There's Blood on the Moon Tonight (128 page)

“Remember,”
she had said.
“Remember…”

And by God, so he had.

“After I pushed the door closed I picked up the hatchet to defend myself, once the fire died down, you know? That's when I remembered what Cutter said. Before I could change my mind, I chopped off the infected limb and stuck my elbow right into the fire until it cauterized the wound. I’m surprised you didn’t hear me howling.”

             
“If I had, I would’ve clawed me way through that feckin’ door.”

             
“Rusty did the right thing, Red.”

             
“I know. I know.”

             
“Anyway, to my surprise, once the fire did die down, I discovered the Rabids had all moved on. When they smelled their own kind roasting in the flames, they must’ve assumed the fire had taken out the four of us as well. Still, I had an interesting night, getting out of the Pines and safely into the lighthouse.”

He cleared his throat and shrugged. “Compared to what we’d been through, though, it was a walk in the park.”

              Josie gave him a look. She knew he was sugarcoating the ordeal for her sake. Telling half-truths again. That was okay. At least for now. He was here, sitting right beside her, breathing in and breathing out.
Alive!

And that was all that mattered.

              “During the day I went out and killed whatever Rabids I could find. The sinkholes were full of them. The houses, not so much, for some reason. After killing them, I simply left their bodies in the sinkholes to rot. Covered ‘em up with some dirt and pine straw, and I was done.”

             
“What about the evenings?”

             
“I found a Winchester hunting rifle with a night-scope at Bidwell’s house. Plenty of handguns, too. Who knew the man was a gun nut? Once the sun went down, I went out on the catwalk,” he pointed up at the lighthouse, “and got down to business. I must’ve gotten three hundred Rabids that way. Ran out of bullets around the same time the virus finally ran its course. The last few Rabids I shot were already on death’s door. By then, it was a mercy mission. They really suffer at the end, clawing so hard at their paralyzed throats they rip their own jugulars out.”

             
Josie shivered. Not out of any sympathy for the Rabids, but concern for her Buddy boy. “Was going after those feckin’ things really necessary? You could’ve just waited them out!”

             
“I could’ve played it safe, waited for the virus to do its dirty work, but I was afraid you’d talk Rusty into letting you out of the bunker. In fact, I became certain of it. I didn’t want you going through those woods until every last Red Eyed Man was dead and buried.” He flipped open the lid of his Zippo and fired it. “Or dead and
burned
.”

             
Josie saw the words on the side of the Zippo lighter. Carved there by Bud’s namesake with his K-Bar knife. Probably after killing some Viet Cong tunnel rat in a hand-to-hand battle underneath the topsoil.
Never Say Die!

She smiled, remembering Bud’s last pointed words to her at the door. How they kept her going, even when she wanted to die. “If I’d known that you’d survived, I surely would have. Left the bunker, I mean.”

              “It wasn’t as dangerous as it sounds, Joe. After that terrible night in the Pines, the Rabids became weaker and weaker. Every evening fewer of them made it out of their holes. Most died without any help from me. Two weeks later and I couldn’t find another living soul here. You were still better off in the bunker, though. Even with the ocean breezes the stink was ungodly! Using Mr. Pete’s pick-up truck, I began collecting the stiffs and dumping them at the Circle Jerk, where I kept the fire going every day.”

             
“Yeah. We saw. I still don’t see how you could’ve accomplished all that with just one hand, though.”

             
“I was trying to keep preoccupied. I didn’t want…”

             
“Yeah? What is it, love?”

             
“I didn’t want to end up down there, in the alcove, begging you guys to come out of the bunker.”

             
Josie frowned. “I don’t follow. Were you afraid you might have the disease and pass it on to us?”

             
“Partly. At that time, the bodies were really ripe and leaking fluids. They decomposed quickly. Most of all I wanted to make sure this world was a better place than the one you left behind. The hard work helped pass the time.”

             
Josie shook her head. “That’s me Buddy boy. Always carrying more than his fair share—even with just the one arm. I do have one more question for you, though.”

“I’m all ears, Scarlett,” he said, in what was supposed to be his Clark Gable voice.

“Okay, Rhett, as you said, the Rabids died out weeks ago, right? So why didn’t you come get us? Or at the very least, let me know you were still alive?”

Bud brought a lock of her hair to his nose and inhaled her strawberry scent. “That’s
three
questions, Joe.”

“Bud, don’t be a horse’s arse.”

“Because I didn’t know if
you
were alive! That’s why.” He smiled again, relieved of that fear at last.

“Huh? That doesn’t make any sense! Of course we were alive! We were locked safely away!” Understanding lit her face. “
Ohhh
…you were worried that Tubby had contracted the virus down in that sinkhole!”

“Or Rusty, both. Several times I went down there with the intention of calling out to you, Joe. Even had my ear to the door. But I was scared.”

“Scared?
You?”

“That’s right.
Me
. Scared of not hearing any response from the other side! Scared of what I might discover if I
did
. Scared I might have sent you to your
death
down there, Joe!” Bud shuddered involuntarily. “Locked you in with the very
thing
I was trying to save you from. That horrible thought tortured me relentlessly. As happy as you were to see me today, Red, it doesn’t comes close to my own relief at seeing you alive and well.”

“Silly boyo,” she said, kissing him on the lips. “I doubt that very much. By the way, I found the present you left for me. The attaché. It’s beautiful! Thank you, Bud. I’ll treasure it always. But you still need to finish writing out that birthday card,” she teased him. “You left it undone. What were you gonna say anyway?”

