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A quick glance behind me assures me I’m still alone, and I slip inside the animal enclosure.
The sight that greets me makes bile push up my throat from my churning stomach.
No.
Why are they so cruel?
All the sheep are no longer white and woolly but lifeless and red. The cows and pigs too. My heart breaks at the sight, and when I see Aldric lying face down with a red bloodstain on his back, there’s another blow to my heart.
This is wrong. Very wrong. And evil.
I move to the chickens’ pen, and seeing all the feathers and blood, a sob escapes me.
“I’ll kill the emissaries for this,” I growl as I step over the broken fence. “I’ll rip their hearts out and make them pay.” Suffocating pain squeezes the words through my throat.
I drop to the floor and heave. A perfect race wouldn’t hurt something so precious as animals. The insensates are emotionless creatures, much worse than we can ever be.
A weak peep has my head snapping up. Lowering to my knees, I dig through the feathers and lifeless bodies for what made the sound.
Another peep has me zeroing in on its location, then I finally see movement. Tiny feet are kicking to get up from under the dead.
Gently, I scoop the chick into my hands and lift it to my chest. “I’ve got you, peepster.”
The chick looks like it’s struggling to breathe, gasping for air. I cradle him close to me and get up, wanting to get him outside. I don’t want the chick around all the dead and quickly move out of the ward into the first rays of the rising sun.
Watching the little chick gasp for air makes my heart break in a way it’s never been broken before. I see the sun reflects in its black eyes, and sobs ripple through my chest.
All I can think to do is to caress his little head, to show him he isn’t alone.
“Do you… feel that?” A sob threatens to close my throat right up. “It’s the… sun, nice… and warm.” I start to cry harder as the chick’s gasps for air slows. My chest aches so much for him. “You go ahead. Sleep, little peepster. I’ve got you. You’re not alone.”
His whole body jerks in my hands, and I drop to my knees. “No!”
It hurts so much to watch him die and not be able to help him. I don’t understand all the killing, so much senseless killing.
“It’s okay,” I say with another sob. “I have you. You’re not alone.”
His body jerks once more before it stills, the chick growing stiff in my hands. My heart shatters into a million pieces as I watch the shine fade from the chick’s eyes.
My body shudders with an aching I’ve never felt before, and I press the little chick to my chest. “I’m so sorry, little peepster,” I gasp through the tears streaking down my cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”
“Kid,” Kenzo whispers behind me.
My whole body jolts with fright, and when I glance over my shoulder, I see Kenzo’s eyes are red where he stands a few feet away. “We have to move.” He gestures to the broken wall. “It’s not safe here.”
I don’t know how long he stood there, probably keeping watch over me.
Chapter 14
Jai
Finding a patch of sand, I use my nails to dig a hole. I wish I had something to wrap the chick in, but pressed for time, I lay the tiny body in the ground and cover it up. My tears splat onto the sand.
“You were too precious for this cruel world,” I whisper before standing up and walking toward Kenzo.
I can see anger in his eyes because I left the main ward alone, but he doesn’t start scolding me. Instead, he starts to walk toward the broken wall. Shrugging the bag's strap higher over my shoulder, I follow Kenzo across all the rubble.
I’m angry with Kenzo, as well. Yeah, it’s nice not to be alone, but I don’t want him to come along. I want my friends as far away from the ecocity as possible while I deal with the problem.
I know it’s stupid thinking I can solve the world’s problems by myself. It’s not like I have power to wield over everyone.
But I’m still going to try if it means I can save lives.
Once we reach the open fields that seem to stretch out forever, I mutter, “Why did you come?”
“You think I’m really going to sit back and let you do this by yourself?” he snaps back at me. “I should’ve gotten them all together, but I knew it would take too long. So, if you want to go on this suicide mission of yours, then you’ll just have to be happy with my company.”
Suicide mission. That’s one way of putting it.
“You should’ve stayed at the main ward,” I grumble. “I have a plan.”
