The Shattered Genesis (Eternity) (116 page)

             
The terror that tagged along closely with uncertainty was driving me further and further to the edge. If they had not been there with me, urging me to exorcise those ragged, inflamed feelings from my heart, I would have fallen into insani
ty.

             
There was one fear stronger than the fear of death, I discovered. For some, the idea of dying was enough to bring them to their knees. To leave this realm meant to enter another we knew nothing of; the fear of the unknown had always been the anxiety-p
rovoking element in humans’ thoughts of death.

             
But losing those that one loves is an idea that provokes a stronger fear, by far. I loved Violet and Penny so much, I felt my heart splitting, quite literally, at the thought of losing them. Screaming did not
hing to bring them back to me. But when one is terrified, one screams. Through the mist that was left after the worst of my fear had been thrust forcefully (and deafeningly) from my body by shouting, there was but one action, clearer than a Pangean morning
.

             
“We are going after them.”

             
“Yeah. We are, Brynn. We’ll find them. I promise, we will.” Alice assured me gently.

             
“No,” I shook my head back and forth and looked up at all of them, “It was the Bachums that took them. They’ll take them to wherever they’r
e living. We were so close. They knew we were coming so they hit us first. We need to go back!”

             
“You want to go back north?” Quinn asked me.

             
“Yes! That is where they are headed. I know it is. I am going after them. I will kill anyone that gets in my way.
I will go in there and kill every last one of their people if it means that I will get Violet and Penny back. None of you had better tell me that I am exaggerating or that I am foolish to think that we can actually beat them because…”
             

             
“I’m going with yo
u.” James interrupted me, “You know I’m with you, baby.”

             
“I’m in.” Quinn agreed, nodding.

             
“Me too.” Alice chimed in, “When do we leave?”

             
“Right now.” I stood up and turned to see Elijah hurrying back to us. “I know you’re in, too, so let’s go.”

             
“To the
Bachums’ camp?” Elijah asked.

             
“No, to the moon, Eli!” I exclaimed in aggravation as I threw my hands up in the air and rolled my eyes.

             
“Okay, chill out! James, walk with me.”

             
I watched as he led James away from our group, my brows furrowed.

             
“One
minute he hates him, the next he wants to bond. There is no time for this!”

             
“You are correct, Brynna. There is very little time for this. In fact, the longer you wait, the more distance those animals put between you and your sisters.”

             
I turned to see Ada
m standing behind me, having appeared from nowhere as he always did.

             
“Do you have any idea how unwelcome the sight of your face is?” I snarled at him, “If you had not started this, they would still be here! You put them in danger!” I closed the space betw
een us and glared up at him, “If they die, Adam, you have my word that I will kill you! You may think that you are invincible and that some lowly Earthean could not kill you even when utilizing their best effort, but you are wrong! If they are taken from m
e, I will end you. Do you understand me?!”

             
“Brynna,” Alice breathed, “I don’t think you should…”

             
“Understood.” Adam smiled at me dangerously before placing both of his smooth hands on my face. “You have great fire in your heart, Ms. Olivier. I admire tha
t.”

             
“Do not touch me!” I shook him off and took a step back.

             
“But alas, while there is fire, there is also great fear.” His smile widened and his eyes glinted with malignant madness, “That fear generally yields distrust, which has always proved useful to
you. Why do you shun it now?”

             
“Do not even try to play your Machiavellian mind games with me, Adam. I have always possessed intelligence far above what others are capable of achieving in their wildest dreams. You will never win.”

             
“I am not playing a gam
e with you, Brynna. In fact, what I speak of is very serious. Your fear of men has always kept you safe. Now, you trust a man with secrets far more terrible than even he cares to realize.”

             
“What are you talking about?” I asked. He had my interest now. Jam
es turned and hurried back to us after hearing that snippet of our conversation.

             
“What are you putting in her head now, Adam?” James demanded furiously. Upon viewing Adam's face, his eyes turned over red.

             
“I am simply warning her to be wary of you. I bel
ieve that is only fair, given that she has allowed herself to be blinded by her love for you. What she feels for you is vast and uncompromising, bred from inexperience and that blind eye I speak of. It saddens me to see such naivety in one so brilliant.”

             
“He says that you have secrets, James. Is there anything you wish to tell me?”

             
James looked between the two of us, scowling in rage.

             
“I want you to stay away from her, do you understand me?” He barked forcefully as he pointed at Adam. “She doesn’t need t
o hear your lies. What’s happening is your fault. If you hadn’t insisted on this war, Penny and Violet would still be with us. If you had just let us live here peacefully, none of this would be happening.”

             
“And you are so familiar with living peacefully,
are you not?” Adam asked before turning away. “Open your eyes, Ms. Olivier. Close your heart. Do it now before it is too late to rectify the consequences of your trust.”

             
He disappeared amongst the crowd of our people. Don was leading the charge in our dir
ection, fury on his face.

