Chapter 24
Star
Winter.
Always before, they’d been harsh and cruel, a reminder that Mother Nature remained pissed off at what its inhabitants had done.
We’d been freeloaders, ignoring signs of animal and plant extinction, killing indiscriminately while diseases ran unchecked.
Millions of human lives had been lost, animals sacrificed and the environment suffering tremendously. Every time a lesson to be learned, hope restored only to have the situation worsen the next time.
As if the past indiscretions had all been forgiven.
They hadn’t been.
Every war, every battle, and every loss had become more significant, people turning against each other, even those once thought of as trusted friends.
With winter’s arrival, there were those who believed snow and ice cleaned the earth, wiping away remnants of violence and hatred. But in truth, most winters had only exacerbated the desperate and growing needs, leading more humans to turn against each other.
Only the strongest survived, the weak serving no purpose.
At least that’s what I’d seen in reading books on the history of the world. No country had been immune. And not a single country had learned their lesson.
Throughout the centuries, there’d been true leaders who’d tried to do the right thing. There’d been holy men and women who’d shared not only the word of God but also had bargained, pleaded for, and instructed the reason and need for peace.
And for tolerance.
To no avail.
They’d been crushed either before they reached power and were able to influence those caring to listen or were killed before their names were even known.
As the snow continued to fall, I’d begun to better understand why the information about my importance had been and was still being held as a great secret. The same for Phoenix, my Rage.
Granted, I couldn’t understand how the two of us could be the catalyst for such a significant change, but at this point, what other choice did anyone have?
While reports from other countries were sparse, many completely obliterated from the initial nuclear strikes that had been more extensive and more accurate, there were still a few struggling to find their way.
Maybe they were lucky and had found a Messiah of their own, a man, woman, or both to guide them from the darkness.
The road was all but gone, the snow blinding.
I wasn’t even certain how Wrath and Ghost were determining where the hell we were going.
What I did know was that the path was taking us into an area that had been almost completely devastated.
There were no buildings, only lumps of rubble sighted every fifty miles.
There was no sign of people or any concept of hope, and other than the rumble of the engine, the only sound was the pinging of ice crystals against the Humvee’s hull.
Wren was fast asleep in my arms, bundled up in a coat way too big for her, two blankets covering her frail body, but she was still shivering. While we were lucky in that we still had some gas, I could tell Rage was worried.
But he was always worried, always keeping an eye on me, especially since I’d managed to harness my fire-starting abilities. I’d been terrified. A quick glance out the window and I’d known there was no chance of winning. Not against the number of Dwellers.
Vicious had called it suspicious, as if the Dwellers had been sent to kill us.
Maybe they had, but I was also beginning to buy into the concept we were being tested once again.
Whether by God, his disciples, his apostles, or by aliens I didn’t know.
What I did know was that we wouldn’t be gifted another chance if all we had planned was to turn around and in fifty years allow that the world to be destroyed once again.
This was our last chance as a civilization.
The thought was a heavy burden to bear.
“We need to find a place to hole up,” Wrath said calmly, much like he’d done when he mentioned the town we’d been lucky enough to find.
Only this time, he was fearful we’d die being out in the elements. The snow was several feet deep, the wind howling through every crevice in the vehicle. We had food, but being unsure of the duration of the trip, we had to be very careful how much we consumed.
I’d even found dog food left over for Jake, a real treat that he’d enjoyed. He’d become Wren’s protector and for that alone, he’d share my food if necessary.
Everyone had a purpose and I sensed his would eventually be guiding us through the final stretch of darkness.
Maybe I was over-fantasizing about what we were facing. Or maybe I was falling into some level of hysteria. Either way, I wouldn’t stop fighting until the very end.
“We’re in the middle of nowhere.” Rage slumped into the seat, staring out the window.
“We just passed a sign back there. I know where we are.” Vicious sounded certain.
Rage snorted. “Meaning what?”
“There used to be a zoo. There are caves that might still exist.”
“You’re fucking looney tunes,” Wrath piped in.
“Maybe not. Some of the enclosures were built in these super strengthened enclosures. The builders were worried about earthquakes. Have you seen anything else around here? We’re going to freeze to death.
