Genesis : Knights of Salvation Series

I couldn’t help but stare at the stars for an hour or maybe two. All I know is when the laughter died down and the quiet took over the rest of the team fell asleep, leaving me and Talon as the only ones still awake. Far away the sound of wild animals continues to fill the night as does the sound of crickets farther away. I inhale deeply again, no matter how long I lay here I can’t seem to get my body to feel tired.

I sit up the blood running from my head as I look around. With no fire to keep our position hidden, it’s a bit harder to make out details even after my eyes have adjusted to the dark. Clares on her back sprawled out, her hair cascading around her. Her arms are crossed behind her head like a pillow and her body from her hips down is turned weirdly as if she was trying to stretch her back.

Foxglove lays like a dead body her injured leg hefted up higher than her body. Both Orion and Harrison sleep on their sides, each and every one of them almost completely peaceful. My eyes land on Enyo, one arm tucked under his head. For a second It seemed like he was awake. He looked to be almost watching the stars until I see his muscular chest rising and falling slowly as he sleeps. I look over to see Talon, sitting on a large rock pushed off to the side of the valley wall. I can see the faint outline of his gun as his broad back slouches slightly.

I get up quietly stepping around and over the team members as I make my way farther down the valley about twenty feet. I stop a little behind Talon, I take a soft step and when I’m right behind him I speak up quietly.

“Are you awake?” Talon seems a bit startled as he jumps straightening his back and looking over his shoulder. He slouches when he realizes it’s just me, letting out a now relaxed breath.

“You shouldn’t sneak up people. I could have thought you were forsaken and shot you.” He says tiredly looking back into the valley. From the darkness, I’m not even sure he would see one even if they were ten feet in front of him. I step up further and slide my butt next to his forcing him to scoot over to make room.

“What are you doing still up?” He speaks up breaking the calm silence. I shrug my shoulders bringing my knees up to my chest as I sit on the large rock. I lay my arms on my knees as I rest my head on them.

“I couldn’t sleep.” My eyes scan through the valley. I don’t know why I can’t sleep. In all honesty, I’m exhausted, and yet when I lay down my eyes just didn’t want to close.

“You seem exhausted though,” I say slightly nudging him with my shoulder. He lets out a lazy laugh and nods his head.

“It’s been a long day.” He simply says as he repositions his gun on his lap. The gun sits right across his lap reaching past it as the butt of the gun slightly pushes on my hip.

“Yeah, it has,” I say watching the valley.

“You do know it was stupid, what you did do?” He begins, just as everyone else has.

“I know, but if you are all willing to risk your lives for me then the least I can do is the same.” I try to explain.

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t have done it. I mean if you hadn’t Foxglove would be dead or more seriously injured.” He says nudging me back with a faint smile.

“Well, at least one of you seems happy I acted rashly,” I say jokingly. But part of it felt true. I had finally done something other than standing back as others decide my life. For once I took control of the situation and even though it was stupid, I’m glad I did it. I have spent my life being moved around and told what to do like a doll, at that moment I was the only one that could have helped her, and I acted.

“Everyone’s happy you did too, they must also know that this could have resulted in you dying too. Then the whole hope of finding that cure goes with it.” Talon says looking over at me, his smile gone and now replaced with a somber, serious face. I couldn’t help myself, maybe it was the darkness concealing the world allowing me to be more honest, or the somber atmosphere.

“Maybe that would have been for the best,” I speak up weakly. My eyes fall down to my wrist and where that mark had once been. I can feel Talon look at me and I’m sure he’s bewildered at my words.

“Why would you say that?” I look over at him as he squints confused at me. I swallow and look back out at the starry sky.

“There’s only a 5% chance I’ll find what I need at ground zero. There’s also an 80% chance you will all die in the process of getting there.” I say truthfully. I hated the fact that I knew the truth. The fact that I know most if not all of them will die haunts me it seems every second.

“Scary statistics.” Talon laughs a little and I look at him surprised.

“We all know what this mission means for us, including the fact we probably won’t survive. But I have to ask.. do you really think the virus is at ground zero?” He speaks up truthfully looking over at me. Even while he says it, I don’t see fear or even sadness but just determination.

I shrug my hands slightly rubbing my arms. “I’m not sure but I think it’s the best option,” I say half-mindedly.

“We also know that the small 5% chance of finding what you need can also save every single person on the walls. I’m willing to risk my life for it.“He says confident and his voice is raw and filled with the truth. Talon seems to pass by my answer in a rushed quiet, and I squint a bit. It’s like he doesn’t want to talk too much about the virus, but I had to ask.

“And if getting the cure meant you had to die If someone said you had to die to possibly get the cure... Would you willing sacrifice yourself for it?” I mutter out to him. I have never asked anyone that. If they were in my shoes, would they go through with it or decide to live the rest of their life instead. It’s quiet for a moment as we both look into the valley.

