Untitled Story

Chapter 1

Matt pulled against the rope that held his hands tied together above his head. He felt them tighten against his already bruised wrists. He grimaced in pain and looked up at the rope.

A single hook attached to the ceiling, which had clearly been there a while, since it was covered in rust. Every time he pulled on the rope the hook made a small, echoey screeching noise and one of it's hinges would come looser.

The rope had been tied to the hook tightly, as if to ensure there would be no way of escaping.  It was unfortunate that the hook and building itself had gotten so old it looked as id it could crash down at any moment.

He pulled the rope harder, his hands ached in protest as the rope tightened once more before the hook came fully loose and clattered to the ground, bringing the surrounding pieces of the ceiling with it.

Now free to move his hands to his waist, he pulled out a small dagger from his pocket.

It glistened in the small light that shone through the gaping hole he had made in the ceiling as he used it to cut away the rope.

The rope fell to the ground and he rubbed his aching wrists, which were still bruised and small dots of blood now speckled them. Any movement he made with them sent pain spreading up his arms.

He tried to ignore this as he took in his surroundings. It was a small room. Most of the walls and ceiling were metal, with the exception of places where the metal had been torn out and wood panels were boarded up i  their place.

There was no furniture or windows in the room. Only a large metal door on the far left wall.

He debated for a moment on whether or not he should go through the door before it burst open and four armed bodyguards stormed into the room.

One carried a bow and arrow, while the rest had long, gleaming swords.

Matt pulled his dagger in front of him protectively, although he knew it wouldn't make much of a difference against three swords. If there was any chance for him to get out alive, he would have to run.

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Allison stood in front of her doorway leading into her quaint one-room house, surveying the scattered mess of tools and pieces of machinery.

She shook her head in disappointment at her own lack of organization.

Stumbling through the mess, she finally managed to reach her bed on the far right side of the wall.

She reached under her bed, emerging with a small woven basket, which she would use in the market.

With the harvest so far underway and the fisherman returning from their journey to the east ocean, there was a good chance there would be enough food left over she could buy.

Since she had a very small frame she was pushed to the back of crowds quite easily, so buy the time she got to the front to buy her needs, there was nothing left. But on days where there was a plentiful amount of food, she could still have a chance at getting everything she needed.

She scrambled her way through her house once more, nearly tripping over a few of the items in the process, and ran put into the street towards the market.

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Matt ran through the crowded streets of the market, weaving through the groups of people that whether stood, debating their next stop or surrounding various booths that sold assortments of food, clothing, or jewellery, arguing with the shopkeepers to lower the prices.

He turned around, expecting to see all four men running down the road after him, but he only saw the three with the swords, with the archer nowhere to be found.

He looked up onto the roofs and canopy's of the buildings and markets, hoping that the archer would be visible from there. He last thing he wanted was an enemy he couldn't see. With a bow, and arrows.

Unfortunately, there was no one there.

He desperately hoped that the archer hadn't followed him after all as he continued to weave through the crowds, then sprinting into an alleyway that led into a nearly abandoned street.

As he rounded the corner he collided with another figure in the alleyway, who had also appeared to be running.

Clearly caught off guard, the stranger fell backwards onto the pavement, holding her head with a gloved hand.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, I, uh, didn't mean to run into you like that. Here." Matt said, reaching out his hand for the figure to take.

The person took his hand, and with Matt's help, was hoisted up off of the floor.

Still holding their head, the figure mumbled, "It's fine."

The figure pulled her hand down, revealing a young girl with big, brown eyes and bright red hair. Freckles dotted her nose and she had a shimmering necklace hanging around her neck with a small blue stone acting as a charm.

Matt stared at her for a moment, she wasn't very tall, going up barely to his shoulder. She wore a brown cloak with a hoodie, but during her fall, it got knocked off. From the hem of her cloak, you could see she was wearing dark blue jeans which were tucked into brown boots. He noticed her gloves were the same color as her boots and covered in grease.

The girl seemed to notice him staring and returned his gaze, "What is it?"

"Oh! Sorry, I-" An arrow came whizzing in between the two of them, sending Matt jumping back. He watched as the girl's eyes widen as the arrow came flying past. She had received a small cut across her left cheek and a drop of blood fell down her face.

Her head swerved to the direction the arrow was shot, seeing the same archer Matt had been looking for just moments before, who was loading another arrow onto his string and drawing the bow back.

"Don't. Say. Anything." The girl whispered. With one swift motion she swung her hand up in the air, the ground in front of her followed the motion, creating a half archway in the alleyway.

Matt opened his mouth to comment but the girl quickly clasped her hand over his mouth and with the other pulled him under the barrier between them and the archer.

"I said don't say anything!" She hissed, pulling her hand away. "He's after you then?" She asked.

"All day." He replied, nodding his head.

"I can help you, but promise me you won't mention my- err, abilities." She hesitated, as if choosing her words very carefully.