The aberrant energy fallout messed up satellite and antenna signals, so it was a wonder my phone worked at all. But it did, and I nearly had a heart attack when I heard Vicky's voice on the line.
"Hello?"
I licked my lips, voice trapped in my throat.
"Hello?"
"Um… hi, Vicky."
"Hi."
"This is Lewis."
"I know who it is."
The words kinda stung, but they had a silver lining too. After all, if my caller ID showed up, it meant she never deleted my number from her phone. So maybe she hadn't completely written me off.
"How… are things?" I slapped my palm against my forehead, knowing how ridiculous I sounded. The silence from the other end only confirmed it.
Finally, she spoke again. "I was wondering if you would call."
There it was. The little sliver of hope I was looking for. I exhaled a shuddering breath, nearly trembling from the sensation of pure joy.
"Of course I was gonna call. Guess you heard the news."
"Everyone heard the news. They announced it on every channel and station. Congratulations, Lewis. I'm… glad it was you."
"Thanks, Vick. That means a lot."
You know that uncomfortable silence when both people stop talking and wait for the other person to say something? Yeah, there was a long stretch of that. Finally, I just blurted it out.
"Listen… I want to see you before I go. You know — to say goodbye properly and all."
"Okay."
"No, I mean it. There's a lot I wanna say. Just seems so impersonal on the phone and—"
"I said okay, Lewis."
"You did. Right. So… is today cool?"
There was a slight pause before she answered. "Sure. I'm not doing anything right now. My folks are out trying to follow up on a stasis pod purchase."
"I thought no one could get those anymore."
"Yeah, they've been completely sold out everywhere. But there are underground sales that pop up on the web. I don't think it will pan out, but they have to try, you know?"
"Yeah. I know. Listen, I'll be right over, okay?"
"Okay. I'll see you soon."
"Okay." The line clicked off, leaving a trembling mess of a human being. I couldn't believe the call went through. I couldn't believe she answered. I couldn't believe she didn't sound furious with me. And in that extremely vulnerable moment, I knew what I had to do.
I grabbed my leather bomber jacket off the hook by the door and stepped out for some foot patrol. Vicky lived at least ten miles away, so I hoped she was serious about having no plans for the day. Because it was going to take a few hours for me to get to her place.
The sunlight was the completely wrong color, messing up how everything looked. The trees were albinos; like they'd just caught a fresh coat of brilliant white paint. All the evergreens were orange instead of green, and glimmering dots of luminescent dust motes floated across the air like microscopic jellyfish. I didn't pay it all too much attention. Just another day.
I didn't necessarily mind the walk so much. I did a lot of walking, mainly because I hate bumming rides. I mean, I have a few friends. I know a lot of people, but I can count on one hand how many I consider real friends. And I don't like bothering them every time I need to go somewhere. People start to avoid you if you always come to them with your hand out. I learned that early in life, and I took it to heart.
The sky looked like some abstract artist tossed all his paints in a blender and kicked it across a canvas. Clouds massed in impossibly bizarre formations, flickering with ghost lightning. I hoped a storm wouldn't break. They tended to be violent and lethal, not to mention inclined to unleash unnatural phenomena like insects, fish, or frogs. Nothing worse than being pelted by amphibians on your way home from work. The last time that happened I just threw my entire outfit away, because there was no way I was putting gut-splattered clothes in the washing machine.
Fortunately, the clouds passed quickly without any trouble. I kept walking, feeling relaxed for the first time since I won the lottery. I finally had a plan to achieve, and I found peace in being able to accomplish it. I felt like Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities. I never really liked the book, but I kinda dug the way ol' Sydney went out like a champ. He was the only character I liked in the book, actually. Sure, his life didn't go the way he imagined, but he was a big thinker and wiser than he let on to other people. The way I saw it, it was people who always let him down. I could relate to that.
And I had a chance to have my own Sydney Carton moment. I had been thinking about it for weeks. Almost ever since I got the news about the lottery. I'd daydreamed about it. Imagining Vicky's expression when I told her. The sheer shock and disbelief. The tears as she fell into my arms, telling me how she could never repay me for my sacrifice.
For passing my lottery win onto her.
Which was pretty much my whole plan. Call it the best I'm sorry/I love you package someone could give. Winning the lottery came with the option to pass your golden ticket on to anyone else in your district. And that was exactly what I was going to do.
It was hard to explain why. Basically, I felt like a jerk for winning. I mean, what did I do to deserve it? Nothing, that's what. I walked past crowds of people all that time, staring at the billboards whenever another winner is selected. I saw the desperate hope on their faces. Parents clutching their children. Lovers holding one another. All of them hoping, praying that their name or the name of someone they love is selected.
But in our district, it wasn't any of them. It was me. I got to walk around, basking in glory meant for someone else. It just felt so counterfeit. Like the biggest mistake in the world. I lived in constant dread that I'd arrive at the Haven just for them to say it was all a computing error. Sorry kid, you were never meant to win. Get back on the tram and die with the rest of the animals, loser.
But Vicki was different. She deserved better. Better than a future with nothing more than scrambling in fear, desperately looking for a place to hide. Spending her last moments screaming in fear when there was no place to go and the Cataclysm was bearing down on her. I could do something to change all of that. Give her something that no one else could.
It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done…
I could save her. I could do that much, at least. And in doing so, maybe salvage myself in the process. Maybe I could do more than just aim at nothing. Just maybe, in my final moments, I could make a real difference.
5
Vicky opened the door with the same dimpled smile that took my breath away on the dance floor three years ago. While my mouth worked soundlessly, she opened her arms and pulled me in for a close, intimate hug.
"Lewis. So glad you finally made it. I thought something might have happened to you."
I hold her tightly, losing myself in the moment. "What, you thought I wasn't coming?"
She stepped back with a delighted laugh. "I didn't know what happened. When you called me, I thought you were coming right over." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "That was over three hours ago. Things are weird out there."
"Hey, even fleet feet like mine can only go so fast." I took a glance around. Vicky's parents had a little dough, and it showed in the stylish décor of the place. Lots of polished wood furniture, lavish paintings, sparkling crystal and glass accessories. Smart tech installed to control the lighting, temperature, and security. It was pretty laid, all right.