--
I walked down a deserted alleyway for what seemed like hours. Anston had suggested we take the longer way to the port, due to the lessened number of guards. I guess he was right. After all, he knew the place better than I ever could.
The walls were blackened from what seemed like smoke and the rotten smell of decay was lightly hinted in the thick air. Our feet were the only sounds in the narrow passage. We hadn't really hit off any conversation due to the lack of enthusiasm. I mean, I had nearly shot him and I was feeling a small piece of dark eco swelling inside of me. I had no idea why we couldn't get along, though. He was very gentle and understanding, unlike anyone else around here. I suppose he was a bit shy.
I had thought deeply through that alley. About things like my family and why I was here. The strangeness of actually being in a false world like this was greatly increasing. I had always thought of being in an adventure but reality was even crueler than I ever thought. It made people think that any dream could come true. When really, they didn't know a dream if it bit them in the ass. But this was real. There's no way it couldn't be. Unless…unless my whole life was a dream. A dream dreamt by someone completely different. Someone who is thinking, Who am I? This doesn't look or sound like me. That was a depressing, yet amazing thought.
And my family. What were they doing? Were they actually aware that I was gone? Maybe it was just as surreal as this. To them, it could be as though there was no me. And if that was true, that meant there was no going back. Because if I did, then they would just kick me out. They'd think I was some hooligan who broke into their house.
A nearly silent choke of sorrow whispered through my helmet. Before Anston could realize it was a sob, I cleared my throat casually. I refused to look at Anston, afraid to look conspicuous. And he said nothing to me in return.
All was silent for long moments. No more sad thoughts would enter my mind, in case I broke down in front of a total stranger. But when I thought the silence was permanent, I heard him murmur to me, "You don't actually thinking you're fooling anyone, do you"
I looked over at him. Trying to appear puzzled I responded, "Hmm"
He chuckled, "Don't be foolish. I heard that"
"Did you"
"Of course. It's not hard to mistake a young girl crying"
I boldly stated, "I am not crying"
Anston shushed me while trying not to laugh, "Someone will hear us"
I sighed in an irritated manner a watched what was ahead of me, instead of what was next to me.
Though a bit annoyed, I found him quite amusing. He wasn't mentally retarded like the other Krimzon guards, and not perverted like Errol. I still didn't understand why he joined the guard, when his past seemed to avoid it completely. But I decided not to badger in business that didn't belong to me.
Suddenly, Anston held my arm and handed his bag to me. I looked at him a bit baffled. He urged me very silently, "Take this and hide. There are others coming."
After a moment of registering what he was saying, I nodded and stepped away. I looked around quickly and located a fire escape up on the wall. Slinging the bag behind a couple of trash bins, I started quickly toward the platform. I jumped up and grabbed onto the bottom of the fire escape. I heaved myself upwards and pulled my legs over the edge, under the railing. The small staircase wasn't very promising, but nonetheless I hid behind it and peeked out to see if anyone was there.
Down below, three Krimzon guards were approaching Aston from about a fifteen foot distance. He his self, was rubbing his hand nervously and looked around for something to say. I took a deep breath and prayed for a short bit.
Their rough boots tapped down the alleyway as the Krimzons advanced on the spot to where Anston stood. Then, as if he had just come up with a plan, he jolted toward the others in a panicked speed. Was he acting? Or was something really wrong?
Then, in an abrupt idea, I cringed. Oh how I hoped he wasn't telling them about me. The city must be full of traitors and liars in it's current state. No one should trust anyone that they don't care for. And for Anston… I could've cared less.
I gripped onto the rail alongside the stairs and watched closely. Anston stopped in front of them and pointed up the alley, from which they were previously walking from. He spoke loudly, but was too far away to understand. The others nodded, suddenly interested. I held my breath anxiously, awaiting their next action.
To my surprise, the guards nodded a goodbye and quickly made their way up the alley. I sighed with relief, letting the pressure out of my lungs. Anston walked over to me a gestured me down. I slid off the bottom and landed in front of him.
"What did you say to them?", I asked and walked over to the trash cans to retrieve his bag. Dark colored water had soaked the bottom of it. She hadn't realized it landed in a puddle. Not to mention a filthy puddle.
