Chapter 270: As cold as Moon.
Eden base.
In the morning, a thick mist shrouded the base. It had been there since the previous night and continued to linger through the morning hours. For the ordinary humans, it meant closed windows and closed doors.
For the superhumans, it meant war. The mist always brought danger and they were the generals in this war.
Janet Kailani was indoors like the other humans, inside the safety of her RV. She watched the superhumans from her window, noting down who they were and what powers they had. She also put stars on those that she needed to stay away from during her stay in Eden.
Some had big egos and mean streaks, treating ordinary humans like vermin. Those were the ones she wanted to keep a distance from the most. They reminded her so much of Ceasar.
President Finch did not give her that feeling. Of course, this could have been because she had never met the man since her arrival in Eden. Even when she was questioned on everything she had witnessed at the white house, Finch never showed up.
A sneer crossed Janet’s face as she thought of the once great leader of their nation. He had come to Eden with his mistress and she was the one running the base now. There had been some dissatisfaction in the ranks until she revealed she was a superhuman, a pyrokinetic like the two dozen they had on the base.
All the pyrokinetics had been quick to show their support for her, threatening to stop providing fire if anyone stood against her. Now, they walked around like proud peacocks because one of their own was the leader.
Janet scoffed. It was bad enough that they had an apocalypse on their hands but now, they had ranks among the superhumans!! Sooner or later, this would create unforeseen trouble.
Something crashed against her RV and a physical grunt was heard. Janet’s mind dispelled the thoughts of the problems on the base and she peeked outside. A man stood up and brushed snow from his body. He wore only boxers and his naked upper body had a tattoo of a blazing sun.
He lit up like a torch and raced off, shouting whoooo.
"Moron." Janet muttered.
She closed the RV window and poured herself a fresh cup of coffee from the flask. What did she care anyway? If things went south, she could always drive off and find another base.
She had a map on which every green zone that had been mentioned on the radio was marked off.
****
The snow had grown cruel, each flame stung like glass as it hit Moon’s face. Her breath came out in jagged clouds, her legs trembling with every step. They had been on the run for hours and only stopped when they saw the daylight. Then they started walking. The walk seemed endless, there was no where to find shelter, food or water.
Finally her body gave up. "Father I cannot go any further....," she gasped collapsing into his hands.
Even though he had melted the snow in their path, her feet were raw and blistered. The soles of her light shoes had split apart, leaving her toes exposed to frost. Only the warmth her father lent her kept them from freezing and falling off. Moon winced as he tried to move her legs.
Again, she ascertained that she could not keep going. They were totally unprepared for this journey.
"Hang in there, at least we are alive compared to all the frozen people we saw along the way." Dustin told her.
They had walked for so long, encountered mutated animals which they had to fight off. But at least, they did not have superhumans tailing them so far. He was not sure how long their run would last.
Maybe they were already on their tail. Hopefully, the snow had already hidden traces of them.
"We cannot stop." He squatted down, offering Moon his back. "Let’s go. I have superhuman strength. That seed you gave me is still working. I can go for another mile or three."
Moon climbed onto his back and Dustin increased his speed, running in the direction of the nearest town or city. Anywhere really, as long as they could find food and shelter temporarily. They had to keep going far away from Dominic’s reach.
Once they were strong enough and had their own force, they would not have to worry about the man.
After three hours, they stumbled into a narrow cave, half buried under a frozen ridge. Dustin raised his palm, summoning a controlled burst of fire that melted the ice around the entrance. Once inside, they noticed two dead dogs in the corner. They were not completely frozen which was a sign that they had been alive hours ago.
"Food." He whispered.
They entered, he sealed it with a thin wall of flame, enough to keep the cold out.
The warmth spread slowly, steam riding as snow melted off their clothes. The firelight danced across the damp walls, casting short shadows. Moon slumped against the wall, her eyes half closed. Her father crouched near her, roasting the dog meat.
They ate as soon as it was ready.
The cave was covered by silence one could hear the soft flickering of the fire outside.
Then, Dustin broke the quiet. "What was inside the seed you gave me back there.....I felt a surge of energy that was strange."
Moon did not look at him. Her face remained expressionless, eyes fixed on the flame. "It doesn’t matter." She answered flatly.
Dustin looked away. "Did you have to give away your mother so easily? Did you really see her poisoning the broth?" His breath hitched, tears finally spilling down his cheeks. "Even if she did, you should have kept quiet.....if you did not say anything maybe she would be alive. We would have escaped together."
Moon huffed. "Dad, you heard that woman, she accused me in the open and told her husband to mess with my mind. Did you want him to fry my brain, yet I knew the truth that mother killed that girl! They were going to find out the truth anyway. If she cared at all for us, she should never have done that. I did not ask her to get revenge for me. People were just beginning to like and trust me again."
He turned to her, shock on his face. "How can you say that she didn’t care? She died for you! But you sit here, cold as stone, blaming her."
Moon finally looked at him, her eyes frozen like the ice outside. "I never asked her to do that, any of it!" If her father believed her mother did it, she would play along. Anyway, her mother was dead so the truth made no difference anymore.
Dustin’s expression shattered into disbelief. "Sometimes you come off as heartless. I really can’t believe that it was her." He said, then went on to ask himself what possessed Rowena to do what she did, they had a good life at Camp Zenith now they were stranded. "We had a good life. Now look where we are."
"Good life!?" Moon scoffed. "You had a good life there not me. Why do you think mother poisoned someone? Anyway that is now all in the past. We should rest for a while then continue."
Dustin’s brows furrowed. "Where would we go?"
"To Crosstown." Moon answered. "I have a bunker there, I stocked supplies and weapons. And most importantly, no one from camp Zenith will find us there."