I knew she meant her ex-husband. I nodded slowly, “Probably.” I then added, “Definitely.”

  “Even if we found Lux… you know, learned he was still alive, we have no way of getting to him.”

  She was on the mountain of misery now, as my mom would have called it. Piling on all the bad stuff just to make one big heaping pile of sadness and failure.

  “Maybe not,” I said. “Let me worry about that.”

  She looked up; our faces suddenly seemed way closer than they had been moments earlier. Her lips met mine before I even had a chance to think about it. I decided I enjoyed kissing her, so I did it again and again.

  CHAPTER

  SIXTY-SIX

  LUX

  Lux awoke to a gray sky and a pale sun that offered light but little warmth. Climbing out of the car, he gathered his pack and dreaded the day ahead. He walked, he fished, and sometimes ate, and he slept. Occasionally, he passed houses with swing sets and toys in the yard. He wanted to be a kid again; he wanted to just play and enjoy being a kid.

  He’d given up days earlier on trying to know if he was walking toward home or not. He was kinda sure he was pointed the same way the car was that morning when it stopped but had to admit it wasn’t his primary concern. The car he’d slept in last night had been a good one. In one compartment, he’d found a pack of crackers and a candy bar. He ate the crackers but saved the candy for later. That was something he was slowly learning. He had to think ahead. There had already been several days when he hadn’t been able to fish and a few when he hadn’t caught anything. Yesterday was one of those days. His food was running low, and he knew what that meant.

  The morning was cool, and he couldn’t tell if it was fog or maybe about to rain. Up here in the hills, the weather was hard to judge. The mist was soaking into his clothes, though. “Don’t let it get you, Lux,” he told himself. “Think of something fun.” He tried, but nothing came to him. Even the memories of playing video games or watching holovision with his mom seemed as pale and unreal as the sorry excuse of a sun hanging in the murky sky. He got a small jacket from his bag. It was an old one of the family’s daughters, Aleta, he thought. It was pink and yellow, but he didn’t care.

  “Come on, fun thoughts.”

  He could see the road twisting down for miles and miles ahead. There were fewer cars stopped here.

  “This would be a great place to ride my bike.” He could almost feel the wind whipping past as he pedaled as fast as it would go.

  “Why not?” he asked himself, and why had he not thought of it before now? “I need to find a bike.” But that meant going toward the houses, maybe seeing people. Mister Bill had told him not to do that unless he had to. This seemed kinda like a ‘had to’ thing, though. Lux moved over to the edge of the road; there was a long drop off to a valley below. He could see in the distance a bunch of houses; they looked abandoned, some were partially covered in old vines. Maybe he could find a bike there. His feet began to pick up speed as he headed off the road toward the neighborhood.

  Lux was close to the bottom of the hill doing the crazy run, skip, jump thing he’d picked up over the past week. He was going way too fast when his foot caught on a root, and he went airborne, crashing into a small tree. He was laughing despite the pain because it was just so much fun. Strangely, though, he didn’t see the root that had tripped him now. He retraced his steps and could clearly see where his foot had left the ground, but whatever it had been had vanished.

  The houses here all seemed different somehow. It was a neighborhood kind of like his mom’s, but different. Old and beaten down. He stopped on the edge of a yard and listened for several minutes.

  Nothing! There was no sound of life. That was it. Total silence. No animals or kids or even birds singing. No distant leaf blowers or autocars. He had to admit, he’d seen no people other than the family he stayed with, and that seemed really odd. The road he’d been walking on had high sides, though, so if there had been people or houses, he probably wouldn’t have seen them. Still, where did all the people who had been in all those cars go? It gave him an uneasy feeling. He wanted to find a bike and was hoping for some real food, but Bill had warned him about people.

  “I’m just a kid. Why would anyone hurt a kid?”

