Page 18 of The Fallen

?He was quiet for all of five seconds, which was not enough time for that to sink in, before he started with another story. Marie was apprehensive, but there was no way she was backing down. She wanted to see where the rabbit hole led.

?She used to sit in her room and daydream of another time, another place where she could be whatever she wanted to be. Her life was so mundane and she wanted more. Even though she was on edge about the future of this path, she needed to feel like her life meant something.

?She listened as Brenton went through every story possible to explain how great it was to be an angel. It led her to believe that he was laying it on thick for a reason. She knew there was something he wasn't telling her. She wanted to trust him, give over to the instinct of all or nothing, but she needed more answers. And if he wouldn't tell her, she would find another way.

?Her mom told her about Helena, the woman who shielded her. They were on the way to see her so she could lift the shield. She lived a couple of hours away from the airport, but it felt like it would take an eternity for them to get there. She was excited, nervous and exhausted all at once.

?“I'm going to take a quick nap,” she told Brenton. “Is that okay?”

?“Yeah, but how are you able to sleep?”

?She scooted over to lie her head on his knee and balled up the rest of her body.

?“I know I should be running on pure energy since all that has happened, but honestly, I'm so worn out.”

?“No, I meant angels really don't sleep. I can't remember the last time I actually laid my head down, but you sleep all the time. How is that?”

?She sat up and faced him. That would explain how, in the past, she could sleep for fifteen minutes then be wired for days. As she got older, that habit died and she required a full eight hours to function.

?“I don't know, maybe I'm broken,” she said before she laid down and closed her eyes.

Chapter Twelve

They traveled for over an hour through the desert. The sign that welcomed them to Black Rock Country was not what they had expected. There was nothing rural about this place, or not as she understood the word 'rural' anyway. Heat waves shimmered on the horizon, and the pallid near-silence rustled like the scales of a desert-dwelling snake.

?Wild horses passed by them as they went deeper into the desert. One ran along-side the truck, matching its speed. It bucked and shook its mane, the muscles in its neck constricted. Marie could have sworn the horse was laughing at her. It then ran off, leaving a trail of dust behind.

?Marie gazed around her, looking for anything other than the endless mounds of sand. She spotted a dark rock formation in the distance. When they got closer, she could see it was connected to a mountain. She couldn't make out anything else.

?They continued on in an eerie silence for another half hour. Marie's heart sank, despairing of ever finding the place. There was no way anyone could live out here and survive.

?Brenton's brow was furrowed, he was in deep thought as he drove forward, concentrating on something known only to himself. Marie looked back out of the window; she noticed birds circling something in the distance to the east of them. Twelve birds, she counted, going around in the same pattern.

?“Brenton, look,” she pointed. “I think there's something over there. Watch those birds.”

?He slowed the truck down and glanced out the window.

?“I think you're right. I believe that's our destination.”

?Brenton sped up as they reached the road that led to the mountains, but it was the opposite direction from where they needed to go.

?Suddenly, the sand sloped into what appeared to be a hidden road. The road was situated in the center of a sand trap with mountain scenery as the backdrop. Giant boulders outlined the path leading to the road. An aura of creepiness prevailed, like noxious swamp gas. Marie had a strong feeling that this was a bad idea.

?Brenton stopped the truck and analyzed the trail. The road first plunged down and then back up, leaving space for one car to get through. It appeared to be the entrance, but Marie had no intention of going in.

?“We have to find another way around,” she said.

?“Why? You know this is the way in. We don't have time to get lost in the desert.”

?“But look at that wall of sand,” she said pointing at the structure that looked like a frozen tidal wave. “If something goes wrong, the sand could collapse and bury us.”

?Brenton scanned the place once more, “It's good. We'll be fine.”

?Before she could protest, he was already turning the truck down the road. Marie uttered a quick prayer while her knuckles tightened around her seat belt.

?The way was actually smooth. The tires didn't get stuck nor did the wall of sand move. It were as if the sand was helping the truck move forward.

?They made it to the end of the road, and it finally opened up into a whole other world. They had stumbled upon an actual oasis with one lone house in its center. Giant, mud-covered boulders surrounded the patch of greenery. A river snaked through the valley, which was verdant with sage bushes and grease wood.

---