nala

guards

Nala

I walked up to the pile of bags on the shore. I pray that I my shorts had not gone translucent. I could not even imagine what that would do to me. I reached down into someone's bag and pulled a canteen and a cloak. I finished the canteen, which was about half full. No one protested or fought, telling me not to go through their possessions. I pulled the ragged cloak over my shoulders and clasped it under my neck. I flipped the hood over my wet hair.

I looked back at the four people, glancing at each of them, finally Torra. "Wash that out." I quickly said before flashing a smile, something I never did. I walked into the woods listening to the loud sound of Andi walking.

The calm consistent intervals of her footsteps were overcome by muffled screams and many more people stomping. "Andi!" I whispered under my breath. I began running, Torra's cloak billowing as I sprinted towards Andi.

Four guards and Andi stood in the clearing. Emerson, the man Andi tricked and knocked out, approached her. The moonlight made him look pale, his ugly face accentuated. "Well, well, well. I was hoping we could put our incident behind us." Emerson sneered, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. He leaned over and whispered something in Andi's ear. She squirmed, trying to hurt him. She clenched her teeth, veins bulging in her forehead and neck.

"You perv." Andi said. The group around her laughed, their voices echoing throughout the entire forest. Torra and his friends could definitely hear them. I stayed silent behind a hill, praying that I could plan something to get Andi out of there.

With the deafening sound of laughter from the Napoli guards, Torra and his friends and plenty of time to be as loud as they wanted at the lake, instead, they decided to sneak up on me.

Torra surprised me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I snapped around, punching him in the nose. He clutched it with his hands, beginning to yell. I quickly began to cover his mouth. "Napoli!" I whispered. "If I uncover your mouth will you stay quiet?" I asked hoarsely. Torra nodded, and I slowly peeled of my hand. Torra inhaled deeply, and I covered his mouth again. "They find you, you are dead." I said. I took away my hands and Torra stayed silent. I pulled the knife from his waist and pulled the cloak over my head. I stood up and walked from the hill. I kept my head tilted downwards, my identity unknown.

"Stop. Stop!" Emerson stepped away from Andi and yelled. He pulled his gun from the holster and pointed it at me. I flipped my hood up, revealing myself. The entire group gasped, taken aback by my own turning in. I took Torra's long knife and jabbed it through Emerson's arm. The man grunted as screamed, falling to his knees. Other guards fumbled with their weapons, which were luckily swords and spears or guns that weren't automatic. I took a woman's rifle and brought it into her nose, definitely causing brain damage. She fell back unconscious onto Emerson, who yelled even louder.

A man in a guard's uniform prepared to fight, even though he didn't have the intimidating muscular build most guards had. He swung his arm forward, but I caught his wrist before he had time to retract it. I pulled his arm down and brought his face into my knee, letting his limp body fall next to me.

A woman in the guard jumpsuit approached me but a quickly whipped my leg around and knocked her out. Finally, the guard holding Andi let go of her, Andi winced as her arms came to her side. The large guard lunged at me, but I ducked and swerved to the side. I stepped up on his leg and sat up on the guard's shoulders. The man waved hus arms, but couldn't hurt me without hurting himself. I reached under his chin and at the back of his head, snapping his neck. The guard fell backwards and I straightened my legs, the guard's head lolling between my ankles.

I rushed over to Andi, cupping her face between my hands. "Are you okay?" I asked.

She nodded. "Emerson got a little touchy." Andi admitted. I pulled the knife from my hip where I tucked it.

"Your choice." I flipped the knife, gripping the blade and offering Andi the handle. She willingly accepted, walking to the man still clutching his palm. "You sick, sick bastard. You don't deserve to be remembered, and you won't." Andi carved his name out from his jumpsuit. She took Torra's knife and pressed the tip into his neck. She retreated, hesitant to kill Emerson. But jammed the blade. Blood sputtering out and landing on her face. "Your time has run out." Andi spoke in Primospek, a language I taught her in the Bunker. Emerson's eyes went wide before glossing over. Andi stood up, viewing the man who downright ruined her. Elliot did a horrible number on her mindset, but Emerson was a trip. Watching blood spew from his neck like a waterfall was a breathe of fresh air. Andi finally had put something awful behind her. She never could. The last twelve years of her life were documented in the 'c' on her hip. Emerson, one of her main obstacles, was finally gone.

"What the hell was that?" Torra yelled. He came running out from behind the hill, looking at the victims, though they were far from innocent.

"Call it payback, call it karma, whatever pleases you." I said.

"You just killed three people in three minutes with nothing but a knife. How?" Torra asked, though it seemed more like he was begging.

"The Bunker makes the inmates fight. Sometimes they got bored and offered gladitorial battles for extra rations. I never denied." I answered plainly. Torra's jaw literally dropped. I unclipped the cloak and put the knife inside of it, bundling the fabric. "The blade might be a little dull." I admitted. I looked over to Andi. "I think we need to go south. It will be obvious we will go to Lanca." I said in Primospek, making sure to keep my plans hidden from the hiking group.

"There is nothing south. The land is dead." Torra said in Primospek. I snapped around, surprised by his awareness of the language. "You can come to Lanca. I have a favor to ask though." Torra offered.

"The favor?" I asked. I couldn't walk blindly into an offer so good.

"I need you to assassinate the Committee." Torra said blandly.

"What?" I asked.

"Lanca's leadership. They need to be brought down." Torra explained.

"What will you do when your leadership is brought down?" I inquired.

"That is for our people to decide. However, it will be our decision. Not chosen by people elevated from the rest of us." Torra continued.

"What a revolutionary." I retorted. Andi snickered before quickly masking it with a cough. "What keeps you from completing it yourself?" I inquired.

"You are better indefinitely." Torra complemented. "Plentiful food, comfortable living, anything you could want." Torra tempted.

"Why should I trust you? Aren't you a scout for a Lanca expansion?" I smiled fakely. Torra tried to retaliate, but I continued. "If you don't mind, we have places to go." I looked to Andi and back to Torra.

"She'll do it." Andi said as she stabbed a knife deep into my back.