  The thought echoed around for a second before Lux realized he was hearing something. A very distant sound, like raindrops on a roof but steadier. He moved to the road that bordered the houses. Farther down the street, he saw a tangle of weird colored vines. The sounds seemed to come from beyond that. He doubted he’d find a bike there. The place looked abandoned. Still, he was careful as he moved past each of the houses.

  He slipped the knife out of his pocket and struggled to get the blade open. He wasn’t sure what he could do with it, but just having it made him feel better. The only other thing he heard was the sound of his sneakers on the pavement, but the tinkling noise was getting stronger. Definitely coming from deeper in a cluster of houses. He studied each house as he passed. Did they have toys, bikes? Did it look like anyone might live there? Maybe he should find a suitable spot to just watch for a while.

  Something shot out from under a fence. At first, he assumed it was a cat, maybe a rat, but then decided it must be a snake. The slithering thing seemed to come for him. Then he saw the leaves, the small branches looping off into smaller vines. This thing was a plant. Not only that, the cluster of vines down the street seemed to be moving as well. Plants don’t do this, they aren’t scary.

  One of the vines twisted around Lux’s ankle; he slashed down with the knife, lopping off a thick piece of the thing. Another was quickly trying to take its place. He ran for the steps of the closest house and hurried up them. He knocked on the door, then tried the knob. It was locked. Vines now covered the bottom two steps of the house, and more were coming this way.

  He slid his backpack off and took out the tool. A smaller version of the break-in bar Mister Bill had used. Bill had called it a pry bar. He moved to the hinge side and wedged it in and pushed against it. One small crack showed, but nothing more. He heard the vines now, rustling and slapping each other as they neared. He pushed harder against the bar, but the door stayed in its frame.

  “I need the longer pipe.” That was something Bill said he would have to find, as it was too big to carry with him. No time to look for one now. The porch ran all the way across the front of the house. Lux ran to the far edge and was about to jump when he realized there was a window. He took the pry bar and broke the glass. The sound scared him, but he knew this was an emergency. He only had to break out two of the panes before he could get in. He rolled onto a sofa, then landed on the floor. A dead body lay on the far side of the room, an old man. His middle was swollen really big, almost like a balloon.

  “Until a few days ago I… I never saw a dead person before.” He decided right then he didn’t ever want to see any more.

  Looking back out the broken window, he saw the creeping vines inching down the railing. They almost appeared to be looking for him, but surely that was nuts. Plants couldn’t do that, could they? Something on his ankle burned. He looked down and saw a bluish-purple stain on his sock. That was where the vine had wrapped around his leg. He quickly pulled the shoe and sock off and saw a ring of red blisters coming up where the thing had touched his sock. The burning was getting worse.

  Lux couldn’t stop the tears. He apologized to the dead man as he ran by. Drying the tears, he looked through the man’s cabinets. Old people always had medicines and stuff. He did not know what might help ease the pain, but he would try it all if he had to. Thick, weird colored vines now covered the window on the front door. He knew it was a matter of time before they covered the entire house. He found the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. He moved to the tubes of clear stuff applying several until one felt cold and seemed to numb the pain. He threw these into his bag.

  Searching the kitchen, he discovered some cans of soup. He grabbed them all, a manual can opener, and a small pot. He rushed toward the back and opened a door overlooking a neatly manicured lawn and garden. The tinkling sound came again, much louder now. He carefully made sure the entire area was clear of the creepy vines before venturing out. He softly closed the back door and crept down the steps. Moving toward the noise, the volume increased. It was something in the next yard.

  He climbed up the ivy-covered wire fence and peered over, almost too afraid to see what it might be. Then he almost wished he hadn’t. A small, black and brown dog had wrapped itself up in a chain or leash. It was tight against a metal post. The vines were within just a few feet of the animal, who appeared too terrified to make any sound. His shaking made the chain around him bump the pole every few seconds.

  “Shhh!” Lux said, his voice no louder than a whisper. The dog looked at him, its mournful eyes clearly begging for help.

