(Update 7/14/07: Proofread, improved writing)
They weren't sure if it mattered or not, but Caleb and James had been shown some considerable amount of hospitality since the evening they were kidnapped. Beth made it very clear that one of their 'policies' for the ceremony was that the offerings were in tiptop condition, and that included a full stomach and tended wounds. Ironically, the two still had no clue what this ceremony would be about. Caleb's black eye went down and his cuts were wiped clean. The same thing went for James, who only suffered from a bruised nose and a couple of scrapes. It didn't make sense to either of them but food and first aid wasn't something they were going to refuse. Their food wasn't the best tasting but beggars can't be choosers, and although they both shared a cell, Caleb and James still had not spoken to each other since their last fight. Caleb had his back turned to wherever James was situated. Although you could rarely see though the shadows of his corner, he showed consideration when James was there-or anyone for that matter.
James could be heard shuffling with his pants and belt buckle. Lastly, the zipper of his fly was heard being pulled up.
"Finished…" James said, sounding very pleased. He walked out of the dark corner holding a roll of toilet paper in his hand. He placed it on the ground beside the exposed toilet, "You gotta go?"
Caleb shook his head.
"No."
He didn't bother initiating into a conversation with James because he feared that it could possibly lead to James having another outburst like last time. If it ever came to it, Caleb would kill him. With his back still facing James, he stretched out and laid flat on a small sheet that was given to rest on. James walked over to the far end of the cage and rested his back against the wall. Lazily, he slid down until he sat on his own sheets, having a few prints from the bottom of his boots.
"What do you think this ceremony is about?" James asked, retaining a calm voice.
"Don't know," Caleb responded, "I'm not sticking around to find out."
"What are you gonna do, fight every single one of 'em?" James asked.
Obviously, it was a rhetorical question, but Caleb bothered answering anyway.
"Precisely," he confirmed confidently.
"You're crazy you know that?"
Resting on his back, Caleb slightly turned his torso in over to give James a side eye,
"How does wanting to leave this place makes me crazy?" Caleb asked, his speaking became a bit louder, "By all means, I'm sure they'll recruit you as one of their cult 'brothers' or whatever," Although he was awaiting for a reply, James didn't respond. Satisfied with his remarks, Caleb rested his head back down and made a final comment that would probably be considered going the extra mile, "Wouldn't be the first time you join an insane organization."
The situation they were both in was terrible and it caused James' thinking to become irrational. It pissed him off once Caleb made that statement regarding the military. It took every bone in his body to prevent him from retaliating, because he would only be proving him right. Caleb already knew most of James' treatment, but probably wasn't aware that he was also on Wells' hit-list. He would probably use it as a punchline to every comment about the military if he knew. Something James concluded about Caleb so far, was that he had a sharp wit and was an expert at sarcasm.
"Goodnight," Caleb finalized.
A couple of hours later was like a bombshell. Caleb was roughly awoken by being turned over and picked up by multiple hands as if he were a handled rag doll. He was completely unaware of what time of the day it was or how long he had gotten the chance to sleep for. He was turned upright and immediately thrown against the cage, blindfolded and gagged. His arms were restrained behind his back once again and he yelled through the cloth that was placed between his lips. In the silence of trying to fight back, all he could hear was James' yells and constant grunts of five men jumping him. By assuming that they were transporting him somewhere else, Caleb couldn't think of any place better than the cage he was imprisoned in. Kicking and tugging around wildly, he was instantly knocked out to prevent trouble.
