by A. M. White
Jason huffed and looked at Finn. They held eye contact for a moment. Finn shrugged.
“You haven’t even started and you have already lost someone. Doesn’t sound like good odds.” Jason clasped his hands together. “But, it looks like our schedule just opened up.”
Chapter Fifteen
“So that is why we need to secure metal to the soles of your shoes.” Cara’s voice carried a patronizing tone.
Timothy and I scavenged the mill for flat malleable metal. We were a good distance from them, but I kept an ear out, in case I needed to intervene. It was no secret that Cara had a diminishing amount of patience for Jason.
“You don’t have to talk to us like we are babies.” Jason scolded her.
I heard her mumble. “Then stop acting like a prepubescent.”
Timothy lifted his head from a scrap pile. He rolled his eyes. “Cara, be nice.”
She huffed loudly.
Jason craned his neck in our direction and called out. “Thanks Timothy.”
Timothy shook his head and went back to the search.
I giggled.
Timothy gave up on his area and joined me in the wood pile.
“Do you think this is a good idea? I mean involving the boys in this?” I whispered.
Timothy frowned. “I’m not sure. Cara doesn’t think so. She’s made that clear. I am justifying it, because we can help them. They are all alone out here. We can show them how to stay alive.”
“I don’t know how they have survived this long.” I continued to whisper.
“I can only guess that they have had incredible luck.” He pondered. “If it gets too dangerous, we can always ditch them in a safe area.” Timothy shrugged.
“I guess.” I answered wearily.
I turned over a board of rotted wood. A few soda cans were hidden underneath.
“Jackpot!” I exclaimed.
Timothy plucked the cans off the ground. We tread carefully back to the others. There was quite a bit of debris that had fallen through holes in the roof during the storm.
Cara took the cans and cut them with her knife. She sliced the ends off. Then I flattened them. Timothy molded the strips to secure them to the shoes. We worked like a well-oiled machine.
Jason and Finn watched us. Now that they knew the reason why the metal was important, I figured they decided they needed to know how to make their own. Timothy was right; we could teach them a few things about survival.
When we were done, both Finn and Jason laced the shoes onto their feet. Finn shuffled around the floor. His brow creased in thought.
“I’m a little worried about traction.” Finn confessed.
“Once you get them a little scuffed up, it gets better.” Timothy replied.
Jason crouched and tested his shoes. “They aren’t very flexible.”
“Aluminum is the lesser of evils, when you are talking about flexibility.” I stomped on the floor with my iron clad boots.
“They will keep your butts safe. Get over it.” Cara scoffed.
“Geez. I just made an observation.” Jason retorted.
Timothy hushed them. “Let’s get our things and head out.”
We packed any loose items and loaded up. As we walked out the door into the daylight, I had a sudden urge to run back inside. We were on our way to get the last of the notes from the doctor.
After that, the real scary stuff would begin. Anxiety gripped me. I breathed through it and tried to stay focused on the sounds of the forest.
The boys were surprisingly quiet. I imagined that they would sound like elephants in the brush. Instead, they walked delicately and kept an eye on the ground for noisy obstacles.
Cara led us on a small game trail. She was the only one that knew the location of the last tube. I hoped we would find it without any problems. Issues always seemed to pop up.
Timothy followed behind me. There was some reassurance in that. I knew he had my back, no matter what.
In silence, we traveled for an hour. The trees and path became a blur. Most of the time, I listened to the woods. I didn’t want any surprises.
I wondered where Ryan and Sarah went? They left so hastily that we hadn’t had time to warn them about the village that did not welcome their kind. I wished we had more time with them, to tell them some of the things we learned the hard way.
The sound of water put me on full alert. Cara told us that the last spot was close to the river. We had to be near our destination.
Not long after, Cara paused and inspected a tree trunk. She must’ve marked it with a small notch. Once she found it, she guided us off the path and into thicker brush.
