Just after sunset three days later, we began the final leg of our destination. Everyone was in good health and good spirits, were rested and clean, even feeling so safe they rolled down the windows to let the Summertime evening air flow through the van.
I was quiet, my focus on the road ahead of me.
When we crossed into the Great Lakes State, Merrick saw a smile sweep across my face.
"You're from here," he noticed.
"No, I, ironically enough, was born in South Africa," I said lowly.
"Ouch," Alden told me. "Sorry, Boss."
"Boss?"
"No?" Blythe asked me.
"No, I mean I'm not your Boss. I can lead. I can show you what to do, but I'm not going to make you do any of it," I explained, turning to go into the Motor City itself.
"...Harlow?" Emeric asked, nervous.
"Detroit was largely abandoned over three centuries ago. The only things that exist here are small markets for resupply, a few restaurants and a place to stay for the night if we need to," I explained.
As the sun began to rise, I pulled into a parking lot outside what was left of the Guardian Building, that held everything I had told them about under one roof.
"...Harlow?"
"Director," I acknowledged.
"You have...people," he noticed.
"I have babies."
"I'd correct her, but she's not wrong," Harbin told them.
"Hell, I need a nap," Alden added.
"Yes," the Doctor nodded.
"I'm getting cranky the longer I stand here," Blythe admitted.
Merrick slapped his forehead.
"Where did you...you didn't take them from The Den, did you?" he asked.
"I'm not an idiot. And don't worry about where they're from. We won't be here long."
"You never are," he said angrily.
"What's your problem?" I asked. "I'm here to resupply and let them get a meal. The same deal you have with everyone else, too. Why are you singling me out?"
"We know what you did," he growled.
"You're going to really have to narrow it down."
The girls hid grins, but Merrick was nervous.
"You freed captives of the Nova Dawn!"
I paused. "Wait. Are you upset I didn't let people die? Whose only crime was crossing the Atlantic?"
"Why don't you hate them?"
"Why do you?" I wondered. "You weren't even there. But I was. And I clearly don't hate them."
He looked at my group. "They're...from there," he realized.
Harbin and Merrick got between the rest of the group and me, while I stood between the Director and the Enforcers.
"There shouldn't be any anger here," I tried. "You still share the same planet. You should be teaching them this world. Be Guides. We have waited so long for help. And we need it."
"Not from them!"
"Then get off your ass and get to work," I said evenly.
He swung, but his wrist was caught by an angry giant, who held him in the air by his wrist so their eyes met.
"Sorry," I chuckled. "Where are my manners? Director, this is Merrick."
The giant tossed him across the room, giving me just less than three seconds to create a shield from the bullets using my abilities. I placed us in a dome and sent blasts of energy at them, ending every life in less than five seconds.
Except the Director.
"You killed them all!" he cried, charging me.
I grabbed his throat and hung him in the air next, his charge broken quickly.
"You killed them," I said darkly, my voice dripping with venom that chilled everyone to their core. "Am I clear?"
He couldn't reply.
Just gurgle.
And then a nod as his face turned red.
I dropped him to the ground and watched him crumple like a child who had just had his sandcastle kicked over.
The Doctor walked out of the building, defeated.
"Emeric," I called, stopping him.
He turned and broke apart where he stood, crushing the rest of us.
"I'm sorry," I said sadly, surprising him.
"Why are you sorry?" he asked, wiping his eyes.
"I've never had that reaction."
"Because I wasn't with you," he muttered.
I chuckled.
"Why do they hate us so much?" Karasi asked me.
"Because I am only one person," I sighed.
"What?" Merrick asked.
"After the ships set sail, no one was certain what to expect," I began, unaware the Director was listening. "We didn't know if they'd even reach their destination. They were educated, solid citizens. People who were good. And they were our hope for any kind of survival. I helped build those ships. Those guidance systems. The way to communicate once they arrived.
"I told everyone this. So they'd know they weren't forgotten. But the longer they were gone, the less they believed me. Believed they were coming back. Eighty-five days after they left, an aftershock hit and I was cut off from the entire area for almost five months.
"By the time I got back, it was quiet. And it would be for a long time. When I did get it back, I had to...do what I did."
"What did you do?" Emeric asked me.
Tears stung my eyes; something they'd never seen from me before.
"I saw the chaos. The danger. All of it. I told them to focus on themselves. Forget us until they could safely travel here."
