Don't Leave Me Again (Sequel to Finally Found You)

Part 31

          “Hey there buddy.” Tom says to Matt.

          “What happened to Jenny?” He asks.

          “I’m guessing that she went back with her brother.” Tom says.

          “Do you think Ben loves the rebel Skitters more than us?” Matt asks randomly.

          “Ben doesn’t love the rebel Skitters. He just needs to fight with them. To protect us, to protect you.” Tom says.

          “But what if when he’s there he realizes that he likes them more?” Matt says.

          “He won’t.” Tom says.                            

          “What if he does? What if he doesn’t come back?” Matt says what I’ve been thinking this entire time.

          “Then we’ll go find them.” Tom says.

          “What if he dies?” Matt says.

          “He’s not gonna die.” Tom tells him.

          “You promise?” Matt says.

          “I promise.” Tom tells him. Matt asks for his journal and Tom gives it to him and leaves. I stay at my seat beside the window as everything that Matt just said begins to sink in. What if we don’t see him again? What if he dies?

          With these thoughts running around in my head, I fall asleep just staring out the window up at the stars. Just like Ben and I used to do.

          The next morning, I wake up to find a blanket on me. I look around the bus and find Matt still asleep and everyone else just standing around. I stand up and start walking toward the front of the bus when it stops suddenly, making me fly forward.

          “What is it?” I ask Anne.

          “I don’t know everyone just stopped.” Anne says. Tom, Anthony, and I walk off the bus and to the front of the line to see what’s happened. We run up to Weaver and start walking to what looks like to be the end of our Charleston destination.

          The bridge that leads into Charleston is destroyed. And this time there is no rebuilding it. The other side is what looks like to be miles away from us. And the worst part is, Charleston its self is gone. Turned to dust and rubble every tower, every building, every house is gone.

          “Oh my god.” I say. Everyone starts coming out of the vehicles towards us. After a few minutes, Weaver tells everyone to head back to the vehicles and that we’re leaving in 15 minutes.

          I stay and look over the side of the bridge and for once, I’m not afraid of falling. I’m not afraid of falling because if I did right now, it wouldn’t matter. Everything we worked for to get to Charleston is gone; we still have no idea where Ben is or if we’re ever going to see him again. I’m tempted to jump right then and there but Matt calls me.

          “Kali, we’re gonna drive back off the road.” Matt says. I turn and walk over to him and put my arm around him. We get back to the bus and everyone turns around and heads off the bridge and back into the woods. I step off the bus and walk over to the front of the bus and lean my back against it. Suddenly we hear a single shot in the air.

          “Gather round.” Weaver says. Everyone walks over to him and huddles around in a huge circle.

          “So Charleston was a bust we thought we were gonna have paradise on earth delivered to us, right here on a silver platter. We should’ve known better; I should’ve known better. I doesn’t mean that the dream was bad. It just means that we’re going to have to work harder to make it happen. The choice is simple you could lie down and quit; curse God at the unfairness of it all or you can come with me where we can find another place to live. A place where we can build the community that we hoped to find here. So here’s what we’re gonna do, we’re gonna get back in those vehicles and we’re gonna go on. Even if it means we have to carry the damn things on our backs.” Weaver says finishing off his speech. We start walking back to the vehicles when we hear something in the woods beside us.

          “Who goes there?” Dai yells. Everyone raises their weapon and walks towards the sound. All of a sudden, we see Kernel Porter walk out of the woods.

          “Hold your fire. Kernel Porter first continental army. Hello Dan.” Porter says walking over to Weaver and Tom. They all talk and Hal and Allie walk out of the woods.

          “Allie, Hal!” I yell running over to them. I hug Allie first while Hal hugs Tom.

          “Where have you been?” I ask her.

          “Oh you know, here and there, everywhere.” She says. We laugh and I walk over to Hal and give him a hug.

          “Where ya been puke pit?” I say jokingly. He laughs and Matt runs over to hug Hal. The four of us group hug.

          “The only one missing is Ben.” Matt says.

          “I gotta strong feeling we’re gonna see Ben again.” Hal says leaning down next to Matt.

          “Really?” Tom asks.

          “Of course. I just figured out that sometimes fate throws you a favor. We just gotta make sure that we’re around to catch it.” Hal says glancing at Allie. I see her smile at him. Tom picks up Matt and the 2nd Mass makes its way to Charleston, South Carolina.

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