Hope and Undead Elvis

chapter Twenty-Eight

Hope and the Gathering Storm





Gasping for breath, her belly on fire and her feet aching and swollen, Hope hurried to the tent where Nur and Rae were working. Fidel trotted along with her, tongue lolling out but his tail down out of concern. He'd circle around like a nervous, furry satellite, checking ahead and behind before returning to her side.

She burst in through the canvas flap that served as the entrance. Nur had The Way's hood up and was adjusting something while Rae stood beside him with the tools, rubbing her belly in a gentle and absent-minded way. Nur cracked his head on the hood as he jumped, surprised by Hope's sudden entrance.

"What is it? What's wrong?" cried Rae.

"They're coming. The people burning the world. They're coming this way. We have to leave!" Hope's knees wobbed and Nur helped her to sit on The Way's tailgate.

"The Flame? What did you call them?" asked Nur. Rae clutched at his arm as she tried to understand his speech.

"The Righteous Flame." Nur pressed a plastic water cup into Hope's hands and she drank from it, grateful. "I saw the dark bird, the smoke cloud. It's only a matter of time."

"You're sure?" asked Nur. He kept his voice calm but Hope could see his face was troubled.

"It's those… those men, isn't it?" Rae shivered. "I was afraid they might find us. Nur, we have to leave. It's not safe here anymore."

"They'll come through and burn everything." Hope sniffled. "If we're here, they'll kill us. Or worse."

Nur started to gather up his tools. "How far away are they?"

"I don't know. Far enough that I can only see the smoke, not smell it."

"Do you have your gun?"

"No, it's in the trailer."

Nur held his out to her, grip first. "Take mine. Go get as much food and water as you can from the storage room. I'll get your car started."

Hope shook her head. "No. You keep it. Keep Rae safe. Don't let her out of your sight. I'll be right back. If I scream for help, I expect you to come rescue me."

"I will."

Hope had more than just food and water in mind. When she and Rae had first decided to stay with Nur, she had started building what she called survival kits for them all. At first it was out of fear that the Righteous Flame would come for them. Then it was out of fear that something else would happen that she couldn't fathom. At last, it was just out of a sense of completeness. As the weeks had passed, she'd stopped working on the kits, deciding that they were all as complete as she could make them from the supplies Nur had salvaged from wrecked cars.

Now, she was glad she'd had that foresight. There were three backpacks, chock full of clean clothes, both durable and warm. The pockets were full of creature comforts like toothpaste and soap, caffeine pills and Tylenol. A thermal sleeping bag and blanket were rolled up and tied to the top of each pack. She slung one over her shoulders and carried the other two to the trailer door, then went back for the food and water. Wheeled camping coolers, rescued from the wreckage of a trailer, were filled with canned food and a can opener. Bungee cords held a second box on top of each cooler, with a small propane grill and spare bottle, cooking pan, utensils, and a few miscellaneous tools from a Boy Scouts of America van.

Hope pulled the coolers to the trailer door and discovered Nur had The Way started and parked in front of the door, rumbling exhaust booming against the trailer's aluminum wall.

Hope put her cooler in the back and the bag in the passenger side. The wind picked up in earnest, carrying with it big, fat snowflakes. Hope shivered as she retrieved the Shepherds' pistol from where she'd kept it. She checked it. It still had a single bullet within. She tucked it into the pocket of the heavy, fleece-lined leather peacoat she'd selected from Nur's large collection. It was the only one she could close over her burgeoning belly, although it made her look like a leather tent with a head.

She re-emerged from the trailer and Nur and Rae had the tow truck idling beside The Way. Nur was loading it with last-minute supplies while Rae stayed in the passenger seat. Hope went to them. She could smell more smoke on the breeze, the scent made sharper by the snow.

"They're getting closer," said Rae over the truck's engine. She reached out her hand and found Hope's lips. "I'm afraid for your baby."

"I'm worried about yours," said Hope. "You and Nur should run. Far, far away."

"We plan to." Nur joined them. "We're going south to warmer climates. Maybe we can find a good-sized boat. This group… they'll find it harder to burn the ocean. Maybe they'll starve before then." He squeezed Rae's hand and looked at Hope with his dark eyes. "You should come with us. Let your child be born in safety and sunlight."

"I'd love to, and any other time I would," said Hope. "But I found this, and I think it's a sign." She held up the token from the Graceland Casino. "I was heading to Graceland a long time ago. And someone said I needed to go back there. That it would be safe for me."

"I understand," said Nur.

"You could come with me," said Hope. She felt like dropping to her knees and begging.

"No," said Rae, who seemed to understand somehow what was being said, despite her blindness and deafness. "The bad men can't follow us both if we split up. Perhaps they'll ignore you and pursue us to the south. Then you'll be safe."

