Awaken the Elements (Elemental Trilogy) (11 page)

             
“Um, so you two took over the music store, huh?” Ivy Lee asked.

             
“Yeah, we were taking a break from making this place more like a room,” River said.

             
“That’s cool,” Ivy Lee said.

             
“Hey, what’s that?” Envy turned around.

              A loud commotion came from outside the store. They all went to see what was going on. They saw nothing. Autumn came out of the Pillow Shoppe. She rubbed her eyes, getting the sleep out of them. Looking down the way she saw Envy, Ivy Lee, Rowan, and River standing outside the music store.

             
“What’s going on?” She asked as she walked over. She had to yell over the noise.

             
They all shrugged. Walking over to the edge, they looked down. Everyone’s eyes went to the infected behind the doors. They were moaning as they tried to walk through the glass doors. Autumn looked up, and the others followed. They couldn’t see anything from down there, but she suspected that’s where the noise was coming from.

             
“I’m going to find out what that clatter is,” she said, leaving for the elevators. They followed her.

             
They all got out of the elevator on the fourth floor. The loud grinding sound got worse. It felt like her ears were going to explode. She went over to the stairs that led to the fifth floor. It got louder as they got higher. She turned, motioning to the others.  Talking was out of the question.

Rowan watched as Autumn went up the stair
s. He remembered the shine of her leafy green eyes, and then thought of his life outside these walls. It wasn’t a very good life, hosting reality TV shows and celebrity shows, and going through a bad divorce. He thought of his daughter. Of course his ex would have taken her to a safe house. He wondered if he would ever see them again. He followed Autumn up the stairs and shook the thoughts away.

             
River on the other hand had just finished a movie before the band got back together. He wasn’t sure about the reunion, but it was a big thing to do nowadays, and Rowan had talked him into at least giving it a shot for a few months. He had to admit he loved being back with the guys performing some of their classic songs.

             
The noise stopped. Autumn’s ears popped and that annoying buzzing started in again.

             
“What’s going on?” She asked no one in particular.

             
“We got a problem,” Anatha’s stepdad said.

             
“What’s wrong?” Bud asked.

             
“Something’s wrong with the cooling unit,” Anatha’s dad replied. He was standing behind a big metal thing.

              Autumn had no idea about electronics and didn’t care much about them either. That’s why they brought along Anatha’s dad and stepdad. “What’s wrong with it?”

             
“Don’t know, but we’re working on it,” Anatha’s stepdad said.

             
“Can it be fixed by summer?” Bud asked. Autumn thought about the air conditioning not working during the summer. It better be fixed. Valley summers were bad. It was usually a hundred degrees or more most of the time. In a place like this, it needed to be cool.

             
“We’ll try.  We might have to get some parts for it. I don’t think the mall carries any of the things we need.” Anatha’s dad looked back at the doodad he was working on.

             
Bud looked at Autumn. “We can get Howard to park up at the top of the parking garage.”

             
She nodded, “Safer that way. The stairs in the parking garage are okay. If we get the infected’s attention, it can work.”

              “We’ll talk about it later. You need to go up top and wait for Howard. Radio us when you see them,” Bud said.

             
“Okay,” she said, turning around. She bumped into Rowan who was standing behind her. He mouthed sorry, and she gave him a shy smile and walked to the stairs.

             
She ran into Anatha who was standing by the door. “What was the noise?” She asked as she walked through the door.

             
“Something’s wrong with the cooling unit or something,” she replied, walking over to the edge. She looked down at the infected. There were a few dead bodies scattered around. Autumn looked at her cousin. “Having fun?”

             
“Sort of. Makes you feel a little better.” Anatha walked over and stood by her.

             
Autumn sat down on the edge. Picking up the binoculars, she swung her legs over.  Looking over at the freeway, her legs swung back and forth over the infected below. Nothing. She laid the binoculars by her side and picked up a rifle. Checking to see if it was loaded like her dad had taught her, she sighted one of the new infected. It shuffled over to the mall at the far end of the parking lot. It dropped to the ground seconds after she pulled the trigger.

