“We’ve put a lot of effort into making sure it is,” Royce said with a half-smile. “Trust me, no one here wants to lose electricity or all of our electrical devices. We all lived in the dark for too long. None of us want to go back.”
I nodded that I understood as I paced around the Pulse. The central ring of it was spinning rapidly, each of the outer rings moving steadily as well.
It seemed like there were a million things that could go wrong in the next four or five hours. The device could just not work. Its reach could be no further than the walls of this hospital. The precautions to proof this building could fail. I could be dead in just a few hours.
But if everything went off as planned, life was going to change dramatically. We could go out into the city. We could start to rebuild. I dreamed of the outcome for the simple reason of being able to go back out into the sun freely.
I spent an hour, just looking at the beautiful blue glow of the Pulse, trying to not think of anything, to simply zone it all out. But before long I was advised to leave the Pulse room. As the power it held built, I could feel the sting of electrical output. I didn’t argue as I descended the stairs. As I did, my pager started beeping.
The medical wing was quieter by then, all of the damage from the previous day’s mission taken care of. When I came back into Avian’s room I found him sitting up, tying the shoelaces of his boots.
“How do you feel?” I asked as I leaned against the doorframe, my arms folded over my chest.
“Like I’ve been shot three times,” he said with a chuckle. “But better.”
“You sure you want to be getting up now?”
“You sound like me,” he teased as he stood slowly.
“Just worried about you.”
“Now you know the feeling,” he said as he took a few steps toward me, limping as he did, his eyebrow raising. “I see you lost your guard.”
“I think he got bored.”
“Everything almost ready?”
I nodded as we turned and walked out of the room. Avian put an arm across my shoulder, letting me help with his wounded leg. “I think so. It’s a bomb of electricity up there. I had to leave.”
“I’d be lying if I said this whole thing didn’t scare me.”
“Royce assures me the hospital will be protected,” I said as we continued down the hall. We walked up the stairs to the second floor and went into Avian’s room. He kicked off his boots again and laid gingerly back on the bed. “I just needed out of that stuffy room,” he said when he saw the smirk on my face. I just shook my head and lay next to him, nestling in the crook of his good arm.
“I’ve been thinking about something. If you don’t like it, just tell me. I will understand.”
“What?” he asked as he pressed his cheek to the top of my head.
“I think I should be in with West when the Pulse goes off. Even if he can’t hear me, there are a few things I need to say to him. Something doesn’t feel right inside of me and I think it’s because West has no idea what is going on. It feels too unfair.”
Avian propped himself up just enough to look down into my eyes. “I think you should. We don’t know what is in his future and I think you should be there when this happens. I don’t like feeling like we’ve gone behind his back with this.”
I brought my hand to the side of Avian’s face. “I hoped you would understand.”
“Even if you say you don’t love him, he means a lot to you. He always will,” Avian said as he looked down at me. “I would never expect that to change. People affect you, some stay with you forever. West will be one of those people.”
I gave him a small smile, blinking several times before I pressed my lips to his briefly. “Thank you.”
“What do you want to do once this is over?” Avian asked, changing the subject, and lying back down. He may have understood but West being in the picture had still caused him pain in the past. I didn’t blame him for not wanting to talk about West anymore.
“Get out of this hospital,” I said immediately, settling my head back against his shoulder. “I just realized that I hate being here. The people are fine, and I will admit it is nice to feel so protected. But this place feels like a prison. I can’t breathe. I need some sun.”
“I wondered how you were handling being locked up in here,” he said.
“I want to see the ocean,” I said as I stared at the white ceiling. “West told me about it once. How big and intimidating it is. We’re so close to it I swear I can almost smell it at times.
“What about you?”
Avian was thoughtful for a while. “I just want freedom to go wherever I want. I have no complaints about how things ran in Eden. In a way it was a utopia. But I couldn’t ever leave. I was limited to this mile radius of wherever the people of Eden were. After the trip out here, of having the freedom to move around even just the hospital as I wish, it’s been freeing. I want to just take off into the mountains if I want, to go, I don’t know, explore if I want to, without having to worry about someone dying if I’m unavailable.”
“You’ve been a prisoner in a way for the last five years,” I said as I nuzzled closer. I’d reinforced that feeling multiple times, telling Avian that he couldn’t leave. Everyone had needed him too much. He’d saved so many lives.
He pressed his lips briefly to my forehead. “And I just want to spend time with you.”
THIRTY-NINE
The blue floor was a buzz of activity again, people rushing in and out of every room. Such chaos before the storm. It was easy to feel the excitement that coursed through their veins but you could almost touch their nervousness as if it were a tangible thing. I felt my own heartbeat pick up a few paces.
There was only one doctor in the Extraction room when we walked in. He entered something into a computer as we approached, glancing up at us. “I’m almost done, then you can be alone with him.”
“How is he doing?” Avian asked. As he spoke, I remembered what Royce had said about what he had done for West. Despite everything, Avian had risked his life to save West’s.
