Second Chance (9 page)

He didn’t like that much. Having been a good athlete for as long as he could remember, he had never been scared of bullies or
shy of older kids, unless they were way older and a lot bigger. Lionel would not have bothered him a week ago. But Ryan felt so alone, so lost. He hated the feeling and wished it would go away. But he missed his mom and dad so much he couldn’t imagine that he would ever feel any better. This was no way to live, but he had to.

Ryan was grateful for Lionel’s help. It was almost like having a parent for those few moments. But he wanted to know why Lionel was so serious and seemed so bothered, and he wanted to know now. “Why would I not want to go in the house?” he said.

“I don’t know. Do you? Let’s be brave. Let’s go in. You’ll be glad you did.”

“Not until you tell me why you don’t think I’ll ever want to go in.”

“All right,” Lionel said. “Someone’s been in there.”

“What?! How do you—”

“Don’t get so excited. What did you expect with all the police busy with everything else? Bad guys take advantage of these kinds of situations all the time.”

“There’s never been a time like this before, Lionel.”

“I know, but in my uncle’s neighborhood, anytime something big is happening in the
city or there’s a fire or anything, people get their houses robbed or looted. You just have to watch and be careful, that’s all. The robbers aren’t out to hurt anybody. They’re just trying to get something for nothing. You have to make it hard for them to get in or easy for them to get out, and if you happen upon them, be sure they’re scared enough to run off before you try to hassle them. Just like cornered animals, if they feel trapped, they’ll attack. You don’t want that.”

“How do you know someone was in my house?”

“Because the glass in the back door was broken, the door was open, and lots of stuff is missing.”

“Oh, no! Stuff we’re going to need if we’re going to stay alive?”

“No. All the food and everything is still there. These guys must have known what they wanted and what was valuable. Your TVs are gone, your stereo; looks like some jewelry is gone from your mother’s dresser. That kind of stuff.”

Ryan shook his head and sat in the driveway. “You’re right,” he said. “I don’t ever want to go in there again.”

“Don’t you see, Ryan? If we lived in there, robbers would be afraid to take the risk. They’d see the lights and they’d figure adults
have to be in there. You never had anyone break in before, did you?”

“Never.”

“There you go. This was a normal household, people coming and going. It was too risky to break into. Somebody just checked it out while we were gone and thought maybe the family had disappeared or were gone somewhere during the emergency. They got everything valuable there was to get, and they won’t need to come back.”

“But what about someone else?”

“You never know.”

“Then I’m not going in.”

“Can I?”

“You want to live in my house?”

“Where else am I gonna live?”

“In your own house.”

“Where’ve you been, Ryan? My house has been taken over by my uncle’s enemies, and until the police have time to mess with getting them out, I’m on the street. Now are you going to let me stay in your house awhile, or not?”

“You really want to, knowing someone’s been in there? Aren’t you scared?”

“I’ve got plenty to be scared about, Ryan, just like you. But if anything happens to me, I go to heaven to see my family. I’m not sayin’ I want to die, but I’ve got a lot more to be afraid of than that some burglar is going
to come back to a house he already cleaned out.”

“You’re going to make me stay by myself in the tent?”

“That’s up to you.”

“I want to be where you are, and I want that to be outside with me.”

“Ryan, I can’t stand sleeping on the ground or even in a sleeping bag. I’ll be miserable. You’ve got nice beds in the house, food, drinks, bathrooms. Come on, man, get a clue.”

“I can’t help it if I’m scared. It’s not like I’m being this way on purpose. How about we just sit in the tent now and keep an eye on the house. Then when it gets dark and we get tired, maybe I’ll want to sleep in a real bed.”

“That’ll be the day.”

“Well, I’m not promising, but if you can fix that broken window, I’d feel a lot better.”

There was nothing to boarding up a broken window either, Lionel told Ryan. “You got some plywood and a hammer and nails?”

“Sure.”

“Let me at ’em.”

