Pandora's Trials

Reunited

Across the river, I could see Elijah and Anthony standing against one of the shipping containers looking dejected. I dropped my weapons and ran into the raging water. Without the shock of falling into the freezing water, I was able to cross the river relatively quickly with minimal drifting. Once on the other side, I shook my sopping wet hair and rang it out the best I could. I knew my thick, curly hair would not like the unexpected washing and would poof up to be twice the size it normally was.

Of course, I wasn't concerned about my hair at this point; I was concerned about my friends. I ran along the bank and up towards the boys. Their eyes lit up immediately when they spotted me through the somewhat dense crowd of bleeding and dirty men and women. Before I could say anything, Elijah wrapped me in a tight hug that almost hurt.

"Holy shit, I thought I lost you," he said weakly, his voice strained.

"Nope, you can't lose me that easily," I joked, trying to ease the somber mood.

"Damn, you're alive! I thought for sure you were dead." Anthony clapped me on the shoulder. I chuckled and pulled him into a one-arm hug.

We stood there for a long moment, just relishing in the fact that we were all alive and well. The warmth from standing close together was nice too. I stepped back and looked around the crowd.

"Where's Marvin?"

Elijah and Anthony looked at each other with concern in their eyes.

"He got shot. He's alive, but not in good condition. We have medics trying to stabilize him right now." Elijah grabbed my hand and began leading me back towards some of the old buildings once used for housing goods that were to be transported along the river, but now stood empty and cold.

Inside a larger brick warehouse, only maybe fifty by fifty feet, there were sleeping bags laid out as temporary beds and nearly half of them had injured people laying on them. Marvin was laid out further back into the field hospital and three people surrounded him, tending to his wounds. As we approached, Marvin took notice of us and mustered a pained smile.

"Elijah, you found her! I'm glad you're all okay," he said through gritted teeth. The nurses were hastily stitching the bullet hole in his side. It didn't look like the bullet punctured any vital organs, which was truly lucky.

"We won, Marvin. The Flat-Landers turned tail and left. We did it!" Elijah said with a genuine smile that warmed my heart.

"I'm glad to hear that, son." Marvin sucked air through his teeth in pain as one of the nurses put a gauze pad firmly on his fresh stitches. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Of course. Whatever you need sir," Elijah said enthusiastically.

"I need you to lead these people to the east. You're the leader of this operation now," Marvin told him.

Elijah's eyes widened in fear. "You can't be serious."

"Boy, when am I ever joking?" Marvin said before smiling and chuckling to himself, "Well, I suppose I do joke quite a bit. But that's beside the point; I want you to take over for me. I believe you're capable."

"But, I'm only eighteen? There's a dozen older, wiser people to take your spot. Why me?"

"Because they don't have hope. They think today was a fluke and that it's not worth it to fight the whole Flat-Lander army in one huge battle. You? You're young. Wide-eyed and faithful. We need a little of that faith right now. These cultists are all old farts, and the one thing old farts fear the most is the youth. Give 'em hell."