The Last Dainv-Chapter 44

The Last Dainv-Chapter 44

Just as he was about to go to his resting area, he felt a warm hand placed on his shoulder.
"You," she said, gesturing to him. "Do you wanna talk?"
Gale felt his heart drop. Those were Ms. Molly's famous words before she was about to pull him aside that resulted in a soul crushing demolition from a minimum hour long nag session with no way to talk back. Don't do this. Don't do that. Do it like this. Speak up. Don't speak. It was never consistent.
Adults always kept telling you to do things and then tells you to do another thing after telling you to do the thing they told you not do. And now,
she
might become the next Ms. Molly.
Rachel walked over to a nearby boulder. She sat down, looked at him, then patted the side where she sat. "Come sit."
Sitting down beside her, he felt his shoulders hunch. He was ready for the moral and mental beating he was about to take. Though it didn't make sense. He accepted the together thing already. Didn't even blame anyone for the mishaps that happened during the hunt.
"Look, about what happened to Lennard and the others…" Rachel turned to face him.
Here it comes.
"Don't let it get to you. It's just…" Rachel sighed. "This always happens when civilians get caught up in 'Aur' stuff. You know. Supernatural stuff."
"Civilians?" Gale asked, but more curious about where this was going than anything.
Rachel looked up at the small patch of sky in the clearing. "Right. You're new to all of this. We did tell you a bit about Aur though, right?"
"Right."
"Back home, those who awaken powers or abilities, they're called Aurians. And normal people, the ones without any abilities, they're just called civilians. Civies for short or just mundanes."
"Pretty straightforward." Gale took a deep breath. Didn't know where this was going, but fortunately, it wasn't going the Ms. Molly way. "Can… can you tell me more about Aur?"
"It's... complicated," Rachel said.
Of course it was.
She looked back at him, eyes meeting his. "I'll explain more later. Just don't blame yourself for what happened, ok? It's not your fault they're scared. It's just how things are."
Gale glanced back at the group, his eyes finding Lennard amongst the convoy. Just how things are my ass. That asshole probably still needs a punch to the face.
Rachel followed his gaze. "Lennard was actually the one who started gathering people first. When I joined, he already had a small group with him."
"Really?" Gale's tone raised. "He kind of reminds me of a nagging staff lady back in the orphanage. She was always nagging me."
Rachel chuckled.
Throughout the time Gale met her, she barely laughed. Now she just chuckled in front of him. Surprisingly, it was pleasant to the ears.
"Back then... when you hit me... I was a bit scared of you." She looked down at the grass.
"Sorry."
"It's fine. You don't need to apologize," Rachel said. "It wasn't just that though. I was more upset about the sleeve being ripped apart. It showed this." Her left hand moved to her right hand's sleeve, revealing a silvery scar.
Gale's lips parted, but nothing came out. The scar on her arm was small, not like the ones he got around his body from dad's trainings. However, he could see it in her face. The scar to her was important.
"Is your arm okay?"
Rachel finally looked back up at him. "It's fine."
Gale, you idiot. Of course she was fine. It was a scar, and she's still alive, thriving, and surviving.
Suddenly, Rachel spoke up, "You know what I miss most about Earth?"
"What?"
"The simple things. I usually went to the park whenever it was sunny, and I'd just sit on the bench, feeling the sun on my face." She looked back up at the sky, swinging her legs. "Sometimes I'd hike up a mountain trail with my best friend. She'd complain so much about her legs burning from the pace. There were some large hills around Toronto that would even make you feel tired."
"I've never felt tired over hiking mountains. Hills definitely won't make me tired," Gale said. His family hiked everywhere like nomads. Hills and such would never tire him out, that's for sure. And that was before he was an Aurian.
Rachel suddenly burst into laughter, tearing up.
"Why is that funny?" Gale asked.
"No, nothing." Rachel wiped her tears away. "That was just a figure of speech."
Gale's cheeks reddened.
"It was fun though," Rachel's shoulders finally stopped shaking from the laughter. "And then there's Wonderland in Vaughan. There's this one roller coaster that literally shot you straight up and then dropped you back down. My best friend would cry and scream at me just before the ride. Then she'd be so happy right after it. The feeling of having your stomach in your throat was the best. We both loved it."
She paused, looking at Gale. "What about you? What do you miss?"
Gale shifted uncomfortably. There weren't so many things he could say were things that he missed back on Earth. Maybe his parents. For what it's worth, even the grub at the cafeteria was better than monster jerky.
"I... I guess I miss the quiet. There was this spot at the park near the orphanage. I'd go there to read sometimes. It was peaceful," Gale said.
Rachel leaned in closer. "What kind of books?"
"Anything I could get my hands on, really. Sci-fi, noir, romance, mystery," Gale said. "But I liked fantasy the most. Stories about other worlds, magical powers... I guess they don't seem so fantastical anymore though."
Rachel laughed softly. "I suppose not. Though I bet even the wildest fantasy novel didn't prepare you for all this."
A small smile tugged at Gale's lips. "Definitely not."
"So," Rachel said. "I'm feeling you got something more to say. Cough it up."
