Eden

by C J Singh

  “You’re burning up!” His damp shirt clung to him and moisture built on his brow.

  Putting his arm over my shoulder, I half dragged him as we stumbled to a tree. “Sit down.” I slowly lowered him to the ground. He gratefully took the water bottle again, drinking it down.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were this bad.” I felt his forehead. “Are you in pain?”

  He coughed. “Honestly? I can’t tell if the pain is new or from Landon’s fists.” He rested his head on the tree.

  “Lie down. I’ll see what I can do for the pain. You need rest.”

  “No, I can walk. We need to keep going; you said so yourself.”

  He moved to stand, but I gently put my hands on his damp shoulders. “You’re in no condition to walk. I would end up carrying you, and one, I don’t feel like carrying you, and two, I think it would hurt your ego to be carried. So, we might as well rest.”

  Jace looked at me, then gave a slight nod and closed his eyes.

  I felt his damp, hot forehead again. What was causing this? I inspected his wounds, washing them with cool water from my second water bottle. None of my poking and prodding woke him. Digging in my pack, I pulled out some herbs that would hopefully help with his pain. Scanning the area for more water, I lifted my nose and sniffed in a long breath. The air was damp, and I heard a creek not too far. I double-checked his position, making sure he looked as comfortable as he could, then I left.

  Jogging through the woods, I followed the smell of water. As I scanned the area, I picked up the pace so I wouldn’t leave him alone too long. When I reached the creek, I carefully walked over the slippery rocky bank to the edge of the water and crouched to fill the bottle.

  I smell someone.

  A man’s voice spoke in my head, and I dropped the water bottle. Scurrying back toward the bank, I surveyed the area around me but saw no one. Sniffing the air, I tried to catch a scent, but the water from the creek masked any other scent. I moved back to the water and grabbed the bottle. Filling it as quickly as I could, I kept my eyes moving around me.

  He is alone. Sick.

  I stilled and my blood froze. Jace. Shoving the full bottle in my sack, I turned and ran. My knees scraped against the small pebbles that rolled under my feet as I stumbled up the bank toward him. Please be OK, please.

  I smell someone else.

  Stopping mid-step, I dropped to the ground and surveyed the area again. No one. Who were these people? How could I hear them in my head? A tingling, starting at my feet, prickled its way up my body. What was wrong with me? Panic hit me. Did I have the virus?

  Then I felt it, a presence. Turning frantically in a circle, I still saw no one, but yet I felt them.

  Take the sick one, leave the other.

  My stomach knotted at the thought of Jace, lying there helpless. I needed to get to him. I sprinted through the woods – leaves and twigs flew in my wake as I jumped over downed trees and pushed through the brush. When I arrived, falling to my knees out of breath, I found nothing. Jace was gone.

  Chapter 9

  Jace

  I blinked awake and looked up at the sky. Wait, it wasn’t the sky, but some kind of cloth. Moving my hands along my stomach, I felt a soft blanket. I blinked. I wasn’t in the woods anymore. Jolting upright, I felt pain shoot through my entire body, and I screamed.

  “Ah!”

  “Relax, lie back down.” A middle-aged man gently pushed my shoulder down.

  “Where am I?”

  He shined a light in my eyes before checking my pulse. “The Birches.”

  “The Birches?” What kind of name is that?

  “Yeah, it’s what we call our community. We are near a thick batch of birch trees. It was an obvious name.” He chuckled. “You’re lucky we found you.”

  How had I gotten here? The last thing I remember was lying on the ground while Eden went for more water. Eden!

  I struggled to sit up again, searching the small room. There was nothing but three other empty cots and a small trolley covered with supplies. “There was a girl. I was with a girl. Is she here?” Please be here, please be here.

  My struggle to get up was once again stopped by firm hands pushing me back down. “No, sorry. You were the only one brought in. Please, stay down. You need rest.”

  “Are you sure? She couldn’t have been far from me.”

  “Like I said, you’re the only one brought in. Let me get someone who may have more answers for you.” He slipped out the tent door.

