The Last Night Of The World
Nothing. Well, not exactly nothing, but no boat, either. Just the waves, softly crashing against the quay wall. There was the boat guy, from whom May had gotten the boat in the first place, looking rather pissed, and frightened, too. But there was no boat, not even far out at sea. There was just – well, nothing. Just nothing.
They stood there, waiting, frightened. For a while, none of them spoke. Finally, Hope found her voice, but it was rather shaky.
„No – it can't be!" she exclaimed, staring out at the sea, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of a rather big boat with their friends on it.
„Well, as you see, it can be", Lex grumbled. „They left, just like that. They left us here to die!"
There was more silence after that, and the strong wind that always seemed to be present here at the quay tousled their hair.
„It's got to be a mistake", Hawk then said. „Amber would never ..."
„Apparently, she did", Lex interrupted, now sounding angry. „Your precious Amber left you, dumped you to die here in this contaminated rat hole!"
„So did Courage!" Falcon exclaimed, glaring at Lex. She'd never been one of his greatest fans, and most of the time, he annoyed the hell out of her.
„So she did", Lex just said, sounding somewhat bitter and disappointed. They'd had their fights during those last few days, lot's of them, but he never thought she'd just leave him here to die.
„The hotel exploded", Hope tried to find reason. „Maybe they thought we're all dead. Maybe they didn't stick around because they were scared. You know, second virus and everything. They had children on that boat. Ruby might be pregnant. They ..."
„That is no reason!" Lex exploded, glaring at her. She looked down at her old boots and didn't finish her thoughts.
„They probably just didn't think we'd come", Hawk finally said. „I mean, why would they? I always said that my home's in the woods, and ..."
„And they probably assumed that I'd follow you there", Falcon finished his sentence. „I mean, you and I, we're not even Mall Rats. Although … rat boy over here and Hope certainly are."
Lex looked ready to smack her, but in the end, he didn't. Falcon could certainly stand her own, and he didn't want her to win while everyone was watching. Well, of course she wouldn't win, he told himself immediately. But …
Hope interrupted, sounding tired. „I guess they overlooked me, as usual", she said. „And as for you, Lex, you know you yelled at Courage that you'd rather become a member of the Gaians than stick around with her."
„Yeah, and that was meant to hurt her!" he growled. „I didn't mean that! I'd never decorate myself with bark and dirt and eat grass, you know that!"
„Gee, thanks, Lex." Hawk rolled his eyes. „And just so you know, the Gaian council would never approve of your membership anyway."
„Fine! Because I don't want to be part of your stupid tribe! I want ..."
„The Mall Rats? Well, look at the quay, idiot! Your so-called friend just ditched you!" Falcon shouted, bringing their situation back into conversation.
Silence again, and four desperate young people stared out at sea. There was a thick fog further out, so everything beyond that wasn't visible. All they could see was a grey formless mass.
„The boats are all somewhere in the mist", the boat guy brought himself into the conversation.
They all turned to him, eyebrows raised.
„Boats?" Falcon echoed. „As in, multiple ones?"
„Yeah. Quiet a few, actually. You know, with those nasty rumours about that other virus and everything, the kids got scared. They panicked."
„Those aren't rumours, idiot!" Lex shouted.
„Let him talk!" Hawk cut him off, earning some dirty looks from Lex who hated to be cut off.
„They took the boats, all of them", the guy told them, ignoring Lex. „Some tried to get on your friend's boat as well. There was a big crowd of people here at the quay and things weren't pretty. Your friends had to leave, or the mob would have dragged them overboard in no time."
They stared at the guy, trying to imagine the situation. Hope looked around and noticed that indeed there was not a single boat left. Even the old wooden one was gone.
„This is all your fault", Falcon finally said, looking at Lex. „You ran off back to the hotel!"
„Gel said she saw Tai-san!"
„Gel would say anything to get you to stay behind with her", Hope remembered. „She wanted you to leave with her all along. She's been trying to get you away from Courage for weeks."
„In the end, that little idiot went with the others when I told her that the hotel was supposed to explode", Hawk sighed.
