The Edge of Cascadia Page 3

  Finally she met his eyes and discovered sadness there, not anger. She lowered her eyebrows—he rarely showed sadness. Her dad blinked and the sadness left. He didn’t say anything though, pursing his lips instead.

  “Go ahead, spit it out,” Annabelle said.

  He shook his head. “I just know Gran would’ve loved to see you married before she died.”

  Annabelle narrowed her eyes. She didn’t want to have this conversation right now.

  “Annabelle, you’re 22 years old. I just don’t understand what you’re waiting for.”

  “Dad, I’m only 22!” She couldn’t keep it in—she’d been through too much that morning.

  “Your brothers were all married by 20.”

  Annabelle closed her eyes and sighed. This conversation went the same every time. She didn’t respond, which seemed to soften her dad. He rested his hand on her shoulder. “Time goes so fast. I just don’t want you to waste it and miss your chance.”

  “Dad, I’m learning so much at work. Once I actually find someone I want to marry, I’ll get parenthood approval easily. It buys me more time to have kids.” She had lots of time. “I still have eight years before the cutoff,” she added.

  That didn’t appease her dad. “No you don’t, you only have until you’re 25 as a first time mom.” He glanced over at Margaret, looking for backup. “Maybe you’re not learning much at that job of yours.”

  Heat rushed to Annabelle’s face, and she didn’t dare look at Margaret. Her dad played dirty now. Margaret was her friend, but she also was her work mentor, and Annabelle didn’t want to look like she didn’t know her job. Margaret also enjoyed pressuring her to get married. Annabelle stared at the ground—she couldn’t win this argument. No matter where she worked, he wouldn’t let up until she got married.

  “I just want you to be successful, that’s all,” her dad said when she didn’t respond.

  His words bound her, trapping her retorts inside. They lived in the last city on Earth, after all, and she couldn’t argue with it being their duty to repopulate. She didn’t want to bring shame on her family, but she wished her dad would trust her. She crossed her arms and her body tensed.

  “Maybe I don’t want to have kids,” she lied. She did want them, but on her own timeline, with the correct man. Someone she loved. Someone she wanted to spend forever with. Not just someone to help her raise children.

  Her dad clenched his jaw and stepped back. “Think how crushed Gran would be to hear you say that. And your mother. They both spent their lives giving back to the Colony. Think of how much they sacrificed! For the first time, I’m grateful your mother isn’t here to hear what you just said.” He shook his head and left the kitchen.

  “Dad...” She took a step after him but he didn’t turn back. She turned to Margaret. “I didn’t mean it,” she said.

  “I know.” Margaret rubbed Annabelle’s arm. “You guys are going through a hard time, so everyone’s on edge. Your dad will come around.”

  “I hope you’re right.” Annabelle rested her chin in her hand. She needed to process all these emotions along with the events of the day.

  “Are you sure you’re ready to come back to work on Monday? We have a Life and Death Tour to lead, but I’m sure I can find someone to cover,” Margaret said.

  Annabelle had forgotten all about the Life and Death tour. She knew she could take more time off if she needed it. However, at the moment her pressing need wasn’t to grieve, but to satiate her curiosity. Gran had mentioned pain and loss. What better place to see if she could find a clue to the key than on the Life and Death Tour?

  “Yes, I’m sure. It’ll be nice to get back into the swing of things.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  HAROLD

  Ernie lit the fuse. “Come on,” he said, turning around and sauntering toward the hotel’s exit. Harold followed at his heels. He told himself that Ernie was the best damn explosives expert he knew, so if he didn’t run, Harold shouldn’t either. Dashing through the ancient hotel would be dangerous anyway, Harold noted, as he jumped over a hole in the floorboards. Exposed beams held up the hotel and peeling, crispy wallpaper clung to the sections of wall that still remained. He hated coming into dried out skeletons like this—he preferred places that had already fallen down completely. At least it didn’t smell moldy.

