by R. J. Wolf
Anthony longed for a cold shower and warm bed and dreamed of the day when he’d finally have them. His keen desire for comfort was about the only thing that kept him moving. He’d almost forgotten why they were on this journey to begin with.
They moved like tiny ants across the orange colored dirt in a single file line, just specs of life in a never ending void. It was obvious this area hadn’t seen rain in decades, the hardened soil crumbled beneath their feet.
“How much further?” Steve whined.
No one responded as they were all focused on willing their bodies forward. The wind blasted sand against their faces and made it near impossible to see where they were headed. Mit lead the pack still dragging his feet along like a zombie. Steve brought up the rear and they’d have to stop every so often to let him catch up.
As they neared the wide sweeping mountains of Utah, Anthony picked a small clearing and demanded they rest for the night. Although he was now walking without help, his knee still burned and he didn’t want to push it any further. Mikey agreed and they started preparing their usual accommodations.
Mit took a seat and stared ahead to the mountains. He sighed and turned to Anthony. “You know we have to climb up there.”
Anthony followed Mit’s eyes to a steep incline about half a mile way. It ran upwards nearly two hundred feet and then leveled off into a plateau.
“Yeah but we’ll save that for tomorrow,” he said as he lay back onto his rolled up jacket.
The night was long and frigid. The mountains blocked most of the wind, but the night air was stale and cold. The moon lit up the landscape like a spotlight making it almost impossible to sleep. Anthony shivered in his tent throughout the night. He lay wrapped up like a burrito listening to the strange howls and shrieks of nature.
As he tried to block out the annoying sounds, he heard something scuffling across the rocks. He sat up, his ears straining to catch every noise.
“Anthony.” Mikey whispered.
Anthony thought for a minute and then lay back down. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts and wasn’t in the mood for planning their next step or whatever Mikey would be up to that night.
He called his name again and waited. When there was no response Mikey crawled over to Steve’s tent and poked his head in. Anthony could hear them whispering in the dark. He sat up again trying to make out what they were saying.
“Thought he’d have a better plan,” Mikey whispered. “He’s gonna get us all killed dude.”
“I just thought he knew where he was going. I’m scared.” Steve replied.
Anthony shook his head and rolled over. He’d heard enough and he knew how they were feeling anyway. It was his fault and at the rate he was going it was a miracle any of them were still alive.
He felt ashamed of himself. His friends saw him as some kind of hero, or maybe a freak of nature. He had wings and he could see in the dark, but none of that kept Sticks alive. None of it kept Maxey safe. For all he knew his parents were dead too.
He felt like the harbinger of death. No one around him was safe. Maybe he should just sneak off into the night. He was really the problem and with him gone, his friends and family would be safe.
Gritting his teeth, Anthony squeezed his hands together and banged them on the floor. He took a deep breath and grunted. Deep down he knew he had to press on. He needed answers and if he quit now everything would’ve been in vain.
Still fuming, he closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep. Hours passed with him staring at the top of his tent, replaying Mikey’s words. He wasn’t sure when he actually fell asleep, but he woke up the next morning to the sound of Mit screaming at everyone.
“Up! Up, up, up! It’s time to move.”
“Dude, it’s like five in the morning.” Mikey growled.
“Yeah and unless you wanna bake, we need to get moving now.”
Begrudgingly everyone packed up and got ready to move. Anthony kept to himself, which wasn’t out of the ordinary since he had never been a morning person. Mit seemed to be the only one that was actually finding any joy in being outdoors.
“Off we go.” Mit smiled as he trotted off to meet destiny.
Anthony made his way across the rocks alone, his eyes focused on the looming plateau ahead. Mikey hadn’t spoken to him all day and was now in the back chatting with Steve. Mit was several yards ahead of them yelling for them to hurry up.
Anthony glanced back at Mikey. He waved and gave a half-hearted smile. Anthony grinned and then mumbled under his breath. Between last night and now Anthony found himself hating Mikey, despising the very sight of him.
