In the Lone and Level Sands (62 page)

“Thank you, J-Jason.”

“No need, I just want to know what’s wrong.
That is, if you want to tell me.”

“I’m a little… claustrophobic,” Eugene
said.

“Oh, that’s it?”

“Yes.”

“Well, you’ll get past it, right?”

“I usually d-do after a little while.” Jason
grinned and patted Eugene’s shoulder. “I d-don’t like heights
either, which is why I didn’t like being in the C-Cardigan. I
d-didn’t get much sleep there.”

“None of us did,” Jason said. “You’ll be
fine. Just keep positive. There’s always hope, right?”

“That’s right. I guess I’m just messed
up.”

“We all are, these days. That’s what makes
us normal though, man. That’s what makes us human. If you can see
what we saw back in Chicago and come out unscathed, then you’ve got
bigger problems than most. We just need to keep a clear head about
these things.”

****

The graying sky was only getting darker. The
clouds grew thick and dark over the world below, menacing in their
appearance, like swelling beasts. They moved in and finally began
to let loose their contents.

Rainwater ran down the big “Welcome to Fort
Knox” sign and onto the grass around it. It was a long rain that
fell for hours.

The mess hall was almost empty around 8:30
p.m. on the 26
^th
of June, when Evan and the others ate
dinner (which consisted of soup, bread and butter, and soda).
Afterward, they moved to the rec room. Inside were a couple pool
tables, a decent-sized TV, some couches; in the back was a small
library, just a few shelves full of classics like
Of Mice and
Men
and
Moby Dick.
Vanessa sat down with a book out of a
small Stephen King section. Evan and the others were playing
pool.

“Come on!” Jason said a moment after hitting
the ball way off course. He watched the little white sphere whiz
across the green felt and hit the four ball. It ricocheted into
another ball, one of Evan’s, and sank it into the corner
pocket.

“Well thank you, Jason,” Evan said. He
chuckled, then looked down at Mal, who held her pool stick
sideways, tipping it up and down slightly. She giggled at Jason’s
misfortune, and looked up at her father.

“Is it my turn, now?” she asked.

“Yes, do you want me to help you this
time?”

“No, I got it.” Mal tilted the stick up and
rested it against the table. She was just tall enough to shoot.

“Just breathe, and when you’re ready, go,”
Evan said.

“Mmhmm!” Mal took a deep breath, blinked,
and then took the shot. The cue ball slammed into her target,
sinking it. She cheered and jumped up and down.

“Jeeze, Jason,” Daisy said. “You’re getting
schooled by a little girl!” She laughed. Stephanie joined in.

“Steph, Daisy! You’re on
my
team!”
Jason said. He grinned.

“I just call them as I see them.” Daisy
winked.

“Don’t worry,” Stephanie said. “When it’s my
turn, I’ll get one of
ours
in!” Jason flashed her a frown
and stuck his tongue out.

Cynthia’s eyes kept moving back to Vanessa,
holding the book tightly in her hands, legs drawn up on the chair
she sat in.

“Hey,” Cynthia said. She smiled, and sat in
a chair across from Vanessa, who looked up from her book after
finishing the page.

“Hi,” she said.

“I’m sorry if I’m taking you from your book.
Is it good?”

“It is.”

“What’s it about?”

“It’s a short story collection. Have you
read any Stephen King?”

“Just a few of his novels. Seems like I
haven’t had time to read in ages, even before this. My life was
pretty hectic, but I was doing something great.”

“What did you before this?” Vanessa asked.
She closed the book and set it on the arm of her chair.

“I was a florist. Daisy’s my boss, but we
ran that little place together, essentially. It’s almost more of a
hobby for me, a hobby I get paid for, you know? Pretty good deal,
heh. And then I have my daughter. Lord knows I love her, but she
takes a lot of my time too. God, and then Evan and I were going
through a divorce… It’s been very weird for us, and it still is. I
feel so exhausted. I just wish we could be happy.”

“It’s hard seeing you two clash like you do,
but can I tell you something I’ve noticed?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“It almost seems forced, the coldness, the
bickering. It seems like you want so badly just to fix things and
get along. I might be out of line, but I think you two were meant
for each other.”

“You think so?” Cynthia said.

