Detours
This is taking far longer than any of us thought it would. On the map, the dots really aren’t that far apart, but the line between the hospital and the first one has turned out to be wigglier than we had planned.
We ended up taking a big detour around the wolves’ patch, after the fight. None of us wanted a repeat of that encounter. And of course, we’re moving slower because of the injuries.
On top of that, we came across a street that was completely burned out today. It looks like there was a huge car accident when the bomb went off and somewhere in it a fire started. The cars were fused together and it had hollowed out the buildings on half of the block. They were all staring emptily at the low sky, long since scoured down by the rain. The scorch-marks on what was left of brick and metal were what told us the tale of their downfall, and the mass of it blocked our way.
There was a body in one of the cars. It’s been a days since we saw a corpse – the rain eats the evidence of our demise. I had refused to look too closely at those in the hospital, but this one was just sitting there, teeth bared to the air because the lips had shrunk away from them.
We left the body where it was as we turned to take a path around the ruins. I wish we could have done something for whoever it was, but other than lay him out for the acid to melt away, what could we do? There’s no earth around here to bury him in, even if we had a shovel and the time to dig a hole big enough.
It makes me sad to think that there’s no-one left to do that kind of thing any more, to clear up after us when we’re gone. To look after us when we can’t look after ourselves. It frightens me if I think about it too much.
I talked to Sally about the thing with Thorpe today. She was falling behind again and I went to walk with her. She’s not looking so good – I can’t tell if she wraps her arms around herself because of physical or emotional pain.
She wasn’t eager to talk to me, but that was okay. She was quiet enough to listen, so I just said what I thought needed to be said. I told her that she shouldn’t try that stuff with Thorpe again – or any of the other guys. She doesn’t need to do that here, with us. I said that we’ll work all this stuff out. I think she heard me.
I wish I could have told her that it’ll all be all right. I wish I could have said that there was nothing to worry about, that there was nothing to be afraid of. We would have both known I was lying, so I didn’t bother. I prefer the truth.
You’re not alone, I told her. You do have friends here. I’d like to be one, if she’d let me.
I don’t know if any of it helped; she’s so closed up that she doesn’t give much away. I got a nod and a murmured thanks out of her, but that was it. I hope it helped. I hope about a lot of things right now.
- Category: 05. Family,Uncategorized
