Dust: Before and After (5 page)

The storm:

Sammy leaned her head against the back seat and stared out the window. Dust was driving now and she had given up the front passenger seat to her little brother. He had been talking non-stop to Dust for the past couple of hours.

Her gaze briefly flickered to the front and she locked eyes with Dust in the mirror. A small smile twisted her lips when she saw the questioning look in his gaze. A moment later he broke contact to focus on the road in front of them.

“Sammy, can I have another snack cake?” Todd asked, glancing over the seat with a hopeful look.

“Just one more,” Sammy murmured. “I don’t want you getting sick to your stomach.”

“I won’t,” Todd promised, turning back around to dig into the bag.

They had gone through the store one more time looking for things they could use while Dust had siphoned gas from the underground tanks. They had talked for a little while when she came back from using the bathroom. She was thankful that she had Todd for the past year. Dust had been all alone. She couldn’t imagine not having someone else there to talk to. Sure, Todd was young, but he had given her a reason to keep going.

“What’s that?” Todd asked, sitting up in the seat.

Sammy sat up and peered between the seats. A low curse escaped her when she saw the dark, rolling clouds and flashes of lightning. This wasn’t your typical storm. It was a mega-storm. Since the comet, the weather had been extremely unpredictable. The nights changing from warm to freezing within minutes and the days were not much better.

“We need to find cover,” Dust muttered under his breath. “Are there any towns nearby on the map?”

“I’ll look,” Sammy whispered, grabbing the map next to her and opening it up. Looking down, she ran her finger from the last town they went through and along the road in the direction they were traveling. They had to detour a few times because the main interstate was impassable in a few sections. Right now, they were on a back road. “I don’t see anything,” Sammy said with a frown.

“Look at that!” Todd exclaimed, pointing out the front window.

Sammy’s head jerked up in time to see a line of lightning running in a long pattern along the ground. Swallowing, she watched the ground explode upward where it struck. She couldn’t imagine any safe place from such a force.

“Dust,” Sammy murmured, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

“I know,” Dust muttered, turning left when another road came into sight.

“Where are you going?” Todd asked, looking out of his side of the window at the approaching storm.

“I’m going to see if I can find an overpass, bridge, or one of those huge culverts,” Dust bit out through gritted teeth as the high winds began pushing on the car.

Sammy flinched when marble-size bits of ice hit the window next to her. She reached over and touched Todd’s shoulder. She wanted him away from that side of the car in case the ice broke the window.

“Come back here and buckle up, Todd,” she ordered, undoing his seatbelt.

“Okay,” Todd replied in a slightly quivering voice.

Sammy helped Todd over the console between the seats and quickly buckled him up. Picking up the blanket that was on the floorboard, she opened it up and spread it over his lap. She winced when the hail grew stronger. She could hear it bouncing off the gas cans on the roof.

“Dust, we need to find shelter,” she shouted above the growing storm.

“I know,” Dust replied, jerking the wheel to the side to avoid some flying debris. “We can’t stay out in this.”

“Sammy!” Todd whimpered in terror when a bolt of lightning hit close to the road.

Sammy reached over and covered Todd’s head as dirt and rocks pelted the front and side of the car. She felt Dust struggling to keep the car on the narrow, two-lane road. The tires kicked up dirt when the car ran off the road onto the soft shoulder. The car swerved back and forth for a moment as Dust tried not to flip the car. He had just straightened the car out when another explosion sounded behind them. Sammy twisted in time to see a portion of the road disintegrate behind them.

“Hang on,” Dust yelled as he turned again, this time onto an old dirt road.

Sammy used one hand to hold onto the back of the seat and the other one she wrapped around Todd in an effort to keep from being thrown around despite the seatbelt she had on. Dust accelerated as more hail struck and lightning flashed. Sammy swore she could feel the back of the car start to lift up off the ground before Dust pulled away in a cloud of dirt.