“I really do. I just have a good feeling
about you guys. You know, Butch and I weren’t always ‘in love’ and
everything wasn’t always right. We almost broke our engagement over
some fight, and I don’t even remember what it was. You know what?
Whatever split you up, whatever’s keeping you two from being one
again, it doesn’t matter. Not anymore.”

Cynthia laughed after a short, melancholy
silence. “Looks like I’ve got some things that need working out. I
can only hope to stay in my right mind, for Mal’s sake.”

“You’ve been great. Your daughter is lucky
to have you.”

“Well, thank you. Lately, I’ve felt so
hopeless. I don’t think this’ll just go away anytime soon. I can’t
tell Mallorie that, though. Basically, all we’re doing is fleeing
one location for another. This place may be safer than the
Cardigan, but how long can we really hold up?”

Aimes, who had overheard this last bit,
walked over to them.

“I’m sorry to eavesdrop, but I gotta say I
know how you must feel. But we really are secure here. I’ve seen
some smaller bases run into problems, but Fort Knox is huge, and
it’s locked down. We haven’t had any trouble since day one. We’ll
be just fine.”

“I feel better, knowing that,” Cynthia said.
“Thank you, sir.”

“Call me Matt.”

“I’m Cynthia. It’s nice to meet one of the
many anonymous faces of the military.”

“Nice to meet you. And the man over there,
the girl, they’re your family, right?”

“They mean the world to me. I don’t know
what I’d do without them. Do you have family here?”

Cynthia knew from the moment the words
exited her mouth, they shouldn’t have. Aimes’s eyes lowered, and
his lips pursed together. But he looked back up quickly, and
smiled.

“The only family I was able to get in touch
with was my wife, Julie. She’s eight months pregnant, and we talked
over webcam on the first day, until signals went down. It was
horrible, but she said she and her sister would be headed to their
parents’ estate. It’s a secure location. Sturdy doors, out in
butt-fuck nowhere.”

“Yeah, it’s one thing being called away from
your family for regular military duty,” Vanessa said, “but in the
midst of all of this, wondering if she’s okay… I’m sorry it has to
be like that. I’ll pray for you.”

Aimes nodded. “Thanks. I know I’ll see her
again. She’ll be fine. You know what her sister said to me before
the feed went down?”

“What’s that?” Cynthia said.

“‘Don’t worry, Matt!’ She was so stern, so
serious, I’d never seen her like that before. ‘Julie and I will get
there safe.’” Aimes looked like he wanted to cry. He sniffled, but
no tears came. It was as if he had used them all up.

“She sounds like a strong woman, her and
Julie. You’re right. They’ll do great.”

“It’s all I can do to stay here. I tried
calling her parents, but not everywhere has power, anymore. It’s
unbearable not knowing how she’s doing. And the baby…”

“Just don’t worry too much about it,”
Vanessa said. “You’ll go crazy, thinking the worst.”

“Yeah,” Aimes said.

“Hey, Cynthia!” Evan said. “Are you gonna go
again?”

Cynthia flipped around, having forgotten
about the game, and nodded.

“Oh! Yeah, just a minute!” She turned back
to Aimes and Vanessa. “Looks like it’s my turn.”

“Go,” Aimes said. “Have fun. I’m fine.” He
laughed a little. Cynthia went off to take her turn, and Vanessa
picked her book back up. “I’ll let you finish your reading, I’ve
got some things that need my attention anyway. It was nice getting
to know you. Most of the people we’ve picked up keep to themselves.
Can’t say I blame them, but it’s nice to talk to someone other than
the guys sometimes.”

“Anytime,” Vanessa said, then returned to
the book.

****

A soldier sat at a table in the mess hall,
all decked up in military uniform. There was a Velcro patch on the
right side of his chest that read “Williams”. A half-eaten Swiss
and roast beef sandwich and a sealed bag of chips sat in front of
him. One arm rested on the table, the other on his lap. He was
alone. Evan had seen him a few times before; he never spoke to
anyone. Rarely did anyone approach him.

As Evan ate, he looked at the soldier from
time to time. He felt bad, even though he didn’t know anything
about the man or his situation.

