Part 2
"Why won't you tell us where we're going?" Tess asked Nasedo as she and Max followed him down the deserted street. They'd been walking around for a slightly long time now and they were getting tired. It was a bit creepy for them as well, since there was no one around, no one walking and barely any cars. Nasedo was trying to hide it, but it was easy for them to see he was getting tired as well.
"Because. Now stop asking me, all right?" Tess sighed. Nasedo looked at her and said, "I promise you'll like it." That made her smile. How could he be the same man she grew up with? It was just incredible.
"Then why didn't Michael and Isabel come with us?" asked Max.
"They'll get their turn too, don't worry," said Nasedo.
"I'm not worried, I was just wondering."
"I'm going to go get something to drink from that machine across the street," said Nasedo, pointing to it, "You two want something too?" Tess smiled.
"How about instead, you sit and I'll go?" she asked.
"I can get it myself, you know?" Nasedo said slowly. Tess gave him a look. "Alright, fine," he gave in. They told her what they wanted and she turned and went. Max and Nasedo stood on the sidewalk talking, when Nasedo looked after Tess.
That's when he saw it. A car was heading right for her, swerving a bit, and she hadn't noticed it.
"Tess! Look Out!" Nasedo called, running into the street after her before he knew it. Max stood back and watched in horror. He couldn't run in there as well now, there would be no point. Tess finally looked up and saw the car coming. She couldn't move, too panicked.
Suddenly, she felt herself be pushed and she landed on the ground, out of the car's way. She turned her head just in time to see the car hit Nasedo at full strength.
"No!" she screamed as he fell into the street. The car backed up and quickly turned the other way. Max watched it as it drove away and ran after it with anger.
"Get back here!" he yelled. Tess turned herself, feeling sore all over the side she'd fallen on. She half-crawled, half-walked to Nasedo, her breath shaking.
"N...Nasedo?" she called slowly. She knelt behind him and turned him around. His face was bruised and bloody. "It's all right," Tess said shakily, feeling tears come down her face, "We'll fix it like last time..."
"No... you can't," he said weakly.
"W...what? Of course we can," she said, her tone more urgent.
"No, not this time," he said, taking her hand.
"You can't... you can't leave me, not now... now that we're finally starting to get along..."
"I'm so sorry... I wish we'd have more time together too, but..." He was starting to cry as well, which only made her tears come faster. "There's something... Very important... I need to tell you, before... Now, listen carefully all right?" She nodded shortly. "The pod chamber, there are some... things... I put in it last summer before going to Washington..." She was confused, but she listened. "You won't find them for a very long time, but they're there, alright?"
"Y... Yes."
"One other thing... in the pod chamber, behind the pods... it's called the Granolith..."
"Granolith..." she repeated.
"Now listen very carefully, this is... most important... Don't tell ANYONE about it, not yet, when the time comes, you'll... you'll know..."
"Nasedo..." she whispered, still crying then.
"I'm counting on you, Tess... do it for me, for your home... do it for Ava..."
"Who's Ava?" she asked, but then she felt him get heavier, his eyes closing... and then his head rolled to the side... he was gone. "No... no, don't go, please..." Tess pleaded, feeling more panic than ever.
"Tess?" she heard from behind. It was Max. He looked tired and out of breath. She tried to speak as she turned, but found she wasn't able to. Max looked down at Nasedo. "Is he..."
"He's gone for real this time, we can't bring him back," she said finally through her sobs. Max came forward and hugged her. She wrapped her free arm around him and cried into his shoulder. She wasn't ready to let go of Nasedo's hand just yet. "What do we do now... with him and..." She stopped.
"Can you try... contacting Isabel? Tell her to bring the car and come get us?" He knew it was a lot to ask from her at the moment, but they had no choice. She pulled away and rubbed her face.
"Yeah, just... give me a minute, okay?" He cupped the right side of her face into his hand and gave her a small sorry smile. She lowered her head to his shoulder and took a few long breaths. They remained this way for a few minutes, then she nodded. The two got up and Max carried Nasedo out of the street, Tess still holding his hand. When they were sitting, she closed her eyes and concentrated on Isabel...
