In life, there's a first time for everything. Some of it good, some of it bad, and some of it is somewhere in the middle. At first, you are scared. But soon, you become a master at it.
Pennsylvanian Country, 08:34 5th March 2037 Wyatt's POV
I dug my spoon in and took out another mouthful of beans from the can I used as my bowl. The sauce was a bit thick for me, and the beans seemed a bit under cooked, but it was good enough to satisfy my growing hunger. The cooking fire kept me warm, but the warmth was unnecessary as the outside was already hot. That's why today I was going to stay inside. I heard shuffling behind me and found a sleepy Jill enter behind me. She still had her purple gown on and slippers. Out of all of us, she still preferred to live in luxury.
"Good afternoon, milady" I greeted in a teasing manner. It was actually morning, but the day before I had messed with her alarm. So on her clock, it was three in the afternoon.
"Shut it!" she snapped, glaring daggers at me. "Someone messed with my alarm. And I can guess who." I forced a smile, hiding my nervous features.
"And who, may I ask, was that?" I held my innocent smile, holding back a chuckle as I examined her tired frown, her eyes half-closed. Her glare hardened towards me.
"Don't be a smartass, Maddy! I know you did it!" She smirked as she purred my nickname. I unwillingly let out a growl, and her grin widened. Everyone knew I hated the use of my middle name. If Mathias hadn't always been so drunk, he might have been able to keep the secret. Now, if anyone wanted me angry, all they had to do was mention it once.
I set the empty can down calmly and placed my hands on my knees, arching my back forward with my eyes on the ground. Then a small smirk appeared. "That's what you get for being angry at me, sugar plum." She went as red as a tomato as I used her nickname. And it soon went purple, like a plum. I grinned, seeing my plan work. So I went on, "What's the matter? You look like a grape." Her eyes almost popped out of her head, and she held a fist up at me. But before she could do anything, she released a deep breath and while she still glared at me, she exited the room. I didn't wait for her to leave when I started laughing. I certainly showed her not to mess with me. Picking the tin back up, I began quietly eating again.
I finished with my beans soon after, and plopped the can next to the fire with the spoon still in it before standing and stretching my legs. It didn't take long, and then I decided to go and see how the boy was coping. I expected him to be in my room, on his bunk, so I began to make my way there.
Jason's POV
When I finally woke up, the room was cold and gloomy I only had a thin sheet covering me, which was less than what was on my bed back home. The plain concrete walls were on either side. I heard a quiet hiss in the air, and that's when I noticed for the first time a vent above the door. That explained why it was cold, but why did they have the air conditioner on? There was no need for it. Or so I thought. I decided that it was time to leave the room and sat up, bumping my head on the top bunk.
"Ow" I muttered quietly as I rubbed my sore head. I stood up, carefully avoiding the top bunk. My feet felt cool in my socks against the floor, and I hurried myself to get my shoes on. After a minute of tying the laces, which was frustrating with the short lengths of corded material. It was only a few steps before I was out of the room, standing in the long hall. Recalling how I got here, I went to the right, wanting to find Wyatt. Hopefully he would show me around, although I still wasn't certain on whether I wanted to stay or not. I felt that I should have, but at the same time, I was afraid of what would come if I did. I might be forced to kill, or be killed. The thought made me shudder. I hated the KPA like anyone else, but I would never kill.
I took several turns, passing many rooms. I dared not look in any of them, in respect of their privacy. I soon however came across a section of the building where someone had loud music playing. As I neared it, I heard a bang. I hurried for the double door, my curiosity now rising as I believed the bangs were gunshots. I was found to be right when I found someone in the large open space. Close to me, there was a length of small booths. At the far end, opposite of the small spaces were targets, full of holes. I found that the music was coming from one of the booths, and neared it cautiously. Once close enough, I found it to be the young daughter of Mathias. In her hands, Lydia held a handgun. I could see her back and a bit of her arms from the angle I was on. With no one else around, I believed this to be the best moment to see why she was so sour. But not up front.
