Misty and I pull out, leaving the group and church behind; and the small safety that it provided. Bringing the blunt to my lips I take a long drag, allowing the smoke to sit in my lungs. Needing the high now more than ever as I try to process everything in the moment.
Where I was. How I got here. Why didn't Lucas and my father answer my call.
So much for my mind to take as I blow out the smoke. Hitting the blunt back to back as Misty drives down the paved road. As she keeps her eyes on the road in front of us, I glance out the window ahead and see a car on the side of the road. Misty goes around it as a lone figure can be seen just a few feet ahead. My head turning to view the sight out my passenger side window that is cracked a few inches for the smoke to exit from.
The person can be seen walking slowly, as if they had a limp as we pass. Upon seeing us, the woman as it appears stretches out her arms and begins to chomp her jaw in our direction. I can only sigh as I take a other puff.
"That's awful." I say, although I thought it was a whisper, it came out much more clear than I'd hope.
"The world's always been awful. It's just now catching up to us." Misty chimes in as I release the smoke from my lungs. "We're almost there." She says she turns to the right at a four way, the stop light on yellow as she makes the turn. Her words ringing true as I think back of our history. Not just mine or hers, the world's. Everyone's.
I decide to take what Travis said to me into account. Less chit chat. The quicker I can get to Jasper we can be on our way to Lucas. Simple as that. Seeing my blunt now with a good four or five inches left I take my last remaining hits as Misty drives us along, a warehouse coming into view. I can feel my anxiety begin to peak, the feeling of emptiness, confusion and nervousness all bundles into one. A ball dropping in my stomach as Misty drives up to a guard post by the small entrance, putting it in park.
"Alright. We walk from here." I hear Misty say as she shuts off the engine and opens the door, my brow raising at her forwardness. But I still obliged and open my door, my feet hitting the ground as I turn and grab my bag and shovel from the floor board.
"Ready?"
"Been ready." I can hear her voice moving to my left as she walks away from the SUV and myself, the blunt still in hand. "Look, we're here to see why your friend and my men haven't been answering the com." Misty's voice grows cold as she walks along the high level fence, maybe fifteen feet high.
"That's what I'm here for. To make sure we all get back safe." I remind her the objective and I flick the ash onto the ground below me.
We walk along the perimeter of the rather large warehouse, coming to the back side of the the facility where the fence runs along side as I take my final puff and flick my roach to the ground.
"See our problem?" Misty asks, pointing toward the locked gate leading to the back entrance of the warehouse.
"The cage won't hold." I say as I look over my shoulder at the men and women pushing against one another, their bodies tearing against the metal of the fence as it begins to lean forward from the pressure.
"Exactly, and we need to get through them to get inside. No exceptions."
"Why not just go through the front?" I ask the most obvious question.
"Because Travis said something like the alarms may go off, and the garage doors are already open in the back. Plus, we won't be getting anywhere without the entire area open for their trucks."
Looking onto the men and women all napping their jaws and clinging to the fence, I take a moment to recollect my thoughts and a plan. Upon hearing a shouting in the distance, my head snaps forward.
"Jasper?"
"Woah!" I hear, Misty's hand reaching out to stop me, just as I take a step forward but keep my distance. "This your plan?" She ask as her head cocks to the side.
"What? No! Let's go help them!" I try to tell her as she shakes her head at me.
"I'll get to my men after I take care of you." Misty says as I take a step back, my back pack sliding off my shoulders and my shovel dropping from my hands.
"No please, Misty stop." I ask, my hands raising in front of me as she steps towards me, my initial reaction to turn and take off in the opposite direction. My feet move against the ground, kicking up dirt as I feel hands on my shoulders, the force taking me down.
My body hits the middle of a mud puddle, the muddy water splashing around us as my chest takes the impact. Lifting my head, I take a deep breath of the fresh air, the muddy liquid running down my face and hair. I kick my feet as I feel Misty move below me, almost stumbling as I try to stand. My clothes now drenched.
