Walking Dollar Bills

Chapter 39 (2/2): Commiseration for the Weary

Amara stares down the army of gun barrels blocking the path of the Nationalist. Roughly thirty identical looking men wearing suits with bald heads hold their fingers on the trigger. Their ties blow wildly in the wind.

The Nationalist are in bad shape. A large number have their limbs wrapped tightly in t-shirts and other articles of clothing. The original plan was to have Scarlet scout the labyrinth, and then they would grab their supplies and travel through it. But, Tiff's unexpected descent into the labyrinth changed everything. Running low on ammunition for their guns, spare arrows, and sharp blades, they now face an obvious disadvantage.

Amara knows that engaging with the government workers in a gun battle will only result in further injuries and casualties. While these men don't appear skilled in combat, she refuses to take any chances. Even more, the Nationalist are without their leaders.

The sound of Amara's name disrupts her beleaguered thoughts.

"AMARA!" screams a voice from above.

Everyone lowers their weapons and directs their gazes above. A loud crash vibrates through the air and then shards of glass rain from the sky. A man holding a little girl in his arms leaps out of a window followed by a man with light and dark wings.

While others stare in shock and disbelief, Amara lowers her dagger and curves her lips upward. The tears trickle down her face faster than her comprehension of what is happening. Earl and Gumbo have returned.

Focusing through the tears, she sees a small girl crying her name,

"AMARA! AMARA!"

She is alive.

Amara extends her arms to the sky. Her dagger slips out of her hand and plops onto the ground. She is so happy to be wrong. Zala is not dead. Zala is alive. Zala is in front of her.

Zala is in her arms.

Zala squirms out of Earl's hands and gracefully falls into Amara's chest. Amara squeezes her tight. For so long, Amara believed that she would never see Zala again, but somehow, she is hugging her.

Burying her face into Zala's silver hair, Amara finally finds the strength to speak,

"I missed you."

Zala smiles and utters between sobs,

"I... missed you too!"

Earl and Gumbo land beside Amara. While Earl feels sad on the inside, he is unable to express his emotions externally. Meanwhile, Gumbo simply stares at the girls lost in their reunion.

Amara pokes her head up and meets Earl's gaze,

"How do you feel?"

That question snaps Earl and Amara back to a moment so long ago:

The two stand in the center of a fork in the road. The moon gleams in the sky. A cool breeze floats in the air. The rhythmic chirping of crickets mix with the erratic emotions of Amara and Earl that materialize through their voices.

"Please don't pit our friends against each other. As of now, Zala is alive. Gumbo is not. If I don't act soon, he may be beyond the point of recovery" says Earl.

"You really expect me to do this all by myself?" asks Amara. Her eyes are dry.

"As soon as I bring Gumbo back, we'll search for you, find Horatio, return to Zala, return to the city, and pay our debt. Then, we can finally live in peace again" he reasons.

Amara's eyes are dry.

"I should be surprised, but I'm not. I expected this to happen" says Amara.