The Long Fall of Night: The Long Fall of Night Book 1 (34 page)

Half an hour after Elliot had drifted off in his arms, Ash extracted himself and emerged into the firelit area inside the ring of tents.

“Is he okay?” Brian asked, immediately by his side.

Patting his shoulder, Ash reassured him, but when his eyes locked on Jason, who had a mischievous grin on his lips, all other thoughts fell away, and he saw red.

“Give it back,” he demanded, striding across the clearing to stand in front of the man.

“Asher!” Charlotte said, startled.

“You have his iPod,” he accused, ignoring his sister, who smacked his leg near his ankle. “Give it the fuck back.”

“
Tsk tsk
, language in front of the boy.” Jason’s eyes darted around to the others, none of whom moved. Riley had already gone to bed, though, so Ash wasn’t worried about his words, nor what he was about to do.

He backhanded Jason. “I’m done with your fucking games. You have his iPod, and you also have ten seconds to get off your lazy, waste-of-space ass to return it before I beat you to a bloody pulp.”

Jason fingered his lip, though it wasn’t split. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ash backhanded him again. “I can keep doing this all night.”

“Hey,” Tim said behind Ash, trying to grab his arm. Ash whirled on him, and Tim held up his hands in quick surrender. “I don’t think Elliot had it out today. He has the last couple days, but not today. Maybe it’s in yesterday’s jeans.”

“He checked,” Ash snarled, baring his teeth at them. “He checked his backpack. He checked Brian’s backpack. It’s not in any of the places he normally keeps it. Which means one of you fucking douchebags stole it.”

Jason stood, finally looking indignant, his tongue playing with the corner of his lip. “Hey! We’re not thieves. If his iPod is missing, he probably dropped it on the road somewhere. Go through our bags. I swear.”

“Ash,” Aaron said quietly. “They’ve been with someone from your group the whole time. When would they have stolen it?”

“I don’t fucking know, but if I don’t have it back by morning, you two dipshits—” he pointed at Jason and Tim “—can find another escort across the country. I’m fucking done with you.”

Charlotte pulled him away, outside the ring of tents. “Getting yourself this pissed off isn’t going to help us find it, okay?”

“You know I’m right,” he said vehemently. “Elliot needs it. He’ll fall apart without it. You didn’t see him, Char.” The memory of Elliot’s distraught face, unaware of his tears falling as he frantically searched, tore at Ash. “He says it’s literally better than medicine.”

“You walked through the fire, Asher.”

“What?” He stopped, staring at her.

“You walked right through the campfire, you stupid asshole,” she said again. “Look at your jeans.” The place where she’d slapped his leg was ragged and charred. “You get yourself hurt because you’re too worried about him, and where will the rest of us be? You have to
calm down
.”

He took a deep breath. “Okay, okay.”

“Now, are you sure he didn’t drop it?”

Brushing his hair back from his face, he stared into the distance, clamping his teeth shut. “I don’t know. He swears it was in his pack.”

“But Jason and Tim weren’t in his tent, and they weren’t left alone. I’m not a fan of theirs either, but I don’t see how this is their fault.”

Doubt crept in, and he gave her a pleading look. “Toss the campsite. We have to find it.”

“We will,” she assured him.

Together they walked back to the others, and she calmly explained the situation. “Aaron, you already knew Elliot’s epileptic, but without his music, he’s worse. So come on, everybody. Search your stuff in case it fell out while we were setting up. If we find it, crisis averted.”

“And if we don’t?” Ash demanded.

She stared at him helplessly. “Then nothing.”

They spent an hour searching. It was gone.

I
don’t think
there are in life, pure darkness or pure light. Everyone’s got a little of everything.

—John Hawkes

“
W
HY IS
IT THE MISSOURI RIVER if it’s the border between Iowa and Nebraska?” Riley asked, eyeing the sign for the flowing body of water in front of them with skepticism.

“Because it’s also on the border between Nebraska and Missouri, and Missouri and Kansas,” Ash said absently, consulting his GPS to see if perhaps there was a less populous way to cross the Missouri. But there wasn’t anything better than Livingston Highway between Iowa and Nebraska. All the other crossings within a day’s hike were north, toward Omaha, and they were tracking too close to the city for Ash’s comfort as it was.

