Sky of Dust: The Last Weapon (8 page)

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.

I didn'
t know what to say. What could I say? ‘I’m sorry’
w
ould 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
,
”
s
he 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
,
”
s
he said.

“
We don't have
time. W
e 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 i
t was hard to tell b
ecause 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
,
”
s
he 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
,
”
s
he agreed.

I
took Peter’s bag so she wouldn'
t have to carry so much. I kn
e
w 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.

I did the same with Peter’s bag. I took the blanket from my bag and draped it over both of us.

“
Thanks
,
”
s
he said. Then
she
added,
“
Maybe we should check to see what Donald was bringing.
”

Her voice cracked when she said his name.

I grabbed his
bag, which
was stuffed with a few snack foods, two containers of water, some matches, and two small black cases.

“
Let me see those
,
”
Abigail requested.

I handed her both cases
,
and she examined them. She opened one of them. Inside was a black watch, identical to hers. In the corner there were four capsules: two yellow and two green.

“
These are the watches we use to control our abilities. One of them must be Mary’s. The other is probably for you
,
”
s
he said.

She flipped over the watch and twisted the back plate off. There were two little compartments.

“
This is where you put the CC1586 capsules. Yellow is for the relaxer. The green is for the stimulant
,
”
s
he explained as she placed the capsules into their corresponding holes.

“
Let me see your arm
,
”
s
he asked.

I lifted my left arm
palm up
,
and she put the watch on.
She then
flipped my
arm
over so the face
of the watch
was pointing up.

“
The watch always suppresses your ability by secreting a relaxer that was contained in the CC1586 virus. It is basically a watered down version that made people go into coma
,
”
s
he explained.
“
It is very difficult to use your abilities with the watch on because that part of your brain is put to sleep in a way. If you press the side of the watch in
,
it will release the stimulant. It wakes up the part that explains to your body how to
operate more efficiently, letting us control our abilities.
When the stimulant is active, the relaxing agent acts as an inflammatory in a way. It slows the swelling of the brain, giving you better control over all
,
and you can sustain it much longer.
”

“
Cool
,
”
I admitted.
“
Thanks.
”

She placed the cases back in bag. We were both silent for a few minutes before Abigail spoke.

“
I’m sorry
,
”
s
he said with pain in her voice.

“
What would you be sorry for?
”
I asked in surprise.

She sighed.

“
I was scared. I froze. It should never have happened
,
”
s
he started.
“
When the G
uard came out and hit me, I fell down
,
but I was not knocked out. I was so scared I just laid there. I saw everything you did. I even let you carry me.
”

She
raised
her knees
and rested her head.

“
Then back at the house
,
I did it again. I don'
t know if we could have saved Donald, but I should have tried.
”
She burst into tears.

I wrapped my arms around her.

“
It’s okay. Everyone gets scared. I was scared. You had good reason to be. I will never hold it against you. I promise not to tell anyone.
”
I tried to console her
,
but it just seemed to make her
cry harder
.

We sat there for what seemed for hours. I stayed quiet with my arm over her shoulders as she cried. She finally had no more tears and leaned back.

“
Try to get some rest
,
”
I told her.
“
I will
keep watch.
”

She moved the bag she was leaning on and put it against my leg
, resting
her head on it.

I tried to stay perfectly still so I would not disturb her. It was not long before she fell asleep.

As I l
ay there listening to the animals of the night shuffling around us, I began to think about all that happened that day. Reality started to sink in that I probably would never get to see my family again. That man at Mary’s house had said they were all infected. They were probably already carried away by now, or worse.

I could not control the tears
,
so I
silently
let them come. In minutes
,
I was fast asleep too.

I woke up with a jolt.

Pat. Pat.
P
at.

It sounded like footsteps coming toward us from behind.

I shook Abigail’s arm
,
and she opened her eyes.

“
What…?
”
s
he started
,
but
I put my hands over her mouth.

“
Shhh. I hear something
,
”
I whispered in her ear.

She carefully removed the blanket
,
and we both stood up. We could not see over the root system
,
but we could hear the footsteps coming closer.

“
Once they pass us
,
we can jump them from behind
,
”
s
he whispered.

I nodded.

I placed my hand over my watch, preparing to press the sides in. I never tested it
,
so I
hoped
it
worked
. More importantly
,
I
hoped
it
did
not hurt.

The footsteps were just on the other side of the roots now.

I held my breath when a face came into view.

“
Mary?
”
I exclaimed.

Mary screamed and slapped her hand over her mouth.

“
You scared me! Oh thank god you’re alive
,
”
s
he said as she rushed forward and gave me a hug.

Abigail coughed.

Mary stepped back and looked around. Casey and Peter walked into view.

“
Where is Donald?
”
Mary asked with wide eyes.

Abigail looked down.

“
He didn’t make it
,
”
I spoke up.

“
It was Aaric Dealbeorht
,
”
Abigail added.

Mary gasped and cupped both hands over her mouth.

“
It’s my fault
,
”
s
he sobbed.
“
I forgot the watches
at
the house
,
and he said he could get them.
”

We explained to Mary what had happened from the beginning up until the point Donald died. I left out the part about our families being infected. I did not want Casey and Peter to freak out before we were safe.

Mary then told us that
,
once she left the classroom
,
she met Donald by the trees. That’s when she had realized she forgot the watches. Donald said he would grab them and meet her in the woods in front of the house.

