“Occam,” he answered.
“We have a full category-four MED at the pond with multiple casualties. T. Laine was caught in the working, or whatever the heck it was, and I tackled her. Local LEOs are making sure all entrances and exits are covered. I’m going back in to get the camera.”
“Nell, what? No.”
“Yes. And I need you to talk to me through the whole thing. Keep me centered. I’m putting you on speaker and the phone in my shirt pocket. Talk to me.” I dropped the cell into the flannel plaid shirt’s chest pocket.
“Nell, donotdo this.”
“Yeah. Like that.”
“No. I mean it. Do not enter an MED alone.”
“I may be the only one whocanenter.” I remembered T. Laine’s slack face, her eyes wandering to the pond, latching on to the sight. And me? The plants had tried to claim me, but the pond had no effect. “You should’ve seen her. Her face went slack and she headed straight to the pond like she wanted to climb in among the bodiesand go for a swim. But I seem to be immune to the spell trap, whatever it is.”
“You’re doing it, aren’t you?”
“Pretty much.”
“How many bodies?”
I set my legs into a slow jog and rounded the curve. Death and her dead were spread out all around me. I took a stranglehold on my desire to kill and feed the earth. And though it struggled, it didn’t fight free.
“Nell?”
“Counting those I can see on land...” I counted aloud as I ran. I reached the ladder I remembered seeing, and said, “That makes twelve total, all on shore. All adults. All dead from gunfire or blunt force trauma. In the water, lemme count.” I hefted the ladder up and over a shoulder and returned to jogging, keeping my heart rate high, my mind centered. The ladder was only about six feet long; I hoped it would be enough. “I count ten kids, teens. Two may be younger, all in the water. No sign of physical injury. No blood in the water. Three adults in the water. Ditto on the lack of visible injury. Twelve plus thirteen equals twenty-five victims.”
I grunted as I set the ladder against the tree with the camera. Started climbing. It helped that I faced away from the death scene.
“How do you think they died?”
“The ones on land killed each other. The ones in the water? I think they swam to death. Drowned. Just like the geese that are still in the water with them.”
“Jesus,” Occam breathed.
“I don’t think he was here,” I said. “The camera looks easy to remove. It’s mounted to the tree with a strap, a thumb clip, and a small metal brace to keep it pointed in the right direction. I’ll have it down in a jiffy.” And I did, narrating my actions to Occam, listening to his angry replies. I climbed down the ladder and put the cell onto video to record the scene as I jogged across the grass, keeping my back to the dead. “I have the camera out and I’m taking video of the scene with my cell as I walk. I’m taking the direct route back to the drive.” Which was the only reason I heard the small cry. I stopped. I stopped midsentence, whatever I was saying instantly lost. “Did you hear that?”
Occam said, “Nell? What? What’s happening?”
“I think...” I turned and jogged to my right, to the baby car seat we had seen on the way in. “There’s a baby,” I whispered. “I didn’t feel it on my scan. Maybe because it’s in a car seat on a heavy rubberized frame.”
“Don’t touch it, Nell.Do not touch it. The baby will be contaminated.”
“I know.”But that might not matter.I dropped to a squat at the baby’s car seat, both knees up, off the ground, touching the dirt and grass with only my rubberized field boots. The little girl was dressed in pink, and she smelled of dirty diaper and sour milk and tears. She was sunburned, dark-haired, with green-brown eyes. My bloodlust withered and died at the sight of the child. I managed a deep, filling breath and blew it out.
The baby saw me and started squalling. “Can’t leave now. She’s thirsty. Hungry. Needs changing.” I looked around and saw a box of diapers and plastic-bottled formula, and everything I needed. “I can’t leave her here alone. And I can’t take her with me to contaminate the others. So it looks like I’m staying.”
“Stop, Nell. Don’t do this.”
I laughed, that odd-sounding, near-hysterical laughter that had frightened the deputies. “Too late. Hey there, sweetie. How are you?” I freed the child from the restraints and picked her up. Which made her scream more. “Oh yes. Yes, yes, yes. I know. You’uns been all alone all day, ain’tcha. I got’cha now. Yes I do. Com’ere. Yeeees, you got a load full of the uglies, don’tcha? Let’s get you outta the sun and over to the car here. And let’s get that diaper off. You still here, Occam?” I added in the same baby-voice tone.
“I’m here,” he said, sounding off somehow. Probably spittin’ mad at me for going off protocol.
“I’m changing her diaper now. And lemme tell you, it’s bad. This little girl hasn’t been changed all day. She’s sunburned and her bottom is scalded. You’uns miserable, ain’tcha, darlin’? Oh my, there’s a load in this thing. Ugh. Here. Let’s wipe that messy bottom.” She squealed like I’d just stabbed her. “I know that hurts, but I’m almost done. There, sweetie pie. All clean, and a new diaper.” I figured out how to use the disposable one, which was a new concept for me, as the church didn’t use anything disposable, only cloth diapers, and changed often. “Yes, sweet’ums. Just like that.” I sealed the adhesive tabs. “And now let’s find you’un a bottle for the formula. Here we go. Yourmama mighta swum herself to death, but up until then she was mighty organized. Oh yes, baby. That’s a good girl. Occam, I’m sitting in an ancient Toyota station wagon. Tell Rick.”
“Oh... Nell,” Occam breathed.
***
