FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Written by brazy "birb" seeker

Inspired by K.A. Applegate's "Animorphs"

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CHAPTER 9

I jolted back awake as quickly as I had fallen asleep. I was being carried again, but it was dawn now. Had I slept through the whole night? I tried to shake the strange pervasive feeling that dug into me. What was that dream? It felt so real. It felt like someone was right there in front of me. It felt so familiar. It didn't feel like a dream, as much as it felt like some sort of reality, some future.

More than anything, it screamed in my head to stop. To stop seeking this world.

"Morning sleeping beauty!" Mikey said, jolting me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, hi Mikey. Agh," I squirmed some in his arms to try to get more comfortable, letting out a yawn, "How long have you been walking? I didn't expect you to carry me like... this. Asleep."

"Don't mention it, I just wanted to make some more progress while you rested, that's all. I hope you rested up though, I'm going to need a break from carrying you." Mikey said as he came to a stop and slowly started to let me down.

"Ahh, Ahh, okay, let me see if my legs are up to it," I said as I placed my feet on the ground, wavering some as Mikey helps me stand. The ground felt so firm, as if I had stepped off a ship I was on for days, "Woah, heh, yeah I think I'll be okay."

I took all of one step before losing my balance and almost falling on my face.

"Woah! Careful there!" Mikey grabbed me by the shoulders and held me upright, making me oddly upset.

"I've got it I'm fine!" I shoved some painfully with my shoulders, stumbling forward and trying my best to stay upright, "I don't need help! I'm perfectly healthy thank you. I just... One step at a time."

"Alrighty there tiger, just don't go breaking anything else," Mikey said, a little shaken by my aggressive response, "I read over the map again and tried to get some bearing. Seems like were another good few days out from Santa Barbara, as long as were going on foot that is."

We set off walking again. I was limping at first fairly bad, but as my legs warmed up it was a bit better. I began to enjoy the atmosphere again, the chilly early morning desert air was oddly refreshing, it felt dry on my skin. The coolness wouldn't stick around for long though, I thought. I figured I might as well pass some time with some chatting, even if I wasn't feeling quite up to it.

"It's hawk, to you, first of all," I said after a pause, looking at him with a grin, "And second, geez, its that bad on foot? What if we could, I don't know... Find some wheels?"

"Find some wheels?" Mikey said inquisitively.

"Yeah! I mean, people hitchhike all the time. How hard could it be?" I said.

"Oh, hitchhike, heh. That's uhm. Definitely what I thought you meant" Mikey said.

"Seriously Mikey? I know things are rough, but did you really think I'd steal a car?" I said, looking at him and practically reading his mind.

"Hey! You said it not me!" He responded with a rub on his shoulder and a look of embarrassment, "And anyways, how much more illegal can this adventure get? We just need to sprinkle some coke and hookers in here and we've got a party!"

I frowned at him.

"Coca Cola. Yes. That's what I meant." Mikey said.

"Funny, last time I checked the most illegal thing you've done is take a pack of cigs from your dad's place." I replied with a soft verbal prod.

"Oh ho ho, you better check again, because if you didn't notice, we are in the middle of goddamn nowhere with the burnt up corpse of your dad's car a few miles behind us." Mikey said with a big smile on his face.

"I uh. Alright, I'll give you a pass on that one..." I said. The reality of the situation hadn't really set in quite yet, not fully.

"We really are stranded in bum-fuck nowhere California, you know that right?" I said. "I mean, it hasn't really set in much yet, but just look at the sky, look around us. We are in a desert. We have nothing. Hell, what's to say we're even going to survive the day once the sun comes out fully! We've got what, a few bottles of water? Might as well start writing our final wills..."

I kicked an empty bottle as I walked. It was starting to get to my head, everything. How did this happen, why did I do this to myself. This was all my fault, If only I hadn't been so emotional, so dumb. If only I hadn't gone in front of that car... Hell, if only the thing had hit me a little harder. I shifted my aching arms some.

"And, and... look at me! I'm like a bird with broken wings! My arms are screwed, they hurt with each step. I'm such an idiot! This is all my fault, If I hadn't been so dumb and thrown myself in front of a car we never would be in this mess!" I yelled out, but it wasn't meant at Mikey, I was mad at myself, yelling at the world.

