Chapter 7:Concluded
Gabe held the pedal down racing north from Why. Bubba and one of his daughters were sitting next to him, Bubba straddled his FAL across his lap, barrel out the window. In the back seat Seamus had his head against the window, Bubba’s other daughters and son were squeezed in between him and their mother.
“How long were they there Bubba?” Gabe asked.
“They’d been swinging by every day or so for a bit shooting a bit then running off again. More harassing than anything, they wouldn’t get very close.” He said.
Gabe nodded thinking of Ericson’s body and the knife. It reminded him a lot of the postal worker. “What the hell is going on!?” He caught himself, he hadn’t meant to say that outloud.
“What?” Bubba said.
“Sorry I didn’t mean to shout, it’s nothing.” Gabe said.
They drove further. Bubba starred at him until they saw the sun peek over the hills. Glancing around he checked to make sure the kids had fallen asleep. In the back seat Seamus and their mother had passed out too.
“Now what are you thinking?”
Gabe stared at his brother for a moment and started talking as he turned the wheel to avoid a burnt Budweiser truck in the middle of the road. Passing through the smoke it stunk of rotting hopes and booze. He told Bubba about Ericson, about the postal worker, about the bugs. Then he told Bubba about his dream. About JJ. About how empty Maricopa was.
When he was done, Gabe licked his lips, closed his mouth and tried to hold everything back inside. He forced his eyes to stick to the yellow line getting brighter by the seconds instead of sneaking looks at his brother now staring at him deep in thought.
Finally bubba spoke. “Well I think there’s a lot going on and we won’t know too much.”
“What?” Gabe asked.
“We’re too close to this. We have seen the biters, you all saw giant bugs, people going crazy. It’s too much.”
Gabe thought about it for a minute. “Well so much for mom always saying you were the smart one!”
Gila bend was coming up close now. They were coming up on the last canal before town.
“What the hell is that?!” Bubba said.
Up ahead something standing in the road.
Gabe saw it too. He felt cold claws pulling at his chest, sweat beading at the back of his neck. A tremor twitched in his right leg. He scratched at it, pulling up his kilt to get at it.
“Please no. No!” Gabe yelled.
Everyone in the back seat started quivering waking up to the noise.
“What is it?!” Bubba asked.
“It’s the kid. The kid from my dream!” Gabe shouted!
The one thing Gabe hadn’t done was slow down. The truck was still speeding towards the teenage boy standing in the middle of the road.
Bubba reacted lifting himself to throw a leg over towards the brake and stomped on top of his brothers foot! The truck’s nose dipped to the pavement as the sudden deceleration and the back rose. Black smoke burned up from the road as the tires whined like ghouls.
Gabe wasn’t rational anymore. “NO! NO! NO! NO!” Over and over he chanted it like a prayer as the truck slide ever closer to the still figure.
Finally the truck stopped and Bubba reached over and pulled the gear stick into park. Inside the truck Gabe kept up his religious chant. “No! please no! No! Please no!”
Outside the truck, Martin Manuel lifted his head slowly. Tears had worked their way down his dusty face. His braided hair hung down his back. He adjusted the sling on his shoulder so his rifle hung more comfortably and he shook the dust from his denim jacket. His jeans were dusty and dirty. “I’ve been expecting you gringo. Your late!”