Kin

Her strength was gone, her abdomen ached. It took everything she had to escape, but she knew if she could just pull herself over to the shattered street she could breathe, if only for a moment. With one last effort, she hoisted herself over the ridge, the weight of her exhaustion throwing her on her back. She laid there slumped on the cold wet ridge, the sun beginning to retreat behind the jagged horizon. The rain pitter-pattered across her body, rinsing the once stark white sneakers her mom gifted for her birthday, now soiled and unrecognizable. Her breath was heavy, now beginning to slow, not from relief but from necessity. It was finally quiet on the road except for the rain hitting the bent street lamp above her in rapid succession. Thunder continued to roar above, but the frustrated bellows of her pursuers had stopped. She could no longer hear them. As she realized this, she took one moment for herself, closed her eyes and breathed deeply. As she caught her breath, old memories began firing in her mind, like the fireworks from the 4th of July. She laughed softly embracing this simple moment. With her eyes still closed, she analyzed her situation. "I got it, I got it…" She continued breathing heavily as she patted her bag feeling for the large rectangular outline. "Okay. Okay." Celebrating with a big exhale. She lied there for another minute. She opened her eyes, sat up, and almost mechanically moved her arms and legs checking to make sure everything was still working properly. "I don't think anything is broken. It's cold-- why am I sitting in this muddy water?" She asked herself. Suddenly alert, her eyes widened "They're still looking for me. I can't stay here; I have to move." She rolled over sitting on her hands and knees, and as her survival instinct kicked in she pushed out several heavy puffs of air through her nose like a determined bull going for the red cloth.

"Get up." She muttered to herself.

She stood herself up, looked behind her, noticing the giant hole where a road used to be. "I guess the only way is forward." She moved down the ruined asphalt path, faded double yellow lines guiding her way. She was exhausted, moving slowly, but those few moments would have to be enough. It had nearly been two days straight and with all that had happened, knew the only thing she could do to stay alive was to keep moving. She followed the shattered path through the ruined buildings on both sides of her, praying she could just reach the small clearing where the rain seemed to subside. There, kissed by the last of sunlight's embrace, an old bench overlooked the monstrous outline of the dark city. Her hand grasped the soggy wood while she peered towards it. Distant flashes lit the sky as a reminder of the dangers that lurked in the groaning husk of the fallen city as she sat to catch her breath, a flash from the storm helped her make out a silhouette. There it was; 'The Dome'.

Immediately she recalled a rhyme her father used to recite on their evening walks, "If you can see the dome, you're close to home." But she had never seen the dome from this side of the city, never with so much in her way. The urge to return home was overpowering. She clasped the necklace around her neck, gripping it tightly remembering why she had come. She couldn't go home, not until she had answers. Not yet.

As she realized the last bit of light was falling away, she resumed course, until she stumbled upon a large curved structure towering over her. She continued around, on one side faint drawings clung to an open face. She took out the black metal bottle decorated in trivial warn-out stickers and held it under until the water, desperate to quench her thirst. As it filled only halfway, she patiently placed the bottle to her lips and pointed the bottom up into the air. Bringing the now empty bottle down slowly she wiped the water from her lips, swallowed one last time, and emptied a deep breath of relief. With more focus, she refilled, closed the bottle, and walked around the monument held up by two large overgrown columns. "It's a highway," she whispered excitedly. On the other side, the face was broken exposing a lattice of metal bars. She looked down the long stretch of raised road and knew it would be the perfect place to sleep with walls of air on all sides. “Yes.”

As she reached the top, she searched for the best place to rest. Twenty feet away she saw an old bus, sitting there still waiting for passengers to board. "Oh please, please." She said hoping to herself. She walked around it cautiously, listening for any sounds and noticed the door was slightly ajar. She took out her knife, pulled open the door and rushed in. It was empty. With her last ounce of energy, she walked to the back of the bus, dropped her bag, and collapsed on the dusty cushioned seat. With her face smashed against the seat, she released one last heavy breath, closed her half-open eyes and simply said: "Thank you."

In the morning, her eyes opened slowly, the sun shining on her cheek. She pulled her jacket over her face wanting just a few more minutes.

A voice in her head warned: This isn't home. Wake up.

She jolted forward, throwing her coat aside and looked around squinting. The sunlight was blinding and at the perfect angle. She saw the city through the windows. She rubbed her eyes and checked her surroundings once more and looked toward the front of the bus. Something catching her gaze. Water began running down her face. It wasn't possible. The panel above the window read:

Lespers aren't hope they are stupid & lucky

We are ok, All of us

Got message to dad boat coming to stadium midday 3

Look for signal

-RL

She dropped to the floor, tears running down her cheeks. She continued to sob, not being able to wipe the tears from her face fast enough, she repeated "They're okay, they're okay". Finally the pain from the past few days flashed.