Thorns tore at my clothes. The thicket cleared to a natural cathedral of ancient trees. The grove of large deciduous trees grew like solemn soldiers. The leaves had begun to return and the green light that passed through them was beautiful.
Our group gawked in admiration at the sacred tranquility the place radiated.
“Wow.” Jason broke the magical presence. Finn elbowed him. “Ouch. What?”
Cara and I looked at him in disgust. She must have wanted to live in that peace a while longer, too.
She shook out her arms. Cara counted the larger trees, from the outside into the grove with her finger. She smirked and headed to the fourth one.
She pried a knot from the bottom of the trunk. It popped open like a bottle cap. The tube was retrieved.
“Hand it over and we won’t have any problems.”
I swung around to Ryan and Sarah. They blocked the way back to the path. Ryan held a machete, ready to strike.
Immediately, both Timothy and I reached for our guns.
Ryan pounced on Finn and drew him into his chest with an arm firmly around his neck. “Come on, I told you give us the tube and no problems. Now, you have a problem. Toss it over or I pick you off, one by one.”
“We helped you. Sarah could’ve died!” I shouted.
“Thank you for that, by the way.” Sarah said and smiled menacingly.
Ryan tightened his hold on Finn’s neck. He gurgled and yanked on Ryan’s arm.
“Finn!” Jason yelled.
Timothy raised his hands in surrender. “So, I take it your whole story was a lie?” I knew this was a tactic to buy us a little time.
“Um, yeah, we were hand chosen to come and find you, once the raid at the village failed. By the way, your doctor friend gave up some information.” Ryan growled.
“Hey, sweetheart, yeah, you with the tube; raise it above your head. I don’t want you to get any ideas.” Sarah commanded Cara.
“I’m not going to hand this over to you.” Cara sneered.
“Yes, you will, or I am going to pry it from your cold, dead hands. It’s your choice.” Ryan stated in a cold voice.
It seemed to happen in slow motion; Ryan slid his blade across Finn’s throat. Blood poured from the cut and Ryan released him. Finn fell to the ground. Timothy shoved me behind him. I heard Jason hit the ground with a gargled howl.
Ryan had Jason in the blink of an eye. He was closer now. Jason choked against the hold Ryan had around his neck.
My head spun. I reached for Cara and she caught me. I sucked in air as I tried to catch my breath.
“Now, let’s try this again.” Ryan spat.
There was no remorse in his eyes for what he had just done. I knew this wasn’t a battle we were going to win. I hoped Timothy didn’t plan on Jason being sacrificed, too.
“We were bred for this Timothy! All of this is ours!” Ryan became frantic. Jason struggled against him.
“Come on, do this one too. The yammering on is very boring.” Sarah threw up her arms impatiently.
“Calm down! You can have this stupid thing. It’s only some more of that healing cream.” Cara yelled.
“Oh come on, you think we believe that? You guys wouldn’t have come all the way out here for that!” Ryan looked back at Sarah for confirmation.
Timothy leapt at Ryan in that split second. He grabbed Rya
n by his scalp and tumbled to the ground with him. He pinned the hand that held the machete.
Luckily, Jason fell forward. Cara quickly dragged him away from the scuffle.
Sarah ran at us. I drew my gun and pointed it at her.
“Enough!” I screamed.
She stopped. “You don’t understand. We can’t go back without the tubes.” She lunged at me again.
I closed my eyes and squeezed the trigger. The shot echoed through the forest. I opened my eyes and Sarah stood motionless, with her face in shock. Her hands covered her chest. Blood poured from her mouth and she folded in on herself as she crashed to the earth.
I still had the gun raised for the shot. I began to shake and the sound around me muffled.
Cara pried the gun from my hands. She ran to Timothy and Ryan. Ryan flailed under Timothy. Another gunshot rang out. Ryan’s movements stopped.
I fell hard. I didn’t even have the consciousness to try and catch myself. I stared up at the green ceiling and imagined the trees knelt at the disgrace. They enveloped me in their leaves. My eyes and ears pounded with my own heartbeat.
