Valour

Chapter 4- Allies

He lets me walk behind him,

his back exposed to my mercy. I could kill him if I wanted to but then I would be alone again.

For the past three months,

I've had no one to talk to besides Rodhen and his manipulative conversations. I want- I need to believe that I'm still alive, not just a ghost people forgot, not just a thing to be left to rot until I cave and have no choice but spill my secrets to the one person who can't possibly be allowed to know. I don't want to be alone. Alone. So I keep walking because someone, anyone is better than him.

What if this stranger is secretly Rodhen, I think to myself. He could be leading me to another prison right now. No, I would've known by his tone and voice that it was him. It's hard to forget the only sound that ever talks to you. I don't tell him any of this though, why I need someone other than Rodhen to be with, or why I'm even here in the first place. Nope, he doesn't need to know any of that.

Instead, I try to fill the silence, "What's your name?"

He who has no name just keeps walking ahead of me, sure footed, his rifle resting in his arms to use at a moment's notice. For me I have my purple handgun out, it's not the best but it's better than nothing.

Silence.

Okay, so maybe he can't really hear that well with his helmet on. Before I can repeat myself he answers.

"My name is on the team log."

"The what now?"

He stops and turns around to look at me. For some reason I can tell he's exasperated. He shifts his weight to one leg.

"The team log. On your tablet," he uses the tip of his rifle to point at my pack, "it tells you the names and vitals of your squad. That's how I knew you weren't dying when I left you in the Industrial Section to wake up."

"Why don't you just tell me your name?"

I can practically hear the sigh that comes out of his helmet. His weight shifts to his other leg now.

"It's Gravedigger."

"It's what?" I begin to chuckle a little. Of all the names this man could've chosen from he chose Gravedigger. And here I thought my name was awful. "There is no way I'm calling you Gravedigger. Come on, what's your real name, it's got of be better than-"

"It's Cal! Okay, it's Cal."

I stop laughing and look at him. Cal I think. He brings his hand up and is about to scratch his face when he remembers he's wearing a helmet and drops it awkwardly down again. Like he's more embarrassed than actually angry.

"Cal." I say out loud.

"Only three letters, not four." he adds seriously.

I smile up at him, he's at least a couple inches taller than me. Now that's a name I can remember.

We walk together for what seems like quite a while. The forests and green scenery doesn't change except for the stray objects that occasionally cross our path. Through the trees the sun shines high up above, it's fully mid-day and I'm glad for the cool shade the trees provide as the temperature steadily rises since I first fell here. How Ironic, Sky falls from the sky. The stark difference from the gray toned Industrial Section and here is so prominent I'm not even sure if we're in the same place. It leaves me wondering what the rest of the Arena looks like. For now, I'm just content on following Cal to wherever it is we're going to. Cal. I repeat his name over and over again in my head.