Read Online The Sphinx Project by Kate Hawkings - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kate Hawkings
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told them we were her children? And if they do know about us, they might turn us over to the lab," Nicole answered, a hint of scorn edging her voice.
I turned away as flames encased my vision. Why did Nicole think it was so wrong to want to find out about Mom and her family?
Staring out the window, I thought about Mom and Guy. The labs had taken away our childhood, and now because of them we'd lost the last person who cared for us. I couldn't do anything about Mom, but I could sure as hell try to make it up to Guy.
Chapter Nine
The journey passed with the speed of a snail. Seeing as none of us had a driver's license, we thought there'd be less chance of getting pulled over if we avoided the highways. It got even more tedious when we passed into Alabama.
Something was wrong; although no houses had cars in their driveways, the streets were empty. Shop doors were closed and windows boarded up.
To begin with, the damage was minor—missing roof tiles, smashed glass, an uprooted mailbox. But soon the destruction became a lot harder to miss, and it got worse the farther west we drove.
Driving into the wreckage, we stopped in front of a sign set in the middle of the road. Sand bags surrounded the base, holding the fluorescent orange board upright. Bold black letters declared the area a disaster zone.
"So what do you think? Keep going, or backtrack and take another route?" Nicole asked from the passenger seat.
"Just go straight through," Briana said, obviously bored.
I steered around the sign and our right wheels mounted the pavement. Something splintered beneath the tires, but I paid it no heed.
The damage, which had been growing gradually worse, increased in magnitude almost immediately. Soon we were passing flattened houses and uprooted trees. There was no indication that anyone still lived here.
Furniture littered the landscape, perched in the most unlikely of places. One house that had managed to remain standing, now had a full-sized couch and dining room table on its roof. Next door, a flimsy tree somehow managed to support a refrigerator, in which a bird had begun to build its nest with a variety of debris, scavenged from the garbage littering the landscape. Wires twisted between newspapers, leaves, branches and grass, creating a home for its offspring.
We moved intermittently through the streets, constantly climbing out of the car to clear the obstacles out of our way. Briana got grouchy, so I offered her the chance to drive. Nicole, Mouse and I walked ahead, dragging the trash away from the road.
"Where are the people? Why did they leave instead of cleaning up and rebuilding?" Mouse asked.
"I don't know, but it sure seems like they left in a hurry." Nicole nodded at a house missing its roof. The door hung open, showing an entrance hall lined with a family's shoes, toys still scattered on the carpet.
Casting my eyes over the next house, it too still looked lived in. I could see the furniture arranged around the television in the family room behind the window hangings.
"Do you think…" Mouse broke off abruptly as she slumped to the ground. A gurgling, choking noise scraped from her throat, her left leg jerked uncontrollably.
My chest tightened, and my heart jumped into my throat. Fear coursed through my veins as I sprinted to her side. The convulsions crawled over her until they shook her entire body.
Her eyes rolled back into her head, her breathing accelerating. I yanked my sweatshirt off, tucking it under her head to protect it from the hard ground. I didn't know what else we could do until she stopped thrashing.
I pressed my hands together, trying to stop them shaking. The spasms racing through Mouse's body eventually slowed, until she lay completely still. Her breathing was shallow now, her heartbeat faint. I turned her where she lay, tilting her face downwards to make sure if she became sick, nothing she brought up would block her airway.
My own heart still thudded, the adrenaline racing around my
I turned away as flames encased my vision. Why did Nicole think it was so wrong to want to find out about Mom and her family?
Staring out the window, I thought about Mom and Guy. The labs had taken away our childhood, and now because of them we'd lost the last person who cared for us. I couldn't do anything about Mom, but I could sure as hell try to make it up to Guy.
Chapter Nine
The journey passed with the speed of a snail. Seeing as none of us had a driver's license, we thought there'd be less chance of getting pulled over if we avoided the highways. It got even more tedious when we passed into Alabama.
Something was wrong; although no houses had cars in their driveways, the streets were empty. Shop doors were closed and windows boarded up.
To begin with, the damage was minor—missing roof tiles, smashed glass, an uprooted mailbox. But soon the destruction became a lot harder to miss, and it got worse the farther west we drove.
Driving into the wreckage, we stopped in front of a sign set in the middle of the road. Sand bags surrounded the base, holding the fluorescent orange board upright. Bold black letters declared the area a disaster zone.
"So what do you think? Keep going, or backtrack and take another route?" Nicole asked from the passenger seat.
"Just go straight through," Briana said, obviously bored.
I steered around the sign and our right wheels mounted the pavement. Something splintered beneath the tires, but I paid it no heed.
The damage, which had been growing gradually worse, increased in magnitude almost immediately. Soon we were passing flattened houses and uprooted trees. There was no indication that anyone still lived here.
Furniture littered the landscape, perched in the most unlikely of places. One house that had managed to remain standing, now had a full-sized couch and dining room table on its roof. Next door, a flimsy tree somehow managed to support a refrigerator, in which a bird had begun to build its nest with a variety of debris, scavenged from the garbage littering the landscape. Wires twisted between newspapers, leaves, branches and grass, creating a home for its offspring.
We moved intermittently through the streets, constantly climbing out of the car to clear the obstacles out of our way. Briana got grouchy, so I offered her the chance to drive. Nicole, Mouse and I walked ahead, dragging the trash away from the road.
"Where are the people? Why did they leave instead of cleaning up and rebuilding?" Mouse asked.
"I don't know, but it sure seems like they left in a hurry." Nicole nodded at a house missing its roof. The door hung open, showing an entrance hall lined with a family's shoes, toys still scattered on the carpet.
Casting my eyes over the next house, it too still looked lived in. I could see the furniture arranged around the television in the family room behind the window hangings.
"Do you think…" Mouse broke off abruptly as she slumped to the ground. A gurgling, choking noise scraped from her throat, her left leg jerked uncontrollably.
My chest tightened, and my heart jumped into my throat. Fear coursed through my veins as I sprinted to her side. The convulsions crawled over her until they shook her entire body.
Her eyes rolled back into her head, her breathing accelerating. I yanked my sweatshirt off, tucking it under her head to protect it from the hard ground. I didn't know what else we could do until she stopped thrashing.
I pressed my hands together, trying to stop them shaking. The spasms racing through Mouse's body eventually slowed, until she lay completely still. Her breathing was shallow now, her heartbeat faint. I turned her where she lay, tilting her face downwards to make sure if she became sick, nothing she brought up would block her airway.
My own heart still thudded, the adrenaline racing around my
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