Page 93 of Us Defiant Few
She didn’t watch as his eyes skimmed over the passage.
She concentrated on the ground, letting sand cascade through her fingers. As it was, she was on the verge of losing her resolve and snatching the notebook right out of his hands.
After a few minutes, Khalani dared to look up.
Takeshi’s mouth was slightly parted, still staring down at her writing.
“I’ve never read anything like that,” he whispered.
He hated it.
It was awful.
She should chuck it in the desert and let it be forgotten.
“That was beautiful,” he stated emphatically, looking at her like he never had before.
The most magnificent sunset bathed Takeshi in a backdrop of oranges, reds, and yellows. And for a moment, she stared into heaven’s eyes.
“You really think so?” Her voice lifted, afraid she’d heard wrong.
“Yes. Where did you learn to write like that?”
Khalani exhaled, the beloved name close to her heart. “His name was Douglas.”
As they continued on their journey to Desert Spring, the sun slowly lowering beyond their reach, she told him the story of Douglas and the poetry book he’d given her. She explained how Winnie brought her back from depression and encouraged her to write more.
To leave something in the world worth remembering.
While she spoke, Takeshi didn’t make her feel like he was waiting to ask a question. He truly listened to every word, even if it challenged his preconceived notions.
They talked about poetry, what they might have done before the Great Collapse, all the way until the sun had long since disappeared. For the first time, it felt like they released their animosity toward each other. They laid down their weapons…for just one day.
And when the intimidating walls of Desert Spring rose in the distance, her steps faltered.
“You all right?” he asked.
“Yeah. I just…I just feel like everything’s going to change when we walk through those gates.”
Takeshi nodded, like the exact same thing whispered in his mind. But he lifted his head, ready to face any obstacle.
To conquer even the world if it stood in his way.
“We’ll stop when we’re finished.”
Yes.
They would only stop when they were finished.
24
Shout the truths that beg to whisper.
The moon rose above their heads as Khalani and Takeshi approached the front gate. She wildly flailed her hands, desperately trying to signal the men and women on the wall to not shoot.
Distant shouting reached her ears. She shot a nervous glance at Takeshi, who shifted even closer, gearing up for a fight. But a few beats later, a loud groaning erupted, and the gate swung open.
Winnie was the first face she saw.
