Chronicles of the Unknowns: Division

Chapter 6

After a few hours of walking I could tell Delaney was frustrated. We had to dodge human traffic whenever they came by. Two people walking in this area was bound to attract attention, but we did not exactly have a vehicle that could transport us there quickly.

Albany was about a two hour drive from where we were, but walking meant it would take more time. Since we were Unknowns we could move a little faster than our human counterparts, but given the distance we had to travel, the boost in speed wasn't really much.

She let out another huff in frustration before stopping and turning to me.

"I know I said walking is safest, but we could take the subway and get there much faster."

I wasn't sure if the subway was worth the trouble. I'd heard from many unknowns over the past few months how the humans treated public places. They were often scanned to see if their DNA was normal or not. It would put us in unnecessary danger.

When Delaney's back stiffened at the sight of yet another vehicle approaching us, I knew that walking was dangerous as well. Even if we managed to avoid humans, we'd need to stop and rest and eat which meant we'd be fatigued by the time we got to the building. That could prove for disaster if we had to fight our way in.

On the flip side if we managed to get onto the subway there was no doubt that there would be a fight either once we got there or once we left. But at least we wouldn't be hungry and tired.

I gave her a small nod.

"Let's find that subway," I said.

"It's just a few blocks from here. Shouldn't take us very long at all," she replied.

When we finally reached the subway stations, the lines were long. Before each passenger could board, they were required to have their blood scanned to ensure they were actually human. There was no way we'd get passed them without causing commotion.

As we got closer to the front of the line, I could tell that Delaney we nervous. It looked as if the doors were about to close soon. For a normal human, that just meant waiting for the next train. For us, it could be a death sentence.

Delaney gave the officer her hand and they do a quick price of her finger to get her blood. We waited in tense silence as he placed the blood on the machine for it to be read. The small device beeped in his hand, and I could tell immediately that our cover was blown.

I looked up at the train. The doors were closing. Before the officer or any of the surrounding ones could apprehend us, I grabbed Delaney by her arm and tugged her onto the train. The officer was quick on his feet and grabbed her by her shirt, trying to hold us back. Unfortunately for him, the doors slammed shut as soon as we were on and his arm was trapped.

He screamed in pain, but it only lasts for a few moments before he's crushed by the surrounding concrete walls of the subway tunnels. I flinched as blood splattered on the windows.

"Are you okay," I asked Delaney, giving her a once over.

She nodded.

"I'm alive and in one piece. That's all that matters right now."

I'd momentarily forgotten that humans were on board. When I turned and looked at them, they all cowered away in fear. They thought we were going to kill them. They probably thought we'd wanted the officer to die.

These humans thought they were the victims, but in reality they were the perpetrators. They weren't being hunted down because they feared for their life. These people were safe. Their greatest danger was each other.

"We're not going to hurt you," I said, but they still cowered back in fear.

"Shut up you mutated scum," one of them snapped.