Broken Things Read online

  The chill of the mountain’s night air filled the tent, bringing with it a new scent. He nearly gagged, smelling something rotten. It reminded him of spoiling meat mixed with the smell of an old garbage can. Whatever it was, the thing fell into the tent. Its weight landed with a dull thud. He could hear its breathing now, a pained, sick rasping, a wheezing, as though it fought for each breath.

  Josh pulled his knees to his chin, making himself as small as possible. Please make it go away, he prayed, please send it away!

  The thing dragged itself into the tent, and he felt a tug on the bottom of his sleeping bag. It pulled on it, slapped along the bag, searching for him. And then its hand came to rest on his foot.

  Terror seized him and he kicked away from it, leaping out of the sleeping bag and into the corner of the tent. He pressed himself against the wall as hard as he could. He had nowhere to run.

  “Go away!” Josh said with his voice nothing but high-pitched whisper. He couldn’t see it, not even a silhouette, but it drew closer, until Josh could feel its hot, fetid breath on his face. It smelled foul, of refuse.

  Josh held perfectly still, he could feel the thing’s movement inches from his skin. It sniffed him with deep congested snorts. He wanted to shove past it and run, but his arms and legs felt like they’d turned to jelly. They wouldn’t obey him, they didn’t want to move. He considered playing dead, but this wasn’t a bear. No way was it a bear, unless they knew how to open zippers. It had to be something dead. Nothing else could smell so bad. He began to cry. It’s going to eat me!

  The whine in his head increased unbearably as his awareness slipped away and he lost consciousness.

  5

  The child wasn’t human! But it had to be. The androids didn’t feel such emotions. Had the world changed so much? The differences between this boy and the children of the past were so few it almost hadn’t been able to tell the difference. Maybe the rest of the children were the same now.

  It would’ve thought the kid human if not for his damage. The boy’s head continually emitted a loud whine like bearings going out in a motor, but when it approached the sound suddenly stopped and he collapsed. It could still hear the blood pumping through him.

  The question was… did this change anything?

  It grew weaker by the second, its energy dissipating. It cursed itself for its weakness. Its body was failing. It screamed its misery for what it had become as its energy slipped away. Near the river an empty, rotting log would provide shelter. The child was broken and abandoned, with nowhere to go, just like it. Nobody wanted a kid that wasn’t perfect.

  6

  Josh awoke, shivering. The whine in his head started up again and brought with it a dull ache within his skull. The sun had just risen above the eastern peaks and its rays had yet to provide any heat to the cold morning.

  It all came back to him in a rush. Something horrible had trapped him in his tent. He leapt to his feet and looked around hurriedly. What if it was still out there? Of course it was, these woods belonged to it. He didn’t belong here, he was the one intruding on its territory.

  He shuddered. Nothing hurt though, other than the obvious pain in his head. That was good. It meant that the creature had decided not to eat him.

  There was only one place he’d be safe, and that was at home. He had to get back and reach his parents. He couldn’t be here in the dark, ever again. He sniffed and wiped his nose on the back of his hand. Just when he thought he couldn’t cry anymore, it all started up again. Maybe he could at least reach the lake before night fell again. If there were people around, the creature should stay away. He had to hope it would.

  Josh found his one last can of soda and drank it quickly for breakfast, and thought forlornly of all of the treats the animals had stolen. He tried to take down the tent but gave up quickly, leaving it in a jumbled mess. He couldn’t sleep in it another night anyhow. He would never sleep in a tent again. He looked around for anything to take, but he had nothing.

  That’s good, I’ll get where I’m going that much faster. He needed to conserve his strength. He didn’t know how long of a walk it would be. Maybe he would find other campers, and other campers meant food.