Anston took it from her and replied a bit quietly, "I told them Errol had been assaulted"
"Assaul-? Wait, YOU WHAT"
He nodded understandingly, "Yes, I know that's not a good thing, but it's all the more reason to get going"
"Whaddaya mean!", I spat worriedly, "THEY'LL KILL ME, ANSTON"
"I know, I know. But if you wanna stay alive, you best be moving before they figure out that you didn't run down the other alley I told them you did". Before she could speak, he pulled off his helmet and transfixed her with icy blue eyes. A black goatee sprouted from beneath his lip and shaggy black hair slightly fell in his face. He was gorgeous. But not as gorgeous as Jak. Of course. As always……..((me: uh, yeah ahem.
"Listen, you're going to need to shut up and listen to me if you want out of this hell-hole, " he demanded. His pushy remark pulled me out of my dreamy state as I stared at him and twitched a little.
A single rain drop hit the tip of one of my long ears. I looked up. As the sun began to go down, dark-grey clouds slowly pushed through the sky straight above us. Small droplets dabbed the dark pavement beneath our feet. I pulled the bag tightly over my shoulder and flinched when a few drops landed in my eye. I felt myself tire a bit from the heavy atmosphere.
But Anston snapped me out of my trance, again.
"You with me"
I watched his innocent face for a few moments and then nodded,
"Sure"
He smiled slightly and pulled his helmet back on. Ugh, I thought to myself. Don't tell me he took it off because he knew he was good-looking.
I sighed yet again and followed Anston down the alley. The rain remained light but the clouds were still very dangerous-looking. The path ahead of us began to darken, making it hard to tell if someone were ahead of us.
Dark. Scary. Mysterious. This reminded me of Silent Hill ((Me: O.O)). After awhile I was just walking without thinking. Almost sleepwalking. Anston seemed to be very alert, his gun thrust in the air. Mine was slung lazily to my side.
But then, something caught my eye. We were walking into and opening in the alley. I suddenly became attentive. The walls curved out, indicating to end of the claustrophobic passage. I inquired, "Now where are we"
"The square", he replied, looking around. Due to the larger space, there was a bit more light. The sun also hadn't went down quite yet. But it was still vague through the clouds.
The ground consisted of dirty concrete and hastily nailed wood used to even out the large cracks in the ground. Three tall buildings surrounded part of the square, while one side was a small hill of what seemed like ash and remnants of what used to be a building like the others. A single path led through the damage and around a corner.
"So do where do we go now?", I urged, wanting to be near Jak soon.
Anston didn't reply for a moment. He was looking around as though there was something he could see that I couldn't. I looked around also.
"What"
"Shh", he demanded.
I could feel nothing. But then, Anston startled me and shifted his feet, darting his eyes back at the path next to the pile of rubble. I gasped and looked also. There was a single Krimzon guard standing and watching us, his gun pointed straight at me. I pleaded to myself for him not to fire. I put my hands in the air, as did Anston. The guard looked very focused, not letting us run away.
Anston tried to make a getaway plan again, "Hey there. How's Errol doi"
"I'm not stupid", the other man spat, "They told me you lied to them"
I looked over at my partner, wishing I could see what he was thinking in that genius mind of his. But as though he could read my thoughts, he uttered,
"I got nothing"
That single statement brought a turn in my stomach. We were going to be captured again. Then, the guard snorted cockily and gestured his head behind him.
"Back-up's here"
I put my hands down and gaped at the large group of Krimzon's walking our way. There must've been more than 15. We weren't going to have much luck here.
"They're going to confiscate our weapon's. What the hell are we gonna do"
I looked frantically at Anston. He lowered his hands and stared at the guards ahead of them, slowly closing in. He turned his head toward me and shook it, "Not if there's no weapons to confiscate"
I stared at him as though he made no sense. Then, slowly I understood what he meant and nodded, "Right"
But even more sudden then I would've liked, he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me in front of him. He slammed his foot down, sending a hastily nailed piece of lumber straight ahead of us, shielding a wave of bullets, and sending a few guards to their feet. He then pushed me away from him and commanded, "Go up on the fire escape on the side of that building", he pointed swiftly, "Climb through that window and make something happen"
I look gazed to where he was pointing and then looked back at him worriedly,
"Well what're you gonna do"
"I'll distract them. They don't always go down easy", he ducked and missed a laser, "This is a higher ranking of the guard. Now go"
I hesitated and stepped back, afraid that he might be killed. But I shook my head and turned around, heaving the pack and gun with one hand. This emergency exit was sturdier than the one from earlier on.
I made my way up the fire exit and slung my things through the window of the disserted building. I turned my head and searched for Anston. He was shooting as fast as he could, and trying to walk away from them at the same time. When one laser shot his forearm he cried out for a split second. I jumped and my eyes widened, visions of him lying dead on the ground, Krimzon guards swarming up the escape. I shook my head and jumped through the window.