“Gee, I forgot all about that! That was back in September, as I recall. Before Tubby even joined our group. Before you kissed me down in the bunker! Otherwise I’d of gotten you something nicer, more sentimental, you know?”

“Something nicer? More sentimental? Och, don’t be daft, man! It’s the nicest feckin’ gift anyone’s ever given me! But don’t be changing the subject. I asked what you were going to write on that card? It just sorta trailed off.”

Bud blushed. “To be honest, I was trying to find the right words, Joe. To let you know I wanted to be more than just a friend to you.” He laughed. “But things worked them-selves out without any help from me.”

“I’ll say,” Josie smirked. She saw a different Bud beside her. A Bud who no longer carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Suddenly she knew. “Your visions. They’ve stopped, haven’t they?”

Bud nodded, almost sadly, Josie thought.

“Mom. She’s at peace now.”

“Huh? I don’t understand...” Josie’s eyes widened. “Oh! Your
mother
! She was the source of your dreams!”

Bud could only nod, surprised at the tight knot in his throat. As much as the dreams had disturbed him, he missed that daily contact with his mother.

Josie frowned. Her mouth opened as if to ask a question, then closed instead.

Bud saw the hurt, almost jealous look on her face. “You’re wondering why
my
mother…and not
your
father.”

Josie’s lower lip trembled. “I don’t mean to sound as if I’m not happy you got to say goodbye to your mum…you did get to say goodbye, didn’t you?”

Bud nodded. “I did. But that’s not the reason she came to me, Joe.” He looked thoughtful, almost embarrassed. “Look, I won’t tell you I have all the answers; how she came to me every night for eight years; how she knew what my future was, and how I could change that outcome. What I can tell you is this: Her last visit to me, that night on the beach in front of your house, some things were imparted to me. Why or how, I don’t know. I don’t even know if this knowledge came
from
my mother! It was more of an understanding, actually. You see, when my mother died so violently at the Red Eyed Man’s hands, she was at that moment tied to this mortal plane. The Evil that took her life was destined to take mine as well in the future. She had
unfinished
business with that Evil, Josie. That’s the best way I can describe it to you. Unfinished business.”

“To warn you that the Red Eyed Man wasn’t finished with you—or us.”

“And more importantly, how to survive him.”

“So me dad’s death that same night?”

“An accident? Coincidence? Fate? I honestly don’t know.” He saw that Josie wasn’t completely satisfied. “You’re wondering why he didn’t come to you.”

The look on her face was almost savage. “It’s not fair, Bud! I miss me dad too, you know! Why couldn’t he say goodbye to me? That’s all I ever really wanted! Just to be able to say goodbye!”

Bud pulled her head next to his. “Like I said, Joe—my mother’s unfinished business wasn’t to say goodbye. It was to set right my future. No…
our
future. And until that happened, her soul was without a home. Lost in limbo. Be happy that your dad is at peace. I have a sense that the plane my mother refused to leave for my sake was anything but pleasant. As soon as she passed over to the Other Side, I sensed a tremendous joy. She’s home now.”

“At peace with your dad.”

Bud smiled and nodded his head.

Josie, realizing the wisdom in this, sighed. If what Bud said was true, then her dad really was at peace too! And maybe, just
maybe
, she really could see him again someday. Just as
she
had always dreamed.

Tubby shouted ecstatically, interrupting Bud and Josie’s somber reflections. A fish had finally taken his bait, and Tubby was frantically reeling it in. Rusty was beside him, laughing like a loon. As if it was the first fish he’d ever seen reeled in before. Tubby’s squeals of delight reminded Josie of what had occurred between the two of them down in the bunker. An icy cold rain on her parade.

“Buddy boy?”

             
He looked at her and pushed a copper strand of her hair behind one ear. They couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. “Yeah, Big Red?”

             
Josie thought of her missed period, her first ever since getting her cycles, and she nearly cried. She knew what she had to say might jeopardize their relationship; but after all that Bud had done for her, all that he’d sacrificed, she couldn’t keep such a thing to herself.

She looked down the shore at Tubby, a portly description that didn’t fit the boy at all anymore, and told Bud what happened that night in the bunker.

              Bud’s eyes filled quickly with tears. His face crumbled like that of a lost little boy. He followed her gaze down the beach—to where Tubby stood holding up his tiny fish. “Do you…do you love him, Josie?”

             
Josie grabbed Bud’s chin and made him look at her. His tears broke her heart, and she brushed them away with the pads of her thumbs. “Oh, Buddy boy. I didn’t make love to Ralph Tolson that night. I made love to
you
!”

             
Bud blinked. “W-what?”

             
“I was out of my mind with grief and hadn’t slept for days. I hardly remember what happened after you shut that feckin’ door! That night I thought I was having a
dream
. A dream about
you
! A dream about
us
. You’ve got to believe me, Buddy boy!”

             
Bud smiled through the pain and doubt in his eyes. “Of course I believe you, Joe. Besides, you thought I was dead. I don’t blame you for what happened.”

             
“And Ralphie? Do you blame him?”

             
Bud took a deep breath and seemed to hold it forever. “I won’t lie and say it doesn’t bother me. Tell you the truth, it makes me jealous as hell. I mean, look at that guy! That’s not the same fat boy we saw cringing on the steps of the school, now is it? I wouldn’t blame you if—”

             
“Och, Bud! Don’t even say it! Even after that happened, I had no intentions of being with anyone else but you. Ralphie knows that. And you better, too!”

             
“Josie, for all you knew I was
dead
.”