Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,215

but I couldn't bridge the gap between my grief and my awareness. More screaming followed us. I couldn't decide if it was from me, the crowd, or if it was my mind recreating Mistress Stonewell's screams from when…

Josiah was dead.

Strong arms wrapped themselves around me, picking me up. We bounced, dodged, and sprinted through downtown Ethros. This wasn't supposed to be how it happened.

"Ash, love, you’re swaying. It’s hard to carry you. Please. Fight through this," Huxley's voice was strong, like a lighthouse in the storm of my grief and confusion.

The air smelled of decay. I tried to swallow, but the dust coating my tongue was too dry. The humid, salty wind clung to my face, mixing with my tears.

Huxley set me down, and I stumbled. My legs felt foreign to me. "Where are we going?" I managed to choke out before bending over and throwing up. Stomach acid burned my throat, and I tried swallow to ease the pain. “I’m sorry, I’m trying to focus. I don’t feel well. I hit my head…” I slurred .

Huxley threaded his fingers through mine. Before continuing our run to safety, I ditched my shoes. My feet connected with sand as he yanked me along. We sunk as we ran, my dress became a tangled web of fabric, stopping me from getting to safety.

"What about Jules?" I asked. My mind was in a fog. I wanted to scream.

"Josiah..." I began. Linda Stonewell let out a shrill moan that sounded like pure, guttural grief and guilt.

"Keep moving, Ash," Huxley said.

"Cyler? Where is Cyler? Kemper?" I called out.

In the distance was a brightly lit transport, illuminated by a glowing green fire.

"Right there, Ash. We're going right there," Huxley explained. He was out of breath from tugging me through the sinking sand.

"Ash?!" I heard a yell. Kemper?

"We're here!" Huxley replied. My free hand connected with the warm exterior of the metal transport. The door opened, and I was shoved inside. It was bright, and I threw my hands up to block my face, and cringed as my head throbbed with more pain. A small, tired voice said, "Are you okay?" I looked down at a boy about three years old.

He had Dominique's frown and…

He had Josiah's eyes.

Linda Stonewell gasped, and I turned to see my broken Ex-Holder crumbling from the all encompassing grief.

"How much longer do we have?" Huxley asked while looking out the door, scanning the sand for more people.

"The barrier opens in three minutes, if we cut it too close, we risk..." Kemper looked to me.

"Where are the others?" I asked. Someone called to us from outside the transport, and I shuffled to get a better look. How did they get Jules out of the lab? Did the cure work? After a few moments, Patrick leaped into the transport just before Kemper shut the door, and we jetted forward. I fell off the leather seat, into Linda's lap, and she pushed me away.

"Don't touch me, you bitch!" she screamed.

My head rocked with pain as I looked around. Where were Jules, Jacob, Cyler, Allaire and Maverick?

My wrist began to burn and my muscles twitched.

"Shit, we won't be out before the barrier kicks up. It’s going to shock her," Kemper said.

"Keep going, she can handle it. You disabled the poison function?" Huxley asked.

"I blocked the poison function, but didn’t have time to mess with the electrocution. Hux, I don't know if she can handle it. It's borderline lethal. No one has ever survived the pain."

"She can handle it," Huxley assured us. I watched their back and forth without connecting that it was me they were talking about.

"And if she can't?" Patrick asked. I felt someone grip my hand. The little boy. I looked to his wrist. There was no fetter. Was he not a Walker?

"What about Maverick and Jules?" I asked, while wading through my muddy, confused thoughts. Weren't we linked? Where were they?

I grabbed my forehead and bent over as the little boy leaned closer to me.

"If you can deal, they can. Jules probably won't even feel..." Huxley broke off his statement before finishing then began rustling with his shirt. I didn't have time to question him more, because the pain started.

When I explored the boundary, it was merely a dull ache compared to the ripping feeling my tendons experienced now. I let out a scream. It felt like someone poured lighter fluid over my skin and dropped a match in my belly. This was worse than when Cavil tortured me in his ivory room.