Steel Hearts

Chapter [14] Dead Woods

Trees were once plentiful, green to a fault, so brilliant in color during the Fall season, it could take your breath. But the woods that came after the demolition of the planet is barren land. I'd hope the tree Chase and I had called our own near the village was still prolific, thriving in the worst of times - an ability to provide the desolate land with bountiful foliage.

I hooked my arm around Chase's. "Think our tree is still alive?"

He nodded in silence, each step he took snapped a dried-out branch.

Tugging at his arm, I demanded his attention. "What's wrong? Why are you being so quiet?" I looked away from him, staring forward at the back of the heads of Ethan, Inara, and Tank. They shuffled along, eerily quiet, too.

"Seriously, everyone stop!" Moving away from Chase, I stood between him and the other three who now turned to look at me in bewilderment. "We've obviously have come to some disagreement between all of us, so let's fix this now before moving on. I know I'm not the best choice to make decisions, or to lead us into the unknown. This isn't easy, I get that. But in order for us to work together we have to stick together. As a team." I shifted my gaze over to Ethan. He smiled, then looked down at his feet, shoving his hands in his front pant pockets. Taking a deep breath, I stared up through what once was a canopy of leaves, only to find gray laden sky. This is hopeless. We're all too different.

The grotesque frame of Tank emerged into the center of the group. He looked at each and every one of us straight in the eyes while a small stick stuck out from between his lips. He bit down a couple times then spit the remainder to the ground. "I'm gonna look for Shooter," he said point-blank.

Inara lunged forward, roughly yanking at Tank's massive arm. "Are you stupid?" she said, her cheeks flushed red. "That's suicidal and dumb. God! I swear I'm surrounded by a bunch of idiots!"

Tank pushed her away. She lost balance on a dead log and fell backward onto the ground, her eyes widened.

"How dare you!" she managed to squeak out in a high-pitched voice. "All of you can rot! I'm going my own way and doing things on my own terms!" After she stood, Inara faced Tank, pointing at him with a mud-caked finger. "Traitor."

Chase moved forward quickly, slapping Inara's hand back down to her side. She scowled and wrapped her arms across her chest. I couldn't believe the mess we were in. At the rate we were going, we'd get nowhere.

I took a step, carefully managing what I was about to say next. "Inara is right in a sense," I said, hating that I actually was taking her side. "Going after someone who might be dead isn't probably the best idea. Right now, we need to find shelter and food. There isn't a lot of daylight left until we're stuck in the cold."

Ethan finally spoke up. "Mila's right. Let's move on before it gets too late and we're all suffering. I for one, don't want to be freezing. We're all tired and weak, the cold will just add to that. So are we ready to move now?" His eyes flitted to me, his cheeks rosy. He looked away as though embarrassed at his own actions.

Stop with the looks, Ethan, I thought, sneaking a glimpse at Chase who seemed unaware of the secret glances we shared.

Snap.

I turned, searching the dead woods for the source that made the noise. My heart strummed loudly inside my ears - lub-dub-lub-dub - I could barely hear Chase speak next to me. He took my hand in his and stood still. Our arms brushed against one another, united, bracing for what is beyond the withering trees.

The figure emerged, stumbling toward us. He appeared in worse shape than before. Gripping his blistered arms around the trunk of a tree, his body slid to the ground, wobbling on both knees. Terrible noises slipped away from his mouth. Cracked lips oozed fluids, blood formulating between the cracks of what teeth he had left.

I squeezed Chase's hand tightly. "I can't believe what I'm seeing."

Inara walked past me toward the bottom-feeder. "Sanders...he came back?" She looked over her shoulder at me. "What now, princess?" The bottom-feeder reached outward, wriggling his mutilated hand at Inara.

Moving away from Chase, I stepped alongside Inara. We both stared down at the groaning bottom-feeder. Tank rushed past me, a cool breeze left in his wake. Throwing his right leg forward, the bottom of his foot connects to Sanders chest, sending him flying backward into a pile of dried-out brush.

Inara pushed Tank from behind. "Stop! Can't you see he's not here to harm us?"

Tank rolled his beady eyes at her. "What? Sanders your pet now? You're crazy!"

Ethan stepped between them, holding out his hands. "Both of you get a grip," he said in a low voice. "We're out here in the middle of dead woods yelling. I'd suggest you both shut up before we attract the unwanted attention from dangerous bottom-feeders or Reconnoiters." His chest rose and fell rapidly. Dropping his hands to his side, he let out a long exhale. "Let's focus on the task at hand - Sanders."

Inara threw her hands up in the air. "That’s simple," she said, giving Ethan a perplexed look. "We take him with us." She nodded, agreeing with her own terms.

I noticed Chase took a seat against a tree, drawing his legs into his chest. He leaned over his knees, allowing his forearms to dangle freely. He seemed lost. Walking over to him, I crouched, touching his arm.

"Hey," I said, pulling his gaze to mine. "You haven't said much. Want to talk about it?" Moving my fingers up and down the length of his arm, I traced circles until he finally smiled. "There you are."

"I'm fine," he said and sighed. "I just don’t know where I fit in all this." Chase waved his hands around in the air while he spoke. "You seem to have found your place, making decisions, leading the pack. I guess - " He stopped.

"What?" I urged him on, nudging his leg.

"I'm not needed anymore," he added. "You're amazing without my help."

I shook my head. "That is so far from the truth, Chase. I love you. I need you."

He shifted, opening his legs so I could crawl between them and huddled against his chest. His warm body wrapped me with comfort, something close to a feeling like home. Staying that way would be ideal, but reality of being stuck in the middle of dead woods has settled in my mind.

Chase kissed the top of my head. "You stink," he said, sniffing my hair.

Even though I couldn't see him, I knew he was grinning ear to ear. I leaned to my left and looked up at him giving him a sheepish smile.

"Like you don't?" I said, elbowing him softly in the stomach. He faked an exasperated sound and pulled me back into a tight bear hug.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of light strike a tree near Tank and Ethan. Then another flash, and another. We were under attack.

"Chase!" I said, tugging at his hand. "Run!"

Ethan and Inara ran alongside us. There was no sign of Tank. I tried looking over my shoulder but it only slowed me down. Movement from behind turned into a whiteout of uniforms. Reconnoiters.

I looked over at Ethan. "Recons!"

Inara slowed down, holding her side. "I can't - I can't run anymore," she said.

Grabbing her arm, I pulled her with me, and we both tripped, falling to the ground. I scraped my chin first, and then the palm of my hands dug into broken branches. Inara was still next to me, her head appeared to have collided into the side of a tree. The world had slowed. Chase and Ethan's hands tugged at my sleeves.

I tried to sit up, regain my composure, while a whiteout of moving figures closed in on us.