The Brave New World 71 Bear's Paws

The night was cloudy, and once it got dark visibility was next to nil. The bikes were equipped with wheel rim dynamo powered lights, but at low speed they emitted an orange glow that was more hindrance than help. Amanda also had a flashlight, but the batteries were so weak she was restricting its use to emergency situations.

She had attempted to buy fresh batteries, of course. But buying fresh, working batteries proved to be impossible. It was pretty much impossible to buy anything useful at all throughout Seattle. Anything that could be of use in the new reality was in great demand; Amanda suspected storekeepers were intentionally hiding what useful stock they had, too. They were waiting for the new currency, due to become legal tender in just a week's time.

On the other hand, there was never a better time for buying a major electrical appliance, or a new car. All car dealers insisted that the vehicle data transmission system would be fixed in the near future. In the meantime, here was a chance to acquire a top-of-the-line luxury vehicle at 10% of its standard price!

Of course, it would have to be towed home by horses, but having something like that parked in the driveway was every driver's dream. And once the VDT system was fixed - yes, of course, it would be fixed, everything would eventually get fixed and it would be just like the old times, before the catastrophe. No, better! There would be a rebound following the fall, a rebound of astronomical proportions. Just look at what happened to the world after World War II! Global prosperity on an unprecedented scale!

Many people bought into that very literally. During her battery search, Amanda had pa.s.sed by several car dealers.h.i.+ps and saw many cars proudly sporting SOLD stickers on their winds.h.i.+elds. She reflected that it made a kind of perverse sense to spend money that was about to become useless on stupid, useless things.

What a change! Just a few months earlier, she'd been a rock star with fans all over the world. When she wanted to get somewhere in a hurry, she called her concierge service to arrange for a limousine and a private jet. And now she was stumbling in the darkness along a forest track on a winter night, cold and tired and increasingly hungry, burdened by the depressing knowledge that she still had a long way to go.

The trail wound its way along a broad stream; an hour into their journey, Amanda and Sharon crossed it over a narrow wooden bridge. They stopped for a short rest and it was a mistake: they became aware of all the sounds in the forest. There were mysterious rustlings, hisses, even a couple of muted snarls. It was better to keep moving, the noise they made along the way made a good deterrent, all wildlife was rightly frightened of noise that indicated human activity. Humans had proved themselves to be the most dangerous species that had ever existed in Earth's entire history. Staying clear of humans made good sense.

Shortly afterwards, they came to a short bridge over a creek and Sharon said they were halfway down the trail.

"So, how long before we get to your cousin's place?" asked Amanda.

"Well, first we'll get to this turnoff to a camping ground. That's where the trail changes into a dirt road, and we'll follow that until we hit railroad tracks. It's maybe half a kilometer along the tracks, and then we'll come across a proper blacktop road and we'll be there in ten minutes."

"I asked about how long it will take from where we are right now," Amanda said through clenched teeth.

"Two hours, I don't know, maybe three. Let's say three."

"How about four?"

"No, less than four. For sure."

"As long as we make it there before midnight."

"Oh, for sure, I... Did you hear that?"

"What?"

"That sound right now."

"Stop that silly whispering, and let's move on."

"Amanda! Here it is again. Listen. Again! Maybe we should - "

Although it was a very dark night, Amanda saw red. She whipped out the Glock from inside her parka, pointed it at the sky and fired a shot.

BANG!

The muzzle flash lit up Sharon's face for an instant. She looked so scared it was pitiful.

"That's taken care of any sounds now and in the future," Amanda told her. "Now get your a.s.s in gear or I swear I'm going do something drastic. And you won't like it. Move!"

They did. They kept moving and reached the dirt road in under half an hour. It was good enough to get on their bikes, and to go fast enough for the lights to work properly. They got to the railway tracks in less than twenty minutes.

After not much more than an hour, they stopped in front of what Sharon said was her cousin's house. It was amazing what firing a gun could achieve.

