Going Gray Read Online Free PDF Page B

again, before falling out of sight. Emily leaned away from the door, trying to make out what her mother had written on the glass. Alone, at the top, was a heart, outlined in crimson red that glowed bright against the gray fog. And beneath the heart, she read aloud one word. “GO!”
    “Momma, no!” she cried, but the sputter of the car’s engine threatened again. “I love you, Momma.” Emily pressed the gas pedal, forcing the engine to keep idling. She waited for a response, but there was nothing.
    “You gonna get Mom?” Justin pleaded. Emily could only shake her head as she tried pushing the car’s shifter into drive. Her hand shook, and she fumbled with the button. She heaved in a wet breath, choking on sobs that wouldn’t be denied. She pushed again and shifted the car into drive. Although she’d only had a few driving lessons, she managed to move the car around until the GPS’s triangle showed they were pointed toward the mall. Whatever it was that had hung up the front wheel before, it was now gone. As the triangle followed the blue path, the constant blaring of the other car’s horn grew more distant.
    When the GPS told her it was time to turn, she rolled the wheel. The car felt wobbly, pitching up and jerking around, but the tires were full, the windows unbroken. Their car had fared better than the other, somehow surviving the crash. She listened to the horn’s death wail, thinking they’d probably hear it all the way to the mall.
    “What about Mom?” Justin repeated, but she ignored him, spitting out another mouthful of blood. The mall was all that she could think about now.

IV
     
    THE MALL
     

    “Two more turns,” Emily said, tracing her finger along the GPS’s blue path. The point on the map where they’d crashed was already well behind them, far enough to silence the other car’s horn. They’d driven on, slow and steady. And by now, Emily thought, her mother was probably dead. Justin had stayed quiet, and she wondered if he could be too young to mourn. She wasn’t, though. More than once she thought she’d have to pull over and cry away the pain, put it to rest for another mile. But she stayed on course. They were almost there.
    She’d only looked through the windshield once or twice, quickly learning to rely on the GPS’s smaller screen. Emily reached up and touched one of the cracks. The glass was wet. The fog was coming in, condensing on the inside. She quickly snuffed out the burn forming on her fingertips, then pressed on the gas pedal. She picked up the roll of plastic bags and hung it over her shoulder for her brother.
    “Justin?” she called out, but heard nothing.
    Movement.
    “Come on, Justin!”
    A groan.
    “Costumes, we’re going to make costumes.”
    Another groan. And then silence. What’s he doing?
    “Justin? Come on now, wake up. We’re almost there. Time to see Dad.”
    Too quiet. A lump formed in her throat.
    Emily moved the rearview mirror back into place. Justin’s reflection came into view, his image fractured by cracks and missing pieces of glass. But she could see him, and gasped. Her brother’s face had gone deathly pale and his lips had turned almost white. A maternal feeling sprang to life, and Emily slammed on the brakes, jerking their bodies forward.
    “Wake up, Justin! I need you to wake up, now!”
    Justin stirred, lifting his tiny hand to where she’d seen the cut atop his head.
    “You bumped your head,” she told him, and then opened a bottle of water. “You have to stay awake. You hear me? We’re almost there.” Emily poured the cold water onto his head, waking him. To her relief, he cried out, shouting at her and waving, shooing her away. His eyes opened wide and they looked clear. She poured another splash onto his head. Justin’s hands flew in a fury of swipes, his little mouth gasping as though he’d been thrown into a pool.
    “What you doing?”
    “Time to play costumes,” she told him, and handed him some plastic bags.