Chapters (41)
- PART ONE
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- PART TWO
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- PART THREE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Calliope wrapped her arms as far as she could around the seat, holding on for balance. Her legs and back ached from hunching, but she held tightly as they dipped again, bumping toward the dirt. Several skittering thuds as the wheels touched ground, knocking Calliope against the cabin wall, her head hitting thick glass. A loud screeching and backward force of momentum, and they stopped moving.
“Hell yes,” Amy called out. “That’s how you land a goddamn plane!”
THIRTEEN
THIRTEEN
INTRUDER
The Native American woman introduced herself as Dr. Yolanda Toya, then took Mara begrudgingly downstairs to the hospital basement where they kept the laundry to show her that, truly, believe her, there was no one hiding in the hospital, and she did not know where everyone had gone, least of all Trudy and her son.
Amidst the smell of bleach and starched white hospital-thick sheets, Mara felt empty.
“I’m going down to Acoma to check on my people,” Dr. Toya said. “I’ve lost someone here too. I suggest you go find your people, make sure they’re safe.”
“I don’t have anyone but Trudy.”
Dr. Toya unlatched the beaded cross at her neck, removed her necklace. In the center was a stone pendant.
“Take this,” she said briskly. “No one should be without their people.”
“How will a necklace help?”
Dr. Toya sighed. “It’s not the necklace but what it represents. The stone inside.” She extended her hand, nudging Mara to take the necklace. When she did, Dr. Toya said, “If you can’t find your people, come find me in Acoma. You know it?”
“Sky City.”
“Yes.”
Dr. Toya patted Mara’s hand, and again Mara was reminded of Chaiwa. She knew it was stupid but she asked, “Do you know about Lizard’s Tail?”
The doctor narrowed her obsidian-black eyes, squint lines creasing her sunbaked skin, examining Mara closely. “You’re of the earth, aren’t you?”
Mara thought about it a moment, nodded.
Dr. Toya pushed her long black hair back from her shoulders, turned to leave.
Before she walked away, leaving Mara with the beaded stone necklace amidst a hallway of clean sheets, she said, “Remember, if you can’t find your people, come find mine.”
Mara couldn’t ponder long on Dr. Toya’s cryptic message, though she put the necklace around her neck, tucked it into her flannel shirt.
When she returned to the ranch and pulled up to Loren’s little house on the back lot, she gagged at what she saw, vomited on Loren’s dirt driveway.
In his rocking chair facing the now dark sky where they’d watched the sunset hours before, Loren’s mangled and bloodied body.
She ran back to her truck, seizing her rifle from the back seat.
FOURTEEN
FOURTEEN
MYTH VERSUS PARABLE
