Page 80 of After the Fall
“Can I?” Savannah asked, before adding the new charm to my bracelet.
“Is this really all I have left to remember them by?” I whispered, jingling my charms. The new one, a sun, was much heavier and larger than the other three. It didn’t make sense. Unless…
My dad’s final words to Fiona, “Don’t give up on me now,” suddenly clicked, and I began humming the familiar Ben Harper melody that Dad used to play on his guitar. “Of course,” I whispered, the lyrics returning to my mind. “The world isn’t mine to save,” I said, an uneasy laugh slipping out.
Savannah’s brow furrowed. “Huh?”
I sang the lyrics I knew by heart and held the sun up against the flames of the fire. It shone differently than the other charms. Because it was different.
Savannah gasped. “It looks like a…”
“USB,” I confirmed. “Dad must have transferred everything onto here. He didn’t want me to give up on him, and I’m not going to.” My eyes narrowed with resolve, as a plan began forming in my mind. “Savannah.” I drew in a quick breath, holding the tiny USB drive between my fingers. “This is how we get them back.”
“Absolutely not.”Fiona placed her hands on her hips, a frown on her face. “It’s too dangerous. And we don’t even know that it would work.”
“I know Michelle Carder,” I insisted, refusing to give up on my plan. “She won’t be able to resist having this…” I shook the bracelet, the USB jingling against the other charms, “back in her greedy hands.”
Fiona threw her hands in the air, exasperated. “How can you trust that she’ll keep her word and let you go, after she has what she wants?”
“I don’t. But… it’s worth the risk. And besides, you said the sasquatches are already on their way over to Genocorp. TheCarders will be so distracted by the ambush, they’ll have bigger things to worry about.”
“And me,” Savannah piped in. Fiona and I turned to glare at her, but she just shrugged. “What, you didn’t really think I’d stay out of this one, did you? That’s my best friend’s dad that they have. And her... boyfriend?” The last word came out as a question.
I nodded. However things had ended between Wyatt and I didn’t matter anymore. I loved that damn fool, and would do whatever it took to get him back.
Grabbing Savannah’s hand firmly, I raised my chin in defiance. “We’re going, Fiona. Whether you try to stop us or not.”
Her face turned scarlet. The only thing more terrifying than defying a nearly seven-foot-tall sasquatch, was defying a pissed-off one. As she clenched her fists, I braced myself for what was coming. But she surprised me, her fists unclenching so her arms dangled limp at her sides. “Wyatt is going to kill me when he finds out I’ve agreed to this preposterous plan of yours.” She rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath. “But that’s why I’m agreeing to this. On the off chance that heisstill… alive.” She let out a weary sigh, her mind made up. “Gear up, ladies. We leave after breakfast.”
Savannah and I high-fived, smiling. It was a small victory, but we’d take it.
As we began the strenuous trek along the riverbed to Genocorp, I did everything I could to hold onto that brief taste of victory. Even when I tripped over a tree branch, banging my knee. I had to hold onto every ounce of hope that I could.
As we neared the building, the three of us stopped, frozen by the bank of the river. The sasquatches’ assault had begun.
Thick black smoke billowed from the far end of the building, choking us. I held my shirt against my nose, my eyes itchingfrom the chemicals. Sounds of distant fighting from below us shook the ground. I had never felt so afraid.
“We have to push on,” Fiona said. “My intel says the entrance is over there.” She pointed to the east side, which so far had escaped the dark cloud of smoke. “Hopefully any fire is contained to the west end.” She looked at the two of us, her face softening. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
I nodded with a straight face, and Fiona pulled out a satellite phone. I quickly tapped in the phone number I had committed to memory, and sent my message. When it was done, I handed the phone back to her. “Hopefully she bites,” Fiona said.
“Michelle is greedier than a blood-sucking vampire. It’ll work,” I said confidently, though I wasn’t at all. My every last nerve was on the edge.
The heavy metal door was already propped open when we approached the entrance. “One less thing to worry about,” she whispered. Inside, the halls of Genocorp were dark and empty. As we headed deeper and deeper underground, the emergency lights flickered on and off, casting a spooky, artificial glow over everything. At least Fiona was right. The fire seemed concentrated on the west end of the building, along with most of the fighting. For now.
We first passed what looked like a cafeteria, with discarded trays and utensils scattered over the tipped-over tables and chairs. Broken glass littered the floor, along with ruined food. One lone glob of spaghetti dripped down the wall, the red sauce leaving a blood-like stain on the paint.
“Where is everyone?” Savannah whispered. It was a ghost town.
The shouting intensified as we continued to make our way into the heart of Genocorp. It seemed like we were nearing the action. So far there was no sign of the Carders.
As we passed an empty office filled with rows of cubicles, we paused to have a look around. Papers were scattered over the desks and floor, as if people had fled in a hurry. Fiona kneeled and picked up a piece that had been torn into shreds. “I guess they wanted to hide what they were really doing here.” She frowned at the Genocorp logo, the only legible thing left on the thin strip. “Shit.” She stiffened, looking across the room. “Get. Behind. Me. Now.Both of you.”
My heart rate doubled its tempo. How could we have been so foolish? The office wasn’t empty, and now I saw what we had missed.
The creature had been sitting quietly in the corner, disguised against the brown fabric of a cubicle panel. It rose, snarling. The red in its eyes glinted sharply, reminding me of the nightmares I’d had, of memories long since forgotten. A rogue – the most dangerous of their kind.
Savannah screamed. Fiona pulled out a baggie of red moss, but the creature was quicker. Its large, hairy hand closed around her throat before she could use it. It flung her against the wall, the plaster breaking into a thousand pieces. Her body dropped to the ground, limp and still.