Peaked

Chapter 2

I am as powerless to stop this virus as I am to calm the bitter wind that whistled through the deserted streets. The looped warning from the radio still plays in my head, yet in reality the city stretches before me like a hushed prayer. This virus that spreads easier than malicious gossip has everyone cowering in their homes. This plague, natural or bioengineered, has an over ninety percent kill rate. By rights it shouldn't spread like it does, through history these naturally efficient bugs burn out their victims too fast; they simply die before they can pass it on. Not this time apparently. This teflon coated, dehydration resistant, temperature immune package of death travels on the wind as effectively as springtime pollen. Hiding is futile. There is no-one on this earth I love more than my parents and Mike, I have no lover and no children to hide behind sealed doors.

There is a tenseness to my muscles that makes me more like a mannequin on this soft mattress than a woman of flesh and bone. I want so much to melt onto the soft foam, wrapped in eider-down, and drift into the world of dreams. Yet my brain is a violent whirl of stupidity, trying to organize the chaos in my life. I just couldn't believe myself, how could I watch all those people and children lie like dolls over the grass, limbs at awkward angles and heads held in such a way that they cannot be sleeping? These bodies, once the repositories of people as alive as I am, are now abandoned shells left to rot in the open. Who will bury them and weep salty tears onto their grave? Who will send them away with a love song and kiss the breeze that carries them heaven-bound? Likely no-one at all. Some will be consumed by the wildlife and others simply decay, slowly giving up their flesh to the soil and the sun reflecting on their bleached white bones.

The city was ghostly for those frozen weeks, no-one moved for fear of contracting the virus. Then hunger took over and the looting began. Cowering behind locked doors saved no-one, eventually it found a way in under the door or down the chimney. Eventually, someone has to get out their with courage and defeat this awful virus... but the question is: who is this 'courageous' someone willing to sacrifice their own life for the betterment of the people?

But then I thought, the chances are pretty slim that someone is going to get out there, but what does it mean to me? Being brave means being afraid, or at least it does for me. The two go hand in hand. First is the fear, then the determination not to be ruled by it. I will always choose to face fear, to conquer it, for how else are we to make true progress in life? I will not be moulded by those who want me conveniently placated; I will not shy from the battlefields they create. Though my heart often beats fast and my fingers tingle from an excess of adrenaline, I am a warrior at heart. Faced with adversity I have an ability for calm and rational thought - to me that is a blessing.

I Alyssa Brown, can think of many instances where the brave choice was to walk away. But this time, I am opting for a change. I am not the underwater spirit, I am the bold sun in the sky. I am not the fish in the cool shallows, I am the hawk who hunts above. I am not wind-chimes in a spring breeze, I am a storm to bring all the wrong kinds of excitement. But I promise myself, I will be the warmth, the love and the laughter for my city. I am not without zest. This time... Alyssa is not backing down.

~*~

"Alyssa! Stop! Ally STOP!" Mike yelled at me and stiffened his grasp on my arm. I squirmed in his hold; and I was getting more and more miffed by the minute.

"Just tell me Mike, what is it?" I roared at him.

I sucked in a breath and my face was red from the suppressed rage. Looking down, I clenched and unclenched my fists, and gritted my teeth from effort to remain silent, waiting for Mike's response. I have never been this enraged with Mike before- after all he was the only family I had left.

Mike really tried not to break down, "The Peaked will kill you if they think it's to their advantage and celebrate your 'sacrifice' for a thousand years or more. Isn't that the definition of a savage? You aren't like that, you never have been. So I'll ask you again, will you please listen to me and stop trying to act like the hero you think you are? Because if I can't save you, I can't save me. Safety without you would be worse than death."

"Mike..." I breathed.

I raced to my brother and enveloped him in my arms. For so long I thought Mike made me feel a certain way; if I was sad, or lonely, or frustrated, I became angry with him. But why him? Why not someone else? I guess it's because he is the one I love the most, the one I feel most loved by. All these years, while mum and dad had left, Mike has been the one who brought me up to become a much more determined and loving person. My emotions still come in brutal waves, pain felt in full measure, yet I know they are only within my own mind. I have learned to keep on walking regardless, act like they aren't even there... and soon they aren't. I released my brother and gripped onto his shoulders.

"Mike, someone has to go out there and destroy that nefarious creature who is haunting every single human and robot alive. I promise you that I will make it back to you alive," I said with a small chuckle.

Mike's face remained expressionless and blank. However I continued.

"If I don't," I gulped, "Then, please think that it is for the best."

Whenever Mike cried there was always a rawness to it, like his pain was still an open wound. But Mike never cries. In spite of myself, I reach out to him and give him a warm embrace.

"Alyssa, I am really going to miss you," Mike mumbled.

"Me too Mike, me too", I whispered back to him.

*~*

For the millionth time I look in the mirror and think about all the deterrents I would have to face, or if I would feel despondent and always be doubtful about myself. Can I do it? Can I actually defeat this revolting creature all by myself?

Mike's words replay in my mind over and over again: Stop trying to act like the hero you think you are.. I hated it whenever someone was always pulling me down. Why should I be insecure about all the decisions I make?

Suddenly, courage washed through me like a vigorous wave. I stepped in front of the mirror again, with my face set hard this time. I have already cried my tears, suffered my wounds and walked my hardest roads. This is who I am and who I am always willing to be. I tossed my lustreless red hair into a ponytail, wedged my fecculent boots on my feet and heaved my frayed backpack on my shoulders.

I scampered down the stairs, only to find my brother waiting for me with a melancholic expression splashed onto his face. I really didn't like it whenever my brother looked lugubrious, this look never suites him at all.

"Okay Alyssa, have you packed your food?" Mike asked with concern.

"Yes," I replied.

" Have you packed water? Spare clothes? Pocket knife? Tent? Pyjamas-"

"Mike..."

"Pepper Spray? Toothbrush? Mosquito Repellent-"

"Mike?"

"Face Mask? Hair brush? Undergarments? Lighter-"

"MIKE!" I shrieked.

"Okay okay, I am sorry I am just getting really jittery," He exhaled.

I shook my head and gave a small chuckle, "I will be fine, please.. I need you to trust me."

Mike remained silent and he looked everywhere but at me. I started to feel like he didn't really feel assured.

"Okay.. I-I trust you," he sighed finally.

I gave him a small smile and cuddled him one last time.

"Bye Mike," I mumbled as tears had started to pool in my eyes.

"Bye Ally, I love you and be safe," Mike whispered.

" I will. I love you too Mike, always."

With that, I ventured off. For the first time in a long time, I feel ready.

~*~