by Jess Petosa
“Stosh?” Ally said out loud as she approached the transport.
Her heart was beating faster. Had something attacked the transport while she was gone?
Vinny pulled a flashlight from his bag and shined it into the back of the transport. Stosh sat by Sabine’s side still, except instead of fussing over her limp body, he had his face pressed into his knees. His body shook.
“No,” Ally cried with a whisper. She dropped the packs and leaped into the transport.
Falling to Stosh’s side, she placed her hand on Sabine’s neck.
No pulse. No breaths from her chest.
She was gone.
“No!” she cried out, putting her forehead to Sabine’s unmoving chest. “No no no! You aren’t supposed to die.”
Stosh sat beside her, his body shaking from silent sobs.
“When?” she choked out.
Stosh didn’t lift his head. “Soon after you left.”
Vinny appeared by Sabine’s body and began to check her over. He nodded at Ally, as if to confirm the worst.
Dead.
Ally threw her arms around Stosh, letting the tears loose from her tired eyes. She cried into his shoulder for what could have been hours. He cried too, much quieter than she, but she could tell by the way his upper body shook. When she finally pulled away, Vinny had gone.
He returned a short while later with a few men in tow.
“We’d like to help you say goodbye,” he told Ally.
She knew what he meant. They would help them to bury Sabine’s body. They had to continue on, and Sabine couldn’t come. They couldn’t transport her body from town to town.
Stosh wiped at his eyes and stood, brushing off his pants.
“We can’t leave her here Ally, this isn’t home,” he pleaded.
Ally’s mouth hung open, the words failing to come.
Vinny put his hand on Stosh’s shoulder. “I think her home was with you, wherever you two were. She died at home, happy and in the company of someone she loved. It’s time to say goodbye, son.”
Ally knew that Vinny was no stranger to death in his profession. Back in the settlement they always buried their dead quickly and efficiently. They didn’t have time to sit around and mourn. They didn’t even have time to sit by death beds and keep their loved ones company. There was work to be done. Life had to go on.
Stosh choked back a sob and Ally took his hand in hers. The men Vinny had brought climbed into the transport, ivory linen thrown over their shoulder.
“Would you like to keep anything of hers?” one asked.
Ally looked down at Sabine’s lifeless body. She looked peaceful now, not sick and weary like she had earlier. Her red hair hung limp beside her, chopped into uneven pieces. She wore the clothes they had been given in Zone D, and that was all. She didn’t have anything personal with her. None of them did, really.
She shook her head and the men started to work. Stosh turned away but Ally watched as they began wrapping Sabine’s body. They took great care in their wrapping her, treating her with delicacy and respect. Ally hoped they would forever know how grateful she was.
“We have permission from Kirk to bury her in our cemetery,” Vinny said. “That way if you ever want to come back and visit, you’ll know just where to find her.”
Ally sucked back a cry, feeling it building up in her chest. Stosh just nodded and started rifling through a pack. He pulled a sleeping bag out and she didn’t ask questions, just took his hand once they climbed out of the transport and started to walk to town.
The cemetery was in the center of town, filled with dozens of graves all marked with stones, crosses, and sentiments from loved ones. They found a clear piece of ground on the outskirts and the men began to dig a hole. It took four of them under an hour to dig a hole of the right size. When they placed Sabine’s body in the grave, Ally felt like she was going to collapse.
It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.
When they returned to the transport Sabine would be there, her infectious smile spread across her face. She would continue on their journey with them, keeping Ally on track and calling her out when necessary. She would hold Stosh’s hand as the two of them walked side by side, whispering in his ear. She would giggle when he said something funny, and brush his hair out of his eyes.
“We have a belief here in Hope Town,” Vinny said, “that when someone dies they are no longer here. Sabine isn’t in that cloth, it is her outer shell, the body she used here on earth. Her spirit has moved on, surrounding us in the flowers, the trees, the sun, and the animals.”
Ally felt a peace knowing that. It wasn’t something she ever considered, and before today she would have side-eyed such a thought, but now… she would believe in just that.
Sabine was all around them, and she would think of her when she heard the birds chirp in the morning and when the sun rose over the trees. She would think of her when the wind blew through the trees and when the flowers around them bloomed.
“It’s customary to take a handful of the dirt we will cover her with, and say a few things before you release it over her body,” Vinny said.
Ally looked at Stosh. His expression was full of grief and despair and he looked as though he was barely holding it together. He returned her gaze and nodded, stepping forward. He bent over and took a handful of dirt from the pile the diggers had created.
“There is so much I should say,” he choked out, “Sabine and I had only been together for a short time. A short time in comparison to the years we’ve been alive, but it felt like I knew her for a thousand years. I loved her, and I know she loved me. I never imagined that I’d have to move on without her…” he choked on his words and wiped at his eyes with his clean hand.
He bent down to the grave and whispered something Ally couldn’t overhear with her Ordinary ears. He closed his eyes and kissed his fist before releasing the dirt. He used the sleeves of his shirt to wipe at the tears on his cheeks. Ally hadn’t seen her brother cry this hard since he fell out of a tree when they were little.