Gale tensed. What did she even mean? She was the one leading this conversation the whole time.
"What do you mean?" Gale said, finally able to say what was on his mind.
"I mean like how you were before. What you miss. In the orphanage. Maybe even before that. Just anything." Rachel's legs stopped swinging. "It's ok if you don't want to share more though. I can wait."
"What I miss, huh…" Gale took out a piece of monster jerky from his pocket. Putting it into his mouth, he ripped into it with a bite. "I guess I miss the forest back on Earth. Nothing much can kill you. Most predators there just went on about their way, more afraid of being harmed than getting a quick human snack."
"That's true. Hahaha."
"And then the forest during winter would be some of the most beautiful. Everything is just white and quiet."
"Your family didn't get cold?" Rachel asked.
"You get used to it eventually." Gale put back his monster jerky back into his pocket. "And then there were deserts where I saw mom or dad haggling in street shops. Those were the days I miss the most."
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. it.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a bitter memory."
"It's fine. It wasn't too bad. Mom and dad taught me lots of things how to survive. Then they just left me behind in that orphanage."
"I'm sorry," Rachel said softly. "That must have been hard."
Gale nodded, gulping before continuing to speak. "It was. But I managed. Kept to myself mostly. I did what they told me to do. Blended in."
"And now?" Rachel asked.
Gale looked out at the group of survivors, then back at Rachel. "Now... I'm not sure."
I want to be someone great. That's what Gale wanted to say. A too vague description of something he wanted to be, but didn't know how to be or even think he could be.
"Change is hard," Gale finally said.
"It is," Rachel replied immediately. "But change isn't always bad. It's also a necessary part of life."
And that very life always punched down at him no matter where he went and where he goes. That was never going to change.
Gale sighed. "Change was never in my mind when I read those books to sleep every night."
Rachel reached over to his arm, squeezing softly. "But then do you wanna keep being the same person 5 years or even 20 years from now or maybe even until you die of old age? A bit boring, don't you think?"
She continued, "When you read those books, don't you feel amazing reading how the characters change over the course of their journey?"
"Right. That is amazing." Gale wished for that kind of change himself. From being someone who only wants to survive to someone who can stand tall. Maybe even become a great person himself.
After a moment of silence, Rachel spoke up again. "So, what about you? What do you want to do when we get back to Earth?"
Gale hesitated. Missing something and wanting to do something were completely different things. In fact, he didn't even know what he would've done after leaving the orphanage.
"I'm not sure," he said. "Before all of this, I told myself I'd build a cabin in the woods. Even build a pool. Read my books every day. No one would be invited except me."
"As you know…" Rachel chuckled a bit. "Being in the woods all alone and no one being invited is basically asking people to invite themselves in."
"You shouldn't use those words 'as you know'," Gale looked at her dead serious. "They make you sound cliche."
"That was the whole point!" Rachel laughed. "So what about now. What do you wanna do?"
Gale's face reddened. "Maybe I'll try some of those things you mentioned. The hiking, the rides. They sound... fun."
Rachel grinned. "They are. How about I take you on my favourite hike trail?"
"Yeah, that'd be fun," Gale said softly. "When we get out of this hellhole."
"Rachel! Gale! We're ready to move! Get your tiny butts over here!" Ollie suddenly shouted across the clearing.
"Right," Rachel said, her voice slightly breathless. "We should get back."
Gale nodded.
The two of them rejoined the others. Everyone visibly caught a glance at Gale. All of who would look away whenever he looked back at them, it didn't hurt as much anymore though.
"Everyone ready?" Rachel called out, her voice strong and clear.
"Hmph. Ready as we'll be," Lennard said.
"We're both ready," Annett said.
"Did I ever tell you to speak for me?" Ollie asked who was then simply ignored.
"Let's go," Gale said.
The convoy gathered their belongings as murmurs spread throughout the stone tower's clearing. Some of the older folks asked Annett or Ollie how much further the hike was, but all they got were vague reassurances.
Gale closed in on Rachel, Ollie, and Annett.
"You ok?" Rachel asked.
"I think we should go to a detour. Avoid the scorched earth. These people won't be able to take it."
Ollie looked over Gale's shoulder to see the convoy members. The older folks basically now all had walking sticks, provided by Lennard. The children clung to their parents. And then there were those that had wounds or injuries that made them slower than the others.
"He's right. Not sure if we can go through that kinda heat with these people," Ollie said.
"What do you reckon then?" Annett asked.
"We take a detour."
"And you know the way how?" Ollie asked.
"I memorized the whole area while we did our first pass. What I don't know is where the exit is," Gale replied immediately.
"True. We did go straight to the stone tower without going through the scorched earth when we were going back," Rachel said.
"Ollie, can you use the red marble to wish for the most direct path to the exit rather than the safest?" Gale said.
"You sure?" Ollie looked to Rachel.
"Just do it, idiot." Annett softly punched Ollie's arm.
"Ow! You're paying for my med bills when we get back," Ollie rubbed his arm. Taking out the red marble from his pocket, he flicked it up into the air. The red marble toppled over to their 10:00 o'clock.
