Dissension (19 page)

The other bear whimpered and scurried off into the trees.  It was quickly consumed by the forest.  Steve jumped to his feet scanning the night, but there was no sign of the first bear, and no sign of Sticks.  He turned back to Anthony, but he was slouched backwards on the tree unconscious.

“No…no, no!”  He stammered then dropped to his knees and began to shake violently.

Mikey scrambled to his feet rubbing his head.  He glanced over to Mit and found his body face down in the dirt, lying in a pool of his own blood.

“Mit!”  He yelled as he ran to his side and rolled him over.

Mit’s chest rose slowly up and down.  Mikey breathed a sigh of relief and then ran to the spot he’d last seen Sticks.  He searched for tracks or some kind of trail, but there was nothing.  Sticks was dragged off into the dark without a trace.  The only sign of the bears were chunks of fur stuck to the branches and the dead bear laying a few feet from Anthony.

The night was silent and Mikey was left to deal with the reality of what had just occurred.  Sticks was almost certainly dead and Mit was dying.  Anthony was unconscious and Steve had completely lost it.

Mikey grabbed Steve by the shoulders and slapped him in the face.  “Come on get it together.”  He shouted.

Steve didn’t budge.  He stared off into the distance, his eyes unfocused and cloudy.  Steve wasn’t going to be any help, Mikey was alone.

When Anthony finally came to, the sun had slowly begun to rise and rays of light cascaded through the trees.  They were now in a clearing somewhere deeper in the forest encircled by redwoods. Steve was huddled on the ground a few feet away, sobbing hysterically.  Mit’s lifeless body was at Anthony’s side, his shirt covered in blood.  Mikey knelt beside him pressing a bandage on his chest, dirt and tears were dried across his face. 

Anthony looked up and slowly spoke. “Is he…”

“No, he’s just sleeping.  He lost a lot of blood though, but I think he’ll be fine.”

Anthony nodded then almost fighting himself he pressed on.   “What about Sticks?”

Mikey’s face said it all.  He stared off into the trees with tears in his eyes.

“He was right you know.  It is my fault, all of it.  I told you to fly that day.  If you’d never done it Sticks would’ve never been here, we would’ve never been here.”

Anthony pushed himself up and grabbed Mikey’s arm.  He sighed and wiped at his face.

“This is my fault Mikey.  I’m the freak; we’re out here because of me.”

Mikey smirked at him and pulled him to his feet.  “Let’s get Steve.”

Anthony grinned and limped to Steve then took a seat in the dirt.  His loud sobs echoed through the air.  He slowly turned and looked into Anthony’s eyes then looked away.  Anthony put his hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

“It’ll be okay man,” he said with a sympathetic look on his face.

Steve slumped his head and continued to whimper.  Mikey sat in a daze, his thoughts drifting to Sticks.

“We’re gonna have to stay here for a few days.  Mit can’t move just yet and your knee is screwed.”

Anthony nodded and crawled over to his pack.  He loosened a rolled up tent from the side and started spreading the pieces out.  Mikey joined them, although neither said another word as they worked. 

Once they had the tent set up and their makeshift camp situated, they sat in silence for some time.  Steve finally stopped crying and was staring off into the woods.  Mit snored loudly from inside the tent, the first signs of life he’d shown all day.

The sun was already dipping behind the trees as Mikey and Anthony sat near a fire watching a pot of stew boil.  It wasn’t so long ago that they would’ve been sitting at the beach skipping rocks.  Now they were on their own in the middle of nowhere.

“You think we’re gonna make it?”  Mikey asked as he poked at the burning logs.

Anthony stared off into the fire in silence.  He slowly lifted his head and looked at Mikey.

“What happened…what happened with Sticks?”  Anthony asked with watery eyes.

