The Open Road Book Novels & Stories

COLE The open road was the only place where I felt like I could truly breathe. In the compound, everything was about walls and gates. But out here, in the old armored SUV, the world felt big again. The wind whistled through the slight crack in the window, smelling of pine needles and coming rain. "Are you sure the map is right?" I asked, glancing over at Raven.

Up out of the dark, and into the dangerous, open freedom of the sea. End of Chapter 17

"This is Parker's birthday present. I forgot to give it to him yesterday." Caught off guard, I took the gift and opened it. Inside was a toy puppy. Parker had always been terrified of dogs. When he was five, Beatrice had taken him to an amusement park. Along the way, she ran into a friend and let go of his hand. Before she knew it, Parker had gotten lost in the crowd. By the time they found him, he was crouched on the side of the road, shaking with fear at the sight of a stray dog.

The First Road stretched out before us like a ribbon of liquid mercury, suspended in a boundless expanse of white light. It wasn’t made of asphalt or binary code; it was a physical manifestation of the collective human memory of travel. Every open highway, every dusty trail, and every high-speed straightaway that had ever ignited a rider's soul was woven into its surface. "This is it," Dax whispered, his grip tightening on the handle of the briefcase containing the Origin-Code. "The line between what they made us and who we are."

Be careful on the road. I looked at the message and did not reply. Just then, my phone rang. It was Tristan. I hesitated for a few seconds, then answered. His voice was quiet. "I'm nearby. Can I see you for a moment?" I looked downstairs. He stood beneath a streetlamp, wearing a black coat. The fog blurred half his outline. It reminded me of years ago, when his startup had failed, and he stood downstairs at my place, lost, yet stubborn. Back then, I had run down and hugged him. Now, I only said, "Alright."

It didn't look like a bedroom at all. On the table was a huge pile of books. I had put in a lot of effort to stay at the top of my class because it was only then that I would be able to speak to him. Therefore, I thought that if I just tried harder, Dad would like me. Now, I understood that it was all just wishful thinking. Dad just glanced at the desk before opening the drawer. There was a box with a password lock inside. I became nervous. The box contained my diary, which, in turn, contained secrets that Dad should never see.

And once you reach for it, you will identified as one of their leader. Every born child of Alpha's will have their own book. And this book will lead them to a quest. A quest will help them to level up. These Alpha's were created by Mother Tree, she was the most powerful of the underworlds. She can give more life to every creature in their land. But creating the Alpha's would be her greatest mistake because instead of protecting their land they were the one destroying it by killing each other just to be a leader. The four Alpha's can be recognized which group of clan they're belong by the color of their eyes.

“Don...that’s drunk driving!” “Drunk driving?” he hissed, eyes blazing with bloodshot fury. “Fuck the rules. I only want Aria.” The engine howled. He pushed the car past its limits, racing through empty roads until the world blurred into nothing. At the edge of the wilderness, he finally braked. And his shoulders shook. And the Don...the man who could raze empires...broke down and cried.

Saturday afternoon we drive to the building. Just Rhys and me and Arlo, the thermos, the Henderson's bread, the specific ritual of it, and the October countryside opening up around the motorway the way it always does, wider and greener and more patient than the city. Rhys drives. I have my feet on the dashboard. Neither of us talks much on the way and we do not need to. The comfortable quiet of two people who have been through something and are on the other side of it and are choosing to be here, in this car, in this afternoon, deliberately and completely.

I stared at his profile and was reminded of his end in my previous life. He gave all the food he had to Christina, and the famine took his life. Zacharias took the exam two times. He wanted to study, to go higher, but alas, he never could take the exam after the famine. Christina ruined his life. Poor thing. I wrapped up the revision books the system gave me and placed them on his desk. "I brought nothing to this family. Nothing but these books. If you don't mind, we can read together." Good books were hard to find in this era. Zacharias' eyes, always calm, finally had a hint of warmth this time. He was looking at me.