City of Light

Chapter 18

The voices continue to shame me, I force my mind to find me out of the darkness. Where I stand I lose a place of mind, I feel like I have no body. I'm aware of the darkness but nothing else. I feel my parts again, my hand reaching out my eyes clamped close, the feeling of loss. I'm back to the present. I open my eyes and see my hand. The bullet is now inches away from my hand. I pry myself to move, my limbs shaking. I pull myself up, time stands still. I touch the bullet and turn it around, I direct it at the mans head. 

"What is she doing? Clever. Kill them all. You could have figured this out earlier." The voices say. I wonder how I can start time back up again. Is this me, did I stop time? In the confusion I turn to Mathew, I kneel down and try to touch him but a strong shock and a bolt of electricity makes me jerk my hand back. Then I hear something fall to the ground, time started and the man lays dead on the ground. Snow falls again, and Mathew's chest rises and falls. My stump of an arm is almost completed, it's almost done with my forearm now. I crawl to the soldier's body and grab a combat knife from his pocket. I hold it with my teeth and I struggle to put Mathew on my back again. 

"This is Simons, Detroit do you copy?" A voice comes through the radio, suddenly. I stop dead in my tracks with Mathew on my back and listen.

"Detroit do you copy?" Static fills the silence, then the radio goes dead. They're on the way, I need to move fast. I try to avoid the snow as much as possible but the tracks are non-avoidable. After all the cold and ice, I feel the hypothermia begin to set in. I can't feel my ears, my entire face feels stiff. I force myself to ignore the cold as best I can but, but it pierces my toughest mental defenses. The voices whisper to me about how the soldiers will execute me, and how I will get out of this alive, how Mathew is a burden, one voice guides me where to go. I don't trust the voice but I don't have much of a choice. I don't know if they see human foot steps or they see a giant pair a bird's talons. I find a small cover of rocks and trees I lay Mathew down, I do it as slowly as I can but one of my ribs crack and I collapse with him. I think, but I see no escape able options, I know it's the end here. I'm too badly wounded to escape, and the hunt won't stop. I take the knife out of my mouth and cut Mathew left shoulder sleeve off, then I tear the seem but the neck to open up the shoulder enough. I fold down the fabric and hold the knife in hand close to his skin, I struggle to get it over with but I need him to know. I swallow hard and begin to cry, I put the knife on his skin hard enough to bleed and make a scar but not enough to kill him or make him wake up. I start to carve a rose, blood oozes out and I cry hard and telling him I'm sorry for the pain. I make the pedals, and then a partial stem. I begin to shake violently and I drop the knife and cut him his sleeve to make a bandage, I tear some off to make a thicker roll to absorb most of the blood, I wrap the sleeve around the roll on the wound and it quickly becomes red. I toss the knife deep in the woods hoping it will never be found. I hear foot steps, coming from behind us, they followed the trail. I hold his head and hold his head on mine.

"Listen, I'll fix all of this. Don't think I went back on my promise, I'll come back for you no matter what. You're alone now and I need you to fight for me okay? Find your voice, and live a life without out having a death threat. Mathew Quentin, I love you." I kiss his forehead, and get up and run as fast as I can, as far away as I can. I don't look back, but the constant strain on my neck makes me want to but I need to escape and find a way to get Mathew and me on the Generation before this world becomes a nuclear waste land. It won't be easy but I need to try. 

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Authors note: This story is far from over! Look forward to reading through Mathew's eyes in the new book. Share this story and Vote for it if you liked it. Thank you for reading to the end!

-Alex Daily