The Differents | ✓

T H I R T Y - T H R E E

I picked up both of our bags and got to my feet swiftly and silently, with years of practice. "What is it?" I whispered to Sniper. I didn't like the bad feeling growing in my stomach.

He looked around and took the bag I held to him. "Something is watching us. I can't see what or where but I swear I heard something and all the birds are quiet."

I positioned my feet to run. "What are we going to do?"

"We need to move. Silently and quickly. We can't lose the road but we can't run on it because it will make it easier for them to follow us. We should go..." He turned his head in the direction we had come, but off to a slight angle. "...that way. Ready?"

I turned around, to the direction he had indicated. "Okay. Start off walking, as if we don't know they're there. It might save us some time."

He hoisted his backpack up on his shoulders and started walking. I followed and tried not to look too suspicious. I could feel the forest holding its breath, watching us. I barely let myself breathe. I had no idea what or who was watching us but it made me so scared. I had to force myself to keep walking, even though my entire being wanted to run as far and fast as I could.

We tried to be as quiet as possible, but even with the years of practice, the forest still somehow managed to make noise. I stayed close to Sniper and kept one hand on my gun, secured at my waist. Time felt almost surreal, as if it had completely slowed to a stop and we were walking among a forest frozen on the spot. No sounds, no movement, no shift in the air save for our two bodies.

And then I heard the faintest sound. On our right and behind us.

I knew Sniper heard it too. His muscles had tensed up and his breathing had gone shallow, yet he still managed to walk forward as casually as before. My gut twisted around itself and my heart was hammering inside my chest, feeling like it was about to break my ribcage.

We continued forward.

I heard another sound, a bit louder this time. Coming from the same spot, but closer. It was getting closer to us. I moved closer to Sniper and gripped his hand. His fingers were cold.

The sound, which now resonated for the third time, sounded like metal hitting wood. Whatever was stalking us sounded like it was in possession of something sharp.

"On three, we run, okay?" Sniper's voice was so quiet I could barely hear it. I squeezed his hand and let go, more than ready to run. The sound was definitely coming closer, and the closer it got, the less effort it was making to conceal its movements. They became more frequent and louder, as if they were teasing us, waiting for us to make the first move.

"One..." His breathing was shallow, but I could tell he was trying to control himself. "Two..."

The sound rang out again, loud enough to make the hairs stand up on the back of my neck and my heart almost jolt out of my chest.

"Three."

We broke out in a sprint at the same time that the sound resonated through the trees again. This time, however. It was making no effort to play games with us. As soon as we had started running I heard a commotion from behind us. It sounded like multiple pieces of metal being scraped against the trees, followed by feet hitting the ground. Then, they were joined by more sounds. The persistent thumping of feet on forest floor and the irregular clanking of metal on wood changed into something a lot worse. Sounds that sounded like something thinking for itself. Something that could make decisions. High-pitched screeches and what sounded almost like some twisted version of breathing. There were definitely more than one of them, and they did not sound human.

I didn't dare look back, but all of a sudden I knew something was most definitely chasing us. There was another pair of feet with us, and I didn't know just by the sounds. I felt the same way I did during training, when the Masks would throw knives at us during our combat classes. The same rush of adrenaline and the blatant fear of something behind you, chasing you, able to snatch you up and end you if you so much as stumble.

We kept running.

I dared not look behind me for fear of falling behind, but I could now tell that it was multiple things chasing us. I could hear more than one pair of feet, and the never-ending sound of metal hitting wood and clanking around, accompanied by the ear-splitting screeches. My mind jumped from possibility to possibility imagining what was chasing us. A strange forest creature with a giant sword? An army of spear-bearing Masks? People dressed from head to toe in metal? Robots?

"What are they?" Sniper panted, not daring to look behind us.

"I don't know." I replied. I could feel my body starting to tire. Despite the endless hours of physical exercise at the Core and all of the morning runs I had gone on, I was never one for long-distance sprints, and I knew it.

I looked up at Sniper to see him throw a glance over his shoulder. He made a choked sound and put a hand over his mouth. For a moment I thought he was about to throw up but I quickly realized he was trying not to scream. I grabbed his arm, willing him to keep running and to keep looking forward.

I was half expecting him to actually start screaming when he took his hand away and choked out, "Animals."

I looked at him. "What?"

"Animals. Behind us. Not-- not real, though." He was breathing hard and I wasn't sure but I think there might have been tears on his face too.

"What do you mean, not real?" I had to yell to be heard over the sound of screeching, which had become so loud I could barely hear anything else.

"Look!" He yelled, pointing behind us. "Look at them!"

I did look.

I wish I hadn't.