It had got late.
11pm, maybe? The sun had properly set a couple hours before.
He'd done a lot of walking today. First inside the compound, looking at the others and trying to push Austin out of his head, then circling over it, then the guardhouse visit which hadn't come to anything. Another hour or so up and around in the air, then he'd eaten and napped. It was still light when he'd alighted on top of the compound for that.
He was feeling some tension in his calves and thighs from moving around so much, but nothing he couldn't handle. Once he'd set out from the pitstop, it'd been steadily increasing loops around the area, gaining height bit by bit as he moved around his circuits. Just scouting from above, right? Same thing he'd been doing before. Javi had made a point of stopping to observe on the couple of occasions he'd passed overhead of other people, and had made the odd pause to 'survey' what was around him.
that was just how Javi was playing this out. the guy who could kind of fly, kind of flying around the place. keeping himself out of harm's way. all there was to it. spare a glance his way, but shit, there's a cloud of bugs, or a fire, or an explosion. those are much more important. javi's just doing his thing, same as he's been doing all day.
Right?
Javi didn't know what any of those disturbances had been. He'd just heard a muffled crack somewhere off in the distance. Seen something that looked like smoke. His imagination got busy. Maybe Noah shot someone. Maybe someone's Gift was actually contagious detonations. Javi had nothing but time and anxiety on his hands up here.
The sleeping bag was wrapped around his shoulders. He'd rather another coat, but it had some insulation, and it was dark coloured. Camouflage. Covered up his white hoodie. Took a bit of the edge off the temperature. Maybe would make him harder to spot up here. Out here.
He'd ascended quite a ways at this point. He didn't usually go much above building height. Not a whole lot to see, and the bird's eye view wasn't worth the inconvenience of waiting around to sink back to a reasonable altitude. He'd gone higher now. Not immediately. Staying in the same spot and trying to climb, that'd have been obvious. Just in stages. In steps. When Javi airwalked, there wasn't exactly an option for him when he kept walking; taking more steps meant that he'd gradually get higher unless he took pains to slide his feet along. So he'd just... let it happen as he went. Higher, higher. By the time the light started failing, he guessed that he was over an apartment block high. Darkness was a cover to keep increasing it, and night beginning to fall...
Took him out here. Up here. Javi wasn't sure if he'd passed the fence yet. He couldn't see it. He had to have by now, right?
It was enough. Had to be. Had to be.
Javi's knuckles were white as he clenched the bag around himself. This was either his longest night, or his shortest.
Tick. Tock.
Raise, Fold
Moderator: SOTF Supers Staff
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HELPful_Crow
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2022 5:05 am
OWL: "Tiger. TIGER. WAKE THE FUCK UP."
TIGER: "Wh-what?"
OWL: "One of the kiddos is making a run for it."
TIGER: "Again?"
OWL: "YES, again! Look at the screen!"
The sound of shuffling, and a chair being dragged along the floor.
TIGER: "Alright, I see where. Won't take more than a second."
There is a snap, then a moment of silence.
OWL: "Collar's still green."
TIGER: "Uh, shit, okay, which one is it?"
OWL: "Six."
TIGER: "...Isn't that the kid that can fly?"
OWL: "Yeah, I think so."
TIGER: "How, uh, high up is he?"
OWL: "How the hell should I know? The coordinates are RIGHT THERE! Just kill him, or else he's gonna be out of range in a few hours!"
There's another snap, then another moment of silence.
OWL: "STILL GREEN!"
TIGER: "Look, I don't think I can get him anymore. I need to know where his collar is relative to me, and if we don't know how high up he is, my Gift isn't gonna work."
OWL: "FUCK."
A shattering of glass, and heavy breathing.
OWL: "Okay. It's okay! I mean, it's not, but we've got a backup plan."
OWL: "You watch the cams. Keep track of the little shit as long as we're able. I'm gonna go wake up Shark and Wolf."
TIGER: "Wh-what?"
OWL: "One of the kiddos is making a run for it."
TIGER: "Again?"
OWL: "YES, again! Look at the screen!"
The sound of shuffling, and a chair being dragged along the floor.
TIGER: "Alright, I see where. Won't take more than a second."
There is a snap, then a moment of silence.
OWL: "Collar's still green."
TIGER: "Uh, shit, okay, which one is it?"
OWL: "Six."
TIGER: "...Isn't that the kid that can fly?"
OWL: "Yeah, I think so."
TIGER: "How, uh, high up is he?"
OWL: "How the hell should I know? The coordinates are RIGHT THERE! Just kill him, or else he's gonna be out of range in a few hours!"
There's another snap, then another moment of silence.
OWL: "STILL GREEN!"
TIGER: "Look, I don't think I can get him anymore. I need to know where his collar is relative to me, and if we don't know how high up he is, my Gift isn't gonna work."
OWL: "FUCK."
A shattering of glass, and heavy breathing.
OWL: "Okay. It's okay! I mean, it's not, but we've got a backup plan."
OWL: "You watch the cams. Keep track of the little shit as long as we're able. I'm gonna go wake up Shark and Wolf."
