City of Misfortune

Prolouge

Okay I have to tell you this quick, I honestly don't have the god damn time to explain this to you and hold your hand all the way through this. I will explain what I mean in a little bit.

First off just know ALOT has changed in the past years. Second I have been trying to avoid the dwellers, but I like to call them transients.

Just know they aren't very nice people. My name is Nala, I am sixteen years old, well technically I don't have an age they stripped that away from me. Meaning I won't age like other people do.

But anyways I'm 5'2, I have reddish curly hair, icy green eyes and I'm a light-skinned girl. My friend Ro says I'm just a girl who hasn't picked a side so I'll leave that to your imagination. I like to remind myself who I am because I don't want to forget. I've been do-

Shit I have to go I hear them coming. If they find me, I don't know if we're safe anymore. I'm not saying the world depends on me but a few people do and I can't fail them.

I've been hiding in the sewers lately. Yeah I know gross right, but like I said things have changed. Luckily I know how to pick a good hide out and know how to cover my tracks.

"Hey Nala not to be mean or anything, but you honestly have to move you ass a little bit faster," Ro said practically yelled over the noise of the footsteps.

"Yeah I know. I'm trying to grab everything, you know what happened last time. Do you want that to happen again?"

"No but-"

"No buts, I'm getting everything. I'm faster then you anyway."

Last time we almost got caught. Ro decided he didn't want to be alive and left his phone. Yes we still have phones and everything. We aren't supposed to, but come on now- walkie talkies, seriously. Only the rich are allowed phones.

So no, walkie talkies weren't going to do for me. Plus getting batteries a lot makes you noticed. The transients do pay attention to you and you supply of things. I don't really know why they would look closely to stuff like that. But I could accuse them of not letting me fulfill my sexual needs and are doing a great injustice to me. But that would be just inappropriate and weird to say out loud.

"Ro I think she's tryna kill us, just look at her. She's probably fantasizing about one of them," Luca said.

"I'm not fantasizing anything-" I yelled back at Luca.

"Will the two of you quit flirting and come on before I leave you and tell them where y'all are hiding out" Ro screamed over us.

Well that shut us up quickly, leaving an awkward silence.

"Damn who stuck a pole up your ass Ro" Luca murmured.

"Okay I have everything we can go"I said finally and slugging my bag over my shoulder.

Ro and Luca aren't the best company to be around sometimes, but it's who I need to be around.

Ro is 6'0, the color of mahogany and has black low cut hair with hazel eyes, he doesn't like to joke around that much anymore. I know he's trying to be the serious one out us all, but I really miss the old him.

He used to be real chill and always had the warmest smile, but since everything changed he's not the same and I don't know if he will every be.

Luca on the other hand doesn't seem like anything has fazed him. He reminds me of caramel chocolate, only because he's skin is caramel looking and his curly hair is a chocolate color. He's really cute actually with his dark ocean blue eyes and all.

We are just friends, I promise you that. We do have times where it feels like more than that, but we have to just be friends.

We've been friends since we were in 2nd grade. He took my scissors and cut my hair, so I took all his toys and set them on fire. We had a truce after that and been friends since. Ro was there, but he was shy and didn't talk much till Luca and I dragged him out the corner, throwing mud pies at each other.

As we got closer to the tunnel that leads out, something didn't seem right. It felt real off.

"Wait guys do you feel that," I asked them.

The air seemed thicker and colder then usual. It was always warm in here. Luca looked like he was going to pass out. Ro just seemed really confused and just stared at me.

He finally frowned and said, "We have to run back and fast."

"Run back? They won't be down here for another 15 mins and we're only 2 mins away from the tunnel," I was so fed up with running. It felt like that's all we did.

"No," I heard myself say finally.

"No? What do you mean no? Have you lost your mind? Can't you hear them coming and feeling closer than usual," Ro said sounding a bit annoyed with me.

"I'm tired of running, we are 2 mins away so what are we running back for," feeling really overwhelmed I continue my rant, "you and Luca can run back but I'm not! I've been in the tunnels for 2 years and some of the time was without you and him. I know my way around and will return back when it's safe, but I'm going out."

I turned my back on them, leaving Ro pissed off and Luca really confused. What the hell was wrong with Luca? I wish he would come out with me and get some fresh air so he won't pass out there.

It really didn't feel right in there and I needed to go right now. I started to run out of there as fast as I could. I can still hear the transients walking around. I wish it wouldn't have to be this way anymore.

Finally reaching the end of the tunnel, I climbed out. I checked to see if they were near and got out running into the familiar neighborhood where I first saw things changing.

It all started when I was 10, each day felt like things were getting worse and there was nothing I could do. Nothing anybody could do.
Transients were always around and there was always somebody being tested on.

I went to school one day and the intercom called my name asking me to come to the office. I got all of my things and went there, but stopped my locker first to get the rest of my things, because it felt like things weren't going to end pretty that day.

I went to the office and all of the staff gawked at me. I was so confused and I wanted to shout at everyone to stop looking at me. I finally reached the principal's office and he sat there with mournful eyes, it seemed like he sat there for minutes looking at me like that before he said anything.

He told me my parents were in the hospital and that they won't be able to make it through. I sat there looking at him like he spoke a foreign language, I just couldn't believe that. He said they were at work and a man came in shooting at them. My dad's friend had walked in after he heard the noise and shot the man down. He is still alive today and my parents aren't.

My fathers' friend, Mr. Sivers, took me under his wing for awhile before I ran away. I was tired of all the test they made me take, because I didn't think like everyone else.

We were expected to listen and do exactly what people told us. We didn't have a say in anything anymore, either you did what they said or you were punished by the transients.

They were like the police, but if you said anything when not called on, had any type of mobile electronics besides Walkie talkies outside of your homes, or even bought to much of the same things often you would be punished and that's not even all of it.

I don't know what the punishment is. I've asked Mr.Sivers what it is and he told me never to ask any type of question about that anymore. I do know that people aren't the same afterwards.

They started doing this a year before my parents were murdered. Eventually I found out the truth, nobody has ever been murdered unless they knew too much.

My parents knew to much and that man tried to make sure they wouldn't tell anyone about it. They used to tell me things when I was younger how I had a make change, I just thought they were joking. Once when I was sitting on the testing chair my thoughts drifted to what they meant. They knew they were going to be killed, they also knew who to give the information to when they died, and I finally understood why I had to change things.