Ryan was amazed again at what Lionel could do. “Your dad teach you all this stuff?”

“Yeah, I guess. I never thought about it as him teaching me. He just let me do stuff with him and would tell me what to do. It’s not
hard. It’s just logical. You want to nail this board all the way around the window in the door so it keeps air and water out. It’ll let you lock the door and keep you safe until you can get someone out here who knows how to install windows.”

“I figured you could do that too.”

Lionel shook his head and smiled a tight-lipped grin. “Nah. Dad and I just took care of the basics. Nothing fancy.”

By the time the door was finished and the boys had sat in the tent a few hours, talking and watching the house, it began to grow dark. “You thinking what I’m thinking?” Lionel said.

“What, that you’d like to go in the house?”

“Uh-huh.”

“No, actually I was thinking that I hoped you would stay in the tent one more night.”

Lionel looked exhausted as he shook his head sadly. “You stay in this tent tonight, man, and you’ll be here alone. I mean, it’s not my place to invite myself into your house, but you’ve got to let me stay there, Ryan. OK?”

“I don’t know.”

“Sure you do, now come on! The longer you put off doing something you’re afraid of, the harder it is to ever do it.”

“I know.”

“Then let’s go.”

“My head’s kind of still hurting, and I’ve got a bruise in my side.”

“From what?”

“When I fell. I hit something on the bike.”

“Let me see that,” Lionel said. He turned on a flashlight and Ryan lifted his shirt. “Ouch,” Lionel said. “That must hurt.”

“Does it need a bandage?”

“No, just looks like a deep bruise. It’ll hurt for a while, but it’ll go away. Your forehead or your side are no reason to not go into the house. In fact, you’ll probably get better faster if you do go in.”

“Could we do something first?”

“Like what?”

“Ride around, go somewhere. I’m bored.”

“You’re stalling.”

“Yeah, but if we do that I’ll get more tired and maybe then I’ll want to go inside.”

“All right, but like I told you, Ryan, if you don’t go in the house tonight, you’re going to be out here by yourself. I would think that would be scarier than being in your house with me.”

Ryan believed that. He shrugged. “Maybe.”

“So where do you want to go?”

“Maybe down to my friend Raymie’s.”

“You said he disappeared.”

“Yeah, but I know his dad is home. And I
want to know if his sister is all right. She’s off at college in California, and she’s cool. Raymie actually liked his big sister. I’d never heard of that before.”

“Hey, I liked my big sister too. It’s not so unusual, especially if they’re enough older than you. So, what, you want to go talk to Raymie’s dad?”

“That’d be OK. Maybe he’d let us stay with him.”

“That
would make you feel safe, wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah. Maybe he misses Raymie so much he’d like to have a boy his age around.”

“You
want
an adult in charge of you? Freedom is the only part of this I’m already getting used to.”

“Just let’s go, OK?”

“OK, but I’m not for talking to the guy. How far is it?”

“Just down the block.”

I
T
was well past dark, and Vicki had been sleeping on her back for more than nine hours, her feet flat on the floor at the end of the bed. Her eyes popped open, and she stared at the ceiling, wondering where she was. It came to her quickly.

Her mouth felt thick and dry, her eyes still heavy, and yet she felt rested. A deep emptiness borne of loss and sorrow overtook her, yet she was comforted as well by her new faith.

From the living room came the sound of the television. Judd must be up. She tiptoed out, only to find him curled up on the couch, still sleeping. So, she thought, neither of them had slept where they planned. She gently pulled the remote control from his hands and turned off the TV. Judd did not stir. She would
take advantage of the time to get cleaned up and changed.

The hot shower felt so good she could hardly pull herself away from it. She didn’t know if hot water was limited in a big house like this the way it was in a trailer where family members had to schedule their showers carefully. She hoped she’d saved enough hot water for Judd.

