The Surface

Emerald Green Eyes

   I hear the violent screams piercing through the air. The screams and cries of people being slaughtered. I'm eighteen But still it scares the shit outta me.

    The year is 3021. Most of Earth has decayed But only the surface is the living part of Earth. It's 100 miles long. On the east side is where my home stands. Well, my village really. Population is about 600 to 800 people. We have a hard life. But we get by with the lake on our side of The Surface and the medicus trees. They're basically trees with medicine in them. We also grow a lot if fruits and make bread from the wheat fields. The men hunt deer, turkey, and sometimes bears.

     My father is the ruler of the East Wing. Kilos Washburn. Him and his men are trying to kill off the west wingers. They are the people that rebelled against my father and started their own village and rules.

    The west wingers are always trying to steal our resources. Such as food, water from the lake, and medicine. My father says their surplus is way greater than ours. But they are still greedy for more.

   "Jedediah!" My dad calls. "Take this west winger to the slammer!" I nod and follow my dad's orders. He has a young lady by the arm and pushes her throws me. She has long brown hair and emerald green eyes. She was very short. Probably 5,3. She was somewhat muscular and quiet beautiful. We've never had a woman come to fight us before.

   I observe her. She wears a black leather jacket on and dark green jeans that have a hole in the knee. Along with blood pouring out her left knee. She was injured, bad too.

    I grab her arm with a tight grip and she yelps. I practically drag her to the slammer. She stumbles along and when she regains strength and punches me in the jaw. I'm not a wimp or a softy. I was 175 pounds of pure muscles But that hurt like a mother. It hurt her too cause she rubs her right hook.

   I toss her in cell six, shut the door, and lock it up.

   She lies on the ground and doesn't say a word. Again, she's so beautiful and I can't get over her Emerald green eyes. Jedediah, stop she's the enemy. You can't fall for a west winger.

     I grab the prison list. It holds all the names that are locked up in cells.

    "Name." I say.

  "None of your fucking business." She says. Smartass. But I thought that was kinda cute. No, No you didn't Jed. Shut up.

   "Look here, Princess," I say. "You either give me your name or I'm going kill your little sorry ass."

   She stands up and says, "Do it."

  I grab my knife and open the door. I push her up against the wall with the knife centimeters away from her neck. I look into her emerald green eyes. Again there beautiful. There was no fear. They were strong and full of life.

  "Im not afraid of you."

This takes me back. Everyone's always been afraid of me. My dad's trained me my whole life and my talent came from him. Kilos Washburn's eldest son. Stronger and more dangerous than any other living man. Now he's been defied by an unknown, west winger of a girl, that's not afraid of him.

   I take the knife away from her neck and close and lock up, again. She sits back down. I wanted to kill her so much but if i did i would get in trouble by Kilos. I see a picture escape her pocket. It's of a little boy. She stuffs it back in. Probably her brother. I had a brother once. He was younger than me by 2 years. His name was Jeremiah. Jeremiah and I were Kilos' only sons. Until He died 8 years ago by a west winger. There was a gruesome and terrible battle by the west and east of the surface. Lives were lost and families torn apart. Including ours.

    I went into a state of depression with my mother, Shelia. We only ate once every other day. I came out of it when another battle broke out. I killed my first man by the age of 15. To this day, I've always been real solitary with who I hang out with and talk to.

     My dad on the other hand took his anger out on the west wingers. Killing 237 men in one day. He's never been the Same ever since neither has me or my mother.

    "Your brother?" I ask.

    "Why do you care?"

    I run my finger through my black hair.

    "I had a brother once." I say leaving her to ask questions.

    "Had?"

   "Yeah. He died when I was 10. He was only 8."

   "My brothers 8. His names Nick."

  " I know What It's like to worry about your family. But you never really know What you have til It's gone." I say my eyes falling to the floor.

  "Octavia." She then says After a while.

  "What?"

  "My names Octavia."