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SMNTY Fiction: Terminus (Chapter 8.2) · Stuff Mom Never Told You

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and welcome to Stephane
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Never Told You production of iHeartRadio and Welcome Once Again.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Two are once a month Sminthy fiction segment which is
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: ongoing Terminus, which is a story I wrote in twenty
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: ten for Dana Raimo, and we're just going to go
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: through it. We're just going through it. This is chapter
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: eight point two. Again. As I said in the previous episode,
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: I think it might actually be chapter seven, but something
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: went around. But anyway, that doesn't matter. We're in for
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: to chapter eight, which was a longer chapter as I
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: always thanks to our super producer Christina, who makes these possible.
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: If this is not your thing, I totally understand, especially
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: right now because it is kind of dark. So I'll
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: give you a quick recamp of what's happened. We've got
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: a virus that is wiping out the human population. It's
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: making it difficult for people to have children, so humanity
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: is just dying off. Any child that is born is
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: placed under the jurisdiction of the Board of Better Parenting,
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: and there's this really religious organization called arm Arm that
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: works with the government and they're in control of all
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: these things. Our main character Tilda has escaped with her
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: illegally born child, Madison. It's been seven years. They're on,
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: they're on, the enforcers are after them. Things aren't looking good.
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: They get captured, Tilda get shot, They make a daring escape,
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: and then they are rescued by this woman named Lynn,
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: who has lost a child of her own. And it's nice.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: They get to like half pancakes and be in a
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: house and there's water, and they take showers and they
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: sleep in beds and it's really nice. But Tilda realizes
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: the enforcers are not going to stop looking for them
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: because they are priority number one case, and she makes
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: the difficult decision to leave. And Lynne has told her
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: about the fabled resistance in Kansas City that is perhaps
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: looking for a cure for HSV five and till the
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: decides to try to find it with very vague instructions.
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: So once again, this was written before I played The
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: Last of Us. Okay, so ahead, don't come at me.
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: I just I was telling Samantha, if you look at
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: a map, it makes sense when you're traveling across the country,
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: you would go that way. So content morning around depression, sadness,
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: discussions of philosoph a child to around sex, internalized ableism,
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: around disease. Yeah, totally hear you if this is not
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: for you right now. Also, don't yell at me if
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: I got the roads incorrect. Okay, I did spend an
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: embarrassing amount of time looking at a map and trying
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: to figure it out. But I just just go with it,
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: you knowing a suspension of disbelief. Yes, thank you. So
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: with that note, let us get into the fiction section.
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: Tilda left the kitchen and entered the sitting room to
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: find Madison on his stomach on the carpet, legs scissoring
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: as he perused what. Judging by its larger size and haft,
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: Tilda guest to pay a textbook social studies, Lynne Head
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: mouthed to her. He looked up at her, a sunny
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: smile breaking out on his face, his skin unmarked by
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: the virus like a time bomb in his blood, waiting
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: patiently to detonate. Sinking down next to him on the carpet,
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: Tilda queried, what are you reading about? Madison wrinkled his nose,
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: enunciating each syllable, clearly citizenship and civic responsibility. His response
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: had an unsure lilt to it despite his careful and
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: correct pronunciation. Tilda imagined he'd heard those words before in
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: different contexts and had a basic sketch up their dictionary meaning,
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: but no concept of what they really meant. Those things
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: meant very little to anyone anymore, especially considering they'll life
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: they spent trying to keep away from others and evade
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: the state. Did they really used to be? He looked
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: down at the book for guidance Holidays. Tilda glance down
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: at the illustrations, colorful pictures of cornucopias and jack O'Lanterns
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: and decorated evergreens crammed into the bottom corner of the page. Yeah,
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: she murmured. Madison swung his eyes up to meet her
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: as curiosity. I'll light in them. Did you celebrate them
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: with your family when you're a kid? Tilda situated herself
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: so she lay on her stomach next to Madison, her
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: fist propping up her chin. I did, sort of. My
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: mother used to cook some of the traditional foods, read
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: me stories. If she could find music, she'd play it.
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: She trailed off, reminiscing holidays have been fading away for
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: a while. By the time Tilda was introduced to them.
