by J. Todd
Chapter Six
Arian and I packed up everything we would need for the long journey and began our travels to the south. With packs and weapons strapped onto our shoulders and waists we were ready to leave. I also had my father's sword.
We ran from the clearing, to the south. I showed him what I had done to the Other which had chased me into the forest. I told him to be careful of those vines. I then lead the way to the south. He paced me as we ran. We ran as we had done before. Alone and together. The only change was me. I did not question myself, nor doubted either. He was with me and I with him. At night we rested and slept side by side. During the day we ran side by side.
We ran near the town of Sanctuary. The old man saw me and Arian. I knew the town would know we were alive. We did not come into the town. We ran onwards. Southward. We ran and the town’s people would know we were going in a direction in a direction I have never gone before. As we skirted the town and came to the southern edge. There stood Auntie.
She looked at us and the direction we faced. "It’s about time. She said. I broke my stride and stopped.
"What?" I gasped.
"Our savior has come. It was you. Good luck. I will pray for you and so will the towns’ people." Auntie said. She turned and walked back into the town.
I heard the bell a few minutes later. I smiled and turned to Arian. A great cheer greeted our ears. We took our stride back and sprinted onwards. I knew I probably wouldn't see my home again. Or the town of Sanctuary either. I was happy they had forgiven my transgressions of bringing Arian there. I was happy they would pray for me. I had a partner and I had friends.
I would save them all. Even when they would not accept me because I was so different. I would become what they needed.
We ran south. We ran about forty miles each day. Taking breaks and walking for some of it so we would not tire. It took us about three weeks to get to where the monsters came from. Los Angeles. We had rested every fifth day to keep up our reserves. We rested the last day before entering Los Angeles. We knew what we would find there. Arian said there were creatures which stalked the night, but humans still lived there by day. We would go in when the day was fresh. We would hunt for the place Arian escaped from. We would hunt.
We rested the rest of that day and hid ourselves carefully. One of us stayed on watch while the other slept. We took turns splitting the shifts at two hours for me the two for him throughout the night. Rested and ready to go we stashed our packs for the return journey. If we returned.
Arian led the way. He had tucked his hair up under a hat that cover his ears. I had made him his cloak and a hat during the time at the cottage. He wore them proudly. Although the knitted hat was not as good as my mother's hats were, it would do. He tugged the hat lower over his head to hide his features a little more. I also drew my cloak about me and drew the hood low over my face. I may be small, but I was not to be reckoned with either. I knew many would try. My walk, confident even when I am scared, must have told people to be wary of me.
Arian went to a couple of people to ask questions. I looked as menacing as possible for his benefit. He had someone to protect him. That was what people saw. Not who. I may have been a girl but my body language screamed death.
Arian led the way through the city. Once a mecca of artistic thoughts, now filled with terror and monsters. Arian and I were now walking the path that lead to our deaths, or theirs. We knew it.
We walked to the factory and waited for dusk to sneak in. the security was lax for a place monsters came from. I knew it would be getting out which would prove hard, not getting in. They wanted people to experiment on, we were welcome to enter.
At dusk we did. Slipping into the main room we found no one and slipped farther into the factory. There we found rooms filled with tubes. Monsters grew in those tubes. Arian led the way down to the room where the tech was. This was my goal. In a world where tech was not to be wasted, I knew this had to go. I went behind the great computers and looked at the cords. I pulled out the one thing I could sever these thick wires. A sword my father had gotten. I was taught this weapon as a child. My sister knew the spear. She was gone, but I was here.
Arian knew as much as I did about the monsters and we both knew without these machines the west would be safe from the corporate entity. We would eventually save the east. For now this was enough. I raised my sword and brought it down upon the wires, severing them cleanly. I hacked my way through all of the wires. Sparks flew and alarms went off only to be silenced by the power being cut. By me, of course.
When I had cut all the wires from the computers, Arian and I began pushing the computers over and hacking with our knives at the inner wires. We finished and started to leave. Monsters were blocking our path out. We looked at each other and I smiled. Arian raised an eyebrow and we attacked.
I went in first. Ducking and weaving I sliced through the monsters like butter. With Arian at my heels, killed those I left. Between us we left a path of death. We fought our way to the humans who were the guinea pigs of the corporate entity. Those still human enough to know who they were we freed. Others we killed to be merciful. I took all their sins onto my heart as I went through them. It wasn't their fault for what had happened to them. I soon had savage half wild men at my back tearing apart the factory with me and Arian at my side.
We climbed the levels destroying all we found. At the last floor we found twelve men. I entered first with Arian at my back. We were there to kill these monsters who called themselves men.