"Traitor!" the Director roared, shooting at me.
I caught two in the right arm before I could get a shield up, while Merrick ended his, dropping the Director quickly.
"No!" Alden cried, clutching a bleeding Doctor in his arms.
I knelt next to them, pulling up the Doctor's shirt so I could see the wound.
He'd been hit in the gut and was fading fast.
I picked him up quickly and flew toward the forest; I had the ability to heal him, but I needed some extra help.
"Hang on, Buddy," I told him, picking up speed.
He looked up at me, his vision blurry. "Buddy?" he mumbled.
"Don't make me regret it," I grinned, feeling him go limp in my arms. "Fuck."
I used another burst and got us to the edge, but went through, instead.
Setting him down carefully under a large tree, I knelt next to him and placed my hand on his wound.
His heart had stopped beating just thirty seconds before, but I was a lot more stubborn than death was.
Back at the building, the five of them went through the now vacant building for anything we could use, doing their best to keep busy so they didn't have to think about the possibility of losing one of their own.
Just after six in the morning, Merrick got to his feet as I made my way down the long road.
Alone.
"No," he said softly.
Alden broke apart. "Harlow?"
"What?" I asked. "Oh. He's using the bathroom. Give him a minute," I grinned as Emeric could be seen coming behind me.
Alden crashed into his Doctor, relieved he was okay.
The rest crashed into me.
"I'm so sorry," I whispered.
"No," Merrick said knowingly, his arms still around me. "You did what was best. It would've been too soon to come back. You were right, Harlow."
I buried my face in his chest and cried, hating to take a life.
We'd remove the bodies and take them to a nearby field, giving us a little bit more safety from the animals that might otherwise show up. After that, we stayed inside the building for the day, letting the Doctor finish resting.
Just after five that evening, the sound of another vehicle rolling up broke the peaceful silence.
"I got this," I said lowly, meeting them at the door.
"Harlow, what the hell?" one asked, sighing at me. "You don't need anything here. God, why haven't you died yet?"
"I've been dead longer than you've been alive," I reminded him.
"Why are you here?"
"Looting, mostly," I shrugged. "Other than my group, there's no one here. And nothing left."
"You killed them, didn't you?"
"They shot first," I warned, refusing to lie. "I just made sure I was left standing. Now turn back or find a different building."
"You're not even armed," he scoffed, raising his weapon.
Merrick shot it away from where he covered me from the ground floor window, still unseen.
A fete indeed, for the giant.
"I don't need to be," I told him.
He said nothing else and walked away with his two men, knowing they'd been beat.
I watched them leave and started to turn, but Harbin, still peering through the scope of his weapon, saw something horrible.
"Boss!" he pointed.
I turned to see three rockets aimed at us, but was only granted a few seconds to react.
Three headed straight for us, but were stopped with blasts of energy. The explosions knocked me backward, sending me sailing through walls.
"Shit!" Harbin cried, amazed when I got to my feet, now pissed.
I rose in the air, drawing fire away from them, my hands in fists at my sides that glowed with literal rage.
They tried to run, but didn't get far. I was able to slice them into thirds and then chunks, before landing once more.
"Are you okay?" Merrick asked worriedly.
My world went black.
"No," he said softly, catching me before I hit the ground.
"Let's get out of here," Harbin suggested. "Cities are dangerous. They can sleep in the van."
I'd wake a few hours later next to Emeric, who'd been awake for a few minutes.
"Why am I moving?" I mumbled.
"We wanted to get away from the city," Merrick said gently. "It's way too dangerous."
I fell back out, leaning against Harbin, who honestly didn't mind.
When I did wake, it was just after one in the afternoon and we had arrived at their destination.
It was green, had the best soil, plenty of fish and secluded enough they'd go largely unnoticed.
"Wow," Merrick breathed, staring out at Lake Superior. "What do we do first?"
"Why are you asking me?" I asked him. "My job was to get you here. This is your town now. I'm officially a guest."
"Never," Harbin spoke up. "There are a lot of jobs that only you are able to do."
"Like?"
"Creating a safe path for newcomers arriving from the coast. More babies. At least the first few times. Helping us establish communication with them from here. And getting us electricity here. That sort of thing," Alden told me.
"I can't stay here for any real length of time," I sighed. "I live near or in the Green Forest. It keeps me alive. I can recharge, but me staying here is not permanent," I warned.