She didn’t know where he was going, she just hoped he found some place soon that would protect them from the elements. A cry escaped her when he fishtailed on a curve in the road and she felt her hold on Todd loosen. She was thrown sideways against the window. Pain exploded through her head when it hit with a sharp thump. Turning her head, she wished she had kept it straight when she saw the huge tornado bearing down on them.

“Dust,” she whispered in horror.

“I know, Sammy,” Dust replied in a grim tone. “I see it.”

Sammy didn’t say anything, she kept her eyes glued to the twister even as Dust turned the wheel again. This time, she held on to the seat in front of her with both hands. She was slowly counting, trying to measure the distance between them and the dark, swirling cloud.

“We’re not going to make it,” she whispered, her eyes growing bigger as the tornado expanded.

“Yes, we will,” Dust replied, spying what he was looking for. “Hold on!”

At the corner of her eye, Sammy saw Todd reach out to grab the back of Dust’s seat. A scream formed in her throat when she felt the car suddenly take a nose-dive. Forcing her eyes around to the front, she saw that Dust had left the road and was going down into a deep gully. Her eyes widened when she saw what he was aiming for, a huge culvert under the road. Overhead, large deposits of rocks, soil, and ice pounded on the car, leaving deep dents in the top. The front windshield suddenly cracked as several large chunks struck. Just as the sound of the tornado grew to a deafening roar, everything went black as the car skidded into the large, concrete cylinder beneath the road.

*.*.*.

The dark shadows of the devil dogs emerged like ghostly shapes later that afternoon. Their sides moved rapidly in and out as they drew in panting breaths. The female had driven the remaining pack hard. She wanted to catch up with those she was hunting. One of the pack had fallen behind. She knew if she let it live the others would soon follow. She had killed and eaten it with a viciousness that warned the rest of the pack what their fate would be if they didn’t keep up.

The Alpha paused as she smelled the approaching storm long before she saw it. Her pack could sense something, but they did not have the same awareness that she did. With a snarl, she drew to a halt outside of the dilapidated store. She had been following the faint scent of the metal beast that had carried the creatures off. With a snap of her jaws, her pack sought shelter in the remains of the building.

She would seek shelter, but not yet. Even with the growing wind, she could smell the one she sought, the one whose powers she wanted. Pressing her nose to the ground, she trotted back and forth until she found where he had gone. He had spent time at the other metal machines before moving off into the desert. Following the path of his scent, she soon came to the pile of black plastic bags.

Her gaze rose to the growing storm before returning to the bags. Stepping forward, she tore the first one open with her front claws. The remains of bone, dried flesh, and clothing pierced her senses. She reached forward and sank her teeth into the bone. Pulling it out, she quickly tore the material away from the remains and devoured the tough, dried out flesh.

A deep snarl escaped her when the growing wind sent a rain of sharp sand against her side. Her gaze returned to the growing storm. The hair on her nape rose at the electricity in the air. In the distance, bolts of lightning struck the ground. Realizing she wouldn’t have time to finish feasting on the remains, she quickly dug a hole and buried the bags. She would eat afterwards.

She was just finishing when the first stinging blows of ice began to fall. Turning back toward her pack, she soon realized that she had misjudged the speed of the storm. Fighting against the wind, she noticed an outcropping of rocks. She focused, hating to use the limited amount of energy that she had, but knowing she had no choice. Dissolving, she breathed a sigh when the pain from the sharp ice and sand passed through her instead. Within minutes, she was cocooned inside a recess between the rocks. Reforming, she watched the storm with an appreciation for its intensity and power.

Power,
she thought with a jerky, sudden awareness.
Yes, power. The… boy, he has power. Power that I want. The… others will give me the strength I need to defeat him. He… cares for them,
she realized with satisfaction.
That will be his weakness. He will not like it when I kill them.

She scooted back further and closed her eyes against the stinging wind. She would rest. Her dissolving had taken more out of her than she realized. She had never dissolved for so long before. She would definitely need to feed after the storm.

