21. The Mission
Chapter twenty-one
The Mission
The cool night air pressed down on them like a weighted blanket as Estrellas lay in the dirt, blood trickling down the side of their mouth. They stared at the blackness of space until their eyes drifted to the pockmarked moon. So full. So bright. Clouds shifted across it like thin cotton caught in a breeze.
They moved their gaze to the side, looking straight into Bill's cold dead eyes, glossed over and somehow darker without the light of life shining through. He had fought valiantly up until the end, even in his human body, he fought, and lost-spectacularly.
Estrellas turned their gaze back to the moon. They had remembered everything. Not consciously, or willingly, no, the cracks in the dam shattered and it all came rushing back. It all happened so fast, they didn't even have time to warn her, to protect her.
Stathos-6 had been ready and waiting for the moment that he'd have a clear connection to them. He jumped. In seconds he was at their location and Estrellas knew in that moment that he had come for her, not them. He didn't have it in him to kill Estrellas, so he would do the next best thing-he'd use her to punish them.
The thought of giving into defeat crossed their mind more than once. It would be so easy to give into that feeling. To lay here until the wild devoured them like the lost soul that they were. Welcome the coyotes that howled in the distance, invite them to feast until their bellies were full. To stay in this exact spot and let their remains decompose until their bones were nothing more than a bump in the road covered over with a thick layer of dust and dirt.
But a vision of Talia’s face floated across their eyes like a dream. The way her eyes sparkled when she smiled. Her hands like a phantom against their cheek, warm, and comforting, calling to Estrellas. They had to get up. She needed them, Estrellas was her only hope.
A deep groan spilled out their mouth like a waterfall, heavy and deep. Every joint cracked as they pulled themselves up to a seated position. Their left leg was twisted at an awkward angle. They gingerly reached forward. Estrellas grunted and a tear crawled down their face as their fingers prodded the damaged leg. They grabbed the leg tightly with both hands, clenched their teeth and twisted hard. Estrellas screamed out into the night a wail so deep it echoed off the hills.
They could feel microscopic organic alien tech filter to their broken leg. Like small intelligent lice with healing intellect and capabilities that burrowed into this altered human body like a friendly virus. They could sense as the tiny things went to work rapidly repairing the bone and tissue, stitching together their flesh piece by piece. As they sat there looking into the distance, the world appeared off, as if angled wrong. They realized their neck was hanging, lounging on their shoulder. They grabbed each side of their head and yanked it back into place. Heat flooded up their body as the microscopic organisms raced to heal the new area.
Estrellas took deep long breaths. They poked and prodded the rest of Angela’s body seeking out any other major injuries in need of repair. A few broken fingers, an open bloody gash in their side, a missing toe and a few cracked teeth. They sat in that spot repairing the damage until they felt fixed enough to stand. They limped in the direction of the carnage that was once Bill’s beautiful home, as their body continued to heal. Each step more sturdy, each breath more sure, their vision increasingly more clear.
Estrellas was back to full strength by the time they reached the front porch. The steps were split down the middle, huge chunks of wood were scattered about the area, and the entire house leaned to one side like the great leaning tower of Pisa. They carefully maneuvered their way around the wreckage and into the house.
Estrellas went room by room. Climbing over broken furniture, tossing tables and chairs out of their way. They reached the demolished stairs and stared for a moment before realizing they were impassable. Estrellas looked up to the second landing, crouched down, flexed their muscles, and lept straight up like a pouncing cheetah. They landed with a thud on the second floor, and the house groaned and shifted from the sudden weight. Estrellas held still and sighed with relief when the building did not crumble.
They carefully walked to what was left of Talia’s room, tossing aside clothing and fallen dresser drawers until finally, they found what they were looking for. Talia’s purse. Estrellas put the strap over their head and walked to the large gaping hole that used to be a window. They looked down for just a second as a breeze blew through their black hair, judging the distance, and jumped.
A small cloud of dust enveloped them as they landed unshaken. Estrellas got into the driver's seat, slid the key into the ignition and gunned it toward the direction of town. A mile down the road, a caravan of emergency vehicles passed by Estrellas. Their lights and sirens screaming as if they could scare away the danger in their path.
Estrellas settled into the seat for the long drive ahead of them. In twelve hours time, they would arrive at their destination, face the consequence of their actions, and beg for mercy.