             
“Are you ready to go back north?” Don called to us.

             
“Definitely.” Quinn answered, “We’re all in. When are we leaving?”

             
“Right now.” Don answered, “We have a few more guns now which should close the gap between us and them a lit
tle bit. Here,” Don handed me a small handgun. I checked to make sure it was loaded before flipping the safety on. I stuck the gun in the back of my jeans, feeling like an action movie heroine ready for an epic shootout with a sadistic villain. I forced Ad
am’s comments from my mind for the time being. Adam urging me to distrust James for an ambiguous reason was not important; I had to find Penny and Violet first and then I would give James the third degree.

             
“Wait a minute.” Bennie said as she stepped to th
e front of the group. “Some of us need to stay
behind. Not all of us can make the trip, Don.”

             
She was right; we had elderly people and children who would not survive the harsh climate of the mountains. I looked around at them all, seeing genuine panic in
their eyes. When the house had been standing, our way of life thriving inside its walls, everyone had a purpose. Everyone did their part by contributing something, even if it was just folding clean clothes or washing the fruits and vegetables harvested fro
m the earth. Don insisted that everyone contribute their fair share willingly and he was right. We understood that one weak link in the chain meant collapse. Those fearful individuals I was observing were going to be deemed weak by Don; though they could h
elp achieve our goal of survival when the house was up and running, they surely could not help us fight the Bachums.

             
“Well, that’s not my concern right now. They came up on us and attacked those of you that couldn’t fight. They burned our house down. They
destroyed everything we’ve fought so hard to build. So right now, my concern is going up there and taking back what’s ours. They took our people! God only knows what is going to happen to them! I have said it before and I’ll say it again: they hate our ki
nd!”

             
“But what are we supposed to do?” An elderly woman asked feebly as she clutched a small child in her arms. I almost covered my mouth as the urge to sob openly tightened me in its grip.

             
“You’re going to have to stay here. Just wait for us to get back
.”

             
“But what if they get back before you do?” Bennie demanded, “We can’t afford to lose anyone else!”

             
“Listen,” Don held up his hands as though preaching a sermon. “We have survived thus far by simply adhering to my belief that everyone can contribute. N
ow, we don’t have that life we built anymore. We have a new purpose: We need to destroy the Bachums. They are a constant threat. They are more dangerous than I ever could have imagined. Now, it’s unfortunate, but those that can’t fight cannot be our top pr
iority right now. All of you,” He indicated those that would not be joining us on our trek or in the battle that followed, “You all know that you can’t contribute equally anymore. Not in this new purpose.”

             
Ah, everything I suspected he was thinking was
actually being said. At least he was honest...

             
“So, you’re just going to leave us here to die?” An older man asked.

             
“Not to die, of course not! You’re just going to have to…”

             
“We will find a new place to take shelter. We will leave a few behind to prote
ct all of you. The fire is out, so we will go in and try to find whatever remains of the food supply. In the meantime, all of this rainwater is good for drinking so we need to find containers for it.” I looked around to find everyone staring at me, shocked
that I would openly contradict Don’s orders. He was our leader who had led us to safety and prolonged our lives by running a smooth operation in his house. Through his idea that all of us had to work and contribute, we had thrived. He had angered them by
taking more than a fair share to give to Adam but even in their displeasure, they understood the necessity of appeasing the man who made Don’s vision possible in the first place. Their loyalty to Don ran deep and I was trampling on it mercilessly with orde
rs of my own.

             
However, as is always the case when a leader issues an unpopular order, people jump ships quickly and without a second thought. Everyone immediately set to work, doing the things that I had said. I was momentarily surprised. Then, I mentally
patted myself on the back for understanding what those people truly needed far more coherently than Don did. I had towed the line when Don had taken from the joint food supply but his suggestion that we leave those he considered weak behind to die was una
cceptable and reminiscent of another man I had known. Just when I had begun to believe that Don was the leader my father never could have been, I realized that they were one in the same.

             
I walked over to Rachel and Bennie, who were brainstorming ideas on
where to set up a new shelter.

             
“Ladies, I need you to make sure that everything I just ordered gets done.” I handed them the gun Don had given me.

             
“Wait, where are you going?” Rachel grasped my arm as I went to turn away.

             
“Why do we need a gun?”

             
“Becau
se Don is very angry that I have overridden his order and more than likely will not follow my own. If he needs a little prodding,” I touched a spot on my arm, “Right here is a flesh wound. After that, threaten to shoot him right between the eyes.”

             
“Consid
er it done.” Bennie clapped me on the shoulder.

             
“Most of these people are on our side but several of them believe that Don is right and these people need to be left behind. You all know who you can trust.”
             

             
They both nodded.

             
“When we get back, we will
need a way to find all of you again.”

             
“I’ll leave a note in the sycamore tree, in that squirrel hole at the base.” Rachel told me,“You know the one, right at the end of the runoff going south?”