Extinction: The Real Enemy

Chapter 9

I gasp for air as I recuperate from being flung across a stretch of sand.

She has been keeping me at bay using her powers. When she said 'fight', this is not what I had in mind.

I ran towards her, dodging the huge red rocks being tossed at me at high speed. I wonder if she's actually being serious. If not, then I'm in big trouble if i don't end this. I slide to avoid having my head sliced off by a sharp jagged rock and jump up to avoid the shooting up of sand from right under me. I manage a difficult turn in midair to dodge another rock. I push myself by using my leg on the huge rock thrown at me.

I manage to land in one piece and slide over the sand.

I haven't even hit her and it's been almost an eon by now. I have to end this nonsense now. I ran as fast as I can ..........wait, how am I so close to her after one step?? Did I even take one step??.

I put off those thoughts and take the opportunity to knock her out by hitting her in the back of her neck. I catch her as she falls down.

Since I don't wanna carry a dead weight across a desert, I wake her up by sprinkling a little dvaali, the human equivalent of water, on her.

She blinks and covers her face with her hand after waking up. "You won, huh? I guess I don't need to teach you anything, do I? Your power is super speed. At least the only one I know of now. Probably the only one you now know about too." She struggles to sit up and I help her.

"We should get going. It's almost sunlay and it might be dangerous if it gets dark." I pick up my carrier and throw hers over to her. "Unless you want to stay here forever." I turn and smile at her.

She puts on her carrier and throws me an amused stare.

I look at the hologear, now showing clearly the detailed map. I guess there isn't much distance left. We'll probably reach an eon before sunlay if we start now. I take a sip from my dvaali jar and lift my hand to block the glare of the scorching sun.

We begin to move at an averagely quick pace.

"So do you have a girlfriend or a wife??" She asks breaking the long maintained silence.

"Why do you ask??" I reply, still walking, trying to hide my startled expression from her.

"Seemed like a good thing to ask, I guess. So do you have a wife or a girlfriend?? Tell me." She pleads in a childish tone.

I let out a chuckle and looked at the little human mutation. "Yes, I do have a wife and she is the only reason I'm here on this vast red stretch of disintegrated rocks."

I pick a small red stone and throw it as far as I can. That's when I realize the swirling red mass in the distance. She comes up to my side and looks at the gradually approaching sand storm.

"I guess we're going to be late after all." She says as she makes her way ahead of me. "We better find someplace to stay till the storm passes."

I follow her whilst checking the hologear for the closest safe place we can reside till the storm recedes.

After locating an abandoned mine at the base of a small mountain, we make camp there. The storm catches up to us really fast. She sits very close to me as we wait for the red storm of sand to pass.

We continue our journey with no hindrance to our final destination. A village, built into the side of a plateau, by the name Tirai.

The village had a very minimal population of 300. Our presence in the market area did attract a few stares. To be honest, every one who we met  looked at us weirdly. I approach a young villager to ask for a place to stay. He directs me towards an inn after I had to pay a little encouragement.