Total Eclipse

All I could say, looking at that little face, was, Okay.

Whatever David thought, he kept it to himself. The Dji

The night passed quietly enough. Wed outrun the worst of the storms, for the moment; no wildfires chased us through the silent trees. It almost looked normal. I rolled down the window, and night air fluttered over my face like a damp veil. I breathed it in and felt, for a moment, a little calmed. This still exists. Theres still hope.

David said, We should have good travel for the next few hundred miles. This part of the countrys still relatively unaffected.

Yeah, why is that? Kevin asked.

I already knew the answer to that. Its rural, I said. And the trouble is focusing on centers of population first. That doesnt mean it wont spread fast, but for now, people out here are as safe as they can be.

Its more than that, David said. Theres a black corner near herea small one. Its been here for a thousand years or more. But it tends to keep the Dji

I blinked, because I hadnt known that. It made sense, thoughblack corners were places that canceled out supernatural forces, all kinds of supernatural forces. It was wasting energy to go near one.

Which made them perfect for hiding people who didnt, and couldnt, tell the difference.

Pull over, I ordered.

Its better if we

David, pull the car over now!

He did. There was no use trying for Google Maps or GPS; I went at it old-school, rifling the glove compartment for maps. There was a road atlas, years out of date but good enough. I flipped through it until I found a map of the entire continental USA.

Show me on the map where the black corners are, I said. Small black areas painted themselves out. There werent many, but they were there . . . and they were scattered from coast to coast, north to south. Almost . . . deliberately. Okay, looking good. David, youre talking through the radio.

There was a long pause, and then David said, in the tone of someone who really didnt understand why I was stating the obvious, Yes . . . ?

Is that just to us, or can you do it anywhere?

Define anywhere.

All radios in specific areas.

Another pause, and then he said, slowly, Yes. Yes, I can.

Awesome. You are the new Dji

Uhhow? Cherise asked blankly. She held out her phone. It still said NO SERVICE. Internet go boom.

The aetherics still there, I said. You and Kevin get up there, find me these two black corners; theyre the largest ones. Tell me whatever you can. Do it fast.

Kevin handed me the baby, which was a smart move. I wasnt sure he wouldnt drop the kid on his head at the best of times, but being out of his body wouldnt help him be Best Surrogate Dad Ever. The child was surprisingly heavy and warm, and settled against me with a sleepy murmur. I smoothed dark hair, balanced him (her?) on my hip, and stared down at the map as Cherise and Kevin stood, immobile and vacant next to me. Both of the areas Id indicated to them were remote; whatever had happened there to damage the planets awareness had been significant, but it had also probably happened a very long time ago. Maybe even before humans began building their first mud huts. Maybe theyd been even larger, and the Earth was slowly, steadily healing in those areas.

But what was important to me was that if I put people inside those borders, theyd be safe from supernatural forces. As safe as I could make them, anyway.

Cherise came back first, staggering as her spirit reunited with her body and catching herself with both hands against the cars fender. She snatched her palms off it immediately. Ow! she said. Damn. Hot. And Im not talking about myself, you know. I didnt need to put her back on track. She took in a deep breath and continued. Its pretty large, but its wild out there. Overgrown. No shelter or structures I could see. Theres a stream, though, so fresh water. Youd have to arrange for the food.

Roads?

Theres a kind of roaddamn, that maps too small. Guess you cant zoom in.

Its paper, Cher.

Kidding. Anyway, yeah, theres a way in, you could probably drive it. Not sure how tough it would be, though.

How many people could it hold?

Its about as big as half of Manhattan, so you figure it out. Of course, unless theyre living in trees, you can only put them on the ground floor.

It was better than nothing. Not a lot better, but still.

Kevin returned a few minutes later. He had better news, from the western black cornerwhich was large, empty, and easy to reach. Only problem was, it was barren. Really barren. No source of fresh water ru

But we didnt have a choice. I ordered everybody back into the car. Kevin took the kid back from me; the baby woke up and started fretting. Kevin bounced him in his arms, waking a surprisingly cheerful set of giggles, and the kid put its chubby arms around his neck.

Boy or girl? I asked. Kevin gave me a long- suffering, disgusted look.

Boy, obviously, he said. Wow. I thought you were all up on the birds and the bees.

I tried again. Whats his name?

How am I supposed to know? The kid was lying underneath his dead mom. He didnt come with papers . Kevins eyes glittered in the white backwash of the headlights, but not with Dji

Kevin, I said, gently. Deep breaths.

Fuck you, he snapped, and got in the car. I ached for him, because nobodynot even Kevinshould feel the kind of agony I could hear in his voice. He hated this as much as I did, as much as Cher did. I could feel that pain and panic burrowing inside me like a carnivorous small animal. Make it stop. I dont want to do this anymore. Make it all go away.

For a few seconds, it was so overwhelming that I wanted to scream. I forced myself to take deep, steady breaths, and stared at the map until my eyes blurred. I blinked, and tears slid cold down my cheeks, but I wiped them away impatiently. I have no time for this crap, I told myself. Sack up, Jo. Right now.

I wanted to be strong, but it seemed like the solid rock Id always felt to be inside me had turned to slippery, clinging mud, and I wasnt sure I had any emotional footing anymore.

Jo? That was Davids voice, coming from the car. I grabbed the atlas and got back inside. The second I slammed the door, we got moving again at Dji

Except for the cold white moon, almost full, that floated up overhead like a balloon. Its glow almost eclipsed the stars. Out here in the dark, there were so many of those, thick as spilled sacks of gems in the heavens. Easy to feel small.