The Remnants of Yesterday (3 page)

5

SEVERAL MINUTES PASSED and Clara had not returned. I glanced toward the rear door through which she’d exited, expecting it to open at any moment.

As the seconds ticked away I wondered if I should have gone with her, after all, we had no idea what was going on.  She should be back by now, even if she had to search her trunk for the charger. I took a step toward the door, intent upon finding her.

The scream was sudden. Shrill.

I jolted, then took off at a run toward the door, slamming it open and half falling out into the cool night.

It was dark behind the gas station, the only light coming from a security lamp with one working bulb. The other bulb was dead. I looked around, frantic. There was a car parked next to the back fence, near a row of dumpsters. The trunk was open, but there was no sign of Clara.

I stepped toward the car and walked around it, afraid of what I might find, nervous that Clara might be laying there, really dead this time. That thought terrified me. I scolded myself for not accompanying her outside. Whatever was I thinking? I glanced between the car and the fence, but the space was empty.

A second scream carried on the breeze. This time I was able to determine that it came from a narrow alley on the side of the building.

I raced toward the sound, rounding the corner in time to witness Clara being dragged backward into the darkness by a dark shape. She struggled and kicked, but could not break free.

“Hey,” I shouted.

The shape paused and turned toward me. I recognized the face in an instant.

Walter.

“Leave her alone.” I took off at a sprint, lowering my shoulder as I drew close. At the last moment I stepped around Clara and shot my arm out, clipping Walter under the chin, sending him spiraling backward. He let out a strangled gurgle and let go of Clara, who teetered for a moment before regaining her balance.

“Come on.” I reached out and grabbed her arm, steering her away from Walter, all the while keeping him in my line of vision.

He watched us, his mouth opening and closing as if he were trying to say something, but only guttural grunts escaped his lips. He jerked his head from side to side and brought his hands up, slapping at his face and skull, his fingers curling into his thinning hair and pulling on it. Just when I thought we might escape, Walter hunkered down and charged.

“Run.” I pushed Clara back toward the rear of the convenience store and followed, all too aware of the maniac bearing down upon us. We reached the end of the alley. Clara turned the corner and made a dash for the rear door of the convenience store, but just as I was about to do the same Walter caught up with me.

He hit me in the back, sending me staggering forward as his arms snaked around my waist. I twisted, attempting to pry myself free, but he was deceptively strong. Finally, as a last resort, I brought my arm back, ramming my elbow into his face. His nose splintered and hot blood sprayed my neck. He let out a high-pitched squeal and slackened his grip long enough for me to pull away and turn to face him.

Walter was a mess. Blood poured from his ruined nose, trickling down his chin and onto his shirt. A mix of spittle and some kind of brown mush that looked suspiciously like dirt, fell from his mouth as he spewed a tirade of guttural grunts that bore little resemblance to speech. Judging from the brown stains on his hands I came to the conclusion that he had, at some point prior to attacking Clara, actually been eating dirt.

I scanned the area for anything to use for a weapon. My eyes alighted on a stack of propane canisters next to the dumpster. Not perfect, but they would do.

“What are you doing?” Clara lingered next to the door. “Get in here.”

“Give me a moment.” Walter was eyeing me the way a person might look at a fat juicy steak.

“Don’t be stupid.” Clara was frantic.

“Hang on.” I backed up, edging toward the cylinders.

Walter watched me for a moment, seemingly oblivious to the blood that was still flowing from his nose, and then he took a step forward.

I could guess what was about to happen, and Walter did not disappoint. I ducked sideways at the same time he charged. The canisters were not far away. I reached them and snatched one up, grateful that they were empty, just as I suspected. If they had been full, there was no way I would have been able to hoist one, and my plan would have been ruined.

Walter closed the distance between us with astonishing speed considering his girth and age. He lowered his head, intent upon ramming me. When he was less than two feet away, I swung the canister as hard and high as I could.

Walter ran right into it.

