Under the Dome

Julia held up her camera - a slightly older version of Pete Freeman's. 'I have quite a few pictures of Mr Barbara assisting Rusty Everett with that wounded child, a couple of Officer Searles hauling Mr Barbara off for no discernible reason... and one of Officer Searles punching Mr Barbara in the mouth. Also for no discernible reason. I'm not much of a photographer, but that one is really quite good. Would you like to see it, Chief Randolph? You can; the camera's digital.'

Barbie's admiration for her deepened, because he thought she was running a bluff. If she'd been taking pictures, why was she holding the lenscap in her left hand, as if she'd just taken it off?

'It's a lie, Chief,' Mel said. 'He tried to take a swing at me. Ask Junior.'

'I think my pictures will show that young Mr Rennie was involved in crowd control and had his back turned when the punch landed,'Julia said.

Randolph was glowering at her. 'I could take your camera away,' he said. 'Evidence.'

'You certainly could,' she agreed cheerily, 'and Pete Freeman would take a picture of you doing it. Then you could take Pete's camera... but everyone here would see you do it.'

'Whose side are you on here, Julia?' Big Jim asked. He was smiling his fierce smile - the smile of a shark about to take a bite out of some plump swimmer's ass.

Julia turned her own smile on him, the eyes above it as innocent and enquiring as a child's. 'Are there sides, James? Other than over there' - she pointed at the watching soldiers - 'and in here?'

Big Jim considered her, his lips now bending the other way, a smile in reverse. Then he flapped one disgusted hand at Randolph.

T guess we'll let it slide, Mr Barbara,' Randolph said. 'Heat of the moment.'

'Thanks,' Barbie said.

Jackie took her glowering young partner's arm.'Come or, Officer Searles. This part's over. Let's move these people back.'

Searles went with her, but not before turning to Barbie and making the gesture: finger pointing, head cocked slightly. We ain't done yet, Sunshine.

Rommie's assistant Toby Manning and Jack Evans appeared, carrying a makeshift stretcher made out of canvas and tent poles. Rommie opened his mouth to ask what the hell they thought they were doing, then closed it again. The field day had been canceled anyway, so what the hell.

5

Those with cars got into them. Then they all tried to drive away at the same time.

Predictable, Joe McClatchey thought. Totally predictable.

Most of the cops worked to unclog the resulting traffic jam, although even a bunch of kids (Joe was standing with Benny Drake and Norrie Calvert) could tell that the new and improved. Five-O had no idea what it was doing. The sound of po-po curses came clear on the summery air ('Can't you back that sonofawhore UP!'). In spite of the mess, nobody seemed to be laying on their horns. Most folks were probably too bummed to beep.

Benny said, 'Look at those idiots. How many gallons of gas do you think they're blowing out their tailpipes? Like they trunk the supply's endless.'

'Word,' Norrie said. She was a tough kid, a smalltown riot grrrl with a modified Tennessee Tophat mullet 'do, but now she only looked pale and sad and scared. She took Benny's hand. Scarecrow Joe's heart broke, then remended itself in an instant when she took his as well.

'There goes the guy who almost got arrested,'Benny said, pointing with his free hand. Barbie and the newspaper lady were trudging across the field toward the makeshift parking lot with sixty or eighty other people, some dragging their protest signs dispiritedly behind them.

'Nancy Newspaper wasn't taking pictures at all, y'know,' Scarecrow Joe said. 'I was standing right behind her. Pretty foxy.'

'Yeah,' Benny said, 'but I still wouldn't want to be hirrn. Until this shit ends, the cops can do pretty much what they wan:.'

That was true, Joe reflected. And the new cops weren't particularly nice guys. Junior Rennie, for example. The story of Sloppy Sam's arrest was already making the rounds.

'What are you saying?' Norrie asked Benny.

'Nothing right now. It's still cool right now.' He considered. 'Fairly cool. But if this goes on... remember Lord of the Flies?' They had read it for honors English.

Benny intoned:'"Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in." People call cops pigs, but I'll tell you what I think, I think cops find pigs when the shit gets deep. Maybe because they get scared, too.'

Norrie Calvert burst into tears. Scarecrow Joe put an arm around her. He did it carefully, as if he thought doing such a thing might cause them both to explode, but she turned her face against his shirt and hugged him. It was a one-armed hug, because she was still holding onto Benny with her other hand. Joe thought he had felt nothing in his whole life as weirdly thrilling as her tears dampening his shirt. Over the top of her head, he looked at Benny reproachfully. 'Sorry, dude,' Benny said, and patted her back. 'No fear.' 'His eye was gone!' she cried. The words were muffled against Joe's chest. Then she let go of him. 'This isn't fun anymore. This is not fun.'

'No.' Joe spoke as if discovering a great truth. 'It isn't.' 'Look,' Benny said. It was the ambulance. Twitch was bumping across Dinsmore's field with the red roof lights flashing. His sister, the woman who owned Sweetbriar Rose, was walking ahead of him, guiding him around the worst potholes. An ambulance in a hayfield, under a bright afternoon sky in October: it was the final touch.

Suddenly, Scarecrow Joe no longer wanted to protest. Nor did he exactly want to go home.

At that moment, the only thing in the world he wanted was to get out of town.

6

Julia slid behind the wheel of her car but didn't start it; they were going to be here awhile, and there was no sense in wasting gas. She leaned past Barbie, opened the glove compartment, and brought out an old pack of American Spirits. 'Emergency supplies,' she:old him apologetically. 'Do you want one?'