Salvation 2035

Chapter 54- Crossroads

『Abel』

     "Alright, we have a car, we have all of our stuff, we have money, and we're alone," Keisha lists. "Drive and tell us everything."

     "Uh, right," I answer nervously.

     "Ah, sorry, that came across as way too threatening!" she apologizes.

     "Seems like Tsuki's personality is rubbing off on you," I joke.

     "When have I been threatening?" Tsuki questions.

     "How about all the times you've beaten up multiple people twice your size?" I recall.

     "Yeah, but I didn't do anything to you guys," Tsuki emphasizes.

     "Still, it makes you think," I answer. Well, I guess if Tsuki had a problem with me we wouldn't be having this conversation right now.

     "Fellas, let's get back on topic," Keisha exasperates. "So, who was that woman?"

      "Her name is Elpis," I tell her. "I first started talking to her after Tsuki and I were staying in a ghost city. I was wandering around and came across this room with a computer. It all of a sudden turned on and she was on the screen telling me about Project Salvation and how they need me there because of my medical skills."

     "What's Project Salvation?" Keisha asks.

     "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure," I confess. "I think they're an environmental group trying to clean up nuclear fallout and the like. They take in people from America too, I guess. She wasn't terribly explicit. I guess we'll find out when we get there."

     "We're going there?" she questions.

     "Well, it's where I'm going," I say. "If you guys don't want to, then it's totally understandable. It's likely that once we arrive we probably won't have the most freedom, given that they're pretty secretive from what I can gather. I know that you like your freedom, Keisha. And Tsuki, of course."

     "... I haven't really thought about what comes after we go our separate ways," she contemplates.

     "Me neither," Tsuki chimes in.

     It then dawns on me that neither of them have lived on their own before. They've both been dependent on others for all of their lives. Well, it makes sense, given that they're both only around twenty. Throughout this journey, I guess I've kind of been like a leader to these two, even if they have a lot more street smarts than me. Even though I know how much Keisha wants to explore the ends of the Earth and how much Tsuki wants to be free from the judgemental eyes of others, being away from me might be a little scary. I've been independent for the majority of my life, so doing it again won't be too much of an issue— except for the added fact that I'm in a different country, I suppose. But for them, it's probably very difficult.

     "As I said, you guys can stay with me— I have no issues with it," I remind them. "It's just that I'm not sure what Project Salvation will be like."

     "Maybe I'll get a motor home," Keisha muses. "We could travel all across the country and won't have to look for motels along the way. What do you think about that, Tsuki?

     "I wonder if there's a way for me to go to school here," Tsuki muses.

     "Well..." Keisha trails off. I think we both might know what the issue would be.