Talon by Jayden Jelso

Author:Jayden Jelso
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jayden Jelso

Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN

MAY 18TH, 2492

A deafening clap of thunder split the silence, startling Talon awake. Castor gasped and tumbled out of his hammock with a loud thud.

Talon rubbed his eyes, a wave of dread overcoming him when he realized they were still in Shardsville. That they wouldn’t be leaving until they’d obtained the piece of the map.

He could see Amber’s vague outline sitting upright in the cockpit, staring at the street outside as lightning flickered through the clouds like neon lights. He climbed out of the hammock, a bit discombobulated, and sauntered into the cockpit.

“I hate this,” she stated with grief. “It reminds me…”

She paused, and Talon waited. Amber seemed to be talking more to herself, but when she fully realized he stood there, she sighed.

“Sorry.”

Talon said, “No, it’s fine… I hate it, too.”

A small, strained smile appeared on her lips, but it didn’t go any further. Castor stumbled over to them, his eyes bloodshot.

He made a feeble attempt at a joke. “I guess people don’t need to buy alarm clocks here.”

Amber half-laughed, and so did Talon, but the fleeting joy didn’t feel as comforting as it had back in the Highlands. The three of them lingered for a moment, gazing out the window at the hellish landscape. At the ghost of a once prosperous city.

“Well,” Castor finally spoke, “I guess we should do this.”

Amber nodded. “Yes…”

It wasn’t so simple to Talon. They were forgetting something.

“Um… where are we supposed to start?”

Amber and Castor stopped before sinking a few inches.

“Well… maybe we should ask around,” Amber suggested skeptically.

“In this place?” Castor said. “No way. Look, I tolerated it in Blackridge, but I will not tolerate it here. I don’t wanna be clubbed on the head with another bottle… or worse.”

They stood for another silent moment, each trying to form a plan, when a new idea popped into Talon’s head.

“The holo-device,” he said quietly.

Amber asked, “What about it?”

“Maybe it has directions… just a thought.”

Castor and Amber glanced at each other, before Castor retrieved the device from the console and flicked it on. Its luminous glow cast a cold light around the cockpit and the map of America projected itself into the air. The area indicated by the flashing yellow dot grew, forming a new kind of map.

Instead of the indicated location of Shardsville, they saw grids, outlines of buildings and, sure enough, the highlighted path to the map’s location. Talon sighed in relief, and Amber slumped in her chair, clearly relieved they didn’t have to search blindly.

Castor moved his fingers along the device’s smooth surface, and the map responded to his touch, swiveling around as he followed the highlighted roads until finally reaching the location.

Words formed, and he zoomed in on the image.

“Capital Tower,” he read slowly.

They all stared at each other for a moment, before realizing the haunting fact they were going to have to travel through the desolate city.

Talon pulled on his overcoat and grabbed his sword before placing a respirator over his nose and mouth. It was a confusing feeling, breathing through a mechanical apparatus that hummed whenever he inhaled.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.