Never Heroes: Act I

Chapter 5

Never Heroes

Act I

V: Dreams

Heavy clouds covered the starlight that night and a swift breeze sent chills throughout their bodies. Walter had assured them that the government wasn't looking too hard for them, or they would never have walked away from the riverbank. Emily wanted to argue that more than likely, no one was looking for them and they were just all crazy, but she kept her mouth shut. Hasty stops at Doug's and Walter's took place the next afternoon before they jetted out of town.

South of the city lights rested miles upon miles of unused and unwanted farmlands. Grassy hillsides and deep ravines shaped the landscape they dared to travel. A quarter of a mile after pavement faded to gravel Walter told them to ditch the car. They needed to travel on foot until they crossed state lines. Hiking up and down the steep hills, peppered with coyote dens and gopher mounds, proved to be rather trying and time consuming.

Rainfall hit around sunset. Of course, they weren't prepared. Shelter was found near a natural spring, where old cottonwood trees and overgrown silvery berry trees created a small canopy that kept them from the cold precipitation. Huddled together, they tried their best to relax despite their circumstances.

Emily had decided she was going to sleep. A backpack was used as her pillow and she didn't bother with a blanket. Several minutes passed without any sleep coming to her, but she pretended to be asleep regardless. A heavy sigh from Chip and then he, too, decided to lie down and give resting a chance.

Apparently, it wasn't working out for him. "What kind of animals live out here?" he asked no one in particular.

"Snakes, gophers, coyotes, deer. The usual," Walter answered.

"You forgot mountain lions and rabbits," Emily added.

Now that they knew she was awake, they eased back into silence again. Chip was never brave enough to open his mouth that often around her; Walter just didn't want any arguments to start. How was that, at twenty-eight, everything changed around them except their dynamic? It seemed as though they all should have changed more than they really had. The thought made Walter sigh.

Chip heard the exhale and gave his friend a worried look. It was one thing for the widower and homeless girl to be on this crazy trip, but for Walter? It just wasn't fair. Everything was going smoothly for him. All of the things he set out to accomplish, he did. Wealth, a noteworthy career with a long list of awards, and a future that was bright – all of it was gone in a snap.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about this," Chip said. Walter didn't verbally respond; he merely put his hand up to silence him. There was no use in discussing the could-have-been.

Instead, it was Emily who said, "You should be." Chip shrunk at the sound of her voice. Timid, he had never been one to stand up to her attitude. She was well aware of that. Somehow, they had a strong friendship. Her attention turned to Walter when she asked, "What made you flip your lid, anyway? Obviously looking into s**t like that is going to get the government after you."

He shrugged, "I just… had a feeling, I guess."

"Oh, brother," she scoffed as she rolled her eyes.

"What? And you didn't? Isn't that why you're here?" Walter questioned. It irritated her how he kept his voice so even, despite the fact he was debating with her. In fact, it bothered her so much that she sat up just so she could make better eye contact. Naturally, he wasn't the least bit intimated by her glare. Fierce brown clashed with calm hazel but neither dared to blink.

She caved and admitted, "I'm here because when we were children, I promised that I'd always have your back. Both of you."

Softening his eyes, Walter could only nod and smile in agreement. On the other hand, Chip grinned and shouted, "Thanks! You really are a good friend, Em! And, I promise I'll do my best for both you! I love you guys!"

Walter nodded again and said, "Yeah. No matter how many years or how many miles, I'll always be there for you."

Tranquil silence befell them as the falling rain eased its downpour. The remaining splatter of rain drops created the perfect lullaby for the trio to get some shuteye. Chip was the first if his loud snoring was any indication. Then, the steady breathing of Walter gave away his vulnerable state. Always the last to fall asleep in their youth, this proved true again for Emily, as she felt her mind drift far away long after the boys were deep in their slumber.

Behind her eyelids she expected darkness. Dreaming wasn't something that happened to her often. Typically, she had way too much to drink to even process that she wasn't awake. Sleep came and went in a blink on most nights. Thus, it took a bit for her realize that she was dreaming when the darkness faded to the blurry visions of childhood.

Movement all around her made it difficult for her eyes to focus. Screams from children made her ears ring. Her head whipped back and forth as she tried to figure out where the hell she was. It was the park. Summer winds heated the air around her. Sarah's voice broke through all the others when she shouted, "No! Chip!"

A few yards ahead, Chip took a knee. He couldn't have been older than fourteen based on the dingy Nike hoodie he wore, considering he outgrew it the next school year. Although his back was turned to her, she could still tell something was wrong with him. His entire body had tensed up before it suddenly shook violently. One hand tried to keep his balance while the other was pressed against his abdomen. At his side lay a lance.