“Guys hurry up!” Mit yelled back for them.
Anthony hopped across the last few rocks and stopped next to Mit. He was standing next to the base of the plateau, unraveling climbing ropes he took from his bag.
“What are we doing with those?” Anthony asked and raised an eyebrow
“Climbing.” Mit responded impatiently.
“Yeah, I can see that, but none of us has the slightest clue how to do it.”
“Can’t be that hard,” Mit smiled back at him. “I saw it once on Fear Factor.”
Minutes later, Steve and Mikey showed up and dropped their bags. Steve took a deep breath and put his hand on his knees.
“Nice of you guys to make it.” Anthony sneered at them.
Mikey ignored him and grabbed one of the ropes from Mit. He lassoed it around his waist and tugged it tight.
“Why don’t you just fly up there?” Mikey snapped. “Oh wait, you can’t.”
Anthony stepped towards him and shoved him in the chest. “What’s your problem with me?”
“What’s your problem with me?” Mikey spat back.
“I heard you talking to Steve. I know you think I’m gonna get everybody killed, or I should have all the answers or something.” Anthony pressed forward his eyes fixed on Mikey.
Mikey took a deep breath and stared at the ground. “It’s not that, I just thought… I just thought by now you’d be able to control yourself better. You have us out here following you around and you can’t do a thing. Half of the time we had to carry you. What are you waiting for, all of us to die?”
Anthony squinted at him. He clenched his jaw and rolled his hands into fists, squeezing them tight.
“You think I want this? You don’t think I wish I could control my wings, control myself? I wish I was a normal kid again, but I’m not. You knew that so don’t look at me like I forced you to come.”
Mit stepped in between them and shoved a rope into Anthony’s hands.
“We gotta move, you girls can settle this later.”
Anthony glared at Mikey for a moment longer then turned and looked up at the menacing wall of rock. Sighing he tied the rope around his waist. “Alright, what’s next?” He asked Mit.
“Follow me.” Mit grinned.
One by one they slowly made their way up the steep incline toward the top of the plateau. Hand over hand just like Mit had instructed them. They were all tied to one main rope with anchors punched into the rock along the way.
Anthony felt like he’d been climbing for hours. Steve scampered up the wall above him, kicking rocks and debris into his face. The rope twisted and swayed as Steve struggled to find his footing. Anthony expected him to fall at any moment, but somehow he made it up the wall and onto the plateau.
The sun burned bright against the rocks, cooking the desert like a sauna. The temperature went from twenty to ninety degrees in a matter of hours. The air was so hot you could literally see the heat vapors dancing around.
The top of the plateau was mostly barren rocks and orange dirt that went on forever. Mit gazed off into the desert abyss as the others slowly made it over the top.
“Thirty miles,” he shouted back as they got to their feet.
Anthony rolled his rope up and stowed it into his bag. Mikey was a few feet away doing the same. Mit walked off to get a better view as he dug into his pack.
“Steve,
look what I found.” He yelled back and held up a Twinkie.
Steve was lying flat on his back gasping for air. He rolled sideways and glanced at Mit.
“Oh!” Steve grumbled before rolling to his feet and running off after him.
Mikey laughed and then looked over to Anthony. “I didn’t mean it you know. That stuff I said to Steve. I was just scared, scared and upset.”
Anthony smiled at him. “Yeah, I know.”
“Seriously I mean you saved our lives back there. If you hadn’t come back for me in the woods…” His voice trailed off. “I was just talking crazy.”
“It’s okay, let’s just forget about it.” Anthony said as he patted Mikey on the back. Mikey smiled and let out a deep breath.
“Alright, let’s go catch Steve before he eats Mit.” Anthony laughed.
They walked for another two hours without stopping. It was a never ending range of jagged rocks and sparse landscape. The clumpy orange dirt clung to their shoes like mud; the wind whipped it into their eyes and sprayed their faces.
