Virus

Twenty

"I..." I looked back down the empty hallway. "I just thought I saw something."

My heart thumped hard against my rib cage. He spoke to me...

"WE WON!!" I heard Andersen scream. "It's a small victory but it's one step closer the killing that Holler bastard."

The speech went on, but I paid it no attention. I stared at the floor, trying desperately to calm my heartbeat.

I jumped when Kelso put his hand on my shoulder. "What's wrong, Kelly?" He asked.

"Nothing, I just...just thought I saw something."

"What did you see?"

"...Mick...Holler."

Just saying his name sped my heart up a little bit.

"Oh, your probably just seeing stuff," Kelso said as if to be reassuring.

"Let's move out!" Andersen yelled.

Dharma led the group through the tunnels. Being in the tunnels made me nervous. What if somehow, sarin began pouring through the vents. We'd all be dead so quickly.

Death was quick. One moment you heart thumped, your chest rose, your blood pumped, and then it all stopped. You froze. Your chest fell and never rose again. It was like falling asleep. Their was one moment, when all the other moments were nothing, where everything ended. When everything switched from pain and fear and weakness, to whatever awaited us on the other side of the sky. And you vanished.

All I knew then, as I walked those tunnels, was that I wasn't ready to vanish. I wasn't ready the leave to some unknown place beyond the sky. I wasn't ready to abandon Sara or Amberley, or Dharma or Kelso. I wasn't ready to leave them behind with my memories.

Finally we made it to the garage room packed with the big bus that transported Sara and I here from Montana.

What had happened to that copy of Monster?

We'd taken two semis full of soldiers into the battle, plus a billion others, and now we didn't even have enough to fill and entire bus.

I sat next to Dharma, with Amberley and Kelso behind us and Sara and Travis in front.

No one spoke for the entire ride back to Auburn. Not even General Andersen.

Travis decided to come with us back to D.C. He was one f three rebels left among the group.

I searched the faces frantically. Finally I found Captain Jameson. He met my eyes and gave me a slight smile before getting into a jeep and heading back to Topeka.

The plane ride back was equally as quiet as all the other events following the bloody quarrel at Topeka.

I stared out the tiny rounded rectangular window. The plane was slowing and getting ready to land at the Reagan Airport.

I somehow spotted a monarch fluttering around the airfield.

And that's when it hit me. Butterflies...