He was past the fence by now, right?
He had to be. He'd kept going and he'd already thought he was almost past the fence.
He didn't look back. If he looked back it'd be. he didn't know. some kind of vortex. he'd get vacuumed the whole way back and pulverised on the ground. He'd see people's flashlights and see that they were right underneath him, and he'd got turned around somehow and was just heading right back towards the compound. If he looked back, then everyone else would stare up at him and see what he was doing and know he hadn't spoken to them, hadn't even tried. lend me your jacket? I'll give it back later. and they'd know. and he'd freeze.
if he didn't look back, none of that could happen.
Javi kept walking, trying to get his ragged breathing under control.
He had to be. He'd kept going and he'd already thought he was almost past the fence.
He didn't look back. If he looked back it'd be. he didn't know. some kind of vortex. he'd get vacuumed the whole way back and pulverised on the ground. He'd see people's flashlights and see that they were right underneath him, and he'd got turned around somehow and was just heading right back towards the compound. If he looked back, then everyone else would stare up at him and see what he was doing and know he hadn't spoken to them, hadn't even tried. lend me your jacket? I'll give it back later. and they'd know. and he'd freeze.
if he didn't look back, none of that could happen.
Javi kept walking, trying to get his ragged breathing under control.
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HELPful_Crow
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2022 5:05 am
The sun rose on a new day. The fence was long gone, out of sight by now, even as Javi was so high up.
A black sedan meandered its way across the desert sands, far below.
SHARK: "The kid was supposed to be around here before he went out of range, right?"
WOLF: "Supposedly."
SHARK: "Doesn't she know how-"
The car hit a particularly rough patch of terrain and jostled.
SHARK: "Hey! Easy on the driving! I'm trying to keep a lookout here."
WOLF: "Right."
SHARK: "Trying to spot something high up in the sky is hard even on good days, especially with these fucking masks on."
The black sedan passed right under Javi.
SHARK: "Can't see shit for dick over here. He probably changed direction, head north."
The car turned away from Javi, and eventually disappeared out of sight.
A black sedan meandered its way across the desert sands, far below.
SHARK: "The kid was supposed to be around here before he went out of range, right?"
WOLF: "Supposedly."
SHARK: "Doesn't she know how-"
The car hit a particularly rough patch of terrain and jostled.
SHARK: "Hey! Easy on the driving! I'm trying to keep a lookout here."
WOLF: "Right."
SHARK: "Trying to spot something high up in the sky is hard even on good days, especially with these fucking masks on."
The black sedan passed right under Javi.
SHARK: "Can't see shit for dick over here. He probably changed direction, head north."
The car turned away from Javi, and eventually disappeared out of sight.
If he stopped walking, he was dropping.
If he was dropping, then he was visible.
Javi kept walking. His eyes blurred and his legs burned. The cold air cut through him. At one point, he jammed his hands right into the sleeping bag, trying to work some sensation back into his fingers. He kept walking. Hours bled into each other. He started feeling like the only person in the world. Just him, the endless black sky, the biting chill. And whoever the hell they had on his tail.
He didn't know for sure. Maybe it wasn't anyone. Maybe he was lucky and they hadn't worked it out. But they pulled all this off. They had to have people. People with Gifts for the purpose of catching any runaways. Radars. Bloodhounds. Know-exactly-where-a-person-the-fuck-was. Probably not that last one after so many hours, but maybe they'd been asleep.
All he had to concentrate on was how cold it was, and how difficult to catch his breath, and how tired he felt, and how sore his legs—alright so there were a lot of sensations, just not much to think about. It let his imagination run wild. All the different ways which he could screw this up. All the different ways he could get caught. And then that was it. They wouldn't just laugh it off and throw him back.
After a while, though, the edges of the fear got blunted. The anxiety still sat heavy in Javi's stomach, heavy enough he wondered if it would drag him down to earth, but it was anticipation, dread. Not pee his pants fear, or the adrenaline rush that he could die at any moment. So that gave him time to think. About where next. What was back there. Everyone he'd left. Bringing anyone along wasn't possible, he knew that, but. that didn't mean that the thought didn't sit with him. he'd just up and left. and they were all still there. probably people had died since he started walking. and here he was. not safe but not there. he had a chance, and they didn't.
Guilt had settled comfortably alongside the anxiety.
When the sun peeped over the horizon, Javi didn't register it for a little while, and then he could hardly believe what he was seeing. He'd made it through the night. As the light levels increased, slowly but surely, he swallowed heavily. Holy shit he'd got high. The ground was a long, long way below him. Even for Javi, there was a sense of vertigo. He'd never reached this kind of altitude before.
He kept moving. Then he saw the car.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
Javi froze. He wanted to run. He wanted to hide. He couldn't do either. At this stage they either spotted him or they didn't. Didn't need a Gift, just binoculars or something. How equipped were they? He was a long way up, but he literally couldn't be more out in the open.
After a couple of seconds, he just decided to remain still. He'd sink a little. That was okay. Yeah it was visible. But more visible than movement? When they were right there? Right below him?
