Chapter 51: The truth about their strength

Ember was at the wheel as the day was coming to an end. Everyone has taken turns driving at some point. Although they slept for a few hours, the mental fatigue was still very much there.

The thought of everything that had happened for the past few days lingered in her mind. Ember wondered what else was to come. If what the CE said was true, then they are in for more trouble in the future.

Everyone was awake at this time, still caught in their own thoughts. As Ember drove, she looked for places they could stay the night. It wasn’t until the sun was about to set that she found a small courtyard. It was nestled between two broken skyscrapers.

She drove towards it. Finding the gate open, she drove straight in. Everyone waited with the car idling, listening for any sounds that might be out of the ordinary.

“It seems secure,” Aiden said, glancing around the front of the courtyard.

“As far as I can see, there’s only one way in and one way out,” Ember replied.

The ground was covered in ivy and weeds. Ivan looked at it and wondered if there might be something in the grass ready to attack him.

“Are we sure this place is safe? I don’t feel like being attacked by plants again,” Ivan murmurs.

“We haven’t seen any killer plants since the earthquake. Maybe they moved away?” Ember quipped, getting out of the SUV.

Ivan sent her a glance that could bend steel. Ember laughed.

She understood what he was afraid of. He was right to be. But she couldn’t stop herself from causing trouble for him every once in a while.

One by one, they filed out. Their bodies were stiff and sore from being in the car for so long. Ember watched Ivan rip some weeds from the ground. She shook her head.

She watched the rest try the same thing, and her eye twitched. The only ones who didn’t try were Sarah and Marcus. She knew it was because they hadn’t witnessed what happened to Ivan.

So Ember decided to explain, “There was a plant that tried to kill Ivan. Literally. It flashed under the door and grabbed his leg. Aiden cut it off before anything else could happen.”

The confusion on their faces turned to horror. They didn’t think Ember would lie to them. They briefly glanced at each other before reaching out for a weed and pulling as well.

They walked in when they felt it was safe. They noticed the yard was dusty. They assume it hasn’t been used in a while, but the clouds of dust from buildings falling could have also caused the problem. They dusted the places they could and settled in for something to eat.

Ember took out some of the ready-made meals. Not the gourmet things.

Everyone sat in a circle and ate.

Ember noticed that as they ate, they would try to lift the table, chair, or anything close to them to test their strength. She knew what they were testing.

She said she would tell them when they got to the base, but now seems like as good a time as any. She felt that if she didn’t say anything, they would find varying creative ways to test their strength.

“Ok. I have something to say.” Ember said as she finished her last bite of pasta. “I was going to wait until we got to the base, but watching you all made me realize that if I don’t say something now. I might see someone trying to juggle cars one day.”

She gave a side-eye to Aiden. He was currently the strongest person here. Before she fell asleep, she had seen him try to throw a car. She doesn’t think juggling is that far off.

“Do you remember the fever?” she asked.

They all nodded.

“The fever isn’t just a sickness. It rewrote our DNA. It unlocked our potential.” She sent Aiden a subtle look. “The contract on the scroll that everyone signed is basically a catalyst.”

Ivan spoke up, “So…we’re basically superheroes?” He stroked his imaginary beard. “I need a cool codename.”

Superhero, my ass. Ember thought.

“I don’t think it’s that simple,” Sarah chimed. “If our DNA has been rewritten, then there must be side effects. And if there aren’t side effects, how will we know? What exactly did it change? Will the changes be permanent? How will they affect our bodies?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t have all the answers right now,” Ember admitted. “I’m learning bit by bit. All I know so far is that the power is tied to the person. To our attachments. Aiden’s strength is because of how protective he is. Luka’s speed with a knife has to do with sensation. Alex’s power was from his need to protect Adrienne.”

“What about you?” Adrienne asked.

Ember made it sound light, “That was my way of venting. An explosion of emotion.”

“So we’re circling back to the emotion and sex thing?” Ivan asked.

“Basically,” Ember stated.

“Well, it doesn’t matter how it works,” Aiden said. “As long as it does. It’s an advantage. We need to learn to control it in order to protect ourselves and each other.”

“If we’re going to control it. We need to train,” Marcus stated.

The conversation went on for another hour. There were theories about everything from whether they might grow a tail to whether they could move fast enough to run around the world and back in ten seconds.

As the sun completely set, they went to the bedroom. They cleaned up to allow the women to sleep together. It was a unanimous decision by the men.

Aiden wouldn’t allow Ember to sleep on the floor. Alex wouldnt’ allow Adrienne to do it either. And while Sarah did not have a steady partner. Neither Marcus nor Ivan would have her sleep on the floor.

As the men left, Adrienne, Srah and Ember collapsed on the bed. A collective sigh of relief fell from their lips. They fell asleep within minutes.

Downstairs, the men made their own small camp with the things Ember took from the space. They didn’t all go to sleep at the same time. They took turns keeping watch. Luckily, this time there was no trouble, and everyone was able to get an adequate amount of sleep.

The next morning, they woke up to the same orange colour of the sun. They packed up and continued on their journey.

The talk last night sparked something in the group. After a night of good sleep, everyone had confidence in them that they didn’t have the day before.

Ember took the wheel again. Her wound from the wolves had already healed, and she was back to her old self. They navigated through the city, removing vehicles where they could and taking detours where they couldn’t.

They were making good time today until they came upon a roadblock.

“Are we doing this again?” asked Ivan.

Ember stopped the car in front of the roadblock. She didn’t turn off the engine. None of the seven people got out of the car.

They were waiting.

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