3.3
"...Pretend fighting?" I asked hopefully. "These guns aren't loaded, right?"
She placed a steady gaze on me. "They're loaded. We're going to shoot each other, but make sure not to hit any vitals."
I instinctively took a small step backward. "What?"
So she really is planning to shoot me…
"Don't worry, my accuracy is perfect."
I cleared my throat nervously. "Uh, yeah, alright, but what if I accidentally kill you? My accuracy's not perfect." I couldn't imagine a single good thing coming out of this.
"Try not to, but if you do, it would be my fault for getting shot." Her expression was as blank as ever as she turned her back and walked away from me.
I stared at the sleek black fabric of her hoodie, which swayed just slightly as a breeze wove its way between the pillars of wood.
What's she on? I wondered.
"Use your elements to your advantage," she called over her shoulder. When I say 'go', we'll start. Whoever forfeits, loses."
After walking until she was about 50 yards away, she yelled, "Go!" without warning. I instantly lost sight of her behind the massive trees.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hang on a second.
I wasn't ready! We're about to shoot each other? Really? What if I die, doing something ridiculous like this?
I froze.
Since when have I been so concerned about dying?
BANG
I let out a groan and dropped behind the tree next to me.
Blood burst out of my left shoulder and ran in streaks down my uniform. The throbbing pain made me gasp for air, and the sudden inflow of oxygen came with a surge of adrenaline as my survival instinct kicked in.
I stared at my blood-drenched hand, which had been clutching at my bleeding wound. It shook.
Knowing that she was still out there and that the game (if you could call it that) wasn't over, I stood up, no matter how unprepared I might have been.
Let's go.
Widening my field of vision, I thoroughly scanned the surrounding area. There were no signs of her, so I decided to make a move.
"Use my elements?" I thought. What a perfect opportunity.
I leapt from tree to tree, constantly glancing in every direction. My own agility amazed me. It was as if I could simply think, I want to get to that tree, and I would be there.
And although I could still feel a steady burn in the area, the bleeding in my shoulder had nearly slowed to a stop
I couldn't help but grin as I thought, I really do have superpowers.
My plan was to circle the area at high speed, which would make it difficult for her to hide or shoot accurately, or so I thought.
Just as I was starting to feel good about myself… bang. Another shot, this time in my left thigh.
I staggered, my balance jarred by the impact, and gritted my teeth. I needed to move; otherwise, it would be over for me.
Come on, heal, I thought frantically, glaring at the bloody hole in my leg with contempt. Heal, heal, heal, heal, heal.
I remembered that she was intentionally avoiding my vital spots, which meant that I'd probably be dead if this was a real battle. Just like that, my life would be over, and I wouldn't have been able to do anything about it.
And I thought I was the shit, I thought bitterly. Can I do nothing?
It may seem logical to want to erase your own deficiencies, but this was the first time in the past three years that I'd even considered the idea.
I hobbled away as quickly as I could. My muscles didn't want to contract–it felt as if an iron rod was wedged between my quads, resisting even the slightest movement.
I knew which direction the shot had come from, so I tried to give myself a little distance while keeping the wide wooden shields behind me. It wasn't over yet.
Another bullet. Another jolt, this time bringing me to my knees. Eve was there, standing over me.
My eyes dropped to the ground. I didn't want to look at her. I didn't want to meet her gaze.
I felt like a little kid
"I give up," I muttered.
"What was that?" she asked.
Oh, come on.
"I give up," I repeated louder, "but let's do it again."
And so it happened again. Again and again and again.
I lost again and again and again.
As I lay flat on my back, blood, dirt, and bullet holes all over my uniform, I dragged in rough breaths and let the weight of my empty muscles rest against the earth.
Even my brain hurt; I couldn't seem to form a single train of thought. All of that extra explosiveness had come at a price: I now burned through energy at a huge rate.
I'd taken so many losses, and the state I was in showed it. It was what I deserved.
"I give up," I slowly admitted for one last time. "I can't do any more."
