As we walked together, I looked back and caught a glimpse of the knife he’d left behind. It was the weapon that had killed his father. The threat was gone.
A dark cloud rolled over the moon's guiding light. No matter how safe I felt, I still held the worry that everything could fall apart. I was probably being delusional. Yet, as I trudged through the muddy bog, I couldn't help but think of Micah and all the pain he’d inflicted on our families.
Would it ever truly end?
Covered in mud, scrapes, and sticks, we left the wetlands tired but ready.
The treacherous swamps slowly turned into a field of flat grass and sunflowers. "Look," I said.
No trees covered the beautiful moonlight anymore. Instead, rows of gorgeous sunflowers went as far as the eye could see. It was absolutely stunning.
I ran my hand through the soft petals and closed my eyes. For once, the air felt refreshing and light.
I took another deep breath and fell into heavy laughter. The clouds above threatened rain, but I didn't care. I felt her. My mother. We were so close.
"We're here," I said. "We've finally made it."
The wall stood about fifty meters away. My dad was worn down from the trip. He coughed and tried to catch his breath. "Let's sit for a moment," he murmured. "I need to rest."
We stopped when the flowers turned sparse. We sat and shared the little water my father had managed to purify on the way. "What do we do now?" Lucian asked.
"I'm guessing we enter," I said.
My father didn't like the sound of that. "Enter and get met with a quarantine crew?" he asked. "No thanks."
"Do you really believe that's why this wall is here? What makes you think you're so special?" I asked.
He sighed and looked up with major reluctance. "What if Micah was right?"
I held my breath and counted down from ten. Using my binoculars, I searched all sides of the field. There were no guards in sight. No government agents. It was empty. "Micah is lying. I'll be the one to prove it," I said.
Lucian grabbed my hand. "I'm not so sure about this," he said. "It's too quiet. Something is wrong."
I kept my eyes on the wall. The empty field stood in between us and our goal, but if something was wrong, we'd know it. The field was quiet because there was no one around an
ymore. We ended the last threat in the swamps.
"Guys, we can't back out now. Let's do this," I said.
My dad sat back and exhaled. "Lilly, maybe he's right. Maybe we should wait until the morning."
We were so close, and no one was going to tell me we were turning back. I ducked up and finished my counting.
I was calm. I was free. I was ready.
Three… two… one. Eliminate all thoughts. It's go time.
"Lilly, wait!"
Despite the men's cries for me to cease, I ran as fast as I could. There wasn't anything I couldn't take on.
I waited for the heavy blow of gunshots, or for the sound of air sirens. Anything to force me to stop. But as I got closer to that big cement slab, I knew there wasn't anybody left to hold me back.
The wall. It was abandoned.
I reached my hand out, and I slammed into the concrete with tears in my eyes. It was so smooth and cold. I got a better look at the tower in the center. This area had been deserted a long time ago. Something had happened here. Something big.
The men followed my lead. They came to a halt behind me. My father was the first one to break the silence. "Fear is the creator of all things terrible," he said.