Beyond the Horizon(An apocalypse novel)

Chapter 26: Kyle

The sound of ringing within his head, mixed with the occasional agonizing throb, woke Miles from his dreamless sleep.

"Ugh..."

He opened his blurry eyes, only to find his view blurred, colors mixing like a painting.

"Shit!"

The throbbing made it hard to think.

"He’s awake."

It was only then he took note of his surroundings. He wasn’t cold anymore. The rigid foam of a gym mat lay behind him; a thermal blanket covered him.

The rattling of a dying heater barely pierced through the ambience of the storm.

He was in the gym.

There were more footsteps approaching now. He rubbed his eyes to clear them, only to find his hand covered in bandages; a dull pain throbbed from it.

Parts of his face still felt numb.

Atleast, he could see much clearer now.

Mrs. Kathy knelt beside him, Ryan standing at her side.

"Are you feeling better now?"

Miles didn’t answer, shaking his head as he pushed himself upright to face them. He grimaced as the migraine worsened.

"You don’t have to force yourself up."

"It’s fine."

Shaking off her concern, he kept a hand against his head to stabilize his thoughts before looking at her properly.

"What about the others? How long was I out for?"

The woman stared for a few moments, her face shifting as though considering something, before speaking.

"About an hour, and they’re mostly fine."

He didn’t wait for her to elaborate on what that meant, shifting his gaze to focus on the room behind her.

Chloe was the first one he saw, curled up against the wall in a thermal blanket, with a gym mat below her.

The girl’s head perked as she noticed his gaze. A look of relief washed over her face as she nodded to him, before glancing at the students next to her, then sending him a helpless look.

Miles could only nod in reply, feeling some relief that they’d been able to escape the illusion as well.

He scanned the room for the rest, finding them rather quickly.

Mr. Morgan stood near the wall, a thermal blanket draped over his shoulders. Grimm and Brandon each stood nearby as well.

The man threw him a relieved look, then a thumbs up, but made no effort to approach, turning his attention back.

The other two stared at him for a few moments before Grimm gave a slow, awkward nod. Brandon firmly turned his head away without saying anything.

They were all staring at the wall. Not just them; there were a few more students surrounding that portion of the wall. Looking through the crowd, he could make out the silhouette of a body against the wall.

There was little need to guess who it was.

’Kyle.’

He remembered the state he’d brought the boy back in. There was little chance it’d be anyone else but him.

’Is he dying?’

"Miles."

Mrs. Kathy’s gentle call drew him back to her, staring at her worried face.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes..."

"Miles."

She cut him off, looking him dead in the eye, before asking again. Her voice remained gentle.

"Are you alright?"

He broke contact first, discomfort winning over him, before admitting quietly.

"I have a headache."

Mrs. Kathy gave a light smile before nodding. She took a bottle of painkillers from Ryan, shaking out a few pills, and handed them to him along with a bottle of water.

He wasted no time in downing them. She made sure to watch him do it, then patted his shoulder.

"You’ll be fine, Miles. It’s alright."

Before he could say anything in reply, she stood up, heading for Kyle’s side, while leaving Ryan with instructions to watch over him.

The class rep glanced between her departing figure and Miles before speaking.

"Do you know her?"

Miles didn’t reply immediately, watching her reach Mr. Morgan before turning back to Ryan.

"No. Not really."

It wasn’t exactly a lie. All Miles knew regarding her was the fact that she’d helped in facilitating his transfer from California.

He had no doubt she knew at least some parts of his story. Yet, she’d still fought for him to come here. Even making sure she became his homeroom teacher.

Besides some counseling and regular check-ups on his situation, they barely interacted.

He’d felt little but discomfort in all the times they met. Like she could always tell he was lying.

The painkillers’ effects slowly kicked in, dulling the edge off the pain in his head, finally returning to him some degree of normalcy.

Miles glanced at the group around Kyle, then Ryan, opening his mouth to speak before a commotion rose within the crowd.

Brandon was pushing everyone away as he shouted.

"He’s awake! Give him some space."

Looking back to Ryan, Miles finally asked.

"Can you take me there?"

"But Mrs. Kathy..."

Ryan paused, finding Miles staring deadpan at him, before sighing.

"Fine."

He grabbed one of Miles’s arms, placing it over his shoulders before helping him to his feet. Then they began moving towards the crowd.

By the time they reached it, the circle had expanded, giving Kyle some more space, and finally bringing him into Miles’s view.

The boy lay huddled against the wall, wrapped in a thermal blanket, breathing weakly.

Patches of skin on his face had grown a pale bluish color; he’d stopped shivering now. He barely seemed conscious, his eyelids staying only slightly open.

"Kyle?"

Brandon called out, in a tone surprisingly gentle for the bully. It worked.

Kyle’s pale eyelids twitched at it before creaking open a little, the eyes beneath them stopping on Brandon.

"Br... Brandon?"

His voice came out hoarse. Just saying the words seemed to take out all the energy in him.

"Kyle, you..."

"Y-you know..."

Kyle cut Brandon off.

"...I... I’ve always thought of you a-as a cool person. The... coolest I’ve ever met."

The room fell silent, letting the boy speak, even as his words slurred into each other. His gaze remained firmly on Brandon.

"I-I could never understand why you’d follow them around. The others."

His eyebrows twitched violently.

"You were always much more capable than them. I-it was why I stayed, even... even when they left."

Tears slid down his twitching eyes.

"So... so please save me."

His voice cracked, fading at the end.

"I don’t want to die."