             
“That was good. It took me two shots to drop one,” Anatha said.

             
“Practice makes perfect,” Autumn said, hitting another infected perfectly between the eyes.

              “Easy for you to say. You’ve been an expert since you started.”

             
“Nothing to it. This has more of a kick than a bb gun though.” Autumn pulled the trigger, dropping yet another. “You have to be ready for the kick.”

             
Anatha picked up a rifle, aimed at a zombie, and missed. “See. I can’t do it like you.” She tried again as Autumn watched. She missed.

             
“I see what you’re doing wrong,” Autumn said. “You have to loosen up. You can’t aim right when you’re all stiff.” She demonstrated.

             
“Okay. Let me see.” She aimed, shooting a zombie. “It worked,” she said.

             
“Told you.” Autumn looked through the small scope on the rifle. She looked towards the freeway wondering if it shot that far. It worked but not well. She saw cars coming. Putting the rifle down by her side, she picked up the binoculars. It had to be Howard. She glanced at her watch. One thirty. They were early. Looking at the extra cars, she wondered who they were.

             
“Are they coming?” Anatha asked.

             
“Yeah,” she said, watching the cars get closer. Reaching over with her free hand, she grabbed for the walkie-talkie. She pressed the button, not sure any of the others below even had one. “Dad, Howard’s on his way.”

             
A couple minutes later Anatha’s dad and Bud came up. Moss tagged along as well, only because he wanted some of the action if there was any. “We’re going down to the top of the garage,” Bud said.  “You guys keep high surveillance, just in case.”

              “‘K,” Anatha replied. Autumn gave her the binoculars, and she looked through the scope.

             
“One more thing,” Bud said. They turned looking at him, “Take out any infected that might be there. And as a precaution, take out any humans that get bit too. It won’t be a safe house if we let someone infected inside.”

             
They both nodded. He was serious too. They knew if someone they knew got bit, it’d be a shot to the head. It was better that way. Their mind would be gone as the infection took control, wanting to spread. A shot to the head was the kindest thing to do for their fellow human. Put them out of their misery. They hoped someone would do the same for them if they were ever bit.

             
They watched as the people arrived. “Who are the extras?” Anatha asked.

             
“I dunno.” Autumn tried to look at the drivers, but the scope wouldn’t focus right. “Damn thing,” She muttered, trying to get it to focus.

             
“Hey guys, whatcha lookin’ at?” Jaime asked from behind them. They both jumped. Autumn looked down, and then back at Jaime. She swung her legs back onto the roof, standing up. “Jaime. Damn you! I could have fallen off,” she yelled at him. “Don’t be sneaking up on people like that anymore.”

             
He backed up. “Hey, Autumn, sorry.”

             
“What’s all the arguing about?” Rowan asked as he and River strolled over.

             
“Jaime almost scared Autumn off the edge,” Anatha said.

             
“I can fight my own battles, thanks.”

             
“So what’s going on?” River said.

             
“No time for chit-chat boys. We have company,” Anatha said as Autumn picked up the rifle. She grabbed the walkie-talkie again. “They’re here, Dad.”

              “Okay, we see them now. I’ve already told Howard what to do. So follow them, they’ll go slow.” Bud’s voice came in clear.

             
“Where are you?” She asked.

             
“We’re getting ready to go down,”

             
Autumn ran over to the other side. The ladder to the garage stood without zombies surrounding it. She watched as they went in. She went back to Anatha and the guys and watched the cars drive into the garage. Howard climbed out of the passenger side of his black ‘67 Chevy truck and onto the roof. “Where’s your dad?!” Autumn could barely make out what he said.

             
“Already inside waiting for you. Stop making so much noise! The zombies will follow you!” She yelled down. He nodded, climbing back in.

