The Wasteland

Chapter 12: 16 September 2192

Chapter 12: 16 September 2192

Later that day, the guards loaded all of us on to a rocket to be sent to Mars. I wasn't in prison for that long but the outside world already looked so different. Everything looked dilapidated and ruined. The guards rushed us to get out of the prison. I assumed that the soldiers were close. One prisoner tried to jump the fence and join the soldiers but one of the guards stopped him and tazed him. I got brutally pushed into an already cramped rocket. Maxx and I got separated but I was sure that he would get on at least one of the rockets. A loud noise, which made me jump, came from beneath me. Next thing I knew, we were lifted off Earth.

"Since when did you have the Stone in your bag? And how do you know how to use it?" I asked Artemis eagerly. "Does it matter? I just got us out of that mess. You should be thankful!" she yelled at me, "Now get over here and help me wake up Maxx. And no more questions!" Why is she so mad? I thought. "I will help you when you tell me what the hell just happened back there!" I yelled back at her. "Fine!" she shouted at me. Artemis threw the towel that she was using on Maxx's forehead on the ground. She walked toward me, grabbed the Stone, and put it up in my face. "When my father was still around, I would eavesdrop on him when he was working. I picked up a few thing but not much. One thing that I picked up is that the Stone can teleport you where ever you like. And that is what I did."

"Oh.... Sorry." I said feeling bad about yelling at her. I should have know that talking about her dad was a soft subject for her. "Yeah, you should be." Artemis said and turned back toward Maxx. She picked up the towel and again started to dab Maxx's head. Maxx started to come to. "Guys!" he said as he rose from the bed, "I found out something."

"While I was knocked out, I got these visions of this...this creek," Maxx explained, trying to recall what he saw. Artemis and I were staring at him, hoping for more. "I saw this thing. It wasn't human, it wasn't an animal. But just... a thing. I don't know how else to explain it." Maxx said looking up at us. "It's okay. Just keep going. Describe the creek" Artemis said impatiently. "Well, there was a fallen tree lying over the creek. The roots and dirt were still intact so it made a small mountain. The 'thing' stood on top of the mini mountain. It was saying some sort of chant." "What did the 'thing' look like?" I interrupted. "It had horns around it's red face. It had these blood stained teeth and these bottomless, black eyes." I stood up and grabbed my backpack. "Where are you going?" Artemis asked. "Two things, 1) I know the exact place that Maxx described and 2)..., " I looked them both straight in their eyes, " I think the 'thing' was your father."