Free Dead Set by Richard Kadrey Page B

lay along the road but the bright lights inside the bus made it impossible to see much outside. Zoe cupped her hands around her eyes and stared out the window. Specks of rain jeweled the glass, and when she looked down, she could just make out the road sliding by.
    No one on the bus spoke. No one looked around.
    So, these are souls, thought Zoe. Are they new souls or old? She wondered if there was some way to tell. She leaned to the old woman next to her and whispered, “Do you know where this bus goes?”
    The old woman looked at Zoe and smiled kindly. “There’s only one route, dear. The buses go to and from and back again.”
    â€œBut where do they go to and from?”
    She patted Zoe’s arm. “It’ll be all right dear. You’ll see.” A moment later, the bus slowed and pulled to the curb. The doors hissed opened and the passengers started filing off.
    When the old lady stood, Zoe followed her off the bus. They were parked near the corner of a very ordinary-looking street.
    â€œMa’am, I’m looking for my father,” Zoe said.
    The old woman nodded. Off the bus, she seemed more animated, more like a real old lady and not a dreaming ghost. The other passengers were also more relaxed, moving and talking to each other, like regular people.
    The old woman sighed. “How lovely.” She popped open her purse, pulled out something yellow, and put it in Zoe’s hand. A piece of butterscotch candy. She gave Zoe a small wave and walked around the corner with some of the other passengers.
    Zoe walked to the corner, too, as the other passengers wandered off in all directions. Everyone was moving, talking, excited. Zoe tried to get the attention of one or two of them, but they all seemed in a rush to go somewhere. Soon the street was empty. She stood under a streetlamp on the corner and watched the bus pull away.
    The rain along the road hadn’t made it to town. It felt like late afternoon. A fat orange sun hung midway down the sky. She was standing on a long, wide street across from a boardwalk that ran along a beach. Beyond the boardwalk, Zoe could see an old-fashioned Ferris wheel, carousel, and a wooden roller coaster that reminded her of Coney Island. The sound of tinny carousel music made her feel a little better.
    She crossed the street and stood on the boardwalk, leaning on the rusting metal fence and staring out at a calm black sea, wondering what to do next. She could see people down on the beach, moving among the amusement-park rides. It was so beautiful in the late-afternoon light. It nearly made her cry. She suddenly felt very alone and lost.
    Something moved in the corner of her eye. She turned around and saw a man in a dark gray overcoat. Like her, he was staring out to sea.
    â€œDad?” said Zoe.
    The man looked up. He stared at her for a second.
    â€œZoe?”
    She ran to him and almost jumped into his arms. They held on to each other for a long time, neither of them speaking, just holding each other. A moment earlier she’d been lost in a strange city, and now she left like her heart could burst from joy.
    Finally, her father stepped back a little and looked at her. “What are you doing here?” He froze, the color draining from his face. “You’re not . . . ?”
    Zoe shook her head. “No. I’m not dead. I just needed to see you.”
    Her father pulled her to him again. “It’s wonderful to see you, but you shouldn’t be here.”
    Zoe pushed him away, but held on to his sleeve. “Dad! Don’t say that! Don’t say you don’t want to see me?”
    He put his hand on her cheek. “It’s wonderful to see you. But you still shouldn’t have come here.”
    Zoe pushed her father harder this time and stepped back. “Why do you keep saying that?” she yelled, not caring if anyone heard her. Tears welled up in her eyes. “What did I do wrong? Why did you have to