THE LAST LIFE

First Scar

He is running through the woods, they are chasing him, every choice was a question to him, a start, a run, or... the last point in the end of the book; a tear had to come out, he’s head, thoughts, were messed up, memories were leaking through the cracks inside the mess, he needed time, the kid finally knew that, this life here is not his playground, not all the doors would welcome, this is every man for himself, no rules, no law, just a rusty jungle, he realized that, whatever the heart still beat, the more the blood become delicious.
7 AM the forest got foggy, worries about getting lost, the sound of breathing keeps playing; Where? Where? Where? Am I running in circles? The kid wonder; then suddenly he felt in a slopped road, rolling the whole way down, a rock hits him in the head, he passed out; the soldiers didn’t believe he could made that fall so they were kept busy searching somewhere else.
Opening eyes on a little cabin of wood, laying on a coach, covered by a blanket, fire on the chimney and stuck dead animals heads on the walls; “oh ! You’re awake, here’s a hot drink, this will reduce the headache and warm you up” says the old man.
Altair: “where am I?”
The hunter: “you’re in my house, I heard the soldiers so I found you in my way pass out, I knew that they were looking for you, so I brought you here, you’re safe now”.
Altair: “thank you for your help and for the bandage too, I’m Altair, and you sir?” – “I’m Christopher, I’m a hunter; do you have any idea why they were looking for you?”
The kid: “I don’t know, all I knew is that they were going to kill me but after they healed me, I don’t know why, I was actually going to a camp southern than here, I was told that it’s safer there”.
Christopher: “well, all I know about those soldiers is that they always brings troubles, with their leader Sam, last time they took my dog, and I had nothing to do, damn basters! But you’re safe here with me, for a while I guess if they never come”.
High noon, the hunter went out outside with his shotgun to check one of his traps to make lunch, while Altair was preparing the table; Chris had settled a nice trap just by a bush next to a hole of rabbits, but unfortunately it was empty, but that wasn’t the only one on the list, a second one was put next to a tree with some junk vegetables that Chris has set as a bait and by a good luck, he got back home with full hands, cooked it and ate it, the kid and the hunter took a long conversation to know more about each other, even the old man has missed that, he has been alone for a long time.
No matter how much things got rough and bad, no matter how evil keeps filling in and all beliefs of good vanish, in somehow, it will still a little light coming from the end of the sight from far away disturbing and blinding that darkness, pushing back, rising up the name again, we only need to keep having faith; what would be the life of Altair without all the good people he met? 
Day light starts to fade, the twilight rays were so beautiful cracking their light between the timbers; the two survivors were taking a good nap till it got broken by knocks: “Doc! Doc! Doc! Open the door old man! We know you have him!” Chris and Altair woke up quickly then he said to the boy: “the soldiers are here, here’s my shotgun and flashlight take them and leave by the back door, run and don’t look back! Don’t worry about me”, the kid was so thankful for the old man cares and for his beautiful 1887 weapon, it was a masterpiece, he left promising Christopher to repay him the favor one day. What makes the life of Altair so interesting this much so that death is chasing him everywhere? What secret that he’s carrying?
Running again, after a while he reached the end of the forest, entering a field with an old scarecrow in middle of it, then an old barn starts to appear, Altair finally reached the camp that Sarah told him about, he entered it, and knocked a door of one of the apartments, a women opened the door asking: “what a little boy like you is doing here so late?” he said: “a little girl named Sarah sent me here, she said that you are good people and I’m lost, I have no place to spend the night in, please let me in”, the women replied: “ah Sarah, come on get in, she used to come here, but I didn’t saw here since her mother death, come on follow me I got a place where you can spend the night with us”, Altair felt so reassured, entering the building, he found a lot of people, children too, then he asked the women: “what is this place?”, then she answered: “this is a survivors shelter, we usually help people here, most of the travelers come here to spend night’s, hunters comes here too, they trade food, skins, weapons, its’ like a big market; what’s your name?”, the boy: “my name is Altair”; then they arrived to his new bed, she told him: “you can sleep here, let me know if you need anything I’m just in the first room on this turn, ok?”, he said: “thanks a lot miss..”, she completed: “Lara, good night”, he smiled to her: “good night”, it was a large room with a few people sleeping in beds, a kid just by his age was next to him.