The Journal of Memories

“Mom?... is that really you?”

She stood there staring at me. Her eyes were pitch black like everyone else’s. Her hair was messy and dirtied up. She was wearing her favorite flowery dress but it had some rips in it. Her skin was bruised and covered in dirt. She was skinnier than normal like she hasn’t eaten in days.

I got up from the ground and walked closer to her, “Mom, I am so glad you are safe... I have been looking for you.”

Her dark eyes that were staring at Luna, like she was asking her about what to do. Luna stood up looking at her, “Ben, she is just like everyone else.”

I shook my head, “She saved us... she is different. I know it.”

Luna grabbed my arm, “Ben... I can feel her emptiness. Look at her eyes... That is not really her.”

I felt more tears fall down my face.

Luna pulled me into a hug like I have always done for her, “I know what it feels like to have lost someone but trust me she is not lost. We can get her back but we have to find your dad.”

I nodded and released from her grip, “Can we make sure she is safe before we leave?”

She smiled and looked towards my mom, “Mrs. Foster... Go into a building, find some food, and stay there until all this is over with.”

My mom nodded and began to walk away but I wrapped my arms around her. Luna smiled again, “Hug him back.”

I then felt my mom’s skinny arms wrap around me. The faint smell of strawberries was still noticeable on her.

I miss you. Stay safe. I will save you.

I released her and she did the same. I watched her walk into the smoke, disappearing.

I began to tune back into the world around me. There was still panic all around us. Gunshots in the distance and whimpers of pain. I was starting to feel the bruises starting to form on my skin from getting hit with the baseball bat. My head slightly hurting from the fall. I looked down at Dr. Simon, still lying unconscious on the ground.

Luna laughed, “Oops... almost forgot about him.”

She slid out the vial from her sleeves and held it out, “Would you like to do the honors?”

I smirked, “With pleasure... He deserves everything that is coming to him.”

I leaned down, opening the cap, holding close to his nose. He slowly breathed in the gas until I couldn’t see it in the vial anymore. I threw in on the ground, standing up, and letting out a breath.

That actually felt pretty good.

Luna grabbed my hand, pulling me to the direction of my bike, “Come let’s go save the city.”

Macy was still sitting in the sidecar, growling when we walked up, showing blood on her teeth.

What have you been up to you crazy dog?

Luna put her hands up, “Macy. It’s us.”

Macy laid down in her car and huffed.

I looked at Luna, “Do you want to explain why our dog has blood on her teeth?”

She laughed, shrugging, “Your guess is as good as mine... although she seems to like biting arms.”

We both jumped on my bike and I started it up. Luna grabbed the tablet looking at directions again, “We are close... Probably a five minute drive. If we go quick.”

I nodded, “Hopefully, we won’t run into any more trouble. Our army is pretty much gone.”

I began driving down the road slowly. My head was really hurt now that the adrenaline was wearing off. Luna must have noticed the pain, “Ben... let me drive you are hurting.”

I was about to shake my head but I thought about it.

I am probably going to pass out if I don’t calm down for a bit and I want to be alive when I see my dad.

I nodded my head pulling over. Luna jumped off and sat in front of me as I scooted back. She smirked at me, “Wow, you are actually letting me drive again... You might want to hang on tight, I am going to drive fast.”

I wrapped my arms around her while she took off down the road. The wind blowing against my face felt nice, except the sound of it hurt my ears. My head was pounding but it was beginning to slow down as I slowed my breathing. Luna glanced at me, “You okay back there?”

I nodded, “Yeah... just need to calm down a bit. I really hit the ground back there. Who would have ever thought I would get thrown off a bike.”

She laughed, “Yeah one second you were here and the next you were gone. It is pretty funny now that I think about it.”

I laughed too, “Yeah. I just have a major headache now.”

“Shake it off. You should be used to them by now.”

“Yeah I am working on it.”

She laughed again, “We are almost there, just a few more minutes.”

I must have fallen asleep over those next few minutes because I woke up to Luna shaking me, “Ben? I think we are here wake up.”

I lifted my head up and stood, being a little shaky. Luna held onto me, “Careful... How is your head doing?”

I rubbed my eyes, “Good. The pounding stopped.”

I looked around to see a whole bunch of rubble around us and a few still standing buildings, “Where is my dad’s lab?”

Luna looked ahead of us, “It is supposed to be right here. Or it was right here.”

I looked in front of us seeing rumble and charred pieces of building where the lab was supposed to be, “A-are you sure?”

Shock.

She is right. My dad’s lab is destroyed.

She noticed how my face changed, “Ben?... what are we supposed to do now? This whole place is destroyed.”

I looked at her, “I- I don’t know... I- I don’t know! Everything is gone! We can’t save the city! Why does this keep happening?! We are just two stupid teenagers in the middle of this mess!”

She grabbed my shoulders, “Ben...”

I kept ranting but she shut me up, “Ben! Don’t quit on me! We will figure something out.”

“How?”

She thought about it and her eyes widened, “We look through it. You said your dad had a journal!”

My eyes widened too.

The journal.

I calmed down, “Yes... we have to find it. It has to be here somewhere.”

Please... be here. This is our only chance.