The Eden Projects (Book I)

Chapter 13. Into the Eye.

Kasper woke up with a dizzying sensation. He could feel the stale, humid, air on his face. How it suffocated him and pressed against his skin in loving dimples. "Mnhh-" For a moment, he wondered if he had crossed over. If the pressing was from pounds of dirt laid over his corpse. Then, he opened his eyes. "Uhhnmhh-" His breath was acidic against his tongue and he knew it was blood. His own. He looked about as his eyes cleared. They left me? Where am I? His muscles tensed at the unfamiliarity of it all. Then he heard it. The padding of feet.

"Kas?" Zak's voice came with a slam against him as he tried to right himself. "Thank God!" Zak's nervous laughter was hot against his ear and he realized, it had been so long since anyone held him like this. "We were worried-" He felt himself relax and his vision came with it. The squiggles that tugged at his vision pulled away, letting in the light.

"Where am I?" Kasper whispered. He was thirsty and his aching throat made sure that he knew it.

"I told ya he'd be fine." Zak said exasperatedly. "You're fine right." He released Kasper. It wasn't a question. It was an assurance that everything had to be just that. Fine.

Kasper nodded, looking past Zak. He could make out Archers back. He was seated behind a cashiers counter studying the wall. An awkward intensity ebbed from him and he could sense its threatening waves from where he was. "Is everyone okay?" Kasper asked because he really didn't know. He didn't know if he was "fine" and he couldn't remember what had made him black out. All he remembered was Zero. "Zero..." He whispered. So low it was barely audible. Zero... He thought, the image so burnt into the back of his eyes that he couldn't dare close them for more than a few moments at a time. It had been so long since he had thought about him. He missed his brother.

"It's gonna be too late to travel soon, the flocks got a lead now." Archer rose to stand. Nearly knocking his stool over as he pulled his backpack from the countertop. "We're gonna have to drive straight through." He pushed one of the roller doors aside, exposing them to the quieted storm, "-glad you're back with us Kas." smiling lightly.

"Guess we're leaving." Zak grabbed his pack and helped Kasper gather his with much steadier hands.

An eerie quiet had settled on Kasper. It was an emptiness. A void. Adam? He, for the first time in years, heard nothing. Strange...

"Did I... do anything?" Kasper spoke through the window at the trucks rear.

Where are you???

Archer closed the door, the side window had shattered and the roof was denting in on his side. He banged his first into the warped area cursing. "No, other than wreck my truck with your ass."

He exhaled, relieved that he hadn't hurt anyone, or worse, made a meal of them. "Yeah, sorry about that."

Zak worked in his own way to explain what had happened, he kept dodging eye contact and persisted on finishing the story. He didn't rabbit trail, he didn't linger too long on any one thing, and not once did he hold his breath. It was a rehearsed normality that hung strange on him. The way he usually told his stories had a certain swagger that made them unmistakable. He could paint anyone as a person deserving of chance, even Kasper. This was a simple recounting of events. It was all too normal, and this, only made it that much more unnatural.

"-and then he was like "here's a gift" and stabbed ya with something when you started turning." Zak shuffled his shoulders flamboyantly, picking fun at their feathered foe.

"Stuff? You mean Eden??" Kasper questioned. Completely taken aback by his lack of memory.

"He shot you up with something. It stopped you dead." Archer chimed in. "It was... different... than the normal stuff. We couldn't see that well. You don't remember?"