The Passing

Chapter Twenty-Two

Watching the RV topple ahead of us is surreal. There's so much this world has hidden around every corner, no one ever knows when you get to reunite with people. We got lucky. Of course, having a plan helped us find them. It gave us a clear direction to start in. But you never know who or what is waiting for you at any bend or turn. After being on the road for countless days, jumping over obstacles just to get to our people, I would have never expected our trip to go smoothly. But after five hours of driving, doing our best to avoid roads overcrowded with Roamers, we finally cross state lines, uninterrupted and unscathed.

The RV's brake lights flash as it slows and James holds his arm out of the window, signaling for us to stop. As Bee pulls the truck over onto the shoulder, what lies ahead comes clear into view, no longer blocked by the wide body of the RV. A few meters up the road a wall stands firm, as if it were one with the earth, stretching wide and far out of sight.

Savanna's body goes rigid as her hands fumble with the door. Sam and James climb out of the RV, both of them lifting hands to shield their eyes from the midday sun.

"That's got to be the tallest thing I've ever seen." Bee breathes, gaping at the tall wall before us as she leans over the steering wheel to get a better look. As if she hadn't said anything at all, Savanna ignores her, pushing her door open before carefully stepping out.

Jane looks at me, a look of confusion contorting her features. "Is this the place?" She asks.

"I'm not exactly sure." I answer truthfully. I was never allowed on the trips to check the safehouses, so what I know about them is what I've heard. But, I know for a fact that I have never heard of anything like this. Especially not a wall.

Just as the words come out of my mouth, it's like the heaven's themselves open up, forcing a gate, nuzzled and concealed perfectly within the wall. My heart freezes as images of Damascus fill my mind, the memories just as painful as when they actually happened. Batting my eyes, I turn away so no one else can see and stand to my feet, hoping to get a better view.

"James Carter?" A woman's voice calls from above. All eyes search, but with the sun just over our heads and not a cloud in the sky, we are blinded sheerly by light. Like a ripple running through the water, his entire body language changes, relaxing under the sudden drop in pressure. Sam reaches for his gun, but James' large hand extends out, stopping him.

James brings one heavy foot forward, ever so cautiously taking one step. "Who's asking?" He calls back, cocking his head to the side.

The woman laughs and the atmosphere shifts. "Why don't you look up and see?" At that, James tilts his head back, shielding his eyes from the overwhelming light, and instantaneously his shoulders relax. His grip on his gun loosens, letting its weight catch on the strap and swing back behind him. Squinting through the rays of the sun, I catch a glimpse of her wild black hair, dancing crazily around her shoulders as if each strand had a mind of its own.

"Alondra Pike. Well I'll be." James smiles, shaking his head in a joyous disbelief. It's the look anyone has when they get to reunite with anyone they've loved. An unspoken prayer of gratitude, 'thank heavens you made it'. Even from here on the ground, she looks clean, and it isn't until now that I realize how filthy all of us are. I know I haven't bathed in days. I can only imagine what we all must smell like.

She smiles down at James, nodding to him as he approaches. Once he steps within six feet of the gate, she holds up her hand and cuts him off, her smile quickly fading. "Not too close, yet. We have to do an inspection."

"A what?" James chuckles, glancing back up as if checking to see if she were being serious. By the way she turns to another guard, whispering instructions quiet enough so that we cannot hear, I'd say she's being dead serious.