Chapter 122 - All Of You Are Weak (1/2)

Leona didn't know what to say. When she was close to Reggie and Dee, she felt the resonance that showed they were similar to her. She hadn't felt that with Laz, hence why she wanted to scare him away. But now, even though she didn't feel the same thing with him, she felt like he must be some how the same as her. The part that she hated the most was that she had so little information that it was hard to make any choices. Everything they did was like trying to figure out what something was when you couldn't see it or touch it. It was like she was nothing more than a chained prisoner in a cave, discussing shadows on the wall.

Leona wanted answers and as much as she hated to admit it, this person might be the only one to give them to her.

Laz didn't say anything else, but just sat down and waited. He knew that some things couldn't be forced. He made the offer but saying yes or no was her choice. He didn't want to get involved, but he had since gotten the feeling that not doing anything when those in front of him were asking for help was akin to betraying all of those who had helped him. And that was something he would never do.

Leona stood there, silent in thought as the light in the sky faded. When she finally looked to Laz, she could only nod her head yes. No matter what, she needed more information than she had. It wasn't just her that was at risk.

”Good. Sit. Feel free to ask some questions. Tonight was a rest night anyway and it't been a while since I had some beautiful company.” Laz pointed at a car seat near by, indicating that she should sit. It wasn't exactly a high class chair, but Leona could see that it was clean at least. She wanted to ask why he was using wrecked car seats when it appeared that the camper looked pretty new and in good condition, but decided it wasn't important.

”Am I sick?” The first question and probably the one most on her mind was the first one Leona asked. Based on everything they had been saying, she was led to believe, like everyone else, that she was somehow sick.

”The basic definition of sick is 'affected by physical or mental illness.' No. You are not sick. You are not ill, you will not die. Well, as long as you don't do something stupid.” Laz answered as straightforwardly as possible. He could feel her stress and worry. He wasn't sure if she trusted him, but he was going to be as honest as possible anyway.

”Something stupid?”

”Skip that part for now and we will come back to it. Instead, ask the questions that have been haunting you day in and day out. If you were going to do that something stupid that you shouldn't do, you would have done it already so it doesn't matter at this point,” Laz kindly advised.

”What is happening to us?”

”Ah. Good one. Ok, I'm not 100% on this either so the best I can give you is my guess based on what I know,” Laz sat up from his slouched position and leaned forward.

”You know that giant tree that appeared? The came from somewhere else. Where? No idea. Doesn't matter anyway. But it started releasing a new form of energy that has now spread across the globe, causing things to happen, like changes in plant and animal life and changes in us humans. Also, we will keep changing as long as we want to. We can get stronger if we choose to, which you seem to have already been doing.” Laz explained patently. A lot of what he knew was guessing, mixed in with the info he obtained from Vivi and the ever allusive alien.

”What are the chosen they keep talking about? Are they different from us?” Dee and Reggie had thought that going forward was a good idea. Since they didn't think they were sick, they felt they were special. Leona had felt very worried about this though and had held them back. Now that she found someone who seemed to know something, she wanted answers. She wasn't sure she believed him, but she felt like he wasn't lying either.

”They are different and you are not one of them. Neither are Reggie and Dee,” Laz asked without volunteering anything extra. There were things he wanted to warn her about, but Laz felt this wasn't the best time.

”So what should we do? Are they going to hunt for people like us?” Leona was someone who knew that no matter what was happening at the moment, you needed to be ready for later too. She was a senior this year who was getting ready for college. Every step she had been taking was to prepare for her future. Now though, it seemed like those plans all amount to nothing.

”Get stronger.” It was two simple words, but it conveyed a host of different meanings. Laz paused for a moment before continuing.

”They will come for you. They will start coming for everyone soon enough. Not today... or tomorrow. But they will. You can either be subject to their whims or you can learn to fight back. But no matter how you view it, nothing will be like it was ever again.” It was a cold, hard truth. It would be difficult for anyone to accept, especially for someone as young and innocent as Leona, Dee and Reggie. But it was something they had to accept because it wasn't going to change.

”Why? I didn't want any of this. I just... want to be normal. I want to go to college, get a good job, maybe even get into politics. But now your saying that's not possible?” Leona started to get agitated. It's hard to accept change but it's even harder to accept when you don't have a choice.

”Unless the world's view changes, no. It's not possible. At some point you will be found out. The only thing you can do is to be ready for that.” Thinking back on everything that had happened to him, Laz was able to clearly see that this is what his grandpas had been telling him.

”How?” Although the answer seemed obvious to Laz, Leona's mindset wasn't in the same place.

”Become strong. Strong enough to fight and strong enough to run away. As long as you live, there is hope.” Those were the words Laz was living by. He wanted to see his parents, save his grandfathers and get revenge on that bug bastard. To do all that, he needed to be strong enough and be free.

”How can I be strong enough?” Laz knew she would ask this question and it was the one that he didn't want asked. Looking at her face, the beautiful eyes that were lined with tears along with her slim and shaking shoulders, Laz finally made his resolve.

”I will teach you, like I was taught. All of you are weak. But we can change that. You will have to trust me though and you won't like it.” This was also the truth. Laz had not stopped his work outs since he began running. Although he didn't have the facilities like he used to, that didn't stop him for even one day.

”Why should I trust you?” Despite her fear and worries, Leona was a strong woman with strong convictions. She wouldn't blindly trust anyone, especially someone she just met.

”Give me a chance and I will show you.” Laz smiled. In the darkening light that currently lacked both sun light and moon light, he had a certain glow about him.

Leona agreed it was worth a try.

...

*Why?*

”Do you really need to ask?”