Yes, instead of running back to the hotel with Hope, Falcon and Hawk, the only ones who'd been present to go and warn Lex, she'd been running in the other direction.
„She could have told the others to wait", Hope said. „But she probably thought it was too late for anything, seeing the explosion and the fire."
„Yeah, and then she thought what the others would say if they'd know that Gel's stupidity had send us on some worthless hunt for Tai-san and Lex, so she didn't say anything", Falcon concluded angrily.
„It's not just Gel's fault", Hawk said. „You and I ran back for Mouse, too. It was all pretty chaotic. Everyone was scared and in a panic. We can't blame anyone for that."
True. In all that horror and chaos, Mouse had been lost, and since she was a Gaian now, Hawk had felt responsible, so he'd ran back, followed by Falcon. They'd met Mouse halfway, where she'd told them that Hope had already send her, Mouse, to the quay before she'd left for the hotel and for Lex. They'd found that rather strange and told Mouse to make a run for the boat. Then they'd ran off to investigate only to meet a crying Gel at the Mall. They'd send Gel off to the boat as well and then they'd try to stop Lex or at least, stop Hope. But they hadn't even come close to the hotel when the explosion had happened. Then Hope and Lex had appeared, but there hadn't been much time for talking. They'd been running all the way to the quay, only to find their friends gone.
„It's no good blaming each other", Hope sighed. „What happened, happened. I guess Gel and Mouse are safe, as well as the others. That's one thing to be thankful for."
„I am not thankful for Gel's safety!" Lex exploded, hitting a stone with his foot and kicked it into the water. It sank fast, leaving no trace behind.
„We need a boat of our own", Falcon finally decided. „To follow the others, and to get away from the city and the second virus. Otherwise ..."
She didn't have to say it. The horror struck again, leaving them feeling helpless against a danger they could do nothing about.
„Don't you get it?" the guy said. „There is no other boat. Unless you have one hidden away somewhere, there's no boat left here. Some were destroyed or taken in the time since the virus started, and the rest was taken today. There's nothing left!"
„But there has to be!" Lex shouted, grabbing the guy by his collar and smashing him into the nearest wall.
„Lex! Let him go!"
Falcon and Hawk grabbed Lex and dragged him away from the guy.
„He has to get us a boat!" he shouted, struggling against them.
„He can't", Hawk stated matter-of-factly. „And neither can we. That virus – Mega said, it will be transferable through the air, through the water – it will spread, and it will spread fast. Could be not as dangerous as we think, or could be very, very dangerous. Getting away from here by boat was a great chance to escape all this. But we can't. Now our best chance is to leave the city and never come back."
Silence once more. Lex stopped struggling, but then got mad again.
„Who says I want to leave the city with any of you? Who says I want to stick around with you guys? And who made you boss, grasshopper? And ..."
„You're angry, you're pissed, you're scared, we get that!" Falcon impatiently interrupted. „But really, Lex, we're the only ones you have left. Do you think we like being stuck with you! Fat chance! But here we are … and I think I'd rather try to get away with people I know than on my own or with strangers."
„I'm not scared!" he yelled at her, but he didn't say anything about wandering off on his own any more, something Hope was grateful about. She liked Hawk and Falcon, but they weren't Mall Rats, and they were together. Being stuck with only them … that would leave her as the third wheel, and she didn't like the thought. It was hard enough for her that all her Mall Rat friends were gone.
„Yes, you are", Falcon insisted. „We all are, Lex. And that's okay, considering what has happened. But we can not stay here!"
„We could already be infected", Lex insisted, glaring at her for calling him scared.
„Not likely. The explosion was just now. That virus needs time to spread. And we're at the edge of town anyway. We need to leave now, getting as far away from the city as possible. And we have to avoid other people. Animals, too. At least those around here. And as long as we're near the city, we can't drink water."
What Hawk said made perfect sense, even Lex saw that. Or maybe he'd just ran out of arguments. They left the quay and the guy and followed Hawk, who knew how to get to the outskirts of town. They didn't meet anyone on their way. Once they heard some people talk, but Hawk was careful to avoid all contact with others who might or might not be carrying the virus already. They probably weren't. Not yet, anyway. But better safe than sorry.
