Season of Passage, The (45 page)

wounded by an old shoe. His progress was miserably slow at best.

'Is there anything I can do?' she asked a minute later, when he stopped on a rung and showed no sign of going on. The fury of the tidal wave was

almost on them.

'Tel me I'm the most handsome astronaut in the solar system.'

'There's none like you, on any of the planets,' she said.

'Tel me you would have married me if I'd had a steady job.'

'I would marry you. I love you. Please hurry, Gary!'

'Yeah, I'm climbing to the top, babe.' He coughed. 'To the top.'

He moved up another couple of rungs, but then was forced to rest again. The wave was too fast for a cripple. Lauren watched as the water began to

recede up the canal. Foam swel ed in the black chasm.

'It's coming!' she cried.

'I know,' Gary said in resignation. He stood unmoving on the ladder. 'Get away from the edge, Lori.'

'I'm not leaving you!'

'The water could reach as high as you. Please move back. Under my bed, in a blue binder, I have extensive notes on the Hawk's controls. Read

them careful y. You're going home, Lori.'

Within the narrow area of visibility created by the searchlight anchored at the edge of the cliff, a white-maned monster swel ed. The ground beneath

Lauren's feet shook and instinctively she found herself turning and fleeing up the cave.

'Gary!' she screamed.

'I'm thinking of you, Lori,' he said.

Lauren was two dozen strides into the cave when a thick hand of compressed air slapped her on the back and knocked her to the floor. An invisible

hurricane of noise and wind and rain swept around her.

Then there was a deadly hush. The wave had passed.

'Gary?' she said. 'Gary?'

There was no answer. Of course there was no answer.

Lauren stumbled back toward the edge and began to weep, the tears draining the last few drops of moisture from her parched system, washing

over a hard lump inside that she knew would never dissolve, not even if she cried to the end of time. She reached the edge and found the

searchlight shattered. Al was dark. Al was silent. She could see nothing. There was nothing. Gary was dead.

'The most handsome astronaut in the whole solar system,' she said, and sniffed. 'But I wish you had been a librarian.'

Alone. Forever alone. Or so she thought.

Mars had not finished with her yet.

There were footsteps behind her, loud footsteps. Lauren whirled and reached for the laser. She could see nothing, but she heard a voice, another

ghost in the never-ending nightmare.

'Lauren,' it said.

TWENTY-NINE

'Jessie?' Lauren whispered. The outline of someone or something moved toward her. It was only an outline. The voice that had spoken her name

sounded devoid of life. Lauren aimed the laser. 'Tel me if that's you. Jessie?'

The shadow paused. 'It's me, Lauren.'

It was Jessica. Lauren felt no relief. Jessica sounded like a zombie. Lauren braced herself against the wal , the long black drop to the canal only a

foot to her left. Lauren had come down into the dark to save Jessica, but she swore if Jessica so much as winked at her funny she would blow her in

two.

Eight minutes to detonation.

Lauren knew she was dead. But there were worse things - such as welcoming the third expedition.

'Jessie,' Lauren said. 'I want you to stay where you are. You are not to come any closer.'

'Has something happened, Lauren?'

Jessica's voice remained flat and monotone, but now Lauren hesitated. Jessica had been incoherent fol owing Jim's death. Maybe she was merely

in shock now, induced by only God knew what had happened to her in the pit. Jessica took a step closer.

'Don't move!' Lauren ordered. 'Stay where you are.'

Jessica halted. 'Is that a gun?'

'Yes.'

"They don't work.'

'This one does.'

Jessica considered the answer for ages. 'I want to talk to you.'

'We can talk,' Lauren said. 'I'd like to talk. What have you been doing since I saw you last?'

'I was with Bil . You know. Have you seen Bil ?'

'No.'

'But I left him...' Jessica didn't finish.

'Why did you leave? Did you take Hummingbird?

'I wanted to be with you, Lauren. You and Gary. Where is Gary?'

'He's dead.'

'Oh,' Jessica said, as if she had just been told who had won the 1992 World Series. She stepped toward Lauren once more.

'Stay!' Lauren commanded. Jessica ignored her. She walked to the edge of the cliff, on the opposite side of the cave from Lauren, to where the tips

of her boots poked out over the canal. She looked in the direction of the invisible island.

