cleanse

17

I traveled for days without stopping. I took a five minute break ever now and then, but I never stopped for sleep. Bags under my eyes formed and I slowly morphed into a monster. I became highly irritable, frustrated by the smallest things. When I ran out of power berries two days ago, I threw a rock into a tree which angered a nest of angry bees. I was stung by five of them, which only added fuel to the fire. 

After the first day of non-stop travelling, I stopped thinking about Mahree's death. She shouldn't have been in the woods in the first place, let alone that stupid train. I barely knew her, but if I knew anything, it was that she was far too smart and clever to fail. She might have even been smarter than the Exam itself. 

On the second day after her death, I thought about taking a bath in the pond. I shook the thought out of my mind. There was no way I would stop for such a silly task. Unless I was going to starve or dehydrate myself, I stopped for food and water.

My third day without her was the worst. I killed my first animal since the fish and instantly regretted it. I sobbed for an hour and a half because I thought about the government and killing people and things for fun is what they do. I officially joined them as a killer. Then I thought about killing myself out of guilt. I just didn't feel like it. I was too exhausted to tie myself to a tree, nor did I want to leave Magdalena behind. Even though I was breaking inside, I still wanted to get home. I still had a goal hiding in the back of my mind.

Yesterday was my fourth day. I took a few minutes extra to wash my face in a stream and kill a squirrel who lingered nearby. I lit a fire and cooked it just how Mahree taught me to. Her presence seemed to lurk around me and follow me to my break points. Once I stomped out the firepit, I continued on my journey back home.

Today however, seems to be oddly quiet. It's almost suspicious how silent the forest has been since the sun rose. Animals didn't come out from hiding and the pond water laid still as ever. It's growing creepier by the second. As I get closer to the meadow, I fear it more. 

I'm a few feet away from it, and that's when I hear it. Footsteps created by more than one person. It sounds like a small pack of people. The killers. My mind races with possible ways to escape, but they're growing closer. I see three figures hide behind different trees that surround the empty meadow. One black hoodie, one black leather jacket, and one black tank top. I soon figure out that it's two girls and one boy. 

All at once, they emerge from the trees. The boy is wearing the hoodie, but one of the sleeves has been ripped off, revealing his huge muscles and tattoos that almost create another sleeve. He has one half of his head shaved off while the other side is short, choppy, and dyed multiple colors. Red, black, grey, and green. He has a gun on his back that sends a shiver down my back.

The first girl, in a black tank top, has an empty bow in her hands and a sheath full of arrows on her back. She has dried makeup running down her face that has been there for a while, it looks like. A single black stripe goes around her right bicep. She's the only one who doesn't look angry. Instead, she looks at me apologetically. 

And the last girl stands tall and menacingly with a spear held tight in her hands. It's the spear Mahree stole from the dead girl on the park trail. These have to be the killers I've been running from. The silver zippers on her leather jacket have blood covering most of them. I can also see the blood splattered on the sleeves and torso. The spear has the same stains.

They close around me, forming a circle. The girl with the bow and arrows is slower than the rest of them to create the circle. She also looks like the youngest. She's probably around fourteen or fifteen, whereas the other two look like they're seventeen or eighteen. Not only that, she also looks like a girl I saw in my Examination waiting room. I know for sure I've seen her around school as well. People always called her "goth" and "emo", which are American terms that people rarely use.

I don't know her last name, but I know her first name. "Nyx?" I ask, trying to convince her not to let her comrades kill me. "It's Violet. I don't know if you remember be or if you even know who I am in the first place... but I need you to hear me o-" The butt of the man's gun smashes into the side of my head. I see stars dance around my eyes as I hit the soft grass.

I'm on the brink of going unconscious and my head is spinning faster the a car wheel. My vision has gone blurry and I can't hear anything except the ringing in my ears. "Get up!" I can barely hear the man bark at me. "Get up or I'll shoot you right now!" I think that's what he's saying. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the man cock his gun. As he points it at my head, Nyx leaps at him and yells "STOP!" loud enough for me to hear it.

The ringing in my ears fades away after a minute, and my hearing begins to strengthen once more. "Leave her alone." Nyx hisses at the leader. "I know who she is." Nyx stands tall, trying to make herself look powerful. The man hesitates before taking what she said into consideration, and placing his gun back on his back. Nyx reaches out her hand to help me up. I graciously take it, and as I do, the other girl strikes like a viper, pinning Nyx to the ground.

They roll around on the floor slapping and screaming at each other. Nyx is able to get on top of the other girl and hold her down. "GET OFF!" The girl screams. "I'LL LISTEN TO YOU, JUST GET OFF ME!" Nyx obeys the girl and slowly gets off of her. "We're not going to hurt her." Nyx spits. "Leave her alone!" The two others nod after a small pause. 

"I'm sorry for the rude introduction." Nyx says sweetly. "I should probably introduce myself and the other two over there. My name is Nyx and I know you already knew that, but out here we don't use our real names. So out here, I'm Night, she's Rain, and he's Star." The two give me a small salute, a common greeting in Nobility.