Mankinds last Silhouette

Chapter 9: Breath

I have been alone and scared most of my life. I've had but a shred of tear from the harsh desert of the wastelands. Yet, I've always had a smile on my face. I've pushed myself to the forefront of human mental limits, and I survived. I survived again and again. When the highwaymen came, I survived. When the Republic came, I survived. I survived against all odds. When the world gave up on me, I survived.

My mind drifts in the empty void of silence. I see myself trapped in a haunting nightmare and repetitive pattern. My past lives and mistakes replay in front of me like a sheet of music. I reach out to the silhouettes, but my hands glued to the earth, and my eyes forced to watch repeatedly as I fail, as I flee, and as I scream while others act.

However, I can change now. I can do more. Anthony has taught me there is more to life than surviving and running. That living is possible. All I have to do is...

"Breathe... Breathe... Breathe," I muttered softly, while wheezing.

In the distance, I could hear wood creaking and debris and pebbles tumbling off each other. The air smelled stuffy, clogging my nostrils and causing my nose to twitch.

I hate the fact that I've found someone I can finally befriend. I hate that I have to mold myself into something more. While being ravaged by my thoughts, a warm voice reached out to my shattered body and jerked me into reality.

"Dusty, wake up... I am proud of you..."

I jolted up, screaming and coughing out blood and smoke. My body lodged between piles of wood and appliances. It felt like both my hands and feet were tied to a horse and being pulled apart.

My body was stationary and in pain, my heart racing from all the adrenaline my body had pumped through me. I was out of options and I was dying. I had punctures all over my body, with blood gushing out of me like an untamed river. My body loosened again as I slipped out of consciousness.

I jolted up again, screaming, but my voice was muffled by the creaking and tumbling of debris. This time, however, I could hear soft whimpering in the distance.

"Lola," I whispered into the starchy air, but lost consciousness again.

As I remember it to this day, I don't know how long I was out. But when I woke up a third time, Lola had made her way to me. Her left hind leg where broken and her elbows bent. She must have crawled to me when she heard my voice. She licked my face, her body trembling.

"It's going to be okay, girl," I tried assuring her, but she became more ill and worried. Her face grew paler, and I could barely move. As I lost consciousness for the fourth time, which I feared would be my last, all I could hear were Lola's barks echoing in the distance and a faint grunt.

The atmosphere was now cold and bland. Shepherd and John met up at the prison with fury in their eyes for different reasons.

Shepherd paced back and forth in the dimly lit corridor, his footsteps echoing off the stone walls. John leaned against the bars of Anthony's cell, staring at the unconscious figure inside. The faint glow of a single lantern cast long shadows, making the prison feel even more oppressive.

"How long are you going to keep him here, John?" Shepherd said, his voice a low growl. "You finally have Anthony. What now?"

John's eyes were dark with exhaustion as he stopped pacing and turned to face Shepherd. "I know, Shepherd. But the emperor specifically wanted his guards to escort him to the palace."

Shepherd shook his head. "Okay, okay, as long as I get my unit, I don't care."

Shepherd walked closer to John. "As long as he does not escape, we are all good here. Can you make sure he stays put?"