The Garden of Darkness

Bear loped back to Clare. There was no question that the man was dead.

Jem rushed to Sarai’s side. Mirri stood weeping, and Clare walked over and put her arms around her. Faint moans came from Sarai, and, as Clare held Mirri close, she looked at the rich deep stain marking the earth.

Then the moaning stopped.

Clare was engulfed with misery and surprised at its depth. She hadn’t thought she could feel much of anything anymore. There had been so much death.

Jem, who had been blocking Clare’s view of Sarai, sat back. Clare could see that he was holding the wound in Sarai’s side closed. The blood stopped flowing quite so freely, and Sarai stirred. Mirri ran to her, and knelt in the dirt beside her friend.

“I thought she was dead,” said Clare.

“She’s not going to die,” said Jem. “I need a needle and thread, alcohol and some matches.”

“I’m on it,” said Clare. She and Bear ran towards the store; behind her she could hear Jem soothing Sarai.

“You need to stay down,” he said. “You’re not going to die.”

“I don’t feel that good,” said Sarai.

“You’re going to be all right.”

When Clare got back, Sarai was unconscious.

“She lost a lot of blood,” said Jem, “before I could get pressure on the wound.”

Clare looked down at Jem, who was pale and dirty, but who flushed under her gaze, even though she said nothing.

He sterilized the needle with the matches and the thread with rubbing alcohol from the pharmacy. As Clare watched, Jem sewed Sarai up quickly, before she regained consciousness.

“It’s probably going to get infected,” said Clare, “no matter how careful you are.”

“Antibiotics,” said Jem. “We’ll get some at the pharmacy.”

“How do you know this stuff?”

“My mother the doctor. She didn’t want me to be helpless in an emergency.”

“I don’t know, Jem. I may have to get rid of my chess-nerd image of you.”

And at that moment, Sarai opened her eyes.

“I don’t feel so good,” she said. But Jem smiled.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said.

By the time they found Sarai some juice from a 7-Eleven and some antibiotics from a pharmacy, the sun was almost gone. Clare shivered. Bear lay down as if he had no intention of leaving, but they would have to leave now, or it would be dark before she got back to the cabin. She knew that if one Cured had found his way into the hills, others would. She needed to fortify the house. Otherwise—well, otherwise the Cured would steal her food and kill her dog and murder her.

Clare began more and more to fear the long walk home to her lonely cabin, even with Bear to protect her.

“We should bury that man,” said Mirri suddenly.

“We don’t have time before dark,” said Jem. “I’m sorry, Mirri. But he isn’t one of ours.”

Jem finished arranging the supplies and roped them down with a piece of elastic cord. Sarai was able to walk leaning on Jem. Clare watched them prepare to leave. There seemed to be nothing left to say. They stood in the dim light, and leaves fluttered orange and red in the wind. Clare looked at the children but didn’t know how to ask.

“It’s time to go,” said Jem. He wiped his face, but the dirt only smeared across his cheeks and forehead. Then he looked at Clare and Bear, and it was suddenly very simple.

“I can pull your little wagon thing, if you want,” he said. “Or you can do it yourself. It’s not a long walk to our place.”

“So can Clare be one of us?” asked Mirri.

“I think she already is,” said Jem. “Okay, Clare?”

“Okay.”

The wind ruffled Bear’s fur. When Clare looked up, she saw that the night sky was full of stars.





MASTER





HE WOULD ALWAYS be a famous scientist. And the children would need a pediatrician. But he had re-named himself: now he was the Master.

The mansion that the Master had found was far to the north of the farmhouse where Jem, Clare, Sarai and Mirri lived. It was enormous—big enough to hold any number of the children that he imagined streaming towards him. They would have seen him on television, or heard his radio broadcast. Not all of them, of course, but if just a tiny fraction of those alive knew about him, if they were on their way, well, he would have a lot of work to do. They would be malnourished, possibly injured, perhaps carrying infections other than Pest. He would have to lay in broad spectrum antibiotics as well as bandages and vitamins, splints and latex gloves. And toys, of course. He would need toys.