“No change yet,” the doctor said as he stepped away from the computer, ready to leave. “It hasn’t been very long though. We won’t know any different for about a week, probably more.”
Avian gave a nod and the doctor stepped out.
We walked up to the Extractor silently, each lost in our thoughts. I knew Avian felt no sense of relief at now having West out of the way, no longer a distraction to me. That was just Avian, always pure-hearted and a good man.
“I hope he responds soon,” Avian said quietly as we stopped five feet away from the curved arms that rose around West, circling him in an open bowl. “He is a good soldier.”
I simply nodded, unable to say much. My throat was tight.
Avian’s hand slipped into mine. “Take as much time as you need.”
He pressed a quick kiss to my forehead and left without another word. I glanced at the clock as he closed the door behind him. Fifteen minutes to activation.
Thoughts raced through my head in a mixed up jumble of words and emotions. Where did I start and where did I stop? Was this totally pointless if West couldn’t even hear me? I had already been told that West was in a medically induced coma.
I grabbed a chair and sat in front of him.
I hated seeing him so broken. West had always been so strong, he had always survived and could take care of himself. He had proven that over the last five years. And here he was, after such a long battle, right as our enemy was about to be wiped out, his system infected.
A horrifying thought occurred to me then. If the extraction didn’t work, if it was too late, West would be the only body left around that was still actively infected if the Pulse worked. They would only try to cure him for so long. They could only keep his body around for so long. As it was now, they could no longer touch his skin with their bare hands without getting infected themselves. Eventually, if he didn’t respond, they would have to destroy his body.
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“You have to pull out of this,” I started. “You’re too strong to go down like this. I need to say this to your face, to tell you what has happened these past few days. This is too easy and too hard all at the same time. But in case I don’t get that chance, I’m going to tell you now and hope that you can somehow hear me.”
I swallowed hard, my eyes falling to my hands, my fingers interlocked. “You woke something up inside of me. I didn’t used to care about being with someone. About feeling attachment. About getting close to people. And despite how terrible my past is, I’m glad you had the answers for me, most of them anyway. I don’t think you can fully understand who you are until you know where you’ve come from.
“But something was missing between us, West. Loving someone isn’t just about feeling passion, or whatever it is. You got under my skin, you drove me insane. And I could have gotten over those things. You learn to deal with people’s faults. But I never felt like I could trust you. You deliberately kept things from me, with no intention to ever tell me the truth. I can’t have a relationship built on lies. You carry too many secrets.”
I paused, taking a few deep breaths, unsure if I would ever be able to give this speech again if West did wake up. It felt like I was ripping myself to shreds. And yet I felt so relieved, to finally understand how I felt. To be speaking the truth.
“I love Avian,” I said quietly, my chest swelling with my words. “I have for a while, I just didn’t realize it.
“I’ve made my choice, West.”
As the words escaped my lips the building suddenly shook and I faintly heard glass shatter.
This was it.
The lights flickered as all the electricity was directed to the roof. Another blast could be faintly heard. The building shook again, frightening moans echoing through the walls. A third blast sounded, the air surging. And then all was quiet and still.
I was still alive.
Royce had been right. They’d protected the hospital.
Cheering erupted out in the halls. Feet pounded the floor as people ran toward the stairs and elevator.
“Goodbye, West,” I whispered.
I walked out the door.
FOURTY
I took the stairs two at a time to find everyone. As I sprinted into the lobby, I saw everyone standing at the front sliding doors, the protective steel doors retracted, looking through the thin glass out into the sunlight.
I was confused by their hesitancy at first, their silence. But they were afraid. Afraid that it might not have worked. Afraid that it might have.
I worked my way to the front of the crowd, stepping out in front of them. A few hundred eyes settled on my back as I hesitated for a moment. Taking a deep breath, I pried the doors open, letting in a rush of sun filled air. Just before I stepped outside, a familiar hand slid into mine. I glanced over at Avian, his burning blue eyes giving me courage.
We stepped out into the light, the streets perfectly silent. Making sure no Hunters were hiding in the shadows, waiting to leap out at us, the two of us crossed the street to another building. My heart hammering in my chest, we looked through the windows.
They were all there, crumpled in a pile of destroyed metal and flesh.
“It worked,” I breathed, opening the door. I slipped inside, my eyes widening as I saw dozens of bodies lying around, empty eyes staring up at us. “It worked.”
Avian walked up to a woman with a half-metal face and pushed her shoulder with his booted toe. She didn’t move. “They’re dead,” he whispered.
“They’ve been dead for a long time,” I said as I nudged a body. I couldn’t even tell if it was male or female anymore. “They just can’t kill us anymore.”
Not one of them moved as we continued to check the bodies. Assured that none of them were faking, we walked back out into the sunlight. Faces watched us from the doorway of the hospital, a few of Royce’s men standing just outside, their firearms held tightly.
“It worked,” Avian said loudly as we crossed the street. “The Bane are dead!”