  The cold morning quickly turned hot and muggy as he set out. Heat radiated from the road as he walked and he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the bottom of his dirty t-shirt. Hunger and fear pushed him on, the desire for shade from the sun a distant second. He wished for clouds. If the day were cooler, he could travel faster, and leave whatever lived here far behind. He trudged on, constantly keeping an eye on the embankments, looking for signs of his family’s vehicle where they might’ve gone off of the road, or signs of a monster hunkered down in the brush, waiting to pounce.

  Maybe the creature had gotten his parents too.

  A giant black fly landed on his arm and he brushed it away hurriedly. The big fat ones bit. It swarmed around his head angrily before landing on the back of his neck. He swung his arms wildly and jumped up and down until it finally left him alone. There were mosquitoes too, but for the most part they didn’t bother him. They, at least, didn’t like his taste.

  A giant shadow passed over him. He looked up to see large billowy clouds rolling in over the mountains, blocking the harsh sun. Finally, he thought, a break!

  The clouds brought some relief, but they grew steadily darker as they spread across the sky, and brought with them a rumbling of thunder. He picked up the pace, as the first cold drops of rain began to fall. Within minutes it fell thick and heavy. The dry dirt road seemed to resist it at first, but soon lost the battle, becoming a thick, sticky mud. He darted over to a thick copse of trees to escape, but it only diminished the downpour, it couldn’t stop it completely, and before long he was soaked.

  It didn’t let up, continuing to hammer him as though it had a personal vendetta. As the wind increased it brought the rain in sideways under the limbs of his shelter, even when he tried to hide on the other side of the trees. The thunder shook the very air, louder than anything he had ever heard at home, and the lightning lit the cloud-created darkness in brilliant but short flashes.

  His eyes began to gray out, and his head began to pound, and with it the noise in his head increased. No, he thought, not again.

  7

  Josh woke to a loud rumble of thunder. His back rested against a tree and his clothes were soaked completely through. It had grown darker, if that were possible. Had he blacked out through the entire day? The whining of his head started up again and increased in volume rapidly and he pressed his palms to his forehead. “Please stop,” he said out loud, “No more.”

  He had to get moving again, but the pain increased with the sound, threatening to split his head open. If it were night, the creature would be back. He had no doubt it waited for him at the edge of the shadows, waiting to taste his fear with its long dry tongue, and this time it would eat him, piece by piece. He stumbled to his feet, but they slipped in the mud and he fell to his hands and knees. He let out a single sob as his mind slipped away again.

  8

  He lived! Josh looked up at the dissipating clouds in relief. Was it even the same day? He didn’t know for how long he’d been unconscious, but he shivered from his cold wet clothing. He lay on his stomach, cheek pressed into the wet earth. He hadn’t bothered to grab spare clothes, but he didn’t know how he would’ve kept them dry anyhow. The dirt road had transformed to mud, and every dip held a puddle, but the clouds had thinned and the sun finally broke through. With the sun returned some of the heat. The sun had risen higher into the sky.

  The noise of his head came back, but softly. I can’t get scared again, he thought, I keep rebooting.

  The sun felt good, but a cool breeze offset it, giving him goose bumps. He started walking again. The only other option would be to head back to his camp, but that felt like crawling back to die. As long as he walked, as long as he got home, he’d be okay. His parents would know what to do. They could be close, maybe they were at the lake w
ith the other people.

  The passing of the rain brought back the insects in full force. More flies followed him, biting at his arms and face. He walked faster, as fast as he thought he could get away with without taxing himself to the point of blacking out again, trying to leave the flies behind. Whatever had gone wrong in his head seemed to be getting worse. He felt miserable in his wet clothing. He tried to ignore the cold, ignore the constant growling of his stomach, to stop thinking about monsters, and ignore his malfunctioning head. He had to focus on each step. Keep each foot moving. One foot in front of another.

  The sun shone down from almost straight above. The storm had seemed to last forever, but with blacking out, he really didn’t know. How long can people survive in the woods? What would get him first? Hunger? The monster? Freezing to death in the night? Maybe his head would explode and solve all the other problems. The crows he heard every morning were probably waiting for him to die, and they would have to compete to eat him with the monsters and bears.