'Do you know where Bil is?' Jessica asked. 'I have to talk to him.'

'I don't know where he is.'

Jessica stiffened. She appeared to come out of her trance. 'How come you didn't bring him back with you?'

Lauren had no answer. Jessica took a large step closer.

'Where is he?' Jessica demanded.

'Stay where you are!'

'What have you done with him?'

'Stay,' Lauren said. She had to see Jessica's eyes, without actual y looking into them. Their eyes were always weird.

But Jessica had her helmet light off, which was not an encouraging sign.

How could she possibly see in the dark? She must be one of them.

'Did you kil him?' Jessica asked bitterly.

'Listen to me, Jessie. Things have changed. Gary's dead. Jim's dead. Do you understand me? Please tel me that you do. Bil 's changed.'

Lauren stopped. Jessica was smiling now, back on cloud nine. Her mouth was open and Lauren could see her teeth. They looked bigger, Lauren

was pretty sure they did.

Jessica sighed with pleasure. 'He's changed, yes. He's been sweet to me, like old times. He came to me last night, while I was sleeping. I invited

him into me.'

Welcome to my house! Enter freely and of your own wil ! Bil must have been in their room last night. But that was impossible. Lauren knew she

hadn't fal en asleep, even for a minute. Then she remembered that Jessica had risen briefly in the night to use the restroom. Bil must have got her

then.

'What did he do to you?' Lauren asked. She was a fucking astronaut; she didn't need to hear shit like this. God, she felt like throwing up. Jessica

smiled and touched her suit near the neck.

'A little pinch and then, sweet,' Jessica said. 'He said it would be warm and sweet.' She nodded. 'My Mom told me to save it for one man, and I did. I

saved it for Bil .'

Lauren shifted her helmet - and the light on top of it -and strained to get a better picture of Jessica. Her old friend winced as the light crossed her

face, and moved aside. But before she did, Lauren thought she saw a messy red mark on Jessica's throat.

/ don't need this shit, I real y don't.

'What did he do to you?' Lauren whispered.

'He kissed me. He said I was his bride. He kissed me til I was bleeding and I liked it. I loved it, Lauren. I loved him sucking on me. I loved it dripping

down my neck and over my...'

'Shut up!' Lauren cried.

Jessica fel silent, and went rigid again, except for her face, where there now crawled a spirit of pure loathing. Her lips pul ed back over her teeth

and stayed there as if they were pinned with needles.

Lauren sobbed. 'Oh, God, he drank your blood. Shit. Shit!'

'He never hurt me!' Jessica shrieked. 'He never hurt nobody! You think he kil ed Jim, but that's a lie! A devil's lie! Of course he came and sucked

me. I'm his woman!'

Lauren roused herself and her weapon. Jessica was moving closer again. Ten feet. Eight feet. 'Stop,' Lauren snapped.

'You are a bitch! I saw you sleeping with Gary. I heard you plotting to kil my man.'

'One more step and I'l shoot,' Lauren said. 'I swear it.'

Jessica reached out her arms, reaching for her. 'Where's Bil ?'

Lauren breathed. 'No closer, Jessie.'

'Where is he, Lauren?' Five feet.

Lauren shook her head. 'No.'

'Where is he, bitch?' Four feet.

'I don't know!'

Jessica was about to touch the tip of the laser. 'You murdered him!'

'Don't make me,' Lauren pleaded, pressing her back against the damp wal .

'Murdering harlot!'

'No, Jessie!'

Jessica lunged. Lauren pul ed the trigger. The fire came,

a cracking bolt of red thunder. It went through Jessica's body like a knife going through soft butter. Jessica was instantly sliced in two. Lumps of

steaming flesh splattered the wal s of the cave. Jessica's two main sections teetered at the edge of the cliff for a moment, as if held together by

invisible threads, or a wil that refused to die. Then the pieces toppled and were gone. Far away there came two distinct splashes. Lauren briefly

glanced at the cindered intestines that lay scattered at her feet. She also noticed, without much interest, that the laser had torn away a chunk of the

wal . Splintered fragments of stone mixed in with the gore, smoking faintly. Stil , Lauren felt no relief. She didn't even feel sick anymore. She just felt

cold and empty.

