“How about we meet at the Northern Museum of Arts and Culture on First Street? It is an easy landmark to find.”
“Is everyone okay with that?” Noah asked.
After a few mumbled yes’s I turned and told him we were okay with it.
“When should I expect you all?”
“Mm, it should take us about a day and a half to reach Spokane not including a night’s stay, so about this time then,” I announced.
“It’s a plan then. See you all soon.”
Then Shane’s body went limp and he faded out of consciousness. Mia moved closer to him and tried to wake him up. After several attempts, he managed to stir. We were all peering at him with concern when he asked, “What just happened?” Hmm, how do we explain the complications we just encountered?
“Well, you were possessed,” I said frankly.
“What?!” he exclaimed in horror.
“Some guy in Spokane named Liam possessed you. You were out for quite a while. Glad to have you back, Shane,” Mia said.
“Does he have powers like us then?” Shane asked.
“Yes, we are going to meet him in Spokane in two days. He is just as confused as us,” I said before turning to Nessa.
“Nessa, did you get a read on him while he possessed Shane?”
“I wish I did. I couldn’t get anything but noise from the two of you competing for your body Shane,” Nessa said turning to him. “If it makes a difference, you fought hard. I assume from what I caught in between, he must be just as freaked out and confused about everything that we are. The only difference is that he is all alone with no support. He is alone in a city of ash. Eerie doesn’t begin to describe it.”
“A week ago, who would have thought we would all be here together under these circumstances? It is bizarre. I am just glad that we all found each other. This is a tough situation and it would be tougher having to go at it alone. I just can’t imagine,” Shane said.
“Well ready or not, we are on our way to Spokane to find out what this mystery is all about,” I said as I stare off into the distance. Clouds were forming and a soft rumbling indicated a storm was brewing and we were heading right into it.
Chapter 20:
The first drops of rain begin to pelt the windshield and Noah struggled to get the windshield wipers going. The thunder was louder now with bolts of lightning streaking the afternoon sky. The unnerving storm matched the mood inside the van. Everyone seemed too fall silent and I realized that I was actually still shivering. I flipped the heat on temporarily to warm up and no one seemed to care. The silence was palpable and you could cut the tension with a knife.
I flipped the map open and study our route towards Spokane. The GPS was long dead and we didn’t have a car charger for it although we should probably invest in that at some point. Finally, I turned to Noah. “We can stop in Billings, Montana late tonight and then head towards Spokane in the morning.”
“That sounds good. We still don’t know what we will encounter along the way. It would be nice to have some leeway heading into Spokane. For all we know, we could be stopped by the police and you and Nessa could be captured for fleeing the scene of a crime. We have to be very careful from here on out.”
The thought of being captured after all the trouble we had gone through to disappear made me shiver more. That would be the end of the line for us. No matter what we said, we ran and that looked pretty damn guilty.
This storm felt like the lull before the real storm we were going to encounter. Nessa and I were still on the run from the police. All of us were being followed by a creepy man who enjoyed mass genocide. Every single one of us was his science experiments with our own special powers. It boggled my mind just to think about all of it, so I didn’t. Instead, I cleared my mind and tried taking a few deep breaths.
I began to feel my body slip away and the particles seeping out; when Mia’s catlike reflexes pulled me back. She had grasped me in an instant and I was amazed. I had almost forgotten her ability until just now.
“Thanks,” I said with a grateful smile.
“No problem. I just figured you didn’t want to return naked and thought I would stop you before that happened.”
“That is a very valid point and I agree; I would rather stay clothed.”
Soon enough, we were pulling off the highway to stop at a gas station. I sighed in relief as I opened the van door. I ran against the rain to head inside, Nessa at my heels.
I was craving some coffee and after my almost dissolving, I thought it prudent. I saw the look on Nessa’s face and it was clear she wanted to talk. I grabbed my bottled coffee and quickly paid the cashier. Then I asked for the bathroom key.
Nessa was silent, holding the umbrella, until we made it around the building. Then she exploded into a string of sentences with fast precision.
“This is getting scary Cora. Possession, buried bodies and stalkers who use genocide as a hobby. What are we going to find next? Will we really have come all this way just to get hauled in by the police?”
“Of course this is scary, Nessa. Just remember, they are just as scared as we are. All of us are in the same boat. What choice do we have but to try and follow the only lead we have. For all we know, it could be a trap. We have to go through with it, or we will spend our time looking over our shoulders alone until this is over. We are stronger together.”
“True, I am just nervous. There have been too many surprises since this time last week. I thought I was a maid of honor, helping to plan a wedding. Now I am best friend extraordinaire, complete with mind reading powers,” Nessa paused. “And speaking of, you shouldn’t feel guilty for liking Noah. Tom would be happy if you found someone else. He would want you to move on.”
