Anomaly Read online

  Finally, the flamethrowers grow silent. The Marines move carefully toward the wreckage of the patio, making sure nothing dangerous is left. Only a few black sticks poke up from the charred rubble. I can smell the burnt wood and garden from across the street. I don’t like to think about what else is mixed up in that smoky odor, but I’m pretty sure nothing dangerous has survived the fire.

  Fortunately, Anomalies are not all that frequent anymore—usually less than one a month or so inside the District’s fences. Except in December, that is. For some reason, as the anniversary of The Incident draws near, Anomalies appear more often. Radar doesn’t get much sleep in December.

  How often Anomalies occur outside the solar-powered electric fence and light towers that surround the District is anybody’s guess. But there are more than a few deadly creatures roaming the Outside—and not all of them came through a portal. Fortunately, fire and light are useful weapons against most of them—hence the tall light towers that encircle the District. The creatures’ aversion to bright light makes our scientists wonder if their world is unnaturally dark.

  Our scientists also theorize that Anomalies may have occurred naturally in the distant past, though rarely. They think the creatures that entered our world back then formed the basis of the myths and legends that still fill humankind’s nightmares, which is why so many of the monsters that come through now are familiar to us. Tales of vampires, werewolves, dragons and trolls, to name just a few, may have been inspired by real-life creatures who came through one of those naturally occurring portals long ago.

  The crowd watches the soldiers for a few moments before slowly dispersing. The patio is now just another of the many pockets of ruin in the District. Some are burned like this one, others are just crumbled messes. No one ever rebuilds where an Anomaly has occurred. There’s no reason to. San Diego has more than enough places to house and support the dwindling population.

  A few people take the time to pat Radar on the shoulder and thank her as they leave.

  “Thank the lord for the Miracles,” a woman murmurs.

  She’s not talking about what just happened when she says Miracles. She’s talking about people—very special people. Radar is a Miracle. So am I. There are seven of us in the District. The name Miracle has nothing to do with Powers, though every Miracle but me has one. The name was given long before any Powers evidenced themselves. It was bestowed upon us at birth. Indeed, our births WERE the Miracle.

  We live in a world of dichotomies. There are the Befores and the Afters, there’s Inside and Outside, and most scarily, Here and There. There’s no dichotomy for the Miracles, though. We are singular, unique.

  There were dichotomies in the world before The Incident, as the terrible event in San Francisco has come to be called, but they were more general: good and evil, night and day, hot and cold. They all still exist, of course—especially good and evil—but more specific pairings have emerged as well. The Befores are everyone born before December 21, 2021—the day of The Incident. Naturally, the Afters were born later—much later. I’ll get back to that in a moment. Inside means within the District’s boundaries, where although life can be perilous, it’s a bucolic paradise compared to the dangers that lurk beyond the fences. Outside is the world beyond the barriers, where life is usually short, and death—or worse—can be horrific and painful. Outside is not somewhere you ever want to be.

  When I was younger, I used to fantasize about venturing beyond the barrier in search of adventure, but my dad quickly chased those ideas out of my head with just a few stories of his trips Outside as a young Marine. There are other Districts besides ours, and thus other Insides, but fewer and fewer every year. Dad says some of it is probably just loss of communication as certain technologies fail, but others have undoubtedly been wiped out. Here and There are simple. Here is our world; There is whatever lies on the other side of the portals. Based on the things that come through those openings, I’m pretty sure that There is an even more dangerous place than Outside.

  But back to us Miracles. For a full ten years after The Incident, no children were born. That’s right—none, zero, zilch. No babies born anywhere in the world, as far as anyone can tell. A small number of women became pregnant each year, but every birth was stillborn. No one knows why. Then in one week, beginning on the tenth anniversary of The Incident, seven children were born here in San Diego. To this day, no one has any idea why it happened at that time, and why in San Diego. Most people had given up hope and thought the human race was headed for extinction. The fervently religious believed it was the Apocalypse, slower and more drawn out than expected, but they nevertheless awaited the Rapture.

