I've been under the weather for some days now, and at this point I'm dying of boredom. In other words, I've been writing a lot, so here we go..
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《 ELIAN PHOENIX 》
The following days fell into a similar routine. We migrated during the sunny part of them, and rested in abandoned houses when it got dark. We ate whatever we could get into our hands and rationed our water, and there was no more coffee. It was a bummer at first, but then we found a house that must have belonged to an emotional eater, who had gone to lengths to hide their sweets.
There was a box of Maltesers in between the cushion and the backrest of a couch, found by an accident, which made us curious about where else we could find hidden snacks. Next we found a packet of Oreos at the back of a night stand shelf, then some crackers from under the bed. Unfortunately, the Reese's Pieces and Snickers bars, found taped under the kitchen table, we had to leave behind.
On the day of our long-awaited arrival to Knoxville, we savored the rest of our Oreos. Consequently, we weren't just excited to finally see Birdy, but also having a sugar high. Najwa was smiling non-stop and joking whenever she saw an opportunity. It made the rest of us smile and laugh more as well, bringing out some of that good old cheer I used to have so plenty of around my friends.
Ever since The After, there has been a note of desperation hidden in our laughter. Just like the sadness and worry have always lingered in the background even while we're having a good time and joking around. But that day, we were laughing and smiling out of pure joy and excitement. No forcing anything, just fun.
Only the sight of the Sunsphere tower shining in the last rays of the sun like a giant golden golf ball, made us all grow silent. I don't know whether it was because it reminded us how close we were to our destination or just because it was, well, a giant golden golf ball, but the atmosphere instantly turned from boisterous to respectful.
"We're really here." Rain was the one to point out the obvious. I don't think anyone of us actually believed we could make it this far.
However, walking across a bridge right next to the tower was a disquieting experience. It was still early in the evening, and I kept glancing around in fear of being spied on, but the streets were deserted and there was no movement in the windows. No sound of camps or birds either, just the wind and our footsteps against the asphalt.
There were statues all around us, of course. After our time in the secluded suburbs and the forest, seeing so many of those was somehow a shock all over again. Despite everything, a part of me keeps expecting that there are some limits to the destruction, a place where there is no Gold fever.
So far, no such luck.
If anything, Knoxville seemed to be hit by the disease worse than any other cities we have been to. Either that, or something else, made the remaining citizens stay out of sight. If Asheville had been a hostile place, Knoxville was a ghost town. I felt a shiver run through me and hugged myself to get rid of the bad feeling, the inexorable sense of doom. It didn't work, so I reminded myself we could ask Birdy about it in no time at all, and that made me feel a little better.
"It should be right around the corner now." Rain spoke in a whisper, like he too was afraid to disturb the silence. He was holding a wrinkled piece of paper, on which Najwa had written the address of the hotel during their last contact on the phone.
True enough, we were soon looking up at a tall, modern apartment building. I hadn't been to many hotels, but it seemed rather expensive for a more or less struggling artist. At least someone had gotten to spend their end of the world surrounded by luxury.
I was gritting my teeth, working my jaw out of pure nerves, until I felt a hand much tinier than mine clasping onto me. When I looked down at the owner of the hand, she was smiling and her eyes promised we'll be alright now. I let out a shaky breath and more than anything I wanted to believe that she was right.
Neither Rio nor Rain rushed us, which was good since my legs seemed to have turned into cement. Or solid gold, since that's how frozen things are in this world of ours. So much depended on what we would find from the inside, and the idea of giving away some of the responsibility was as paralyzing as it was freeing. To think that our plan, or our anti-plan of a plan, was actually working..
I didn't know how to feel about it, and therefore, I was frozen on the spot, terrified to a point where I couldn't make myself move.
"Do you think she'll be angry at me?" I managed to whisper.
I had disappointed my parents, my ex, my teachers, my bosses and most of my friends, and I truly didn't want to add one more person into that list. Especially not the person who I had looked up to ever since I got the pleasure of meeting her. Najwa didn't answer, but instead gave my hand a squeeze, and tucked me forward.
The sliding doors made of glass were only partly shut, mangled to stay open likely a long, long while ago. That was nothing new, as most of the buildings had been scoured by then in hopes of food and other supplies. Our footsteps echoed in the lobby, which was empty apart from a man in an ill-fitting business suit sitting on one of the leather couches and the receptionist with a phone in her ear.
Both frozen in time like it was still the day when it all began.
Najwa squeezed my hand again, and I was almost surprised to find her standing there. Also, I couldn't have been more grateful for it, because my cowardly legs wanted to turn around and sprint right out of the building. I was finding it hard to breathe, and it wasn't just because of the stagnant inside air. In addition to that, my fingers had grown numb and tingly, somehow both at the same time.
I followed the others across the lobby in a dazed confusion, much like one sometimes gets in their sleep. Or like I felt when I was waiting for my parents in the principals office after a prank gone wrong. Worry not, nobody died that day. But there was some financial damage to the school and my parents. When I say some, I mean enough to make my stoic dad lose his temper.
The elevators were out of order, so we took the stairs. We had to go round a woman in a snug pencil skirt, who had frozen on her way up on the second floor, and a gentleman who was opening a door to an old lady. All of them were so golden and lifeless that the sick feeling in my stomach grew tenfold. Was I still the only one who had a bad feeling about this?
The room door wasn't locked, but I couldn't say if it was because of the lack of electricity or if the lock was picked, and Rain pushed it open with the back of his hand. I followed after my friends, even though my head told me to run, run, run, and I was holding my breath again. The hallway was white and spacey and there were dust particles dancing in the air in the warm light of the setting sun.
I kept telling myself: she isn't here. She left to find something to eat, she decided to meet us halfway. She is sleeping, and we just need to wake her up.
"Oh." I let out the breath I had been holding, staring blankly at the room in front of me. It didn't surprise me as much as it should have, but I guess life had taught me long ago not to get my hopes too high. Najwa let her hand drop from mine, but otherwise no one dared to move an inch. Only my stupid oh hung in the air, like there really was nothing better to say.
Birdy was sitting by the table, in front of a round mirror. She was wearing a pair of pajama shorts and a baggy t-shirt. Her hair was pulled back, just the way she liked to keep it when she worked, but a coil had gotten loose and fallen on her face. Her eyes were half shut and she didn't have a smile on her full lips. She was like a beautiful work of art.
A sculpture.
A monument of the best, most caring woman I had ever had the pleasure to meet. My friend's mother, whom she adored more than anyone else in the world, and whom I had practically killed. I did that, to her, to all of those people in this building and out of it.
We had walked hundreds of miles for Birdy, and there she was. There she was, infected by my disease and not really there at all. And I could hear Najwa's scream, a croaky, pained sound that was full of anger and despair. I could see her fists pounding my chest, but I was too numb to feel any pain. Then she was running out of the room, stumbling in her hurry, and slamming the door behind her.
What was I supposed to do now?
YOU ARE READING
Gold Fever (m×m) ✔
Fantasy"We caused the end of the world. Turns out it's easier than you might think it is. All you need is a group of eco anarchists and an ounce of magic, and the world goes down in a poof." After another manic episode, Phoenix gets written off his parents...