"How long can you go between trips?" Merrick asked me.
"Depends on how much I do. But, usually once every week. Takes a lot out of me coming back. I'll be around, but this is on you. I'm going to go to The Den. You need more help. And they have resources I don't."
"Alone?" Merrick asked me.
"I didn't mean right now. I need a meal."
"Do we have what we need to survive without you here?" Emeric asked me.
"There are old houses and a few already established buildings. You'll be fine here during the day. Find or make a cellar for the night. Our ammunition here is stronger. We're too far South for Eagles. You're too small for the bears. Even the babies. Water is clean. I think you'll be okay," I told him.
"Now?" Emeric asked me.
I shook my head. "Never on the first night."
He hugged me tightly, relieved.
Merrick melted at us.
We'd spend the day exploring the area, getting to know every inch.
"Are there any domesticated animals?" Blythe asked me.
"No," I said softly. "I tried, okay? But I was focused on trying to keep everyone alive. People."
She stopped me. "I was just curious. Can we catch any fish with what we have?"
I chuckled and took her to the shore of the lake, found a plastic bucket and scooped up five fish with ease.
"This water is the cleanest in the world. And no human has fished here in a very long time. Not commercially, anyway. The deeper you get, the further you get from shore, the more dangerous it is."
Karasi found a small farmhouse with a huge plot of land for her to get started on growing food for Winter, while Alden got to work helping her. Merrick and Harbin set up a perimeter and Blythe and Emeric found the largest home to set up their headquarters.
"Are there bears here?" Karasi asked me.
I froze. "Do you see one?"
"...no," she said carefully.
"Yes. I have been trying to make them fear me. The...black bear...Kodiak and grizzly have...found each other. And made one large super creature. They're thirty feet tall and have claws up to twenty inches long. Canines are eight. They are the apex predator here, but there are only a dozen or so. If you don' block off the whole lake, they can feed year-round. Keep the lake filled and you'll be okay," I advised. "I spent a few months here off and on. It's peaceful here."
At just before dinner, while fishing, just eighty feet away, one of the giant bears appeared on the shore.
The massive brownish-black animal charged the Doctor, who wasn't surprised and accepted his fate.
"Barrett," I gushed, getting between them.
The bear went from charging in anger, to elated in less than a second, crashing into me as we toppled to the ground.
The Doctor blacked out, thinking he had gotten me killed.
Merrick and Harbin raced to where we were, but didn't get too close in case the massive animal was only friendly with me.
Alden knelt next to Emeric, gathering him in his arms.
"Is he okay?" I asked him, walking up to them with the animal close behind.
"I take it you know this animal?" Harbin asked me.
I nodded. "This is Barrett. He's going to stay here and help you by keeping others away. Barrett, these are my friends."
"How?" Merrick asked, amused.
"The Den had he and his Mother prisoners. Using them as slaves. Fighting. I bartered for their freedom. Their lifespans are long, too," I added. "He's only eight. He's got another forty-five years or so. "
Blythe hugged his neck, gushing over the massive teddy bear who seemed to like her, too.
"...how are the Winters here?" Harbin asked as Merrick carried Emeric to a makeshift bed.
"They can be brutal, I think. Negative forty is normal. I will find some things to help keep you warm."
"Want to help me catch a fish?" Alden asked me.
"You can always ask Barrett," I suggested. "He's a sweetie."
Emeric groaned a little before opening his eyes to a spinning room.
"Hey," Alden said gently.
"I think I got her killed," he sobbed into his hands. "This always happens!"
"She's fine," he promised. "The animal is her friend."
"Don't make jokes," the Doctor said brokenly, staring up at him with such pained eyes.
"I'm not," he tried as I walked into the room.
"He's awake," I smiled.
The Doctor crashed into me, relieved I was okay.
"Thank you for staying," he said softly, pulling away.
I took his hand and led him outside to where Barrett was letting Blythe brush his thick, quadruple brown coat.
"Emeric, this is Barrett," I told him. "So long as you remain here, you'll be fine. He can protect you when I'm not around."
The Doctor reached out a shaking hand and pet the animal on the top of his head, relieved when he got a small sniff and kiss in return.
In the morning, after saying goodbye to everyone, I placed the bear in charge of keeping them safe, while I went to the Green Forest for an early breakfast.
It took me nearly six hours to recharge, the early Summer afternoon sunshine washing over me as I listened to the events going on around me.
