Dust: Before and After (14 page)

"Holy shit," Josie whispered next to her. "When did Dust get wings?"

"I don't know," Sammy muttered, her eyes glued to the long, black wings protruding from Dust's back. 

Evolving:

Fury gripped Dust. The hand he held round the man’s throat squeezed tighter, causing the man to briefly claw at his wrist. Drawing in a deep breath, he released the man and watched as he crumbled to the ground.

“Get out of here,” Dust ordered, the red haze still tinting his vision. “Now! If I see any of you again, I won’t give you another chance.”

“What… What are you?” Everett demanded in a husky voice, holding his bruised throat as he rose shakily to his feet. “You and that… that bi… girl. What happened to you?”

Dust folded the wings behind him and dropped the few feet to the ground. He glared at the men. When he heard the explosive repetition of gunfire, something strange had washed over him. He remembered vaguely wishing for a moment that he had wings so he could fly over the uneven ground. The next thing he knew, there had been a cloud of sand rising up from the ground around him and he was actually flying! Instead of questioning what was going on, he just accepted it and took advantage to sweep down and snatch the man who was yelling up off the ground.

“It doesn’t matter what we are,” Dust replied, staring back at the man. “Just leave us alone.”

“Everett, Bucky needs help,” another man said, kneeling next to the man with an arrow in his shoulder.

Everett glanced over to the pale face of the man that sat next to one of the trucks. He looked back at Dust’s hard face. Dust saw Everett’s gaze move over the wings on his back. He glared back at the man in warning.

“Get him in the truck. You can take the arrow out once we get on the road,” Everett ordered.

“But, he can’t drive like this,” the man argued, looking back at Dust.

“Then, his truck stays here,” Everett snapped, turning away. “Or yours.”

“Shit,” the man groaned, glancing down at Bucky. “Sorry, Bucky.”

“I don’t care,” Bucky groaned, leaning his head back. “Just get me the hell out of here.”

Dust stepped back and watched as the four men piled into two of the trucks. He wanted to turn and run to the house, but he knew that he had to make sure that the men really did leave. The minutes passed in slow, agonizing ticks before he felt confident that the men really were gone and that they weren’t coming back. It wasn’t until the dust trail settled and he lost sight of the trucks heading south that he turned toward the house.

He had only taken a couple of steps when the door opened and Josie, Sammy, and Todd stepped out onto the battered porch. His gaze flickered over Josie, lingering on the bloodstained sections of her shirt with a dark scowl.

“I’m already healed,” Josie said with a grin, holding up a can of soda. “We’re out of soda, though.

Dust nodded and looked at Sammy. She was staring at the wings on his back. A crooked grin curved his lips when he saw Todd’s mouth hanging open.

“When did you get wings?” Todd asked in awe.

Dust laughed and shook his head. He focused on the dark gray feathers. The feathers dissolved into a pile of sand at his feet.

“I didn’t really,” he said with a grin.

“Wow!” Todd whispered with a grin and ran down the steps toward him.

Sammy came down the steps, more slowly. She looked at him with a slightly wary expression. Dust frowned, realizing he didn’t like her looking at him like that. It reminded him of the first day they met and she saw his chest heal too quickly.

“How did you do that? They looked real,” she asked, staring at the pile of sand.

Dust reached out and gently touch her cheek. He waited until she looked him in the eye before he spoke. His thumb rubbed against her skin. It took a moment for him to realize that his hand was shaking a little.

“I’m not sure. It is like I just wished it and it happened. When I heard all the gunshots, I was terrified. I remember wishing I could fly across the ground. The next thing I knew, I was.”

Josie walked toward him with a frown. “Can you do it again? Only this time think of something different?” She asked curiously.

Dust shrugged. “I don’t know,” he admitted.

Josie released an exasperated sigh. “Duh, how about trying?” She suggested with a wave of the soda can in her hand. “I swear, you get to do all the coolest stuff.”

Todd glanced at Josie. “I think you can do really cool stuff, too, Josie. You’re really good at roasting marshmallows,” he said.

Josie rolled her eyes and laughed. “Josie, the marshmallow roaster. Thanks, kid. I’m sure that will be really great on my headstone one of these days,” she replied dryly. “Try thinking of something and see if you can do it again.”

Dust glanced at Sammy again. He gave her a weak smile before taking a step back. Drawing in a deep breath, he focused on trying to make the wings reappear. A frown creased his brow when nothing happened. Shaking his head, he stared at the pile of sand and focused even harder. Still, nothing happened. After several minutes, he finally looked at the others and shrugged.