“I think...” He starts and stops for a second.

“I’ve never believed that it’s okay to sacrifice one to save another.. but If it was between dying for a possibility of saving our people or living the rest of my life knowing that I’ve thrown away their chance of a better world, then I would sacrifice myself.“He says. His words hit me harder than I had expected. Plummeting deep into my heart. I look over at Talon, how is it that a world like this holds someone so giving. Talon would die to find the cure, so what does that say about me? I never had a choice, but if I had? If they came to me and asked me to do this for our people would I have said yes or laughed in their face at their absurd question?

I watch and notice that his eyelids seem to still be heavy, Talons obviously exhausted.

“Hey, go get some sleep. I can take watch until Enyo takes over.” I say nudging him. He looks over at me and rolls his eyes.

“No way, you should get your sleep.” He tries to say no but I won’t let it go so easily.

“Come one, I know how to shoot. Plus, Your suppose to be protecting me tomorrow, I’d rather you be awake for it.” I push jokingly. Talon thinks about it for a moment until finally, he grows out of giving up.

“Fine, just because I’m tired and tomorrow may go terribly.” He gives in. He hands me the gun, its cool metal frame sending a chill down my spine with its touch. I give him a smile as he saunters off to his bedroll.

For the next two hours, I sat watching the valley for the forsaken. With no hint of them, I can’t help but slip into deep thoughts of what Talon said, could I live with myself if I just said no?

I hear a small rustling behind me and turn around to see Enyo behind me. He practically did the same as I did to Talon. I give him a lazy smile, noticing that he looked like he was still half asleep. His usually intend messy hair is messy on top. A sleepiness sets on his face as he stretches out. He squints at me then a little surprised.

“You’re not Talon?” He states the obvious and I can’t help but want to laugh at his sleepy self. He rubs his face gently as if that would get rid of his grogginess.

“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep so I told him to get some sleep. He looked dead on his feet.” I say absent-mindedly then can’t help but laugh a little to myself at my words. Dead on his feet, is anything else more like that than the forsaken? Or me? Enyo seems to notice why I laughed and rolls his eyes and shabbily shakes his head. He moves to sit next to me on the rock and I scoot over just as Talon had done a few hours before.

“How are you so awake? Let alone laughing at your own lame puns?” He says lazily. His sleepy voice seemed gruffer and even deeper than usual. I liked him like this, It’s a rarity to see for sure but I enjoyed seeing him just waking up. I shake my head at that wild thought. Luckily in the dark, he can’t see the sudden warmth in my cheeks from the thought of him. I look back to the valley a small smile on my face.

“Yeah, I guess I’m more of a night owl.” I shrug hoping that would explain why I can’t sleep, I wouldn’t mind knowing that for myself. Enyo looks over at me with a smile at my answer.

“Why? I mean I’d rather be p early in the morning and feel that peaceful moments before the day starts than staying up late to be tired the next day.” Enyo furrows his brows thinking about my answer far more than he needed to. I smile a little at how much thought he seems to have put into that answer.

“I guess I enjoy the feeling the night gives me.” I try to explain. He glances at me questioningly.

“What do you mean?” He asks looking back out to the valley. I shrug and tilt my head a little trying to think of a way to explain.

“As a child, I found that the only time something wasn’t expected of me or That someone needed anything from me was at night. So I liked to sit out on the balcony of my bedroom and just watch the sky. It’s as if for that moment, I can see and know everything in the world.” I explain as best I can. I guess it’s hard to explain to someone that I felt more at home in the dark, where the blood inside of me or my last name didn’t matter. I was just a girl awake in the quiet night while everyone else was asleep.

I laugh a little at my explanation.“I guess that’s a weird way to explain it.” I excuse myself. But Enyo looks back at me as if analyzing every feature. A smile slowly spread on his face. It’s subtle and gentle, one I have never seen on him before.

“No, it makes sense. Actually, I can understand that feeling.” He says looking back down the valley. I furrow my brow in wonder. Enyo always seems like he has done whatever he wanted as f he hasn’t had to struggle as I did. Although I doubt he has ever dealt with what I have it does make me wonder. I know so little about Enyo.

“What?” He asks noticing my expression. I shake my head with a little laugh.

“No, sorry. I just imagined you grew up in a nice home with a supportive family.” I say. Enyo just shakes his head.

“I could say the same about you, president’s daughter.” He taunts a little.

“I guess, just because we have money and status we don’t get through this world without our own problems.” I finally say.

“I guess you’re right.” He says with a somber voice. Part of me wanted to know. I wanted to know what his life is like and how he grew up. But I don’t ask him, I won’t. Why should I expect to know him when he can’t know me?

“Well, I guess I’ll go try to get some sleep,” I say and stand up handing Talon’s gun to Enyo, excusing myself. I head back to my bedding and hope to get some sleep for the ride tomorrow.