The Pale Titan (The Convergence Saga Book 1) Page 6

  “I'll stay alive. I am strong and fast. I will outrun you and get away.” She tried to avoid the reality of it all. “No need to talk about all this 'you might still have to shoot me' stuff.”

  “I want you to make me a promise.” I knelt down in front of her, took her chin in my hand and raised it up until her eyes met mine. I looked past the dark brown beauty of them and right into her soul and could feel her tremble in acknowledgment.

  “Okay... ?” She agreed with a questioning tone.

  “If it ever gets to the point of no return... if the time comes that I'm no longer human... no longer me, don't leave me like that. Put me down. I don't want to hurt anyone, and I sure as hell don't want to live like that.” My eyes welled up and the emotion ran down my cheeks as I drew the pistol from my waistband and laid it in her lap. “Deal?” I squeaked out in a whisper.

  “Deal.” She lipped the word silently as she realized deep down I was the same man she had desired not such a long time ago.

  She leaned forward, closing her eyes to hide her own tears and pressed her lips softly against mine, with a gentle kiss. I slipped my hand onto the nape of her neck as I took her lower lip between mine and then released it, making the slightest smacking sound. The adrenaline flowed and I could sense the synchronicity of our hearts as they raced. My face grew flushed as I pulled her closer and pressed my open mouth against her neck just below her ear, kissing it ever so slowly and exhaling loudly before kissing it again. Her voice moaned soft and heavenly when I took her earlobe between my lips and nibbled at it tenderly. Our breathing was heavy, and the sweat of our bodies was not simply the lack of air conditioning in this sultry cabin. We were creating something from nothing... passion was the magic we had manifested from thin air and it was now so heavy, it was nearly unbearable.

  There was another moan and groan that shook us from our self-created nirvana and back into the horrific reality of life. Bobby was stirring, and it shook us back to the dread we had so briefly escaped as fast as waking up by being doused with a bucket of ice water.

  “Bobby!” She called out, jumping to her feet. “Bobby, can you hear me?” His body stirred slightly, still bound to the sturdy bedposts as if in preparation for some medieval torture. Elle tucked the pistol between the mattress and box springs without ever taking her eyes from her brother.

  “Here.” I wrung out the washcloth and handed it to her.

  “Bobby, it's me, Elle. Can you hear me, Bobby?” She hunkered down over him and whispered as she dabbed the cool, damp cloth on his cheeks and forehead. He groaned again and it was obvious that he was extremely weak and incoherent.

  “Do you want me to get a fresh washcloth and water?” I asked.

  “Please?” She responded with compassion. “Not too much. It's hard to say how much water pressure we will have without the generator to run the well pump.”

  “Oh!” My eyes widened. “I hadn't thought about that.”

  “That's whatcha got me for.” She genuinely smiled and winked at me. “I grew up in the sticks. Anytime the power went out, I remember my parents worried about losing water pressure.”

  I disappeared into the hallway and quickly returned with a fresh washcloth and the bowl half full with fresh, cool water. I placed it gingerly on the floor beside Elle and knelt down beside her. She turned her back to me, bent over, and laid the washcloth that was stained pinkish-tan from the blood and dirt on the floor and dunked the new one into the bowl. I heard her suck her breath in when her hand met the chilly water. Elle remained standing but turned back toward her resting brother. While she wiped his face and neck with the fresh cloth, she paused and looked over her shoulder to where I was.

  “Sorry. I probably just put my butt right in your face, didn't I?” She raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes.

  “Maybe... I didn't really notice.” I winked. “probably should do it again, and I'll let you know.”

  Elle smiled and her face reddened. “If you're lucky,” She whispered, wiggled her hips and then turned her attention back to her brother, who had quieted down.

  I watched her silently as she tended to what could be her only family. Eventually, she knelt down with her butt on her heels and submerged the washcloth in the water bowl. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze.

