Lost In Lucidity

Fistful of Salt

I thought it was strange at first that I would even need a guide when my memory wasn't foggy in the slightest at how far Mason's compound was. In fact, it was a little concerning that the crazed murder cult was living in a secret tunnel just a few miles down the hill from where we lived. It isn't until a few moments of awkward travel that I finally figure out what the raven is doing.

The corvid isn't showing me the way; as I said, I already know it. Instead, it flies in strange patterns, swooping low near the edges of buildings, and stopping every few feet to stare back at me. I follow its lead to the best of my ability, but sometimes around sharps turns or heading through open spaces, it makes a strange clicking noise deep in its throat, and if I press onward while it does, it unleashes a sudden and loud Caw! It's enough to make me stop and drop low, worried that it's warning me of danger, or worse, leading it to me with its guttural announcement.

"What? What do you want?" I ask it, finally having enough of the game.

The bird obviously doesn't respond, though I have a feeling it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility if it wanted to. Instead, it clicks its beak again and flutters over to a nearby roof. Hanging from the side of the building below it, facing away from me and out into the street, is a camera, a small dot on its base flickering with infrared light.

It's keeping me out of sight lines.

"Oh... Okay," I mutter, "Sorry for doubting you. Lead on."

The walk takes a lot longer than it would normally, which is a little stressful considering every second of me not reaching the compound is another one that my friends are trapped in Mason's clutches. Still, the alternative is getting caught, and I can't let them know that I'm coming. It's the only thing I have going for me at the moment...

Val was always the organized one between the two of us during our work. I learned how to be disciplined like her in most spots that mattered: Prepping supplies diligently, running drills, having a million contingency plans for every outcome. In the beginning, though, back when Leigh died, and we had to lead ourselves, I was nothing like that. I was rash; I wanted to do the bare minimum I could to get back out there and get the job done. Part of that came with the turf, having just lost a sister and mom and feeling like I had little left to live for. Who cared if I wasn't prepared and died, right? Val always stopped me, though. Forced me to stay grounded and rational. I can't even begin to imagine how many times we might have gotten killed out here if she hadn't forced me to take the extra precautions. That's why if she knew what my current plan was, she would almost certainly laugh in my face.

"That's insane, Wes," she would tell me, stern, yet kind, "There's no way we do that without getting caught or killed..."

She'd be perfectly right, too. I guess in that regard, it almost made it a good thing that she wasn't here with me. Because right now, I can't imagine another way to pull off rescuing my people without days' worth of prep, and that's something I'm unsure if I have.

Mason was making people 'ripe for harvest', and though I still don't entirely know what that means, it clearly has to do with what Val and I had woken up to back at his compound. We had been in that strange coma for two full weeks, which was definitely a lot of time to plan out an elaborate heist on the P.A.P. facility. Still, there was no guarantee that everyone took that long before they were to Mason's liking. I didn't know enough about what was happening down there to trust that my friends would be safe for a few days, and frankly, I wasn't willing to risk it.

Besides, there was also the fact that I knew not everyone would be used in that way. It seemed pretty clear from the way Issac talked when we first met that there were plenty more roles to fill. Some would become 'Petals', as he called them. Others would probably have a sundance piece crammed down their throat and be brainwashed into submission. The thought of my loved one's staring at me with those glowing irises and sinister smiles makes my body shiver with aversion.