CHAPTER 19
Astrid
“Sparks!”
She slams into a tree and crumples to the ground. I rise from the muddy grass and dash to her side. Sparks staggers to her knees, disoriented from the impact.
“Did it work?” She asks. “Did they survive?”
I glance toward the blazing car. There are a few agonized screams, but they are fading quickly. Everyone else is either dead or will be soon, but I don’t want to stick around in case I am wrong.
“Let’s go,” I urge. “Can you walk?”
“Don’t think I have a choice.” She grimaces as she stands, and the blood drains from her face.
“Come on.” I lay her arm across my back, supporting some of her weight.
Together, we stumble deeper into the forest. We travel at a slow pace, more of a trudge than a walk, tripping on tree roots and rocks in the dim light.
The rain drenches our clothing, despite our leather jackets.
Normally, I would use my powers to keep us dry, but Sparks insists I save my energy.
I’m glad to at least have the jacket, but I would kill for pants and hiking boots right now.
I don’t know how I haven’t twisted my ankle in these sandals.
While we’re at it, I would also kill for a flashlight or granola bar.
Luckily, we have plenty of water. Sparks’s head slumps and she jerks herself awake.
“We need to stop for the night.” I decide, scanning the horizon for anything remotely similar to a shelter.
“No, we need to keep going,” Spark’s words slur together. She shivers as the wind gusts stronger. “It’s not safe.”
“You’re practically sleepwalking,” I point out. “Plus, I’m the one dragging you, so I’m making an executive decision.”
She protests weakly but relents when I find a small cavity in a cliffside. It’s small, but it has a roof and walls, so it’s close enough. Sparks slides off my shoulder and I stretch in relief. Despite being protected from the wind, Sparks continues shivering.
“I’m going to look for some firewood,” I say.
“No, they’ll be able to see it.” She shakes her head. “It’s too risky.”
“Sparks, we’re no longer just running from our kidnappers,” I chide. “We’re also trying to survive in the middle of some random forest. We don’t have the luxury to go without fire. You’re practically turning blue.”
“Okay,” she relents. “Just a small one though.”
“Fine,” I compromise and head out to gather some kindling.
I return a short while later with some grasses, twigs, and wood. Sparks is leaning against the cave wall, holding two rocks.
“What are those for?” I eye her stones.
“To start the fire, duh,” she teases. “What was your plan?”
“I hadn’t gotten there yet.” I shrug. “One thing at a time.”
Together, we arrange the firewood the best we can figure.
Sparks tells stories of camping with her ex and some of the techniques they would use.
She admits that it had been a while and they weren’t very good at it, but it worked well enough then.
I use my powers to dry the kindling, and while I was at it, dried our clothes before Sparks could protest.
“Astrid, you need to conserve your energy,” she lectures.
“Sparks, I cannot explain to you how little effort that took.” I roll my eyes. “Just start the fire.”
She kneels over the grasses and strikes the two rocks together. Some sparks fly from the friction, but nothing catches. She tries it a few more times, getting frustrated.
“Hey, my turn.” I grab the rocks from her.
On the first strike, sparks latch onto the grass. I quickly lean down and gently fan the embers until we have a small flame in our campsite.
“I loosened it for you,” Sparks huffs.
“Yes, you did.” I tousle her hair jokingly. “Either way, it was your idea, so props there.”
“We’re going to need to prioritize finding food tomorrow.” Her eyes flit back and forth, compiling an invisible list of concerns. “We also need to find a way out or get help.”
“I’ve been debating if we should find the road again.” I twiddle my fingers in my lap. “On one hand, we could flag down someone driving by. On the other, we could flag down the wrong person.”
“I don’t think we can risk it.”
Sparks runs her fingers through her tangled hair. Mud is streaked on her forehead, and her color is still paler than I would like. That being said, I probably don’t look much better.
“So, you can make lightning.” I try to lighten the conversation. “Didn’t know you could do that.”
“I can only redirect lightning, can’t create it myself.
” She grimaces as she flexes her left hand, the one with the strange scar.
Mimi claimed that Sparks was struck by lightning, but I never knew the full story.
“That was only the second time I’ve done it.
The first was an accident, and I struck myself. That hurt like a motherfucker.”
