Tanner nodded.

"How big are those clubs?"

"I don't know for sure but the Kings are the biggest.They've got a coupla hundred."

"What was your club?"

"The Studs."

"What are you going to do now?'*

"Whatever you tell me."

"Okay, Corny, I'll let you off anywhere along the waythat you want me to. If you don't want, you can come oninto the city with me."

"You call it. Hell. Anywhere you want to go, I'll goalong."

Her voice was deep, and her words came slowly, andher tone sandpapered his eardrums just a bit. She hadlong legs and heavy thighs beneath the tight denim.Tanner licked his lips and studied the screens. Did he wantto keep her around for awhile?

The road was suddenly wet. It was covered with hundreds of fish, and more were falling from the sky. Therefollowed several loud reports from overhead. The bluelight began in the north.

Tanner raced on, and suddenly there was water allabout him. It fell upon his car, it dimmed his screens.The sky had grown black again, and the banshee wailsounded above him.

He skidded around a sharp curve in the road. Heturned up his lights.

The rain ceased, but the wailing continued. He ran forfifteen minutes before it built up into a roar.

The girl stared at the screens and occasionally glancedat Tanner.

"What*re you going to do?*' she finally asked him,

"Outrun it, if I can," he said.

"It's dark for as far ahead as I can see. I don't thinkyou can do it."

"Neither do I, but what does that leave?"

"Hole up someplace."

"If you know where, you show me."

"There's a place a few miles further ahead—a bridgeyou can get under,"

"Okay, that's for us. Sing out when you see it."

She pulled off her boots and rubbed her feet. He gaveher another cigarette.

"Hey, Corny—I just thought—there's a medicine chestover there to your right. Yeah, that's it. It should havesome damn kind of salve in it you can smear on yourface to take the bite out."

She found a tube of something and nibbed some of itinto her cheek, smiled slightly and replaced it.

"Feel any better?"

"Yes. Thanks."

The stones began to fall, the blue to spread. The skypulsed, grew brighter.

"I don't like the looks of this one."

"I don't like the looks of any of them."

"It seems there's been an awful lot this past week."

"Yeah. I've heard it said maybe the winds are dyingdown—that the sky might be purging itself."

"That'd be nice," said Tanner.

"Then we might be able to see it the way it used tolook—blue all the time, and with clouds. You know aboutclouds."

"I heard about them."

"White, puffy things that just sort of drift across—sometimes gray. They don't drop anything except rain,and not always that."

"Yeah, I know.""You ever see any out in L.A.?"

"No."

The yellow streaks began, and the black lines writhedlike snakes. The stonefall rattled heavily upon the roofand the hood. More water began to fall, and a fog roseup. Tanner was forced to slow, and then it seemed as ifsledgehammers beat upon the car.

"We won't make it," she said.

"The hell you say. This thing's built to take it—andwhat's that off in the distance?"

"The bridge!" she said, moving forward. "That's itiPull off the road to the left and go down. That's a dryriverbed beneath."

Then the lightning began to fall. It flamed, flashedabout them. They passed a burning tree, and there werestill fishes in the roadway.

Tanner turned left as he approached the bridge. Heslowed to a crawl and made his way over the shoulderand down the slick, muddy grade.

When he hit the damp riverbed he turned right. Henosed it in under the bridge, and they were all alone there.Some waters trickled past them, and the lightning continued to flash. The sky was a shifting kaleidoscope andconstant came the thunder. He could hear a sound likehail on the bridge above them.

"We're safe," he said and killed the engine.

"Are the doors locked?"

They do it automatically."

Tanner turned off the outside lights.

"Wish I could buy you a drink, besides coffee."

"Coffee'd be good, just right,"

"Okay, it's on the way," and he cleaned out the potand filled it and plugged it in.

They sat there and smoked as the storm raged, and hesaid, "You know, it's a kind of nice feeling being all snugas a rat in a hole while everything goes to hell outside.Listen to that bastard come down! And we couldn't careless."

"I suppose so,*' she said. "What're you going to do after you make it to Boston?"

"Oh, I don't know... . Maybe get a job, scrape upsome loot, and maybe open a bike shop or a garage.Either one'd be nice."

"Sounds good. You going to ride much yourself?""You bet. I don't suppose they have any good clubs intown?"

"No. They're all roadrunners."

"Thought so. Maybe I'll organize my own."

He reached out and touched her hand, then squeezedit.

"I can buy you a drink."

"What do you mean?"

She drew a plastic flask from the right side pocket ofher Jacket. She uncapped it and passed it to him.

"Here."

He took a mouthful and gulped it, coughed, took asecond, then handed it back.

"Great! You're a woman of unsuspected potential andlike that. Thanks."

"Don't mention it." She took a drink herself and setthe flask on the dash.

"Cigarette?"

"Just a minute."

He lit two. passed her one.

There you are. Corny."

"Thankh I'd like to help you finish this run."

"How come?"

"I got nothing else to do. My crowd's all gone away,and I've got nobody else to run with now. Also, if youmake it, you'll be a big man. Like capital letters. Thinkyou might keep me around after that?"

"Mavbe What are you like?"

"Oh, I'm real nice. I'll even rub your shoulders for youwhen they're sore."

"They're sore now."

"I thought so. Give me a lean."

He bent toward her, and she began to rub his shoulders. Her hands were quick and strong.

"You do that good, girL"

"Thanks."

He straightened up, leaned back. Then he reachedout, took the flask and had another drink. She took asmall sip when be passed it to her.

The furieil rode about them. but the bridge above stoodthe siege. Tanner turned off the lights.

"Let's make it," he said, and he seized her and drewher to him.

She did not resist him, and he found her belt buckleand unfastened it. Then he started on the buttons. Afterawhile, he reclined her seat.

"Will you keep me?" she asked him.

"Sure."

"I'll help you. I'll do anything you say to get youthrough."

"Great."

"After all, if Boston goes, then we go, too."

"You bet."

Then they didn't say much more.

There was violence in the skies, and after that camedarkness and quiet.

XV

When Tanner awoke, it was morning and the storm hadceased. He repaired himself to the rear of the vehicleand after that assumed the driver's seat once more, Cornelia did not awaken as he gunned the engine tolife and started up the weed-infested slope of the hillside.

The sky was light once more, and the road was strewnwith rubble. Tanner wove along it, heading toward thepale sun, and after awhile Cornelia stretched.

"Ugh," she said, and Tanner agreed. "My shoulders arebetter now." he told her.

"Good," and Tanner headed up a hill, slowly as theday dimmed and one huge black line became the Devil'shighway down the middle of the sky.

As he drove through a wooded valley, the rain beganto fall. The girl had returned from the rear of the vehicle and was preparing breakfast when Tanner sawthe tiny dot on the horizon, switched over to his telescopelenses and tried to outrun what he saw.

Cornelia looked up.

There were bikes, bikes and more bikes on their traiL