  “No matter what happens, it's going to be alright,” I spoke softly into her ear.

  “How can you believe that?” She turned and frowned at me. “Nothing is alright. My whole damn world is falling apart, and in case you haven't looked in the mirror lately, so is yours.” Her voice was stern.

  “Yeah...” I muttered under my breath and could feel my whole body lose its last shred of hope, but something I couldn't explain told me it wasn't as bad as it all seemed.

  “I'm sorry.” Her gaze dropped to the floor. “It's just... well, I've seen what happens to people, and I've seen what it did to Bobby... and all of those people that we abandoned here that were taken, what about them? How can I believe that any of them are going to be alright?” Her hand stretched out and took hold of mine. “Right now, to me, you are the only person in the world, and...” Elle inhaled deeply and let out a quiet sigh. “I don't think I could take losing you too.”

  It was at that very moment that the unthinkable happened. Another moan from the lips of Elle's brother Bobby quickly stole our attention away from our moment of personal struggles and vulnerability. Bobby stirred and actually made a poor attempt to struggle against the wire bonds. He was intentionally moving and perhaps waking, and I knew this could go very badly. I mentally prepared and expected the worst. I did not want to have to fight and possibly kill Elle's brother right in front of her. There is no way that we would ever be able to look at each other the same if that happened.

  “If he comes to and breaks loose, I want you to get out of here as quick as you can. Let me handle him.” I spoke in a normal volume, yet remained monotone so as to not stir up her emotions any more than they already were. “If this goes badly, I don't want you to be here.”

  “I don't know if I can...” Her words were cut short and we were both dumbfounded.

  “Elle... is that you?” A dry and raspy voice struggled with the words.

  “Bobby! Is that really you?” Elle dropped to her knees at his side and the emotions were so overpowering that tears flowed and she began to sniffle immediately.

  “It's me sis, but not for long.” Elle feared what he meant, but there were two definite possibilities. Neither of them was good.

  I could see that speaking pained him terribly and I rushed to the kitchen for a glass of water. I scurried to grab a plastic cup from the cabinet and fill it with water. The pressure was dwindling and I stopped at half a cup in case there was some emergency call for water that I couldn't anticipate. I returned only moments later to find Elle having untied one of his wrists, clutching his hand and weeping. I feared the worst, but his head rolled to the side and his eyes opened with a dim inhuman glow. I handed the cup to Elle and slid my hand under his head and raised it slightly. She pressed the rim of the plastic cup to his lips and he graciously took the smallest of sips before turning away.

  His eyes were fixed on Elle as he spoke. “I'm not human anymore...” A labored breath was drawn and though he couldn't even find the strength to move his head, he turned his eyes to me. “...neither are you, my brother.”

  “Yes, you are,” Elle reassured him. “You know me. You've come back to me.”

  “No, I'm both... we're both.” He batted his watering eyes open and closed and a single tear rolled out of the corner of his eyes and down the sides of his face to his ears. “I...” He paused to take a short awkward breathe and his eyelids fluttered wildly. When they stopped, and he slowly opened them once again, the glow began to dim and die, revealing dark brown irises. “I came back to say goodbye.”

  “No, you can't do that. I thought I lost you once already. Don't make me lose you again.” Elle sniffled uncontrollably, but her words were too late.


  I could feel Bobby's body relax in my hand and we heard that unmistakably putrid sound of the 'death rattle' as his last breath escaped his body and left an empty envelope that once held a life that was so precious to Elle. For me, it was a moment of immeasurable sorrow and anxiety. Elle was all that I had in this world, and now, I was all that she had. What if this was what would inevitably happen to me too? My mind was a blur with mixed up thoughts and emotions and I almost forgot where I was and that I still held Bobby's lifeless head in my hand. The realization brought me back to reality, a very twisted and surreal reality, but reality none the less. I laid his head gently on the pillow, and placed my hands on Elle's shoulders as she sobbed at his side.