“I can’t tell if that was brave or reckless to give that a go today.” I pinch the bridge of my nose.
“Oh, completely reckless,” she asserts. “It took a lot out of me. I feel like shit. But hey, I didn’t give myself another scar this time, so that’s great.”
“Yay for little victories.” I circle my fist. “Woo!”
Sparks smiles before a dark look flashes across her features. She sighs before looking back up at me.
“Astrid, I need to ask you something serious,” she starts, nervously.
“What’s wrong?” I’m concerned.
“These people aren’t going to pull their punches.” Sparks rubs her forehead. “Can I trust you to kill them if it comes to it?”
“What?” I heard her, but she caught me off guard.
“Astrid.” She grabs my head in her hands. “If they come after you, there is no other option. You need to fight tooth and nail to survive, and that includes taking their lives.”
“But―”
“No, Astrid, no buts. They will come for us. They will have guns. Even if they hold a pistol to my head, I want you to give them hell. Use your powers, steal their weapons, whatever it takes.”
“I can’t let them hurt you,” I sniffle as tears threaten to fall.
“Then they will use me to get to you.” Sparks softly rubs her thumb on my cheek. “And I couldn’t live with myself if that happened.”
“I don’t know if I can.” My voice wavers.
“Promise me you’ll try.” Pain overtakes her eyes. “Please.”
“Okay.” I nod and Sparks pulls me into a hug.
“It’s getting late,” Sparks says after a minute. “One of us should get some sleep.”
“I’ll take the first watch,” I volunteer.
For once, Sparks doesn't argue. Probably because she’s already about to pass out. I gesture for her to lay her head in my lap. I stroke her hair and hum the lullaby that my mother always sang to me. Her breathing slows within seconds.
The night passes quickly, sans for a few squirrels scaring me half to death. I keep thinking they are our kidnappers, rounding the corner to catch us, but they just keep chittering, scrambling from tree to tree.
I slink outside, gently lowering Sparks’s head from my lap.
The rain has ceased, leaving muddy puddles in its wake.
I grab a few sticks to add to the fire, ensuring it doesn’t burn out.
Sparks is awake by the time I return. She shrugs off her jacket and bundles it into a pillow for me.
When I remind her I have my own coat, she just shrugs and says the fire will keep her warm.
I smile as the scents of smoke and bergamot lull me to sleep.
The smell of roasted meat rouses me and my grumbling stomach from sleep.
Sparks has a few kebabs propped against the embers.
I don’t ask her where the meat came from, but the squirrels have gone quiet.
She washes the blood from underneath her nails in a puddle.
Her face is grim. I feel a bit of shame.
She’s always been strong and tough, I hate seeing her have to harden herself again.
I wish I could take this burden from her.
She hands me a stick and we gnaw at our squirrel kebabs. We sit in a comfortable silence, enjoying the sunrise and soft birdsong.
“You can have the last stick,” I offer to Sparks.
“There’s no way you’re not hungry.” She holds it out to me.
“Same goes for you.” I don’t take the stick.
“Fair.” Sparks takes a bite and then passes it to me. “We’ll share.”
We alternate bites back and forth. Granted, there’s not much to eat, but it’s the thought that counts.
“Ready to head out?” Sparks asks. Her skin is no longer pale, having recovered from her overexertion last night. She stretches her arms.
“Let’s kick it,” I say, trying to sound optimistic and excited. I think it worked.
We make faster time now that Sparks can walk on her own.
As we hike, I notice some herbs and flowers that Mimi taught me about.
Her intended lessons focused on witchcraft and spells, but edible is edible.
I show Sparks the wild violet flowers, dandelions, and chickweed.
The dandelions are bitter while the other two are milder.
It’s not the most filling thing in the world, but beggars can’t be choosers.
I breathe a sigh of relief as we stumble upon a river but Sparks quickly pulls me away.
“What are you doing?” I yank my hand from her grasp. “There’s water over there. I’m functionally powerless without it.”
“And that’s why they’ll be looking for us there,” Sparks whispers. “We have to stay away from water sources, especially while there are plenty of puddles we can drink from.”
“Don’t you feel vulnerable being so far away from electricity?” I probe. “I can protect us by the water.”
“Of course I feel vulnerable!” Sparks says. “It’s like I only have one hand, but trust me, this is safer in the long run.”
