Extinct (49 page)

Eventually, Christine broke the monotony.

“I can see the top of the thing that’s giving off the light,” Christine said. “It’s like a ball, mostly under the ice. It’s so pretty, but so cold. It’s bright, but not as bright as the sun. You can look right at it. What should I do?”

Robby reached back and Brynn put the radio into his hand.

“Christine?” Robby asked. “Does the ice keep going right to the edge of the ball?”

“Yes,” she said. “As far as I can see.”

Through the side windows of the tractor, Robby saw other paths made of ice, all converging ahead of the tractors. They all pulsed at once with the same blue glow. Somewhere down in the snow, perpendicular to their road of ice, a line of orange light pulsed just before the blue. The orange light flared again just as Robby’s tractor passed over it. Robby held his breath; nothing unusual happened.

Robby lost track of time. It seemed like only minutes had elapsed, but it must have been longer when Christine spoke again. "I don’t think I can go any farther. The hill is too steep.”

Robby slowed his tractor. He was quickly approaching the rear of Pete’s sled.

They came to a stop on the plateau of ice.
 

“Everyone meet up front,” Robby said. “Be careful.”

He reached for the door handle and nearly leapt from the tractor when the hand grabbed his arm. It was Brynn.

“Don’t leave me,” he whispered.

“We have to go,” Robby said. “You come with me.”

“I don’t want to go out there,” Brynn said.

“Then I’m leaving you,” he said. “Come on.”

Brynn let Robby pull him from behind the seat. He covered his eyes and wouldn’t look through the back window at the squirming bodies pressed against the glass. Robby left the engine running. Over the low idle he heard their wet hands squeaking against the window.

Brad jogged up beside their tractor when they jumped down past the tracks. Robby slipped on the ice, but Brynn caught his arm and helped him find his balance. They joined Brad and soon met Nate, who was running back to meet Brynn. When he reached them, Nate swept Brynn into a hug and then pulled him by the hand up to meet the others.

Robby raised his arm to shield his eyes as he came around Christine’s crooked tractor and joined the group who were looking at the glowing ball in the distance. Robby understood why Christine stopped, and was glad she did. Just in front of her tractor, the ice began to slope down, and it looked weaker. Its surface was a spider web of holes and cracks. In the center of the giant ice crater, sat the top half of a giant ball of light. Its scale was impossible to judge because there was nothing else near to gauge its size against, but Robby guessed it must be at least a quarter mile in diameter.

Christine was right—it was beautiful, and cold, and you could look directly at it. In fact, Robby felt compelled to look directly at it. He began to lower his arm. To his side, Christine was reaching out towards the ball.

“Dad?” she said.

Robby turned away. He grabbed the jacket nearest to him and tugged. It turned out to be Pete’s arm.

“Don’t look at it,” he said.
 

“What? Why?” asked Pete. He looked at Robby and blinked hard several times. “God, it’s like that thing burned my eyes. It’s all I can see.”

“We have to let them loose,” Robby said, pointing towards the sled.
 

Under the tight straps the dead were a flopping, wiggling pile, struggling to get free.

Pete rubbed his eyes while Robby reached out for more of the group. He tugged on Romie’s sleeve and grabbed Lisa by the hand. They turned away from the burning ball reluctantly and listened to Robby’s commands. Pete moved towards the first sled, and Romie followed behind, but Lisa couldn’t mask her fear. She didn’t want to go near the pile of wriggling bodies.
 

“Then get the others to stop looking at the light. They’re hypnotized by it,” Robby said.

Pete tugged at the clasp to release the first strap. Robby ran around the front of the tractor so he could pull the strap free from the other side.
 

“Dad?” Christine asked again as Robby ran by her.

Robby slipped while rounding the far corner of the tractor. He landed with his bare hand on the sharp ice. It sliced a flap of skin from his palm and the pain shot up his arm. When he reached the straps, he saw the first two were loose. Robby tugged on one, pulling it hand-over-hand over the top of the pile. Blood flowed from his hand, down into the sleeve of his parka. Before he could move to the second strap, bodies toppled from sides of the pile, bringing the tarp with them. Robby scrambled backwards, away from the trailer, looking over his shoulder to be sure he didn’t slip down the side of the slippery ice embankment.

