Chapter Seven: 

When we get back, Monique has managed to capture two small, thin fish and Sebastian has a nice sized fire going. None of us are happy about Monique’s tribute; the fish are almost too small to even eat. But after one nasty look, we realize she isn’t about to get up again for our sake. Sebastian cooks the food -jabbing a long stick through both of the fishes and roasting them over the flame. Jasper and I sit quietly, waiting patiently, and Monique sulks several feet away.

My nose scrunches up as the smell of the cooking fish wafts my way. 

I never liked fish. Still don’t. 

Sebastian lifts the fish away from the fire and carefully snaps the stick in half. We each get a half of a fish. My fingers burn as I break off mine, the meat still hot.

I devour my half in seconds. My stomach is nowhere near full, but my hunger has been somewhat satisfied for now. Throwing my stick back into the flame, I sit back, the heels of my palms digging into the sand. “So what do we do now?” I ask. 

“Monique still needs practice.” Sebastian says, swallowing his last bite. 

“Monique this; Monique that.” Monique snarls, throwing her stick at the fire. “I’ve done my share for the day. Why doesn’t anybody ever critique Scar or you, homeboy? I haven’t heard anybody complain about your mace skills!” 

I snicker. “That’s because he doesn’t suck.” 

“Oh shut up.” Monique barks at me. 

“Why don’t you make me?” I retort coldly. 

“Stop it.” Jasper puts a hand in between us, as if it is a physical barrier that can stop us from continuing. “Monique, you’re the only one besides me who has to shoot something and I already know how to shoot a gun. You need to work on your aim. Scar and Sebastian have their own improvements to make, but they have nothing to do with food. The only reason we gripe at you is because you’re our main source of food.” He gives the girl a hard look and then turns to me. “Scar, please stop edging her on.” 

“That’s all she gets?” Monique throws her arms up in the air, glaring heatedly at Jasper. “A stupid little ‘please stop’? She’s the cause of half our problems.” 

I go to say something, but Jasper stops me. “Look, I know you’re upset that Daddy isn’t here to provide for you. But that doesn’t mean you get to take it out on everybody else. Yeah, you’re hungry. I get it. I’m hungry too. So just shut up and deal with it.” 

Something dangerous flashes through his eyes; it’s like staring into a glacier, you can feel the ice pressing against your skin -prickling with goose bumps and then, after a while, turning a dark bluish color. It’s so numb and cold. I suppress a shiver and I can see Monique do the same. I can see her grim resolution, it’s written all over her face. She’s like me. She hates to admit it, but Jasper is right. 

Doesn’t mean she’s going to make my life any easier, however. 

“Whatever.” She stands, flipping a curl out of her eyes, and sashays over to the ocean. 

Thankfully, she grabs her bow and quiver. That is one way to let out your anger -hurl arrows at innocent fish. At first my thought is sarcastic, but then I really think about it. It means more food. 

And I am strangely fine with this. 

Jasper lets out a disgruntled huff. I watch, frowning, as he twists away from her and sits down. I stare at him. He stood up for me, sort of. Now I hate him even more. 

Don’t get me wrong. I’m thankful that he did; that he set her straight. But now I feel indebted to him, which is the worst thing ever. I don’t want to owe him anything. I scowl darkly and glare at the fire. 

“I wonder if the zombies are smart enough to notice the smoke.” Jasper says finally, after a while of silence. 

Sebastian looks up and I do the same, watching the thin wisps and trails of smoke rise into the air. It definitely gives away our location. “I doubt it. They don’t have the same logic as humans do. The Nanobots just reconnect the nerve and muscle system -it doesn’t do anything for the brain really.” Sebastian grunts. 

I chew on my lower lip. “I feel kind of bad for them.” 

“We all do.” Jasper stares at the smoke. “The host deserves to rest in peace, not have their body abused by stupid mini-robots.” 

“I meant the actual zombie.” 

“Zombies can’t feel.” Sebastian rolls his eyes at me. “Or think. It’s not like they’re trapped inside of a body.” 

I pause for a moment, “Then never mind.” 

Jasper shoots me a swift, cheesy smile. I glare at him until he looks away and then look to Sebastian. “So what are we supposed to do? Sit around and wait for the zombies all day?” 