My aim was not great. As a means of self-defense, a propane tank is not the most graceful of instruments. Luckily my assailant was either too mad or too stupid to bother ducking. The canister bounced off his skull with a hollow thud. Walter’s head snapped to the side. He performed a perfect pirouette, and then his legs collapsed under him. The impact sent a wave of jarring pain up my arm and I lost my grip on the tank, which fell to the ground and rolled away, finally coming to rest near the back wall of the convenience store.

Walter was down.

I waited a moment, watching, expecting him to spring back up unharmed like one of those screen monsters in a slasher movie, but thankfully he didn’t move.

“Is he dead?” Clara still waited by the door.

“I don’t think so.” I thought I detected the faint rise and fall of his chest.

“Shame.” Clara edged closer, keeping her eyes on Walter. A tear rolled down her cheek. “I thought he was going to kill me, or worse.”

“You’re safe now.”

“He came out of nowhere. I wasn’t paying attention.” She wiped the tear away. “Stupid.”

“Not at all.” I eyed Walter. He was still down. “Did you find a charger?”

“Yes.” She glanced toward the car.

“Good. Maybe we can get out of here in the morning.”

“I don’t want to wait that long.” Clara looked dismayed. “Can’t we leave now?”

“It’ll take a while to charge the battery.”

“Just great.” She looked down at Walter. “So what do we do with him?”

“We tie him up, and then we lock ourselves inside until dawn.”

6

“THAT SHOULD DO IT.” I pulled on the nylon rope, making sure there was no give. Walter was still out cold, but he wouldn’t stay that way forever, and I didn’t want to take any chances.

“Will that hold him?” Clara asked.

“Four years in Boy Scouts says it should.” I had spent the last fifteen minutes heaving Walter from the back of the gas station, around to the front, and propping him in a sitting position against one of the pumps, where I proceeded to wrap several loops of cord around his torso. Clara followed behind, gripping a tire iron from her trunk lest Walter decide to awake from his slumber and have another go at us, which thankfully he did not.

“The Boy Scouts?” Clara said. “That’s what we’re relying on here?”

“Hey, don’t knock the Scouts, they taught me many useful things. Besides, we’ll keep an eye on him, just to be on the safe side.” I had deliberately chosen the nearest pump so that we could see our prisoner through the window. I would have preferred not to be in such close proximity, but I also felt safer knowing where he was.

“I don’t feel safe out here.” Clara eyed the darkness beyond the gas station forecourt.

“We just need to put the battery on charge, then we can go back inside.” I shared her concern. There might be other people out there like Walter – crazy people – affected by whatever cataclysm had befallen us, and I had no desire to meet them.

“Hurry. Please?”

“Keep a look out.” While I was working on Walter, Clara had found an extension cable in the stock room and plugged it in to an exterior power socket. I picked up the charger and connected it, then popped the hood of my car.

“Will this take long?” She was holding the tire iron so tight her knuckles turned white.

“Nope.” It only took a second to connect the crocodile clips. I checked the charger to make sure everything was working right, then brushed my hands on my jeans. “All done.”

“Good. Now can we go back inside?”

“You read my mind.” I straightened up, my eyes wandering down the road as I did so, toward the highway. A dull red glow pulsed on the horizon. “Look.” I pointed.

Clara nodded. “I saw it while you were tying Walter up,” she said. “What do you think it is?”

“Fire.” I’d seen that same glow a few years before while hiking with friends in California. The forest fires had been particularly bad that year, and although we weren’t close, we could still see them. “Something’s burning on the Interstate.”

Clara looked at me, a haunted look in her eyes. I knew what she was thinking. Then, as if deciding not to dwell on it, she spoke. “We’re not safe here. We should go back to the store.”

7

AS SOON AS WE STEPPED inside, I turned and locked the doors. “We’ll need to lock the back door too.”

“Already took care of that when I got the extension cable.”

“Good. Are there any other ways to get in? Any other doors or windows?”