  My arm stung where an IV was pumping liquid into me. I squeezed my eyes shut at the thought of the kids in the labs in the city. They had similar IVs in their arms. My stomach tightened; what was this place? I had to find Eden. I tugged on the IV tubes only to be stopped by a delicate hand.

  “I wouldn’t touch that. You don’t want to burst your vein,” a small woman said. “I’m Sarah, one of the healers here. What should we call you?”

  I ignored her question. “I was traveling with a girl. Is she here?” I coughed. Crap, the cough is returning.

  Sarah sat on the cot next to mine. “No, I’m sorry. We only found you.”

  “But she couldn’t have gone far. If you go back, you may be able to find her. I can’t just leave her out there all alone.” I dropped my head back onto the pillow. It throbbed and all I wanted to do was close my eyes and sleep, but I had to try and find Eden.

  “Was this girl sick?”

  “No. What does that matter? She’s alone!” I willed my body to sit, but it wouldn’t budge. I felt like I had fifty pounds of bricks holding me down. My eyelids drooped.

  “Well, she is in a much better position than you are. If she were sick, it would be harder for her to survive.”

  “Sick?”

  She nodded as she checked my fluid bag. “The Fever, I’m afraid.”

  “The Fever? As in the Ferine Fever?”

  “Yes. Fortunately, we have been working on some natural remedies that have been successful in slowing the progress of the virus. Unfortunately, we have not been able to fully cure it.” She gave me a reassuring smile. “But there is always a first time.” She looked at some notes written on a paper next to my cot. “We have given you something for your pain and to help you rest. You are showing the same reactions so far as the other two, but we would like to keep you under quarantine for a bit longer since the others’ symptoms returned with a vengeance.”

  I widened my heavy eyes. “The other two?”

  She nodded. “Two young men, about your age.”

  Jim and Landon. A laugh escaped me. “Where are they? Can I see them?”

  Her eyes dropped a little. “I’m sorry. Like I said, their symptoms returned even worse. One died and the other is... well... we are keeping him comfortable. It shouldn’t be long.”

  “Dead? One is dead? Which one?” I croaked.

  “He said his name was Jace. Do you know them?”

  Jace. They used my name. Crap. “No, I thought it may be someone else.”

  “What did you say your name was again?” She repeated her question.

  “Jacob.”

  Sarah stood. “Well, Jacob, welcome to The Birches.” She quietly left the tent.

  I didn’t like the feeling of this place. I had become exactly what I was fighting against in the city. A lab rat. Staring at the IV in my vein, I wondered if what was being pumped into me was actually going to help, or was it an experiment. I pushed my head deep into the pillow and let out a frustrated groan. I had to find Eden.

  Chapter 10

  Tristan

  Old Bob kept his eyes on the ground, watching for any sign of Eden and Jace, but it was almost easier to just follow Ash. He trotted with his nose in the air and tail wagging. Old Bob bumped into his fourth tree.

  “Careful, hun!” Ellie chuckled.

 
“Can’t we just follow Ash? He seems to know where to go.” I pushed my fingers through my hair.

  “He has never been—”

  Ash barked and Old Bob shut up. Turning his nose forward, Ash barked again and looked back to us.

  “Ah, all right. Follow him, I guess.” Old Bob scratched his head as he watched the wolf trot forward. Ellie gave his arm a reassuring squeeze as she passed him and followed Ash.

  We picked up the pace and settled at a steady paced walk. My heart got pumping and my skin broke a sweat, but I didn’t mind knowing that every step was closer to finding Eden and the bastard that took her.

  Just as the sun started to set, Ash trotted down a small hill and around into the mouth of a cave. I spotted footprints scattered throughout the dirt and not too far inside there were the remains of an ash-filled fire pit.

  “Well, someone was here,” I said.

  “Ash seems to be content,” Tate said, watching the wolf sniff out a spot along the rock wall and curl up. “They were probably here.”

  “All right. It’s almost dark. Let’s get a fire going and rest.” Old Bob looked up at the sky, grey clouds building. “Rain’s coming. We should leave at first light.”

  Cool, damp winds picked up as the rumbling dark clouds neared us. Pulling a jacket from my pack, I shrugged it on, zipping it to my chin. I helped Ellie block the breeze to get the fire going, and when the crackling flames burned, I hung my hands over them, trying to pull the warmth into me.

