41
Sarabeth pulled a paramedic blanket tight around her shoulders. Now that night had fallen, the weather had grown colder. Still, she thought she felt a hint of spring’s arrival in the air. She leaned her head back onto Leo’s shoulder and sighed as he wrapped his arms around her. Next to them, Teena and Evan were huddled together beneath their own blanket. They were the last people in the mall parking lot, and in front of them, the gaping hole left by the mall was illuminated beneath streetlamps that had finally come back on.
Sarabeth was still in disbelief over everything that had happened, and the fact that she was standing here not just a survivor, but a survivor with a boyfriend. She looked from Leo to Tevan—Teena had already given herself and Evan a couple name.
“Should we take a walk?” Her friends agreed. Clearly they weren’t ready to leave yet, either.
Everyone else had gone back to their homes and to check on loved ones who hadn’t been captured and were waking up from weekend-long naps. The town went to work planning vigils for the victims. Seventy-one students had died at Teena’s house, and the destruction at the stores on Route 33 and the killings on the ship added a few hundred more bodies to the dead.
It was a tragedy, but life was already going on. Sarabeth and her friends had been interviewed by every news station. Fan groups had already started on Facebook, and girls were arguing over who was hotter, Evan or Leo. Sarabeth was a little jealous and tempted to tell all of the groupies to keep their grubby hands off Leo. After saving the world, she wanted him all to herself.
Sarabeth and Leo held hands as they walked. Teena and Evan, right in front of them, were doing the same. For the first time in nearly three days, they had nowhere they needed to go, and no mission. The aimless walking was kind of nice, even if they did have to look out for debris. Suddenly, Teena stopped and pointed. They all stared disbelievingly at what stood in front of them.
“I can’t believe it’s still here,” Teena said.
“It’s indestructible,” Evan said.
“It’s incredible,” Leo said, patting the Gussy Me Up van like it was an old and endearing horse that hadn’t been ridden in a while. “Janie, we love you, too,” he said to Abe’s trailer.
Despite the blast that had taken out half the mall, the van and trailer still stood at the far corner of the parking lot, bruised but proud. The Gussy Me Up vehicle’s dented pink surface kind of fit nicely with the dystopian landscape behind it.
Sarabeth surveyed the gaping wound left by the mall and the smoldering remains of the ship, which had been roped off by Mr. Private Interest’s friends. Odd as it seemed, she was a little proud of the destruction.
It was going to be awfully weird to go back to her house and wake up tomorrow in her old life.
“Sarabeth, can I sleep over tonight?” Teena asked. “You know, since my house blew up and everything.”
Sarabeth grinned. “Olivia Lewis would love to have you,” she said. “Probably more than she’d like to have me.”
Leo slung an arm around her waist. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he said, and, with a look at Teena, added, “No offense, Teena.”
Teena cuddled into Evan, who looked down at her. “So, Sarabeth’s house? Is Cameron going to be there?” He clearly was teasing her and not actually jealous.
“I don’t see why you guys can’t be there, too,” Teena said. “Sarabeth has a basement with an outdoor entry, you know.”
Leo raised an eyebrow. “That sounds tempting,” he said. “But tonight I’m going to have a beer with my old man.”
Sarabeth loved her boyfriend.
She loved her friends.
She loved her life.
Her next journal entry would be titled, Today is the first day of the rest of my life and here is what I’m going to do with it.
But she’d work on that later. For now, she looked at her three friends and said, “So, what happens when we get back to school? Are we friends now, or what?”
Teena rolled her eyes.
“We’ll have to see about that later,” she said, clearly joking. “But give it a rest. Today’s a holiday, remember?”
So, you’re probably waiting for the inspirational song to kick in over the final credits. Sorry, soundtracks are just so pricey nowadays.
But how about a parting lesson? Everyone loves a good parting lesson.
It’s like the old saying goes, “Be cool to people you don’t think you need to be cool to, because one day that person might just save your ass.”
And even if ass-saving never enters the picture, we’re always looking for a few open-minded, able-bodied young people to keep the skies friendly. The coffee’s free, twenty-four hours a day.
Don’t call us, we’ll call you.
Sincerely,
Your Friends at IHOP