The Rain (Part III of the Runner Series)

Chapter 5

I stand flanked by the three Waster brothers, watching the flames lick the bodies resting within the funeral pyre.

Nine lives extinguished. The loss is greater than any one battle we have fought in the past six months and I feel the sting of failure acutely. The Mech's underhanded tactic of detonating an explosive is unprecedented; never before have we been forced to contend with such a level of firepower. As I stare at the bonfire raging before me, my mind wanders back to the previous night.

The memory of seeing Will is foggy, the details blurred. The more I imagine him marching alongside the army of Mechs, the more improbable the idea seems.

And yet... as day turns to night I become convinced that my mind didn't conjure up a ghost.

I glance over at Luca. His arm is covered from shoulder to wrist in a heavy bandage and I catch a whiff of the Waster salve beneath as it works its magic on his burned skin. I consider telling him what I witnessed; while the other members of camp have reason to doubt my sanity, Luca has always kept his trust in me. If anyone were to believe my claim, it would be him.

The words play on the tip of my tongue. I saw Will. It sounds ridiculous, even in my own head. I resolve to keep my discovery to myself, at least for the time being.

Turning back to the fire, I straighten my spine and add my voice to the others in singing the Waster death song.

Return, dear friend unto the night,
Give up this body, this life, this fight.

Though our paths diverge, this is not the end,
We will speak of it all, when we meet again.

Our words float up into the early dusk, joining the sparks of the inferno and ashes of the deceased. I utter my own goodbye and step away, joining Jaron, Luca and Noah in a huddle around a small cooking fire.

Noah motions for me to lean towards him, pulling aside the bandage he's wrapped around my temple and inspecting the gash running across my eyebrow.

"How does it feel?" He asks.

I shrug. "Getting better."

"Are you still dizzy?"

"I'd be better off if you'd let me get some sleep." I stifle a yawn, doing my best to remain still while Noah applies more of the Wasters' medicinal balm to my cut.

"Look into the fire." Noah instructs, his face close to mine as he watches my eyes.

I do as he says and eventually he sits back.

"Your balance appears improved and your pupils are not dilated." He sits back, returning the balm and bandages to his rucksack. "You may sleep now, if you like."

"Thank you." I say.

He nods. "And you, Luca. How is your arm?"

"It itches."

"That is the medicine doing its work. Come find me in the morning and I will change your dressing." Noah makes to stand, clapping a hand down on Jaron's shoulder. "And finally, you. How does my big brother fare?"

"Be gone, pest. I sustained only a few scratches in the blast, I am not injured." Jaron's voice is more gruff than normal.

"What of your heart?" Noah indicates the funeral pyre smouldering behind us. "You do not take these losses easily."

Jaron's expression becomes a mask, his eyes at once growing hard. "Death is an inevitability of war. One day I hope to claim as honourable an ending for myself."

"As you say." Noah rolls his eyes at Luca and I before bidding us goodnight and heading off in the direction of his tent.

Jaron, Luca and I remain by the fire, hunched over ourselves as the night grows colder. The scent of charred flesh surrounds us, turning my stomach and causing another bout of nausea. I rest my chin on my knees, cursing my injured head and fighting my way through the lingering haze, once more recalling Will's blank face and the conspicuous metal gear grafted onto his chest.