"But what about you?"

Nur smiled. "My people have been battling superior forces one way or another for thousands of years. We'll manage." He looked down. "Take Fidel with you. He's a good dog. He likes you, and he'll protect you."

Fidel, hearing his name, barked and jumped into the bed of The Way.

"See? He's already made up his mind." Nur turned to the dog. "You take good care of Hope. Oh, take this." He held out a single bullet. "I've been meaning to give this to you for awhile now and kept forgetting. This one won't fit my pistol, but it'll fit yours."

Hope hesitated. More bullets at her disposal meant more people likely to die by her own hand. Or maybe she could use it to save someone's life someday. She took the bullet and fed it into the cylinder of the Shepherds' pistol, where it fit snug. The snow was dampening Hope's hair as she threw her arms around Nur and Rae, sobbing. "I'll miss you so much. I love you both."

Nur kissed her cheeks and Rae pressed her forehead against Hope's. The three held each other for what felt like forever, but wasn't nearly long enough. When they separated at last, snowflakes clung to their hair.

"We love you too, Hope," said Rae. "We won't say goodbye, because that's forever. Farewell." She squeezed Hope's hands, and then patted her belly. "Tell your son about us, as we will tell our baby about you."

Hope nodded, too overcome with emotion to speak anymore. The stink of smoke had grown. The Righteous Flame couldn't be far.

"They'll have a hard time burning if this storm keeps up," said Nur. "Be careful. Those tires aren't as good as they should be for bad weather." He helped Rae into the tow truck, and then went around to the driver's side. He paused, looked at Hope across the hood, and said, "I hope you find your Graceland, Hope, and that it's everything you need it to be."

Hope nodded. Nur got into the truck and turned on all his lights, even the overhead flashers that sparkled gold in the blowing snow. Hope watched as the Light of Allah truck rolled up the drive toward the highway. She turned to Fidel, who was wagging his tail but had his head down against the wind. "Come on, Fidel. You ride up front with me. I don't mind a wet dog."

As the dog bounded into the front seat, Hope wondered if she ought to do something about the trailer. There were still supplies inside it that somebody could use, not to mention all the vehicles and tools that Nur had left behind. Shouldn't she destroy them somehow, to keep the Righteous Flame from getting their hands on them?

No, she decided after thinking it over. She was better than that. If it was to burn, it wouldn't be by her hand. Maybe the men with their torches would lay them down when they found a place they could stay in safety and peace. She doubted it, but it was better to give them that choice instead of forcing them to continue their inexorable march, driving the flames before them like desperate shepherds.

A few more tears fell as she looked across the place that had been her home for what felt like forever. If Nur and Rae hadn't already fled ahead of the approaching fire, Hope would have stayed and fought, even at the expense of her life. She couldn't remember ever feeling such a strong attachment to a place. Her whole life seemed to have been spent in transit, moving from school to school as a child as her mother changed jobs, and then living in a series of motels throughout the southwestern states. She'd kept moving, because she'd been afraid to ever put down roots someplace, only to discover the ground might have been poisoned. So she lived out of a suitcase, a fugitive from herself.

Once again, she had to take to the road to allay her fears. Somewhere ahead of her lay Graceland, a place of safety and comfort. She rubbed her belly. Her baby felt the touch of her hand and kicked back at it. The motion made her smile. "Soon," she whispered.

Fidel turned to look back at her from where he was fogging up the passenger window's glass by breathing on it. He whined a little and Hope knew it was time to leave.

She put The Way into gear and inched out onto the snowy drive toward the highway. Nur had done a great job repairing the car and making it roadworthy, but it leaked outside air around the places where he'd had to hammer sheet metal straight. The heater blew hot, and after only a few minutes, Hope had to stop and shrug out of the heavy jacket. One blessing about her pregnancy was that she didn't often get cold the way she used to. The work of making a baby had her internal furnace burning overtime.

She reached the highway on-ramp after what felt like hours of crawling along the snowy road. She'd never driven in snow before, and her hands were cramping from being clenched around the steering wheel. What was it they'd taught in Driver's Ed all those years ago? She couldn't remember. That seemed like it had been someone else. Someone slender, who'd rather be cutting class to smoke behind the football bleachers.

She realized as she guided The Way down the ramp onto the highway that there wouldn't be any plowed roads. Snow blew across the highway. Hope was afraid that if it started to stick, she wouldn't be able to see the pavement anymore. The tire tracks from Nur's tow truck turned left, a path that invited Hope to follow it. That road would lead to warmer weather and, eventually, to the sea. Her friends would be there. Love, warmth, and companionship beckoned.

But instead, she turned right, towards the great unknown and, somewhere within it, Graceland.