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: There were no days off, no decorations, just small family
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: celebrations by those that remembered and cared, usually those lucky
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: enough to have children. Wow. Tilda gave Madison a thoughtful look,
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: smiling a little at his amazement. Maybe we'll have one
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: of our own little holidays someday when we find somewhere.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: Madison craned his neck, frowning. We have found somewhere, haven't we,
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: dreed unfurling in her gut, Tilda took hold of his
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: tiny hand, such a small hands, and gentled her voice. No, mouse,
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: I can't stay here. His face fell, hazel eyes glistening.
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: Why not? Why can't we day, she sighed, hating this.
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: The enforcers know we're somewhere around here. They'll find us eventually,
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: But we could hide. Madison pushed himself to his knees.
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: Tilda did the same, and they'd leave an attractive possibility,
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: but Untilda's view an unlikely one. They were relentless. We
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: can't they won't stop. Lynn has done enough for us.
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: We can't put her in danger any longer. Madison's lip trembled,
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: his eyes glassy and wide. I'm sorry, Tilda, whispered. I
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: know you want to stay. I do too, but we
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: have to leave tonight, tonight, Madison repeated, tears escaping and
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: spilling down his pale cheeks. Yes, we're going to pack
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: a few things, get some warmer clothes, and leave when
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: it gets dark. Madison sniffled, wiping his face at the
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: back of his hand. But what about your leg I'll
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: be fine, she assured, but we'll have to be very careful.
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: They'll be looking for us overcome. Madison covered his face
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: with his hands, shoulders quaking. Tilda scooted closer, looping her
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: arm around his shoulders and pulling him to her. I
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: don't want to leave, he sobbed, his words mangled, I know, Tilda,
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: suit this hair, please. Tilda didn't couldn't respond to that.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: After a while, when his crying subsided, Tilda told him.
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: Linde says there's a place. There might be a place,
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: she amended, But people like us hiding from enforcers close
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: to hear that's where we're going, okay. Madison showed no
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: sign of hearing her for a moment, but then he
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: nodded minutely against her chest. She sighed, almost disappointed, like
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: she'd wanted him to talk her out of it, to
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: give her a reason to stay. Her hand wove in
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: his brown hair, soft with washing, and she kissed his forehead.
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: You're so brave, you know that. No, I'm not, he denied, petulantly,
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: muffled by where his head was buried into Tilda's shoulder.
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: She laughed, yes, you are. They sat in silence for
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: a long moment, both dreading the night that lay before them.
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: You should take a nap, Tilda informed him softly, but
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: he resisted. No, it's my last day here. I don't
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: want to spend it sleeping. You need to get some
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: rest before tonight, she said, reasonably, but she didn't have
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: it in her to make him. I'll rest while read,
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: he promised, earnestly, the vestiges of sadness starting to disappear. Caving,
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: Tilda let him return to his book, laughing at the
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: exaggerated concentration he directed at it, ruffling his hair affectionately.
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: Tilda stood Cobwebs of exhaustion crowded her own mind, but
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: she fought them off. Heading down the hall to check
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: on Lynn, she stopped at the doorway, watching Lynne was
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: sorting through clothes methodical, neatly folding the items that passed
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: inspection and placing them in a midsized black back back.
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: She startled, catching sight of Tilda at the door. Embarrassed,
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: Tilda ask, can I help you with anything? No, dear
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: Lynde said firmly. Why don't you lie down for a bit?
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: Or you might want to try some stretches for your leg.
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: I'll get you when it's time for lunch, and then
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: while take a look at them, map to figure out
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: your best root. Tilda pause for a moment before nodding
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: an assent, heading to the room she'd been sleeping in
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: and set about stretching her leg. She found her dexterity
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: to be slightly hindered, only a few winces making it
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: to her face. Her muscles relaxed and she yawned, reclining
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: to lay back on the floor. Her eyes fluttered close,
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: her chest raising and falling evenly. Colors swirled and faded
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: in front of her eyes. Lynde's gentle voice snapped her
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: out of her dose. Couldn't have made it to bed,
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: she teased, offering her hand up to help tilta to
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: her feet. Tilda shook, the numbness from her limbs, stumbling
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: after the woman who had found them and brought them
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: into her home. Another wide yawned, stretching over her face.
