Static

CHAPTER SIX

*Imogen pictured above*

"Wakey wakey, eggs and Blakey!"  Blake teased, shaking my shoulder gently.  I don't remember falling asleep, It must've happened as soon as we found somewhere to park and sleep for the night.
       "We don't have any bacon so I changed the rhyme a little but trust me, it sounded much better in my head." He added.  I yawned and stretched my limbs, testing to see if anything was sore.  I had slept in a very unnatural position in the drivers seat, my feet up on the steering wheel and head leaning to the side against the seat belt.  I twisted my neck and peered through squinted eyes at Blake.
       His black hair was ruffled and unsettled, blue eyes rimmed with red from all of the tears he cried last night.  I drove for as long as I could into the night, listening to Taylor as she tried to soothe Blake and calm him down.  We made our way to somewhere.  I hadn't really been paying attention to the road signs, but I figured once I found the right street, I could get us to Colby when I wanted.
      No answers been shared, only questions during our three hour drive.  Blake was still far too distraught to think clearly.
      I was far too angry to care if I hurt his feelings.  I pestered him with question after question getting nothing useful in response.
     I would ask things like, "did you know Alice was the mole?", "Why didn't you tell us Alice was a traitor?", "Are you on their side too?"  It was hundreds of questions, all were a variation of those three.
     Usually all I got in response was an irritated grunt or nothing at all.  Sometimes he would mutter something under his breath, too softly for me or Taylor to hear.  I could occasionally make out bits and pieces of what he was saying, often just the word 'Alice' followed by a colorful array of obscenities.
    We decided to park the car in the parking lot of a Ben & Jerry's that had been blocked off with yellow tape signaling it would soon be demolished to make room for yet other useless piece of our human footprint.
     "I guess your feeling better, then?"  I said somewhat bitterly, he was leaning over between the two front seats, his sapphire eyes stained with red holding my own.
     His face fell instantly.
     "Um, yeah.  Taylor went on inside the place, she wanted us to come in.  Says she has a plan or something."  He said awkwardly.  Then, he withdrew his head solemnly and hopped out of the car before I could say anything in reply.
    I pressed my hands against my face and tried in vain to wake myself up.  I was exhausted, I was depressed, I was angry, and I was terrified.  Not a good combination if you ask me.
    For the first time since the zone I had a chance to be alone with my thoughts.  There was nobody around expecting me to say something or engage in conversation.  I could just think.
     I watched Blake duck under the tape and swing open the boarded up door and disappear inside the Ben & Jerry's.  Him and Taylor, they could wait.  I needed a moment to collect myself.
    My mind travels back to the day Taylor and I broke out of the zone together.  The first time I'd used my curse outside of the supervised training room.  I couldn't bring myself to believe it was only two days ago.  Two days of complete terror.
    I can't bring myself to believe I've killed, how many?  Seven people?  Look at that, I can't even keep track.  I mean, they're just lives, nothing too precious, right?
    I can't bring myself to believe I'm trusting Blake, letting him tag along with us after what Alice did.  How can Taylor and I ever know if he's reliable or not?
   I can't bring myself to believe what Alice did.  As far as I'm concerned, I may be hurt and slightly more cautious now, but I'm nowhere near as devastated as Blake.  I guess they knew each other for longer than I had imagined.
    Or maybe it wasn't the length of time they had been in each other's company but the trauma they experienced together in a short period.  Maybe that's what bonded them together.  If that was the case then I would understand the crushing feeling Blake was having now that his only friend had betrayed him and then died, which was my fault I might add.  I'm actually surprised, now that I think about it, that he doesn't hate my guts for killing her, even if she was a backstabbing cheat.  Or maybe I'm just overthinking it.
      I wonder if the government has attacked Order yet, if the secrets Alice had sold reviled the groups location.  And to think, if we hadn't left, we could have warned everyone about the storm coming.
    I heave a sigh and tuck my hair behind my ears.  I guess running my fingers through it made me realize the tangled mess it's probably all tied up in.  Suddenly, and very uncharacteristically, I feel very self conscious about my appearance. 
    I look at the Ben & Jerry's to make sure Taylor and Blake aren't watching as I flip down the mirror from the sun visor on the roof of the car. 
    I look like something out of a Stephen King novel.
   My green eyes are sunken in from my years at the zone and there is a circle of black found underneath each of them that signifies just how tired I am.  My cheeks are hollow and my face is an unhealthy pale color, no pink left in my skin.  My dirty and tangled chestnut hair falls to just below my shoulders but it looks about three inches shorter since it sports so many knots and clumps. 
    I flip the mirror back up and leave the car to go join Taylor and Blake in the ice cream shop.