Surrounds (Bonds) Read online

  Her attention is drawn to Henderson beside her. He couldn't wait on water if the amount of sweat tainting his gray T-shirt was an indication. Lacey shrugs of her backpack off, annoyed with it for being cheap. Both straps had broken twice already in two days, forcing her into using tape and her weak skills at tying things. She tugs out her water bottle as both of the head opposite the group of travelers.

  "Here..."

  Henderson looks as if he's going to refuse the offer but thirst wins out and he takes it, taking two long sips before handing it back. She caps it and returns it to her backpack. Henderson eyes her, she ignores it.

  Henderson remains quiet besides a 'thank you' under his breath. They continue to follow the empty road in silence, taking short breaks.

  Its about fifteen minutes later when the horizon turns red. Lacey had already began to feel off, besides being exhausted and horribly thirsty, she notices something was wrong. Wordlessly, they pick up pace, twisting into the forest and onto a dirt, narrow road.

  Lacey screams, back peddling and falling onto her behind. Another voice also screams out in surprise, a teenaged blonde boy falls backwards as well.

  "Nathan!" A blonde girl appears from a clump of bushes and onto the narrow road behind him. She takes a long uncertain look at Henderson and Lacey before looking back at the boy. "Nathan..." She once again says uncertain now, moving to help him up.

  Henderson is already helping a scowling Lacey onto her feet. "Wh- " Lacey cuts herself off, looking behind her at the bloody sky and at the black forms appearing there.

  Without a word, both pairs of teens begin moving again. Lacey feels dizzy when the cries of the creatures begin to take over her mental mantra of 'Run' 'Run' 'Run'.

  A house, a tiny one with a broken porch and falling siding comes into view. They all make for it. Henderson pulls her and she him, up onto the broken porch and into the home while the two strangers follow. Henderson searches for a basement and finds one and yanks Lacey into without hesitation, the two strangers follow.

  The house begins harshly trembling a few minutes later. Lacey sits in a ball at Henderson's side on a dusty, wet floor. Its an hour after all is quiet and still again before any of them move, climbing wordlessly out of the blackened basement and into a destroyed home, now missing a roof.

  Henderson keeps his hold onto Lacey's arm as both of them make their way clumsily over debris. Once outside of a lone frame, apparently only standing alone on his own will with no walls supporting it. It was a wonder nothing was blocking their way out of the basement.

  The brunette glances at her friend, both of them hearing the younger teens following loudly. Henderson eyes dart to hers briefly. It had been a long time, very long, since Lacey had been around other people besides Henderson and she was already annoyed with them. The boy anyway. Who runs into other people in the center of an apocalypse?

  Who? Stupid fourteen year old boy is who. The boy couldn't be much older. Its only when they make back onto the narrow road does anyone actually speak.

  "Have you seen a group of those creatures who kinda looks likes us, but are uglier, go by here about three ours ago with a group of humans?" It's Mr. Hard Forehead who asks, without even a 'Hi, How you doing' not even a 'My name's dumb-ass, what's yours?'

  Lacey massages her own forehead, wondering if she has a bruise there. "Why?" She asks glaring unhappily at the boy.

  Its his friend who speaks up. She is oddly clean besides a few spots on her white T-shirt with smudges of dirt on her shoulders. Actually both of them suspiciously clean. Lacey pats herself on the back inside her head for noticing.

  "Nathan's looking for someone that group stole from us." Her green eyes dart between Henderson and Lacey, looking rather uninterested. "He's stupid like that."

  The boy rounded on her. "I am not." He growls. "How is it fucking stupid for me to want to save my little brother?"

  "Its stupid," She hisses hotly, "the way your going about it. I mean come on, Nathan, how are you going to save him? Really?"

  "Then I'm suppouse to - "

  "Wait, until your father and Mrs. Agatha thought of a plan to rescue our people. You're not the only one they took someone from." She interrupts him. "Why are you so selfish?"

  "I never asked you to follow me, Hanna" Nathan whispers dejectedly under his breath. "You did on your own."