  “Oh, man, am I going to do this?” His leg was burning again, and the fence was cutting into his ribs. Briefly, he thought how different his life was now. He tossed the pack into the other yard, then followed it over. He hit the ground at a dead run, knife in his lead hand. He cut away several of the vines to get to the animal, which suddenly looked more afraid of him. It cowered back and started growling. Lux didn’t care, he was going to free the thing.

  He felt around for the metal clasp and pushed it in, but the chain was wrapped too tight to slip out. He wasn’t strong enough to muscle it. He felt the tendrils climbing over his shoes. He had to do something now. The dog saw the knife coming at him and ducked away. Lux slipped it under his nylon collar and sliced up. The collar and binding chain fell away.

  “Run, boy!”

  He jumped over the vines, grabbed his pack, and headed for the rear part of the yard where the vines hadn’t converged. The small dog was already there, as if waiting on him. Lux hoisted the dog over the fence with some difficulty, then himself, and they dashed back toward the trees.

  It took a long time to find the main road again. The dog stopped and drank a lot of water before following behind. He was not as big or pretty as Timber, but he seemed to be a good dog. He wasn’t letting Lux out if his sight. They found an unlocked car and crawled inside. He offered a can of beef stew to the dog, who wolfed it down and licked the inside of the can. “How long were you trapped there, boy?” The dog just wagged its stiff little tail.

  “Those vines were scary. I didn’t know they had things like that down here,” Lux said to the dog. He saw the public phone in its cradle on the dash. He picked it up, wishing he could talk to Marcie or his mom or dad. The phone briefly seemed to power up like a lot of them did, then went dark again. He ate a can of cold soup and rubbed more of the clear goo on the burn on his leg. Tomorrow, they would need to get past the plants. He didn’t know how he was going to do that. The dog crawled up and nestled in against him. They could do it, though. He felt better now.

  CHAPTER

  SIXTY-SEVEN

  I simply held Carol for much of the night. I wasn’t sure which of us needed it more. My love life had never been a big part of my world, and I wasn’t about to let it become one now, but I think we both needed this moment of mutual sanctuary. The world was coming apart. We were both facing a bleak future. Yes, she was vulnerable, and I may have inadvertently taken advantage of that, but I am also human. Increasingly, I realized I cared for her and her boy. Somewhere during the night, reuniting them became the most important thing for me to do. It might not be the happy ending Carol deserved, but maybe it would help.

  Ada and Sumo had kept watch during the night for the creeping vines and the Wraith. She let me know she still couldn’t detect it on sensors, nor could she isolate the apparently psionic broadcast that seemed to strike unfathomable fear in me. She could, however, detect my reactions to it. She claimed my brain would light up with every neuron firing if the beast was close.

  * * *

  I was convinced that was total bullshit, as the thing had hitched a ride with us for hundreds of miles. Only once during all those days had I sensed anything close to the stomach-churning fear of that first day and night in Virginia. The creature could obviously turn it on or off. It had a way to control it… to weaponize fear. What genius egghead came up with that one? Of course, my delightfully optimistic AI brought up another possibility—there were more than one of them. What I faced yesterday may not be, in fact was likely not the same one.

  I tried in vain to steady my hand holding the steaming cup of coffee. Building a fire and making coffee was a risk, but shit…everything was a risk. I used my other hand to help steady the tremors. The headaches, the stomach issues, and, of course, the shakes, I knew what they meant. My expiration date was approaching faster than normal. Doctor Magnus Reichert, the man who had practically rebuilt me, warned me that would be a possibility. Over-exertion, heightened states of awareness, and lack of sleep could all speed up the organ rejection. That was also why I was routinely checked out after each mission. Now I was quickly becoming what I would deem ‘mission ineffective.’ If it was any other member of Banshee squad, they would be on the sidelines by now.

  “It’s getting worse… isn’t it?”