It neared dusk, though, and he hoped at that time of day, no one would be out and about. Besides, big cities were all supposed to be evacuated anyway, with curfews and soldier-government, so people wouldn’t exactly be out walking their dogs.

He was tired. It had been a hellacious week since Elliot had lost his iPod. Ash still had his suspicions, but it didn’t matter. They’d made do, with Brian and Ash switching tents, and Ash singing Elliot to sleep every night. It wasn’t ideal, but Elliot hadn’t had any seizures, so Ash counted it as a win.

The group, however, was sullen and distrustful of each other. Charlotte and Jennifer stuck close together, and Aaron and Brian had bonded over conspiracy theories. They avoided the current predicament for Elliot’s sake, but they had rousing discussions about who might have killed JFK, if there were secret bunkers in Colorado for the super rich to go in the event of the end of the world, and if Monsanto was working with the government on genetically modified food in order to subvert the population into becoming the perfect Stepford slaves.

“There aren’t bunkers in Colorado for the super rich,” Elliot had said.

“How do you know, though?” Aaron asked, winking at him.

“My dad would have one if there were,” he said, shrugging like it was no big deal.

“What do you mean?” Tim asked, his curiosity overcoming his caution in dealing with any of the original five of them.

“Steven Davenport is my father,” Elliot said simply.

“Who?” Jason asked, his brow furrowed in lack of recognition.

The whole group looked at him like he was an idiot.

Well, he is,
Ash thought with a hint of humor.

“Ever fill up for gas at a DOC Stop?” Charlotte said, not taking her eyes off the road in front of them.

“Is there anyone who hasn’t?” Jason asked, still not getting it.

“DOC stands for Davenport Oil Company,” Aaron explained patiently. “Elliot’s dad is the Davenport behind it. He’s one of the richest men in the world. Top five, I’d say.”

“Not that it matters now,” Elliot said with a wave of his hand, squinting into the sunset. Ash had found him taking in the sun during the Golden Hour more in the last several days, and he suspected Elliot was trying to find new methods of Zen. Appreciating the beauty of a sunset wasn’t a bad choice, especially with the clouds that dotted the blue dome of the sky that evening. They were painted purple and orange and vibrant pink to contrast the deepening blue, and with the lack of skyscrapers to block the view, it was a beautiful sight.

“So that means you’re one of the richest people in the world,” Jason said, finally putting two and two together.

“Yep,” Elliot said, emphasizing the
p
sound. “You picked the wrong guy to bully, didn’t ya?”

Jason looked incredibly uncomfortable. “How’d you end up out here and not with your parents in some posh hotel on the west coast then?”

Elliot hadn’t given Jason and Tim any more of his energy since his iPod disappeared, Ash had noticed, so instead of taking offense, he just explained the events that led him to tag along with Ash and their decision not to go to the military as Steven Davenport had suggested. “With airports closed, he can’t just fly in for me, so here I am.” He was matter-of-fact about it.

“Doesn’t it bother you, having to wear the same two changes of clothes over and over? Not getting a shower every day? No coffee?” Tim asked, getting more incredulous.

“I like my creature comforts, just like the next guy, but the only thing that bugs me is my missing iPod. Otherwise, I never got hooked on coffee, and two changes of clothes sure does simplify things. No black-tie dinners, no political trips to see the president. No vacations where Mom and I find something fun to do while Dad spends all day in meetings. Plus, we always traveled abroad. I would never have gotten to see this much of our country if it weren’t for the nature hike.”

“But you’re rich,” Jason spluttered. “How can you
not
be bothered by sleeping on the ground and having no hot water for showers?”

“Have you seen the stars at night?” Elliot asked, his head on a swivel as they crossed the bridge. It was a toll bridge, but the swing arm had been smashed through, and no one attended the booth, so they walked on by as if seeing busted windows and destroyed cash registers was normal. Hell, it was becoming normal, the more towns they went through. “No light pollution to hide them, and there are so many. So beautiful. Money doesn’t get you a view like that.”