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: Laughter broke through the haze of half sleep during Tilda's thoughts.
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: Slow and useless, Lynde stood at the entrance to the
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: sitting room, muffling her chuckles with a hand covering her lips.
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: Tilda caught up to her, following her gaze. Madison had
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: fallen asleep with his face pressed into the pages of
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: the book Legs and arms blade. He snored quietly, face
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: smooth of worry and sleep. Like his mother he is.
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: Lynne quardled kneeling next to him and gently grasping his shoulder,
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: shaking him to wake him. Madison jerked awake. He looked up,
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: blinking alishly, cheek creased and hair Must I fell asleep,
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: he slurred, rubbing his eyes. Yes you did, Lynne agreed,
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: good naturedly. Now it's time for lunch. Are you hungry?
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: Madison blinked a few more times, face blank, then he nodded,
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: getting to his feet clumsily. A plate of toast, boiled eggs,
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: and salad awaited them. Glasses of water and silver ware
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: already set, The meal was noticeably more subdued, all three
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: preoccupied with the coming goodbye, the knowledge that they most
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: likely would never see each other again, casting a pall
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: over them. Madison only ate half of his plate before
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: he pushed it away, hands in his lap and hiccuping softly,
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: Lynne cooed an endearment, abandoning her own food to wrap
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: her arms around the thin boy, murmuring into his ear
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: and rubbing his back the contents. Untilda's stomach curdled as
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: she watched them helpless, a stranger intruding on something private.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: Lynne started to sing, softly, rocking Madison. Tilda couldn't remember
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: the last time she'd done that for him. She washed
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: a stone, something eroding inside her. The need to apologize
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: overwhelmed her, but she couldn't make herself speak. Lynne finished
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: her song, Madison's crying turning into tiny sniffles. The woman
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: eased the boy back so she could look into his eyes.
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: It'll be all right, dear, you'll see. You just have
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: to be brave and do what your mother says. Her
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: smile wavered but held, and Madison nodded dutifully. Good boy.
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: She praised now hop down and go rest up. I'm
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: going to pack some rations for you and your mom. Listlessly,
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: Madison slip from the woman's lap and disappeared into the
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: setting room. Lynne cleared the table, bending their uneaten food
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: to Tilda. She said, I have some granola bars, fruit almonds.
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: She rifled around her cupboards. Not much else that will
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: travel well. I'm afraid water, of course, Tilda swallowed, breaking
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: herself free of the numbness. It's plenty, she assured Lynne,
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: her voice delicate. Thank you. She knew the simple phrase
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: could not convey all the sincerity she felt, nor encompass
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: all Lynn had done and was doing for them. If
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: not for you, I might have died, and Madison it
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: did not bear thinking about. She closed her eyes, banishing
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: what might have been from her mind. Thank you. Lynde
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: started to brush off the apology as unneeded, but drew
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: up short at the expression on Tilda's face. They held
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: each other's gaze for a long moment, the woman deprived
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: of her child and the lost mother. Lynne nodded, accepting
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: her gratitude. Lynn abruptly turned and busied herself, stacking items
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: on the cor She faltered with the bottles of water,
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: knocking one to its side. She took a deep breath
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: and pressed her palms into the countertop. Tilda watched and passively,
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: you take care of that child. Lynne's roy shook with
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: the depth of her emotion, but otherwise was quite firm, commanding,
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: Even it goes against everything, I have to let you
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: both go. You promise me that I won't regret it.
