Cloe shuffled closer and closer towards the clifftop edge. Clutching what appeared to be a baby in her left arm, Cloe used her right hand to gently stroke the babies head before wiping away her tears. How had her life come to this? how had she reached such painful despair that what she was about to do next seemed like the only solution? She ached for the days when other people were in charge of her life. She wished that Amber, Trudy, Salene, Taisan, any of her beloved Mall Rats were around to give her a warm embrace of reassurance but sadly, this wasn't to be. Fate had seen to that. Now she would never see any of her family again. She would never see her precious Ved again. Guilt filled her expression as she gazed down at the little bundle but in Cloe's mind, this was for the best. Both she and her baby would escape a life of fear and despair. They would escape to a much more wonderful place where no one could hurt them anymore. She leaned her head forward and kissed the babies head gently, she then winced and closed her eyes.
"I love you baby girl."
The whole wharf was buzzing. An air of anticipation electrified the atmosphere as onlookers from all different directions flooded onto the scene to witness the sight that was unfolding in the distance. Any thoughts of Cloe or her whereabouts were at the very back of any mind present, who were familiar with the troubled girl. Plane engines could be heard rumbling but a strange clunking sound was intertwined with the noises. That wasn't normal? neither was the smoke that had suddenly started billowing from the engines? nor were the flames that seemed to vaporize from thin air, immersing the air bound vessel? A mixture of shock and terror lined the faced of all on lookers and then... an almighty explosion! Every one ducked, shielded their eyes, ran for cover. Then in grief, a girl started running, screaming, straight towards the water. She was a tall girl with tanned skin and hazel coloured hair with ringlet curls, which bounced manically as she desperately rushed, hoping to be able to reach the plane and ensure one particular suvivor but another girl, also tall with a larger frame rushed at a quicker pace and grabbed the desperate brunette.
"Rachel, No! There's nothing you can do." the blond girl said, clutching her desperately.
"Let me go! I have to save him." Rachel pleaded but to no avail, the other girl had Rachel firmly in her grasp as the onlookers clasped their hands over their mouths in a symbol of both horror and sympathy. Rachel resisted the hold her associate had and looked out at the water, the wreckage sinking was blinkered by tears streaming down the poor girls face.
A few months earlier...
Suspicion gripped hold as they moved at a lengthy pace. The city was unsettling. Deadly silence filled the streets and carnage was every where. The entire place was like a ghost town, reminisent of the old fashioned zombie apocolypse films, almost as if some huge terror had come along and scoured, clamping all the inhabitants in its devouring jaws as it went along. The hooded male looked at his female companion with a hint of uncertainty on his face, she was heavily pregnant and he was worried that they would not make it to their destination before whatever purged the city came for the pair of them as well. The male likened his surroundings to something reminisent of one of the great Lord Ram's reality space simulations. Designed as a battle field for many of his test subjects to fight it out for victory or to ensure their survival. Any second now, the male half expected a bunch of kids to come running in to view, armed with stun guns, base ball bats or whatever else they could lay their hands on for protection but then he blinked. This was not a reality space simulation, this was alarmingly very real. The pregnant female winced.
"Are you okay? is it the baby." the male said, bringing the pair to a slow halt.
"It's just a twinge, stop fussing." the girl said sternly.
"Let's just keep moving, okay?"
The male nodded and the pair continued to move through the eerie city streets. He had felt worried ever since they had embarked upon their journey, before they had even descended upon the city. He wanted to make the trip, just as much as the female did, in the hopes of finding what they were looking for when they reached their desired location but he couldn't help being concered, like any father to be, he was bound to worry and the world they lived in following the virus wasn't an ideal place to raise a baby but they had to venture on in the hopes of returning to what the female considered home and claiming back their family. Then the baby could have a more secure start in life. A whistle sounded in the distance and a boy, wearing spectacles with dishevelled hair came running in to view.
"What is it Robbie? are we under attack?" the male said pulling down his hood.
"We've made it... we've found the Mall." Robbie said breathlessly before turning on his heel and racing back in the direction he came. The female looked at her male companion with an eager expression and he smiled, accomplished.
"Did you hear that Cloe? we're taking you home." his words rung like bliss in her eyes and she leaned towards him and pulled him in for a kiss.
"I love you so much Ved."
About fifteen minutes later, Cloe sat on the edge of a car park bench. She was irritable and nervous. Travelling for so long to make it back home only to be forced to wait whilst Ved and the others checked the place out.
"What's taking so long?" she snapped, almost child like. As though she was a kid, waiting anxiously for a birthday cake or a heap of presents from Santa Claus to be delivered. Sure, she was entitled to be enthusiastic after spending so long away from home but others in her situation would be slightly more restrained, nervous about what was to come.
"Relax Cloe, you've waited this long to get back here. What's a few more minutes?"
