The long walk Read online

  This is it, this is it, this is it.

  A sudden insane urge to stop came to him. Just to see if they really meant business. He rejected the thought indignantly and a little fearfully.

  They came out of the shade and into the sun, the warm spring sun. It felt good. Garraty relaxed, put his hands in his pockets, and kept step with McVries. The group began to spread out, each person finding his own stride and speed. The halftrack clanked along the soft shoulder, throwing thin dust. The tiny radar dishes turned busily, monitoring each Walker's speed with a sophisticated on-board computer. Low speed cutoff was exactly four miles an hour.

  “Warning! Warning 88!”

  Garraty started and looked around. It was Stebbins. Stebbins was 88. Suddenly he was sure Stebbins was going to get his ticket right here, still in sight of the starting post.

  “Smart.” It was Olson.

  “What?” Garraty asked. He had to make a conscious effort to move his tongue.

  “The guy takes a warning while he's still fresh and gets an idea of where the limit is. And he can sluff it easy enough - you walk an hour without getting a fresh warning, you lose one of the old ones. You know that.”

  “Sure I know it,” Garraty said. It was in the rule book. They gave you three warnings. The fourth time you fell below four miles an hour you were... well, you were out of the Walk. But if you had three warnings and could manage to walk for three hours, you were back in the sun again.

  “So now he knows,” Olson said. “And at 10:02, he's in the clear again.”

  Garraty walked on at a good clip. He was feeling fine. The starting post dropped from sight as they breasted a hill and began descending into a long, pine-studded valley. Here and there were rectangular fields with the earth just freshly turned.

  “Potatoes, they tell me,” McVries said.

  “Best in the world,” Garraty answered automatically.

  “You from Maine?” Baker asked.

  “Yeah, downstate.” He looked up ahead. Several boys had drawn away from the main group, making perhaps six miles an hour. Two of them were wearing identical leather jackets, with what looked like eagles on the back. It was a temptation to speed up, but Garraty refused to be hurried. “Conserve energy whenever possible" - Hint 13.

  “Does the road go anywhere near your hometown?” McVries asked.

  “About seven miles to one side. I guess my mother and my girlfriend will come to see me.” He paused and added carefully: “If I'm still walking, of course.”

  “Hell, there won't be twenty-five gone when we get downstate,” Olson said.

  A silence fell among them at that. Garraty knew it wasn't so, and he thought Olson did, too.

  Two other boys received warnings, and in spite of what Olson had said, Garraty's heart lurched each time. He checked back on Stebbins. He was still at the rear, and eating another jelly sandwich. There was a third sandwich jutting from the pocket of his ragged green sweater. Garraty wondered if his mother had made them, and he thought of the cookies his own mother had given him - pressed on him, as if warding off evil spirits.

  “Why don't they let people watch the start of a Long Walk?” Garraty asked.

  “Spoils the Walkers' concentration,” a sharp voice said.

  Garraty turned his head. It was a small dark, intense-looking boy with the number 5 pressed to the collar of his jacket. Garraty couldn't remember his name. “Concentration?” he said.

  “Yes.” The boy moved up beside Garraty. “The Major has said it is very important to concentrate on calmness at the beginning of a Long Walk.” He pressed his thumb reflectively against the end of his rather sharp nose. There was a bright red pimple there. “I agree. Excitement, crowds, TV later. Right now all we need to do is focus.” He stared at Garraty with his hooded dark brown eyes and said it again. “Focus.”

  “All I'm focusing on is pickin' 'em up and layin' 'em down,” Olson said.

  5 looked insulted. “You have to pace yourself. You have to focus on yourself. You have to have a Plan. I'm Gary Barkovitch, by the way. My home is Washington, D.C.”

  “I'm John Carter,” Olson said. “My home is Barsoom, Mars.”

  Barkovitch curled his lip in contempt and dropped back.

  “There's one cuckoo in every clock, I guess,” Olson said.

  But Garraty thought Barkovitch was thinking pretty clearly - at least until one of the guards called out “Warning! Warning 5!” about five minutes later.

