~Rain~

Chapter Nineteen

 Chapter nineteen

 

‘Tyron,’ Alice mumbled, pulling herself determinedly up and opening her eyes wide. Her lips were cracked and red, and her face suddenly as pale as chalk. The boy lifted a hand to her forehead, only to discover that she was as cold as ice.

‘Are you okay?’ Tyron asked, stupidly.

‘No,’ Alice managed a slight smile, ‘I’m going to die.’

Automatically, Tyron began to shake his head. His breath catching in his throat, the boy dropped his hand from where it was hanging in the air. ‘No, you’re not. You are going to live. We will find a way.’

His voice was so determined, so sure, that Alice almost decided to humor him and go along with it, but the tear that rolled down her cheek gave her away. She too shook her head, feeling the pain cracking through it like electricity.

‘How do you know that? Nobody survives this.’

‘I know that because…it’s almost someday. And I promise that I will know you someday. You can’t give up.’

Alice murmured something of a reply under her breath, before letting her eyelids flutter to a close. Without so much as a nod of promise, the girl gave in and let herself slip away, unsure and not truly caring whether or not she would drift back to life once more.

 

 

22nd of December, 2045 (someday)

 

A boy was running. He burst from the ruins of his house, feeling the smoldering ashes beneath his feet and not caring in the least. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and the pain in his skinned legs was next to unbearable.

He dragged in yet another ragged breath, unable to pause despite the smoke that was filling his lungs. Wheezing and coughing, his rapid heartbeat fell into step with his pounding footsteps.

He was not alone.

Behind him, from the remains of the house, came the man. He was neither especially tall nor sinister looking, but the gleam in his eyes was bright and cold. His face smeared with blood, bruises covered the mans arms beneath his suit. He was not giving in to the ten-year-old boy that ran ten paces ahead of him.

I will kill you all, the man wanted to scream, but he barely had enough breath to continue running. Instead, he gasped, coughing as he ran.

The boy risked a glance over his shoulder, and his worst fears were confirmed. The suited man was gaining on him, and the boy was nearing exhaustion.

‘Stop,’ the man finally managed, but the boy had no intention of doing such a thing.

Fear and fatigue overcame him, and the boy stumbled, letting his pace slow as he struggled to breathe. A tear ran down his cheek as he realized what was happening.

The mans arms had clamped around his own before the boy could understand to the full extent what was going on.

Feeling his strong fingers take their hold on him, the boy knew that there was no escape. He crumpled, still gasping and wheezing in the thick blanket of smoke that covered the area.

‘Are they dead?’ the boy asked, twisting limply around to face the man.

Jerking him back and tightening his iron grip, the man shook his head. Steeling his look, he made it clear that no more questions would be welcome.