Getting Home

Part 40

We continued driving on the Path.

The past few hours had been sullen and silent. The Path itself seemed a little duller, dimming and flattening the further we went. The beautiful, deep aqua of the sky above had also begun to fade, the vibrant colors draining away to gray, so slowly that at first I wasn't sure it was happening at all.

The only thing I could really think about of was Henry had said about the poor Civic.

The trees had disappeared at some point over the hours, the big clumps lining both sides of the path diminishing in frequency until nothing was left but those endless, dull green plains—a green that was now fading into dull brown.

Henry had remained tense the entire time, his hands resting lightly on the dashboard. The sky above continued to darken, like a gray cloudy day without any clouds.

"Okay, I can't do it anymore," I suddenly blurted out. I squeezed the brakes, having to push harder than normal.

"Huh?" Henry's voice sounded like he had just woken a dream.

"The car," I said, as we finally and clunkily rolled to a stop. "I don't care—I'm not putting it through this anymore. We're walking."

"It's okay, Ava." Henry pointed out of the windshield. "We're almost there."

My eyes followed along his finger—and my jaw dropped open.

A giant, rolling ocean of gray lay out in front of us, the surface choppy and turbulent, stretching on forever.

Great—why can't this just be over yet?

"Henry," I whispered breathlessly. "What is that?"

"The Bog," he whispered in awe.

The Bog?

We got out, standing together at the front of the Civic. The massive ocean of gray liquid in front moved and sloshed like waves, sounding very similar to a real ocean, only more—

Thick.

"That's not water," I said quietly.

"No—don't touch it."

I looked around nervously, reminded me of right before we had jumped over the Edge—there was no viable way to go except for straight ahead. The Path continued straight into that dull gray ocean, sloping down and disappearing in the liquid—

Which I'm guessing was the liquid of death.

The slate sky above continued to darken.

"Henry, we can't get across that," I said.

"We have to."

"Why? What the hell is so damn important?" I said, suddenly angry. I honestly don't know why I got mad like that—it just kind of came over me. Maybe I was exhausted—

Or maybe I had finally just had enough.

"There's something else I have to tell you," he said, his voice low.

Oh, I'm sure this will be great news!

I tried to control the sudden anxiety and not panic, suddenly feeling lost and not knowing what to do—

Except I didn't want to hear what Henry was about to say.

"I remembered something else, at the lake," he continued. "I didn't tell you because I still wasn't sure—everything is so confused in my mind, Ava. I question what's true, and what isn't anymore." He looked away. "But the longer we've gone on, the more sure I've become."

"Of what, Henry?"

"War, Ava," he said, his voice low. "There's a war between my people and... somebody, I don't know. But we're losing. Whatever I am, whatever all this is—is perilously close to being destroyed." He clenched his fist. "And somehow I'm involved."

It took me a few moments to comprehend what he was saying. A war? With who? The only other thing I'd seen here was the cute little Caretaker. And besides some super sketch spots, this had been the most peaceful, beautiful place I'd ever seen—

Especially compared to my world.

"Seems to be a pretty peaceful war," I said finally.

"This could have been a bloody battlefield only minutes ago," Henry said, waving his arm in front of us. "Or become one in next few minutes—our home shifts back and forth like the breeze."

What...?

"Henry, I—"

"We have to get to the other side of the Bog, Ava," he said solemnly. "The answer is there—I know it. I also know..."

He slowly trailed off.

"I also know you'll be able to get home," he finished, his voice barely a husk.

I stopped.

Home?

I guess I hadn't really thought about getting home. I still didn't know what this place was, some kind of weird afterlife, a different planet—who knew? I had just assumed I was stuck here forever,which I was honestly actually starting to be okay with...

As long as Henry was by my side.

His eyes immediately widened, sadness replaced by shock. "Oh, no. No, no, no—you can't, Ava."

I took his hand.

"It's too dangerous for you stay," he said, squeezing my hand back, gently as he always did. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you. At least if you're back home, I know you're safe—and... and..."

His shoulders slumped. "I can't let you abandon your home for me, Ava—it's too selfish."

A deep sense of shame suddenly filled me, making my face blush and my eyes string. I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes, but the words began to spill out of me.

"There's something I haven't told you, Henry," I said, unable to stop, my words speeding up as they came out. "Remember when you said my home was sick? It's worse than that. It's not just the planet that's poisoned, Henry—it's the people. Everybody fights about everything—all the time. People die every day because they can't afford medical care. You don't understand, Henry—my generation doesn't have a future." My voice cracked. "The people in charge destroyed everything they were supposed to leave behind."

"Ava..." Henry said softly. "I..."

We stared at the ocean in silence for a little while.

"So... how do we get across it if we can't touch it?" I asked finally, not wanting to let go of his hand.

"I was hoping you had an idea."

I don't know why that made me laugh, especially in a situation like this. But then I realized why it did—

Because I was with him.

The Civic suddenly started up behind us on its own—and began rolling towards the giant ocean.