Shattered

Chapter 6

3:54:16

Neira, Pease, and Yuni all stood there in shock. The time slowly clicked away as they all stood there.
"Now what?" Yuni asked, breaking the ice with a hard, forceful fist of truth.
"Let's finish the job," Pease began, "Neira, run back and get the rest of the supplies. Yuni let's fortify this area a little bit more than move to the elevator shaft." Neira ran up the stairs as fast as she could as the sounds of steel and glass began to pound in here ears. Neira shifted her weight from one foot to another as she carried the final load of paint. Neira brought her last can down a flight when she heard a small dink. Neira dropped the paint and looked around, inspecting the area to see where the noise came from. After a minute of double and triple checking, she shrugged and lifted the can again. She began to move down the stairs again but after two short steps she heard the same dink, just a little louder than before. Neira looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. Neira walked slowly over to the window looking out onto most of Aqüaduct District. The Yokohashi River was sparkling and gleaming in the afternoon sun. It began at a spring a mile north of the city, and ran throughout half of the city. Most of the people where gone now, some stranglers were still running around not knowing where to go or what to do. As Neira looked on, she could see the downtown area was mostly empty, but the west coast was full. The sea line was almost a mile away, but Neira could see hundreds of thousands of innocent lives on the beach. Over a million people had run to the water knowing that it was the only side of the city without boundaries. It was ironic how people were swimming towards what they thought had the most hope, but it would bring the most death. Neira once again heard the small noise, but this time she saw where it was coming from. She looked at through the North windows and down in the alley. The other apartment building was also undergoing a remodel but wasn't nearly as close to finish, so in the alley was a pile of junk. There was a small, steel panel sitting on top, which vibrated every time the noise was made. Neira slowly walked down the stairs and through the flights, stealthy avoiding Yuni and Pease. Neira walked out onto the open street and looked at her hovergram quickly.

3:36:48

Neira walked slowly to the pile of scraps and looked at the steel panel. The small noise had become a little louder, and the chunk of metal wasn't vibrating, it was attempted to be moving. Neira pushed her way into the small alley and lifted the sheet off of the top. The noise had stopped as Neira looked inside. A little girl sat in a huddle of blankets of pillows. She looked in despair: her eyes were red and face pale from the loss of water. She had been crying for a long time, but when Neira had lifted the steel away the little girl smiled, showing that she had not been complete broken. Neira placed her hands inside and picked her up. Once Neira placed her firmly on the ground, she sat down and gave a motion for the other girl to do so.
"Hi," Neira began, "my name is Neira." The girl still looked timid and didn't know how to answer.
"What is your name?" Neira asked, scooting a little bit closer.
"Hyo-Joo."
"Ok, Hyo-Joo," Neira smiled, "that's a start." Neira sat there, trying to think of how to make this a little more comfortable for Hyo-Joo.
"Oh! I've got an idea!" Neira said as an idea popped in her head, "Do you like games?"
"Yes!" Hyo-Joo exclaimed, perking up.
"Good, so the rules of this game are simple: I ask you a question and you answer, and I will answer every question you have, ok?"
"Ok, can I start?"
"Of course!"
"How old are you?"
"I am almost 18, and you Hyo-Joo?"
"Ten," Hyo-Joo smiled, and quickly added, "and a half."
"Ok, you can ask the next question." Neira shifted as she saw a shadow appear in the alley. Yuni walked in from behind Hyo-Joo, but Neira filled her left cheek with air, which was a signal to back off slowly.
"What is your favorite color?"
"Red," Neira smiled, "can you tell me what you were doing in that fort?"
"My mom told me it would be super cool if I made a fort, so I went over to this alley and was looking for materials when I found the perfect spot. I placed some pillows and blankets to make it nice and comfy, but then that thing fell on top of me and I was trapped."
"How long ago was that," Neira asked, hoping Hyo-Joo wouldn't notice that she was breaking the rules.
"This morning, but my mom never came back for me." Hyo-Joo began to cry again, and Neira walked over and comforted her.
"It's ok, it will be ok." Neira hugged the little girl until she stopped crying. In the back, Yuni smiled and walked into the light, looking at Hyo-Joo. Her eyes where warm and inviting, just like anyone else with a yellow position.
"You know," Yuni said, "Neira and I have this huge fort that needs some expert decorating." Hyo-Joo slowly looked up, her tears of sorrow becoming joy.
"Really?"
"Yeah! Just follow me!" Yuni held out her hand and Hyo-Joo grabbed it. As the two walked back to the abandoned apartments, Neira looked at her hovergram as it vibrated.