Page 111

“No one is around, right? We checked.”

“El, we chose this spotbecauseit’s remote. It has one way in and out, and we’re blocking it right now. I aimed the best flashlight the hardware store had around the area, and you yelled for people.”

“What about animals?”

“Babe, we have to do this. We’re blocking the road.”

“Okay. Yeah, you’re right,” Eliza said. “Let’s do it and get out of here.”

She leaned down and looked at the screen. Lydia had set up a tripod with a Wi-Fi-enabled camera attached to it, aimed at the device. They’d opted for something without an explosion so as not to draw attention, and the device sat on top of a little stand that they’d built just for this purpose. Below that stand was a clear bucket filled with acid. They’d bought it online and had it sent to the motel. This way, the device would corrode and be useless, they believed, and there wouldn’t be anything loud or bright to cause anyone who might be around to take a look.

Lydia pressed record, and the camera was now filming the device as it sat still on the stand.

“You ready?”

“Yes,” Eliza replied.

Lydia nodded, and Eliza went to press the remote for the stand that she had in her hand. Then, they watched the screen. The stand beneath the device fell away just how it was supposed to, and the device dropped into the bucket. They watched as the water bubbled and smoked a little and waited.

“It’s okay. Nothing’s happening. I mean, nothing about the energy. It’s just–” Eliza stopped talking when somethingdidhappen.

A burst of something emitted from the bucket. They were a mile away, so they saw it on the screen before they felt it, butwhenthey felt it, it was as if a massive gust of wind just pushed into them and knocked them over. The remote fell out of her hand and to the ground. The screen had been on the trunk of the car and fell down, but not off the car.

“Babe!” she yelled and found Lydia on the gravel, face down.

“I’m okay,” Lydia said and rolled over. “Just knocked the wind out of me.” She coughed. “Are you–”

“Okay.” Eliza crawled over to her wife and checked Lydia’s face. “No cuts.”

“I’m okay,” Lydia repeated. “Check the screen. Is it destroyed?”

Eliza stood up, wobbled a bit, and reached for the iPad they’d used.

“The camera is facing the sky now. I can’t see anything.”

“Rewind.” Lydia coughed and sat up.

Eliza stopped the recording, located the finished file, and rewound it.

“Nothing new. Just the burst of whatever that was before the camera got knocked over.”

“We have to go check, then,” Lydia suggested and stood.

“I’ll go. You stay here.”

“What? No way!”

“Lydia, you can barely stand,” Eliza argued and walked over to her wife to help her lean against a tree off the side of the road.

“You’re right.”

“It can wait. I’ll stay,” Eliza offered.

“No. Go. I’m okay. I’ll sit here and try to catch my breath. Just be quick. Ten minutes, and I’m coming in there after you,” Lydia told her.

Eliza helped her to the ground first and made sure Lydia leaned back against the tree. She wanted to stay there with her wife and make sure she was really okay, but she knew that whatever they’d just felt had gone on for at least a mile and could possibly hit a cabin or campers in their tents, which were about five miles from here, so they needed to be fast. She climbed into the car, leaving Lydia with the iPad and her phone, and started it. Then, she dialed.

“Hey,” Lydia said. “Smart.”