The Garden of Darkness (20 page)

“The Fried Liver Attack!” he exclaimed. “This is going to be interesting. It’s a gutsy move.”

“Fried liver?”

“You haven’t beaten me yet. Although this is going to keep me on my toes. Just let me think.”

“I only made one move,” said Clare.

He trounced her in four. The next game she moved a pawn, and, once again, he became animated.

“The Benko Gambit! You sure know how to start a game. You were holding back on me, weren’t you?”

“No, I really wasn’t.”

“When Svein Johannessen made the Benko Gambit, Bobby Fischer declined—and I’m going to decline, too.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing. Really. I played Michael a few times, but he always beat me.”

“Michael won?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.” Jem looked disappointed. “Maybe I should spot you a few pieces.”

The others decided they wanted to play chess, too, but they finally went to bed after Sarai, checkmated in five moves by Mirri, threw the white king across the room, instantly beheading him.

As Clare began to doze off, she realized that it was snowing outside.

“Think the snow’ll cause problems?” she asked Jem quietly.

“I guess we’ll see,” he said.

B
UT THE NEXT
morning, before they could leave, Noah, Rick and Tilda arrived on their doorstep. And then, sometime that night, Noah died.

T
HEY WATCHED THROUGH
the side window as the three strangers came up to the front door and rang the doorbell. At the sound, Bear leapt to his feet and began barking at the door.

“Go to the bedroom,” Jem said to Mirri and Sarai. “We’ll call you when it’s safe.” He turned to Clare. “Do you think it’s safe?”

“Don’t know.”

“Maybe we should have a gun.”

“We have Bear. If we had a gun, we’d end up shooting ourselves by mistake.”

They watched, half-hidden by the curtain, as the largest of the strangers began knocking lightly at the door.

“They’re very polite,” said Jem. “That’s something.”

“I’m going to open the door,” said Clare. Bear stopped barking and walked with her, not at her heel, but with his head in front of her and with his teeth bared.

Clare pulled the door open, and three strangers dusted with snow filled the doorway. She felt Bear relax when he saw them. He even stretched his neck out over the threshold to sniff the smallest traveler who, Clare realized, was a little girl who must have been about Mirri’s age. The tallest of them held out his hand to Clare.

Bear went back to attention.

The two boys seemed to be a year or two older than Clare. The one they learned later was named Rick carried a string of what looked like dried meat wound around his pack. He stared at Clare’s face hard before he turned away and put down his pack. The other boy, who was called Noah, carried the heaviest gear. He was loaded not only with a pack and sleeping bag, but a tent. Tilda, the little girl, carried a knapsack almost as big as herself. Clare doubted that they were related; Pest made new families.

It had stopped snowing but there were several inches on the ground. Still, Jem and Clare didn’t invite them in, even as the introductions were made.

“We don’t mean you any harm,” said Noah once they had exchanged names. “Maybe you could tell your dog that. He’s—large.”

“He bites,” said Clare.

That was when Tilda started crying.

“Hey,” said Rick. “Just tell the dog to stand down.”

Clare felt abashed. “All right.”

“Klaatu Barada Nikto,” said Jem to Bear in a stern tone. Clare stifled a laugh.

Tilda stopped crying and stared at him.

“What’s that mean?” asked Noah.

“It’s from an old movie,” said Clare. “
The Day the Earth Stood Still
. The remake’s awful, but the original’s a real classic: in it—”

“It means that Clare won’t let her dog hurt you if you’re good guys,” said Jem.

“We’re law abiding,” said Rick. “We don’t even jaywalk.”

“We won’t stay long,” said Noah. “We’re headed south. For now.” He spoke quickly.

Clare put her hand on Bear’s head, and she felt him relax again. Jem’s voice hadn’t made him change his stance at all, but he was attuned to Clare’s moods. She looked the travelers over one more time, slowly and carefully, then she opened the door wider and let them in. She saw Jem narrow his eyes as he watched Rick closely, and she wondered what that was about. Maybe later Jem would tell her.

They called Sarai and Mirri from the bedroom, and it was only minutes before Tilda went over to them, and the three began playing with Mirri’s Pretty Ponies. Then Tilda looked up at Clare.

“Can we stay with you here tonight?” she asked in a quiet voice. “It’s nice and warm in here.”

