But the Children Survived (37 page)

Jenny pointed to her bed.  Joe walked over to it and found the flashlight hidden in the blankets.  He grabbed it and headed towards the caves. 

When he'd first read about the cavern hotel, he thought it would be an adventure.  The ad said it was the quietest place on earth, that it was a totally unique experience, sleeping 150 stories below the earth's surface.  It was something new to try, and only minutes from Las Vegas.  Dani had been excited about it, too. 

Now, after nine days incarceration, Joe just wanted out.  He missed his cigarettes and his gambling.  He felt suffocated in this huge, quiet place.  It was the quiet that was the worst.  He couldn't fart without those two hearing it.  But worst of all was not being able to take a twenty minute shower.  Joe loved his showers.  But Dani was wrong about his clothes.  They weren’t that bad.  And besides, he couldn’t take them off in front of Jenny now, could he?  

Joe walked through the cavern.  It really was a beautiful place.  As he walked, he thought about how many days it had been since a tour came down here.  That would be costing the owners a bundle.  No tours and no income from the hotel.  Why didn't anybody answer the phone? 

In his guts, Joe knew something bad had happened on the surface.  He couldn't figure out what, but he believed that someone would have contacted them by now if all was well.  His mother would have called the hotel in Vegas, or Dani's mother would have flown out to look for them.  Jenny had to have parents, too.  No, something bad had happened, and Joe wasn't looking forward to finding out what it was.

As he walked back to the island, he could hear the women talking.  The movie must be over, Joe thought.  He could see them sitting on the sofa.  He climbed the stair up to the room floor, and sat at the table.

“Well, ladies, what are we doing today?”  He asked.

“We could play a game,” Jenny said.

Joe half-smiled at her.  They had played every game in the cabinet.  Dani sat and stared at the blank TV. 

“You could wash your clothes,” she said.  She sat quietly for a long time while Joe fumed.  Then she turned to him.  “What if we never get out?” she asked.

Joe and Jenny looked at each other.  No one wanted to think about that. 

“We have to get out someday, Dan,” Joe said.  “We have to.”

“They have to come for us soon,” Jenny said.  She didn't sound very convincing.

“You've been saying that for days, Jenny,” Dani said.  “What could be keeping them?”

“Jenny, is there another way out of here?”  Joe asked. 

“No, they made the shaft for the elevator, but that's all.”

“Didn't they think this might happen?  What kind of idiot builds something with one exit?”  Joe was yelling and his voice sounded really loud as it bounced off the walls of the cavern.

“Shut up, Joe.  She didn't build it.”  Dani's voice sounded flat.  She felt so depressed. 

“At least we have food and water,” Jenny said.

Joe went to the box of food searching for something to eat.  He couldn't find what he wanted, so he picked it up and threw it across the room.  Food packets flew everywhere.  Dani got up and walked over to him.  She began pounding his chest with her fists.  He grabbed her arms and held her so she couldn't land any more punches.  Jenny got up, and ran off the island. 

“Stop it, Dani!”  Joe yelled.

“You did this.  You brought us here!”  Dani was still trying to hit him as she yelled.

“Yeah, I did it, I ruined your life.  So what else is new?”  Joe pushed her away.  She fell backwards and landed on her butt.  She began to cry.

“I can't take this anymore.  I have to get out of here,” Dani said.

They didn't talk for several minutes.  Jenny slowly approached them from the direction of the elevator.  She’d been pushing the button over and over, willing the elevator to move.  It hadn't.  She climbed the stair, and looked at Dani on the floor. 

“You okay?” she asked her.

“I'm fine,” Dani whispered. 

Joe sat down at the table, and put his head on his hands.  Jenny sat on the sofa, and Dani stayed on the floor.  As they each contemplated spending the rest of their lives in the cavern, they heard a small “ding.”

Jenny got up, and ran towards the elevator.  Joe followed her, with Dani close behind.  Jenny got to the elevator door first and found it open.  She screamed in delight.  Joe saw it too, and whooped.  Dani grinned. 