“I’m not sure, I mean…Mit got thrown into me and by the time I got up Sticks was gone.  One of the bears was dead on the ground and the other one ran off.”  Mikey said as he continued to poke into the fire.  ”I went looking for Sticks, but there was no sign of him anywhere.  Mit was bleeding really bad and you passed out, but I wasn’t sure if those guys were still back there.  So me and Steve grabbed you guys and we took off. ”

Anthony looked away.  He couldn’t believe Sticks was gone.  He fought back tears as he rolled over pulling his jacket over his shoulders.

Night came and went swiftly and before long the sun was gleaming through the trees again.  Mit was finally awake and despite a six inch gash that was haphazardly stitched by Mikey, he was in pretty good spirits.  He staggered around camp helping out where he could.  Steve was returning to normal and eating everything in sight.

Over the next week they stayed relatively in the same area.  They moved a couple of times because Mikey felt like they were being watched, but nothing more than a few hundred yards.  Mikey knew they needed time for Anthony and Mit to heal, but he made it a point to complain about the trees every time he opened his mouth.

“These damn trees are driving me nuts.”  Mikey said as he dropped a pile of wood for the fire.

Anthony snickered then immediately felt guilty.  It was the first time he laughed or even smiled since Sticks had died.  He looked down at the ground and sighed.

Mikey glanced away; he knew exactly how Anthony felt.  No one had really talked about Sticks’ death, but it was on all of their minds.  There was an air of gloom and depression around everything they did.  The normally upbeat group moped around camp hardly speaking.

“It doesn’t’ even seem real.”  Mikey finally said.

“I um…yeah I can’t believe it.”  Anthony tossed a log into the fire.

Mikey shook his head then walked towards the tent.  Mit looked on in silence as he pulled a pan out of his bag.

“Let’s get out of here tomorrow.  I can’t stand these trees anymore.”  Mit added.

Mikey looked back and smiled.

“About time.”  He mumbled as he stepped into the tent.

The next morning they quickly packed up camp.  Anthony was moving a lot better and Mit’s wound was on the mend.

Once everything had been packed they all stood around the fire in silence.  “Someone should say something…something for Sticks.”  Steve whispered.

Anthony cleared his throat.  He felt almost obligated to be the one that spoke.  He opened his mouth, but before he could get a word out Mit started to talk.

“Sticks, we’ll miss you man.  I hope you’re some place nice.  You were a good friend and didn’t deserve to die.”

Anthony smiled and patted him on the back.  Mikey wiped a tear from his eye and Steve started to sob uncontrollably again.  Mit grabbed his canteen and poured water over the smoldering ambers then turned and headed off into the forest.

Twenty minutes later they were trudging through the woods and Mikey was already regretting it.  His feet ached and the heavy pack he lugged around made him walk humped over like a hunch back.  The deeper they went into the forest the more Mikey complained and he was now moving slower than even Steve.

The trees grew thick and twisted together like strands of knotted hair.  Anthony was sure no living person had ever been through this part.  The dense canopy of foliage blocked most of the sunlight, which kept them cool while they walked.  They moved at a slow pace since Mit who was leading the pack couldn’t do much more than hobble. 

Anthony bobbed along leaning on a stick as he crawled over rocks and downed trees.  They came to a small stream in the middle of the forest and Mit smiled greedily while unpacking his fishing rod.

“Looks like something other than Mikey’s crap stew tonight.”

Mikey laughed and grabbed his fishing knife then plopped down next to Mit to watch his fishing expertise.

Anthony and Steve crossed the stream and headed to the other side to look for rabbits.  Steve insisted they would make a much more suitable meal.  Anthony however, had no clue how he planned to catch them.  They walked off into the woods disappearing from sight.

Mikey and Mit sat at the water’s edge waiting for a fish to bite.  The water slowly rolled over rocks, sloshing about on its way to the sea.  The stream was about twenty feet wide, but no more than four feet deep at the lowest point.  Mikey envisioned somewhere upstream it came to an expansive waterfall and tumbled downward.