I will eat,
she thought as sleep pulled at her.
Then, I will hunt.

Not alone:

Dust rested his forehead on the steering wheel as the loud roar of the massive tornado moved closer. He could hear the rocks hitting the back windshield of the car. It was hard to breathe as it went over them. It felt like the twister was sucking all the air up out of the car. His head jerked up when he felt the car shift and begin to rise.

“Dust!” Todd cried in terror.

“I won’t let anything happen to you or Sammy, Todd,” Dust said in a hoarse voice, glancing over his shoulder.

He heard Sammy’s soft gasp and knew his eyes must be glowing from the fear that flashed through them. He could feel the change in him. The power was surging through his system. Turning back around, he focused on his glowing hands.

The car shifted in the air for a moment before it settled back down. He could feel the heat radiating out from him. His teeth gritted as he battled for control of the energy spreading like a fiery wave outward. He watched as if in slow motion as a soft blue light stretched outward to form a partial dome over the car. Sweat beaded on his brow as he fought to maintain it. The sound of the wind and the rain of debris hitting the car faded as it struck the shield instead.

“Sammy,” Todd whispered in awe.

“Shush,” Sammy replied under her breath.

Dust looked in the rearview mirror at Sammy. He could see the fear, but he could also see that she knew that he was doing what he had promised – he was protecting her and Todd. That knowledge gave him the strength to push away the darkness clouding the edge of his vision.

It seemed like hours later, but was really just minutes, before the faint sound of the storm moving away echoed through the culvert. Dust’s body shook from the force of expending so much energy. His knuckles were as blue as the field of energy where he had them wrapped around the black plastic steering wheel.

“It’s gone,” Sammy whispered, tentatively reaching out to touch his shoulder. “You can stop now.”

“I…,” Dust started to say before he just nodded.

The moment he released the power, his body slumped like a limp noodle. He was as weak as a newborn kitten. This was far worse than back in town.

“Dust?” Sammy asked when his head fell sideways against the driver’s door.

“F… food,” Dust muttered, closing his eyes as nausea welled up inside him.

Realizing he wasn’t going to be able to keep it at bay, he struggled to open the door with a trembling hand. He fumbled for the release on the seat belt that was holding him in the seat as the door swung open. It snapped free and he rolled out of the car, hitting the ground hard as his body starting heaving in waves. There was nothing to eject. He had used up all of the food he had eaten plus some. The force of the dry heaves sent his body into spasms.

“Dust!” Sammy cried out as she scrambled out of the car and ran around to kneel down next to him. “Oh, Dust.”

“Food,” he wheezed, trying to pull in enough air to talk.

“Todd, get a soda,” Sammy called out in a panic.

“Here you go, Sammy,” Todd whispered, handing his sister a can of soda through the opened driver’s door.

“Drink this,” Sammy ordered.

Dust heard the click of the metal tab on the can and the fizz of the sugary drink a second before Sammy held it to his lips. He panted heavily several times before he felt he could take a sip without throwing it back up. The moment the liquid hit his taste buds, he felt an almost savage hunger sweep through him. He pushed up off the ground onto his knees and greedily grabbed for the can, spilling some of the contents on his shirt.

“Slow down,” Sammy whispered in a soothing voice. “That’s it. Let me help you.”

Dust forced his hands down to his lap, clenching them, and let Sammy hold the can while he drank as fast as he could. He finished the can in seconds. She must have realized that he needed more because she ordered Todd to get her another one before he finished the first. Three cans later, he was able to sit on the ground next to the car with his back against the open driver’s side.

“Here you go, Dust,” Todd said, holding out several bags of chips.

Dust looked up at Todd and gave him a weak smile. “Thanks, Todd,” he whispered in a rough voice.

“No problem,” Todd replied, hanging out of the back seat window. “That was even cooler than the disappearing through the door thing that you do.”

Dust gave a dry laugh as he shakily opened a bag of potato chips. He reached in and grabbed a handful before stuffing the lot of them in his mouth. A soft moan of pleasure escaped him as the salty chips sent a flood of energy into his system.

