Brian Keene - Deluge - The Conqueror Worms II

Nodding, Sarah handed the weapon to him. Novak waited until they had rowed away from the steadily shrinking shore. Then he fired three shots. The third bullet hit the flamethrower, and it exploded, creating a fleeting false dawn. The monsters screamed and moaned as the flames engulfed them.

“Very pretty,” Gail said, “but it still seems like a waste to me.”

“It ain’t like we’ll need it again,” Novak said. “Where we’re going, it’s all ocean now. These things won’t be there.”

“Where are we going?” Henry asked.

“Pennsylvania,” Gail said as they rowed into the fog. “We’re going to drop anchor above a place called LeHorn’s Hollow.”

Henry shook his head. “Where? I don’t understand.”

Gail sighed. “The end of the world, kid. We’re going to the end of the world…”

Behind them, there was a loud, echoing splash as the tower finally collapsed.

CHAPTER 76

“Can’t believe we went through all of that just to come away empty-handed,” Novak said as they rowed toward the ship. “Such a waste.”

Henry wanted to take issue with the comment, and point out that they had managed to save him and Sarah, not to mention the backpack of meager supplies he had strapped over his shoulders, but he was too terrified to speak. The water was silent, save for the raindrops pelting its surface and the small waves lapping at the sides of the boat. The black depths below were thick with an almost palpable menace. He sat still, muscles tensed, jaw clenched, remembering his escape from the grain silo to land and waiting for one of the shark men to attack.

Instead, he just got wet. Henry shivered as the rain managed to creep beneath his makeshift armor. When he glanced around the boat, he saw that the others were equally miserable.

“How you holding up?” he asked Sarah.

She shrugged. “We’re still alive. I didn’t think we would be. I guess that counts for something.”

“I reckon so, given what we were thinking about doing.”

“What was that?” Gail asked, slipping an oar through the water.

Henry blushed. “We… we were thinking about… killing ourselves. Maybe it sounds stupid, but we really thought…”

“Don’t sweat it, Kid,” Novak said. “We’d been discussing the same thing not too long ago.”

“Really? What made you change your minds?”

Novak turned away. “A mutiny.”

The ship loomed out of the mist and they pulled alongside. Henry noticed four other shadowy figures looming around the rail, but the fog concealed their features. Once he and Sarah were safely aboard, the rest of the crew stepped forward, and Novak made introductions.

“Henry and Sarah, meet Simon, Caterina, Mylon and Tatiana.”

“Howdy.” Henry stuck out his hand, but the others recoiled.

“No offense, Mr. Garrett,” Simon said, smiling, “but you’ll need to be detoxified before we shake. We can’t risk the chance of infection. I’m sure you both understand.”

“How do you know my last name?” Henry asked.

“Simon does parlor tricks,” Novak said. “You think that’s something, ask him to light your cigarette.”

Mylon cleared his throat. “Speaking of which, where’s the flamethrower?”

“We had to leave it behind,” Novak said. “It was contaminated.”

“Was that the explosion we heard?”

“You guys didn’t see the flash?” Gail asked.

“Nope,” Mylon said. “Too foggy.”

“We had to leave the supplies, too,” Novak said. “Except for the few things Henry has in his pack.”

Mylon shook his head. “Well, this whole thing has been one big cluster-fuck.”

“That’s no way to talk to our guests,” Simon scolded. “I suggest we get out of the rain, raise anchor, get underway, and allow Mylon and Caterina to continue their shift at watch. I’m sure our new arrivals would like some dry clothes and something to eat.”

Nodding, Henry said, “That would be great. Me and Sarah—”

A loud splash echoed off the portside. Whatever had caused the disturbance, it was enough to increase the size of the waves. The ship rocked beneath their feet.

Simon tensed. “How soon can we be underway, Mr. Novak?”

“Ten minutes.”

“Make it five. It’s no longer safe to stay here.”

“Not for nothing, Simon, but the same could be said of the rest of the world.”

“That’s what I meant, Mr. Novak,” Simon replied. “That’s exactly what I meant…”

CHAPTER 77

Sarah and Henry both slept for most of a day, and when they awoke, both were momentarily confused as to their surroundings. Sarah found herself tearing up when she looked at Henry, overwhelmed with affection and gratitude for everything he’d done. During their time together in the forest ranger station, she’d begun to think of him as a little brother. Since Kevin’s death, he’d been the only other voice she heard, with the exception of Sylva’s last few increasingly crazed broadcasts.

She kissed him on the forehead. “Thanks.”

“What for?” Henry’s ears turned scarlet. A moment later, his cheeks followed suit.

“For helping. For not giving up on me. I really lost it back there, Henry. I can only imagine what it was like, dealing with me. I’m not a person who likes to lose control—of anything, but least of all myself. Thanks for being there for me when I couldn’t be.”

“No problem. You’ve been there for me, too.”

“You miss your family?”

He nodded. “Still. I keep thinking it’s been long enough, and so much has happened, that I just ought to be numb by now, but I ain’t.”

“Neither am I. I think that’s why I… got like I was. I miss Kevin and Teddy and Carl, but I miss the people before this. Before the rain started. My Mom and my girlfriend.”

“Perhaps you will find them again,” said a voice behind them.

Sarah and Henry glanced up to find Simon standing in the hatchway to the berthing area.

“What do you mean?” Sarah asked.

“What do either of you know about string theory? Alternate realities and universes?”

“I used to watch Star Trek,” Sarah replied.

“Well, I’m sure you are both hungry. Come up to the galley. Lets get you something to eat. And while you do, I’ll explain our plan. You might feel incredulous at first, but I assure you it is the truth.”

He beckoned for them to follow. After a moment’s hesitation, they did.

“Perhaps you’d like a quick tour of the vessel on our way to the galley?” Simon suggested.

Sarah shrugged. “Why not? I guess this is our home for now.”

“Merely temporary,” Simon said. “So don’t get too comfortable.”

He led them topside. The wind and rain pelted them the moment they stepped out onto the deck, and Sarah shivered. For the brief period she’d been asleep below, she’d felt warm and dry, and hadn’t realized how much she’d missed both sensations until that moment. She glanced down at the churning water below.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“Mr. Novak says we are somewhere over the border between West Virginia and Virginia, on a northeast course.”

Sarah frowned. “Well, then where are the mountains? There should be mountain peaks sticking up above the surface.”

Simon shook his head. “Not anymore, I’m afraid. Bald Knob was the last, and soon, it will vanish beneath the waves, as well. It is fortuitous we came across the two of you when we did.”

“There ain’t as much junk floating in the water, either,” Henry said. “I mean, I reckon them things in the water have eaten all the dead folks by now, but where’s all the trees and cars and other stuff that’s been floating around?”

“It’s liquefied,” Simon said, opening a hatch and stepping back inside the ship. “The debris. The mountains. Everything is liquefying.”