I never do get used to it, the way it changes people. I’ve known for so long that it isn’t fair for me to be impatient.
“But that’s where we’re going, isn’t it?”
“Where else?” he said and sounded downright happy about it. “She’s got answers, Eden. She’s got them, and I want them, so we’re going to go in there, and we’re going to get them. ”
Ah, that was more like it—more like him.
“You keep talking about answers, and you mentioned something new and weird down by the water. Are you going to fill me in or leave me guessing? Because I’ve got to tell you, it’s a madhouse out there—a mad city, anyway. I’ve never seen anything like it. ”
Overhead and past the windows we heard the hearty flapping of a helicopter’s blades cutting low near the buildings. It flew in the company of several others too, or so it sounded. Nick lifted his chin and gestured at the big noise, pointing towards it with his face. “They’d better hurry up. ”
“Who? What?”
“Evacuating. They’re starting with the hospitals. They’ll hit the shelters next. They’ll get the people who’ve done what they’re told out first. But have you noticed? The National Guard is gathering at the ridges and moving people over them, too. We’ve got to empty the city. We’ve got to move everyone before the things get any faster, and higher, and farther into downtown. And, you know, I don’t think it will be long now. I think it’s just a matter of time. ”
I followed him while he fumed his little tirade. He reached back behind and grabbed my hand; I wasn’t following fast enough, climbing my way over the sniffling kids and wide-eyed old people on blankets.
“What’s—” I started, but he cut me off.
“The police are figuring it out now, too. We’re all coming around. We’re all start
ing to see. The lock failure? You think that was an accident? I don’t. It was an event. It was a deliberate event?
I yanked on his hand because at least it gave me an ounce of leverage to pry his attention towards me. “You’re about to lose me here, hero. ” I let go of his hand. “Start talking sense already, would you? I don’t know what’s going on, so you’re going to have to tell me. And you’re going to have to do it like a civilized, sane human being if you want me to pay attention. ”
I released him and let my hands drop to my sides. I was so tired. “I’m sorry,” I amended it. “It’s been a rough day. Just, please. Just spell it out for me. I’m beat, over here. ”
He stopped and looked me up and down, almost like he was seeing me for the first time—but not really. More like he’d just noticed something that had been there all along, but he didn’t have a reason to see it before. “Okay,” he said it in a half-whisper, the kind that comes out when you exhale while your mouth holds the shape of a word.
“Okay,” I echoed.
“Let’s do it like this, then. The elevators are working but crowded. I’ve scored a pass for the service elevator. Let’s take that, and I’ll tell you what I saw on the way up. ”
“Okay,” I said again, and I let him guide me down a hall and around a corner. He pressed the button on an elevator that didn’t look half so shiny as the ones in the lobby, but would be serviceable enough if the doors ever opened.
They did. We stepped inside. He picked a key from his pocket and plugged it into the hole beneath the list of floor buttons. The doors closed and we were lifted up with that stomach-dropping whoosh that comes from an elevator built for speed, not comfort.
“Down by the river, where the green grass grows,” he said in a sing-song. “Down by the river, something is coming up, and coming out. I don’t know how many of them there are, and I don’t know what they want. But they’re dead. They’re very, very dead. And they are pissed. ”
“I beg you to be a touch more specific. ”
The elevator pinged and the doors split open to the next floor. We stepped out into another shiny tile hallway and immediately began working our way past more refugees who were scattered around on the floor. All ages, all sizes, all shapes, and all colors were crowded together, trying to stay on the carpeted places but not altogether able to do so.
I hesitated when we reached the hall with Caroline’s door. There was a space around it like it was quarantined, or banned, or just plain smelled bad. I didn’t want to go back in. Not yet. Not without knowing.
“Keep talking,” I told Nick. “Tell me everything you can before I do this. I don’t want to talk to her again without knowing what I need to ask. ” I hated myself because it came out so close to a whine. But I was tired, and she’d hurt me so much the last time. I didn’t want to go in there cold, not again.
Nicks eyes shifted back and forth, sweeping the floor and seeing no private place to speak, or even stand. “Hmm. Back into the elevator. Just for a minute. ”
“What?”
“Not out here, in the hallway. Not here where people can hear. ”
“Fine,” I said, and I even agreed. There’d be no point in scaring people silly who were already frightened and confused.
Back into the elevator we went, though we had to wait for it. Once inside, we let the doors close and Nick plugged his key in again, turning it and pressing a button that would lock us there.
He turned to face me, then leaned back into the corner and sat against the support rails there while he spoke. “It’s like this: I have no idea. I have to start with that. I’ve got a million and one questions, but I’m running short on answers. ”