Dissonance - Book One

fourteen

Kelly hops out of the truck and drags the enormous elk's body from the backseat. He tries to shut the door on my side of the vehicle, but the force of the elk slamming its body into the side of the truck, did too much damage and he can only get it partially shut. When he's done all that he can, he gets back in the driver's seat, slamming the door behind him, and ripping off his hood. Piles of snow fall onto the seat from the short amount of time that he was outside.

"We can't stay here. We'll freeze to death," he says, stating the obvious.

"Well we can't go out there," Wyler points to the cataclysmic blizzard that only seems to be worsening. "Same outcome."

"So we die if we stay here, and we die if we go out there. Talk about a lose-lose situation," Lex interjects.

"Not necessarily," Wyler speaks up as if suddenly realizing an alternative solution.

"What do you mean?"

"As soon as Environettix realizes that Ever isn't with Ivanov, they'll be hot on our tail. We're not that far ahead of them. We just need to be able to last a day or two, max. They'll get here as fast as possible in order to find Ever. It's our only way to save her."

"No way," I shake my head, while trying again to sit up, but Wyler stops me from adjusting. The blood loss has slowed down, and my mind is a little less foggy, but my condition is still dire. "Environettix only wants me. Once they discover that Kelly has been playing the role of a double agent, I doubt they will be kind. And in their eyes, Wyler is just a science project gone wrong that went rogue and helped keep me hidden. And Lex means nothing to them. Sorry Lex," I say sympathetically, tilting my head to the side.

She shrugs in response, not bothered by the fact that she's a nobody to Environettix. It might be the first time that she's not bothered by someone else being the center of attention.

"They won't hesitate to leave you all here for dead."

"That's a risk we might have to take if it means saving you Ever." Wyler's eyes plead with me to take his suggestion. I look from him to Kelly to Lex and I can tell that they are going to do whatever they need to in order to save me, even if it means sacrificing themselves. I have to come up with a better solution or my stupidity has sealed their fate. It's my fault we're in this mess. if I hadn't insisted on venturing out into this nightmare, we would be safe and warm back at Ivanov's hideout right now, or at least warm. Wait, that's it, a place that's safe and warm...

"The deer. Those people," I say, formulating a new plan.

"What about 'em?"

"They were all headed in the same direction. They were going somewhere...a shelter from the storm."

"How do you know?" Lex asks doubtfully.

"Think about it. Those people wouldn't have ventured out in this if they didn't have somewhere to go and somewhere that wasn't too far from here." I look at Kelly and I can tell the wheels in his head are turning, but I can also tell that the three of them won't get on board with my plan if I don't convince them that waiting for Environettix is a terrible idea.

"I say we wait for Environettix. It's the quickest way to save your life. Plus, isn't that where we were headed anyways on this nightmare adventure?" Lex asks.

"Yes, but on my terms and with you three as protection. Plus, we had the element of surprise." The three of them seem to be considering what I'm saying. "Look, if we wait for Environettix, they're going to kill you all and take me and run experiments on my body, or worse, in the name of 'saving humanity.' We only have one option." I look out into the abyss.