Protected Slaves

3. Weak

We ran for what seemed like a very long time. My legs burnt with exertion and my breaths came out in pants making me want to stop running but I knew I had to continue as long as Miles wanted me to run. Compared to Miles I was completely unfit. The more we ran the more I realized that Miles actually lived up to his name because he was able to run for miles. Eventually we slowed down to a walk and an old building came into few.

The brick seemed to be faded and it looked as if it would fall apart if a single breeze blew it too hard. I looked over my shoulder to see the glow of the Protected Zone behind us and I knew that we were on the outskirts of the city, a part I had not yet ventured to. We reached the doors and Miles stopped for a moment, checking the area. When he was certain that no one had followed us he pushed the doors open and allowed me to enter first before slipping in and closing the door behind him. We were shrouded in darkness and I appreciated the safety it offered.

It took some time for my eyes to adjust to the darkness and I was thankful when they did. It was beautiful inside this building not because it was recreated to benefit the people in the Zone but because it was old and reminded me of how things used to be. I walked further into the building with a strange sense of longing to stay here for the rest of my life. Miles followed me but I didn't stop to ask him about how he found this place, I was too interested in discovering every nook and cranny in this place.

Miles grabbed my arm and directed me in the direction he wanted to go to. He pushed a door open revealing a room that resembled a bedroom but it was so large compared to the one I shared with Emily. A quiet growl caught my attention and I looked down to see a puppy run over to Miles, its tail wagging a thousand miles per minute. The dog had a dark coat with a white mark across its chest and a white sock on its right paw. Miles scooped the dog up in his arms and crushed the poor animal against his chest.

"I missed you too, Diego," Miles whispered. He turned to face me with the dog in his arms and pointed to me. The dog followed the direction he was pointing in, no doubt looking for food. "I made a friend."

The puppy struggled in Miles arms, forcing him to place the creature on the ground. The pup ran over to me and I scooped him up in my arms too. The dog placed his head on my shoulder causing a warmth feeling to spread through my chest.

"Hey there," I whispered and stroked the dog's head.

"Take a seat Rayla, you're not used to running so far and I want you rested so that I can train you," Miles said.

I moved over to a little armchair in the corner of the room and gladly sat down in it, the dog still in my arms. Miles disappeared for a moment and returned with a bottle of water for both of us. I placed the pup onto the ground so that I could drink my water in peace. Miles sat down on the bed and the dog ran over to him, begging for him to let him onto the bed.

Miles sighed as he leaned down and scooped the dog up in his arms. "Where would you be without me Diego?"

Diego licked Miles cheek in response; Miles laughed and placed the dog beside him onto the bed.

"Is this your home?" I asked.

Miles nodded glumly. "I came here after my whole family died, I feel safer here."

"You're lucky you don't live in the dormitory I live in, that's where all the orphan kids live," I said.

"Yeah I guess but I just can't help but relive my parents' and brothers' deaths over and over again!" Miles said.

"How did they die? If you don't mind me asking."

"Viktor killed them."

"That's why you want him dead."