My next stop was The Den, but on my way out of the Forest, two men cautiously approached me.
"...are you Harlow?"
"You're way too close to the trees, Gentlemen," I warned, keeping it casual.
They looked frazzled, dehydrated.
"You're from the Nova Dawn, aren't you?" I asked.
"Are you?"
I nodded, frustrated. "Fuck!"
"They said you were the best guide," the other tried, beyond terrified.
"Who?"
"Everyone."
Just after midnight, Harbin and Merrick felt their hearts race as the sound of a large vehicle approaching their small town.
When I got out of the vehicle, worry turned to relief.
"Harlow?" Harbin asked.
"Miss me already?" Merrick teased.
"Keep it up," I warned, opening the side door to reveal two more people for their town. "They need food. Water. And someone to come with me."
Merrick brightened. "Really? Why?"
"If there are more people, they're going to be injured. I can't drive and keep people alive at the same time," I told him.
"And...I can go?" he asked.
"You're needed here, Merrick," I chuckled.
"I'm not," Blythe spoke up. "Not really, anyway. Let me go with you. Please."
"Come on," I pretended to sigh, making her smile. "Get some snacks. Meat. Something to cook."
She let out a happy squeal and went to get her things, elated I wanted to hang out with her.
"But...," Merrick tried.
I looked at him. "Come on. I need you here. To know you're doing exactly what I'm doing. I trust you with them. Please."
"I'm your second in command," he teased.
"Ass," I chuckled.
By two, Blythe and I were back on the road, once more heading for The Den.
"What do you have to do there?" she asked me.
"Ask if they'll help me set up a route to help get your people to where the rest of you are safely. I don't have anything to barter, though," I sighed.
"What does that mean?" she wondered.
"It means I'd owe them a favor," I said lowly. "The last time I owed them a favor, I was in their servitude for six months. No, I'm not going to do that to you. I just have to find something to trade."
"Do we need to go someplace special?" she wondered.
"...west," I said quietly.
"What's the problem?"
"So many things. If there are others, I won't get to them in time. I'm literally, knowingly, sacrificing people for the greater good. It tears me up inside."
She was quiet for a long time, staring out the window and up at the golden moon overhead.
"Can you tell me about you?" she asked.
"No," I said lowly.
"Why?" she asked me, hurt.
"Because you're an Historian. And you've no doubt heard all about me anyway."
She was lost, her heart racing. "I don't think...Harlow has ever been in any modern history book."
"Harlow is my middle name."
"...please?"
I pulled over. "Alright. My name is Aella."
Her eyes widened. "Aella...Niyati?"
I nodded.
"You were my thesis! I am...wow. This is like meeting my favorite person from History," she admitted.
"What?"
Tears stung her eyes. "I grew up in darkness, too. In a maximum security prison to two serial killers. Just like you. They relished in it. All of it. The more I learned about you, the more I knew there was hope for me. The way you turned your life around. You're incredible. Why did you stop?"
"I thought you were going to run."
"Never from you."
I put the van in gear and turned onto the exit leading to what was left of Las Vegas; but we'd be stopping before that in one of the most dangerous cities in the nation.
"Where are we going?"
"Malin," I told her.
"What's there?"
"In 2091, the Military secretly moved over ten thousand weapons, a million rounds of ammunition and other things a massive city like the Den would love to have for some added defenses. They're not getting all of it, but they'll need outfitted. And I doubt they'd do it themselves. This is extra."
"Is it dangerous?" she asked.
I nodded.
"How so?"
"Snakes, mostly. They tunnel and live underground. Average about two-hundred feet. Armored scales. Highly, highly venomous."
"What's the plan?" she wondered.
"You are going to follow this road to exit 188. Stay at the Sunrise Motel and I will meet you there. I need to spend a few days in the Green Forest. Supercharging. Because I need to fly in from above so I don't make any vibrations on the ground. It's already going to be risky moving everything," I explained.
"How long is the drive?" she asked.
"You can make it in a day. About nine hours. You've enough gas. I will have visual on you, okay? Trust me."
"Always," she nodded.
"There are more gas cans in the back. If you have to refill, do it quickly. Can you stay awake, or do you need a nap?"
"I'm up," she promised.
I pulled over once more, where the start of the Forest loomed to the right.
"Just keep going," I told her, closing the door behind me.
