Part Four: Blues for a Drifter

Description

"What I don’t understand is how you ended up crash-landing in the middle of Montana,” said Sheila. “You said the plane was bound for Houston.” “Yeah, well,” Peter glanced at Samantha. “That’s the damndest thing. Because both of us just had a sense that … we should head north. Don’t ask me to explain it, because I assure you, I can’t.” Williams and Sheila looked at each other. “And so, with what fuel we had, we did exactly that: leaving Texas for Wyoming and finally entering Montana, where we began to catch snippets of a broadcast. Radio—” “Free Montana, yes,” said Sheila. She shook the hair out of her eyes. “We’ve been listening to it too. The girl, Luna here, has a radio, one of those Red Cross ones with the hand crank.” She glanced at Williams warily. “I don’t suppose you’ve been able to listen to it lately, have you?” “No,” said Samantha. “Not since the crash.” She looked suddenly troubled. “Why?” Williams and Sheila exchanged nervous glances again. At last Williams said, “Because they’ve got trouble—big trouble. Trouble in the form of an armed armada heading their way right now … burning everything in its wake.” He put on his hat, which he’d found near his rifle in the middle of the clearing. “And we’re going there, anyway. Me, Sheila, the kids, you and Samantha. And we should probably get going before we lose the day completely.” “Well now wait just a minute,” protested Peter. “An armada? What do you mean?” Williams knelt by Ank. “I mean every bad apple survivor from here to New York has somehow found each other and his heading this way.” He stroked the ankylosaur’s head with what Sheila thought was surprising gentleness. “And that you aren’t the only ones to have had, I don’t know, a feeling, an impulse, to head north. All of us have.” To Ank he said: “Can you travel, old boy?” The dinosaur stirred. (I don’t know. I think so. Just—give me a minute.) Williams patted his back and stood. “And that …” He thought about it and shook his head. “We’ve got a responsibility, somehow. Like you said, don’t ask me to explain it because I can’t.”