Gone (32 page)

The food had improved everyone's mood quite a bit. Little Pete had come very close to actually smiling.

They walked with the barrier on their left. It was an eerie experience. Trees were often cut in half by the barrier, with branches extending into it and disappearing. Or else poking out of it. The branches that came out of the barrier did not fall, but they were clearly dying. The leaves were limp—cut off, it seemed, from nutrition.

From time to time Sam wou d check out some gully or peer behind a boulder, always looking for a place the barrier did not reach. But that soon came to seem pointless. The barrier reached into every ditch, every culvert, li wrapped itself around every rock, sliced through every bush.

It did not fail.

It did not end.

The workmanship of the barrier was, as Astrid had observed, impeccable.

"What kind of music do vou like?" Sam asked.

"Let me guess," Quinn interrupted. "Classical. And jazz." He stretched the word "jazz" out to comic length. "Actually—"

"Snake," Edilio yelled. He danced backward, tripped, and fell, bounced back up looking sheepish. Then, in a calmer tone, he said, "There's a snake there."

"Let me see," Astrid said eagerly. She approached cautiously while Sam and Quinn stayed even more cautiously out of range.

"I don't like snakes," Edilio admitted.

Sam grinned-"Yeah, I kind of got that from the way you moved away so gracefully" He brushed some clinging dirt and dry leaves off Edilio* s back.

"You should look at this," Astrid called urgently.

"You look at it," Edilio said. "I saw it once already. One look at a snake is all I need "

"It's not a snake" Astrid said. "A: least it's not just a snake. It should be fairly safe, he's down a hole."

Sam approached reluctantly. He didn't really want to see the snake. But he also didn't want to look like a coward,

"Just don't startle it," Astrid said. "It may be capable of (light. At least short flights."

Sam froze, "Excuse me?"

"Just step lightly."

Sam crept closer. And there it was. At first he just saw the triangular head peeking up from the bottom of a foot-deep hole padded with fallen leaves."Is that a rattlesnake?"

"Not anymore" Astrid said. "Come around behind me" When Sam was in position she said, "Look. About six inches below his head "

"What is that?" Flaps of leathery skin, not covered with scales, but gray and ribbed with what looked like pink veins, hung Hat against the snake's body.

"They look like vestigial wings," Astrid said.

"Snakes don't have wings" Sam said.

"They didn't used to" she said darkly.

The two of them drew slowly back. They rejoined Edilio, Quinn, and Little Pete, who was gazing up at the sky like he was expecting someone from that direction.

"What was it?" Quinn asked.

"A rattlesnake with wings* Sam said.

"Ah. That's good, because I was thinking we didn't have quite enough to be worried about" Quinn said.

"I'm not surprised " Astrid said. When the others stared at her she explained."! mean, it's obvious that there's some sort of accelerated mutation at work in the FAYZ. In fact, given Petey and Sam and the others, the mutation must have preceded the FAYZ. But I suspect the FAYZ is accelerating the process. We saw the gull that had mutated. Then there was Albert's teleporting cat. Now this."

"LeFs get moving," Sam said, mostly because there was no point standing around moping. Everyone walked more carefully now, eyes down, very aware of what they might step on.

They stopped for lunch when Little Pete started losing it and staged a sit-down strike. Sam helped make the food, then took his can of peaches and his Power Bar and sat alone at a distance from the others. He needed to think. They were all waiting for him to come up with a plan, he could feel it.

They were a little bit above the valley Iloor still, out in the open with no shade. The ground was rocky. The sun beat down. It didn't look like there was much in the way of shelter or shade ahead of them. Just the harrier extending on and on, forever and ever. From this height he should have been able to see over the top of it, but Astrid was right: no matter where you stood, the barrier seemed to be equally tall, equally impenetrable.

It glowed a little in the sunlight, but mostly the barrier never changed, day or night. It was always the same faintly shimmering gray. It was just reflective enough that some-t imes you could almost believe you saw an opening, trees that extended beyond the barrier, or a feature of the land that seemed to pass through a hole in the barrier But it was always an optical illusion, a trick of the light.

He felt rather than heard Astrid come up behind him.

