“You wanted me to convince you,” he said, turning slightly.
Rebecca didn’t say anything. That was why she hadn’t left, why she hadn’t killed him, or tried other ways to get out of this situation. She wanted someone there to bear witness.
“Are you satisfied?” Walter said.
“You’re a good man, Walter,” Rebecca said. “And I’m sorry that you were brought into all of this. Like I said, ignorance sometimes is better than the alternative. How will you go about your days, knowing full well that people are going to die tonight, either me or them, and we both know it is going to be them? You might have been able to convince me, but you didn’t. And now four bodies are going to be waiting on your doorstep.”
“There were always going to be four bodies,” Walter said. “The conflict was whether or not you’d be one of the four or the one burying them.”
“And now we know the answer,” she said, standing up. “Let’s go give them the news.”
She strolled past him and opened the door.
Old air came in, but no snow. The field had successfully managed to keep all the new snow and high winds from coming in.
There were three out there waiting for them that Walter could see. Danni was still shoving her head into the force field, waiting a second for it to regrow, and then hitting her head again. Jolie was standing over by Kent, talking, their bodies sending off lights of green and pink.
Matt wasn’t there, but Walter saw an orange glow in the distance, heading for them.
The time of talking was over.
Chapter Fifteen
Becca has every reason to hate me. I’ve tried hating myself lately, and it never seems to work. Every time I open my eyes, I’m still trapped in this new life. I traded one hell for another, and I brought others in with me.
-Robbie’s Journal
Walter walked down the path toward the kids. They were kids all right, a bunch of scared kids. He wanted to tell them that it would be all right, that there wasn’t any reason to fear. But that would have been all lies, the kind that burns your throat and your conscience. He couldn’t do anything really, and even if he could, who’s to say that he would?
The sky was dark above them, the only light seeming to come from the force field around them, giving everything a soft purple hue.
Matt was coming out of the trees, his face hard and set. Jolie looked worried.
Kent looked at them as they approached.
To their left, Danni was still hitting her face into the field.
Walter wondered what it must be like inside that girl’s head, but figured it is best if he didn’t know. The mind of a feral animal was a nice thing to look at, but to experience it might be close to maddening.
The world seemed small and inconsequential around all of them. Through the field, Walter could feel their desperation, but something else as well. Was it fear? Of all the people Walter had talked to over the years at AA meetings, he knew a thing or two about desperation, and these kids reeked with it.
And here he was to tell them that there would be no hope.
At least this time, Rebecca would be with them.
Whether or not that was better for the other people was inconsequential.
He stopped a foot or so from the field. Matt moved forward to reach him.
“You’ve both made your decision,” he said.
“Yes,” Becca said.
“You already know what it is, Matt,” Walter said.
“Yes,” Matt said.
Kent laughed.
“And yet we’re still here,” the man without arms or legs said. “How poetic.”
“I never wanted any of this to happen to you,” Rebecca said.
“Your father probably felt the same,” Kent said. “And yet here we all are anyway. It looks like his intention in this matter was irrelevant.”
“He knew we would follow,” Jolie said. “What else could we do? I’m sorry for killing your mother, Rebecca. I didn’t want Matt to have to do it.”
“You didn’t have to kill her at all,” Walter said.
“And then what?” Matt said, “Sit back and allow the only chance any of us had at having a normal life drive away? They left us, abandoned us. It’s only right that they should be confronted about it.”
“And yes, that’s happened now,” Walter said. “So why don’t we all calm down and try to enjoy these last couple of moments you have with one another. Matt, this is your sister, someone you’ve known for all of their life. Are you really willing to waste your time trying to kill her?”
“Do you think I want to?” Matt said. The surface of the force field in front of him rippled but held strong.
“Do you think anyone of us wants to be out here right now?” Matt said.
“I know you don’t,” Walter said. “But you’re the one who decided to follow them. You’re the one who decided to try and kill your sister. Part of the blame for all this falls on your shoulders, and you know it. All of you know it. I might not know a lot about all of you, but I know where your headspace is right now, and it’s not good. Best to pull yourselves out of this river, lest you be taken up by the tide and ripped away.”
“It’s so simple for you to say that, isn’t it?” Kent said. “You, the one who isn’t dying. The one who can still stand and use your arms. It must be so hard for you to tell us of your sacrifices.”
“Regardless,” Rebecca said. “We don’t need to fight anymore. We can all try and go up to the lab in Toronto.”
“And what then?” Kent said. “When they tell us that your NaU is restricted to your DNA only and that they can’t remove it, what are we supposed to do then? All die peacefully.”
“At least, you won’t have to kill anyone else,” Walter said.
“You still don’t get it, either one of you,” Matt said. “You still