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: Promise me you will put him above everything else. Behind
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: the glasses, her eyes glinted fixed on Tilda, looking for
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: any sign of weakness, any reason to keep her from
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: taking Madison and leaving. I promise, Tilda said, unyielding. I
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: am nothing without him. Lynn nodded curtly. Good. She strode
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: past Tilda and down the hall, returning with the backpack
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: she'd been folding closed into earlier, and began to fill
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: it with the assortment of snacks she'd put together. Briskly,
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: She said, I've set aside some warmer clothes for you
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: both to put on before you leave. The sizes might
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: be a bit on the large side, but I won't
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: have you out gallivanting in the coal with the rags
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: that you showed up in. Tilda smirked at that. Once
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: the last of the rations were packed away, Lynne went
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: over to a set of drawers next to the door,
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: fishing around until she located a map. She unfolded it
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: and spread it out on the kitchen table, smoothing it
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: with her hands. They both leaned over the square where
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: Tepeka lay, tracing the criss crossing blue and red lines
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: to Kansas City. The quickest route is to take I forty,
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: Lynn said authoritatively. But it is also the most likely
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: to have enforcers patrolling it. Unfortunately, I don't think you
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: have much of a choice. There aren't much in the
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: way of roads out there, or at least not once
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: that don't dead end or turned into dirt roads in
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: the middle of nowhere. She glanced up to see if
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: Tilda disagreed, but Tilda concurred it'll be easier to follow, definitely.
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: With a nod, Lynn continued, Now, to get there, you
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: take sixth Avenue East up until you get to Ice
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: seventy exit east, and from there it's a straight shot
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: to Kansas City, about sixty miles. Sounds simple enough, Tilda said,
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: a little wary, leaning over the map, doing a quick
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: catalog of the cities crossed through in case they needed
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: to replenish supplies, the number of bridges, the number of rivers.
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: Lynne snorted, or adjusting her glasses. Tilda hunched forward, trying
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: to memorize the mess of lines and symbols, but knowing
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: that it wouldn't matter out there, cold and hungry and
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: hunted when it didn't look like a map, but an
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: unending river of gray blurring with the sky at the horizon.
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: Where do we go once we get to Kansas City?
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: Lynne shook her head. I don't know. Any decent resistance
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: wouldn't advertise its existence if the enforcers couldn't find it.
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: What hope did she have? Like I said, Dan mentioned
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: the Liberty Memorial, But I don't know where's that, Tilda ask,
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: figuring it was worth knowing. Lynne hunched over the map,
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: muttering under her breath. Ah. She japped the map with
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: her finger. Here to the south, Take I thirty five
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: down until you get to the Broadway exit. After that
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: there should be signs. Maybe you'll see it. I have
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: no idea how big it is. Tilda nodded, running her
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: hand through her hair. It was something she'd just have
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: to hope there'd be some sign that this resistance existed
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: in the first place. A lot of this plan relied
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: on hope. I'll give this to you, Lynne decided, folding
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: up the map and slipping it into one of the
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: pack's pockets. She sighed at a loss out there was
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: nothing to do but wait. She wrung her hands together,
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: staring out the window. Tilda gave lynne shoulder a short squeeze.
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: Going to check on Madison, she found him curled up
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: on the floor, staring ahead despondently. She knelt down beside him,
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: stroking his hair. He didn't acknowledge her presence, but at
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: the very least it made her feel better. There was
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: nothing to say. Tilda deigned not to tell Madison about
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: the possibility of a cure. Somehow explaining it to him
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: would make it seem more like a pipe dream, and
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: if it turned out not to be true, at least
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: he wouldn't have had his hopes crushed. And maybe a
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: small part of her still wanted Madison to think she
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: knew what she was doing. As her thoughts meandered, she
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: pondered the possibility that this was an elaborate trap, a
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: were set up by the enforcers to lure stragglers with
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: the hope of a haven and ensnare them. They would
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: have to exercise the level of caution beyond their norm
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: and hope that this resistance existed. They'd also have to
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: be careful not to need the enforcers to this resistance,
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: given that she and Madison could find it. A soft
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: pattern gradually caught her attention. It was raining Tilda side
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: to herself. Lynne entered the room, her face grim, let
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: me check your brandages one last time. Grateful for the
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: distraction from increasingly dark thoughts, Tilda stretch true leg out
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: on the carpet, turning her knee in to give Lynne
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: better access to the wound. The woman knelt next to her,
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: casting a word glance to Madison, who had yet to move. Gently,
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: she pulled back the bandages on Tilda's calf, revealing a jagged,
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: pale pink cut about the sides of her index finger,
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: the ends of black stitches evenly spaced across it. Lynne
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: examined it, cutting in approval. It's on the end. I
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: would recommend that you stay off it, but under the circumstances, well,
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: just do the best you can the stitches should dissolve
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: by themselves in a few more days. Masson turned slowly
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: and propped himself up then to get a look at
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: the injury. Does it hurt at all? Lyne's professional voice
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: conveyed her pass as a doctor. Masson leaned in closer,
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: his face pale. No at the skeptical look on Lynde's face,
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: she rushed to assert, it doesn't just runches a bit
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: if I move it too fast or put too much
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: weight on it. Lynde reminded her of her mother, just then,
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: able to make her see the flaws in her own argument.
