Beyond the Horizon

5. Attempt

Shion had never been camping. He'd never been out in the woods. The intermingling tastes and smells of leaves and an assortment of colorful flowers tantalized him. Despite the terror of the day, Shion couldn't help but be amazed by the world that existed just beyond the edge of Lost Town.

          It's so different, he thought, looking up at the branches stretching high above his head. There's been this world right beside me this whole time, and I never knew.

          He and Nezumi had spent hours wandering deep into the forest. "Harder to track us," Nezumi said when Shion asked why they were heading farther away from the towns instead of straight toward them. "We'll keep going this way for a few miles, and then head towards the next town. Send them on a wild goose chase before we continue moving forward."

          Shion clung close behind him, trying not to stomp on the back of Nezumi's boots. "How can you tell where we're going?" He shifted his backpack. His shoulders had begun to ache.

          Nezumi snorted. "I've been traveling for years. I know how to navigate my way through the woods. People did it for thousands of years before technology made them ignorant and lazy."

          Shion looked at the pillars of trees surrounding them. There were no paths. No signs. Nothing to tell him which way to turn and how much farther he should go. Without a sense of direction, Shion felt as if he'd been stripped to the skin and tossed head-first into the ocean. He spiraled and flailed for something to ground him and keep him afloat—and that something happened to be Nezumi.

          Despite being a complete stranger less than twenty-four hours ago, Shion felt he understood Nezumi a bit better now. He had an amazing sense of direction, and the remarkable ability to fend for himself regardless of the situation. Shion couldn't begin to wonder what horrors would have awaited him if Nezumi hadn't been there to save him. What would have happened to his mother? He shuddered to think of how his world could have come to a screaming halt if Nezumi hadn't decided to come into his mother's bakery that morning.

          After wandering through the woods for a few hours, Nezumi announced they would stop and rest for a little while.

          "We're still a ways off from the next town," he said. "We can't afford to make a fire or a camp, but we can sit for a few minutes." He shot Shion a blank look. "You look like you're going to pass out."

          "I haven't walked this long before," Shion replied. He dropped his backpack to the ground. The ache from his shoulders had begun to creep its way down his spine.

          Nezumi rolled his eyes. "Well, get used to it. We're not going to be camping out very often."

          Shion picked out a sturdy-looking tree and sunk down in front of it. He groaned and pressed his back against the trunk. It felt good to sit down, even for just a few moments.

          "Unbelievable," Nezumi muttered.

          Shion swallowed back the spike of aggravation that bolted through him. He and Nezumi had led completely different lives. Shion had no idea what Nezumi had gone through. It was clear he held a grudge against Horizon Labs, but Shion could only imagine what else he'd gone through in his lifetime.

          Nezumi was clearly no stranger to life on the streets. He stole and tricked to get by. Shion was still reeling from their deception at the store, but he was in no position to be judging anyone. When you were desperate, there was no room for morality. Shion didn't like it, but he supposed he better get used to it. That poor old man wouldn't be the only person he'd watch Nezumi rob.