Javi didn't move.
The car took an impossibly long time to pass underneath. Then it changed direction. Kept going. Moved away.
Javi shuddered through a breath that felt as if he could puke up half his body along with it.
He resumed moving, turning things over in his head. Way off below him, the road just stopped, swallowed up by the desert. That didn't give him much to navigate by. He knew which way the compound was and rough idea of his heading. He'd hoped, really hoped, that he would have more landmarks by the time it got light again. If he was still alive and all. But, nothing. Just desert. Every direction.
what was the best option? Making his way through air was better than trying to hike it. He had supplies, thankfully. That'd keep him going for now. Being realistic, though, he had to rest sometime. A nap had kept him from collapsing, but his airwalking was still walking. His legs were aching. Not his feet so much. Kind of a perk that he didn't tend to get blisters. He had to figure out a way to get some sleep in some kind of safety.
He was really high. Even if he just stood still and waited, it was going to take a long time to get down to ground level. Javi wasn't even sure how long. He didn't want to start trying to screw around in midair to drop lower in stages, but maybe he wouldn't have a choice. Thing was, if he got too low without being on the ground, he was going to be much easier to spot. At this point he either had to be very aerial or totally grounded.
Fuck.
Too much to think about. Brain too tired to sort through all this shit.
For now, he could adjust. Make sure he wasn't going even higher, at least. Javi stopped stepping and started sliding his feet along as he moved.
Gradually, he started descending.
If he was dropping, then he was visible.
Javi kept walking. His eyes blurred and his legs burned. The cold air cut through him. At one point, he jammed his hands right into the sleeping bag, trying to work some sensation back into his fingers. He kept walking. Hours bled into each other. He started feeling like the only person in the world. Just him, the endless black sky, the biting chill. And whoever the hell they had on his tail.
He didn't know for sure. Maybe it wasn't anyone. Maybe he was lucky and they hadn't worked it out. But they pulled all this off. They had to have people. People with Gifts for the purpose of catching any runaways. Radars. Bloodhounds. Know-exactly-where-a-person-the-fuck-was. Probably not that last one after so many hours, but maybe they'd been asleep.
All he had to concentrate on was how cold it was, and how difficult to catch his breath, and how tired he felt, and how sore his legs—alright so there were a lot of sensations, just not much to think about. It let his imagination run wild. All the different ways which he could screw this up. All the different ways he could get caught. And then that was it. They wouldn't just laugh it off and throw him back.
After a while, though, the edges of the fear got blunted. The anxiety still sat heavy in Javi's stomach, heavy enough he wondered if it would drag him down to earth, but it was anticipation, dread. Not pee his pants fear, or the adrenaline rush that he could die at any moment. So that gave him time to think. About where next. What was back there. Everyone he'd left. Bringing anyone along wasn't possible, he knew that, but. that didn't mean that the thought didn't sit with him. he'd just up and left. and they were all still there. probably people had died since he started walking. and here he was. not safe but not there. he had a chance, and they didn't.
Guilt had settled comfortably alongside the anxiety.
When the sun peeped over the horizon, Javi didn't register it for a little while, and then he could hardly believe what he was seeing. He'd made it through the night. As the light levels increased, slowly but surely, he swallowed heavily. Holy shit he'd got high. The ground was a long, long way below him. Even for Javi, there was a sense of vertigo. He'd never reached this kind of altitude before.
He kept moving. Then he saw the car.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
Javi froze. He wanted to run. He wanted to hide. He couldn't do either. At this stage they either spotted him or they didn't. Didn't need a Gift, just binoculars or something. How equipped were they? He was a long way up, but he literally couldn't be more out in the open.
After a couple of seconds, he just decided to remain still. He'd sink a little. That was okay. Yeah it was visible. But more visible than movement? When they were right there? Right below him?
Javi didn't move.
The car took an impossibly long time to pass underneath. Then it changed direction. Kept going. Moved away.
Javi shuddered through a breath that felt as if he could puke up half his body along with it.
He resumed moving, turning things over in his head. Way off below him, the road just stopped, swallowed up by the desert. That didn't give him much to navigate by. He knew which way the compound was and rough idea of his heading. He'd hoped, really hoped, that he would have more landmarks by the time it got light again. If he was still alive and all. But, nothing. Just desert. Every direction.
what was the best option? Making his way through air was better than trying to hike it. He had supplies, thankfully. That'd keep him going for now. Being realistic, though, he had to rest sometime. A nap had kept him from collapsing, but his airwalking was still walking. His legs were aching. Not his feet so much. Kind of a perk that he didn't tend to get blisters. He had to figure out a way to get some sleep in some kind of safety.
He was really high. Even if he just stood still and waited, it was going to take a long time to get down to ground level. Javi wasn't even sure how long. He didn't want to start trying to screw around in midair to drop lower in stages, but maybe he wouldn't have a choice. Thing was, if he got too low without being on the ground, he was going to be much easier to spot. At this point he either had to be very aerial or totally grounded.
Fuck.
Too much to think about. Brain too tired to sort through all this shit.