A twig snaps in the distance and her eyes widen in panic.
We don’t stop to check whether a rabbit is messing with us.
No, we just grab each other and run. I trip on a tree root, landing sprawled in the damp soil.
Sparks hauls me up by my arms, forcing me back to my feet.
We run until we can’t anymore, until our chests are heaving and sweat coats our bodies.
I put my hands on my knees as Sparks leans against a tree.
“We need to keep going.” Her paranoia is working overtime. “It’s not safe here.”
“It’s not safe anywhere, Sparks.” Oh god, my ribs hurt so bad. “I need a break.”
“Come on, Astrid.” She pulls me back to my feet, and we resume our trek to nowhere.
“I’m surprised you stopped for me when I fell.” I smirk. “Figured you would be too much in a hurry to wait for me.”
“Don’t say that.” She whips to face me, stunned by my comment. “I would never leave you behind.”
“It was a joke,” I pant, trying to keep up with her. “Just kidding.”
“Oh.”
We fall back into a steady cadence of walking.
Sparks eases up slightly, but I know she’s still antsy.
But luckily for me and unfortunately for her, the sun once again dips toward the horizon.
We can’t find a suitable cave, but since the sky is clear of clouds, we figure it would be fine to camp in the open.
We split up to search for firewood and small game to eat. I kneel down to harvest some wild garlic. It’s not much, but it might make the squirrel or whatever we eat a bit more enjoyable. I stuff a bundle into my jacket pocket.
“Found ya.” A gruff voice comes from behind. Someone grabs a fistful of my hair and drags me backwards.
“Let go of me!” I struggle in his grasp, clawing at his hand.
He lets go as he curses. Blood stains the tips of my fingernails. I scramble to my feet, putting distance between me and my attacker. He’s strong and burly. Good for him. I’m small and nimble. Let’s dance.
He lunges toward me, and I jump to the side.
My hands grab a hefty branch and swing it at his face.
It connects with a solid thunk, and he falls to the ground.
He grabs my ankle as I try to run away, but I kick at him with my other foot.
The man manages to grab both of my legs, pulling me down until he’s lying on top of me.
The smell of his body odor is assaultive, and I resist the urge to gag.
“If I let you up, will you run or be a good girl?” He asks.
“I’ll be good,” I lie. He doesn’t believe me.
My attacker pins my arms to the ground, and I buck my hips, trying to throw him off. It is not effective. He chuckles, enjoying seeing me struggle beneath him. Think Astrid, think! I close my eyes, reaching out with my powers. Any water will do, even dew on a leaf. There’s nothing.
He zip ties my hands together and drags me to my feet.
It appears that he thinks being restrained makes me defenseless.
Dumbass. I drive my heel into his foot. As he instinctively bends over to grab his foot, my elbow is already in motion, breaking his nose.
His head whips back, and I ram my knee into his groin.
I’m already ten feet away by the time he’s recovered from my attack.
Run, run, run! Don’t lead him to Sparks. I can’t remember where our meeting point was. I decide to just keep going straight, hurdling over boulders in the way.
My sandals decide now is a great time to cause a problem. They snag on an exposed tree root, and I crash to the dirt. I try to catch myself, but my restraints limit my motion. I land on my wrist and immediately feel a sharp pain. I shriek as I hold my wrist to my chest. It hurts! Oh god, it hurts!
Keep moving. I have to keep moving. I force myself to get up, blinking back the tears. He’s getting closer, I can hear him. Keep moving. Don’t stop.
Arms surround me as I’m tackled. My wrist screams as I land on it again.
Or maybe I do. His momentum carries us forward, and we tumble down the hill.
Branches scratch at my skin, and I’m bleeding from several shallow cuts by the time we reach the bottom of the slope.
I’m back up to run, but the man has learned by now.
He latches onto my wrist, and I fall to my knees.
The pain is debilitating. I can’t think, can’t focus. Only pain.
“Aw, did the little girlie hurt her wrist?” The man squeezes tighter, and I scream. He pulls out a knife, the edge glints in the moonlight. “The Director wants you alive, she didn’t say unharmed. You’re not going to run away from me again.”
My attacker shoves me to the ground, aiming his knife at my leg.
A scream cuts through the silence of the forest. This time it’s not mine.