Fear

They moved to a rock outcropping. Orc stood stiff, like he was on display and wanted to look right. Dekka did her thing and Orc rose. At ten feet he let out a huge, delighted guffaw.

“Hah! This is fun!”

At thirty feet she could no longer see him at all. “What do you see, Orc?”

“Fire,” he said. “And I think the Sammy suns are going that way.”

“I’m bringing you down now.”

When he was back on terra firma Dekka said, “The fire. What did it look like?”

“Like it was two or maybe three different fires, but all close together.”

“Perdido Beach?”

“Maybe,” he said reluctantly.

“Okay, so we follow the Sammy suns toward town.”

But Orc hesitated. “You can do that, Dekka. But me, I set out to find Drake and kill him.”

“Orc, you must know we can’t look for anything. Not in this pitch-black. It could take us forever to just accidentally run into Drake.”

He nodded, but he wasn’t really agreeing. “I don’t mind the dark as much you do, Dekka. In the dark I don’t have to be like I am. You know? People can’t see me. Anyway, there’ll likely be some booze back there in town. So I’m just going to go on in the dark. It’s probably better for me.”

He held out his oversize paw and Dekka felt strangely moved taking it. “Thanks, big guy. You saved me, you know.”

“Nah.”

“No, listen to me, Orc. I know you have some bad stuff on your conscience.”

He nodded and muttered, “But I’ve been forgave of that. I prayed and I was forgave.” Then he added, “But that don’t mean it doesn’t weigh me down.”

“That’s what I’m saying, Orc. When all that weighs you down, you remember that you saved me. Okay?”

He didn’t look too sure of that. But he may have smiled. It was hard to tell. And then he went galumphing off into the dark.

Dekka followed the lights leading left.

“There’s a light out there. Down the highway. It just appeared!” Lana said.

“A Sammy sun!” Quinn said. The sense of relief was amazing. Sam was coming.

He felt like he might well faint from the sheer release of tension.

Quinn, Lana, and Caine—with Patrick as well—had snuck away from the dying campfire, leaving some of Quinn’s people in nominal charge. Not that anyone was able anymore to do more than yell, “Knock it off!”

Torches were spreading through Perdido Beach, little knots of kids looking for food, water, beloved toys, or just a bed.

Now Sammy suns were blossoming like radioactive flowers on the highway.

Patrick barked once, announcing himself, and took off down the highway.

“Hail the conquering hero,” Caine muttered. “Mr. Sunshine.”

After ten minutes a new Sammy sun appeared, perhaps no more than a hundred feet away, and they walked toward it, still moving carefully. The highway was littered with debris up to and including entire trucks.

Then Quinn could make out two forms dimly outlined.

The two groups came together and Sam illuminated the scene.

“Quinn, Lana,” Sam said. One hand was scratching Patrick’s ruff. “Caine.”

“Hey, brother. How’s it going? Some weird weather we’re having, huh?” Caine said.

“What happened to your hands?” Sam asked.

Caine raised his hands, still patched with concrete. “Oh, this? It’s nothing. I just need a little lotion.”

“Astrid?” Lana said. “You’re back?”

“About time,” Quinn said under his breath.

“Well, then, it’s a happy ending,” Caine said savagely. “I love a happy ending.”

Quinn was about to say something to Caine, something along the lines of shut up. But he stopped himself. Caine was a power-mad tool, but he’d been through hell this day. Sarcasm wasn’t the worst thing he was capable of.

“You here to turn on some lights?” Lana asked. “Because as good as that would be, we have bigger problems. The gaiaphage is coming.”

“How?” Astrid asked sharply. “Everyone says the gaiaphage is a green encrustation in the bottom of a mine shaft.”

“I don’t know how,” Lana said, a little evasively. “It just is. That’s why we’re standing out here. We weren’t waiting for you. We’re waiting for it.”

“I won’t ask how you know,” Astrid said.

“Yeah?” Lana shot back. “Well, here’s my question, Astrid: why aren’t you arguing more? I tell you this is happening and you just meekly accept it? You know something.”

“Oh, Astrid? She knows everything,” Caine said.

“It has Diana,” Astrid said. She tilted her head and considered Caine. “And your baby, Caine. At least, Diana says it’s yours.”

“Yeah,” Caine said. He seemed about to say something more, but stopped himself and just muttered, “Yeah. A baby.”

“Wait,” Lana interrupted. “Sanjit. Did…”

“Barely,” Sam said. “But as far as I know he’s safe at the lake. I got your message. Too late. And Astrid was bringing a message to you as well.”

“Funny how things fall apart when the lights go out,” Quinn said. “Lots of plans, and nothing works.”

“The gaiaphage is looking for a body,” Astrid said. “It needs a physical body. The barrier is dead. It’s going to crack open. It’s finally going to be over. But when that happens the gaiaphage is going to try to get out.”