Steel Hearts

Chapter [8] Confessions

I wasn’t sure what to expect as we proceeded deeper into the village. Every door to each home was marked with the same letter F I saw forged into the driver’s steel bracelet. It couldn’t have been coincidence. Something larger was happening, and I was clueless as to what it was.

Stopping in the center of the road in town, I turned in a full circle. The stores were intact. No broken windows. No sign of fire. No debris in the street that would tell me people had struggled.

“I don’t understand,” I muttered. “It’s like everyone disappeared into thin air.”

Ethan stood next to me, mimicking an explosion with his hands. “Poof…”

I glared at him. “I hate you.”

Yeah, it was childish of me to say, but it was the only feeling I had that moment. The only feeling I had whenever Ethan was near me. He had that effect on people, and it was clear I wasn’t the only one.

Chase slugged him in the arm. “Knock it off, man. This is our home. Maybe show a little respect?”

He laughed in response. “Home, you say? Then why did you both runaway if it’s so damn special?” His shoulders straightened as he raised his chin into the air. Arrogance fumed from every part of his being.

I didn’t know how to respond. Regardless our reasons for leaving, it was none of his business.

Chase ran his fingers through his tousled blonde hair. He stared down at the gravel road, pushing around tiny pebbles with the tip of his shoe. “Being caged up isn’t a life,” he said. “That’s not how we want to live the rest of our lives together.” His eyes darted my way when he mentioned our future with each other. They brightened. “There’s something wrong in our village. As far as we know, no one is able to carry a child to full term.”

My face reddened. Did Chase want to have children with me? We had never discussed it, and I know I’m too young. We still had to get off Earth before talking about family.

Ethan picked up small rocks and began to throw them high into the air, watching them land on top of rooftops, rolling back down onto the surface. He didn’t speak for a minute. His brows pulled inward when he cleared his throat, looking my way. “Your village isn’t the only place with this problem. Pretty sure Earth is carefully planning the extinction of the human species as we speak.”

I felt sick, holding my hand close to my stomach. Was I not able to have children? Would it be this way on the savior planet Juno?

Juno, I thought, trying to remembering the meaning in the name.

“Chase,” I said. “What does Juno stand for?” He was often a walking encyclopedia.

“Uh, if I remember correctly,” he said, pausing in thought. His eyes widened. “How did we not link this earlier?”

“What is it,” I asked anxiously.

Ethan and Chase seemed to form a silent connection, and said at once, “Juno is the fertility goddess.”

“So it is a widespread problem,” I said. “It just gives us more reason to leave this place for good. This was a waste of time!” My stomach still felt unsettled as energy rose from my feet, forming into anger that blazed up to my face, settling warmly onto my cheeks. Though heated, goosebumps inched their way across my arms even when the temperature outside was above average for summer.

“It’s wasn’t a complete waste, Mila,” said Chase. “We had to get away from those lunatics. Plus, we can gather some items now without being under a watchful eye.”