“Nothing,” he murmured in a puzzled voice. “I don’t know what’s going on. I can’t seem to make it work now.”

“Maybe it was just a one time fluke,” Sammy suggested with a tentative smile.

“Maybe you need a little motivation,” Josie retorted with a devilish gleam in her eye.

“Motivation? Like what?” Dust asked with a puzzled frown.

“Like this,” Josie said, throwing up a wall of flames around him and Sammy. “See if you can protect your little girlfriend from getting burned.”

Dust started and glared at Josie when she raised an eyebrow at him. He glanced at the circle of fire, it was intensely hot. He reached out and grabbed Sammy, pulling her closer when the ring of fire suddenly started to shrink.

“Josie, knock it off!” Dust snapped.

Josie tapped her chin with her finger, as if thinking, before she shook her head. “I don’t think so, Dust. You need to learn if you have a new power,” she replied with a sigh, pinching her fingers together with a sly grin. “You should be thanking me. She doesn’t seem to mind that you are holding her close now.”

“Knock it off, Josie,” Dust warned, feeling the anger starting to burn inside him again. “This isn’t funny.”

“Josie, stop!” Sammy pleaded, turning in Dust’s arms to stare at the other girl.

Josie’s eyes narrowed and she stared back at Sammy. “Sorry, Sammy. A girl’s gotta do, what a girl’s gotta do,” she replied with a fake, apologetic smile.

“Josie, you aren’t really going to hurt them, are you?” Todd asked, staring back and forth with wide eyes.

Dust wasn’t so sure. There was a nasty look in Josie’s eyes when she stared back at him. The heat of the flames was beginning to become painful. His lips tightened when Josie stared back at him with a combination of defiance and determination. He knew she wasn’t going to stop. The red flames in her eyes were almost as hot as the flames licking at the edges of their clothes.

“Dust,” Sammy cried out when a section jumped out and caught her pant leg on fire.

Sammy’s cry of pain hit Dust hard. He immediately knelt down and patted the fire out. Sammy’s hiss told him that the skin underneath had been burned. Anger burst through him and he glared at Josie even as he wished there was some way he could build a wall around Sammy to protect her from the fire.

Almost immediately, the sand around him began to swirl, forming a thin, but impenetrable wall between them and the fire that rose up like a wave. The red-hot flames beat at the protective wall, but couldn’t get through it. With a wave of his hand, the sand rose like an ocean wave and fell about the circle of fire, dousing it.

Once the flames were extinguished, Dust flew at Josie, grabbing her by the arms and pushing her backwards against the porch railing. He shook with anger. Twice today, he felt like he was losing control and he didn’t like it. It was as if he suddenly didn’t have any control over his emotions.

“Well, now we know how to make your new powers work,” Josie whispered, staring into his furious eyes.

“Don’t, Josie,” Dust began, shaking as he held her. “Don’t ever threaten her again like that. I’m not sure I can stop from hurting you if you do.”

Dust knew he was breathing heavy. His heart was pounding and he was actually shaking with the force of the emotions churning inside him. Something was happening to him. Something more than just the aches and pains he’d had a few days ago. Something more than his being able to control the dirt around him. When it came to Sammy, there was an overwhelming need to protect her from danger that shook and confused him.

“I wouldn’t have really hurt her,” Josie muttered, glancing over Dust’s shoulder at Sammy. “Not on purpose. I was just trying to help you figure out how to use your new powers.”

Dust released Josie and stepped back. He shook his head at her. Slowing his breathing, he forced down the confusing feelings coursing through him.

“Just… Don’t ever do that again,” he warned, turning back toward Sammy.

He stared at Sammy with a look of confusion. She was holding Todd who had rushed to her when he grabbed Josie. A flush of embarrassment swept over his cheeks.

“Get as much stuff together as you can,” he said in a quiet voice. “I’ll check the truck and see if it has gas in it. If it does, we’ll take it. I found more gas and some food. I left it on the side of the road. We’ll stop and pick it up. I don’t think it is safe to stay here.”

“Okay,” Sammy replied in a soft voice.

Dust nodded, stepped around her and headed for the truck that was left behind. He kept his head down. If she didn’t know that he was interested in her before, she did now. He had a feeling that the look in her eyes would haunt him for a while.

