The Zero Hour | #Wattys2016

Chapter 1 - Fight or Flight (Part 1)

"Quick," shouted a large boy with red hair and freckles. "Get him!"

Amadeus paused in mid stride. He barely had time to look up before realizing that he was surrounded by a group of boys, yelling taunts at him in unison. All of them wore ragged sackcloth and had disheveled hair; the typical commoner look. A fat boy poked him with a large stick threateningly. Another one spat at his feet. The tallest of the group stepped forward to give him a good shove, causing him to stumble backwards.

"Come on now fellas, let's not be too hasty," said Amadeus with both hands thrown up in surrender, attempting to calm the riled up group.

"I like your shoes, Amadeus. How about you give them to me?" said the red haired leader with a menacing glint in his eye. "I'll look much better in them than you ever will." The other boys roared in agreement.

"You tell him what's what, Agusto!" cheered the fat boy with the large stick.

"Do as he says pipsqueak!" shouted another.

"Hand them over or we'll throw you over the border into the wilderness."

Gentle flakes of snow settled on the ground around him. Like white petals, they swirled about in patterns in the air. It was the age of ice, just ten years after the Purge, and most of the world had been ravaged by frost. Amadeus ran his fingers through his dark black hair and little white snowflakes clung to his hands. He closed his eyelids for a moment to think, concealing his intense brown eyes. He somberly remembered that his father had the very same eyes. He took a deep breath and forced his heart beat to a slow and steady pace.

With his mind clear and calm, he looked back at the group; studying their every move. He had been threatened many times before. Any other boy would have probably soiled his pants if faced with the prospect of being thrown into the wilderness, but not him. Not after the hundredth time.

"Okay, hold on," Amadeus muttered as he reached down and attempted to pull off his left shoe. "I'll take them o..." Suddenly, he looked up and pointed behind Agusto. With a look of fright on his face, he shouted a single word, "Nobles!"

The boys tensed up and all eyes turned towards the direction Amadeus had pointed at. The diversion only bought him a second, and a second was all he needed. Amadeus ducked out under a gap between two boys and raced towards an alley.

"S-Stop him! He's getting away!" shouted the first boy who noticed his ruse. All of them immediately took off after him, scrambling furiously towards the narrow alley. Having done this many times before, Amadeus skillfully jumped through the back window of a bakery. He ignored the delicious smell of freshly baked bread which made his mouth water and sprinted out the other end through front door.

Not wasting any time, Amadeus quickly scanned the area for a place to lay low. Right in front of the bakery, he spotted a particularly tall tree with bushy leaves which loomed over him. Perfect! Amadeus stretched his fingers and shimmied up the tree with the dexterity of a well-trained monkey. Once he was safely hidden in the branches, he paused to catch his breath. Beneath him, the shouts of angry boys could be heard as they fanned out to look for him.

"Works every time," Amadeus muttered under his breath with a grin. Who could blame the other boys for falling for it? Everyone was terrified of the Nobles since the Purge. The rules were simple – obey the Nobles or be punished.

The night of the Purge was burned deep in his mind. It was the night he had lost his parents. Amadeus clenched at his chest, feeling a painful burden weigh down his heart. It was like it had only happened yesterday...

*******

"Where will we go?"

Amadeus looked up at his mother, confused by the panic in her voice, as she stuffed an empty bag with some clothes.