  I stood behind where she knelt for what felt like hours. When Elle had finally run out of tears, she released Bobby's hand and slowly pulled her trembling body to its feet. I placed my chin on her shoulder and whispered into her ear.

  “I am so sorry Elle.” I was at a loss for words, and though I knew she would have a very valid argument to my statement, I said it anyway. “I will not leave you.”

  She turned her face toward mine and gently kissed my cheek. “Never...” She whispered. “...and I will never leave you.” She turned to me and we embraced, just holding each other close and comforting one another silently.

  ***

  The dawn would come quickly, which was apparently a good thing. There was an unmistakable feeling that we needed to move on when the sun broke the horizon and I knew we needed to act quickly so that we could get as much distance behind us as possible while the daylight allowed, but there were other things to consider, and other things to do before we headed out to

  “We need to go as soon as the sun is up, right?” I asked what felt like an obvious question.

  “Yes we should, but we can't just leave him here like this.” Elle glared off into space, deep in thought and memories. “Can we bury him?”

  “That would take some time. What about a stone grave? We could wrap him in soft blankets and place him somewhere and cover him with a mound of stones.” I had seen this somewhere, but I had no idea where.

  “Okay. That seems fitting.” She replied, her voice devoid of emotion. “Where?”

  “I remember seeing a lot of boulders and large stones on the hill near the dug out spot where we first saw him.” I offered a suggestion.

  “Yes.” She nodded. “That is where he should be laid to rest, where we saw him and where you overtook him. That is what eventually gave us a chance to say goodbye.”

  Elle chose several soft and quilted blankets from a linen closet and layered them on the floor. On the top, she placed a thick sub-zero, arctic sleeping bag. I took great care in picking up Bobby, but I was not prepared for the wave of sorrow that overtook me as I carried the man who was for all intents and purposes a complete stranger. I related to him as a threat for the entire time I had 'known' him with the exception of the last hour of his life. There was a dark and demented comfort in knowing that part of me was still human; part of me had to be to feel such confusing emotions. I laid him out on the unzipped sleeping bag, and straightened his legs, and crossed his arms. Elle zipped up the arctic bag and pulled the drawstring tight, closing the opening where his face was. We began to wrap the blankets around him until the last blanket, which was a deep forest green, was finally in place.

  Chapter 7

  MOVING DAY

  It was a long and arduous journey to lay brother Bobby in his final resting place. The trip back down to the cabins found us numb and silent. We stood in the darkness at the back of the cabin and I waited for Elle to speak. She took a step back and shook with a chill.

  “I can't go back in there,” She whispered so quietly I thought she must know something I didn't.

  “What is it? Did you see something, or hear something?” I asked.

  “No. It's just that all I would be able to think of is Bobby.” Her head lowered. “I'm just not ready.”

  “Oh, of course!” I felt like an idiot. “Let's go to the other cabin and get some rest. We're going to need it if we are going to be hiking all day tomorrow.”

  I wrapped my arm around her waist and led her to the twin cabin just a few short steps away. We made our way inside and I had forgotten that she could not see as well as I could in the pitch black of the interior. She misstepped and ran into an end table in the front room, flinching and groaning in pain. I reached into my pocket and drew out a red disposable lighter that Elle had given me after lighting the candles earlier. The flint wheel spun under the pressure of my thumb and the flame appeared lighting the area only slightly.

  “Have a seat and I'll go find a candle.” I motioned to the empty couch near where she stood.

  Her body seemed to sink into the plaid, overstuffed cushions and with a few fluttering blinks, her eyes closed. I took my thumb off of the lever and let the lighter go out. My newly acquired ability to see fairly well in the dark was more helpful than I would have ever imagined. I had only briefly been inside this cabin, and I was surprised to find it was completely different than the other, which made my search take a little longer than I had expected. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened up the hallway closet to not only find a box of emergency candles but two lanterns and a full gallon can of fuel. I took one of the candles to the kitchen and took a saucer from the cabinet. When the candle was lit, I turned it on its side and let the wax drip onto the plate and then pressed the base of the candle into the soft puddle. I cupped my hand around it and walked back into the front room.