The next thing the Firefly could recall was waking up for a second time, finding himself resting on an unclean, granite textured floor. He peered through his slightly opened eyes and shot his eyeballs around, observing a very large area he was in. It didn't resemble a house or any kind of residence he had ever seen. There was high rise ceilings, thick columns, and spacious pathways. In Caleb's mind, he could imagine what it would have looked like decades ago with crowds of people. Feeling the dust make it into his lungs, he gave out a couple of deep coughs that ended with a short wheeze. He groaned and rubbed the back of his head, still feeling somewhat of an ache from his recent beating. He was able to see freely, he wasn't gagged and neither his hands nor feet were tied. Just as he placed himself in a crawling position to make it to his feet, he felt his foot tap something. Turning around, he saw a brown backpack resting on a nearby trash bin. Not even questioning if it belonged to him, he took it for himself and unzipped it. He reached inside for something his eyes couldn't make out darkness. Pulling it out, it appeared to be an angle-head flashlight he could put into the pouch of the backpack's sling. Eventually toggling it on, he shined it upon certain areas that were difficult to see in the distance. The place, however, had a fair amount of standing work lights, plugged up along the aisles and pathways of the store. The lights were so powerful, they brightened yards in the directions they pointed towards.
He was closest to a pair of escalators that led to upper and lower levels, large counter tops and multiple tables; upright or overturned. The place was practically stripped clean of whatever it use to hold. There were scraps of torn ties and shirts here and there, leaving implications that he was in a clothing store, specifically the men's department. Where the hell am I? Caleb thought to himself.
Thanks to the size of the exits, it was enough to seize Caleb's attention. Making his way to the walkway to the left of the escalators, Caleb looked both ways and noticed that the location stretched towards the opposite direction for another couple acres. He was amazed by the size. He approached the exit closest to him and he began pushing and pulling doors as hard as he could. He couldn't get the door to budge one bit after his repeated his attempts and the bulletproof glasses were nearly impossible to break with brute strength. Not too far from his left, there was another exit that looked similar to the one he was at. Beaming over to it, he attempted the same methods, but nothing worked. At this point, he was already huffing for air.
Out of the blue, a soft humming was heard and very few of the lights and vents powered on. The electricity didn't get around to the escalators, but that was the least of his concerns. Frightened, with his back pressed against the bulletproof glass, he inspected around him.
"Hello offerings," a masculine, yet pleasant voice echoed throughout the store. Once Caleb heard the word 'offerings', he knew it was Beth's group having some involvement in this. He spoke again over the intercom, "I welcome you to your arena; where you will be hunted and sacrificed," It was evident that he speaking with a smile, "In case you're new here and wondering what's going on: Every month, we hold a ceremony for ourselves and our Infected family."
"Infected family?" Caleb mumbled distastefully.
"To ensure that our loved ones they're never forgotten, we offer you to them, during this ceremony, as a sign of remembrance. The ceremony will start in ten seconds…" Caleb began to walk quickly, hoping he could find a way out. However, the Brother's voice echoed on the intercom once again, "Oh right, and I almost forgot—if you end up infected, you turn."
The Brother said it as if it were amusement, giving a light chuckle before the lights in the entire mall shut back off with a loud 'bang'. Caleb froze in place from paranoia and fright. Only having his flashlight to aid him, Caleb looked into every dark corner. He began to breath heavily and he got goosebumps to the sounds of blood-curdling screams and croaks that sounded nothing more than a barbaric.
"Shit," Caleb whispered to himself, "Infected."
Caleb's plan from the very beginning of his abduction was to gut Beth and her brethren like the filth they were. Although he was still very much committed to it, he had to find a weapon first. So until then, Caleb had to evade every enemy he could. Pausing to the sound of two men laughing loudly from one of the doorways within the area, Caleb powered off his flashlight and dove behind the nearest counter for cover. The counter only had one path for entering and exiting, so Caleb was basically trapped until the Brothers were out of sight. Foolishly, the two men spoke with one another aloud, giving away their positions and possibly luring other Infected that didn't discriminate between their stupid cult and a couple of sacrifices. He wasn't curious enough to get a good look at whether or not they were armed since it meant getting the cat killed—but it was naive to presume that they weren't.
As they spoke, Caleb could tell by their footsteps that they were stepping closer to him. Slightly shifting his body, the shards of glass and rubble he was settled on, crunched. Notably, the men stopped speaking.
"Did you hear that?" one of the men whispered.
"Hear wh-"
"Shh!"
