Page 21 of The End of the World As We Know It
“Did you win?” Mollie said. “At the meet?”
His voice turned somber. “Hugely. Doesn’t matter now.”
He was in this store solo, Dani thought—but that didn’t mean he was alone. “Anybody else from the bus make it?”
He shook his head.
Did she believe him? The knife felt alive in her hand.
She’d had self-defense training. Mostly it was aimed at disabling unruly drunks. Neutralize them, with passenger backup if necessary. Zip-tie their wrists, restrain them until the plane landed. But she’d practiced more. Throw scalding coffee in an attacker’s face. Jab an ice pick into his eye.
If it’s you or them, make it them.Dani’s palm, gripping the knife, was slick.
Mollie’s X-ray gaze targeted Jesse. “You shouldn’t go back to California.”
“Why?” he said.
Mollie blinked and began kneading her fingers together. After a second he crouched down, getting to eye level with her.
“Going west means we’ll die, doesn’t it?” he said.
Mollie hupped a breath and whispered, “Yes.”
“But if we stay…”
“Worse.”
He parsed her demeanor. She was buzzing at a quantum frequency. “You dreamed it?”
Nodding hard, Mollie crouched down as well, her brown eyes pinned on his face.
“Me too.” His voice quieted. “I’m at sea, swimming toward shore. I thought it meant I was supposed to come home to the coast. But I’m about to get pulled under by a riptide.” He paused, forced his voice to stay even. “Because home is gone, isn’t it?”
“All gone.”
Anguish broke across his face. He squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, they held acceptance. Mollie spoke truth. Dani was shocked at how quickly he absorbed it.
“The sea,” he said. “Last night, it was bright. It’s a sea of green. But—”
“It’s corn,” Mollie whispered. “The sea. Cornfields.”
His intake of breath was like a slowly rising wave. “And I heard…”
“Her voice?” Mollie’s chin quivered, with—relief? Connection?
He nodded. Mollie’s eyes were deep and wide. She mouthed,Mayhap.
Jesse held her gaze, then turned to Dani. “We have to go.”
He stood. Mollie followed suit. Their faces had the certainty of saints who’d been confronted by angels. Or devils.
Dani inhaled. “But not west.”
Mollie slowly shook her head.
Dani deflated. San Francisco. Santa Barbara. Seattle. If not there, where?
Kill him.