  Lacey and Henderson watch both blondes argue with blank faces, glancing at each other, silently coming to a decision to leave. They begin to walk away when the Nathan-boy rounds on them again.

  "So have you seen them?"

  Henderson shoves his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, about half a mile that way, they were heading east towards Macon." Henderson answers with a careless shrug. "You should listen to your friend."

  "Who asked you, old man?" The blonde boy ask snottily.

  Lacey couldn't help her snort and full blown laughter which followed. He thought Henderson was an old man. Good-Goodness. Lacey doubled over holding her stomach, tears in her burning eyes. Henderson did look like an old man under all his hair. He had yet to grow facial hair however. She would without a doubt tease him later about it.

  "Nathan stop being immature." The blonde girl whispers sounding embarrassed.

  "I'm glade you find it funny, Lace, but I think keeping on moving is wise. Its going to be harder finding shelter now." Henderson looked away from her, a small portion of his nose flaming red with embarrassment.

  Hanna perked up at their words, seeming to get over being upset with her friend. "You're welcome to come back with us."

  "What?" Nathan shouts and all of them wince. "You can't offer random strangers a place to stay. They could be murders."

  Lacey also found his words funny and snorts again. She turns her attention onto Henderson to see if he found it as funny as she had, only to find him sweating and breathing hard. He had worked himself too hard. She turns her gaze onto the girl.

  "Alright, we'll go with you." She agrees interrupting the blondes, who were yet again arguing.

  Nathan glares and Hanna smiles, she has no idea what Henderson does because her gaze is sure to stay away from him.

  "Great, I'm Hanna by the way, and he's Nathan..."

  "I'm Lacey," Lacey offers, pointing a thumb at Henderson, "Henderson."

  "Nice to meet you." Hanna glances at a now pouting Nathan. "Are you coming back with us?"

  "As if anyone would let me forget it if I left you alone with potential murders." He turns back around and begins walking away.

  "Camp isn't that way, Nathan..." Hanna calls out a small smile of her face. The boy huffs.

  "Yeah..." He turns and began walking in another direction. This must be correct because Hanna smiles at them both.

  "Come on, its not too far from here." Then she waves and begins to follow Nathan.

  Henderson grabs Lacey's arm before any move is made to follow. "Are you... sure about this, Lace?"

  No, because honestly, Lacey never was one to think anything out. "You need rest and food in you. It'll be alright."

  (O)

  Chapter 22

  Lacey

  The Warehouse, is pushed far back in in the middle of the countryside, travelable only by a narrow road, and hidden behind rows of other abandoned warehouses and high swaying grass. It was once a clothing warehouse, outside of it are tons of iron container bins still filled with brand new clothing.

  That's what Hanna says anyway.

  There's no one around when they make close enough to see the warehouse's doors, which is odd because Hanna had said something about there being fifty people in their group. Lacey moves herself next to Henderson.

  "'Halt!" All of them freeze, attentions snapping to two men standing on one of the iron containers pointing guns at them. "Who are you and what business do you have here?" Both men were mostly shadowed by a lowering sun.

  "It's us Hanna Nickles and Nathan Barkens..."

  "Obviously Hanna..." One of the voices speaks, sounding younger now in his annoya
nce, "I mean those two."

  "Ethan?"

  "I told her it was a bad idea to bring them." Nathan chimes up, "but your sister is an idiot, Ethan."

  "Says you." The other one finally speaks. "Mr. Barkens is waiting on you two. I'm sure he's going to want to meet your guests."

  "Why isn't anyone around?" Hanna asks ignoring Nathan. "Nothing happened right?" The girl's voice cracks with worry.

  "Oh nothing but a demon storm." The annoyed one announces, sarcasm leaking from his lips. "Nothing too big."

  "What in the hell is your problem, Ethan?" Hanna snaps, glaring weakly. Instead of answering the one named Ethan climbs down the container and walks over, his gun is no longer pointed at them, but that hardly makes Henderson and Lacey feel safe. He's at least twenty with blonde hair and blue eyes, with thin, pretty features like Hanna's.

