“For now.”
“What do you mean?” Cass asked.
“You heard Art and you even said you remembered it from science class.”
“The fungus that ate the world,” Cass said.
“Let’s hope history doesn’t repeat. How the hell did you remember that?”
“Who knows. I remember weird shit. What are you up to?”
“Just an experiment.” Kit tossed something in the trunk.
Cass heard the thunk and looked down to see a can of spray paint. “You doing murals now?”
“No. It’s an experiment. I’ll let you know about it as soon as I figure out if it was merited to even try.”
“Well what is it?” Cass asked.
“It’d rather not. I’ll help you forage supplies.”
“Forage.” Cass laughed. “That’s an odd choice of word.”
“Yeah, well, I’m pulling out all my survivor vocabulary.”
Cass led the walk back to The Trading Post. “Like scavenging.”
“Survivors.”
“Marauders.”
Kit nodded. “Good one. Speaking of survivors…” He stopped before the three-step wooden staircase of the post. “How are they?”
“Dehydrated. Too bad they aren’t like fruits we can just stick them in water and plump them back up.”
“That’s terrible.”
“I know. My bedside manner lacks. Some are in pain. Having muscle spasms, some delirious. Kit…” She stopped. “Steven, the one guy, he said the fungus grew over the door overnight. I mean that’s when I started grabbing supplies. It just clicked something in me. Do you think it’s possible it can grow that fast?”
“I’m not the scientist. But I think it could.”
“I wish there was a way to find out. Some way, so we have something to tell the people in Griffin.”
“I’m working on it,” Kit said.
“The spray paint?”
Kit just stared, then turned away from the post and merely told Cass to, “Follow me.”
Cass stared down at the red line painted not only on the road, but where it went off to the berm like a bookmarker.
“The fungus growth on the side of the road was a half mile out,” Kit said. “Northeast. A mile and a half north.”
“To our plane.”
Kit nodded. “I went off the northeast one, because it was closer, and every hundred feet, I painted a line. It’s raw science, but it will give us an idea how fast this is moving.”
“Weather conditions can change that.”
“Of course, and Art said it doesn’t hit anything alive. That’s why it didn’t touch the trees on Miller Run.”
“Oh my God, Kit, Miller Run is so close to town.”
Kit nodded. “Too close. But we can’t plan to do anything until we know what we’re dealing with and our scientists know as much as we do. I’m just not sitting around to wait.”
“Whatever Ada put in that spray bottle worked.”
“It did. Sadly, I don’t think there can be enough of Ada’s formula to stop what is happening to this world.”
“We only need to stop what is happening from happening to Griffin,” Cass said.
“If that’s even possible. But… we can try. We will try. I’m not giving up.” Kit exhaled a heavy breath. “Are you?”
22.
HEADLIGHT
Griffin, AZ
There was no fanfare when Eb and Ada returned. He didn’t expect there to be. Griffin looked normal. A mellow state on the verge of evening.
When he pulled into town, he saw Mayor Mark standing by his black, expensive SUV. Mark waved for Eb to stop.
He pulled the truck over and stepped out with Ada.
“How was Vegas?” asked Mark.
“One survivor. He’s in the truck,” Eb replied.
“How is he?” Mark asked.
“Fine.”
“Well, let’s not take a chance,” Mark said. “Doctor Craig set up a little hospital at the bingo hall. Take him over to have him checked out just to be sure.”
“I’ll do that,” said Ada. “Then I want to head home. Check on Lena.”
“She’s in the bingo hall,” Mark said. “She wanted to do something.”
“Even better,” said Ada.
“Hey, Mark, Vegas… it’s got that stuff,” Eb said.
“The mean green, as we call it?”
Eb nodded.
“How bad?”
“Getting there. I took my shortcut, but I’m thinking we need to go to Seaver, see the state that’s in. Flagstaff, too.”
“We’re already ahead of you on that. Bill, Art’s dad, and Kat took a ride to Seaver and Walt to Flagstaff. Looks like mean green is starting there. It’s crawling on the outskirts. Seaver not so much. Kat took some pictures. I think we should go back. Get what we can from there. You interested in going?”
“Absolutely,” Eb replied.
“Good. I wanna put together teams. Send people out in all directions. We need to get a grip on what we’re dealing with and where this thing is.”
“That’s a smart idea. What did Cass and Kit say about Willow Springs?”
“They aren’t back yet.”
“How?” Eb asked. “They’re closer than we were. How are they not back?”
“They aren’t.”
“You aren’t worried?”
“No,” Mark answered. “And neither should you be. They were going after a plane of people. They said if the health of those folks wasn’t up to par, they were staying put until they stabilized them. That’s what the doctors said.”
“It’s bad out there. I don’t know…”
“Eb. You made it back, right?” Mark reached out and grabbed his arm as assurance. “They will too.”
Eb pacified him with a nod and headed back to his truck. He drove as far as the bingo hall, a block up the road. Getting there at the same time as Ada and George as they stepped inside.
The bingo board was on the stage, though it wasn’t lit up. And across the small hall cots were set up in neat rows of five.
Eb saw Lena smoothing out the blanket on one of the cots and he walked up to her. “You helping out here? That’s a good thing.”
“I couldn’t just sit there.”
“I understand.”
Lena looked beyond Eb. “Ada is with someone.”
“We found him in Vegas.”
“Is that stuff there?” Lena asked.
“It is and growing fast.”
“Which means it’s taking over everywhere.”
“It is so bad… I know you’re just recovering, but I also know you want that final goodbye.”
“I do.”
“I’m thinking your trip to LA really can’t wait.”
Ada walked up to the pair. “Doc Craig is looking at George. Although I don’t think a thing is wrong with him.” She put her hands on her hips. “I thought the plane people would be here.”
“They’re not back yet,” Eb said with concern. “We left after them, went farther and they aren’t back.”
Lena interjected. “Doctor Craig said some of those people could be dehydrated, heat stroke, they may not be able to travel right away. That’s what he said.”
“If they stay there too long,” Eb said, “they may not be able to get back. What if something is wrong? What if they need help?”
“Eb,” Ada said his name calmly. “If you’re thinking about going out there, don’t. There’s no need. If they aren’t back by tomorrow then take a ride out.”
“What if they need help now? Cass is all I’ve got.”
“And she’ll be here tomorrow. You were fine with her leaving. Now you’re not? What changed?” Ada asked.
“I saw what was out there.”
“She’ll be fine,” Ada reassured him then turned and walked away.
“Eb,” Lena said his name softly. “If you feel you need to go, you do what you have to do. A missed chance is not one you get back. Trust me.”
“Oh, I know that. I do. And we’re gonna get you back to LA before it’s too late, too.”