With little to no room to crawl deeper into, he pressed his legs up against his chest. Probably for the first time in a long time, he internally prayed to make it out alive. He could still hear their footsteps, but the trepidation he felt disoriented his focus. If he was going to get caught, he had no way of defending himself against two armed men. Suddenly, a deafening and frightening gunshot was heard. A woman was heard screaming,
"Please! Please! NOOOO-AGHHH!" She was heard panting and running for her life.
"There she is!"
"She-she's circling around, get her on that side!" The other shouted.
Caleb heard their footsteps immediately depart from one another and distance themselves from where he was. He discreetly elevated himself with only the top half of his head looking over the counter to see the men no longer in sight. A couple of other shouts were heard and as the girl shrieked loudly, it was cut off by the sound of a, presumably fatal, gunshot.
Caleb quickly made it to his feet and hauled himself over the counter, carefully looking around before his feet touched the ground. Immediately, he began to hurdle, slowing down as he approached the same doorway that the two Brothers initially walked out of. He spotted a bronze colored escalator that led to upper levels. Cautiously looking around, Caleb decided that it would probably be best to make it to a different floor in order to avoid the enemies present his floor. Nearing the stairs, Caleb tried walking as quietly as he could, constantly checking behind him to make sure that the Brothers weren't returning. Making it past the second floor, he continued to the third.
Feeling like prey, Caleb remained hidden to avoid any risks of being spotted. He stopped mid-way and laid low after hearing snarls and shouts coming his way. Hidden in the dark, he saw saw a random man beam past the double doorways directly in front of him. He was running for his life. Continuing to lay low, Caleb saw two Runners chasing after the random man. It was obvious that Caleb and the military jerk weren't the only two apart of this ceremony. Once the Infected were out of sight, Caleb hesitated but resumed to make his way up towards the third floor. Almost walking out of the doorway, he immediately crouched and hid behind a nearby trash bin at the sight of a staggering Clicker. It shrieked and croaked as it listened closely to its surroundings. Fortunately for Caleb, a loud scream was heard and the Clicker continued to chase after the rest of its party. With his back facing the escalator that continued up towards the fourth floor, Caleb slowly rose up and felt a pair of strapping hands grab him from behind and cover his mouth. He cried out, but his shouts and grunts were heavily muffled. Using all his strength and body weight against the person behind him, Caleb pushed and felt the body behind him slam against a wall. The man grunted, but that wasn't enough to weaken his grip.
"Shh! Shh!" The man shushed, "Calm down, It's me! It's me!"
Being released, Caleb quickly fell to the ground and scrambled away until he hit the opposite wall. Turning on his flashlight and setting his gaze on the individual, he was partly relieved to see that it was James. Caleb held his chest and let out a heavy exhale while sitting on the floor to calm himself. Shading his eyes from the bright light, James walked closer. Similar to Caleb, he was stripped of his weapons and given a light as well,
"You alright?" James asked, concerned. He extending out his hand, "Lucky to still be alive."
Caleb shoved James' hand aside,
"I'm fine," he groaned with a strain in his voice. He made it to his feet and dusted himself off, "Don't you know it's not smart to sneak up on people like that…"
James dismissed his attitude and toggled on his flashlight, getting a good look at Caleb's flinching face. He could gather that Caleb was truly afraid and just trying to maintain his loner facade since James happened to show up.
"Looks like you were right about these guys being some crazy cult."
"Yeah, no shit," Caleb replied, looking at James with vexation. He dusted himself off one last time.
"Where'd you wake up?"
"Main floor," he said, clearly settling down, "What about you?"
"Fifth," James paused, "We can help each other get out of here."
Caleb was taken aback by James' sudden decision to aid one another. Caleb, still hadn't put their rival positions behind him, but seeing that James did so effortlessly made him rethink his attitude. There was no way he was going to let some dog face one up him. He looked away and shrugged after hesitating,
"How? They're everywhere."
"Listen to me," James said, slowly and awkwardly resting his palm on Caleb's shoulder, "Those guys have weapons. If we can get ourselves some guns...we can clear us a path out of here."
Caleb began to shake his head,
"We can't get out, the main exits are locked and bullet resistant."
