“I didn't mean to hit him; it was just a reaction. I don’t know why I stopped either. I felt like I could take them all for a second there, but when I started I guess I choked,” I admitted.
Just as we reached the tree line, it got worse. Six Guards emerged with guns raised at us.
“DOWN, DOWN, DOWN!” They shouted.
We all stopped and put our hands up.
This is it, I thought to myself.
One walked over and slammed his rifle butt into Abigail’s face. She screamed and fell forward.
Anger like no other flowed through me. My hands tingled. I let my body take over.
“Protect Casey!” I yelled.
Casey dropped into a fetal position, and Peter threw himself on top of him.
The six Guards walked towards us briskly. But time was mine now. A pain shot through my head, and I ran forward. I was already at the Guard who hit Abigail before the rest even had a chance to react. I slammed my hand into his throat and threw him on top of Abigail. One Guard fired his weapon, but I knew where it was going. I ran to the left, grabbed the baton from his belt, and hit him across the face. Two down.
I heard as a bullet entered the chamber of a gun that was being held by the Guard directly behind me, so I jumped to my left and rolled. I ended up on my feet and tossed the baton with all my strength. The baton connected to his exposed throat and he gave a gasp. I dashed forward and elbowed him in the crotch. Three down.
As the Guard fell, I grabbed his pistol from its holster, my fingers making easy work of the clasp to remove it.
My head turned to the last three. One was unloading a clip into Peter’s back. His shirt was shredded, but the bullets just slid off his back. I could tell from his face he could not hold up much longer.
I calculated three shots almost instantly.
Left Guard, right knee. POP! Four down.
Middle Guard, left armpit. POP! Five down.
Right Guard facing Peter, right knee. POP! Six down.
Time sped up. My head felt dizzy, and I threw up.
I stood in a daze.
“Let’s go! Dalyn, let’s go!” Casey was shouting at me.
Casey rolled the Guard off of Abigail.
Peter collapsed. His shirt barely had enough thread to hold it together.
“I’ll get her; you grab Peter,” I said.
Casey walked over and heaved Peter over his back.
“I almost feel bad for hitting this guy,” Casey said.
I picked Abigail up in both arms. For being so strong, she weighed almost nothing. Her skin was as soft as I dreamed. She was still so beautiful, even with the bruise starting to form on her forehead.
We headed into the woods and soon emerged on the deserted road on the other side. Hopefully, the Guards were not going to come back here. They shouldn’t since no one lives back here. Besides, I did not think I could do what I had just done again.
Casey was about ten yards ahead of me when Abigail opened her eyes.
“Ow,” she exclaimed as she placed her hand over her head.
I stopped and let her down. She wobbled a little bit, but I supported her.
“You got hit in the head pretty hard. Do you think you can walk? I don't mind carrying you,” I said. The truth was I did mind carrying her. Not in a selfish way. It felt good being needed, but I was physically exhausted, and, if I had to carry her the rest of the way, I probably would not make it. I doubt Casey could carry three of us.
“I know I was hit…” She winced. “I’m sorry. I can walk. Thank you.”
We began to walk. I kept my arm on her back just in case.
“I feel like I have been jumped on,” she said with annoyance.
“Yeah, I kind of threw someone on top of you,” I admitted.
She glared at me.
“I wanted to make sure you were not hit by a stray bullet, so I put a Guard on top of you to, you know, protect you,” I added. I felt my old clumsy self returning. No matter how stuck up she was, her eyes kept knocking me back down.
She nodded.
“Thank you,” she said.
We walked in silence for a few more minutes.
“You know, you were pretty amazing tonight,” I said.
Abigail smiled and turned red.
I actually made her blush!? Sweet!
“You did well tonight too,” she said. “Watching you move was…like a dance.”
“A dance? How?” I asked.
She laughed.
“It is a complement,” she explained. “When you dance, you know exactly what to do and what to expect. You perceive what is about to happen, and you move to it. The way you moved was like you knew what was going to happen before it happened.”
“I have only danced with my sister, and we were not exactly coordinated.” As the words came out of my mouth, I tripped over my own feet.
Abigail giggled and tried to regain her composure.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked.
“Sure,” I replied.
“Why didn't you ever talk to me? I mean, every time we got close, you would look at me like I did something wrong,” she said with a small tinge of hurt in her voice.
“I—Uhh—well, you see, my mom told me that I shouldn't hang out with girls, that they caused trouble,” I lied.
My inner voices started having a shouting match in my head.
“YOUR MOM TOLD YOU???”
“Well, I couldn't say I like her and always feel like throwing up around her!”
“BUT YOUR MOM?”
“Maybe she will ignore what I said.”
“You could not think of any other excuse?”
“Could you?”
“I am you, so no. But it was still stupid.”
“I know.”
Both voices sighed.
“Uhh-Oh she looks mad! Hide!”
Abigail's face got red.