The first corpse to land, a bald man dressed in a pinstripe suit, flailed its arms and spun towards Robby.
 

Robby tripped and landed on his butt on the cold ice. The corpse pushed to its feet and spun towards the glowing ball of light. Robby watched it out of the corner of his eye to make sure it wasn’t coming for him. A cascade of bodies followed quickly on the heels of the bald man. The second strap freed itself and the tarp folded down under the weight of falling corpses. They landed on the ice and clawed over each other to begin their pilgrimage to the burning light.

Robby sprung to his feet and moved down to the third and fourth straps. This time he managed to move farther away before the bodies started falling. He glanced under the sled and saw a similar avalanche of corpses falling on the other side. Romie and Pete were working their way towards the back of the sled, freeing the straps. All the tarps fell on Robby’s side of the sled, and the corpses couldn’t gain traction on the slippery plastic surface. With the last tarp, Robby pulled it out of the way just after he pulled the straps, so the bodies would land on the ice.

Romie came around the rear of the sled.

“You need help over here? Pete’s all set with the straps," Romie said.

“Yes, but I’m worried about the others,” Robby said. “Did Lisa get them?”

“I thought she was with you," Romie said. “You’re bleeding, you know.”

“I know,” Robby said. “Can you pull the tarps out of the way? I want to go check on the others.”

“Sure," Romie said. She moved towards the side of the sled. She called back over her shoulder. "Get a glove on your hand.”

“Yeah, right,” Robby said under his breath as he ran towards the other side of the sled. He tried to stop, but wound up sliding right into a pair of elderly corpses who popped out from behind Lisa’s tractor just as Robby came around the corner. He fell backwards as he hit them. He took their legs out and they landed right on top of him. The dead woman’s smiling, eyeless face was just inches from Robby as he tried to push and kick his way from under her. She wore nothing but a nightgown, and the male corpse was dressed in green coveralls. Robby could smell her old lady perfume mixed with urine and sweat, which combined to smell like rancid chicken soup.

He pushed his way free in time for a barefoot corpse to step on his bleeding hand. Robby pulled his hand back and tore the flap of skin even more. He clutched his hand to his chest and regained his feet to skitter away from the migrating corpses. Looking back he saw the procession coming from the loose pile on Brynn’s trailer.
 

When Robby arrived at the front of the line, he couldn’t find his group. Shield his eyes from the light, Robby looked down the slope of the ice. The light’s cold glow beckoned to him to lower his hands, but Robby held them up, focusing on the throbbing of the gash on his right hand to keep him focused on reality. Silhouetted by the bright light, he couldn’t make out individuals, just a group of people marching down the icy slope. One figure was running up the ice, crunching through the cracked surface.
 

“Robby,” the figure called. It was Brad.

“Where are the others?” Robby asked.

“I don’t know,” Brad said. “Down there, I guess. It makes you slip down into your memories. It’s like the rock monster. You just get consumed by the past.”

“We have to get them before they get to the light,” Robby said.

“We can’t,” Brad said. “One look and you’re trapped.”

“Just look straight down then,” Robby said. He pulled his hood up over his hat and used it to shield his eyes. Then, he looked down and followed the line of broken ice, shattered like glass, left by the marching feet of his friends. He moved as fast as he dared, not wanting to fall again on his lacerated hand or bruised backside. He heard Brad tromping behind him. Robby recognized Lisa’s purple boots and reached out for the back of her jacket. He yanked her back and yelled her name.
 

“They’re all here,” Lisa said. She slapped at Robby’s hand and tried to push away from him.
 

“Lisa, look away,” Robby yelled. “Turn around.” He grabbed her waist and tried to spin her around, but she was determined to keep moving towards the light.
 

“No," Lisa said. “They’re all here. Everyone. I belong here.”

“It’s not your time yet,” Robby said. He reached up and wrapped a hand over her eyes. As soon as she couldn’t see the light, she became docile. Robby turned her and pointed her up the hill towards the tractor. He spoke directly into her ear. "Don’t turn around. Don’t look at the light. Just get back to the tractors and don’t look back.”

