minutes. It seemed like an eternity. She was too exposed in the car—people had disappeared just a few feet from where she was parked. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to go back in the apartment. The building was haunted by her old life. It seemed dangerous to fall back into that life. Nothing was normal anymore. To ignore that fact was insane.
Before the two minutes were up, she moved on.
Judy kept to small side streets. She crept her car close to the curb and darted across intersections. Eventually, she found herself back at the church. Sister Glen’s office was a little fortress. She would be safe there.
Judy made herself a little nest under the big desk. She huddled there as the sun went down and the light coming through the windows waned. A box in the hall had the last of the donated canned goods. Sister Glen must have forgotten to take them with her in her haste to get to the shelter.
Judy thanked the memory of Sister Glen. She pried open a can of green beans and drank the water before she chewed on the cold vegetables.
It was a tough night under the desk.
The next day was no better. Nor the next.
Judy didn’t venture far. She used the bathroom. The city water still had a bit of pressure. She spent most of the daylight hours reading one of the Sister’s bibles. Every page had at least one highlighted passage. In the beginning, Judy tried to decipher the significance of the marked phrases. It was impossible. The sister’s code was impenetrable.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep .
What was the “face of the deep”? Why had the sister marked those four words?
Judy woke up to find the book open in her lap. She pictured her mother hiding under a desk in her Connecticut home. In her imagination, her mother was frightened and cowering. The emotion didn’t look right on her mother’s face. Judy tried to remember a time when her mother had been legitimately frightened. She couldn’t. Her mother didn’t run and hide—she drank and got belligerent. She said she was no good in a crisis, but that was only a ploy to get people to do things for her.
Why on earth had Judy imagined that her mother needed help? The idea was absurd.
Judy smiled, but the smile soon turned to tears.
She was the one who wasn’t strong enough to go on. She needed her mother, but there was only death on the other side of the bridge. As soon as she had seen that corpse she realized—she wasn’t bold enough to go south and find out the fate of her family. If they had died or disappeared it would be too much to bear. Even hiding under the desk was almost too much to bear.
Judy pulled another cigarette from her pack and considered it. She had six left. That was half as many as she’d already smoked that day.
✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪
Halfway through her last cigarette, Judy knew what she had to do. She had to leave the church and go find other people. There must be other people out there. It was impossible to believe that she was the last person in the entire world.
Besides, she needed another pack.
She knew just where to find them. On the other side of the hill there was a gas station. It was open twenty-four hours, even Thanksgiving. Even though the shop was surely deserted, the doors would be unlocked and she could get to the cigarettes behind the counter.
Judy crouched in front of the window and looked at her car. She stubbed out her cigarette on the glass and left the butt there.
She stood up and moved to the door. With just enough time for a deep breath, Judy pushed through the door and walked out to the stone steps. She didn’t turn for the car. She would take this trip on foot, come what may. Perhaps her fate would include disappearing up into the sky like the others. If that was how her life was going to end, maybe it was best it happened sooner rather than later.
She didn’t look up as she marched down the street.
CHAPTER 9: ROBBY
S
Before the two minutes were up, she moved on.
Judy kept to small side streets. She crept her car close to the curb and darted across intersections. Eventually, she found herself back at the church. Sister Glen’s office was a little fortress. She would be safe there.
Judy made herself a little nest under the big desk. She huddled there as the sun went down and the light coming through the windows waned. A box in the hall had the last of the donated canned goods. Sister Glen must have forgotten to take them with her in her haste to get to the shelter.
Judy thanked the memory of Sister Glen. She pried open a can of green beans and drank the water before she chewed on the cold vegetables.
It was a tough night under the desk.
The next day was no better. Nor the next.
Judy didn’t venture far. She used the bathroom. The city water still had a bit of pressure. She spent most of the daylight hours reading one of the Sister’s bibles. Every page had at least one highlighted passage. In the beginning, Judy tried to decipher the significance of the marked phrases. It was impossible. The sister’s code was impenetrable.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep .
What was the “face of the deep”? Why had the sister marked those four words?
Judy woke up to find the book open in her lap. She pictured her mother hiding under a desk in her Connecticut home. In her imagination, her mother was frightened and cowering. The emotion didn’t look right on her mother’s face. Judy tried to remember a time when her mother had been legitimately frightened. She couldn’t. Her mother didn’t run and hide—she drank and got belligerent. She said she was no good in a crisis, but that was only a ploy to get people to do things for her.
Why on earth had Judy imagined that her mother needed help? The idea was absurd.
Judy smiled, but the smile soon turned to tears.
She was the one who wasn’t strong enough to go on. She needed her mother, but there was only death on the other side of the bridge. As soon as she had seen that corpse she realized—she wasn’t bold enough to go south and find out the fate of her family. If they had died or disappeared it would be too much to bear. Even hiding under the desk was almost too much to bear.
Judy pulled another cigarette from her pack and considered it. She had six left. That was half as many as she’d already smoked that day.
✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪
Halfway through her last cigarette, Judy knew what she had to do. She had to leave the church and go find other people. There must be other people out there. It was impossible to believe that she was the last person in the entire world.
Besides, she needed another pack.
She knew just where to find them. On the other side of the hill there was a gas station. It was open twenty-four hours, even Thanksgiving. Even though the shop was surely deserted, the doors would be unlocked and she could get to the cigarettes behind the counter.
Judy crouched in front of the window and looked at her car. She stubbed out her cigarette on the glass and left the butt there.
She stood up and moved to the door. With just enough time for a deep breath, Judy pushed through the door and walked out to the stone steps. She didn’t turn for the car. She would take this trip on foot, come what may. Perhaps her fate would include disappearing up into the sky like the others. If that was how her life was going to end, maybe it was best it happened sooner rather than later.
She didn’t look up as she marched down the street.
CHAPTER 9: ROBBY
S
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