“Well, I was supposed to keep an eye out for you and to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid. It is the boys who cause trouble.” Abigail fumed and stormed ahead.
'So much for our bonding moment, slick,' my inner voice told me.
Chapter 8
Once we reached the tree at the fork in the road, we knew something was wrong. First off, Mary and Donald were not there. She left before us, and she, hopefully, did not get into fights like we did. Secondly, there were tire tracks in the mud, like a vehicle was driving round the barriers that lead to Mary’s house.
Casey turned and looked at us.
His face was red and in pain. He had been carrying Peter so far. I imagine this was a way he thought he could prove himself since he really didn’t have a “special” ability like the rest of us.
“Do you see the tire tracks?” Casey said. “They are heading towards Mary’s. Do you think they know about her?”
“I hope not,” Abigail replied. “Take Peter and hide in the bushes across the street from her house. It would probably be better if you stay off the road. If they catch you, then there is no way you can fight back with him out of commission.”
Casey looked like he did not like the idea of splitting up, but I guess he was too tired to argue. He nodded and disappeared into the woods behind the large tree.
“So what do we do?” I asked.
“I will figure something out when we get a better sense of the situation. I just did not want to worry about them,” she replied.
I know it sounds cheesy, but I was excited that she thought I was useful.
“Don’t do anything stupid, and listen to me,” she said sharply. “I will probably use you as a decoy or something.”
Never mind. It’s like she knew what I was thinking and cut me down. Girls.
I opened my arms and said, “No problem.”
We continued towards Mary’s house by hugging the tree line. I was pretty sure I blended in well with the brush, but Abigail stuck out like a sore thumb.
We walked in silence until we could see Mary’s house. There was a d
irty black SUV and an armored vehicle parked in front of the house.
“Stay low and stay quiet,” Abigail whispered.
She crouched and started to lead the way towards Mary’s house.
“There.” She pointed towards an old rusty truck with no wheels about fifty feet from the other vehicles. “We can hide behind that to get a better view.”
Without hesitation, she followed the old wooden fence around until we were positioned just behind the truck. We heard talking on the other side of the truck.
“We have to go under,” she whispered.
She touched the side of her watch, then grabbed the bottom of the fence and lifted it gently, giving us about a foot or so of clearance.
“Go first,” she said.
I laid stomach first and looked under the fence. I could not see anything except the old truck and the side of the house.
“Hurry!” she whispered through her teeth.
I began to slide under, and, when I was almost through, my foot hit Abigail’s watch. The fence dropped and pinned my feet. Luckily, she recovered fast, and I just ended up with bruises.
“Can you hold it?” she whispered through the fence.
“Let me try,” I replied back.
I knelt down and gripped the base of the fence, lifting it with all my strength. Abigail slowly put the weight into my hands. The wood cut into my skin, and my hands felt like fire. My back and chest began to ache.
I was about to drop it when she popped from under the fence face up.
She made a face. “Not a good view.”
I ignored her. I felt my grip slipping. My head started to ache under the stress. The pain seemed to dull, yet I could feel every muscle in my body yell. It seemed like minutes before she passed between my legs.
She stood up, grabbed the fence, and lowered it.
We snuck over to the truck and knelt behind it.
We made our way towards the back of the truck, so we were facing towards the house.
Donald was on his knees facing the vehicles. His face was bloody, and he was being held by two Guards.
An older man, probably in his mid fifties, was looking down at him. He wore a black suite and a white scarf. He had a long black trench coat that almost touched the ground. He looked remarkably fit considering his age.
“According to your chip, you are wanted for murder,” the man said with a voice of authority. “I do not care about that. Just tell me where the women who lives here is, and I may let you return to your family.”
“I told you, I do not know,” Donald said weakly. He looked up and caught our eye. Then added, “Probably to the place she never told me. Someone else might know—a girl in town named Abigail.”
“Yes, we know of her. She is one of the spies we are hunting. She should be in custody by now, or dead,” the man said. “If you will not tell me what I need to know, then I will have to force it out of you. If you would just tell me what you know, it would be so much better for both of us.”
The man removed one of his gloves and waited.
Donald looked at the ground and stayed silent.
“Fine,” the man said. “I prefer not doing this, but, in your case, I suppose I have too.”
He took a step forward and placed his bare hand on Donald’s head.
Donald screamed in pain. It seemed like the man’s hands were burning into Donald’s head.
The man took a step back in a weak stumble. A Guard started towards him, but the man just waved him away.
“I am fine. I have him,” he stated. “You can let him go.”
Donald looked straight ahead with a blank look on his face.
The man put his glove on and said, “Now tell me where she is going.”
“She is returning to the West,” Donald replied. He seemed to be in some sort of trance.
“How?” the man pressed.
“They will be evacuated about a day’s travel from here,” Donald said plainly.
“Where exactly is this evacuation point at? And who are ‘They’ you spoke of? Who is she evacuating?” the man continued.
