Hypersonic Missiles

Ada

The woodland didn't disperse and though it felt like it was getting thicker and darker, I knew that we were nearing the edge of the cliffs. That soon if we were to keep walking, we would begin a descent to the beaches I'd grown up on as a child.

It was misty, the air after the downfall was always thick, always cloudy like this, a soupy haze cloaking the city.

I hadn't known many evenings like this one yet but I was beginning to grow used to the drugged ache it lent to my eyes.

My hand stung, this low throbbing in my palm and my wrist every time I flexed my fingers. I was trying not to flex my fingers, trying not to move my hand at all but it was difficult and every time I brushed it accidentally I flinched or whimpered despite my desperation to be silent and stoic. To be brave. To convince this man that I was more of a threat than I seemed.

"How's y'hand titch?" asked the stranger, nodding to the hand he wasn't holding, concern glowing in his eyes which confused me.

"Where are we going?" I asked looking around. I couldn't see any paths, no break in the woodland to indicate a settling. And no one had ever had houses down this way before the Impacts.

"It's not far now, how are you at climbing?" he asked, frowning when he turned to look down at me, his nose crinkling as he realised the answer. "Areet," he sighed scratching his head and turning around,waiting for me to jump up on his back.

But I wasn't going to make this easy for him and I wasn't going to show any weaknesses.

I said nothing just stood still, glaring at him until he turned around and sighed.

"What's the matter?" he asked, looking at the woodland around us, up at the sky through the canopy. It was getting darker now, the sun setting, night creeping in.

It was risky to be out at night, I knew that all too well, but it was risky for me to follow this lad somewhere I couldn't easily escape from. So I was staying put.

"Where are we going?"

"Well nowhere right now from the looks of things!" he chuckled, his smirk making something inside me snap.

"Stop it," I snapped then, my eyes fierce and stubborn as I glared back at him.

My fists clenched by my side, paying no mind to the sting as I dug the glass deeper into my palm and felt a trickle of blood ooze from the wound.

My cheeks were flushed, I could feel the heat of my scorn along my cheek bones. I knew what I looked like when I was upset, knew I wasn't doing myself any favours.

The boy raised his brow, a little taken back as he looked at me, probably risk assessing the situation.

"Stop what?"

"Stop acting like am being stupid for not trusting you when I don't bloody know you and you've fuckin kidnapped me!"

He chuckled then, his smile lingering as he scratched the back of his neck and shook his head.

"A wouldn't call it a kidnapping lass," he said, his smile getting under my skin as I glared him down, tears in my eyes that I was desperately trying to hold back.

"Well I would." I said, not realising how despite my efforts to appear brave, to appear somewhat capable of defending myself, the pout I wore then gave me away completely.

The boy looked at me then, his brow softening just a little as he took me in.

"Alreet little one," he said a little softer than before, his tone gentle as he watched me carefully, "let's not pretend we don't know what you were gan do earlier..." he said, he spoke as if it were a delicate, desperate thing but it wasn't.

I wasnt the first suicidal person to stand on that bridge and I wouldn't be the last.

And I wasn't about to thank him for stealing that rest from me.

"If... If you know what I was gan do.. An you stopped me... A canny trust you... N a, a don't... So just fuckin let me go or kill me, a know what men are like am not stupid..." I said, fixing him with the same glare, the determination that was tainted by fear. I didn't realise how scared I looked until he sighed.

"Am not gan hurt you little one," he said his voice low as he approached me careful, hesitant like a man might hold his hand out to a rabbit, "a wanna help ya... Don't want hurt yas, a promise..."

I looked at him, eyes teary, heart tight and squeezed in my chest. My body ached, my hand stinging, bleeding, my pulse warping around the glass.

The boy held his hand out for me to take but i didn't move, just kept my eyes fixed on him.

"A saw yas up on that bridge in the rain an you looked so small an hopeless like, a didn't wanna watch you fall... A just wanted help you..."

"Well you shouldn't have," I said, "didn't want help..."

"You need it though..." he said, his voice a gentle nudge as he stepped closer again, "Cmon get on me back little one, let me carry you down," he said, "we'll get you some clean clothes an we'll fix your hand up, take that glass oot safe like, can get you somet decent to eat an all titch, you look starving..."

I swallowed, averting my eyes a little shamefully.

"Haven't eaten for awhile," I confessed, knowing I didn't really need to tell him that for him to know. It was probably obvious to him. He looked like he did eat, actually he looked like he ate well, didn't look like he worried too much, didn't look like he'd been sick in awhile.

He didn't really look the way I'd expected the other survives to look at all and as I studied him, narrowing my eyes, weighing up my choices, i began to wonder just where he was even living in this woodland anyway. And how he had survived so long.

"o... Okay," I said finally, my voice quiet and small now as I looked up at him and gave in, "kay ill come with you..."

"Aye," smirked the boy, "good lass," he said, crouching down to let me climb on his back, holding me firmly as he began his decent down the side of the cliff. "Hold on tight titch," he said, my hands locking around his shoulders as I closed my eyes and hid in his shirt.

I didn't want to look down, didn't want to look up either at how far we'd descended.

"Not far little one just hold on, you'll be reet," he said again, his voice remaining gentle as he lowered us both down the cliff face.

I felt his feet meet the ground with a light thud, felt him crouch and lower me gently to the ground too. But i didn't let go for a moment, aware that we were nowhere near the bottom of the cliff face.

"Y'gotta let go of me now titch," smirked the boy, slipping his hand into mine to reassure me as he slid me from his back.

I felt my feet hit the ground and winced, not wanting to open my eyes but knowing I really had no choice.
And when I did I realised where we were.

After the second Impact hit the wave of meteors which had ripped through the atmosphere had caused many coastlines to slide. Ours being one of the most devastating disasters, though the world had known many disasters that day.

The caravan park which had once stretched along this length of coast, had split and crumbled, some of the ground collapsing and caving in, whole vehicles lost down cracks in the earth, other chunks had broken away and crumbled in one mud slide down into the sea.

We were standing about half way down one of those particular slides. The ground was firm, rocks and tree roots jutting from the wall of the cliff.
The wreckage of an old caravan half buried beneath the fallen earth. The other half jutting from the rocks.

"Am loath to call it home cause we'll find somet proper one day, but for now little one..." he said gesturing to the wreck, "welcome home..."