Free Sky of Dust: The Last Weapon by Joshua Bonilla Page B

hand , ” I struggled out.
    I heard some movement.
    Please don’t be Abigail, please don’ t be Abigail, p lease don’t be Abigail , I repeated in my head.
    I was relieved when I saw Casey poke his head over and g i ve me a wide grin. He extended his arm over.
    “ Come on, a few more inches , ” h e urged.
    I took another step and panicked. I threw myself up , and he grabbed my hand and pulled my over the side.
    “ Watch what you’ re doing! ” Mary yelled in an annoyed voice . “ I almost got hit by rocks! ”
    I looked around.
    Abigail was near a tree holding the rope while Peter was untying the knot.
    Abigail then looped the rope around her waist and walked towards the edge of the cliff.
    “ Mary, sit in the loop and use your feet to keep yourself from hitting the wall , ” Abigail yelled down. “ I will pull you up. ”
    When Mary was secured, Abigail tapped her watch and began to back up. All was going well , and Mary was a few feet from the top when Abigail screamed as she began to slide towards the cliff.
    Mary began to scream as she fell.
    Peter and Casey grabbed the rope , and I threw my hands around Abigail’s waist ; together we were able to catch Mary.
    We all pulled back together , and , while Casey and the others were supporting her weight, I pulled Mary over the edge.
    Her legs were cut badly , and her head look ed like it had been scraped against the entire length of the rocks. She was barely conscious and was mouthing the word “ Watch . ”
    I took off my watch and secured it to her arm. I tapped the button on the side to activate it , and we all gathered around and watched.
    Her face began to mend. Skin grew like a web across her face. Hair grew back. Bits of rocks and twigs forced their way out of her skin. It was disgusting yet amazing to watch. Within minutes , she looked like normal , minus the blood that still stained her skin and clothes.
    Mary sat up and brushed herself off.
    “ I hate doing that , ” Mary said , making a face of disgust.
    She put her hand to her head like she was woozy and said, “ We will have to take it slow. I haven’t healed that much before. ”
    “ It was my fault , Mary , ” Abigail started. “ My watch ran out of the serum. I used it so much the past few days . I should have checked it. ”
    Mary raised her hand.
    “ We are alive now , so there is nothing to apologize for , ” Mary said calmly.
    The sky was getting orange as night began to creep up.
    “ We can still make it before it gets dark , ” Mary insisted.
    I took out the remaining food and water I had in Donald’s bag and passed them around. We ate as we walked , and within an hour we approached the cabin.
    It looked extremely old and about as safe as me climbing a rock wall. The wood was rotting , and it leaned to one side. The porch was more of a shell since the boards had rotted away. There was a row of logs that made a sort of staircase to the door. Despite night being now upon us, there seemed to be no lights on and no movement from inside.
    “ Do we knock? ” I asked.
    Mary looked troubled.
    “ They were expecting us , ” she s aid , ignoring my question. “ But it looks like no one is home. ”
    Mary paused then asked, “ Peter … ”
    “ I know , ” Peter interrupted in a bored voice . “ You want me to go see if someone is home because I can’t be hurt. Be right back. ”
    He walked towards the front of the house , and he touched his watch. The rest of us huddled behind a stack of wood and watched.
    Peter disappeared behind the house and came back around the other side , shrugging his shoulders. Mary pointed at the door.
    Peter rolled his eyes , walked to the door , and looked back at us. Mary waved him on.
    Peter knocked a few times. Nothing happened. He turned around and gave us the motion to come on.
    Then the door flew open , and a blue light erupted from the house . It sounded like a bug being caught in a bug zapper , but a hundred times louder and echoed in a