“Go climb that tree. See what you can find.” He replies, eyes narrowed and voice cold. 

I stare at him for a few moments, thinking that he’s joking. But then I realize that this is Sebastian; he doesn’t seem to joke very often. Also if I climbed to the top, I’d be able to see pretty far out. Scowling, I stand and march my way over to the tree I slept in last night. It’s pretty tall and I know it won’t snap beneath my weight. 

I jump and manage to grab the first branch. Using the trunk, I walk my feet up until I can loop them around said branch and hoist myself up. 

It’s like climbing all over the old jungle gym back at school. 

Slowly, but surely, I climb my way up to the top. The smaller branches near the top send a jolt of fear running through my veins, groaning and bending easily. But I continue on, pulling myself up the last little length and look around. 

At first, all I can see is dark depressing gray. The sky is several shades lighter than the dark blurred masses of charred trees that expand, like a blanket, in every direction. The only exception is the ocean. There’s no sun, but I know it has to be up there somewhere for it to be light enough for me to even see. 

Then there’s a small flicker of movement, towards the horizon. 

“Holy crap, don’t tell me zombies can fly now!” I gasp, shifting on my branch trying to peer closer. 

No, it’s not a zombie. It’s almost like an illusion, a trick of the eye.

There’s something out there, something that the brief flicker of light that seeped through the clouds hit and shimmered. It immediately made me think of the dome that surrounds Crescent City and keeps the bad air and creatures out. 

I jump down. 

My ankles scream when I land, sharp pain radiating up my calves. I close my eyes for a second, gritting my teeth, and then take a deep breath. “I saw that.” Jasper appears in front of me. “That looked like it hurt.” 

I glare at him. “I’m fine.” 

And true enough, I am. The dull resounding ache still throbs in my calves, but my ankles are perfectly fine now. But I sway slightly and he has to be Superman. 

“Put. Me. Down.” I snarl, pushing at his shoulders. Jasper grins, arms looped under my knees and around my lower back. 

“We have to make sure your ankles are alright. Sebastian should be good with that kind of stuff.” He laughs lightly, like a little girl playing with her dolls. “I’m sure even he could see that grimace!” 

I glare at him. 

Grabbing a fistful of his blonde locks, I yank and twist. His face morphs into a painful grimace and his eyes squeeze shut. “Put me down and I’ll let go.” I growl, pulling harder. 

He sets me down gently and I release him. He rubs the back of his head. “That hurt!” 

“That’s what you get.” I snap at him. 

Whirling around, I make my way back to camp. Jasper follows silently, still rubbing at his head. “I saw something.” I announce as soon as I’m in range, making Sebastian look up expectantly like a general waiting for a report. Jasper stops griping about his hair and sits down, he too becoming oddly serious and waiting for me to continue. “But I’m not sure what it was.” 

“What direction?” 

I point behind me, into the forest. “It was pretty far away. It was just a small sliver of movement, like when the sun rays bounce off the dome, you know?” 

Sebastian and Jasper nod. 

The dome that surrounds Crescent City is made of clear nylon and glass. The mixture is so strong and thick that you could take a drill to it and the drill would break. You can see straight through it and it’s so clear that people often run into it. When the sun finally decides to poke out in between the clouds, the yellow rays that seep through bounce off the dome-creating a flash of bright light that moves, almost like a firework of light. 

It’s so instantaneous and quick that you can’t blink; otherwise you’ll miss it entirely. 

“I say it’s worth a shot.” Jasper glances back over his shoulder, just in time to see Monique let go of an arrow and fly with it. 

A splash sounds. 

Then a steady stream of profanities follows. 

I grin wickedly, watching her stumble out of the water and almost break an arrow in half. 

“First, we should spend one more night here.” Sebastian climbs to his feet, brushing the sand from his pants. “Monique is going to need more arrows and Jasper, I’m sure you’re going to run out of bullets pretty soon. Tomorrow we’ll head out and our first objective will be to find a stream so we have a source of water and possible food.” 

“Sir, yes, sir!” Jasper mock salutes him. 

