Part 29 (2/2)

'h.e.l.l! You say!' the older man managed. He spit the words out like a piece of meat that had been choking him. You say!' the older man managed. He spit the words out like a piece of meat that had been choking him.

'Mynuck!' the younger man nearly screamed, and in Clay's mind that same voice whispered, the younger man nearly screamed, and in Clay's mind that same voice whispered, My truck. My truck. It was simple, really. Instead of Twinkies, they were fighting over the old pumper. Only this was at It was simple, really. Instead of Twinkies, they were fighting over the old pumper. Only this was at night night-the end of it, granted, but still full dark-and they were almost talking again. h.e.l.l, they were were talking. talking.

But the talking was done, it seemed. The young man lowered his head, ran at the older man, and b.u.t.ted him in the chest. The older man went sprawling. The younger man tripped over his legs and went to his knees. 'h.e.l.l!' 'h.e.l.l!' he cried. he cried.

'f.u.c.k!' cried the other. No question about it. You couldn't mistake cried the other. No question about it. You couldn't mistake f.u.c.k. f.u.c.k.

They picked themselves up again and stood about fifteen feet apart. Clay could feel their hate. It was in his head; it was pus.h.i.+ng at his eyeb.a.l.l.s, trying to get out.

The young man said, 'That'n* mynuck!' mynuck!' And in Clay's head the young man's distant voice whispered, And in Clay's head the young man's distant voice whispered, That one is my truck. That one is my truck.

The older man drew in breath. Jerkily raised one scabbed-over arm. And shot the young man the bird. 'Sit. On this!' he said with perfect clarity.

The two of them lowered their heads and rushed at each other. Their heads met with a thudding crack that made Clay wince. This time all the windows in the garage blew out. The siren on the roof gave a long war-cry before winding down. The fluorescent lights in the station house flashed on, running for perhaps three seconds on pure crazypower. There was a brief burst of music: Britney Spears singing 'Oops!* I Did It Again.' Two power-lines snapped with liquid tw.a.n.ging sounds and fell almost in front of Clay, who stepped back from them in a hurry. Probably they were dead, they should should be dead, but- be dead, but- The older man dropped to his knees with blood pouring down both sides of his head. 'My truck!' 'My truck!' he said with perfect clarity, then fell on his face. he said with perfect clarity, then fell on his face.

The younger one turned to Clay, as if to recruit him as witness to his victory. Blood was pouring out of his matted, filthy hair, between his eyes, in a double course around his nose, and over his mouth. His eyes, Clay saw, weren't blank at all. They were insane. Clay understood-all at once, completely and inarguably-that if this was where the cycle led, his son was beyond saving.

'Mynuck!' the young man shrieked. the young man shrieked. 'Mynuck, mynuck!' 'Mynuck, mynuck!' The pumper's siren gave a brief, winding growl, as if in agreement. The pumper's siren gave a brief, winding growl, as if in agreement. 'MYNU 'MYNU-'

Clay shot him, then reholstered the.45. What the h.e.l.l, What the h.e.l.l, he thought, he thought, they can only put me up on a pedestal once. they can only put me up on a pedestal once. Still, he was shaking badly, and when he broke into Gurleyville's only motel on the far side of town, it took him a long time to go to sleep. Instead of the Raggedy Man, it was his son who visited him in his dreams, a dirty, blank-eyed child who responded Still, he was shaking badly, and when he broke into Gurleyville's only motel on the far side of town, it took him a long time to go to sleep. Instead of the Raggedy Man, it was his son who visited him in his dreams, a dirty, blank-eyed child who responded 'Go-h.e.l.l, mynuck' 'Go-h.e.l.l, mynuck' when Clay called his name. when Clay called his name.

6.

He woke from this dream long before dark, but sleep was done for him and he decided to start walking again. And once he'd cleared Gurleyville-what little of Gurleyville there was to clear-he'd drive. There was no reason not to; Route 160 now seemed almost entirely clear and probably had been since the nasty pileup where it crossed Route 11. He simply hadn't noticed it in the dark and the rain.

The Raggedy Man and his friends cleared the way, he thought. he thought. Of course they did, it's the f.u.c.king cattle-chute. For me it probably is the chute that leads to the slaughterhouse. Because I'm old business. They'd like to stamp me PAID and stick me in the filing cabinet as soon as possible. Too bad about Tom and Jordan and the other three. I wonder if they found enough back roads to take them into central New Hamps.h.i.+re y Of course they did, it's the f.u.c.king cattle-chute. For me it probably is the chute that leads to the slaughterhouse. Because I'm old business. They'd like to stamp me PAID and stick me in the filing cabinet as soon as possible. Too bad about Tom and Jordan and the other three. I wonder if they found enough back roads to take them into central New Hamps.h.i.+re y- He topped a rise and this thought broke off cleanly. Parked in the middle of the road below was a little yellow schoolbus with MAINE SCHOOL DISTRICT 38 MAINE SCHOOL DISTRICT 38 NEWFIELD NEWFIELD printed on the side. Leaning against it was a man and a boy. The man had his arm around the boy's shoulders in a casual gesture of friends.h.i.+p Clay would have known anywhere. As he stood there, frozen, not quite believing his eyes, another man came around the schoolbus's blunt nose. He had long gray hair pulled back in a ponytail. Following him was a pregnant woman in a T-s.h.i.+rt. It was powder blue instead of Harley-Davidson black, but it was Denise, all right. printed on the side. Leaning against it was a man and a boy. The man had his arm around the boy's shoulders in a casual gesture of friends.h.i.+p Clay would have known anywhere. As he stood there, frozen, not quite believing his eyes, another man came around the schoolbus's blunt nose. He had long gray hair pulled back in a ponytail. Following him was a pregnant woman in a T-s.h.i.+rt. It was powder blue instead of Harley-Davidson black, but it was Denise, all right.