"To our 12 is the scorched earth, which would then lead to Blue Haven. The exit would directly be at our 10:00. We avoid the heat and avoid the biggest area of influence of Blue Haven," Gale said.
"I'm fine with it, but would it be too dangerous for other people?" Rachel asked.
"It's not."
"What about the cliff?" Annett asked. "That one didn't even have a bridge."
"Different route, different obstacles," Gale looked into Rachel's eyes. "Trust me."
"I trust you," Rachel said. "Let's go. You lead with Ollie at front. I'll be at the back."
The convoy moved. Everyone carefully hiked their way through the thick terrain. Hours passed, and the strain was clear on the convoy members' ragged breaths. A child stumbled on a large root sticking out of the ground. The elderly had broken a couple of their sticks, quickly replaced by finding another one on the ground.
Gale walked alongside the front of the group. Resentment had built up amongst some of the members due to the treacherous terrain they've hiked. Before the hike was rather level, and obstacles littered the way with stones and roots. Now, multiply the difficulty by 2 and add slopes constantly going up and down.
Soon enough, Gale felt the air become different. The moist, lush forest mixed with dry dust and a taste of old dead trees that lingered in the air, carried by the wind.
Suddenly, a woman screamed in the middle of the convoy. Gale's head snapped behind him. The scream clearly came from Anna.
Her eyes were wide, face contorted. Nails dug into her skin as she covered her face. "No! We can't go there! The eyes! The eyes are waiting! It's waiting! Can't you all see! Idiots!"
The convoy ground to a halt. Group members moved away from Anna's vicinity.
"Can we do something about her?" a woman asked.
"She going crazy!" a man called out.
Gale pushed his way forward, reaching Anna just as Rachel did.
"Anna, please," Rachel said, using her softest voice. "You need to calm down. There are no eyes here."
Anna thrashed in Rachel's grip. Her scream grew louder and louder. "We're all going to die! Can't you see? Can't you see? See the eyes! It's over there!"
"Enough of this nonsense," Lennard stepped forward. "She's going to bring every beast in this forest down on us. We need to leave her behind."
This asshole was really going to abandon one of them?! Gale almost went up to Lennard, fist already balled. However, Rachel's hand reached out to his, stopping him.
“We're not abandoning her," Annett said, "She's one of us!"
"One of us?" a woman near the back of the group scoffed. "She's insane! She'll get us all killed!"
"We've been walking for hours!"
"My child can barely stand!"
"It's their fault!" Someone pointed at Ollie and Gale. "They're pushing us too hard!"
Anger rose up in Gale. This whole convoy was supposed to be everyone pushing themselves to the limit. Even him. Just because they were civvies didn't make them any special.
"Everyone, please! We need to stay calm. We're all in this together!" Rachel shouted, though her words seemed to have been ignored.
"Together?" an older man sneered. "Easy for you to say. You're not the ones being forced to march through this nightmare!"
"Everyone here was forced into a nightmare," Ollie said, "We're trying to keep everyone safe. The longer we stay in one place, the more danger we're in."
"Safe?" a woman holding a crying child shot back. "How is pushing us to falling over from exhaustion keeping us safe? We can't even defend ourselves if something attacks!"
The arguments continued. Gale found himself again wanting to run away from it all. These people didn't care about him. They only cared about their own comfort. Not an ounce of gratitude were given to any of the fighters. It was as if all of it were expected, taken for granted.
Leave, Gale. That's what you want to do. Maybe just leave with Rachel, Ollie, and Annett. That'd be better.
As if he could do that.
"Dump her!" Lennard shouted. "She's a liability. We can't afford to drag dead weight with us."
"How can you say that in front of her child?!" Annett shouted. "She's not a piece of luggage that can just be thrown away!"
"And what happens when her screams bring all the beasts to us? What then?" Lennard shouted back. "Are you willing to sacrifice everyone here for one insane woman?"
"We're not leaving anyone behind," Rachel stated firmly. "That's not who we are."
"And who are we exactly?" a man near the back of the group called out. "A bunch of strangers thrown together by circumstance? Why should we risk our lives for someone who's lost it?"
"We're survivors," Ollie stepped forward. "Are we still human if we abandon her?"
"Easy for you to say," an elderly woman spat. "You're young and fit. You're not the ones being pushed to your limits. My bones ache, and yet you expect us to keep going at this pace, boy?"
"We've been walking for hours without a break," another voice chimed in. "How much further do you expect us to go?"
"The eyes," Anna's whimpers grew louder once more. "It's waiting for us. It's hungry. It's hungry. Hungry for someone. I don't know who. But it's one of us. Or one of them."
Her words started another chain reaction of murmurs through the group. Children clung to their parents, covering their ears from the shouts.
"See?" Lennard said. "She'll drive us all mad with her ravings. We need to make a decision, and we need to make it now."
Gale spread out breath of the void. This whole screaming thing was going to attract beasts. No beasts yet, but something felt missing. Anna was supposed to have her daughter nearby her…
"Where's Hailey?" he asked. The words silenced everyone in the convoy.

.
!
Chapter 44