YP – B1: Finale – Chapter 29

250 Days Until Tears and The Uncertain End 

They traveled slowly with the vehicles, looking through the ruined city for a filling station to charge the vehicles. Weapons out, everyone was tired and bruised, but ready for anything that would come their way. In truth, Evester still had no clue why Heiphilia was needed. The Triplets and Robee and Trace were picking up the skills faster than she was. She was good at learning escape methods and the EverDanger Morse Code, but that was it. She was about average with her weapon. She did not have stunning coordination, possibly because she didn’t trust him or Shawn. She wasn’t fast enough for Evester.

What Heiphilia did have was tenacity and the inability to let herself get knocked down. She looked at danger and did not cower, not out of sheer will but out of a desire to overcome to be stronger. Heiphilia had fear, Evester saw that in her eyes, but she was courageous. He was reckless and fearless deciding to be afraid at all would cost him. Instead she grew stronger in her fear wanting to overcome and in that way they were different. There were many other ways they were different, but that one was the one that Evester clung to. His father had always warned him that one day his nature would lead him to death when he took an unnecessary risk and didn’t see the issue with his disregard of fear. 

Heiphilia would never let that happen.

In a society where they stopped listening to the words of the Project when it no longer suited them was corrupt, and where bloodlines didn’t determine worth, the project was separating them for something else. The project had been preparing them for this. Heiphilia may not be the smartest, or the strongest, or the best choice of a person picked by the omnipotent Yasloughve Project, but she was the girl it picked and Evester was going to make sure she was ready to take on the entire world in order to save his father, the Space Program, and humanity. From the Aralax and from itself. 

Walking through the cities to recharge the vehicles Evester was on high alert looking for any and everything that was out of place. 

“There!” Kori called from the top of the bus. “I see a station.”

“Head towards it!” Heiphilia called back, knocking on the bus window and directing Layla in the way that Kori saw. Through the discarded city of an ancient time, they moved. Evester searched for all signs of Aralax. While they were nocturnal, he knew the signs in a city and wanted to get out and away as fast as possible if there were any in the city. He had not seen any, yet.

They got to the charging stations without any incident when Robee whistled and Evester pulled out his gun. He’d been using a blade for the last few hours, but his gun rested better in his hands. It was easier to use, and it was what he was teaching the others with the few they had. Additionally his gun was faster and far better to use in the event of an ambush that was not Aralax. 

It was not.

It was a boy in tattered clothing standing watching them from the shadows of the building. The children on the bus shouted and cooed for him to join them. Kori sat atop the bus glaring, searching, while Heiphilia stood ready to jump at any moment.

“Get the vehicles filled!” She ordered.

“Are you worried?“ Evester did not take his eyes from the child.

“Unwanted guests sometimes use children as bait.” Heiphilia answered as the boy turned from them and ran into the shadows away.

“We can take them.” Kori chortled from the bus top. “Trust me.”

“Kori what can you do from up there?” Kony asked. “The fighting would be down here and you are an easy target up there.”

“True.” Kori grumbled as she jumped from the bus just in time for a gunshot to fly by her and hit the sign of the station behind her. “Good call Kony.”

“How close?” Heiphilia asked Layla.

“Not even half way.” Layla called back. “And we have three vehicles.”

“Alright. Evester. You have any tech that can save us?”

“Of course not.” Evester shook his head this was not a perfect world. “Unwanted Guests what do they want with us?”

“A bunch of kids and girls?” Karla answered instead. “Best pickings to be sold to Cirlces and Stars who want us. We can be lost and no one would care.”

“Then.” Evester stepped forward. “We best make them understand who they are messing with. Teams of two travel through the streets. Try not to kill.”

“Easier said than done.” Kori complained taking Karla’s hand and pulling her sister forward towards where the child had disappeared. 

“We will stay and protect.” Evester spoke to Hephilia.

“I want to go out there.” Heiphilia protested.

“Shawn and I can protect.” Kony suggested. “Go get some experience.”

Heiphilia nodded and without waiting for Evester she raced off. With a groan Evester chased after her. She was the reason they had so many people to transport. Now she wanted to fight instead of protect them? What exactly did this girl want? He wasn’t sure, but he did know that terrorizing some people would be fun. They had no idea what was coming to them.

They had been able to injure two before there was a retreat call given and Evester made them return to the caravan that was nearly done filling. One by one the others returned until everyone was grouped back telling a similar story of near to no action.

“We should be careful on our way out.” Heiphilia suggested.

“We should.” Evester agreed. He wondered if the Unwanted Guests would continue to chase them or let them be. If this city was their base, leaving it to follow a group that had shown themselves to be stronger was downright stupid. Evester would do it, but he doubted anyone else was as stupid as him when it came to these things.

“Head out and eyes wide.” Hephilia looked around once more before everyone reloaded to the vehicles and they took off at high speeds. 

Even if the group wanted to follow them, Evester did not plan to let them and was not sure that they would. Unless they had the ability to kill Aralax that was… The markings that he had seen while hunting the humans were enough to say that the Unwanted Guests would not follow for long if they did. It also meant there was a chance of the Aralax chasing after them. Aralax? Evester wouldn’t feel so bad about killing.

Last Chapter | Index | Next Chapter

---