*
At the Crashdown
Michael and Isabel sat in a corner of the dining room, having lunch. Suddenly, someone was standing in front of their table. Isabel looked up. It was Tess and she was a bit bruised on her side. It looked like she'd been crying.
"Tess, what's wrong?" she asked concerned. Michael looked up but saw no one.
"I'm not here. You're the only one who can see me," she said shakily. Isabel understood and looked at her plate so that she wouldn't look to be talking to herself.
"What's going on?" she whispered.
"Something happened and I can't stay long. Nasedo's dead. You have to take the car and come pick us up, please hurry."
"Where?" Isabel asked, her tone more concerned now.
"Is what's going on? Who are you talking to?" asked Michael. Tess told Isabel where they were, before disappearing. "Isabel," Michael said again. Isabel dropped some cash on the table and got up.
"Come on," she said.
"What?"
"Nasedo's dead." Michael's face fell and he got up and followed her out immediately.
*
Back to the empty street
They'd been waiting shortly when the car screeched to a halt and Michael and Isabel joined them. "What happened to him?" asked Michael.
"Just... came out of nowhere... he saved me and..." Tess mumbled. She was a bit better now, but she was still recovering.
"What?" said Isabel.
"Car," explained Max. Tess still held his hand.
"Did he tell you anything before he..." started Isabel. Tess looked up, then down.
"N... no," she lied.
"Nothing?" asked Michael.
"Nothing," repeated Tess more firmly. There was a short silence.
"So what do we do with him?" asked Michael.
"We can bury him... near the pod chamber. Only place I can think of," said Max slowly, knowing Tess must have been feeling pretty bad at the moment.
"Are you okay?" Isabel asked Tess with concern.
"I'll be fine," she said with a nod, "Let's go." They headed off to the car and Tess didn't let go of his hand, not until they dropped him gently into the hole they dug outside the pod chamber, and even then, it was very hard for her to do.
As she climbed back into the back of the car with Max, she looked up at the pod chamber again. Nasedo's words still rung in her ears. This secret... how long would she have to keep it from the others? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? As long as she had to...
"Why won't you tell us where we're going?" Tess asked Nasedo as she and Max followed him down the deserted street. They'd been walking around for a slightly long time now and they were getting tired. It was a bit creepy for them as well, since there was no one around, no one walking and barely any cars. Nasedo was trying to hide it, but it was easy for them to see he was getting tired as well.
"Because. Now stop asking me, all right?" Tess sighed. Nasedo looked at her and said, "I promise you'll like it." That made her smile. How could he be the same man she grew up with? It was just incredible.
"Then why didn't Michael and Isabel come with us?" asked Max.
"They'll get their turn too, don't worry," said Nasedo.
"I'm not worried, I was just wondering."
"I'm going to go get something to drink from that machine across the street," said Nasedo, pointing to it, "You two want something too?" Tess smiled.
"How about instead, you sit and I'll go?" she asked.
"I can get it myself, you know?" Nasedo said slowly. Tess gave him a look. "Alright, fine," he gave in. They told her what they wanted and she turned and went. Max and Nasedo stood on the sidewalk talking, when Nasedo looked after Tess.
That's when he saw it. A car was heading right for her, swerving a bit, and she hadn't noticed it.
"Tess! Look Out!" Nasedo called, running into the street after her before he knew it. Max stood back and watched in horror. He couldn't run in there as well now, there would be no point. Tess finally looked up and saw the car coming. She couldn't move, too panicked.
Suddenly, she felt herself be pushed and she landed on the ground, out of the car's way. She turned her head just in time to see the car hit Nasedo at full strength.
"No!" she screamed as he fell into the street. The car backed up and quickly turned the other way. Max watched it as it drove away and ran after it with anger.
"Get back here!" he yelled. Tess turned herself, feeling sore all over the side she'd fallen on. She half-crawled, half-walked to Nasedo, her breath shaking.
"N...Nasedo?" she called slowly. She knelt behind him and turned him around. His face was bruised and bloody. "It's all right," Tess said shakily, feeling tears come down her face, "We'll fix it like last time..."
"No... you can't," he said weakly.
