Page 90 (2/2)
"Whathappened?" Michael croaked
Peter took a seat by Michael’s bed He filled the cup again and held the straw to Michael’s lips "I guess you don’t remeled his head toward the wo "You’ve already uess I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up We’ve all been taking shifts" He leaned in closer "Michael, you’ve got to see this place It’s fantastic"
This place, Michael thought Where was he? He pointed his eyes toward the wo face All at once the memory coalesced in histhe cup fro all over him
"Flyers, Michael What’s the matter?"
"She tried to kill us!"
"That’s a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?" He glanced at the woh, as if the two of them were in on some private joke "Michael, Billie saved us Don’t you reood cheer, Michael thought; it seemed completely out of step with the facts Obviously he was very ill; he ? Is she all right?"
Peter waved this concern away "Oh, she’s fine, everybody’s fine Just waiting for you to get better" Peter leaned toward hiain "They call it the Haven, Michael It’s actually an old prison That’s where you are now, in the infirmary"
"A prison Like a lockup?"
"Sort of They really don’t use the prison itself much anymore You should see the size of their operation Aluess you could say we’re the Walkers now And here’s the best thing, Michael Are you ready? No smokes"
His words ave a puzzled shrug, as if the question wasn’t interesting enough to warrant any real thought "I don’t know There just aren’t Listen," he continued, "when you’re up on your feet, you can look for yourself You should see the size of the herd Actual beef cattle" He was grinning at Michael vacantly "So what do you say? Think you can sit up?"
He didn’t, but so about Peter’s tone made him feel that he should at least try Michael eased hian to tip; his brain sloshed painfully inside his skull He fell back down again
"Whoa That hurt"
"That’s okay, that’s okay Just take it easy Billie says a headache’s perfectly normal after a seizure like that You’ll be back on your feet in no time"
"I had a seizure?"
"You really don’t reuess I don’t" Michael breathed steadily, trying to cal today? Three days" Peter glanced at the woed "I’ood news is that you’re feeling better Let’s focus on that"
Michael felt his frustration boiling over "What party? Peter, what’s wrong with you? We’re stranded in the ear This wo’s fine"
They were interrupted by the sound of the door opening and a burst of cheerful laughter Alicia, on crutches, swung around the screen Trailing her was a nize-fierce blue eyes, a chin that looked like it had been chiseled fro or were the two of theame, like Littles?
She stopped abruptly at the foot of his bed "Circuit, you’re up!"
"Well, look at that," the blue-eyed , pardner?"
Michael was too startled to respond Who was Lazarus?
Alicia turned to Peter "Did you tell hi to that," Peter said
"Tell me what?"
"It’s your sister, Michael" Peter s to Michael’s eyes "That’s not funny"
"I’, Michael Sara’s here And she’s perfectly all right"
· · ·
"I just don’t reathered around Michael’s bed: Sara, Peter, Hollis, Alicia, the woman they called Billie, and the man with the blue eyes, who had introduced himself to Michael as Jude Cripp After Peter had told Michael the news, Alicia had left to retrieve his sister;herself upon hi It was all so completely inexplicable that Michael hadn’t knohere to begin, what questions to ask But Sara was alive For the moment, that was all that mattered
Hollis explained how they had found her The day after their arrival, he and Billie had driven back to Las Vegas, to look for the Humvees They’d reached the hotel to find a scene of total destruction, a sirders The whole east side of the building had collapsed, filling the street with a mountain of debris Somewhere beneath this lay the Humvees, smashed to pieces The air was thick with soot and dust; a rain of ashes coated every surface The fires had leapt to an adjacent hotel, which was still s to the east, where Hollis had seen the viral taking Sara, was intact This, as it turned out, was soht of stairs led to the structure at the top, a large round roo, that looked out on the demolished hotel
Sara was curled under one of the tables, unconscious At Hollis’s touch she seelazed, unfocused; she appeared to have no notion where she was or what had happened to her There were scratches on her face and arms; one of her wrists see it in her lap He lifted her into his arhts of darkened stairs and into the smoke It wasn’t until they were halfway back to the Haven that she had started to come around
"Is that really how it happened?" Michael asked her
"If he says so Honestly, Michael, all I re I kneas in the truck with Hollis The rest is a big blank"