The Twenty Five Percent Rayanna

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                   I dodge to the left, but the dogs follow; and then to the right, but the dogs follow me again. Great. I'm in real trouble here. I look all around and see nothing; in a moment of desperation, I look up. There are plenty of trees nearby, unfortunately, the branches are way above my head. Maybe I can shimmy up a tree, but the trees are too thin to hold my weight and the bark is smooth. So much for that idea. A shrill whistle pierces the air, and the dogs turn around. I don't even look for whatever made the whistle, instead, I take advantage of the distraction and take off running toward the city. Loud barking and snarling noises fill the air, and I can feel the hot breath of one of the dogs, on my heels. Why does this feel familiar?

                  The gates of the city seem to grow larger, as I approach them, but then the unthinkable happens, and I trip. A branch, a rock, or maybe it was just a hole in the ground. Either way, it happens fast, one minute I'm running, and the next minute I'm hitting the ground, hard. I push back off the ground, trying to make it to my feet, but it's too late. That small little delay was enough time for the dogs to catch me. Sharp teeth sink into my calf, and I instinctively kick backward with my other foot. There is a yelping noise as my foot connects with a dog's face. Adrenaline courses through my veins, and I jump up trying to run. I can feel something large hit the back of my leg, and I fall over again.

                   I roll over to my back, to try to defend myself, and see a massive black and brown colored dog, standing inches away from my face. Its teeth are half the length of my fingers and drool is dripping from its mouth as it growls at me. It climbs on my chest and glares down at me, its lip pulled back over its teeth. I reach my hands out and try pushing the dog off me, but to no avail. It's heavy, way heavier than my four-year-old niece. The dog's teeth snap inches away from my face, as I continue to push at its neck.

               Suddenly, the dog is knocked off me, I roll to my stomach, push up to my feet, and run the last several hundred feet to the safety of the city's gates. Once inside, I collapse on the ground, exhausted. I look around, trying to see who knocked the dog off me and find someone I never thought I would see; Altair.

               "You okay, there?" Altair asks, holding out a hand.

                   "I'm just grateful that I'm alive," I say, taking his hand and pulling up. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Sharp pain shoots through the leg the dog bit, so I shift my weight to the other leg. Funny how I was just able to run on that leg and now I can't even put weight on it. Guess the adrenaline is gone.

                    "You're hurt." He says. "Here, let me help you."

                     "I'm fine." I am determined not to need help. I am not having another jealous woman on my hands, even if this is only a dream. Or if the jealous woman is.

                  "Really? Let's see you walk then."

                 "I will, as soon as I know where my brother and niece are. Tall guy, with dark hair and eyes. Little girl with similar hair and eyes." I say.

                     "They were probably sent to the main building for a room assignment," Altair says, pointing to my left.

                   I look in the direction he is pointing and see a large grey building several hundred feet away from me. Ugh. It's so far, but I don't want anyone to think I'm weak. I get enough of that in the dream world. I take a deep breath and put as much weight as I can bare, on my injured leg. One step at a time and I will make it. Unfortunately, chanting I can do it, doesn't work, and within a few steps, I fall to my knees.

               "Would you like some help?" Altair asks, walking up beside me.

                  I sigh. "Yes, please." He helps me to my feet and allows me to lean on him while we walk. "Where are we going?" I ask as we pass the main building.

                 "The medical building is back here." He says, pointing to the smaller building a few feet away.

                                      *****************************

            Twelve stitches. That's how bad the dog tore into my leg. The doctor said I was lucky; most people don't survive a dog attack. Or an animal attack of any sort. After the doctor's visit, Altair walked me to the mess hall.

                "Altair, why are you the only one who came to save me? Why didn't the guards help? I know they saw we were in trouble, we ran into trouble, not far from them." I dig my spoon into the boiled potatoes and eat them, even though I'm not really hungry. I learned a long time ago what happens when you waste food. Even though this isn't the same town I grew up in, every town I have been to is the same. Waste is a crime. Wasting food earns you a mandatory three-day fast for your first offense and goes up from there.

               "It's complicated." He mumbles, running his fingers through his hair.

                "Isn't that the point of the guards? To save people."

                   "Yes and no. They are there to protect the town from unwanted guests of both the two-legged and four-legged kinds. In the past, they have left their post to help travelers in need, and the results were disastrous."

                "What happened?" I ask.

                  "Turns out the 'travelers in need' were nothing more than a distraction. While the men went into the woods to help, a large group of thieves came in and raided the place. Stole what they wanted and then burnt the whole city to the ground. Took a whole year to get this place built back up, and then another two years to get the supplies stocked back up. A lot of people were either killed during the raid or were so disheartened that they left and never came back." He explains as he finishes the last of his food.

                "Hard to imagine this place empty with hardly anyone or anything here," I say, looking around me. Everywhere I look, I see people. I thought Everly Station was busy, but this place makes Everly Station look like it was empty. And everywhere I look, I see soldiers. They all wear green shirts and brown pants and carry big, powerful looking guns. "So, the raid is the reason for so many soldiers?"

                  "Yes. The soldiers are here to ensure that we are never raided and destroyed, again. They are here for the protection of the people."

              The lights flicker, and shut off for a moment, before turning back on again. A scream cuts through the air. There is always someone afraid of the dark. "What caused that?" I ask, looking around.

"Hm. My guess is, with the sky being almost as black as nighttime, there is a big storm coming." Altair says.

"Should I be worried? I'm not a fan of bad weather."

"No. We have an underground bunker."

"Okay." I'm silent for a while as I finish my food. Then a thought occurs to me. "All of those soldiers, there has to be a leader. Someone has to be telling them what to do. So, who is the leader?" 

                "Does it really matter?" he asks, standing to his feet and picking up his food tray.

                 "Yeah. I like to know who is in charge so I can make sure I don't say or do anything stupid. I figure, if I can avoid the leader, I can avoid making a mistake." I say standing up, grabbing my tray, and following behind Altair.

               We place our trays on a counter, in front of the kitchen and Altair turns and looks at me. "It's too late to avoid the leader."

                "What do you mean it's too late to avoid the leader?"

                "Do you really want to know who is in charge?" he asks.

                  "Yes. I already told you that."

                   He searches my eyes and I get goosebumps. I feel like he is staring into my soul. "I am the leader."

                     That's when another conversation flashes into my mind. Back in the dream world, the real world, whichever it is... Altair standing in my apartment and telling me that nothing happens without his approval. Apparently, he is in charge of both worlds. And then I remember being attacked in the other world, how Altair was so willing to stay with me, to make me feel more comfortable. Did he orchestrate the whole thing? But if he did, why? Should I be afraid of him?