

They’d made it to the beach, where they’d found the others waiting for them. Joy, Nathan, Eve, and even Colin—she
was overjoyed to see them all alive. Now that Michael and Clementine had joined them, they were growing stronger.

Jack was still alive, but he couldn’t see. Something had happened to his brain when the Bagger hit him. His eyes perceived nothing but blackness.

“This is bad,” he’d said earlier when she helped him down onto the sand.

“We’ll get through it.”

“I’m only going to hold you back,” he said. “This complicates things.”

“You’re never going to complicate anything,” she said. “You’re the one person who helps make all this easier. I can’t do it without you, Jack.”

She smiled and it hurt her to know he didn’t realize just how much she cared.

But he was alive. She didn’t know if his blindness was permanent, but they’d deal with it.

They would be a family and she would keep them together.

She’d keep them alive.

They just had to wait for Mason and Daniel to show, and they could head out to find a new home. She believed him when he said he’d come. There had been something different in his voice. Something truthful.

She went back over to Jack, putting her arm around him carefully as a good friend would do. She curled up against him, feeling the warmth of his body. Michael had torn up his shirt to make a bandage. Jack’s head looked like he was wearing a flattened plaid hat.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

“I’ve got a splitting headache,” he said. “And I’m blind, did I mention that? Aside from that, not bad.”

She choked back a laugh.

“We have to go soon,” he said.

“I know. But we can wait a few more minutes.”

“Any idea where we’re gonna go?”

“Wouldn’t it be nice if we could stay here?” she said. “We could become beachcombers and just spend our days digging clams out of the sand.”

“Sounds heavenly,” he said. “But I’m allergic to shellfish.”

She giggled.

“Eve suggested Shaughnessy,” she said. “Over by the university. We could get one of those big mansions with a pool. That would rock.”

“I’m in,” Jack said. “I always knew I was destined to live somewhere rich.”

In the distance a heron dove straight for the water, catching a fish in its beak. Seagulls floated lazily, completely oblivious to the shattered world around them.

“We need to start searching for other survivors,” she said. “Get organized.”

“Maybe we can find my brother.” Clementine had come over and joined them. “He was supposed to be in Seattle, but he came here. Left me a message. Said there were survivors at the University of British Columbia.”

“It’s possible,” Jack said. “It’s just across the water. Over there to your right. At least I think it’s your right. Can’t tell for sure. Look for all the trees. That’s Jericho Beach. UBC isn’t far from there. We were just talking about finding a new hideout in Shaughnessy.”

The girls looked out across the water. On the other side of English Bay, the shoreline was visible.

“Hey!” Eve’s voice carried toward them. “They’re here.”

Aries turned around. Mason and Daniel were climbing down the stairs to the beach. She grabbed Jack’s hand and gave
it a squeeze. “I’ll be right back.” She followed Clementine over to join the group.

Everyone was happy. She realized this was the first time in weeks she’d seen people smiling and laughing all at once. It was a nice feeling. If only it would last.

There would be more hard times ahead of them. She had no reservations about it. But they would deal. They had each other and they would find a way to get through it all.

They were a group.

She reached Daniel and Mason first. Their clothes were covered in dark stains and the smell of rust overpowered the scent of salt water.

“Don’t ask,” Daniel said. “Because I’m not telling.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” she said. She meant it for both of them.

“We should get going, then,” Nathan said. “If we’re heading to rich man’s land, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover. Maybe we should find a shop to hole up in for the day and set out again once it gets dark. I’ll carry Jack. I don’t mind.”

“Oooh, there’s a Blenz not too far from here,” Eve said. “Maybe we can figure out a way to get some coffee. I’d kill for an espresso.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure we can all spend the day munching on month-old vegan brownies,” Nathan said. “Seriously, wouldn’t a Seven-Eleven make more sense?”

“What about Safeway?” Mason said. “We passed two on the way here.”

The group continued to discuss their plans. Aries couldn’t help but listen with a grin on her face. But then Daniel pressed his hand against her arm and beckoned her away.

She walked with him up the beach a ways. He was silent. She knew what was coming.

“Don’t tell me.” She sat down on a huge log, her feet barely touching the ground. “You’re leaving.”

