Sector 21

Chapter Six

The pair of them made it to the central train station instead of straight out of the City, Octavia convinced Xavier that they check the on land boarder of the City compared to the underground border. She hoped anyway. After spending what little money she had with her on train tickets to the nearest station outside of the city, they got on the train and let silence reign over the 2 hour journey.

The journey dragged on endlessly, the seconds dragged, the minutes seemed to last for a life time and the hours, don't get started on the hours and how long they seemed to last. When they reached their stop it was bout midday and the sun was blazing in the sky. They were the only people at the station, well where they could see. There was no buildings just knee high grass and other pants lining a dirt track just about wide enough for a car to drive down- not that one would.

"We head to The Weeping Wood" He said, the first thing since they had left her apartment, "It will take us about a week on foot, longer if we get caught"

"You expect me to walk for a week with you?" Octavia asked in disbelief

"Yes, unless we can find a quicker mode of transport" He said grinning slyly

"There's going to be no cars or bikes or anything like that that out here," She argued, exasperated "We are in the Wastes, there is nothing out here anymore"

"How do you feel about horses?" He said pointing to a barn up ahead of them, about a mile or so off the track.

"If you haven't realized, I have no money." She shouted "I have never ridden a horse in my life, I'm not in the mood to be a thief and to be quite frank I don't even want to be here with you"

"Tough shit," He laughed lowly "unless you want to be locked up, you're coming with me"

Octavia did not argue back instead followed Xavier along the path to the barn he had spotted. It took them about 20 minutes to wade their way through the grass that had now covered the path to the barn, despite his fast gait Octavia kept up, just. The barn was quite large with two horses inside, one was bay and the other a steel gray, their tack was nowhere to be seen. Xavier left her by the dozing horses and said he was looking for someone to talk to.

About 5 minutes later he came back not just with someone but with a sword strapped around his waist and a dagger in his hand,he gave it to Octavia and she put it in her bag, not really wanting it. The man had apparently agreed to let Xavier have the horses for nothing but he probably threatened to kill the man if he didn't allow him them. In no time they were tacked up and Xavier was seated upon the bay mare.

"I'm not getting on it" She argued from the ground.

"If you do not," He threatened, his ears back and teeth bearing "I will tie you to the horse"

She weighed up her options, either get tied to the horse or suck it up and ride it (and stay on his better side for now). After sighing rather dramatically she mounted the horse with help of a fallen log and then they set off towards The Weeping Wood- where ever that was.

"I hope you are a fast learner, for your sake" Xavier grimaced

"I hope so too" She said under her breath as she nudged her mare in the sides to go faster to catch up to Xavier.

As they rode up the path the skies turned grey and everything became darker almost instantly. They rode until night fell and then carried on, he said they could stop tomorrow as enough time had been wasted at the barn. Octavia as starving, did he not get hungry? She pulled her horse to a stop and swung her bag around to her front to get the sandwich she had made earlier and ate it quickly. Once they were on the move again they rode silently into the night, the sound of the horses hooves against the dirt track and the hooting of owls was their soundtrack for the night.