  I looked over at Carol; she had the sleeping bag pulled up to her chin. She was studying me; I wasn’t sure how to read the look I saw. I gave a simple nod.

  Sumo reported in with his normal tail wag and ‘Where is my breakfast?’ look. I poured Carol coffee and dug in the packs to find food for him.

  The woman gratefully accepted it and took great care to keep herself mostly covered as she sipped. I wasn’t sure what had changed between us during the night, but something had. My dad’s words echoed back to me, though. Especially his line about not living as being worse than death. I’d never given much thought to my solitary life, to being alone. I’d always had the service, and it occupied nearly all of my time right until it nearly killed me. Maybe I just wasn’t sure I deserved love, a wife, kids. I couldn’t see Pops as a granddad. Mom would have been great, but Dad? The idea made me smile.

  “There you go again,” Carol said, standing up and letting the sleeping bag fall off her wonderfully sculpted body.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, trying hard not to stare at her exposed skin but wanting to do nothing else but that.

  She shrugged and did a few morning stretches, something she called Pilates. She had done them nearly every morning, but always when she was wearing clothes. Today it was presenting a whole new set of challenges for me. Doctor Reichert would be pleased that not everything was as broken as I’d originally thought.

  She walked over, gave me a friendly kiss on the cheek, and then went through her bag for a granola bar to eat.

  “Just, you disappear into yourself, sometimes. I’ve noticed it. You keep things pretty close, don’t you?” she asked.

  I shrugged. “Maybe… I guess. Not that complicated. I just don’t feel like others would be too interested in the crap that goes on in my head.”

  “Not a big over-sharer, huh?” she asked, nibbling away at her breakfast bar.

  “My dad raised me old-school. Handle your own problems, quit your whining, and, well… a lot more stuff like that.”

  She pulled some clean clothes out of the bag. “I’m going to get dressed.” She stepped into a pair of panties, then grinned. “Unless you want to take care of…” She pointed at me with a finger.

  I may have been confused, but I’m not completely stupid. I nodded.

  “What about her?” I asked. Carol and I had been walking for hours and finally seemed to be clear of the main concentration of Thunder Vine. Now we were encountering something new. Some of the grass along the roads seemed to have developed a stinging barb. I’d accidentally flopped down on the ground and felt like I had landed in a nest of yellow jackets. My suit administered an agent to block the toxins and mute the pain, but it had been a wake-up for me. The entire fucking planet was turning against us.

  “She’s pretty,” Carol said. “I could see the attraction.”

  “She’s gone, Carol. You’re not jealous, are you?” I asked without realizing I had unwittingly stepped into a minefield way more dangerous than poison grasses.

  “Damiana’s my friend, and I know she normally gets what she wants.”

  “She didn’t seem to want me,” I said without breaking stride. “She stole my truck, left me for dead.”

  Carol just looked at me. “Men,” she said, mostly under her breath.

  I let the silence fall over us for another mile or two. “Look, I’m not good at this. Relationships, I mean.”

  She looked at me with a look of something… horror, maybe.

  “Okay, not relationships… bad word choice. Really, really terrible choice. I like what happened between us. That’s all I’m saying. I think we should just concentrate on getting to Rainier now. If I don’t get some help, I’m not going to be any help to you in finding Lux.”

  She stopped and looked at me. Her face scrunched up as if contemplating something, then she nodded. “That works.”

  Am I safe? Did I win? Am I screwed? Adult level topics had never been a strong suit of mine, and—well, women were essentially enemy territory and not a place I seemed to belong. Ada was very unhelpful in all of this.

  “How did you guys manage to slip away?” I asked Carol. “I mean, I tracked you across that river and you had doubled back.”

  She smiled. “I had found a downed tree crossing most of the river the night before when I was on watch. We simple walked to the water’s edge, then went up the river in the shallows and crossed over.”

  “Then you came back down on the far side and continued as if you had gone straight across. What an idiot I am.”