“I just feel so guilty. He hasn’t even been dead that long and I am already moving on. Doesn’t that make me a horrible person?”
“No, Cora, it makes you human. Noah is great and I think he is the real deal. Don’t let your baggage stop a great thing. You may feel guilty now, but you won’t always feel that way. Don’t let him slip away.”
“Ugh, come on, let’s get the key back to the attendant and head back to the others,” I said, taking hold of the umbrella.
We came back to the van to find Shane and Mia pressed up against it, kissing in the rain. It was very romantic, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Nessa. I shot Nessa a sympathetic smile and she looked away. She was trying not to show how hurt she was, but she didn’t fool me. They saw us and broke away, sliding back inside the van. Noah finished pumping gas and slipped back into the driver’s seat.
Once we were all settled inside, Noah turned the keys and started the ignition. From the back, Nessa was pulling out some snack foods from the bag and tossing them forward. I chose a pomegranate strawberry granola bar and enjoyed every second of the snack. We tossed the wrappers to our snacks into a Target sack and all you could hear was the crunching though out the car of people snacking.
I chose to break the silence and turn on the radio. I flipped through the stations and almost pass it up. It was a breaking news bulletin on the state of emergency.
“Two more states face the mysterious mass bombings. Wyoming and Utah are now considered to be obsolete. This brings the total up to five states, including Washington, Alaska and Montana.”
I felt white as a sheet. Millions of people evaporated into nothing but ash. That was hard to swallow when you were wrapped up in it. I quickly shut off the radio and the car returned to silence. Everyone seemed to be processing the news until Noah finally spoke up.
“That is five states now. We are in serious trouble. Stephan had to have some sort of help to pull this off. He can’t be watching us and setting off bombs. Now that Wyoming is gone, we are probably going to face trouble at the Colorado border. We need a plan.”
“I agree. We can’t afford to get Nessa and Cora arrested. We are stronger together,” Mia said.
“We are only thirty minutes from Wyoming. I say we get as close as we can
and then go around Wyoming if we have to. It will take considerably longer but we could drive all night to make up for lost time,” I said.
“Well, here goes nothing, keep your eyes on the road. The next thirty minutes are crucial,” Noah replied.
Once again an anxious silence settled over the van and we were all on guard. It didn’t take long to find the situation. Just outside of Fort Collins, we slowed to a crawl behind lines of traffic. The worst thing was that there was no place to turn around on this stretch of highway. I exchanged a look with Noah and he winced.
“I didn’t think we would get stuck in it. I thought we would be able to turn around or veer off a side road. We might have to go to plan B.”
“What is plan B?” I asked.
“Um, you and Nessa hide in the back under our bags and the seat. We find the detour and then you can come out,” Noah says.
“Great, just what I wanted to do today. Crawl around the back seat on the floor. That sounds like a blast. How about you Nessa, sound like fun?”
“Oh yeah, a great time,” she mumbled.
“This is serious. You two are on the run, remember? Mia can sit up front and navigate for a while. But you have to hurry. I can see the blockade a little ways up,” Noah said.
I was about to give in when it happened. Suddenly there was no one driving the car in front of us and ash swirled out the window. I look further and realized it had happened to all the cars in front of us as far as we could see. Running cars bumped into the others in a line of dominoes.
Oh crap. We were right in the middle of another mass bombing. The radiation couldn’t be good for us even if we were immune. I didn’t have long to panic before Shane cut the silence.
“Holy Hell, what just happened?”
“Looks like we will make it to Wyoming after all,” Noah said. “I am going to have to do a little off road action to get around all these empty cars though.”
“Everyone needs to buckle up, it is going to be a bumpy ride,” I told them.
It turned out Noah wasn’t kidding about the bumpy ride. The shocks in this van were going to be shot after this for sure. Apprehension settled over the collective as we took in the surroundings. Every car we drove by was vacant. When we finally reached the blockade, there was nothing but wet piles of ash surrounding the temporary walls they set up.
“We are going to have to move that first car and the first blockade to get through. I will get the blockade if someone will move the car. Do we have any volunteers?” Shane asked.
When no one spoke up, I raised my hand and agree reluctantly. I stepped out of the van and made my way across the wet ash flecked grass towards the little red sedan. The water seeped up the hems of my pants and I groaned. On the bright side, keys were in the ignition and the car was in park. On the downside, the front seat had a pile of ash in it. I cringed as I brushed away the majority of the ash and got inside the car.
I put the car in drive and pulled a U-turn before parking again. I was quick to get out of the car and brush off the ash I sat in. Giving a little shiver; I turned to see Shane had moved the barrier and was also heading back to the van.
