Total Eclipse

I zeroed in on her and followed.

Where are we going? Cherise asked. I didnt answer. Because we really need to get out of here. This Oracle person wasnt fooling around, you know.

The Air Oracle has no set space, I said. It can go anywhere it wants. If it wants to get to us, it will.

Oh, thats comforting. You could have told me that before I pissed it off.

Despite everything, I smiled. Yeah, I said. I could have. But it wouldnt have been as much fun.

Bitch. Cherise fell silent, because the mall security lady was hurrying even more now, heading for a figure slumped on a bench with two more security guards around it. One pale hand was resting on the tiled floor, and I could see blood dripping.

As the security guards turned to look at the new-comer, I saw a glimpse of auburn hair.

David! I shrieked it, couldnt stop myself, and plunged for the knot of people without any regard for my own safety, or theirs. They sensibly got out of my way, and oh God, I was right. It was him.

David was lying on the bench, curled on his side, breathing shallowly. His face was shockingly pale, and he looked . . . fragile. Terribly . . . human. There was blood, but I couldnt tell where it was coming from.

He opened his eyes when I touched his face, and it took a few seconds for him to focus on me. When he did, relief flooded through him, and he tried to sit up. No! I said, and made him stop. What happened?

I was right behind you, he said. But you were gone. You were gone, and I was ru

You know this man? one of the officers said. Miss?

Hes my husband, I said. My voice was shaking. David, are you okay?

He ran into a plate glass window, the guard said. Hes got a nasty cut on his side. Paramedics are on the way. Sir, have you been drinking?

What? I sat back on my heels, staring up at him. I couldnt honestly understand what he was talking about. Drinking?

He came out of nowhere and ran face- first into the glass, the guard said. Usually that means alcohol or drugs. Maybe both.

No. No, he justhe was looking for me. I looked down at Davids pale face, at the red, human blood soaking his shirt. He was afraid for me.

Guess I had no reason to be, he said, and tried to smile, but it turned into a wince. What happened?

Nothing.

Liar, he whispered. His eyes closed for a few seconds, then opened again. Cherise? I thought we told you to stay in the car.

She shrugged, back to her old self. Its the mall, she pointed out, blankly mystified. I thought you were kidding. Hey, and I saved your girl, so there.

He looked at me a little doubtfully, so I smiled. She did, I said. Although to be fair she almost got us both smashed, too.

Sounds right. Help me up.

Nope. Youre staying down.

The security guards didnt quite know what to make of us now. . . . Theyd pegged us as drunken troublemakers, but we werent acting that way. A little giddy with relief, maybe but not intoxicatedthough I admit, if somebody had passed me a bottle, Id have taken a generous swig right about then.

All three of the guards radios suddenly crackled, and a voice on the other end brayed, Get over here, guys, right now! South entrance, in front of the

It broke up into static. The three security guards exchanged a what now? look, and then the most senior of them looked down at me. Miss, you stay right here. Paramedics will be here in a couple of minutes.

I nodded, and the three windbreakers hustled off into the milling crowd, heading for whatever trouble was brewing. I started to return my attention to David, but I heard something.

Screaming.

Coming from the south entrance, which was all the way at the other end of the mall. The screaming was dopplering our way, and as I stood up to look, I saw that at the long straight end of the hall, people had rounded the corner and were stampeding in full flight in our direction. Some were still carrying shopping bags, but I had the impression that it was only because it hadnt occurred to them to drop everything. They certainly werent slowing down as they ran, and I wondered exactly what could have put a full hundred dedicated shoppers to flight. Terrorism? Fire? Ebola?

I felt a tremor through the floor, and felt a sick twisting in my stomach. Change of plans, I said. David, up. Well help you get back to the car. Cherwheres Kevin?

In the car.

He let you go by yourself?

I told him I had to use the bathroom.

Well, that wouldnt hold him for long, if I knew Kevin. As I looked around, I saw that most of the mall crowd had taken alarm and was streaming for the exitsnot yet ru

One tall, lanky, ski

He was looking toward the south, where the screaming crowd originated, and I said, What do you see? I felt frustratingly handicapped, as I helped David to sit up and got his hand firmly placed over the wound in his side. Kev?

No idea, he admitted. Its just a mass of something. I cant see what it is, except its heading this way, and I think all these people ru

He grabbed Davids arm and hoisted him to his feet, taking most of Davids weight, and we blended with the general exodus.

Behind us, something exploded. Kevin turned, staring back, and extended a hand to snuff out a ball of fire that was rolling through the broad tiled hall in a hellish, orange-black rush. He stopped it before it did more than singe the lagging ru

Let go, David said. Go do what you need to do.

Kevin glanced at him, nodded, and spun away to plunge toward the danger. I quickly braced David as he wavered, and Cherise bit her lip and looked indecisive. Should I . . . ?

No, I said firmly. Cher, if you want to help, look out for people who cant get out on their own. There were plenty of thempeople in wheelchairs struggling to make headway through the sudden minefield of debris, people on walkers shuffling along at their best speed, a few whod tripped and were trying to get up but kept getting knocked down. Situations like this, people would get trampled.

I took a deep breath. David, can you stay up?

Go, he said, nodding. His face was ghostly, but his eyes burned with determination. Ill make it. You two help.

I headed for a grandmotherly type in a power scooter, who was stranded by a drift of fallen chairs, and kicked them out of the way as I offered a bracing arm to an older gentleman with a cane whod been knocked off his feet. Here, I said, and put them together. Buddy system. Make sure you both get out, okay?

They nodded, too scared to do anything but obey whatever order sounded official at the moment. It was a good partnership. The old guy shoved things out of the way, and kept one hand on her scooter for stability as they moved along.

I grabbed up a couple of screaming kids who were missing their parents and flagged down a lady with a stroller, who took the toddlers on. There was a teenage girl down near the Subway counterout cold, with a swelling bruise on her head from where shed fallen and knocked herself out on the tile. I dragged two teen boys to a stop and put them in charge of her. They looked shocked. It was probably the first time anybody had asked them to be in charge of anything. They grabbed her and towed her out.

By the time Id made it close to the north exit, most of those able-bodied shoppers had cleared out, leaving a few injured, and one asthma sufferer who needed her inhaler, dropped somewhere back in the panic. Nothing I could do for her but send her on her way, and appoint yet another unwilling Samaritan to make sure she got to emergency help.