“I do not know where the evacuation point is. She never told me. She is recovering Dalyn Caddarick. Joining them are Casey Lowes, Peter Patrick, Abigail, and myself,” Donald responded.
The man took out a tablet and began to tap the screen.
“I see. Dalyn Caddarick, son of Bret Caddarick.” He paused. “Age fourteen. Lives with mother and three siblings. Identified as infected with CC1586 virus. Abilities unknown…as well as the rest of his family I see.”
He tapped on the screen again.
“Casey Lowes. Identified as un-infected. Father deceased. Mother and younger sibling identified as infected,” he stated and tapped on the screen. “Peter Patrick. Father and a brother and sister in Honor Guards. Lives with mother and two younger siblings. All infected. Abilities unknown.”
He lowered his tablet and tucked it in his trench coat.
“And Abigail’s information is fake, just like Curtiss’s. Suspected to be infected. Spies,” he concluded.
He waved the Guards away, and they got in the armored vehicle and waited.
The man knelt down and said, “Hold your breath until I tell you to stop.”
Donald tightened his lips and did what was asked. His face turned red then blue.
I started to move forward, but Abigail grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
“We have got to help him or he is going to die!” I said in a hushed voice.
Her face was red, tears streaming down her face. Her face twisted into fear like she was revisiting an old nightmare.
“He…he will kill us. He is too strong,” she stammered.
“But, he…” I started.
“Please. Please stay. Don’t go. Please,” she cried, her face now buried into my arm.
We heard a thump, then the footsteps of the man in the trench coat make his way over to his vehicle.
"Let's move out," he ordered.
He got into the passenger side of the black SUV and slammed the door.
Both vehicles started and began to turn towards the town.
“Come on,” I urged Abigail. “We need to get out of their sight when they come around.”
We crouched and waddled over to the front of the old truck.
We could see Donald lying on the ground; his eyes bulged out of their sockets.
Once we could not hear the engines of the vehicles anymore, we ran over to Donald, and I rolled him over.
I tried to feel for his pulse, but I found nothing.
“Why did you stop me for? We could have saved him!” I shouted in anger.
I turned and saw Abigail sitting on the ground with her face between her knees crying.
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…” I started.
“He killed my dad,” Abigail choked out.
Chapter 9
I didn't know what to say. What could I say? ‘I’m sorry’ would not cut it.
I walked over and sat beside her. I hesitated and put my arm over her shoulder. She shook violently and burst into another wave of tears. I pulled her closer, and she did not resist.
“He is gone now,” I told her softly. “I know this is really hard, but we need to go, okay?”
She suppressed her tears and lifted her head. She nodded and wiped the tears from her face.
I stood up first and helped her to her feet.
“It sounds like he was trying to tell us to go after Mary. You know where to go don’t you?” I asked softly.
She nodded and pointed down the road away from town.
“We follow the road until we get to the base of the mountain. Then we climb until we get to a small cabin. We will be picked up there,” she croaked.
“Okay, let’s go and get the others,” I said as I bent down and threw Donald’s bag over my shoulder.
I started to walk a few steps but noticed Abigail was standing next to Donald’s body.
“We can’t just leave him,”
she said.
“We don't have time. We need to go. He wouldn't want us waiting around,” I said.
I grabbed her hand and gave it a little tug.
“Come on,” I said softly.
She knelt down and closed Donald’s eyelids, then nodded.
We walked across the street and entered the brush.
“Casey!” I called lightly. “Where are you?”
We looked around and went a bit deeper. There were several footprints in the wet dirt. But it was hard to tell because it was almost dark.
“Look,” Abigail said as she held up Peter’s bag. “They were here.”
“Maybe Mary found them and they are heading towards the mountain now,” I tried to sound optimistic.
“But why would leave us?” she questioned.
“Well, Mary knew you know the way,” I responded.
“Yeah, but it looks like they may have been followed or chased,” she said as her voice wavered.
“Let’s get as far away from town as we can tonight. We can figure something out in the morning,” I suggested.
“That sounds good,” she agreed.
I took Peter’s bag so she wouldn't have to carry so much. I knew she could carry me, but I figured she had gone through a lot today. We both had.
We made it a few miles through the woods before we got tired of stumbling around. We decided to stay in the woods instead of following the road, just in case any cars passed by. We also wanted to follow the footprints, but the dirt got harder, and it was too dark to track anymore.
We came across a tree that had fallen, exposing its roots like a massive black wall.
“We can stay here tonight,” I suggested. “It covers us at least from behind.”
It seemed like all that mountain training was actually paying off. It was the only topic I was able to grasp completely without my mind caving in.
“That’s fine,” Abigail said in a shallow voice.
Something was bothering her, but I did not want to push the subject further.
We stepped down into the shallow pit, and I dropped the bags on the ground. Abigail placed her bag against a wall of roots and soil and leaned back.
Sky of Dust: The Last Weapon Page 5
