Awakening - The Last Science #1

Chapter 28 - Ashes - II

  Rufus stayed behind, wanting to put his friend to rest. The rest of the group followed Rachel in a loose formation. Cinza limped along supported by both Ruby and Makoto—awkward due to her size, but they managed to make it work. Alden wasn't sure where he fit into the group and ended up at the front next to Rachel. She ignored them all, moving as if she were totally alone. It was only after they'd made it halfway back that Alden noticed she wasn't ignoring everyone.

  She was muttering under her breath, and not to herself. He could only catch a few snippets, but Rachel was trying to convince their invisible companion of something. If he guessed right, Rachel wanted her to find all the survivors left in town, but Grey-eyes wasn't answering. Alden spotted a few leaves on the ground that suddenly bent out of shape, confirming she was present. The town was swiftly approaching, and still Rachel's requests went unanswered.

  The glow of the fire faded away. Between the passing rain and whatever Natalie might have done, the pending inferno had been negated. The fire hadn't burned for that long, so Alden believed the town might yet be intact—but whatever hopes Alden held were dashed the moment they emerged from the woods.

  Rallsburg was covered in a sheet of grey. Buildings crumbled as far as the eye could see, their already-crippled structures laid waste by the flames. The ritual had done its damage, and the fires finished the town off. Only husks remained, the sturdiest wood in frames charred black as night. The old stone library towered over the wreckage like a gravestone. It was still just as damaged as when Alden had first arrived, but it stood immune to the fresh carnage that had struck Rallsburg.

  Since the library was the only visible intact building, they gravitated to it like a beacon. Alden's stomach churned as they walked through the broken town. There were sights no one should ever witness scattered about the houses and shops. Alden averted his eyes, feeling like he were somehow disrespecting the dead if he gawked at them. As they walked, Makoto or Yusuf would occasionally split off to investigate a structure they couldn't see inside—but inevitably they'd return alone, shaking their heads in disappointment.

  The few survivors they did come across joined their procession silently. Joe McKinney appeared after only a few minutes, to no comment from Cinza or the other Greycloaks whom he'd abandoned in the forest. There was no blame to be placed anymore—everyone felt too exhausted to raise grievances.

  They found Dan Rhodes outside his half-caved-in diner, sitting on the street and staring at the sky. Julian Black appeared a few minutes later, and Alden tried to give him a wide berth. He still carried the hunting rifle that had killed Logan Bowerson.

  Boris Morozov joined them on the next block. Alden half-expected Grey-eyes to reappear and greet him, but their reunion went unmarked. Boris tried to speak to Rachel, but besides a terse greeting, Rachel refused to engage with anyone. She still marched forward as if in a trance, her eyes unwavering from the library ahead.

  Alden worried about her. He didn't know her that well—in fact, he'd only spoken to her twice before they'd set off into the forest—but he couldn't imagine this was normal behavior. What was her plan? Was this funeral procession some sort of coping strategy for the town as a whole?

  Her words back in the forest still bothered him. She hadn't been talking like a leader, or even a survivor. She'd been surrendering.

  She was giving up, and Alden wasn't sure how to turn it around.

  They were only a block away from their destination, which was feeling more like a deadline with every step, when they heard a call from above. A few of their group scattered, but Alden recognized the voice. He waved to the quickly approaching speck shooting out of the low cloud layer.