Michael Soll - Scorched

I looked over and saw Cotta stumble and fall into the water, his body pushing forward at an accelerated speed before he regained control.

Kaolin also struggled walking. And then, I fell and the water pulled me faster and faster through the narrowing tunnel. Behind me, Kaolin’s screams echoed all around.

I fell beneath the water and my lungs screamed. I couldn’t get back to the air, I couldn’t get back to the oxygen. A rock appeared in front of me, but I couldn’t move and the rock didn’t want to. It struck me in the stomach and ripped apart my flesh. The water turned red and my eyes fluttered.

I raised my hand above me and touched sky and felt the air speed around my damp hand. My lantern floated passed me and then submerged in the water and everything went dark. I became a dream.

I couldn’t see where I was heading or where I had come from. I couldn’t see the blood escaping my body, all I could feel was the throbbing on my stomach and the muffled yells from behind.

I knew I was dying. I knew I would die. I knew this was the end.And then, in the pitch black, I saw a faint light ahead. The light got brighter as my light got dimmer.

My battered body smashed into something rigid and I got sucked deep beneath the water before I finally resurfaced.

I was lying on dirt staring up at a structure I could never imagine. The darkness was gone and I could see everything. I could see the water flowing through the object and spinning this thing and the thing kept spinning as more and more water swept through it.

I wondered if Kaolin and Cotta would see the magnificent creation. I wondered if they had survived the rocks or were shredded like I was. I wondered if they would find my body and make me part of theirs.

And then, I saw a pair of feet, without toes and shapeless, one large callous over skin. I looked up and saw wrinkled and weathered blue skin, and then a black stomach and chest.

A light brighter than any I ever saw shined in my eyes and I couldn’t see. The light quickly disappeared and I regained my vision.

Standing before me was a boy roughly my age. He examined my stomach and my body. He knelt down beside me, hand on my chest and said, “Are you olbreay?”

I used every ounce of energy I had left and uttered, “My name is Spec.”

The boy looked at me, confusion smattered across his face and said, “I’m golereana hepetta. Jureld searlen still. You’re golereanna be fine.”

He pressed his hand against my wound. The blood slowed and he smiled and said, “I’m Joey.”

He was bleeding bad. There was a gash on his abdomen the size of my watch. “You’re going to be okay — I just need to stop the bleeding.”

He shook his head and grabbed my hand. “It’s ner youlseuh. I’m groniling deole.”

I shined my flashlight toward where I left my friends, “Help! Hurry!” My hands were stained red, and I could feel his breathing slow down. That’s when I noticed the two foreign shadows appear.

In front of me stood two people I had never seen before, naked and unflinching. They stared at me as if I were a ghost, no doubt the companions of the wounded boy lying in front of me.

“Holy shit!” James yelled as he appeared, shining the flashlight on the two strangers. “Where’d they come from?”

Bryan held his tiny pocket knife firmly in hand, ready to strike. “They’re NaNas.”

“There aint no more NaNas alive.” James shone the light on the girl’s mouth. “Show us your teeth.”

“He’s bleeding out — we gotta get him to Shaw.” I pressed my hands down harder on his large wound.

“We can’t help him til we know he’s not a NaNa,” James said, flashlight still pointed at their faces.

Bryan knelt down and opened the boy’s mouth. “Smells like a NaNa—”

“Like you ever smelled one before!” I took my shirt off and tied it against the boy’s stomach. “Help me carry him.”

Bryan continued to threaten the strangers with his knife while James walked over and examined the body. “I’ll get his arms. I don’t want his thing flapping in my face.”

James and I hoisted the boy up, but the blood started to gush out faster. I turned to Bryan who was brandishing a knife gleefully. “Come hold his wound.”

“The hell I am. I don’t want no blood on my hands.”

“His blood’s gonna be on your hands if you don’t help!”

“Shit…” Bryan pointed his knife at the girl. “You. Yeah, you. Come here.” The girl stood frozen, staring at him blankly. “They sure are dumb.”

“Put your knife away.”

“Man, I never get to use the knife!” Bryan put the knife away and walked toward the girl, hands in the air. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” He grabbed her hand but she quickly pulled back. “You want your buddy to die?” He waved her forward. She tentatively followed him to the boy in our hands.

“Can you put your hand on your friend’s wound?” I asked, unsure if she understood what I was saying.

She glanced over at the boy. “What’s… wound?”

“They aren’t as dumb as they look.” James motioned Bryan over. “Take his arms.” Bryan reluctantly grabbed the boy’s arms while James gently held the girl’s hand and pressed it down on the wound. He looked over at the other boy. “Come here.”

The boy did not move, either unable to comprehend what James was saying or unwilling to cooperate. James waved him over but he wouldn’t budge.

“Take my knife. He’ll come if you got it shoved up against his throat,” Bryan laughed as the words trickled off his tongue.

James took a step closer. Put his hand to his chest. “James. James.” He pointed to the stranger. He furled his eyebrows and tapped his chest, “Cotta.” He pointed to the girl and said, “Kaolin.” To the wounded boy: “Spec.”

I looked over toward the girl. “Kaolin?” She nodded slowly. “Hold tighter. Harder.” She was confused.

James walked over and pressed his hand on top of hers and pushed down. Their eyes met and James looked uneasy. He removed his hand and motioned Cotta over. “We gotta go before he bleeds out.

It was chaos. Hundreds of people rushed through the City Center when they spotted us carrying the bleeding boy.

“Joseph!” My father emerged from the crowd, his large sword firmly in hand. Beside my father, his Chief of Staff, Riley rushed forward, sword pointed at Cotta.

“They don’t look like NaNas, sir.” Riley carefully opened Cotta’s mouth with the tip of his sword. “Too old to not be initiated.”

Shaw appeared with a few of his assistants. “Prep the OR.” They took the bleeding boy and rushed him toward the hospital. I looked down at my clothes and they were painted red.

My father lowered his sword and approached me. Placed his thumb on my cheek and wiped off some of the blood. “Where’d you find them?”

“By the watermill.”

He examined the situation as he so often does. He had been mayor of our city since before I was born. He had saved us from the waves of NaNa attacks and even demolished their village.

“Get our guests some clothes. Food and water. Lock them up until we know more.” A couple of the City Guards chained a subdued Cotta and Kaolin. They didn’t struggle, they just looked all around, amazed at anything and everything.

My father eyed me. “You okay?” I nodded. “Get washed up.”