Colourless

Chapter Six

The steam swirling from my coffee form water vapour on my chin as I absently hold the orange ceramic mug beneath my lips, staring out from the rickety cabin porch — the decking weathered with age.

The quiet rainfall from last night has left a certain mist over the tall trees that surrounded the cabin that I could only presume was hidden somewhere in the woods. Even if I tried to map where we were with what little geographical skills I had learnt in school, sunlight was only just pooling in through the breaks in the canopies and still the only thing that I knew I could determine was which way is north.

Taking another sip of my coffee, I almost spilt the warm liquid over myself as Malik abruptly called for me. "Out here," I call, glaring down at the liquid that sloshed tauntingly close to the rim of the mug as the cabin door flung open.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack," Malik grunted, rested his head against the open door with a sigh. "How are you so difficult to keep in one place, it's like—"

"Be quiet," I hiss, my footsteps creaking on the floorboards as I inch forwards.

"Are you serious?" Malik scoffed, "Look, lady, my main goal is to protect your ass, so I'd love it if you would just cooperate—"

"No, seriously," I interject, shooting him another glare, "Didn't you hear that?"

"Yes, it was the sound of my faith in this operation plummeting down a casym of death." Before Malik could continue, he froze as he finally heard the sound of another twig snapping.

"Oh, now you hear it?" I hiss, scoffing as Malik quickly covers my mouth with his hand — beginning to inch me back towards the door.

"You don't seem to understand the gravity of this situation, so let me spell it out for you—" Malik's eyes surveyed the dense forest— "When the government finds out your missing, they assume the worst. Now, when they realize that you are in fact missing for a particular reason, they send very bad people to hunt you down and force whatever you know out of you. So it's not just your ass on the line, it's everyone's."

My expression hardened and I nodded understandingly. Perhaps using humour as a defense mechanism wasn't the appropriate response to every situation.

Following Malik silently back into the house, I heard him curse as two, glowing red orbs appeared through the foliage of a tall bush. "What is that?"

"Technology is better than what it used to be," Malik explains softly, "Creating a cybernetic killing machine whose only objective is to locate it's target and kill them, doesn't seem so far fetched anymore."

Suddenly pulling on my coat, a mechanical cry tears through the air as I tumble inside of the shack and rush to grab our bags as Malik barricades the door with some of the old furnishings. "Out the back," he nods, gesturing to a closed door at the end of the hall. I nod in understanding, sprinting towards the room and flinging open the door with Malik close behind me. Swapping places, Malik brace his hands against the wall and kicks open what looks to be a small crawl space that leads outside.

"Ladies first," Malik panted, prompting me to literally launch myself outside as adrenaline pumped through my veins. The brunet swiftly hurried after me and I helped him to his feet, before he jerked me towards a medium-sized object positioned just underneath the roof at the back of the house. He tore away the white duvet that cloaked the object, revealing a large motorcycle.

"Well, I'm not complaining," I snort, immediately bundling our luggage and stuffing it into the compartment beneath the back seat. "Anything is better than facing off with that thing." Malik chuckles as he slips onto the vehicle, and I hurriedly follow after him.

Revving the engine, Malik abruptly tears off through the forest and I almost fall off the motorcycle twice before I finally secure my arms around the brunet's chest. Surveying the area so Malik could keep his eyes from the road, my wildly dancing curls flew into my hazel eyes and briefly distorted my vision. "I can't see it," I shout against the wind, before catching a glimpse of silver in my peripheral vision, "Never mind!"

Malik seemed to hear my words as he increased our speed, if that were even possible, and eventually broke through the treeline — shouting for me to lean to the left as we turned sharply onto a desolate, asphalt road.

"Can you still see it?" Malik shouts, prompting me to look around once more before calling back a horrified no. "Okay, I've got this."

"How?!" I scream, my eyes narrowing against the harsh wind.

"Don't worry!" Malik calls, with what I think is a laugh, though was mostly drowned out by the wind. "This story will be one to tell the grandkids!"