"Misty. Please!" I yell now, seeing her standing to her feet soaked in the same residue as I. "Don't do this. I'm here to help."
"You're only here to screw things up. There's always something in the way." She says before swinging her arm at me, her fist connecting with my check. My skin began to burn, pain radiating as I bend over. Looking back up to Misty I see her raise her arm again, but with the advantage of seeing her rear back her arm gives me the few seconds to bend down and duck her blow. My body turning and looking to her as she hits my cheek, falling to the ground below me.
Letting my eyes rest for a moment as they focus on a small branch in front of me, I wrap my hands around it as it leverages me up on my feet. Swinging the branch around, it goes down, swinging again, the same result. I try again as Misty catches it with her hands.
Fuck.
I struggle for a moment, pushing against her as I try to pull the branch away from her grasp. With my breath caught in my throat I feel the branch being pushed to me, hitting me directly in the face. Falling to the ground, I recollect my composure and dig my nails into the dirt, throwing it in Misty's direction to block her view momentarily. The delay only giving me time to stand as she smirks lightly towards me.
"You're done girl." She says before swinging at me, her fist connecting with my cheek, causing me to fall to the ground. My side taking the fall as Misty climbs on top of me, pulling her knife from her boot.
I shake my head, the words I want so desperately to say at the tip of my tongue as she raises the knife above me. My hues sweep over her as the seconds began to slow, a wound visible on her arm. Without hesitation I press my thumb into it, hearing her scream as my head turns and sees a rock to my left. Grabbing it quickly I bring it to her head with heavy force, knocking her off of me and onto the ground. Misty moans in pain as she grabs her head, the impact causing great pain as her voice indicates.
Climbing on top of her, I rear back my left hand and bring it down to her face, and again with my right. How dare she come in between me and my son. I hit her again. This one is for Jasper. Another for my son. As I bring my fist down again I declare this one and another for myself. Misty's face leaning to the side as blood drips from her mouth, a soft but distinguishable laugh could be heard from below me.
Looking to my right I see her knife beside us, taking hold and placing it above her chest. I raise it, looking down at her dark eyes as the knife wavers there for a moment. My mind on Lucas as I sit on her, hanging a knife above her as I hear another shout in the distance. My head snapping in the direction it had came.
I try to calculate every way out of this, but none to my liking as I look down at the weakened Misty below me. Her eyes barely open as she looks up to me. Bringing the knife down, it pierces thought her heart, her body jolting upward. I close my eyes as I dig the knife deeper into her chest, taking a deep breath and allowing the air to clear my head.
Sliding the knife, out my eyes open to an unconscious Misty.
"I'm so sorry." I whisper, looking down at her body as I fall to the side. Taking a deep breath, I stand and drop the knife beside Misty's lifeless body laying peacefully on the ground before me. Hearing the rustling of metal behind me, I turn and see the fence being pushed against. The dead riled up over the previous event, or me. I'm not quite sure.
I turn and walk away from Misty, heading straight towards the gate a good fifty feet from me. As I approach, I scan the ground by the gate, seeing bolt cutters laying in the grass. I reach down and retrieve the item, looking to the gate then my belongings as a plan forms in my brain.
Taking a breath, I close the latch before taking a breath. Even when I close the latch it will allow me a few more minutes to locate Jasper and their vehicle. I grip the cutters in my hand, lining it up with the chain before pressing down hard on the handle, hearing a snapping sound a few seconds later.
I drop them and take off towards my belongings about forty feet away, slinging my backpack onto my shoulders as I look to the fence. Seeing the people pushing against it, I watch as the latch shakes from the force.
I need to get out of here.
Retrieving my shovel I take off in the direction of the previous shout I had heard moments before. My feet hitting against the rocks and limbs as I hear a gun shot ring out to my left, my heart dropping in my stomach as I take off, clinching the shovel in my hand.
