Art Knights Dystopia

Infiltration

    As we headed towards the direction of Tunnel G6, our disorientated shadows casted horrific shapes over the vast, abandoned valley. The soil crunched beneath us, begging for hydration. I've never seen anything like this before, the city has always been clean and refreshing. Impatience began to inch its way into my mind, when were we going to arrive? The smog that polluted the air hid whatever was at the borders, unless there wasn't anything there at all... Before I could doubt myself any longer, a familiar high pitched voice interrupted my thoughts, "Don't fret, we'll get there soon." Before I had the time to respond, a firm hand grasped my forearm, causing me to jump. "WAIT!" I stopped in my tracks due to her demanding tone, "I almost forgot, there are lasers here, to prevent anyone from getting to close to the borders." She giggled, killing the eerie silence, "Ahehe! Don't be so scared! It sounds a lot scarier than it is, but since you're with me, the master of weaving through lasers," she stood up tall, grinning as she pointed her thumb towards her fragile body, "You'll learn in no time!" Unable to tell whether she was serious or not, I let out an awkward chuckle, "Aha...ha...I mean since you're here, I feel a lot better! Yes, a lot, you'll protect me won't you?" Sensing my sarcasm, she haughtily turned away, puffing up her cheeks and crossing her arms dramatically, "Well, I guess you won't need me then!" She began to walk, leaving me stranded. Panic arose within me, afraid of being alone, I called out, "NO! Don't leave meeeee!!" She slowly turned around, trying to contain her laughter. "Awww, you poor, poor, baby! Look who's scared of being alone now?" she said with a mocking voice, "Oh how the tables have turned! Now you're the one who's gonna get kidnapped! Hehehe, but don't fret young one, your big sister Choco is here to save you! But only under one condition..." Willing to do anything to prevent being alone in the vacant lot, I nodded cautiously, "Okay...I swear I'll do anything, just don't leave me please." I let out a small whimper. She burst out in laughter, "Ahehehe! Just bring me across the borders with you." Surprised that she didn't demand a piggyback ride, I smiled, "Hmm, lead the way!" Hearing my response, her chocolate brown eyes lit up like the city lights, revealing the glistening gold sparkles that decorated her eyes.
    After a long and tiring journey through the lasers, we finally arrived at the borders. Now that I see it in person, the illusion of the ocean vanished and instead it was replaced with a tall stone wall accompanied by equally large gates. I recognized the tall, bear-like body of Toki, but nowhere did I see the trade circle. Wondering if I was the only one experiencing a heart dropping moment of anxiety, I turned around meeting the nervous eyes of Choco. This had me worried, she didn't seem like the type to be anxious often. Breaking the silence, I asked, "Hey, you ready?" Hoping to hear a reassuring answer I was met with another instead, "No, but hey, it's better to live like a firework and go out with a bang, right? Besides we're too far in to back out now, remember why you're here? For your friend Nat right? Yeah, just keep him in mind." She put a reassuring hand on my shoulder, it hadn't been the answer I expected, but it was enough to for me to regain my courage.
     We were close enough to see Toki's face now, he waved to us, signaling us to hurry. Obeying him, we quietly darted towards him. In the span of thirty seconds, we were standing in front of him. Not saying much, he asked in a low whisper, "Who's that? You know what? Nevermind, just take these," He swiftly handed a pair of dirty brown slacks to us. The slacks were big enough for us to just slide into them, without having to remove any articles of clothing.
    After slipping in our slacks, we began to make our way to Kampia, which is the name of the outside world. The trip there was rather problematic, and unstable. The gravel and smog disturbed our vision, making it rather hard to see the path ahead of us. Nonetheless, we made it, and the sight of the coal-black Kampia was starting to reveal itself. An uneasy feeling washed over me, as I began to make my way closer to Kampia. I shivered as the frozen air made its way through the many layers of fabric that rested on my body, supposed to protect me from the natural forces.
    Choco was pretty silent the entire way, I could hear her heavy breathing, she must be cold as well. We finally came to a stop at two crumbling doors, towering over us, casting a long black shadow across our faces. I gave a firm push to the doors, putting all of my strength into it, hoping for them to give in, they refused to comply. Frustrated, I began pounding on the doors, hoping that someone would open them, maybe welcome me in as they did. Oh who am I kidding? This whole place had the word corruption written across in big bold letters. My frustration was interrupted by the voice of my companion, "You know, there's a button here that opens the doors right? Jeez, what would you do without me?" Speaking for the first time in a while. I looked at her gratefully, "Thanks. Just what would I do without you?" Just as I was about to enter, she grabbed my hand and gave me a firm squeeze. "You'll be okay! I'm going to go and explore for a bit, good luck!" She smiled gently before continuing, "I hope your reunion goes well!" Before I had the chance to say anything, she dashed off into the darkness of the hallways.