  “I've got a stone in my shoe!” Barkovitch said waspishly.

  The soldier didn't reply. He dropped off the halftrack and stood on the shoulder of the road opposite Barkovitch. In his hand he held a stainless steel chronometer just like the Major's. Barkovitch stopped completely and took off his shoe. He shook a tiny pebble out of it. Dark, intense, his olive-sallow face shiny with sweat, he paid no attention when the soldier called out, “Second warning, 5.” Instead, he smoothed his sock carefully over the arch of his foot.

  “Oh-oh,” Olson said. They had all turned around and were walking backward.

  Stebbins, still at the tag end, walked past Barkovitch without looking at him. Now Barkovitch was all alone, slightly to the right of the white line, retying his shoe.

  “Third warning, 5. Final warning.”

  There was something in Garraty's belly that felt like a sticky ball of mucus. He didn't want to look, but he couldn't look away. He wasn't conserving energy whenever possible by walking backward, but he couldn't help that, either. He could almost feel Barkovitch's seconds shriveling away to nothing.

  “Oh, boy,” Olson said. “That dumb shit, he's gonna get his ticket.”

  But then Barkovitch was up. He paused to brush some road dirt from the knees of his pants. Then he broke into a trot, caught up with the group, and settled back into his walking pace. He passed Stebbins, who still didn't look at him, and caught up with Olson.

  He grinned, brown eyes glittering. “See? I just got myself a rest. It's all in my Plan.”

  “Maybe you think so,” Olson said, his voice higher than usual. “All I see that you got is three warnings. For your lousy minute and a half you got to walk three... fucking... hours. And why in hell did you need a rest? We just started, for Chrissake!”

  Barkovitch looked insulted. His eyes burned at Olson. “We'll see who gets his ticket first, you or me,” he said. “It's all in my Plan.”

  “Your Plan and the stuff that comes out of my asshole bear a suspicious resemblance to each other,” Olson said, and Baker chuckled.

  With a snort, Barkovitch strode past them.

  Olson couldn't resist a parting shot. “Just don't stumble, buddy. They don't warn you again. They just...”

  Barkovitch didn't even look back and Olson gave up, disgusted.

  At thirteen past nine by Garraty's watch (he had taken the trouble to set it back the one minute), the Major's jeep breasted the hill they had just started down. He came past them on the shoulder opposite the pacing halftrack and raised a battery-powered loudhailer to his lips.

  “I'm pleased to announce that you have finished the first mile of your journey, boys. I'd also like to remind you that the longest distance a full complement of Walkers has ever covered is seven and three-quarters miles. I'm hoping you'll better that.”

  The jeep spurted ahead. Olson appeared to be considering this news with startled, even fearful, wonder. Not even eight miles, Garraty thought. It wasn't nearly as far as he would have guessed. He hadn't expected anyone - not even Stebbins to get a ticket until late afternoon at least. He thought of Barkovitch. All he had to do was fall below speed once in the next hour.

  “Ray?” It was Art Baker. He had taken off his coat and slung it over one arm. “Any particular reason you came on the Long Walk?”

  Garraty unclipped his canteen and had a quick swallow of water. It was cool and good. It left beads of moisture on his upper lip and he licked them off. It was good, good to feel things like that.

  “I don't really know,” he said truthful
ly.

  “Me either.” Baker thought for a moment. “Did you go out for track or anything? In school?”

  “Me either. But I guess it don't matter, does it? Not now.”

  “No, not now,” Garraty asked.

  Conversation lulled. They passed through a small village with a country store and a gas station. Two old men sat on folding lawn-chairs outside the gas station, watching them with hooded and reptilian old men's eyes. On the steps of the country store, a young woman held up her tiny son so he could see them. And a couple of older kids, around twelve, Garraty judged, watched them out of sight wistfully.

  Some of the boys began to speculate about how much ground they had covered. The word came back that a second pacer halftrack had been dispatched to cover the half a dozen boys in the vanguard... they were now completely out of sight. Someone said they were doing seven miles an hour. Someone else said it was ten. Someone told them authoritatively that a guy up ahead was flagging and had been warned twice. Garraty wondered why they weren't catching up to him if that was true.

