Fighting the Grey

Part 1

It was a cloudy day when my mom was kidnapped. But it's always been cloudy. I was on my way home from the market after selling a rabbit I had caught earlier that day when I had this feeling. Like that kind you get when you know it's going to rain, or when you know something is up. It was just a wrong feeling. Then I saw a person in grey outside the shack I shared with my mom. I stopped walking when there was about a 50-foot space between myself and what looked like a man dressed in an all grey jumpsuit. From what I could see, a struggle was happening inside our shack there were shouts and the rustling of the sheet we used as a door.

At the time I had no clue what was happening or who they were, so I stayed off to the side hidden by a wall, and watched carefully. From my position I could see the man outside of the shack watch his surroundings with wiry paranoia.

Not long after I had noticed the struggle, it was over. Two men and a woman exited the shack, all wearing identical grey jumpsuits. The single woman seemed to be bossing the men around as she left the shack. The two men joined with the other man standing outside, dragging a human with long black hair, almost identical to mine. My heartbeat quickened, fearing that human was my mother, the only human with long black hair, exactly like mine.

It was then that I decided to confront the people in grey. I walked with purpose as I kept my hood up.

"Excuse me, Miss," I called out as soon as I was in range. She turned to face me, with boredom dripping from her face and a stern aura surrounding her.

"Yes?" She drawled, staring me directly in the eyes.

"Where are you taking that woman?"

"To our clinic, in Seattle, she is very sick and we are here to help her get better." 'That's a complete LIE!' I wanted to yell, but I could tell if I did I would be taken to the 'clinic' of theirs.

"Oh, well I hope she gets well soon," I lied with a sickly sweet smile plastered on my face and walked back to the market since I had nowhere else to go. Also, if I went to the shack they would see through my lie.

Once out of their sight I fell against a crumbling brick wall, trying to decipher what the hell just happened. People in grey took my mom and I have to get her back. But how? And why did they take her? My mother and I were just scavengers and hunters, nothing special. The only clue I had was that they are going to Seattle and there was a large patch of wilderness between there and here. No one went out there unless they had a death wish. I growled in frustration, running my hand through my thick black hair. As I sat there with my head on my knees, I decided that I should start asking people about these people in grey.

After getting up and straighten myself out, I walked to the market. The market was the central hub of communication in this area as people came here to trade and get important materials. There was a stall for anything you could ever think of and even things you didn't want to.

When I arrived, the market was hustling and bustling with people of all ages and types. It was about midday, lunch time, and many people came to the market to get lunch, lazy as ever. I tugged my hood down, to cover my face more as I briskly walked over to a stall selling fruit.

"Percy! What can I do fer ya?" The large jovial man behind the counter greeted.

"Sal, hey, uh I'm looking for some info right now about some people in grey," I said as discreetly as I could manage, keeping my head down.

"Uhmp, people in grey? That's strange, Mara said somethin' about her boy, Tommy seein' these guys in grey takin' someone away. Why you askin?" I raised my eyebrows and lifted my head to show Sal my surprise.