Beyond Carousel Read Online Free PDF

of us surrounded by the deep, oppressing silence of a city in suspended hibernation.

5
    With Tommy about to resume his search for the Curator, the issue of what the hell the Finns and I were doing finally came to a head. Since our escape from the Bulls we had sheltered away with no serious talk of resuming our journey to the airport or otherwise. Meeting Tommy, with his steadfast agenda and dedication to his documentary, had made us suddenly restless. We hadn’t spent all that time stuck in a shopping complex to hibernate our lives away in a mansion in the hills.
    I rose from a futile nap to find Taylor and Lizzy in deep discussion by the pool. They looked up at me as I wandered over. Lizzy offered a slight smile.
    â€˜Hey,’ she said.
    â€˜Hey,’ I replied. ‘Where’s Tommy?’
    â€˜Sleeping,’ said Taylor. ‘Says he won’t get much once he’s moving again.’
    I rubbed Chess on the side with my foot.
    â€˜What do you think we should do, Nox?’ asked Lizzy.
    She caught me out.
    â€˜Ah, right. I thought you guys looked serious,’ I replied.
    Taylor stared hard at the floor, her mind ticking over.
    â€˜Are you guys still keen on the airport?’ I asked.
    â€˜Tommy didn’t see the plane,’ said Taylor, avoiding Lizzy’s gaze.
    Tommy had dropped a bombshell when he revealed he hadn’t seen or heard a plane since the Disappearance. Lizzy pressed him for anything about planes or airports, but Tommy had nothing to tell her. Somehow he had missed the thundering Air Canada plane completely. I guess it was possible. Tommy hadn’t been living right on top of the airport like us.
    â€˜It was at night though,’ I offered.
    â€˜Exactly,’ said Lizzy.
    I looked at them both, trying to establish the dynamic. Taylor took a breath.
    â€˜I think he might be right about the Curator,’ said Taylor.
    Lizzy rubbed an ache out of her forehead and looked at her sister.
    â€˜Even if he is, what does it mean?’ she asked.
    â€˜I don’t know. That we’re here for something. Because of something,’ Taylor replied.
    Her tone caught both of us out.
    â€˜So what do you want to do?’ asked Lizzy.
    â€˜Go to the city. See who’s there. Figure out what the hell is happening for ourselves,’ she replied.
    Taylor’s eyes were glistening and Lizzy’s quickly followed. She was asking her sister to forget about the plane, Canada, their mother, everything that was behind them.
    Lizzy sniffed and turned away to the horizon.
    â€˜God,’ she said, exhaling shakily.
    It was easy to think that Lizzy didn’t care about much these days. She had a way of looking at peace that probably wasn’t reflective of how she really felt.
    â€˜Are you okay with this, Nox?’ asked Lizzy.
    â€˜The city? Sure, why not,’ I replied.
    Taylor looked at me carefully.
    â€˜No bullshit, Nox,’ she said.
    â€˜What does that mean?’ I replied.
    â€˜If you think this is crazy, you need to say so,’ she replied.
    â€˜It’s all crazy, Taylor. Tommy is making a film about a bunch of artists that survived the apocalypse thanks to some Jim Jarmusch type curator. And it’s a fucking documentary,’ I replied.
    I stood up and stretched my neck. Chess peered up at me restlessly.
    â€˜We just want you to be in on whatever we do, together,’ said Lizzy.
    She looked at me. There was a softness in her gaze. I had kept a lot of stuff to myself in Carousel and it had gotten us into trouble more than once. Taylor and Lizzy talked the hell out of everything. Now that we wereout in the world I could see how it was important to be up-front.
    â€˜I think the city idea is dangerous,’ I replied. ‘If there’s Bulls in the suburbs and the airport, there’s a good chance they’ll be in the city too.’
    Taylor nodded. Lizzy ruffled Chess reassuringly.
    â€˜Plus, remember what Tommy