Storm

Chapter One

The world was quiet.

A soft breeze blew through my hair. The desert air was unusually cold. Little pinpricks of rain bounced off my skin.

I was more relaxed than I had been in months.

Miles of rock-hard sand, splotched with slush, stretched before me. It hadn't snowed much since we'd arrived, but that didn't stop the clouds from hovering overhead. The temperature consistently verged toward freezing. Some days it would drizzle, and precipitation would come down in slushy flakes.

We'd arrived nearly a month ago at Rose and Dennis's camp after barely escaping the Equator. The drive had been long and treacherous with multiple stops at small shacks for food and water. I wasn't sure exactly how far we'd gone. I didn't know where we were. But we were far from the Equator. And that was all I cared about.

Someone called out my name from behind me.  Light gray storm clouds danced around in the sky above the peach-colored dunes. Sometimes, the clouds would leave a little gap, letting the sun peak through. My favorite was at sunset, when it lit the desert in a beautiful array of reds, oranges, and yellows. Right now was not one of those times.

In mild disappointment, I glanced over my shoulder at Asten, who padded through the sand as he approached. He held up a hand to block the drizzle. With his other hand, he waved.

Come back.

I had learned well to read his body language. He had changed since we'd gotten here. His skin had darkened, tanning from the sun's radiation.

I pursed my lips, looked back at the desert, one last time, then broke into a light jog toward him.

My muscles were sore and aching from the exertion. Ever since I'd arrived, they'd made us continue our training from the compound. Not out of malice, just out of self-preservation. I'd also really enjoyed the combat training with Beau; he used to work for the Equator.

I caught up to Asten, and we started walking back to the camp.

"You know you're late, right?" he commented between heavy stomps through the now muddy sand.

"I know." What did it matter if I was late? Time barely existed anymore.

"They called your name multiple times over the speaker system." He side-eyed me. I'd heard them, but I'd chosen to ignore them. I knew what they wanted me for.

I remained silent.

"You know you can't avoid it forever," Asten said. Correct.

"Mhm," I mumbled back.

"What?" he pried.

"I just wish we didn't have to go through this. Didn't we already 'prove ourselves'? Feels a bit insulting." Everyone else had taken their turn, and now it was mine. That didn't mean I was happy about it.

A day after we'd gotten to the camp, we'd been told we would need to hold our own and prove ourself. Be of use. Or whatever. It hadn't been up to Rose or Dennis. It was Claire's order. Claire was a middle-aged woman with graying dark hair and warm brown eyes who lead the camp. I'd been surprised first walking into the compound to find adults. They were the ones who'd escaped. Claire, despite her motherly appearance, had been hardened in this hell to the point where she did not trust us. Because she'd been informed about Mace, she was paranoid that he wasn't alone. That there was someone else in our group ready to stab us all in the back.

It had apparently taken a lot of convincing for her to even accept us into their shelter.

I couldn't blame her. I didn't really trust us either.

But that wasn't the point.

The point was I did not want to prove myself, because I was worried they'd put me into a situation I was uncomfortable with. They hadn't elaborated on anything. And nobody was allowed to know about it beforehand. Everyone else had gone, even Asten, and now they were waiting on me. Then, we'd officially "join" them.

I didn't know what to expect.

"Just trust me. It's not as bad as you think," Asten said. He was trying to comfort me, but it wasn't helping. "And, I can give you a hint: you won't be alone."

I narrowed my eyes at him. Wasn't he breaking rules by telling me anything? "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You'll find out once you get there." He smiled to himself. I wished he would just tell me. If I knew what it was, it wouldn't be so hard to face it. 

We were almost to the tents of the camp. The slightly bigger one in the middle was my destination. It was where everything was held: meetings, dinners, and the occasional birthday party. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

My face tilted up towards the sky one more time. Specks of cold pinched my hardened skin. I opened up my eyes and saw small flakes of snow floating down, so tiny they may not have been there at all.

For once, I didn't mind them.