Author's Note:

Sorry for the delay. I had... you guessed it. Writer's Block. But here it is! In all of its black and white glory!

The next day, we wake up early to pack our bags and head to the city. In the day, it doesn't looks as creepy but you never know what might be hiding behind the harsh metal jungle.

We stick to the biggest road and try to navigate through the ruins. Occasionally, there are cats or dogs that cross our path but they never stay long. Marlin had apprehended a dog he named Blackie, for its dark fur, but it escaped him. Oh well.

The streets are filled with potholes and rusted cans. It isn't a view, but at least we have out bearings. Without thinking, I end up walking next to Mercury.

"Good morning!" I say cheerfully.

"Hey," Mercury replies, ever so coolly.

"Fine weather."

"Nice line," he says mockingly.

I resist the urge to stick my tongue out at him but fails. He laughs. "Not that there's anything wrong with pointing out the wonderful weather."

I playfully scowl at his sarcasm.

We walk for a bit without walking. In that short time, I realize Marlin's trying to get Zee to play his silly game. And that Zee is ignoring him and everyone else. She's just staring at the ground and sometimes at the buildings, sometimes scowling at Marlin.

I decide to ask Mercury about... last night's events. Without sounding like a total eavesdropper. "What's up with Zee?"

Unfortunately, this is as unsuspicious I can make my question.

He glances back at Zee, then back at me. "Dunno."

And that was that.

Attempt number two. "Anything happen last night?"

That gets him a bit suspicious. "No." He pauses. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, last night, I had a hard time sleeping and so I was still kinda awake."

Another pause. "Go on."

I take a deep breath. "I heard you talking. What was that about?"

Then he faces me and stares into my green eyes with his penetrating blue ones. "What did you hear?" His voice is menacing and has a bit of a growl to it.

You know what they say: Never tickle a sleeping lion.

Oops.

"Ah..." I choke out. "Stuff. Nothing. Not quite sure. I was dozing." His features sharpen as he tries to detect a lie. "Just curious," I add quickly.

Then his eyes widen. "Did you see...?"

Ah, hell. "Uh, yep."

Then he glances back at Zee, then back to the front. "I'm going to let you suffer a painful death, Coin."

I laugh. "I'd like to see you try, Mercury." I hate that I can't remember his last name. Aero-something. I've only heard it once. I make a mental note to ask Marlin or Zee.

"But," he continued. "Since you're a girl and girls seem to know about these things, why do you think Zee won't talk to me?"

"Sexist pig," I say. "Why should I know anything about this?"

Mercury shrugs. "Imagine me asking Marlin."

"Point taken."

Just then, I hear a shout. "Hey! What are you kids doing here?"

I turn around and Mercury pulled my shoulders to the front again. "Don't look back. Pretend you didn't hear."

Mercury pulls back and whispered the same thing to Marlin and Zee. I gulp and pick up my pace.

Walk, I tell myself. Just walk. We're just walking down the hallway to your next class. Don't look back.

My blood turns cold. What if it's Horus? And his Flying Colors crew? Before Mercury turns me around, I had caught a glimpse of something in their armss. Something that looked suspisiously like a gun. They must have better weapons now. They can shoot bullets through us now if they can. We can only hope that their curiosity will hold out.

But what kinds of kids call other kids, well, kids? And the voice sounds like a grown man's. And they aren't wearing a white uniform, only grey suits. Who are they?

Walk. Concentrate on walking.

"Hey! Stop!"

I risk a glance backwards. They're running to us. They're wearing a grey army suit. Their grey hard hats shadow their faces and their boots look deadly. Their belts are full of knives and weapons.

And you know what the worst thing is?

On all of their chests and shoulders is a single, white number. 13.

And they're running to us.

They're. Freaking. Running. To. Us.

Walk.

Oh, shut up!

"I said, stop!" the leader bellows.

And that's when we hear the first gunshot.

It misses and Mercury finally yells, "RUN!" As if we need to be told.

My legs are pumping hard. We dive to a nearby alley and start winding our way through the buildings. I might've screamed once or twice, but the sound just rips from my throat because of the breakneck speed we're running in. And if it could be heard, it would probably sound like this:

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Yeah, typical. Just throwing it in there.

Then, a Thirteen soldier releases another bullet. I turn back just in time to see it ripping through the air to me. Time seems to go slowly and I try to dodge it.

But it's too late.

I shout as it embeds itself in my left arm. My mind just goes blank. It's nothing but my pain and screaming, mostly from me. Oh wait, that's not all.