  The sizzling sound of the burning fuse made Harold’s body tense. It seemed to be moving towards the vault faster than they were exiting the building. They emerged outside a few seconds later, however, and had time to walk to the space that once was a parking lot. Large grasses and bushes now occupied the area.

  Ernie stopped and turned back to look at the building, a large toothy smile on his face. Ernie’s face rarely lacked a smile. He didn’t seem self-conscious at all about the gap between his two front teeth or his long, gangly limbs.

  They made it out with time to spare, but the anticipation started to get to Harold. He counted down in his head. Five, four, three, two, one…one…one…one…

  “Do you think—” Ernie held his hand up, cutting Harold off.

  “Now.” Ernie raised his eyebrows.

  Harold squinted at the building, then heard a small boom. “That was it?”

  Ernie’s smile grew bigger. “You didn’t want to blow up the whole building, right?” He patted Harold on the shoulder. “That old vault just needed a little push.”

  “Okay, let’s go check it out then.” Harold started for the building but Ernie pulled him back.

  “Whoa, it may have been small, but we should wait to make sure the building stays standing. You never know with these old places.”

  “Right.”

  Harold glanced back to the wooden building. From the outside, the six story hotel looked sturdy despite its age and was the only building still standing on this block. He squinted at the staircase leading up to the entrance, expecting to see dust roll down as the air from the explosion settled. Nothing happened.

  “What are you hoping is in there anyway?” Ernie asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ve always wondered what was in that vault. And since we’ve gutted this town, it seemed like it was time to finally blow it open. I doubt it has anything valuable for the Colony though.”

  “Maybe we saved the best for last.”

  “I hope so.” They stared at the building in silence for a moment. Harold wasn’t superstitious, but his wife was. If he found something worthwhile today, Clara would likely see it as a sign of good things to come.

  “How many years before we suck Spokane dry too?” Ernie said.

  This question always lurked in Harold’s mind. His supervisors mentioned it on a weekly basis as resources became more and more scarce.

  “Oh, many more years, I’m sure.” Better to be vague, he decided. No reason to stress out the ground men. “And by the time it’s picked dry, we’ll have routes to new ruins established.” He gave Ernie a strong pat on the back. “Makes the Seattle mission all the more exciting.” And crucial.

  Ernie grinned back. When Harold had delivered the news to Ernie that he’d be joining Harold’s team to Seattle, Ernie had shown more enthusiasm than anyone. “I can’t wait.” Ernie rubbed his hands together. “But first let’s go find out what Richland’s final offering is.”

  As they approached the building, Harold thought again about the real reason he’d wanted to open the vault: he hoped to find something for Clara. She’d been a wreck anticipating the Life and Death tour. He wanted to cheer her up before they started the parenthood approval process. He didn’t know how anything he found would calm her nerves, but his gut told him this vault contained something special.

  Upon entering the hotel, a slight gunpowder scent greeted them. They headed to the far end of the room and around rubble that once was a front desk. Near the back wall, a large hole gaped where the vault door used to be.

  Harold quickened his pace. Once they reached the vault, he stepped over the door and entered the exposed room, pulling a small flashlight from his pocket and clicking it on.

  Metal drawers lined the walls and Harold yanked on one closest to him. It creaked open. When he shone his flashlight into it, he found nothing. He opened the next one. Empty again. He heard the clang of Ernie opening and closing drawers as well. Harold found drawers filled with useless paperwork.

  “I found some coins. Keepable?” Ernie asked.

  “Sure, why not?”

  Ernie carried several small boxes to the entrance. Harold now stood at a bank of larger drawers. He pulled one open and found a three foot long plastic box. Inside, his flashlight illuminated a white gown that felt silky as he pulled it from the box. A wedding dress?

  The next drawer contained a red dress. As he found dress after dress, a smile spread across his face. Perfect. Clara would be thrilled about the dresses, especially the bright colors. His superiors would see it as a good find as well, since fabric was valuable to the Colony. This was just the kind of good omen he’d been hoping for.

  “I’ve got some dresses here.” He started carrying the plastic containers to the entrance and stacked them next to Ernie’s boxes.

