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Chapter 49
The pace Crit kept was impressive, especially since Rain had to assume he hadn’t taken any energy pills. As he moved along, taking the most direct route possible, even when doing so meant climbing mountains of debris instead of simply walking around them, he kept a running commentary about most of the things they passed, the history of Dafo, and why he hoped the Mothers showed up soon so he could blast, “Every one of dem bitches back into the hell they escaped from.”
Rain had to assume he didn’t mean Michaelanburg. He must’ve thought they came from a different sort of hell.
Out in the sun, it was a lot warmer than it had been when they were in the forest. The heat of the day bore down on them, the asphalt they frequently traversed soaking it in and using it to bake the bottom of their boots. Each step seemed heavier here than it had in the woods, especially after days of moving nonstop.
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Rain's Rebellion Chapter 50
“Dis is where I leave you,” Crit said about two hours later when they finally came to a stop in an area devoid of any signs of life, save the partially visible road beneath their feet. “If you follow dis path due north, you will run into the River Red in about a day, day and a half.” He pointed straight ahead, in the direction they’d been traveling all day.They’d made good time, that was for certain. The sun wasn’t even beginning to sink below the horizon. If they continued at the same pace, they might actually make it to River Red before the expected time. Rain wasn’t sure how much longer she could basically run at top speed, even though she was well aware by now that their lives depended upon it.“We can’t thank you enough,” Mist said, offering him her hand.Crit looked at her extended palm and then back at Mist’s face. “You are better tha
Rain's Rebellion Chapter 51
The heavens opened up just as Mother White’s heliobird reached the outer boundaries of their front line. She could see the transport vehicles coming up the roads to the far east and west of her current location, but with nothing but forest beneath them, the pilot reminded her she would not be able to touch down here. “With these winds, I think we should turn back,” the woman, Mother Robin, said through the headset.“That won’t be necessary. We’ll take a wire down.” Mother White was already preparing to do just that, ignoring the looks of fear on the faces of the other Mothers who had accompanied her from headquarters out to the front, including one of President Violet’s closest advisors, an older woman named Mother Willow. Even with helmets and visors on, it was evident the Mother didn’t want to use a guide wire to deposit herself hundreds of yards beneath where she was currently sitting, dodging betw
Rain's Rebellion Chapter 52
The rain continued to come down in sheets for hours, drenching them completely, save their waterproof backpacks. After the road Crit had pointed out to them became more dirt and grass than asphalt, splatters of mud from the impact of missile-like raindrops sent splashes of mud up their legs so that despite being drenched, Rain found herself coated in muck and mire.Uneven terrain also had them sliding down patches of earth, practically rolling down some of the steeper hills. How she could be caught in a torrential downpour and end up caked in dirt was a notion Rain couldn’t quite conceive of, but by the time it finally stopped raining, as the sun was disappearing behind the tops of the trees, all of them were filthy and exhausted.“How much further do you think it is to the river?” Walt asked. It was the first question anyone had asked that wasn’t a necessity in hours.Mist slowed slightly to ga
Rain's Rebellion Chapter 53
The river wasn’t moving quickly at all, and the water was so clear, standing on the tree-lined shore, Rain could see all the way to the bottom. It didn’t look that deep, maybe three or four feet. The water was so inviting, she was ready to jump in with her clothes on.But she wasn’t in charge.“All right. Walt and I will go first,” Mist said, taking her backpack off. “We’ll head down there around the bend a little bit so you guys can keep an eye out for anyone coming from Dafo without any distractions.”“Like we won’t be able to hear you,” Adam teased.Mist shot him a dirty look. “We’ll try not to be too long,” she said, unzipping her pack and pulling out a small bottle of what Rain assumed was some sort of soap--either shampoo or body wash, or both.As she and Walt headed off, Rain realized what this
Rain's Rebellion Chapter 54
Rain stayed buried in the water up to her neck, her mind wandering back to the night before as she went over every word that had come out of her mouth and still had no idea what it was that she’d said to make Adam react the way that he had. She’d been trying to be nice, to pay him a compliment, to let him know how much she cared about his happiness, but he had seemed to think her words were rude or meant to hurt him, and she had no idea why.“All right. Ready to get out of this glacial fjord?” Adam asked with a soft chuckle, bringing Rain out of her thoughts.“Huh? Oh, yeah. Definitely.”“Cool. You wanna go first, or do you want me to?”Thinking it would take her forever to get her feet moving on the slippery rocks when they were so cold, she muttered, “You can go ahead.”“All right. But no peeking. I mean it, Rain. If
Rain's Rebellion Chapter 55
The steady pop pop of gunfire, peppered with the louder, less routine sound of blasts going off and bombs whizzing through the air before they crashed into the buildings in front of them was invigorating to White in a way she couldn’t put into words. The sting of smoke hit her nostrils the way florals enticed most women; the battle raging in front of her was as comforting to her as a warm blanket to a babe on a harsh winter night. She’d been born to wage war; it was in her blood. Though she hadn’t had nearly enough opportunities to stand across the battlefield from a foreign aggressor in her forty-five years, she was here now, having finally talked President Violet in to allowing her to go, and the idea that Dal’s forces would crumble before them so that they could continue in pursuit of the rebels had her full of energy, despite the fact that she hadn’t slept in days.The helios were staying far back from the line, their on
Rain's Rebellion Chapter 56
The eruption of briskly moving water cut through her raspy breaths as Rain realized they were nearing what had to be a large river in front of them. She imagined it had to be the River Red, but there was no capacity left in her lungs for words. Running at full speed for hours had taken away all conscious thought, all ability to speak or think or pray. The only thing she was capable of at the moment was putting one foot in front of the other as rapidly as humanly possible. And judging by the pain in her muscles and the spasming in her feet, that possibility was about to dry up.They were back in the forest now and had been for several hours. Behind them, the sound of explosions had faded away as they’d put more distance between themselves and Dafo, but every once in a while a light would reflect off of the shiny rifle slung over Mist’s shoulder, and Rain would get the notion that it was another bomb being hurled at their friends in Dafo. She h
Rain's Rebellion Chapter 57
Reality began to blur around her as the initial adrenaline rush faded, and the pain in Rain’s wounded shoulder began to radiate throughout her body. Whatever size caliber this bullet had been, it had caused some major damage. She tried to picture exactly where it was in her body and imagined if it were an inch or two lower, she wouldn't still be breathing.The pop, pop, pop of gunfire rang out in front of her. Rain struggled to keep her eyes open so she could fire her gun if need be, but when her friends came back in a rush, she dropped her weapon. Mist and Walt grabbed hold of her, attempting to move her. She cooperated the best she could, not sure what was happening and only slightly aware that Adam was gone. Where he’d disappeared to, she couldn’t say. The strain of lifting off of her bottom, of wrapping her arms around her friends’ necks, especially her left shoulder where the wound was, took her breath away.
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