Chronicles of the Unknowns: Control

Chapter 16

It was still dark out when I got everyone up so that we could make our move.

"Scott your job is to sit in the back of the truck with the fertilizer," I said.

"No way. You smell that ammonia just like I do. You want me to suffocate to death?" he asked.

"It won't be for long. It's maybe a ten minute drive tops."

"Lei you'll be in the passenger seat while I drive," I handed her a piece of cloth.

"Cover your eyes with this and don't take it off until I tell you. Understood?"

She nodded before complying.

"What about me?" Alex asked.

"You're going to stay here. Find a car for us to use on the way back," I answered.

"You sure you know what you're doing, Celeste?" Scott asked, all three of them looked at each other as if they were thinking the same thing.

"Kinda late to be asking that isn't it? You've trusted me thus far. When the moment comes, you'll know what to do." I paused, "I specifically chose you all because I know that none of you will get killed. You guys are a lot like me, so I felt like I could trust you."

Alex gave me a knowing look, but they all seemed to relax a bit. Scott climbed into the back, and I shut the door behind them. Lei covered her eyes with the cloth as I started up the truck. I took a deep breath. It was now or never.

I drove quickly, but made sure not to be too reckless. Keeping an eye out for landmarks I'd had the wolves take note of earlier, I knew when we were close.

"Lei, you're going to switch places with me in the driver's seat."

"Huh?"

"Take off your blind folds and switch places with me."

She removed the cloth from her face and we gingerly swapped places.

"Keep your foot on the gas pedal and don't stop."

"But...there is a building there."

"I know. You can regenerate, correct? Don't let up on the gas."

"Yes, I can, but..."

"I know it's scary, but if I didn't think you could do it, I wouldn't have asked. You can regenerate. You'll be okay. And we aren't going far. I promise. This is for the future of our kind," I said putting my hand on the steering wheel, guiding it back to the path.

Lei nodded and revved the accelerator. I rolled down the window and climbed out, partially morphing my hands and toes into bear claws that allowed me to dig into the side of the truck. The building was rushing up quickly. We had to act fast.

I crawled along the side of the truck until I reached the back, then I flung the door open. Scott looked up at me, surprised. Very deliberately, I pulled a lighter out from my waist band and lit it, given Scott a knowing look. The blood drained from his face before he a devious grin crept across both of their faces. I flipped out of the truck, to put enough distance between myself and what was about to happen.

The truck closed in the building.

CRASH!

Rubble began falling down on the truck. Metal crumpled as it made contact with the brick exterior of the building. Flames appeared near the engine and before I could verify that Lei had made it out safely there were several rapid fire flashes of blinding white light.

BOOM!

I was at least a hundred feet away, but I was still send flying backward, tumbling roughly on the concrete. As I rolled, all I could make out was flashes between the sky above and the ground beneath me, with the sky suddenly turning from a crystal clear blue to a black cloud engulfing everything around me. My head cracked against the pavement.