For now, he could adjust. Make sure he wasn't going even higher, at least. Javi stopped stepping and started sliding his feet along as he moved.
Gradually, he started descending.
Too hot for the hoodie. Too windy not to have it.
He'd thought ahead about keeping up temperature during the night, not so much about exposure during the day. Too many steps ahead. Probably couldn't have done anything about it. Nobody had given him a coat, why would they have given him a hat? And the kidnappers might have figured out he was plotting something.
The kidnappers...
Hadn't seen anything of them since the car went off in the distance. Hadn't seen much of anything. It'd taken him hours to stop looking over his shoulder constantly, and he was still expecting to hear an engine any second. They couldn't drive all the way out here, could they? No road. It'd screw with their car.
He didn't know enough about cars. They got the whole class out here somehow. Had to be some kind of vehicle, didn't it? But not all in the back of a single car.
For right now they weren't here. Didn't mean they weren't still on his tail, and right now he was too high and too low at the same time. Forget heatstroke, if they caught sight of him, they'd blow him out of the sky.
would he fall down, spewing blood, or drift slowly to the ground?
Javi's stomach flipped. He stopped, taking a couple of deep breaths. No puke bombs.
Even with his vantage he wasn't really seeing anything out there, and he still had a long way and a long time to go before he was back on terra firma.
Panic tried to grab his chest and he didn't let it. He was out. that was something. even if he didn't know where he was, he was out. He'd find somewhere or someone sooner or later.
He had to.
One more deep breath. He resumed walking.
He'd thought ahead about keeping up temperature during the night, not so much about exposure during the day. Too many steps ahead. Probably couldn't have done anything about it. Nobody had given him a coat, why would they have given him a hat? And the kidnappers might have figured out he was plotting something.
The kidnappers...
Hadn't seen anything of them since the car went off in the distance. Hadn't seen much of anything. It'd taken him hours to stop looking over his shoulder constantly, and he was still expecting to hear an engine any second. They couldn't drive all the way out here, could they? No road. It'd screw with their car.
He didn't know enough about cars. They got the whole class out here somehow. Had to be some kind of vehicle, didn't it? But not all in the back of a single car.
For right now they weren't here. Didn't mean they weren't still on his tail, and right now he was too high and too low at the same time. Forget heatstroke, if they caught sight of him, they'd blow him out of the sky.
would he fall down, spewing blood, or drift slowly to the ground?
Javi's stomach flipped. He stopped, taking a couple of deep breaths. No puke bombs.
Even with his vantage he wasn't really seeing anything out there, and he still had a long way and a long time to go before he was back on terra firma.
Panic tried to grab his chest and he didn't let it. He was out. that was something. even if he didn't know where he was, he was out. He'd find somewhere or someone sooner or later.
He had to.
One more deep breath. He resumed walking.
Jelly legs.
Walking for two days and a night now, almost without stopping. Javi had sat down a couple of times to eat and drink and try to massage some of the ever-growing burn out of his calves and thighs, but he'd hauled himself back to his feet before much of a break. He'd felt himself starting to nod, and it'd sent a wave of panic straight through him that woke him right the hell back up. If he fell asleep in midair, chances were that he'd hit the ground before he even woke back up. And even if he did manage to wake, he'd have like what, two seconds to catch himself? Javi could hit air just as hard as earth.
So Javi kept going and his legs got less and less steady as the sun dipped lower and lower. He had a compass now, something he'd found in his bag while he was digging out ration bars and water, but his eyes were so bleary and head so foggy that he kept forgetting to look, or looking and taking three seconds to understand. Moving this way—the shuffle of his feet through the air—didn't really reduce the strain, if anything it felt awkward and screwed with his rhythm. He'd never had to walk like this so much for so long before. Or in general. Ever.
The fear of pursuit had faded away into something that lurked in the back of his head and jumped out at him any time he got too comfortable. Or, not comfortable, just, into too much of a ...groove, a flow, where the pain in his legs and the mental and physical exhaustion just bled together into a blur where he kind of stopped feeling any of it any more. That's when he remembered he was still fleeing for his life. That one wrong glimpse and his head was gonna roll.
probably wouldn't roll. probably break like a grapefruit.
Worst part was that it wasn't even enough to give him a burst of energy anymore. Adrenaline had just thrown up its hands and peaced. So he just got all the fun of his stomach clenching like a vice and none of the forward motion. actually, the lead of his legs just kind of made the anxious squeeze even worse. made him feel like he wasn't going fast enough.
He just had to fix on that, if they were gonna catch him, a few extra steps was never going to be enough.
Ground was getting closer. He didn't have that much further to sink. If Javi wasn't dead on his feet he'd be dipping to the kind of heights he'd consider going into controlled falls to drop. right now, though, he worried he'd lose his balance and fail to stop himself properly. He'd been at this too long to get careless now. Another... hour? Then he could rest.
That's what he was telling himself when something stopped him cold.
There was a car.
Off a ways right now, and not moving. Just before the flood of fear overwhelmed him, it registered. Not the same car. Wrong colour. There was a person going in and out of the trunk and all four of the doors were open.