I run along until I see a figure in the distance prop against a tree. Needing to get closer I slow my speed to a jog and duck behind a tree.
"Fuck!" I hear a voice yell, almost too familiar to my ears. Peaking out from behind the tree I see the figure a good hundred yards drop his weapon. Without a second thought, I take off in his direction at full speed.
"Jasper?!" I slow my speed to a halt as I approach him, seeing blood on his shirt and his hair ruffled. "What happened?" I ask him as I kneel in front of him, looking around the area we are in. Two bodies lay just a few feet from us, another propping up against the wheel of a grand cherokee jeep.
"Clara, I -" Jasper's voice cracks as he looks down at his hands, blood dripping from his fingers. "I killed them."
Looking back to Jasper I scan over his face, seeing the distraught and pain he must be feeling. I too holding the same guilt.
"I know. It's okay. You did what you had to." I tell him, cupping his face in my hands as I try to make him look at me. "We have to go, okay?"
Needing to move and leave this location is the number one priority on the list. Leaving behind what I had done, and hopefully out run the pack of wild humans coming our way.
"Jasper, please." I say again as he doesn't move. "I let them out. We have to move now." My own voice shaking as I speak, knowing now my mistake.
Lowering my hands from his face I stand, grabbing the shovel on the ground. I only wait a second before Jasper stands to his feet his dark eyes scanning over my perplexed face. He doesn't say anything as we turn away and walk to the jeep, myself walking around as I go for the driver door. Pulling the handle, I pull back on the silver door allowing it to open fully.
I slide my bag off my shoulders, throwing it into the open back window. Keeping my shovel within reach, I place it on the open space between Jasper and I.
"I got the keys." I hear from beside me, seeing Jasper dangling a set of keys. Thanking him with a smile, I step up and into the jeep after taking the keys from him. Jasper walks around the front of the jeep, stopping at the man by the vehicle. At what I assume, he is leaning down and moving the body away from us.
As Jasper moves the man near the others, I scan the area around the vehicle for movement. His actions taking no longer than what is needed as he hops into the passenger side moments later.
"Let's get out of here." Jasper tells me as I glance over to him, seeing him clinch his jaw as he looks to me. His eyes displaying the melancholy of his heart, and how the impact of taking a life really affected him.
We each leave with a new demon to hide.
Sighing, I slide the key inside the ignition and turn it slightly. The jeep roaring to life as I put it in drive, pressing the gas lightly. With the only thought of leaving behind the mess I made and getting to Lucas. I knew darkness would fall soon and I needed to break the distance between us.
Driving down a small dirt path leading back to the warehouse fence, I can see the building getting closer. I hold my breath as I press onto the gas more, the grey from the metal walls the only thing visible to us as we drive along the side. Finally being able to take a breath as we drive onto the paved pavement in front of the warehouse.
No harm in sight.
I press the gas, seeing the gate of the closed entrance coming into view where Misty and I had come through earlier. The SUV still parked right out front.
"Who were you with?" Jasper says from beside me.
"Misty." Her name sounding sour on my tongue as I swallow away the lump that has grown in my throat.
"Where is she now?" Almost as if he could read my mind I hear a sigh leave him as he looks ahead.
"She's dead." I keep looking forward as we hit the main road Misty and I were on previously, only taking the opposite direction at the four way. Nothing is said for a while, nothing but the static on the radio can be heard as we ride down the road heading anywhere but back.
I try to reorganize my mind of the direction we need to head in. Forcing my attention to anywhere but Misty and the chaos she unfolded.
"How did she die Clara?" The question finally surfacing. Knowing it was coming one way or another.
"I did what I had to do." I repeat my previous words said to Jasper about him, I find it suitable for me too. Gripping the wheel, I let out a collective sigh.
Words are useless at this moment. Both of us having to live with the lives we took.
I killed people.
Is this what it feels like?
Seeing Misty's blood on my hands makes this all too real.