Finding Eden (14 page)

“
Do you feel tha—”

“
Yeah,” Tex breathed.

“
This is new.” I hugged myself. “It feels different than the meteor attack.”

“
Let’s just keep going,” he said.

After making our way up a mountain razorback, we found that our water bottles were half empty. It was a steep climb, so it was probably inevitable. Everything around still felt empty; everything felt wrong. Tex and I kept silent most of the time, alert to our surroundings, just waiting for something to happen.

Standing on the thin mountain edge, Tex retrieved the map from his pack and unrolled it. Tracing his finger along our traveled path, he stopped at our next landmark. It was a hill that had “oysters” written above it. We both raised an eyebrow.

He laughed and said, “Don’t look at me; I don’t have a clue. We’ll walk straight for another couple miles and hopefully run into it, whatever it is.”

We had to walk down the razorback mountain, up a smaller one, and back down until we were on flat land once again. I was already aching for more of that sweet liquid life, but I tried to ignore the dull emptiness in my stomach.

“
Need some more H
2
0?”

“
Don’t remind me,” I groaned as I almost tripped over my shoelace. “Crap.” I knelt and went to work on the laces.

“
Your hair,” Tex said. They were two simple words, but they seemed to hold intense meaning behind them.

“
It’s blonde,” I said, dully.

“
It’s moving.” I looked up at him and his mouth stood agape; his eyes were wide.

“
What do you mean it’s mov—oh, what the!” There was a breeze. It was so light that I hadn’t noticed it brushing my skin. “What does this mean?” I stood up.

“
Your guess is about as good as mine.” He took the flyaway strand that was dancing in the breeze and placed it behind my ear. I shivered as I felt his skin against mine.

Remembering the stillness earlier, I frowned. “Why do I feel like this isn’t a good thing?”

“
Because you’re a pessimist?” Tex said, sticking his tongue at me.

I shoved him. “Oh, act your age, will you?”

“
Yes, Mother.”

We walked on. Whether this breeze was a blessing or an omen, at that moment, I didn’t care; I savored it. I relished it, taking in the feeling of its embrace. The gentle wind wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t hot either—it danced between warm and cool. It made me feel childish and I spun around with my arms out, feeling like I could fly if the wind would just pick me up. I heard Tex laughing behind me, and before I would have felt self-conscious; now, I was overly comfortable around him, more so than I had been with my best girlfriends. I wanted to know what he was seeing and
how
he saw me at that moment. I felt my age for the first time in a long time and I wanted that feeling to last; I wanted Tex to join me in whatever the hell you would call what I was doing, but it ended abruptly and with a loud crash as the entire sky lit up like Independence Day at the beach.

We both hit the ground and covered our heads. I guess it was the obvious reaction to a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot in the night. And then it boomed around us again, the same crashing noise, the same bright light that blanketed the night sky. It went on and on. I closed my eyes, afraid to see what was happening, afraid that this was finally the end for me. I felt a pang of sadness, thinking I had survived all this time just to die now.

“
Blondie, get up.” Tex said as he grabbed my upper arm and pulled me up. “Look.”

I slowly opened my eyes and I didn’t quite believe what I saw. It was lightning and it struck the horizon in front of us continuously. Every time I saw the light, I covered my ears because I knew what was coming next.

Crash!

And suddenly the still, electric feeling that the environment had been giving off the last few hours finally made sense. The closer we got to the lightning storm, the more the wind picked up; it was no longer a whisper of a breeze, but a gentle blow.

In the illumination of the lightning, I saw a jagged hill outlined against the navy blue sky. It was straight ahead, not even a mile away; I pointed to it and Tex nodded.

“
It’s the oyster hill,” he confirmed and we picked up our pace.

I knew it wasn’t the smartest thing to head in the direction of the lightning storm, but there was no other way. A detour could mean death in this forsaken world.

I was parched beyond recognition, so I took a long pull from my water bottle, leaving it only a quarter full. I didn’t tell Tex. I knew he’d want me to take his if I finished my own. He was a selfless man, whether he knew it or not.

Crash!

“
So this is what I was missing hiding away in my bunker.” I yelled, running alongside Tex.

The strikes were close to us now. The booming noises rattled my bones and shook the ground we were treading on. We finally made it to the oyster hill and the reason for the name became obvious. The hill was made entirely of large oyster halves. They were gray and eroded, but completely recognizable. I picked one up while flinching at the thunder and examined it.

“
Weird,” I commented, brushing my hand over the ancient shell.

“
This whole desert must have been flooded over at one time,” he said.

“
Noah,” I muttered to myself. It made me think of
Eden
and how much I wished we were there already. It made me think of God and how maybe this whole end of the world thing was like a second flood. Maybe He got tired of the bickering and hostility of mankind and He wanted to cleanse the Earth of it, just start brand new. I wouldn’t blame Him. If it was up to me, I probably would have had ten floods since the first one.

Tex took the map out once again and outlined the directions to me. It would be several more miles until the next
safepoint
and time was ticking. Tex asked me if I wanted to drink some water before we set off again and I declined, telling him I was fine. It was a lie.

The lightning began to strike more violently, its ferocity increasing by the minute. It was really starting to make me apprehensive. It brought on what seemed like an ancient memory of my old neighbor and a story he had told me years ago.

It was a rarity in southern California, but it was storming pretty bad one day. It was summer and I was playing outside while my parents were inside watching the television. There was always a big commotion on the news on days like that one. I was playing with my hula hoop or maybe it was
Skip It
. I couldn’t remember. But what I could recall was my neighbor; he must have been in his seventies, coming out and calling my name. I dropped what I was doing and walked over to him.

