Abel pulled on Hyde's fur stopping him right before the edge of the tree line that separated them from the lake.
"What are we stopping for?" Ari asked.
"The last time I was here I left my brother and sister behind. I got mauled while I was alone I need to prepare just in case something worse happened to them," he said, breathing deeply. Ari placed her hand on the center of his back and rubbed slightly in a clockwise motion.
"As long as you need," She whispered. Abel closed his eye and silently prayed that his sibling's mangled bodies weren't beyond the trees and that they made it out safe and sound.
After a deep breath, he peeled his eye open and tapped his heels releasing the grip on Hyde's fur and sending him slowly through the trees. As Hyde approached the lake, he walked slowly, while cautiously looking around and perking his ears. He stood still and listened for a while. Before dropping his guard and alerting the safety of the group. Abel slid down the side of Hyde's body positioning himself to catch Ari, and then Art. The two of them slid slowly off of Hyde's back and glanced around as they stood just feet away from the large lake in front of them.
The moist scent of algae filled the air. The loud crashing sound of the waterfall bounced around the trees echoing through the forest. The sun shined just right forming a rainbow floating in front of the falls. Abel smiled as he took in the view, he was excited they were so close now, and no sign of his siblings' mangled bodies.
"We made it," he said, smiling slightly.
"Not much further now," Ari replied, placing her hand on his shoulder.
"Fantastic, how do we get back from here?" Art asked, pushing himself between them.
"We'll have to climb again," Abel said, picking a stone off the ground.
"We'll climb to the left of the falls, putting us just beside the river above and straight on the grass. Then it's a straight shot back to Westbrook," He continued.
"Cool, sound like a plan," he said, smirking.
"Look at Mr. tough guy now huh, What happened to changing your mind?" Ari asked, shoving him playfully.
"Shut up, it wasn't as scary as I thought," he said, straightening his hoodie. Ari and Abel chuckled to themselves slightly. Abel looked around in despair. He knew the chances of Miles and Amanda still being here were slim and alive even slimmer but he still had some hope in his heart that he might reunite with them. He lowered his head slightly and stared at the rocks below.
"Everything okay?" Ari asked, grabbing his arm softly.
"I don't know, I just thought maybe...Miles and Amanda would still be here," he replied, with sorrow encumbering his voice.
"I'm sure they made it. If they're anything like you we'll find them," she said, curling her lip slightly.
"I hope you're right," he said, leaning down and picking up a tattered shoe from the shoreline.
"Me too," She said, grabbing his hand. He stared at the sky above, his eye fixated on the red clouds slowly riding the wind across the sky before being lost behind the mountains. A lot of memories filled his mind as he watched in despair. None more so than the memory of his mother before his father had been laid off. She was always happy, her smile could warm the room for hours. She was always the glue that kept everyone intact. He remembered that whenever he and Miles would fight, she created solutions seemingly out of nowhere.
His dad had worked as a nuclear physicist working within the J.P Allen Airforce Base, he was away from home for months on end. The only thing reminding them of his existence most of the time were the checks they'd receive in the mail. Until he caused a small radiation leak sending five people to the hospital and killing two. It was ruled an accident but the damage was done and his dad was never the same. After that Abel could count on one hand the words his dad said. He turned cold and started drinking himself to death in his recliner.
He remembered one day during the summer he was lying in his room quietly, trying to fall asleep when he heard a loud bang echo through the hallway from downstairs. He curiously ventured out and crept down the stairs. The chair where his father sat was vacant and the TV still shined bright. He had been watching a news story regarding the situation in Russia. "President Putin claims that after the victory in Ukraine he will invade Lithuania next in an attempt to protect his country from the Nazi uprising happening along their borders, more on this today at ten," Stacey Helbcheck, the news anchor on Channel 4 said, signing off for the night.
Then again he heard an echoing bang, this time he knew it was coming from the garage. He followed the sound as it got louder, and he began to hear whispering as he approached the door. He placed his ear up against the cold wood and cupped his hand around it.
"No, no, no, no, no! They can't launch my weapon. They don't know what it does, I don't know what it does. A small leak within a confined room killed two people and affected two others in unspeakable ways," He heard his dad whisper, fumbling through drawers and cabinets.
"You aren't listening, if you launch that weapon and they get a sample, it could mean mass extinction," He continued, pleading with someone. A moment of silence filled the garage as Abel breathed heavily with anticipation.
"Okay," His dad said, his voice sorrowful. He heard the click of a phone closing as footsteps approached the door, he froze looking left and right for an idea, he quickly rushed into the kitchen and began filling a glass with water from the sink. As the faucet filled the cup the door creaked open and his dad walked in, a large bottle of liquor in his hand, that was half empty. His dad took a long swig from the bottle and pointed to him.
"Be careful what you drink," He said, stumbling back to his chair and plopping down, Abel walked over to the stairs leaving his glass on the counter. He peeked behind the wall and opened his mouth with a question before being cut off by an obnoxiously loud snore. He rolled his eyes before making his way back to his room. Back then he just assumed it was a drunken rage and that his father was crazy, but now as he stared at the red clouds above he knew, whatever it was his dad had been scared of, had come true. He couldn't help but hear that sentence echo through his mind once more "be careful what you drink" was this a warning?
Was it an alcoholic man hoping his son made better choices? He didn't know but he knew his dad had the answers and he needed to get them.
"Saddle up, we need to go," he said, bringing his mind back to reality.
"We're ready," Ari said, climbing onto Hyde's back. Abel dropped the tattered shoe, letting it tumble into the rocks below before climbing onto Hyde. He looked around one last time in hopes of seeing anyone, disappointment washed over him as he shouted his final "Hiyah!" In the blink of an eye, Hyde was on the side of the wall scratching and clawing his way up the slick rocky terrain. The water from the falls splashed on all of their faces. Their hair was soaked their clothes were drenched and they could barely open their eyes.
Hyde clawed and scraped launching rocks in all directions. His claws were like metal no matter how hard he scraped they remained sharp and hard like a freshly sharpened spear. He stopped and glanced up panting heavily.
"Everything okay boy?" Abel asked, shouting over the roar of rushing water. Hyde focused his bright yellow eyes on the ledge above. It was close almost as if mocking them. Hyde sat for a moment staring upward leaving his riders with questions and concerns. Abel gripped his fur with one arm as tight as possible before raising his other to block the heavy water from his good eye.
He wiped the droplets from his face and stared at the ledge above. It clicked in his head, he and Hyde were thinking the same thing. He mustered up the courage and inched closer to Hyde's head.
"Do it!" He shouted, clicking his heels firmly. With a deep bellow, Hyde lowered his body extending his arms above his head before launching himself into the air. Art, Ari, and Abel gripped tightly as they flew above the lake below, this time with no support keeping them from plummeting. They held their breath for what felt like hours, Then they smacked back down onto Hyde's back as the giant beast sunk his claws into the top of the cliff.
"Yes!" Abel shouted, chuckling intensely.
"We made it," Ari said, relieved.
"Holy shit, the mutt didn't kill us," Art said, hugging Hyde tight around his waist. Hyde extended his paws and clawed his way onto the flat ground. He stretched for a moment before standing up straight. There it was, in the distance the three of them could see it, what remained of the bridge. Left behind were the silhouettes of two small chunks on either side of the river and a couple of cars dangling off the edge. Behind the bridge, a giant cloud of black smoke rippled through the sky.
"The city is on fire," Abel said, sighing slightly.
"Then let's go put it out," Ari said, placing her hand on the center of his back.
"Hiya!" He shouted, sending Hyde back into a sprint for the final stretch.