Thunder Road and Other Stories

Book excerpt: From Thunder Road: I don’t know why we stared at that dead pterodactyl chick so long—there wasn’t anything particularly striking or even gross about it; there were no flies, for example, no maggots—just a couple of butterflies, one white and the other burnt orange, which matched the fading sunlight. Maybe it was our nonstop ride all the way from Biggs Junction near the Washington border to Multnomah Falls, which was closer to Portland (I mean, it’s a lot of work, peddling a BMX bicycle some 70-plus miles, even across level terrain). Or maybe it was how paper-thin the creature’s exsanguinous, oyster-white skin was, how almost translucent, or the way its little talons weren’t really talons at all but little hands, like a baby’s hands. All I remember for certain is how contemplative everyone seemed to get while looking down at it—how funereal; even elegiac—like we were saying goodbye to one of our own. All I remember for certain is something akin to holding vigil for a fellow traveler; which, in a very real sense, we were. “For him, the war is over,” I whispered—although I doubt anyone heard me over the crash and roar of the falls. “I wonder where Mom is …” “Not here, that’s for sure,” said Quint. “There are no nests.” I followed his gaze into the treetops and beyond, to the waterfall itself, which dashed and cascaded down the cliffs. “Weird. I mean—where the hell could it have come from?” “Maybe it came from up there,” said Jesse. “From the very top. There’s—there’s a platform up there, a wooden observation deck. We came here on a field trip once and hiked up to it. Be a good place to build a nest—real stable. And defensible.” I looked from one end of the concrete bridge—“Benson Bridge,” the sign had called it—which was closed off with cyclone fencing, to the other. “Speaking of which, this bridge looks pretty defensible—don’t you think?” I peered off the way we had come. “Only one side to protect; we can take turns standing watch … I mean, it may not be the Ritz but—what do you say?” We looked around and then at each other. “Hell, I’m in,” said Quint. “We can even build a fire and maybe eat something—something hot, I mean. It’ll be just like—it’ll be just like Camp Courage!” I couldn’t help but to notice he’d stopped short of saying “home,” and a quick glance at Jesse confirmed he’d noticed it too; although whether he’d done so because his own home life had sucked or because he’d understood—in that moment—that, because of the Flashback, we’d never see home again, I don’t know. “Sure, why not,” said Jesse. “We can heat up that beef stew, the one we were saving for Portland. We’re close enough.” He shrugged off his pack and spear and laid down his bike. “And besides, it’ll lighten my load.” He dug out the can of Dinty Moore stew and paused, looking at it. “Seems … almost wasteful, though … doesn’t it? I mean … you’d like to think, you’d like to think nothing was born … just to lay there and rot, you know?” We all turned to look at the bird. “Yeah,” said Quint. “I mean, it’s like God laid it out there just for us, and here we are wanting to eat something from a can.” I got off my bike and reached for my pocketknife—touched its smooth, imitation-wood handle. “We’re going to have to learn how to hunt eventually, I suppose. I mean—” “I already know how to hunt,” said Quint. “And to clean and dress a—” “I know how to do that, too.” He held out his hand for my knife—which I gave over to him: slowly, reluctantly. “And since both you pussies missed man-school; I guess I’ll be the one to have to show you.” Jesse looked at me and then back to Quint. “Let me guess. Because—attributes.” “Because—attributes,” said Quint, and got off his bike.