  “Huh. Who would’ve thought?” Ernie said.

  “I know, something actually useful. Now I wish I had decided to blow this place open a while ago.” Ernie helped him carry the remaining boxes. In total they had fifteen gowns, but Harold believed the seamstresses could repurpose them to make three times as many dresses.

  “Hey, take a look at this,” Ernie said, holding up a piece of thick paper that had slipped off one of the boxes. The yellowing paper had golden lettering which read: You are cordially invited to celebrate the wedding of Elizabeth Mimi Lampson and Luke Caden Teal on Tuesday afternoon, June the 2nd, at four o’clock.

  Harold glanced at
the dresses and shook his head, frowning. “I guess it was a wedding that never happened.” Had this wedding been scheduled right before The End? He folded the invitation and put it in his pocket. Clara would love to know the history behind the dresses, despite the tragic ending.

  “Go ahead and finish checking the rest of the drawers, I’ll start loading up.” Harold wanted to take the dresses out of the boxes and carry them all at once, but he’d never hear the end of it if they ended up damaged. Better to keep them safe. The boxes weren’t heavy, but he could only manage to stack and carry four at a time.

  As he headed down the hotel steps, he hoped he would be able to pull some strings in order to keep a bit of fabric. Those with first status would get to choose from the spoils before everyone else, but Harold had been able to work out deals before.

  It took him a few minutes to reach the wagon. The overgrown field made it difficult to pull into the parking lot so they had parked close to the road. He shuffled some items around, making space for the gowns. When he turned back to the hotel, his eyes widened at the sight of smoke billowing out a back window. A window right next to the vault.

  “What the—!” As he ran across the parking lot, the smoke thickened with each step he took. His stomach tightened. He had ordered the vault blown open, and even though Ernie insisted it could be done safely, Harold should have known better. The dilapidated hotel was clearly dry as kindling, why did he think it could handle an explosion? He would never forgive himself if something happened to Ernie.

  When he finally reached the steps, he sprinted up two stairs at a time and into the building. He froze, staring as the raging fire consumed half the lobby. Yellow flames crawled up the walls, while fuzzy smoke scurried across the ceiling. The heat possessed its own force, seeming to want to chase him out.

  “Ernie!” As soon as the shout left his mouth the roar around him swallowed it up. The smoke made it difficult to see, but he could make out Ernie’s limp body lying near the vault entrance. Harold ducked and ran to him. The room grew darker every second as the smoke won the fight for space.

  “Harold? Help!”

  Harold could see why Ernie was motionless, he was stuck in the floor!

  “What happened?” He leaned down to Ernie and tried to pull him out.

  “I was trying to get to the fire to put it out, and next thing I knew I was dangling here. Hurry!”

  “Wrap your arms around me.” Harold tried pulling but Ernie wouldn’t budge.

  Above them, the fire crackled and debris rained down on them. Another large snap and a whole wooden beam fell, blocking their path to the door. A second later, flames covered the beam. Fire encircled them.

  Harold knew they had to get out, and fast. “Hold on!” he shouted over the fire. He went behind Ernie and kicked at the floorboards. Ernie started coughing. Harold stomped as hard as he could, again and again, until a coughing fit forced him to stop. He tried to suck in a deep breath and brought his foot down with all his strength. Finally the boards gave way.

  “Harold!” Ernie slipped down through the expanded hole until only his fingers clung to the floorboards.

  “I’ve got ya!” Harold jumped over the hole and grabbed Ernie’s wrists. Harold got his torso above the floorboards and then dragged him out. “Come on.” He tried to pull Ernie up but he struggled to stand, and his ripped pants were covered with blood.

  “Give me your arm.” He ducked his shoulder under Ernie’s weight and straightened up. They had to move fast, and he couldn’t worry about being gentle. He stepped forward and Ernie limped as best he could. Harold knew they should be crawling. Standing put them closer to the dangerous smoke and soon it would overtake them. They had to get out now.

