Superhuman [Book 1]

14 || Bystander

➟ ly
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A cold lick of water rushed over my feet.

My eyes jerked open, and I took a deep breath. I laid on a sandy surface, the sun beating down of my face. I propped myself up on my elbow, glancing around. A daunting forest stood behind me, casting a shadow on the beach. A slight breeze drifted through the air, blowing small pieces of sand. I squinted, trying to grow accustomed to the light. The rotting smell of fish was appalling. The waves of the ocean pulled across the sand, and I trained my eyes on the sea. Jack laid there, her glasses slipping down her nose. Her beanie was thrown a few feet away.

I scowled. Jack? Really? I rolled my eyes, trying to shake her awake.

"Get up, dork. We have to find Zane and all the others," I said, and she groaned, rolling over. "Get up!" Jack didn't move. I sighed, giving up.

I wasn't sure if it was just me that dealt with the flashbacks, but if it was, then that was frustrating. I didn't want to see that. I didn't want to go through my past again. I saw my little brother, cloaked in darkness. I saw my little brother, starving without any hope for life. I watched as he suffered, blood spilling from his hand as my dad shouted. The memories left me lightheaded. Only the worst ones played.

"Hm?" I heard Jack murmur, and I turned back to face her.

"Get up, you lazy lump," I said, standing from the sandy beach.

"Did you just call me a lump?" Jack asked, stretching her arms.

"Just... get up," I said bitterly, turning. From this view, I could see that the road forked, not just facing a forest. An expanse of sand flowed one way, the ocean completely fading. The other side pointed towards a snowy mountain. Jack stood next to me, looking through the three completely different environments.

"Well. Where do we go?" She asked, and I shrugged. The others could be anywhere, and the chances of finding them were slim. We could be stuck in here for years, decades even. I took a shuddering breath. There was no need to over complicate things.

"Eenie meenie miney mo, catch a piggy by the toe. If he squeals then let him go; eenie meenie miney mo," I heard Jack mutter, and I eyed her suspiciously. "I say we go to the desert."

"No. The desert's dry, and the snow in the mountains turns to water," I grumbled. "Besides, it's catch a tiger by the toe, not a pig, dumbass." I began walking in the direction of the mountains, Jack trailing behind me.

"Hey, wait up!" She called, running after me. "We don't have enough equipment to be hiking. We'll suffocate. And plus it's freezing up there," Jack protested, and I shook my head.

"Yeah, whatever. Better suffocate than dehydrate," I said, not even glancing her way. I kept walking at a steady pace,

"I dunno, I'd rather dehydrate than suffocate. And I'd do all that before I froze to death," Jack said. I payed her no mind, venturing towards the mountains. "Besides, what if Zane's in the desert? I know you want to find him first."

"He's not stupid, he'll leave. Unlike you, he's been through deadly situations more than once," I said, and I felt her glare. "We'd probably see him, anyways—it's a flat expanse of land. He's probably in the mountains."

"Unless he's not. Unless he, Kyle, and the rest of our incredibly valuable team of people are already missing, lost, and dehydrating in the freakin' desert," Jack said, a twinge of hurt in her voice.

"Yeah?" I asked, pausing to look at her. "Do you really think that the very Alliot that you've known for what, a month, would be stupid enough to risk their lives in a desert?"