  "Before you go any further, we're going to need your gun." Ethan announces, looking at Henderson with schooled features. "You can keep any blades on you and we'll be happy to give you the gun back when we are certain you can be trusted."

  Lacey's gaze finds Henderson's and both of them share a look.

  "Its alright," Hanna assures.

  Henderson, unclips his gun from his side and lays into onto the ground in front of him slowly.

  "You don't have any others?" Ethan asks, sparing a glance in Lacey's direction.

  "Nothing else," Henderson assures, sweat on his brow despite the quickly lowering sun. "We only need a place to stay until daylight."

  "Of course," he waves Henderson and Lacey forward, falling in step behind.

  (O)

  "I understand your want to help people, Hanna, but you shouldn't bring strangers here."

  Inside is a huge room filled with tables in the upper half, while towards its rear are fifty tents all in greens and browns, beyond it is a small secluded office which Lacey finds herself sitting in, in front of a brown desk, in front of a large, tired looking man, with short black hair and blue eyes.

  "I told her it was stupid." Nathan nods, folding his arms.

  Lacey stares at him, her amusement with the younger boy finally turning into annoyance.

  "I will speak with you later about what you did." Mr. Barkens says barely offering his son a glance. "But as I was saying, your here now and its nothing much we can do about it." He offers both of them a tiny smile.

  "We only want to stay the night if that's alright with you." Henderson speaks up. "We only need a place to sleep and warm up some of our food."

  Mr. Barkens nods. "Its fine. We have a sort of homemade cooking area outside in the back. We unfortunately do not have any free tents nor sleeping bags available."

  "They can use mine," Hanna offers, "I have watch tonight anyway, right?"

  "Its fine, were use to sleeping on the ground." Henderson quickly cuts him off, smiling gently at the girl, "but thank you for you help." Hanna blushes a pretty pink. Lacey mentally scoffs, whispering under her breath about the 'Henderson charm'. Henderson turns his gaze onto the leader of the group. "I also thank you for your hospitality."

  "Thanks..." Lacey offers half-heartedly. She was ready to eat and be off her blistering feet.

  "They are here." A soft voice whispers, seeming out of breath.

  Lacey turns around a few seconds after Henderson, finding herself staring at an old woman breathing haggardly, wrinkled arms holding her up against the open doorway. She was hunched over, with wrinkled light brown skin, snow white hair, and milky unseeing eyes. She was obviously blind but her gaze was focused on Lacey, as if she could see.

  "Mrs. Agatha," Mr.Barkens got onto his feet and quickly made his way to the old woman. "I thought you were taking a nap." He carefully leads her over and settles her in his wooden chair. "Is something wrong?"

  The air inside the office grew tense, as Agatha stares steadily in Lacey's direction while everyone else focuses on the woman. Lacey suddenly feels naked, as if every one of her secrets were on display, even secrets she had no idea she had.

  "Who is here, Mrs. Agatha?" Thomas Barkens asks his panic filtering through his lips with his words.

  "Leave us," Mrs. Agatha says suddenly, still staring unblinking at a now freaked Lacey. "All of you except for her." Her old withered finger points at the now shivering girl like a weapon. Lacey flinches.

  Mr. Barkens gaze falls on Lacey briefly, face unreadable, before nodding once. "Yes, come on Nathan, Hanna." He motions both blondes up out of their seats and leads both of them out.

  Henderson doesn't even move an inch. "I... don't understand." He finally says after a few minutes of awkward silence.

  "It's not for you to understand," Agatha says shortly, "on your way out, close the office's door."

  Henderson frowns, obviously not wanting to leave her, and not going to leave her with a threat. Even if the threat was a blind old lady. A little insulted by that, and wanting to see what the woman wanted from her, Lacey smirks at Henderson.

  "I'll be fine... go" She waves her attention turning to the woman fully.

  "Are you sure?" Henderson asks uncertain. Lacey nods.

  Henderson hesitates but nods, leaving after giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

  "What exactly do we have to talk about?" The teen asks after a moment of silence, fighting to hold in her annoyance. Unlike how she behaves with everyone else, the girl was usually nice to old people.

