The Reduction

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Zara

The air was moist and heavy when Zara stepped outside, slowly closing the door behind her. The smell of rain entered Zara's senses as she leaned against the damp wooden railing attached to the small deck she stood on. 

"Why is it hot? It's December?" She whispered to herself. She looked up to the pitch-black sky to see no stars present. It seemed to be an endless pit of darkness above, slowly consuming the planet. As she shifted more of her weight onto the railing, it creaked causing her to jump. Looking around the dark empty lot, she decided to finally light a cigarette. She pulled one out and held it in her mouth, while the other hand flicked the lighter. Nothing happened the first couple of times but then a small orange flame struck and Zara's eyes lit up in joy. She really didn't know what she was doing but figured it wasn't that hard.

As she lit the cigarette, she started to inhale the smoke. She then inhaled a bit of regular oxygen. It instantly caught in her throat causing it to burn and she began to choke. Panicking, she threw the cigarette to the floor of the deck and stomped on it rapidly with her sock. Still hunched over coughing, she took the end of it and smashed it into the ground hoping to successfully put it out. After taking a clear, deep breath in relief of not burning down the entire motel, she stood up and looked at the empty sky once again.

"Maybe smoking just isn't for me." she chuckled to herself brushing a strand of hair out of her face. She then glanced around the giant deck shared by every room in the motel. A couple of doors down was an old rusty ashtray set on top of the wooden railing. Zara internally facepalmed and smiled to herself thanking God that nobody was there to witness her struggle. Putting her lighter and pack of cigarettes on the thick wooden railing next to her, she leaned against it once more. This time allowing her elbows to press down on the wood causing it to creak under most of her body weight. Exhaling deeply, Zara stared straight into the woods in front of her. She decided she wanted to take everything in.

It was so oddly mucky outside that she couldn't tell if she was moist from sweat or just the humidity. The air still smelt like rain and grass with a small hint of smoke left from her cigarette. Her throat was dry and she wondered when the last time she took a drink of water was. Frogs and other bugs could be heard yelling from the woods. Zara thought they were really annoying yet necessary at the same time. The sound of life was necessary for her to feel more alive; more human, not alone in this world.

But then she heard a different sound. Something like leaves rustling. It wasn't the wind because frankly, there was no wind. Zara froze, realizing she was out in the open, not protected by the Community's walls, not watched over by trained guards, she was completely and utterly vulnerable. Her stomach dropped to the thought of being captured by the government. The rustling continued and she saw some bushes slightly shake as a shadow approached from the woods.

It was short like some sort of animal. Zara slowly backed up a few steps getting ready to run back inside but the shadow came into full view with the help of the porch lights. It was a huge dog hobbling forward towards Zara. Slight whimpering could be heard by the "dog" as it slowly approached. Zara observed the animal closely, and it didn't seem to be limping. It just seemed tired, dragging its back legs behind it. She then realized it was a wolf. Panic rose throughout her body as she remembered that they traveled in packs and this one's friends were sure to be nearby.

Suddenly the wolf fell to the ground with a thud, a small whimper escaping as it lay there on the ground. 'What the actual hell?' Zara thought as she stood frozen on the deck, the only thing separating her from the wolf being a thick wooden railing. After a few moments of silence, Zara cautiously walked towards the railing to get a better view. As she approached, the wolf's ears perked. She stopped dead, analyzing the situation. It couldn't get her from here, right? The only thing audible was her heartbeat and the wolf's heavy breathing. It finally made eye contact with Zara and its ears went down. Zara made sure to maintain eye contact to try and convince the wolf that she was the alpha. 

She had no idea what she was doing and was completely terrified out of her mind. She didn't know if what she was doing was safe but she didn't care at the moment. A small voice in her brain told her to help the wolf and bring it back to health. The urge to comfort the wolf became overwhelming for her and she found herself slowly hopping over the wooden fence without even thinking. As she dropped to the grass, the wolf remained down on the ground still maintaining eye contact. Zara cautiously approached the wolf. As she got closer, it continued to let out small whines. She eventually reached the distressed wolf and knelt down next to it. The wolf turned its head to look up at Zara but eventually rested back down. Zara analyzed the situation as she scanned the wolf to make sure it wasn't bleeding. It wasn't.

She slowly put a hand lightly on its fur. It was softer than any dog she has ever pet, which honestly hasn't been many. In reaction to her touch, the wolf wagged its tail in a rigid motion. Smiling down at it, Zara continued to pet the wolf's side and even some of its stomach. Its tail continued to wag as it lifted its leg, to allow Zara to get more of its stomach, revealing it to be a boy. Zara continued to rub and scratch the wolf as he wagged his tail and let out small whines of pleasure.

"What a good boy," Zara whispered. After a couple of moments, Zara realized that he was just super tired and scared, not hurt. He needed some energy to be able to find his pack. Having much empathy for him, Zara decided to give the wolf some energy for his journey. He wouldn't have come up to her if he didn't have a reason.

Zara placed her hand on his belly allowing her breathing to sync up with his. It was slow and deep like he trusted her. She focused all of her energy onto the wolf allowing it to flow through her fingertips. Her eyes started to glow and so did the wolf's chest. At first, his breathing hitched as the pain of the energy passing flowed through his body, but the pressure of her hand on his stomach reassured him that it was okay. Once Zara felt satisfied she took her hand off of the wolf. It rapidly scurried up as fast as possible and backed up from her assuming a power stance. Zara quickly stood up, ready to run if the wolf decided that he wanted her for dinner. As she stood staring at the wolf, he slowly bowed his head, as if to thank her. In an instant, he turned around and ran off full speed into the woods without a sound. Zara stood in the yard silently watching the woods for her new furry friend to return.

"What the fuck are you doing?"