Jane unlocked the door to the abandoned building and stepped inside. After a moment, seeing that Jane hadn’t switched on the lights, Lucy hurried over and slipped through the door herself, at which point she could see Jane at the far end of the corridor, stepping into a side-room.
With her heart in her mouth, Lucy knew what was about to happen.
She made her way carefully along the corridor, keeping deathly quiet until she stopped outside the door. Peering through, she saw Jane setting a backpack on the desk and starting to pull things out.
And then, slowly, the door in the far corner began to swing open.
Lucy held her breath.
Ben stepped into the room, gaunt and old now, looking more tired than Lucy had ever seen a man look. His hair was gray and he was painfully thin, and the bags under his eyes had their own bags, reaching almost all the way down his cheeks to his mouth. Without saying anything, he set a shotgun on the desk and glanced at Jane, who hadn’t even acknowledged him yet as she continued to set out various tupperware pots from her backpack.
“So, then,” Ben said finally, his voice sounding harsh and little-used. “How’s tricks?”
“I brought you some extra this time,” Jane replied, still not looking at him, still focused on the pots. “Lots of vitamin pills, lots of nutrient bars, lots of freeze-dried fruit and -”
“That’s great,” he said, interrupting her. “What about stuff I can’t eat? What about ammunition?”
She took a case of bullets out of the backpack. “I’ve found a new supplier,” she explained. “He’s cheaper and he doesn’t ask questions. I’ll be leaving two cases here every month, as normal.”
Opening the case, Ben looked down at the bullets. “I’m sure they’ll be great.”
“There’s really nothing much to report,” Jane continued. “Um… Well, Lucy’s off to college tomorrow. Stuart’s still working at the garage, although he’s looking to start his own business, and Oliver’s thinking of going to do some post-grad work but he hasn’t really decided yet. Beth and Bob have switched marriage counselors again, apparently Bob thought the last one was making eyes at Beth and he insisted they get someone new. I don’t know, maybe it’ll work out this time and -”
Suddenly she looked toward the door, as if she’d heard something.
Lucy stepped back and waited.
“Please don’t have seen me,” she thought to herself. “Please…”
“Your Mom’s doing better,” Jane added after a moment. “They’re gonna put off thinking about the hospice for a while. She’s making a hell of a fuss about it, but I managed to talk her into making the right decision. Your father -”
“Don’t care,” Ben said firmly.
“Ben, your father -”
“Don’t care.”
“He died.”
Lucy listened to the silence. She wanted to peer around the side of the door and see Ben’s face, but she knew she couldn’t risk getting caught.
“Heart attack,” Jane continued. “I don’t think you want to know how he was found. Let’s just say that he died doing what he loved most.”
“Well,” Ben said finally, wiping his hand against his dry mouth, “I guess there was a funeral.”
“There was.”
“Did lots of people show up? Did the old man get a decent send-off?”
“Quite a few, actually. I was surprised.”
“That’s good. That’s… appropriate, I guess.”
“You know, he’s buried nearby if you want to -”
“I don’t have time.”
“You could make time,” she replied. “Ben, seriously, it’s been twelve years now, you can’t possibly still be finding new levels to that place.”
“Can’t I?”
“How far down can it go? I mean, there have to be limits. How many levels can there be?”
“I’m starting to wonder that myself,” he continued. “It took me two months to make the trek back up to meet you today. Every time I think I’ve reached the Border’s bottom level, I see another door in the corner.”
“And
With her heart in her mouth, Lucy knew what was about to happen.
She made her way carefully along the corridor, keeping deathly quiet until she stopped outside the door. Peering through, she saw Jane setting a backpack on the desk and starting to pull things out.
And then, slowly, the door in the far corner began to swing open.
Lucy held her breath.
Ben stepped into the room, gaunt and old now, looking more tired than Lucy had ever seen a man look. His hair was gray and he was painfully thin, and the bags under his eyes had their own bags, reaching almost all the way down his cheeks to his mouth. Without saying anything, he set a shotgun on the desk and glanced at Jane, who hadn’t even acknowledged him yet as she continued to set out various tupperware pots from her backpack.
“So, then,” Ben said finally, his voice sounding harsh and little-used. “How’s tricks?”
“I brought you some extra this time,” Jane replied, still not looking at him, still focused on the pots. “Lots of vitamin pills, lots of nutrient bars, lots of freeze-dried fruit and -”
“That’s great,” he said, interrupting her. “What about stuff I can’t eat? What about ammunition?”
She took a case of bullets out of the backpack. “I’ve found a new supplier,” she explained. “He’s cheaper and he doesn’t ask questions. I’ll be leaving two cases here every month, as normal.”
Opening the case, Ben looked down at the bullets. “I’m sure they’ll be great.”
“There’s really nothing much to report,” Jane continued. “Um… Well, Lucy’s off to college tomorrow. Stuart’s still working at the garage, although he’s looking to start his own business, and Oliver’s thinking of going to do some post-grad work but he hasn’t really decided yet. Beth and Bob have switched marriage counselors again, apparently Bob thought the last one was making eyes at Beth and he insisted they get someone new. I don’t know, maybe it’ll work out this time and -”
Suddenly she looked toward the door, as if she’d heard something.
Lucy stepped back and waited.
“Please don’t have seen me,” she thought to herself. “Please…”
“Your Mom’s doing better,” Jane added after a moment. “They’re gonna put off thinking about the hospice for a while. She’s making a hell of a fuss about it, but I managed to talk her into making the right decision. Your father -”
“Don’t care,” Ben said firmly.
“Ben, your father -”
“Don’t care.”
“He died.”
Lucy listened to the silence. She wanted to peer around the side of the door and see Ben’s face, but she knew she couldn’t risk getting caught.
“Heart attack,” Jane continued. “I don’t think you want to know how he was found. Let’s just say that he died doing what he loved most.”
“Well,” Ben said finally, wiping his hand against his dry mouth, “I guess there was a funeral.”
“There was.”
“Did lots of people show up? Did the old man get a decent send-off?”
“Quite a few, actually. I was surprised.”
“That’s good. That’s… appropriate, I guess.”
“You know, he’s buried nearby if you want to -”
“I don’t have time.”
“You could make time,” she replied. “Ben, seriously, it’s been twelve years now, you can’t possibly still be finding new levels to that place.”
“Can’t I?”
“How far down can it go? I mean, there have to be limits. How many levels can there be?”
“I’m starting to wonder that myself,” he continued. “It took me two months to make the trek back up to meet you today. Every time I think I’ve reached the Border’s bottom level, I see another door in the corner.”
“And
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