The Children of New Earth (14 page)

“I’m doubtful,” Isaac replied. “But I’ve gotten over it.”

“Do you remember what you were doing here?” I asked hopefully.

“I think so,” he began. “I was in my room when I heard gunfire from the yard. Our Sanctuary had been overrun by what you call ‘anarchists’. They killed almost all the Neogens and Parents, leaving their bodies in those rooms. I survived the firefight and stayed alive by locking the door and hiding. The next day I think one of their scouts reported a Titan wandering around the city. They didn’t want to risk a battle, so they just left us here.”

“Before the attack,” Cora began, “did two people visit your Sanctuary? A man and woman?”

“Maybe…I don’t know, my memory is still a little hazy. I’m sorry.”

It’s OK,” Cora seemed hopeful, and continued her line of questioning. “So how did everyone get infected? And how did you survive?” Cora questioned.

“I don’t know. No one had been vaccinated for a few months, and I suppose the virus interacts strangely with people who are already dead. All I can say is that no sooner had the anarchists left did I begin to hear strange noises in the other rooms. But I was too scared to leave. I never felt sick myself, but I guess the stuffy air made me fall unconscious. Next thing I remember is waking up to see you guys.”

“That’s how the virus works,” Cora said. “It kills you, everything shuts down…except that one part of the brain that tells you you’re still alive.”

“But how?” Isaac asked.

“No one knows,” I answered. “The cure is based on our natural immunity, not actual knowledge of the virus.”

“Well regardless, I don’t think it’s safe here. Not with that Titan wandering about.”

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore,” Lynn said quietly.

“What?” Isaac asked innocently.

“We were attacked,” she answered. “Our friend…my best friend…she killed it.”

“Whoa, what kind of power does she have? Where is she?”

“She’s a pyro-” Lynn stopped herself. “Doesn’t matter. She didn’t make it.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Isaac said, his curiosity turning to sympathy.

“What I don’t understand is how Cora and I were affected so adversely.”

“Might’ve just been the lack of oxygen,” she replied. “Aaron, did you guys come across the same thing?”

This whole time, Aaron was staring intently at Isaac, examining him and trying to read his personality.

“Aaron?” she repeated.

He took a deep breath. “I think… I know what power our friend Isaac has.” Then he raised his airgun, pointed it at Isaac’s chest, and pulled the trigger.

“WAIT!” we all yelled.

But it was too late. Isaac staggered backwards but wasn’t knocked down. Blood poured from the wound, and Isaac’s face went pale. However, just as I expected him to fall, the wound stopped bleeding. Isaac blinked, seemingly unfazed by what had just happened. Color returned to his face, and we were all shocked to see no wound over Isaac’s heart, but a perfectly clear patch of skin underneath a ripped shirt.

“Regeneration. That’s a new one,” Aaron said casually.

“ARE YOU INSANE?!” Cora yelled. “You could’ve killed him!”

“Oh, give me some credit,” Aaron pointed at a spot on Isaac’s shirt, several inches below the gunshot wound. There was another hole ripped through it, and another light patch of skin in that exact location. Then Aaron lifted Isaac’s left arm and revealed two more. “He was already shot. When he seemed unbothered by it for such a long while, my suspicions were confirmed.”

We were speechless, and I was actually impressed. It was ironic that the one person most frightened of the Demons and Hollows was the one person who could not be harmed. That’s how he must’ve survived the virus. It couldn’t kill him so the exposure simply put him to sleep and gave him amnesia.

“That does explain some things,” Isaac said. “When I was younger, every time I got a really bad cut or something, I wouldn’t feel it. Someone would point it out, we’d put a bandage on it, and a couple days later there’d be nothing but a faint scar.”

“So while all the other kids were playing with superpowers,” Rachel wondered. “You didn’t feel pain and your wounds healed faster than normal. That didn’t give you any hints?”

“I…well, no,” he answered sheepishly. “Guess I needed to die to find out I couldn’t.”

“Well, congratulations!” Lynn said half-heartedly. “Now, do you think you could tell us where the anarchists went?”

“Oh, um,” Isaac was flustered by her directness. “I heard some of them talking about going somewhere coastal.”

“Somewhere coastal?” Lynn repeated irritatedly. “That’s specific.”