“That good, huh?” Sammy teased, sitting down across from him.

“Yeah,” Dust mumbled around the mouthful of crunchy snack food.

“I smell gas,” Todd complained.

Sammy lifted her head and sniffed the air. A frown creased her brow and she stood up. Dust groaned and pushed off the ground with one hand while hanging onto the bag of chips with the other. He could smell it now, too.

“It looks like one of the cans was punctured,” Sammy said, standing on the edge of the driver’s door.

“We need to put it in the gas tank before it runs out,” Dust muttered, tilting the bag to refill his mouth.

“I can do it,” Sammy said, glancing over her shoulder at him with a chuckle. “You finish eating.”

“Okay,” Dust agreed with a salty grin before turning to look at Todd. “Do we have any more cans of fruit?”

Todd nodded. “Yeah, we have some pears and some apricots,” he said, sliding back down to look inside one of the bags in the very back of the car. “How many do you want?”

“Five,” Dust automatically replied before he glanced up at Sammy when she turned from releasing the leaking gas can to stare at him with a raised eyebrow. “Two,” he hastily corrected. “I’ll take two.”

He stepped back when Sammy stepped down from the door frame with the gas can. She tilted it to keep the dime-size holes in the top of the plastic container from pouring down over her. He quickly stepped around her to open the gas cap before moving back against the side of the culvert again.

He watched as she extended the spout and slowly tilted it so that the gas went into the tank and not all over the ground. Popping open the first can of fruit, he drank the heavy syrup before picking out the tasty tidbits. With each mouthful, he was feeling better.

“Thank you again,” Sammy said.

Dust paused and frowned. Her head was tilted slightly away from him so he couldn’t see her face. He licked his lips and swallowed the fruit in his mouth before he spoke.

“For what?” He asked in confusion.

Sammy glanced over her shoulder at him for a second before refocusing on what she was doing. He saw her draw in a deep breath. She was silent for a second before he heard her softly spoken words.

“For saving us again,” she replied.

Dust set the empty fruit can down on the ground by his feet and took a step closer to Sammy. He gently reached out and took the nearly empty container from her hands and set it down on the ground next to the tire. Turning her around to face him, he lifted his hand to gently tilt her head back so that she was forced to look at him.

“You never have to thank me for that,” Dust whispered, looking down at her.

Dust wasn’t consciously aware that his hand was sliding along Sammy’s jaw and around to the back of her neck. Or that he was pulling her towards him. All he was aware of was that he was slowly drowning in her hazel eyes. Her eyes widened and her lips parted when he started to bend his head. Deep down, he knew he should stop, but that thought seemed to evaporate as fast as it formed in his mind.

Her eyes fluttered for a brief second before they closed as his lips settled over hers in a kiss that shocked them both. He had never kissed a girl before, and if he had to guess, Sammy had never been kissed either. He wasn’t real sure what to do, just that he liked the feel of her in his arms as they wrapped around her and the soft touch of her lips against his. He would have taken more time to explore if he hadn’t felt a tug on his left arm.

Pulling back, he looked to the side with a dazed expression. Todd was staring back at him with an expression that was a mixture of distaste and amusement.

“Why are you kissing Sammy?” Todd asked, tilting his head and staring up at Dust.

Dust turned to look down at Sammy. She was looking away from her little brother and had bowed her head so he couldn’t see her face again. His hand rose and he ran his fingers down along her cheek.

“Because I wanted to,” Dust murmured.

Sammy’s head jerked up and she stared at him in silence. A look of uncertainty and worry darkened her eyes. He wished he could wave his hand and erase it. He was about to say something to her when a sense of warning swept through him. Turning, he pushed Sammy protectively between him and the car. He turned his body and held his hands up, palms facing outward to show he was unarmed, as several dark shapes appeared on both sides of the culvert.

“I told you I saw a car coming down the road,” a deep voice said from the front of the car.