There's a bit of swearing too.

Then I hear my name being shouted, but it seems a million years away. There's someone pulling me up and pushing me back to a run.

My arm's throbbing. As it should. Now everything I felt before, the tiredness and the fear, is all wiped away.

When the pain has subsided enough to let me be able to open my eyes, I'm greeted by a terrifying sight.

There's a hole in my jacket. And my whole sleeve is wet with fresh blood, the color of my hair. I suck in a deep breath. No time to linger on that now. We've got soldiers to outrun. It's probably just a scratch. They say that wounds sometimes bleed a lot, but they're not that bad.

RUN YOU SISSY!

Ouch. That hurt, mind.

Well. I've gone completely mad.

And so I run. My watery vision begins to clear and I can see Marlin with his hand on my uninjured arm and Zee and Mercury not far ahead. It's fine. I've got great friends and an awesome brother. I'll make it.

That's when a tall brick wall ruins the thought.

Zee, who is leading, skids to a stop and nearly crashes with the wall. She stands there completely astonished. Then she turns around and scans the walls. She points to a side. "There's a door. We could hide..."

Enter Thirteen soldiers.

"Hey!" the leader says. He's a real tall guy with a shaven face and blonde cropped hair. I force myself not to look at the Thirteen logo. My heart starts hammering like mad. We're so close to New Brooklyn! I can't go back!

His gun looks menacing. What is that? An AR-15? An A1A1? If it's self-loading, we'd be in real trouble. But I think we can survive longer if its a sharpshooter rifle, with this close distance. Not that it matters. We'll die anyway. All the Smilodon training kicks in and I have to strain to concentrate.

He gives his troop, about ten also tall and buff men, a hand signal that I translate to be, wait and check the perimeter and yadayada military things.

He keeps his helmet on but when he comes closer, I can see his clear blue eyes staring at us from his ashen face. He has freckles, like me, but the way he's sporting them is more... I don't know. Manly?

I can tell he's not originally from Thirteen. Thirteen people have an elegant nose and tight pale skin. The majority isn't tall and their eyes are dull or dark, like Mercury's. Their hair is often stick straight and slightly straw colored. Their features are sharper, not broad, like Flyer's. They resemble rats (and I mean that in the least insulting way) and maybe this is because they spent so much time underground. This guy is more of an overmusculed sea bass.

And his eyes are as blue as the ocean. And they say that everyone in District Four has blue eyes because they spent so much time looking at the sea that their souls become just like the sea. Easily angered and moody. Just like this fellow.

I end my rant here.

The man is just a foot step away from us when he looks at me and narrows his eyes. "I know you." Those words send a chill to my spine.

"Really?" I say in a hopefully cool voice. "Have we met? 'Cause I don't recall seeing you."

And that's when he closes the distance between us and grabs my throat. A bullet in my arm and this ape is suffocating me? I don't think so.

"Coin? Can this be the Rooba Coin?" I glances back at his fellow primates and smiles. "Hey, mates! We're cashing in today! This here's Coin's little girl!"

I swear at him and bite his beefy and scarred fist. He lets go and spit in his direction in the toughest way I can. But truthfully?

That's soooooo gross.

But instead of looking angry, the soldier smiles. "Fiesty little tiger, aren't you?" I give him the most menacing glare I've ever made. He ignores me and scans our faces. His face lights up with recognition as he sees Marlin. Then his eyes flash with greed. He chuckles evilly to himself.

"Muahahahhahahaha!"

Ok, he didn't say that, but I can imagine horns growing on his head and his gun changing into a red pitchfork.

My arm tingles and I instinctively grab it, hoping to stub the blood flow. The man sees me and makes a stupid pouty face.

"Boo-boo?" He then raises a pair or cuffs, one for me and one for Marlin.

The other men comes closer and I can feel the sense of claustrophobia heightening.

One of them, who is directly behind the leader says, "Boss, what are we going to do with the other two?"

The Boss just waves his free hand. "I haven't the faintest idea who they are. Kill them."

As soon as he says the word 'kill', Zee touches the hilt of her fighting knife. She lashes out to The Boss and aims right in his stomach.

The Boss apparently has killer reflexes. He bats the knife away with his gun and uses the barrel of the gun to smack Zee right on her cheek. She falls to the ground, clutching her head, and I hear another gunshot.

"Hey!"

Author's Note:

Cliffhanger. Bwahahahahaa!

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