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: Without a word, the woman sighed, rewrapping her leg, telling
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: Tilda that keeping it covered was more of a precaution now,
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: but to do her best to keep it clean and
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: not do any acrobatics. To Madison, she said, in a
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: mock stern voice, you watch her and make sure she
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: doesn't do anything silly, right Madison, Instead of the smile
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: and had hoped to coax from him, Madison nodded seriously,
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: his gaze still transfixed on the now covered wound. Lynde
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: continued valiantly, the faulter, in her tone, hardly knows bow
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: I packed a first aid kit and some basic medicines
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: in your bag, just in case anything comes up. How
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: do you fit everything in there? Am I going to
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: be able to lift it? Tilda teased, grinning when Lynde
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: swatted at her. Madison, however, would not be dissuaded from
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: his dark mood. What will I do if you get
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: hurt again? He roughened his voice to hide his fear,
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: but both the women could easily detect it. His voice
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: tightened and he continued, what if you die? What will
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: I do? Then? He was blinking far too much, the
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: anxiety and plaintive note making him sound younger. He had
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: never asked this question before. On their long journey, they
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: had both sustained their fair share of injuries and illness,
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: but nothing serious enough for Madison to believe that Tilda's
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: life might be in danger. Many times Tilda had feared
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: for Madison's, which most likely was a combination of knowing
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: the risk and understanding the concept of death, and mixed
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: with the fact that Tilda didn't know what illnesses looked
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: like in children and had no one to ask about it.
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: It had probably ever occurred to him, or at least
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: not in a manner that caused him to entertain it
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: as a serious possibility. The possibility of Tilda's death had
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: probably never really occurred to Madison, but now well, she imagined.
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: She had looked pretty horrific, stumbling down the road outside
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: Lynde's house, blood running down her leg, not talking or
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: even listening to the child, reduced to crawling until she
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: finally collapsed. Clearing her throat, she said, I won't How
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: do you know, Madison demanded angrily. She could have lied,
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: but she didn't. I promise, I will do everything I
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: can to never leave you. That appused him somewhat, but
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: he pushed, but what if you do? Trying and failing
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: to keep her answer even Tilda responded, you go with
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: the enforcers. Madison's mouth fell open, his face one of
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: utter betrayal. Lynne looked shocked. Listen to me, Tilda instructed,
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: taking hold of his upper arms. Is not safe for
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: you to be out in the wilderness alone. She almost
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: fumbled at the word wilderness. But wasn't that what it was? Now?
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: Buildings are not. It was a dangerous, an abandoned world
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: in which they roamed. The enforcers. Won't hurt you? I'd
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: rather you be alive with them than alone and dead.
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: Madison stared at her, unmoving. But they want to take
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: me away from you. Gaining momentum, he expanded, they shot you.
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: I won't be there, She reminded him quietly. It's me
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: they want to hurt, not you. Why because you are
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: a child. I am the one that broke the law.
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: You have done nothing wrong. Petulantly, he argued, I've helped you.
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: It doesn't matter. You're a child. You didn't know any better,
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: she added mentally, But he struggled for words, his young
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: mind grappling with concepts that most adults couldn't come to
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: terms with. You were a child once. That brought a
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: tiny smile to tell his lips. I'm not anymore. I
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: can't go with them, he insisted, Yes you can, Tilda
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: told him firmly. All of this is to stay away
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: from them, He cried, Confused, everything I know, he crossed
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: his arms. Then why don't we just stay here or
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: let them catch us? If I'm supposed to go with
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: them anyway, if you're not around, because I am around,
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: Tilda said, patiently, And I don't plan on going anywhere.
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: I don't understand he admitted, with a shadow of shame.
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: They'll hurt me. They didn't care that I was sick.