  And then, out of nowhere, I was born healthy and alive in the wee hours of the morning of December 21, 2031. The next day, Radar arrived. And then came Lights, the first male child. Plush, Rerun and Doc followed, with Sneak bringing up the rear. All of them were born before New Year’s Day. Suddenly, it seemed the human race might not be doomed after all. That’s why we’re called Miracles. We brought hope where previously none had existed.

  Each ensuing year, more and more children have been born. Not just in San Diego, but in the other Districts as well. This year, hundreds of babies have arrived just in our District. None but the seven of us born in those last days of 2031 have a Power, but people don’t care about that. No one knows why things suddenly changed. They’re just happy to hear the sounds of children again, despite the decaying technologies and the dangers of the Anomalies. And nobody underestimates those dangers, believe me.

  CHAPTER 2

  RADAR IS SMILING as she puts her cap back atop her head, carefully fitting her thick ponytail through the opening in the back. Next, she puts her sunglasses back on. The large lenses make her look a bit like some kind of mutant bug.

  “That worked out pretty well,” she says. “You and I make a good team.”

  “Yeah, right,” I say, trying hard not to frown. “You with your amazing Power and me with my whistle.” I lift the metal whistle from my chest and look down at it. “Some Miracle I am. Any child can blow a whistle.”

  “Stop it,” Radar says sternly. “You know I don’t like hearing you talk like that.” She wraps her arms around me and gives me a warm hug, then steps back. “You’re as much a Miracle as any of us. Maybe more so. You were the first. You broke the curse. That’s more Miracle than anything.”

  I manage a smile. It’s hard not to be in a good mood around Radar. That’s just one of the reasons I love her so much. Sometimes I wonder if breaking the curse is going to end up being my only Power. I sure hope not.

  “Really,” Radar says, grinning. “You saved the whole freakin’ human race from extinction. Maybe that’s your Power—the ability to save humanity.”

  My smile widens. “Holy hell, I hope not. I don’t want to have to go through that whole messy birthing thing again the next time the world needs saving.”

  Radar laughs.

  “Seriously, though,” she says. “Maybe your Power hasn’t appeared yet because there’s been nothing to trigger it.” She’s nodding now, pleased with herself. “Yeah, that’s it. I bet you’ve got the biggest and baddest Power of all, just waiting to be unleashed. And when it is, watch out, world!”

  I feel my features tighten—that’s actually a pretty scary thought.

  “If you’re right,” I say, “I don’t know if I want to be around for whatever it’s going to take to trigger it. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s plenty enough scary shit going on already.”

  Radar grins again. “Ain’t that the truth.”

  “You still want to walk down to the ocean?” I ask. We had been heading for the beach when Radar’s Power activated.

  “Sure, why not? Maybe we’ll get lucky and see some dolphins. That’s always fun.”

  We cross the street, giving a wide berth to the ruined patio garden, and head west. There’s no real reason not to walk by the site of the recent Anomaly, but better safe than sorry. A gentle breeze car
esses our faces, carrying the briny scent of the ocean just three blocks away. It’s a big improvement over the burnt smell of the rubble.

  Two blocks later, we pass another pile of wood and stone that was once a small house. The crumbled ruins show no sign of fire and I wonder if any creatures came through this Anomaly, since there were apparently no flamethrowers here when it happened. The ruins look old, though, so I guess it doesn’t matter. If anything did come through it was years ago and would have left the District or been destroyed by now.

  Radar lifts her sunglasses from her eyes and studies the place for a moment.

  “Nothing came through,” she says, as if reading my mind. She can’t really read my mind—no Miracle has developed that Power yet—but she knows me so well that sometimes it seems like she can.

  Radar’s Power not only lets her know when an Anomaly is about to appear nearby, but she can also usually tell if anything came through one, even years later. Anytime an Anomaly happens with no patrol around to take care of it, Radar is always summoned to see if anything might have come through that needs to be hunted down and destroyed.

