Shadow Of The Past Trilogy ∞ THE DISPLACED

57 ∞ the problem is choice

Day Fifteen ∞ Friday

THE CONVOY HAD TRAVELLED NONSTOP throughout the night until early morning when it halted at a large service station to tank up every vehicle. The two helicopter gunships took turns at refueling elsewhere, never leaving the airspace above the convoy vacant. Through the tarp covering the hull, Selina saw Apocalypse walking around, sharply scanning his personnel and the surroundings. But no one tried to communicate with her inside the vessel.

Barely fifteen minutes later, the convoy continued its steady pace, covering some 85 kilometers for every passing hour, this time with Apocalypse overhead in one of the gunships. It passed signs indicating the approaching Dallas, turned off on a bypass to avoid the urban area and rejoined the highway heading west.

Now she was certain of the direction they were going and that no one would be checking on her.

She left the vessel, locating herself high above the gunships to survey what lay ahead. Apocalypse had said they were going to the desert. She could see a wide expanse of desert and ripples of hills far ahead,  reminiscent of many areas of the Earth she had left behind. It was many hours away. She had time.

She glanced inside the gunship at Apocalypse where he sat behind the pilot, then turned her attention to Albany, Georgia, over 1300 kilometers away, relocating herself in an instant. 

She found no life inside the house. Instead, she picked up The Second's energy print heading back west, and she followed it, surprised to find it ending up in Eufaula.

As she floated above the parking lot to a bank, she saw a girl exiting the building.

Not just a girl, she realized. The Second was now a brunette. But a gentle metallic click snatched her attention to the waiting van.

"They are hypnotized," The Second said as she climbed inside.

In an instant, Selina saw through the roof of the van a motorcycle and five occupants, one with a hand pointing a short-barreled revolver, and the swift movement of Daniel inside the bank as he shielded The One—his fear for their mortality palpable, hitting Selina's senses.

∞

No gunshot.

Through the pounding in his head, Danny discerned the revving of an engine and, keeping his head low, he peeked around his shoulder. He caught the tail end of the van disappearing from view just as two motorbikes rumbled past.

He drew a long breath and exhaled slowly as he released Mickmi's head from his chest.

"You okay?"

She met his gaze for a moment and nodded before looking through the door, her brows still contracted.

A woman left the counter and crossed the floor, giving them an odd look as she passed. Danny realized it must look strange with the two of them hugging so tightly in the middle of the bank so he stepped away from Mickmi and took her hand, glancing around.

That was when he started to feel it in his knees.

"Come," he said and approached the security guard. "Excuse me."

"Good day. Have a nice day," the guard said, nodding at them, and opened the door.

"Uh... Thanks?" Danny frowned, then mumbled, "You too," and exited with Mickmi. In the sunlight, he spun around and stared at the guard through glass. Then his breath escaped him.