The Haze

--Chapter Six--

~~^picture of Pepper^~~~~(all credits of this image go to the actress Emma Grabinsky, as I am only using her picture to show a visual of Pepper)~~

Read Author's Note!!!

~Malalchi~

I wake up suddenly, still thinking about what Alexx said yesterday,

"Malachi, we're getting out of here"

What did he mean by this? And why 'we'? My brother had never been particularly fond of me, and still is not to this day, so why leave with me? Why not leave alone? Does he really care about me?

A warm sensation spread through my body. Then I actually realized something.

It's probably because I am smart, resourceful, and he knows I will not get us both killed out wherever the hell we end up going.

Wondering how and where we would leave from, as running clearly isn't the answer, Trojan taught us this much. As I keep wondering, I get up out of bed and begin to look around for a place to 'leave' from? If my brother managed to find a way to leave, I would give him that much credit.

I sigh and walk back to the hut, then see and realize that Alexx is now awake. Going up to him, in an attempt to get some answers, I approach the rather strange person I call my relative.

"Um...Alexx? I had some questions about-" when I am about to continue with asking my questions, he cuts me off.

"Okay, Malachi, we're going now. I assume you have gotten everything packed?" He says, not caring to or actually hearing the questions I asked earlier on.

"Um...yeah, sure, but how do we leav-" Again, I am cut off my Alexx talking again. Who does he think he is? my patience was growing thinner and thinner by the second. I had packed most of my belongings, just in case Alexx did something stupid like this. He always does stupid, spur-of-the-moment things. I hated him more and more every second I spent with him on this damn isolated place.

"Okay, good. Now, I found a possible exit, so we are going to go explore that area now, closing behind us. I found a flashlight and bring weapons. But nothing to heavy cause otherwise you have to carry it and you'll be screwed" he smirks at me and then chucks a flashlight at my face. My bad reflexes miss the catch and he laughs at me.

Sorry I wasn't expecting you to throw a flashlight at me!

Then, when I was about to put on my bag and walk on, Alexx stops me. He points to his bag and then at me. I grudgingly pick up his bag, there is no point in arguing with Alexx. So, instead, I just give in to his ever needing to be praised ego.

Ten minutes later, once Alexx is absolutely sure that he has everything he needs, and has put it in his bag that I am carrying, we are about to head out.

Then I realize something I need to do. I run into our hut, rip out a paper from the diary thing I'm taking with me, and write something down.

I make a dead sprint towards Zhara, Zeus, Nala and now Pepper's hut, and drop the note on one of their beds. Breaking into a quick smile, then I remember my doofus of a brother and run to him.

"What were you doing?" Alexx asks, pretending to care, but really just wants to know if I am delaying our trip any longer.

"Oh, I, uh, forgot something? Yeah, I forgot something! Sorry..." after he looks at me questionably, I pick up both of our bags and turn to him "So how are we leaving? Trojan taught us that we-" I get a punch in the chin from Alexx, right on the spot that Zeus had punched me at earlier in the week.

"I've got this. Do you think I would tell you that we are going to leave, without having found an escape route?" He says as if I'm the stupid one and not him

And actually, I think you WOULD do something like that Alexx, you seem that stupid.

I sigh, and pick up the backpacks I did place down, because they're darn heavy, and walk to follow my brother Alexx. He starts to walk towards the storage shed, but instead of going inside it, to presumably get something, Alexx walks towards the back of it and stops at a spot behind it, on the outside of the entire area we have been in for only a little less than a week.

Then he goes inside the main tool hut and grabs a shovel. Alexx starts to dig, then he seemingly remembers I am here, and throws the shovel to me. This time I am prepared, and catch it, and start to dig. After a few minutes, the shovel hits something hard, and Alexx glares at me as if to tell me to be quieter.

After digging around the large metallike thing I had hit, it takes shape into a type of sewer opening thing. Alexx has a screwdriver, and unscrews the sewer hole thing, and takes it off. He climbs in and then turns to me as if to tell me to get my butt inside of there. Reluctantly, I begin to climb in.

I place dirt on the cover, fairly thick, and dirt all around it. Then I place the cover on top, and as soon as it gets dark, I turn my flashlight on. Alexx shoves me, and as I move to the side of this small dark tunnel, and the screws in the screws to secure the cover from anyone, other than us, getting in or out.

From the weight of both my and Alexx's bags on my back, I slow down slightly. This shouldn't be too much to ask of, considering I am carrying BOTH of our bags, and he is carrying absolutely nothing. Then I hear his daunting voice.

"Hey, you're not slowing down are you? We have places to be, lousy idiotic brother." He then sighs and turns back to the dark tunnel area ahead of us. I find it absolutely hilarious when Alexx tries to pretend to know what way he is going, when, in reality, I know he doesn't, because how would he, he has never been here before either.

Sighing once again, I turn back to face my brother's back. Then, reluctantly and rather grudgingly, I continue to pace onward, deeper and deeper into the tunnels, pretending to actually be interested in what and where the hell my brother is going.

After what appears to be hours and hours later, this journey has not gone any better than it started. What started with Alexx complaining at me and forcing me to do somewhat unbearable tasks. Later, it did not go much better. With Alexx seemingly randomly turning at every tunnel entrance, he seems to not know where we are.

Luckily for me, and neither luckily or unluckily for my brother, I have been taking notes on every cavern we have been to, in the journal I almost did not bring. At every pit stop, I make up an excuse, of which I brainstorm during walking, I go explore the places I had not had time to explore, which happens more often than you'd think, as I am carrying two backpacks when a human should be carrying no or just one backpack.

Soon, I have just a few blank spots on my map, which has had to be expanded multiple times because I doubted the largeness of this tunnel cavern area. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I am really not sure, my map is still not as large as I expect it to be, in the near future.

We have slept so many times, it is hard to tell how long has passed, as we may not be sleeping when is night or at a consistent everyday pace. As I keep adding to my map, my patience with my brother is growing thinner and thinner with every second I have to spend every second with him.

Why does he beat me up? Does Alexx gain something from doing so? Does he enjoy it? Something I will never understand...

Sometimes I wonder what life would be like without Alexx here. Without him watching over my every move, constantly critiquing everything I do, and how everything I do is wrong.

What would life be like

Without

My

Brother?

I push that thought out of my head and put the two backpacks on my back, and trudge on, with my brother Alexx in front of me. But this thought could not get out of my head.

--Author's Note: Most people will not see this, but I am posting late on a Saturday night. Tomorrow morning, I'll add to it and finish the chapter, but could not leave you guys without an update so here it is :) Also! We reached our goal of 20 votes and 100+ reads, so expect an extra chapter soon on a Wednesday.

New Goal: 200 reads and 30 votes

Which is just double of what our last goal was. I know we can do it, so let's get there soon! Ciao!--