went?’
‘Oh.’
‘You don’t mind me saying, you look like shit.’
‘Thanks.’
Lori put her hand out, in need of steadying. Sheryl grasped it.
‘You’ve seen all you need to, honey,’ she said.
‘Yes …’
‘Let it go.’
‘You know it still doesn’t seem quite
real,’
Lori said. ‘Even standing here. Even seeing the place. I can’t quite believe it. How can he be so …
irretrievable?
There should be some way we could
reach
, don’t you think, some way to reach and touch them.’
‘Who?’
‘The dead. Otherwise it’s all nonsense, isn’t it? It’s all sadistic nonsense.’ She broke her hold with Sheryl; put her hand to her brow and rubbed it with her fingertips.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘I’m not making much sense, am I?’
‘Honestly? No.’
Lori proffered an apologetic look.
‘Listen,’ Sheryl said, ‘the old town’s not what it used to be. I think we should get out of here and leave it to fall apart. Whadda you say?’
‘I’d vote for that.’
‘I keep thinking …’ Sheryl stopped.
‘What?’
‘I just don’t like the company very much,’ she said. ‘I don’t mean you,’ she added hurriedly.
‘Who then?’
‘All these dead folk,’ she said.
‘What dead folk?’
‘Over the hill. There’s a bloody cemetery.’
‘Really?’
‘It’s not ideal viewing in your state of mind,’ Sheryl said hurriedly. But she could tell by the expression on Lori’s face she shouldn’t have volunteered the information.
‘You don’t want to see,’ she said. ‘Really you don’t.’
‘Just a minute or two.’ Lori said.
‘If we stay much longer, we’ll be driving back in the dark.’
‘I’ll never come here again.’
‘Oh sure. You should see the sights. Great sights. Dead people’s houses.’
Lori made a small smile.
‘I’ll be quick,’ she said, starting down the street in the direction of the cemetery. Sheryl hesitated. She’d left her sweater in the car, and was getting chilly. But all the time she’d been here she hadn’t been able to dislodge the suspicion that they were being watched. With dusk close she didn’t want to be alone in the street.
‘Wait for me,’ she said, and caught up with Lori who was already in sight of the graveyard wall.
‘Why’s it so big?’ Lori wondered aloud.
‘Lord knows. Maybe they all died out at once.’
‘So many? It’s just a little town.’
‘True.’
‘And look at the size of the tombs.’
‘I should be impressed?’
‘Did you go in?’
‘No. And I don’t much want to.’
‘Just a little way.’
‘Where have I heard that before?’
There was no reply from Lori. She was at the cemetery gates now, reaching through the ironwork to operate the latch. She succeeded. Pushing one of the gates open far enough to slip through, she entered. Reluctantly, Sheryl followed.
‘Why so many?’ Lori said again. It wasn’t simply curiosity that had her voice the question; it was that this strange spectacle made her wonder again if Boone had simply been cornered here by accident or whether Midian had been his
destination
. Was somebody buried here he’d come hoping to find alive?; or at whose grave he’d wanted to confess his crimes? Though it was all conjecture, the avenues of tombs seemed to offer some faint hope of comprehension the blood he’d shed would not have supplied had she studied it till the sky fell.
‘It’s late,’ Sheryl reminded her.
‘Yes.’
‘And I’m cold.’
‘Are you?’
‘I’d like to
go
, Lori.’
‘Oh … I’m sorry. Yes. Of course. It’s getting too dark to see much anyhow.’
‘You noticed.’
They started back up the hill towards the town, Sheryl making the pace.
What little light remained was almost gone by the time they reached the outskirts of the town. Letting Sheryl march on to the car Lori stopped to take one final look at the cemetery. From this vantage point it resembled a fortress. Perhaps the high walls kept animals out, though it
‘Oh.’
‘You don’t mind me saying, you look like shit.’
‘Thanks.’
Lori put her hand out, in need of steadying. Sheryl grasped it.
‘You’ve seen all you need to, honey,’ she said.
‘Yes …’
‘Let it go.’
‘You know it still doesn’t seem quite
real,’
Lori said. ‘Even standing here. Even seeing the place. I can’t quite believe it. How can he be so …
irretrievable?
There should be some way we could
reach
, don’t you think, some way to reach and touch them.’
‘Who?’
‘The dead. Otherwise it’s all nonsense, isn’t it? It’s all sadistic nonsense.’ She broke her hold with Sheryl; put her hand to her brow and rubbed it with her fingertips.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘I’m not making much sense, am I?’
‘Honestly? No.’
Lori proffered an apologetic look.
‘Listen,’ Sheryl said, ‘the old town’s not what it used to be. I think we should get out of here and leave it to fall apart. Whadda you say?’
‘I’d vote for that.’
‘I keep thinking …’ Sheryl stopped.
‘What?’
‘I just don’t like the company very much,’ she said. ‘I don’t mean you,’ she added hurriedly.
‘Who then?’
‘All these dead folk,’ she said.
‘What dead folk?’
‘Over the hill. There’s a bloody cemetery.’
‘Really?’
‘It’s not ideal viewing in your state of mind,’ Sheryl said hurriedly. But she could tell by the expression on Lori’s face she shouldn’t have volunteered the information.
‘You don’t want to see,’ she said. ‘Really you don’t.’
‘Just a minute or two.’ Lori said.
‘If we stay much longer, we’ll be driving back in the dark.’
‘I’ll never come here again.’
‘Oh sure. You should see the sights. Great sights. Dead people’s houses.’
Lori made a small smile.
‘I’ll be quick,’ she said, starting down the street in the direction of the cemetery. Sheryl hesitated. She’d left her sweater in the car, and was getting chilly. But all the time she’d been here she hadn’t been able to dislodge the suspicion that they were being watched. With dusk close she didn’t want to be alone in the street.
‘Wait for me,’ she said, and caught up with Lori who was already in sight of the graveyard wall.
‘Why’s it so big?’ Lori wondered aloud.
‘Lord knows. Maybe they all died out at once.’
‘So many? It’s just a little town.’
‘True.’
‘And look at the size of the tombs.’
‘I should be impressed?’
‘Did you go in?’
‘No. And I don’t much want to.’
‘Just a little way.’
‘Where have I heard that before?’
There was no reply from Lori. She was at the cemetery gates now, reaching through the ironwork to operate the latch. She succeeded. Pushing one of the gates open far enough to slip through, she entered. Reluctantly, Sheryl followed.
‘Why so many?’ Lori said again. It wasn’t simply curiosity that had her voice the question; it was that this strange spectacle made her wonder again if Boone had simply been cornered here by accident or whether Midian had been his
destination
. Was somebody buried here he’d come hoping to find alive?; or at whose grave he’d wanted to confess his crimes? Though it was all conjecture, the avenues of tombs seemed to offer some faint hope of comprehension the blood he’d shed would not have supplied had she studied it till the sky fell.
‘It’s late,’ Sheryl reminded her.
‘Yes.’
‘And I’m cold.’
‘Are you?’
‘I’d like to
go
, Lori.’
‘Oh … I’m sorry. Yes. Of course. It’s getting too dark to see much anyhow.’
‘You noticed.’
They started back up the hill towards the town, Sheryl making the pace.
What little light remained was almost gone by the time they reached the outskirts of the town. Letting Sheryl march on to the car Lori stopped to take one final look at the cemetery. From this vantage point it resembled a fortress. Perhaps the high walls kept animals out, though it
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