He unzipped his sleeping bag and backed away from where she sat rubbing her eyes.
“This is crazy.”
“They are harmless.”
“It didn’t feel harmless, it felt very creepy and dangerous.”
“Creepy, sure. But dangerous?”
“My dreams last night were horrifying. I saw the worst of humanity played out from their point of view: the holocaust, slavery, all of our wars. I was in the trees, seeing the humans as they did, feeling what they felt as they observed our atrocious behavior. They hate us, resent us for taking over the planet like a debilitating virus and killing them with no remorse along the way. The emotion they shared with me was violent: bitter disgust and abhorrent rage. They want the planet back.”
“Or maybe they just want us to help them make a shift in how humans treat nature. We’ve had long conversations about this before, we both agree a change needs to happen.”
“Yes, but being threatened by earth, by the trees? Feeling the wrath we’ve caused them, the deep and irreparable pain? They did not give me the impression they planned to forgive the human race.”
“Then why would they confide in us? We are human.”
“I’m not sure.”
“There are six others, plus each of their Seconds. Fourteen total. Plus any followers they gather along the way.”
“There are more people who can talk to the trees?”
“No, I don’t think so. I was chosen for the trees. I’m pretty sure the others were selected for other elements, like water, fire, air. Eventually all Champions will work together to rebuild human life on the planet. We are tasked to make it better than it is right now. To build a human society that respects the planet and does not craft a life based on its destruction.”
“We are nobodies. How on earth would you, or me, or any other ‘chosen’ individual, sway the engrained lifestyles of billions of people? We’ve been trying to help for years. So have other people. It’s a culture shift, an alteration to our way of thinking as a species, something that needs to happen gradually. And I believe we are on our way, but it’ll take time.”
“It would be after the purge, when there are less of us.”
“Purge?”
“A clean start. They are reclaiming the planet, setting it back to how it was before we got here. I imagine some remnants of our history here will remain, but the majority of our established routine will be wiped. No going back, so we’ll need to start anew. That’s when we change the way we exist on this planet.”
“So, genocide at the hand of nature?”
“I agree, it sounds harsh, but we don’t own this planet. We are guests here and we’ve been awful. It’s tragic because a lot of good people will die, but we have no say in the matter. We aren’t in control, we just grew to believe we were.”
“I totally get and appreciate all those sentiments in metaphorical terms. Realistically, it’s savage.”
“I don’t know what to say. It took me weeks to come to terms with it, and I fear this will make me sound barbaric, but isn’t that what this planet needs? We have spread over it like a crippling disease. It’s dying beneath the vast sores we’ve created; beneath the vile pollution we relentlessly make. The human race will go extinct regardless. Now it’s just a matter of whether the planet dies along with us. This cleanse gives us a chance to save both.”
“They said nothing about a takeover. They only showed me how much they hate humans.”
“I think they were just showing you their side, trying to explain why it needs to be done. They knew I’d explain the rest. They want our help. I’m sure they didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Maybe the voices I heard were just part of the nightmare. You didn’t hear it, maybe it didn’t really happen.”
“I was sleeping.”
Roscoe buried his face into his hands in disbelief.
“I need you to believe,” she pleaded.
“There are so many reasons why I can’t, why I don’t want to. I still think we are feeling the aftereffects of trauma. We both need time.”
There was a new tension between her and Roscoe. He was on edge, freaked out by the seemingly impossible truths that just smacked him in the face. Despite the facts being displayed right before his eyes he still refused to see. Juniper was more open to it, possibly because of her strenuous past, or maybe because she was desperate for something bigger, a worthwhile quest to embrace that was larger than her own troubles. A way to forget her trivial worries, a way to balance out old regrets with new, meaningful purpose. She always believed in magic, and now that it was slowly revealing itself to her through nature, she couldn’t help but be drawn to its existence. She wanted to believe, whereas Roscoe was scared to.
They spent the afternoon trying to pretend like things were normal, but the effort was strained. By twilight, Roscoe could no longer fake it.
“I think I’m done. I’m going back to Port Angeles. I have the night off and I need to spend it someplace familiar.”
“I understand.”
“Maybe it’ll make more sense tomorrow.”
“I hope so.” She did not want to lose him.
“Sorry I freaked out before,” he said, hoping to leave on a positive note.
Juniper nodded. He wasn’t sorry for his disbelief; he was sorry for making her feel small. She appreciated that he valued her feelings, but it didn’t change the fact that he chose society’s entrenched perception of reality over her offering of something different, something better. She wasn’t going to force him to believe in the magic if he’d rather ignore it. Denial was his burden to bear. When he came into acceptance she’d welcome him happily, but until then she’d let him have his distance.
“The mysteries of the forest are endless,” she offered with a smile. “And if the end is coming, at least we have each other.”
He smiled uncomfortably, unwilling to engage in anymore talk about the apocalypse, “You’ll always have me, even in the moments I find you utterly terrifying.”
“Gee, thanks,” she laughed, relieved to hear he still cared for her. “Who knows, maybe a few more camping trips and you’ll be best buddies with the trees.”