"It's a sphere, isn't it?" he said. "It goes all the way around us. All the way under us and all the way over us"

"I think so," she said.

"Why do we see the stars at night? Why can we see the sun?"

"Pm not sure we're seeing the sun," Astrid said. "It may be an illusion. It may be some kind of reflection. I don't know." She stepped deliberately on a small twig and snapped it in half. "I really don't know."

"You hate saying 'I don't know,' don't you?"

Astrid laughed. "You noticed."

Sam sighed and hung his head. "This is a waste of time, isn't it? I mean, trying to find a gate. Trying to find a way out"

"There may not be an out" Astrid confirmed.

"Is the world still there? I mean, on the other side of the barrier?"

She sat beside him, close enough to be companionable, but not touching. Tve been thinking a lot about it. I liked your egg idea. But to tell you the truth, Sam, I don't think the barrier is just a wall. A wall doesn't explain what's happening to us. To you and Petey and the birds and Albert's cat and the snakes. And it doesn't explain why everyone over fourteen disappeared all at once. And keeps disappearing"

"What would explain all that?'' He held up a hand. "Wait, I don't want to make you say it again: you don't know"

"Remember when Quinn saic 'someone hacked the universe'?"

"YouVe getting your ideas from Quinn now? What happened to you being a genius?"

She ignored the gibe. "The un verse has certain rules. Like the operating system software for a computer. None of what we're seeing can be happening under the software of our universe. The way Caine can move things with his mind. The way you can make light come from your hands. These aren't just mutations: they are violations of the laws of nature. At least the laws of nature as we understand them "

"Yeah. So?"

"So." She shook her head ruefully, disbelieving her own words as she said them. "So I think it means -.. we're not in the old universe anvmore"

Sam stared at her. "There's only one universe" "The theory of multiple universes has been around for a long time" Astrid said. "But maybe something happened that began altering the rules of the old universe, lust a little, just in a small area. But the effect spread, and at some point it became impossible for ihe old universe to contain this new reality. A new universe was created. A very small universe" She look a deep breath, a relieved sound, like she'd just set down a heavy !oad."But you know what, Sam? Pm smart, but Pm not exactly Stephen Hawking"

"Like if someone installed a viru; in the software of the old universe."

"Right. It started small. Some changes in individuals. Petey. You. Caine. Kids more than adults because kids are less fully formed, they're easier to alter. Then, on that morning, something happened that tipped the balance. Or maybe several somethings"

"How do we get through that barrier, Astrid?"

She laid her hand over his. "Sam, Pm not sure there is a 'through/ When I say we're in a different universe, I mean we may not have any point of contact with the old universe. Maybe we're like soap bubbles that can drift together and join. But maybe we're like soap bubbles a billion miles apart"

"Then what's on the other side of the barrier?"

"Nothing," she said. "There is ro other side. The barrier may be the end of all that is, here ih this new universe."

"You're depressing me," he said, trying and failing to make it lighthearted.

She twined her fingers through lis."I could be wrong"

"I guess I'll find out in... what is today? In less than a week."

Astrid had no answer for that. They sat together and gazed out over the desert. In the distance a lone coyote trotted along, nose down to catch a seen: of prey. A pair of buzzards inscribed lazy circles against the sky.

After a while Sam turned toward Astrid and found her lips waiting. It felt easy and natural As easy and natural as something could feel that made Sam's heart threaten to break out of his chest.

They drew apart, saying nothing. They leaned against each other, both reveling in that simple physical contact. "You know what?" Sam said at last. "What?"

"I can't spend the next tour days in a permanent cringe" Sam said.

Astrid nodded, a movement he felt rather than saw.

"You make me brave, you know?" Sam said.

"I was just thinking that I don't want you to be brave anymore," Astrid said. "I want you to be with me. I want you to be safe and not go looking for tremble, just stay with me, stay close to me."

"Too late" he said with forced lightness. "If I blink out, where does that leave you and Lr tie Pete?"

"We can take care of ourselves," she lied.

"YouVe very contusing, you know that?" Sam said.

