Veranthis

CHAPTER 2

"GET HER. GET HER, KILL HER!' They could still hear the man shouting, flailing his arms, the ax glinting in the dark night. But his voice faded away when they ran away from the street. Holding David's hands tightly, Aliyah tried to push forward with all the strength she has. Her heart was thumping against her rib cage and her lungs seared painfully. She wanted to stop, even for just a split second to take in some air. But she couldn't.

She looked back to see the other four men sprinting towards her, their ax held tightly in their fist, their face tight and serene as if killing her is their life's dream. She could still clearly see the man's eyes. The hunger, the craziness was more scary than anything she had ever seen  in her life.

David saw her looking and tugged her arms to caution her not to do so. So that's what she did. She looked forward, not bothering to check on the chasers. She was always a fast runner. Had to be, to evade all the hungry eyes and hands of the people in this town. They wove through the streets hoping beyond hope that anyone would come by for their aid. But it was dead of the night. The time everyone in the crowd had been cautioned not to come out. Even the market would have been deserted by now.

As they ran, Aliyah's thought returned to her mother and brother who were missing from the wreckage of their house along with David's sister. But she pushed their thoughts away.

They are safe and looking for us.

After what seemed like an hour, David tugged her arms again to signal her to stop. Their house is right near to the town's border and they had halted just outside the end of the town. It was a winding road, covered with trees on both the sides. But the men were nowhere to be seen.

Both of them got closer, still holding their hands. Catching their breath heavily while looking around wildly to see any shiny ax.

"Wha- what the hell happened?" David asked clutching his chest.

"I don't know. I guess those were the mad men Loras was talking about." But she felt that she was wrong even as she said it. They were coming after them. She felt a chill travel down her spine and she shivered inadvertently.

"But they said that they specifically had to catch you and kill you. The mad man with the green eyes said that." His hands trembled in hers. He was wheezing now. She was afraid he was going to get an asthmatic attack though he hadn't had any for the past year.

Both of them looked at each other. She had a sick feeling that she had somehow opened a can of worms today. She flinched involuntarily.

"We have to go back," she said pushing away other thoughts. "Our family, did you see them in there?"

"No, there was nobody I could see and oddly no screaming too. Do you think they were there? Hiding inside somewhere." She could hear the panic rising in his voice. He had always protected his sister fiercely. The thought about her own brother made her heart sink.

"But if they were, that mad man would have found them. He didn't chase us, he was right there." The warmth of the running ebbed away and she felt cold and vulnerable. Her breath came out in short gasps and her legs felt like they were going to buckle up any minute. She tightened her grip of his hands. Although they were all alone, it felt like the darkness was watching them. A foe in the night, waiting with an ax.

"Al, we have to go back to the town. We have to search for them." If they are still there. Aliyah thought but crossed her fingers immediately. She took a long, painful breath and nodded. she still held his hands. She didn't plan on letting it go for a long time. They walked slowly into the town. 

"All right, listen," David whispered. Now that they were inside the town, her fears seemed to have multiplied. "The sun is coming up so people will start to come out. So the best place to go to stay safe is the market or the town square got it?"