I looked around my small sleeping hole for anything of value. There was almost nothing left except for some jars of extra herbs and other substances I didn't need to take along.
As I left I walked over to Mrs. Larath and kneeled next to her frail body. She stopped peeling her vegetables to look at me, unprepared for the message I've warned her was coming for quite some time now.
"Thank you for everything you've done for me. I leave you with my house and everything inside. I hope it's enough to repay you." I say. She looks confused. Perhaps she hasn't lost her mind yet, but soon it will wander away.
As I walk through the ruins I bid farewell to those watching, and to the children who ask to come along. I feel like I'm stepping out from a puddle of tar, it's difficult to leave.
But after I leave I'll never want to come back. The only thing compelling me was the hope that still remained in the spirits of some people back at The Nest. Children are left, parents dying soon after their birth. There are few children, their mothers pregnant by mistake or by force. Pitiful, these few will grow up, never knowing the light that used to shine brightly in the skies. Perhaps I can come back to them, and the ones willing may come along with me.
Even though I've never liked young children, I can't shake the feeling they'll never have the life they deserve here. They are innocent, that cannot be taken from them, yet. Still, I have to have faith that in the next couple of years, someone will take charge around here and regroup everyone. So long as they'll be living there, they might as well have lives.
It doesn't matter now. I'm leaving, and never coming back. Me and my sidekick, Stephan, can make it on our own.
"We'll find others, Stephan. And when we do, we'll live there with them. I can have a bed, you can have all the smoked jerky I can manage." I say as Stephan rubs his soft fur on my scruffy cheek. Sometimes I think he only sits on my shoulders for the massage my beard gives him.
"They're all fools! No one should stay in a place like that! People die... every day! And children are around to watch it happen. They have to leave!" I say aloud. "We're not gonna miss that godforsaken place, are we?" Stephan meows in agreement.
I drop my hands from the backpack, almost lose my balance from its weight, then prop my hands back onto it. Everyone else claims to have nothing in the village, but I have things to hold on to. I have treasures I always keep with me, and I don't plan on parting with them; not even to lighten the load. My stomach aches as I think of the snacks my friend packed for me before I left. She always made sure to feed everyone with her garden crops, even when they're small and frail in the colder seasons and there's not nearly enough to share.
The dried fruits lingered in the back of my mind as I walked, the pavement becoming more crumbled the farther I get away from the city, until its only dust. It takes a while of walking until I am no longer hidden in the shadows of the buildings, and brown grass covers the ground around me like a dull blanket. The oil and fume smell of the city fade with every step, and with every step, I feel lighter on my feet. Stephan must feel the same because once we reach the grass he hops down from my shoulders and walks beside me. His orange and white fur seems to shine as he walks.
The horizon is just there; in front of my eyes, as far as the eye can see. That's where I'm going, and whatever I find there will be better than what I've left behind me.
After what seems like hours, I take one last look behind me at the city I used to call home. I can't help but feel some pity for those stuck there, either by choice or not having the strength to leave. They will never have a choice as I do.
Trees begin to line the roads ahead and I realize we've walked for longer than I thought. I look at at the blue of a city we left behind.
It isn't long before we're surrounded by the thick trees, walking along the overgrown path that used to be a paved road.
"Onward, into the unknown!" I yell aloud and point dramatically down the path.
Maybe not the greatest idea to yell while in new territory.
Shadows begin moving around in the corners of my eyes. Hopefully, that's just a from the absence of the constant oil scent that was always present in the city. There wouldn't be more than rabbits and crows in these woods by now. Stephan's ears keep twitching.
"It's fine, boy. Nothing's out there except the animals." I say to Stephan, but mostly to convince myself.
A branch cracks behind us and I whip around, knife in hand. I'm almost relieved there's nothing. Crows begin to caw in the trees; their irritating songs without rhythm or grace makes the hairs on my neck stand on end. I bend down and grab a few rocks and chunks of pavement and begin bidding them at the trees. A few crows leave their hiding spots and fly away. I keep throwing until I run out.
The crows begin screeching again, louder than before. It seems all of them have joined in on the miserable song. It grows so loud I have to drop my knife and cover my ears. I shut my eyes right and push hard against my temples trying to muffle the cries, but still, the sounds leak through. My hands don't seem to do any good against them, and the song only grows worse. Are they getting louder?
Unable to muffle the sounds, the screams pound my ears and I barely notice when I fall to my knees. I open my eyes, but there are no crows in sight. Suddenly the cloud of birds takes off, leaving the trees and flying away in a blanket of darkness. The sounds diminish and I release my hands.
Before I can get up I hear a step behind me then something hits me hard in the back of my head before I had a chance to turn around. I lose my conscience before I hit the ground.
And so our journey begins.
YOU ARE READING
Darker Cities
Teen Fiction"Girl," says a voice to my right, stopping me in my tracks. I don't turn my head. "They tell me I can't run," the man says, and I know who's speaking. He's a man who lost feeling in both his legs, his dark skin covered in wrinkles from chin up, mor...
