Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
“These are the only things that can protect us from the toxic fumes in The Trench,” he informs me. I study the gas mask unlike the type we have on Earth. This mask has a wide, glassy window to reveal the whole face, and near the chin strap are dials for the gas release. The mask goes over your whole head like a motorcycle helmet, no tubes or wires required. You just put the mask on, switch the dial, and you’re protected. When we’re all set, Caz assists me into the truck, but not without a wary glance.
The inside of the truck is lined with two built-in leather benches on either side. A narrow passageway is in the center, along with dangling leather handles built into the ceiling. In the front, there’s a gap that leads to the driver and passenger seat, and that’s occupied by Veno. It’s very spacious inside.
Now that we’re on the road, everyone dressed in their bodysuits, gas masks placed on the benches next to them, my decision feels abrupt. Seeing Killian so serious is one thing, but to see Rowan frowning with his jaw locked is another. He’s not the one to take things heavily, yet we’re all riding into a place unknown. A place that’s toxic and so corrupt, Caz has six more military-like vehicles tailing us, as well as a tank.
According to Juniper, it’s a twelve-hour drive to the Trench, and since it borders on the dark side of Vanora—a place no one ever ventures because the land is dead and there are no signs of life—we have to cross into Vanora to get through. Caz sent a message to Alora beforehand, so the guards don’t stop us. They let us pass right through, bobbing their heads in their white hats.
Vanora, as always, is beautiful, and we take the roads on the outskirts away from the city to not bring attention to ourselves. Still, I see the skyline—Alora’s towering palace and the golden tips twinkling in the sun.
We’re on the road for hours, and everyone is restless. I try relaxing on the seat, but it’s impossible. To know that I’m about to be reunited with my brother makes me anxious. I never thought I’d see the day.
We eat nuts and berries Maeve packed for us, and when the sky shifts from pitch black to hazy gray, I sense a shift in the air.
We’re nearing The Trench. I feel it before I even see it. The hairs on my arms raise, goosebumps crawling up my back. There’s a friction in the air, and as I rub a gloved hand over my gas mask, it crackles.
“We’re fine as long as we’re inside the truck,” Caz murmurs. “It’s when the doors open that we must put our gas masks on.”
He peers out a window, and I look with him. Veno drives rapidly along the rocky road, passing charcoal trees with stripped branches and bodies of water so dark, they appear to be made of ink. The dirt on the ground is like ash, as if the land was set on fire and the remains were left. There are no houses, no animals, even the sky is colorless. I can’t even say that it’s gray, more like a filmy white.
Veno slows the vehicle in front of a small batch of buildings. The buildings were once red brick but are now covered in dark soot. None of them are up to par. Many are missing doors, roofs, and windows. The buildings that are seemingly intact have broken windows or doors hanging off the frames.
I spot people near the buildings, legs drawn to their chests. They peer up as the truck passes, but there is no excitement in their eyes, no happiness or curiosity. There’s nothing but…emptiness. Their faces are ghostly and sunken in, the clothes hanging off their ill frames. Slowly dying…all of them.
I swallow hard as the truck comes to a complete stop, and Veno says, “As far as I can go, Monarch. There’s a bridge ahead, but it’s damaged.”
“Here is good,” Caz says, then he turns to me. “Mask on.” He picks it up from the bench behind me and helps me put it on. When mine is secured, he twists the dial, and a hissing noise starts up. Through the window of my mask, I watch as he puts his on as well, twisting a valve to release gas in his too. Numbers appear on the dial he twisted, reading 100%.
“Can you hear me?” he asks. I hear his voice inside my mask. It’s staticky, like a radio. There must be speakers built into them.
“Yeah,” I answer.
“Good. We should all be able to hear one another.” He puts his attention on Killian and Rowan. “We’ll go out first. Juniper, you stay here with Willow while we do a surveillance. Keep watch and protect her at all costs.”