“It would if you had a cabin in the mountains or your own private island,” Tim said.

“Money doesn’t work here anymore,” Elliot said dismissively. “And frankly, I’d give away what was in my bank account if people wanted it. Money makes people insane, and the stupider the money, the stupider the people. I’d rather have experiences, and lemme tell you, this is a hell of an experience, walking across the country. I’d have never had the guts.”

Ash was pleased they all seemed to be getting along, but he kept sweeping their surroundings. Something felt… foreboding. Like a pall of expectation descending along with the sun, and once the light faded, they’d face worse than they had all along. It was almost like being watched.

They reached the other side of the Missouri River, and Ash breathed in relief. “Where do you guys want to stay? We have to get south of town, but maybe we could find a nice rural farm to settle on.”

“Works for me,” Jennifer said, and the others gave various noises of agreement.

“Why don’t we stay along the river? There’s good tree cover, and not a lot of houses on the bank,” Elliot suggested, studying the landscape from their heightened vantage point. “We get farther inland, it might be more populated than we realize.” He pointed to the north, where several buildings were visible along the banks in the fading light.

“We’re not far from Omaha, are we?” Aaron asked.

Ash shook his head. “About twenty miles south. Should be far enough.”

“I like the trees idea,” Jennifer said. “Feels more protected.”

“Fine with me,” Ash agreed. “No fire tonight, though. Attracts too much attention.”

Moving off the bridge, they turned south and were soon walking along the frontage road, scoping out possible places in the trees where they could fit five tents. Camp setup was a quieter affair than usual, and before long, they were eating cold canned vegetables and dried hunks of deer meat.

Just as Elliot stood to go to the tent he shared with Ash, a greenish dot flashed in the underbrush.

“Elliot,” Ash whispered harshly. “Stop where you are. Charlotte, get Riley.” Elliot froze, and Ash moved to his side, pulling the gun from the small of his back and flexing his fingers around the grip. He heard Riley ask what was going on and his mother shushing him.

“What?” Elliot asked, voice barely audible in the swish of leaves overhead. The wind picked up. If Ash’s mental count wasn’t off, it was May 5
^th
. He wondered if the weather was about to get bad, but that wasn’t what had stopped him. He didn’t dare take his eyes off the spot in the bushes. It had looked like light reflecting off the eyes of an animal.

Slowly, he approached, and a low growl emanated from the foliage. He stopped, waited, then started forward again. A flash of movement had him pointing his gun, and when the branches parted and a dog emerged, he didn’t lower it. The growl changed to a whine as the dog lowered itself to its belly, watching him with interest and fear. In the deepening twilight, it was difficult to tell what kind of dog it was, other than it was fairly big and had matted white fur. Knowing how quickly temperament could change, Ash kept up his guard, but Elliot moved around him before he could hold him back.

“Elliot!” Ash cautioned, and the dog bared its teeth even as it whined.

“You’re scaring it, Ash,” Elliot scolded right back, kneeling a couple feet in front of the dog and holding his hand out, palm down, waiting for the animal to brave a sniff. “It’s okay,” he soothed in the dog’s direction. “We’re not going to hurt you.”

“That dog lunges, you bet your ass I’ll hurt it,” Ash retorted.

But it didn’t lunge, and as it belly crawled toward Elliot’s outstretched hand, the clink of a tag and collar rang softly.

“Someone’s pet,” Ash murmured, lowering the gun. He stayed alert but was no longer trying to assert dominance.

When the dog sniffed at Elliot’s hand, it whined again and then licked his fingers. Elliot sank them into the fur on top of its head and gave its ears a good rub.

“Yeah, good doggie,” he cooed, and the animal rolled to its back and bared its soft belly for scratches. “Ash, it’s fine. It’s just scared. Probably hungry,” he said as his hand moved over the dog’s ribs.

“You feed it, it won’t go away.”

Elliot ignored him, sitting so he could get both hands involved in the scratching. “Have you got a flashlight? It has a tag.”

Ash didn’t want to leave Elliot unprotected so he asked over his shoulder for someone to get him a light, and when they did, he shined it on Elliot’s hands.