Jordan saw him and called his name. He pulled free of Tom's arm and started running. Clay ran to meet him. They met about thirty yards in front of the schoolbus.

'Clay!' Jordan shouted. He was hysterical with joy. 'It's really you!'

'It's me,' Clay agreed. He swung Jordan in the air, then kissed him. Jordan wasn't Johnny, but Jordan would do, at least for the time being. He hugged him, then set him down and studied the haggard face, not failing to note the brown circles of weariness under Jordan's eyes. 'How in G.o.d's name did you get here?'

Jordan's face clouded. 'We couldn't* that is, we only dreamed*'

Tom came strolling up. Once again he ignored Clay's outstretched hand and hugged him instead. 'How you doin, van Gogh?' he asked.

'Okay. f.u.c.king delighted to see you guys, but I don't understand-'

Tom gave him a smile. It was both tired and sweet, a white flag of a smile. 'What computer-boy's trying to tell you is that in the end we just didn't have any choice. Come on down to the little yellow bus. Ray says that if the road stays clear-and I'm sure it will-we can be in Kashwak by sundown, even traveling at thirty miles an hour. Ever read The Haunting of Hill House?' The Haunting of Hill House?'

Clay shook his head, bewildered. 'Saw the movie.'

'There's a line there that resonates in the current situation-Journeys end in lovers meeting.' Looks like I might get to meet your kid after all.'

They walked down to the schoolbus. Dan Hartwick offered Clay a tin of Altoids with a hand that was not quite steady. Like Jordan and Tom, he looked exhausted. Clay, feeling like a man in a dream, took one. End of the world or not, it was curiously strong.

'Hey, man,' Ray said. He was behind the wheel of the schoolbus, Dolphins cap tipped back, a cigarette smoldering in one hand. He looked pale and drawn. He was staring out through the winds.h.i.+eld, not at Clay.

'Hey, Ray, what do you say?' Clay asked.

Ray smiled briefly. 'Say I've heard that one a few times.'

'Sure, probably a few hundred. I'd tell you I'm glad to see you, but under the circ.u.mstances, I'm not sure you'd want to hear it.'

Still looking out the winds.h.i.+eld, Ray replied, 'There's someone up there you'll definitely definitely not be glad to see.' not be glad to see.'

Clay looked. They all did. A quarter of a mile or so north, Route 160 crested another hill. Standing there and looking at them, his harvard hoodie dirtier than ever but still bright against the gray afternoon sky, was the Raggedy Man. Maybe fifty other phoners surrounded him. He saw them looking. He raised his hand and waved at them twice, side to side, like a man wiping a winds.h.i.+eld. Then he turned and began to walk away, his entourage (his flocklet, (his flocklet, Clay thought) falling in to either side of him in a kind of trailing Y Soon they were out of sight. Clay thought) falling in to either side of him in a kind of trailing Y Soon they were out of sight.

WORM.

1.

They stopped at a picnic area a little farther up the road. No one was very hungry, but it was a chance for Clay to ask his questions. Ray didn't eat at all, just sat on the lip of a stone barbecue pit downwind and smoked, listening. He added nothing to the conversation. To Clay he seemed utterly disheartened.

'We think think we're stopping here,' Dan said, gesturing to the little picnic area with its border of firs and autumn-colored deciduous trees, its babbling brook and its hiking trail with the sign at its head reading IF YOU GO we're stopping here,' Dan said, gesturing to the little picnic area with its border of firs and autumn-colored deciduous trees, its babbling brook and its hiking trail with the sign at its head reading IF YOU GO TAKE A MAP! TAKE A MAP! 'We probably 'We probably are are stopping here, because-' He looked at Jordan. 'Would stopping here, because-' He looked at Jordan. 'Would you you say we're stopping here, Jordan? You seem to have the clearest perception.' say we're stopping here, Jordan? You seem to have the clearest perception.'

'Yes,' Jordan said instantly. 'This is real.'

'Yuh,' Ray said, without looking up. 'We're here, all right.' He slapped his hand against the rock of the barbecue pit, and his wedding ring produced a little tink-tink-tink tink-tink-tink sound. 'This is the real deal. We're together again, that's all they wanted.' sound. 'This is the real deal. We're together again, that's all they wanted.'

'I don't understand,' Clay said.

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