They walked in silence mostly, until they came close to the woods. Then Hawk led them up a hill where they found a stream.
„I reckon it's safe to drink here", he said. „It's water doesn't come from the city, so I don't think it's infected with the second virus. Anyway, we have to drink something, or we'll die of thirst."
That was true, so they got down and quenched their thirst. The water was cool and crystal clear, and they felt better after their drink.
„We need to agree on what's next", Hawk finally said.
They were resting halfway up that hill, watching the sun going down slowly, looking at the city way beneath them with sadness. They could still see smoke where once the hotel had stood.
„I ask this again – who made you boss?" Lex answered back.
„Where would you lead us, Lex?" Hawk asked, sounding annoyed. „Go ahead, feel free! Do you know any place where we can go?"
„How about Liberty?" Hope suggested. She sounded tired and sad and hadn't said much at all during their long journey.
Immediately, Hawk and Falcon both shook their heads.
„Too many people", Hawk said.
„And too many city refugees", Falcon agreed.
„The Ecotribe, then?" Hope asked.
„Yeah, let's all eat grass and bugs and sleep on hay, shall we!" Lex interrupted, rolling his eyes. Clearly, he'd have preferred Liberty as well. After all, Ruby's Saloon had nice beds and good food.
„You can eat all that, and maybe a few worms, too." Falcon threw a handful of grass at him. „Me, I prefer some wildlife animal or some freshly captured fish. But then again, that's just me."
Lex snorted, and Hope had to hide a smile. At least now Lex kept quiet.
„Maybe", Hawk finally answered to Hope's suggestion. „But the Gaians also trade stuff. Some of them sneak around the city, trying to get news. We prefer to be on our own and do our own thing, but with those things like the Chosen and the Techno invasion and all the stuff Mega did … we need to be informed. But that way, we come in contact with city people. And city food, clothes and other supplies. I don't know how safe the Gaian camp is. Safer than Liberty, yes, but ..."
„So you're saying we should stay on our own?" Falcon asked.
„For now … maybe. Until we know what's going on. Or until we're as far away from here as possible."
„Lex?"
„I hate to agree with grasshopper over there, but I've had my share of the first virus. Don't want to catch the second one as well. We probably should get away as fast as we can. We need to find ourselves a boat. Maybe, on another coast, where people haven't heard of the danger ..."
„Maybe." Falcon looked at him. „But you know that there is no guarantee that we will ever find the others? Or Tai-san?"
He didn't say anything, which gave her the answer. Yes, he knew. And he didn't want to talk about it.
They climbed on top of the hill and followed a narrow footpath, which led them into a small wood, where Hawk found them a comfortable place for the night and also some more fresh water and some berries. That night, their dreams were haunted by their friends leaving on the boat and themselves standing at the quay, calling them, but getting no response at all.
The next few days they kept off all main roads and mainly walked through woods and fields. They found clear water they could drink, and Hawk and Falcon managed to get them food. Some wild pheasant, a hare, some fresh fish from a stream. Even without spices, it tasted delicious, since Hawk and Falcon knew how to cook. Hope went off to find berries, apples and other stuff, while Lex was responsible for the fire and the firewood.
Lex didn't talk much these days, and they left him alone most of the time. He was moody and aggressive, but he did his job with the wood.
„I hate Gel for doing this to him", Hope confided in Falcon when they went to gather berries together. „She got his hopes up for reuniting with Tai-san, and she ruined everything he had with Courage."
„I'd say the Courage thing is to be blamed on both of them", Falcon said. „They argued all day, even without Gel interfering. Too big-headed, both of them. Wouldn't have worked out anyway."
„Well, you and Hawk seem to be happy."
„Yeah, but we're not that different. If I were a cheesy little chick like Gel, I'd say we're soul mates. But Lex … well, he's an idiot."
„He's not!"
„Most of the time, he is. I can't imagine what you see in him. You two seem to get along quite well, don't you?"
„We have a history together."
