First, he’d pay off his debt to Zielinski, who really was a loathsome human being and had made his life extremely stressful for the past six months. That monkey off his back, he’d pick up some choice comestibles, both inhalants and beverages, and have himself a little party, to which he alone would be invited.
Then he’d head over to the Lucky Star, which, as he’d predicted, had so far made a strong and noble commitment to its customers and stayed open, under generator power.
And finally, if he had the energy, he’d see if prostitution was still a viable enterprise in these parts. He imagined it was, what with the end of the world here and all.
Or maybe that one would have to wait ’til the next day. No sense rushing things.
Rusty had money now, and all the time in the world.
Outside Jericho, Thom again watched Ann-Sophie while she slept. She was, after ten years and two children, virtually unchanged since he’d first seen her picture in the magazine. The only difference was that, before, she’d had no opinion about him whatsoever. And today, after a decade of getting to know him, she hated and mistrusted him.
But things were going to get better now. They would move, the four of them, into the tighter, safer quarters in their burrow underground. There were to be no more missing days, no more loosey-goosey stuff, no more mixing at will with whoever they damn well pleased.
They were all in grave danger, and they would come together, coalescing behind the one person who’d seen it all coming, who had planned for and was now executing their future.
They would love him. And if they couldn’t do that, they would at least respect him. And if they couldn’t manage even that, they were welcome to be afraid of him.
There was nothing, he decided, that he wouldn’t do to keep them safe.
Ten miles outside Iowa City, Perry St. John’s parents were surprised and delighted to see their only child and welcomed him tearfully. Like everyone, they’d been terrified by the events of the past few days, both by the reality they understood and, more so, by the near-total lack of information about what lay ahead. Perry’s radio and the larger, more extensive setup he’d left behind in their basement when he moved out were now vital. What had once been a quirky hobby was suddenly an indispensable resource.
After settling in that first day, Perry ventured out to have a look at the night skies from the West Overlook, high above the Iowa River. It had been a favorite spot of his as a kid, unpopulated and far from the light pollution of the city. But that night, as he sat on the roof of his car and tried to appreciate the heavenly glory, he couldn’t help but look down instead.
Black smoke and small blazes dotted the landscape below, some controlled, some not. The occasional gunshot echoed in the cool night air. He could see a faint glow coming from Cedar Rapids, twenty-some miles in the distance. It wasn’t the halogen glow of man-made light but, instead, the orange-and-yellow tongues of fires, big enough to be seen here.
Perry tried hard to look up at the wonders above him. But, for the first time in his memory, he was unable to lift his gaze.
The cosmos would always be there. Humanity might be another story.
Part III
Before
24.
Listen:
The morning after Brady was killed, in the brief moment that Aubrey had held Scott’s eyes as they sat in the living room of the house, in the fleeting instant in which she’d contemplated telling him what she’d never told anyone before, this was what she’d thought about saying:
“Kyle Luedtke was Thom’s best friend in high school and the most beautiful person I’d ever seen in my life. When I was fifteen and a half—I remember it distinctly, because I had taken the written test for my learner’s permit a few days before—I took every opportunity I could to hang around with him and Thom. Kyle was seventeen, Thom had just turned eighteen, and they were both graduating seniors, but I was a lowly sophomore. Still, I was pretty cute, if I do say so, and older guys liked me. I’d developed a bit early and always got a lot of attention, so I was used to it and knew how to handle it. It made middle school a drag, because the boys were older than me and it took me a while to catch on to what their looks meant, but it also made me smarter, and better-equipped to deal with that stuff when I got to high school. Some girls don’t survive that, but I did.
“I forgot where I was. Oh, right, Kyle Luedtke was beautiful. Oh, my God, he sure was. He was just sort of this perfectly put-together human being, he was maybe five foot ten, had skin that darkened and tanned beautifully, a full head of wavy hair, and the most brilliant white teeth I’d ever seen. For some reason, I was obsessed with his teeth. I don’t know, I like teeth, what can I say?