  One more block and we reach the cobblestone walkway atop the bluffs above the beach. The smell of the ocean is much stronger here. I inhale deeply, breathing in the refreshing scent. With the sky mostly clear of clouds and the sun still behind us, the water looks amazingly blue. The tide is pretty low right now, exposing a wide expanse of yellow-white sand, but the sound of the waves breaking against the shore is still loud and soothing. For my money, this is one of the most beautiful places in the entire District.

  I can see four people down on the beach, sitting on the sand and staring out at the ocean. Two of them are Befores and two are very young Afters. The children can’t be more than three years old—if they were four they’d be in school. I always feel warm and fuzzy when I see young Afters. They’re the future of our race, after all. And while they don’t receive quite the reverence and awe my fellow Miracles and I experienced growing up, they’re still cherished and adored by everyone. I hope by the time these two are my age, the world will be a safer and more prosperous place. I’m not holding my breath, though.

  Back in better days, a wooden stairway used to lead down to the beach, but it has long since rotted away, leaving only six thick, crumbling wooden poles sticking up from sand and the bluff. The authorities have more important things to keep maintained nowadays than stairs to the beach.

  The jagged edges of a few of the old stairs stick out from the poles, but they’re of no use to anyone except the gulls who sometimes perch on them. The dirt cliffs are only about twenty feet high and not steep enough to make descending overly difficult. I’m about to head down when I notice Radar is not gazing out at the beautiful ocean, but is instead looking north. I follow her eyes and see a patrol coming toward us.

  “Is anything wrong?” I ask. “Don’t tell me there’s another Anomaly coming. It’s way too soon.”

  Radar shakes her head. She has the barest hint of a smile on her face.

  “No, nothing’s wrong. I just think we should wait until the patrol gets here, so we can thank them for all their hard work.”

  My eyes narrow as I study Radar’s face. Yes, the soldiers certainly deserve the thanks of everyone who lives in the District, but we see patrols all the time and Radar has never said anything like this before. I’m pretty sure I know where this is going.

  I turn my head back toward the approaching patrol. As they draw nearer, I see two familiar faces. One is the patrol leader, a veteran lieutenant named Gregerson who used to serve with my dad. He nods to me. The other is much younger than the rest of the Marines—younger even than Radar and me. The big smile on his handsome face is aimed directly at Radar.

  I turn to Radar. “Now I know why you were so eager to come to the beach this morning.”

  Radar goes all innocent on me.

  “Why, whatever do you mean, Leah?”

  Radar’s words are directed at me, but her eyes remain fastened on the young Marine. His name is Jordan, but we call him Jordy. We gave him the nickname when he was much younger and smaller. He doesn’t look like a Jordy anymore—not by a long shot—but the name has stuck. He’s barely sixteen years old now, but already stands six feet tall. His camouflage uniform does little to hide the swell of his chest or the width of his biceps. He has black hair cut short in the Marine fashion, a tan complexion, and blue eyes that seem to shine from his tanned face.

  The patrol stops just in front of us.

  “At ease, men,” Lieutenant Gregerson barks. “Take ten.” He nods at Jordy and grins.

  Jordy leans his rifle against an old fence post and steps toward Radar. She bounds forward and leaps up into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. Jordy supports her weight easily as the two of them exchange a long, tongue-dancing kiss.

  “Get a room!” one of Jordy’s Marine buddies shouts, but he and Radar pay no attention.

  I’m stabbed by a little pang of jealousy. Don’t get me wrong—I’m happy for Radar. I just wish I had someone I cared about as much as Radar does Jordy, and someone who loves me as much as he obviously loves her. But there aren’t many guys to pick from. Only a couple dozen kids were born in the year after us Miracles, and still fewer than a hundred the next year. Only half of them are guys, and none are as cute and mature as Jordy. I do catch plenty of looks from lots of Befores, but they’re all at least ten years older than me and that just feels wrong. Maybe in ten years when I’m twenty-seven, guys thirty-seven won’t seem so old. Until then, I guess I’m destined to be alone.