She nodded once and drove off, not wanting to be sedentary very long.
I took my time in the thick trees and absolute darkness, letting the amount of concentrated radiation not only recharge me, but filled my cells with so much I was now poisonous to a snake if it bit me.
We'd kill each other.
I hated Malin. It was infested with snakes.
How did they grow so big?
They were cannibals.
And mad.
They have no set of rules, no predictability.
Just after six in the morning, I knocked softly on the parked van's driver's side door, glad Blythe made it safely.
"You're glowing," she chuckled.
I climbed into the passenger seat, wired. "Seventy miles North, okay?"
She nodded and got on the road once more.
I leaned back and watched her drive, keeping my eye on the road.
"Are you okay?" she asked me.
"I hate the West."
"Why are you doing this?" she asked me.
"You're babies."
"I mean it."
"So do I, Blythe," I told her. "My parents raised me to be very aware of others. They also tried to kill any kind of conscious I had. When it didn't work, I turned them into the police, even if it meant giving up my own freedom. I went from one prison to another. I saw the same fear in your eyes that I had in mine. I don't want this world to be your prison."
"Who...rules this world, anyway?" she wondered.
"...I do," I revealed.
She looked at me. "What?"
"In 2125, before the last ship set sail for the Nova Dawn, the Secretary of Defense signed over this country to whoever holds this," I said quietly, taking something from my pocket.
"What is that?"
"George Washington's compass."
Her eyes widened. "What?"
I nodded.
She touched it lightly. "Wow."
"This world is mine. I rule here. No one really recognizes it here. But they will across the Atlantic."
She nodded as I put the compass back into my pocket, getting nervous about how close we were getting.
"Stop here," I told her, coming to a grand overlook that led to a thousand foot drop where the snakes' territory was.
"I'm safe here?"
"Stay still. You're in some shade, some cover. If anyone approaches...fire. No one is friendly here. They're mad. The only thing out here is snake meat. They eat each other. Anyone who eats snake, goes mad," I explained.
"Okay," she said shakily, getting onto the van's floor. "Please be careful."
"You listen to me and I can focus on what I need to do. Deal?"
"No problem."
I got to the ledge and looked down at the almost maddening drop to where the abandoned facility was located.
Most of it was underground.
She heard me jump and held her breath for me, unable to imagine what it was actually like.
At the bottom, I let the small rocks crumble for a few seconds while I waited for any signs of activity.
Nothing.
Nothing?
They were mad, not clever. Unable to successfully hunt or prey on anything on purpose.
Without taking any chances, I raced to the facility, charging over three thousand meters in less than four seconds, only stopping to listen once again.
Silence.
I grabbed a small flashlight from my pocket and went deeper into the building, glad the defenses put into it were long dormant. Not wanting to waste any time, I made my way down the hallway and found the room that led to the basement.
What I hadn't told Blythe, was most of it was not just underground, but underwater, too.
Radioactive water.
And the breeding grounds for the snakes about to hatch.
What made this equal, however, was the longer I stayed in the waters, the stronger I became and the easier it got.
I don't swim. I stroll. Because I don't need to breathe, I can take my time and listen to everything going on around me. Doors opened with some effort, revealing the weapons still good despite being stored where they were.
With every weapon I could carry on my back and arms, I turned to make my way back when I finally heard the subtle vibrations of an incoming swarm.
"Shit," I cursed, racing up the stairs and out the door just before an attack from a juvenile behind me.
I was able to jump and get airborne, getting high enough to see the thirty of them eyeing me carefully.
They looked like a pile of moving brown, orange, yellow and white armored and tangled cords killing each other to try to get to me. Able to jump three times their own body length meant I couldn't just hover and watch; I had to go.
Dizziness like I had been bitten washed over me as I landed on top of the van with a hard thud, terrifying Blythe.
"...Harlow?" she asked, poking her head out of the driver's side door.
Weapons were still with me, but scattered, and I was out completely.
"No, no, no," she repeated, getting on the roof with me. "Harlow? Oh, no. God. Hey. Wake up. I listened to you, okay? Just tell me what to do. Wake up!"
I looked at her.
"Why are you wet?" she demanded.
"Because you're pretty," I mumbled, making her laugh through fresh tears.
"Don't joke like that unless you mean it."
"I got bit by a hatchling," I said tiredly. "Get me down and I can sleep it off, okay?"
"You promise?"
I nodded.