Falcon raised her eyebrows, and Hope blushed, shaking her head.
„I mean, we've known each other for a long time now and both he and I went through some pretty rough times. I was there for him once, ages ago, because I felt sorry for him. And that's what started it."
„But he's such a loud-mouth with the world's greatest ego."
„Yes, on the outside he is. On the inside, he's scared. Sometimes lonely. Maybe even insecure. I don't know. He's hiding that pretty well."
„He's hiding it perfectly, because I just can't imagine that idiot being even a little insecure."
„Aren't we all hiding something? I'm scared to death of the future. I'm scared of tomorrow! But I'm not walking around shaking and in tears either."
Falcon thought about that for a moment, chewing on a berry. „I miss my sis like hell", she then admitted. „Some days are okay, I guess. But some days are horrible. I feel like I've failed her. Like I should have found her by now. And then there are those days where I imagine why I haven't found her yet. And they are the worst. Coz, you know, she can't be … she can't ..."
She bit her lips and clenched her hand into a fist, causing the berries to end up crushed.
„Oh, Falcon."
Hope tried to put a hand onto Falcon's shoulders, but Falcon got up, wiping the smashed berries onto some nearby leaves.
„We have enough berries for now, let's get back to camp", she said.
Off she went, and Hope, sensing that Falcon didn't want to talk, followed her.
Further up north, they came across a little village, where finally Hawk gave in. They needed new clothes and they needed to wash. They also needed some canisters for carrying water, some basic supplies, some plates and cutlery and cups and other stuff. Falcon and Hawk both carried big knives which could be used for all kinds of purposes and Lex owned a pocket knife as well. But that wasn't enough. They also needed some blankets for the nights as well.
They brought some food to trade, but that didn't get them much in return. So they spend two whole days in the little village. Lex, Hawk and Falcon went off with some guys, getting wood and more food supplies for the village inhabitants. Hope stayed with some of the women, helping them with cleaning and looking after their kids while they did their daily chores. Those people had been living in the little village since the beginning of the first virus. They didn't know anything of the Technos and the Chosen, let alone the second virus.
„We wouldn't go to the city anyway", one of the guys said then Hawk tried to warn him about the dangers there. „It's too far and too dangerous. We're trading with farmers and we're keeping some chickens ourselves. We're pretty much self-sufficient."
They weren't a tribe. None of them wore tribal markings, and their clothes were plain but practical. But they were friendly and helped out as much as they could.
„I feel bad, knowing we might have brought the second virus here", Hope said.
„It's been days, and none of us are showing signs", Lex replied, dropping a few pieces of wood behind one of the houses. „So we probably didn't get it."
„I hope you're right."
As soon as they had most of their supplies and some new clothes, they left the friendly village, getting further and further away from the city. With time, Lex's mood got better, although he and Hawk constantly argued about everything. Lex clearly had a problem with authority and questioned Hawk's leadership whenever he could. As for Hope, being stuck between a couple and an angry Lex, she felt pretty much lonely and kept to herself.
One week later, they reached another hilltop, and looking around they saw the ocean spread before them in all it's beauty. There were some people down at a rather sad-looking beach where people had left their rubbish lying around. And best of all, there were some boats, too.
„Beautiful", Hope said, smiling, meaning the magnificent view of the ocean.
„Wonderful", Lex grinned, now suddenly very happy, thinking of those boats they saw.
„You all really want to do this?" Hawk asked, catching the unspoken thought of Lex.
„Of course!" That was, of course, Lex.
„I think so", Hope agreed. „We don't have another goal anyway, do we?"
„Hmmh", Falcon said, and Hope and Hawk unterstood what she meant.
It took them two days to reach the beach and the small town who it belonged to. Hawk went to ask around and came back with no answer. Apparently, those boats didn't belong to anyone.
They went to have a look and to their relief, most of them where in a rather good condition. Some stuff was broken, and some of the sails had been taken away, as well as all of the fuel.
„So no motorboat for us, then", Hawk concluded. „But if we can patch up some of those sails … on that small boat over there we've found another sail hidden … if we can fix that ..."
