He had to find them, and soon.
CHAPTER 36
BRODIE WASN’T SURE HOW LONGhe lay there, staring at this awful vision. Eventually he managed to get himself on his feet. He began walking aimlessly.
He listened to the crunch of his footsteps, the sloshing of the half-full water bottle in his jacket pocket, his breathing, the crickets.
The world was empty, and he was alone, and he kept feeling like the ground was pulling away into the dark, the edge of the earth was approaching, and he’d walk right off and keep going toward oblivion.
He looked down at his feet. Still on land.Make sure they stay that way. You can’t fly or float, idiot. But you can fall three hundred feet to your death, and that would be embarrassing.
“Scott.”
It was Taylor, approaching from about twenty yards away.
He said, “Hi.”
“Did you find your spirit animal yet?”
“I think I stepped on it.”
She laughed. A hearty, honest laugh. As she got closer, he saw her dark suit and hair were covered in desert dust. Her eyes were wide and vibrant. “It’s beautiful, Scott. It’s so beautiful.”
“Where’s Greer?”
“He went to his tent a while ago. It was getting too much for him.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I don’t know.” She walked up to him. “Maybe I need to sit.”
They both sat down in the sand, close together, facing each other.A warm breeze drifted across the flat terrain, rustling the desert scrub, blowing drifts of sand like low waves rolling against the earth.
He watched her. He watched her watching him. He had no idea how long they sat like that. But it felt like there were new things to discover in her face. Her pupils were wide, and in the brown rings of her irises he saw for the first time subtle flecks of gold. Had they always been there? Was he seeing something real? The brilliant sky wheeled behind her. He wondered what she was thinking.
He noticed her lips curl in a little upturned smile, and he smiled back. She laughed. He laughed. She asked, “What the hell are we doing up here, Scott?”
“Our job.”
She kept laughing. “I don’t think so.”
“Okay. Think of it like this. We’re doing this instead of sleeping. It’s a waking dream.”
Taylor nodded. “Right. I like that.” Then she said, “I’m lying down.”
She lay on her back, then patted the ground next to her, and Brodie joined her. She took his hand and held it tight. “So we don’t float away.”
“Good idea.”
They watched the stars awhile. Taylor said, “I wish we had music.”
“I’ll sing.”
“Don’t you fucking dare.”
They watched the sky. At some point Taylor rolled toward him and put her arm across his chest. “Is this okay?”
“Sure.”