“I think we both need a good night’s sleep.” Roscoe put the topic to rest. It gave him a crippling sense of inferiority, like all control was lost and he was an insignificant pawn in a deadly game.
Juniper dropped the subject, gave him a hug, and they parted ways hoping it would all make sense soon.
Chapter 15
Indian Ocean, Antarctica
Coral Dorado, Champion of the Ocean, stood at the back of the catamaran headed for Antarctica. A four-boat fleet followed, each with nearly a hundred passengers. As a ferry operator in Australia, she had access to the boats when the monsoon started. The moment the rain began to fall it was time to depart. She accumulated a decent following over the five years she was given to recruit and it was time for them to find safe ground elsewhere.
The waves were volatile as they sailed off and she watched them grow in size with a troubled heart. The first tidal wave arrived twenty minutes into their trip. It traveled east to west, covering the width of both New Zealand and Australia. All her loved ones were with her now, but it didn’t ease the guilt she felt for those left behind. The ocean spirits promised they had the means to save those who were pure of heart and connected to the earth, but she wasn’t sure how. Nature tore across the land, demolishing everything in its path. Between the floods and the impact of the waves, imagining anyone had survived felt overly optimistic. She let go of hope as the second, third, and fourth sets of waves ripped across the region. Living through such destruction was impossible. There’d be no life left in the South Pacific after the storm passed.
She shifted her gaze west and saw Zander’s small fleet of boats making their way south. He hailed from Barbados and was able to wrangle a decent following from neighboring countries in the Caribbean. She hadn’t met him yet but knew him well. They spoke often through the
ocean spirits that connected them telepathically. She grew to love him dearly and eagerly anticipated their first encounter. The love she felt for him felt true even at a distance, and she hoped it translated once they existed together in the new world. Their connection was pure, untainted by society or human limitations. It was a bonding of souls, a union grown from the purest source.
Her heart broke for the death parading over her homeland, but yearned for her soul mate, her Second. At first she thought the whole thing impossible: ocean spirits, nature connecting her telepathically to a man across the globe, the end of the world. But the more time passed, the more she could not deny her new reality. Strangers were coming to her from neighboring islands saying they heard her name in answer to their prayers. People she’d never met from Fiji, Guam, French Polynesia, and Cook Islands found their way to her in Australia, claiming they heard her voice in their dreams. When the ocean told her there’d be floods in New Guinea, there were. They said a hurricane would tear across Hawaii; it did. She could no longer fight the truth: the world was coming to an end and she had a duty to uphold.
Her ferry line had a franchise operation running in the Caribbean, so she got Zander a job there and guided him as the ocean directed her.
The wreckage before her now was unreal. Though she knew it was coming, she never properly imagined the devastation. Before the first wave even hit, she heard the screams of terror from miles away. There were so many that they echoed into the afternoon sky. There were houses and cars floating in the water, far from where they originated. Skyscrapers along the coastline cracked in half at the first impact and were sucked into the surge, disappearing from sight in seconds. Everyone on the catamaran with her stayed silent as they sailed away from the storm. They shared an eerie silence as they watched mortality rain down. The ocean around them remained calm, keeping them safe from harm, and its serenity contrasted what they played witness to with drastic irony. It was the apocalypse, yet they cruised freely from the end.
When the screaming stopped, so did the collective breath they held. Mournful whispers and the sound of crying replaced the booming wail of death. They grieved the lost souls together, huddled in small groups and bundled under winter coats and blankets. The air grew colder the closer they sailed to their destination. It grew quieter too. Though rain and waves still lashed across the South Pacific, the scene grew smaller the farther they sailed. The sky dissolved from gray to blue and eventually they lost sight of the storm completely.
The moment the view of the wreckage was out of sight, Coral burst into tears. The weight of what she was part of finally hit her. She fell to her knees on the back of the boat, crushed by the burden, soaked in shame. A few of her followers ran to her side to comfort their bereaved leader.
“Could I have done more to save others?” she said, desperate for validation.
“No,” a man from Samoa said. “You saved so many. Look around. Without you, we’d all be dead.”
He was right. She stood and put on a brave face. This was not a time for weakness; she had to be strong for those she led out of the ruin. She returned her sight to Zander, whose boats were now much closer. In his arms she could collapse in private; until then she had to wear a brave façade.
As their fleet approached the shore, they pulled in the inflatable boat that was towed behind their catamaran, loaded it with their pre-packed survival kits, and boarded the first set of five. Since they could only tow one inflatable Zodiac each, there would be quite a few trips back and forth. The ocean was on their side, so time was not an issue. Each of the five was steered by the most skilled survivors and it took the entire afternoon to get everyone off the larger vessels.
