Toxicly Yours

Chapter 6 Episode 6

“Distant enough to live outside the city.” I shrugged. Coral fell back against the seat with a laugh.

The guard’s flashlight swept over the back of the vehicle before he ran our IDs through the scanner. “Your sister is seventeen. She’ll need parental authorization to leave the gate after sunset.”

I clung to frustration instead of fear, letting the impatience roll from me in waves. There were few times in life that I let negative emotions show, but sometimes the situation called for it. Let us go. “I am her legal guardian and I’d like to get to my cousin’s place before it gets much darker.”

To prove it, I handed over the certificate. “Sorry for the hold up.” He gave our documents back and the worry on his face wasn’t meant to scare me, but it did. “You girls stay safe and don’t get too close to the outer edges. There’s been some issues with the fence line lately. Set off the alert signal on your vehicle if you need any help and we can send a rescue pod.”

“Good to know.” The mask of calm I’d worn my entire life slipped back into place. I put the car in drive and headed through the gate, leaving the safety of Ethica behind us.

“There’s no way we can live here,” Coral broke the tense silence as we drove through the sprawling mass of metal shacks that clung to the outside of Ethica’s walls.

Electric lights were glowing, illuminating the dirty faces peering from the crowded structures where laundry hung from balconies and painted ladies called out their prices to the bar fighters stumbling on the streets.

“It’s not so bad.” I grimaced as I looked in the rearview mirror. I planned to settle down somewhere for the night on the outskirts once the bustle of the nightlife was behind us, but the ghetto out here seemed a little more sinister now that it was shrouded in dark.

Then again, if we could find a spot to park, I should be able to lock the doors until the sun rose again. Everything would seem better in the light of the day.

“Let’s keep going.” Coral shuddered, turning to stare out the front windshield with a sheen of

tears reflecting the scant light in her eyes. “I want to get as far away as possible.”

I chewed my lip as I watched the headlight beams sweep over the dusty roads. If there was any nature out here, it had long since been destroyed by the bombs.

Somehow, I could sense the fence line before the warning signs came into view on an outcropping of rocks that sat to the side of the broken road. The low static hum of electricity that permeated everything in our lives was stronger in this spot.

I eased to a stop and looked over to Coral. “We could stay here for the night and then check it out in the morning.” It was too dark to see anything past the rocks and if we were going to die from radiation poisoning right away, I’d at least like to see the end of the world first.

“Just drive.” Coral wiped the tears from her eyes and I felt the heartbreak in her voice. Straight to possible death it is. I flipped on the overhead light and pulled out some pages I’d printed, pressing them against the steering wheel.

“What’s that?” she asked, leaning closer. I couldn’t resist teasing her. “Oh, you know, just some ancient piece of technology they call a map.”

“A map to where?” Coral pulled out her phone. “I’ll plug it into the GPS.” My smile faltered. “I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think there will be service where we are going.”

She froze, her eyes widening in shock, and then slowly shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t have a life to connect to anymore.”

And with that, I pressed on the gas and gave her an award-winning smile. “Are you ready for our next adventure?”

Radiation poisoning isn’t instant. I held to that truth as we passed through the electric fence line and actually didn’t die. In fact, a weird feeling filled my chest as if this was what it meant to fully expand my lungs for the first time.

I turned to my sister. “We made… “Stop the car!” she screamed. “What is it?” I slammed on the brakes while my heart slammed against my ribcage. Coral yanked open the door and jumped from the car before I could put it in park. I sprinted out after her, scanning the open area around us. Shadows lined the distant horizon but there was nothing out here.

Except the night sky. I looked up, mesmerized by how clear it was. Like a holograph picture of the galaxy, stars twinkled and stretched around the world.

“Can you feel it?” Coral cried, shaking as she stood on the remains of an old road with her hands outstretched.

I sucked in a deep breath and nodded before realizing her back was turned to me. “It feels cleaner out here, like I can finally breathe.”

“No.” She spun around and caught my arm, dragging me over the broken chunks of asphalt. “Touch it.”

I wiggled my fingers in the air, watching her from the corner of my eye. “I can’t physically feel it but I know we passed through.”

“I messed up.” Coral ran her fingers through her hair as she started to pace while the moon

played peekaboo with the clouds and the stars continued to shine above.

“What are you feeling?” I sucked in another deep breath, trying to focus on her instead of marveling at the sky. It never looked like this in the city. A deep sense of loss hit me when I realized how much we had missed. Are they lying about the radiation?

Coral thrust her hand into the invisible electric line hovering above the ground and sparks shot up her wrist. She yanked her arm back, cradling it to her chest as she fell to her knees with a cry of pain.

I stood frozen watching as if this was some type of horror movie, not able to process what just happened.

She turned to me with eyes full of fear. “I can’t go back.” “Oh shit.” I rushed to her side and scooped her up, guiding her back to the car before she collapsed on the road as she started to sob.

This is my fault. I hadn’t been thinking clearly because I’d let emotions override my senses. Panic raced through me as I forced myself to breathe.

“Shh.” I soothed, tucking her hair behind her ears and pressing my forehead against her forehead, trying to absorb her pain. “It’s okay.”

But this was not okay. The fence line was there to protect citizens and the Fringes from feral beasts. I should have known that the science behind these borders was advanced enough to keep anyone with impure blood out.

But my sister isn’t a threat! Coral took in little gulps of air, quieting herself as shame and hurt twisted the features of her face. My heart ached for her and the life she’d lost.

I tilted her chin up to stare into her eyes. “Screw them. We don’t need their city anyway.” She gave a broken little smile and nodded. “You’re right. Let’s get out of here.” I hurried around the side of the car, berating myself for not thinking this through. There had to be a way to get someone to turn off the fence or something and I’d damn sure find out how.

I slid behind the wheel with a wink. “Adventure time, part two?” Coral laughed and the sound soothed my soul. “Do we have anything to eat?” My head whipped to the side so fast that I was surprised I didn’t dislocate my neck. “It’s like you don’t even know who I am. When have I ever forgotten the snacks?”

Solar powered vehicles need sun. Ask me how I know. We ran out of juice sometime in the middle of the night and coasted to the side of a dirt road. The battery charging ball of fire in the sky warmed my closed eyelids, waking me from my restless dreams. But we were still alive and hadn’t succumbed to radiation sickness yet, so I was calling that a win.

I inhaled deeply, still clutching the butcher’s knife to my chest, and let the crisp morning air into my lungs. That toxic air was tasting pretty sweet.

Moving quietly so I didn’t wake my sister, I opened my eyes and stretched out my back.

It took me a second of sheer panic to register she wasn’t in her seat anymore.

“Coral!” I cried out, jumping from the car and scanning the empty field while holding the knife in my shaking hands.