  Elle was curled up on the couch and sound asleep from exhaustion. I smiled, blew out the candle and sat down gently on the recliner. I rested with one eye open until the sun began to lighten the dusty curtains. It was just about then that I dozed off. I did not dream, I did not toss and turn. Truthfully, I don't think I moved even a fraction of an inch until I was startled awake by a clattering racket from the kitchen. The sun was blazing high in the sky and almost pained my eyes when I leapt to my feet. Confused and disoriented I sped into the eat-in-kitchen, just a few long strides away. I found Elle on the floor half inside of one of the cabinets and an array of items from canned goods to Tupperware covering the counter tops, table, and floor.

  “What's going on?” I said surprised by what I had found.

  A loud 'thud' was followed by a long string of cuss words. She backed out of the cabinet rubbing her head with one hand and awkwardly holding a large box of cereal in the other. “Damn that hurt.”

  “Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you, but seriously, why didn't you wake me up?” It was an emotional tug of war. I was upset with myself for causing her to hit her head, there was a feeling of remorse and sorrow for Elle's lost brother, but above all, right at this moment, I was angry that she had left me asleep while the sun was making it way across the sky all too quickly.

  “Well... I didn't know how long you were asleep.” She tried to play the 'thoughtful card' but I wasn't sure I was buying into it. “Besides...” She said as she began to stick her nose into the next cabinet. “...I just got up a few minutes ago.”

  “And you made all this mess in a few minutes?” I shot her a look of disbelief.

  “No, of course not.” She popped her head out of the cabinet and shook an unopened bag of corn chips at me. “Bingo! Score!” She pumped her fist in the air. “All this mess took over a week to make. I didn't know if there was anything left to eat here, but look at everything I found!”

  Elle seemed pleased with her progress and genuinely smiled, catching me completely off guard. I knew she wasn't being honest. I had been in the kitchen just a few hours earlier, and this mess did not exist then. All the same, I said nothing and let her continue in her search and pleasant mood. I expected days or even weeks of depression. Perhaps this was just a mood swing and wouldn't last, or maybe she was in denial... on the other hand, she had watched as three massive alien structures crashed into the desert, glowing alien blob-things had been sucking the life out of
people and turning them into alien-zombies right before her eyes (including her brother) and had lost everyone she had saved except for me... maybe this was genuine and she was a 'take each moment as it comes' kind of girl. One thing was certain: in the daylight, with that smile... her eyes were the most beautiful thing I believed I had ever seen.

  “I guess we had better get packed up and moving pretty damn quick if we're going to put any miles behind us before dusk.” I urged her on though I didn't want to spoil this moment.

  “About that... um, no.” Elle had caught me completely off guard.

  “What do you mean... 'um no', seriously?” I knew we couldn't stay here. We might last a week before the food ran out, and that's only if those things didn't come back sooner.

  “I mean, I think we slept longer than you realize... by the time we get everything packed it's going to be close to dark. We have to stay here one more night. It has to be safer than traveling at night.” She sat down on the kitchen floor and crossed her legs, grabbing the box of whole grain cereal, opening it and grabbing a handful to munch on.

  “Okay then... where do we start?” I leaned over and as I kissed her forehead, I stole a handful of cereal for myself.

  “Gotta find some backpacks, bags, anything we can cram full of whatever we might need.” She made a good point. We needed to know how much we had room for before we decided what to take.

  “Oh, hey... we'd better find everything we can find to carry water in, too. No telling when we will come across drinkable water again, or any water.” I started to look around at the Tupperware and wondered what else we might find. “Okay, I'll tell you what... I'm going next door and I'll rummage through and see what I can find and when I get it all together, I'll come help you.”