The Charge

Chapter 4

        And just then, we hear a scream. “Help!” I open the trapdoor and see Lexie struggling to climb the tree. “Taylor! I hurt my ankle, and I can’t climb! Please help me!”
        I glance at the Flood, which is less than a minute away, and back down at Lexie. I can’t leave her. I immediately start climbing down the tree as fast as I can. When I reach the bottom, she climbs onto my back, and I begin the ascent.
        It’s slower with her on my back, and we probably only have 30 seconds. I’m halfway up the tree. 15 seconds. I’m almost there; only 10 more feet. 8. 6.
        And then finally, I’m 56 feet off the ground, out of the Flood’s reach. I climb into the base, gasping, and Lexie scrambles off of my back. She dumps the contents of her bag out onto the floor. I close the trapdoor and crawl over to her.
        “One mostly full water bottle. A bruised apple. A small bag of goldfish. Two magazines - one sports, one fashion. A peppermint candy. And a battery-powered DS.” Lexie looks up at me. “We’re so screwed.”
        “Better than nothing,” I say, powering on the DS. It whirs to life, and I squint at the screen. “Whew. 78% battery. And it looks like it has Pokemon on it.” I turn it off and hand it to Maxwell. “Here. Pip has his coloring stuff. You don’t have anything.”
        Maxwell blushes. “Thanks…”
        Lexie’s unwrapping the peppermint and holding it out. “Anyone want this? I hate peppermint,” she says.
        Pip’s hand shoots up. “Oh, oh, me, me!” he exclaims. She tosses it to him, and he pops it in his mouth.
        Lexie picks up her shoebox. It’s got her trusty notebook and pen, plus some… odd… things that she’s collected: A silver necklace with a dolphin charm. An Angry Birds toy that must have come from a Happy Meal. A plastic “crystal” from a gumball machine. An eraser shaped like a cow’s head.
        “Lexie…” I begin. “Why do you keep those things? They’re trash!”
        Maxwell groans and rolls his eyes. “Oh, brother, here we go again,” he mutters.
        Lexie sighs and shakes her head. “Taylor, Taylor, Taylor. They’re not trash. They’re worth something. We can use them for trading, if we ever find other living people.”
        “Psh, like that’s going to happen,” I say. “Besides, who would want those pieces of junk?”
        Lexie shrugs. “There might be a girl who thinks this necklace is a perfect gift for her sister. Or maybe a little kid who loves Angry Birds and would like to have this toy. You never know, Taylor.”
        I look out the window. The Flood has died down now, the millimeter of water covering the ground too thin to harm us. “Well, you said we’re screwed, so I guess I’m going out on a supply run.” I get up, stretch, and take the empty backpack.
        Lexie clicks her tongue. “Okay… see you later!”
        I throw open the trapdoor and climb down, pulling it shut behind me. Then I clamber down the tree, jumping down when I get three feet off the ground. I stand up and brush myself off before heading towards town.