"Shit…"
A light bulb looked like it appeared over Caleb's head,
"What about emergency exits?"
"Barricaded..." James said in disbelief.
"They were certainly prepared for this," Caleb groaned with discouragement and an eye roll, "I mean, why wouldn't they be."
That's when James' and Caleb's attention was grabbed by some ambient noises up on the next level. James looked back at Caleb and spoke, whispering even softer than before,
"Just follow me. Turn off your flashlight to avoid attention."
Seconds after getting off the escalator, both Caleb and James walked towards the doorway that led to the entrance of the fourth floor. There were retractable barriers scattered on the floors of this level. They both crawled underneath them, and before making it into the opening, James extended his arm to hold Caleb back from walking any further. They were both concealed in the shadows, but just outside was a tall work light that would've exposed them like stage lights.
James listened closely and could hear soft footsteps approaching them. Immediately, Caleb jumped to the other side of the double doorway and quickly hid deep into dark spot. Just as Caleb did that, James stayed hidden in place without moving a muscle. The approaching Brother was on his own, but it was unwise to think that there was no other Brother's following after. The Brother walked past until he came into a worm's-eye view from Caleb's crouched position; and he was stunned at what he saw on the Brother's back: Caleb's katana—there was no mistaking that it belonged to him. Caleb shot a look over at James, who was so concentrated on staying silent, that Caleb wildly waved his arms to grab his attention. James looked over at him and saw him mouthing words,
"That's my sword!" Caleb mouthed and pointed aggressively.
Due to the darkness, James could only see the eccentric movement of a silhouette. He brought his arms up and placed his finger on his lips. Caleb understood that now wouldn't be the perfect time, but he made a promise to himself that he would retrieve his sword and let the real hunt begin. The exit from the escalators was closest to a pathway that led to the further end of the store. Once the Brother turned a corner, it was their signal to get moving without being seen. James peeked out from behind the wall and crawled even quicker until he crossed over into the other segment of the store that was in the opposite direction of the Brother. There was nothing but numerous rags of clothes, dirt, and debris; and the wrong footing could alert any enemy in the proximity. Changing his position into crouched run to move even quicker, he looked back to seeing Caleb nowhere in sight. While frantically searching the area, he hid behind a somewhat exposed shoe table.
Caleb had a plan of his own. Disobeying James' orders, he followed the Brother with the katana, himself. Standing and quietly turning the same corner as the enemy, Caleb threw himself on the floor to give give the impression that he tripped. Quickly, the Brother turned around and whipped out a pistol,
"The fuck!?" The Brother exclaimed, pointing the gun straight at Caleb.
"Don't shoot!" Caleb quickly said, sticking an arm out. He portrayed a painful manner and stood up, faking a shaky limp, "Help, please. I-I'm infected."
"Infected?" The Brother said in disbelief, "Where?"
"M-my ankle…"
The brother looked heedful, but Caleb's only hope relied on how skilled the Brother was with a sword. He inched closer to Caleb, only taking small steps at a time,
"Don't try anything stupid."
James, on the other hand, could hear the discussions going on between the Brother and Caleb. He was stunned at this point, confused on whether or not Caleb got caught without him noticing. That's when James began to hear the noises of other men in his area. Fully taking shelter in a wide opening underneath the table, James peered out of a small space that allowed him to see the two armed Brother's making their way in his direction. James knew that if they walked past his position, they would walk into Caleb on the other side.
With so little time, James struggled with the choices he had to make. Deep down, he wanted to forget Caleb and save himself because he believed the Firefly properly deserved it. Caleb was a dead man from the beginning and if anything else still stood, it was that Caleb had to be executed—better yet, he wouldn't have to do it himself.
But something would prevent him from making such a selfish choice.
To keep Caleb from running into further trouble, James had to do his part in keeping the other Brothers distracted. He had an ice ball's chance in hell if he tried to fight them off on his own, but James wasn't as impulsive to sentence his own life. Avoiding to be seen at all costs, James crept along the pine furniture and windows. In due time, he made it across to the other side of where he formerly was. He hid behind a ruined sofa, and to his side was a large beer bottle. Observing the area he was in, there was a large opening in the center of the room that led to a pair of escalators leading to the levels below. Perfect.