It looks like I wouldn't get to use hardly any of these little gadgets. I fussed and dug impatiently through the bag. Anston had told me to leave the bigger weapons behind, in case of a horrible accident. Horrible accident…bite me. I had thought to myself.
Obviously he had meant something big, to get rid of them all. But all of this crap wasn't gonna cut it. I grumbled angrily at the bag as though it were insulting me. I heard Anston howl in pain below me. I stopped for a second and panic seized me. I lifted the bag up from the bottom, sending everything to the floor. I ran my hand through it and decided on about three small-looking grenade-bomb things. Hell if I knew what they were. But they were pretty damn heavy.
I ran up to the window sill and looked down. I could just work my way from the back up to the guys in front of Anston. He could take care of them for now. I leaned out and simply tossed one, afraid of how big the explosion might be. The bomb landed behind all of them and instantly exploded in about a five foot radius. How pathetic. About three of them were knocked off their feet. "Throw 'em harder", something inside of me murmured. I looked around confusedly and shrugged. But when I thought about it, a pitiful toss led to a pitiful landing. So I threw it in the center of the group. The explosion was a bit bigger and it wiped out about 7. But the guards who had fallen before were getting up and assaulting Anston again. Blood was lightly accented in the ground below Anston. I clenched my teeth, angry at how small the damage was. The voice inside me urged me, "Throw it as hard as you can! Kill all of them"
Before I had a chance to speak in defense, I found my self on the platform outside, my hand held high in the air, the bomb nested between my fingers. A moment of blindness interfered and I felt my arm nearly come off as I threw as hard as I possibly could. When I looked over the edge, my senses back intact, a screamed,
"No! ANST"
But the blast was so large, my yell was drowned out and I held my arm over my face defensively. I felt dirt nail my helmet like rain and I crouched down. The explosion was unbearably loud. When the debris stopped flying I squinted through one eye. The coast was clear. I leaped up and looked around at the mess I'd made. Most of the windows in the building were torn open, wood hanging from the edges. Down below, all the men were buried and no one was moving.
I yelled, "Anston"
Nobody answered. I called his name again and many more times on my way down the fire escape. I had brought my gun in case somebody made it through the detonation. Splinters of wood and pebbles were showered all over the ground, along with boulders and planks. I walked over to the center of the square and slung the gun strap over my shoulder. I struggled through the mess and searched for Anston.
I put my foot down and it landed on something soft. When I looked down, I realized it was someone's hand. I gasped and pulled it away instantly. I dug through some rocks and looked at him. I pulled his helmet off and realized it wasn't Anston. I dropped it and pulled off another man's.
For about 5 minutes I looked around helplessly. Then, I finally pulled off a helmet and revealed Anston's pale face. I choked on my own breath when I realized that his eyes were wide open. I shook him, "Anston?". He didn't move. I shook his shoulders some more and kneeled next to him. I placed my hands on the side of his face. He was cold. Panting in a frightened manner, I leaned down to see if he was breathing.
No breath.
I pushed down on his chest a few times and tried again, holding my fingers under his nose.
No breath.
I took my helmet off and raked my hands through my hair. My eyes watered and I sniffled a little.
"Oh god", I sobbed, "Anston, I'm…….I'm so sorry"
Rubbing my eyes, I realized the rain had stopped and the sky was pink from the sunset.
"I-I didn't mean to. You were great and I ruined everything like I always do"
White smoke lifted from the damage lazily and water poured down the drains. I put my helmet back on and stared at his lifeless body.
"But you did me a favor", I bent over and heaved him over my shoulder, "So I'll be sure to repay you real soon"
I walked over to one of the gaping cracks in the ground and laid his body in it. He fit inside it perfectly. I picked up a gun and placed it on his chest and maneuvered his arms across it. Tears fell from my eyes and streamed around my mouth piece. Closing his eyes I stood up and picked up a large piece of wood.
For one last time I gazed at the man who had guided me to where I could start once again on my own. He was different from the others; he fought for what was right, even though the right path wasn't always available. He asked my to rid of Errol. And rid of Errol I would. Not just for Jak. Not just for any old Haven city member. But for Anston
I swallowed my tears and regained my composure. I saluted to my friend for the first and last time. Then, allowing the piece of lumber to cover the small ditch, I used small pieces of metal and bent nails to seal the grave.
