Read Online The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen - Free Book Online
Authors: Thomas Mullen
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“What was he doing here? He didn’t say if he was going to come back with more soldiers, did he?”
Philip and Graham had thought this question might arise, but Charles and Doc Banes had dismissed it. So Philip chose to belittle his own concern by smiling and lightly chiding Elsie. “I really don’t think any soldiers are trying to take over our town. He didn’t look like a Heinie.”
She smiled, even though her grandparents had come over from Germany. Her parents had assured her that the incessant anti-German comments of the day didn’t apply to them. “So who fired the shots?”
“We both did—Graham shot one, and I shot one.” He said that quickly, twitching his head before he said it.
“I’ve just never shot at anyone, is all.” Like many girls in Commonwealth, Elsie had fired a gun a few times, but she seemed to find the idea of firing at another person strangely thrilling.
Philip tried to clarify the lie. “We didn’t shoot
at
him. We shot into the air. Just as a warning.”
“Did he have a gun, too? He was a soldier, right?”
Damn, you have a lot of questions, he thought. “Mustn’t’ve had one with him, I guess.”
Elsie nodded. She planned on becoming a teacher in two years, when she finished her own schooling, and Rebecca had encouraged her to be curious and inquisitive, especially when things didn’t make sense.
They walked on in silence. Philip’s arms were aching, but he resisted the temptation to rearrange the bags and let Elsie see he was struggling.
“I heard in Seattle they aren’t even letting people go outside without masks on,” Elsie said. “If you don’t have a mask, the trolley won’t pick you up. You can even get arrested for it.”
“I heard that, too. Not about the arresting, but I guess that makes sense.”
“They’ve canceled school in most towns, and closed any other places people get together.”
Philip nodded. “I wonder what teachers are doing, then.”
“Getting sick, most likely. Or tending sick husbands and children.”
“I guess we’re lucky, huh?” But as his comment hung in the air, Philip thought how strange it sounded. He’d meant lucky that the flu hadn’t invaded their town yet, but the flu was still laying siege to it, so that didn’t seem so lucky. And what had happened today sure as hell wasn’t lucky.
She seemed to know what he’d been thinking. “It’s pretty rotten, isn’t it? First war, and now everybody sick.”
“They say we’re winning the war.” But by the time they could get another newspaper, Lord only knew what would be happening in Europe. Were the soldiers healthy? The one from that afternoon certainly was not. Philip had a sudden image of a gray battlefield bereft of explosions or gunfire but filled with the writhing bodies of the sick and dying.
“I know we’ll win, but still,” Elsie said. “Two rotten things happening at once. Makes you wish you could run away someplace where none of this is happening.”
“It’s happening pretty much everywhere, I think.”
“I know. I just wish there was someplace to escape.”
But as they walked in silence, they came to the same strange realization: the closed-off town of Commonwealth was precisely this place. There was no war, no pestilence. People around the globe were dying, dying from flu and pneumonia and aerial bombings and bayonets, but in Commonwealth, the last town on earth, people were safe. This was the place to run to, and they were already here. All they could do was wait.
By the time they reached his house, Philip’s hands were almost completely numb. “Well, my lady, thank you for your kind assistance.”
“You’re welcome.” He let her pile the cornmeal atop the stack he was barely holding on to. After a brief pause, he took a quick step toward the door right as she did the same. They smiled at each other awkwardly, and he stepped back to let her open the door for him.
“Thanks,” he said.
“Sure. Be careful out at
“What was he doing here? He didn’t say if he was going to come back with more soldiers, did he?”
Philip and Graham had thought this question might arise, but Charles and Doc Banes had dismissed it. So Philip chose to belittle his own concern by smiling and lightly chiding Elsie. “I really don’t think any soldiers are trying to take over our town. He didn’t look like a Heinie.”
She smiled, even though her grandparents had come over from Germany. Her parents had assured her that the incessant anti-German comments of the day didn’t apply to them. “So who fired the shots?”
“We both did—Graham shot one, and I shot one.” He said that quickly, twitching his head before he said it.
“I’ve just never shot at anyone, is all.” Like many girls in Commonwealth, Elsie had fired a gun a few times, but she seemed to find the idea of firing at another person strangely thrilling.
Philip tried to clarify the lie. “We didn’t shoot
at
him. We shot into the air. Just as a warning.”
“Did he have a gun, too? He was a soldier, right?”
Damn, you have a lot of questions, he thought. “Mustn’t’ve had one with him, I guess.”
Elsie nodded. She planned on becoming a teacher in two years, when she finished her own schooling, and Rebecca had encouraged her to be curious and inquisitive, especially when things didn’t make sense.
They walked on in silence. Philip’s arms were aching, but he resisted the temptation to rearrange the bags and let Elsie see he was struggling.
“I heard in Seattle they aren’t even letting people go outside without masks on,” Elsie said. “If you don’t have a mask, the trolley won’t pick you up. You can even get arrested for it.”
“I heard that, too. Not about the arresting, but I guess that makes sense.”
“They’ve canceled school in most towns, and closed any other places people get together.”
Philip nodded. “I wonder what teachers are doing, then.”
“Getting sick, most likely. Or tending sick husbands and children.”
“I guess we’re lucky, huh?” But as his comment hung in the air, Philip thought how strange it sounded. He’d meant lucky that the flu hadn’t invaded their town yet, but the flu was still laying siege to it, so that didn’t seem so lucky. And what had happened today sure as hell wasn’t lucky.
She seemed to know what he’d been thinking. “It’s pretty rotten, isn’t it? First war, and now everybody sick.”
“They say we’re winning the war.” But by the time they could get another newspaper, Lord only knew what would be happening in Europe. Were the soldiers healthy? The one from that afternoon certainly was not. Philip had a sudden image of a gray battlefield bereft of explosions or gunfire but filled with the writhing bodies of the sick and dying.
“I know we’ll win, but still,” Elsie said. “Two rotten things happening at once. Makes you wish you could run away someplace where none of this is happening.”
“It’s happening pretty much everywhere, I think.”
“I know. I just wish there was someplace to escape.”
But as they walked in silence, they came to the same strange realization: the closed-off town of Commonwealth was precisely this place. There was no war, no pestilence. People around the globe were dying, dying from flu and pneumonia and aerial bombings and bayonets, but in Commonwealth, the last town on earth, people were safe. This was the place to run to, and they were already here. All they could do was wait.
By the time they reached his house, Philip’s hands were almost completely numb. “Well, my lady, thank you for your kind assistance.”
“You’re welcome.” He let her pile the cornmeal atop the stack he was barely holding on to. After a brief pause, he took a quick step toward the door right as she did the same. They smiled at each other awkwardly, and he stepped back to let her open the door for him.
“Thanks,” he said.
“Sure. Be careful out at
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