New Divide

Chapter 2

My escape was eerily smooth and was almost anti-climatic in its success. After guiding my chair swiftly through the clinical corridors I made it to the exit in a little less than 7 minutes.

The desert wind, poured sand and dust into every cavity in me, my eyes and mouth getting undivided attention. I rubbed my eyes profusely and, with labored breath I twisted my body around to see the distance I'd put between the colossal domes, (that made up L.I.V.E Corp) and myself. The shiny silver cupolas were nothing but specks, winking in the faltering evening sun.

My saliva ran like sandpaper down my throat, after wandering north for an hour, there was no sign of water... or life in sight, save for the lizards, spiders and scorpions that dotted the orange grit. I pressed forward.

A dull throbbing ache burned through my muscles with every push of my wheelchair. The wind had calmed, and dusk was settling in. The sand swallowed the moonlight, leaving the desert shrouded in an inky darkness that even my enhanced vision could not see through. The cold fingers of panic scratched the surface of my heart as the desert suddenly became alive with the sound.

A feral grunting cut into the darkness, it was close. A scream ripped out of my throat and in a scramble to put some distance between myself and the creature of the night, my wheelchair tipped and I found myself on the ground. Paralyzed by fear, my eyes strained to identify anything in the darkness. A huff and the crackle of earth moving underfoot of the thing, as it crept closer revealing luminous eyes that blinked down at me; with hunger.

A cold, wet substance dripped onto my face, trickling thickly down the slope of my cheek. I clamped my lips together to keep what I can only assume is the creature's saliva from entering my mouth. I remained as still as possible, keeping my eyes trained on the unblinking yellow eyes. A blast of a gunshot ricocheted; my heart stumbled, my body vibrating with shock and my throat hoarse from my screaming. I couldn't stop screaming. The light in the creatures eyes became clouded, before winking into nothingness. A heavy thump of meat flopped to the ground beside me, flicking granules of dirt into my eyes told me the creature was dead. I snapped my eyes shut, the sand swimming uncomfortably in my eyes.

The sound of approaching voices silenced my scream. Orange shone through my closed eyelids, Light. I cracked my eyes open just a little. All I could see was the light.

"Tomas get the chair," a baritone voice ordered. My brain automatically translated the rapid Spanish. I found myself defying gravity as Tomas pulled me up by my chair, off of the ground, and set it gently upright. I blinked into the light as it was shone on my face. The torch's focus moved away from me and onto the ground where a mangy skinny coyote lay dead, it's entrails soaking the dry sand with blood. My breathing quickened, and I retched uncontrollably, my stomach empty.

"Ay!" Tomas grumbled from behind me.

"Just a coyote." The other man stated.

The light shone back on me, instead of looking directly at it, I tried to get a look at the man holding the torch. A muscled brown arm with wiry black hair, worn combat boots and denim that had seen better days was all that the light touched. I could just make out a barrel like torso that stretched the shabby corduroy shirt taut, and hard, black eyes assessed me shamelessly.

The night was swallowed in silence again as the stranger watched me, watching him. His other hand moved to his belt, and before my heart could splutter, I was looking into the barrel of a gun.