  "You can save us all."

  Lacey blinks, wondering if she had heard right. "Huh?" She asks unintelligently.

  "You can save us all." Agatha repeats unashamed. "You are, Lacey, your fate... you have the ability to save us all."

  Lacey blinks again. She's old, so probably senile and she's blind which means she fits in with the whole being a made-up seer, fortune teller person.

  "I think you're unfortunately mistaken." Lacey says slowly. "I don't understand what your saying."

  "My visions are never mistaken." Agatha says simply. "You must find who came here with you when our dimensions was broken eighteen years ago. She is already aware of you in a way, you must find her, although she has yet to understand. You destroy what is bad and she heals what is good. You're bound is not of blood but created specially for reasons you are here."

  The girl felt a shiver run down her spine but ignored it. "What, you can see the future? Excuse me, but I don't believe in that type of stuff."

  "Did you believe in bleeding skies and demons before a few months ago when you woke?" Agatha asks matter-of-factly. "No? What about being able to turn them into dust?"

  The teen's blood ran cold. "How do you..."

  "Visions, my dear. Your attitude isn't a nice one and it will be what causes you many problems, but your quick-action and stubbornness will save you and your other half. It is an honor, honestly, to meet you." The old woman smiles kindly.

  Lacey swallow dryly. "You're uh, mistaken..."

  "You have to find your partner."

  "I can't, no time, I have other places I have to be." Even if she believed a crazy old woman's words, her brother and father were in Mexico, she was going to Mexico.

  "Mexico is a long way from her, Lacey Augustine, you'll likely run into her before you reach Mexico." Mexico was a very long way from here, her and Henderson never spoke about it though. She wondered if she even truly believes both of them would make it.

  The younger woman bites her lip. "What exactly do you mean dimensions broke?"

  Agatha smiled a sad smile. "The monsters who are here now came from another dimension. A powerful being on their side created a spilt and opened a door, it is why they are here."

  "You said I came here with someone else..." Why she was humoring this woman, she wasn't certain, but answers, she had always been one to want answers. "Are you saying I'm one of those things?" She asks. It was a test question, if this insane old lady said she was, Lacey was sure that then she could discount everything the woman says. She was no fleshy monster, nor some blood-hungry beast. Human, she was human.

 
Agatha smiles an odd smile. "No, you are not one of them."

  "What about Henderson? You can see the future. Can't you...? You say I do something great. What about him?" She's not even sure why she asks, when she afraid of the answer and doesn't even truly believe the woman.

  The old woman's smile grows but there's something else in it which Lacey cannot understand nor read. "I said you 'can' do great things, Lacey. As for Henderson... He is a good person and an even better friend. He would very easily give his life for you."

  Unsure what else to say, unsure what to feel, Lacey stands abruptly. Something about the woman's words not at all sighting well with her stomach. Not that the woman was lying but... "I'm going to find Henderson." She quickly makes her get-away, feeling like a coward.

  (O)

  She finds Henderson out in the back, over an outside grill, stove thing dumping soup into two bowls. He looked absolutely exhausted. When he turns around and finds her standing there, lit by light coming out of the warehouse, he grins, flicking off a light hanging above the grill and heads her way.

  Wordlessly, they both return back inside, maneuvering around people getting ready to turn in, men, children, and women - families. Its an odd sight to her families. Mother's washing smiling children faces with damp rags, brushing hair, and kisses. At the front of the warehouse are men, playing cards, laughing, bent over maps and smoking cigarettes.

  Henderson has laid out their blankets in a corner which housed a small amount of tents, on the left. He hands her one of the bowls along with a plastic fork.

  "Oh, fancy..." She lightly grins, settling onto the ground. Henderson smiles back, settling beside her, brown eyes sharp.

  Both eat in silence, Henderson waiting for Lacey to speak and Lacey avoids speaking altogether. She's suddenly happy Henderson is Henderson, because he would never force her into talking.

  Though as she finishes her last bit of beans, she quickly realizes she's out of excuses and distractions. Henderson sets his now empty bowl beside him and looks at her, waiting.