“Good job guys, and thanks,” Noah said as we reentered the van.
“It was disgusting, I have human remains on me,” is all I could say as I got back into my seat and Noah put the van in drive.
We made our way successfully over the state line and had to weave around cars in various spots on the highway. It felt like a video game, the way we were weaving in and out of stalled traffic and mass pileups. Luckily, the highway was mostly vacant and we were able to move through without too much trouble.
Due to the stalled cars, our drive had increased considerably and it took a few extra hours to get to our destination. Everyone looked exhausted though, so we decided to stop for a while and get some rest. We found a nice hotel just inside the city limits and parked in the valet spot. With no people and no cars to worry about, this would be the cheapest hotel stay yet.
“Alright, this will be an adventure. We have to find a key and program it to the suite first. Then we can go on up.” Noah said. “Shane, please get the bags.”
I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of excitement as we headed inside the empty hotel. I had never experienced anything like this. There was no one around and we had completely free reign over the hotel. We could eat and drink from the mini bar, eat from the kitchen and use as many towels and little shampoos as we wanted.
Noah took charge and I had to admit it was kind of sexy. He managed after several fumbled attempts to get us the penthouse suite. Shane tossed our stuff onto a valet cart and wheeled it over towards the elevator. We met him over there and all of us slid into the elevator.
“What room bro?” Shane asked Noah.
“We have the penthouse suite,” he replied.
“That’s awesome. I have always wanted to stay in one. They are so expensive, let’s see what all the fuss is about,” Shane said.
We had to use our key card in the elevator to gain access to the penthouse. Noah slid the card in and we headed up to the top. When the doors opened, we discovered a sprawling hotel suite. It was luxurious and big enough to be an apartment.
“This is the life,” Mia said smiling as she looked around in awe.
“Remember, we are just here to eat and rest. We have to be in Spokane soon and I want to scout around before we meet Liam. I want to make sure it isn’t a trap,” Noah said.
“Fine, but I call first dibs on a bath in that fabulous Jacuzzi tub,” I said sparkling with excitement.
I rushed to get some clothes from the bag, not that there was much of a selection. Our clothes were pretty dirty and we probably need to hit up the hotel’s washer and dryer. Changing gears, I hurried into the luxurious bathroom and shut the door. I filled up the tub with hot water and stripped down. The bath felt extremely good as I let the bubbles foam up all around me. I was about to drift off to sleep when I heard a knock on the door.
“Cora, can I come in?” Nessa asked.
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
I heard the door slide open and Nessa popped through it. She looked flushed and distracted.
“What’s up?” I asked her.
“Ugh, I can’t stand to be around them another minute,” she complained. “They are all kissy and lovey-dovey. It makes me nauseous.”
“Sweetie, I am sorry. I know you liked Shane. Who knows, maybe Liam will be hot,” I said trying to be supportive.
“They just keep talking about their cool powers and Shane is being all manly showing off that he can heal from anything. It is so sweet it is sickly. All they think about is each other. I want to put some kind of block on them so I don’t have to listen to all that drivel.”
“That mind reading thing can suck I guess.”
“It royally sucks. I feel like the fifth wheel on this trip. Liam better be hot. If it is the end of the world and we survive, I don’t want to be stuck alone. I will be eternally pissed.”
“Can you hand me a towel please,” I asked her.
Nessa handed me a towel and turned away as I wrapped it around my body and returned to the conversation.
“Noah and I aren’t together, so you are not the fifth wheel.”
“Yeah, but you should be. He is perfect for you and he totally digs you.”
“I know, but I am just scared. If I cross that bridge, there is no going back,” I told her.
“Look around Cora, there is no going back at all. We are on the run and these people are our solace, for better or worse. Besides, I am pretty sure you crossed that bridge in Denver. You may be fuzzy on the details, but I bet he remembers every second of it.”
“I get your point and I will think about it, I promise.”
“Okay, I will let you change into your clothes but I want to take a shower when you are done,” Nessa said pulling the door shut behind her.
Happy to be in such a nice place and exhausted from the long day, I ignored everyone and entered
the bedroom. I slid under the silk sheets on the four poster bed. I smiled to myself before fading out.
Chapter 21:
I woke to see sunlight streaming in the room. I slowly came to and looked around. Nessa was asleep in the bed with me and I was assuming Shane and Mia were in the living room, because Noah was asleep on the floor. He was wrapped up in a bundle of blankets and snoring.
Trying to be as silent as possible, I slipped out of the bed and straightened my sweats and tee. I stepped around Noah who didn’t even stir. In the living room I did, in fact find Shane and Mia curled up on the couch together. It was so cute, I wanted to be sick. I shook my head and quietly grabbed my bag before heading into the bathroom. Sighing, I shut the door behind me.
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