I vaguely heard Jason wail next to me. Cara and Timothy ran back to us. Cara knelt by Jason and tried to console him. Timothy wrapped his arms around my limp body. He cradled me and whispered things I only half heard. He said something about me being forced to shoot. I just looked at his blurred face. I was numb.
He picked me up. I laid my head against his chest and stared blankly at the sky. I wondered how many people I would have to kill to save our group; to save people.
Timothy mumbled to Cara and took off. He was in full sprint. My head jolted from side to side with the impact of his feet. The trees whizzed by us. The river became louder. I closed my eyes tight. I begged for everything to slow down.
Eventually, Timothy laid me down on cold stone. My eyes opened to him above me.
His lips moved, but I didn’t hear him. I strained to make out his words.
“-have to go back. You need to show me that I can leave you.” He placed his hands on my cheeks. “Do you hear me?”
I nodded and turned my head to the side. I slid off the boulder. In a seated position, I drew in my knees to hold them to my chest. He kissed the top of my head and promised to be right back. I nodded again. He left me.
I realized I was in shock. My whole body vibrated. I clenched my knees tighter to stop it. I took deep conscious breaths.
The water was very close. I heard the water break against rocks. My ears began to tune in to the world again.
I cried. I needed to get it out of me. I had killed again. Sarah’s shocked face flashed in my mind. I hated her, because she made me do it.
Ryan had killed Finn. He was so young. He was dispensable to their people. Finn was a boy that had just been an obstacle in their plans.
I wept until my body hurt. I curled against the cold rock. I was thankful for the opportunity to do it alone. There was no embarrassment when no one to see.
Footsteps approached and I didn’t care whom they belonged. It could be soldiers for all I knew. “Let them take me.” I thought angrily.
Cara squatted in front of me. She held my face in her hands. I blinked to focus. She hugged me tight.
Timothy followed with Jason. Jason staggered and slid to the earth beside me. He put his hands over his face to hide his sobs.
I felt his body heave next to mine, but I didn’t have the energy to try to comfort him. He had witnessed his best friend killed. There wasn’t anything I could offer him to take that away.
Cara lay upon the boulders. She breathed deeply as she tried to calm herself. She had to deal with her kill as well. Since we met, I realized that her tough exterior wasn’t so thick. She didn’t want to hurt others, if she could avoid it.
Today, neither of us had a choice. We had to hurt them or be hurt. It didn’t make the finality resonate any less.
Timothy sat beside me and gathered me into his arms. That was all he could give me. It was enough for now. I had been forced to kill before and I had come to terms with it. I knew I would be okay. I just needed a little time.
I allowed Timothy to hold me for a few minutes. Then I decided to pull myself together. Jason needed someone to be there for him.
“I’m okay. Make sure your sister is alright.” I told Timothy.
I wriggled free and knelt in front of Jason. “Jason, I know there is nothing I can say to take this back. We will give you the time you need to deal with it. Just know, I am here for you.”
“Why didn’t you guys do anything for him?” Jason cried. “You knew he was going to hurt him and you all just waited.”
“We didn’t know. You must believe that. I honestly didn’t think he would kill Finn, because he knew him. I thought it was a threat.” I reached out for his arm and he shrugged me off.
“Well, you thought wrong and now he’s dead.” Jason spat.
“I am so sorry.” My chin trembled. “We will never take a chance like that again. I promise.”
“We have to go back. I should bury him. I can’t leave Finn out in the open.” Jason went to stand and I pulled him back down.
“No, we can’t. I’m sorry Jason, but the moles might be headed there already.”
He lifted his head and searched my eyes. He looked for the truth. He must’ve seen that I meant it, because he put his hand on mine and lowered his head to his knees.
