Part 26 (1/2)

It was raining the day they packed to leave. It wasn't just drizzling, but hurricane-like downpours, gus.h.i.+ng buckets of water down on their heads and worse, their supplies. Trey tied everything under tarps and shoved suitcases into garbage bags, but water damage was inevitable.

”What do you girls think, you're going to Europe for the month?” Trey scolded as he shoved suitcase after suitcase into the ancient Ford E-Series van they'd bought off a black-market dealer for three hundred bucks. It barely ran, spilling out black goo and blacker smoke each time you turned on the engine. But it wasn't a Smart Car, so it wasn't traceable. Trey wasn't taking any chances with the food they'd begged, borrowed, and stolen.

Thank G.o.d they had a sim Boy Scout like him leading things. After spending years of his life in rather impractical role-playing fantasy sims, Chris had very little clue about real life survival. But Trey was taking care of everything. He'd calculated food, supplies, even the number of people who could join them. Ten. Any more, he said, and there would be too many empty stomachs and too many fights.

”Oh no, here comes another one,” Chris said, pointing through the rain to a hooded individual running up the path. Ever since the kids in school found out they were skipping town, they'd had visitors up the ying-yang. Everyone wanted to escape, and they were willing to trade fancy, high-end sim decks, Mom's jewelry-anything to strike a deal.

”Useless,” Trey would say. ”What good will a sim deck be when there's no power, no web?”

The figure approached, stepping under the awning where Trey and Chris were standing, pulled off her hood and looked up at Trey with big doe eyes. Anna Simmons. This ought to be interesting.

”Trey!” she cried. ”I can't believe you were going to leave without me.”

Trey looked down at her. And Chris could see the debate in his eyes. ”I'm sorry, Anna,” he said. ”We're full. We can only take ten. You said you weren't coming, and just because Richard broke up with you...”

Chris was surprised. Surely Trey would bend when it came to Anna, the girl he was crazy about. But no. As she continued to beg, he continued to shake his head. He had a plan, and d.a.m.n it, he'd be sticking to it. Either that or he was still a bit sore about the whole Richard thing...

”What if someone doesn't show?” Anna tried. ”I only see nine of you.”

Oh, no she didn't. ”Peyton's on her way,” Chris interrupted. ”She'll be here any minute.” He glanced at his watch. They'd all switched to old-fas.h.i.+oned types that only told the time and didn't have standard GPS. If he'd set it correctly, Peyton was fifteen minutes late. Trey was going to be p.i.s.sed.

Sure enough, Trey shot him a look. ”Are you sure she's coming?” he asked. ”'Cause it's not fair to save a spot if she's not.”

Chris pushed nagging doubts to the back of his mind. Even though he hadn't heard from Peyton after last night, when Tara was murdered, that didn't mean she'd changed her mind. It was just hard for her to get in touch, with her dad being all strict and everything. She'd said she would be here. She'd promised and sealed it with a kiss.

”Yes,” he said, trying to sound as confident as he could. ”She'll be here.”

”Then I'm sorry, Anna,” Trey said with a regretful shrug. ”I've got nothing left. Maybe try Drew. I think him and his buddies are heading south sometime this week.”

Tears splashed down Anna's cheeks, mixing with raindrops. ”Please,” she begged. ”I'm scared and I don't want to die.”

Trey's face softened. ”We leave at ten,” he said. ”If Peyton doesn't show by then, you can have her spot.”

”No!” Chris cried, feeling panic bubble up inside of him. ”She's going to show!”

”Fine,” Trey said, looking annoyed. ”Like I said, if she does, she's in. First come, first serve, and all that. But if she doesn't, then there's no reason to deny Anna the spot-is there?”

Chris knew his brother had a point, as much as he was loath to admit it. He glanced at his watch again, fear gripping his heart. Where was she? Why wasn't she here? Had something happened?

”Hey, Chris, can you give me a hand with this?” cried Bill, attempting to lift a heavy box into the van. Chris ran over to help, trying to force the worry out of his brain.

She'd come. She'd promised, after all. And he trusted her with everything he was.

Chapter Forty-four.

”Oh my G.o.d, I can't believe we're actually here.”

Peyton and Chase pulled up on their motorcycles-gifts from the Hive council that had made the last of the trip fly by-in front of the main entrance to Disney. The turnstiles, once manned by militant cast members who denied admission to anyone without the requisite pa.s.s, stood as harmless sentinels, suits of armor without soldiers, ineffective guardians to the keys of the kingdom. Beyond? There was an old abandoned railroad station where, once upon a time, a train would pick up pa.s.sengers and circle the perimeter of the park for those disinclined to walk. Beyond that? The Magic Kingdom itself. Once the happiest place on Earth. Now perhaps not happy, but one of its last refuges.