“I wonder if someone should go talk to that
guy,” he said, looking at his friends gathered at the table. “This
is the third day I’ve seen him, and that’s all he does. He eats
slowly, like he’s in a daze, then just sits there for a while, then
leaves.”

“Something’s up,” Jason said. “I just don’t
know what I’d say, if it were me. Some things are best left
alone.”

“He just looks like he’s in pain. He needs
someone to talk to.”

“Look, we all have our problems, hon,” Daisy
said. “Unless you’re willing to say a few words, I don’t think
anyone will.”

“I’m just going to go see if he’s all
right,” Evan said. “I’ll be right back.” The others nodded.

Evan walked past several tables of people.
The conversations were loud and filled with spirit, but all of that
faded when Evan arrived before the soldier.

“Sir,” Evan said. The man didn’t look up; he
did everything he could not to make eye contact. He tensed, and sat
still for several awkward seconds.

“I just thought I’d come over here to… Well,
we don’t know each other of course, but you just look like you
needed someone to talk to.”

There was still no reply.

“Is there nothing—”

“Muhhhhhrmm!”

Evan was surprised, but he got the message.
He was determined to help the guy, but it wouldn’t happen this day.
He sighed as he walked back to his table.

“Anything?” Cynthia asked.

“He’s a stone wall, but maybe sometime he’ll
be more willing to open up.” Evan picked up his sandwich and took a
bite. The others continued eating.

****

The next day, Evan was eating lunch with his
family and friends. He saw the soldier eating, alone as always.
Evan decided to try again.

He’d noticed the man’s name the day before,
and decided to address him more formally this time. “Mr. Williams,
I’m sorry to intrude again, I just couldn’t help but notice that
you’re all alone, and—”

Williams grunted a couple of times, but
there was nothing else from him, and he made no eye contact.

Evan lowered his head and walked away. Maybe
tomorrow.

He was almost back to his table when a
soldier headed over, walked the rest of the way with him, and then
sat across from him.

“Hey, I hate to barge into your business,”
the soldier said, directing his gaze at Evan. “But I got something
I think is important to tell you. Can you spare a minute?”

“Sure,” Evan said, then glanced at the man’s
name patch. “Mr. Bogart.”

“You can call me Adrian.”

“Okay, what’s up?” Jason said.

“Well, Sean over there was… Is a good friend
of mine. We’ve been real good buddies since, well, elementary
school, probably. I know him well, and his family, bless their
souls.”

“Is that why he doesn’t say anything?”
Cynthia asked.

“Well, that’s one of the reasons, I guess.
Poor guy. He had just gotten back from Afghanistan. It was his
second tour… He shouldn’t have even been there in the first place.
Doctors said he might have mild schizophrenia. Guess it wasn’t
enough to keep him home, though. Well, anyway, he thought he was
done. Same thing happened to me. Thought I was done, then boom!
This shit goes down. I get a call, here I am.”

“So, he was called right back to serve?”
Stephanie said.

“Yeah, not long after this all began.”

“That’s terrible,” Vanessa said.

“He told me his wife was dead, but not much
more about that night,” Adrian said. “It is terrible, but it’s
gotten worse since then. You wouldn’t know it looking at him, but
he was so full of life. Sean was a great father and husband. And
he’s a great friend.”

“I’m sure he is,” Cynthia said.

“He’s been out there countless times,
looking for survivors, scavenging and all that, but every time, he
came back worse and worse off. He’s really lost it. He stopped
speaking just a couple days ago. He won’t even talk to me. He’s
built a wall around himself. I don’t know what to do. The other
day, he shot at one of our own. Claimed it was an accident. Thought
he was a zombie.”

“That sounds awful,” Evan said.

“I know you’ve been over there trying to get
through to him, and your heart is in the right place, but I suggest
you stop. For your safety, and your family.”

“Well…” Evan said. Cynthia nudged him with
her elbow. “All right. If you’re worried he’d be violent.”

“I don’t want there to be any trouble,”
Adrian said.

“There won’t be.” Evan calmly finished his
sandwich.

The next day, Evan was thinking about what
Adrian said, but decided to approach Sean anyway. He did so more
cautiously than before, and things went the same way they usually
did. Evan wanted to break through to Williams, call out the man he
was before. Speaking with Adrian only gave him more motivation.