“Okay, Robby,” she said. “I understand.”

Brad moved farther down the hill to catch up with Nate and Brynn. They were holding hands and walking towards the light. Brad took off his jacket, threw it over Nate’s head, and forced Brynn to turn around. Nate understood immediately. He picked up Brynn, clutched him to his chest and turned around.
 

Robby ran down the hill calling Christine’s name. She didn’t answer and her footprints were jumbled with those of dozens of corpses.

“Christine?” Robby called. “Where are you?”

Brad caught up with Robby and they shuffled along together, looking straight down and hoping to bump into the final member of their party. When Robby stopped and turned back uphill, Brad stopped as well.

“If I get entranced, knock this out of my hand,” Robby said. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the Volvo visor mirror. He aimed it over his shoulder so he could scan for Christine.

“Robby? Are you still with me?” Brad asked.

“Yes,” Robby said. “The reflection isn’t affecting me.”

“Do you see her?” Brad asked.

“No, not yet,” Robby said. “Wait, I think that’s her. I’m not sure.”

“Let me see,” Brad said. He reached for the mirror, but Robby wouldn’t relinquish it. He tilted it so Brad could see and Brad looked over Robby’s shoulder to get a better look.

“Yes, that’s her,” Brad said. “See the blood stain on her sleeve?”

“Okay,” Robby said. He walked backwards, holding the mirror and using it to navigate towards Christine. When they got close enough, he and Brad spun, grabbing Christine by the shoulders and wrestling her away from her march.

“Let go!” she screamed.

“No Christine,” Brad said. “You’re hypnotized by the light. You can’t look at it, or you’ll walk right into it.”

“Maybe I want to walk into it. Did you consider that?” asked Christine.

“What you’re seeing isn’t real,” Brad said. “It’s some kind of trick.”

“There’s no trick," Christine said. “Everyone I’ve ever cared about is in the light.”

“Even so, it’s not your time,” Brad said.

“Says who? You? Why shouldn’t it be my time?” asked Christine.

“Go up the hill and we can talk about it,” Brad said.

“We’re not going to let you go,” Robby said.

“It’s not your decision," Christine said.

“I know,” Robby said. “Please?”

Behind them, down in the crater where the ball of light met the ice, a sound rang out accompanied by a flash of bright blue light. Robby couldn’t decide if it sounded more like thunder, or a giant piece of paper tearing. Either way, the sound seemed to be inside his head—he felt it more than he heard it. The flash of light threw their shadows up the icy slope and reflected off a million edges of broken ice crystals.

Robby jerked the mirror back up in time to see the next flash. It erupted when one of the eyeless, lumbering corpses entered the ball of light. The corpse raised its hands with its last step and was absorbed by the ball of light. Christine clutched her hands to her ears in a fruitless attempt to muffle the sound.

Two more dead entered the light and the sound sent a double shot of pain through Robby’s head. The corpses weren’t deterred; they kept marching in a shuffling column towards the flashing ball of light.
 

Robby and Brad grabbed Christine by her arms and hauled her uphill, away from the light. They veered away from the corpses, which seemed surefooted despite their lack of eyes. Christine didn’t struggle, but she twisted her head around and tried to watch the light recede as Robby and Brad dragged her up the hill. She sobbed and wailed until they reached the top, and then silent tears still leaked down her face.

The sound of corpses entering the ball of light erupted so often that it became like a constant hum instead of individual explosions.
 

“Everyone was in the light,” Christine said to Robby. “Everyone I ever cared about.”

“They’ll always be there,” Robby said.
 

Robby and Brad escorted Christine to the others who formed a small knot away from the tractors, and sleds, and throngs of dead. Pete and Romie approached and Robby ran forward to warn them to shield their eyes.
 

“Is that all of them?” Brad asked.

Pete answered. "There are a few dozen more still coming from the last sled. They were caught in the straps, but they got free.”

“What’s that smell?” asked Romie.

A sour wind from the south brought the smell of decomposition. The group faced south, looked away from the ball of light, and tried to place the source of the odor.

“It almost smells like rich soil,” Brad said. “You know how it smells when you first turn it over in the spring?”