She stumbled to a tree and leaned against it, trying to catch her breath. They’d been going at a relatively slow pace, but she was still out of breath and could not go on. Her legs didn't ache at all: and she would rather that be the case than for this painful outcome.
“Are you okay?” Gail asked, walking up to her.
Miah nodded, took a deep breath, and looked around. As Ben walked over, she asked, her voice low, “How much longer do we have to go?”
Ben gestured toward the gap they were heading for and sighed, “We can't stop now. You can make it, anyone could walk this distance in a day. But we can't keep stopping like this.”
Miah was too overcome to protest, and held her head as she leaned against the tree. Gail glared at Ben. “Do you have any idea what she—”
Connor, who was ahead, turned and shouted back, “Hey, guys! Come see this!”
Gail shot Ben an angry look and gently took Miah’s arm, guiding her over to where Connor stood.
“Are you okay?” Gail asked, walking up to her.
Miah nodded, took a deep breath, and looked around. As Ben walked over, she asked, her voice low, “How much longer do we have to go?”
Ben gestured toward the gap they were heading for and sighed, “We can't stop now. You can make it, anyone could walk this distance in a day. But we can't keep stopping like this.”
Miah was too overcome to protest, and held her head as she leaned against the tree. Gail glared at Ben. “Do you have any idea what she—”
“You think I don't understand? You don't even know what your experiments did to me. What they're still doing to me.”
Taking his arm and pulling him down to her height, she enunciated every word, “She went for two whole days with torn tendons, basically useless knees and ankles, and then she woke up with metal—”
Connor, who was ahead, turned and shouted back, “Hey, guys! Come see this!”
Gail shot Ben an angry look and gently took Miah’s arm, guiding her over to where Connor stood.
Ben rolled his eyes and walked up to them. “What is it? I…Oh.”
They stared, eyes wide.
Before their feet was a seemingly bottomless fissure in the earth; a crack that ran as far as they could see, running into the mountains on either side of the valley. It was far too wide to jump across and to attempt climbing down and out on the other side was unthinkable; sharp rocks and crumbling dirt were mixed with slippery, rotting tree trunks and splintered branches.
Gail looked at Connor. “How are we going to get there now?”
Before their feet was a seemingly bottomless fissure in the earth; a crack that ran as far as they could see, running into the mountains on either side of the valley. It was far too wide to jump across and to attempt climbing down and out on the other side was unthinkable; sharp rocks and crumbling dirt were mixed with slippery, rotting tree trunks and splintered branches.
Gail looked at Connor. “How are we going to get there now?”
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