Page 39 of The Quiet
Ella felt a chill run down her spine. Kay in all of his knowledge assumed everyone knew the basics that he did. He’d repeatedly said that the ROSE had done unspeakable things, but to someone with such a high view of the world, even the murder of one person was unspeakable. Ella hadn’t thought much of Kay’s claims, and the truth of it shocked her.
Kay had studied history, read accounts, peeled through journals. This was personal for him.
“It’s not about deserving,” Jackson said, the anger in his voice cooling off with conviction before his eyes moved between them and he shook his head before settling his gaze back on Kay. “You’re getting this all from what?” His anger returned in full force, louder now, less restrained. “A book?” He pushed. “A class?” He said louder. “Did they include somewhere in those textbooks what we lost?” He walked up to Kay who stood his ground.
Ella stepped toward them both, unsure if Jackson was prone to violence and if Kay was putting himself in a position to invite it.
Jackson lowered his voice as he neared Kay, both men of similar height but vastly different countenances. In a deep, warning growl, Jackson said, “The privileges you enjoy now were built on the ashes of people I loved.”
“You burned a city full of people just to kill the Strike!” Kay responded without hearing the words.
Ella heard them. The pieces snapped into place so quickly that she didn’t have the words to express it.
Jackson lunged forward with a speed that betrayed his size, locking Kay by the collar before Ella latched onto his closed first.
Jackson froze in place at her touch, watching her in a way that seemed to show that not only was he surprised she intervened, but that her touch had so quickly halted him.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered and he searched her eyes, perhaps seeing what she meant. The depth of the apology visibly shook him, and he released Kay and stepped away, slinging his bag back over his back before marching off into the woods.
“I’m sorry?” Kay said heatedly beside her. “I’m sorry? That’s what you tell him? They killed thousands of people. He needs to know where we stand.”
Ella watched the path silently where Jackson walked off.
It seemed odd when Kay said the ROSE had disappeared after the war, though until the argument she hadn’t quite understood the relevance of the fiery scenes from Jackson’s memories or why such a fact seemed off based on what she’d experienced.
“They locked people in their city with the Strike and burned them all. An entire city.” Kay continued to remind her.
“They locked themselves inside too,” she whispered back, swallowing. She shook her head for a moment before walking after Jackson. “Jackson!” she called, picking up her pace until she snagged his shirt.
He turned sharply but his expression was unreadable, glancing back at Kay over her shoulder as they all caught up together.
“Why do you think Peter survived?” Ella asked, the inquisitive nature of her voice diffusing the tension in the air. “After everything you all sacrificed to make sure he was dead?”
Jackson looked between them, running a hand through his hair. She’d exposed something in him, and he too seemed to resent that. He turned restlessly away from her and said, “Because it’s Peter.”
As he walked off, Ella exchanged glances with Kay and watched Jackson’s back.
How did you survive?She asked, inwardly.
That ended the conversation and the silence lingered for several more hours, compounded by the fact that this world in all of its vastness still seemed empty. The Quiet was comforting in its vacancy and Ella had begun to deeply appreciate its title in a way that she hadn’t before. As her body grew weaker, every interruption of that silence became a disturbance, be it a question from Kay or an abrasive, cold comment from Jackson.
They settled in for another restless night with little conversation. It was soon followed by another slow morning of hiking.
“How’s your arm?” Kay whispered as they neared their destination. She was having a hard time disguising how her body rejected any effort she pushed into it.
“Fine,” she lied again. It was worse. She felt much worse, and was relieved to soak in the peculiarities of the world as they reached the stretch leading up to the tower of Life. It was a brilliant, white marble tower with a burning sun positioned at the top. Ella found herself blinded by the sheer sight of it, noting some of the symbolism that was used in the Imperia’s murals.
It stood on a hill, only accentuating its great height as it seemed to overlook The Quiet stretched out beyond. They approached the entrance, and there was a lightness and awe on Kay’s face as he breathed and shook his head in disbelief.
“Listeners meditate for years, just to get glimpses of this,” he then added. “Only those that are considered truly enlightened ever manage to cross over to The Quiet. The pinnacle of enlightenment is to be able to cross over without ever coming back, at least according to the religious texts.”
They both turned at a loud hissing sound behind them, Jackson striking his lighter as he tilted his head to light a cigarette.
“I’m going to sit up at the cliff and see if I spot anything,” Jackson said, exhaling a line of smoke into the air as he clicked the lighter closed. He walked off, Ella starting to follow but knowing Kay was still uneasy from their last argument.
“Explore here a bit,” she said to ease his nerves, “take what sketches you want and then you can come up to the lookout. We have time.”
Kay nodded and walked up the stairway into the tower. Ella joined Jackson on an outcropping of rocks as they looked out at The Quiet.