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: They were stopping to get you medicine, Tilda said, in
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: a rough whisper. But they didn't care, he lowered his voice.
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: They didn't care that I need you. Tilda had no
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: comeback for that. She couldn't find words to make him understand,
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: and worse, she wasn't sure she wanted to. Was life
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: more important than happiness? Than mere question had her stomach churning.
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: It was, of course, there could be no happiness without life.
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: Madison's inability to grasp this was her own fault. She
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: had spent their entire lives keeping him from the enforcers
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: in a rejective way. It was one of the main
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: tenants of his life, a truth he'd learned and lived by,
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: a constant and one of the few. Hazel eyes stared
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: at her searchingly, as if right through her. I'll die,
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: he said, simply, factually, and his words cut right through her.
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: I'll die without you. The fight to maintain composure was
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: one Tilda was losing behind Madison. Lynne covered her mouth
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: with her hands, swallowing thickly and taking several studying breaths,
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: Tilda said, you can't think like that, but it's true.
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: Tilda side rallying, It's not you think like that now,
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: but you're stronger than you know. Madison looked away, tired
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: of the emotional conversation. Just don't die, okay. With a
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: shaky laugh, Tilda promised, I'll do my best. She reached out,
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: cupping his cheek, bending forward to place a kiss on
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: his forehead. The rain continued to fall, rivulet streaming down
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: the glass pane window, and darkness encroached, arriving quicker due
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: to the clouds of scaring the sky. Lynne spoke up
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: from behind them. Madison, you are more important than you
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: know to all of us. You need to do as
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: your mother says and stay safe above all else. Are
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: there more people like you out there? He asked, turning
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: to her. Yes, Lynne murmured, But we are spread far
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: out these days. Maybe I could find you again, he said,
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: hopeful and tearful. Tilda's heart clenched with a sad smile,
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: then said, I would like that very much, but don't
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: try to find me if it puts you in danger.
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: Chin wobbling, Madison nodded good Lynne patted his head. Now
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: she stood at knees popping. Would you like to pick
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: out a book to take with you? Rubbing his eyes,
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: Madison crawled over to the bookshelf, tracing his finger along
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: the spines. After some deliberation, he pulled out a medium
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: sized book. He held it up to Lynde, who took
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: it from him with a warm grin. I'll just pack
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: this up for you, all right, dear, okay, he said.
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: Lynne left and the waiting recommenced. Madison pulled another book
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: off the shelf and approached Tilda attentively. Will you read
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: to me? Of course? Tilda took the book and Madison
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: curled up next to her. The book opened with a crack,
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: pages yellowing, and she started to read, both of them
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: savoring this moment, the small oasis of normalcy, of safety,
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: before all too soon they were tossed back to his
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: sea of danger and the unknown. And that brings us
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: to the end of this part two of chapter eight
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: of Terminus. Since it was a longer chapter, I don't
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: really want to go into things too much. I did
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: want to say that, you know, there's kind of the
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: themes throughout of like doing anything for your child. There's
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: the line I'm nothing without him, which I was just
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: telling Samantha. It's kind of something in me was like
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: this this game The Last of Us is going to
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: come out later and they're gonna have the same lines.
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: It's gonna really change things. Be there for you. And also,
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: just like a lot of examples of trauma in this chapter,
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: this was a very kind of reflective chapter on trauma
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: and Madison being dependent on Tilda, Madison being like, oh
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: what would I do if I lost you? Until the
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: already showing that behavior. So we shall see where it
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: goes in the next chapter. But in the meantime, thanks
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: as always for coming along this journey with us. I
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: thinks as always to our superproducer Christina. If you would
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: like to find us, you can. You can email us
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: at Stephanie mom Stuff at iHeartMedia dot com. You can
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: find us on Twitter at momso podcast, or on Instagram
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: and TikTok at stuff I Ever Told You, or on YouTube. Yes.
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: Thanks as always too, superproducer Christina who makes this happen. Yes, amazing, Yes,
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: and thanks to you for listening stuff Whatever Told Protection?
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: I Hurt Radio for more podcast in My Heart radio.
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: You can check out that Hurt Radio, Apple podcast already
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.