The Event

13.

"Come on, Row!" Tommy called from a yard or so in front of me, Kayne the same distance in front of him. "We're falling behind!"

I rolled my eyes, flipping the hood on my heavy parka up over my head and I pushed a little harder. My feet had gone numb miles back and the burning in my legs was becoming overwhelming, but I was the one who volunteered to come with Kayne, and I didn't want to be the reason that we don't make it in time.

When I finally saw Tommy slowing down, and Kayne at a stop I began to sigh in relief that we had made it this far at least. "H-h-how much time...d-do we have left?" I huffed, doubling over to put my hands on my knees when I stopped beside the egg shaped pod that was blending in with the darkness around it.

"Just enough." Kayne said shortly and then he turned to place his hand on the side of the pod and the panel lit up around his hand print and the top half opened up for him. He quickly leaned in, pulling out all of the empty red gas cans he'd had to use before when he set his fires on the mountain, and with the clutter gone, it revealed a bench seat in the back behind the two white seats in the front. "I've got to clear out anything that isn't a necessity to keep our weight down so that we'll make it further. We need to make it as far inland as we can on the mainland."

"The mainland?" I asked and he kept his back to me as he tossed out small but heavy looking containers and gadgets, letting them all clump into the snow.

"The American mainland." He explained. "That's where KaRayna should be if she hasn't left yet for her designated pick up spot."

I nodded even though he wasn't paying attention and I let my bag fall off of my shoulder and hit the ground. Helpless for something to do while I waited, I dug through my backpack and took out my extra pair of shoes and book I'd brought with me. I knew that wasn't going to help with the weight issue all that much, but I wanted to feel like I was doing something useful.

When I looked back up, Kayne was stepping into the small ship and messing with his controls. He looked over at me finally and he tried to look happy, I could see the strain in his eyes though. He stepped back out and held out his hand for me to help me into the little space. I barely had to bow my head to enter since I'm so short and he pointed me to the bench in the back and I took my seat, not trying to get too nervous over the idea of flying in a space craft with an alien dude who was taking us to find some alien girl. "Thanks." I said shyly as he adjusted the harnesses over my shoulders and strapped me in tightly. He lingered before me for a moment so I took the chance to ask what I've been wondering since he figured out the plan of his people. "Are you ok?"

He furrowed his brows. "After everything that's happened, and all I'm responsible for, why would you ask me that?"

I had to look away from the seriousness of his gaze. "I just...Look, no one deserves what's happened here." I said weakly. "Not us, not you and the other Mundi." He shook his head slowly, like he wasn't sure if it was right to feel sorry for himself or his peers when the majority of his people are the reason all of mine are dead. "Why didn't you tell everyone back there the truth?" I asked, careful to keep my voice low so that Tommy wouldn't hear me from where he was lightening his own bag outside of the ship. "If they knew about the device-."

"No." Kayne said simply. "I won't make excuses for myself or the others." He said crisply. "I may not have understood what we were doing, but I knew what we were doing and I did it anyway. Whether or not my emotions were suppressed has nothing to do with the fact that it happened."

"You're being too hard..." I had to let the sentence drop, my limp brown hair falling into my eyes. I couldn't finish saying it, not when it dismissed all of the wrong that was done here and it felt like I was giving him a free pass for stealing away everyone I loved.