  I’m dying, he thought, if I don’t get back soon, I’m going to die alone in the mountains. His parents probably thought that he wouldn’t make it back from this trip. Maybe they’d brought him here to die. Wasn’t that what Will had suggested? Some kids never returned. He’d been asking to go camping every summer for years and years and they’d never taken him. Now suddenly, they’d jumped at the chance when he had asked. Who’d have thought that the trip would suck so badly?

  I don’t want to die.

  He wouldn’t. He’d get better. They’d fix him when he got back, and he’d show them that he was worth it. His parents would make everything better. That’s what parents did.

  Josh stopped. He heard something over the whining from his head. A strange steady growl disturbed the wilderness, and was growing steadily louder. It took a second for him to recognize it; he hadn’t heard a vehicle engine for days. It was them, it had to be. They’d returned! The first thing he planned to do was ask them what the heck they’d been thinking, trusting a kid to camp all alone. He’d tell them about the monster too, but he knew they didn’t believe in things like that.

  But the lime green truck that came around the corner didn’t belong to his parents. The driver saw him and pulled over and a man in uniform peered out the window. He had a short brown beard, and wore a ball cap with the forest service logo on it, which matched the logo on the side of the truck’s door.

  “Well you look a sight,” the man said, “Need a lift back to camp?”

  9

  “So where’s your parents?” the ranger asked, “You look a little young to be up here by yourself.”

  Josh pulled the worn brown blanket tightly about himself. It smelled like stale dust, like the attic when his parents would grab the Christmas decorations. “I don’t know where they are. They disappeared. I’ve been waiting for them for days now.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Josh. Josh Norton.”

  “Well, Josh Norton, let’s get you back to your family. Where are you camping?”

  “We were up this mountain, but we can’t go back there.”

  The ranger flashed him a patronizing smile and said, “Sure we can. There’s a campsite just down the road. We’ll be there in a minute.”

  “They’re not there,” Josh replied futilely.

  “Is everything all right? What’s that noise you’re making?”

  “It’s nothing,” he said, “I just need to get home.”

  The ranger shrugged and turned back to the road. It did only take a few minutes to reach the camp, making Josh’s stomach sink. He’d hardly walked far at all, it seemed as though he’d been walking for hours. From the truck the place looked in horrible disarray. He’d left the tent collapsed and the storm had filled it with water. He hadn’t bothered to remove his sleeping bag either.

  The ranger shook his head in disgust. “How long have your parents been gone?”

  “Three or four days. Maybe a week, I don’t know.”

  “I’m going to take a quick look around.” The ranger opened his door but Josh grabbed his arm.

  “Wait, you don’t have to go out there. Can’t you just call my parents?”

  “In a bit. I’ll be back.” He pulled away from Josh, grabbed his wide-brimmed hat off the dashboard and slid out. Josh hadn’t picked up anything around the campsite, and he’d discarded his own garbage on the ground. He slumped in his seat, watching the man, feeling like he was going to get in trouble for the mess. It wasn’t his fault! It was his parents’. He wouldn’t have made this mess if he weren’t so worried about them. He was just a kid, anyway.

  The man walked off into the trees and out of sight. Josh wondered belatedly if he should’ve warned him about the monster. It was still daytime so he was probably safe. If the monster got the ranger, he would lock the truck.

  A few minutes later the ranger returned and Josh sighed in relief. But he didn’t get right back in. He went to the back and pulled out a large duffel bag and a pair of leather gloves, and disappeared back out of sight.

  Five minutes later he returned with the bag bulging. Whatever he’d found must’ve been heavy, he had to drag it back to the truck. It reminded Josh of TV shows when somebody was trying to hide a body.

  He dropped the tailgate and lifted it in. He tossed his gloves in next to it, and got back in the cab. He looked at Josh curiously, as though trying to read his expression. “Did you see anything in the woods?”

