The Crystal Call

Chapter 3-1

Chapter 3

Kenna

They didn’t stop—except for a quick break to relieve themselves outside the main wall—until well after sundown. No one wanted to spend more than a few minutes stationary. They were all terrified of the things they’d seen and experienced. And the wall of volcanoes didn’t help. But eventually Ken was forced to acknowledge an inconvenient fact about her present condition: her leg felt like it might fall off. It tingled, and if she moved it at all, her whole body trembled with a stinging pain.

The moment they were clear of Appalachia, she pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road. There weren’t any towns, inhabited or otherwise, for miles in every direction. They were still in West Virginia, not that it made a difference. The only borders that mattered now were those of countries and the outskirts of the sparse and struggling strongholds. There were no states left. They just didn’t exist. All the land between spots of civilization had been abandoned, left to the wolves. It was anarchy and chaos.

And wilderness, too.

Even in what felt like a short time, the farm fields had gone rotten, died, tried to regrow on their own, and then succumbed to more natural plant and wildlife. Where they didn’t have to fear mutated competition or suffocating ash, normal creatures set up shop in old stomping grounds. Deer. Rabbits. Bears, maybe. Anything and everything that had been chased out by humans and their guns, their pesticides, and their obsessive landscaping. Forests were slow to recover, but they quickly began to reclaim the easiest places. Parks. Nearby abandoned buildings. Anywhere that required regular maintenance to keep the trees, undergrowth, etc. at bay.

On the positive side, for the few humans that still sought passage here, the influx of vegetation and animal activity not only provided added hiding places but also discouraged permanent residents. No one could stay here for more than a day or so. Too dangerous. No supplies. No backup.

For the night, and for this group of three in particular, the area would do nicely. She rolled down her window and sucked the fresh air into her lungs.

The hard part wouldn’t be camping out here. Ken could definitely use the rest. But actually standing and exiting the vehicle? Now that could prove daunting. Inside her boot, her foot had swollen substantially, while the hours of driving served to only worsen her condition. She hurt. A lot. And as she opened the door to join the others, who had already exited, Kenna found that she could not will herself to get up and put any weight on it.

Luckily, Raz noticed the pain in her expression and hurried over. He bent down and, in a whisper, asked if she needed any help.

She really did. Nodding, “I screwed it up jumping from a window.”

“I figured.” He smiled. Not for her benefit, but for the stranger among them. “Don’t worry, Kennie. You’ve got more power around your neck than either of us could ever have—combined.” He offered his shoulder. Slowly, she transferred her weight onto her uninjured foot and used Raz as a walking aid. “Easy,” he instructed soothingly. “Take your time.”

They stumbled only a few feet before Raz slowly helped her sit down on a reasonably soft tuft of long grass, near an oak tree. Its leaves had already turned gold for autumn, she noticed, along with all the other trees in the area. It was unnatural. Too soon by a few weeks. But she allowed herself a brief moment to enjoy the unexpected pop of color.

Raz left only long enough to return with a blanket, some painkillers, and a sack full of what little non-perishable food had been left in their vehicle. He handed the stuff over to Kenna before quietly building a fire. Raz knew Kenna all too well. He kept the flames low and at a relatively far distance, just enough to provide minimal heat for the night. The small bonfire wouldn’t activate her latent sense of terror. But it would keep them all happy. Odessa ignored her companions in favor of warming seemingly stiff joints, and Ken switched gears to plan out a meal.

Two cans of spaghetti and meatballs, meant for a child’s palate, would fill their stomachs while reserving more nutrition-heavy items for dire times. With the choice made, she handed them over to Raz for him to do the cooking. He began the process by pouring the contents into a pot and setting it near the fire. Then, he went to retrieve pillows and more blankets for the three of them. They would sleep outside tonight. More room than in the vehicle. Easier to hear if someone or something was coming. Of course, they would take turns sleeping. But it was better this way.

Ken took three of the pills with a single swig of water. Grimacing, she arranged the soft items in such a way that she could lie on her side with as much comfort as could be expected.

After dinner, Raz sat beside her, with Odessa on the far end, closest to the car. He didn’t seem even remotely tired. His eyes just stared at the fire, darting away only when they heard the typical noises of wildlife. “We have to do something about your leg,” he said what both of them had been thinking. “I don’t know how bad it is, but it could be dislocated or broken or—I don’t know anything about this stuff.”

“What about you?” Ken took a risk and asked their fellow traveler.

She shrugged. “Not really my area of expertise, unfortunately. Is it bad?”

“It’s not great,” Ken snarked. With the answer given, she turned back to a friendlier face. “We should probably try to find someone who can splint it. Maybe somewhere in the slums?”

But the fearful and distraught look on his face said it all. “I’ve never met a doctor there. Or a nurse. Or anyone like that.” He sniffed. “You get hurt, you just deal with it. Or they—it’s like with animals. Unless you got someone protecting you, they’ll eat you alive. They’ll take whatever you have.”

Kenna didn’t want him to be upset. It solved nothing and helped no one. And anyway, he’d seen enough of that terrible place, where people were so desperate, they would kill you over pretty much anything. She didn’t bother inquiring as to who may have been protecting Raz prior to his fortuitous selection as an assistant. She didn’t need or want to know. “Then somewhere else.”

“Can we trust anybody out here?” Raz asked.

Good question. She racked her brain for anyone who could possibly still be alive and capable of any kind of medical aid. It took a moment, but on a full stomach and with some of the pain subsiding, she could finally think with a clear head. “Yes, actually. Umm, I know someone. I think. Someone who helped me and my dad, a long time ago. He—he lives in the middle of nowhere. A real hermit. I bet the war and everything hasn’t even found him yet.” At least, she could only hope. “If anyone might help us, he would.”

“Where?”

One of the more difficult attributes of this new plan. “Minnesota.”

“Kennie, that’s—that’s really far.” After a moment to fight with himself, “I mean, I’ll go wherever you think is best. But can you hold out that long? And what if he’s not there? What if he left?”

He wouldn’t leave, she silently countered. Not unless someone killed him and dragged him out. “We don’t have any other choice, and it could be safer. This guy has medicines. Supplies. And the capital? It’s literally a giant target.” A series of awkward semi-circles inside of one another. Not unlike the pin that accented any city employee’s uniform. “I think I can get us there.” Maybe.

“And this man is a doctor?” Odessa chimed in.

“Yeah. He knows more about healing than anyone else I’ve ever met.” The information just so happened to be about farm animals. A minor—read: undeniably major—element Kenna was happy to omit from the conversation.