  Harold found breathing a struggle, and his mind grew foggy. He knew they needed to move, but he felt disoriented and didn’t know where to go. The smoke gave the fire form and bulk and Harold felt like a breathing animal had surrounded them. He gaped at the smoke, unable to move. How could they possibly escape it?

  “There!” Ernie pointed toward a window at the right side of the room. It was surrounded by flames but was their only exit. Harold snapped back into action and dragged Ernie to it.

  “Ready?” he asked Ernie. They were on the first floor, but the window wasn’t at ground level. He would have to throw Ernie out and hope for the best.

  “Yeah!”

  Harold threw Ernie over the flames and out the window as if he weighed nothing more than a doll. Then he dove head first after him, fearing the fire much more than a small fall.

  Luckily, he didn’t flatten Ernie, who had managed to roll over to the side. Harold somersaulted as he landed, an aikido move he’d taught himself, and then stood. He took a deep breath and pulled Ernie up while coughing out smoke. Together they coughed and stumbled as fast as possible away from the building.

  A few minutes later they collapsed in a nearby building’s ruins. They lay on the ground, staring at the sky.

  “That was close,” Ernie said.

  “Yeah.” Harold took a deep breath and didn’t cough it back out. Then he took another breath. Ernie had stopped coughing as well. “How’s your leg?” Fighting dizziness, Harold sat up and turned to Ernie.

  Black soot covered Ernie’s body and his sandy blonde hair looked black. Aside from his leg, however, he didn’t seem to have any injuries.

  “Oh, it’s not so bad,” Ernie said with a pained smile.

  “I don’t think so.” Harold pulled Ernie’s torn pants away from the injury to get a look. It still bled and Harold ripped a section from his shirt to cover the wound. The flow slowed and Harold ventured another peek. The cut wasn’t deep. Ernie would be fine. Harold let out a sigh of relief.

  “I told you it wasn’t so bad,” Ernie said.

  “Maybe not for you, but now I’m gonna have to bike the wagon back by myself, lugging your sorry ass in the back.” He grinned at Ernie.

  “Just let me rest a while and I’m sure I’ll be able to ride.” Ernie sounded as if he really believed this possible. “Just lighten the load a little. A crew can come back for it tomorrow.”

  Harold studied Ernie for a moment then nodded once. “Good idea. But not the dresses. We take those today.” He closed his eyes and leaned back on his elbows. “It's a shame we only got four though.”

  “You never struck me as the type of guy to care so much about a dress.”

  “Well...” Harold hesitated. He wanted to talk about it with someone, and after what he’d just been through with Ernie, it felt strange to hold back. “I was hoping I could pull some strings and keep some material, so Clara could have a new dress for the Fertility Festival. When I first saw the dresses, they seemed like a good omen.” He glanced at the building, now engulfed in flames. So much for the good omen.

  “Did you guys already get approval?”

  “No, we just started the process. We attend the Life and Death Tour tomorrow.” Saying the words out loud made Harold’s stomach tense up.

  “Hey congrats man, I’m sure you’ll make a great first impression.” The two silently watched the building burn. Harold hoped Ernie was right.

  “But wait a minute, what about the Seattle mission? Will you have time to get approval before we leave?” Ernie asked.

  “Well, we have exactly enough time to get approval, and if all goes as planned she’ll be able to get pregnant right before we leave for Seattle.” Harold didn’t like the idea of being away during the first trimester, but Clara didn’t seem to think it mattered. It was like a switch had flipped, and once she decided she wanted to get pregnant, she didn’t want to wait a second longer than necessary.

  Ernie nodded. “You’re lucky man. You’re gonna have it all.”

  “Hey now, you could have it all too.”

  “Nah. It’s not like I have ladies knocking down doors for me.” Ernie let out a laugh. “It’s okay though, I have the Seattle mission. That’s enough for me.”

  An uncomfortable silence settled over them as they faced the unfortunate reality of Ernie’s fatherless future.

  Ernie stood. “We’ll have to take extra special care of you on the mission, to make sure you get back in one piece to your pregnant wife.”