Guardians: Protectors of Light

Chapter 3

 Picture of Trent 

*** Switching tenses not really sure what tense I want to write in. Please comment and let me know what you think!

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Confusion evident in her whisper she asks "Where's here?"

Matt, undeterred by the grimy surroundings, points to a decrepit building, its entrance obstructed by a dangling beam that forces anyone entering to crouch. "Here. It stretches down to the end of the alley, roomier than it looks. Great for hiding the sick and injured." He tells her and swings himself through the doorway. Ash folds himself through the doorway.

"No wonder you were panicking, we were close to it." Trent comments as Matt heads towards the doorway. Matt ducks into the darkness and Trent motions for Valery to go next.

Valery follows right behind. The creek of the beam and a musty smell permeate the air. And she knows that as she passes through the doorway, more expectations await her.

Through the doorway, Valery spots two Guardians guarding the entrance, both of whom she knows from classes: Savannah and Gavin. Engaged in conversation with Ash. They are probably the ones who saw the smoke and alerted him. She nods to them.

They nod back in greeting, hands resting on their blades, ready for trouble.

"Where is everyone?" Valery asks as her eyes adjust to the dimness.

"We obviously can't keep them too close to the entrance. We need this place to look abandoned," Matt tells her.

The room they are standing in is empty, yet feels suffocating, the air heavy with dust. Faded wallpaper hangs in tattered strips, hinting at happiness and laughter that once bounced off them. The floor is covered in so much dirt, that it's impossible to make out what flooring the building was built with. A toppled chair with a missing leg, and a shattered mirror reflecting a distorted image are all that remain from the home's last occupants.

"Doing a good job of it, the rats are a great addition," She comments, eyeing up another rat as it scampers away from them.

"It's a falling city. Carrion eaters are going to be out," Trent tells her.

"This can't be good for the sick," Valery tells him.

"We make sure to keep the healing chamber clean," Ash tells her. "It's all about keeping up an appearance. There's a lot you need to learn when it comes to strategy, having to survive in a land where you're hunted. Matt, take them back."

Matt nods. He guides them through the crumbling building. He leans his back against a wall and pushes. A panel swings open, revealing a room full of hustle and bustle; graduated Guardians stand around, some alert, on watch, others relaxed, eating their share of soldier rations. Valery looks around, anxiety starting to nip at her, hinting that she doesn't belong, the only non-graduated Guardian within its walls.

"Ey Trent." Brent greets, wiping some gravy off his sun-stained face with his sleeve. "Good to see you again."

"You too." The two men shake hands.

"This way," Matt murmurs.

Matt guides her over to the injured lying on yoga mats, some asleep, others staring wide-eyed at the plain ceiling, reliving whatever horrors they've faced that brought them to this moment. Very few were willing to talk.

"Some are planned to be brought back to the city, the mayor has housing arranged for them. We need to make sure they aren't sick and don't have something that can spread through the city. Check them out first. If they are clean, we want to isolate them from the others. Some, the ones on the red mats, are dying. You're not expected to try to save them. They just want peace, a safe place to pass. Purple mats are infected wounds. Green mats are those who are recovering, and treated with first aid. They might be moving to yellow mats, which are the future city folk."