Awakening - The Last Science #1

Chapter 20 - Consequences - I

Part III

The End of Their World

  The first thing to hit her was the smell of charred flesh and burned hair.

  Rachel's heart sank as she emerged into the clearing. She'd sent Natalie ahead with desperate instructions to stop the fires before they spread, and—if she could manage it—to make everyone see her doing it. She'd hoped that would be enough to dissuade them from attacking. If they were quick enough, Rachel hoped she could stop the melee before any real damage was done.

  Seeing the desiccated Paul Wilson on the ground, the burned townspeople, Morton bleeding out on the grass behind a formation of grey cloaks—Rachel felt sick to her stomach.

  She'd arrived too late.

  Rachel spoke in a low voice, though there was no one visible near her. The closest was Natalie, but she was already halfway across the clearing and the girl's focus was locked on the flames, ignoring everything else. Rachel's words weren't for her.

  "You could have stopped this."

  "If I did, he'd be attacking everyone," Beverly replied coldly. She was invisible somewhere nearby, and Rachel could only find her if she focused very hard and watched the barest traces of grass being flattened or leaves brushing as she passed. If anyone started to move too close to her, she instantly teleported to another spot nearby, where she had enough room to keep moving freely. Rachel wondered why she didn't simply teleport everywhere, since it seemed to take her almost no effort, but Rachel doubted she'd ever really understand these people who were so far beyond what any normal awakened could accomplish.

  Rachel didn't have time to argue with her. She strode out of the forest, very conscious of how alone she was. She didn't expect Beverly to lift a finger if she were attacked, and Natalie wasn't exactly on the best of terms with her either. She felt quite defenseless as she approached the crowd, a throng of angry men and women facing down a group of seven robed figures and another she couldn't quite make out. The fires were dying out from Natalie's efforts, so the light was reduced to only the pale moonlight and the faint licks of silver flame coming from a knife in Cinza's fist.

  She ignored them both and walked straight down the middle. It was a no-man's-land where only Paul Wilson's body lay, next to the one man brave enough to step forward and check on him. To her surprise, it was John Bell, the bouncer and barman from the Kettle and Bones and grandson to Mabel Walsh. As she crouched next to him, she whispered low enough so only they could hear, "What are you doing here?"

  "Making sure things don't get out of hand," he murmured, his fingers to Paul's neck. She wanted to laugh. She felt a bitter helplessness at his words. Things could hardly be more out of hand. Paul's skin looked impossibly dry and pale. At her questioning look, he frowned. "There's nothing, but I don't want to say that loud yet. Not until we're sure we can get them to back down."

  "Any ideas?" she asked, painfully aware the clock was ticking. They could only stall for so long.

  "I think whatever you're doing is working," he answered, glancing briefly over his shoulder. "No one's moving yet."

  "If we tell them he's dead, won't that start everything up again?"

  "Maybe. I don't know. I'm just a bartender," he replied. "Can your invisible friend there bring him back to life?"