Jessie. My friend Jessie.

Four minutes to detonation.

Lauren fel to her knees and began to pray.

'I love you, Jenny. I'm sorry I won't be coming home. I'm sorry I won't be there to watch you grow up. Things just didn't work out for me this time.

Things just went bad, real bad. I should never have left you. Jenny, promise me that you wil never forget...'

Lauren sprang to her feet.

Quickly she backed away from the edge.

A gloved hand had suddenly appeared at the top of the rope ladder.

The dead seemed so alive.

Her terror was complete. It led beyond reason, into the easy to find but difficult to leave sanctuary cal ed madness. She watched without the strength

or the wil to use the laser's last charge as a second gloved hand appeared.

This one was covered with blood.

THIRTY

There should have been nothing to comprehend. The thing that was emerging was coming out of a place where neither the living or the dead could

exist. The hands were fol owed by a helmeted head. Lauren did not move. A torso came next, fol owed by legs and feet. The thing stood in the dark,

a black creature devoid of characteristics. It was Ivan. No, it was Bil . Jessica. It was al of them. They were al one, and it didn't matter that the

books had different names for them. Ghouls and succubi and werewolves - they were always hungry and thirsty.

Lauren final y broke from her paralysis and dropped to one knee, steadying the laser on the middle of her thigh. She aimed for the heart and pul ed

the trigger.

Nothing happened. She tried again. Nothing. Then she realized: she was holding the same laser she had used on Ivan. The president had said

there were only three shots to a clip. They had never recharged the gun, and by chance, Jim had chosen this particular laser to be their ace in the

hole. What a fuckup.

Lauren turned and ran, or at least she tried to run. The floor was wet and slippery, and her knee was shot. She slipped and fel . The thing behind her

took a step toward her. It was the oldest of al nightmares - the monster at her

back and she the victim unable to run away. Cringing into a shivering bal , final y giving up, she knew that if she pinched herself she wouldn't wake

up on Earth. The creature took another step toward her.

It didn't attack her, however, and it made Lauren wonder. She raised her head and glanced over her shoulder. Stil the dripping figure made no

hostile move. It was injured. Its left arm was horribly twisted.

'Gary?' Lauren whispered.

He groaned, then fel to the floor.

'Gary!' she cried.

She jumped up and knelt to cradle his head in her arms. He grimaced as he tried to smile, but he had not lost his sense of humor. 'Surf's up, Doc,'

he mumbled.

'Gary, you're supposed to be dead. But you're alive!'

'If only I'd had my board.'

In the light of her helmet, she could see that his thermal underwear beneath his pressure suit was soaked red. 'Your poor arm - I've got to stop the

bleeding.'

'No,' he said weakly. He tried to rise. 'The time?'

She had forgotten about the bomb. 'We have three minutes. Can you travel?'

He nodded. 'We've got to get around the bend in the cave.'

Leaning on each other for support, they limped away from the edge of the cliff. They had gone less than two hundred yards when they discovered

Hummingbird, parked with its nose pointed toward the canal. Moaning in pain, Gary fel in the passenger's seat. Lauren jumped behind the controls.

Two minutes to detonation.

In order to turn Hummingbird around, she realized, they had to fly back out over the canal. Cal ing upon her hours of training in an abandoned

parking lot outside of Houston,

Lauren activated the jets beneath the hovercraft and gripped the steering control that stuck like an oversized manual stickshift directly in front of her.

The power to the jets was regulated by an ordinary foot pedal. Hummingbird bobbed off the ground and floated forward. Gary mumbled something

that she didn't make out. Perhaps it had been a warning, for as soon as they floated past the edge of the cliff, Hummingbird began to sink, slowly at

first, and then like a rock.

Lauren realized in an instant what had happened. Once they had left the ground behind, they had lost the added buoyancy of their trapped air

cushion. As the black water rushed to meet them, she floored the foot pedal. It was wel she did. For several seconds a powerful spray shot out al

around them. Then they began to rocket toward the ceiling. Lauren quickly took her foot off the pedal and turned the craft around before they could