muscled arms with an exaggerated smile.
“As a matter of a fact, I am,” Caelyn answered while seeming to pay him no attention.
Bono flexed again. She pretended not to notice. He stretched his arms above his head in an exaggerated motion, his T-shirt pulled tight against his chest. Caelyn continued looking past him. “Still looking for a man,” she said.
Bono had had enough; he ran to her and lifted her into his arms, holding her weight easily above the ground. She screamed and started laughing. “Let me down!” she cried.
“Go, Daddy!” Ellie joined in, running to him. “Look at this! Look at this. Mom, he could make you fly !”
Caelyn punched Bono on the shoulders. “Put me down, you lunkhead!”
“Not until you say it!”
“Say what?”
He kept her in the air, her feet kicking at the emptiness, completely at his mercy.
“Say it!” he laughed.
“OK, OK, let me down and I will.”
He lifted her a couple of inches higher. “Come on, Caelyn, you gotta say it or I’ll ">He reached out and touchllShe really didn’t know.keep you there all day.” He pressed his fingers into her ribs.
She punched at his shoulders again, still laughing. “Let me down first.”
“Not until—”
“All right! I love you! There, I said it. Now will you please let me down?!”
He lowered his arms, letting her feet touch the ground. “There you go again,” he laughed, “getting all smoochy on me.”
“I hate it when you do that. You make me feel like a little kid.”
He smiled. She tried to look angry. Ellie skipped around them, laughing, “Mommy’s smoochy, Mommy’s smoochy.”
Caelyn looked down, feigning anger. “See what you did? How do you expect her to respect me when you do that?”
Bono crossed his heart. “Never again. I swear.”
Neither of them believed it.
“You still feel like walking?” Caelyn asked, nodding to the open fields behind her shoulder.
“Are you kidding? Like I would pass up the opportunity to walk in the country with such a beautiful girl?”
Ellie looked up excitedly. “Can I come, too?”
“Sure, Ellie,” Caelyn answered.
They started walking, Ellie between them. Grabbing their hands, she tried to swing, but she was too big now, and even though she bent her knees, they dragged across the wet ground. The threesome approached the end of the grass. “Which direction?” Caelyn asked.
Bono nodded toward the narrow country road that ran north. “Let’s go that way,” he said, nodding down at Ellie. “It’s much less muddy.”
They crossed the gravel driveway and started walking down the road. It was strange to see the country road so vacant and quiet. Half a mile ahead, a stalled car had been pushed off into the barrow pit; behind them, far in the distance, another couple of cars lay motionless where they had died when the EMP swept across the country not long before. Sam cocked his head and listened, noting the empty silence; a hint of wind in his ear, the sound of their shoes against the pavement, their breathing, and the movement of Ellie’s polyester jacket were the only sounds he could hear. He glanced skyward. Completely empty. Looked across the fields, left and right. Not a soul or a hint of movement anywhere.
“Kind of strange, isn’t it, honey?” Caelyn said, watching his eyes and gesturing to the empty landscape all around them.
Bono slowed and then stopped walking.
“It took a while for me to get used to it,” Caelyn continued. “The first couple of days I would sit on the front porch waiting, certain that someone would show up. I’d sit there, staring at the empty road and wondering where everyone had gone. It was kind of like the Twilight Zone . No one was around. For a time I wondered if we were the only ones alive. Then I saw a couple of the neighbors walking with some people who’d come down from Memphis. They stopped to talk. That was the first time I really understood what had happened. Since then, I haven’t talked to many other
“As a matter of a fact, I am,” Caelyn answered while seeming to pay him no attention.
Bono flexed again. She pretended not to notice. He stretched his arms above his head in an exaggerated motion, his T-shirt pulled tight against his chest. Caelyn continued looking past him. “Still looking for a man,” she said.
Bono had had enough; he ran to her and lifted her into his arms, holding her weight easily above the ground. She screamed and started laughing. “Let me down!” she cried.
“Go, Daddy!” Ellie joined in, running to him. “Look at this! Look at this. Mom, he could make you fly !”
Caelyn punched Bono on the shoulders. “Put me down, you lunkhead!”
“Not until you say it!”
“Say what?”
He kept her in the air, her feet kicking at the emptiness, completely at his mercy.
“Say it!” he laughed.
“OK, OK, let me down and I will.”
He lifted her a couple of inches higher. “Come on, Caelyn, you gotta say it or I’ll ">He reached out and touchllShe really didn’t know.keep you there all day.” He pressed his fingers into her ribs.
She punched at his shoulders again, still laughing. “Let me down first.”
“Not until—”
“All right! I love you! There, I said it. Now will you please let me down?!”
He lowered his arms, letting her feet touch the ground. “There you go again,” he laughed, “getting all smoochy on me.”
“I hate it when you do that. You make me feel like a little kid.”
He smiled. She tried to look angry. Ellie skipped around them, laughing, “Mommy’s smoochy, Mommy’s smoochy.”
Caelyn looked down, feigning anger. “See what you did? How do you expect her to respect me when you do that?”
Bono crossed his heart. “Never again. I swear.”
Neither of them believed it.
“You still feel like walking?” Caelyn asked, nodding to the open fields behind her shoulder.
“Are you kidding? Like I would pass up the opportunity to walk in the country with such a beautiful girl?”
Ellie looked up excitedly. “Can I come, too?”
“Sure, Ellie,” Caelyn answered.
They started walking, Ellie between them. Grabbing their hands, she tried to swing, but she was too big now, and even though she bent her knees, they dragged across the wet ground. The threesome approached the end of the grass. “Which direction?” Caelyn asked.
Bono nodded toward the narrow country road that ran north. “Let’s go that way,” he said, nodding down at Ellie. “It’s much less muddy.”
They crossed the gravel driveway and started walking down the road. It was strange to see the country road so vacant and quiet. Half a mile ahead, a stalled car had been pushed off into the barrow pit; behind them, far in the distance, another couple of cars lay motionless where they had died when the EMP swept across the country not long before. Sam cocked his head and listened, noting the empty silence; a hint of wind in his ear, the sound of their shoes against the pavement, their breathing, and the movement of Ellie’s polyester jacket were the only sounds he could hear. He glanced skyward. Completely empty. Looked across the fields, left and right. Not a soul or a hint of movement anywhere.
“Kind of strange, isn’t it, honey?” Caelyn said, watching his eyes and gesturing to the empty landscape all around them.
Bono slowed and then stopped walking.
“It took a while for me to get used to it,” Caelyn continued. “The first couple of days I would sit on the front porch waiting, certain that someone would show up. I’d sit there, staring at the empty road and wondering where everyone had gone. It was kind of like the Twilight Zone . No one was around. For a time I wondered if we were the only ones alive. Then I saw a couple of the neighbors walking with some people who’d come down from Memphis. They stopped to talk. That was the first time I really understood what had happened. Since then, I haven’t talked to many other
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