Winter's Edge

Chapter 63 - Control

Ian

JUST before I exited the monastery basement, I passed a mirror and did a double take. My face stared back at me in disbelief. I'd aged a few years. It was subtle but noticeable. Aging from using powers hadn't mattered to me until that moment.

I pulled myself away from the mirror, then hurried down the torch-lit hall and caught up to Brother Lawrence. "Thank you for saving my life."

"You are most welcome." He smiled pleasantly.

"How long was I...dead?"

"Only a couple of minutes."

It seemed like a lot longer.

He climbed a set of stairs and stopped short of a door in the ceiling to the first floor of the monastery. "Not to worry, though. I made sure you had plenty of air and circulation before I restarted your heart."

Oh, that was lovely. I'd been practically kissed by a bald-headed monk today, probably several times. At least I didn't remember it.

Brother Lawrence opened the door out into the open air. No monastery stood around us. No buildings stood around us. No city stood around us. Just scattered debris in disarray, like a bomb had wiped out the town.

I gaped. "Whoa."

People I recognized from town but wasn't acquainted with were coming out of storm shelters and basements. Some searched the disaster area for survivors, others for their homes. A few monks combed the wreckage while others tended to the wounded or helped them hobble toward the monastery basement.

The horrific scene sent painful questions through my mind. How many of my classmates had died in the tornadoes today? How many people in town had survived this awful mess? Who had I known before that I'd never see again?

As if those questions weren't difficult enough, worse ones came to mind. Had the Hunters followed me here? Had Dad been with them?

Brother Lawrence looked at me very matter of fact, breaking my train of thought. "So, where did you park your car?"

I stifled a massive laugh, feeling a bit delirious from the shock of all of this. Did he expect the car to be functional?

I humored him. "I left it by the Country Rose Café."

He chose a direction, then set off.

I kept pace beside him, unsure where we were headed.

Eventually, we crossed over the torn-up asphalt that was once 5th Street. Brother Lawrence stopped and pulled some of the wreckage off the door of a basement. A senile old man popped out waving a pistol and a block of C4 in his hands, wearing nothing but an army helmet and tighty-whities. "Charlie's everywhere!" he yelled. "Take cover!"

I ducked as he swung his gun past me and dropped the C4.

Brother Lawrence gently placed a hand on the man's shoulder and the man locked fear-streaked eyes with him. "All is well, brother."

The man visibly relaxed and let the gun drop to his waist.

Brother Lawrence pointed the man toward the monks near the monastery basement for help.

I watched the old man wander off toward the monastery for a few moments. The C4 was gone, but I hadn't seen him pick it up. I searched for it. Nothing. Weird.

When I looked back, Brother Lawrence was shifting the rubble around, sifting through it. He quickly lost interest and set off again in his chosen direction.

I looked around, trying to get my bearings straight once more. We were probably getting close to where the café used to be. Only piles of debris stood in its place now. Brother Lawrence began tossing aside boards and cinderblocks from the site.

"What are we looking for?" I helped out, tossing a board to the side.

He didn't answer.

After a few moments, he caught a glimpse of something beneath a large pile of boards. "Oh, wonderful!"

I shot him a bewildered look. "Huh?"

The monk removed the board he'd just pulled up, toppling it to the side. Underneath was the silver Aston Martin Vanquish. "Your car."

I stared at the car in disbelief. Nothing but the roof was visible, but it looked pretty good, aside from some dust and dirt. "I don't believe it."

"Well, how else did you expect us to get to Elian?"

He continued clearing the debris from the car and I searched for where the diner's basement door should be and cleaned away a few boards and pans from it so they wouldn't block Sam and his mother from getting out. I didn't call out to them, though. The less they saw, the better.

Once the car was free, we climbed inside. Several expressions crossed Brother Lawrence's face while he looked around the interior. Surprise. Intrigue. Fascination. "This is quite a beautiful car. I believe these cost nearly three-hundred-thousand dollars."

Since when did monks keep up with exotic car prices?

I gave him a sideways glance, then started the car and drove over and around debris that once formed houses and buildings. I'd never driven through town worried about picking up a piece of a house in my tire before. But it wasn't a town anymore. It was a trash heap.

I shook my head at the thought and headed toward I70. "So, where's Summerlight?"

Brother Lawrence shook his head. "I don't know."

I glared at him. "What?"

"The Light assures me He knows where it is." The monk sounded confident. Then again, I had a feeling he always sounded confident.

"And is He going to share that with us?"

"Of course, brother." The monk smiled.

"Now?"

Brother Lawrence didn't answer. Instead, he explored the car, fidgeting with different parts of it like a child.

I was willingly on a journey with a guy who heard a voice in his head and seemed to think it was going to guide us to Elian. Maybe the madness had taken me, too.

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