Extending out his arm and quickly launching it like a catapult, the bottle spun through air and fell through the pit in the center of the room. As James heard it shatter, he could hear the curious responses being murmured between the Brother. Shortly afterward, they followed the noise, instantly vanishing from the fourth floor.
James discreetly made his way back to where he and Caleb were last seen together. Briefly casting a large shadow as he rushed past the standing work light, he stood hidden to the side and took cover. Just as James predicted, Caleb was encountering the initial Brother he saw wandering past the both of them. Although he couldn't voice his opinions loudly, he shook his head from where he was positioned.
Caleb hoaxed up winces as the Brother knelt and rolled up the hem of Caleb's pants. Just as that was happening, Caleb spotted his golden opportunity. Caleb deemed himself the only one capable enough to carry around his sword, and the foolish Brother didn't know how to handle the very weapon he had equipped on his back. Everything went just as Caleb hoped it would and he quickly reached down, grabbing the handle that extended from the scabbard. He blindly withdrew the sword, having the Brother look up with evident horror. As Caleb proceeded to raise it, he tightly clutched the handle with both hands, and struck down towards the Brother's face. James cowardly looked away in his hidden corner. His body lifelessly flew to the side and his yells cut-off as specks of blood scattered on the rusty elevator door closest to them.
Without even acknowledging the dead body at his feet, Caleb weakly fell to his knees. With both hands leveled, he held the katana horizontally and absorbed its presence. In the center of a distant work light, glares managed to pass through the shadows and hit his sword. The glint that bounced off the blade of his sword illuminated and reflected in his hazel eyes.
Spying from behind, James couldn't help but witness Caleb's private moment with an inanimate object. It wasn't hard to tell that Caleb had a very odd and in-tune relationship with his katana since James first confiscated it. He made the presumption that in a world like this; where others deeply depended on weapons to survive, his weapon was his protector. Also, Caleb was never really a social guy to begin with. Fearfully, James stood up and slowly walked out from his hiding place. Clearly hearing his footsteps, Caleb looked over his shoulder with a gasp. Once he perceived that it was James, he quickly turned back and wiped his face.
"Hey," Caleb said calmly. Placing the sword on the floor beside him, he reached forward and inspected the Brother's corpse. He retrieved his scabbard and presented James' ankle blade and handgun by spreading them on the floor. Standing, he spoke, "Here James..."
James looked down at Caleb, sort of surprised that he was referred to by name. Frankly, it sounded humanizing to hear his name come from the mouth of another person, especially Caleb. They stared at each other for a while before Caleb could look away first, remaining alert at all costs. James reached down and wrapped the ankle knife and it's holster around his ankle and placed the pistol in one of his pockets,
"Alright," James calmly exhaled, "Let's get out of here."
Caleb exhaled in annoyance, afraid of that being James' first objective. He shook his head and thought differently,
"Not yet," Caleb pause. Facing James, he paused and pointed over his broad shoulder, "Shit, look out!"
James looked over his shoulder and hastily made a run for it after spotting a stranger with a pistol and an assault rifle. Both he and Caleb broke apart and scattered in separate directions. As three shots darted around uncontrollably, a gunshot missed Caleb by inches, shattering a glass billboard in front of him and between the elevators. The Brother managed to empty out his pistol and hurled it to the side. Grabbing his assault rifle next, he decisively pulled the trigger without bothering to take proper aim. Luckily for the Brother, James got hit in the left calf. James shouted, and fully sought for cover behind a large wooden column. His hands trembled, looking at the gunshot wound through his pants. His breathing became uneasy and he tried to stand, but the unbearable pain was unlike something he ever imagined. He applied pressure with his palms, all meanwhile trying to stay hidden. Splinters of wood flew off the column from the impact of the multiple gunshots. James looked over by the side of the elevators where Caleb looked across at him ambiguously.
