Emmy Laybourne - Monument 14

“I like yours,” she said.

I didn’t know what to say to that.

“I’m going to go check on everybody,” I told her.

“I’m gonna go change,” she said. “I smell, don’t I?”

“Yes, you do.” I told her. “Also, you have a terrible haircut.”

She gave me a smile. A shining golden smile, flashing in the center of our dark, lost world.

We had moved Brayden near Mr. Appleton to make it easier to take care of them.

Josie and Niko were looking at Brayden.

“Can’t sleep?” asked Josie.

“Not so much,” I answered. “How is he?”

Brayden looked ashen and weak.

“If the wound doesn’t become infected, I think he’ll be okay,” Niko said.

“And if it does?” Josie asked.

I guess I expected Niko to say something about antibiotics.

“Maybe I could take him in the bus.”

“To where?” Josie asked.

“The hospital,” Niko answered.

“You know what Robbie said. It’s shut down. There is no one there.”

“But think about it,” Niko said. “Robbie wanted to stay here. He was probably lying. The hospital might be open.”

“We can’t risk it,” I said.

“I know,” he snapped.

“Brayden’s going to be okay,” Josie said. She pressed a damp washcloth to his forehead. “You gotta pull through, Brayden. We need you to pull through.”

Brayden’s breathing was shallow but steady. Maybe he’d be okay…

“Now you two go to sleep. And I mean it,” Josie said.

I was following Niko back to the Train, only he didn’t go to the Train. He went to the bus.

“Hey, what are you doing?” I asked.

He came out with some supplies—caulk guns, some spackle, some rags.

He set them down and then headed off toward Housewares.

“What are you doing?” I called to his back.

He went to the Storage section and took a stack of big plastic bins.

“Can you get the lids?” he asked.

“Sure,” I answered. “But, Niko, don’t you think we should sleep? At least for a few hours?”

“You should. I’m going to stock the bus.”

“You don’t really think you’re going to get to the hospital.”

“Don’t you remember my motto? Always be prepared.”

He laughed. A dry chuff of a laugh.

“Get it?” he said. “It’s a Boy Scout joke.”

It wasn’t much of a joke, but I got it all right.

We were going to stock the bus.

I got us some carts, which we definitely needed.

We filled them with water. Cases and cases of water. That was the first thing we loaded.

Then we put in the plastic storage bins, which we had filled with food.

Trail mix, beef jerky, protein bars, nuts, cookies… All the things you’d think to bring on, say, a hike. Then Niko also added canned soup, oatmeal, tins of tuna and chicken meat, and I realized he was preparing for us to survive for a long, long time, from the food he was bringing.

“In case we get to DIA and have to wait,” he explained.

And that’s how I came to understand what we were packing the bus for.

It wasn’t to take Brayden to the hospital.

It was to make it to Denver.

“What about the tire?” I said. “Isn’t there one sketchy tire?”

Niko shrugged.

“Robbie fixed it the best he could. And it’s coupled with a tire that’s okay…”

After a few more minutes of quiet packing, I said, “I bet Brayden’s fine.”

“Yeah,” Niko answered. “He has to be.”

We got all the food and drinks we might need for two weeks or so onto the bus.

Niko told me to go get medical supplies.

He was going to finish caulking the roof of the bus.

When I came back with my four big tubs of antibiotics, pain medicine, bandages, Bactine, Benadryl, hydrogen peroxide, and the like, Astrid was there, helping Niko.

“Hey,” she said, with a nod of her head.

“Hey.”

She had on a pair of jeans, new sneakers, and a pink fleece.

I noticed she was still wearing my hat.

Niko had apparently sent her to get blankets and sleeping bags and now she had a big pile of them.

“Put two sleeping bags and two blankets under each seat, okay?” Niko asked her.

“Sure thing,” she said, and started bringing them on board.

“What’s next?” I asked.

He sent me to Home Improvement, for flashlights, battery-powered lanterns, and some assorted tools he thought we should have.

I came back and Astrid and Niko were sitting, resting against the side of the bus, discussing what else we needed.

“We have gas masks for each person. Food, water, first aid stuff. Do we have Benadryl?”

“All of it in the store,” I said.

He continued his list.

“Rope, matches, tarps, backpacks, oil, knives… We have two guns and some bullets…”

He rubbed his eyes.

“What about some money? Or some jewelry? Stuff to barter, maybe.”

“I’ll get it,” Astrid volunteered.

“Niko!” Josie came stumbling into our clearing.

Niko jumped up. “What? Oh God, what?”

“It’s Mr. Appleton. Not Brayden. Not Brayden. Brayden’s okay,” Josie said, tears streaming down her face.

She stumbled toward Niko and fell into his arms.

“Mr. Appleton’s dead,” she said.

Niko held her to him, encircling her dark shoulders and pulling her into his body.

She looked up at him and he looked at her and then they were kissing.

Astrid and I didn’t look at each other, but we each knew to walk away.

We left them alone, together.

Mr. Appleton’s still body lay on its air mattress halfway down the Automotive aisle. Josie must have tried to drag him away from Brayden, when she realized Mr. Appleton was dead. He looked waxen and fake in death. Like a model of his own self.

Jake was sitting there next to Brayden. Jake’s eyes were glazed over and he stared blankly ahead, rocking back and forth.

Luna was lying next to Jake. She raised her head at me and gave her stump of a tail four weary thumps.

“Hey, Jake, how are you doing?” I asked him.

“Bad,” he answered, waving the question away.

I put my hand on Brayden’s forehead. It was clammy.

His eyelids fluttered and he seemed to recognize me for a moment.

Astrid knelt down next to Brayden and tipped his head up a bit. She poured a little water into his mouth.

He sputtered, choking on it.

“If only we could get him to the hospital,” Astrid said.

“If only we knew if it was even open,” I said. “We just don’t have enough information.”

Suddenly I had an idea.

“Alex’s video walkie-talkies!” I said, standing up.

“What?” Jake said.

“I’ll be right back,” I told them. And I ran for Niko.

“Niko!” I shouted as I hurdled through the store.

I came into the clearing where Niko was with Josie. They jumped apart. As if it mattered that I saw them together!

“Alex’s video walkie-talkies!” I said, breathless. “Listen, Brayden’s got to get to the hospital. We don’t know if it’s open. I can put on the walkie-talkie and go to the hospital. That way you guys can see what’s going on out there. You can see if it’s safe.”

“What?” Niko said.

I explained it to him again as we hurried to the Train.

I wanted to wake Alex up and ask him if it was possible.

“I’ll wear the transmitter and you guys will be able to see what’s out there,” I said as we came to the Living Room. “I can even go to the highway and see if it’s clear.”