             
“Is that Sage?” Anatha asked.

             
She looked, “Where?”

             
“In the brown clunker.” She pointed to the brown car, so dented up you couldn’t tell what it had been in its prime.

             
Autumn saw the car before it went in “It is.” Sage waved at them from the back seat. The cars were inside the garage before Autumn could get a better look at who else tagged along. She knew who might be in there. No, goddess please, not them. Autumn prayed as she looked at the garage.

             
“We got them. You guys can go in. We can get them in from the top and bring them down,” Bud said through the walkie-talkie.

              Autumn put down the rifle.  “Let’s go in,” she said. She didn’t want to be there when they brought the people up, just in case.

             
“Want to stay and see who’s here?” Anatha asked.

             
She shook her head. “We have all day for that.” She left for the door. Rowan and River fell in stride with her.

             
“So who’s this Sage person?” Rowan asked.

             
“A friend of the family,” she replied, as she walked down the stairs.

             
“You guys have a lot of friends.”

             
She looked at him. “You have no idea.”

             
“Must be from a small town?” River asked.

“Grew up in a small town. You almost know everyone there. Howard is my dad’s friend, but me and his sister were b-f-fs back in fifth grade. She is married to Moss, so she is already in here. We don’t hang out anymore. People just go in different directions. They loved small town, I wanted to get out of it.”

“Getting away from the small town was in most of thoughts,” Anatha said. “Some just don’t make it. Or get to be with doctors.”

“Or use boys to pay for everything,” Autumn said back with a bite.

              They quietly walked down the stairs, heading to the fourth floor.

“It’ll be okay if
they
are in the group,” Anatha said behind them, making the others stop and look at her.

             
“Just leave me alone for a bit,” she told her cousin. “I told you to stay out.” River and Rowan looked from Anatha to Autumn, and then at each other.

Chapter 7

              Drake and Stefan set up several futons in front of LS Denny’s, Postage on Us, The Pillow Shoppe, and the music shop. They thought it would be a good idea, so everyone could hang out without going down to Playland. Linden found a nice coffee table. He was bringing it over when something crashed above. Anatha laughed at the edge as something else crashed. Rowan sat watching everyone look around at the unexpected sound. Something shiny rained downed to level two from above.  He and the others walked over to the railing.  Anatha saw them and waved. A plate went whizzing through the air, glass exploding down to the second floor.

             
“I wanna try!” Anatha said.

             
“Sure,” Moss said.

             
After a while everyone came up to the fourth floor to see what they were doing. “Was he shooting those?” Rowan asked, as he came over to Autumn. She nodded. Moss gave his sister the rifle, and Richard had the plates.

             
She held the pellet gun. “Okay, throw,” she said. Richard tossed up a plate. She almost missed it, shattering the edge.

             
“Dude, you call that throwing?” Moss took a plate. “Let me show you how to do it.”

             
“Ready,” Anatha said, and Moss threw the plate.

             
Crash
. The plate exploded over the second floor. They all watched as the tiny pieces fell.

             
“Let me try.” Richard motioned for the gun.

             
“Okay,” Anatha said, handing it to him.

             
“Ready?” Moss asked.

Richard nodded. “Ready.”

              “Here it goes,” Moss said, tossing the plate. He hit it. “You been taking lessons from Autumn, I see.”

             
They took turns shooting plates and laughing. Autumn helped Rowan hit one. “Not bad. You can use more practice,” She said, nudging him in the side.

             
“Going to teach me?” He asked, as he handed her the gun.

             
“Sure,” she said, aiming at nothing particular. “Fling, Moss.” Moss tossed the last plate they had. She hit it square in the middle.

             
“Hey, watch it!” Someone shouted down below. Laughing they all looked over the edge.

             
“Sorry,” Autumn said, looking down. She saw who had yelled up at them and dropped the gun as the laughter drained out of her. There in the flesh, not infected and in her home, were people she had hoped never to see again.

