Morning brings rain. My ears flatten at the prospect of going out in the rain. I even whimper a little.
“Blair?” Sergio asks.
“It’s raining and I don’t think my fur is waterproof,” I answer looking out.
Thankfully the leaves above us have stopped most of the rain from hitting us. I’m dreading moving, I’m going to get drenched.
Sergio laughs, “On the plus side, Crystal and Kotey won’t be going anywhere today. He wouldn’t want the rain to mess up his hair, he’s worse than a girl.”
I sit up, careful not to move the tree, and start to finger comb my hair. It gets the tangles out but my hair and scalp are still greasy. The rain probably won’t even wash it out.
“We should make a move, this rain doesn’t look like it’s gonna stop soon,” Sergio sighs. “Do you want breakfast now or later?”
“Later, you’re the one who keeps telling me; we need to keep moving Blair.” I imitate his voice and laughs.
“I guess you’re right,” he says and stands up.
His back brushes against the tree and sends the leaf collected water cascading over us. It splashes over us, soaking me instantly. I know that my clothes are heavy with the rain and darker to. At least the fabric isn’t white and see-through.
“I like this look on you,” Sergio laughs tugging on a damp lock of hair.
“You look good to,” I laugh, my eyes trailing over his chest. Blinking before I get carried away I say, “We need to keep moving.”
He nods and helps me put my bag on. The water on my back starts to collect but there’s nothing I can do to shift it. Who knows, the water might cool me down later in the day, or give me the world’s worst cold.
I hold up Sergio’s bag and my arms start to shake with the effort. He laughs and slides his arms into the straps. Once the bag is settled on his shoulders he turns round and lets me do up the straps.
I do and my touch lingers on his chest. He notices and smiles. Our wet clothes could cause us problems. Not just because they could make us ill but because the damp causes the clothes to stick. With no movement in the clothes they – and the bags straps – will rub and create blisters if we aren’t careful.
Sergio leads me out, the ground beneath our feet has rapidly turned into bogs. We have to be even more careful than ever, not wanting to get stuck down some cesspit, and the dampness on the ground causes my ankle to ache again.
The trees stay still today but feathers float down in front of my eyes. I don’t tell Sergio about it, not wanting to worry him. I do tell him when I start to hear things. Surely hallucinations just affect my sight, they’d leave my other senses alone right?
“What do you hear Blair?” he asks fighting to keep the panic out of his voice.
“Footsteps,” I tell him, my head turning towards the sound.
Sergio looks alarmed and my heart pounds. The hallucinations must be getting worse. He takes my hand and leads me through the forest. My ears play tricks on me and I jump at every little thing I hear, whether it’s real or not.
A twig snaps and the colour drains from Sergio’s face. That one’s real. He grabs my hand and drags me with him, I keep up this time. We run but the twigs keep breaking, sounding closer than before. I don’t think we can outrun them, so I duck under the undergrowth. Sergio goes with me. Our chests rise and fall and he touches my hand.
It wasn’t guards or soldiers that were chasing us but the Dogs. I hold my breath and pray that they’ll pass by and leave us alone.
Someone up there feels sorry for me as the Dogs don’t even sniff at our hiding place. It all goes quiet and I start to stand up. Sergio grabs my hand and pulls me back down. I try not to crack anything but I still send insects scurrying for cover.
YOU ARE READING
Project: Hero
Fiksi Remaja"You might be a killer, but I don't think you're a monster." The government has taken over the nation in a totalitarian state. But there are a select few who stand in its way. And that is those with the moon Tattoos. Each possesses a strange power a...