“
Miss Stevens!” He yelled over the thunder. I remember wishing that he’d just call me Elle. I hated being addressed so formally. He was a wrinkly old man with tanned, leather skin, like maybe he enjoyed the San Diego sun more than he should have.

“
What are you doing out here?” He asked, wagging his finger at me.

I thought it was obvious what I was doing, but I said, “Playing,” anyway.

“
Can’t you see the lightning, child?” He exclaimed, widely gesturing towards the sky.

I shrugged like it was no big deal.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “When I was about your daddy’s age,” he said, “I had been walking to my car after work one night when a stray bolt went right though me! An ambulance picked me up and everything.” He poked at the deep wrinkles that outlined his entire face. “These things here—it’s all because of the lightning!”

I gasped, suddenly thinking the inside of my house looked much more inviting.

I guess he thought it was the proper reaction; he nodded approvingly, gestured to my house, and said, “Now, get!”

I ran across my lawn, through the front door, and snuggled between my mom and dad. Looking back, I wondered if he was senile and really believed what he said, or it actually happened.

We were making our way through the storm now. The electric bolts shot out of the ground all around us and I knew the next one would get me. When it didn’t, I automatically assumed the next one would, and it went on like that for an hour. I flinched and recoiled at every little sound. Tex, on the other hand, stayed sturdy as a rock through the whole thing. He grabbed my hand and held it tightly, leading me through it. I would have taken more delight in the fact that this man was holding my hand if I hadn't been so afraid for my life every second of the way.

And then one struck barely a yard from me and I screamed, grabbing hold of Tex with both my hands. He wrapped his fingers around my bicep and picked up speed, dragging me through the hills of dirt and rocks. We zigzagged through them and I lost all track of time. My eyes were closed so tight it hurt and I was depending on him to not let me trip and fall.

I was getting thirsty—
so
thirsty. I twisted off the cap from my bottle and brought the opening up to my mouth; not even a droplet came out. I hadn’t realized I was out. I thought I had more left. I checked my canteen—completely empty. This state of panic I was in was driving me mad. My lungs were dry and sore; my stomach was no different. It hurt to breathe. The wind kicked up, turning into a gale. Instead of rain, dirt particles flew through the air and they bit at my skin, leaving behind stinging sensations that were only bombarded by more tiny pebbles.

“
We’ll be there soon. Just hold on,” Tex bellowed over the racket of the thunder and wind, his grip on my arm tightening.

I opened my mouth to say something, but I closed it instantly. I tasted the grit; it crunched between my teeth. It felt wrong and I spat, watching my saliva rush away with the wind current.

And then my thirst consumed me. It made me weak; it made me weary. Strange thoughts formulated in my foggy head—thoughts like curling up in the midst of this storm and just falling asleep. It wasn’t weird because that’s what I wanted. The idea felt so right. I knew I would be okay. All I had to do was just lay down and cover myself with a blanket of sand.

My mouth was dry and sticky. I was tempted to ask Tex for the rest of his water, but I
knew we’d both be doomed if I did. I hadn’t peed in hours and I didn’t have the slightest urge to. My naked flesh was dry and wind-burned, only adding to my current exhaustion. I said Tex’s name, but he couldn’t hear me over the natural commotion. I wasn’t sweating and that wasn’t right; I was always sweating. It was still well over a hundred degrees. Something was off with me, but I couldn’t pinpoint it because of the wind, the lightning, and Tex’s skin touching mine. I was so sure that my heart was about to beat straight out of my chest and disappear into the wind with my voice as I yelled Tex’s name again.

And then I felt light-headed and queasy. My legs refused to hold the rest of my body any longer and I fell limp, hanging from
Tex’s hand still wrapped around my arm.

My breathing was harsh and rapid and I was afraid I’d choke on the sand that would soon entomb me from the inside out.

[ Tex
]

Blondie’s arm was pulled taught and she just dangled there. Her hair was windswept and she looked so calm and tranquil. I laid her down and knelt beside her, all the while yelling her name. I wondered if she could even hear me over the intrepid storm. She was holding on to something. It was an empty water bottle. I grabbed her wrist and pinched the top of her hand; her skin stayed peaked, revealing its lack of moisture. I cursed. She was dehydrated.

I carefully shielded her from the oncoming sandstorm and opened my water bottle; there were only a couple of sips left. I was her barricade from the harsh weather. I opened her mouth, pouring a little bit of the liquid past her lips. She sputtered, coughed, and the water dribbled out the side of her mouth. It would be a waste to give her any more. I took out my map and memorized the path to the
safepoint
. It wasn’t far and I thought I could make it. I finished off the rest of the water and tossed the bottle aside, watching it fly away in a quick burst of speed.

I had an idea, and forgetting it until now, I dug into my pack and pulled out a bandana. I tied it around Blondie’s head, moving it down to cover her nose and mouth. I took a deep
breath, careful to keep the elements from finding their way into my own mouth, and picked her up. I had her angled where she rested against my torso; her face pressed against my chest.

I leaned down, my lips touching the rounded curve of her ear, whispering words of encouragement, letting her know she was fine, and we’d make it back. I doubted she could hear me, but in a way, it was to reassure myself as well. It was my turn to save her again and I wanted to make up for all the times I failed with both her and my own family. I needed to prove myself, that I wasn't a
failure, that I wasn't weak, and this was my chance.

The sandstorm got so thick I couldn’t even see the lightning anymore and after a while, I didn’t even hear the thunder, only faint thrums behind me. I had made it past that obstacle, now I just had to fight my way through the choking wind. Blondie was still slack against me and I held her tighter, thirst gripping at my throat more every second.