  “Did you see it? Did you capture the monster?”

  “Monster? That there’s no monster.”

  “What is it? What’d you get?”

  “Josh,” the ranger said, “We’re going to the station and calling your parents.”

  “But what’s in the bag?”

  “Something that doesn’t belong out here. Never you mind that.”

  “Okay,” Josh sighed. He supposed that’s what grown-ups did, they had a responsibility to make the monsters disappear. Maybe it was just a dead animal. Maybe his imagination had made something out of nothing. He stared out the window, watching the forest pass by in a blur. He’d been saved. Now the only things that mattered were food and warmth. He would be back in his own bed tonight, safe from monsters.

  10

  The man led him into a well-kept, very clean building. Stuffed and mounted dead animals decorated the walls and filled display cases. Deer, bobcats, and even a large black bear stared at him through glassy marble eyes, poised for eternity in mock ferociousness.

  He noticed Josh studying them and said, “We’ve got a local that does a hell of a job at taxidermy. They look alive, don’t they?”

  He shrugged. “I guess so.”

  The ranger shrugged back. “Well, let’s call your parents, shall we?”

  Josh flopped into a large chair with a soft yellow cushion and gave him the number. His clothes were damp, and he’d kept the blanket wrapped about his shoulders. He listened as the ranger introduced himself to his parents. They were alive! They’d be so happy to see him. He wished he knew what they were saying. The ranger nodded as he listened, eyebrows furrowed. He hung up the phone and looked over at Josh.

  “Plans have changed, kid,” he said, “I’ve got to make another phone call in the other room.”

  “Are they okay?” he asked.

  “Yes, they’re fine. Aside from the littering ticket I’m sending them.”

  “What’s the change of plans?”

  “Nothing you need to worry about. I’m taking care of everything.” He disappeared for a few minutes and returned. “You’re all taken care of,” he said, “Hang tight. You hungry?”

  He nodded eagerly. “Animals ate my food,” he said.

  “If you leave it where they can get to it they’ll do that. Hold on, we’ve got some sandwiches. I’ll be right back.”

  The man disappeared into the office again. He could hear him talking to someone else, a woman, who glanced out to look at him curiously. She wore the same forest uniform as the man. S
he had short curly blond hair and bright red lips. Despite himself, he eavesdropped. The man was taking far too long with those sandwiches.

  “You should see that thing I found,” he said, “It looks like it crawled into that log to die. It must’ve been hidden there for years.”

  “How’d you find it?”

  “I could smell it. I can’t help but wonder, based on the markings, if the kid didn’t dig it up. He asked me if I’d found a monster.”

  “So it’s in the back of your truck now?”

  “Yup,” he replied, “I called up the Reclamation Department. I’m going to have them take it back with them. Kill two birds with one stone.”

  She laughed, a high pitched nasally sound. “That kid looks like he’s been raised by wolves. And that noise! I can hear it clear in here.”

  “He’s got some kind of damage. He wouldn’t talk about it.”

  That’s why I never wanted kids, they break too easy. But I think someone had more money than sense, to just throw one away. I wouldn’t have spent the money in the first place.”

  “Me neither, not on this salary. The wife though, she brings it up occasionally.”

  “That’s why I settled for a dog,” the woman laughed again, “Cheaper to feed and I can tie her up outside when I’m not home. You get in trouble when you do that to a kid.”

  “You just lock ‘em in a room, same thing, just more humane.”

  “I guess. But it’s easier to clean up after them when they’re outside.”

  “Well I better get him fed. Where’s those sandwiches?” the man asked.

  “In the cooler. Don’t take the chicken one though, that’s mine.”

  Finally. They were going to feed him instead of just talk about him. He didn’t like either one of them. He hadn’t been thrown away. The ranger returned with a sandwich. Despite his hunger, he tore off the crust, leaving it on the napkin. The ranger raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. He also handed him a soda, not one of his favorites, but he took it anyway.