"Um, hello?" I said. Either the music was too loud, or she chose to ignore me. I spoke again, this time a little louder. "Hello?" Once again, no response. So I resorted to taking a step closer and tapping her on the shoulder.
In an instant, she was upon me. She had her gun against my nose, with a hand on the grip with a finger beside the trigger and the other hand along the bottom of the handle. Her eyes were locked with mine, glaring daggers at them, and her face was hardened with annoyance and determination. Her weapon did not shake at all as she held it towards me. Now I could see her front. Her black t-shirt had in large white writing 'AC/DC' and she had faded jeans.
"Don't" she hissed towards me. I was frozen with my hand still stretched at her. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought that she would have shot me. And at the time, I hadn't. I felt my knees banging against each other as they shook uncontrollably. The only sound was the rock song that filled the area. "If I were you, I'd be running." I wanted to, but my legs were stuck to the ground. She smirked, thinking that I must have been either really brave, or really stupid. I believed myself to be the latter. I finally found the courage to speak, but I was as quiet as a mouse.
"S-sorry" I squeaked. Though I didn't notice the strange tone I had, for I only focused on the weapon she held and could barely hear it over the blaring music from the stereo. At any second, she could have pulled the trigger. Her eyes closed halfway, her glare becoming more directed. I shrunk back, daring to move as I put a foot back. The whole time, I kept on an apologetic look, putting my hands up slowly to show I meant no harm. She didn't move an inch, but the weapon was always pointing at the same spot of my face. Right between my eyes. I was so afraid of the weapon that I hadn't noticed a third person enter the large space.
"Lydia!" a commanding voice shouted. She turned her head right away, withdrawing her weapon obediently. I turned my head as well, but at a slower pace, and only when my head was fully around did I rest my eyes on Wyatt. He had his arms crossed and stood in the middle of the doorway. "He meant no harm" he said calmly. She nodded and returned to her previous activity without giving me a single look. Wyatt, however, strode over to me and took me by the shoulder. He added a little force, which he hadn't done before. I willfully followed, still a bit anxious to leave the place. Once we were gone, he opened his mouth to speak again, "I hope you don't do that again. She does not like to be touched. And I'm quite surprised really" he began with a surprised tone of voice. How he said it sent shivers up my spine.
"What do you mean?" I asked once the shakes were gone from my voice. He looked down at me with a quirked brow.
"Well, the last person who got close to her got a broken nose. And he hadn't even touched her. Only turned her radio off." I gulped, wondering what she would have done to me had Wyatt not intervened. "Yeah, he got pistol whipped in the face. Never went near her again" he said bluntly. I guessed my pupils had dilated in fear by then. I could have sworn that at any moment, my heart would have just stopped. "But don't worry. As long as you keep away, you have nothing to fear." That made me feel better, and I smiled a bit.
"So, what's with her anyway?" The way Wyatt's face turned dark didn't make me feel good at all. He was silent at first. That made me feel worse.
"She...doesn't like talking about it." There was a short pause. "But you deserve to know." He let out a sigh, then began, "Mathias told you how he left her as a child, right?" I nodded. He hadn't exactly told me, but I assumed that he had done something to cause her to be so sour. "Well, he didn't leave willingly. At the time, she was young. She didn't understand why her uncle and brother had left and never returned. And when he left, she thought that he had left them forever, just like they had. But in truth, he had joined a resistance group that had been captured."
"But he escaped, obviously. Didn't he return?"
"He did. But they had been forced to leave. They were heartbroken. And no one helped them as they were cast into the streets." I looked down with shame. I had guessed that she was one of those people that were always grumpy. Never did I think that anything like that had happened to her. Wyatt didn't stop there, and continued with her story. "It only got worse from there. Her mother became sick, and when Lydia reached the age of twelve, her mother died. She was left alone. I only found her half a year ago, and rescued her. So besides me, she hates everyone. That goes to show that some people will only care for themselves." The last bit had some hatred added to it. I couldn't imagine being alone for so long. But i could imagine being alone. For I had been there myself.