“You know me too well.” Daniel sat down beside her, their knees touching as they leaned into each other.

“Will I see you again?”

“I think so, yes.”

“Good.”

He smiled. “You’re not going to protest?”

She glanced out over the water where the heron was still enjoying its early breakfast. “You’re not going to change. I’m accepting it.”

“You’re going to do well, Aries,” he said. “People will remember you.”

“I hope so,” she said. “I’m trying. We all want to make our mark in life, right? It doesn’t have to be big. Sometimes we just want people to remember we were here.”

“You could write your name in the sand.”

She laughed. “That’s not even a dent.”

He reached out, his fingers pressing against her cheek. “You’ll move mountains.”

She stopped breathing. His eyes found hers, and he looked straight into her soul as if searching for something he’d lost. Her skin tingled as he moved his hand slightly, tilting her head to the side. The entire world slowly vanished until there was nothing to look at except him.

Lips pressed against hers. She closed her eyes, but it ended too quickly. When she opened them, he was staring back at her. She wanted to smile at him but her face was frozen. How could someone’s eyes be both bright and dark at the same time?

He slid off the log and pulled a knife out of his pocket. “Then let’s make a dent.” Kneeling down in front of the log, he used the knife to carve her name into the wood. Then he
carved his own name. By the time he finished, the others had joined them. Even Jack, who was being supported by Michael and Clementine.

They didn’t even ask. Instead they lined up and each took a turn carving their names into the wood.

ARIES

DANIEL

JACK

CLEMENTINE

COLIN

JOY

NATHAN

EVE

MICHAEL

MASON

When it was over, they all stepped back to admire their work.

“It’s official,” Daniel said. “We exist.”

Something caught Aries’s eye. From across the bay, she could see tiny figures moving between the trees of Jericho Park.

She stood up and moved closer to the shore. “What is that?”

“Here.” Clementine reached into her pocket and pulled
out pocket binoculars. “They’re cracked, but they work. Michael gave them to me.”

Aries took the binoculars and brought them up to her eyes. It took a second before her eyes got adjusted and she managed to focus on the park across the bay. From the tree line, several people were coming out onto the beach. Men and women—there were even some children.

“It’s a group of people,” she said.

“Baggers?”

“No, I don’t think so.” She watched as one of them used their own set of binoculars, staring back at her. The strangers on the beach crowded around him as he waved at her.

Aries laughed and waved back. “They see us too.”

“They’re still a million miles away,” Michael said.

“But close enough that we can find them,” she said. “And others. There will be others.”

“Let me look?” Clementine asked, and Aries passed over the binoculars.

“He’s not there,” she said after a few minutes. “But I’m going to find him.”

“I’ll help you,” Michael assured her.

“We’ll all help you,” Aries said.

They watched until the people retreated back into the woods. It didn’t matter that they left. Aries knew they were there. They’d find them.

“We should go,” Nathan finally said.

She nodded. Turning back to her friends, she noticed immediately that Daniel was gone. It wasn’t a surprise. It was just a matter of time before he’d return, though. She was certain of that, too.

He sat down in the sand and took off his shoes and socks. Tried rolling his jeans up but couldn’t get them past his calves. Not that it really mattered.

The others were still back at the log, talking among themselves, when he slipped over to the shoreline. Just as well, he kinda wanted to do this on his own. He stood up, and the sand was cool and squishy between his toes.

The ocean was before him. So gigantic. In the distance he could see an island and a few tanker boats. He wondered if anyone was on them.

The wind whipped at his hair and roared in his ears. The tangy smell of salt water and seaweed filled his nose. Bits of sand stuck to his skin, cool and wonderful.

He didn’t even bother to test the water with his toe. He walked right in, the icy cold assaulting his tired feet and closing in around his ankles. Breathing rapidly, he moved farther until his jeans began to soak up the water and his knees submerged.

Closing his eyes, he felt the ocean.

We carved our names in the fallen tree. Our tiny mark. Our proof that we still desired life. We would not go gently into that great night.

We were leaders, followers, warriors, even cowards. Some of us were betrayers.

There are no winners in this game.

But there is tomorrow.