Anthony moved his feet forward unconsciously, in his head he was back at home sleeping. There was no point in quitting though, no reason to go back. Whether he looked in front of him or behind him, it all looked the same. It was just an empty canvas eager to claim their lives.
“We’re gonna stop here.” Mit yelled back to them.
“Hallelujah!” Mikey screamed.
Mit found a small area that was clear of rocks and dropped his pack. Anthony collapsed next to him and started digging through his bag for food. He was now down to two strips of beef jerky and a smashed Twinkie. He grabbed the Twinkie and ripped it open, inhaling it in one bite.
“Hey!” Steve called from behind him. “You never heard of sharing?”
Mikey threw his bag down and took a seat on the rock. He grinned at Steve and they both laughed.
“So what’s for dinner today chef?” Mikey looked to Mit.
Mit had already started working on a fire and was taking pots out of his bag. “Eh, some kind of soup. Things are looking pretty sparse these days. Steve might make it out of here with a six pack.”
“Not if I can help it.” Steve smirked.
Sitting around Mit’s fire they watched the sun dip behind the mountains. Anthony groaned as he stretched his aching legs and propped up his knee.
“Dinner is served.” Mit announced as he slopped broth and potatoes into small metal bowls.
Mikey took his and sipped the boiling liquid slowly. “Wonder what they’re doing at school?” He asked.
Anthony forgot all about the civilization they left. He hadn’t thought about school or home, or his parents. He hadn’t even thought about Nickie. They only spent a short time together, but he was certain she was the one. Shame he thought, he’d probably never see her again.
Anthony looked to Mikey and smiled. “They’re probably listening to Mr. Douglas lecture on my restroom problems.”
Mikey laughed and took a sip of water from his canteen. “Yeah…they probably are.” He looked off into the distance.
The red dirt of the canyons glowed an awkward haze under the moonlight. A light wind had picked up and the sound of animals moving about echoed in the distance.
“Seems like that was a different life.” Mikey said.
“Yeah, we’ll get back though. I’m sure we will.” Anthony tried to reassure him.
For the rest of the night they sat laughing about school and making fun of their old teachers. It was the first night in a long time that Anthony felt normal.
The next morning they headed out early, beating even the smallest shimmer of light. They wanted to cover as much ground as they could before the sun started to bake the ground. The air was frigid and stale and a light wind blew gently across the ridge. Anthony shivered beneath his parka and tightened the hood over his head.
No one said a word as they trudged forward in darkness. Steve seemed to still be sleeping as he stumbled off in random directions.
“Whoa! You’re gonna get yourself killed.” Mit said as he steered him back on course.
By mid-afternoon they came to a rickety bridge that spanned a gorge. The gorge seemed to have no bottom and a whistle of foul wind erupted from the top. Anthony looked out over the empty void, wishing he could just fly across. Bits of rust colored dirt drifted off the side crumbling under Anthony’s shoe.
The bridge was made up of tattered rope and decaying wood. Some of the floor boards had fallen off leaving two foot gaps across parts. It rocked wildly side to side in the wind, threatening to flip over.
“We’re gonna cross that?” Steve looked down into the hole in fear.
“It’s not that bad.” Mit tried to reassure him.
The bridge was narrow, no more than a foot and a half wide. Only one person could cross it at a time.
“So who’s going first?” Mikey finally asked the question on everyone mind.
“I’m not!” Steve quickly blurted out.
“Alright then, rock, paper, scissors to decide.” Mit threw up his fist.
Mikey sneered at him as Steve shook his head. Reluctantly, they formed a circle.
“On three.” Mit commanded.
They played over and over until only Anthony and Mit were left. Mikey and Steve sat back, happy that they wouldn’t be first on the death mission.
“You ready?” Anthony asked nervously.
Three pumps of the fist and Anthony smiled with his hand still held tightly in a ball. Mit sighed heavily as Anthony banged his hand over his two scissor shaped fingers.
“Guess it’s me then.” Mit said calmly.
