Chapter Forty-Two Aria #2
We each grabbed a bag and slung the straps of the heavy duffels over our shoulders, and we began to trudge through the high grass in the direction of the crack that hovered over the town.
The Laven man stuck close to us as we weaved across the field.
A throng of others had amassed.
An instinctual gathering as a stream of Laven made their way toward the town, heading in the same direction we were.
I could feel them coming.
Hundreds . . . maybe thousands who’d flocked from every direction and made their way toward the call that had been issued.
Strangers who’d been drawn.
Some spoke in English.
Others in different languages.
Brought here from every end of the earth.
It felt as if each of us had been inscribed on one another in some secret way. Our souls recognizing each other as wary, uncertain glances were cast. As understanding dawned and hope blossomed in the crux of the turmoil that awaited us.
The heavens continued to writhe, thrashing with insolence and the intonation of the immoral.
It only grew thicker the closer we got. Like sludge had filled the atmosphere.
The coldest chill slicked through the middle of it, gusting across our faces and whipping through our hair.
We slowed once we made it all the way across the field, our breaths heaving as we came to the fence line. On the other side was a road locked with cars. Most had been abandoned, many with their headlights still gleaming into the darkness that obliterated the day.
Beyond it was a gas station that looked as if it typically catered to semitrucks. The parking lot was large, and it now overflowed with pickups and cars that had been left at odd angles.
Huge diesel-fuel tanks were lined along the backside near the tall canopies that protected the pump stations.
And it was here that we saw the others. Those who’d been called for a different purpose from ours.
A slew of people charged through the abandoned cars and trucks.
Enraged.
Violent.
Barbaric.
Running amok on the streets as they flocked toward the crack where the Kruen crawled out from above.
My stomach toppled.
It was what I’d feared most.
Laven weren’t the only ones who had been coaxed to this place.
The corrupt who had fully given themselves over to the nefarious and vile had come in scores.
We all crouched down at the fence line, taking in the scene. The complete chaos that had befallen the land, so much worse than it’d been back in Portland, though I was sure it wouldn’t take long for this virus to spread.
For it to advance and expand and decimate.
“They’ve all gone mad,” Dani whispered where she knelt at my side.
“It’s what happens when there is no good left,” Pax grunted as he peered out. “We’ve seen it time and again since we’ve been on the run. These monsters who give themselves over to the wickedness that possesses their minds. They’ll do anything to see it through without any thought of consequence.”
“Can they resist it?” she whispered, her heart bleeding out. Not wanting to harm someone who had no choice.
“I think they could if they wanted to,” I whispered. “I can feel it . . . when I’m struck with the compulsion to reach out and heal, and when it’s useless to try. The way it was with those men who abducted me the other night.”
When the gift I’d been given became a weapon.
I could feel it smoldering inside me then. Rising up from deep within. A whisper that echoed through my spirit to fight.
Dani wavered for a moment before she seemed to come to a resolution; then she inhaled a shaky breath as she unzipped her bag and pulled out a bow.
Her words were hollow as she muttered, “Well, I guess it’s a good thing my parents made me do some kind of sport in high school and I picked archery. Never thought I would use it for this.”
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” I told her.
She stood, a new ferocity taking over her expression. “Yes, Aria, I do. I owe it to the people we have always fought to protect. Now that fight just looks a little different.”
She tossed the strap over her shoulder, then pulled out a quiver filled with metal-tipped hunting arrows. Her movements were quick and concise and proficient as she prepared her weapon.
Timothy did the same, pulling out a crossbow and a large knife that was sleeved, one that had a sling that hung around his waist.
Then he dug back into the bag and pulled out more, passing one to each of us.
I quickly strapped mine on.
Pax was quick to work through the guns, his actions focused and succinct as he loaded them. Then he stood, tossing two rifles onto his back and handing another to Timothy. He’d already given him instructions on how to use it on the long drive here.
“You sure you have it?” Pax asked.
“Yeah, man, I’ve got it—at least, the best that I can.” Timothy slung the rifle onto his opposite shoulder; then Pax turned to the Laven we’d first seen who’d stuck close to us as we crossed the field.
“What’s your name?” Pax asked him.
“Keith.”
“You know how to shoot, Keith?”
“I’ve gone hunting once or twice.”
“Good.” Pax shoved a handgun into his chest, then packed up the rest of our things, voice clipped as he issued instructions. “Everyone, stick close. Right up to Aria’s side. Our job is to protect her at all costs. She’s the one who holds the power to end Ambrose. She has to get to him.”
Grunts of understanding went up, and Pax gestured with his chin out toward the mayhem. “Let’s do this.”
He set his boot on a low rung of barbed wire, pushing it all the way to the ground and lifting the one above it to create a larger opening. Timothy ducked through, then stretched out his hand to help Dani; then Keith slipped under.
Pax’s gaze met mine. One moment shared.
Together.
I ducked under, feeling the stir of energy curl around me as I eased over to the other side. Pax was right there, following close behind.
Then we stepped out into the madness.