The Traversing Book I

Chapter 11

The continued explosions in the Arena were unlike anything I had ever experienced. I watched the little bright flashes of red embers, crackling and popping in the air and the smoke was beginning to bellow. Lolly and I were still sitting up in the tree, unable to move. My eyes were scanning the sky for any spy planes, but the smoke was too thick for that.

"Lolly, we need to come up with a plan," I whisper to her, blinking as the sting and power of the smoke got into my eyes. She started climbing down a few branches lower than me, and I didn't know if she was just going to try and jump down.

"I have no idea Kokia. No idea what to do," she says, looking at the ground below. It was so hot, the warmth projecting from the fire made it feel close to 100°, and the wind bringing with it some ash didn't help any.

"I'm feeling guilty about Magzi. Should we see if she is still in there?" I ask, looking at Lolly, whose eyes just widened up and she didn't say anything. Just stared at me.

"OK, OK," I say, knowing her answer. Too risky. Just too risky, I think to myself.

"I want to go home!" Lolly wailed to me, her body shaking with sobs.

Home..... home. Yes, home.

Lolly wiped her eyes with her sweatshirt and looked up. "I need to see if my house is still there. If my family is still there..." she says, trailing her voice off, mouthing the word "there" very slowly.

"OK then. Yeah, OK. When we see less trucks, we will run for it toward home. But it's a long way."

"I'm scared! So scared!"

"Me, too," I say, reaching down through the leaves and touching her hand. "Me, too."

Little did I know that just a few hours prior, Trast had made this same trip, even rested against the same tree.

I started to climb higher in the tree, and I looked at the town below me in awe. It was not the same town that I knew. I remember a long time ago seeing on the news houses in the southwest being flattened by tornadoes, some with nothing more than a toilet or refrigerator still standing. The view that I saw and breathed in looked very similar. There was debris everywhere, piles of dirt and rocks, and it was hard for me to distinguish where the pavement ended and grass began. Lots of dark dust sprayed in the air, and pieces of wood were on the side of the road as if they are going to be retrieved later or something, or perhaps that is just where they fell. I look over to my right and see the small convenience store that was standing there as a lone building, the odd man out. It didn't seem to have sustained much damage at all. I peered at the two electric car fueling stations next to the store, and they were also still standing, though the nozzles had all been burned or shot off. Crippling us, essentially. My great grandmother told me of the way things were when gasoline was used to power cars and small machines, and oil was used for heat. Relying on foreign countries for our livelihood. It was interesting to see how much harder things were back then. We as a country feel so much independence now by relying only on solar, wind and natural gas to power our cars, light and heat our homes. So as I look at the vandalism of the pumps, I am saddened. These would all need to be replaced somehow. I was guessing that this terror group is using up a particular cities resources, then move on to the next city, burning and destroying everything behind them. There had to be a weak link in their system somewhere. There is no perfect storm. Not really.

I squint my eyes together and tried to scan up the hill toward where I lived, but my eyes could not see that far away. Suddenly below us I hear a noise, and look down the tree at a squirrel upset at us being there. I then realize, much to my alarm, that I might have climbed too far up. I started to get dizzy, but then grabbed a hold of a large branch on the tree a little bit better, and the feeling abated. I lingered there for a bit, scanning the road. I did not see any trucks, nor did I see any people wandering around. With a big sigh, I start to descend the tree.

I jumped down and slid a little and landed on my butt. It was so sore anyway from the pressure sores from sleeping on the hard floor, it hardly made me wince. Lolly climbed down a little further than me, then jumped off as well. We both clasped our hands together, and start to walk through the trees when behind us I catch glimpse of a guard that was surveying the grounds. He screams and points, and starts shooting at us. I let go of Lolly and we scatter, both hiding in some overgrown brush. We knew these woods better than them.

He ran past us, chasing someone in the distance. I turn my head slightly and see that it is Magzi. The guard stops briefly, right in front of me, and starts shooting. Magzi turns and gives him the finger, laughing and calling him an asshole as he continued to shoot her multiple times. She flopped to the ground and I saw her trying to breathe, her chest heaving slightly, and as I peeked further from the brush, I saw blood coming from her mouth.

The soldier walks back out through the woods and runs to a waiting vehicle. It seemed so still. I noticed that I did not hear anything, not even the sounds of the birds or the squirrel that had squawked at us moments earlier. I stayed hidden for about ten more minutes, then emerged and tried to find Lolly, but she was gone. She must have run ahead of me, though I hadn't seen her. I walk out in the street and bend down to look at Magzi laying in the road, and see that she was struggling no more. I felt such terrible guilt for not including her in our escape plan, but what was done is done, and I can't go back. I bend down and take my hand and gently close her eyelids. She really was a beautiful girl. And she saved me.

"Goodbye, Magzi," I whispered.

I stand up and run into the convenience store up ahead of me, looking over bothshoulders, taking in a deep breath and just ran, still so terrified. I stumblein the store, and see some old waters and soda in the back. With the ITAQwiping out the solar panels, everything is warm and spoiled. It appears therehas been a gun fight, but my adrenaline is pumping so hard, I just needed food.I was so hungry, I never felt hunger like this before. I didn't get to eat muchin the Arena, we were only allowed to eat the leftovers. At this moment, Ididn't care. I grabbed a few candy bars and ran out of the store heading towardthe top of the hill. As I crest up toward Main Street, I see some blood stainson the tar, and I keep a steady pace. I felt very unsafe and vulnerable, andwas actually surprised that I did not see one Skin or Supervisor at all.

I head down the street and see that some of the houses have been demolished. Ijust was looking for some place to hide for a bit. It was another four miles tomy house, which wasn't a big deal with my bike, but I found I was struggling tokeep walking, my lungs still hurting from all the smoke I inhaled. I looked upand saw a small trailer up ahead of me, and I run over to it. When I get to thelawn, I creep over to a low window and peek inside. I see that the house wasdisheveled, and shell casings were scattered on the floor. So I assumed thatthe owner was dead. The door is slightlyajar, and I contemplate running again, but through the still air, I now hearthe whir of a Skin. I force myself through the opening in the door and run tothe opposite end, trying to make sure I don't get scanned. I hide behind ametal desk that is set up in one of the rooms, and I crouch down to the ground,hugging my knees. Without realizing it, I find myself drifting off to sleep.