“This wouldn’t be such a bad place, huh?”  Mit asked as he bobbed the fishing rod up and down.

“I guess dude.”  Mikey dismissed him.

“Holy crap!”  Mit yelled.

Something latched onto the hook baited with one of Steve’s Twinkies.  Mit yanked the rod back and an enormous speckled trout jumped into the air.  Mikey grinned with pleasure, rubbing his hands together and licking his lips.

“Way to go bro!”  Mikey esteemed.

From the bushes behind them, a pair of eyes watched intently.  The trees rustled and Mikey whipped his head around, but there was nothing there.

“What is it?”  Mit asked.

“Nothing.”  Mikey turned back to the water.

As Mit reeled the fish in, a set of hairy arms wrapped around him like a vice.  They snatched him high into the air before slamming him to the ground. Mikey turned in time to see a massive fist right before it smashed into his nose.  He was knocked off of his feet by the blow and blinded by searing pain.

“I got me one pa’,” a voice shouted out.

Mit kicked and screamed loudly.  “Let me go!”  He yelled, his arms uncontrollably swinging about.

Mikey moaned and rolled over as blood gushed from his nose.  His voice traveled across the stream into the woods where Steve and Anthony had just managed to catch a squirrel. 

Anthony looked up and stared across the water.  An enormous man covered in thick, brown hair wearing only a pair of filthy corduroys hoisted Mit into the air.  His bare feet were covered in mud and his yellow, claw-like toenails dug deeply into the bank.  Another feral looking man wearing a stained tank top with long blonde hair tossed Mikey over his back  He was about the size of Anthony but much skinnier.  He threw his head back and yodeled into the air, exposing his emaciated neck and prickly remnants of a beard. 

Anthony jetted back across the water screaming, adrenaline removing any trace of pain from his knee.  Steve tucked the squirrel into his bag and followed.

“Let him go,” Anthony demanded as he sprinted through the stream.

The skinny man laughed and pointed across the water.  “Pa look, more of em.”

The giant man let out a high pitched squeal as he shook Mit around.  His crooked teeth jutted out of his mouth in every direction. 

Mikey suddenly remembered the fishing knife he’d grabbed from his bag.  He snatched it from his pocket and buried it deep into the man’s thigh.  The skinny man hollered out and dropped Mikey to the ground.

He yanked the knife from his leg then collapsed to all fours, groaning in pain.  As he lifted his head, Anthony appeared from the water and delivered a skull crushing soccer kick to his face.  His ragged body slumped into the mud.  Blood poured from his ears and nose.

The larger man shrieked and dropped Mit.  He ran to his son and pulled his body from the river bank.  He slung him over his shoulder and whipped around facing them. 

“Garrrrr!”  The man yelled into the air.  He swung his hand at them swatting the air like an enraged monkey.

Mikey picked his knife back up as Steve and Anthony joined his side.  He swiped and jabbed at the man, slashing him across the arm.  Blood splashed into the forest spraying the leaves like paint.

The burly man growled at them again.  He seemed to be weighing his options.  He grunted at them one last time then turned and ran off into the brush.  With his son in tow, he quickly vanished into the dense forest.

Anthony helped Mit to his feet as they all stood around bewildered.  Steve was hyperventilating as Mikey looked from side to side with his knife at the ready.

“I told you I thought I saw someone.”  Mikey blurted out, his eyes trailing after the man that just ran off.  “We’re gonna have to start keeping guard at night.”

Mit brushed dirt off his pants and smiled as he picked the fish up from the ground.  He held it high in the air like a hard won trophy.

“Well, we still got dinner.”  He laughed trying to lighten the situation.

Steve huffed loudly, bent over with his hands resting on his knees.  His hair was even more messy than normal and his face was flush.

“I can’t take much more of this.” He panted as he tried to stand.

