The War Girl (Mad Max: Fury Road fanfiction)

6: Furiosa's Escape

I was eight again, and I was running as fast as my little legs could carry me. My bare feet pounded across the orange sand, the sun blazing down on my skin. I heard the familiar sound of electric guitar, chug, chug, chug.

I screamed with fear, urging my legs to move quicker. My muscles burned with the effort, and my eyes stung in the hot desert air.

The roar of engines filled my ears, growing closer with each passing second.

"Mother! Mother!" I shrieked, tears leaking from my eyes.

The rumbling was close to deafening, and my legs were as heavy as led. I stumbled, my foot catching in the sifting sand, and fell flat on my stomach. My body felt frozen. I squeezed my eyes closed and awaited the cars to come crush me.

I heard a battle cry, in a scratchy, boyish voice that I recognized, "I am awaited in Valhalla!"

My body sprang to life, and I scrambled onto all fours, my eyes searching frantically for the source of the voice.

It all played out in slow motion. I saw Nux, with one of the explosive spears clutched in his hands. He had leaped from the back of his car, thundersticks raised and poised to slam into the car a few feet to the left. His face was twisted with a warrior's scowl, but his eyes still shone with the same childish glee I have always known.

I threw my hand up, opening my mouth to call for him, but no sound came out.

Then, Nux disappeared into a mushroom cloud of fire and heat. The car he had hit flipped over, a rolling ball of flame that was heading right for me.

It didn't reach me.

I don't know what happened, but all of the cars were gone. Now the only thing in the huge desert was me, and the lifeless body of Nux.

I rushed to his side, my long, tangled hair falling around my face like a curtain. When my eyes fell upon him, my stomach rolled with horror.

The deathly still body in front of me was Nux when he was a child. His face soft and scar-less, and devoid of all of all of the teenage-boy angles he had now.

An empty, lost groan was ripped from my throat. The same one that came out of me the day I was taken from my home.I let my head fall onto his cold shoulder, my tears stripping away some of the white paint. He was dead, and I wasn't able to save him. I was alone.

A long, rattling breath rose from Nux's lungs. I froze, looking up at his face. I screamed.

It wasn't Nux anymore, but Immortan Joe. Terror coursed through my veins. His awful skin was mostly bare, sores and scars peppering his chest. There was a puddle of drying tears on his shoulder, where I my head had been moments ago. His malicious eyes met mine, and his hand shot out and caught a hold of my throat. I couldn't scream this time.

"Nothing but a reject." He snarled, his voice mechanical and full of resentment.

I awoke with a start.

My eyes scanned over my surroundings fearfully. I was curled into the fetal position upon the chilly ground of my cave. Pale yellow light spilled through the hole in the roof, telling me it was early morning. My whole body was trembling. I let out a shaky breath, absently running my calloused fingers across my throat. I could still feel the ghost of his hands there, squeezing tighter and tighter. I laid still for the longest time, letting the cold air dry the sweat on my body and slow my racing heart.

That was strange. I haven't bad a nightmare like that for a long time. For the first few months, my nights were plagues with horrible scenarios like that. They have since ceased to bother me. Perhaps it was just fever? I wasn't sure.