Black River Falls by Jeff Hirsch(15)

The moon fell behind some clouds, turning the surface of the lake into a black plain. I thought about how cold it must be at the bottom, and how dark. I wondered what it would be like to be down there.

Would it be like that winter night in Brooklyn when the heat went out in our building? Remember? Mom and Dad dressed us in every stitch of clothing we owned and then buried us in blankets and quilts and old sweaters. At the bottom of all of that, there wasn’t any sound and there wasn’t any light, just this warm darkness wrapping itself around us. Would sinking to the bottom of the reservoir be like that? Peaceful and still?

An owl hooted, then flew from tree to tree. The moon had arced over my head and was starting to fall. How long had I been there? I took a last look at the water and then made my way through the dark to my tent.

When I got back, Greer was waiting for me.





8


“WHAT’S GOING ON? Is everything okay?” I asked.

All Greer said was, “Gonzalez.”

“Where?”

“Down the trail. And he’s not alone. He’s got a twitchy-looking Marvin with him.”

Damn it. “The kids still asleep?”

Greer nodded. “You want me with you?”

“Yeah. Go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”

He started to fade into the dark.

“Wait! We should talk about the—”

“Forget it,” he said.

“But—”

“Don’t worry,” Greer said. “There’s plenty of time for me to call you a jackass in the morning. Now let’s get moving.”

The dark swallowed him up as he moved down the trail. I changed out of my running clothes, trying to still the nervous tremors in my hands. Gonzalez and a Marvin showing up in the middle of the night on the day they announced that the Guard was bugging out. Whatever they wanted, it couldn’t be good.

I found the three of them in a circle of light at the first turn of the trail. Gonzalez was standing there with a flashlight, looking uncomfortable in his body armor, helmet, and mask. The Marvin was next to him.

He had on the same blue hazmat suit as the men in the truck, but sported a clear faceplate with a hose running to a tank on his back. It was overkill, but not unusual for someone new to the QZ. Through the faceplate I could make out dark eyes set in a slab-of-granite face. His gloved fingers were tapping against his biceps, which bulged beneath the blue plastic. By the time I joined them, Greer was doing a little song and dance in front of him.

“. . . you should totally take off that mask, Marvin. Maybe you’re immune! You’d be like a gift to science.”

“Greer, could you please—”

“Hush, Gonzalez. Now, about the suits. Are you guys trying to look like giant blueberries or—”

“Cardinal!” Gonzalez edged Greer out of the way when he saw me coming. “This is Mr. Raney. He’ll be handling security in the QZ once Martinson Vine takes over. I’m guessing Greer told you about today’s announcement.”

So it was really true. The Guard was bailing on us. I stopped a few feet away from them and crossed my arms.

“What can we do for you guys?”

Gonzalez started to speak, but Raney stepped out ahead of him. “Two gentlemen showed up at the doc’s office earlier today. Both of them beat up pretty bad. Thought maybe you’d have an idea how they got that way.”

“Why would I?”

“Said they ran into a girl with green hair and a skinny black kid wearing a Bio-Mask.”

Greer let out a big laugh. “Well, that leaves Cardinal out, Marvin. My man here is bi-racial!”

“Greer,” Gonzalez warned.

“We don’t know any girls with green hair,” I said. “And I’m not the only uninfected kid in town. I’m guessing one or two others might look like me.”

“Really?”

I gave Raney the biggest, most innocent smile I could muster. “Well, sir, Black River has always prided itself on being a diverse community.”

Greer cackled, earning himself an elbow in the ribs from Gonzalez. Raney stood perfectly still. There was a tense hush as he looked from me to Gonzalez to Greer. When he was done, he walked past me to take a higher position on the trail. He nodded up toward the camp.

“So, you guys have been living up here since the beginning, huh?”

I glanced over at Greer. “Uh . . . yeah. Just about.”

“That’s good,” he said. “I got a couple nephews about your age. All they do is sit inside and play video games. I try to take them hiking or fishing, and they act like I’m suggesting we reenact the Bataan Death March.” Raney chuckled to himself, then shifted so he was looking down at the three of us.

“Listen, fellas. I’ve been the new sheriff in town before. Everybody thinks I’m planning to come in and declare that up is down and black is white. And I’m not saying there won’t be changes—we’ll be making sure you all start school again, for one thing—but at this point I see no reason to cancel Lieutenant Gonzalez’s live-and-let-live policy when it comes to you-all. Sound good?”

He smiled, but there was something about it that made me think of the Terminator—like if I looked close enough, I’d see a titanium chassis behind his lips.