Molly - Part 1

Chapter 12

Nirva walked slowly along the length of the tree, her arms extended as she made an attempt not to fall. No easy feat: the end of the world was here and everything seemed slightly off, the earth itself turned on its axis. She heard a sound, a sort of ringing from afar, and when she looked southward she nearly fell.

"Careful," Senol said.

She caught Nirva as she jumped down. Senol's tattoos were glowing. Nirvana looked down at her own hands. Slightly, in a certain light. She looked up and saw the outline of the moon. More than anything she missed that constant.

"I really hope Amelia is back," Nivrva told Senol. "She can be terrible sometimes, but I guess we all are every once in a while."

"She's too smart." Senol shrugged. "We all got too smart, and now we have all these tattoos to show for it. I don't know if it was worth it."

"It wasn't."

They made sure no one was looking and slipped into one of the trapdoors, the black panel closing, camouflaging itself by becoming just another closed-tube winding into the underground of the city.

Their tattoos glowed, lighting the way. Thunder roared outside.

"Ever since I turned, I feel like I'm more closely linked with existence," Nirva said, bending back a root. "Everything is so clear."

"That's how it is," Solen said. "Amelia said she thinks she can sometimes see the leylines. I think that's a bit much, though."

"Really?"

"I mean, Nirva: It's only been a couple months." Solen shook her head a little. "I still feel like we're going too fast. We should be trying to help more people."

"Closer to the tree, the better," Nirva said, finally coming to the exit. "Sandra always says that."

"Sandra always says a lot of things."

Nirva frowned at Solen as they ducked beneath a particularly dark root and came into Chamber Dark. Vines snaked along the wall, leading to another door which Nirva tossed open.

There were few lights on the tree. They were always paranoid that one of the flames might light up the interior, though that had never happened since they had moved here. There was something magical about the place in general, vines settling into the absolute center of the room where the giant tree stood, hollowed out now. It went untold, but they all knew they'd eventually have to leave this place.

Those like them had also gathered here, their tattoos glowing in a haze.

"Nirva? Solen?"

Amelia smiled on her approach, clasping Nirva's hand, then Solens. "I'm glad to see you. Both of you."

"You too," Nirva said. "How's downtown?"

Amelia's smile faded. "It's been better. The monsieurs own it now, but you still can't really tell who you'll run into. Doubt the monsieurs can keep it. Too scattered."

Solen frowned. "I wish we knew where Daniel and the others went. I don't know what Sandra wants us to do next, but I feel like we're running out of space."

"Sandra never said it was going to be easy."

"No, she didn't."

Now, the thrum; oh how it spoke to them. It sent tremors down Nirva's spine, arching through her neck and then to her fingers. The world was dying; she could feel its last breath.

"How long can we sustain this?" asked Solen, bitterness etched in her voice.

"Not long," Amelisa said. The others stared at her in alarm. "It's the truth. We are issuing out something like a burial, no?"