I roll my eyes. Sebastian ignores him. Jasper grins like an idiot and stands, brushing the sand off his khaki cargos. “I’m going to go look for more wood. Scar, would you like to join me?” 

“No.” I grab the hilt of my sword. “I’m going to practice.” 

He stares at me for a few moments. Then he shrugs lightly and turns to Sebastian. “Suit yourself. What about you, Teddy-bear?” 

“Don’t call me that.” 

“What? Teddy-bear?” 

Sebastian grunts in response, flashing the blonde an irate look.  

I roll my eyes and start walking. It only takes one step for Sebastian to retort, voice low and dangerous, meaning an argument is sure to follow. I walk over to one of the old, completely dead trees, thoughts drifting back to what Jasper said about trees this morning –about the smaller ones still having a chance of life. 

“Right, left,” I push the thoughts out of my head, slicing down and across and then up and across. “Right, left.” 

“What are you doing?” 

It’s Monique. 

“What does it look like I’m doing?” 

“It looks like you’re hacking away at some poor tree.” She scowls, shifting all her weight onto her left hip so it sticks out at an odd angle. “What kind of tree hugger are you?” 

I pause and shoot her a weird look. “What?” 

A single brow lifts, but she doesn’t look very surprised. “I thought you were a tree hugger. Don’t you hang out with that crazy girl who holds those weekly protests?” 

Kayla. She’s talking about Kayla. 

“Yeah, that doesn’t mean I’m a tree hugger.” 

She doesn’t respond. She just stares at me with her dark eyes. I stare at her for a few moments -eyebrow lifted. Then I turn back to my tree, continuing to practice my slicing technique. I learned it by reading my dad’s old comic books -the ninja always slices in this pattern. 

“Leave her alone, Mo.” I hear Sebastian call. 

“Whatever.” Monique rolls her eyes and stomps away from me. I wonder what I did to piss her off this time. 

“Oh well.” I shrug and the tree snaps in half. 

Jasper appears after a while and taps on my shoulder. I whip around, blade pausing just before his neck. It’s starting to get heavy. My arms are shaking and my muscles feel like jelly. Startled, Jasper’s eyes grow wide and he stiffens. 

“Had I not known it was you, you would be dead by now.” I remind him happily; glad to know that if needed I could deliver the fatal blow and I’d be done with the pesky blonde. 

“Okay, okay, I see that. Now let’s get it away from my throat.” 

I withdraw. 

Trembling, I put my sword back into its sheath. It feels like trying to swim through dry cement. Jasper smirks and holds out a large leaf. The leaf acts like a plate, holding a medium sized crispy charred fish. The smell hits me, making me reel. It’s like death mixed with burnt flesh. I take the leaf from him, carefully balancing it in the palm of my left hand, and poke the fish. 

“Are you sure it’s dead?” 

“What are you talking about?” Jasper scowls. 

My lip curls back in disgust. There’s something off about this fish. Dropping to my knees, I lay the leaf down and jab the fish’s center with a long sharp stick. The fish jerks up as if it’s being folded in half and begins to writhe and squirm around the stick. 

Jasper’s eyes widen incredulously and I lift my jelly arm to retrieve my sword. 

The fish pauses. 

Its visible eye locks with mine, angry, and the color of blood. 

It’s like a silent war of the wills. The fish is still alive, obviously, but it is undead like a zombie; a zombie fish. I wonder how the nanobots were able to infect this poor creature but don’t dwell on it. I have a lethal creature shish-kebab and I intend to play scientist by dissecting it. 

“Are you going to kill it? Or sit there and stare at it?” Jasper is calm, but his words are laced with an underlying fear. 

I glance over. Our eyes lock. “What? Scared?” 

His eyes narrow. “Not in the slightest. But if that fish has nanobots then we need to destroy it before it infects anything else.” 

Destroy, dissect; same thing. 

“You don’t think I know that?” I look back to the fish. 

For the first time ever, I wish that my sword was a smaller hunting knife. It would be so much easier to maneuver and work with while dissecting. I slice it in half -ignoring its faint wheezing squeals -and it trembles. Instead of blood, millions and millions of spherical metals beads leak out. 

“Kill them!” 

