Children

Chapter 3

I looked back at him in disbelief. He shook his head in response, as if saying this is reality. I couldn't help but uneasy, my hand shifted to my stomach and he started to speak.

"This spread everywhere, everyone tried to escape and survive. Some kids did kill people, but they just didn't know how to control it. After they fled, the city is unused. This is one of the abandoned city among many-" He looked back at me and gave me a pet on the head. "Unfortunately we are on our own. You might just be from the last base."

My eyes narrowed at his words, last base? Was I one of the last kids to survive?

As if he heard me, he continued. "All of the children is a lot, thousands of them cannot be kept in the same place. It's impossible.. So they split the children up into different locations of bases. We- I mean my group actually came here to save the last base but.."

I looked away, my hands balled into a fist as I bit my lips. My green eyes was visible for all but I didn't care, I stepped forward and the grass grew. I watched as the grass grew above me, over trees. "What are you-" The grass stopped growing and I raised my hand to focus. With a slight twist and turns, the grass moved itself to form letters.

"We'll be free?"

He spoke of the words on the grass wall I created.

I lowered my arm and my eyes returned to brown. I panted slightly, my hand raised to touch my chest. "I'll avenge everyone, we'll have rights." I muttered while the boy nodded.

Since we were as much as humans as anyone.

-----

I was silent while he led me to a place. Since he mentioned a group, I guessed I was going to his base. I hoped they were friendly like he was, or at least the part where he pointed the gun at me doesn't reoccur.

It definitely brought back memories, memories that I didn't like.

"We're here!" He exclaimed as we stopped in a house that seemed well kept. Among all the others, this one didn't seem as awful. "The trees grew everywhere.." I whispered without thinking. "Yeah, I guess it's part of nature to take back what's originally theirs." I was a bit startled from the sudden response but he wasn't wrong.

Humans did take all of the land, cut down the trees and didn't even take care of it. Perhaps it was for the better nature took it back.

I stepped in along with him. My gaze scanning the place before I stopped when a female figure approached us. She had blue eyes and blond hair. Her figure was an hour glass and she seemed fairly tall of around 5'8 perhaps. I only felt shorter again, being 5'2 wasn't easy.

"Hey, who's this Taylor?" Oh, his name was Taylor? "This is Hazel. She is the only survivor of the base we were gonna rescue from- or at least I think is the only survivor. I don't find anyone else beforehand."

Ah.. Did everyone die?

I looked back at her. She seemed shocked, alike to Taylor and looked back at me with pity. A look I was starting to detest. "Your welcome to stay with us, I'm Scarlet-" Her gaze softened. "I'm sorry that happened to you." She spoke awfully softly to me with a smile.

I nodded and spoke back. "Thank you." She gave a soft smile again, reminding me of my mother whom often smiled at me. Or at least I could tell from my memories before she looked at me like a monster. "By the way," I managed to speak. "How old are you two or everyone else here?" She tilted her head at my question and shrugged a bit.

"I'm in my mid twenties, and Taylor is nineteen."

.. And that might be the biggest shock in my life.

"What the fu-" I stopped when my sentence was interrupted with a laugh. Taylor seemed like he was dying from laughter. I simply scoffed and leaned back to give him quite the sassy look. "What's funny? I'm young sure, but I think you all are just old." I responded childishly. Earning laughter from both.

It didn't take me long to join them, although it didn't feel right. It didn't feel right to laugh with the death graves behind my feet.

I cleared my throat, my gaze shifted to a smaller figure alike to me approaching us. He had brown eyes like me and black hair. His skin was brown with some parts white. I knew it was a skin condition, but that's as far as my knowledge went.

It's not surprising one can be clueless after being confined for years.

"What's so funny? And who is this girl?" This girl? I show him 'this girl'- "This is Hazel, Hazel this is Eil. He is 17, the youngest you can get." She added in with a slight snicker.

I gave her a glare and looked back at him. "I'll be staying with you for the time being. I'm the last survivor of the base and I don't have anywhere else to go to, hope you'll be fine with that." He nodded slowly and walked in closer. His hand reached out and I returned the handshake.

"As long as your not a dead weight."

It felt genuine, and oddly refreshing. I couldn't help a slight smile, although I started to crack up in laughter when Scarlett hit the back of his head. "Dead weight?! How dare you say that to a child?" She scolded him like a mother that was strict.

Taylor laughed along while Eil muttered all sorts of curses. "Just a child." He rolled his eyes, as if mocking her and that earned quite the beating from her despite Eil running off and Scarlett going after him.

Hmm.. Child? I was lost in thoughts. If Scarlett is in her mid twenties, didn't that mean she wasn't a child when she got her powers? Or perhaps she doesn't have powers?

The age range to get the powers or the sickness was at least below thirteen. At least before adolescence. Considering I was 10 when it hit me, it has been seven years. Even if the math was done, she at least would've been 19 when the virus was hit.

"Wait," the two stopped the friendly fight. Her gaze shifted to me with a smile. "Yeah?" Eli finally stopped running and managed to figure out what happened. He walked back, thinking he was safe for now as he sat down on one of the couch. Taylor seemed to have sat down already while I was thinking. "If you're in your mid twenties, you are a normal person- aren't you?" Her eyebrows seemed to raise. Taylor shifted in discomfort while Eli looked serious.

"Why are you helping us?" I stated with my gaze stuck on her. My tone was empty but I was fully serious. "Simple, my little sister died due to a human. I'm helping you so that no children dies ever again." My body straightened with widened eyes.

Her sister got killed?

My eyebrows fell from the side as I relaxed a bit. My hands loosened and I looked away. "I'm sorry," I felt the guilt of doubting her sink in but before I could indulge deeper. She approached me and hugged me. I was surprised as she spoke. "It's fine dear. This world did everything wrong to each of you children, and I'm going to take responsibility for it. None of you deserve this treatment, none of you.."

Her words of honesty and her voice breaking at the end managed to tear my fabric apart, my dry eyes filled with tears as I sobbed out. The pain I endured in my heart for the past years. The deaths I saw before my eyes, and the guilt of not being able to save any.

I carried many with me, and I was going to avenge each of them.

But like a little child. My heart was bathed, and I let it get soaked into the warmness of her kindness. Perhaps, just perhaps. It was fine to rely on someone for now.