REBEL CLOTHES ✓

NEW ENVIRONMENT

Tyler woke up face down in the mud, the smell of dirt and roses filling the air around him. Feeling dizzy, he used his arms to pull himself out of the  mud, stumbling to his feet.

His surroundings were familiar, but everything looked backwards, like he'd seen before from a different angle. The flat ground he stood on felt low from his perspective, the view of the hills obscured by the forest. He turned, and realized why.

He was in Trench.

Tyler was looking at the outside of the wall surrounding Dema, the same names he saw in his dreams carved into mossy bricks. How he got out, he couldn't quite remember, but he could see a hand print burned into his left forearm. He rubbed it gently, wincing at the throbbing pain.

There was no way Tyler could get away from the Bishop on his own. Did they just let him leave? It would be stupid on their part if they did. But then again, he almost got away one. He could've done it again and just not remember. Tyler hoped it was the latter.

"Alright, calm down, Tyler," he said to himself. "You got out, you're safe. Holy shit. I made it out."

A knife sat against the wall, stabbed upside into the mud. Tyler pulled it out, wiping the blade on his pant leg, and began to chisel his name beside Debby's, which looked relatively fresh.

After finishing, he tucked the knife into his waistband and took one long, last look at the wall before turning towards the hills, where the sun began leaking over the horizon. The dawn of a new day was rising over him, and he wasn't going to waste a second of it.

He laughed, the soft breathy laugh turning hysterical in seconds. The fear of being captured, the anxiety he felt that he wouldn't be stuck forever, washed away in waves.

Tyler started towards the valleys, humming to himself. He followed what he remembered from his dreams, seeing familiar trees and paths that led deeper and deeper down the valleys and into the forest. Birds sang softly from their nests, small animals scurrying from their burrows and across his feet as he watched.

The sun burned his exposed face and arms, but it was a good pain. He had never felt something like that before, and he was relishing in the warmth the light provided. The Vials in Dema never felt this welcoming. It was a cold light, a controlled light. Here, Tyler was free and warm.

At one point he had to stop at a stream because his mouth had become sickly sweet and dry. He plopped in the middle of the running water that stretched barely two feet and lied flat on his back. The water soothed his skin, and he could've drunk the entire stream, it was so refreshing.

Every experience was foreign to him, and he was sure the Bishops would come after him, but that didn't stop him from enjoying this one moment.

He peeled off his shirt and pants, laying them flat against the rock on the stream's bank, the soft humming of crickets and birds accompanying him as he fell asleep in the grass. Tyler expected Josh, but instead, he saw Clancy lying on the ground beside him. His face was still messed up, but he was patched up and looking less dead than when he'd met him in the tower. Even his right eye- the good one- was looking better except for a few cuts under his eyebrow.

"Thank God, you got out," Clancy sighed in relief, his lips curling into what looked like a smile. "Josh would be proud."

Tyler didn't like the tone he was using. "Where is he? Is he okay? Did he get out?"

"He's okay. That Bishop did quite a number on him, but he'll live. But you shouldn't be asleep. Sacarver could be watching."

"Let her come," Tyler said, his own courage catching him off guard. "She doesn't remember me, and if she does, I can handle her. I've done it before."

"Your touch may control people, but her touch will make sure you can never get rid of her. Be careful. I'll see you soon, I hope."

Tyler grinned and sat up straight. "Tell Josh I'm coming for him."

"Will do," Clancy repeated.

Tyler woke up in a daze, the heavy heat making him dizzy. HeTyler drank some more stream water and washed the grass off of him, his clothes partially dried off. The sun had reach the highest peak in the sky, right above him, so he decided to keep going.

Most of the black dye of his clothing had washed out in the stream, dulling the color of a stained gray. The red of his pants stayed red, but he was afraid that the Banditos would see them and think he was a threat. Tyler ripped the red stripe that ran down the middle of his button up and tucked it into the shirt pocket before putting his clothes back on.

He was hungry, but he couldn't find anything that he could eat. It wasn't until he'd walked further and further down the path did he realize he had no survival skills whatsoever. Tyler suddenly wished he'd packed some food for his escape. Then again, he thought he would be leaving with Josh, not on his own.

"I can do this. I'm a Bandito. I can do this. Just... eat this plant."

He made a note after the fact to not, in fact, eat the plant. It was disgusting probably not even edible.

The forest melted into one valley after another as the sun set and the cold began to settle in. Tyler started to worry that he'd gotten lost. His worries were disapproved, however, when he found himself on the side of a long road, the dark grey asphalt reaching for miles and miles ahead of him with seemingly no end. He saw a car some ways down, curls of smoke coming from the windows.

As he got closer, he noticed every inch of the metal was charred, the windows shattered from what he assumed to be from the heat of whatever fire destroyed the car. The trunk was popped open slightly, and when he opened it, he found a yellow hoodie and dark green jacket with a stripe of yellow around the left sleeve. Tyler pulled them out and slipped the hoodie on first, seeing how it almost fit perfectly except for the sleeves, which felt too tight around his wrist. He pulled the jacket on after it, stuffing his hands in the deep pockets.

Inside, he found a bar wrapped in plastic of  something called granola, as the wrapping read. He opened it, taking a tentative bite from the corner of the bar. Even though it was stale and a bit too chewy, the sweet and salty taste made him moan out loud. It took all of his willpower not to devour the whole thing.

Tyler had to keep walking, so he followed the road for hours, watching the sun dip below the forest line as he approached a rocky cliff edge. Upon looking over the edge, he realized was the same one he looked up to in his first dream of Trench. Relief washed over him. He was so close. He was almost home.

"Hello!" He yelled, cupping his mouth with his hands. His voice echoed in the empty space below him. "Anybody here!"

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, a cold shiver shaking him down to his core. Tyler turned sharply to the sound of hooves hitting rocks and saw the red cloak of a Bishop and an outstretched hand, grabbing for him. He screamed and jerked out of reach, but his footing slipped in the process.

The rocks under him started to crumble, and Tyler tumbled off the edge and down into the ravine.