The Race to Freedom

Yula 1

A vast display of trees met her eyes. Trees, plenty of trees, littering every part of the view before her. She had climbed as fast as she could to the top of the tallest and thickest tree she could find, and now all she could see was a valley of green bushy tops engulfing the vantage point scenery. She could vaguely hear the calls and shouts of the two boys below. They were useless. They couldn't even climb trees. 

She  tried to look closer, squinting her eyes to pinpoint some distinguishing feature that they could aim for. The trees possessed a sadder quality, slumped and shaken, as if blown by a major storm. It reminded her of a person who had lost everything but life itself. 

The river, she suddenly realized. There's got to be some sort of river at the bottom of the valley. If they traversed upstream, that would lead them further inland, closer to the East Coast. She didn't know much about the geography of the distant land known as America. She had been born far away, and there had been little point in that piece of education. Rightfully so, in her opinion. Until now. 

Lingering on the earthen floor, Dante was aghast. The tree she scrambled up at super speed was more like a monster tree than the humble oak and pine trees he was accustomed to. As they had explored deeper into the all-encompassing forest, they had stumbled upon these wooden mammoths chilling in the cooler air amidst thick fog, their branches creating a ceiling canopy. It was an eerie vibe, but the other two hadn't been affected by it. Only Dante, who barely had spent any time in nature anyway. Well, except through the comfortable simulation of a video game or TV show. 

Redwood trees, he suddenly thought, his memory flicking back to an old documentary he had watched in boredom. They were the thickest and largest trees in the entire world. Staring at them, then, he thought it would probably take him over a minute to walk around one of those great examples of the power of nature.

The humidity in the air had caused to Dante to overheat as he waited for Yula to finish with her sightseeing. He ripped his shirt off, feeling his slightly flabby body as exposed. Uzimati's eyes widen at the tyre-shaped ring at the flab around Dante's midriff. He said something in his mysterious ancient language.

"He says you look like the pear has eaten you, instead of you eating the pear" He heard a loud thud behind him to see Yula on her feet again, hair slightly out of place and breathing slightly heavily. 

"Just how..." was all Dante could say. 

"Specify" she demanded blankly. 

"How do you climb like that?"

"It's easy" she said and started to travel in the direction of where she knew a freshwater river was slowly trundling its way down into the ocean. 

The air grew colder then, grew thicker with more fog as they hurried onward. Yula and Uzimati seemed much unperturbed now that they were in action, but Dante couldn't help feeling a ball of uncertainty writhe about in his stomach. They had collected pears from a tree, and Dante had stored as many as he could in his jeans whilst Uzimati simply bundled the pears in his arms. But pears couldn't sustain them. They needed a large variety of different nutrients. They needed brocoli, carbohydrates, apricots, nuts! There just had to be other food sources, and he hoped Uzimati and Yula understood this. Surely, they must...

They had to find and create some kind of storage device. But how could they make a backpack out of Redwood and plant foliage? Dante was beginning to realize more and more that he was just a mouse accustomed to tiny house holes and dusky smelling barns. Now, he had been chucked into the ocean that had instantly demanded him to learn how to swim. 

"We won't win the competition" Yula blurted out into the air.

Uzimati and Dante both stirred at this. "Why?" Dante asked. 

"If what you say is true, and we are all from different points in the timeline of humanity, then there are bound to be superhumans who can cross the distance far quicker. None have super running speed exactly, at least not from 2863. But some are astoundingly intelligent and could definitely find  some resourceful means for transport in this.... strange environment". 

"Well, we've got to try. It's our only hope" Dante softly spoke, feeling harshly alarmed. He believed her news, after seeing the performance up the tree. She had been like a monkey racing for the highest perching spot upon the highest throne in the jungle. He had merely been able to watch for ten seconds or so before she vanished above the jungle ceiling. 

"You have the same powers though".

"No. Abilities are bought and sold like items on a market. I am not rich. I only got given the default abilities everybody is given, and also genetic abilities too". 

She didn't make any more comments. Any vestiges of feeling her body naturally churned out arrived like daggers in her sides.