More Than Human

‘Walking. I had to think. Then… I waited outside. I was afraid you might – you know. I wanted to follow you, be with you. I thought I might help… You really are all right?

‘Oh sure. And I’m not going anywhere without talking to you first. But about the other thing – I hope she’s all right.’

‘What?’

‘I guess she got a worse shock than I did. I wish you’d told me you had somebody in there with you. I wouldn’t’ve barged – ‘

‘Hip, what are you talking about? What happened?’

‘Oh!’ he said. ‘Omigosh. You came straight here – you haven’t been in your room yet.’

‘No. What on earth are you – ’

He said, actually blushing, ‘I wish she’d told you about it rather than me. Well, I suddenly had to see you, but bad. So I steamed across the hall and charged in, never dreaming there would be anyone but you there, and here I am halfway across the room before I could even stop, and there stood this friend of yours.’

‘Who? Hip, for heaven’s sake – ’

‘The woman. Had to be someone you know, Janie. Burglars aren’t likely to prance around naked.’

Janie put a slow hand up to her mouth.

‘A coloured woman. Girl. Young.’

‘Did she… what did she…’

‘I don’t know what she did. I didn’t get but a flash glimpse of her – if that’s any comfort to her. I hightailed right out of there. Aw, Janie, I’m sorry. I know it’s sort of embarrassing, but it can’t be that bad. Janie!’ he cried in alarm.

‘He’s found us… We’ve got to get out of here,’ she whispered. Her lips were nearly white; she was shaking. ‘Come on, oh, come on!’

‘Now wait! Janie, I got to talk to you. I – ‘

She whirled on him like a fighting animal. She spoke with such intensity that her words blurred. ‘Don’t talk! Don’t ask me. I can’t tell you; you wouldn’t understand. Just get out of here, get away.’ With astonishing power her hand closed on his arm and pulled. He took two running steps or he would have been flat on the floor. She was at the door, opening it, as he took the second step, and she took the slack of his shirt in her free hand, pulled him through, pushed him down the hall towards the outer exit. He caught himself against the doorpost; surprise and anger exploded together within him and built an instant of mighty stubbornness. No single word she might have uttered could have moved him; braced and on guard as he was, not even her unexpected strength could have done anything but cause him to strike back. But she said nothing nor did she touch him; she ran past, white and whimpering in terror, and bounded down the steps outside.

He did the only thing his body would do, without analysis or conscious decision. He found himself outside, running a little behind her. ‘Janie…’

‘Taxi!’ she screamed.

The cab had barely begun to slow down when she had the door open. Hip fell in after her. ‘Go on,’ said Janie to the driver and knelt on the seat to peer through the rear window.

‘Go where?’ gasped the driver.

‘Just go. Hurry.’

Hip joined her at the window. All he could see was the dwindling house front, one or two gaping pedestrians.’ What was it? What happened?’

She simply shook her head.

‘What was it?’ he insisted. ‘The place going to explode or something?’

Again she shook her head. She turned away from the window and cowered into the corner. Her white teeth scraped and scraped at the back of her hand. He reached out and gently put it down. She let him.

Twice more he spoke to her, but she would not answer except to acknowledge it, and that only by turning her face slightly away from him each time. He subsided at last, sat back and watched her.

Just outside of town where the highway forks, the driver asked timidly, ‘Which way?’ and it was Hip who said, ‘Left.’ Janie came out of herself enough to give him a swift, grateful glance and sank out of sight behind her face.

At length there was a difference in her, in some inexplicable way, though she still sat numbly staring at nothing. He said quietly, ‘Better?’

She put her eyes on him and, appreciably later, her vision. A rueful smile plucked at the corners of her mouth. ‘Not worse anyway.’

‘Scared,’ he said.

She nodded. ‘Me too,’ he said, his face frozen. She put her hand on his arm. ‘Oh Hip, I’m sorry; I’m more sorry than I can say. I didn’t expect this – not so soon. And I’m afraid there isn’t anything I can do about it now.’

‘Why?’

‘I can’t tell you.’

‘You can’t tell me? Or you can’t tell me yet?’

She said, carefully, ‘I told you what you’d have to do -go back and back; find all the places you’ve been and the things that happened, right to the beginning. You can do it, given time.’ The terror was in her face again and turned to a sadness. ‘But there isn’t any more time.’