End of the Suburbs

Chpt 16: Go West

Dream

I get the feeling of air rushing past my face.
My body feels detached.
Free.
It's like I'm floating.
I'm not in the clouds.
There's nothing.
Just empty space.
I notice the sound a baby crying.
Suddenly I'm on the ground.
I still can't see anything.
There's fog or smoke or something all around me.
The sound of a baby crying gets louder and louder.
I feel a hand grab mine.
I turn and suddenly the fog is clear.
It's the mystery girl.
She's looking at me with a warm softness.
The crying stops.
It's replaced by the sound of crashing waves.
I take a step and the floor is sand.
"Come on." she says running into the water.
I follow.
She starts to laugh and splash, frolicking in the ocean.
I look up at the bright clear sky with the sun shining.
Reality
I open my eyes and the sun is shining.
It's a different sun than the one from my dream.
Foggy. Reddish.
Surrounded by dull gray clouds.
I look over.
She's still asleep.
She's still holding my hand.
I take time to enjoy the moment before letting go and getting up.
I go downstairs and to the basement.
V is awake and petting Casper.
"Where's Sage?"he asks.
*Sage*
So that's her name.
It's nice.
"She's upstairs still." I say.
There's a pause.
"You don't have to worry." I say nervously "Nothing happened.....between us." I say.
His demeanor is sullen.
Not standoffish but not exactly endearing either.
He looks up at me and grins.
I'm confused.
He hops up walks towards the door.
His back is to me.
He stops.
"What you do with my sister is your business."he says.
*Sister*
He swings the cellar door open letting the bright sun in.
He climbs out of the hole and heads to the car.
"We have to get going."he says.
I go with Casper to get the car ready to drive.
The tank is nearly empty but we still have another gallon in the trunk.
" SAGE!" V calls up towards the roof.
He stands there for a while.
I'm fueling the car.
I'm almost done when V goes down to gather supplies from the cellar and bring them to the car.
He puts some in the trunk and walks back over to the front of the house.
"SAGE!" he yells.
"Relax" she says walking out the front door.
"I was in the bathroom."
She walks over to the cellar.
She smiles at me flirtatiously as she walks past.
Before I even realize, I'm smiling too.
"Good morning" she says walking past.
"Hey" I respond.
She's changed clothes.
She was wearing less layers.
A red flannel with white half shirt underneath.
She tosses her sweatshirt and leather coat in the backseat along with her backpack.
I can't take my eyes off of her.
Our eye contact is broken by V stomping past and hurrying her to the cellar.
The cellar is filled with all sorts of useful things.
I pull out my map and mark the location.
This could be a good supply spot in the future.
There's too much to carry in one trip.
We load up as much as possible before heading out.
We're heading to the closest township.
We need a radio.
Ironically that was the one thing that wasn't in the cellar.
There's a township in Texas.
Once we get there they can look for the Reaper and I can use the radio to call around to see if anyone nearby had seen Donnie.
I lost his trail where the Skulkers attacked.
He wasn't at their camp but he was headed west.
Wherever he is, I just hope he's still alive.
I spend the entire morning driving.
Most of the journey is silent.
By the afternoon we finally reach a river.
We stop for a quick rest.
We're unsure what were in store for in Texas.
V and I wash up in the river while Safe stays in the car.
He still doesn't say much.
I finish before V and head back to the car.
Sage is waiting on the hood as Casper lays in the distance.
I hop up and sit beside her.
"So that's your brother." I say
She glances at me then turns away immediately.
"Yeah. Who did you think he was?" she asks.
"Nobody." I respond quickly
Trying to hide my embarrassment from assuming they were dating, I quickly move on from the question.
"So were you in the arena as long as V?" I ask.
"You mean Steven?"she asks
Leave it to a sibling to expose you. They're one of the few people that know you without any facade.
She explains that she was only inside for 4 days.
My arrival was serendipitous.
She had come there looking for her brother.
She ran across one of the Skulkers.
He had a message carved on his face.
A lightning bolt.
It was a message they'd use to leave each when they were kids.
The last time she'd seen him was when she was 12.
Before she can say anything else V walks up.
"We need to keep moving."he says.
I hop down and reach to help Sage but she pushes my hand away and hops down.
She flashes a smile and again I smile back without realizing.
She opens the door to let Casper in and I walk around to the driver seat.
I pull out the map.
The townships is only a few miles left.
We reach it just before nightfall.
The auburn glow of the setting sun shines on the plains.
I catch a glimpse of Sage in the mirror.
Her skin is radiant
The orange light illuminates her face.
Her eyes sparkle.
This is one of those special moments.