“We wouldn’t impose on you; we’d go in the morning,” said Rick. “And we have some food we can share. If it’s all right, Clare.”

“Jem’s the boss,” said Clare.

Rick laughed as if someone had made a particularly funny joke. And Clare saw Jem narrow his eyes again. But all he said was:

“You can stay.”

“We’ll set up our little tent in here,” said Rick. “It’ll give us all a little privacy—plus, it’s warm.”

“I’ll get you some food,” said Jem.

“You won’t
believe
what
we
had for dinner,” said Mirri to the general company.

“But I bet you’re going to like it,” said Sarai.

Clare put her hand on Bear’s head again, and he gave a great sigh as if he had been looking forward to putting his teeth into someone and had now lost the chance.

Jem cooked up steaks and heated up some tomato soup for the three.

“This is terrific,” said Noah. “I mean it’s really, really good. We’re so tired of dried meat and flat bread, I can’t tell you.”

“I like flat bread,” said Mirri.

“Maybe we could do some trading,” Clare said. “We have a surplus of moose.”

“You have a deal, young lady,” said Rick.

Clare felt Jem bristle.

“‘Young lady,’” Jem muttered. “Give me a break. She’s almost as old as you are.”

“I don’t think she’s quite my age yet,” Rick said. “All right if I call you ‘young lady,’ Clare? I don’t mean any harm.”

“It’s all right. But age doesn’t matter any more. Here Jem’s in charge.”

Later, Clare and Jem snatched a moment to take Sarai and Mirri aside, to discuss the newcomers.

“They
seem
all right,” said Jem.

“Bear gave them a good vetting,” said Clare.

“Let’s be clear,” said Jem. “Bear’s response was a little ambiguous, especially when they came to the door. But Rick’s straightforward enough. Noah’s something of an enigma.”

“I
like
Tilda,” said Mirri.

“You’d like anyone who played Pretty Ponies with you,” said Sarai.

Meanwhile, Rick and Noah set up the tent in the living room. “The smaller space warms up fast,” Noah explained when Clare, Jem, Sarai and Mirri came back out from the kitchen.

The atmosphere loosened up a little as they all sat by the fire together.

“Since Noah and Tilda and I met up,” said Rick, “we’ve never stayed in one place for long.”

“Our first place was good,” said Jem. “But then we used up almost all the supplies in the area.”

“Are you staying here for the winter?” asked Rick. “Because it doesn’t look that way; it sort of looks like you’re packing up.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” said Jem.

Tilda broke the tension with a massive yawn.

“I need to take off some layers,” she said. “I think I’m starting to steam.”

“Me too,” said Noah.

“Just pile your stuff by the woodstove,” said Jem. “It’ll soon dry out.”

Tilda started unwinding her scarf and took off her outer jacket.

“This takes a long time,” she said. “I‘m wearing about seven layers.”

It was the most they had heard Tilda say so far.

Rick motioned to Clare. “Can I talk to you?” he asked. She looked over at Jem, Sarai and Mirri. Then she bent down and stroked Bear, who was lying at her feet. It was comforting how close he stayed to her. Always.

“All right,” she said.

“Outside.”

“Okay. But I’d really prefer it if Jem came, too.”

“You’re the oldest.”

“That’s not how it works here. Anything you tell me, I’ll be telling Jem later. And if we go outside, my dog comes too.”

“There’s no need to be afraid,” said Rick. “I promise.”

“I’m not afraid.”

Bear, who had been watching Clare the whole time, rose when she moved to the door.

“Clare?” asked Jem, when he saw where they were going.

“I’ll be right back, Jem. Don’t worry. Bear’s coming.” And Clare looked up at Rick, only to see that he had his eyes fixed on her.

“Don’t stay out too long,” said Jem. “It’s cold.”

The moon was a silver disc in the sky and the soft mounds of snow looked like graves in the dim light.

“Pest can’t be very far away for you,” said Rick, as the door closed behind them.

“Mirri and Sarai are far too young for Pest, and Jem’s only thirteen.” The words sounded odd in Clare’s ears. She didn’t think of Jem as thirteen.

“I meant you, not all of you. It’s you I’m worried about.”

“That’s not your business.”

“Jem can find a place and winter it out with Sarai and Mirri. But, if you like, you can come with us.”

“South?”

“No. To the Master. You know about the Master?”

