CHAPTER 216
Dr. Conners and Ms. Murdock were part way up the slope to the airfield when they noticed the plane drifting into the sky. They both stopped and were quiet as they watched it fly over the volcanic ridge. Dr. Conners found his brain to be terribly void of thoughts except for one. Was his daughter on that plane?
Bryce wasn't sure how long he'd stood there and stared at the plane. Though it felt like minutes it couldn't have been long at all, because the plane hadn't quite yet entirely vanished from view when Ms. Murdock put a hand on his shoulder. Bryce almost didn't feel it, but after a few minutes it was like a weight crushing his trapezius. He realized his knees were weak and he was about to fall over.
Ms. Murdock steadied him. After she was fairly certain he wasn't going to collapse she let him go and spoke softly, "good for them." Her voice trailed off into a moment of silence and then she said, "come, Dr. Conners. We can still find shelter at the airstrip and take some time to consider our situation." Ms. Murdock pushed past him and continued up the slope.
Bryce wasn't sure if he could get his legs to move as he watched Joan trek further away from him. His legs were heavy. His body was heavy. His lungs felt deflated.
Without looking back at him Ms. Murdock said, "come along now, Doctor. We can still die on our own terms. I'm sure as hell not going to do it here on this hillside. Perhaps somebody has stowed a bottle of scotch somewhere at the airport for a rainy day."
Dr. Conners wasn't sure why his legs started carrying him forward. He didn't think it was Joan's little speech, and he knew she would have left him there all the same if he hadn't started following her. Nevertheless, he climbed the slope void of any motivation.