What we left behind

Zipline Hero

Kaden

I ran my hand over the scarred bark. It was cut in the shape of a circle. No animal could have left a mark like that, it was deliberate. My heart leapt for joy. Shifting my focus up, I looked out over the mountainside. Taking in the view I could see the remnants of a sprawling city from the hilltop. It had taken days for me to get here, the gashes on my palms, arms, and legs were testament to the rough journey I'd traveled. The landscape was immense, nothing but large wooded mountains and huge stretches of forest with a few streams thrown in. The hunting was good but I never had trouble getting my arrow to reach its mark. The hiking wouldn't have been bad if it wasn't so cold. The chilling temperature would get even worse at night, forcing me to make a fire and risk getting noticed. But I wasn't worried, the dense forest blocked everything but a small tunnel view of the night sky. Besides it was hard to be concerned with getting spotted when all I could think about was finding her. With Every step I took I scanned the area diligently, looking for any sign of her. Maybe a torn fabric from her plaid scarf hanging on a tree limb or like this time, a shape carved into the base of a tree. Her bright emerald gaze burned into the back of my eyes. I longed for her touch. Now, standing on the top of a mountain looking down on what was left of a city from a lost civilization, I couldn't help but feel lost in it all. The dominating presence of what were once tall skyscrapers populated by thousands of men focused solely on keeping the world running. Now they were just skeletons of what they once were. Claimed by nature, they only served as a reminder to the world of what once was. Maybe in a thousand years people would make museums out of it, "The Lost World." I brought my gaze back to the cliffside in front of me, the only thing separating me from the forgotten metropolis and more importantly, Jade. The sun was leaving the sky, beckoning nightfall. I'd have to brainstorm a way off this mountain tomorrow, the only thing worse than climbing down a mountain, is climbing down a mountain surrounded by pitch darkness, in freezing temperatures. Not only that but because of my lack of a quiver, I'd been keeping my twelve arrows in a unzipped pocket in my backpack. So every time I climbed I'd have to avoid a face full of arrow feathers. I sauntered over to the stream and caught my reflection. My messy brown hair was falling into my brooding eyes, which were usually bright blue but tonight they were the color of a storm cloud. My face was still smooth due to my inability to grow facial hair. It had been 3 weeks since I set out on this journey. I hadn't really paid attention to my appearance but I looked scary. My stare looked almost primal. My lips had a tint of blue from the cold. I had on a dark green long sleeve shirt that matched the heavy army green rain coat I had over it, and thick tan gloves. For pants I had on a pair of regular Levis and black hiking boot for shoes. I took a drink from the freezing stream and walked back up the hill to setup camp. It was gonna be a long day of climbing tomorrow. Then just as I started to relax, out of nowhere I saw a bright ball of fire launch into the sky and explode. A flare! I ran to my backpack and slung it over my shoulder. It didn't seem that far off, just a little over a mile away in the city but theres still the cliffside to climb down, unless... I spotted an old but very climbable telephone tower with a wire that stretched all the way down to the city below. Thats crazy I thought. But only one person could've shot that flare, I had to try. Looks like finding her wasn't going to be as hard as I thought. Jade what have you gotten yourself into now?

Jade

I lowered the smoking gun and let it drop to the ground. "What was that!" He yelled. What looked like the leader of the bandits looked at me with absolute hatred. The rest started to shuffle amongst themselves looking at each other nervously. The leader laughed obnoxiously, spitting with every guffaw. He spoke with a heavy southern drawl. "Listen little girl, I don't know where you got one of those but they ain't nothin but ancient relics now." He started to pace as he talked, his bald head
shining under his hood. "Do you know what those were once for?" He asked rhetorically. "Signaling help!" He started laughing, this time the rest of his goons joining in. "That was back when there was help to signal! Now all there is, is me, you, and ten other men under my command." He smiled an evil smile. "Anyone ever tell you, you're pretty? In Fact you might just be the prettiest thing I've ever seen. " He stepped closer. "With that long blonde hair, and those bright green eyes" he ran his eyes all over my body. "You've got a nice figure too, well endowed for a girl as slim as you." He brought his index finger to my mouth. "You've got pretty pink lips." Seeing the opportunity I couldn't help it, I bit as hard as I could. He screamed and pulled his finger loose, the rest of the men started closing in as I started to back away only to run into a goon who held me in place, restraining my arms. But the leader shooed them away, well all except the man holding me. "It's fine, It's fine" he told them. He laughed turning his attention back to me. He brought his finger to my eyes displaying the bleeding wound I'd inflicted. "We just have to teach it manners boys." He taunted. I spit blood from his finger onto the ground. "You taste like a bastard!" I yelled. That was when I knew I'd gone to far. I saw the patience in his eyes snap and heard the crack as the back of his hand slammed into my cheek. "Stupid bitch!" He yelled. My vision became hazy and my face stung. I could feel a warm trickle of blood run down my jaw. He slid his hands down his face and took a deep breath, regaining his composure. He fixed his gaze back on me. "Sometimes naughty girls need to be punished." Looking at his men he smirked. "Strip her." He said. Than just as all the men rushed forwards, an arrow went straight through the leaders head. His eyes rolled back and he collapsed. As I looked for the source of the arrow, I gasped, there he was. Hanging off a telephone wire with a rope attached to his ratty old back pack, another arrow already notched. I looked up and smiled at him. "Who's next?" He asked as he pulled back the string ready to let another one fly. At that note they all started running away. Going as far as they could to get out of range. As they slowly disappeared into old buildings and alleyways, I yelled. "There's still people who help those in need!" I laughed and directed my attention to the helpless boy hanging on a telephone wire. Everything I love and a backpack. He smiled that goofy smile. "Now" I said, returning the smile. "How do we get you down?"