  Olson finished the Waifa chocolate bar he had started back at the border and drank some water. Some of the others were also eating, but Garraty decided to wait until he was really hungry. He had heard the concentrates were quite good. The astronauts got them when they went into space.

  A little after ten o'clock, they passed a sign that said LIMESTONE 10 MI. Garraty thought about the only Long Walk his father had ever let him go to. They went to Freeport and watched them walk through. His mother had been with them. The Walkers were tired and hollow-eyed and barely conscious of the cheering and the waving signs and the constant hoorah as people cheered on their favorites and those on whom they had wagered. His father told him later that day that people lined the roads from Bangor on. Up-country it wasn't so interesting, and the road was strictly cordoned off - maybe so they could concentrate on being calm, as Barkovitch had said. But as time passed, it got better, of course.

  When the Walkers passed through Freeport that year they had been on the road over seventy two hours. Garraty had been ten and overwhelmed by everything. The Major had made a speech to the crowd while the boys were still five miles out of town. He began with Competition, progressed to Patriotism, and finished with something called the Gross National Product - Garraty had laughed at that, because to him gross meant something nasty, like boogers. He had eaten six hotdogs and when he finally saw the Walkers coming he had wet his pants.

  One boy had been screaming. That was his most vivid memory. Every time he put his foot down he had screamed: I can't. I CAN'T. I can't. I CAN'T. But he went on walking. They all did, and pretty soon the last of them had gone past L. L. Bean's on U.S. 1 and out of sight. Garraty had been mildly disappointed at not seeing anyone get a ticket. They had never gone to another Long Walk. Later that night Garraty had heard his father shouting thickly at someone into the telephone, the way he did when he was being drunk or political, and his mother in the background, her conspiratorial whisper, begging him to stop, please stop, before someone picked up the party line.

  Garraty drank some more water and wondered how Barkovitch was making it.

  They were passing more houses now. Families sat out on their front lawns, smiling, waving, drinking Coca-Colas.

  “Garraty,” McVries said. “My, my, look what you got.”

  A pretty girl of about sixteen in a white blouse and red-checked pedal pushers was holding up a big Magic Marker sign:

  GO-GO-GARRATY NUMBER 47 We Love You Ray “Maine's Own.”

  Garraty felt his heart swell. He suddenly knew he was going to win. The unnamed girl proved it.

  Olson whistled wetly, and began to slide his stiff index finger rapidly in and out of his loosely curled fist. Garraty thought that was a pretty goddam sick thing to be doing.

  To hell with Hint 13. Garraty ran over to the side of the road. The girl saw his number and squealed. She threw herself at him and kissed him hard. Garraty was suddenly, sweatily aroused. He kissed back vigorously. The girl poked her tongue into his mouth twice, delicately. Hardly aware of what he was doing, he put one hand on a round buttock and squeezed gently.

  “Warning! Warning 47!”

  Garraty stepped back and grinned. “Thanks.”

  “Oh... oh... oh sure!” Her eyes were starry.

  He tried to think of something else to say, but he could see the soldier opening his mouth to give him the second warning. He trotted back to his place, panting a little and grinning. He felt a little guilty after Hint 13 just the same, though.

  Olson was also grinning. “For that I would have taken three warnings.”

  Garraty didn't answer, but he turned around and walked backward and waved to the girl. When she was out of sight he turned around and began to walk firmly. An hour before his warning would be gone. He must be careful not to get another one. But he felt good. He felt fit. He felt like he could walk all the way to Florida. He started to walk faster.

  “Ray.” McVries was still smiling. “What's your hurry?”

  Yeah, that was right. Hint 6: Slow and easy does it. “Thanks.”

  McVries went on smiling. “Don't thank me too much. I'm out to win, too.”

  Garraty stared at him, disconcerted.

  “I mean, let's not put this on a Three Musketeers basis. I like you and it's obvious you're a big hit with the pretty girls. But if you fall over, I won't pick you up.”

  “Yeah.” He smiled back, but his smile felt lame.