He swallowed hard and gazed out over the fifty foot wide chasm. He slowly edged closer gripping the tattered rope as the bridge swayed like a cradle. He cautiously placed his feet on each board, stretching his legs like a tight rope walker to clear the gaps. The wood bellowed and whined under his weight. With a thud, his foot hit solid ground and a smile erupted across his face.
“I made it!” Mit screamed as he jumped up and down.
Next Anthony stepped out onto the shaky bridge and gingerly walked across it. He hummed to himself as he systematically placed each step on the rotten wooden planks. He held onto the brittle rope rails with a death grip. With a sense of relief, he bent down and kissed the ground as his feet touched solid earth again.
Mikey followed right behind Anthony. He smiled as the bridge shook, laughing the entire way. The majority of the bridge he didn’t even hold the sides. He stretched his hands out to the side like he was surfing as the bridge swung back and forth.
“This is gnarly bro!” He screamed down into the black hole beneath him.
Once he made it to the other side he offered to go back and do it again.
Steve nervously stepped up to the rickety bridge. After seeing everyone else make it he should’ve felt safe, but he was as terrified as ever. He slowly walked out onto the bridge and a gust of wind blew it almost completely sideways. Steve gripped the sides and cowered into a ball.
“I’m gonna go back!” He shouted.
“Stephen Hanson!” Mit suddenly shouted. “You get up and you get across that bridge right now!”
Anthony and Mikey turned in unison. They never heard Mit talk that way, but somehow it was working. Steve slowly made it back to his feet and started to tip toe across the bridge.
Step by step he moved closer and closer. The bridge stayed steady, Steve staring across to his friends the whole time. He smiled as he neared the other side.
Suddenly the frayed rope made a crackling noise and started to unravel. The bridge dropped a few feet lower and Steve clung to the side.
“Move Steve move now!” Anthony shouted.
Steve started to shuffle across as the rope splintered and untwisted. In desperation, Steve let go of the sides and started to run full speed. He looked up at Anthony his face flushed with horror.
A single strand was all that was holding the bridge up. With a snap it broke and Steve tumbled
into the gorge in slow motion.
He clawed at the air as he spiraled into the darkness. Anthony and the others were frozen in shock, but something stirred inside of him. He couldn’t take losing anyone else, he had to do something.
Anthony sprinted forward and dove into the air leaping out over the chasm. His wings ripped through his shirt and he soared upward into the air. The wind howled as it swept past his face.
Tucking his wings he dove towards Steve like a hawk. His hands wrapped around Steve’s wrists just as he disappeared into the consuming shadow of the hole. With a swoop of his wings he quickly began to ascend from the dark void.
Steve was breathing hard, but a smile consumed his entire face. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” He kept repeating over and over.
As they neared the side of the gorge one of Anthony’s wings suddenly retracted and he spun in the air. His hands slipped and he lost his grip on Steve.
“No!” Anthony screamed.
He fell backwards down into the gorge and smacked the side of the wall. As he tumbled head over heels he was able to latch onto a piece of the broken bridge.
Steve wasn’t so lucky. He smashed into a rock and bounced away from the walls, twirling through the air. The dark gorge opened its greedy mouth and swallowed him. His screams echoed across the ridge as he plummeted to an unknown fate.
Mikey gazed over the side in horror screaming down to Anthony and Steve. He couldn’t see either of them, but heard Steve’s frantic cries. Mit quickly sprang into action. He took the climbing rope out of his bag and looped one end around a large boulder. He threw the other end into the hole.
Anthony clung tightly to the bridge looking down into a sea of blackness. Pieces of the wood splintered off and fell as the rope slowly gave way to his weight. He could hear the rope whine as it twisted and unraveled.
As Anthony looked up, he saw the rope Mit had thrown dangling overhead. He stretched his arm, barely gripping it with his fingers. Just as he let go of the bridge it splintered and tumbled into the hole. He hung onto the rope for dear life.