Luckily, the townpeople left them alone. They lived from fishing and trading and although they thought it was crazy to sail off into the blue, they didn't interfere.
Falcon and Hawk got the sails done and the boat cleaned up and ready while Hope and Lex gathered some clothes, first aid stuff, food and lot's and lot's of water. All of that had it's price again but in the end, they had gathered enough to last them for at least a week or longer if they were careful. Hawk and Falcon took the boat for a spin. Everything seemed to be fine. There were oars, too, which they needed to row back to the beach. The next day, a guy from town taught them how to handle the boat as good as possible. Hopefully, that would be enough.
„I hope I don't get seasick", Hope sighed, when they were back at the beach, and Falcon was with her on that. But what chance did they have? If that virus was coming, they had to get away.
„It might follow us, you know", Falcon said, throwing stones into the water.
„Mega said it will spread through the air and the water. We don't know if that's true or not. Better not to take chances, but then … well, we can only hope", Hawk answered, putting his arm around her shoulders. „Look, I know this is hard for you … leaving Grace behind and everything."
„It's even harder to know that I might leave her for nothing. That I might die anyway, out there at sea or on some stupid island or wherever."
„At least that way, you have a chance", Hawk quietly said. „I'm sure she'd have wanted that for you."
„I should have ..."
„You're a good sister, Falcon. The best she could have had. You never once stopped looking for her."
„But I didn't find her."
„But you never gave up hope."
„And I won't start now!"
„No, you don't, and you shouldn't. But you also shouldn't place yourself in danger here. She could be anywhere. Maybe even out there."
He pointed towards the open sea, and with an angry cry, Falcon kicked an empty shell at a surprised seagull who flew right back up into the air with an angry cry as well.
„I might never find her!"
„Or maybe you will. Have you noticed our ships name?"
„Yeah. Destiny. That fits. But we don't know where our destiny lies."
„That's the whole point. You never know your destiny until you've reached it. Maybe your destiny will lead you back to Grace. Or Grace to you."
„Grace to me ..."
„Surely, she's looking for you as well?"
„You've asked for her. Even at that village and here in town, you've been asking around. And people remember you and your story. If Grace comes here, they'll remember and tell her."
„Maybe she'll find me. Or at least, she'll know I've never once stopped looking." She sighed. „You know, Hawk, when Mouse got lost and when we ran after Hope and Lex, I was kind of hoping the boat would leave without us. Because I couldn't bear to leave here, to leave Grace."
„Yes. I thought so."
„You did?"
„Yeah. I was hoping you'd come and talk to me about it someday. But I didn't want to pressure you into talking, so I kept quiet about it."
„I'm glad you did. I need to get those things out in my own time, I guess. I kinda told Hope, but it came up by accident. Anyway …"
„You're feeling okay with leaving now?"
„It's still hard. But I guess we have a better chance of surviving out there than here. What about you? Don't you feel sad, leaving all of this behind?"
„All of what?" Hawk answered back. „I can't go back to my Tribe, although I probably would have, if I had been alone. But other than the Gaians, what is there to miss? I left my home a very long time ago, Falcon. The memory of my parents will always be with me. But now I have you, and we might have a future somewhere out there. One where we will not die of some stupid disease. One without the Chosen, the Locos, the Technos. Actually, it's a rather nice future to look forward to, don't you think?"
„Yeah, I guess it is."
Not knowing what else to say, she placed her hand into his, enjoying the fact that he was with her, that she had someone by her side. He squeezed her hand lightly, and together they went to find Hope and Lex.
„It's our last night here", Hope said when darkness fell. It was a very dark night, with barely any stars visible and no moon at all. A weird feeling came over them.
„We should get some sleep", Hawk suggested, yawning. „Tomorrow we have to rise early."
They finished dinner, and Hope cleaned the plates. Then they retired into the old haystack where they'd been sleeping during the last few days. It was drafty and dirty in there, but all of them had slept in worse places, so they just cleaned the space around their blankets and didn't care otherwise.
