The Way it Was

Chapter 4 - Jo

The sounds of the Compound weren't the thing that woke Jo; she was used to the shuffling and breathing of her two hundred twenty six roommates. She stirred, as she was wont to do, because of her own thoughts. Her dreams had shifted from empty nothingness to bloodshed and destruction, to blurred memories of her human parents and to dying Bolts and killing Borgs.

She sat up as silently as she could on this damned cot, glancing briefly to Miles to assure his unconsciousness before stepping out of the room.

The Compound was easy enough to navigate if you'd lived there as long as Jo and Miles had, but more than ten minutes were used for a usually-five-minute trek as she carefully dodged sleeping Bolts. There were a few who were still awake, but barely so. Only the four children in the Compound slept okay these days, and even then it was after neighbors and assigned caretakers read and sang to them.

Jo kept walking, refusing to meet any of their eyes. The knowledge of what she should do prodded painfully at her mind, but she wouldn't allow herself to think it. Not yet.

Miles Anson was the greatest, most terrifying thing that had happened to Jo. She still remembered the day they met, the day the killings started and the day her parents threw her out.

She had screamed as loudly as she could when their hands dug into her arms, prying her from her bed and tossing her to the porch. She had screamed, but the moment after the door slammed in her face, she silenced her cries, the sounds of footsteps pounding against the pavement ringing through her ears, and she ran.

A short passageway between two assigned cube houses provided her with a hiding place, one she lept into as quickly and quietly as she could. Her cheeks were sore from the weight of her implants, from blinking and looking around so furiously in such a short amount of time. She'd had her new eyes since she was four, but had had little to no need for them. Appreciative, yes, but she'd been fine without sight. Her hearing was amazing for a six-year-old girl, and she was very aware of how people were feeling based on the tones and inflections of their voices.

It was her parents who hadn't been able to function with Blind Joanna Michaels.

Now wasn't the time to think about it. Her mind raced anxiously as she tried to remember, tried to pry some sort of subconscious memory out of the dream she'd just been torn from. Why had they chosen now? Why hadn't they at least waited until morning?

Amidst a hopeful future and a happy life, Jo reheard something she'd collected from her sleep. Her eyes were shut now, useless as she forced her mind to work, pried the words from her turning brain.

The name Jamie Mason came to mind, as well as Harvest Atkinson. But she couldn't remember who they were, or what they had to do with the situation.

An ear-splitting burst shook both buildings around her, throwing her back against the pavement, an echoing crack splitting through her body as she landed with her arm awkwardly bent beneath her. She cried out, but no tears fell, as none could.

Explosions and smoke sickened the night air, wheezing down its neck with each billowing cough. Her eyes were squeezed shut, digging painfully into her skin until she was sure she was bleeding, but she didn't look up. She didn't even move from her fallen position, sure her arm would fall off if she did, until a foot rammed into her side and there was suddenly a body on top of hers, adding to the agony.

Jo smiled ever so slightly at the memory. Miles had a way of making first impressions. She could only afford to hate him for an hour after he tripped over her like that, having to make amends quickly in order to survive, but she'd probably still hate him today if they didn't agree to stick together after that. He said he didn't need a body to drag around with him. She said she didn't need him to be one.

No further words were spoken as they ran from the alley together, a bomb shattering just slightly away from her place of refuge. He was eight and she was six, and all they had was each other in a world determined to destroy them.

Hey guys!!! I've been trying to keep up with my NaNoWriMo writing, but I keep falling behind! I'm currently 4,000 words behind, but I'm in a writing kind of mood. Maybe you could give me some comments or votes and cheer me on? Thanks for reading!! Love you all! - Lillie