That was all it took. Everyone started pouring out of the building in a stampede, rushing out onto the street. Cries of joy echoed off the buildings, laughter emanating from everywhere. I couldn’t help but smile too. Avian turned his face to the blue sky, a laugh shaking his entire body. He pulled me into his arms for a moment and gave me a tight squeeze.
“This probably wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for you,” Royce’s voice came from behind us. He struggled to coordinate himself on the crutches. “We owe you a lot.”
“You would have found some other way if I hadn’t come along,” I said, giving him a small smile.
“We would have lost a lot more people,” he said, clapping a hand on my right shoulder. “Thank you.”
“Thank you,” I said as I watched him hobble down the street after his people.
“They did it,” Tuck said, his hands pushed into his pockets as he walked up to us.
“We all did,” Avian said as he glanced at me.
“Just imagine Eden’s surprise when our messages lead them into a cleared city,” he said with a smile creeping onto his face.
“They were planning to leave in just over a week,” Avian said. “We should be seeing them in less than two.”
“How different Eden is going to be,” I breathed.
“Not so different,” Avian said as he slid his hand into mine. “We’ll always have each other. As long as we have that, it will always be Eden.”
And as usual, I knew Avian was right.
FOURTY-ONE
Not a single trace of glass was to be found as the roof of the hospital was flooded with its occupants. The Pulse sat in the middle of the expansive space, a gleaming trophy for every single one of us. It was a testament to mankind’s will to survive. To live.
Twinkling lights were strung around the area, the only light to see by beside the huge moon that loomed in the sky. Music filtered through a box that was plugged into one of the many electrical cords that ran back into the building. I watched as people moved in time with it, saw their smiling faces as they held each other close.
The rest of the members of Eden had arrived only six days after the Pulse went off. When Hunters had been spotted every day for three days straight they decided they had no other choice but to leave early. Their truck had run better and faster than ours had and they found us quickly.
I had felt like my insides might burst from the joy I felt as we explained to them the bodies they saw lying everywhere. We were finally safe. Hopefully for a good long while. Nearly every one of them had tears in their eyes.
I hesitantly hugged Gabriel when a sob escaped his chest. “Thank you,” he had simply whispered. I pulled Bill into my arms next. To my surprise, he didn’t let go for quite a while. Even though I knew it made him uncomfortable, I pulled Graye into a hug as well and gave him a tight squeeze. It felt so good to see my brothers again.
Their joy was crushed though when we told them about West. Their tears of joy quickly turned to tears of sorrow. Victoria broke down into sobs. I didn’t think West ever realized just how loved he had been in Eden. He had been accepted as a family member, even if he didn’t realize it.
What was unexpected though, was seeing the way Wix looked at Victoria, the way he consoled her tears. I didn’t anticipate seeing her slide her hand into his. And to see Brady grab Wix’s other hand and call him “daddy.” Apparently I’d been way off the marker thinking she and Avian were falling for each other.
And so there we were, three days later, watching as Wix and Victoria stood before the one-hundred and thirty-six residents of Los Angeles. Gabriel stood with them and spoke of love lasting beyond death. And wearing the white dress she had picked from one of the long forgotten about shops, she and Wix spoke words to each other I finally understood.
Maybe I should have waited to have Dr. Beeson lessen my emotional blockers. Ever since the rest of my family was reunited, I’ve felt everything was
going to overwhelm me. One little bit at a time, he said, and someday I’d be normal. As normal as I could be anyway. Now I had to decide if I really wanted to be normal. Already at times I felt everything would consume me, all the joy I felt, all the sorrow I experienced for the billions of lives that had been lost.
But mostly I felt an overwhelming sense of hope for the future.
We’d slowly been clearing bodies out of the city in the days since the Pulse went off. Even though we knew everything was dead, most of us didn’t trust having them all lying in the streets and in buildings. There was enough live tissue left in most of them for there to be a risk of disease spreading. We were never going to be able to clear all the hundreds of thousands of bodies out, but we would clear the areas we inhabited. The floor of the Pacific Ocean would be littered with bodies.
I pushed the plate of food away from me as I brought myself back to the present, feeling fuller than I could remember ever feeling. Avian walked over in his recently picked out suit, two cups filled with some kind of liquid. He offered one to me and when I shook my head, he set them down on the table. I couldn’t help but smile at him as he held a hand out to me. I took it and stood, the green silky fabric of the dress I wore sliding around my body in an alien way.
My hand in his, Avian led us to the area of the roof where people danced, moving in time to the music that wove around us. He slid his hand around my waist, pulling me close, resting his cheek against mine.
“You look amazing,” he said quietly as we moved in a slow circle.
“You clean up pretty nicely yourself,” I said with a smile.
We danced slowly, our hearts slowing to the same rhythm.
“I can’t believe you asked me if I was in love with Victoria,” Avian suddenly said with a chuckle.
“You’re bringing this up now?” I said defensively as I backed away from him just a bit.
“I just think it’s funny,” he said with a chuckle, pulling me close again. I just shook my head and rolled my eyes, even though he couldn’t see.