With a sigh, he opened the door to the truck and peered inside. A look of distaste flashed across his face at the garbage piled in the seat and floorboard. He would clean it up after he checked the fluids. He popped the hood and grabbed a pile of napkins on the seat. First things first… Make sure the truck was in good shape, then worry about how he was going to deal with his growing feelings toward Sammy.

*.*.*

Thirty miles south of the farm a dark shape soared above the three trucks moving down the highway. Even from this distance, the hellhound could smell the faint taint of blood. Her mouth watered even as her gaze narrowed on the last truck. She swooped down, following the line of vehicles. The thought that she should wait flashed through her mind before she pushed it away.

No
, she thought as she glided in to land on the fabric roof of the last vehicle.
I will feast right under their noses.

With a quick slice of her front claw, she folded her wings and slipped into the dim interior. On a thick mattress lay a male. A hint of disappointment ran through her. It was not the male she wanted. Still, the smell of fresh blood was thick and made her stomach rumble with hunger.

Creeping forward, she leaned over him. A smile curved her long jaw, revealing sharp teeth. Her long, curved fingers curled around his neck as she leaned down over him and sniffed.

“You… Will… Taste… Good,” she forced out in a rough, unfamiliar voice.

The man woke with a start. He started to scream, but she cut the sound with a powerful squeeze to his throat. She “tsked” when she heard a gurgling. The man’s eyes bulged in terror and horror, drawing a soft chuckle from her.

“Yes… Human,” she whispered. “Fear… Me.”

Opening her mouth, she sank her teeth into the soft flesh of his throat and ripped it open. Her hunger driving her to a savagery that splattered blood over the interior of the canvas. Only when she was full did she pull back and lick her lips. Her gaze moved to the thin strip where daylight could be seen. The vehicle was slowing down. Deciding it was time to depart – for the moment – she sliced through the back of the canvas and took off. She landed in a thick clump of trees a short distance away. She would sleep until dark.

I will be hungry again by then, she
decided, thinking that fear made the meal so much sweeter.

Understanding Dawns:

Dust glanced in the rear view mirror for the hundredth time. Sammy and Todd were sleeping in the back seat of the quad cab Toyota Tundra. It wasn’t a bad truck after he cleaned all the trash out of it and let it air out a bit.

There was more room in it than he thought there would be. While it wouldn’t get as good of gas mileage as the car, it was higher and more powerful. The back of it had a hard top cover so they could put what few supplies they had left in it.

They had stopped and picked up the other supplies from the cart that he had found as well. It was better having the truck for hauling the extra gas, too. They were heading more west than north now. They had tried to head due north, but a missing bridge had forced them to make a detour.

“What is it with you and Sammy?” Josie asked in a quiet voice, turning her head to stare at him.

“Nothing,” Dust replied in a clipped tone.

He was still angry at Josie for the little stunt she had pulled earlier. It had flared up again when he caught a glimpse of white bandaging through the burn hole in Sammy’s pant leg. His fingers tightened on the steering wheel at the memory.

“Yeah, right. You just wanted to kill all those men and me because you felt ‘nothing,” Josie replied sarcastically, using her fingers to emphasize the word nothing. 

“You hurt her, Josie,” Dust retort in a soft voice. “You scared her.”

Josie snorted and turned to look out the passenger side window. “I was trying to help. If you’ve got new powers, we need to know what they are,” she muttered.

“Not that way,” Dust finally replied. “I meant what I said, Josie. Don’t ever threaten Sammy or Todd again. I… I’m not sure I could stop myself from hurting you next time.”

“What happened to you?” Josie asked in a quiet voice, turning her head to stare at him.

Dust pursed his lips together. He didn’t know what was going on. What happened earlier had taken him by surprise as much as it had Sammy, Todd, and Josie. He’d been trying to figure it out since before they left the old farm house.

“I don't know,” he finally admitted with a shrug.

“It could have been because you were sick,” a soft voice from the back seat said.

Dust’s gaze jerked back to the mirror. For a moment, his eyes and Sammy’s connected. He turned his attention back to the road when he heard the thump-y-thump of the reflectors when he started to run off of it.

“I didn’t think of that,” Josie said, turning around in the seat so she could look back at Sammy with a frown. “But… How?”

*.*.*

Sammy briefly glanced at Dust again before she looked away. She had woken up a few minutes before. She listened as Dust and Josie talked, surprised by the feeling of warmth that swept through her when Dust warned Josie not to hurt her or Todd.

