The Refugees

Chapter 8: Savannah

Edited

My eyes squint. The sun is so bright. Too bright. This light blurs my vision, causing dizziness in the process. My nose tingles because of all these new senses and smells. The air feels thicker, more clogged than usual and it feels as though I am both chocking and truly breathing for the first time. My feet sink into the sand and I find it harder to walk and keep my stability. I look ahead and there's a desert, the heat so incredibly unbearable that it appears as a hazy layer in the far distance if you look long enough.

We hide behind a truck laying a few meters after our exit hole. Similar huge holes are in the ground probably leading to the different rooms of my previously-hidden world. I feel despair as I look at them, feeling guilty. I survived while they were all left to die. My friends, my family, my neighbors, all left behind.

I sit against the truck as I stare at the endless desert before me. This world above mine is completely different to what I had imagined. Instead of greenery, roads and civilization, we're in a desert. Orange and yellow landscapes going on forever.

I turn around to look behind the vehicle to see many other trucks and tanks parked, seemingly empty. After those vehicles are woods of clustered trees. How could there be one extremity on one side and on the other, the complete opposite?

This isn't what they told us. They told us the world was better, that the war was far enough from us, that things were improving. I look behind me again at the desert that continued for miles and miles on end. It never stops. Is this improvement for them? Why are the soldiers here? And then there's the one question that keeps on bugging me ever since Declan's appearance: why does Ash seem to know them?

I don't know whether I am happy to see the surface anymore.

Am I disappointed?

Ash beckons to me and I follow him as we slowly creep behind one car engine as a group of soldiers talk to each other, laughing about some futile matter as men while children and women are dying beneath them. I grit my teeth, my fists tightening at the sight of their carefreeness. How shameless. How absurd.

"They're monsters!" I hiss underneath my breath as I feel the rage surge in me.

I turn to look at Ash who seems to bear an expression I've never seen on anyone before. Sadness? Regret? I can't quite place it as I look at him observing them.

"Let's go." He whispers as if nothing were bothering him and I nod, still trying to figure out what that look on his face meant.

There are a few more cars ahead until we get to the forest and I can feel adrenaline pumping through me all over again.

3

2

1

Go!

I run as fast as my legs can carry me into the dark and obscure forest, following Ash. My head is spinning relentlessly. The air feels different all of a sudden, hot and heavy.

Humidity.

I've heard about it and now I know the suffocating feeling it carries with it. The sun is burning my back and I can start to feel my body becoming really hot, sweat forming on my skin. I haven't sweat in such a long time. It feels gross and sticky, and it makes my clothes stick to my skin.

I need water.

The trees are immense stretching up to 10m high although I am not a good judge for measurement. They are just huge, looming over me as if I were a speck of dust, moving as the wind carries me.

"Hey!" One guard yells from behind me and I find myself struggling for air as soldiers chase after me. Ash is far in front. He could still make it with his speed. I'm just a heavyweight slowing him down.

"HEY! Come back girly!" Another yells closer behind me.

I feel the growing fear throughout my whole body as I try harder to sprint through protruding roots and fallen dry leaves that make each step less secure. Tears of desperation, struggle of breath, and terror roll down my cheeks as I try to keep up with Ash yet painfully noticing the increasing gap between us.

Then the dreaded fear arrives. A strong hand grips onto my shoulder and I immediately flinch in response, my whole being terrified by the idea of death.

"ASH!!!!" I shriek with all my might as the tears blur my vision and meet at my chin to fall to the ground as I aimlessly struggle against the numerous hands gripping onto my arms and waist, yanking me back.

I see Ash's swift body twist around in a heartbeat and his gun is already pointed at me. I stiffen in horror. Is this how I'm going to die? A missed shot?

He pulls the trigger and I close my eyes shut as I hear a grunt behind me and hasty footsteps coming towards me. I open my eyes to see Ash, his face serious but also... angry. My eyes widen as he pulls me and I collide against his chest, finally surrounded by safety and reassurance. I allow myself to lose myself in time for a while until I am shaken back to the reality by my own thoughts and I try to look up from Ash's chest but he holds the back of my head, pushing it back down onto his chest in order to shield my eyes from the massacre behind me. He shoots a few more bullets, each one so loud that I flinch with fear, some part of me preparing itself in case this second would be my last.

Finally the noise has died down and Ash's knees give in and we both slowly sink to the floor, my fragile and shivering body still in his strong arms. The fear is still present but it has died down, just enough for me to realize that I just escaped death. Tears prickle my eyes as I imagine what it would be like if I left my father without ever being able to say goodbye and the silent tears turn into uncontrollable sobs.

Ash strokes my hair in a soothing manner until no tears are available to cry and I am left a cold and shriveled girl. I finally slowly increase the distance between my face and Ash's chest ad then look up at him before my eyes make their way back down again.

"I thought I was going to die." I say as a barely audible whisper.

He cups my face and brings my face up so our gazes meet. His eyes are gentle now, completely different to the fire that was within them when he pulled me towards him, and yet still different to when we first met too, and it's soothing.

Is he opening up to me? Am I learning something new about him?

"I won't let that happen. After all I promised Robert to protect you. So rest assured, I won't let you die."

Whether he was sincere about his words or not didn't matter, because all I need is something to motivate me to continue through everything else and it worked.

However I still don't know what we're doing next and where we're going. I can never seem to know what he's thinking with that shield in front of his eyes.

~~~

Hey guys! So here's another long chapter for you guys which I hope you've enjoyed!

Please vote and comment if you liked it! I don't know what goes on in your heads remember 😁

Song: Essáy & Colvia - Deceptive