Lethal Weapons

Chapter 7

I am waked by a strange noise. Some strange blast far away. It was quick, and I looked around me at the other girls in the van. They were all sleeping. Had I imagined it? Was it the same sort of imagination that wakes you like when you feel like you are falling? A sudden jump to wake you before you hit the ground?

I could not fall back asleep, so I quietly got out of my sleeping bag and went out of the van. The woods were filled with fog, a thick layer of gray surrounding our little camp. The guys are all bundled down in their sleeping bags, sleeping deeply. I must have imagined the noise.

 Claudia breathes heavily as we go up the hill. “How long are we going to do this?” She asks.

“We just started but twenty minutes ago!” Jen says.

Claudia groans. “I say we do this for an hour, so that way we don’t have to do this for much longer.”

I smile at Jen, who also thinks Claudia is being over dramatic. But that is just who she is.

In the front of this hike party is Leo, saying he will lead since he is the oldest. After him is Ginger, then Sean, Claudia, Jen, me, and in the back is Link. I think we make a good party, not too many to take forever, but not too small of a group to easily get lonely.

I can’t stop thinking of the noise. It has bothered me, and since the day has been overcast, it makes me feel rather down. And I think Link can tell. While we keep walking, Link lays a hand on my shoulder to stop me. When I look back at him he puts a finger to his lips for me to keep quiet. Then, he takes my hand and takes both of us off the trail.

 "Wha-" I begin but stop when he brings his lips to mine. My heart flutters like a million butterflies invaded my chest and are trying to get out. I'm so shocked I pull back, my arms prying us apart. His eyebrows are down in confusion.

 "I'm sorry, should I not have done that?"

 "Oh!" I laugh. "No, no, I liked it; believe me. I liked it. I just wasn't expecting it."

 He smiles down at me and then leans down again. This time, now that I'm expecting it, I enjoy the kiss even more than I did the first time. While we kiss, I hear the faintest thumping noises. Ignoring it as the beat of my heart, Link pulls apart. "No." I whisper under my breath. I pull him back and he kisses me, but then he turns his head to the side. I kiss his cheek a thousand times. He stays there with his head turned and hands on my hips.

 "Do you hear that?" he says.

 "It's nothing." I take my hands from his shoulders and turn his head back to facing me. He kisses me again. We start shifting around until his back is against a tree. His kisses make my heart race like a horse running to win the race. I want him. We kiss long enough until I need him.

 Taking us both by surprise, we jump at the sound of a loud boom. Now my heart pounds in fear. I lean in to his chest and he wraps his arms around me, bringing me closer to him. "What was that?" I ask out of breath. With my heart rate up from kissing him and that sudden noise, I sound like I've been exercising.

 He shakes his head as he whispers, "I don't know." We wait in silence. The only noise is the noise coming from the woods. I look to Link and smile.

 "It must have been-" and then it comes again. My face changes to worry. "What's going on?" I start shaking like a leaf. My breaths turn to hyperventilating and Link takes both of my hands in his. I swallow hard and look around. "What's happening?" Another blast.

 "Riley. Riley, listen to me." I frantically look around us. He takes my face in his hands. I don't realize I'm crying until I see his face and I am still. His face shows concern for me but also, it shows control. "It's okay. Don't freak out, it will make it harder. No matter what happens, don't let the situation take over the priority of your life. Your life is precious."

 Everything around me turns like slow motion. More blasts from wherever go off like firecrackers. I hear Link and my name being called not too far away. Link says something that I don't understand. His hands leave my face so he can take my hand. He begins running with me back to the path.

 "Riley!" at the sound of his voice in particular, things immediately go back to normal. Sean's expression shows relief. My friends are all running back to us, fear stricken on their faces.

 "Let's go back to camp!" Leo yells. He has the back of the group while Link and I are in the front. Claudia is right beside me, running like her life depends on it. All our lives probably depend on this. We are all wondering the same thing as we finally get back to the camp. We run on to the look out that lets you see the town below.

 What the hell is happening?

 "Oh my-"

 "What the?"

 "Oh my gosh." Jen wraps her arms around her head and she goes to the ground in the fetal position. Ginger crouches down next to her and he puts and arm around her, comforting her. I hear his words sounding much like Link's words when we were alone.

 Link and I stand next to each other as we stare in awe at just the little spot we can see of the town. It's like a movie. This kind of stuff only happens in movies. This can't be happening. I feel a presence on the other side of me and I slowly turn my head to see Sean there. He looks with a pool of tears clouding his eyes. He looks at me when he feels my hand reach down to his. Sean glances down at our clasped hands. When he looks back up, the tears he was holding back have fallen down.

 I squeeze his hand. He would have smiled any other day, but now he just looks back to the small portion of the town we can see. I look back as well. What we see will never be shaken from our memories. None of us will forget the screams of people running from the men with guns. The planes above the town drop explosives. A thrift shop's front wall is destroyed. Half of it collapses. I close my eys tight when I witness people getting crushed by the brick.

 The only thing I do is hold on to Sean's hand. Eyes still closed, I feel his hand moving. His fingers get between our palms and pries them apart. No! Please don't, Sean. I squint my eyes harder as the tears find ways out from under my lids. Sean struggles to pull away. I tighten my hand to keep him there, hoping and praying he doesn't leave me. But then he finally takes his other hand to move mine and he is free.

 I bite my lower lip as I feel the empty space next to me. I open my eyes and more tears fall down. Jen's cries reach their way up to my ears. Ginger still tries to get her to stop wailing. Claudia sits on the ground with her back to a tree, her arms resting on her knees. Link stands motionless next to me. Only the rise and fall of his chest moves. Leo stands at the very edge of the cliff, both hands into fists. And Sean, I don't know where he went. My silent sobs after he left obviously didn't change fate for him to stay by my side.

 The few other people camping here are putting their things back up and heading back down the hill. I saw some men with rifles getting into trucks and heading down with whoops and hollers, ready to fight back. I hope that it is worth it.

 I don't know if they have a chance with fighting back. There is no point.