Exodus

CHAPTER FIVE

Later, after Simon had settled the children into their beds for the night, he joined Emily in the living room.

“I hope you don’t mind, I helped myself,” she said, raising a quarter-full glass of brandy. Simon nodded, picked up a glass, and poured himself a double before sitting down in the chair across from Emily.

“So,” he said after taking a sip, “what do you think our options are?”

Emily considered the question, sipping from her brandy. “I don’t think we have any options other than to get out as fast as we possibly can.”

Simon seemed unconvinced. “You have to see this from my perspective, Emily. My kids and I are safe here. We have enough provisions to last us for a couple of months. That should be more than enough time for any federal rescue to reach us and”—he paused choosing his next words carefully—“I don’t know you. Until today, I’d never even met you. You show up out of nowhere with some crazy story about people turning into alien monsters and constructing giant trees that are churning out this red dust.” He paused as he let the words sink in, more for himself than her benefit, Emily thought. “And now you’re asking me to leave the one place that has kept us safe and follow you to Alaska. I mean, come on, if you were in my position, taking care of two kids, I’m sure you’d be just a little skeptical. Right?”

Emily could, of course, empathize with his position. In just the few short hours she had known this family she had become fond of the kids. They were just adorable, even Rhiannon with her blasé response to almost every situation and her almost continual state of ennui.

“I’m not asking you to follow me,” she said eventually. “I’m asking you to protect yourself and your kids. Of course I understand how crazy it all sounds. I’d be less than convinced if I were in your position, but look at it like this. If you’re right and everything I’ve told you is nothing more than some elaborate, crazy joke, then you have nothing to lose by coming with me.” She let the words sink in for a few seconds. “You have to take the risk, Simon. Please.”

She saw a flicker of anger, possibly fear, cross Simon’s face. “I really don’t appreciate you using my kids as bargaining chips.”

Emily placed her drink down on the table, reached out, and took both of Simon’s hands in her own. “I’m not trying to bargain with you, Simon. Whatever you decide, I’m still leaving tomorrow and heading north again. If I’m right and you stay here…you, Rhiannon, and Ben are all going to die. And you better hope to God that you die first because I would not want you to witness the agony your kids will go through in their final minutes.”

Simon met her gaze, pulled free of her hands, and swallowed the remaining brandy in a single gulp. He walked back to the wet bar and poured himself another double. When he turned to look at her, Emily could see that the dilemma was tearing at him: Did he stay where he thought he could keep his kids safe? Or did he listen to this stranger who had suddenly materialized in his life and head north into the unknown?

“Can you guarantee that if we leave here, the instant we set foot outside of the valley we won’t die? Will you look me in the eyes and guarantee the safety of my kids?” His words were delivered without emotion or anger, but as a simple question that he already knew the answer to.

“I can’t guarantee anything other than everyone else is dead. There will never be a rescue party. But whatever is happening out there”—her hand fluttered toward the darkened window—“will reach in here at some point and snatch away the lives of you and your kids. Just like it did to everyone else on this planet.”

Simon placed the glass onto the wet bar, its contents untouched, and looked into the darkness beyond the window. “If Elise was here, she would know what to do. It would be simple for her. She would have liked you.”

Emily allowed a smile to part her lips, put her own glass down, and walked over to stand behind Simon. She placed a hand gently on his shoulder. “You know what you need to do, Simon. You have to leave here because it’s your only hope. You have to take the chance because soon you won’t have any choice left.”

Simon turned to face her, his eyes glistening with tears. “This is all just so damn hard to take in,” he whispered. “Jesus. How am I going to explain this to the kids?”

“Don’t worry about it tonight,” she answered. “Just get a good night’s sleep and we’ll deal with it all in the morning, okay?”