Eve held out her hand, and, once I realized what she was trying to do, I grabbed it, allowing her to help me to my feet.
As we walked back towards the campsite, my whole face was tense, and, although my eyes were open, I hardly noticed the world around me.
"Sorry."
It wasn't me who had spoken, but when I looked at Eve, her eyes were set on the ground in front of her.
What was that? I wondered.
– – – – –
The next day was more or less the same. There was the same steep terrain and the same beautiful scenery. The same frivolous exclamations from Nikki and the same professional statements from Blake.
But it didn't look the same to me.
It had been a long night.
I couldn't sleep. I was weak–I knew it now. For years, I'd thought I was strong. I'd thought that I was at least able to protect myself.
And in the world we were living in, that was the most important thing. The reality was that I didn't have the means to protect myself–I never did to begin with.
But now I have an opportunity. My mindset was no longer what it used to be. It was time for something to change.
Just like the day before, we stopped in the afternoon to rest. I sat down, wondering if Eve would ask me to come with her, but she didn't. Instead, she sat solemnly by herself, as she always did.
Nikki seemed tired, so she wasn't buzzing around and chatting it up like usual, which made a good opportunity for me to approach Eve. I stood up, and I covered the distance between us.
I looked down at her, but she didn't look back at me.
I cleared my throat.
"Eve, can we train again today?" I couldn't think of a better word than 'train', so I just went with that.
"Sure," she replied coolly.
As we departed from the others, she asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yeah," I replied steadily. "It's too late now."
She looked at me questioningly but didn't say anything else.
Today, just like yesterday, I was utterly beaten. I'd thought that I had experience–I'd fought with my hands and I had plenty of practice with a gun–but the addition of elemental powers in a dynamic fighting environment like this one was something completely new, and I clearly couldn't handle it. I had a lot of work to do.
However, my one remaining ray of hope was that I'd evaded her for longer and was able to manage myself better in the times that she did hit me. Plus, I was getting more comfortable with my explosiveness–if I could fully harness it, I knew it would be a deadly weapon. I just knew it.
– – – – –
The mountains had been spectacular, but on the next day, we came to a sight that was simply impossible.
A river, the likes of which I'd never seen before, or even imagined could exist, flowed perpendicular to our path. It must have been half a mile across. Half a damn mile.
As the opposite shore came into view, I took a few wide-eyed staggering steps forward. The midday sun was high above us, and it sparkled on the water's surface as the river flowed with a slow serenity.
Greatness. This river had achieved it. A gift from the gods, its mass and life flowed as one.
I found myself smiling. It was a smile of true happiness.
If only I could show this to my brothers, I thought with a stinging in my eyes. They would be happy.
When Blake saw the river, he too smiled. For some reason, seeing this wiped my own smile off my face.
It was the same smile he always had–really more of a smirk.
"Perfect," he declared. "We'll follow this river to the east."
I side-eyed him with an inexplicable sense of annoyance.
"I assume you know Portland's to the west?" I asked. It was always safer to double check, after all.
"That is correct," Blake replied, "but we're going east."
I guess the boss knows best, I concluded, tagging along behind him.
The river had overshadowed it in my mind, but we were, in fact, standing on a massive road, whose asphalt was cracked and overgrown with the greenery of the forest.
The roads in Hoodsdale were all thin, maybe one quarter the width of this one, and I carefully examined the wide gray strip, wondering what reason there could possibly be for its size. It wasn't the first time I'd seen a road of such magnitude, but I still failed to understand its purpose.
As I furrowed my brow, brainstorming the possibilities, Blake said, "Let's head back into the forest."
"Are we not using the road?" I asked hurriedly. I'd really been looking forward to walking on hard, flat ground for once.
"No," he replied. "It's too visible. We need to prioritize secrecy."
He might be right, I thought, but if we walk on the edge of the road, the trees will reach over our heads, so we won't be visible from above.
Was he worried about something other than helicopters?
I glanced over my shoulder.
Is that rebel closing in on us?