Sleep

Chapter 13

Tom sat up and grunted, resting his head in between his arms. He glimpsed the early signs of the morning, as the sky was a brilliant orange, and he felt a fresh breeze waft towards him. Tom shook his head and strained to get up. He was tucked in some sort of small cave, the top acting as an overhang, creating shade and shielding Tom from the light.

"Tom, sit."

Alisha's voice echoed towards him. He grasped some of the rocks behind him to push himself up, and Tom stared at her as she walked over, adjusting her scarf over her mouth.

"Why do you wear that?" Tom asked.

"Radiation. I guess it's out of habit because I don't need it anymore."

Alisha bent down and pulled out a lighter from her pocket. She moved her hand at a mass of dry twigs, and a burst of flames instantly erupted from the heap. She settled her hands over the fire and sighed.

"I didn't mean it."

Tom walked over to her. "I know."

He tossed a log into the fire, and it grew brighter.

"How did you turn into this?" Tom murmured.

Alisha glared angrily at him. "Into what?"

"You're... you're different," Tom said. "You've changed."

"Of course, I've changed. I make decisions with my mind, not with my heart. I don't have time to mess around when I know it'll get us killed," Alisha retorted.

"Okay... okay."

Alisha bent down and punched Tom in the shoulder.

She laughed. "We can mess around for a little bit. Let's see what's in that backpack."

Tom stretched over and opened the front pocket of the backpack, shaking its contents on the ground beside Alisha.

He moved closer. "It's not much. There's a map with some handwriting, and I was following it when you found me."

"What's this?" Alisha asked, her voice wavering.

Alisha reached into the pack and pulled out a broken antenna. She spun it around in her hands and looked up at Tom.

"Tom, what is this?" Alisha's face became somber.

He eyed the piece, confused. "It's a piece from this radio I found when I was still sleeping in the restaurant." He handed her the antenna and smiled. "What, are you scared?"

Alisha laughed shakily. "No, it's just weird. Do you have the radio with you?"

He shook his head. "I lost it when some of the speds invaded my spot."

Alisha wandered to the opposite side of the cave, and a few tears dribbled onto her shirt.

"There's something I haven't told you."

"Alisha, wait. We have to leave."

"What do you mean?" Alisha answered.

"Listen."

Tom placed his head on the wall, and he detected footsteps approaching from the end of the cavern. Panicking, he ran over and shook Alisha on the shoulder.

"Speds," Tom pointed.

He grasped his backpack, and they darted outside, where the cave was encompassed by trees and patches of ice. Faint voices could be heard from inside the cave, and Tom grabbed Alisha's hand.

"This way!" Tom yelled, and he dragged Alisha towards the trees.

Tom grasped the side of his backpack and pulled out the gun. Hastily, he fumbled with the magazine, and shells scattered into the wet grass.

"Tom, run faster!"

He shoved the magazine back into the gun. Then, Tom pulled back the slide, curved towards the cave, and fired.

The bullet whizzed past them and hit the cave wall. Carefully, Tom aimed over his shoulder, connecting his eye to the sped nearest to him. He breathed out and squeezed the trigger again.

He had a hit. The sped bounced off the grass into the dirt, provoking the others to bellow in anger, their faces covered in blood.

"Tom!"

He saw one of them slashing at Alisha with a blade. She thrust her elbow back and missed, allowing the sped to grasp her arm and slice down.

Alisha nearly fell over in agony. She shrieked, and she clutched her hand to her chest.

Bang.

Blood exploded out of the sped's neck as it hit the ground in a flurry of grass and dust. Tom wildly pointed the gun behind him, and the rest of the speds fell back into the trees. He felt a piercing ache in his abdomen, and he stretched out his arms, sprinting into the powdery snow.

"Don't stop!" Alisha screamed.

The air became frigid and crisp, the snow numbing Tom's face as he ran. He saw a mountain with a small ridge that acted as cover, and he pulled Alisha over.

"My arm."

Alisha's arm was bleeding profusely down her shirt. He grabbed at his shirt and tore the edge of the bottom hem off, fastening the fabric around her arm and securing it with a tight knot. She tucked her arm underneath her, quivering, and panted as she leaned back onto the rock.

Alisha shuddered. "Let's see that map again."

Tom shakily brushed the dirt off the surface of the pack and opened the map from the side.

"Here. We are here."

She pointed at a small area of green on the paper that neighbored a bridge.

"How do you know?"

"Look up," Alisha breathed. "There's the road... the bridge"

Through the blizzard, Tom squinted towards the trees, and he made out what looked like a massive highway supported loosely by beams and loose rocks. It was shrouded by the snow, which had started to filter under the ridge.

"We are almost there."