Mikey put his arm on my shoulder, looking at me in a disturbingly calm manner. "Yeah, I mean this is kinda all your fault if you put it that way. You did cause all this, you caused me to snap, you caused me to run back. You caused me to carry you home. But more than anything, you caused me to realize something."

I looked at him silently, a little shocked. "What... I mean... God. That hurts a little, but what did you realize?"

"I realized in that moment there's more to all this junk. Life. I want to be in control of my own journey. I wanted to leave, in that moment, I wanted to leave and never go back. It's scary as hell, but just look at this view!" Mikey said, putting out an arm as if to show off the huge valley in front of us.

"It would be prettier if my arms weren't on fire..." was all I muttered.

"I wanted to take you with me." He said suddenly. "You always talked about wanting to escape. This is it. Thousands of miles from home, no going back. Its do or die. And you've already tried option B twice..."

"I... I don't know what you're talking about. It's only been once!" I stammered.

Mikey simply looked at me with a grin. "Sure. Let's just keep it at two, alright? No flying into cars when you morph."

We were on a decline now, looking over an indent in the surrounding mountains. It felt like it got hotter with each step deeper into the valley, but I guess it was better than the frigid spring we were used to.

There was some sort of civilization in the distance it looked like. Buildings, it was hard to tell, but maybe there was water there.

Mikey pulled out the last of our water, a plastic water bottle that was half empty. Or is it half full? Well, whatever it is, hopefully it will be all the way full soon. He drank half of the remaining liquid, before stopping briefly to help pour the rest into my mouth.

I was thankful, really, If it weren't for him there's no way I would have survived this long out here as messed up as I was.

"Thanks, Mikey. Really." I said a little reluctantly.

"Don't get weird on me" Mikey replied, "Once we get to that town we can both drink our fill!"

I nodded in agreement, "Man, I never really knew how much I loved water until now. Screw soda, cold water. Now that's refreshing!"

"Hah, yeah! I could drink a gallon right now. The Elixir of Life, that's what it is!" Mikey said. "Looks like it's just a mile or so, can't be more than that. I can practically taste that chilly gas station water."

We were fully in the valley now, it was so huge, it spread out for miles in all directions. The sun was high in the sky now and I realized for the last hour we had been talking about nothing but water. I could practically feel it slipping down my throat I craved it so much.

"Woah. Do you see that?" I said, looking over the town in the distance.

"The water town?" Mikey replied.

"Yeah. It's like, the whole town is half under water. I hadn't noticed it before!" I said, getting a little excited, "Man, I would die for a swim right now."

"Uhh, yeah, you probably would, Mr. No-Arms. How are you supposed to swim?" Mikey said with a giggle.

"Oh. Yeah. Alright maybe just a wade for me." I said, "But still! Imagine it!"

"Oh don't worry, I'm imagining it all right." Mikey said, starting off into a jog.

"Hey wait up!" I yelled after him, picking up my pace.

"Oh shush, you catch up, your legs aren't broken too!" Mikey replied, and with that I jogged after him.

We weren't worried about the heat now, or our thirst even. There was so much water, just waiting there!

I ran on and off, Mikey taking off in front of me quite a distance with his dumb not run over body. I was so excited, excited in a way I never have been for anything. Water! This was the Elixir of Life we're talking about!

I squinted into the distance, Mikey was far off now, his form was shimmery and indistinct from the distance, but I saw it happen. He put a hand on a building, giving it a hard push.

The wall collapsed in, the whole building falling with a crash into a dusty mess. No, no, no, something was wrong.

Mikey fell to his knees in the remnants of the building as I began to catch up, only a short jog out.

I heard him yell, loud.

"AGHH! THERE'S NOTHING! IT'S ALL DUST!" He yelled, his voice carrying over the surface of the broken up road.

Mikey collapsed to his side, laying down.

I ran as hard as my hurt bones could carry me to catch up to him, and, as I got close it became clear.

The whole valley, it was dead.

Fear dug in. I realized that, soon, we would be too.