Joe spotted something on the floor of the elevator.  It was right on the threshold.  The object was black and looked like leather.  It was kind of round with things sticking out of it.  Joe kicked it with his foot, and Dani gasped as she realized what it was. 

“It's a hand,” she said quietly.

*****

“Oh, my God, where did it come from?”  Jenny said.

Joe got into the elevator, and kicked the hand out. 

“Come on, let's get our stuff,” he said as he walked past Dani.  She followed him to the island. 

Jenny stood staring at the hand.  What had happened on the surface that would cause someone to lose a hand?  She didn't want to think about it.  She just wanted to go home.  She got on the elevator, and kept her eyes on the floor.  When Dani and Joe finally came back, they got on the elevator, and Jenny pushed the button. 

The elevator slowly started up.  It took several minutes to reach the surface.  During the ride up, no one talked about the hand.  Dani also kept her eyes on the floor.  Joe looked up, as if staring at the ceiling would get them there faster.  Finally, they felt the elevator slow down and stop. 

The door opened automatically, and Dani, Joe, and Jenny stared at the cavern lobby.  There were bodies everywhere.  There was a body in front of the elevator with one hand missing.  The smell was so bad, that Jenny began to vomit.  She covered her mouth, and ran out of the elevator.  Dani and Joe followed suit.

They exited the building as fast as they could.  There were more bodies outside the entrance.  Jenny almost tripped over one, and Joe caught her by the arm before she fell.  They moved as quickly as they could to get to the parking lot. 

Joe tried to remember where he’d parked.  Dani ran past him, and he followed.  Jenny kept as close to them as she could. 

Dani found the car first.  She waited for Joe, who had the car keys, to open the doors.  Joe pushed the button on the keys to open the doors.  Dani and Jenny slid inside; Dani in front, and Jenny in back.  Joe ran around the car and got into the driver's seat.  Jenny closed her eyes, and wouldn't open them. 

Dani kept staring at the bodies, trying to figure out what had happened.  Joe put the car in gear drove out of the parking lot at top speed, running over bodies along the way.  Every time he hit one, Dani would cringe, and Jenny would hug herself.  When he finally got to the road, he headed for Las Vegas. 

Chapter 46

The 34-mile trip to Vegas took an hour.  Joe had to keep slowing down to go around cars as they got closer to Vegas.  As they entered the city, the lights were still blazing.  There were bodies everywhere.  They were mostly bones and hair.  Dani looked through their backpacks to find something to mask the smell.  She ended up taking off her shirt and tying it around her face.  Joe did the same. 

Joe found their hotel and stopped the car in front of it.  Jenny was asleep so Dani and Joe quietly got out of the car, leaving the door open so as not to wake her.  There was a body lying in the doorway to the hotel.  They walked around it and into the lobby.  It was filled bodies, some sitting, others lying on the floor. 

Joe went behind the counter, looking for a pass key to open their room.  He found one in the cashier’s drawer.  He and Dani decided to take the stairs rather than risk being stuck in the elevator.  Their room was on the eighth floor.  By the time they reached it, they were breathing heavily. 

“Let's get this over with fast,” Dani said between breaths. 

They found the room as they had left it.  Dani found her suitcase and put her clothes and toiletries in it.  Joe did the same.  They worked fast and got what they needed.  When they were done, they took one more look around and then headed downstairs. 

When they got to the lobby, they could hear Jenny screaming.  They ran to the street and saw her standing in the middle of the road.

“WHERE ARE YOU?  WHERE ARE YOU?” 

Jenny was hysterical.  Dani dropped her bag and ran to Jenny.  She put her arms around her and held her. 

“We just went to get our stuff.  You were asleep.  I'm so sorry.” 

Dani rocked Jenny like a baby.  Jenny's shaking body began to calm down.  Dani guided her back to the car.  She and Jenny slid into the back seat.  Jenny put her head on Dani's shoulder and cried.

“Ready?”  Joe asked.  He looked at Dani in the rearview mirror and she nodded.  He’d left the car running so he closed his door and drove out of Vegas, rolling over the bodies that littered the streets.  He couldn't avoid them.  It was the crunching of bones that got to Dani.  Her body began to shake and the tears rolled down her face.  Joe looked at her in the mirror again.