The house was one of the first they'd come to. It was a big two-story building on a large lot that featured several parked vehicles. There was a large saloon and a station wagon and a wheeled tractor. Interestingly, there also was a police cruiser, parked next to the tractor.

Only one window in the house showed a light. It was located on the top floor and the light was yellowish and weak. It suggested a candle by the bed, left alight while the bed's owner prepared for sleep.

They approached the front door, Sharon leading, Amanda giving the police cruiser a good long look as she pa.s.sed by. She was relieved to see that it was covered by dirt and detritus that spoke of a lengthy stay. Most likely, the cop that had parked it there was long gone.

Sharon proved to be a birdbrain by pressing the doorbell, and actually waiting for someone to come even though the bell hadn't rung. Amanda pushed her aside and grabbed the heavy metal knocker and banged it against the door a few times.

It worked. After a short wait, they heard steps approach the door and a p.i.s.sed-off male voice asked:

"Who is that and what the f.u.c.k do you want?"

"Jeffrey!" screamed Sharon. "It's me! It's Sharon! I've come all the way from Seattle! Oh my G.o.d, I'm so glad you're home."

The door opened and a flashlight beam hit their faces, blinding them.

"Sharon!"

"Jeffrey! Oh, yes. This is Amanda. Leader of our band."

"Honored to meet you," Jeffrey said slyly. Amanda examined him the best she could.

He was short for a man, but looked powerful with broad shoulders and arms that fairly bulged with muscle under the thick, knit sweater he was wearing. He had a pleasant, clean-shaven face with regular features, but his eyes and brows suggested it wasn't a good idea to f.u.c.k him around. His dark hair was cut and combed in a style that suggested a business executive: medium short and with a side parting so straight it could have been drawn with a ruler. It took Amanda a moment to realize that he was wearing a wig.

When she'd been telling Amanda about her cousin, Sharon had repeatedly referred to him as a real sweetie. Amanda wasn't sure if she would've ever been able to call a man wearing a wig a sweetie. Well, it was a matter of personal taste.

Jeffrey the cousin said:

"You girls must be properly tired. And hungry too, I bet. Get those bicycles inside, bikes are hot property nowadays."

He helped them with the bikes and led them to the kitchen, where he sat them down, poured three stiff scotches and proceeded to prepare a meal on a gas stove that must have been around for at least half a century. They both received plates with huge oval steaks with mashed potatoes and red beans. The mashed potatoes were of the instant variety, but Amanda and Sharon didn't mind: it was the most delicious meal they'd eaten for quite a while, in the Old World. Sharon said:

"This is so good, Jeffrey. Are you sure you can afford to give us all this food? We don't want to eat you out of house and home."

Jeffrey snorted and said:

"I've got a whole buck hung up in the back. Don't you worry."

"This is deer meat?" asked Amanda.

"No, what you're eating is bear. Bear paws, to be exact. Best part of a bear to eat. Couple of weeks back this beast got a little too inquisitive for his own good. Wandered into my backyard, just like that. Got a fine fur off him, too."

"That's so cool," said Sharon. But for Amanda, the meat suddenly didn't taste so good any more. She wished Jeffrey hadn't been quite so specific about the origins of the meat. She was fond of bears, maybe because there was no chance of any visiting her backyard.

Jeffrey left them for a while to prepare a couple of rooms for them to sleep. He told them he had plenty of s.p.a.ce. His wife and kids were staying with the wife's parents, who happened to own the small local supermarket. There was definitely no fear of a food shortage for this particular family.

Amanda and Sharon held a short, whispered conference while Jeffrey was away, and agreed he looked like a very good choice for a leader of an Amazon settlement, even though he was a man. They would talk to him about it in the morning. They also agreed to keep their signals muted through the night. They wanted to stay focused on their Skykomish mission, without any New World events to worry about.

Falling asleep under an enormous feather-filled duvet, Amanda felt uncharacteristically optimistic about what the next day would bring. And part of her wondered whether that wasn't because she'd taken a full day's break from the New World.

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