So a lookout? Somebody coasting around the perimeter on patrol? Maybe Javi just stepped into a trap.
Javi's hands worked nervously, fidgeting with his string. That didn't really make sense though. If the mask gang had somebody way out here then they'd have called them to let them know he was somewhere out away from the compound, and they'd have started tightening the noose. Otherwise you were just hoping that the person you were looking for walked right into you.
—unless there was a whole group of lookouts strung out across the desert, all of them with their eyes peeled and Gifts trained for any sight of—
chill. chill. chill. chill. chill.
Chill.
That didn't make sense either.
If they had that many people they'd have just put them on the fence and stopped anyone from leaving, period. They didn't have fence guards. Javi had looked.
So either this was patrol person singular, Javi wasn't remembering properly the car (and they'd got ahead of him without him seeing or hearing anything somehow), or...
or it was someone else.
They weren't wearing a mask.
But that didn't—that didn't have to mean anything. It got hot out here in the day. If it was just one person, they could have taken the mask off.
They hadn't noticed him, but they also hadn't looked over here yet. If they were being watchful, it was pretty much a gamble whether the sun set soon enough that Javi stopped being an obvious silhouette. He wasn't high enough to escape notice any more. Maybe distant enough. A car was a more distinct shape, and bigger at that. just, there wasn't anything out here, and especially not up in the air. He could make out the person rummaging through the trunk, so they could see him, if they looked.
He could try dropping down. His reservations aside, his heart was pumping now. A kind of manic focus and clarity cut through the tiredness, at least for a moment. He could probably pull it off. And if it was die screwing up his fall or die when he got spotted, better to die with the option that had a chance of survival.
Javi took a breath and got ready to go horizontal.
And stopped.
okay, but, what if it wasn't one of them?
He had zero idea how far away he was from any towns. None. He had enough water for another day at a push, not much more food than that. How many miles could he cover in a day? Especially on legs he'd torn to pieces? How many miles was Oregon? Hell, he didn't even think this was Oregon. He could walk 'til he collapsed and never even find a town.
Whoever it was down there, they could be his only shot at making it clear before he passed out. And if they weren't one of the mask gang, then... couldn't this be it? It might be the end of all this. Life for him and, maybe life for some of the others.
Fuck.
put it like that, and he didn't really have another option.
Another deep breath. Javi held it, let it out. A shudder ran through him.
Tick, tock.
Really, he only had to wait. But if they called out, who knew might hear?
No, he had to get closer. Javi closed his eyes, shook his head, and then started moving again. Towards that distant vehicle. A feeling running through him was something he took a second to realise was anger.
He'd given death the slip, it'd be some bullshit if he ran straight back into its arms.
Walking for two days and a night now, almost without stopping. Javi had sat down a couple of times to eat and drink and try to massage some of the ever-growing burn out of his calves and thighs, but he'd hauled himself back to his feet before much of a break. He'd felt himself starting to nod, and it'd sent a wave of panic straight through him that woke him right the hell back up. If he fell asleep in midair, chances were that he'd hit the ground before he even woke back up. And even if he did manage to wake, he'd have like what, two seconds to catch himself? Javi could hit air just as hard as earth.
So Javi kept going and his legs got less and less steady as the sun dipped lower and lower. He had a compass now, something he'd found in his bag while he was digging out ration bars and water, but his eyes were so bleary and head so foggy that he kept forgetting to look, or looking and taking three seconds to understand. Moving this way—the shuffle of his feet through the air—didn't really reduce the strain, if anything it felt awkward and screwed with his rhythm. He'd never had to walk like this so much for so long before. Or in general. Ever.
The fear of pursuit had faded away into something that lurked in the back of his head and jumped out at him any time he got too comfortable. Or, not comfortable, just, into too much of a ...groove, a flow, where the pain in his legs and the mental and physical exhaustion just bled together into a blur where he kind of stopped feeling any of it any more. That's when he remembered he was still fleeing for his life. That one wrong glimpse and his head was gonna roll.
probably wouldn't roll. probably break like a grapefruit.
Worst part was that it wasn't even enough to give him a burst of energy anymore. Adrenaline had just thrown up its hands and peaced. So he just got all the fun of his stomach clenching like a vice and none of the forward motion. actually, the lead of his legs just kind of made the anxious squeeze even worse. made him feel like he wasn't going fast enough.
He just had to fix on that, if they were gonna catch him, a few extra steps was never going to be enough.
Ground was getting closer. He didn't have that much further to sink. If Javi wasn't dead on his feet he'd be dipping to the kind of heights he'd consider going into controlled falls to drop. right now, though, he worried he'd lose his balance and fail to stop himself properly. He'd been at this too long to get careless now. Another... hour? Then he could rest.
That's what he was telling himself when something stopped him cold.
There was a car.
Off a ways right now, and not moving. Just before the flood of fear overwhelmed him, it registered. Not the same car. Wrong colour. There was a person going in and out of the trunk and all four of the doors were open.
So a lookout? Somebody coasting around the perimeter on patrol? Maybe Javi just stepped into a trap.
