Chapter 22 Forks, Paths, and the Light
TWENTY-TWO
FORKS, PATHS, AND THE LIGHT
Sabrina
I flee into the tunnels, backtracking as far as I remember, only to make a wrong turn and get caught at a dead end.
Realizing after a few minutes that no one’s coming after me, I slow down and wipe angrily at the tears forming in my eyes.
I keep going, even when I get quickly overcome with exhaustion until I reach the stairs leading to the double doors at the end.
Pushing at them with both hands, they swing open and I stumble through, briefly curling up on the ground to catch my breath. In the damp darkness, I hear the sound of critters fleeing from me outside my ring of light.
Darolus isn’t going to forgive me, nor should he. I betrayed him, and even if I didn’t come right out and tell him that, he would’ve realized it eventually.
But by betraying him… I wasn’t betraying myself.
The smell of Weston’s and Mickie’s corpses fill my nose and it wrinkles, reminding me of their bodies nearby.
Rising to my feet, I head over to them and grab their few belongings to take back with me above.
Afterward, I grab two of the alien guns and head for the only other opening in and out of this cellar room, a crumbling hole in the wall.
Hesitating, I turn back and walk to a different crate, grasping one of the silver daggers on it. Sleek and solid in my grip, I can sense the deadliness of the weapon. Deciding I might need it in the days to come despite its bloody history, I sheath it in my belt.
Climbing through the debris and toward the light, I turn my flashlight off when I reach the top and step up into a partially collapsed building.
Once again dropping to my knees, I sit there for a few minutes gazing into the large swatches of sunlight coming through the windows and roof, having been subjected to near total darkness for days now.
My eyes water profusely as they adjust, and it’s almost painful blinking out the tears that form.
Rubbing the water out of my eyes, I glance behind me at the hole I crawled out of, hating the way Darolus and I left things. Over the next few minutes, I debate whether I should’ve kept my mouth shut until he was a little better.
Slowly getting to my feet, I grab my stuff and make my way out of the building.
Climbing through a window, I step out onto the street and look around.
Buildings rise up on either side, some taller than others, some made out of stone, others bricks, and more still, metal.
Rubble and debris, as well as the shells of old vehicles line the partially open pathway of the streets before and between them.
I turn to peer at the building next to the one I came out of, the building Darolus’s nest would be in, and discover a beautifully ornate stone structure with a steeple at the top. Unlike the other buildings around me, I recognize it as a church.
I hesitate to take another step, looking once more at the crumbled structure I came out of.
I have no idea where to go from here, which direction the forest is in or The Wreck—if it’s still here—and even if it is, if I even wanted to find it.
Facing Tata and Annora after everything will be difficult.
They might not want to see me, especially with the news I carry.
Lifting the two alien guns I stole from where they’re tucked in my pants, I know I have to try. I have to make something right because if Darolus isn’t going to let me explain, I have to at least fix something else. Shaking out my reserve, I straighten my back and put the guns away.
Annora and Tata deserve answers if they’re still here. I need to try to find them.
Taking my first step away from the building, knowing I may never find my way back, I inhale a deep breath and choose the rightmost path, scanning the buildings around me once more with a keener eye.
I’m alone now…
My life is mine again.
It’s only up to me.