Parts Per Billion Page #6

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Listen.

That money...

gave Liza 15 more years of life.

It gave her Erik.

What if they use it, Esther?

What if they use it

and everybody dies?

Well, I think you're

going completely crazy.

I really do, you know.

You are not to blame for

everything in this world,

no matter how smart you are.

And I'll tell you something else.

I'm taking a little

offense at this.

I didn't marry a murderer.

I married the kindest,

gentlest,

most loving man

in the world.

I don't think you ever knew

just how much I love you.

I swear, it...

- Esther?

- Ow...!

- What is it, honey?

- Ow!

- Come on, Esther. Come on. Come.

- Oh. No.

- Come on, come with me.

- I'm fine. I just got excited.

Come on, come on. Let me take you.

I'll take you upstairs.

Okay, come on.

One, two, three.

- Here we go.

- Oh...!

Come on.

Come on.

I'm okay, really.

Well, whatever it is,

seven or eight days.

When we're done with the water...

and there's tangerine juice, too.

When we're done with

everything, then we go up.

Even though the radio

said eight days.

Maybe we ought to make it seven. But

what the f*** do they know, you know?

Air could be clear at six. Clear

enough, anyway, for me to go up

and get supplies and

come back down here.

- What?

- The last thing they said was...

"200 million dead in Europe."

So that's not everybody.

Nothing's gonna be left, Len.

We don't know that until we see.

Len, nothing's left.

The radio stopped.

There's no more planes

or helicopters.

When's the last time you heard

anything other than birds?

We'll stay down here

three more days.

And then...

- We'll drive to the marina.

- No.

We'll get a boat.

We'll go out on the lake.

And we'll keep going

until we find someone.

- I don't...

- What?

I don't wanna...

wade through a bunch of corpses

to go steal a boat

to go look at more corpses

lying on a bunch of docks.

Even...

even if we did make it, Len,

what are we supposed to do?

Do you really want

to play "Adam and Eve"?

Build it all back up so it all

just gets destroyed again?

Maybe people will learn.

It's like that guy who hit you for

trying to take care of his kid.

It's like that guy

I defended... great guy,

good father, always showing me

pictures of his grandson...

who helped invent the sh*t

that killed everyone.

People aren't going to learn.

It's something in us.

It's something in the

way that we're made.

Then at least...

we'll have more time.

At least we'll go out

on the water together.

We'll find a boat with

a nice, big cabin.

Come on.

Len?

That guy, Jay, from the law firm?

He fell in love with me.

I never did anything.

I never let him touch me.

But I...

you know, I...

I made him think, I guess...

that he had a shot at it.

- Why?

- It was just a way to...

Just a way to pass the time?

To feel better

about myself, I guess.

Why do you need to feel

better about yourself?

It wasn't about you.

It was just my curse.

Len.

Why are they gonna stay down

here like caged animals?

Or we're gonna go

upstairs tomorrow...

and lie down on the grass.

Breathe in...

and die...

when and where we choose.

We'll eat the chocolate bar

before we do it, okay?

Okay?

- Oh, my God.

- What? What?

Did you buy this weird soap?

What?

I seriously think

I've found my new religion.

Oh, yeah, that stuff.

Wait, have you read this?

No. I mean, the

writing's so tiny...

Wait a minute. Listen to this.

"Einstein, 1939.

After Nazis and Commies united,

proposes 'space bombs'

that destroys all unless we

finally teach the moral ABCs

the real Rabbi Hillel taught Jesus

to unite all in,

all one, God faith."

Did you find a pay phone?

I got some noodles.

Just gotta add water.

And some drinks.

And there's these things...

energy bars.

And napkins.

I couldn't find a pay phone. I don't

think they make them anymore.

What is this doing on a soap bottle?

And where did you get this?

I mean, it was at

the health food store.

- It was cheap.

- "We're all one or none.

There is no god but God.

Teach 'Love thy enemy.'

One Israel-Moses-

Buddha-Jesus-Mohammed.

- One! All one!"

- All one!

"Dilute! Dilute! Okay!"

How about the switchboard?

The hospital switchboard.

Or all of these houses and

apartments around here.

They've all got to have phones.

Esther...

he's gone.

Erik's gone.

Oh, look at this. Read this.

"For on God's spaceship, Earth"...

"With bomb and gun,

we're all one or none.

All one, all one, all one!

Exceptions eternally?

Absolutely none!"

"Absolutely none."

Oh, my God.

Why is the most inspiring

thing that I've ever read

sitting on a soap bottle?

"Dilute."

"Dilute! Dilute!"

"Dilute! Okay."

- You don't know that.

- It's just the way it is.

Because he could be

with any of his friends.

That's just it, honey.

You don't know it

for sure. You don't...

No! No!

Oh, oop!

No...

Oh, God, no.

Shh...

Okay, people. We're closing

down shop in two minutes.

You've got two minutes to get

your purchases up to the counter.

Okay?

That's it, man.

We gotta go. Come on.

250. Let's go.

- Come on.

- Yeah.

Um... f***.

- Hey. We're done, man.

- Let's go.

I-I gave all my money to...

here, just run this.

Yeah, okay, buddy.

That's it. We're outta here.

You're closing up shop.

Just... just...

you're not selling any more

of these anyway, right?

Don't be stupid, man. We ain't

giving them away, either.

I understand that. Just take this.

Here. That's all I got. It's all I got.

Get the f*** out of here.

Get the f*** out now.

- Hey.

- Hey! Put down the kit!

It's the end of the world, okay? Just

let me walk out of here with a chance.

Put down the kit.

What? The last thing you wanna

do on earth is shoot me?

This is how this sh*t

started, anyway.

Right? That's how it

started in the first...

- You ready?

- I'm fine.

Good. If you're fine,

the tests are gonna show it.

Anyway...

we haven't seen Dr.

Henderson for a long time.

- Come here.

- That's right.

And here I was,

trying to cheer you up.

Oh, yeah.

You remember when

we lived in Washington,

the Georgetown apartment?

Yes, I do.

We both got the flu

at the same time.

Yeah. And I took care of you first.

I ran out in the freezing cold,

went and got you a nice,

big bowl of hot soup.

- It was so cold.

- Yeah.

And I wrapped you up all

nice and cozy in a blanket.

Remember?

Then I turned the thermostat

up as high as it would go.

Then it was my turn to baby you.

Tucked you in real tight,

And I made you some of those

awful poached eggs you like.

Mm-hmm.

It's been a good life.

Yeah, I think so.

A good life.

Oh, I forgot to tell you.

What?

The best thing in the world.

I have something to tell you.

What...?

The best thing in the world.

We're going to have a baby.

We don't have to do this.

Whatever we said last night,

we don't have to do it.

Not today, anyway.

Mmm, mmm.

I regret every f***ing

diet I ever went on.

Mmm.

Come on.

Let's get out of here.

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