Read Online The Island - Part 2 (Fallen Earth) by Michael Stark - Free Book Online
Authors: Michael Stark
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confused.
He stood motionless for a long moment, then turned and started down the steps, ghosting along without even the tiniest sound. His voice floated up the staircase, so soft I barely heard it.
“The bad things.”
I stared at the spot where he had stood seconds before. The stairwell loomed in the faint light like an empty pit, a tall and rectangular slab of darkness two shades blacker than the shadows surrounding it. My first thought when I turned had been that someone below had lit a lamp, a candle, some type of flame-driven light source too feeble to wash away the coming night, but instead illuminate it. That proved not to be the case. The pale light disappeared with him. The thought left the hair on my arms standing on end.
I took off after him. The kid was turning out to be scary with his talk of bats and bad things. By the time I reached the bottom, Daniel had crossed the room and sidled up close to Elsie. She saw me looking at him and frowned. The woma n had a mind as sharp as a well-honed knife and a tongue that could cut just as easily. I’d watched her stand toe to toe with an armed man twice her size. Even so, I’d just about reached my limit. If she wanted to go a couple of rounds, I didn’t mind. I wanted some answers. The boy sitting next to her with his empty eyes had them.
Elsie had put the radio in the center of the old wooden table. A pair of Coleman lanterns lit the room, no doubt brought in by the campers. Both of them hung over the bar, situated about ten feet apart and illuminated both the kitchen area and the living area. Soft strains of big band music came from the radio, lending a depression-era atmosphere to the place.
Everyone had gathered around the table. Some sat in the wooden chairs, other in stools pulled over from the bar. I made my way through them, focused on Daniel, ignoring the babble of voices rising around me. The old woman saw me coming and stiffened.
Tyler stepped in front of me so suddenly that I almost ran him over.
“When you go down to get Zack, I want to come with you.”
I tore my gaze away from Elsie and the boy. Tyler looked despondent. Guilt and sorrow played across his face.
“I feel, you know, like responsible for what happened. When I saw how much the wind had picked up, I went back to bed and left Kelly to talk him out of going.”
I blinked, trying to switch gears mentally.
“We’ll go first thing in the morning. I’d go tonight but we don’t have anywhere to put the,” I said, then hesitated, “you know, put him.”
The music died away, ending with trumpets and rolling drums that reminded me of movies rife with flappers in wide-brimmed hats and smoky speakeasies. A soft-spoken man’s voice filled the sudden silence.
“And that was the great Satchmo, otherwise known as Louis Armstrong, with ‘Basin Street Blues.’ We have the news up next and a lot of it. I’ll be right here with more hits of yesteryear when we return.”
I put a hand on Tyler’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s get a seat and listen to the news.” He nodded and climbed atop one of the stools. I made for a chair near Elsie.
The same woman who had relayed the news earlier came on the air. She wasted no time.
The CDC today released figures that officials are calling alarming and of epidemic proportions. A spokesperson indicated that reports are pouring into the agency and that at least a 100,000 new cases of the Fever have been reported in the last 24 hours, with an estimated 10,000 deaths from advanced cases. Hospitals in the worst-hit areas have closed their doors to new Fever cases, citing limited resources and the danger to staff. At least thirty people were killed today while seeking medical attention by authorities enforcing the national travel ban that took effect at noon. Troubling reports of aggressive behavior also increased dramatically, this time with a twist. The disease appears to be attacking not only the areas of the brain that govern emotions,
He stood motionless for a long moment, then turned and started down the steps, ghosting along without even the tiniest sound. His voice floated up the staircase, so soft I barely heard it.
“The bad things.”
I stared at the spot where he had stood seconds before. The stairwell loomed in the faint light like an empty pit, a tall and rectangular slab of darkness two shades blacker than the shadows surrounding it. My first thought when I turned had been that someone below had lit a lamp, a candle, some type of flame-driven light source too feeble to wash away the coming night, but instead illuminate it. That proved not to be the case. The pale light disappeared with him. The thought left the hair on my arms standing on end.
I took off after him. The kid was turning out to be scary with his talk of bats and bad things. By the time I reached the bottom, Daniel had crossed the room and sidled up close to Elsie. She saw me looking at him and frowned. The woma n had a mind as sharp as a well-honed knife and a tongue that could cut just as easily. I’d watched her stand toe to toe with an armed man twice her size. Even so, I’d just about reached my limit. If she wanted to go a couple of rounds, I didn’t mind. I wanted some answers. The boy sitting next to her with his empty eyes had them.
Elsie had put the radio in the center of the old wooden table. A pair of Coleman lanterns lit the room, no doubt brought in by the campers. Both of them hung over the bar, situated about ten feet apart and illuminated both the kitchen area and the living area. Soft strains of big band music came from the radio, lending a depression-era atmosphere to the place.
Everyone had gathered around the table. Some sat in the wooden chairs, other in stools pulled over from the bar. I made my way through them, focused on Daniel, ignoring the babble of voices rising around me. The old woman saw me coming and stiffened.
Tyler stepped in front of me so suddenly that I almost ran him over.
“When you go down to get Zack, I want to come with you.”
I tore my gaze away from Elsie and the boy. Tyler looked despondent. Guilt and sorrow played across his face.
“I feel, you know, like responsible for what happened. When I saw how much the wind had picked up, I went back to bed and left Kelly to talk him out of going.”
I blinked, trying to switch gears mentally.
“We’ll go first thing in the morning. I’d go tonight but we don’t have anywhere to put the,” I said, then hesitated, “you know, put him.”
The music died away, ending with trumpets and rolling drums that reminded me of movies rife with flappers in wide-brimmed hats and smoky speakeasies. A soft-spoken man’s voice filled the sudden silence.
“And that was the great Satchmo, otherwise known as Louis Armstrong, with ‘Basin Street Blues.’ We have the news up next and a lot of it. I’ll be right here with more hits of yesteryear when we return.”
I put a hand on Tyler’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s get a seat and listen to the news.” He nodded and climbed atop one of the stools. I made for a chair near Elsie.
The same woman who had relayed the news earlier came on the air. She wasted no time.
The CDC today released figures that officials are calling alarming and of epidemic proportions. A spokesperson indicated that reports are pouring into the agency and that at least a 100,000 new cases of the Fever have been reported in the last 24 hours, with an estimated 10,000 deaths from advanced cases. Hospitals in the worst-hit areas have closed their doors to new Fever cases, citing limited resources and the danger to staff. At least thirty people were killed today while seeking medical attention by authorities enforcing the national travel ban that took effect at noon. Troubling reports of aggressive behavior also increased dramatically, this time with a twist. The disease appears to be attacking not only the areas of the brain that govern emotions,
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