  “On the other hand,” Baker drawled softly, “we're all in this together and we might as well keep each other amused.”

  McVries smiled. “Why not?”

  They came to an upslope and saved their breath for walking. Halfway up, Garraty took off his jacket and slung it over his shoulder. A few moments later they passed someone's discarded sweater lying on the road. Someone, Garraty thought, is going to wish they had that tonight. Up ahead, a couple of the point Walkers were losing ground.

  Garraty concentrated on picking them up and putting them down. He still felt good. He felt strong.

  CHAPTER 2

  “Now you have the money, Ellen and that's yours to keep. Unless, of course, you'd like to trade it for what's behind the curtain.”

  —Monty Hall. Let's Make a Deal

  “I'm Harkness. Number 49. You're Garraty. Number 47. Right?”

  Garraty looked at Harkness, who wore glasses and had a crewcut. Harkness's face was red and sweaty. “That's right.”

  Harkness had a notebook. He wrote Garraty's name and number in it. The script was strange and jerky, bumping up and down as he walked. He ran into a fellow named Collie Parker who told him to watch where the fuck he was going. Garraty suppressed a smile.

  “I'm taking down everyone's name and number,” Harkness said. When he looked up, the midmorning sun sparkled on the lenses of his glasses, and Garraty had to squint to see his face. It was 10:30, and they were 8 miles out of Limestone, and they had only 1.75 miles to go to beat the record of the farthest distance traveled by a complete Long Walk group.

  “I suppose you're wondering why I'm writing down everyone's name and number,” Harkness said.

  “You're with the Squads,” Olson cracked over his shoulder.

  “No, I'm going to write a book,” Harkness said pleasantly. “When this is all over, I'm going to write a book.”

  Garraty grinned. “If you win you're going to write a book, you mean.”

  Harkness shrugged. “Yes, I suppose. But look at this: a book about the Long Walk from an insider's point of view could make me a rich man.”

  McVries burst out laughing. “If you win, you won't need a book to make you a rich man, will you?”

  Harkness frowned. “Well... I suppose not. But it would still make one heck of an interesting book, I think.”

  They walked on, and Harkness continued taking names and numbers. Most gave them willingly enough, joshing him about the great book.

  Now they had come six miles. The word came back t
hat it looked good for breaking the record. Garraty speculated briefly on why they should want to break the record anyhow. The quicker the competition dropped out, the better the odds became for those remaining. He supposed it was a matter of pride. The word also came back that thundershowers were forecast for the afternoon-someone had a transistor radio, Garraty supposed. If it was true, it was bad news. Early May thundershowers weren't the warmest.

  They kept walking.

  McVries walked firmly, keeping his head up and swinging his arms slightly. He had tried the shoulder, but fighting the loose soil there had made him give it up. He hadn't been warned, and if the knapsack was giving him any trouble or chafing, he showed no sign. His eyes were always searching the horizon. When they passed small clusters of people, he waved and smiled his thin-lipped smile. He showed no signs of tiring.

  Baker ambled along, moving in a kind of knee-bent shuffle that seemed to cover the ground when you weren't looking. He swung his coat idly, smiled at the pointing people, and sometimes whistled a low snatch of some tune or other. Garraty thought he looked like he could go on forever.

  Olson wasn't talking so much anymore, and every few moments he would bend one knee swiftly. Each time Garraty could hear the joint pop. Olson was stiffening up a little, Garraty thought, beginning to show six miles of walking. Garraty judged that one of his canteens must be almost empty. Olson would have to pee before too long.

  Barkovitch kept up the same jerky pace, now ahead of the main group as if to catch up with the vanguard Walkers, now dropping back toward Stebbins's position on drag. He lost one of his three warnings and gained it back five minutes later. Garraty decided he must like it there on the edge of nothing.

  Stebbins just kept on walking off by himself. Garraty hadn't seen him speak to anybody. He wondered if Stebbins was lonely or tired. He still thought Stebbins would fold up early-maybe first-although he didn't know why he thought so. Stebbins had taken off the old green sweater, and he carried the last jelly sandwich in his hand. He looked at no one. His face was a mask.