Behind the fence

Chapter three

Before panic and adrenaline spreads fully through much body, I feel the figure roll off of me, and whisper in my ear:

"It's okay, I won't hurt you"

I am so confused at what just happened, shocked and confused. 

"Who are you?" I ask cautiously.

"The name's Tam" his voice is surprisingly calm and friendly for a hierarchy defender.

Surprisingly, I find myself calm too. 

"Don't worry" he must have seen the shock, yeah, that's it, the shock, cause he chuckles. "I'm not one of those pesky  hierarchy defenders! I'm just a normal 13 year old boy, running away from poverty" he gasps then, them whispers worryingly, "you won't tell, will you?"

Then it all seems to make sense. The hierarchy defender uniform, a form of unnoticed escape, the heavy hollowness, the uniform is obviously far to big for him. And the crashing through the forest. On second thoughts, not that bit, those hierarchy defenders from long ago were just as bad, if not worse, when it came to stealth in the forest. 

"How... did you get the uniform" I stammer. 

"You won't tell, swear on your life" he reminds me, "I have a riffle, after all" 

The words set me in a state of panic, is he really my friend?

"Don't worry, I'm only joking" he laughs. 

Maybe it's just me, but it sounds a bit cunning. It's just you, he would of taking you prisoner by now if he wasn't a fake, or you would be an unmoving figure like the boy. I shudder at the thought.

"Sure I won't" I stammer, "my names Angie" I don't ofer him a hand or anything, most likely because I'm still scared of his riffle. 

"Well, I stole it of course!" He answers, pfft, as if it was obvious 

"Well, then what about the riffle?" I smirk in my head, not so obvious now, is it

"Oh, that's just standard hierarchy defenders uniform issue" he states in a mater of fact voice.

This boy is really getting on my nerves.

"Well, what about the....." what about the what!

"It's okay, I get it" his voice has not an ounce of the sympathy the words image to contain. "Got any food, I'm staving. Haven't eaten in 5 days"

Catch your own food then, you've got a gun, use it!  

"Oh, I'm sure there's some rabbits about an hour away from here, now that you've managed to scare them off in a 100km radius" that doesn't even make sense!  Either way, how could he possibly be so blind!

"Please, I don't know how" he pleads. Well, at least I don't have to worry about him shooting me anymore. Eventually, I give in, and we go hunt for my sack, while I'm at it, I collect my fukiya from the vine pit.  Just as I have my fukiya in hand, a duck flys over my head, I shoot it down, right in the eye. I couldn't believe my luck. A full grown duck! Such a rare specimen. 

"Wow" Tam's eyes go wide in surprise. I clear my throat and speak before he gets to much hope in his head. "You've got a squirrel in my sack...when you find it" 

His eyes go back to there normal size, but he's still  grinning. "Awesome" 

I sigh. Some people just really don't know the forest that great, most people for that mater.

When we finally find my sack, I give him a squirrel, and tell him I must be on my way. I really can't be late for the execution, for my family and my sake.

"Wait" he stammers. "Mmm"  I turn around, "I'm rather in a hurry now" 

"Please, can you meet me here tomorrow?" 

"I don't know" I tell him, trying to be polite, he really should get going if he doesn't want to be caught, but I hold my tongue. I don't want him to feel bad.

"Please" he sounds so desperate. In the end, it's the thought of Enyah being in his position that I agree.

"Okay, but no guarantees" I reply, then I begin the trek back to our shabby little shack.