Isaac racked his brain for a moment, and fortunately his memory served him well this time. “Oh, I know! Does ‘Cape Henlopen’ mean anything to you? I believe it’s south of here.”

Rachel pulled out her map and followed the coastline with her finger. “Here it is.”

She pointed at a small, sandy section of land jutting out from the continent. By the looks of it, there was a medium-sized town near the beach, adjacent to a collection of fields.

“It’s almost completely surrounded by water so it’s easily defendable,” Cora commented.

“And they can catch food from the sea and farm these nearby fields,” I added.

“But where’s the Sanctuary? There’s just sand here,” Aelia pointed out.

“Maybe it’s in the town?” Cora guessed.

“Or perhaps it’s underground,” Mark suggested.

“In either case, we can go back down the Delaware River, it’s a pretty direct route,” Aaron said.

Rachel let out a heavy sigh, realizing she would have to create and operate another boat. Just before turning to leave, we heard soft banging on the nearby door, followed by a familiar moaning.

“More Hollows,” Aaron said, raising his airgun. “Don’t worry, it sounds like only a couple of them.”

The door slowly creaked open, and sure enough, two Hollows walked into the sunlight. Aaron took aim, but was interrupted when Cora put her hand on the barrel of the weapon. We all stared at her, confused. But then I saw a look on her face that told me she knew exactly who they were. It was a man and a woman, both with wrinkly, pale skin and tattered clothing. The man’s eyes were a dull yellow color, and his mouth hung open, revealing rows of chipped teeth. The woman’s long, black hair was messily tied into a ponytail, but her blue eyes were all too familiar. Aaron lowered his gun and put his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Cora, I’m-”

“It’s OK,” she replied quickly. “It’s OK.”

The Hollows were squirming in the sunlight, unaware of our presence, but still advancing towards us. Cora took a deep breath and calmly took the gun from Isaac. We took a few steps back as she aimed. It didn’t feel right witnessing what was about to happen, so I looked down and shut my eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, I jumped when I heard the gunshots followed by the sound of two bodies hitting the ground. Then I heard a final thud as the gun landed on the grass. I opened my eyes to see Lynn’s arm around Cora, leading her away.

Chapter 10

Rachel advanced forward with the map, leading us to the river. Aaron and Mark went ahead as well, scanning the area. Lynn and Cora walked together behind me, talking quietly. I was much more wary than I had been before the Titan. I kept imagining that all these buildings were filled with Demons, and should they be disturbed, we wouldn’t make it out of the city. I wasn’t used to being constantly worried about an attack, it didn’t seem so real until we lost Aelia.

“We’re almost there,” Rachel said. “The river is only a mile away.”

I turned to make sure Lynn and Cora heard, and they nodded solemnly. When I turned back, Aaron had stopped was focusing intently on the ground a few meters ahead of us.

“Mark, do you have a reading?” I asked.

“Nothing. But I believe Aaron sees something.”

“Yeah, I’ve started to see through solid structures if I focus hard enough and…I think there’s something ahead.”

We all stopped and looked nervously down the street.

“Mark, do you sense anything?” I asked again.

“Sorry, I see nothing.”

“What is it exactly?” Isaac asked.

“I don’t know…there’s like this shifting just below the ground…there,” he pointed, “In the center of the intersection.”

“Well let’s hope your eyesight improves by the time we get there,” Rachel said.

We all hoped Aaron was mistaken, and continued forward. I found myself wondering about the times before the war. How our Parents would’ve been in a similar situation, except above them would be thousands of portals, releasing endless waves of Demons. Their survival was a miracle to me, and I couldn't imagine the relief they must’ve felt when the portals finally closed. I then remembered something Mark said back at Sanctuary about how the Eltechs were partly responsible for the end of the war. I had no idea what kind of weapon or device they used to accomplish this. I told myself I’d ask Cora once this was all over.

I was then startled by a cat that scurried by me towards the front of the group. It took me a moment to realize that it was Lynn. Moments later, Cora walked up next to me, and I realized my questions might be answered sooner than I thought.

“Listen, I know what you’re thinking,” she said calmly.

“I wasn’t gonna say anything.”

