Roadmarks

"At this rate, you'll run us back to the Ice Age."

"Not that far, I think."

"He will show up there, though? You're sure?"

"I'm afraid so. Hurry."

"And you want to save him from a death which you say he now desires?..."

"We've been through all this."

"... because he believes it will work some transformation?"

"That's why he ditched me," Leaves said. "I caught

on to his death-wish before he was ready to admit it." "Then obviously neither of you believe him." "I believe my own visions," Leila said. "If he dies

there, he dies. Period."

Randy rubbed the stubble on his chin and shook

his head. "I don't know that I would attempt to stop him from

doing whatever he wishes to do most, whether it seems futile or not. All I really wanted to do was meet him. I'm not even certain what I'd say..."

"You've already met him."

"You'd better explain."

"That old couple with car trouble. That was us— Reyd and myself—a long time ago, before we grew younger. You were the one. I didn't remember it until

then-" "What the hell was that?"

"What?"

"Something big—like an airplane—went over." "I didn't see anything." "It was back a ways. I caught it in the rearview

mirror."

Leila shook her head.

"No way. Passing through time as we are, anything like that would only be visible for such a tiny fraction of a second that you wouldn't even be subliminally aware of it. Leaves, did you detect anything?"

"No."

"So there-"

He pointed.

"Up there! It's back!"

Leila leaned forward, breaking her cigar on the windshield.

"Damn!" she said. "It looks like— It's gone again."

"A dragon," Randy said. "Like in storybooks."

Leila settled back in her seat.

"Hurry," she said.

"This is as fast as we can go."

The peculiar shadow did not reappear. After about fifteen minutes, they passed a turnoff and Leila raised her hand.

1/0 KUAUMAKK5

"What is it?" he asked, touching the brake. "That the place?"

"No. For a moment it seemed that it might be, but it's not. Keep going. I've a feeling we are getting near."

They passed a series of exits during the next hour, all of their signs marked with pictures. Then there was a long unbroken stretch. Finally another appeared in the distance. Leila leaned forward, staring.

"That's it," she said. "Stop. Pull over. The blue ziggurat—The last exit to Babylon. This is the place."

He drew off onto the shoulder of the Road. Suddenly it was morning, and the sun beat down with a summer-like intensity. Randy rolled down his window. He looked back. He looked around. It seemed that a shadow passed, but he lost it before he could be certain.

'I don't see anything unusual," he said. "We seem to be the only people around. What now?"

"We did it," Leila replied. "We're ahead of him in terms of Road-time now. Stay on the shoulder and take the exit. Run up it maybe a hundred meters. Then pull back on the access road and park sideways, blocking it, to give him a chance to brake. Then we get out and walk back to flag him down. We've got to stop him from taking this exit."

"Wait a minute," Leaves said as Randy engaged the gears. "Mightn't we be ru

"Good point," Leila said. "Do you have any flares, Randy?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

"We will set several along the way as we head back. Also, leave the car's lights on—and hang your undershirt or sleeve or some damn thing like that out the window."

"All right."

He moved forward, made the turn.

One

Red rubbed his eyes, glanced to his right. Chadwick

was stirring also.

"Whisper mode," he said softly. "How near are we?"

"Very near. That's why I aroused you. Do you have any idea what you are going to do when you find your magic spot?"

Red looked at Chadwick again.

"I want to ditch him before we get there. It's for his

own—" "No!" cried Chadwick, sitting upright. "You're not

getting rid of me now! I want to see this crazy thing through to the end!"

"I was starting to say that it is for your own protection. You want to walk away from whatever happens,

don't you?"

"I know what I'm doing. Better than you do, you fool! Your time has not yet come."

"Just what do you mean by that? I'm trying to do you a favor and all you do is bitch! Flowers! Pull over!"

Chadwick's hand shot forward, slapped the drive switch from automatic to manual. Immediately, the vehicle drifted to the left. Red seized the steering wheel and turned it back.

"Crazy bastard! You trying to kill us both?"

Chadwick laughed wildly at that, then chopped with

his hand, striking Red's forearm as he reached for the switch.

Red began to brake. He looked at Chadwick. "Listen! If I'm wrong, I'll pick you up afterwards.

But if I'm right, you don't want to be aboard. I'm

going to meet my destiny. I—"

He had begun cutting the wheel to the right. Chadwick threw himself at him and took hold of it, pushing leftward.

"Look out! People!"

Red looked up, saw Leila waving with both arms over her head, a handkerchief in one hand. Far beyond her was a young man, also waving.

As they shot past, Chadwick struck him a glancing blow on the jaw. Red's head struck against the window frame. Chadwick seized the wheel again.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Flowers cried. "Someone throw the switch!"

They passed a sputtering flare. Red saw the sign with the blue ziggurat as he drove his elbow against Chadwick's head, knocking him back into his own seat. His hand shot forward then, nipping the switch back to automatic drive as he began the turn into the exit

The brakes were immediately seized as Flowers a

The tires screamed. The land to the left of the road fell away sharply. The slope to the right was more gradual, if rockstrewn, above the yellow earth . ..

Red twisted the wheel to the left. It turned right

"Sorry, boss," Flowers said. "One of us is wrong, and I hope it's you."

Something soft and heavy enveloped him as they left the road and hit the slope. He heard the door open. He was ejected.

Falling, hitting the ground, rolling ... He lost consciousness. For how long he could not tell, though it did not seem a great while.

He could hear the crackling of flames. There also

seemed to be some distant shouts. He took several deep breaths. He stretched and relaxed. Nothing seemed to

be broken ...

He began struggling with his cocoon. It was a tough, white, foamy substance.

The shouts came nearer. More than one voice, but he still could not make out what they were saying.

He worked his hands around to his stomach, up toward his chest. There was a sudden pang along the left side of his ribcage.

He caught hold of the fabric before him, scratched at it, dug in with his fingers, drew upon it. Slowly it parted. He adjusted his grip, pulled harder.

It tore open. He spread his arms and pushed downward. It came away from his shoulders. He began to crawl out. He heard Leila's voice calling his name. He saw her ru

He turned away and looked down the slope to where his truck lay on its side, burning. He tried to rise, but his foot caught in the spongy material and he slipped back into a sitting position on the grass, catching himself with his arms. His side still throbbed.

"No," he said as he watched the truck burn. "No..."

A hand rested on his shoulder. He did not look up.

"Reyd?..."

"No," he repeated.

Below them, the truck suddenly blossomed into a ball of fire. Moments later, a wave of heat arrived. Red raised his left hand just as Randy came up and halted several paces away.

"You could have been in there .. ." Leila began.