Caleb revealed himself by looking out from cover, but he was immediately shot at. Overwhelmed, Caleb vanished past the other pair of doors that crossed over into the other half of the mall.
James was devastating after noticing the coward flee into the darkness and reapplied his attention back to his wounded leg. James couldn't believe he returned to help rescue a guy who wouldn't even spare a second for him. Fighting through the pain to stand on his feet, he nearly fell over. To prevent himself from teetering into the open, he momentarily grabbed the angular edge of the column, in which his bloody fingers were almost shot clean off. With his back rested against the wooden column, he already considered himself done for. Throughout his planning, the gunshots stopped and a sharp gasp was heard with the faint sounds of gargled chokes. Looking out through the side of the pillar, James saw the Brother accessorized with a long blade protruding through his chest. The Brother trembled in place and still showed signs of life in his eyeballs. They searched desperately for his slayer and his bloody mouth remained wide open for his silent cries. Swiftly, the blade was retracted from his insides.
His assault rifle fell to the ground beside him and his body thudded to the floor. Unveiled behind him was Caleb. Turns out that he circled around from one doorway to the other. He placed the blade back in his scabbard and kicked away the assault rifle. The Brother wheezed for air,
"K-kill me," he huffed and swallowed weakly, grabbing hold of Caleb's ankle, "K-kill m-me, please."
Caleb vengefully glared at him and pulled away. He calmly approached the assault rifle and picked it up, delivering it to James.
"Damn," James exhaled breathlessly, managing to give a light chuckle through his pain, "I thought you left me for dead."
Using the column as support, he took the assault rifle and placed the sling over his shoulder. Caleb crouched down and toggled on his light, inspecting James' wound.
"It's a clean shot…" Caleb glanced up at him, "That means—"
"I know what it means, let-let's just get the hell out of here, C'mon..." James extended out an arm, hoping that Caleb would aid him to walk but Caleb remained unmoved once he stood up. He watched ambiguously once again. Just when things couldn't get any worse, screams and yells of Infected were heard making their way to their level, "What are you waiting for?!" James waved over with his hands, "Let's go!"
Caleb looked unsettled. His initial plans to stay behind and kill every Brother and Beth was beginning to foil. However, watching James' bloody leg made him begin to rationalize his choices. Caleb stood in silence, staring in the direction in which the noises were coming from as if he were caught in a daydream.
"HEY, C'MON!" James roared.
The Firefly rushed to his side and helped sustain his stance after pushing James off the column. He placed one arm around his waist, whereas James wrapped his arm around Caleb's shoulder. His staggering wasn't nearly as bad as he expected, but James could hear about two Runners incoming from behind and outrunning wasn't an option. Looking over his shoulder to confirm, Caleb actually saw three.
"Go," Caleb said, boldly releasing James.
James continued limping until he also came to a dead end. In his path was a Clicker that flared its arms around wildly after hearing the commotion in the distance. Pulling out his pistol in his back pocket, he fired two shots that nailed the Clicker in the shoulder and stomach. The Clicker slowly fell to the ground with a shortness of breath. James turned around and looked at Caleb who was slaughtering like a professional. With heavy grunts, Caleb slashed at his first Runner, catching a good spot within its neck and all the way down to the clavicle. He yanked it out—having the Runner hold the inflicted area in pain and bleed out to the floor. Attempting to flee, he became surrounded by two other Runners. The Runner behind him nearly jumped at his back, however he did a thrust with his blade over his shoulder. The Runner jumped, head first into the the pointed end and Caleb pulled it out with an immediate jerk. The Runner dropped dead without question. Being occupied by the second Runner got him into trouble with the final. James could see the Runner beginning to pin Caleb up on the same exact column he initially hid behind. Using the katana to separate them, Caleb used all his strength to push off and strike the Runner with the hilt.
James lifted his gun to shoot, but couldn't get a definitive aim. Strangely, as James pointed his gun at them both, he immediately collided with some internal conflict. His thoughts went to a forbidden place he had left a while ago; questioning whether it mattered or not if Caleb was shot dead. Executing Caleb was James' duty to complete since the beginning of his capture. Somehow, he theorized that he was in this current situation because of the Firefly, but if he ended up getting rid of him he would never find survive without him. So James made an oath to himself: He would get his revenge when the time was right.