“It’s fine. I know you're curious, I’m a scientist too. When we don’t know something, we find out.”

“Glad you understand, but you don’t have to - “

“I know. And I won’t. Not yet.”

“Hey, you two,” Aaron whispered. “Keep it down.”

I turned back to her. “Look, I trust you. I haven’t known you all that long but I do. You don’t have to tell me anything now, but if it’s something that’ll affect us in the future, I’ll want to know.”

“I understand. And you will. For now, let’s just focus on making it out of here alive.”

“Agreed.”

We were almost out of the city and I could see the river in the distance. Evening had fallen, and the orange sky rested above the horizon. A strong gust of wind flew in from the south, carrying a foul odor with it. Strange noises emanated all around us and we found ourselves walking a little faster.

“It’s almost dark, friends. The Demons will become more active soon,” Aaron warned.

There was something odd about the road ahead of us. Only when we got a little closer did we see that there was a huge, gaping hole in the middle of the intersection. This must’ve been what Aaron saw earlier, and if he was right about the movement, there was something down there. I scanned the area to see if we could go around, but it seemed to stretch across the entire street.

“This is what I get for taking a shortcut,” Rachel sighed.

“I guess we’ll have to find another way?” Isaac suggested.

I did consider this but I knew we were all thinking the same thing: it was almost dark, and a delay was risky. I then looked curiously at Rachel; she had made a seaworthy boat that could carry 6 people, surely she could make something to get us across this chasm?

“Rachel, can you use your Orb?” I asked hopefully.

“Excellent idea!” Cora continued my thought. “The Orb maintains it’s shape by itself right? Just morph it into some kind of bridge.”

Rachel thought for a moment before agreeing. “What would you guys do without me?” she joked, laying her Orb on the ground.

She then had it slowly widen to about six feet, and then glide across the crater, expanding upon its original density and continuing to grow until it reached the other side, where it settled down with a light
clink
as the metal met the road. Rachel was first to test her creation, and besides a few minor shifts, the bridge seemed secure.

Lynn went next, followed by Cora, Isaac, and then me. Aaron volunteered to cross last, being the chivalrous soldier that he is. It wasn’t too difficult to maintain balance, but I couldn’t help but take one look down into the darkness below. I was just barely able to make out the outline of several cars amidst the rubble. And though I didn’t want to believe it, I could’ve sworn something was down there looking up at me. I also heard a strange, familiar scratching resonating in the shadows. Trying to ignore this, I continued onward. I was barely halfway across when the bridge began to wobble and I nearly lost my balance. Upon regaining it, I looked at the other side to see Rachel telekinetically stabilizing the bridge and mouthing the word, “Sorry!”

What I did not notice were the fragments of the road that broke off and fell into the pit. I was startled by the sound of rocks crashing into metal, and the eerie noises underneath me grew louder and more restless. By now, I had assumed that I was hearing a group of idle Hollows. Had they been Demons, their cries would’ve been a lot more aggressive. I reminded myself I wasn’t in any immediate danger, and made it across the bridge.

Aaron crossed over last, his trip going much more smoothly than mine. We stood for a moment at the edge of the chasm as Rachel retrieved her Orb, listening to the Hollows below. It was easy to forget that they were people, alive and, in their own way, conscious. No one knew what they were experiencing, if their minds were truly lost or if they could see and feel everything, trapped in unresponsive bodies.

However, their hoarse cries turned into something more akin to whimpering. We were about to turn and head to shore, but this change in behavior made us risk one last glance. Only the slight motion of hands was visible, as the Hollows seemed to be trying to claw their way back up. Suddenly, we heard a deep, ear-splitting roar that shook the Earth. The entire abyss was then lit up by a flood of fire, originating from an adjacent underground tunnel. It revealed the area to be covered in blood, bodies, and dozens of infected. Booming footsteps heralded the approach of the creature that had spawned the fire.

Its wings were retracted, but they seemed to stretch almost fifty feet in either direction. Obsidian skin shone brightly in the light of the flames, and the beast walked on four legs, each paw equipped with sharp, white claws. Two horns jutted out from either side of its head. When the creature opened its mouth, several rows of bloody teeth stuck out menacingly. No one said a word, but we all knew. It was a Dragon.