Flashf0rward

Chapter 9: Close Encounters

Connor

Leaning against the wall that was closest to the gate, I sighed and waited for Ivy. It had been almost 15 minutes, and she still wasn't here. Just as I was about to head back home, I saw her round the corner, carrying a large bag on her back and in her hand, along with leading her horse. Frowning, I walked up to her. "Why'd you only bring yours? You know I can't have one."

She shrugged. "Less of a trail if there's just one. Besides, Fred can take it, isn't that right buddy?" She patted the horse, who nickered slightly in response. Motioning to me, she leaped up onto the saddle. "Jump on." Sighing, I got up on the back of the horse, holding onto the saddle as I adjusted my own backpack. "Ready?" She asked, and I nodded. Soon, we were off.

Passing through the gates, I only allowed myself to begin to breathe after we weren't stopped. I supposed that maybe she was telling the truth after all. Still, this whole situation seemed like there was something missing to it. We galloped out of the valley, seeing the countryside zoom by as we rode through the plains.

It was then that I realized I'd never really seen this part of the valley before. I wasn't the type of person who got out much, so seeing the countryside wasn't something I was used to. I had to admit, it was gorgeous. Looking at it, you wouldn't believe that the world was in a post-apocalyptic state. But, I imagined this was nature's way of taking back what once was it's own.

After Fred the horse began to get tired, we only slowly cantered through the trail that we'd blazed while building Sanctuary. "So, why'd you name him Fred?" Frowning, Ivy looked back at me. "What?" I motioned down to the animal we were riding. "The horse. Why Fred?" She looked up and thought about it, then shrugged. "Why not?" With that answer, I simply decided to stay quiet for a bit.

We made our way into the forest, which was when Ivy finally broke the silence. "Sooo...not one for small talk, huh?" Looking at her from the side, I gave as much of a withering look as I could. "I'm not exactly a talkative person." Holding the reins in her hands, she looked forwards. "Right, forgot. You're the brooding loner type."

I frowned. "I don't brood." She laughed at that. "Oh please. You literally have an eyepatch, and you've been staring off into space for the past half-hour. You have to be brooding." I shook my head. "No. I'm just admiring the scenery." Ivy turned around slightly. "Oh, right. Guess you've never really been out here much." I sighed. "Not since that day."

Ivy was silent for a moment, as if she was considering that. "You were one of the originals, weren't you? From Reservoir." It wasn't really a question, but I nodded anyways. "Yes, and I would prefer it if you don't bring that up." She immediately looked forwards again, showing her bright red hair that hung down to her shoulderblades. "Right, sorry."

As we kept riding through the woods, the static scene of the trees was broken suddenly by a flock of birds flapping over us, making us both duck. "Sheesh, they were in a hurry." Ivy said, but my thoughts were in other places. "Or something scared them." Ivy turned back to look at me, her eyes widened.

I muttered to her. "Off the horse." Nodding, she made Fred stop and leaped off, drawing her pistol from her holster. I did the same, staying behind her as Fred stopped in the middle of the road. Ivy was about to whisper something when I thought I heard something. "Shh!" I said, raising a finger as I tried to dial in. At first, it was faint noises, but as we got closer, I started to pick up on the tail-end of a conversation.

"-been seeing more of 'em around here recently." One voice, which had a slightly nasally tone to it said. "Oh yeah? And yet he still sends out here. You still think he's a good leader?" The other voice said, one that had a gruffer edge. Nasal responded. "Of course I do! He wouldn't send us out here without a reason. He has a plan for everything." Gruff laughed. "Right, he knows everything that's going to happen. Did he predict how boring of a job this was gonna be?" Nasal responded sarcastically. "Maybe he did, and that's why he sent you out here in the first place." Gruff growled. "Shut up before I do it for you."

As we moved through the bushes, we got a closer look at the two of them. They were both wearing what appeared to be grey trench coats and wielding assault rifles. Judging by their wood panelling and scuffed nature, I guessed they were AK-47s, one of many types of weapons to survive the apocalypse. They were tough, and extremely deadly.

The shorter man, who I guessed was Gruff, had a scar over his face and some stubble on his chin. Nasal, was thinner and taller, and wore glasses on the bridge of his nose, which was slightly covered by his ratty blonde hair. Whoever they were, they weren't with us, and they didn't look friendly.

I turned to Ivy, who was staring at them intently. She turned to me and whispered lowly. "Should we take them out?" I shook my head. Their weapons far overpowered ours, not to mention we'd left all our rifles back on Fred. With just our pistols, we wouldn't be able to do much. Thinking up a strategy, it took me a moment to notice that both Nasal and Gruff had gone completely silent.

Suddenly, the bush we were hiding in was peppered with bullets, and I instinctively grabbed Ivy and pulled her to the ground, the rounds whizzing over our heads. After a while, the volley stopped, and Gruff spoke up. "If you're still alive in there, come out with your hands up!" Looking at Ivy, I whispered to her. "Run back to Fred. Go!" She looked at me. "What about you?" I stared into her eyes. "Trust me."

As she ran off, I walked out of the bushes with my arms raised, my pistol in my right hand. Nasal and Gruff both raised their guns at me. "Throw it over to me!" Gruff said, and I did as he asked, Nasal picking up the gun and putting it in his pocket. "Now, start talking. Who the hell are you?" Gruff said as he aimed down the sights of his weapon.

I spoke calmly. "I'm just passing through, looking for a place to stay. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I promise." Nasal shook his head. "He's lying." Gruff looked at him. "I know that, moron!" Pointing the barrel of his gun at my head, he stepped forwards. "I'm gonna give you until the count of 3 to tell me what you're really doing here. 1...2..." His finger tightened on the trigger, and I readied myself.

A shot rang out, and a bullet hit the side of Nasal's shoulder, making him drop to the ground, crying in pain. I turned to see Ivy with one of the rifles aiming at Gruff. "Put the gun down now!" She shouted, then I saw the look on Gruff's face. He wasn't going down that easily. "Eat lead, suckers!" He pulled the trigger and started spraying bullets everywhere, making Ivy duck.

Knowing I had to act fast, I did something I hadn't done in a long time purely out of instinct. I felt my stomach clench, and I watched as all the bullets stopped in midair in front of me. Gruff stopped shooting, and he stared at me with wide eyes and an open mouth. There appeared to be a barrier of wind surrounding me, blowing back the bullets with enough force to stop their momentum and stall them midair.

The rounds dropped in front of me, and I gestured out with my hand, like I had thrown a frisbee. The wind seemed to pick up around the small area, and Gruff was pushed off his feet and backwards into a tree, his body making the trunk splinter as he hit it. I was pretty sure that wasn't the only thing that splintered.

Panting, I felt myself relax again, the wind seeming to breathe with me. I hadn't used my powers in such a long time, and it felt weird using them again. Like slipping into warm water. I turned back to look at Ivy. "You alright?" She was staring at me with surprise and a slight bit of fear in her eyes, and nodded slowly. "Yeah...fine." Looking at Nasal writhing on the ground in pain, I walked over to him and kneeled down. "So...we have some questions for you."