All eyes were on Ally. She leaned forward and took a small amount of dirt. It was soft in her hands, cool from being beneath the grass. This dirt would rest on top of Sabine’s delicate form.
“Sabine was my first friend in the City, and one of my best friends. She was honest, full of life, and fun. She did whatever task was handed to her as though it was the most important, be it cleaning when we lived at Luke’s, or painstakingly rubbing sticks together to create fire once our transport was taken in New Eden. She believed in my enough to leave the City. She believed in me enough to leave Champaign. And she believed in me enough to leave Zone D, and to split from the others and come on this journey. Most of all, she loved my brother and made him happy.”
Ally knelt by the grave.
“I’ll miss you, Sabine,” she whispered.
She dropped the dirt on the cloth wrapped around Sabine’s body. She felt the pain of her friend’s loss deep within her. It settled in her core, the same place her abilities had dwelt during her short time as an Exceptional. She watched as the men took their shovels and filled in the grave. She watched until the last piece of ivory cloth was visible and then she turned away.
Stosh had set his sleeping bag on the ground and was unrolling it.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m going to sleep by Sabine’s side, one last time,” he responded, not looking up.
His eyes were red and puffy, and he had a determined look on his face. He was meticulous as he spread it out beside her grave, which the men were packing down, making sure it lined up perfectly.
Ally needed to return to the transport to watch over it tonight. She also knew that Stosh needed this time alone. He needed to mourn in private, and say goodbye to Sabine in his own way. She knew that the loss was still too fresh. They would both be dealing with this for the days to come, in painful ways, and her loss would never quite leave them.
She thanked Vinny and the men and made her way back to the transport. A man was waiting at the perimeter of the woods.
“I’m here to keep watch while you get rest,” he said.
“Thank you,” Ally responded. She hadn’t even thought about how she would have slept tonight without Stosh to take shifts.
She spent an hour arranging and rearranging the packs and their contents. She continued with the busy work until her body and mind were exhausted. She worked until she knew she could lay down on the sleeping bag, a gun tucked into her arms, and fall asleep before she had any chance to think about Sabine. Before she had any chance to think about her brother’s pain. Before she had any chance to think about Luke and Max and what was happening with them on their journey.
She settled into her bag and laid her head on her makeshift pillow, which was just one of the extra sleeping bags rolled up and fluffed.
She took a deep breath and broke into sobs. Her throat hurt and her eyes were swelling. Thankfully sleep took over quickly and she drifted off, hoping her dreams were filled with the good memories of Sabine. If she could just see her face… one more time.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
[ ally ]
The next morning two men met Ally at the transport. Stosh stumbled in behind them, looking unrested. His eyes were puffy, as though he had been crying all night.
“Joey,” the first man introduced himself. He appeared to be in his late twenties, and had dark brown hair pulled back into a short ponytail. He was very tall, muscular, and had a friendly smile despite his intimidating size.
The second man introduced himself as, “Neil”. He wasn’t as intimidating as Joey, only about as tall as Stosh, but he had defined arms and strong hands. The people of Hope Town were no strangers to hard work.
Ally laid out a map on the back end of the transport and they all leaned over it. “We’ll head to these two towns first.” She ran her fingers across the map. “And then we stop here.”
Ally looked up at Stosh but he wasn’t truly paying attention. She could see the distant look in his eyes.
“New Eden,” she said. “Hopefully our welcome is better than the last time. Stosh, why don’t you ride in the back and get some rest.”
“I’ll take front,” Joey said.
“Can you drive?” Ally asked.
He shook his head. “We don’t have working vehicles in Hope Town. But I’m a fast learner.”
Ally nodded. “Good.”
The first town was only an hour drive from Hope Town, so Ally took the wheel. She figured she could teach everyone else to drive on a few of their overnights in the woods. She had needed to learn fast, and she was sure that they could as well.
The first town on their list was a small town called Little Hope. Kirk had told her that back before he was even born there were two leaders in Hope Town. At first they were handling the responsibilities well but soon they couldn’t agree, and neither wanted to step down. They decided that one of them would take over a small town to the east and settle there. The town voted on who stayed, and the other leader left, taking a small portion of the townspeople with him.
Kirk said it was a miracle they survived in the beginning but they managed to keep the population up and sustain their small town.
Ally found the name of the town, and the situation, silly but it sounded like Little Hope had similar values. Possibly more stubborn than Hope Town, but at least they weren’t hostile, according to Kirk.
Joey didn’t seem to want to talk on the drive. He mainly went back and forth between watching Ally drive and looking at the map from the General. She was sure he’d have questions for her, especially given the unusual nature of her travels, but he was quiet. Kirk had been somewhat quiet too, only hearing her story because she offered it up almost immediately.
“So what made you volunteer to come with us?” she asked.
Joey shrugged and she rolled her eyes.