I slam my sword down. Luckily, I have a buster sword -which is thick and rectangular and wide. I use it like a fly swatter. “There’s one over there!” Jasper points to my right and I slam my sword down. “And there!” The impact of my sword slamming down again vibrates up to the hilt -making my hands tremble. “And there!” 

I whirl around and smack him upside the head. “I’m being serious!” 

He laughs, rubbing his head. 

The remaining nanobots squirm and writhe, like the tails of lizards, and I use the leaf to wipe my sword clean. The insides of the fish are black, completely rotten through, and I have the distinct feeling that it has been dead for a while now, which means many other fish could be infected. 

I stand and grab Jasper by the wrist -dragging him back to Sebastian and Monique. 

“Don’t eat anymore fish!” I shout. 

Monique blinks, lips hovering above a charred fish. Sebastian has already taken a big bite out of his. Panting, I grab his fish and examine its insides. 

It looks normal. Maybe it hasn’t been infected yet. 

“Hey!” Monique whines. “Get your own. Jasper gave you the biggest fish. Don’t be greedy.” 

“No, Jasper gave me a zombie fish.” I glare at her and hand the fish back to Sebastian. “Yours doesn’t seem to be infected. Mo, give me yours.” 

She reluctantly hands hers over and I slice it in half. 

Millions of metallic gray nanobots pour out –gushing like a river breaking through a dam. Monique screams and scuttles back, sending up a spray of sand. Sebastian lurches forward and angles his body between her and the furiously darting around beads, and I slam down with my sword again. 

Jasper gasps, “Scar!” 

I ignore him, continuing to smack the sand. Shots sound, sending up even more sand. And I gasp, eyes widening. My sword drops from my hand and I scuttle back to get out of the firing range.

“Stop shooting!” I scream at Jasper. He’s just scattering the sand and making it harder to see the nanobots! 

Jasper stops, glaring at me and the dust settles. All trace of the nanobots disappears. “Where’d they go?” I growl angrily up at him. 

“They were getting too close.” Jasper snaps back. 

“You don’t shoot little beads!” I cry, throwing the remains of the fish a good yard or two away. “What’s wrong with you?!” 

Jasper glowers down at me. His eyes are ablaze, churning and twisting with flickering blue flames. My anger quiets, slowly receding back into the unknown abyss in which emotions reside in, but I continue to stand my ground. 

Why on earth would you fire at tiny microorganisms, so small that you can only see them when they’re bunched together tightly into the little marbles they travel in, with a gun? 

It doesn’t work. It’s a waste of bullets. 

“Calm down.” Sebastian grunts. His large hand claps down on Jasper’s shoulder, wrenching him back and away from me. Jasper lifts his gaze to glare at him, jaw tightly clenched. But Sebastian cuts him off with a narrowed look, “We don’t have time for this. We could be breathing them in for all we know. Let’s go.” 

I sheathe my sword. 

Jasper jerks his shoulder out of Sebastian’s grip and sends the rest of us a dirty look. I shoot him one back; it’s his fault this is happening. 

His stare darkens and he averts his gaze, falling back behind us. 

“He saved you, you know.” Monique appears beside me as we run into the woods, easily matching my pace. 

I give her a long, hard look, eyebrows furrowing. Her eyes narrow slightly and she lifts one shoulder in a delicate shrug. “You seriously didn’t see them? The nanobots almost got onto you. If he hadn’t started shooting, you would have been infected.” 

My stomach churns. 

He…he saved me? 

My thoughts whirl around wildly. Monique isn’t being rude, like normal. Instead, she reminds me of a parent -gently scolding a child. And this unnerves me. 

Maybe Monique inhaled a little too many nanobots, or she took a bite of that fish before I got to it. 

Before I can say anything else, she falls back, joining Jasper, and I immediately come to a startling realization. She’s playing mom, cleaning up our mess, trying to keep the group together. Not mom, more like the perfect student routine; the goody-goody. 

But, I can’t help but admit it, she helped. I didn’t see the nanobots, hadn’t realized they’d gotten so close to me. It wasn’t really Jasper’s fault. He reacted without thinking, something I have the tendency to do all the time, and he was just trying to protect me.. 

Which means I have to apologize. 

And I loathe apologizing.