Heart of spades

Chapter 1

The man sighed after hearing the disconnected call from the phone. Flipping his phone into his pocket, he looked at the two figures in sight.

"The backup will arrive. Take care of the girl until I'm back. Don't let this one escape"

The serious eyes resembled unspoken warnings as they looked down at the adolescent boy nodding obediently.

The man walked away before meaningfully glancing at the figure that was collapsed against the wall, the bindings still in place. His mind cleared, stepping away with a sturdy pace.

Two pairs of eyes watched the departing back of the man. The boy turned around just in time to meet the another pair of eyes that stared back at him. He fell back surprised at the  the red hue lining her eyes. Sitting in the same position as the woman, he could clearly see her face.

"Where are you taking me? "

The woman finally spoke up, her tensed and frantic eyes locked into the calm gaze directed at her. The boy kept shut as though he didn't hear her. His expression never altered.

The silence unnerved the woman, almost making her mind loose on it's hinges. Both of her hands were tied up to a nail above her, her sweaty hair and the dirt of the ground sticking to her face. Her pale wrists were burning as if they've dislocated.

The bloodshot eyes were illuminated by the moonlight, her eye bags evident of her malnourished state. She started with a bargaining voice.

"Listen, I've got few supplies on me. Valuable medicine that you can sell for a good price in the city, if you'd just let me go, I promise you'll not regret it"

The silence made the woman's scalp tingle, her head throbbing with anger and helplessness of the situation.

Just as she was about to curse, the boy's hand moved signalling to his mouth simultaneously making slight frustrating noises as he was struggling to speak. He kept shaking his head at her offers.

She sighed, cold breath leaving her mouth as shivers went through her spine at the cold contact of the freezing floor. Her patience was wearing thin.

She knew she couldn't survive in the north. When she decided to venture, she knew there was a high probability of never returning. She would be lying if she said the thought didn't unnerve her.

She closed her eyes trying to breathe steadily as panic overtook her chest.

Breathe in

Several footsteps sounded in the darkness. Although as light as it can be, you could clearly feel the presence wash over your sensitive ears.

Breathe out

Laughter and voices resonated, altering the breath that needed to be taken in. But her resolute arose.

Breathe in

Suddenly the voices disappeared, along with the occasional awkward tapping of the foot by the boy that seemed to never look away from her. But, her concentration was only to breathe. To live.

Breathe out

The handcuffs on her hands moved, falling to the ground with a cancle. Cold fingertips grazed her burning wrists, the feeling spread through her body. The breathe finally rushed into her at an enormous speed, as her eyes awakened, gawking at the figure in front of her.

The figure was wearing a cloak that hid their body from head to toe, their eyes hidden by the drooping hat on their head. Their lips were stretched into a taut line as his hands reached to her hesitating hands.

The man adjusted the cap revealing a familiar eyes that bore into her intently.

"I shall not harm you. We should get out of here "

This time the man grabbed her springing her upwards, erupting a pain in her stiff legs. Four hooded figures graced them with their figures when they looked ahead. She noticed that they were not armed.

They were all her kin. The same species that was forced to extinction. Yet, their aura was as bloodthirsty as the animals that hunted them.

Her hands shook as she desperately searched her waistband for a gun or a knife just to find it empty. She felt fingers graze against her shoulder, the man pushed her back, away from the soulless eyes of the humans.

A small stick was taken out by the man from his pocket, his knees bending slightly as he concentrated on the enemy that was charging forwards.

His stick shot out like a snake, it's length widening to the height of a small pole. He twirled it in the air, hitting the neck of the figure with a force enough to break some sensitive veins.

His feet made contact with the one figure while simultaneously hitting the other figure on the head with his quick movements. The figure that was kicked returned with a brute force unlike the one whose head was bleeding on the ground.

He turned around in the nick of time to dodge the knife to his throat. While he was dodging the knife that was repeatedly aiming for his life, he finally grabbed the figure's wrist getting hold of the knife that was kept inches away from his face.

The girl's legs stepped over the bleeding figures on the ground with a dazed expression. The thin man never took a glance at the figures on the ground as he placed his new weapon and an unknown card from the person on the ground into his waistband. She looked at him with a strange expression.

The old car was travelling slowly through the rough road with occasional jerks distracting the awkwardness in the air. Her eyes swept over the passing scenery of the town, desperately looking forward to the wasteland ahead.

Her eyes shifted to the man on the front, catching a glimpse of his eyes in the rear view mirror. Words got caught in her throat. Kindness was strange in this world. She didn't know how many years it has passed by, since she has thanked someone wholeheartedly.

Her lip twitched as she felt discomfort raising within herself. It was going to be a long ride home.