HERO

28 / Realisation

Even though it was daylight outside, in the trees, it felt like dusk. The temperature had dropped, thanks to the lack of sunlight seeping through the branches, and the same lack of light gave it the appearance of the edge of night. Thomas felt as if he were creeping through a graveyard. The trees were the tombstones and, between their roots, zombiefied hands would push forth in preparation of the following undead corpse.

Thomas shivered. It was an image he didn't need, yet the image was unshakeable. He moved closer to Bren, ignoring her questioning look.

When they emerged from the cover of the mini forest, Bren took his hand.

"What are you doing?" Thomas asked, though he didn't mind the contact. It made him feel less of a liability.

"Making it look like we're a couple and we've just been exploring. People will just look through us rather than at us."

Thomas was, again, pleased and surprised by the way she thought. He would never be able to see things that way. The way they should be seen if you were to survive.

"Don't sell yourself short, Thomas," Bren said. "You're not as useless as you think or been made to think."

"What do you mean," he asked.

"You, believing you can't be as good as me. I'm not all that. Give yourself a break."

"But I didn't say that."

Bren stopped dead and Thomas only just stopped before walking right into her.

"What?"

"I didn't say that. I didn't say anything."

"You must have."

"No, I really didn't. Did you read my thoughts?"

"I... I don't know. I didn't mean to."

"What are you?" Thomas asked incredulously.

"I... I don't know. I don't like it."

"What you mean? I'd be excited!"

Bren shook, not just her head, but her entire body. A shudder ran through her and Thomas couldn't tell if it was of self revulsion or the eagerness he was feeling at the prospect of what she was becoming. If she gained powers at the rate she was, there would have been no stopping her. She would have been able to put a stop to the murder for entertainment that was the Spot. She could find a way to help those that lost their mind before finding their powers. Seeing her direction was as it was, Bren could, maybe, force Womack to change things. He could cause another Outbreak to ensure children were born with powers, instead of having to wait to gain them.

Waiting was the worst. Waiting meant every day was filled with uncertainty. You woke up each morning and waited for either rebirth or... or madness.

Didn't she see that? The good she could do?

"I'm scared," she said.

"Scared of what?"

"Of what?" She Squeezed his hand and brought it up in front of her face. "I could crush your fingers with no effort at all. I could see into your head and no what you had for breakfast or what scares you the most. Not the things you tell everyone. The things you don't."

Thomas tried to pull his hand from her grip, but Bren wasn't letting go. She wasn't hurting him, not yet, but she was refusing to release him.

"OK!" he said, trying to keep his voice calm and failing. "I get it! Let me go!"

She didn't, and her face told him why.

"Thomas. I don't know what's happening to me! I don't know where this will end. These powers. It isn't right. We're not meant to get so many! What if our bodies can't take them all? What if they – we - aren't built for it? Shit, we're not meant to even have one, let alone however many I'm going to end up with!"