Solara's Journey- BOOK OF ELI
I do not own the rights to the movie: Book of Eli, the characters, or plot. That pleasure lies unto Writer Gary Whitta and Directors Albert and Allen Hughes.
My story is a continuation of the events after the movie which I have written solely for my own recreation.
Chapter 11: To Hide, To Fight
Solara and Eli arrived at the theater breathless.
Claudia stood and blindly held out her hands until she felt her daughter. "Where is Eli?" She asked her daughter.
"On the other side of the door. Mom, we have to leave. Right now. Russ and some hijackers know where Carnegie is hiding. I'm not sure what they're going to do, but he has access to some dangerous firepower." Solara stooped to pat Kit, grab her pack, and gather some of Claudia's belongings. "Eli," she shouted through the door, "take anything that we can use!"
"Solara, we can't leave here." Red interrupted.
"Fine, stay. But mom, you're coming with us." Solara growled at him.
"I'm not leaving Carnegie." Claudia was unmoving on this point.
"Russ told the villagers that you were his wife and that Carnegie stole you from him. If you're found here, he… well, I don't want to think about what he would do to you." Solara shuddered. "Please, mom. If you stay, I'm staying." She sat stubbornly.
The blind mother sat next to her grown daughter and stroke her cheek. "Baby, one day you'll understand. I can't leave my husband. It isn't right."
Kit's head quirked curiously. "Fine, we'll take him with us. Red, you're coming too and you're in charge of getting him to Tom's shop. Mom, gather whatever you'll need because I have a feeling that this place is going to be burnt to the ground before nightfall." Solara helped her mother pack a small carpet bag of clothes, ointments, supplies, and the funny orange ball of yarn.
Claudia applied a tiny bottle of smelling salts to Carnegie's nose until he was conscious.
"What? Who's there?!" He hollered.
Red helped him stand.
"We have to leave Carn. Bad people are coming." Claudia put her hands on either side of his face to help him focus on the meaning of her words.
"Send Red and Russ. They'll take care of em'." Carnegie's head lolled heavily.
"Boss," Red said. "Russ is the one who is attacking. We have to hide."
"We're going to stay with Tom." Solara said dryly.
"My daughter! Is that her?!" Carnegie tried to stumble towards her, but his only leg hindered his movements. "She has returned! Red, Red! Do you see that? Solara is here."
"Yes, boss. Yes, she is." Red agreed.
"We'll stay with her and the nomad. They'll protect us until Russ returns." Carnegie's fever had given him delusions, Solara decided. "She's back." He mumbled.
Eli joined Solara, handed over three sets of goggles, and proper traveling attire. "We need to go."
Red and Eli helped carry Carnegie, while Solara led her blind mother outside of the cellar. Kit padded close to Claudia. As a last minute precaution, Eli pushed the bookcase over their hiding spot. The group took one last quick look around the deteriorating theater and stepped outside. The wind still howled and the scarce rays of light filtered through the dust and sand.
"Kit, come here and crawl in." Solara unzipped her flak jacket as Kit crawled inside.
The passage was much slower this time, but the group successfully stumbled into Tom's shop. Each person was covered in dirt or grit and Claudia's lip had split. Tom had closed the shutters on the windows and was now herding them into a tiny store room.
"Thank you, Tom." Claudia sniffed.
"You're welcome. Here, let me." Tom gently applied a balm to her cut lip.
"Get away from her! Bastard! I'll kill you!" Carnegie struggled against Red and Eli, who steadily held him with one hand against a worn wall. "Let me go! Let me loose!"
Eli pinched a nerve until Carnegie slumped silently to the ground.
Solara's eyes widened in shock. What a trick, she thought!
Eli gave her a wry grin.
Claudia rushed over to her husband and made him a pallet to lay down.
"Tom, how was the rest of the meeting?" Eli asked.
"At dusk, some hijackers are going to tear the theater apart stick by stick. Your friend and his daughter, Bessie, are still prisoners. He has given Russ the direction to your home. Once the storm passes, the entire village is going to be burnt to the ground." Tom explained. "I'm to test one of these bombs tonight after the theater has been searched."
"You mean? Russ is going to burn down the theater?" Claudia asked nervously.
Tom nodded. "Keep the lights off. I'll be back soon."
Red's pale complexion whitened visibly.
Solara set Kit down and stood next to Eli. "It's a good thing that we left when we did. Where is your home?"
"North of here. We were all from the mountains; have you ever heard of YELLOWSTONE? It was once a National park, but after the change… my ma told me that the natural water spring turned to fire. The land burned and charred. It took several decades for the land to heal itself around the natural spring. Our family is from that area. There are cold and hot springs. Plenty of game and berry shrubs; so long as the toxin gases don't kill them. That's only happened a couple of times."
"I think I know where you're talking about." Solara retrieved her old picture book and thumbed until she found the right picture. "Is this it?"
Eli glanced at her copy of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. "This must've been what it looked like before the change." He was able to read, but had been out of practice since traveling to this village. "May I read this?"
"How about you keep it?" Solara offered.
The outlander was baffled by his new friend. He could clearly tell that the book was meant as a gift and not as a trade. Eli watched Solara and felt a warmth spread up from his belly and into his chest. She was kind, quick, resourceful, and generous. And beautiful… he couldn't forget her most obvious trait.
Red watched the two friends exchange pleasantries. He stewed silently in a jealous rage.
Carnegie and Claudia kept to themselves while Red thought of ways to remove Eli from Solara's life. Violent ways. His imagination was dark and bloody, but it gave him strength. He held fast to that renewed strength.
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