HUNGRY EARTH

The sun cooked their skin and Anthony didn’t think they’d make it another day.  They’d traded the damp soil and thick trees for the barren landscape of the Nevada desert.  They left the forest two days ago and hadn’t seen a sign of the crazed hillbillies since they ran off into the trees.  Every night since, they slept in shifts, one of them keeping watching while the others rested.

Anthony longed for a cold shower and warm bed and dreamed of the day when he’d finally have them.  His keen desire for comfort was about the only thing that kept him moving.  He’d almost forgotten why they were on this journey to begin with.

They moved like tiny ants across the orange colored dirt in a single file line, just specs of life in a never ending void.  It was obvious this area hadn’t seen rain in decades, the hardened soil crumbled beneath their feet.

“How much further?”  Steve whined.

No one responded as they were all focused on willing their bodies forward.  The wind blasted sand against their faces and made it near impossible to see where they were headed.  Mit lead the pack still dragging his feet along like a zombie.  Steve brought up the rear and they’d have to stop every so often to let him catch up. 

As they neared the wide sweeping mountains of Utah, Anthony picked a small clearing and demanded they rest for the night.  Although he was now walking without help, his knee still burned and he didn’t want to push it any further.  Mikey agreed and they started preparing their usual accommodations.

Mit took a seat and stared ahead to the mountains.  He sighed and turned to Anthony.  “You know we have to climb up there.”

Anthony followed Mit’s eyes to a steep incline about half a mile way.  It ran upwards nearly two hundred feet and then leveled off into a plateau.

“Yeah but we’ll save that for tomorrow,” he said as he lay back onto his rolled up jacket. 

The night was long and frigid.  The mountains blocked most of the wind, but the night air was stale and cold.  The moon lit up the landscape like a spotlight making it almost impossible to sleep.  Anthony shivered in his tent throughout the night.  He lay wrapped up like a burrito listening to the strange howls and shrieks of nature. 

As he tried to block out the annoying sounds, he heard something scuffling across the rocks.  He sat up, his ears straining to catch every noise.

“Anthony.”  Mikey whispered.

Anthony thought for a minute and then lay back down.  He wanted to be alone with his thoughts and wasn’t in the mood for planning their next step or whatever Mikey would be up to that night.

He called his name again and waited.  When there was no response Mikey crawled over to Steve’s tent and poked his head in.  Anthony could hear them whispering in the dark.  He sat up again trying to make out what they were saying. 

“Thought he’d have a better plan,” Mikey whispered.  “He’s gonna get us all killed dude.”

“I just thought he knew where he was going.  I’m scared.”  Steve replied.

Anthony shook his head and rolled over.  He’d heard enough and he knew how they were feeling anyway.  It was his fault and at the rate he was going it was a miracle any of them were still alive.

He felt ashamed of himself.  His friends saw him as some kind of hero, or maybe a freak of nature.  He had wings and he could see in the dark, but none of that kept Sticks alive.  None of it kept Maxey safe.  For all he knew his parents were dead too.

He felt like the harbinger of death.  No one around him was safe.  Maybe he should just sneak off into the night.  He was really the problem and with him gone, his friends and family would be safe.

Gritting his teeth, Anthony squeezed his hands together and banged them on the floor.  He took a deep breath and grunted.  Deep down he knew he had to press on.  He needed answers and if he quit now everything would’ve been in vain.

Still fuming, he closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep.  Hours passed with him staring at the top of his tent, replaying Mikey’s words.  He wasn’t sure when he actually fell asleep, but he woke up the next morning to the sound of Mit screaming at everyone.

“Up!  Up, up, up!  It’s time to move.”

“Dude, it’s like five in the morning.”  Mikey growled.

“Yeah and unless you wanna bake, we need to get moving now.”

Begrudgingly everyone packed up and got ready to move.  Anthony kept to himself, which wasn’t out of the ordinary since he had never been a morning person.  Mit seemed to be the only one that was actually finding any joy in being outdoors.