Peyton slid off her motorcycle, engaged the kickstand and walked over to the turnstiles. She ran her hand along the smooth chrome then turned back to Chase. ”I'm so nervous,” she admitted. ”Everything I've been living for for the last four years has come down to this.”

He dismounted his own bike and approached. Put his arms around her and squeezed tight. ”No matter what happens,” he whispered in her ear, ”I love you.”

His words sent chills down her back and she squeezed him in return. ”I love you, too,” she said. ”That's why I want this so much. That's the real reason it means something.”

They clung to each other for a moment, each lost in their own hopes and horrors, then reluctantly let go. They were still on a mission, after all.

”I guess we jump the turnstiles,” Chase said with a quirky grin. ”Unless you pre-purchased tickets. Hope no guards are watching.”

She chuckled. ”I think Walt will forgive us, under the circ.u.mstances.” She placed her hands on each side of the turnstile. ”Besides, I always wanted to do this as a kid.” She jumped over the bars and landed on the other side. ”Easy-peasy.”

Chase made his jump and together they walked under the train bridge and came out into Town Square, right on the edge of Main Street USA. Peyton glanced around at the once-colorful turn-of-the-Twentieth-century modeled buildings, now with their faded, chipping paint. The storefronts along Main Street were battered and neglected. Some had been knocked down entirely-perhaps by a pa.s.sing hurricane or two. The place was silent as the grave, and a s.h.i.+ver pa.s.sed through Peyton. She scanned the area with her implants, searching for life.

Nothing. Totally dead.

”I guess they wouldn't be concentrating on aesthetics when they're trying to save the world,” she muttered, half to herself. ”I mean, they've got more important things to do than paint.”

Chase reached over and took her hand and squeezed. She wondered, not for the first time, how much he believed that they'd find something here. It was beginning to seem doubtful to her as well. But she pushed on. Even if the chance was small, she had to know. Chase's life depended on it.

”This place is huge,” Chase remarked, as they walked down Main Street toward a crumbling Cinderella's castle with a few missing turrets. ”How are we going to find anyone?”

”I'm looking,” Peyton told him, glancing off toward Adventureland. ”There'll be signs. But nothing so far.” She stopped as her lenses picked up movement. ”Oh G.o.d,” she whispered. ”There are Others here.” She zoomed in for a closer look. ”And they're headed our way.” She scanned the castle. Same deal. And coming from Tomorrowland, too. In a moment, they'd be surrounded.

”They're everywhere!” she cried. ”The place is crawling with them.” She motioned behind her. ”Let's head back to the entrance. Maybe we can find one of those service tunnels or something.”

They ran back down Main Street to Town Square and found a door that said Cast Members Only. Pus.h.i.+ng through they found a staircase-Stairway Number 18, according to the sign-leading down into the darkness. Peyton checked the pa.s.sage and couldn't see any signs of movement in the dim light. Chase closed the door behind them and they both breathed a sigh of relief.

”What are Others doing here?” Chase asked dubiously. ”You would think if your father and his friends were here they'd have cleared the place out. Secured it.”

Peyton nodded. ”Something's wrong,” she agreed. ”This isn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be the last safe human outpost. Not a monster-filled Tunnel of Death.” She felt sick to her stomach. Was it time to face reality, that they had come all this way for nothing? That her dad and his scientist friends hadn't actually ever made it here? Was Chase doomed to die because of her waste of a mission?

”Look, there were Others above the Hive, too,” Chase reminded her. She felt his warm breath as he whispered into her ear. In the darkness, it sent s.h.i.+vers down her spine. ”Maybe it's the same here. Remember your father's plan? Maybe they're down working in these service tunnels, right? We should go check it out. Might as well make sure.”

She loved him for not giving up. ”Okay,” she agreed. ”Let's head down.”

As they walked down the darkened steps, Peyton kept her eyes peeled for any dangerous movements. She held Chase's hand to lead him. At the bottom of the staircase they came to a long, non-descript tunnel leading off into the distance. She did a scan. Nothing. She let out a breath.

”Okay, let's start walking. I'll guide you,” she said.

They headed north, probably right under Main Street if Peyton calculated right. Above them she thought she sensed Others wandering the park, but maybe it was paranoia. There were no signs of human life at all. After a while, they came to a wardrobe room. Seemingly endless racks of costumes lined up in rows. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Cinderella-all her favorites were there. It made Peyton sad to think that no one would ever wear these outfits again. The silly faces would never be responsible for making another child laugh.

Suddenly, her lenses picked something up northwest of them. A heat pattern that didn't match the hot heat signal of the Others. She grabbed Chase's arm.

”I think there might be a human up there,” she told him, scarcely able to breathe.

”Above ground?”