Blood Red Road

with Emmi clingin to his back like a spider. I cain’t believe how fast he moves, pickin his way around the rocks. Like she don’t weigh nuthin. I guess to a man his size, she don’t.
    I take a last swig of water. Then I pick up Hermes’ reins an follow behind Ike, fast as I can.

    They’re all waitin fer me when I git to the top. Emmi gives me a quick look, but nobody else looks my way. They’re starin at somethin in front of ’em.
    What is it? I says.
    Then I see what it is. What they’re all lookin at.
    We’re standin on the edge of what used to be a mountain lake. Back in Wrecker times it must of bin a stretch of cool clear water, a welcome relief fer the tired feet of travelers. But it sure ain’t that no more.
    Now it stretches away in front of us. Parched, scorched, criss crossed with great cracks an crevasses. Endless.
    My heart drops into my boots. I lick my lips.
    I cain’t see th’other side, I says.
    It’s there, says Jack. We should of had it in sight by now.
    We couldn’t of gone no faster in this heat, I says.
    I know, says Jack, I know. It’s my fault. We should of set off earlier or … He grabs at his hair, frustrated. Gawdammit, he says, I thought we’d have plenty of time. He looks at Ike. Whaddya think?
    We might make it across before nightfall, says Ike. But you can tell by his face, by his voice, that he don’t think no such thing.
    I don’t see what the problem is, says Epona with a frown. We’ll jest ride across. As fast as we can.
    Yeah, I says an Ash nods.
    We cain’t go fast, says Jack. There’s too many cracks, too many places a horse could stumble.
    Well all right, I says, we’ll go slow an careful then. An if it turns dark before we finish crossin, we’ll jest set up camp on the lakebed.
    We cain’t, says Ike.
    I look at Jack. At Ike. They’re starin at each other, their faces grim.
    What is this? I says. We gotta cross before dark, we cain’t camp on the lakebed … I ain’t likin the sound of this.
    That makes two of us, says Ash.
    Try three, says Epona.
    I cross my arms over my chest. Fergawdsake, jest tell us, I says. Why is it we gotta cross before dark?
    Ike spreads his hands. Tell ’em, Jack, he says.
    Jack curses unner his breath. Looks at the ground fer a moment. Then he reaches fer the edges of his shirt an pulls it off over his head.
    Emmi gasps. Beside me, I hear Ash’s breath hiss in. I already seen ’em, back at Hopetown, but my stummick still clenches.
    Three long pink claw marks that slash across his body from his right shoulder to his left hip. Jack stands there fer a moment. Then he turns so we can see his back. A smaller set of claw scars slash across his right shoulder-blade.
    He turns around again an puts on his shirt.
    Does that answer yer question? he says.

    What did that to yer back? Emmi whispers.
    It was dark, says Jack. I didn’t git a good look.
    They call ’em hellwurms, says Ike.
    Wurms with claws, says Epona. An big wurms by the look of it. I ain’t heard of nuthin like that before.
    An you ain’t seen nuthin like ’em neether, says Ike.
    What are they? says Ash.
    Story goes that a long time ago, back in Wrecker times, they put some kinda poison into the lake, says Ike. It killed off everythin. Essept the wurms. They grew.
    You said they, says Epona. That means there’s more’n one. How many more?
    A lot more, says Jack.
    This jest gits better an better, I says.
    There’s silence. Then, That settles it, I says. I’m goin on alone.
    Well, everybody starts talkin all at once, even Tommo, one over top of th’other, gittin louder an louder till at last I put my hands over my ears an yell, Shut up, will you! Jest … shut up!
    They do. They all look at me.
    He’s my brother, I says. An I ain’t lettin none of you come with me if that’s—I point at Jack—what we gotta deal with before we even git to Freedom Fields. Now, I cain’t afford to go back down the hill an wait to try agin tomorrow. We’re nearly at midsummer. If I start right away, I might reach th’other side of the lake before dark.
    She travels fastest who travels alone, says Ike, is that it?
    That’s it all right, I says. Okay, Emmi, you—Emmi, what the hell’re you doin down there?
    While we bin talkin, Emmi’s bin scrabblin around on the ground. Now she stands up an holds out her hands. She’s got a pile of white pebbles in one an a pile of black pebbles in th’other.
    White means we go with you, she says. Black means we don’t.