Re:trct

Chapter one

I am going to have the life squeezed out of me by a gorilla.

Erin thought as she tried to release herself from the man's death grip. She wheezed from the pressure being applied on her neck. Her vision had begun to blur.

The man was red with rage. His partner, a fair-haired man, finally turned to realize what he was doing and quickly yanked him off the dark-skinned girl.

Erin distanced herself from the men as she tried to recover her breath. Twigs and dirt clung to her body.

"Would you not like the bounty attached with delivering her alive?" The fair-haired man asked.

The gorilla remained silent. He got off the ground, dusted himself off, gave Erin one final glare and then began to walk ahead. She smirked at him in response.

Sighing, the fair-haired man now turned his attention to Erin. He approached her slowly with a black card with writings in his hand. Although she could not see what was written she could guess its effect. They had already used a seal 1 card on her, limiting her abilities. It left her with this feeling of wanting to use her modifications to get away but all that happened was the black marks appeared.

"I've warned you what would happen if you didn't co-operate. You won't see no sun for the rest of the trip to State."

Resisting all the pain she was feeling, Erin took the man by surprise and delivered a kick to his knees, immediately bringing him to the ground. He groaned in pain as Erin slammed the back of his head on a log causing him to fall unconscious.

Without a second thought, Erin grabbed the black card and ran in the opposite direction they had been travelling in.

°

Twigs snapped beneath Erin's feet as she ran through the seemingly endless forest. The growls and barks of wolves (she assumed) accompanied by the clanks of the chains that bound them had vanished. Her breathing now consisted of tired pants and her forehead was dotted with sweat. Her arms were covered in scars from the low lying branches. The midnight breeze blew gently, passing off a chilling effect.

I should have checked the man for more cards. Even tried taking his friend by surprise. Ugh...I never do well in tense situations.

To Erin's relief, she could hear the calming sound of a stream a few metres ahead. Reaching it she got on her knees, drank from her cupped hands and sprinkled some water onto her forehead.

Erin had been running for nearly three days straight, from all sorts of people, interested in capturing her for her bounty money.

In search for a place to rest for the night, Erin walked downstream where she hoped no predators would approach her.

An hour later, Erin was met by a lake illuminated by the moon. She scouted the area by the small beach. All seemed clear until she noticed a figure in the water.

Without thinking twice, Erin jumped into the ice cold water with the hope of saving the drowning person. After all, it was something she was basically programmed to do. Swimming as fast as she could, she reached the figure.

A girl about Erin's age of twenty with hair painted silver by the moon had her feet chained to an anchor. Her eyes were shut.

Perplexed as to how she could help her especially since locks had also been used on the chains, Erin barely noticed the girl moving in the corner of her eye.

With a pounding heart, Erin pushed herself back to keep a safe distance from the now freed girl. She had broken the chains. As the girl's eyes shot open, Erin broke into a frantic swim towards the shore.

Getting out of the water, Erin turned to come face to face with the girl who wore a dark cloak that only emphasized the paleness of her skin. Erin noticed the girl was slightly shorter than herself. Her silver hair, barely reaching her shoulders, was plastered to her face.

Erin stood out of breath watching the girl stretch out her hand for it to be greeted.

"I'm Aira," she said with a grin plastered on her face.

After catching her breath, Erin looked at the girl in utter shock, ignoring her greeting.

"Were you trying to kill yourself or something?" Erin said, almost yelling but stopping herself just in time.

"I'm pushing myself so I can open one of the gates." Erin gave her a confused look indicating she should explain furtherer but Aira ignored it.

"What's your name?"

"Erin. What gate?"

Aira's attention turned away from Erin to the area beside her. She stared intently into thin air not uttering a word.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Aira begun to walk away from Erin. As if suddenly remembering Erin's presence she stopped and turned around.

"It was nice meeting you but I need to get home before morning comes or I could be in trouble" A slight smile was on Aira's face. She continued to walk ahead until she faded into the distance.

Erin stayed awake for a while feeling worried someone else would pop out of the water but soon sleep overcame her.

°

The sun had risen by the time Erin woke up. The morning birds were singing as the trees swayed to the breeze. The dark haired girl began to walk up a path lined by trees that she couldn't have possibly noticed the night before.

Erin's clothes were still moist from the night before making her sniffle.

The feeling of being watched grew stronger as Erin continued along the never ending path. Sensing a presence right behind her, she turned to find the bodies of the two beasts and the man that had chased her the night before bloodied, bruised and unmoving, lying on the ground where she had  just passed.

Without a second thought, Erin picked up a sharp edged piece of wood and continued to walk ahead turning with every step as she watched her surroundings.

As Erin continued, she spotted something on one of the branches of a tree up ahead. Approaching with caution, she stopped as soon as she realised it was a person. He jumped down from the tree landing a few feet from her.

The man watched Erin with his light grey eyes with a look of mild interest. He had messy reddish-brown hair with soft curls that ended at the nape of his neck. He wore a long sleeved grey t-shirt paired with some black shorts and a pair of black sneakers. He may have looked like he was out for a jog if it wasn't for the blood on his knuckles and the gun strapped to his back.