Michael Robertson - New Reality - Truth

Once he was halfway across, Jake froze as the wind battered his right side, threatening to capsize the plank. Gripping onto the board, he remained still and watched his water get blown over the edge. The full bottle spun into the darkness below, bouncing off the moving carpet of black beneath them. “Fuck it!”

What sounded like a thousand high-pitched whistling screams shot out of the chasm. Had they mistaken the bottle for fresh meat? The mass below churned and twisted. Eventually, the sound died down.

When Jake felt Tom step onto the plank behind him, he looked around. “What are you doing, man?”

“Crossing. What does it look like?”

Another quake ran through the ground. The board slipped down. Debris fell into the abyss. Another shake like that, and the plank was following it. Jake sped up.

The long board sagged and bounced with both of them on it, and Jake’s heart beat in his neck. Despite swallowing, he couldn’t relieve his dry mouth, and he had no water left.

With less than a meter to go, the ground shook again. The end they were heading for slipped farther. Ignoring the pain in both of his legs, Jake pushed on. Gritting his teeth and grunting through the discomfort, he reached out to the rough rubble on the other side. Seconds later he was off the board and scrambling up the hill. Tom was still crossing.

Another heavy rumble ran through the floor. For the slightest moment, Tom froze, so Jake called, “Come on, man! Keep moving!”

Putting his next foot forward, the ground shook again. At first, the board stayed in place. Then Jake noticed the brick it was resting on. Dirt and debris was slipping past it, flowing like water around a rock. It didn’t look like it would hold for long.

Glancing up at Tom, he saw the tall man’s eyes focus on it. Looking back down at the brick, Jake held his breath as it started to shift.

Everything happened in slow motion. The brick moved again. Then again.

Jake’s mouth hung open and he gasped.

The brick slipped free.

Watching the plank slip, she held her breath. If Tom fell, then Jake would be rid of him. The tall man held him back, and if Jake had any chance of avoiding his fate, Tom would have to go.

As long as he was friends with Tom, Jake would stay in this godforsaken city. As long as he stayed in the city, he was her responsibility. The longer he was her responsibility, the more likely it would be that she’d have to kill him.

Staring on with unblinking eyes, she watched the plank slip farther. There was no way Tom was walking away from this.

Watching the plank slide, Jake reached towards his friend. “No!”

Like he had on the way over, Tom took two long strides and leaped. The second he jumped, the long plank slipped into the chasm.

At first, Jake thought the gap was too wide to jump, but with the wind at his back, Tom seemed to fly. Rolling over to the side, the jagged landscape jabbing his body, Jake scrambled out of the way as Tom landed on the rubble beside him.

Remaining crouched, Tom panted for a few seconds before standing up and looking behind. “That was fucking close.”

Swallowing a dry gulp, Jake nodded. “Are you okay, man?”

“I think so.” He patted himself down. “I think–”

The ground shook again, and the ledge behind them started to crumble. Pulling on Jake’s arm, Tom half-dragged him. “We’ve got to go, Jake.”

When Jake tried to stand, his legs gave way beneath him and he hit the floor hard. “Ow!”

Using both hands, Tom grabbed him again. “Come on.”

Letting the big man pull him to his feet, Jake draped his arm, and most of his body weight, over his friend’s shoulder.

As they hobbled up the hill, the ground shook more and a mini landslide of bricks and debris rushed towards them. When he looked across at Tom, who was red-faced from the effort, Jake said, “I’m sorry, man. I’m a liability. You should have left me.”

With his jaw locked tight and his feet slipping beneath him, Tom grimaced. “Shut up, Jake.”

When they reached the top of the hill, Tom launched Jake with such force his feet left the ground. Jake screamed as he spun through the air. The breath left his lungs when he collided with a steel girder, and nausea gripped his churning stomach.

Fighting to breathe, he watched Tom sway at the top of the hill and then fall forwards.

After a couple of minutes, Jake found his breath and lifted his head to look over at his immobile friend. “Thank you for saving me. Again.”

Tom didn’t move.

“Tom, are you okay?”

Nothing.

“Tom?”

“Tom?”

“Tom?”

“T—”

Looking up, a heavy frown crushing his long face, Tom said, “I’m fine, stop fucking barking my name. You sound like a yappy dog.”

Falling flat on his back again, Jake adjusted his glasses and stared up into the storm. The sound of destruction over the brow of the hill was moving away from them. Were they safe? Probably not in this fucking world.

It felt like only seconds had passed before his view of the sky was filled with Tom, but Jake knew it was a lot longer. The tall man peered down at him, the rage had left his face. “How are you feeling?”

Sitting upright so quickly his head spun, Jake rested his hands on the ground to steady himself. The scarf covering his face made it hard to breathe, but to remove it would fill his mouth with grit. Fighting against his overworked heart, Jake started to cry. “I can’t do it, Tom. I can’t go any farther.”

After tutting, Tom dropped down into a crouch and shoved Jake in the chest.

Jake’s shoulder blades smashed against the jagged ground as he fell horizontal. Before he could say anything, Tom grabbed and then lifted his right leg. Pulling air in through his teeth, Jake stared at the sky again and winced.

“What hurts on here?”

“Knee,” was all he could manage before biting down hard on his bottom lip.

Tom extended and bent his leg several times, the movement sending stabbing pains through Jake’s kneecap.

Grabbing his other leg, Tom asked, “And here?”

“Shin,” Jake wheezed as heat rushed to his face, turning his skin clammy. While watching his friend, he gulped a dusty mouthful that tasted like sand.

When Tom rubbed his shin, Jake wailed at the sky. “What the fuck are you doing, man?”

Tom stood up. “They’re both fine.”

Jake opened his mouth, but Tom cut him off, “I don’t doubt they hurt, but nothing’s broken. You can walk on them.”

More tears stung his eyes, and Jake shook his head. “I can’t.”

When the ground rumbled behind them again, Tom glanced over his shoulder before looking back down at his friend. “You have to, Jake. If you don’t, we’re dead. Do you understand that?”

“Go without me, Tom.”

Raising a clenched fist, Tom glared down at his friend. “I just risked my bloody life for you. If you say that again …”

A boom exploded behind them. It was so loud Jake imagined the earth’s tectonic plates shifting. As the low thunder of it died down, the hissing of a thousand boiling lobsters screamed into the sky.

Instead of running, Tom looked at Jake and raised his eyebrows. “That was the last one.”

“How can you be sure?”

Tom shrugged. “Dunno. But I’m sure.” He looked calmer than he had in a long time. He then walked back up the hill, Jake presumed to look at the devastation.

As he watched his friend’s back, Jake trusted Tom’s assertion that his legs would hold and forced himself to his feet. Once he was upright, he wobbled for a moment before walking up the hill too, wincing with every step as if his bones were made from glass.