After patting his burial, I stood up and breathed a remark I once heard from Torn,
"Stay strong and take the high-road, soldier"
I turned around and picked up my gun. Searching the walls for another exit I started down the path I hadn't been on yet. But as soon as I laid my foot down, I heard a small piece of glass fall from one of the windows. I turned around toward the noise. There was a narrow path between two of the buildings. Very narrow.
I walked to the opening and peered in it. Obviously no guards would bother to squeeze in here for patrol. It looked just big enough for me to slide through. But then I asked myself, Why didn't he just have us go through here to escape the guards? This was puzzling. It would've been easier, and he would still be with me. I stared at the trash and smoke behind me, quickly glancing at Anston's grave. Then I turned my head back to the opening and squinted. All I could see was a distant opening to where the alley ended.
That's why he wouldn't let them see the opening. Because if they saw us go through, they would follow and end up in the city. I rubbed my forehead, still staring into the passageway. A small laugh escaped through the mouthpiece. I held my gun to my side and scooted in between the two walls. The front of my armor slightly scratched the stone in front of me. I side stepped rather uncomfortably, glass crunching beneath me. The end of it was about 18 feet away. Aware that I was no longer in the slums, I slid as fast as I could anxiously. I stumbled on a 2x4 and my breathing became harder. Only about 10 feet. Streetlights crept up the walls of the alley. I ran so fast, there were scratches on my chest plate.
I leapt over a cinder block and found myself outside of the pathway. Looking around, I realized that I was on the port. I squealed and pulled my gun up. A passing man gave me a strange look and moved on. "Let's see", I mumbled, glancing around at my surroundings. The Naughty Ottsel was only about 2 blocks.
Slinging my gun over my shoulder, I nodded to a guard coming my way. He nodded back in acknowledgement. I began to walk calmly down the street, my gun across my chest. The passing people were chatting with each other. But the streets were mostly clear at this hour. It must've been around 11:00 p.m.,.
I was thinking about Jak. Maybe he was gone. Or maybe they were too busy with something else. His face popped into my head and I smiled.
Jak was sweet. He really was. And I hated to be without him. But I would never leave him, which is why I was walking to the Naughty Ottsel. To see him. I laughed a little, realizing how excited I felt.
So why wait?
Why be so placid about it?
I slung my gun over my back and took off into a swift run. Guards would look at me with alarmed expressions every once in awhile, but I didn't mind. My boots smacked the ground loudly as everyone moved out of my way. I turned a corner and took my helmet off while nearing my destination. I sighted the large ottsel head and began to slow down. The doors were open and the street was deserted.
I neared the entrance slowly and listened. Then, I peered in. Jak was slumped over the bar, his head in his hand, a beer in the other. Torn was there, but he was in the back.
Jak's hair was messed up. He looked a wreck. Even from behind and across the room. He called out to Torn,
"God, why would Ashelin act that way"
"I don't know Jak"
"I mean, did she have a problem with somthin"
"I really don't know Jak"
Jak hiccupped drunkly, "She makes me wanna shoot someone"
"Don't", Torn replied in a way that said he had put up with Jak's drunken state for quite a while.
I giggled quietly. Stepping in a bit I spoke softly,
"I missed you"
Jak didn't turn around. He only snapped back, "W-why? So you can bitch some more"
I grinned. He wasn't aware of who I was.
"You know, Ashelin, the world doesn't revolve around you!", he hiccupped again.
I fussed playfully, "Well fine then, you grouch"
I said it a little more clearly so he would recognize me. I walked outside and looked at the water. My reflection showing cuts on my face, and the palms of my hands were bleeding through the padding.
Mines floated around and few boats were left on the docks. I was about to bend over to set my helmet down when a sudden force knocked me off balance. Jak had hurdled himself at me and was holding onto me tight. We fell into the water creating a vast wave of water. His arms and legs were wrapped around me protectively and affectionately. I squirmed and laughed in the water. He unwrapped his legs and pulled me above the surface.
Gasping for breath we looked at each other. His face lit up and he laugh. I laughed also. Torn ran outside and to the edge of the water. He hooted and watched us. We swam to the edge and sat on a ramp. He grabbed my face and looked at me as though he were making sure I weren't a counterfeit. His thumbs ran over my cheeks and across my eyes. His face a was a bit red from the alcohol. He breathed,
"It's really you"
Torn walked over to us and looked at me, "Did you get away yourself"
I looked down at my crossed legs and smiled, "No. Somebody helped me here"
Jak was still in my face and wasn't going to stop for a while. He stopped for a moment and my heart leaped at the tear rolling down his cheek. Smiling a little, he said quietly, "I missed you too."
