Ally, Imagined *hiatus

Journey Towards Nowhere Land

Thirty minutes had gone by.

Trust me, I counted every second.

Suddenly, the gunfire stopped. I stayed underneath the musty blanket for a few silent seconds, until the sound of motorcycle engines cutting rang out loud enough for me to here.

"Just give her up. You can't even fight." A voice said. Laughing arose but was quickly shushed.

"Never." Court's familiar voice spat at the man.

Next was Royal. A dark chuckle that I had never heard from him since I met him echoed over the group. When he spoke, his voice sounded hollow, or like he was going insane. Slowly, then all at once. "Why would we ever give up someone like them to scum like you?"

A single shot was fired.

"Next one's at your head." The voice of the 'scum' threatened. "We'll come back tomorrow, at sunrise. If you're not here, then we'll find you."

A few more minutes passed before I heard stomping on the door. Peeling the blanket off of me, I walked warily towards the ladder. I didn't think I should speak, just in case they weren't Royal and Court.

The door's chain was yanked open, this time with less effort and no banging. "Ember, it's us. You okay?" Royal asked.

Court held out his hand to me. "We're leaving as soon as we can. I have an extra bag for you, throw everything useful in this dump in that bag, okay?"

I nodded, taking his hand and being lifted up by Royal and him. "Thank you." I whispered. They didn't seem to hear me, so I tried again. "Thank you."

Court glanced up at the same time as Royal, gave a quick smile, then want back to packing cans of beans and medicines into a bag. "Well, why wouldn't we? You don't see a stupid little girl that you could trade for food everyday, do you?"

I chuckled at his half-hearted attempted at a joke. "Yeah, yeah, very funny. Where's that bag you promised?"

"It's on the counter. Just fill it up with stuff from the bunker, the door's still open." I snatched up the bag from the counter, then stalked away towards the bunker I had been locked in previously. I clambered down the ladder, then walked over to the metal racks of food and supplies.

I started shoving anything that looked useful into the bag. Cans of food, trail mix, water, a deck of cards, and a slightly dismembered first aid kit. Then, right before I left, I noticed a small wooden box wedged in between a nonfiction book on pigs and another on fences. 

Taking the two nonfiction books and putting them on another rack, I picked up the box gently, as if it would break with force. I noticed it had a silver hummingbird on the lid, with a black and white ornate band winding around it on the sides. It seemed like it was made of mahogany and appeared to be from the Victorian era with all the effort put into the silver plating on the box's lock and hummingbird. I turned it around in my hand a few times, a light rattling coming from inside.

I tried to open the box, but it was unfortunately locked. I looked around for a key of some sort, but there was none on the rack. But, if I remember correctly, I think there was a key hanging on a worn out lanyard, on the end table by the bed.

I carried the box in one hand, snatching up the key and quickly unlocking it. On the other side of the lid, there was a metal plate with a wreath around the edges. An engraving was on the plate.

ROMAN & COULSON TARRYL

MEMORIES OF BEFORE

In the box, there was a stack of pictures. On the top, there was a photo of a mother and two kids who looked similar to people I'd seen somewhere. What if this was a family from before whatever weird apocalypse thing happened?

"Hey, Ember!" Royal called. I heard him coming down the ladder. "You almost ready to.."

I looked over, then noticed the expression on Royal's face. Surprise. Shock. Fear. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Why do you have that?" He asked monotonously.

I put the box back on the end table. "I just saw it and I wanted to know what was inside, and, yeah."

Royal pursed his lips. "Give me the bag, and go upstairs. Wait for me with Court." He demanded, clenching his fists. Not wanting to anger him more, I scurried up the ladder as quick as I could.

"You good to go?" Court smiled, but it quickly faded when he noticed that Royal hadn't come back up with me. "Did something happen?"

I bit my lip, looking down. "I don't know. I really don't know. I just, there was this box with 'Roman and Coulson Tarryl' written in it, and then Royal come down and he got really upset, and I don't," I took a deep breath, "I don't know what got into him."

Court had the same expression on his face as Royal did when he saw the box. Surprise, shock, and fear. "That was our box." He mumbled under his breath. "That was our box, our secret. Royal takes secrets and promises a little too seriously, I guess." Court looked back up at me with a smile.

"Don't worry about it," he said.

"Thanks, Court," I replied.

He gestured me to stay where I was, then left to go see Royal.

I looked down at my hands. Taking a few steps back, I leaned against the rusty diner counter and looked out over the dry desert. What happened today?

I lost a softball.

I went on adventure.

Then, I find my way home.

I forget this ever happened, but think about it every once in a while.

And then I'll ask myself that question they all ask.

"Why did I ever leave?" I whispered to the setting sun.