Keary Taylor: Eden

I simply nodded, unable to say much. My throat felt all tight.

Avian’s hand slipped into mine. “Say what you need to say to West. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be waiting for you when it’s all over. Take as much time as you need.”

He pressed a quick kiss to my forehead and left without another word. I glanced at the clock as he closed the door behind him. Fifteen minutes to activation.

My thoughts raced through my head in a mixed up jumble of words and emotions. Where did I start and where did I stop? Was this totally pointless if West couldn’t even hear me? I had already been told that West was in a medically induced coma.

But I wasn’t sure if I could move on in my relationship with Avian until I said the things I had to say to West. I grabbed a chair and sat in front of him.

I hated seeing him so broken. West had always been so strong, he had always survived and could take care of himself. He had proven that over the last five years. And here he was, after such a long battle, right as our enemy was about to be wiped out, his system infected.

A horrifying thought occurred to me then. If this didn’t work, if it was too late, West would be the only body left around that was still actively infected. They would only try for so long. They could only keep his body around for so long. As it was now, they could no longer touch his skin with their bare hands without getting infected themselves. Eventually, if he didn’t respond, they would have to destroy his body.

“You have to pull out of this,” I started. “You’re too strong to go down like this. I need to say this to your face, to tell you what has happened these past few days. This is too easy and too hard all at the same time. But in case I don’t get that chance, I’m going to tell you now and hope that you can somehow hear me.”

I swallowed hard, my eyes falling to my hands, my fingers interlocked. “You woke something up inside of me. I had no desire to experience the human flesh in the way you showed me. I didn’t crave touch like I do now. And despite how terrible my past is, I’m glad you had the answers for me, most of them anyway. I don’t think you can fully understand who you are until you know where you’ve come from.

“You have made me feel things West. But I’ve realized now that something was missing. Loving someone isn’t just about feeling passion, or whatever it is. You got under my skin, you drove me insane. And I could have gotten over those things. You learn to deal with people’s quirks. But I never felt like I could trust you, West. You deliberately kept things from me, with no intention to ever tell me the truth. I can’t have a relationship built on lies. You carry too many secrets.”

I paused, taking a few deep breaths, unsure if I would ever be able to give this speech again if West did wake up. It felt like I was ripping myself to shreds. And yet I felt so relieved, to finally understand how I felt. To be speaking the truth.

“I love Avian,” I said quietly, my chest swelling with my words. “I have for a while, I just didn’t realize it. Maybe I fought it, knowing that there will be a lot of people who won’t approve, knowing that you certainly didn’t. But I love him. He accepts me for who I am, always has, even when I didn’t know what I was. He doesn’t try to lie to me.

“I’ve made my choice West.”

As the words escaped my lips the building suddenly shook and I faintly heard glass shatter.

This was it.

The lights flickered as all the electricity was directed to the roof. The air seemed to ripple as immeasurable amounts of electricity pulsed through the air. Just as the first wave died away another blast could be faintly heard. The building shook again, frightening moans echoing through the walls. A third blast sounded, the air surging. And then all was quiet and still.

I was still alive.

Royce had been right. They’d protected the hospital.

The noise I heard echoing throughout the hall outside the door confused me at first. It was cheering. Feet pounded the floor as people ran toward the stairs and elevator.

“Good-bye, West,” I whispered. Without looking back, I walked out the door.

Most everyone had cleared out of the top floor by then and I took the stairs two at a time to find them. As I sprinted into the lobby, I saw them standing at the front sliding doors, the protective steel doors retracted, looking through the thin glass out into the sunlight.

I was confused by their hesitancy at first, at their silence. But they were afraid. Afraid that it might not have worked, afraid that it might have.

I worked my way to the front of the crowd, stepping out in front of them. A few hundred eyes settled on my back as I hesitated for a moment. Taking a deep breath, I pried the doors open, letting in a rush of sun filled air. Just before I stepped outside, a familiar hand slid into mine. I glanced over at Avian, his burning blue eyes giving me courage.

The streets were silent as we stepped out. Making sure no Hunters were hiding in the shadows, waiting to leap out at us, the two of us crossed the street to another building. My heart hammering in my chest, we looked through the windows.

They were all there, crumpled in a pile of destroyed metal and flesh.

“It worked,” I breathed, opening the door. I slipped inside, my eyes widening as I saw dozens of bodies lying around, empty eyes staring up at us. “It worked.”

Avian walked up to a woman with a half metal face and pushed her shoulder with his booted toe. She didn’t move. “They’re dead,” he whispered.

“They’ve been dead for a long time,” I said as I nudged a body. I couldn’t even tell if it was male or female anymore. “They just can’t kill us anymore.”

Not a one of them moved as we continued to check the bodies. Assured that none of them were just faking, we walked back out into the sunlight. Faces watched us from the doorway of the hospital, a few of Royce’s men standing just outside, their firearms held tightly.

“It worked,” Avian said loudly as we crossed the street. “The Fallen are dead.”

That was all it took. Everyone started pouring out of the building in a stampede, rushing out onto the street. Cries of joy echoed off the buildings, laughter emanating from everywhere. I couldn’t help but smile too. Avian turned his face to the blue sky, a laugh bubbling out of his lips.

“This probably wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for you,” Royce’s voice came from behind us. He struggled to coordinate himself on the crutches. “We owe you a lot.”

“You would have found some other way if I hadn’t come along,” I said, giving him a small smile.

“We would have lost a lot more people,” he said, clapping a hand on my right shoulder. “Thank you.”

“Thank you,” I said as I watched him hobble down the street after his people.

“They did it,” Tuck said, his hands pushed into his pockets as he walked up to us.

“We all did,” Avian said as he glanced at me.

“Just imagine Gabriel and everyone’s surprise when our messages lead them into a cleared city,” he said with a smile creeping onto his face.

“They were planning to leave in just over a week,” Avian said. “We should be seeing them in less than two.”

“How different Eden is going to be,” I breathed.

“Not so different,” Avian said as he slid his hand into mine. “We’ll always have each other. As long as we have that, it will always be Eden.

And as usual, I knew Avian was right.

Not a single trace of glass was to be found as the roof of the hospital was flooded with its occupants. The Pulse sat in the middle of the expansive space, a gleaming trophy for every single one of us. It was a testament to mankind’s will to survive. To live.