If she wasn’t honest with herself, she’d admit that she was very confused. Yes, she thought Dust was cute and there had been something about his kiss that made her heart beat faster, but she was also just a little bit scared of him and Josie. How could she be attracted to Dust and scared of him at the same time? When Josie asked him what happened, it had been the same thing that had been bothering her. What had happened that could have changed Dust? The only thing she could think of was he had been sick and it had taken longer for him to heal than before.

“I remember in one of my biology classes the teacher was talking about how your body changes when you get an infection. Once you’ve been sick, your body recognizes it. Maybe whatever happened to you and Dust… Well, maybe the fever that Dust had kicked his body into gear and changed him some more,” Sammy reasoned.

“That actually makes a lot of sense,” Josie remarked in a thoughtful tone. “I remember hearing the same thing in school. Something about your white blood cells and stuff. There’s no telling what happened to our blood during the fallout. Whatever Dust had might have kicked it into high gear. What did it feel like when you pulled all that sand together? When you were sick, did you feel like you were changing?”

Sammy watched a grimace cross Dust’s face before he stared moodily out the front windshield. A moment later, he pulled over into the remains of a what used to be a roadside rest stop. He pulled to a stop and turned off the truck.

“I didn’t feel anything. I just felt a sudden need and it happened, but we saw that doesn’t always work. When I was sick, I just felt lousy. I hurt all over, especially my back.…” His voice faded and he bowed his head and rested his forehead against the steering wheel.

“What is it?” Sammy asked softly, leaning forward and tentatively touching his shoulder.

Dust lifted his head and glanced over his shoulder at Sammy. She could see a worried frown creasing his brow. He looked confused and… frustrated.

“I felt the pain, but it was like it wasn’t mine,” he admitted in a reluctant voice. “For a little while, it felt like something was trying to rip through my skin, only... It wasn’t really my skin.”

“That makes absolutely no sense,” Josie replied. “How can you feel pain, but it wasn’t your pain? Whose pain was it, then?”

Dust scowled and stared out into the growing dusk. Sammy blinked in surprise when he suddenly vanished. One second he was there, the next second he was gone. He reappeared several feet in front of the truck. His shoulders were hunched and his hands were buried in the front pockets of his jeans.

“Stay here,” Sammy ordered, releasing her seatbelt and pushing the back door open.

Josie looked at Sammy with wide, startled eyes. “Since when did you get so bossy?” She muttered, but didn’t try to get out of the truck.

Sammy ignored Josie’s comment and shut the door behind her. She pulled the jacket she was wearing closer around her. The air was definitely chillier. Sliding her hands into the pockets of her jacket, she walked quietly over to where Dust was standing. A light breeze blew his hair, making it even more disheveled than normal. A small, affectionate smile pulled at her lips.

Without thinking about it, she slid her hand out of her jacket and threaded it through his arm. They stood close to each other, not saying anything out loud, but it seemed as if they had an entire conversation in those few minutes of solitude. Sammy released a sigh when Dust’s arm moved around her waist and he drew her closer when he felt her shiver.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, leaning her head against his shoulder.

His arm tightened for a moment before he turned her so that she was pressed against him. A shudder ran through his body, something that she felt sure had nothing to do with the cold. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly against her.

“You don’t ever have to tell me that you’re sorry,” he murmured.

Sammy leaned back far enough to look up at him. She gave him a weak, uncertain smile that faded as she stared into his eyes. Even though she was several months older than him, he was still taller than she was by almost an inch.

“Yes, I do,” she whispered, staring intently at a him. “Ever since Todd and I met you, you’ve done nothing but protected us. You’ve put yourself in danger over and over. It is stupid of me to be afraid of you. I know you won’t hurt me or Todd.”

Dust released a deep breath and glanced out over the barren landscape. She could see the hurt that flashed through his eyes in the growing twilight. Sliding her hand up, she touched his cheek. He turned his head and pressed a kiss into her palm. A small, mischievous grin curved his lips at her startled gasp.

“You’re right, you were stupid if you thought I would ever hurt you or Todd.” The smile on his lips died and he looked young and confused again. “I don’t understand what is going on, but I just know that when I’m with you….” His voiced faded.

“When you are with me…,” Sammy encouraged.

Dust looked at her again, his lips tightened into a straight line and he glanced over her head back at the truck. Sammy could feel him pulling away from her. She didn’t understand how or why, but she could physically feel him withdrawing from her.