We stayed like that. I squeezed his hand and left him to check on Cara. She had scooted over, so that Timothy sat on the rock next to her. I walked to the side where he was perched.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“I will be.” Her eyes didn’t move from the sky as she spoke. “It doesn’t get much easier, does it?”
“I think that makes us decent people. If it was easier each time, I would be worried.” I patted her leg.
She chuckled sarcastically. “The worst part is, I have a feeling we are going to have to do that a lot more. There are going to be more people that try to stop us.”
Timothy and I made eye contact. “Unfortunately, you are probably right Cara. The only comfort I find is that we will keep many more from dying.”
I wanted to change the subject. “What is the plan from here? I don’t feel comfortable out here in the open.”
Timothy nodded. “How is Jason?”
“I think he will be okay, but he will need some time to grieve.” I replied. I didn’t blame him.
“Let me talk to him.” Timothy rose and walked down to Jason.
“That was way too close.” Cara shifted her eyes to me.
I nodded. “It was.”
“I hate that we got that boy killed. I am embarrassed that I keep thinking about what I would’ve done if he had killed one of you.” She confided.
“The thought has crossed my mind, too.” I admitted.
“I have the tube; in case you were wondering. I haven’t opened it though.” She announced flatly.
Timothy returned with a very red-eyed Jason in tow. Jason kept his eyes on the ground. “You girls ready?” Timothy asked.
Cara slipped off the boulder. Timothy handed both of us a pack and weapons. I noticed that Jason carried his and Finn’s pack. My heart sank a little.
Timothy led us back to the tree line. “Let’s stay within the trees. It will give us cover from the river. After today, I think we need to hunker down for the night, somewhere safe and regroup.”
I sighed in relief. It would be too hard to travel with such heavy hearts. I also hoped the shock might turn into determination. The day reminded us of why we were out here.
Jason held back briars for us to climb into the canopy. Timothy moved slowly and deliberately, on high alert. We couldn’t afford to run into more trouble with everyone so weak-minded.
Cara took up the rear. She had her knife ready, in case she spotted any small game. My mouth watered. It dawned on me that we hadn’t eaten since yesterday. In all the excitement, she had forgotten the squirrels from y
esterday’s hunt. She had tossed them when she ran to help Sarah.
The forest remained unjaded by the deaths. Birds fluttered from branch to branch. The warmer weather prompted the cicadas to return. They whirled the noisy song of their mating calls. Gnats buzzed my ears and I swatted at them frequently.
Cara grabbed my pack which jolted me to a halt. She pointed to a squirrel that gathered nuts in a small clearing. The boys stopped when they heard our movement cease.
All attention was on Cara. She slung the knife and hit it; a clean kill. She waded through the underbrush to collect the squirrel.
Jason was clearly astonished at her skill. His mouth hung open.
I chuckled softly. “I felt the same the first time I saw her hunt.”
Cara rejoined the group with her squirrel over her shoulder. She flashed a smile at Jason. He shook his head at her and we continued to walk.
Chapter Sixteen
Cara scored another squirrel as we walked. The second time was as neat and clean of a kill as the first. I was always enamored with her skill. However, she had Jason as a new audience. She showed off a little more than usual, since he was so outwardly impressed. I believed it gave a hint of acceptance toward the kid.
The landscape became increasingly rocky. Our metal plated shoes slipped on the dried leaves and stones. Enormous boulders appeared to have slid down the hills that rose from the river’s edge.
Timothy scoured the rocks that jutted from the earth with his eyes. I knew he looked for an area suitable enough to give us cover. We pushed ahead until the rocks were plentiful and crossed each other. He turned back and pointed to a place that the rocks were built high.
I scrambled over the rock bed, behind the others. I looked up to see Timothy jump from the precipice of the mound. He disappeared. My heart dropped.
His hands returned to view so that he could guide Cara down. Jason followed next. Once I reached the top, I saw that there was an alcove below, with a clearing in front. It was the perfect spot to stay hidden from anyone that passed. The ground was sandy, so we could have contact with the ground and remain undetected.