“Off we go.”  Mit smiled as he trotted off to meet destiny.   

Anthony made his way across the rocks alone, his eyes focused on the looming plateau ahead.  Mikey hadn’t spoken to him all day and was now in the back chatting with Steve.  Mit was several yards ahead of them yelling for them to hurry up.

Anthony glanced back at Mikey.  He waved and gave a half-hearted smile.  Anthony grinned and then mumbled under his breath.  Between last night and now Anthony found himself hating Mikey, despising the very sight of him.

“Guys hurry up!”  Mit yelled back for them.

Anthony hopped across the last few rocks and stopped next to Mit.  He was standing next to the base of the plateau, unraveling climbing ropes he took from his bag.

“What are we doing with those?” Anthony asked and raised an eyebrow

“Climbing.” Mit responded impatiently.

“Yeah, I can see that, but none of us has the slightest clue how to do it.”

“Can’t be that hard,” Mit smiled back at him.  “I saw it once on Fear Factor.”

Minutes later, Steve and Mikey showed up and dropped their bags.  Steve took a deep breath and put his hand on his knees.

“Nice of you guys to make it.” Anthony sneered at them.

Mikey ignored him and grabbed one of the ropes from Mit.  He lassoed it around his waist and tugged it tight.

“Why don’t you just fly up there?” Mikey snapped.  “Oh wait, you can’t.”

Anthony stepped towards him and shoved him in the chest.  “What’s your problem with me?” 

“What’s your problem with me?” Mikey spat back.

“I heard you talking to Steve. I know you think I’m gonna get everybody killed, or I should have all the answers or something.”  Anthony pressed forward his eyes fixed on Mikey.

Mikey took a deep breath and stared at the ground.  “It’s not that, I just thought… I just thought by now you’d be able to control yourself better.  You have us out here following you around and you can’t do a thing.  Half of the time we had to carry you.  What are you waiting for, all of us to die?”

Anthony squinted at him.  He clenched his jaw and rolled his hands into fists, squeezing them tight.

“You think I want this?  You don’t think I wish I could control my wings, control myself?  I wish I was a normal kid again, but I’m not.  You knew that so don’t look at me like I forced you to come.”

Mit stepped in between them and shoved a rope into Anthony’s hands.

“We gotta move, you girls can settle this later.”

Anthony glared at Mikey for a moment longer then turned and looked up at the menacing wall of rock.  Sighing he tied the rope around his waist.  “Alright, what’s next?”  He asked Mit.

“Follow me.”  Mit grinned.

One by one they slowly made their way up the steep incline toward the top of the plateau.  Hand over hand just like Mit had instructed them.  They were all tied to one main rope with anchors punched into the rock along the way.

Anthony felt like he’d been climbing for hours.  Steve scampered up the wall above him, kicking rocks and debris into his face.  The rope twisted and swayed as Steve struggled to find his footing.  Anthony expected him to fall at any moment, but somehow he made it up the wall and onto the plateau.

The sun burned bright against the rocks, cooking the desert like a sauna.  The temperature went from twenty to ninety degrees in a matter of hours.  The air was so hot you could literally see the heat vapors dancing around.

The top of the plateau was mostly barren rocks and orange dirt that went on forever.  Mit gazed off into the desert abyss as the others slowly made it over the top.

“Thirty miles,” he shouted back as they got to their feet. 

Anthony rolled his rope up and stowed it into his bag.  Mikey was a few feet away doing the same.  Mit walked off to get a better view as he dug into his pack.

“Steve, look what I found.”  He yelled back and held up a Twinkie.

Steve was lying flat on his back gasping for air.  He rolled sideways and glanced at Mit.

“Oh!”  Steve grumbled before rolling to his feet and running off after him.

Mikey laughed and then looked over to Anthony.  “I didn’t mean it you know.  That stuff I said to Steve.  I was just scared, scared and upset.”

