Mega Worm Apocalypse

EIGHTEEN

Nat and Justin walked in silence, trudging their way through the hills ever closer to the mansion that held the boy.

The boy. Justin knew nothing about the boy. He was an idea. A voice in Kayla and Nat's head. And Justin was losing everything to him. Losing Kayla. Lost Kayla? He should have fought harder. Fought harder to make her stay in Point Chester. He'd followed her on this mission for the boy, because that was what Justin did. He followed her. Wherever she went he would go. But maybe that was the problem. Maybe this time - maybe this one time - he should have made her stay put. 

Nat cleared her throat, tired of the quiet. "I'm surprised you were willing to leave her, after the way you wanted to come."

Justin frowned, but didn't say anything. He was surprised too. 

"Sort of thought you were ride or die," Nat said.

"Seems she's chosen die, doesnt it?" snapped Justin. She'd practically begged to die. Back there with the worms. Leave me. Like dying and leaving Justin behind would mean nothing to her at all. Ride or die. What a joke.

Nat nodded. "I guess that's a good point."

The unicorn, Gaisgeil, wandered a couple yards away. It turned its head, looking directly at Justin and he shivered. Connected, Nat said. Her and the creature. The idea of that thing poking around her brain made him feel ill, and worse still, he got the sense Gaisgeil could read Justin's thoughts too. After all, if it was in Nat's head, why couldn't it get into his? Or, he couldn't help but wonder, Kayla's? He watched the unicorn watching him, its long black tail twitching. And Justin felt a twinge of jealousy.

"She can't really help it, though," said Nat, by way of conversation, "that the Whole keeps coming for her."

"I don't see you trying to help them kill us."

Nat shrugged. "I've got Gaisgeil." The unicorn went back to sniffing through the grass. When it brought it's head up again, something was in it's massive jaws - and it was screaming. Rabbit, Justin guessed, wincing that the blood. "We were in the dark together," Nat went on, not the least bit bothered by the rodent's cries. "And now we're linked. But Kayla's all alone."

Justin rolled his eyes. She was not alone. And she damn well knew it. He opened his mouth to say as much but Nat cut him off.

"And anyway," she said, "I don't think I'm doing what they want. But if I woke up to find out I was playing right into their hands, I wouldn't be surprised."

"That's comforting."

The silence settled again between them and they walked. The world was quiet, the rabbit's screaming silenced, the creature disappearing down Gaisgeil's bucking throat. Why did the unicorn stick around? Linked. When did Kayla stop feeling the link between her and Justin?

"For the record," said Nat, "I'm pretty sure I'm not."

Pretty sure was no great comfort to Justin. If Nat didn't even know if she could resist these worms, then what were they doing? What was the point of risking their lives? He had people in Point Chester. People in danger. People he cared about. They needed him too. And what was Justin doing? Walking uselessly into death?

"I'm just saying," Nat went on, "you and Kayla, you're going through a rough time but -"

"For the record," interrupted Justin, "me and Kayla aren't me an Kayla." It hurt him to say it out loud. But it hurt him more to hear Nat talk about them like they were still...anything.

Nat raised an eyebrow. "Does Kayla know that?"

"Kayla decided that." On the beach, before the sharks. The question he asked was so simple. So direct. Do you not love me anymore? And Kayla couldn't answer? Bullshit. The truth was loud and clear to Justin.