Zombie Ocean (Book 2): The Lost by Michael John Grist Page B
Authors: Michael John Grist
Tags: Zombie Apocalypse
Ads: Link
along an empty stretch of road, with the moon off to the left.
"There," Jake said, pointing out of the side window. There was an orange light in the distance, bobbing on an ocean of black. "That's Amo and Lara."
It felt like the opposite of the hurt. She wanted to see them so badly. She wanted to hold them and know that they were real, that hope and dreams could come true no matter how grand or impossible. It mattered much more than anything else.
Five minutes passed that felt like forever, with the windows all down and roaring with the wind, and the lights getting closer, then at last the RV pulled up and stopped. Jake got out first, then Masako and Julio helped Cynthia out, while Robert got in his chair and came round to the ramp at the back.
Standing in the middle of the broad forecourt, surrounded by lights that twinkled like Christmas, stood Amo and Lara. He was just as she'd imagined, with some of the same crazy twinkle in his eyes her Daddy had had. Lara was beautiful and warm, just like she'd always dreamed her Mommy must have been.
"Welcome," Amo called, and chills went through her. He strode over and he got on one knee before her and he hugged her first. He whispered in her ear, "Welcome home, little sister."
She hugged him as tightly as she could.
Then Lara was next and she hugged her too and Lara said, "Welcome home honey," then Robert came out of the RV and Amo's eyes went wide and he ran over and they hugged crazily and then everyone was hugging and crying and laughing and in the midst of it, for a moment, Anna felt certain that maybe this was enough. The emptiness was gone and she was filled up to the brim just as much as could be.
After all the craziness and excitement and snacking and whooping, all the excited sharing of stories and fast talk of big dreams and misery left behind, Anna fell asleep in the big cinema and dreamed of her Daddy on his island again.
He was huge and sad.
"Lint and cobbles, Anna," he said, "lint and cobbles, I'll see you soon."
He climbed down off his podium and walked again into the sea.
Anna shouted for him to come back but he just kept going. The lightning bolt on his back went into the water, then his shoulders went into the water, his neck, then his head up to his ears, then the top of his head and then he was gone.
She woke up screaming, hot and afraid, not knowing where she was.
"Shut the fuck up," someone called from the darkness.
She panted while the fear drained away. Nobody came to comfort her. They were all sleeping still. Instead she comforted herself, as she'd done a thousand times before, on countless nights since her Daddy left, since her Mommy left, since the coma hit.
"Tell me an impossible thing, Daddy," she whispered to herself.
There were cucumber men and birdwomen. There were deep-digging dogs and snail-people who carried the whole world on their backs. There were caterpillars and card-men and Hatters, and all of them helped calm her, though none of them took away the sick feeling in her belly.
Her Daddy was out there still, out in the cold water and swimming towards his Jabberwock, and there was nothing she could do to help.
The next day was crazy.
The RV group came together with Amo and Lara in an office room inside the theater and talked and talked for hours. They set up a table and laid out papers and computers and sat around like they were managing the whole world.
Mayor of America, Jake had said, when he read her Amo's comic. It seemed to fit. Anna sat through most of the boring meeting looking at her phone, or doodling impossible things on a piece of paper. They talked about a lot of things that were hard for her to follow. Once they argued very loudly, until at one point Julio stormed out, though he came back later and apologized and they started talking again.
After that Robert came over. He winked and took her hand and they rolled out together, leaving the others arguing behind. It seemed strange that she'd only
"There," Jake said, pointing out of the side window. There was an orange light in the distance, bobbing on an ocean of black. "That's Amo and Lara."
It felt like the opposite of the hurt. She wanted to see them so badly. She wanted to hold them and know that they were real, that hope and dreams could come true no matter how grand or impossible. It mattered much more than anything else.
Five minutes passed that felt like forever, with the windows all down and roaring with the wind, and the lights getting closer, then at last the RV pulled up and stopped. Jake got out first, then Masako and Julio helped Cynthia out, while Robert got in his chair and came round to the ramp at the back.
Standing in the middle of the broad forecourt, surrounded by lights that twinkled like Christmas, stood Amo and Lara. He was just as she'd imagined, with some of the same crazy twinkle in his eyes her Daddy had had. Lara was beautiful and warm, just like she'd always dreamed her Mommy must have been.
"Welcome," Amo called, and chills went through her. He strode over and he got on one knee before her and he hugged her first. He whispered in her ear, "Welcome home, little sister."
She hugged him as tightly as she could.
Then Lara was next and she hugged her too and Lara said, "Welcome home honey," then Robert came out of the RV and Amo's eyes went wide and he ran over and they hugged crazily and then everyone was hugging and crying and laughing and in the midst of it, for a moment, Anna felt certain that maybe this was enough. The emptiness was gone and she was filled up to the brim just as much as could be.
After all the craziness and excitement and snacking and whooping, all the excited sharing of stories and fast talk of big dreams and misery left behind, Anna fell asleep in the big cinema and dreamed of her Daddy on his island again.
He was huge and sad.
"Lint and cobbles, Anna," he said, "lint and cobbles, I'll see you soon."
He climbed down off his podium and walked again into the sea.
Anna shouted for him to come back but he just kept going. The lightning bolt on his back went into the water, then his shoulders went into the water, his neck, then his head up to his ears, then the top of his head and then he was gone.
She woke up screaming, hot and afraid, not knowing where she was.
"Shut the fuck up," someone called from the darkness.
She panted while the fear drained away. Nobody came to comfort her. They were all sleeping still. Instead she comforted herself, as she'd done a thousand times before, on countless nights since her Daddy left, since her Mommy left, since the coma hit.
"Tell me an impossible thing, Daddy," she whispered to herself.
There were cucumber men and birdwomen. There were deep-digging dogs and snail-people who carried the whole world on their backs. There were caterpillars and card-men and Hatters, and all of them helped calm her, though none of them took away the sick feeling in her belly.
Her Daddy was out there still, out in the cold water and swimming towards his Jabberwock, and there was nothing she could do to help.
The next day was crazy.
The RV group came together with Amo and Lara in an office room inside the theater and talked and talked for hours. They set up a table and laid out papers and computers and sat around like they were managing the whole world.
Mayor of America, Jake had said, when he read her Amo's comic. It seemed to fit. Anna sat through most of the boring meeting looking at her phone, or doodling impossible things on a piece of paper. They talked about a lot of things that were hard for her to follow. Once they argued very loudly, until at one point Julio stormed out, though he came back later and apologized and they started talking again.
After that Robert came over. He winked and took her hand and they rolled out together, leaving the others arguing behind. It seemed strange that she'd only
Similar Books