  I shake the feeling away and sidle over to Lieutenant Gregerson, who I’ve known for years.

  “Do you stop your patrol every time you come across one of your men’s girlfriends?” I tease, already knowing the answer.

  Gregerson grins. “No, ma’am. Only for Radar.”

  Radar’s Power earns her all kinds of special privileges and deservedly so. San Diego was a far more dangerous place before her Power appeared almost six years ago, despite all the advantages the area has. After The Incident, the presence of the Marine and Navy bases here made the District one of the safest in the world, home to a multitude of trained warriors eager to protect their loved ones and their homes. The newer, most powerful weapons no longer worked, of course, but there were still huge stores of rifles, machine guns and explosives, plus an almost limitless supply of ammunition. San Diego was also home to a plethora of brilliant scientists and engineers, whose genius was able to solve some of the problems resulting from the technology collapses caused by The Incident and the Anomalies. Solar power has given us lights that work and desalination plants along the coast to provide water, since our supply from the north was cut off long ago. Our warm climate lets us grow food year round.

  Still, with no way to know when an Anomaly would occur, dark and deadly things were constantly coming through, leading to pitched battles and long drawn out hunts. Thousands of people died every year, almost as many as at the time of The Incident, when there were no lights and barriers to keep the monsters out. Since Radar developed her Power, the number of deaths has been cut dramatically. Nothing anyone does for her is too much, that’s for sure.

  Jordy finally puts her down, but they stay standing close together, arm in arm. Radar and Jordy have known each other since he was a little boy. I’m pretty sure he’s been in love with her ever since, but she only started taking notice of him as more than just a friend after he joined the Marines last year. With no children born for ten years, the Marines have started accepting recruits for training when they turn fifteen. Jordy signed up the first day he was eligible. Even I have to admit that the somewhat goofy little kid who used to follow us around—follow Radar around, really—has turned into quite a mature and handsome young man.

  “Hi, Jordy,” I say. “I don’t suppose you told Radar you’d be patrolling down here by the beach this morning, did you?”

  He grins. “I may have mentioned it in passing,” he
says, giving Radar a gentle squeeze.

  “Busted!” I say to Radar.

  “Oh, yeah,” she says. “Now I remember.” She gives me that innocent look again. “I’d forgotten.”

  “Yeah, right,” I say, shaking my head. I really don’t care why we’re here at the beach—just look how gorgeous it is this morning—but I like to play around with Radar now and then and make sure she knows she can’t put anything over on me.

  “I hear you girls had some excitement near here this morning,” Lieutenant Gregerson says.

  “Yeah,” I say. “Radar sensed an Anomaly over at Café Palms. Nothing got through, though. A few vampires and minotaurs tried, but your buddies took care of them.”

  I notice a few guys in the patrol frowning. Most Marines love a good fight, and I’m sure they’re wishing their group had been the one summoned to the battle. Who knows, if I’d run in a different direction, maybe I’d have found them with my whistle instead of Sergeant Anderson’s patrol.

  “Good for them,” the lieutenant says. He turns toward Jordy. “If it’s okay with you, Jordy, how about we get back to work?”

  Jordy blushes, but he grins, too. He snaps off a very efficient salute.

  “Yes, Sir!”

  Radar rises up onto her toes and gives Jordy a quick good-bye kiss on the cheek.

  “Go get ‘em, Tiger,” she says.

  Jordy picks up his rifle, and he and his comrades continue on toward the south. We watch for a few moments and then Radar turns to me.

  “Ready for the beach?”

  “You bet.”

  We scramble down the bluffs. At the bottom, we pull off our shoes and begin walking barefoot across the sand toward the water. The four people we saw earlier have wandered away to the north, searching for shells, probably.