Maybe at least inside a cave, our Firestarter can give us some warmth.
” Vicious’ voice was full of anger, but I knew better than to think it was directed at me.
Rage didn’t.
He almost flew over the seat.
“Stop!” I hissed. “You’ll scare Wren. There’s no reason not to see if there’s anywhere we can ride out the storm. Any idea how long that might be, Wrath? You have a sense about these things.”
He acted as if he wasn’t certain Rage would want him to talk. “It should break in the morning.”
“Then we should do that,” I encouraged. With Rage’s silence, I had to push his shoulder to get him to react.
“Yeah, fine. But we need to pay attention to where we’re going.
We don’t need to find ourselves more lost than I’m guessing we already are.
” Rage remained as frustrated as I’d ever seen him, yet after my display of power, he’d held me in his arms for almost a full hour while the others had gone through the closest houses, gathering up everything they’d believed useful.
In those moments, I’d felt even closer to him, the energy we’d shared more powerful than any of my abilities. I continued to go back to what Peter had told me and what I’d heard from Wrath.
We needed to be cohesive, working together or we would die.
I closed my eyes, trying to counter the ugly voices inside my head as Vicious directed Wrath where to go.
He’d been right in that parts of the zoo, while mostly covered in snow, appeared intact.
“It’ll be getting dark soon. We need to see if the caves still exist.” Vicious didn’t wait to see if Rage approved, bundling up then exiting the vehicle. The howl of the wind had lessened, snow beginning to taper off. Even the pinging sounds from ice had all but subsided.
“At least we found some equipment that will help with digging as needed.” Wrath allowed the engine to idle and I could tell he was looking at the gauges on the dashboard, which I didn’t completely understand.
He glanced at Rage, sharing something between them they didn’t want to vocalize.
“We don’t have a choice, Rage. No choice at all. ”
As soon as he turned off the engine, Rage took a deep breath.
There was no more gas in the tanks.
“We work together,” Rage finally said. “If we don’t dig a hole through in one hour, we spend the night here.”
There was no other choice, no options that would offer any respite from the bitter cold.
“Honey, stay here. Please. We’re going to find a place to spend the night.” I was surprised when Wren didn’t argue.
“Rage will protect us. Right?” Her question caught everyone off guard.
Rage turned his head, looking over the seat and for the first time, I noticed liquid in his eyes. “I’m going to do my best, sweetheart. Keep Jake warm. Okay?”
“Okay.” She seemed much more certain of herself, as if in the few days we’d been together she’d aged by several years.
The chilly air cut to the bone even through the thick layer of clothing and the gloves that had been found. We’d marveled at the array of items left behind. As if by choice in hopes we’d find them. As if the former inhabitants of the town had known we’d need them.
With the wind creating drifts of snow, we were lucky in that there was a natural path forged through a portion of the facility.
Vicious moved ahead of everyone and I could tell he was struggling to find anything he recognized. We followed behind, able to keep the Humvees within view.
Ghost moved closer, taking the cue and grabbing one of the shovels from Wrath’s hand. “This could be our place of death. I hope everyone knows how to dig.”
“Leave it,” Rage instructed. He turned toward me, offering a shovel. He chose an axe instead. “Do you think you can do this, princess?”
“I can and I will, if you’ll stop calling me princess.”
“A love spat. Look at that.” Wrath’s ability to tease created a moment of levity.
“This is it,” Vicious said after scraping ice and snow from an old metal sign.
I was still in awe of the random buildings and other facilities still in existence even after all these years.
I’d even seen a Ferris wheel rusted in place, a sign of the past when families had enjoyed time spent out together.
There’d also been random vehicles as if someone had pulled onto the side of the road. Toys and clothes. Signs ripped off buildings.
All a macabre reminder of the destruction of man.
Vicious was excited, pointing out what had once lived inside the caves. Big cats. Tigers and lions. I could only imagine seeing any of the animals from before up close. What a beautiful sight it must have been.
Rage didn’t seem enthused but followed Vicious as he searched for any sign the caves he remembered still existed.