Reid and I got directions to the nearest bank and settled in to wait next to the ATMs. It took two and a half hours before the power came on and the machine came online. After six tries I finally got a transaction to go through, but Reid wasn’t able to get his card to work at all before the machine went offline again.
Frustrated, we gave up and walked until we found a motel with a room available. Even that grungy place was almost sold out, and you would think it was the Ritz for the price gouging they were doing, but it had hot water and two beds, and that was good enough for the night. After two days of saltwater, sweat, and grime, that shower had felt like a religious experience.
I had stood under the spray until my skin pruned, letting the water hit me like it could wash everything off. All the fear, the confusion. The guilt of leaving Luna all alone. And when I tilted my head back, something weird happened.
The droplets... stopped.
Midair.
Suspended in space like stars caught in a spiderweb. I didn’t panic. Not like before. I just stared, focused, and moved my fingers, and the water danced as it obeyed. I’m not crazy. I know something changed when the moon broke. Something in me, something in Reid. I’m ready to accept it and use it in any way I need to.
This morning, we paid a guy lingering near the hotel with a van to drive us around. We hit a small grocery store that still had some supplies and loaded up on snacks, water, and protein bars. Then we bought burner phones and swapped in our old SIMs in hopes of being able to reach the others. Still nothing. No bars. No texts. No Luna. But we’ll keep trying.
The last stop was a motorcycle dealership clinging to life in a strip of shuttered businesses. Only one guy had shown up towork. He looked at our tired but determined faces, raised an eyebrow at the black cards we pulled out of our wallets, and decided today was the day to make a sale. Idiot. I have no idea if he’ll ever get a solid enough internet connection to put the sale through, but good luck to him. We’re more than good for it.
Two new dual-sport bikes, helmets, full fuel cans, bungee cords to tie everything down, and we were ready to go. He even tossed in a map book like we were time travelers from the olden days. Then again, Google fucking Maps isn’t currently an option, so maybe we are from a different time now.
Here we are hours later, slicing through the Rockies, backpacks strapped tight, stomachs full of protein bars and energy drinks. My ass is numb, my legs ache, and still, I’m grateful. Because we’re finally moving. We’re finally getting closer to her.
I focus ahead when Reid’s taillight flickers red as he slows, then raises a hand in warning. I pull up beside him, my brows drawing tight behind the visor.
“What is it?” I shout over the engines.
My stomach drops. I see it now. A rockslide is blocking the entire highway. There are boulders, branches, even entire trees, and dirt piled chest high. There’s a line of cars and trucks parked in front of it, and people are milling around in frustration.
"Son of a bitch," I snarl. "Another goddamn delay. There isn’t even a ditch here that we could use to ride around it."
Reid kicks his stand and gets off the bike, stretching. “We might be able to hike around…”
His voice dies as the air shifts around us. A low, eerie hum pulses through the rocks. A few pebbles bounce, then stop. And then... the boulders start to float.
I stumble back a step, eyes wide. “Holy shit.”
The stones rise slowly, trembling in midair like they’re caught in a silent quake. Then, one by one, they whip sideways,slamming into the forest beyond with bone-rattling thuds. Dust explodes upward, branches and leaves rustle in violent waves, and slowly the road in front of us starts to clear. Standing on the other side, among a small crowd of stunned people, is a man with outstretched hands. He doesn't look like anything special, just a normal middle-aged man in jeans and a flannel shirt. Except, you know - for the godlike powers he’s using. He’s got an expression of fierce concentration on his face as he moves all the debris from the road, bit by bit. When the last rock flies, he drops his arms, breathes hard, and looks up.
I stare, a little bit in shock about what I just saw. Which, when I think about it, is odd. Because why would this shock me after the last couple of days? “Dude,” I call out like a question.
The man gives a tired shrug. “My kids are on the other side. I need to get to them.”
Then he turns away, climbs into a dusty old hatchback, and drives past us, like he didn’t just rewire the laws of physics.
Reid exhales a long breath. “So. That’s a thing.”
I nod slowly. My heart’s still hammering. “It’s not just us.”
“Nope.”
“This magic thing… It’s big. Real big.”
“And maybe dangerous as hell.”
We both look down the road where the man disappeared and then glance up at the cracked moon.
Whatever’s happening, it’s more than just broken rocks and waking powers. I can feel it in my bones. Whatever is happening, it’s just getting started. We need to get to Luna before the world really falls apart.
Chapter 55 - Mars
The Cavalier coughs under me like it’s on its last legs. Which, to be fair, it probably is. The engine growls with every gear shift and the air inside smells like old fries and stale cigarette smoke, no matter how many times I’ve cleaned it out. But she’s mine and she’s moving. For now.