"Well, you're not as smart as I am, so you're easy to contuse "

He grinned. Then grew serious again. He stroked her hair with one hand. "The thing is, Astrid, I can spend the time being afraid, trying to find a way to escape. Or I can spend the time standing up. Maybe then, f I do disappear, maybe at least you and Little Pete .. "

"We could all just—" she began.

"Nah. We couldn't. We couldn't just hide out in the woods eating dehydrated camping food. We can't just hide."

Astrid's lip trembled and she brushed at a tear just forming.

"We have to go back. At least. I do. I have to stand up " As if to illustrate the point, Sam stood up. He took Astrid's hand and drew her after him. Together they walked back to the others.

"Edilio. Quinn. I have made a lot of mistakes. And maybe I'm making one now, too. But I'm tired of avoiding a light. And Pm tired of trying to run away. Pm very, very worried Pm going to get you all killed. So you guys all have to decide for yourselves whether you want togo with me. But I have to go back to Perdido Beach."

"We're going to fight Caine?" Qninn asked in alarm.

"About time," Edilio said.

"Welcome to McDonald's," Albert said, "How may I help you?"

"Hey, Albert" Mary said. She looked up at the menu, which had a number of items covered over with taped-on black construction paper. Salads had disappeared quickly. Milk shakes were gone because the machine had broken down.

Albert waited patiently and smiled at the little girl with Mary. Mary noticed and said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I should introduce you. This is Isabella. Isabella, ihis is Albert"

"Welcome to McDonald's," Albert said.

"Isabella is new. A search learn just found her and brought her in."

"My mom and dad are gone"Isabella said. "I know. My parents are gone, too," Albert replied. "I guess a Big Mac and a Biggie fries for me," Mary said. "And a kid's meal for Isabella." "Chicken nuggets or hamburger?" "Nuggets"

"And would you like that Big Mac with a bagel bun, an English muffin bun, or on a waffle?"

"Waffle?"

Albert shrugged. "Sorry, Mary, but there's no fresh bread to be found anywhere* I'm using anything frozen I can get for buns. And of course there's no lettuce, but you know that"

"Still have special sauce?"

"I have about fifty gallons of Big Mac sauce. And as far as pickles, Tm good forever. Let me^ei your order started. I'd go with the bagel bun, I was you."

"Bagel, then."

Albert dropped a fresh basket of fries into hot oil. Then an order of nuggets in a second basket. He punched both timers. He moved with ease to the grill and slapped three patties down.

He laid out the bagel, squirted on some sauce, sprinkled onions, placed two pickle chips in the center of the bagel top.

He waited and watched Mary trying to cheer Isabella up in the dining area. The little girl was solemn and seemed on the edge of tears.

Albert Hipped the burgers and settled the burger press in place to speed cooking.

The fry timer went off. He lifted the basket, shook it to throw off extra oil> and tossed the fries into the bin. A quick pass with the salt shaker. Then up came the nuggets.

Albert enjoyed the balletic moves he had practiced and perfected over the last—how many days had it been? Eight? Nine? Nine days running the McDonald's.

"Cool" Albert said with quiet satisfaction.

Since the incident everyone now referred to as "Albert's Cat" Albert had stayed in, or at leas: close to, the McDonald's. There were no supernatural, teleporting cats in the McDonald's.

He assembled the order onto two trays and carried them out to the only occupied table. "Thanks" Mary said gratefully.

"We ran out of our regular promo," Albert said. "But I got some toys, you know, little stuff from Ralph's or whatever. So there is a toy in the Happy Meal. Ji-st not the regular one."

Isabella pulled a tiny plastic doll with bright pink hair from her bag. She did not smile. But she did hold on to the doll.

"So, how long can you keep this place open?" Mary asked.

"Well, I have lots of burger patties. The day of the FAYZ there was a delivery truck coming through. You must have seen it plowed into that old house up behind the muffler place, right? Anyway, when I got .here the engine was still running, so the cooling unit was still on, I have my walk-in packed. Plus I have burgers stashed in freezers all over town* He nodded in satisfaction. "I have sixteen thousand, two hundred and eighty patties—including Quarter Pounders. Km selling about two hundred and fifty a day. So I'm good for about two months, give or take. Fries will run out sooner" "Then what?"