Requiem Run

Chapter 9

I awoke to my face being wet. When I opened my eyes, water was poured on my face, causing me to sputter a little and try to sit up, but Emma stopped me, almost holding me down while Katie gave me a once-over.

"Hold still Riley," said Katie, "Let me give you some water."

Katie brought a mug to my mouth, and I happily drank the water that was inside. I noticed that nearby, a fire had been started, surrounded by some stones. When the mug was empty, I took a moment to breathe, then asked the first question that came to mind.

"Where did you get that mug? And how did you get that fire going?"

"I stole the mug from my room before we got brought here," said Katie, smiling as she examined her prize, "As for the fire, Emma still had her lighter. Apparently, whoever took our things when we got here missed it."

"Cool." I said, "But how did you get away? I thought we were being chased?"

"We were," said Katie, "Not to mention, Emma was carrying you, so I had to think. Turned out, throwing off those assholes was easier than I thought it was going to be, all I needed to do was leave some scraps of cloth from our pants on the ground in a river we came across, and suddenly they thought we went for a swim."

"Wow, and that worked?" I asked.

"I didn't think it would honestly, but I was super desperate," said Katie, "Good thing the Runners can't attack us right now."

"Huh? Why?" I asked.

"Tarja didn't tell you?" Katie asked. When I shook my head, she explained, "The Runners can't harm us in the dead of night, only when the sun is in the sky. So we should be safe, as long as Emma and I sleep in shifts so we'll know when the sun's coming up."

"I want to help!" I said, motioning to sit up. The moment I tried to move, Emma made me lay back down.

"Riley, we're gonna be fine," said Katie, "Emma and I got this one, you're still banged up. We'll keep watch and everything will be fine. Right, Emma?"

"Yes." Emma said, though I noticed Emma was following Katie's nodding, probably prompted by it. I wasn't in any position to argue, so I just laid back and allowed myself to nod off a little, at least until I noticed Felice sitting next to me.

"You doing okay, moor-acu?" Felice asked.

"Huh? What's that?" I asked.

"Oh, moor-acu?" said Felice, smiling, "It means... partner. Since our souls are combined, that makes us partners, right?"

"I guess," I said, "Should I let the others know you're here?"

"Right now, you need to focus on surviving," Felice said, "Don't let the others think you're delirious or crazy or something. It'd be too much of a hassle to explain me right now."

"You're right." I said, "For now, can we talk? The other girls have to watch for the Runners, and I don't want to be alone."

"I can tell," said Felice, "That's why I'm here."

"So, let me ask you something," I said, "I noticed when I told you the names of the Runners, you shut down on me. Did you know them?"

"I... that's a bit hard to explain," said Felice, "But I think I did know who they are."

"You 'think?'" I said, "You're not sure? What's up with that?"

"I don't remember," Felice said, "I have some names and faces, and the emotions that come with them, but it's like everything else in my mind is being blocked by a thick, black fog. No matter how hard I try to remember, nothing can penetrate the fog in my mind."