  Pulling food from our packs, we all gathered close to the fire. Rain poured down in sheets outside the cave and large gusts of wind brought speckles of cold water in toward us. Ash had moved closer to the fire once it was lit and slept snuggled to Tate’s leg.

  “This is the opposite direction of the city walls, so I may have been wrong about them taking her.” Old Bob took a bite from his apple, staring out at the large raindrops, gathering into puddles on the mud.

  “Maybe there are other cities?” Tate said.

  I looked at him, tossing berries into his mouth. I closed my eyes. I knew what was coming.

  “Tate!” Ellie yelled.

  And, there it was.

  Tate looked to her with both eyebrows raised. “Yeah?”

  “Did you listen at all when I taught you history?” Ellie asked.

  Tate gulped. “Ummm.”

  I laughed, giving his back a pat. “If he wasn’t sleeping with his eyes open, then he listened.”

  Old Bob’s laugh echoed in the cave, and Ellie playfully nudged his arm. “Sorry,” he said, clearing his throat. “Right. Tate, you know there are other cities, but why is it difficult for us to communicate with them?”

  “The war,” Tate spoke so quietly the rain drowned out his words.

  “And what happened in the war?”

  Tate squeezed the bridge of his nose, quickly searching for the answers. “It started out as a dispute in a place called Eastern Europe, which quickly started to pull other countries into it, and ended up becoming a nuclear war with most of the world demolished.”

  “Right and what was the dispute about?” Ellie added, trying not to look too proud that her hard work had stuck in his brain somehow.

  “Umm, religion.” Ellie closed her eyes and let out a long sigh, and Tate quickly changed his answer. “No wait, I know this. Water... food—”

  “Weapons!” I yelled out through a laugh.

  “Yes, what started the war ended it,” Old Bob said, giving Tate a very sympathetic look due to the wrath that will come to him for forgetting Ellie’s lessons.

  “Right. Sorry,” he said, avoiding Ellie’s gaze.

  A loud bang of thunder made us cringe, turning our gazes outside. The ground was mucky; tomorrow’s hike was going to be a mess.

  “Our lack of communication and transportation has made travel hard, if not impossible. I highly doubt that she was taken to a city that could be fifty miles away,” Old Bob continued. “We will find her.” He smiled at us and stood. He held his hand out to Ellie, helping her up. “You two get some rest.”

  Tate stood, waking Ash, who turned with a quiet groan. He stretched out and went right back to sleep. “I will take first watch.” He walked to the edge of the cave and sat along the wall, just out of the rain.

  Old Bob and Ellie moved to the wall. She snuggled into the nook of his arm with her head on his shoulder. Sighing, I pushed at the fire with a stick, too worried to sleep. At least I could keep us warm through the storm.

  ***

  I sat on a large rock at the opening of the cave. The rain had calmed to a drizzle a few hours earlier, but the air was still crisp as it kissed my cheeks. White puffs of air left my mouth with every breath, and I began to make different shapes of clouds in my boredom. The sky began to glow its early morning light. Shivering, I tugged the sleeves of my jacket over my numb hands, blowing into them to thaw out my fingers. The cave was dark with only the coals left to light it. Ellie and Old Bob had curled into each other, and Ash had moved to snuggle with Tate. I shook my head, snuggling with a wolf?

  The ground glistened with puddles of muddy water, and I dreaded our day of walking. All I could think of were heavy muddy shoes. The bushes ahead rustled, and I stiffened, holding my breath to keep the white puffs from giving me away. Sitting up straighter, I squinted toward the bush where the leaves shifted and a twig snapped. Whatever it was, it was large. Bear? We definitely didn’t want to deal with a bear attack. I slowly reached for the dagger in my boot and stood, but stayed low behind a large rock at the entrance of the cave. Taking a step, I scanned the area for more movement, but in the dark with the drizzle, all I saw were shadows. My feet squished in the wet mud as I worked my way closer to the bush. The leaves rustled again and a shadow emerged.

  “Holy crap,” I whispered.