"That's..terrible" I remarked, my voice filled with sorrow. If only I had known. I felt sorry for her now. "No one should have to live alone for so long." He nodded, anguish remaining in his eyes.
We went on for a while until we came outside. Now I could understand why the air con had been on. The blaring sun was high up in the sky, it's heat radiating the landscape around us. I felt my skin warm up faster than what I preferred. I had to cast a hand over my eyes to keep the blinding light from my eyes. Wyatt did the same. I could soon see when my sight came into focus. The warehouse had been built in a large field with a forest surrounding it. A few trees dotted the field. The grass was a dark green, much like the leaves on the trees. In some areas, the grass was tall enough to reach my chest. I could hear the chirping of birds. Birds I had never heard before. There was sweet smell that filled the air, and the moist touch of the damp wind. Most of this was new to me, and it was very beautiful, and filled my heart with warmth. It was much better than my old home, with KPA patrols constantly and rubbish lying all over the place, as well as barbed fences blocking off most areas and the common checkpoint gate. I was so deep in a trance that I hadn't noticed Wyatt calling my name until he gave me a tap. My smile grew. My eyes were filled with bewilderment.
"Never been outside?" My smile stayed, even though I felt some sadness, and I shook my head. I believed a place existed outside the wall, but not so lush green as this countryside was. I wished my parents could see this now, but then realized that they must have. I even snickered a bit at how Marcus was missing this. And all the other kids. And at the same time, I felt pity for them. But there was nothing I could do for them. Not now. "That must suck" he mumbled to himself, bringing me out of my trance again.
"Yeah. It sure does" I answered without giving him a single glance. He chuckled to himself and strolled past me. I followed behind him closely, taking in everything I could in wonder. I halted myself before I walked into him. He stood with both hands locked together behind his back. I leaned to the side and looked past him to find an area similar to the one Lydia was in. Wyatt gave me a nudge, and I noticed that he held something in his right hand. He held a pistol that looked very similar to the one Lydia had been using, except a darker shade.
"This is a Beretta M9 semi-automatic pistol" he stated plainly, holding the handle towards me with his hand on the barrel. I was hesitant until he started to wave it before my hand, so slowly I gripped the handle of it. When he let go, I felt the full weight and quickly moved a second hand to it. For some unknown reason, it felt comfortable in seconds when I expected it to feel weird. He arched his brow curiously. "You held a gun before?" I shook my head. "Then you are a natural. Now let's see how you shoot with one." My mouth fell agape as I stared at him in disbelief.
"I-I-I can't-"
"Don't worry. I'll make sure you don't hurt yourself. Too much." I felt my muscles tighten at his last words. But he was joking, right? I was soon going to find out. I followed him over to the target range. Like the other, it was empty. "Now, level your weapon like this" he instructed, holding his own weapon and straightening out his top arm. The arm that held the bottom of the weapon was bent at the elbow slightly. I copied his movements. "Now, aim down the sight. Here." He patted the top where there was a two small iron bits poking up from the rear of the weapon. There was a third bit further along the weapon. "Now comes the tricky part. Place your index finger against the lever" he rested his on it. I did the same. "...and pull." He pulled it, and I flinched when there was a loud bang. He was still staring along the top of the barrel. He moved his eyes on me with an expecting look.
"Okay. Here it goes." I pulled softly at first. I was actually scared of what might happen if I did. I thought I wouldn't do it until he faked a cough. I flinched again and closed my eyes, and the gun was flicked back from the recoil. When I opened them, Wyatt looked bewildered, staring ahead. When I followed his gaze. I too was amazed. The bullet had gone on a straight path...and hit just to the right of the center dot. He licked his lips, still staring.