Alex shook her head bringing her back to the moment. She knew she didn't have much time and scanned the horizon until she saw it. White smoke coming from the far end of the half-twisted stadium, the sun near the middle of the sky now. She grabbed the wire that brought her up the day before and threw it over the other side. There she grabbed it and repelled downward.

She knew she was getting closer. She turned the corner and standing next to the smoke signal looking out at the ocean her brother, her sister, and her mother.

"Hey, you!" She belted loudly smiling.

They turned "AL!!" Eeva yelled as she rushed towards her sister. Her brother stood with his hands on his hips in an almost self-satisfying manner. Behind her, a faint rumble caught her attention, "Another storm" Two familiar trucks burst through the thicket headed straight for her. Panic overtook her smile, her eyes widened as she turned. Ro and Eeva sprinting toward her now screaming "Alex Run!" It was too late he was upon her.

"I want my box," he said confidently as his men rushed towards her siblings. There were too many for them to get through before the man got to her.

"Alex!" Ro shouted frustratingly. She continued to writhe slowly on the ground in pain. Eeva continued to release arrows, putting down the scav reinforcements headed for Ro.

"I'm almost out!" she counted.

Behind them, their mother could hear a voice coming from Ro's radio. …Tchh tchh "—ere -almos--er" She couldn't understand.

Her leg injured she crawled toward the radio near the edge of the water.

"I WANT MY BOX!" the nemesis drew closer to Alex as she struggled to crawl away. Ro fervently continued to fight, dropping a foe in front of him while a second sliced his machete across his back, Ro countered spinning his knife back into his chest. Eeva reached for her last arrow, one of the unmitigated goons closing for her. She could see the giant yellow-teethed man pick up Alex by the throat. His ax rising to meet her. Eeva stumbled to reach her last arrow as the goon raised his weapon ready to strike true. The radio hissed and crackled as their mother reached it.

"Everyone stay down!" the command hissed through the radio.

"Target everyone without a shirt, weapons free." "Yes sir."

A torrent of loud gunfire echoed over the water as puffs of red mist showered Alex's siblings. Suddenly a zip entered the large man's torso in front of her prompting him to drop her suddenly. She coughed and gasped for air on the ground. Enraged now, the man lifted his ax ready to bring it down on Alex.

"It's MY BOXXX!!"

Eeva felt for her last arrow, never taking her eyes off of him. She felt for it seeing the man drop in front of her.

She drew her bow "Not this time you Fuck!" and released.

As the blade came down Alex whimpered, throwing her hands up instinctively. At the same moment, an arrow tore through the man's throat. The ax fell and with it, the man with yellow teeth crashed down next to her.

Everything was still now.

Ro threw his hand on Alex in relief as Eeva rushed over to join them.

"Alex are you okay?"

Alex threw her thumb up. "Just peachy."

They all laughed weakly as a troop of the elder council's men approached securing the area.

As the three helped keep each other up they hobbled over to their mother already being treated and comforted by their father. Alex went to her mother. Sobbing happily they embraced one another.

Ro walked to his dad, "How did you do this?"

"I told them you had the box."

"We don't have it."

"Eh, I guess we're in a spot of trouble then."

"Eh hem" Alex bent down, her necklace falling from her shirt. She pulled the rectangular box from her bag and handed it to her dad.

Her brother shook his head in astonishment.

"Why am I not surprised." Her father chuckled.

"Let's see it." Her mother requested with her palm out.

Her father moved to put the box in her hand and before he could

she motioned gently, brushing it away.

"I don't care about that" pointing to the heart-shaped locket around Alex's neck.

Alex carefully reached behind her neck with both hands unclasping the old chain and put it into her mom's hand.

They all stared intently as she paused with the locket sitting in her palm. Before she could speak, one of the elder council's aides rushed over and requested the box from their father.

"Is that what I think it is?"

He nodded.

"Do you have any idea what this means?"

They all looked at him in unison as the aide scampered away to report the find to the council.

"This" their attention back on their mother now.

"This is all that matters to me."

She opened the locket, inside there were two pictures. One of her sisters and brothers back in her home country. The other photo was of all of them near a lake in the mountains smiling and laughing before the shift.

She smiled at all of them, and they back at her.

"That lake smelled bad." Ro breaking the mood as he always did.

They laughed as his mother slapped him on his head.

"Can we go home now?" Alex asked.

"Yes, please," Eeva said pleadingly.

"Well, who needs a lake when you have beachfront property in Denver of all places." Their dad added.

"Amen." Ro agreed as they moved towards the boat.