Cloe rolled her eyes and began to pat her hands on her thighs. The girl who posed the question was named Kit, she was about medium height, her face was covered in black soot as were her raggedy clothing. She had ginger hair which also could have done with a good wash considering the soot that she had aqcuired through numerous nights of sleeping rough. Not originally a city goer, Kit had previously lived in a town on the other side of the mountains until that fateful day when the Techno convoy drove through en route to the city which they seeked to conquer, taking prisoner anybody in the town. As for those who opposed the raid, well Kit always dreaded to think. Her elder brother, Scott, has been part of the group of men who had insisted on defending the townsfolk and the last Kit saw of him was when a monster in a metal mask had fired a wrist bound, spaced aged lazer at him. She never liked to think that he had been murdered and instead preferred to believe that he had been taken prisoner and forced into hard labour like the rest of them. Of course, despite being ripped from her home and losing her big brother, Kit had been one of the lucky ones as she had three younger siblings. Robbie and the twins, Henry and Matilda. Luck wasn't originally on her side as the four of them had been seperated, bundled in to different trucks and driven off to seperate destinations but some time down the line, fate decided to reunite the siblings and they came face to face once more at one of the Techno labour camps.
"You musn't let on that we're related or they'll split us up again."
That was the order that Kit had given to her siblings and one that they had desperately stuck too. If one of her brothers or her sister got abuse from the guards then she would step up as a passer by and convince the guards to leave off but if her brothers or sister felt the burning sting of a back handed slap then Kit would rise to her anger and find herself spending a few days in solitary confinement, subjected to reality space simulations which were the proto type for the Technos' new red versus blue virtual games. It was worth it to get pay back and she always ensured that she played the rebelious prisoner, never the sister. Any affection shared was when the guards weren't looking. Eventually, the head guard, or the warden as he was known decided to send some prisoners to another location. Kit was part of the selection and as luck would have it, so were Robbie, Henry and Matilda. The three of them did not want to lose their sister so in a vain attempt, they acted up and attacked a guard leading to the warden to pass them on as well
"They can be somebody elses' problem."
Was his verdict and all four siblings silently mouthed cheers of relief. The Warden had promised all prisoners up for transportation that they would be heading to another camp, where the work load was less and they could live alot healthier. A farm perhaps? one weird looking girl had suggested but Kit sensed that the Warden was playing games and that they were probably heading somewhere alot worse. Her prediction proved correct as they were transported to a high security compound, filled with virtual reality labs, where all prisoners were subjected to horrifying tests and simulations. The family could spend weeks on end seperated, hooked up to a computer during the day and locked in a damp lone cell at night. Occassionally they were allowed out in to the yard to stretch their legs then they wouldn't burn out and dumped out with the trash but these moments were fleeting and Kit was sure to treasure them. One day, during one of their rare moments spent together, the siblings had heard whisperings from the guards. There was a sense of unrest within the compound, it was during this moment that they were approached by a fellow prisoner, he looked more like a zombie but they were friendly towards him none the less and that was how they came to meet Ved.
"It's okay, the coast is clear." a voice called out, bringing Kit from her day dream. Before Kit could get to her feet, Cloe was already racing off before turning back briefly.
"What are you waiting for?"
Time passed quickly, as it usually did in the recent months especially for Cloe since the day of giving birth loomed closer but she did not mind. Now safely inside the Mall, she gazed fondly at a wall containing photographs of her ever growing Mall Rat family. She stroked a picture of Salene, kneeling down next to Mouse, Cloe liked Mouse. Cloe continued to gaze as faces flashed vividly back in to her mind. There were faces of some new people that Cloe didn't recognize and she assumed that they had been taken in by the tribe following her disappearance but that was the Mall Rat way. Her eyes switched to a picture of Amber with Jay's arm lovingly wrapped around her before resting her gaze on a picture of Jack, Ellie and two girls. One older with an elaborate hairstyle and another one who was younger, wearing a cap. Cloe smiled.
"Jack and Ellie made it home."
"Are you talking to yourself again." Ved's voice rang through Cloe's ears.
"Of course not." she smiled.
"You should get some rest, we've been travelling for a while." Ved spoke in a soft tone.
"I rested outside in the cold whilst you and the others searched the place." Cloe said in a disapproving voice.
"We had to make sure the place was safe." he answered.
"and is it?"
"Is it what?"
"Is it safe?" Cloe sighed.
"Todd and Rachel are still looking but the main section is secure." he said in a authorative voice.
"I can't believe the others aren't here. Something pretty big must have gone down for the Mall Rats to just up and leave." Cloe said anxiously.
"You saw the state of the city, no ones here." Ved answered, if he was trying to be reassuring then he wasn't doing a particularly good job of it.
"Do you think they were taken?" Cloe worried.
"No, there's signs that they left in a hurry but no sign of a struggle. Some of the drawers in the rooms are empty as well, I'm assuming they picked up and scarpered. Plus all the food is gone, Tasha went to look before to make a meal for us. We still have some of our own rations left so she is going to make that instead. Me, Todd and Robbie are going to head out tomorrow too..."
"Stop Ved, I dont care about some poxy food. I want to know where my friends are." Cloe cut her boyfriend off suddenly.
"If you'd let me finish, I was going to say that we're going to head out to find food and to see if any body is hanging around. There must be someone who can divulge what has happened and they may know where the others are as well, right?" Ved smiled, pulling his girl in to a hug.
"I hope so."