Javi's hands worked nervously, fidgeting with his string. That didn't really make sense though. If the mask gang had somebody way out here then they'd have called them to let them know he was somewhere out away from the compound, and they'd have started tightening the noose. Otherwise you were just hoping that the person you were looking for walked right into you.
—unless there was a whole group of lookouts strung out across the desert, all of them with their eyes peeled and Gifts trained for any sight of—
chill. chill. chill. chill. chill.
Chill.
That didn't make sense either.
If they had that many people they'd have just put them on the fence and stopped anyone from leaving, period. They didn't have fence guards. Javi had looked.
So either this was patrol person singular, Javi wasn't remembering properly the car (and they'd got ahead of him without him seeing or hearing anything somehow), or...
or it was someone else.
They weren't wearing a mask.
But that didn't—that didn't have to mean anything. It got hot out here in the day. If it was just one person, they could have taken the mask off.
They hadn't noticed him, but they also hadn't looked over here yet. If they were being watchful, it was pretty much a gamble whether the sun set soon enough that Javi stopped being an obvious silhouette. He wasn't high enough to escape notice any more. Maybe distant enough. A car was a more distinct shape, and bigger at that. just, there wasn't anything out here, and especially not up in the air. He could make out the person rummaging through the trunk, so they could see him, if they looked.
He could try dropping down. His reservations aside, his heart was pumping now. A kind of manic focus and clarity cut through the tiredness, at least for a moment. He could probably pull it off. And if it was die screwing up his fall or die when he got spotted, better to die with the option that had a chance of survival.
Javi took a breath and got ready to go horizontal.
And stopped.
okay, but, what if it wasn't one of them?
He had zero idea how far away he was from any towns. None. He had enough water for another day at a push, not much more food than that. How many miles could he cover in a day? Especially on legs he'd torn to pieces? How many miles was Oregon? Hell, he didn't even think this was Oregon. He could walk 'til he collapsed and never even find a town.
Whoever it was down there, they could be his only shot at making it clear before he passed out. And if they weren't one of the mask gang, then... couldn't this be it? It might be the end of all this. Life for him and, maybe life for some of the others.
Fuck.
put it like that, and he didn't really have another option.
Another deep breath. Javi held it, let it out. A shudder ran through him.
Tick, tock.
Really, he only had to wait. But if they called out, who knew might hear?
No, he had to get closer. Javi closed his eyes, shook his head, and then started moving again. Towards that distant vehicle. A feeling running through him was something he took a second to realise was anger.
He'd given death the slip, it'd be some bullshit if he ran straight back into its arms.
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HELPful_Crow
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2022 5:05 am
The man took a step back, pulling his attention away from his trunk.
He began to walk around the car, towards the driver's seat, before he abruptly stopped in place. He furrowed his brow, turned back, and looked up.
There was a brief moment of hesitation, his head craning back slightly, eyes squinting through the light of dusk.
He tilted his head. Then he waved.
He began to walk around the car, towards the driver's seat, before he abruptly stopped in place. He furrowed his brow, turned back, and looked up.
There was a brief moment of hesitation, his head craning back slightly, eyes squinting through the light of dusk.
He tilted his head. Then he waved.
They looked at him.
Javi still froze. Didn't matter how much logic had ran through his head. He could die, right here and now.
They brought up their arm. Javi flinched.
They waved.
Javi waited to explode. catch fire. break to pieces from the inside out.
Nothing. He sank an inch.
He sank another inch.
He sank another inch.
Javi raised his hand, just a little, just acknowledging.
Javi still froze. Didn't matter how much logic had ran through his head. He could die, right here and now.
They brought up their arm. Javi flinched.
They waved.
Javi waited to explode. catch fire. break to pieces from the inside out.
Nothing. He sank an inch.
He sank another inch.
He sank another inch.
Javi raised his hand, just a little, just acknowledging.
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HELPful_Crow
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2022 5:05 am
The man nodded at the acknowledgement, and lowered his arm.
He licked his chapped lips, and glanced back towards his car, then looked once more towards Javi.
"Nothing but desert for miles out here, kid," he shouted. "You lost?"
He licked his chapped lips, and glanced back towards his car, then looked once more towards Javi.
"Nothing but desert for miles out here, kid," he shouted. "You lost?"
He wasn't angry anymore.
Car Guy called up to Javi, and he almost shouted back to keep it down, that didn't he knew who was out here, but he kept his mouth shut. Javi already made his pick.
Javi looked down at Car Guy. He wasn't so far away anymore. Javi had lost altitude, and was back in familiar heights. He climbed up to here on a pretty regular basis. Might even be more distance lengthways than up.
He just—was this real? Car Guy wasn't looking threatening, or grabbing a phone to call backup. The question was... normal. just a normal way to react to seeing a floating teenager out in the middle of nowhere, instead of masks and threats, fire and death.
He tried to come up with a response. to explain.
"
"
Javi's throat caught and he burst into tears.
Car Guy called up to Javi, and he almost shouted back to keep it down, that didn't he knew who was out here, but he kept his mouth shut. Javi already made his pick.