Vicki put on one of Mrs. Thompson’s silky robes and sat drying her hair, then brushing it. She felt so much better than she had, and she had to admit she looked better too. It was time for a new look. All her own clothes had been lost in the fire, and that was for the best. While she didn’t care to look like a mother of teenagers, as Mrs. Thompson was, neither did she ever want to go back to her old look.

Vicki was grateful to find that her feet were roughly the same size as Mrs. Thompson’s had been. She hung up the pantsuit that had served as her blanket when she fell asleep. And she found a sweater, jeans, white socks, and tennis shoes. Vicki had no idea whether she and Judd would be going anywhere that evening, but these were good hanging-around-the-house clothes too. She had not dressed this way since she was a little girl. Not so many hours ago she would have consid
ered this her least likely choice for an outfit. Yet as she looked in the mirror now, she felt it was a good look for her.

Vicki knew she and Judd might both regret having caught up on their sleep during the day. No way would they be tired at a normal bedtime. But he had said something earlier about trying to hook up with Bruce Barnes again that evening.

She would like that. Bruce was an interesting guy. He seemed to care about them so much, and yet he hardly knew them. She wanted to see his reaction when he found out that not just one, but both of them had become believers. And what about those two younger kids, Lionel and Ryan? Lionel had already become a Christian, but the other one, the little blond kid, had run off angry. Vicki couldn’t blame him. How would she have felt in his situation, losing both parents and knowing they probably weren’t in heaven?

Vicki hoped Lionel had found Ryan and had had some influence on him. She had been acquainted with Judd and Lionel and Ryan for such a short time, and yet she found herself already caring about what would become of them. These were all new emotions and feelings for her.

Vicki was hungry again. She moved into the living room to see if Judd was still asleep. He
was gone, and she heard water running upstairs. If his shower felt as good as hers, he would feel a lot better. She rummaged in the kitchen for a snack for the two of them, set it up in front of the TV, and sat watching the news while waiting for him.

Lionel and Ryan had to stay on the other side of the street from the Steeles because a car was coming the other way and Lionel didn’t want to risk crossing in front of it. He knew if he didn’t, Ryan wouldn’t. Lionel didn’t understand why Ryan seemed so much younger when the difference in their ages was barely a year. But, if it was worth comparing their predicaments, he had to admit that Ryan was worse off than he was.

The headlights coming the other way did not pass the boys, however. They stopped in front of the Steele home, and Lionel noticed that the car was a cab.

“That’s Raymie’s sister, Chloe,” Ryan said as a young woman emerged from the backseat. The cabby jumped out and pulled her huge suitcase from the trunk. He set it next to her as she dug in her purse for the fare. She was paying him when the front door of the house
burst open and a tall dark man ran out in his stocking feet. As the cabby pulled away, Rayford Steele gathered his daughter into his arms.

“Oh, Daddy!” she wailed. “How’s everybody?”

He backed away from her enough that she could see him shaking his head sadly.

“I don’t want to hear this,” she said, pulling away from him and looking to the house as if expecting to see her mother or brother.

“It’s just you and me, Chloe,” Mr. Steele said, and they stood together in the darkness, crying.

Lionel sensed Ryan getting ready to cross the street and greet them. “Not now,” Lionel whispered. “There’ll be plenty of time to talk to them. But not now.”

As father and daughter made their way inside, Ryan said, “But I’m not ready to go back home yet.”

“You wanna go to the church?” Lionel asked.

“What for?”

“To see if Bruce Barnes is still there.”

“Why would I want to do that? I don’t believe all that stuff he’s saying, and even if it
is
true, it was mean of God to do that to us kids.”

“We had our chances,” Lionel said.

“I
didn’t.”

“You said Raymie Steele told you about this a while ago.”

“Yeah, well—”

“Yeah, well, I want to go see Bruce. You can wait here, go home alone, or whatever you want.”

“I’ll go, but I’m not coming in.”

“Whatever.”