             
“My gods,” Anatha murmured.

             
“Isn’t that?” Richard began.

             
“Yes,” she said quickly.

             
Autumn’s hands encircled the railing. The anger swelled in her. Anatha could sense the anger, and it took a lot to anger Autumn. She was always so mellow. Autumn’s aura sparked, and Anatha wanted to warn everyone to take a step back, but she didn’t dare. People already thought they were kind of strange.

             
“Hi, Autumn and Anatha!” Sage called up, waving.

             
“Hi.” Anatha waved back, excited to see her.

             
Autumn gave her a half-hearted wave and turned, leaving the group staring at her.

             
“Damn, what’s up with her?  Autumn looks as if her puppy got run over,” Envy said, watching her sister disappear.

             
“You know,” Anatha said, looking down.

             
Rowan and River were still at the edge looking down. “Who are they?” River asked.

             
Stefan looked where Autumn had been standing. He noticed the railing were her hands had been. He saw something was off and tried to examine it while the others were talking. He ran his hands over the smooth part of the railing until he got to where her hands had been. The wood there was now old, cracked, and brittle.

             
“Howard there,” Envy said pointing, “with the long hair is my dad’s friend. He brought his family, I guess. From the look of it he also brought some of his friends. Although I don’t know where Joe fits in.”

             
Rowan eyed the group below. “Joe?”

             
Richard pointed to a guy with thin black hair carrying a baby. “That’s Joe and his girlfriend, Brittany.”

             
“Why did they upset Autumn?” he asked.

             
“Ex-boyfriend,” Anatha said.

             
“Brittany is such a slut too,” Envy said, interrupting. “But that’s not the only reason she’s pissed.” The group glanced at Envy. “The guy by the girl in the red shirt is Windle, another of Autumn’s exs. The girl in the black shirt by Sage is Janice, Autumn’s ex-best friend.”

             
“Dang. Is Autumn the only one here who seems to be having a bad day?” River asked.

Envy shook her head. “Marie, the one in red, she’s my ex-best friend. I went to school with Brittany, and we’ve hated each other since middle school.”

              “Damn, so it’s a personal thing. Stefan said. The group watched the others below while Bud showed the newcomers around and told them the rules. He wanted to talk to Autumn, but wasn’t sure if he should bring up the wood. He just had some questions.

****

             
As the day died down and everyone retired to where they were staying, Autumn found a bottle of tequila. No fresh lemons, but she managed to score some lemon juice to chase it with. She walked around the edge of the water fountain singing Melon Pop songs to herself between drinks. That’s how Hazel, River, and Rowan found her.

             
“Autumn,” Hazel said, “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

             
Autumn’s foot slipped, and her arms pin wheeled. Still gripping the bottles of tequila and lemon juice, she saw herself crashing into the fountain in her mind’s eye. But a set of hands grabbed her, saving her. She looked down at the hands and up the right arm until her eyes landed on River.

             
“Thank you,” she said, as she stepped down on solid floor.

             
“No problem at all,” he said.

             
“I see you didn’t even wait for me to start drinking?” Hazel said, eyeing the bottle.

             
Autumn looked at the bottle. “I needed some time to think by myself. I can barely sleep, and I feel like I’m being buried alive in this place. Just a day and I feel like a withered plant.”

             
“And how is the thinking going?”

             
She shook her head. “Not very good. I just keep thinking what I did wrong in my past life. You know it really isn’t fair. I’m not sure I am strong enough for this.” Tears started to fall from her eyes. “I have all this guilt just sitting here.” She touched her chest. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and unlocked the screen. Ryan’s text popped up. She took another drink from the bottle. The alcohol didn’t burn anymore going down.

             
“Sometimes I think I am not meant for what this world has to offer me,” she whispered.