The continent was mostly vacant besides a few scientists who were bunkered in research labs. Coral took out her handheld GPS computer and plugged in the coordinates 68°34′35.3″S 77°58′9.2″E. The location of the Davis Station appeared on the screen and she led her followers there. With Australia gone, the facility would remain permanently vacant and it was a safe place to make shelter. Over time they’d expand upon it, or find other vacant research stations to inhabit, but for now it would suffice. The walk was long and treacherous, but they made it without injury. The moment they arrived, everyone got to work at making it their new home. People selected sleeping quarters, others designated jobs to themselves and those around them. Coral watched, pleased that her following was determined to work together to survive.
The ocean told her the next attack would take place across Europe and Asia. She wasn’t sure of the details, just that she had to remain hidden until the entire planet was cleansed. There were plenty of radios, so she hoped to secretly intercept updates.
She stepped back outside and inhaled a large breath of the freshest air she ever tasted.
Hello, Coral, Champion of the Sea.
The voice came from no particular direction. She looked around for a moment before realizing it was in her head, similar to when the ocean spoke, but this wasn’t the ocean. The accent sounded Nordic. The volume was crisp and audible over the harsh, snowy winds. She tensed, unsure who now spoke to her.
I am Aria Cecildottir, Champion of Air. Welcome to my home away from home.
“You’re human? Where are you?”
The Base Camp of Mount Everest, but I’m from Reykjavik, Iceland.
“How are you speaking to me?”
Through the air. When you’re in my element I have easy access to you, and the air’s presence is strongest in Antarctica.
“I haven’t learned how to do that with the ocean yet.”
You had a natural disaster to escape. I’m sure that’s next on their list of lessons.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Aria. Do I have to speak out loud in order for you to hear me? People are going to think I am crazy.”
No. In time you will learn how to answer through your mind’s voice.
“That’s good. We are all safe in Antarctica. How are things on the mountain?”
Fine so far. I made contact to update you on the current situation. I am in direct contact with Sierra Dale, Champion of the Mountains. As you may know, our elements are next. Sierra is stationed in Switzerland with my Second. Though her accent was thick she spoke fluent English. I am at the top of Mount Everest with Monte Bram, Sierra’s Second. We are anticipating the next purge. We will convene the moment it’s complete. I was informed by my element that you arrived safely in Antarctica and I wanted to welcome you. The spirits of the air reside all around you.
“Will they talk to me?”
No, only to me. Just as the ocean will speak only to you. But I am only a thought away if you ever need their assistance or mine.
“Thanks. The sentiment is returned.”
I will keep you informed of the happenings here. We are at a safe altitude and Sofyla Yurchenko, Champion of Soil, is scooping up her Second in Saudi Arabia. I don’t know much about them yet except that they’ll weather the storm in the caves of Africa with Eshe Ahikiwe, Champion of the Core, and Zaire Nzile, who the Second of the Fresh Water Champion.”
“I’m never going to remember all these names.”
It’ll get easier once you start speaking with the other Champions directly. Is your Second with you?
“He’s still getting his people off their boats. I’ll meet him shortly. I’m rather excited.”
I understand. I still haven’t met Erion. He’s riding out this portion of the cleanse in the Swiss mountains. No one really lives in Antarctica so they found my partner in Canada. From the conversations we’ve had, I don’t think I could have been better matched.
“Same. I’m positive Zander is my soul mate.”
There’s something to be said about connecting through nature. The universe knows what it’s doing.
“I sure hope so. Why did they make you leave your countries if the cleanse won’t hit there?”
I wondered the same thing. They said we had to be with the Mountain’s Champion and Second if they were to survive.
I guess direct communication with the air spirits is critical during an attack like this.
“Did your people follow you there?”
“Most of mine stopped their journey at the Swiss Alps. They are safe with Erion; he gives me consistent updates. Only my family followed me all the way to Nepal. I don’t know what’s in store for those left in Iceland and Canada, but I am grateful I was able to save a significant amount of people.
“I thought it would be hard to get my people to follow me to Antarctica, but they seemed to sense the end was coming. The moment the monsoon came they boarded my boats, no questions asked.”
The elemental spirits only speak with their chosen Champion, but I believe they subconsciously reach into the minds of others with strong bonds to nature.
“I agree. Half my followers are strangers who traveled from islands all over the South Pacific to find me. They weren’t sure why or how, but they managed.”
Impressive.
“Yes, well I have to get going, but please stay in touch. We are in the dark down here.”
Of course, Aria promised, then her presence disappeared.
Coral suddenly felt much better. She no longer felt so alone. There was another out there with the same burden as her; the same responsibility to execute. Another strong female championing the human race through the apocalypse. She returned to the chaos inside Davis Station reinvigorated and proudly took her role as leader. She would not fail her people, the other Champions, herself, or Gaia.
Chapter 16
Jeb barged through the front doors of Dipper Dive halfway into Juniper’s Friday night shift.
“Turn on the news,” he demanded.
“What channel?” Brett asked while locating the remote.
“Doesn’t matter.”
He flipped from ESPN to ABC and live footage of a natural disaster was being covered as breaking news.
“A set of tsunamis tore through the South Pacific. Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Philippines, all those islands in between; they’ve been wiped. The waves ripped through them all,” Jeb explained.
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