"Well...that was something. Never have I ever seen a person's first shot hit that close. Except Lydia. She hit dead center. But even still, you've got talent." I couldn't say a word. My finger had this weird sensation, and started to feel twitchy. Wyatt must have noticed it, because he carefully took my hands from the weapon and put it on a nearby table which had other weapons and ammunition laying on it. "That's enough for today. How about we grab something to eat, okay?" I went with him without a simple gesture, still feeling the weight in my hands. I never told him it was simple luck
Wyatt POV
The boy really was something. I didn't expect much from him, so when I faked that cough, I expected to see the mark hit off the target. But when I had looked, I was more than amazed when I caught sight of the dark circle in the haystack, just off to the side of the middle. I could see that he was just as amazed, perhaps more. But he also had a twitchy finger. And they could be dangerous if someone became too twitchy. So tomorrow, I would help him with the problem. But for now, he deserved a break.
To be truthful, before he had pulled that trigger, I was rather against him coming in. So young. My conversation with Mathias resurfaced to my mind;
"He's got potential. I saw it in his eyes."
"No, Mathias! He's just a kid, he's been through enough..."
"But we need more people. The KPA's hold on Chester is growing stronger. If we don't have more"
"More what? More soldiers?"
"I was going to say more supporters...He doesn't have to go out on the field. Like Jill."
I remember having been hesitant at that moment. He'd convinced me there, we could have used more help. And he did help in saving Mathias from blood loss. And even though the other half of my mind argued against it, I wanted to see what he was made of.
We came to the mess hall, and there were few people there. I waved a hand at them, and they waved back. Some of them even gave me a little salute. Although I didn't show it, it bothered me a little. I never saw myself as above someone else, and to me, that was sign of respect to someone higher than you. I saw all of us as equals. I sat Jason at a table close to the middle of the room and sauntered over to the counter. The cook came over, and who else would it be, but Jill.
"Hello there." She shot me a cold glare. "Some beans for me. And get the boy something good. He's earned it" I requested with a smirk, eyeing Jason. She nodded and took her time. I could tell she was angry at me. "Look, I'm sorry for before. You just got me angry after using that name. Shall we forgive each other?" I stretched out a hand. She thought about it, then accepted. But before I could leave, she pulled me closer, a gleam in her eye.
"You have kitchen duty tomorrow. All day" she growled, emphasizing the last part. I nodded nervously then took the two trays. I set Jason's down, and he looked amazed once more. After the first spoonful, he was digging in. I guessed that it was because he hadn't had spaghetti and meatballs before. I snickered at his reaction to the food, and at the same time, felt pity for him and everyone else his age. Most would have lived in placed like his home, and would have never experienced food and leisure such as this.
"You like it?" He looked up, swallowed his food and nodded.
"This is really good. What is this?" I felt more pity. He didn't know what it was called. Had he ever seen pasta before? Perhaps he hadn't. But he must have tasted meat before. At least tomatoes.
"It's called spaghetti and meatballs." He stared at the food, repeating the name a few times before beginning to eat again. I took a spoonful of my own food, but not too much. I had had some not too long ago. I said nothing about that fact that the food had been stolen from a convoy transporting food for the KPA forces occupying Chester.
The boy reminded me so much of someone I once new a while back. He reminded me of myself. And maybe, just maybe, I'd make a rebel out of him. Really soon. Thinking over the thought, I drifted back to when I had first seen Lydia. She was thin, and I had found her scrounging around alleys for food. I had come to her, and her response to me was a knife to my arm. But even still, I gave her my food and water. I then offered her a place to stay. At first, she had been cautious. I could still remember those little, scared eyes. And once she took my hand, I could see the relief as I gave her my coat. She had tried to smile. I knew there that she hadn't smiled in a long time. That's what war does to you. You forge to smile. Forget to feel the joy in life. And everyone turns on each other. Hopefully, this war would end before that happened everywhere. We were an image of hope for all. If only we could spread that hope. I pushed my tray away, suddenly full.
That's another chapter of War For Freedom. In this story, I hope to be more interactive with you readers. So while this story goes on, I will put up votes and polls for things that will affect the story. So for now, see you later :)