Anthony smiled at him.  “Yeah, I know.”

“Seriously I mean you saved our lives back there.  If you hadn’t come back for me in the woods…”  His voice trailed off.  “I was just talking crazy.”

“It’s okay, let’s just forget about it.”  Anthony said as he patted Mikey on the back.  Mikey smiled and let out a deep breath.

“Alright, let’s go catch Steve before he eats Mit.”  Anthony laughed.

They walked for another two hours without stopping.  It was a never ending range of jagged rocks and sparse landscape.  The clumpy orange dirt clung to their shoes like mud; the wind whipped it into their eyes and sprayed their faces.

Anthony moved his feet forward unconsciously, in his head he was back at home sleeping.  There was no point in quitting though, no reason to go back.  Whether he looked in front of him or behind him, it all looked the same.  It was just an empty canvas eager to claim their lives.

“We’re gonna stop here.”  Mit yelled back to them.

“Hallelujah!”  Mikey screamed.

Mit found a small area that was clear of rocks and dropped his pack.  Anthony collapsed next to him and started digging through his bag for food.  He was now down to two strips of beef jerky and a smashed Twinkie.  He grabbed the Twinkie and ripped it open, inhaling it in one bite.

“Hey!”  Steve called from behind him.  “You never heard of sharing?” 

Mikey threw his bag down and took a seat on the rock.  He grinned at Steve and they both laughed.

“So what’s for dinner today chef?”  Mikey looked to Mit.

Mit had already started working on a fire and was taking pots out of his bag.  “Eh, some kind of soup.  Things are looking pretty sparse these days.  Steve might make it out of here with a six pack.”

“Not if I can help it.”  Steve smirked.

Sitting around Mit’s fire they watched the sun dip behind the mountains.  Anthony groaned as he stretched his aching legs and propped up his knee.

“Dinner is served.”  Mit announced as he slopped broth and potatoes into small metal bowls.

  Mikey took his and sipped the boiling liquid slowly.  “Wonder what they’re doing at school?”  He asked.

Anthony forgot all about the civilization they left.  He hadn’t thought about school or home, or his parents.  He hadn’t even thought about Nickie.  They only spent a short time together, but he was certain she was the one.  Shame he thought, he’d probably never see her again.

Anthony looked to Mikey and smiled.  “They’re probably listening to Mr. Douglas lecture on my restroom problems.”

Mikey laughed and took a sip of water from his canteen.  “Yeah…they probably are.”  He looked off into the distance.

The red dirt of the canyons glowed an awkward haze under the moonlight.  A light wind had picked up and the sound of animals moving about echoed in the distance.

“Seems like that was a different life.”  Mikey said.

“Yeah, we’ll get back though.  I’m sure we will.”  Anthony tried to reassure him.

For the rest of the night they sat laughing about school and making fun of their old teachers.  It was the first night in a long time that Anthony felt normal. 

The next morning they headed out early, beating even the smallest shimmer of light.  They wanted to cover as much ground as they could before the sun started to bake the ground.  The air was frigid and stale and a light wind blew gently across the ridge.  Anthony shivered beneath his parka and tightened the hood over his head.

No one said a word as they trudged forward in darkness.  Steve seemed to still be sleeping as he stumbled off in random directions.

“Whoa!  You’re gonna get yourself killed.”  Mit said as he steered him back on course.

By mid-afternoon they came to a rickety bridge that spanned a gorge.  The gorge seemed to have no bottom and a whistle of foul wind erupted from the top.  Anthony looked out over the empty void, wishing he could just fly across.  Bits of rust colored dirt drifted off the side crumbling under Anthony’s shoe.

The bridge was made up of tattered rope and decaying wood.  Some of the floor boards had fallen off leaving two foot gaps across parts.  It rocked wildly side to side in the wind, threatening to flip over.

“We’re gonna cross that?”  Steve looked down into the hole in fear.