Holy s**t, this is that joust he kept going on about, she realized. I'm f*****g cracking up. It's official. A tall, imposing figure in clothes she had never seen before stood in front of Chip. A mask covered this stranger's face, but his intent to do harm was evident. Blood stained the end of the weapon the stranger held.

Panic took over her entire being when she saw the pool of blood start to form at Chip's feet. The stranger pulled back its weapon and prepared to deal a finishing blow. Whatever possessed her, she couldn't say, but she suddenly charged toward the offender and shouted, "Get the hell back, you bastard!"

"Emily, are you crazy?!" Doug's voice cried.

There were no weapons on her so she picked up the discarded lance of Chip and thrusted it toward the stranger. It was parried expertly. There was no time for her to react when he countered; the swift sword struck her in the side, slicing deep enough that she swore she could feel it touch her ribcage. Perhaps she would have been cut completely in half, if help hadn't come from behind.

Able to penetrate all the way through the stranger, Walter had come to her rescue with a small sword. Vision blurred once more as the pain overtook her. Balance lost, she stumbled a bit. Pride wouldn't let her fall, so she did her best to regain her footing. Unable to, she eventually fell to a knee, the lance being the only thing that prevented her from eating dirt.

"If this is how you treat my agent in a fair duel, then I will wipe the entire human race off this map!"

She jerked awake at the sound of the threatening, ominous voice that had surrounded her. Hesitantly she touched her side where the sword had cut her. Of course, there was no scar or signs of damage, just that odd birthmark that she'd always had. Or, at least, that she thought she'd always had. Green grass of the park had faded into the dry dirt of that patch they'd settled down on for the night. Cries of children were replaced with the obnoxious snores of Chip.

"You alright?" Walter's voice softly carried through the night.

There was no need for her to look; she knew he was lying down and probably still had his eyes closed. Walter picked up on things on a much deeper level than anyone she'd ever met. He'd probably felt the dread she had living in that bizarre nightmare.

"Yeah," she answered. It was never her intention to give him the satisfaction of being right, but giving him an answer was better than having to hear the question again.

Apparently, it was a good enough response, as Walter soon drifted off to slumberland once more. Shaken by her dream, Emily couldn't find the courage to close her eyes. It all felt way too real. None of it added up, though. If Chip had a lance, why was he wearing a hoodie and not armor? Where did this stranger come from? Who spoke to them at the end of that fight? None of it could have happened. Moments like that were reserved for Saturday morning cartoons and poorly written comic books. They didn't happen in real life. If they did, she'd sure as hell remember it.

Years of heavy drinking were rotting away her brain, obviously. Greasy cheeseburgers and expired macaroni from her starving actress years must have played a part in eating away her mind. Adulthood sucked so bad she was finally resorting to fantasies in order to escape it. All of this was coming from someone that didn't have an imagination as big as Chip's. Maybe she'd been drugged. Some part of her, deep down inside, clearly wanted it all to be true; some adventurous side of her yearned to be free, but her logical side had kept it caged for too long.

Or, perhaps, it really had happened. Past memories once buried might have been returning to the surface of her psyche, ready to remind her of the things she had dared to forget. Whatever mind control the government was using to keep them sane was fading and the truth was about to revealed.

"Yeah, right," she muttered bitterly to herself.

Walter heard her but knew better than to say anything. It was her prerogative to stew alone. Inside himself he fought his own battles. What was truth, what was reality? Since his youth had been so sure of everything around him. Nothing was on track anymore. First, Sarah commits suicide out of nowhere, her note making little sense to him. Chip takes the drug trip of his life and claims an entire history they had lived has been erased from every single source of information on the planet.

To make matters worse she had to come back. It was embarrassing to display how pathetic they had all gotten since Emily had moved out of town. So what if he had wealth – there was no stability in his life. Chip and Sarah really had it all, even if they couldn't afford to keep the cable. Well, it wasn't just the cable. Rent was past due, the power company was calling every day for that late payment, and a baby was on the way. Maybe even they had screwed up somewhere. Maybe their entire group had screwed up.

Emily's arrival and decision to move back made it painfully obvious. She had an uncanny ability to make everyone around her self-conscious of how totally shitty they were. Walter doubted she did it on purpose. If her constant curses about how terrible life was and the consistent sighs were any clue, she was feeling like a pretty big mess, too. Still, the last thing they needed in such a difficult, emotional time was for her judgmental, snarky comments to make an appearance. If it wasn't about Chip's drug use, it was Doug's complete fumbling of his life. Walter was just happy she hadn't learned too much about him, yet.

The pitter-patter of the rain on the trees stopped. Suffocated by the intense sound of Chip's snoring, both Walter and Emily sighed. There was no sleep for them that night.