“I need to go for a walk,” he muttered. “I’ll be back in half an hour. You, Josie, and Todd stay in the truck. Tell Josie… Tell Josie that she better not let anything happen to you. I’ll be within hollering distance if you need anything.”

“Dust,” Sammy started to say before her throat tightened when he dissolved in her arms. “Be safe,” she finished with a shake of her head.

Turning, she walked slowly back to the truck and climbed into the driver’s seat. She would drive the next section of their journey. Her gaze moved to Todd when he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

“Sammy, I’m hungry,” Todd murmured.

“There’s some peanut butter and crackers in the bag and a bottle of water,” she replied.

“I’m getting tired of peanut butter and crackers,” he grumbled. “I want something hot. I wish mom was still alive. I miss her fried chicken and macaroni and cheese.”

Sammy’s throat tightened and tears burned her eyes. She started when Josie reached down into a bag by her feet and pulled out a can of Beanie Weenies. Her mouth dropped open when Josie popped the top, then rubbed her fingers together until a light blue flame appeared. She held it under the can for a few minutes before wrapping a paper towel around it and handing it to Todd.

“Here you go, kid,” Josie said with a wink, pulling a plastic spoon out of the bag as well. “One hot dinner. It might not be fried chicken and Mac and Cheese, but that’s about the extent of my cooking abilities.”

“Thank you, Josie!” Todd replied with glee. “This is good!”

“Thank you,” Sammy whispered, watching as her little brother devoured his hot meal.

Josie shrugged and turned to look back out at the darkness. “I owed you,” she muttered. “I… Aw, hell. I’m sorry for what I did earlier. I shouldn’t have done that. It was a pretty stupid thing to do.”

Sammy reached over and touched Josie’s arm, waiting for the other girl to look at her. She couldn’t imagine going through everything that Josie had gone through over the last six months or so, especially from her own family. She swallowed when a new thought suddenly hit her hard. They were family now. None of them had anyone else.

“It’s okay. I understand why you did it,” Sammy was saying when the back door suddenly opened and Dust slid into the truck. His face was pale and an almost desperate look glazed his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“We’ve got to go,” he said in a slightly dazed voice. “Now! We’ve got to go as far as we can.”

“Why?” Josie demanded, turning in her seat even as Sammy started the truck and turned on the lights. “What happened?”

“I know why I felt the burning in my back,” Dust said, glancing at Todd before turning his attention back to Sammy and Josie. “I know whose pain I was feeling.”

Josie frowned. Sammy glanced at Dust in the mirror. His face was still pale, but there was a new hardness to it that she hadn’t seen before. It was as if he had suddenly grown years older in the short time he was gone.

“What’s going on, Dust? We need to know if we are going to fight it,” Sammy said, pulling out onto the highway and pressing down on the accelerator.

“You can’t fight her,” he said, looking out at the darkness.

“Her?” Josie asked in confusion. “What her?”

“The devil dog from the town where I met Sammy and Todd,” Dust replied in a voice devoid of emotion. “The same one from the silo.”

“What? That’s impossible,” Josie started to argue before she shook her head. “This is nuts! Why? How? None of this makes any sense.”

*.*.*

Dust turned to look at Josie. He hadn’t understood what was going on. He’d felt strange earlier. There was a feeling of growing restlessness and impending danger. When Josie had asked him about how he was changing, if he felt anything, it had taken a few minutes for him to realize that he was feeling something, but it wasn’t really him – it was
her
, the devil dog, that he was feeling.

Nausea threatened to choke him when he remembered the brief connection he’d had with her a few minutes ago. The creature wasn’t aware of his presence. He was fairly sure of that. She had been too involved in what she was doing.

“She’s changing,” Dust murmured, staring at his reflection in the window. “She’s different than she was before.”

“What do you mean different?” Sammy asked in a worried voice.

“She – The Devil dog can talk,” he said with a shake of his head. “She talked to me, back at the silo. She wants our powers.”

“I’ll roast her ass if she tries to come near me,” Josie growled, turning sideways in her seat.

Dust turned to stare coldly at Josie. “She’s more powerful than before. The pain I felt in my back – it was her. She has wings. Her body is changing as well. She stands up on two legs now.”

“How do you know?” Sammy asked, peering at Dust over her shoulder for a brief second.

“I saw her,” he replied in a soft, distant voice.

“Where? Near the rest area?” Josie demanded.

Dust shook his head. “No,” he whispered. “She was feeding. I don’t think she knows I can sense her. It is like you said, Josie. That one of our kind can sense another of our kind.”