Dust in the Wind

Chapter 14- Noah's Ark

It took them until midnight to reach the ruins that stuck from the ground. They had had to stop several times when Theron hadn't reacted quickly enough to pull Felicia back, a whine leaving her each time Felicia hit the ground with a dull thud, groans of pain the only indication that she was sill conscious.
                Theron sighed as Felicia once more slid, her torso colliding roughly with the ground below. Aminia groaned in frustration and jumped from the saddle, landing lithely as she walked towards her now unconscious friend. Wrapping her arms under Felicia's armpits she hauled her back over the saddle like a sack, no longer having the energy to place her in the saddle properly as she guided the horses through the toppled buildings. Theron's ears twitched almost constantly, eyes snapping from one shadow to another as she walked. Aminia stopped at the first stable looking building, tethering the horses to a rusted metal railing by a boarded up window. She turned to Theron who continued to scan the abandoned street, her gaze locking momentarily on metal husk of a car before moving on, 'Hey, Theron?'
                Almost instantly the Hunter snapped to attention, appraising Aminia with a questioning glance. 'Can you stay out here with the horses tonight? Make sure they don't get killed by something?'
                Theron nodded before placing herself a few steps from the creatures, settling herself down to rest, crest flaring momentarily as she shifted to get into a comfortable position. Aminia couldn't help but smile under the gas mask as she watched the Hunter. Shaking her head she dragged Felicia from the saddle and into the building, dropping her unceremoniously on the ground before going back out to collect the saddle bags. Boarding up the building she set up the air filters, pulling down her gas mask with a relieved sigh as the light went from red to green. Stretching she sat Felicia up against a wall before lowering her mask as well. Her eyes twitched fitfully under their lids, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of her face. Aminia gingerly lifted the blood encrusted shirt to expose the darkened bandages. Aminia gritted her teeth, making a mental note to change them once Felicia had woken up.

Aminia looked up from from her PPD as the first droplets of rain hit the ground. They made a hollow sound on the decrepit roof of the building as they fell. Aminia shuddered and listened as the rain began to fall heavier, the soft sizzling sound accompanying it as the acidic rain began to eat at their surroundings. Felicia groaned, capturing Aminia's attention as she tried to sit up straighter, flinching as her movements caused the stitches to stretch. Aminia rushed over and helped her friend before pulling the saddle bags closer and rummaging through them, pulling out the first aid kit. Felicia sighed but pulled up her shirt, aiding Aminia in removing the bandage, constantly flinching as the course material pulled at the wound. A hiss left her as the wound was finally exposed, the muscles surrounding it twitching fitfully as Aminia reached out to touch it gingerly.
                Aminia sighed and set about cleaning it, sending apologetic glances at Felicia before placing the gauze over the site, pressing down on it slightly as she re-bandaged it. Satisfied with her work, Aminia packed away the first aid kit, throwing a tube of food towards Felicia along with a water canteen, watching from the corner of her eye as her friend dug into the meal with almost comical enthusiasm.

'So what's on that file that I got shot for?'
                Aminia looked up from the ground to see Felicia settling herself against the wall, using her jacket to pad her back. She shrugged, pulling up the arm that had the PPD wrapped around it, 'Haven't had a look yet.'
                Her fingers danced across the interface momentarily before a projected screen flickered to life, a collection of files popping up and covering the space. Felicia watched as Aminia's free hand reached up to re-arrange the files, dragging them across the holographic interface. Once she was happy with her work she began to read through them, her face draining slightly of colour as she went through the files that only confirmed the story that Felicia had told her what seemed like a lifetime ago. She finally came across a map, a couple of taps allowing the image to dominate the entire screen. She rotated the screen to allow Felicia to view it better. Felicia's heart dropped into her stomach as she took it in. She knew that this task would be large, but this was just getting ridiculous.
                Eight red dots flashed on the global map, scattered across it on what seemed like random points on the map. Two points rested in the middle of the ocean while the other six lay scattered across the continents. Felicia groaned as she looked at it, muttering under her breath, 'Well this is going to be fun...'
                Aminia frowned, 'What are they?'
'The dispensers that will set loose the bacterium... It's how they will "purify" the planet.'
                If possible, Aminia's face paled even further, swallowing past the lump in her throat, 'And how are we supposed to destroy these things?'
                Felicia shrugged, 'We'll figure it out.'
'Yeah, and while we're at it, why don't we grow wings! Even if we do figure out how to destroy them, then what? We can hit-' she turned to consult the map '-two before we would have to travel to another continent!'
                A sigh left the Guardian as she shrugged once more, hand clutching her wound as the movement aggravated it, 'I don't know, we'll think of something. Let's just take this one step at a time okay?'
                Aminia nodded stiffly, 'Alright... next question... which one do we hit first?'
Felicia raised her hand to point at one of the two dots that sat in the water, 'That's where Neried is. It's probably the easiest to reach, plus, Max has family there, they could help us get into the city.'
                'Alright... But before we go gallivanting off anywhere you need to rest and let yourself heal... at least enough so you don't fall from your saddle constantly-' Felicia grimaced at this, '-And we need to stop somewhere to get supplies.' She sighed, 'Arion's out of the question I'm guessing?'
                Felicia nodded, 'Dryad isn't far from here, I know a Guardian there that could help us out.'
Aminia forced a small smile onto her face before getting up and stretching, the interface vanishing with a momentary flicker, 'Ok. Now rest, the sooner you can heal up, the better.'
                Felicia settled herself onto the ground, using her jacket as a pillow before closing her eyes, 'You should get some rest too.' And with that, she allowed herself to slip asleep.