Unforeseen¹

Chapter 4- Hopeless wandering

Three weeks.

Three weeks had passed since their daring escape, and they were both still getting used to their newfound freedom.

After the first few days of endless walking, they both arrived at civilisation, lucky too, as J didn't have much food left, and she just ran out of water. The civilisation was hardly anything more than a small village, but it still made them gape. After they absorbed their surroundings, they raided the bins outside a local restaurant and found food only a couple of days out of date.

They relaxed in the park for the next couple of days, trying to avoid human eyes. Theo had to hide away for obvious reasons, so when acquiring food and exploring the village, he hid in her hood. It was cramped, and his claws would constantly dig into her neck, but until they found a way to remove the collar, it would have to do.

They were eventually forced to move on as the locals were few, and they all knew each other well, so when a small, scruffy child popped out of nowhere, people started talking. An elderly man even approached her to ask if she was okay, but she was skittish and immediately bolted. She left the next morning.

They devised a routine: walk for a number of days, arrive at a village or town, stay for a few days, and leave before anyone could grow suspicious. The cycle went on for two weeks until they started seeing an increase in human activity from those travelling in all kinds of transportation, which often made the pair stop to stare.

Interestingly enough, the more people she saw, the less she was questioned as to why she, as a seven-year-old, was walking alone in filthy clothes. She thought it would be the contrary, but these people appeared indifferent compared to those in small villages. She couldn't complain; she didn't need to run away as much, and with the influx of so many people, more would stop for lunch, leaving food behind. Whether she liked the increase in the number of humans or not, she couldn't deny that it had a great improvement for her stomach and, subsequently, her health.

When they finally arrived at the source, it was hard to believe what their eyes were telling them. The City of New York.

It wasn't long before they agreed that this would be the perfect long-term hiding place. Here, it was easy to flee behind the nooks and crannies of towering buildings and blend in with the thick crowds, and that wasn't mentioning the supply of food.

Walking into the city for the first time was unnerving, almost like they were walking right into the mouth of a bellowing beast. Skyline teeth raced against one another to be the first to touch the blue sky above. She was a tiny ant among dinosaurs.

The week went by quickly with touring the city, looking through various dumpsters for food, fleeing from every human eye, and avoiding dark, deep alleys after an incident with a man with a knife who wanted to do unspeakable things to her. Fortunately, she was able to kick him away thanks to her training, and Theo didn't even have to help.

As the days went by, she had to learn to familiarise herself with all the scenarios that came with a city. For example, the loudness of the bustling cars and chattering people was enough to send her into a panic on her first day. She was accustomed to the silence of the lab, and as horrible as it was, it was orderly and predictable. New York was chaotic in everything it did. When it got too overwhelming, she found herself lost for breath and had to stumble away to a quieter area to calm down.

As of yet, there was no sign of Doctor Terries' agents, though the duo was always vigilant. They tried to remove the metal restraint from around her neck with anything they could find, but to no avail. No matter how hard they tried, they never even made a dent.

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October 26th, 2014

Theo let out a sigh, shuffling further into her stomach, waking up after another rough night.