  Crouching lower, I moved forward slowly to get a better look. Another twig snapped behind me and I spun, slipping in the wet mud and landing on my knees. “Crud.” My pants were caked with mud. Holding my dagger out, I looked where the second twig snapped, but there was nothing except trees. My skin prickled and I turned back to the bush; the large dark shadow was still there.

  The creature shifted and turned toward me. Squinting, I tried to make out the large shape. It stood slightly shorter than I and tilted its head as it inspected my movements. Clenching the handle of my dagger tighter, I let out a big white puff of air. Should I charge or stay put? I was big, but I could take it.

  The sun grew over the horizon, giving the woods a bright orange glow, and the creature became more visible. It looked... human? My puffs of air disappeared, and I slowly stood, all sounds were drowned out by my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

  A loud screech resounded through the trees and I jumped back, looking to the sky. I saw nothing but grey clouds and fog. When I dropped my gaze back to the bush, the creature was gone. I stood tall and stepped out further into the mud, scanning the area, and saw nothing. Pushing the wet hair from my face, I shook my head to calm my frayed nerves. What was that? Returning my dagger to its holster in my boot, I walked into the cave. The way the creature had watched me sent ice through my veins. Were there more of them stalking us, or worse, stalking Eden?

  Chapter 11

  Eden

  My legs burned as I sprinted through the trees, holding on to any speck of Jace’s scent left, but it was gone. I fell to my knees, pounding the ground with my fist, and screamed. My voice echoed and birds flushed away in a frenzy of tweets. Whoever took him moved fast, unusually fast for someone carrying a person. How could I lose him? He depended on me. I kicked the trunk of a tree and stomped on.

  Thunder rumbled overhead and dark clouds built above me. A storm was coming, and by the looks of the whirling wind, it would be to me soon. Increasing to a jog, I worked my way forward, in the direction I thought Jace had been taken. If the rain came, I would have a harder
chance of finding him. A loud clap of thunder shook the trees, and I ducked. Rain poured down on me like someone just tipped a bucket over the woods, and I was drenched within seconds. Pushing the sopping wet hair from my face, I tied it in a quick knot at the nape of my neck. Slowing my pace so as not to slip on the muddy ground, I adjusted my pack to cover my head. It didn’t do much.

  A tingle went up my spine and I stiffened but continued my forward motion, not wanting to give away that I knew something was near. Dropping my pack to my back, I put a hand on my dagger at my hip, just in case. I scanned the area as I walked, but saw no one. The feeling in the air was familiar, like when I was filling the water bottles. Maybe I was getting closer to Jace? I rolled my neck in a circle, rubbing each ear along my shoulders, trying to rub the prickling away as I continued forward.

  I carefully climbed a mud-covered embankment but had to stop at the constant tingles moving through me. I shook my head and arms, trying to rid my body of the invasion. As I continued my way up, a sheen of sweat covered my skin, and the pumping in my heart became rapid. I pulled in long breaths to calm myself. The pressure was too much; I dropped my head to my knees so I wouldn’t pass out. I growled low and shook my body again to rid the sensations that blanketed me and continued on. The rocks on the embankment in addition to the mud made my climb difficult. I slipped to my knees and crawled most of the way, wiping a muddy hand over my face to keep the rain out of my eyes. When I reached the top and scanned the area for what direction to go, I saw a large dark figure through the sheet of rain. Squinting my eyes, I craned my head to get a better look, taking a few steps forward. When I got twenty feet from the figure, I froze. It wasn’t one thing, but three. Three human-looking creatures were surrounding a dead, mauled deer carcass. The two males ripped bloody meat from the belly of the carcass, and the female gnawed on the poor animal’s jugular.

  I took a small step back, scanning the area. There was nothing but trees, bushes, and rain. Silently thanking the rain for masking the sounds of my feet and scent, I slowly backed up; the creatures continued their feast without noticing me. I swallowed hard, sliding my feet through the mud. I was almost to the embankment. I slowed my breath, closing my eyes a moment to calm my rapid heart. My foot slid back, and my heel got caught on a large, slippery rock. In an attempt to break my fall, I put my arms out, but they just slid in the oozy mud before my back hit the ground and mud splashed over me.