Dead Clouds

Chapter 3 (1/2): The Skeleton Man Walks

Under the cover of fallen debris, Radius held his breath. His vision was useless given his current predicament, so he relied on other senses. First, he waited for the sound of large objects crashing into the ground to end, which alerted him that he was safe from any other descending projectiles. Then, he rubbed the ground until his fingers could detect the ridges and rough patterns of the chipped concrete. The return of his sense of touch was evidence of a temperature increase. This meant the cirrus cloud had moved away from them.

"Gold?" whispered Radius, "You still there?"

The ghost cracked open his eyes. Still accustomed to being human, he jammed them tight bracing for impact. His eyes pushed towards his forehead and his jaw pulled towards his neck. Beneath Gold, Radius secured the little girl. Dust particles darkened the back of his white button-up and scratches added white and pink cuts over his exposed arms and neck.

Gold smiled at the heroics of his new acquaintance, "There's this expression, Radius. It says that no matter how far someone goes down the wrong road, they can always turn back. You arrived just in time."

"Listen to me!" snapped Radius, "This isn't the time for self-aggrandizement. I need you to float above this rubble and tell me how far the cloud is from here."

Slipping through the rocks and dust, Gold floated above the wreckage. He grimaced while observing his surroundings. The entire road ahead of him was frozen solid, buildings looked like they were sucking in their stomachs, and dozens of injured people cried out in pain.

Even so, he detected no sign of the cloud.

"I think it's left this part of Nube City," said Gold returning to where Radius waited.

"Good," said Radius rising to his knees as rocks waterfall down his back, "That should give us time to escape."

A soft murmur rose into the air. The two turned to the little girl, who rubbed the last droplets of tears from the corners of her eyes. She lifted her head up at Radius and blinked.

"Thank you for saving me, mister."

Radius had nearly forgotten about the little girl. His efforts were mostly motivated by his desire to protect Gold. The irrationality of his action suddenly became apparent. He peeled off his glasses, which were missing the right lens. Something troubled him. The debris was always going to fall through Gold, so why did he feel so compelled to save him?

He stuck a finger through the opening in his glasses and frowned. Risking his life for other people was uncharacteristic. The little girl meant nothing, but he nearly sacrificed everything to save her.

"Don't thank me," said Radius, filing his questions away for later, "Just get out of here."

Gold lowered himself until he was eye-level with her, "Don't worry! We're going to get you to safety."

A long silence passed.

"She can't hear you," muttered Radius.

Gold's cheeks flushed for a moment before he improvised. Shifting his eyes beyond the child, he noticed a large opening along the side of a warehouse. It was another casualty of the cloud.

"But you can," said Gold floating towards the warehouse, "Grab her and follow me!"

Before Radius was on his feet, a sharp pain dragged him back to his knees. His hand reached for his left ankle, which felt larger than usual. He scowled at the discovery of his new injury. Not only were his glasses broken, but he sustained a physical setback as well. He assured himself that he was never going to help anyone else again.

"Radius? You okay?" asked Gold with sincerity plastered on his face.

Embarrassment forced Radius to turn his head away. For so long, he managed to control the narrative that people had of him. Newspapers, interviews, and ceremonies always portrayed him as perfect. Weaknesses and vulnerabilities were never documented. He hated the way Gold looked at him. As if he were helpless.