"W...what? Of course we can," she said, her tone more urgent.
"No, not this time," he said, taking her hand.
"You can't... you can't leave me, not now... now that we're finally starting to get along..."
"I'm so sorry... I wish we'd have more time together too, but..." He was starting to cry as well, which only made her tears come faster. "There's something... Very important... I need to tell you, before... Now, listen carefully all right?" She nodded shortly. "The pod chamber, there are some... things... I put in it last summer before going to Washington..." She was confused, but she listened. "You won't find them for a very long time, but they're there, alright?"
"Y... Yes."
"One other thing... in the pod chamber, behind the pods... it's called the Granolith..."
"Granolith..." she repeated.
"Now listen very carefully, this is... most important... Don't tell ANYONE about it, not yet, when the time comes, you'll... you'll know..."
"Nasedo..." she whispered, still crying then.
"I'm counting on you, Tess... do it for me, for your home... do it for Ava..."
"Who's Ava?" she asked, but then she felt him get heavier, his eyes closing... and then his head rolled to the side... he was gone. "No... no, don't go, please..." Tess pleaded, feeling more panic than ever.
"Tess?" she heard from behind. It was Max. He looked tired and out of breath. She tried to speak as she turned, but found she wasn't able to. Max looked down at Nasedo. "Is he..."
"He's gone for real this time, we can't bring him back," she said finally through her sobs. Max came forward and hugged her. She wrapped her free arm around him and cried into his shoulder. She wasn't ready to let go of Nasedo's hand just yet. "What do we do now... with him and..." She stopped.
"Can you try... contacting Isabel? Tell her to bring the car and come get us?" He knew it was a lot to ask from her at the moment, but they had no choice. She pulled away and rubbed her face.
"Yeah, just... give me a minute, okay?" He cupped the right side of her face into his hand and gave her a small sorry smile. She lowered her head to his shoulder and took a few long breaths. They remained this way for a few minutes, then she nodded. The two got up and Max carried Nasedo out of the street, Tess still holding his hand. When they were sitting, she closed her eyes and concentrated on Isabel...
*
At the Crashdown
Michael and Isabel sat in a corner of the dining room, having lunch. Suddenly, someone was standing in front of their table. Isabel looked up. It was Tess and she was a bit bruised on her side. It looked like she'd been crying.
"Tess, what's wrong?" she asked concerned. Michael looked up but saw no one.
"I'm not here. You're the only one who can see me," she said shakily. Isabel understood and looked at her plate so that she wouldn't look to be talking to herself.
"What's going on?" she whispered.
"Something happened and I can't stay long. Nasedo's dead. You have to take the car and come pick us up, please hurry."
"Where?" Isabel asked, her tone more concerned now.
"Is what's going on? Who are you talking to?" asked Michael. Tess told Isabel where they were, before disappearing. "Isabel," Michael said again. Isabel dropped some cash on the table and got up.
"Come on," she said.
"What?"
"Nasedo's dead." Michael's face fell and he got up and followed her out immediately.
*
Back to the empty street
They'd been waiting shortly when the car screeched to a halt and Michael and Isabel joined them. "What happened to him?" asked Michael.
"Just... came out of nowhere... he saved me and..." Tess mumbled. She was a bit better now, but she was still recovering.
"What?" said Isabel.
"Car," explained Max. Tess still held his hand.
"Did he tell you anything before he..." started Isabel. Tess looked up, then down.
"N... no," she lied.
"Nothing?" asked Michael.
"Nothing," repeated Tess more firmly. There was a short silence.
"So what do we do with him?" asked Michael.
"We can bury him... near the pod chamber. Only place I can think of," said Max slowly, knowing Tess must have been feeling pretty bad at the moment.
"Are you okay?" Isabel asked Tess with concern.
"I'll be fine," she said with a nod, "Let's go." They headed off to the car and Tess didn't let go of his hand, not until they dropped him gently into the hole they dug outside the pod chamber, and even then, it was very hard for her to do.
As she climbed back into the back of the car with Max, she looked up at the pod chamber again. Nasedo's words still rung in her ears. This secret... how long would she have to keep it from the others? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? As long as she had to...