She helped me into the van and then loaded the weapons, before heading east toward The Den.
We'd drive almost three-hundred miles before she stopped for the night, finding some shelter at an abandoned farmhouse with a cellar filled with canned foods that were still good.
I was over her shoulder and still out when she gently set me down against a wall, barely moving.
She found a rough burlap blanket and put it over me, hoping like hell I was going to be okay.
At six in the morning, I let out a groan and opened my eyes, the venom that would've dropped a thousand men, was out of my system and I was better.
"Blythe?" I asked, looking over at the unconscious woman.
Silence.
I rolled her onto her back, finding her icy to the touch and unresponsive.
"What the hell...?" I asked, looking for any wounds I could find. "Blythe?" I asked, roughly opening her shirt to find something, anything.
Her heartbeat was slow, thready.
"Blythe!" I commanded, my eyes narrowed at her.
A small groan.
"Look at me!" I growled, my eyes never leaving hers.
"...low," she mumbled, struggling to look at me. "Sorry."
"What's going on?" I asked her. "Tell me how to help."
She shook her head. "You can't. I just...rest...few days," she said softly, falling out once more.
I covered her up and went to find her some actual food, which wasn't hard in a place like this. I was able to kill a juvenile deer, skin and prepare it, now having something for her to eat when she did wake.
We'd stay for a few days, each of us catching up on sleep.
When she did wake, it was clear I wanted answers.
"I made you some food," I began, handing over a plate.
"I should explain," she said quietly, poking at the food.
"That would be ideal," I said evenly.
"I...I have anemia and sometimes it gets the better of me," she sighed. "It's not usually serious."
I was quiet, thinking.
"...you want to drop me off and leave me, don't you?" she asked.
"No, I'm going to find some vitamins to help with your iron count so this doesn't happen again," I corrected.
"Really?"
"You can follow orders, are very capable and I enjoy your company," I said simply, making her smile. "Are you okay to travel?" I asked her.
"Yeah," she nodded. "Are you?"
"I'm fine."
"What happened?" she asked me. "At the facility, I mean."
"The weapons...are stored underground. Which...most of which is underwater. In in those waters, are the unhatched eggs. I got bit by a baby that had just hatched. Thankfully, it takes about a week for full venom to come in. I wouldn't have survived if it was older."
Tears stung her eyes.
"What's wrong?" I wondered.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked me. "Why do you care so much?"
"Someone has to."
She shook her head, defiant. "I mean it, Harlow. Why do you continuously risk your life for us? Guilt?"
"Because that's all there is for me, right?" I asked, clearly hurt. "That's the only thing a monster like me can feel. Guilt. I can't possibly feel love," I muttered, getting to my feet.
"What?" she asked, doing the same.
"At least I can feel an emotion other than indifference, right?"
"No!" she cried. "Don't you get it? I'm the broken one! I'm not used to the love and sacrifice! I need to know it's not guilt because it's all I've ever known!" she sobbed, burying her face in her hands.
"Okay," I said softly, wrapping my arms around her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Please don't cry."
"You're my hero," she whispered.
I looked at her, my eyes never leaving hers.
And when she kissed me, slowly, deliberately, I let her.
It was different than Merrick.
Shit.
I pulled away, guilty about what I had just done.
"We should go," I I said softly, going upstairs without another word.
"...shit," she said to herself, following after me.
I got in the van and started on the road in silence, my mind racing.
"We need gas," she noticed.
I said nothing and silently agreed, now on the lookout for a gas station I could stop at.
Thankfully, I was able to find one about twenty miles away, pulling up just after two in the afternoon.
A quick blast of energy restarted the pump, giving us a flow after a few seconds allowing me to fill the tank.
She found some extra cans, giving me an extra sixteen gallons we could store in the back.
In the station itself, I was able to find food that was still good, extra bottled water and some single dose medication I could deliver to Emeric on our way to The Den.
"...I'm not sorry," she said after another few hours of silence. "...for liking it, I mean. I am sorry for hurting you and Merrick," she added, her voice low, her eyes on the road.
I was quiet, lost in thought.
We'd stop just after three in the morning in the heart of Wyoming's desolate landscape in the only city settlement left in the State.
Like just about everything else, this, too, was abandoned shortly after Doomsday.
"Get something to eat," I said lowly, getting out of the van after pulling into an old hotel. "I'm going to secure the rest of the area."