Caleb placed his sword back into his scabbard and looked away from the dead corpse of the Runner. James concealed his handgun by placing it back in his pocket and looked away, slightly anxious and worried that he might have rose Caleb's suspicions. Without question, Caleb ran towards him after hearing the noises of more men coming their way. Looking outside the windows it was clear that the sun was preparing to set. The skies were a bright orange and the profiles of the clouds darkened as they slowly moved about the atmosphere.
"We should hide, it's getting dark out," Caleb suggested.
James didn't give a response. His gaze was set on the very glass they were looking through. He was the first to notice it when he was previously sneaking around the department, so it was beyond him on how he never realize it any sooner: Quickly hobbling to the windows, James placed his palms on the glass, leaving prints of blood. Astonished, he slowly removed his hands and backed away while pointing. With Caleb close by, he rested a hand on Caleb's side to properly move him aside,
"...Bulletproof…" James babbled.
"What?" Caleb said, not catching what James just said.
"It's not bulletproof!" he clearly repeated. This time reaching back, he removed the pistol from his back pocket.
"What are yo—"
James pulled the trigger three times, and the glass instantly cracked the first time. It expanded the second, but the gun was emptied on its third. It did nothing but cause a great segment to break apart.
"Come on," James said wrapping his arm around Caleb's shoulder.
Caleb refrained himself from being held,
"We can't jump, we're four stories from the ground!"
"There's an awning right before the first level!" James reassured.
Caleb walked to the glass and noticed the awning for himself; it was large and resembled a metal platform, and it could definitely hold up more than one person.
"There they are!" They heard a shout in the distance.
Caleb and James both looked over to see four men with shotguns coming their way,
"Let's go," Caleb rightfully decided.
Running to James side, both boys held on to one another for one another's sake. Starting off with a run after gunshots started to be fired at them, they jumped through the glass, causing it to immediately breakaway once their bodies collided. Caleb shouted as they fell through the air and landed on the metal awning. Caleb landed on both feet, but the recoil from his landing caused him to fall forward. James broke away from Caleb, and held his wounded leg in excruciating pain. He stifled his shouts by sharply inhaling and exhaling, excessively. To make things worse, the awning began to rock back and forth once they landed. Without warning, the awning began to bend and dip downwards into a nearby car. Both boys shouted as they fell along with it and crashed into the vehicle. Glass was shattered and the roof of the car was blown in. Using the awnings position to their advantage, both boys slid off of it and jumped on, then off, the car. With some aid from Caleb once again, James hopped off the car and they both escaped without looking back. Gunshots and yells of hatred were heard from the distance, but merely escaping was more delightful than Caleb thought it would be.
They traveled deeper into the city ruins, making it past a forest of weeds and vegetation that breached the city premises. Eventually making it to a collapsed segment in the street, they walked down the destroyed pavement that led directly into a pipeline. As James tried to catch up to Caleb, he tripped and rolled into the murky water. It was a feeling he couldn't differentiate from drowsiness, but he was growing weak and fatigued from too much blood loss. Just laying there made him feel like he was losing touch with reality. Caleb looked back and pushed through the bodies of water that reached his ankles. Eventually reaching James, he hastily sat him upright,
"Come on!" Caleb shook, "Let's go! Just a couple more steps!"
Being out in natural lighting, James' face was feebly colored,
"J-Just go," James said weakly.
"I-I. No, I can't. Just get up."
"Go…" he said, weakly.
The power in his voice was lost, and he could hear the shouts of Caleb's voice fade as his vision became malformed.
"Come on!"
The distortion of James' vision was off and on and his hearing was completely gone. Gunshots flew overhead as he looked up at Caleb, who was taking heed of the gunshots. James' vision faded to black. Opening his eyes once again, he could see himself being tugged from behind—his legs dragged out in front of him, along the algae pipeline. Finally, his vision faded back to black and didn't recall waking up a moment after that.
