The Aliveagainers

19 - Memory

The next day we wake early.

I got a strange taste in my mouth, somethin' I can't place. I know it's more a memory than anythin' else and it feels like I got her name right on the tip of my tongue. Been a long time unspoken.

The boys chat quietly and that gets me focused and we bail out pretty quick and get back to drivin'. We pack all the food we can find, every last thing. The wind has slowed up a bit but it brought with it dark, angry lookin' clouds and soon enough it starts to snow, mostly sleet at first but then it turns to thin old flakes. The sort of snow you might get around this time of year up here. The wind picks up. The light's startin' to fade and Jamie flicks the lights on. I watch ahead and stare at the snow, all blowin' and dancin' on the road. It swirls and flows like some spirit come alive.

It's been ages since I've seen any real snow, been a long time I guess since I've been this far up near the mountains. I watch the flakes fall, gettin' bigger and fatter. They melt when they hit the windscreen and they ain't really touchin' the road for more than a moment before they're gone. Beside us and in the trees the snow begins to coat the ground and I know that if this keeps up then in a few hours everythin' will be all covered and white. The world will be painted all crisp and clean and new and maybe there won't be no footsteps to break up that snow, no cars to turn it into slush.

I reach down to the dashboard and turn on the radio, shiftin' the dial, but all we can hear is static. We try AM and FM but it's all dead. Just static. There's a CD in the slot and I push it in and some ol' classic music starts to play.

I can't stop thinkin' bout what Jamie told me last night and I'm itchin' to ask him somethin' more but I can tell he ain't keen on talkin' today.

"How you doin', Késhaun?" I ask, lookin' back to him.

"Fine," he says, starin' out the window.

Jamie looks back briefly, then keeps his eyes on the road.

The silence in the car is crazy so I come out and ask the boy a question.

"Hey Késhaun, I wanted to ask you somethin', about what you call them."

"Call who?" asks Késhaun, lookin' up at me in the mirror.

"You know," I say, pausing, waitin' for him. "The Aliveagainers."

Késhaun gives me a strange look as he tilts his head a little to the side. Then he looks back out the window and speaks.

"I already told you, Kayla, remember?"

I feel my eyes go a bit wide and my skin prickles. But I stay silent. It stays quiet. So quiet. Nothing, except for the rushin' of the car on the road. I'm thinkin' back and I can hear an echo of that strange pulsin' beat, that red, roarin' light that glowed that night.

"Hold up," says Jamie and I look up; then he speaks quietly. "Get the gun."

I shake my head a little, then reach for the glovebox and look ahead. There's a truck, flipped over and on its side in the road ahead. Straight away I can tell it's an army truck, probably one of the ones I saw before.

Jamie slows down and comes to a stop. The truck sits about fifty feet ahead.

All around us the snow billows and swirls. We don't see anythin'.

"Look. There!" I point.

Right at the side of the truck I see it. A pair of legs. It's hard to tell at this distance but I imagine the truck must've come down on top of one of the soldiers.

"We should move past it," says Jamie.

"Yes, and go quick." I say, thinkin' the other trucks are probably up there too. There were a lot of soldiers...

I look at the handgun I'm holdin' and wish I had my old can of spray and a lighter. I ain't too worried about runnin' into any soldier, but I sure don't want to face up to one of them out here in the snow. A bullet probably ain't gonna do much.

Jamie puts his foot down slowly and we start to roll ahead, movin' wide onto the shoulder as we try to pass the truck. As we move around I hold the gun pointed out, then realise it probably ain't much use firin' through the windshield.

Suddenly there's movement ahead and a shadow rises in the snow. I point the gun ahead, but I can't see where to aim.

"Put that gun down!" comes a voice.

Jamie looks at me, and shifts his hands a little on the steerin' wheel. I shake my head and he slowly lets go of the wheel. I place the handgun up on the dash.

"I got my gun pointed right up your teeth so don't do anything stupid!" comes the voice, gravelly and muffled by the wind.

In a moment we see two figures approach, pointin' their weapons towards us. One keeps his aim centred on Jamie while the other comes around to the driver's window and knocks with the muzzle of his rifle.

Jamie rolls down the window and the wind shrieks into the car. Snowflakes swirl around, frosty figments hittin' my skin. I smell somethin' else, the smoke of a cigarette.

Then there's a long, low laugh and a voice slips through, stirrin' somethin' up inside my memory.

"Well, well. How's it hangin', Kayla?"