             
“You are more meant for this world than you know,” Hazel replied. Autumn had a brief flashback, maybe a dream; a woman she had never seen before told her the same thing.
You are going to be amazing, Autumn.
She always thought it was some very vibrant reoccurring dream.

             
“Autumn?” Hazel said.

             
She shook her head and closed her mind. “I just want the guilt to go away. And now all these people are here I never wanted to see again. I am a trapped animal!” she turned and threw the phone once again. This time she heard it shatter. And instead of the sound making her feel better, her legs collapsed as she sobbed.

             
“I think you’ve had enough,” Rowan said, getting ready to take the bottle away from her.

             
She shook her head and moved the bottle away, instead giving him her other hand. He took it and helped her to her feet. “I’m sorry, guys. Come on.”

             
Half an hour later the four of them were sitting in bean bag chairs down in Playland, sharing the bottle of tequila, and laughing about silly memories they decided were quite embarrassing.

             
“You didn’t?” Autumn laughed, tears in her eyes.

             
Rowan nodded. “He did.”

             
“Oh, why did you do something so stupid?” She took the bottle from River.

             
“I really thought I was in love. You know, you do silly things when in love.”

             
“I gotta go,” Hazel said. The laughter was gone, and she looked a bit green and very ill.

             
They watched her leave. “Did I say something wrong?” River asked.

             
“No,” Autumn said, the laughter gone, as she watched her friend leave. “She’s a light-weight, and I think it was all the talk of love. She had to kill her entire family to save herself.”

             
“Wow, that sucks,” Rowan said.

             
“I know.”

             
“I think we should go back up before we get too drunk and pass out down here,” River said, looking around. “I don’t think I want to get stuck here.”

             
“You guys can come hang out with me and the pillows. There are plenty to go around.”

             
“Sounds good. Does it have a bathroom?”

             
“It does and a pretty nice sound system as well,” she said, trying to get to her feet and not making it, which made her laugh.

             
Rowan helped her to her feet. “Aw, it is so nice to be surrounded by gentlemen.”

             
“Who is spreading rumors?” River asked. That had them laughing all the way up to level two.

             
“You are by far the best drunk I’ve been around,” Rowan said, laughing.

             
“Excuse me?” Autumn turned around, right hand on hip. “Who you calling drunk?”

             
“You,” River said, laughing again.

             
She nodded. “I am.”

             
“What the fuck?” Drake said, coming out of one of the stores. “People are trying to sleep.”

“Party pooper,” River whispered into Autumn’s ear.

              She covered her mouth trying to hide the laughter, trying not to be too rude. “We’re  going, okay?” Rowan offered.

             
“Are you guys drunk?” he asked.

             
Autumn crossed her arms over her chest. “We are not,” she said, managing not to slur.

             
“It is none of your business, Daddy,” River said, which made them all burst into another fit of laughter.

             
She grabbed their hands and managed to drag them past Drake, who had a very ugly angry face, and into her store. They collapsed, laughing, onto some pillows as River mimicked Drake.

****

              “What the hell was that?” Stefan asked, coming out of Lears.

             
“River and Rowan are drinking with Autumn,” Drake said.

             
“Autumn is drinking?” Anatha and Envy said at the same time as they came out of the elevator from the fourth floor.

             
“Yeah, why?” he asked, looking at them.

             
“She can be a bit,” Anatha stopped, not sure how to finish.

             
“Crazy, weird, um, crazy,” Envy said.

             
“Thanks,” Anatha said, “Well, she is rather free when drunk, more open.”

             
“Oh,” Stefan said.

             
“Not like that.” She went over to the pillow shop and looked in the window. She closed her eyes and probed into her cousin’s mind.

             
Autumn stopped laughing. The guys look at her, puzzled. She turned her eyes to the window. 
Stop!
roared through Anatha’s mind, and a force she had never felt pushed her away from the window, hard enough to land her flat on her ass. She sat there blinking, stunned for a few seconds before Stefan was helping her up.