Free Lost in the Echo by Jeremy Bishop, Robert Swartwood

all.”
    The other man was nodding his head. “That they did.”
    Frost’s voice was nearly a shout. “I don’t want to place you under arrest, but if you give me no choice, I will.”
    “Arrest us?” Osterman snorted laughter. “For what?”
    “Trespassing.”
    “This is a National Guard Depot,” the second soldier said. “This property belongs to the U.S. government.”
    “Not anymore,” Griffin pointed out. “We’re a long way from the good ol’ U.S. of A.”
    “But for how long?” Osterman shrugged out of the flamethrower straps and placed the tank and thrower on the ground. He said to the other man, “So what should we do about this, Boyle?”
    Boyle tilted his head back and forth, thinking about it. “I guess we don’t have much choice in the matter, do we?”
    “No,” Osterman said, “I guess we don’t.”
    The two men moved instantaneously, like they had practiced it a thousand times—pulling 9mm Berettas from their holsters, aiming them straight at the group, all in one quick, fluid motion.
    Frost didn’t flinch. Didn’t go for her gun, either, though the instinct was hard to tamp down. “The hell do you two think you’re doing?”
    “Isn’t it obvious, Sheriff ? All of you need to drop your weapons and raise your hands, or we will drop you where you stand.”

 
     
    14
     
    Lisa didn’t hear the buzzing at first.
    She was too preoccupied with thoughts of her parents, somewhere far, far away. Part of her wished she had taken them up on their offer and gone to Ashland, to watch the fireworks. That same part wished she had talked Radar into coming with her. If she had, maybe he would have agreed, and maybe the two of them would have been lying on a blanket, staring up at the sky, watching fireworks explode above them while the town disappeared. Maybe their fingers would have touched first, then their hands clasped together in silent union, but no more than that—not with her parents nearby. Would they have shared their first kiss in private, like they had in the bell tower? No, but maybe they could have sneaked away for a couple of minutes, using the excuse they both needed to use the restroom, and maybe they could have dashed into the shadows behind one of the buildings. Radar could have held her close and leaned forward and—
    “Lisa?”
    She blinked. Turned her head and found Radar giving her a worried look.
    “You okay, Shadow Liar?”
    Not trusting herself to speak, she forced a smile at his reference to the clever anagram he’d made of her name, when they had been in the church’s bell tower. When the world had gone haywire.
    She nodded.
    “Are you sure? For a moment your lip was quivering and you…”
    He didn’t say it. Didn’t have to.
    “It’ll be okay,” he said, and placed his hand on her back.
    She closed her eyes at his touch. It made her feel at peace, despite her inner turmoil. After all, Radar was doing everything he could to help keep her mind off her parents. It wasn’t his fault she kept thinking about them.
    “I just…” her voice cracked, “I just miss them so much. And not because it’s been so long since I’ve seen them, but...because...I might never see them again.”
    Taking her into his arms, her whispered into her ear, “I know...”
    “I don’t even think they realize I’m gone. Or that they’re gone. Or that—” She shook her head, knew she was on the verge of tears and tried to push them away. “Do you think they’ve even noticed yet? Like, not just my parents, but everybody else in Ashland? Or the world?”
    “It’s been like eighteen hours,” Radar said. “I think they’ve noticed.”
    “Assuming time works the same wherever we are. What if we’re experiencing the same moment in time on different worlds? Then no time at all will have passed.”
    Radar squinted at her. “Did...you come up with that on your own?”
    “Don’t look at me like you’re surprised I said something smart.” She gave him a half smile.