I Am A Flyer

Bus to Freedom

Jett woke up to being shaken roughly. Matrim's face hung over him. "You awake, kid?"

"Uh?" Jett blearily yawned, not quite sure where he was.

"We're here, Jett," Matrim told him urgently. "C'mon, you gotta get up. Quickly, 'cause your bus is about to leave."

"Wh - wha - ?" Jett stared at Matrim in confusion. He slowly realized that the man was outside the truck, and leaning in through Jett's door -

Matrim grabbed his arm, and pulled Jett out of the truck. He caught Jett when the boy's legs threatened to collapse because of what he saw.

A city! He was in a city! Huge buildings, way bigger than at the industrial place, rose up so high, they seemed to puncture the sky! And so many people, all in one place - there were millions of them! And the vehicles! There was hundreds of different kinds roaring about, with people screaming and talking and -

"Jett!" Matrim yelled in his face. Jett jerked, and stared wide-eyed at Matrim. "Focus, Jett," the man was saying firmly. He held out a dull-colored cloak. "Put it on, and pull the hood up, all right?"

Numbly, Jett did as he was told. The cloak was too big for him - way too big - but it did cover him nicely. Even his face was shadowed enough, that he could safely pull off the stifling scarf.

Matrim took a hold of his arm, and lead him through tons of people, all who seemed to be pressing in on them. He talked all the way, in an urgent, low tone. "You're going to get on a bus, Jett, and it'll take you straight to Kalla. That's another big city far from here, all right? When you're on the bus, you're not to talk to anyone, understand? It'll be safer if you don't, so just keep to yourself."

"B-but -" Things were just starting to dawn on Jett, and it was safe to say that he was extremely confused.

"Your bus is leaving right away," Matrim pushed and pulled him towards a gigantic vehicle, bigger than anything Jett had seen so far. 

"I'm sorry, kid. This is all I can do to help," Matrim murmured softly. "But hopefully, it'll help you get away from them."

Them? What was Matrim talking about? Before Jett could ask, he found himself standing in the doorway of the bus, with the driver glaring down suspiciously at him.

Matrim suddenly pulled Jett into a tight embrace, startling the daylights out of the poor boy. The man exclaimed loudly, "Good-bye, my son! Have a safe trip, and please don't worry - I'm certain the doctors in Kalla will be able to help you. Just remember to keep covered, so that you don't startle folks with the scars, all right?"

Then Matrim shoved him up the steps and into the bus, handed the driver a ticket, and disappeared into the crowds. Jet was left standing at the front of the bus, trying to get his boggled mind to think.

"Take a seat," The driver growled. With a little jump, Jett swallowed, and got moving. He cringed from the other passengers' curious stares, and hurried to the very back of the bus, where the only free seat was left. He sat, and wondered, for the seventeeth time, just what was going on, already!

As the bus roared down the street, Matrim watched it from the midst of the crowds, a worried expression on his rugged face.

"Good luck, Jett," he whispered. Then he turned, and went on his way.

x

Gray flew through Mianka on big black wings, his boosters creating a constant whine as they propelled him forward. He was fairly low as he coasted throughout the city, about seventy five feet off the ground. Of course, his passage created no small disturbance, as his existence was immediately noticed.