Rules of Escape

Chapter 46 - Ana

Ten days later, Ana walks over to Chantelle and looks closely at Aneva, the baby in Chantelle's arms.

Ready, baby? Ana asks.

Aneva squirms and smiles at Ana. She reaches out to Ana who touches her face softly and whispers sweet thoughts to her. She is such a cute baby with knowing eyes.

"I ready!" Aneva yells.

Joe glances over at Chantelle. "How old is she now?"

"Almost two months old," Chantelle says with pride.

"Isn't that a little early to be talking?" Joe asks.

"It is, but we think she might be gifted. She's very smart," Chantelle says, her face glowing with happiness as she glances shyly at Ana.

Ana returns Chantelle's smile. She too, feels proud of Aneva.

"Well, I guess she must be," Joe responds, wheezing with the effort of talking.

Joe holds on tightly to the back of a chair that Evan brought down from the house for him. It's hard for Joe to get up from sitting these days, so he stands as long as he can. He is eager to see what Sandeep has built, to see if it actually works. Evan suggested Joe watch from the porch of the house, had even offered to stay there with him, but Joe insisted on walking to the end of the driveway with everyone else. In the past hour, Joe has walked more than he has all week. Ana wonders briefly what will happen to Joe after tonight.

"Get ready! The sun's going down!" Evan shouts.

They stand on the road, watching the pyramid. The sun is just a glow on the horizon. In moments it will be dark.

It's okay, Ana thinks to Aneva. The dark is not something to be afraid of. Chantelle will keep you safe. Watch and be brave. Soon you will see something amazing and it will change our lives forever.

Ana watches Aneva snuggle deeper into Chantelle's arms, her face turned away from Chantelle, looking into the darkness, waiting. Gradually, the light fades, until the last ray of light is gone. And they see it.

"Look!" Sandeep calls. "Look! It's working!"

There is a faint glimmer at the top of the pyramid. The glimmer grows stronger and spreads down the pyramid as true darkness sets in.

"Well, I'll be damned," Joe says, his voice crackling. "It's just like you said."

They stand on the road watching the pyramid glow with energy. Aneva coos softly. Power rolls down the pyramid, bathing each person in energy and light, the feeling of success.

"Now we just have to harness that energy, transform it into something we can use, but that shouldn't take long," Sandeep says.

"It's incredible. I could stand here all night looking at it," Peter says, his arm around Chantelle and Aneva.

"I wonder if any of our neighbours have noticed it. Can you turn it off?" Ro asks.

"It cannot be turned off. It will glow maybe a thousand years or more - unless it's destroyed, but that would be difficult to do."

They stand in silence for several minutes, until Ana turns and begins leading everyone back to their home. They are quiet, a little sad like all people are after reaching their goal, but proud of how far they have come. They are ready for the next step in their journey, knowing that whatever the future holds, each of them now holds the key. The power is right there, at their fingertips and it cannot be destroyed. It's the solution to the problem they all face: how to coexist peacefully with people dependent on power and the need to touch it, contain it, and control it regardless of the cost to others. If only the rest of the world could understand and embrace the possibilities with them.