Page 46 of Heart of the Sun

The sheriff considered that. “I’d imagine we can collect a few sleeping bags and some backpacks. That’s not the type of stuff that’s going to be valuable to us here in our homes.”

“Great. Thank you so much. Is there anywhere we might rent a room?” I had a little bit of cash in my wallet, but not much. Still, I had to offer something and hope for the best.

The sheriff scratched his head. “Unfortunately, no. The nearest motel is about ten miles up the highway. And I have no idea if they’ve remained operational.”

“Would a family be willing to put us up? Like, I said, just for a night and we’re willing to pay, of course.”

“Money won’t do us any good right now. None of you work in the medical field, do you?”

“No,” I said. “But I can look at your son’s arm if you’d like me to. In exchange for a room for one night. If your son’s injury is a dislocation, or even a simple break, I can set it.” It was a risk. It’d been years since I’d set a bone, but it was also very straightforward. I remembered what to do and was willing to try. “If I deem it to be more serious than I can handle, I’ll leave it be, I promise.”

“You just said you didn’t work in the medical field,” the sheriff said.

I glanced at Emily, who was looking at me with some amount of alarm. “I don’t, but we lived on a farm. I watched the vet set many bones over the years. It’s a simple process that will immediately alleviate his pain.”

The sheriff’s gaze hung on me. “A farm?”

I released a breath. “I know animals aren’t humans, but there are enough similarities that I believe I can help. Or at least try.”

The sheriff was silent for so long, I was sure he was going to say no way. “Okay. You look at my boy’s arm. But unless you’re sure you can do more good than harm to him, then it goes no further than a look. Either way, one night in our home is all I’m going to be able to offer but it wouldn’t be right not to do at least that.” He gave the three of us a look in turn. “And I wouldn’t expect that everyone’s willing to do what’s right, once you get out there so be prepared for that. More to the point, the notion of right and wrong is going to shift the longer the power’s out. Frankly, there’s no telling what’s going on beyond Silver Creek.” An expression of something akin to torment passed over his face before he glanced away.

Charlie let out a sound that was somewhere between a grunt and a whine.

“Understood,” I said. “And thank you.” Then I looked at Emily and Charlie. “We leave first thing.”

chaptertwenty-one

Emily

The sheriff lived on a tree-lined street about a fifteen-minute walk from the downtown area. We followed him up the path toward the white Craftsman-style house with smoke trailing from the chimney, and for a moment, the sight of that house looked so normal that I was able to pretend the world hadn’t completely fallen apart around us.

Had it really been four days since we’d survived a terrifying plane crash? Four days since we started off through the wilderness with a handful of supplies and no knowledge of what lay beyond the field where we’d landed in a fiery heap of steel? I was both shocked by the thought of all we’d made it through since then, and grateful that we’d arrived here, even ifherewas temporary. Night was coming, and I was exhausted out of my mind, and yet afraid I wouldn’t be able to rest. Worried that the dull fogginess I felt was shock at witnessing a point-blank murder an hour before. Or had it been two? I had no concept of time,and reality was a strange ebb and flow that seemed drawn in harsh, black lines one minute, and wavery, blurred paint strokes the next.

The sheriff had used a walkie-talkie to call his teenage daughter and let her know we were coming, and though I was grateful to be given refuge even for one night, it felt odd to be staying in a stranger’s home.

Before the sheriff could unlock the door, a pretty teenager with long, dark hair pulled it open, stepping forward immediately and wrapping her arms around him. “Hi,” she said, stepping back and standing aside to look at the rest of us. “Come in. I’m Katelyn.”

“Hi, Katelyn. I’m Emily,” I said as I entered the home.

Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. I could see that they were slightly swollen as though she’d been crying. “Oh my goodness. Nova. Wait, you’re Nova.”

I smiled as Charlie and Tuck stepped inside and the sheriff closed the door. “I am,” I said. Although I currently felt about a million miles away fromNova.Right now, I didn’t even really feel like Emily. Rather, I felt like I was waiting for someone to introduce me to myself. Charlie had offered me a role, hadn’t he? He’d told me the part I could play if I was willing. Damsel in distress with him as my hero in a world where a comet had hit the earth and dissolved most of humankind. And I wanted to play that part, topretend. I did, because I really had no clue who to be. And yet, as much as I wanted to reject the reality of our current circumstances, I apparently wasn’t talented enough to make believe this into a fantasy.

“And you’re Charlie Cannon. Oh my God. Dad! You didn’t tell me you were bringing Charlie Cannon and Nova home.” She gave a small laugh and brought a hand to her mouth for a moment. “Hi. Are you part of their security?” she asked Tuck as she lowered her arm.

“No,” he murmured, but didn’t follow that up with anything. I’d noticed he’d been extra quiet as we’d walked here, his expression more troubled than it’d been thus far. And I wondered if that was because of the murder we witnessed, or the fact that this outage might extend way farther than we’d originally thought. But of course, I knew very well Tuck would be stingy with his thoughts even if I asked and so I didn’t.

“Well, um, can I take your coats?” Katelyn asked. She gave me another nervous glance. “The last couple of days have been crazy and now this. I wish I could get a selfie. Will you autograph something for me before you leave?”

“So, you’re really celebrities, then?” Sheriff Goodfellow asked as we took off our jackets and gave them to Katelyn, who hung them on a nearby coatrack. Tuck set his duffel bag by the door.

“Don’t mind my dad,” Katelyn said, gesturing for us to follow her past a living room off the entryway where a crackling fire was jumping in the hearth. I thought I saw movement from the couch, but it wasn’t facing us, so I didn’t know for sure. “He doesn’t get out much. Or if he does, it’s in the middle of the wilderness to hunt elk.” She looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes but then gave her dad an affectionate smile.

I glanced at Charlie to see he suddenly looked almost relieved.Because he’d been recognized.I could see that the reminder of Charlie’s stardom had done the opposite for him. It had reaffirmed his identity.

Why didn’t it do that for me?

I needed some solid footing. Iwantedsolid footing. Something to cling to in this new world of uncertainty. And yet, the mention of Nova had made me feel even more lost.

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