The Sleep of the Gods

Author:Sperl, James [Sperl, James]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2009-11-30T23:00:00+00:00

13

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It took two hours to reach Catherine’s neighborhood. In the frenzied retreat that followed the midnight melee of Bayview, Oliver had charged hard for the nearest freeway exit. It didn’t matter where it led. His reasoning, solid as it was, was that highways would be the most unencumbered artery and would allow the quickest means of putting distance between the bus and downtown. It was alert thinking. The only problem was that Catherine’s home lay on the other side of the city, virtually equidistant in the opposite direction from where they holed up for the night.

The ride had been an exercise in easing tensions. While initially suspecting that there would be ill will towards her stouthearted position, Catherine found the overall timbre of the bus to incline in her favor, a general sense of unease regarding Janet’s uncalled-for threats lingering in the air like a bad perfume. Janet had tried to play down her transgression by engaging in light banter with everyone as the bus moved along. But Catherine could tell there had been a shift in allegiance. And this had not been lost on Janet.

The ride, to everyone’s delight, had been largely uneventful. By sticking to the highways and moving fast, they had managed to avoid contact of any sort. Other than the ten souls packed into Jared County bus number seventeen, there had been no sign of either man or New Human.

Catherine had spiritually exhaled a sigh of relief at their incident-free progress. She knew it would have been risky the minute she proposed it, but she stood by her assertions regarding the benefits of daytime travel. So far—fingers crossed—all had gone well. But now that they had left the relative comfort of the freeway and snaked along the more exposed Summit Ridge Parkway, she could feel tension rising again.

She stood beside Oliver as he drove, scouting what used to be her old neighborhood. Other than the handfuls of abandoned vehicles scattered about, Alemonte had been spared the alarming devastation of downtown. The landscaping was a bit unruly along the boulevard center divider, the majority of hydrangeas and roses having long since perished from thirst. Weeds and grass grew out of control as did the overhanging dogwood and maple trees, their ubiquitous species lining the drive.

“Stop here,” Catherine said. Oliver slowed the bus much to the chagrin of the remaining passengers, they glancing about uneasily as the bus rolled to a stop. Janet moved up beside Catherine with a pair of binoculars.

“That’s it there,” Catherine said, pointing through the windshield. “It’s about a mile from here into the community itself. Once we pass through the main gate it’s a straight shot three blocks in.”

Janet put the binoculars to her eyes. “Good,” she said. “That’ll make for an easier escape.”

Catherine knew that last comment was meant for her, but at this point could care less about Janet’s misgivings. She was a mile from achieving her goal. She only hoped the ease with which they arrived could be maintained until they procured every last scrap of food.

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