mindless trance, following and
mimicking Jack’s every move as they crept from one devastated building to the
next, as strip malls turned into small tightly packed homes in what was once a
poor region of the city. Now there was little left but concrete and brick
foundations littered with charred bits of broken memories and smeared streaks
of blackness. The whole community had been wiped from the earth as if washing
it away to start over, removing its filth and depravity to replace it with
something new or better. Perhaps that was just her missing the way the old
world worked, but Sam could not help but feel that this was not an end. Tragic,
yes, but it could not be all. Could it? There had to be more. There had
to be some good from all this loss. She hoped against hope they would find a
new and better beginning somewhere beyond the city. There had to be something.
Working to refocus her train of thought, she looked down upon Will who still
crept upon his toes like a ninja, even hours into the morning. He deserved a
new beginning.
Eventually as the day progressed, Sam’s mood lightened,
mostly due to watching her little ninja move like a cartoon cat across their
obliterated world. At some point they had crossed the threshold of homes that
had once been owned by the impoverished into apartment buildings and warehouses,
as signs for the interstate began showing up here or there where they had not
been completely destroyed or charred beyond recognition. Though she paid scant
attention to any of the signs in the past, they gave her hope now. They proved
that the edge of the city was nearing, and she no longer felt safe in the city.
Just seeing the signs seemed to take a weight off of her chest. She couldn’t
wait to get out of this place. It felt like a cemetery.
* * * * *
Creeping upon his toes, carefully selecting places where he
could avoid the glass below, Will moved ahead. Slinking here, and springing
across the cement ground there, he moved like the wind and no one could catch
him. No way, not ever. Jerking his head from side to side, he sought out those
who scoured the city for them, but locating no enemies, he returned his super
vision to the ground beneath him. It was a fun game, but would have been more
fun if Jack and Sam played along.
Instead, Jack moved up ahead with his shoulders slumped like
he had just lost a track meet, and Sam sighed or giggled from time to time
behind him, her mind undoubtedly on boys or some other such nonsense, as Mom
would say. If Dad were here, he’d play along. Dad was an awesome ninja and
could probably destroy all the bad guys. But Dad was probably out saving Mom,
so he would just have to be a ninja all by himself.
Sometime long after his belly started growling, they passed
under a big concrete bridge and Will pretended to pass through the enemy’s
tunnel, darting from one dark shadow to another to evade detection from enemy
sentries. Once out of the tunnel they turned left and climbed a twisty ramp up
to the road above and Will realized that he was just about to the top of the
enemy mountain fortress. Victory was his!
Rounding the last bend he skirted the charred carcass of a
four door sedan, following closely on Jack’s heels, impatient to reach the
highest point. Pouncing atop a fallen sign, he countered for its rocking
surface and kept his balance as it tipped under his weight. Bounding back off
the sign, Will landed nimbly between any major shards of glass, and began
moving once more in a crouch. Whipping his arms about, he pretended to slay the
last of his samurai enemies as a grin spread across his face.
Running to the edge of the bridge where the concrete had
been smashed away by a car during the event, he thrust both of his arms up to
the sky, carefully celebrating his victory. Bouncing up and down on his toes
like a boxer, Will turned all around as Sam smiled her biggest smile at him. But
her smile did not last.
Even though he had done his best to celebrate in
mimicking Jack’s every move as they crept from one devastated building to the
next, as strip malls turned into small tightly packed homes in what was once a
poor region of the city. Now there was little left but concrete and brick
foundations littered with charred bits of broken memories and smeared streaks
of blackness. The whole community had been wiped from the earth as if washing
it away to start over, removing its filth and depravity to replace it with
something new or better. Perhaps that was just her missing the way the old
world worked, but Sam could not help but feel that this was not an end. Tragic,
yes, but it could not be all. Could it? There had to be more. There had
to be some good from all this loss. She hoped against hope they would find a
new and better beginning somewhere beyond the city. There had to be something.
Working to refocus her train of thought, she looked down upon Will who still
crept upon his toes like a ninja, even hours into the morning. He deserved a
new beginning.
Eventually as the day progressed, Sam’s mood lightened,
mostly due to watching her little ninja move like a cartoon cat across their
obliterated world. At some point they had crossed the threshold of homes that
had once been owned by the impoverished into apartment buildings and warehouses,
as signs for the interstate began showing up here or there where they had not
been completely destroyed or charred beyond recognition. Though she paid scant
attention to any of the signs in the past, they gave her hope now. They proved
that the edge of the city was nearing, and she no longer felt safe in the city.
Just seeing the signs seemed to take a weight off of her chest. She couldn’t
wait to get out of this place. It felt like a cemetery.
* * * * *
Creeping upon his toes, carefully selecting places where he
could avoid the glass below, Will moved ahead. Slinking here, and springing
across the cement ground there, he moved like the wind and no one could catch
him. No way, not ever. Jerking his head from side to side, he sought out those
who scoured the city for them, but locating no enemies, he returned his super
vision to the ground beneath him. It was a fun game, but would have been more
fun if Jack and Sam played along.
Instead, Jack moved up ahead with his shoulders slumped like
he had just lost a track meet, and Sam sighed or giggled from time to time
behind him, her mind undoubtedly on boys or some other such nonsense, as Mom
would say. If Dad were here, he’d play along. Dad was an awesome ninja and
could probably destroy all the bad guys. But Dad was probably out saving Mom,
so he would just have to be a ninja all by himself.
Sometime long after his belly started growling, they passed
under a big concrete bridge and Will pretended to pass through the enemy’s
tunnel, darting from one dark shadow to another to evade detection from enemy
sentries. Once out of the tunnel they turned left and climbed a twisty ramp up
to the road above and Will realized that he was just about to the top of the
enemy mountain fortress. Victory was his!
Rounding the last bend he skirted the charred carcass of a
four door sedan, following closely on Jack’s heels, impatient to reach the
highest point. Pouncing atop a fallen sign, he countered for its rocking
surface and kept his balance as it tipped under his weight. Bounding back off
the sign, Will landed nimbly between any major shards of glass, and began
moving once more in a crouch. Whipping his arms about, he pretended to slay the
last of his samurai enemies as a grin spread across his face.
Running to the edge of the bridge where the concrete had
been smashed away by a car during the event, he thrust both of his arms up to
the sky, carefully celebrating his victory. Bouncing up and down on his toes
like a boxer, Will turned all around as Sam smiled her biggest smile at him. But
her smile did not last.
Even though he had done his best to celebrate in
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