The City of Alium (Friendfic)

Kill or be Killed

Anna Burpo's Pov

I sighed loudly as we trampled through the woods, Eli and Ethan leading the way, Hailey and Sarah White on my sides. 

"How much longer? I'm so tired" I crossed my arms as we walked, my legs aching in pain and my arms itching with bug bites. 

"Until we find somewhere to sleep." Eli shoots back, whacking a branch out of his way with his sharpened stick he'd been carrying. 

My eyes rolled as we continued on, not knowing where we were going. 

Ethan stopped in his tracks and turned around like he was going to say something, but didn't say a word before turning around and bolting away faster than the blink of an eye. 

"Where'd he go?" Sarah asked, spinning around to try and find him. 

"He runs off sometimes" we all said simultaneously. 

Sarah's eyes widened, surprised we all managed to say the same words at the same time in the same tone. "Oh" she added quietly, pushing her hands into her pockets.

Hailey turned away from us and took a deep breath. "Why wouldn't he tell us where he was going" she said with a confusing tone in her voice. 

Eli rolled his eyes, "I don't know. Why would he? He's Malum. It's what they do. They're dishonest, and we can't trust them. Let's keep moving." he said angrily right before running into a tree branch. 

Hailey didn't notice,  Sarah slammed her hand over her mouth to stifle her laugh, but I just burst out laughing. 

"Idiot" I whispered.  

"How bout you shut up" Eli shot back, and I was surprised he heard me. 

I furrowed my thick brows, "Um, what's your problem?". 

Eli turned around and took a threatening step towards me, "I don't have one. But soon you will if you don't shut up" Eli started, tightening my necklace around me, and I kicked my legs in a panic. 

Hailey extended her ribbons from her wrists and wrapped them around Eli's hands, yanking them downwards and causing him to lose focus on my necklace, which released immediately. 

I gasped for air and bent over, placing my hands on my thighs to catch my breath. 

"We are not going to get anywhere if  we can't get along. We need to find a place to take cover. There are humans that want us dead, and the sun will go down soon. They'll most likely come for us at night. So we need to hide. Now come on" she marched on, and we all followed, all too scared to say anything. 

Our trip was silent for the most part, pausing to decide which direction to go every once in a while. 

"I'm starving" Sarah complains in a whisper, and we all agree that we could use something to eat. 

"I smell something.. Do you guys smell that?" I asked, the smell of something savory sending me into a daze. 

Eli doesn't pay attention, but Hailey slowly nods. "I smell it too." 

I follow the smell to a picnic table, which has cans of corn and beans, a bag of apples, canned tuna, and canned peaches. 

"Yessss" I smiled and ran towards the food, everything else was blocked out of my mind other than getting to the food and satisfying my growling stomach. 

I took 1, 2, 3 steps, within 5 feet of reaching the picnic table, before I felt a stinging pain in my stomach, worse than the hunger. 

My clothes grew warm and wet and I looked down to see dark red blood pouring out of me, surrounding the arrow that was buried at least an inch inside of me. 

"Wh-what" I whispered barely audibly as I fell onto my knees, clenching the wound in my hands. I looked up and realized how blurry my vision had become, only seeing a mess of smeared green woods, and a figure in black, holding what I could only assume was the bow this arrow had come from. 

I felt hands on my shoulders, rolling me onto my back and shaking me, trying to get me to respond, but I could hear nothing. I couldn't speak. Within seconds I couldn't see. My mind had emptied. I felt nothing at all. 

Sarah White's Pov

We screamed at her. We tried to tell her. We only saw the archer seconds before Anna was shot. 

But she just wouldn't stop running... 

If she would've just listened. If one of us had gone first to check it out.. 

She would still be here. 

Now I sit on my knees, supporting Anna's weight on my lap, and threading her bright red hair between my fingers. My best friend for years has now been reduced to nothing. 

She couldn't tell me how her day was. 

She couldn't tell me about the latest boy she was crushing on. 

She couldn't tell me how she was feeling today. 

The last thing she felt was an arrow in her stomach. 

"She's gone" I choked through tears, and Hailey wrapped her arm around me. 

"I'm so sorry" she tried to comfort me but it didn't help. 

I glared up at the figure in the distance who had dropped their bow. 

"Sorry isn't good enough." I set Anna gently on the ground and chased after whoever just shot my best friend. 

They ran as fast as they could, but I was seeing red, I had become someone who was not myself, and catching up with them fast.

As the figure turned around, I noticed a pale face, but couldn't recognize it, as the bottom half was wrapped in a black scarf.

I was steps away from them, and used my cold touch to freeze the ground they walked on, causing them to trip and fall. 

I pounced onto their body which was surprisingly smaller than mine, and pulled the scarf off of their mouth as I recognized an old friend. 

"Lydia. How... How could you..." the anger built up inside of me as I realized a friend of mine had killed my best friend. 

She didn't say a word. 

"How could you?!" I screamed and sent an icy breath over her body, freezing her till she was still. 

I covered my face with my hands and sobbed into them, as Hailey and Eli caught up with me. 

"Sarah... This isn't the answer..." Hailey spoke softly as she placed her hand on my shoulder. 

I sniffed in and took a deep breath. 

"It's kill or be killed. We can't just sit around and wait for them to hunt us down. We need to do something about it." my teeth were clenched tight as I spoke. 

"I agree," Eli added, "We need to fight." 

Hailey let out a heated breath, "I am not fighting. I am bringing Lydia somewhere she can get better. I suggest you two follow." she slipped off her backpack and pulled out a tarp, which she wrapped lydia in and dragged along with her. 

I looked at Eli, then Hailey, and back at Eli. 

"I'm not coming with you. I'm going to go fight. Eli, are you coming?" 

Eli hesitated, then slowly nodded. "Yeah. Good luck, Hailey." he turned away from her and we walked toward the picnic table to gather some food.

We had to stock up in both food and weapons before beginning our journey towards the border.