Clare looked at Rick with astonishment. “You lied to us about where you’re going? What on earth for?”

“Noah and Tilda and I agreed on what we’d say if we met other children. We don’t want hangers-on; we don’t know what the Master’s resources are.”

“That’s pretty cold.”

“I know your friends would agree to let you come. Or at least they wouldn’t stop you—not with Noah and me backing you up.”

“Me. Without Jem.”

“Pest
will
catch up with you,” said Rick.

A light wind ruffled the tops of the snowdrifts and Clare pulled Michael’s Varsity jacket closer around her.

“I want to go back in,” she said.

“Jem has some years to go. You’re running out of time.”

“You seem to know a lot more about this than we do.”

Rick lowered his voice. “Maybe you haven’t heard yet, but the Master’s broadcasting on a wider frequency now. He’s setting up a new society, and he keeps saying that he has the real cure. He says the onset of Pest is between sixteen and eighteen. He’s our chance. He’s
your
chance.”

“What’s all this secret stuff about taking me out here to talk to me?”

“I like you.”

Clare felt as if she were back in high school. “You’re kidding.”

“No. No, I’m not.”

“You don’t know me.”

“I can see you in your eyes.” He looked at her intently “They’re very special.”

“You can leave off with the ‘eyes are the windows to the soul’ crap.”

“Are you and the boy lovers? Because if you are—”

Clare was suddenly, inexplicably angry. Bear seemed to feel her agitation, and he gave a low growl.

“Jem’s thirteen,” she said. “What do you think?”

“I think that I don’t know.”

“No. We aren’t lovers. We’re friends. Best friends. But that isn’t your business, either.”

“I just want you to get through to Master.”

“You can stop talking now. I’m going in.”

Bear almost herded her through the door in his apparent eagerness to get Clare inside. Rick followed. The frostiness between Rick and Clare was obvious, and Clare saw Jem watching her curiously.

When Rick and Noah and Tilda had all peeled out of their clothes and emerged from the tent in their sleepwear, the room began to smell of sweat and unwashed bodies. It was no worse than Clare, Jem, Sarai and Mirri smelled, but, Clare thought, it wasn’t
their
sweat and unwashed bodies. Not that they didn’t ever wash, but cold water baths tended to be cursory. Noah rubbed his neck.

“Let me see,” said Jem.

“That’s all right,” said Noah. “It’s just a stiff neck.”

The three travelers disappeared into their tent.

The other four retreated into their bedroom. Clare and Jem decided to keep a watch, but Clare found it hard to stay awake. She went and sat on Jem’s bed, and he climbed out of the covers and then draped a quilt around the two of them.

“It’s strange to see other children,” said Clare. “They’re so normal.”

“They’re secretive.”

“Maybe,” said Clare. She thought of Rick. “Yeah, I guess they are.”

“They don’t quite seem like children to me. Except Tilda.”

“What did you talk about while I was outside?” asked Clare.

“I played chess with Noah.”

“Who won?”

“Please.”

“Show off.”

“What about Rick? What were you two talking about outside?”

Clare could hear the soft breathing of Sarai and Mirri.

“They know about the Master; they’re keeping their destination a secret; they don’t want what Rick called ‘hangers-on.’ And we talked about whether or not I’m close to the onset of Pest.”

“You know you are.”

“I’ll be sixteen in the spring. But Noah and Rick look like they’re almost eighteen.”

“Let me guess. They don’t want us, but Rick invited you to go with them.”

“Well,” said Clare. “Yeah. How did you know?”

“I saw the way he looked at you. What did he say when you turned him down?”

“Not much.”

Jem was very quiet. It was too dark to see his face. As they sat on the bed, Clare knew that she would never tell Jem about Rick’s question. Ever.

Time passed. It was warm under the quilt.

“Are you still awake?” Clare asked.

“Still awake. I’m thinking.”

They huddled under the comforter. And, at some point, they both dozed off.

Clare awoke a few moments later to see Tilda standing at the foot of the bed. Bear was sitting up, alert, and then he did something very strange. He walked over to Tilda and nudged her.

“Noah won’t move,” said Tilda, putting her arms around Bear.

“What do you mean?” asked Clare.

“He’s lying on Bunny, and he won’t move.” And Tilda just stood there, a darker part of darkness.