“Rabies vaccine dated last month, and a name and phone number. I doubt the owner’s name is Ghost, though.” At the mention of its name, the dog thumped its tail. It still watched them, but with less wariness than before. “Are you a boy dog or a girl dog?” Elliot asked as if Ghost would answer, and his belly scratching took on more vigor. The dog tipped farther onto its back, and Ash redirected the light.

“Boy then,” he said.

“Checking out the goods?” Elliot laughed.

“Well, you wanted to know.”

Elliot stood and the dog came to his feet and shook the leaves and brambles from his fur, then sat and panted. “Looks like a German Shepherd, but he’s white. Never seen a white one before. Ghost is a fitting name.”

“Okay, petting zoo time is done. We should turn in,” Ash said, tucking his gun away and going back into the camp with Elliot right behind him.

And Ghost behind Elliot.

They looked at each other, and Ash groaned at the look on Elliot’s face. “No.”

“Oh, come on! We can’t just leave him out here. He’s domesticated. Who knows what happened to his owners. What if they got pulled into military service and had to abandon him? He’s on his own now, and he’s clearly a nice animal.”

“He’s also another mouth to feed. We don’t know if he’s got a temper, and if he’s good with kids or not.”

Riley giggled, and they looked over to find Ghost licking his chin where the boy sat perched on a downed tree. Elliot gave Ash a “See?” look and held his hands out in plea.

“I’ll take care of him. We can let him hunt on his own, and we’ll make sure he doesn’t get hurt.”

Ash knew he was going to cave. Elliot asked for virtually nothing, and the cow eyes he adopted now were nearly lethal. If Elliot looked at him like that in bed, Ash would be doomed. Still, he hesitated.

“I’m not convinced he’s the sweet beast you think. He growled at us when we first approached.”

“Because you had a fighting stance and were prepared to put him down. He immediately calmed down and submitted when it was clear you were in charge. That doesn’t have to change.”

“Please, Uncle Ash,” Riley asked, getting in on it and throwing his arms around the dog.

Ash gave Elliot a droll look as if to say
see what you did?
“If he bites someone, we don’t have a lot of medical supplies for that sort of thing. A dog bite could kill someone in these conditions.”

“We have antibiotics from Pennsylvania,” Elliot reminded. “It would make other people we run across think twice before messing with us.”

Ash’s resolve broke. Good points. “Okay, okay. He can stay. But he’s your dog. Your responsibility.” Elliot threw his arms around Ash with a heartfelt thank you, forgetting they were in front of everyone. Ash detangled him before he got bold enough to do more, patting his shoulder with a wink. “You’re welcome.” Then he turned to the others. “No more strays, okay? I think we get any more bodies with us, we’ll have a hard time crossing country with any sort of stealth.”

“Agreed,” Brian said, clapping Ash on the shoulder as he walked past to resume his seat on a tree stump.

“Dogs can hear and smell better than humans, so maybe he’ll alert us to trouble before we stumble on it,” Charlotte offered. Her expression said she thought Ash was a sucker, and she was trying to hold back laughter.

“Ugh. You all suck,” Ash grumbled. When Elliot dug in his pack, Ash watched in amusement as he emerged with his shallow food dish and took one of the condoms of rainwater they all had tied to their backpacks for when they weren’t camping near a water source, pouring half of it in the dish and setting it at his feet.

“Come here, Ghost,” he called, and the dog did, drinking noisily until the water was gone. “That’s all you get for now.” Then he held out a couple of strips of dried deer meat, and the dog wolfed them down.

“Don’t give him too much,” Ash admonished.

“I won’t.”

“You’re washing that bowl, too. And eating out of it.”

Elliot glared at him, though the corners of his mouth turned up. “Well aware, you tyrant.” His tiredness seemed to have dissipated, and Ash smiled at him fondly.

“I’m turning in,” Jason stood with a yawn.

They bid him goodnight, and others began to peel off. As Jennifer stood, she gasped, her hand going to her belly, which had just begun to swell. Ash had overheard enough conversations between her and Charlotte to know she was about four months pregnant, which he remembered from his sister meant she was past the danger zone. Well, as past it as possible in these conditions.