Halo | 18+

chapter twelve

- AURELIA JONES -

After walking in on Jace and Joni, I didn't sleep.

So not only was I two days down from sleep, I was also puffy-eyed and starving.

There wasn't much to eat anymore, especially as a gluten-free, basically vegetarian 22 year old.

Speaking of 22, Angel and Ariel have not stopped talking about my birthday.

It's tomorrow.

I'll be 23. And no, I'm not excited.

I've spent the last 12 birthdays alone, I just don't want to do it again.

I wandered the all-too familiar hallways now on my way to the garden.

The garden was a small patch of grass hidden away in the quad where we do training.

It was the only thing that people really took care of. It grew our lentils, beans, carrots, potatoes... all of our harvested vegetables through winter.

I loved going there to get my mind off things.

I'd recently planted flowers, and couldn't wait for them to grow, even if it is the middle of winter.

Thick, soft snow covered the ground, as deep footprints trekked back and forth through them, leaving a path.

I pushed open the gate that led to the garden and brushed off some snow on the seat underneath the ledge.

My ass was wet but I didn't really care.

My flowers were now sprouts and it brought a smile to my face.

I looked down at the journal in my hand. The pages were nearly full, I had one or two empty ones left!

I began to write, but I got distracted by a rustling in the bushes near the far corner of the garden.

I looked over, thinking it was a hare or something like that.

I ignored it when it stopped, but when it got louder and closer, I stood up.

"Hello?" I called out.

I didn't hear anything back. I placed my journal back under my arm and walked toward the fence line.

Suddenly, a deathly alarm started to blare all around me.

I screamed and covered my ears with my hands, dropping everything.

"What the hell is going on?" I screamed. I struggled to understand what was happening with everything going on.

It was then I realised the thing I saw in the bushes was in fact not a hare, but a Walker.

My eyes widened from fright. It was staring right at me. Thankfully, I've learned that walkers are blind.

They rely fully on scent and sounds.

I stayed completely still, shaking so badly I could start an earthquake.

I glanced beside me. The gate was a good three hundred metres away. But I could make it as long as I moved very slowly, and very, very quietly.