Earth(3)

Another low growl, and I silently wished I had another apple to settle my stomach. But the rumbling didn't stop. It grew until even the leaves on the bush above me shook with vibration.

I jumped to my feet. My hair tangled in the bush. "Dang foliage!"

The blast separated me from the bush, as well as some of my hair, throwing me back into the trees. I got to my feet, slower this time, ears ringing. The earth was on fire. The entire hillside danced before my eyes, consumed in flame. A large gaping hole was in the middle of it all. Another blast, further from me but closer to Alex shook the ground again. There was no need to break in; something else was breaking out.





Chapter 3





Dancing Flames





I scrambled back to my bush, rolled up the blanket, and stuffed it in my bag. I opted for the shorter, steeper route down, rather than using the trail I took up. Rocks slid out from the soles of my boots, and my butt hit the ground, hard. I continued to slide. Shrubs hit me as I passed but did little to slow my descent. In fact, I tried my hardest to avoid the plant life. I'd rather break a limb than get another bout of poison ivy.

The dancing flames grew as I raced closer to them. Dust and rocks churned up in my path. Just after I began a tumbling routine, flipping head over heels, I came to an abrupt stop.

I groaned, "Not cool," and removed an especially sharp stick from underneath me. Another earth-shattering blast got me on my feet. I picked up my backpack – again – and ran straight into the flames.

Dizzy from the fall, I had a hard time staying upright. In moving forward my options quickly became limited, and the blaze determined my path for me. I fought down the instinct to call out for Micah or to use any of my powers. I didn't want to draw any attention; Greenbrier was beginning to look more and more like a trap.

Heat licked at my face and hands, threatening to singe my bared skin. I approached the area of the first explosion. A giant hole scarred the earth. Trees and shrubs around the hole was already charred and smoking; the fire moving on to consume more. I looked back at the hole. One hand, then another, emerged. My heart raced. A man in a suit pulled himself up. His facial features gleamed by the light of the raging fire. I did not recognize him.

I backed away until I bumped into another body. I turned, sweeping my leg wide and catching the person behind his knees. His body hit the ground. This one I did recognize.

I dug my knee into his throat, pinning the rest of his upper body down with my other leg. "Where’s Micah?!"

He bucked, but was a relatively small man. There wasn't much to him, as far as muscle went. I barely shifted.

I pressed further. "Where. Is. Micah?" I asked again, through gritted teeth.

Fast-moving footsteps came up on my right, and I didn't have time to respond. The blunt force to my midsection stole my breath. I landed on my back; my head bouncing off the hard ground. Stars above me swayed with my vision. I turned to the side to see my backpack laying several feet away. The damn thing was having trouble staying on my back.

The man in a suit came into view, along with another. They hauled me to my feet.

I held my sides, recovering my breath, eying the men as I did so. Pressed suits and shiny shoes. They looked far too good to have been tromping around in the wild. "Men's Wearhouse is still in business, I see."

The small man, the one I’d leveled, laughed. "You must be Kaitlyn."

I nodded my head down, once. "Mr. President."





Chapter 4





The List





Shawn stood in the brackish water of the Great Salt Lake, looking down. His reflection was eerily still. There were no waves, no plants, and no playful fish. Practically the only life in the salty water was brine shrimp.

Shawn looked beyond the lake at the terrain, licking his cracked lips. Everything was so dry here. His throat had been parched ever since they crossed the Wasatch Range several months ago. He turned to his right, scanning the extension of the Rocky Mountains. They were hazy. "Why the heck did the Mormons stop here?"

"Sir?" asked Shawn's first in command, David, startled from his bookkeeping.

"Never mind," Shawn mumbled, returning the few feet to the shore. "Did you rotate the perimeter sentry groups?"

"Yes. Replacements were sent out this morning, but it usually takes a full day to complete the rotation. We should see the last group coming in around sunset." David snapped his ledger shut and followed Shawn. "Where do you want them?"

Shawn stopped, bent down and unrolled his pants. "Give them two days of rest, then put them on supply duty. We'll run out of batteries by the end of the month. I know these Mormons stockpile like the world is about to end."