Horizon

Chapter 1

I wake with a start!
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"It was just a dream" I say. I get out of bed one leg at a time. When I reach the edge of the alley I live in, I realize that it's still dark out.
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Too early...
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I rush back into the alley and rush around the corner just as the lights peer into the main corridor of the alley. I try as best I can to hide my face. If I'm awake during curfew, I'm dead.
They can't know I'm up. I'm asleep before I can check if they're gone.

***

As busy the streets are, I still fell calm here. This is probably the safest place for me.
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I'm wanted in most parts of this city due to looting trash cans. Looting is punishable by a life sentence in prison at the least. There also was that time someone exempted to mug me in the alley. I don't think they found his body yet.
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I always get a feeling like I'm followed when I walk in a public place. The shadows shift as I walk need them and lights flicker when I'm near. These are all probably coincidences, but it's good to be safe.
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I walk towards the steps of the old abandon building my group of scavengers hang out. Silas is already standing at the door step waiting for me. Silas and I have been basically brothers. He sound me in the streets as a kid and took me in. Ever since then we've been best friends.

My only friend.

"Hey James," says Silas. "Found anything good?" James is the name I got when I joined our group because I didn't even know my own name at first.
"Nothing useful." I reply. We walk in side and it looks like we're just intime for the meeting.
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Frank, our group leader, is standing at his makeshift podium looking sophisticated as usual. He thinks we're his servants. Everything we find/earn he usually gets more than half. We would turn against him if his followers weren't the only ones with guns, which were forbidden for citizens to use.
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We take our seats in the back. "I hope everyone has brought something useful for our group," begins Frank. "If you want your food for the week you probably have." As usual I didn't bring mine. There're probably gonna do to to me what they do to everyone who forgets for almost a month.
He starts going through the list of members, each bringing up their findings.
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"Silas..." He says with a mocking tone. Him and Silas have gone way back with to many bad memory's. He stands up and pulls out some bullets he probably stole. He walks up and give a mocking smile. I manage one back to him.
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"James..." Frank speaks. I walk up and I'm stop by his goons with their guns drawn.
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"I heard you had a run in with the EDF last night," Frank says.
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"Ya, so what?" I reply. Frank starts to walk over toward me. "We don't want that kind of reputation around here, do we." He says. He looks toward my hands. "We're is your daily giving?"

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I'm tired of his crap. I look toward Silas and give my double wink, our sign telling him when out of a place were not soposed to be. He rolls his eyes and pulls out his knife.
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"Don't have it..." I mutter just as I pull out my retractable sword.