I took a weapon from the back of the van and headed into the building's office and lobby.
At four-thirty, I found Blythe in the basement, eating some jerky in tears, almost certain I hated her.
"It's all clear," I told her, taking a seat on the couch across from her, exhausted.
"Good," she nodded, unable to look at me.
When she finally could, I was asleep.
I'd wake to her gone, which pissed me off.
"Shit," I cursed, heading up to the main floor, hoping she hadn't gotten too far from here.
Wyoming was wild.
Untamed.
Like the massive water buffalo, that left without human intervention, were huge, numerous and unpredictable.
Echoing cries on all sides told me I was surrounded by a herd of at least a hundred.
"Blythe!" I roared, desperately trying to find her. "Please!"
I was able to get the van to the roof with the last of my strength, just thirty seconds before they appeared, trampling every bit of ground under their hooves.
"No," I said softly, still searching the area.
Nothing.
I made sure the van was secure and got into it, taking a seat in the back while I waited for them to get bored with me.
In the Wyoming air, subtle wisps of radiation washed over me, giving me the eventual strength to leave when I could.
"...what the hell are those?"
I sat up, seeing Blythe on the second floor balcony, her arms hugging her shivering body as she stared at the animals surrounding us.
"Where the hell have you been?" I growled, landing in front of her.
She jumped back, terrified. "Why were you on the roof?"
"Answer me!"
"I needed a shower. I found a room with a tub and got a long bath. I drained it and kinda fell back asleep," she told me.
I let out a frustrated cry and walked away, now pacing the balcony like a caged beast.
"I'm sorry!" she tried. "I didn't know when you'd be awake and I didn't mean to make you worry," she added, unprepared for me to kiss her, my hands on her face.
She pulled away, confused.
"I thought you left," I said softly. "I thought you were caught in the stampede. I thought...I got you killed."
"I can't leave you!" she cried, crashing into me, her arms around my neck. "I'm in love with you, Aella," she whispered, melting me.
When she pulled away once more, I was lost.
"Merrick," she said sadly, shaking her head. "We can't hurt him anymore. Not until we...talk to him."
I had to agree.
"What are those?" she asked, turning back to the animals.
"Water Buffalo. They're about three times the size of the one you read about."
"Are they mean?"
"Territorial. They're letting me know we're on their turf."
"What do we do?" she asked.
"Two choices," I told her.
"Go on."
"We can wait."
"Or?" she asked.
"We...can be reckless."
"How?" she grinned.
"Start the van. I'll get it airborne. When we touch ground, you drive. Just keep driving. Don't stop. I'll be okay. Just have to sleep."
She shook her head. "No. That's madness."
"The reality of the situation, is that if we wait, I might not have the strength to get the van down and us away. I need you to be fearless here. I need a partner."
"...all I have to do is drive?"
I smiled. "Yeah."
"Let's go before I lose my nerve," she said nervously.
I handed her the keys. "You have this."
She got behind the wheel as I climbed onto the roof, getting a firsthand look at how large it was.
"Ready when you are, partner," she told me, putting the vehicle into drive.
I took a deep breath, released it slowly and pulled us up into the sky, able to get almost fifteen miles away before wheels hit the ground once more.
She helped me climb through the passenger window, where I passed out almost immediately afterward.
I bled from the mouth, terrifying her.
"Don't stop," she told herself, applying more speed. "Follow orders. I can do that."
She'd constantly check the rearview for any signs of the buffalo, but found none.
We drove for nearly twelve more hours before I woke to the sun rising, the light piercing my vision.
"Hey," Blythe smiled, pulling into a vacant motel on a freeway off ramp. "How are you feeling?"
"...where...?" I mumbled, struggling to sit up.
"Gordon, apparently," she told me, reading the motel sign. "Do you need something to eat? I stopped and got radiated water from along the forest. Made me nauseous."
I took the bottled water and drank it, letting the radioactive properties give me the energy I needed.
After that, I took the radiation from her directly, relieving her of the nausea she'd been feeling for the last few hours.
"Good thinking," I told her.
"Thank you," she blushed, exhausted now. "Can we go to bed? I'm so tired."
I nodded. "Yeah. Come on."
We'd find a room in the basement, where a foldout couch called to us like a siren on the open seas.
We still had another seventeen hours to go back to the settlement, but now we'd be on the lookout for others who might be walking the road, too.