Theo worked in silence under the full moon's light on the beach.
He picked a spot well above the high tide line and dug a shallow grave with a shovel he found in the boat. Hera tried to help but felt more in the way than anything. She wandered into the nearby brush and gathered small boulders, twigs, and twine.
After a dozen trips, the grave was ready. Theo carried Jane's body from the boat and lowered it gently into the hole, gently brushing the hair from her face.
"I'm sorry." He whispered as he climbed out. They filled the hole back in, and Theo wordlessly took the collected boulders and covered the top of the grave.
Hera sat on the damp sand and tied together two branches, making a small cross. Then, when she was done, she brought it over and placed it in the sand by the head of the grave.
She thought Theo might say a few words, but when she looked up, he had gone. She searched fearfully and noticed his shadowy form walking along the brush and down the beach towards civilization.
"This might be a bad time..." She froze and turned, stunned at the man before her.
"Joel?" She ran over and wrapped him in an embrace. "How?" She questioned in shock.
"Illusion..." He said sheepishly, running a hand through his hair. Hera looked past and couldn't see another vessel.
"Were you in the boat the whole time?"
Joel looked mortified. "It never felt like a good time to let my presence be known..."
Hera could feel his embarrassment and shook her head in awe. "You are such an idiot," she said, hugging him again. "I'm glad you're okay," she said, sniffing looking over at Jane's grave.
"We need to find Theo." She spoke determinedly, "then we can figure out our next move."
They hurried down the beach and came across a sparse car park. Hera looked nervously around for Theo and spotted him sitting in an idling Jeep facing the exit. She grabbed Joel's hand and rushed over, jumping in the back seat.
He didn't seem to notice or perhaps care that Joel was, in fact, alive and drove off down the winding roads. Hera stared out the window for a while, feeling hurt at the coldness she felt from Theo. She understood his need to grieve, but she couldn't shake the feeling he blamed her in some way.
She rested her head on the glass and looked at his profile, noticing the angry red scar she left on his nape. She hoped the shield mod would hold firm and he would heal quickly. Then, she shifted her gaze to his face.
It was so beautiful, illuminated by the glow of the moon, but there was a hardness that caused her heart to drop. His eyes lost their shine, and his jaw ticked away. She really did love him, but she worried it might not be enough now. She closed her eyes against the burn of new tears and let sleep take her far away.
...
She awoke to the muffled sounds of frustration and bickering. Her bleary eyes could see the hood blocking the view from the windscreen, and she assumed Joel and Theo stood behind it. The car was parked along a dirt path next to a road.
The sky was lighter as the sun-kissed the horizon just out of sight.
Hera made her way out of the Jeep and around to her companions, who both looked mildly irritated.
"What's wrong?" She asked, wiping sleep from her eyes.
Theo's pause gave Joel room to pipe up. "Engines dead, I think it's the spark plugs, he thinks it filters..."
Hera's eyes wanted to roll out of her head. "How far do you think we are from the safe houses?" She asked, directing her attention to Theo.
"About ninety miles, I reckon," Joel spoke again. "The map I found in the dash places us about ninety-three miles southwest. There are a few empty cabins forty miles in, on the way if we decide to walk. There aren't any service stations for miles, and if we choose that option, it takes us in the wrong direction anyway."
"How do you know this? I thought the location would only be told to a trusted few..."
Hera's confusion quickly turned into a faux gesture of disappointment. "You know people won't trust you if you snoop where you don't belong."
"Hey!" Joel looked mock offended. "If I hadn't, we would be fu..."
"If we walk to the safe houses, it will take at least ten hours to reach the first one." Theo interrupted. His agitation set Hera on edge. "We have no food, no water. Hera will get hypothermia with the outfit she's got, and it looks like we're going to have snow."
"Did you look in the back of the Jeep?" Joel asked with a smug expression that Theo would surely despise, Hera thought. His teeth clenched as the three walked to the back. Joel opened the door and gestured at the contents. Hera could see a container stocked with a few water bottles, granola bars, rope, and a few other handy items. Two empty backpacks and a pile of dirty fleece jumpers were opposite the gear.
Joel handed the jumper to Hera, which she begrudgingly put over her thin linens. Both Joel and Theo squeezed into the other two, and amazingly beneath a muddy towel were a pair of old trainers. They were slightly too big, but an improvement from the flats she was currently wearing. She stuffed her cold feet inside them and pulled the laces as tight as they would allow. They would have to do, she thought.
Joel slammed the door with a Cheshire grin and led the way. Hera waited for Theo to walk ahead and trailed behind. Her heart ached from the distance between them, but she knew he needed time to process Jane's death. She only wished he would let her be the one to support him and be the person he needed like he had done for her so many times.
Instead, he shut her out.
After a few hours of quiet trudging, Hera could hardly feel her feet. While her energy for her evolution regenerated quicker, her physical body was aching and desperately needing rest.
"Where are we going?" Her teeth chattered audibly, and Theo froze ahead of her. He turned and took in her swaying form, clenching his fists. "How far?" He shouted to Joel, who was also looking rather blue.
"Few hours..."
Theo looked completely normal, and Hera reached up and touched his flushed cheeks drowsily. "You are warm." She smiled and closed her eyes briefly before a glorious heat wrapped around the back of her neck. Instantly she felt her toes again and her brain unfogged. Theo must've seen the shift in her as he moved wordlessly to lead the group withdrawing his touch from her.
"Hey, can I have some of that?" Joel called after him, but he wasn't graced with a reply.
"What even was that?" He then whispered to Hera.
She grimaced at his trembling form. She did wish Theo would help him too. "He can manipulate different parts of the brain. In this case, I'm assuming it was the area responsible for thermoregulation."
"Huh?"
She rolled her eyes at his unfiltered look. "The part that keeps your temperature stable."
"Oh. Cool." He said, impressed.
They walked in silence again for a while as the snowfall picked up around them. The brush was thick, and the sun barely pierced the canopy. A chill had made itself a home in Hera's bones while Joel had stopped shivering. Worry flowed around her as she watched as he dejectedly traipsed through the deepening snow. She couldn't help but look at Theo's rosy face and think how he should help Joel.
A frown crossed his face in response, and as Joel caught up to him, he roughly grabbed his scruff, causing a yelp to escape before an expression of ecstasy took over. "So warm," he cooed.
Theo dropped his hand to his side and stormed off. They were all shivering slightly as a rundown hut appeared in the distance. A sheet of snow sagged the roof, and the walls looked half rotten, but the chimney above and the prospect of fire had the trio breaking out into a jog. Hera crumbled the lock between her fingertips and shoved the door open. The smell of mildew and a hint of smoke wafted out the open doorway. Joel cringed, "Fuck, this place reeks! I am not sleeping here tonight."
"We don't have a choice."
YOU ARE READING
Evolved
Fantasy"Do you know what you're doing to me?" He leaned his head forward and buried it in her neck, inhaling deeply before peppering kisses along her sternum. She was on fire now. Her energy had a mind of its own, intertwining with his and causing them...