Vicki felt a strange reaction when Judd came downstairs, cleaned up and dressed. He had shaved off his goatee, and he looked much younger. She still had no idea what she thought of him as a person. She was glad they might become friends, because she needed one and he seemed to know a lot about God and the Bible because of how he had been raised. Vicki had no feelings for him or romantic interest in him. It was way too early for that, and because of what she had been through, she wasn’t even thinking that way.

But Judd seemed so impressed with her new look that she wondered if he was allowing himself to become interested in her. She talked herself out of it, however. It was impossible. He had been through as great a trauma as she had, and he had to be suffer
ing privately as much as she. Anyway, he had seen where she lived. No way a guy like him would be interested in her.

“Oh, good,” he said. “Food. What’s on TV?”

“Same as what’s been on the whole time since the disappearances. News, news, and more news.”

Judd asked if she had seen the strange videotapes he had seen on the news earlier. So far she hadn’t. “All they’re talking about now,” she said, “is this guy with a funny name from some country in eastern Europe. He became president of his country recently and—”

“And now he’s coming to speak at the UN, right? Yeah, I heard about him. Nicholas something. And his last name sounds like a mountain range.”

“Nicolae, I think,” Vicki said. She hadn’t picked up the last name either, but just then the young leader’s picture came on the news again. She turned it up. The announcer referred to him as Nicolae Carpathia, the new president of Romania.

“You’re right,” Judd said. “Nicolae. And he must have been named after the Carpathian Mountains.”

“Hey,” Vicki said, “I thought you said you didn’t do well in school. How do you know about those mountains?”

Judd looked embarrassed. “That’s about all I know,” he said. “Really, you just reached the end of my information.”

They ate and watched the news for several minutes. Finally Vicki asked if he was still thinking about trying to see Bruce that night.

“Yeah, I was,” he said. “You want to?”

“Sure.”

“I’ll call and make sure he’s there.”

Lionel and Ryan dragged their bikes inside the church and found Judd’s bike there too. They poked around looking for Bruce, Lionel wondering if Judd was there or if he had just never taken his bike home. Lionel and Ryan found Bruce finishing up a session with several older people, but before he could greet them, Ryan said, “I’ll be waiting by the bikes. I’ve heard all this before.”

“C’mon, Ryan!”

“No!”

Lionel looked apologetically at Bruce when he approached. “Good to see you again, Lionel. Let me introduce you to these folks.” Lionel couldn’t keep track of the names except for one, Bruce’s secretary, Loretta. She was old,
had a southern accent, and seemed classy. Lionel knew if he was going to spend much time at this church, he ought to get to know her. Bruce whispered, “Ask her sometime to tell you her own story. It’ll amaze you.”

Lionel had been wondering how this handful of old people had been left behind. He figured anybody who had been around that long, especially churchgoers, would have learned the truth long ago. But then he had had time too and knew the truth. Like him, maybe, they simply didn’t respond to it.

“Well, I found Ryan, as you can see.”

“Yeah. Don’t worry about him hanging back for a while. I’m sure he’s embarrassed about bolting on us. If we don’t scare him off, he’ll come around and get curious and eventually join us again.”

Lionel’s look of doubt must have betrayed him.

“You don’t agree?” Bruce said.

“I’ve been working on him,” Lionel said. “And I know how important you say it is for him not to put this off.”

“It is.”

“But it’s not like he’s putting it off. It’s more like he really doesn’t understand or doesn’t want to. Sometimes I think he understands fine but just doesn’t believe in God.”

Bruce shook his head and pulled up a
chair for Lionel. Bruce sat on the corner of a table, took off his wire-rimmed glasses, and ran his hand through his curly hair. “He’ll believe in God before long, if there’s any truth to what I’ve been studying. Everybody is going to know God is in this when the seven-year tribulation begins. People are going to be dying right and left, and we’d better be prepared. I’m so glad you made your decision right away, like I did. I know you’re sorry you missed out on the Rapture, but there was sure no sense in waiting once we knew what happened, right?”

Lionel nodded. “I saw Judd’s bike out there. Did he come back?”