“Do you not have family waiting for you?”
He looked up. “I have a daughter. She’s two. My wife died two years ago from illness.”
“I’m sorry,” Ally said quietly. “Thank you for choosing to help us.”
“If there is any chance I can give my daughter a better life, I’ll take it. I at least need to try.” He went back to looking at the map.
Ally wanted to ask him more questions, anything to distract herself, but she decided to leave him alone. She could only imagine the pain of losing his wife and then leaving his young daughter. If she ever had kids, she hoped they were born into a changed world, not this one.
She almost laughed at the thought. Kids seemed so far off for her, even though a lot of couples in the settlement married young and started families, especially with population issues. The thought brought her to Luke and Max. Who could she picture starting a family with?
She felt as though Max was the safe option. He didn’t have the weight of a City on his shoulders, just small town dreams. He was compulsive, though, and scattered at times. Ally was still mad at him for taking the Exceptional serum without even consulting her. Not that he owed it to her, but she couldn’t help how she felt.
Luke. Luke was her first love, maybe her only. She didn’t quite get that pitter-patter of the heart for Max that she felt when she was around Luke. The way he intensely watched her. The way he believed in her even when he thought she was crazy. The way he nurtured her dreams instead of holding her back. There was a new problem in her mind, one that flopped down into her stomach and twisted her guts. If Luke hadn’t brought the Exceptional serum on the trip in the first place, Sabine would still be alive.
She blinked back tears.
“Turn up here,” Joey said suddenly.
Had they already been driving for an hour? Ally turned the transport onto a thin dirt road.
“We should park and walk into town. They aren’t used to receiving visitors in vehicles. Normally we enter on foot,” Joey said to her.
She nodded and parked the transport. The back door was opening when they stepped around the side and Neil jumped down.
“He isn’t doing too good back there,” he said to Ally.
She rubbed at her eyes and pushed her hair back from her face. “Can you stay with him Neil? I don’t think he is in any position to guard the transport. Joey and I can go into Little Hope and hopefully be back by nightfall.”
Neil nodded. Ally showed him where the guns were, both regular ones and the ones with the cure serum in it.
“Remember, if you see a Rogue. Don’t hesitate. Shoot them before they have a chance to kill you,” she reminded him before leaving.
Joey smiled as they were walking away from the transport. “I think you scared the crap out of him.”
Ally looked ahead. “Good. He should be scared.”
It was a ten minute walk into Little Hope, and the road led right into the middle of town. The homes looked unoccupied at first, but as they walked further, Ally realized it was all a ploy. The cracks were drawn on with dirt and the brush was tied together for easy pull away. The disguise kept them safe from most unwelcome visitors, which Ally didn’t think was completely necessary. At this point, not too many people were traveling the country looking for a place to settle.
It was amazing she could think of these things now. Before, only her settlement and the City existed to her. The Wilderness seemed untouchable and empty. Now that she had traveled around, she could only imagine all of the towns and cities out there, thriving in silence.
A tall, spindly woman met them in the middle of the road.
“Joey,” she said with a head nod. “Trades aren’t for another two weeks. Is something wrong?”
Joey seemed completely relaxed, unlike Ally who was on alert.
“We are here for… unusual reasons,” he said, looking toward Ally.
This was her cue.
Ally took a deep breath. “I want to tell you a story, my story…”
&n
bsp; It was how she decided to lead off her conversations with these towns from now on. She realized that her story was what led her here, starting with her pull to leave the City. Everything she did up until this point paved a path toward the future, toward her goals. Any differences and she could be anywhere else, doing anything else, but she was here.
“… Let’s take a walk,” she said to the woman.
Ally left Little Hope feeling good. The woman, Deb, had listened patiently to her and asked questions that were to be expected. She said she would need to talk to her council about it and then they would converge with Hope Town on the rebuilding process if they agreed.
Ally couldn’t afford to stick around and wait for her answer. She was there to share her ideas and hopefully elicit a helpful response, it was all she could do right now. Eventually she would come back and check in on the progress, maybe help implement certain projects. If she lived that long.
She shook the thought from her mind. The sun was setting by the time they got back to the transport, and Neil had already started on the fire. Stosh was sitting on a log nearby, skinning a rabbit, his makeshift bow and arrows by his side. Ally hoped that hunting had allowed him to get his mind off of Sabine, if only for a short time.
“We’ve had two easy town visits,” Ally said to Joey as they dropped their packs by the transport. “What are the chances we can continue like this?”
Joey took a swig of water. “Probably not good. The next town on your list? Well, the people there are sort of…. crass.”
“Crass?” Ally asked. She was unfamiliar with the word.
“You know,” he gestured. “Rude. Blunt. Obscure.”
Ally frowned. “Don’t tell me that.”
Joey laughed. “I thought you’d appreciate the warning. Generally when we do trades with them, which is once every few years, we meet off site and less than five words are exchanged.”
“Great,” Ally said. “What do you think would be the best way to approach them?”
