The Guadeloupe Squadeloupe

Chapter XXXIII: Alice

"You're off to great places, today is your day! Your mountain is waiting so get on your way!" ~Dr. Seuss

Despite the uncontrollable trembling of my hands as I sink to the ground, I can't loosen my grip on the rifle I stole. There are people, probably members of the squad, surrounding me, but I don't look at them. I can't look at them. I can't take my eyes off the lifeless body in front of me.

You put that body there, a voice in my head tells me. You killed him, just like someone did to Dad...

A sob escapes my mouth as I try to scoot across the ground to get farther away from the corpse, but fail when I realize I'm inside the trench still.

You ended someone's life. Their family will go through what you did when Dad died. You ended someone's life...

I drop the gun to thump my skull to try to rid the voice from my head.

Someone's arms wrap around me in a hug, and another person takes one of my hands. I bury my face in one of their shoulders.

Perhaps it's minutes that pass or hours, but eventually I've cried until I can't cry anymore.

"We should keep moving," Guad says. "If we want to attempt to reach Bógota before the sun sets."

I lift my head, and see that it was Janis' shoulder I was using. She tightens her hug around me, and even manages to smile, before standing up and taking Bob's side.

Looking to my left, I find Perry with a concerned look on his face. I squeeze his hand as if to say, "I'm okay," but he and I both know it's a lie. Regardless, he pulls me to my feet, and I find myself receiving another hug.

"All of us would have done it," he whispers to me. "but I don't know if all of us could have done it. You're brave, Alice, braver than I am."

Our hug comes to an end, and I accidentally glance at the body, which looks more like Swiss Cheese than a person, seeing how many holes he has.

"Good job, kid," Ashton says, clapping my shoulder. "Wish I had been conscious to see it."

We walk in pairs along the railroad track, kicking gravel as we go. Guad and Bob take the lead, followed by Diana and Janis, and Perry and me take what I thought was the end of our line, but then I realize Ashton is awkwardly walking alone behind us.

The sun is halfway between noon and sunset, so my guess is that it's around 3:00.  Sweat drips down my neck, and I can't help thinking how great it would be to be back in that river. I bet that guy you killed wishes he could go into that river, too, I think. If he were still around to see it-

"Someone needs to start talking," I whisper dryly as I cut my thoughts off, "or I will freak out again."

"You chaps remember our bargain, yes?" Ashton starts conversation, and I prompt my mind to focus on it. "I was to leave your company in three days time, if I remember correctly. I fear my time with you has unfortunately come to an end..."

It's strange how he leaves the thought hanging in the air, and I turn my head to get a view of his expression. Ashton rubs the back of his neck nervously, and I can tell he has more on his mind. The more I look at him, the more he looks like the man I murdered-

"Unfortunately?" Diana almost shouts from ahead, once again drawing me away from my thoughts. "Ever since you've been with us, we've been closer and closer to dying! It's as if danger follows you."

He stays silent for the next few moments, as do the rest of us. I can't help but agree with Diana; maybe if Ashton had not been here, I think, maybe that man would still be alive.

But you wouldn't, Alice.

If Ashton hadn't been on the train with us, we would have had no warning of the oncoming train, and it's safe to say that we wouldn't have survived.

"What would you give us in return if we let you stay?" I ask, and receive a look from Perry that says something along the lines of "You hated the idea of Ashton being here, remember?"

The smirk on his face sends a chill down my spine. "Knowledge is power, yes? Therefore, my proposal to you is in exchange for your shelter, I can give you information, ranging from Wallace Bradshaw to Mr. and Mrs. Bridges."

The alarm on just about every member of the squad's faces is what I was expecting from Guad, but instead, he begins to rummage through his backpack.

"Ashton is staying," The authority in his voice is new and striking. He runs to the back of the pack, holding a collection of tattered envelopes and wrinkled papers in his hands. "I found these in the plane hull. They are letters to and from my parents. I thought they were from friends, but if you have information about them, then they-"

"They were a part of HEXA. I don't know their exact line of work in the organization, but they were head figures. I would bet they even knew Delgato in his younger years."

"Did they...they didn't lead experiments like Bob's, did they?"

I watch as Bob shudders slightly at the thought, and Ashton shrugs his shoulders. "Sadly for you, that is about all I know concerning their work. I know more of Wallace Bradshaw.

"Your father, Mr. Bradshaw, the geologist," he pauses to sigh, and even the brief break impatiences me. "Do you recall the geologist work trips he took? All those trips that he always excluded you from, Alice?"

The image of my father talking to my seven year-old self comes into focus.

"Why can't I go with you, Dad?" I whine as I watch him throw hiking supplies into a bag.

"Because, darling," he flashes me one of his classic smiles, the ones that he saved for Janis and me. "This is my adventure. You'll get one when your mountain is ready."

"Those trips were usually spent in meetings with government officials to receive funding, or with his associates discussing just about anything and everything related to PHIE," says Ashton.

My head feels numb after this news is delivered. The world seems to be spinning, but I'm caught standing still in my thoughts. The shock, I realize, is from my easy acceptance of the news. How can you process this so easily? I think.

I don't hear a phone ringing, but I watch as Ashton holds his to his ear. Someone, I soon realize it's Janis, stops walking, and I run right into her.

"Sorry," I whisper, but she doesn't seems to hear me. Whatever she's looking at has her complete attention. I follow her gaze, and watch as Ashton walks away from the group, his phone call growing longer.

And he keeps walking. It's not by the time that he's nearly 50 yards away that he stops walking and hangs up his phone. He stands there for a moment, dragging his foot this way and that in the sandy ground, but then breaks into a run, his figure growing smaller and smaller.

"Should we follow him?" Diana asks, but I know it would be pointless to do so. He has entered the treeline, so tracking down his exact route would be nearly impossible.

And yet we abandon the comfort of the railroad track for the unknown. We walk in a tight pack for the first minute or two, but soon Bob veers off course to examine tracks in the dirt. The trees grow closer, and the nearer we inch, the more shade overcomes us. I didn't realize until now that we won't be able to make it all the way to Bogota by dusk, if the sun is already this low in the sky.

"Maybe we should make camp here tonight," Janis declares, having shared the same thought. "It's probably safer than sleeping within feet of the tracks."

Thoughts of camp fade away as we near where Ashton stood. Scrawled in the sand is a note, one which he clearly wrote with his foot. The message is clear, but the reason for it isn't. I look to Guad, hoping that he understands why Ashton left this for us, but to my dismay, he fashions only a look of confusion.

Bob, having just now caught up with the rest of the squad, kneels down in front of the message, tracing some of the letters. I listen as Guad reads the message aloud to him, and for a second, I forget about his illiteracy.

Meet me in San Diego

~A