The Mars Experience

Chapter 21: Hugo

Jedrek always complains, Apollo always cries, and Athena always collapses. It's at this moment I realize what a bad idea it was for us to embark on this quest. Soon enough, Athena's going to need more food, as well as being carried. Brianna and I have practiced teaching Apollo how to walk, but he can't do it with such little energy.

"Guys, we have another gas station," I beam, pointing towards a small square in a far off distance.

"Will it be empty like the other one?" Jedrek bickers.

"Well, we'll have to go in and see, I guess."

We've definitely grown to move faster. We walk about ten miles weak and reach the gas station in a matter of a few hours. But I guess hunger and thirst may have played a crucial part in the desperation factor. Upon reaching the gas station, I'm thrilled to find it still has shelves upon shelves of food. It's unmanaged, with broken glass and open doors.

"Get as much food as you can. The non-perishables," Donna commands.

"And re-fill your bottles with tap water from the bathroom as well as getting more. Even though it's winter now, it's still pretty hot and you can never get enough," Athena adds on.

"And you're going to carry your own water?" Jedrek murmurs.

"No, she won't, Jedrek. We already decided you're in charge of carrying water," Brianna argues. Athena gives her a subtle but whole-hearted smile, and Brianna winks back at her. I should've been the one to stand up to Jedrek.

"Alright, guys," Donna starts up again. "Everyone split up; I'll go with Apollo, Emma, and Athena to fill up our bottles, and you three go together. I have the cop's gun still, and Jedrek knows to pick up heavy objects. Stay on guard at all times. Remember: we are prey."

Jedrek stays in front, and we walk in the opposite direction of the girls, who head towards the restrooms. Jedrek peeks and inspects the stand they keep the food and water to make sure there really is no one there.

"It's not Sunday... why is it so empty?" Brianna questions.

"Bree! Hush!" Jedrek jumps up.

"Were you startled?" she teases.

"Well, something definitely happened here," I recall.

"Remember people were setting fires to stuff? Maybe this rathole was a victim," ponders Jedrek.

"Nothing's burnt- do you hear that?" I say.

We all tense up. A soft shuddering sound is hidden in the back of the store. We all subconsciously make a line, Jedrek in front, Brianna in the middle, me in the back.

I stare over Brianna's shoulders and keep my guard up. Jedrek has a rock right in front of his face, most likely impairing his vision. A blonde, slim, pale, and badly injured boy around Emma's age is cradling himself in a corner.

"Who are you?" I step forward to watch his light blue, frightened eyes staring us down. Reminds me of Emma when I had first met her.

He doesn't get up to greet us, so I wonder if he even can. I offer him my hand and he moves a shaky arm towards it. I'm able to pull him up with no effort as his legs, which were resting near his chest, unfold to rest upon unsteady knees. He stumbles, falling on me, and Jedrek drops his rock to help him regain his balance.

He notices both his arms are being held by two different people and wiggles his hands and elbows to make us back off. I let go the same moment as Jedrek does and he falls back on the ground. Smacking Jedrek in the stomach, Brianna picks him up by his shoulders and rests him against the eggshell white brick wall. He struggles to find his balance before giving in completely to the surface.

I signal to Brianna and Jedrek to meet me at the entrance. "He's definitely a Mars Experiencer," I whisper. "Do you think Athena knows him?"

"Let's confront him about this first, but don't mention Athena. We don't know how deceiving he is, who he's with, or what he's capable of," Jedrek assesses.

We all re-approach him. "Who are you with?" His skin pales before turning around and hurling. It's repulsive. His straight, blonde, chin-length hair falls on his face and I'm certain some of the white, liquidy vomit got on it. He impulses his arm to clean his mouth off but ends up only making contact with his neckline.

He takes a deep breath in before he says, "The Mars Experience."

He doesn't sound like I thought he would. His eyes scream strength, but his voice is the opposite. It only shows weakness and demoralization. It's throaty and quiet, to the point where it's necessary to lean in to understand him. It's also deep, almost as if he had burped through the phrase, and I can only imagine throwing up must have played a crucial role in that.

"There was a fire. It was... it was somebody." His face turns ghost white again, and he collapses down to the floor. He coughs, releasing a smaller pool of vomit.

He nods down to his arms. "My burns. No one wanted to help me. They wanted to help themselves!" He weakly punches the wall, then winces and tears up.

Jedrek and Brianna take a step back. I hesitate. "It's alright. We're here to help," I assure.

He shakes his head. "You're just like the others."

His whole face, except for his red, stuffy eyes, is unnaturally white as he gets down on four jittery limbs and tries hopelessly to crawl away.

Jedrek looks toward us and takes a deep breath. He picks him up by his shoulders with ease as the boy struggles against him. His eyes fill with fear as he grabs hold of him and begins walking towards the restrooms, where we think the girls are. "Jedrek!" Brianna screams. "Put him down."

"He's not going to let us help otherwise, and I'm sick of waiting!" He kicks a broken pillar and makes some pieces of rubble fall down.

"He's scared," I reason. I stood up to Jedrek.

Jedrek gently lays him back down on the floor. "Will you come with us?" he asks.

"No. And I'm not scared." This time, on his elbows, legs limp behind, he crawls towards a corner. "You have no use for me. You want to befriend me then give me a cruel death."

"Well... we have some other people with us. Maybe they'll work better with you," explains Brianna. "A Mars Experiencer too." This makes the boy freeze.

"Fine. I'll go." His voice still sounds strained and hoarse, with cracks every few words. "But alone."

"You can't walk," I express.

"Well, I can try." He stands up by himself with the help of the wall next to him and moves his right foot forward. His legs keep quaking as he tries to rebalance. Once again, impatient Jedrek picks him up and carries him out the clear, glass, bullet-proof door to see the girls who are far on the other side of the station. He tries to break free of his grasp but fails. On one hand, I want to tell Jedrek to put him down. On the other hand, if I do, we'll just be repeating the same skit over and over again.

Upon reaching the restroom, Brianna knocks on the door. "Come in," shouts Donna from the inside.