Javi looked down at Car Guy. He wasn't so far away anymore. Javi had lost altitude, and was back in familiar heights. He climbed up to here on a pretty regular basis. Might even be more distance lengthways than up.
He just—was this real? Car Guy wasn't looking threatening, or grabbing a phone to call backup. The question was... normal. just a normal way to react to seeing a floating teenager out in the middle of nowhere, instead of masks and threats, fire and death.
He tried to come up with a response. to explain.
"
"
Javi's throat caught and he burst into tears.
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HELPful_Crow
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2022 5:05 am
The man went quiet as Javi burst into tears. A look of confusion, followed by realization, began to dawn on his face.
"Kid," he shouted, "it's okay now. You're not in any danger. I-"
He fumbled over his words, clearly unprepared for the situation he found himself in.
"I've got food," he continued, "water, some cell phones. Signal isn't any good out here, but it's something. Only thing I don't got is gas, save one gallon. Is there-"
He paused, looked at the desert sands below him, as if unsure of what he was about to say, before looking back up.
"Is there anyone else out here that needs help?"
"Kid," he shouted, "it's okay now. You're not in any danger. I-"
He fumbled over his words, clearly unprepared for the situation he found himself in.
"I've got food," he continued, "water, some cell phones. Signal isn't any good out here, but it's something. Only thing I don't got is gas, save one gallon. Is there-"
He paused, looked at the desert sands below him, as if unsure of what he was about to say, before looking back up.
"Is there anyone else out here that needs help?"
The comfort was distant in different ways.
Too far below, too unbelievable, too detached.
Javi didn't know where to start, how to start.
Car Guy was legit. He really was. and it just made it impossible. Yeah Javi knew what had happened, he knew how to say what happened. The saying. that was the problem. talking out loud about, all of this, all of that.
Yeah sure mister Car Guy, saw my teacher's dead body, saw someone's head get blown off, heard about a bunch of my classmates dying, walked a literal night and a day thinking I could die any second—
Even the line of thought was too much. The tears redoubled. Javi bent over, wracked and shaking with sobs.
He was—
it took a while for him to get back under control. Didn't even manage to stop crying. but he could actually think a little at least. get his head running again, through the emotions and the tired. the fog was still crowding around at the edges but it'd got pushed back just enough. Possibility of rescue had a way of grabbing focus.
Javi shook his head hard, wished he hadn't when its pounding kicked back up again. He tried to concentrate, looked down at Car Guy again. Javi had sank a good amount more since last time he was paying attention.
Okay. This was—he was at a pretty okay height now. Low enough he could—yeah. Yeah. He could do this.
Javi swiped his eyes with his sleeve and leaned all the way back. He'd done this enough that he knew where his tipping point was, so it didn't catch him off guard when he plunged straight down.
Half a second, he wrenched himself back upright, and landed. The impact ran up through his feet, knees, thighs. He flinched and swayed. It felt harsher than normal, less steady, but yeah. obviously? after all this, of course it did.
He started off towards Car Guy again. He was only a couple stories up above. pretty easy conversational distance.
By the time Javi got a decent amount closer, he'd lost most of that first story as he shuffle walked through the air. He stopped again.
"Hey."
His voice came out in a whispering croak. Javi tried to swallow the lump, then tried again.
"Hey."
A little better.
"I—yeah. My class. My class is back that way." He jabbed a thumb back over his shoulder. "It's... it's bad. Real bad. Bunch of fucking locos wearing animal masks have got—they've got—they're making—" Javi's voice cracked. "Everyone's killing each other."
Too far below, too unbelievable, too detached.
Javi didn't know where to start, how to start.
Car Guy was legit. He really was. and it just made it impossible. Yeah Javi knew what had happened, he knew how to say what happened. The saying. that was the problem. talking out loud about, all of this, all of that.
Yeah sure mister Car Guy, saw my teacher's dead body, saw someone's head get blown off, heard about a bunch of my classmates dying, walked a literal night and a day thinking I could die any second—
Even the line of thought was too much. The tears redoubled. Javi bent over, wracked and shaking with sobs.
He was—
it took a while for him to get back under control. Didn't even manage to stop crying. but he could actually think a little at least. get his head running again, through the emotions and the tired. the fog was still crowding around at the edges but it'd got pushed back just enough. Possibility of rescue had a way of grabbing focus.
Javi shook his head hard, wished he hadn't when its pounding kicked back up again. He tried to concentrate, looked down at Car Guy again. Javi had sank a good amount more since last time he was paying attention.
Okay. This was—he was at a pretty okay height now. Low enough he could—yeah. Yeah. He could do this.
Javi swiped his eyes with his sleeve and leaned all the way back. He'd done this enough that he knew where his tipping point was, so it didn't catch him off guard when he plunged straight down.
Half a second, he wrenched himself back upright, and landed. The impact ran up through his feet, knees, thighs. He flinched and swayed. It felt harsher than normal, less steady, but yeah. obviously? after all this, of course it did.