It was pitch-dark when Hope woke up. And it was quiet, which was unusual. Normally, Lex was snoring, but tonight, everything was silent. She didn't like that one bit. Following her intuition, she put on her boots in the dark and sneaked outside. It was still very dark, and since she didn't had a flash-light, she stumbled all the way down to the beach. There, sitting by a glowing fire some of those townspeople had probably used for their dinner, sat Lex, staring into the darkness. When she stepped onto something, he spun around.
„It's just me", she shyly said, stopping.
„Oh. Go back to bed, Hope."
„You should, too. It's late."
„I'm thinking."
She didn't move, unsure of how to proceed. Should she just leave? Should she try to talk to him? But Lex hated to be talked to if he wasn't in the mood.
However, he turned about again, sighed and gestured to the place in the dirty sand next to him. „You won't leave anyway, will you?"
„If you don't want to talk, I'd ..."
„I know I'll never see her again, you know", he interrupted her. „Tai-san, I mean. And that's okay. She made her decision a long time ago, when she was with the Technos and didn't want to come with me. It still makes me mad, but I guess that's how things go. How it always goes for me."
„Lex -"
„I can't help thinking about them, now that we're leaving here. I'll be leaving a lot of memories."
„Well ..."
„They either die, or they'll disappear. Zandra's dead. Tai-san's vanished. Siva's dead. Courage's gone. Probably all my fault anyway."
„No, it's not! You didn't make the Eagle Mountain observatory explode. That was a accident! You didn't make Java kill Siva. That was an accident, too. Tai-san left, yes … but with whatever reasons. And Courage made her decision, too. Maybe ..."
„It wasn't meant to be?" he sneered. „Yeah, nobody's meant to be with me. I make them leave or they get killed. Guess Gel's better off on that boat. Not that I'm interested in her or anything."
„Yeah, well. At least the people you like actually like you back", Hope said, thinking of Pride with his affection of Amber, his lies to May and his new love with Salene and of Slade, who'd found a distraction in Ruby and a love worth fighting for in Ebony.
They sat in silence for a while, listening to the soft waves and the other little noises around them.
„It's like the last night of the world", Hope finally managed to say. „It's dark, it's lonely, and we don't know what tomorrow will bring."
„More death. More people leaving."
„More people who doesn't care enough. Yes."
Suddenly, he put his arm around her. „I never thanked you."
„For what?" She sounded surprised.
„For being my friend. For not dying and not disappearing."
She smiled. „I guess I have to thank you for the same thing. And for not searching for better friends."
„Yeah, right. Who would I find? Amber? Ebony?"
„Don't even go there!"
„Maybe, somewhere out there … there might be what we're looking for."
„Either way, it's a new start."
She turned around to face him, studying his features in the dark. Whatever happens, she was glad she had Lex with her. If she couldn't have a guy that loved her with her, at least she had a guy who cared. Although he didn't always show it.
„You deserve something good out there", he said, now turning to face her, too.
„So do you. I hope you'll find ..."
„... something new", he interrupted. „I'm so sick of people dying or disappearing on me. I want to start over. I hope I can."
„I hope I can, too. Either way … I hope we'll get through this. I hope everything will be fine on the boat. I hope … well, I guess if this is the last night of the world, the last night before a new beginning, then I hope that we'll make it through and ..."
He interrupted her, and the way he did it took her by surprise. But she didn't pull away. After all, it was the last night of the world. It was dark, it was lonely, it was scary. They didn't know what would happen next. But right now, they had this moment. Maybe their last moment. Maybe a brand new start. Either way, it felt good and it felt right.
The next morning, they carried their belongings on board and off they went. They had a nice wind, which made it easy to sail. Everything went smoothly, but they all knew, their problems were only just beginning. Looking back, they saw the familiar coastline. The one they had left from and the one they knew so very well. Although, those familiar one, it seemed kind of empty. Not a single person to be seen. Everything looked very quiet. Then the wind pushed them even further away, until the mainland was nearly completely vanished. The only thing that was left was the crystal clear blue water all around them.
„It's our home!"
„No. Not any more."
With that, all four of them turned their backs to the direction in which the mainland was and looked the other way. A new future was awaiting them. And they were ready.