“It'll be okay.  I promise,” Joe said.  Dani looked at him and nodded slightly.  “Where are we going?” he asked. 

“Jenny, where are we going?” Dani asked.

“Boulder City,” Jenny whispered.

“Which road do I take?” Joe asked.

“Go south,” she said.

The drive to Boulder City took half an hour.  Joe looked at Dani in the rearview mirror.  Jenny was looking out the window.  Dani touched her hand.

“Which way, Jenny?” she said.

“Keep going,” Jenny replied.

They drove through the center of town for several minutes.  Suddenly Jenny began to yell.

“Stop here, please!”

Joe stopped the car and Jenny opened the door and got out.  She ran up to a house, climbed the front steps and opened the door.  They heard her scream.

Dani got out and ran to the house.  As she entered the house, she saw Jenny on her knees on the floor.  Her mother was at the kitchen table.  Her brother was on the floor in front of the TV.  It was hot in the house; the bodies were now bones and hair.  Most of their flesh had melted away but for a few bits that clung to the bones.  Dani walked over to Jenny and knelt beside her. 

“Where is my dad?  Where is my dad?”  Jenny was screaming.

“He must have been at work.  Jenny,” Dani said, trying to keep calm. 

“No, he dropped me off at work.  He should be here!” Jenny was crying hard.

“Whatever happened…this thing that…it must have happened right after we went down into the cavern.  He would have been driving home,” Dani said.  She waited for Jenny to respond, but Jenny just kept crying.

“Listen, you have to get your things.  There’s nothing you can do for them now.  Please, I'll help you.” 

Dani pulled on Jenny’s arm, but Jenny wouldn't move.  She just stared at her little brother with tears rolling down her face.  He’d been so young.  She had fought with him all the time and now she wished she could tell him she was sorry. 

Dani got up, opened some windows, and went to the hallway, looking for the bedrooms. She wondered why the air conditioning wasn’t working. She found Jenny's room and looked around.  She went back to the living room.  Jenny had gotten up and was now staring at her mother, holding her hand over her nose.  Dani passed her and went into the kitchen. 

She found a grocery bag and headed back to Jenny's room.  She filled it with clothes and then went into the bathroom.  She tried the light switch, but the lights didn’t come on.  There was enough light from the window to make out the soap and shampoo.  She took the liner out of the trash bin and put the toiletries into it.  She took the two bags back into the living room. 

“Can we bury them?”  Jenny's voice was barely above a whisper.

Why, they look fine the way they are, Dani thought.  She was glad she hadn’t said it out loud.  How could she have thought that?

She put her arm around Jenny's shoulders.  “If we move them, they'll fall apart,” she said quietly.

“Oh, God.” Jenny broke down again.

Dani steered her towards the front door.  Dani then ran back into the living room and grabbed the two bags she had packed.  She closed the door and took Jenny's hand, leading her back to the car.  She put Jenny in the back seat with the bags and she got into the front with Joe.  She hoped Jenny would fall asleep.

*****

Jenny was quiet in the back seat.  She hadn’t said much since leaving her house.  She was keeping it to herself for now.  Every so often she would look out the window, but then a car would appear with a body in it and she had to turn away.  Most of the time, she slept.

The car had a GPS built in.  Dani played with it for a while until she figured out how to program it.  She input her home address and the thing began to talk.  As long as Joe followed it, they should be home in a few days. 

They were going across long stretches of road in the desert, so there weren't that many abandoned cars.  Dani noticed how bad they smelled.  The smell of human decay will cling to your clothes.  It will also cling to your walls, your car, and anything else in its path.  

“We have to find a store that was closed when this thing went down.  Somewhere without a dead body in it,” Dani said as they drove past a strip mall. 

They had encountered plenty of convenience stores and were well fed.  There was also plenty of gasoline.  Most cars they passed had gas in them and Joe had picked up a siphon at an auto parts store during one of their stops. 

Dani kept her eyes peeled for a clothing store.  She saw a sign for a consignment shop that was closed on Sundays and Mondays.  She told Joe to stop.