Apocalypse

take us. We’re both armed and good in a fight.”

“How many are they?”

“Five. As of four hours ago, they were on the other side of those hills. Now, they could be anywhere.”

I now noticed something among the pack animals that greatly disturbed me. The dust had settled a bit, revealing not only the animals and the robed and hooded figures leading them…but also humans, thin, stooping.

Chained.

“Makara…”

It appeared she noticed, too. Her face went white.

“These are slavers,” she said.

Now, the hooded men seemed all the more sinister, and more filed our way. Some held rifles. I could count at least six of them.

“You travel to Oasis?” Makara asked. “Slavery is illegal there.”

“Times are changing, girl. Raine is dead, and the L.A. gangs are always looking for fresh meat. Ohlan will let us stay there, with fair compensation, of course.”

Both of the men stepped forward. Makara pulled out her handgun.

“Stop.”

Instantly, four hooded men drew their own guns, pointing them at us.

“Put down your weapon, now,” the man said. “This is our only offer.”

“Let me make you an offer,” Makara said. “You take one step closer and I’ll blow your brains out. Now back off.”

The man smirked, amused. His companion stood next to him, saying nothing. The other hooded men stood by, waiting for their master’s order.

“It was nice knowing you, Makara,” I said.

Then, the sound of a horn came from the caravan. The hooded men looked at each other.

Makara smiled. “Looks like you got some real raiders to deal with now.”

Gunshots fired near the caravan. I could see men – the same men we had run from just hours before – running toward the goods-laden train.

“Defend the caravan!” the leader said.

It was amazing how quickly they turned from us. I guess, just this once, we were allowed to get lucky. Makara grabbed me by the arm.

“Now would be a good time to go,” she said.

For what seemed the tenth time that day, we started running, away from the trail and into the desert to the east. After running about a mile, we slowed to a walk. We still heard the sounds of guns in the distance.

“No more running,” I said.

“We need more distance,” Makara said. “Brux might have seen us.”

By now, the afternoon light was fading. When Makara saw me lagging behind, she knew she couldn’t push me any further. Off in the distance stood a little house. It looked so similar to the one we had stayed in the night before that at first I thought it was the same one. But, I knew it couldn’t be because we were in a completely different area.

“Let’s hope no one’s home,” Makara said. “I’ve never stayed out this far before. Hopefully, Brux and his gang don’t know about this place.”

When we arrived, the door was wide open. We went in, finding it empty and full of dust. Makara dropped her stuff on the floor, and I dropped mine nearby. I went back out on the porch, where two chairs were. I wrapped myself in my blanket, and sat.

“That doesn’t look good,” Makara said.

“What?”

She pointed toward the eastern horizon. I could see a wall of low mountains that seemed to be moving. Then, I realized they weren’t mountains. They were clouds. Lightning flashed within them.

“Nasty one, from the looks of it,” Makara said. “Better grab these chairs and step inside. It’s going to be a long night.”

“What is it?”

“A solid wall of dust and electricity. They’ll kill you if you’re caught in one. Lightning strikes, getting buried in the sand, something heavy being thrown at you… they’re called Devil’s Walls for a reason.”

“Will the house hold up?”

“Probably. It’s seen hundreds of storms, I’ll bet. But you never know.”

“Comforting.”

“Come on. Let’s move.”

The clouds were closer now. They moved incredibly fast. The last gleams of the fading sun cast pink, purple, and orange over it. The shifting of light and shadow, together with the lightning, gave it dangerous beauty.

Makara pulled me inside and shut the door tight.

Chapter 16

As soon as we were in, I collapsed on the floor.

“Hope the storm gets to Brux and the rest of them,” Makara said. “That would make things a lot easier.”

Makara and I sat in our chairs as the first wave of sand slammed against the house’s eastern wall. From the groan of the wood, I thought it would cave in right there. But it held up, and only creaked.

From the windows, lightning flashed, so close I thought it would hit us. Living underground, I had never seen lightning. I didn’t expect it to be so blinding and so…terrifying.

We ate a quick meal – the last of the rice bread, and some water, and went to sleep along the western wall.

Well, Makara went to sleep. It was much harder for me. The lightning and the storm were too much. The house was cold and pitch black, and I could only see when lightning flashed outside. I watched Makara’s form, wondering how she could sleep through it.

Outside, the wind roared, and the temperature dropped until I could see my breath clouding the dry air. All I wanted was to be warm. The wind seeped through the cracks, and I could feel the dust settling on my face, getting in my mouth. My hands and feet were numb. Makara’s breaths were still even with sleep.

“Makara?”

She didn’t hear me. I got up, and began pacing the house. I was tired, sore, and cold – and, as always, hungry and thirsty. I wanted nothing more than to be back underground, where it was warm, where it was safe, and where there was always food. I would have killed for a hot shower.

I lay down again. If I had the guts, I would have woken Makara up and asked to share our blankets.

Finally, I was drifting off again. I was on the edge of dreams when a guttural scream shook the entire frame of the house, jolting me awake.

Makara’s eyes opened and she shot up from where she had been laying. She reached for her gun, and held it close. She looked at me and held a finger to her mouth.

“Don’t move,” she whispered.

I heard something, something big, scratching on the ground outside. It was barely discernible above the roar of the wind. I heard what I thought were heavy breaths. I hoped it was only the wind.

“It’s one of them,” she said.

“Here?”

We lay in the house, quiet. My heart was pounding. I hoped that if I breathed softly, if I didn’t move, it would go away. The storm raged on outside. We waited for what seemed an hour.