“Not as far as I know. There are windows in the restrooms, but I don’t think they open. They are probably too small and high for someone to get through easily anyway.” She thought for a moment. “That’s it I think.”

“Then we’re safe here until the car battery charges,” I said. “Sure would be nice if we could get a message to the outside world though.” 

Clara picked up her phone and examined it. “Still no service.”

“I didn’t expect there to be.” Even so, I was a little disappointed. “You should get some rest.”

“I can’t…”

“We’ll need to be alert tomorrow. I have no idea what we will find out there, but if Walter is anything to go by, it isn’t going to be good.” Once again I thought of Jeff. Was he safe? Was he even alive? What about his wife and the baby? If this happened in New York while she was in labor… it didn’t bear thinking about. God I hoped they were ok.

“What about you?”

“I’m going to stay up and watch our friend.” I nodded toward Walter. “We’ll switch later.”

“Well alright.” She didn’t sound convinced. “I’m not sure I can sleep.”

“Just do your best.” I slipped my jacket off and handed it to her. “Here. Use this as a pillow. It’s not much, but…”

“Thanks.” She took it and sat down with her back against the service counter, then propped the coat behind her head before looking up. “Promise you won’t go out there.”

“What, are you crazy? One wrestling match a day with your boss is enough for me.” I could tell she was still shaken up, so I added. “I’ll be right over there near the door. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Okay.” She smiled and closed her eyes.

I watched her for a moment, then made my way to the display rack nearest the door and settled on the floor facing the forecourt, and the newly minted madman, Walter.

8

“WAKE UP.” Someone was shaking me.

I didn’t want to wake up. I knew I was dreaming, but the dream was too comfortable. I was in New York with Jeff and his wife. They were cradling a baby. We were laughing and joking, my brother ribbing me about my height – he was a whole inch taller than me – and sharing stories of my lack of athletic prowess back in high school. It was just like it always was when we were together, and everything was fine with the world.

“Come on, wake up.” The shaking was getting insistent now. “He’s gone.”

“What?” I snapped my eyes open, the dream fading until it was nothing more than a vague recollection. I must have dozed off. Not a good way to impress Clara with my protective man skills. “What’s going on?”

“Walter.” She pointed out toward the gas pumps. “He’s not there anymore.”

I blinked the sleep from my eyes and looked through the window. It was light out, the long rays of the early morning sun casting a golden hue over the forecourt. Walter was nowhere in sight. “Dammit.”

“How long were you sleeping?” Clara asked.

“Not sure.” I had no idea. It could have been thirty minutes or two hours. All I knew was that it was still dark, and Walter was still securely tied up, last I remembered.

“So what do we do now?”

“Exactly what we planned to do. We get in the car and drive the hell out of here.”

“With that maniac on the loose?” She said, her eyes narrowing to angry slits. “Not a chance.”

“We don’t have a choice,” I replied, doing my best to keep my voice level and calm. “We’ve been here for at least 8 hours, and in all that time not one person has stopped for gas. We haven’t seen a single car drive past, and there’s no sign of any type of emergency services, not the cops, not the National Guard, or the Army. We can’t even make a phone call.”

“We should have gone last night when we had the chance. While Walter was tied up.”

“What with? The car battery was dead.” I threw my arms in the air. “Did you try your car when you went to get the charger?”

“It didn’t start.” She seemed to be calming down a little.

“Besides, even if I had seen Walter escaping, what was I going to do, go out there and subdue him all over again?” I felt a little vindicated by this logic. “It took a propane tank across the head to bring him down last time, remember?”

“An empty propane tank.” She tried to suppress a smile. It didn’t work.

“Still counts.” The situation seemed to have diffused itself. “He’s probably long gone by now anyway. I vote that we gather up our stuff, grab some snacks for the road, and get out of here.”

“Fine. But I’m not leaving without this.” She picked up the tire iron. “Now I’m ready to go.”