He started off towards Car Guy again. He was only a couple stories up above. pretty easy conversational distance.
By the time Javi got a decent amount closer, he'd lost most of that first story as he shuffle walked through the air. He stopped again.
"Hey."
His voice came out in a whispering croak. Javi tried to swallow the lump, then tried again.
"Hey."
A little better.
"I—yeah. My class. My class is back that way." He jabbed a thumb back over his shoulder. "It's... it's bad. Real bad. Bunch of fucking locos wearing animal masks have got—they've got—they're making—" Javi's voice cracked. "Everyone's killing each other."
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HELPful_Crow
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2022 5:05 am
When Javi fell, the man briefly panicked, and moved to try and break the boy's fall, only to stop just as soon as Javi stabilized.
He took a step back, looking up at Javi, quietly listening. When he finished speaking, the man grit his teeth, and slammed his fist onto the hood of his car.
"That's... worse than even I had imagined."
He took a deep breath.
"No time to waste, then."
He glanced back up at Javi, before nodding and moving towards the trunk of his car once more. He rummaged around in it, eventually pulling out a large, unmarked black backpack and setting it on the ground next to the vehicle. He pointed to it and spoke.
"That pack has got four days worth of MREs, water, first aid supplies, a compass, and a burner cell phone. The signal isn't any good out here, but the nearest road is due East. Make a call as soon as you can."
Then he pulled a red, 5-gallon gas can out of the trunk of his car, hastily throwing open the fuel cap and shoving the spigot into the receptacle.
"I have a history with the people who abducted you and your class. I've been trying to put them away for a long time. My first mistake was letting things get to this point. My second was not making sure I had enough fuel to follow them all the way out here."
Gas stopped flowing out of the can, and after placing it back in the trunk and shutting it, the man circled the car, throwing the doors closed one by one.
"As much as I want to, I can't stay with you," he said, not managing to look Javi in the eyes. "I can't let anyone else die if I can prevent it. I'm sorry I can't do more for you. Good luck."
Then he climbed into the driver's seat, and after a moment, the engine roared to life, and the car began traveling in the direction Javi had pointed.
((Part of him knew he wouldn't be making it back.))
He took a step back, looking up at Javi, quietly listening. When he finished speaking, the man grit his teeth, and slammed his fist onto the hood of his car.
"That's... worse than even I had imagined."
He took a deep breath.
"No time to waste, then."
He glanced back up at Javi, before nodding and moving towards the trunk of his car once more. He rummaged around in it, eventually pulling out a large, unmarked black backpack and setting it on the ground next to the vehicle. He pointed to it and spoke.
"That pack has got four days worth of MREs, water, first aid supplies, a compass, and a burner cell phone. The signal isn't any good out here, but the nearest road is due East. Make a call as soon as you can."
Then he pulled a red, 5-gallon gas can out of the trunk of his car, hastily throwing open the fuel cap and shoving the spigot into the receptacle.
"I have a history with the people who abducted you and your class. I've been trying to put them away for a long time. My first mistake was letting things get to this point. My second was not making sure I had enough fuel to follow them all the way out here."
Gas stopped flowing out of the can, and after placing it back in the trunk and shutting it, the man circled the car, throwing the doors closed one by one.
"As much as I want to, I can't stay with you," he said, not managing to look Javi in the eyes. "I can't let anyone else die if I can prevent it. I'm sorry I can't do more for you. Good luck."
Then he climbed into the driver's seat, and after a moment, the engine roared to life, and the car began traveling in the direction Javi had pointed.
((Part of him knew he wouldn't be making it back.))
Javi sobbed his way through an explanation while Car Guy listened, and perhaps ordinarily Javi would have hated crying in front of somebody, let alone a stranger, right now everything was just too... all of this to care. Everything seemed jittery and the tears were doing even less for already blurred vision, he felt like he was swaying, and falling, and like if he moved too fast he'd tumble backward and just spiral away into the sky, spinning head over heels. Lower than he'd been in hours, days, and Javi felt vertigo.
Car Guy punched the Car, Javi jolted, probably would have stumbled if he was physically capable of it. (Gift perk? Literally impossible for him to trip over). Anyway, Guy burst into life, pulling out a backpack, fuelling up, slamming his doors shut, the whole time rattling off instructions and information that Javi could barely process before he moved onto the next thing. He knew these people? Where did he get all these supplies? Who was he? Who were they?
Couldn't he just... stay?
Javi didn't ask any of those questions, in the end.
He just stood still and watched Car Guy drive towards death.
((Continued in: Dial tone))
Car Guy punched the Car, Javi jolted, probably would have stumbled if he was physically capable of it. (Gift perk? Literally impossible for him to trip over). Anyway, Guy burst into life, pulling out a backpack, fuelling up, slamming his doors shut, the whole time rattling off instructions and information that Javi could barely process before he moved onto the next thing. He knew these people? Where did he get all these supplies? Who was he? Who were they?
Couldn't he just... stay?
Javi didn't ask any of those questions, in the end.
He just stood still and watched Car Guy drive towards death.
((Continued in: Dial tone))