After Donald ran off
,
she heard the gunshots. She started to run into the woods, but there were Guards there too. She hid under an old bridge as the
G
uards past
,
and s
he waited a while before she continued to sneak through the woods. She kept ducking and hiding behind trees occasionally to let Guards pass.
S
he ran in
to
Casey and Peter
a little past the big tree near the road
.
Casey told Mary that we were heading to her house to see if she was al
l
right and the plan
was
to meet in the woods in front of her house. By the time they had reached the house
,
there were already cars there. She figured Donald was already out
in the woods by now and told
Casey
that Abigail would bring me to the evacuation point and that they should head there.
Since Casey had to stop and put Peter down for a few minutes
on the way to the house
, they did not know if Abigail and I had already come and gone.
At first
,
Casey did not want to go, but they heard footsteps and decided to move further in
to
the woods
.
Peter’s
bag must have slipped off without anyone noticing.

They had to stop
about
a mile in because Peter was getting t
o
o heavy
,
and
they
rested
.
They woke up before sunrise and started towards the mountain again, and now here we
were
.

“
We better
get moving
. I don'
t want anyone following us
,
”
Mary said.

We walked for about ten minutes before Peter broke the silence.

“
I'm
so hungry
,
”
Peter whined.

I had not notic
ed it
,
but I was starving also
. I had not eaten since yesterday morning. My stomach gurgled.

“
There is some food in Donald’s bag
,
”
I remembered.

We all stopped and huddled around the bag. I grabbed two apples and a pack of crackers
,
and we split it. I took out a bottle of water and passed it around.

I noticed the watch cases at the bottom of the bag.

“
Mary, Donald did get the watches
,
”
I said.

I took out the two boxes and handed them to her.

“
That amazing boy
,
”
s
he said with red eyes. She glanced at my wrist.
“
I see you put one on already. Did she show you how to use it?
”

“
She did
,
”
I responded.

“
Good.
”
She turned to Peter.
“
You can use the other one. Maybe this will keep Casey from carrying you.
”

Peter’s ears turned red.

“
Thanks
,
”
Peter said as he opened the box
,
and Abigail started to help him set it up.

In a few minutes
,
w
e finished our meal and
began to make our way forward.

Mary began to talk about all the different things that we would see in the
W
est.

“
You will not believe your eyes! Soft beds with
real
blankets. Air
c
onditioning. Oh, I miss AC
.
I miss the heater. I miss real clothes. Shampoo, conditioner, soap, hot water,
clean
water,
”
Mary began to ramble.
“
And the food. Cakes, Chinese food, pizza, hamburgers, spaghetti, fried chicken, donuts…
”

All of our stomachs made a huge gurgle
,
and we all moaned together in pain.

“
Please stop
,
Mary
.
I can’t take it!
”
Abigail begged.

“
Oh
,
come on
,
Abigail
.
T
here has to be something you miss?
”
Mary asked.

“
Yeah, all of what you just said!
”
Abigail replied.
“
And I miss the music.
”

I guess that talking about what they missed gave them motivation to move on because they went back and forth for about an hour. I stopped listening and started to think about what I missed the most
—
my family.

“
What about your families
?
”
I asked.

I knew it was
the
wrong topic as soon as the first word slipped from my mouth, but I could not help it.

There was a pause
,
where Mary and Abigail looked at each other.

“
I have no family
,
”
Mary spoke up.
“
I mean
,
I have no blood related family that I know of.
I was one of the kids that was bred and was supposed to be given away to a foster parent. I was three when a man came and pi
cked me up. We were in his car
,
and
he
started to light up a cigarette. The driver hit a bump
,
and the lighter burned into his chin. He got angry. Even though I was only three, I still remember. I reached up
,
and touched his chin
,
and told him it would be okay. I had healed the burn. I was so tired
;
after that
,
I fell asleep. When I woke up
,
we were in a clearing in the middle of the woods with a bunch of crates. He told me to get inside and that I would be safe. I was so scared. I screamed until my voice was raw when he left. About an hour later
,
I heard a loud rumbling noise
,
and the crate started to mov
e and lift into the air. I don'
t remember much after that. I was
taken out and given to foster parents
;
they were actually scientists
,
but they treated me like I was their own. They are my family.
”

“
So you could use your abilities when you were that young?
”
Peter asked.

“
That was the first time I used them. It was by mistake
;
I didn'
t know what I was
doing
,
”
Mary replied.
“
I didn'
t do it again until I was eleven.
”

“
I am sorry
,
”
I said.
“
I didn'
t mean to ask such a personal question.
”

“
I am like Mary
,
”
Abigail ignored me.
“
My family back home is not related to
me. I showed up when I was almost ten
. My dad realized that I was different. When I was playing out in the yard
,
I picked up
a rock half the
my size
and threw it across the road. The town representative was passing by and saw what I had done.

“
A few days later
,
my dad and I returned home from trading food. The door was opened
,
but
no one was home. The wall console showed that Guards and the town representative had entered and left with my mom and three sisters. My dad flagged down a patrol car and knocked the Guard out when he got out. My dad put me in the back seat and drove off.

“
The car was tracked
,
so within an hour we were being followed. He swerved into the woods and drove a few hundred feet before we ran into a tree. He got out and threw me into the bushes. He told me to be quiet
,
no matter what. He told me
,
when
everyone was gone
,
to go back to the road and keep walking towards the largest mountain until I came to a small house on the side of the road. He said I would be safe there.

“
Then the Guards came.
He told them he gave up. Then Aaric Dealbeorht showed up. He explained that assaulting a Guard and stealing a car was punishable by death. Aaric took out his gun and pointed it at my dad. He said he admired how my dad was not scared to die and that he would let my dad kill himself. He gave my dad the gun. My dad was about to raise the gun to fire at Aaric
,
but Aaric had already grabbed my dad’s head. My dad gritted his teeth and screamed. Aaric backed up and told my dad to shoot himself. My dad raised the gun to his head. Before he pulled
the trigger
,
he said
,
‘I love you
.
’
I closed my eyes.