AN: oh man I did not mean to withhold this chapter so long! Thank you arrowflash, starwarsfan15, Invader Abigail, and Rhianna Lewis for your reviews! I hope you all continue reading. Oh and i noticed some of you related this to the Hunger Games, I guess it starts out kinda like that, but trust me, its nothing like HG, its just a post-apocalyptic-type AU... with lots of twists coming ;)
Ch. 3~ Red-Masked Miracle
Artemis and Zatanna slumped to the ground, exhausted and laughing.
"That was a good training session," Artemis sighed, shaking out her exhausted arms.
"Yeah, for both of us! I didn't think I could make all those targets move independently like that! It's been so long since I've used my magic." Zatanna sighed.
"Now only if you could 'alacazam' some food out of midair- I'm starving," The archer complained.
"Sadly I can't materialize things, but hey, I don't need to," Zatanna smirked. "Okay... kcapkcab, emoc ot ym sdnah!" A beat-up backpack flew out of the woods and into her hands.
"I always come prepared!" Zatanna said, unpacking a bounty of food, from fruit to bread to meat.
As the two ate, Artemis squinted into the woods. "How far does it go?" The archer asked.
"What, the forest? Not much longer. There's a wall." Zatanna muttered through a mouthful of food.
"Keeping us in no doubt," Artemis sighed.
"Well, partly," Zatanna shrugged. "There's people- scavengers- that live outside of the settlement. I mean, out there isn't much worse than in here, but beyond the walls, you're fair game."
"Fair game? For what?" Artemis questioned.
Zatanna squirmed a bit. "Well, the people that live beyond the walls are all rebels still trying to fight The Order. I heard that The Order's officials go out and hunt down rebels, almost for sport."
"Where'd you hear that?" The archer asked.
"Around. Some people told me before I came here. I-I mean I don't know if it's true. There's a lot more rumors that fly around this settlement."
Before Artemis could ask another question, sirens cut through the woods, startling birds out of trees. Artemis sprang to her feet.
"The sirens are for emergencies, Cal told me about them. We need to get back." Zatanna said. The sorceress packed up her bag as Artemis loaded her bow and quiver of arrows back into the box. Together, they sprinted back towards the settlement.
When the pair reached the shack, Cal was standing at the door. "Zatanna, get inside. You too," he said, waving her into the dwelling. Caldur began to pace.
"We need to find a way to get you back to your residence. Otherwise, it will be bad news for all of us."
"Cal, I could cast an enchantment, make her invisible." Zatanna suggested.
The man thought for a moment, sighing. "Alright. The spell will only last a short time, so move with haste." He nodded to Zatanna.
The young sorceress cleared her throat. Artemis picked up her toolbox as Zatanna cast the spell.
"Ekam reh elbisivni," Zatanna muttered, her eyes closed and face taut with concentration. The sorceress opened her eyes. "You'll be able to see yourself, but no one else can. Don't drop that box, or the spell on it will break, and if you bump into anyone the spell will stop working altogether. Go," Zatanna said.
Artemis turned and exited the tent. She crept through the cluster of buildings, taking care to stay in the shadows. Even though she was invisible, the archer still felt exposed. Artemis turned a corner, stepping out into the middle of the road, right into the path of a group of guards. Artemis held her breath-they were walking right towards her. Slowly, she stepped to the side, and the guards passed her without so much as a glance in her direction. With a sigh of relief, she kept walking.
It didn't take Artemis long to realize that she had no idea which direction her house was. She paused, trying desperately to remember which direction that boy had taken her, but there were no distinct markings or landmarks that she could recall.
I don't have time for this- the spell could wear off any minute, then I'd be stranded. Clutching her toolbox, Artemis broke into a run, turning down pathways that gave her the slightest feeling of familiarity.
The archer slowed to a stop in the middle of a street, spinning in a circle. She was hopelessly lost, her head buzzing with the looming thought of the spell breaking any second.
"I need a miracle," she muttered. From behind Artemis, there was a gust of wind, accompanied by an incomprehensible shout. Before she could turn around, the archer felt something collide with her right shoulder, causing her to spin and hit the earth with a shout. Her grip on the case slipped, sending the metal box rolling. Ahead of her, there was a crash and a yelp.
Slowly, the girl pushed herself onto her hands and knees, looking up to see a cloud of dust surrounding a pile of broken wood crates. There was a grunt, and half of the stack of shattered wood clattered to the ground, revealing a boy, covered head to foot in red clothing.
The stranger caught sight of Artemis, and the two stared at one another, both equally confused.
The red man stood himself up, walking towards Artemis. "What are you doing out here? It's dangerous." Artemis stared up into a pair of glaring green eyes, the only part of his face that was visible on account of his red mask.
"You can see me?" She whispered, mostly to herself. The man scoffed.
"Uh, duh, course I can. You're not invisible." The stranger grabbed Artemis's hand and pulled her to her feet. "Listen, I don't know why you're out here, but you need to get home before-"
A shout broke into the stranger's speech, followed by footsteps. Artemis caught sight of a group of approaching men. The archer clenched her fists.
"Oh great. Hide your face and stay behind me." The stranger whispered as a dozen soldiers surrounded them. Artemis moved behind him, but instead of cowering, she went back to back with the red man, facing out at the soldiers.
"Raise your arms- both of you!" One of the guards demanded. The man in the red mask raised his, and Artemis followed.
"When I say so, drop to the ground." The stranger muttered.
"Not a chance," Artemis whispered back. She heard the man in red scoff.
"Look this isn't a debate-"
"Shut up! On your knees! Now!" A soldier broke in.
"Dammit, just don't get in my way." The boy hissed.
Gunshots assaulted Artemis's eardrums as she lunged forward at the distracted guards, slamming two of their heads together.
"Uh... wow, nice job I guess," The red man shrugged. The blonde girl turned around to see four guards on the ground at his feet. Artemis was about to make a snide remark when the man scooped her into his arms.
"Now lets get you home before you get into any more trouble." Before Artemis had time to protest, the red masked man broke into a run. The refugee gasped- they must've been moving faster than a speeding car. In no time, they arrived at the shack that was her home. Artemis started walking up the steps, but she froze.
"My toolbox!" She gasped, whipping around. But the man in the red mask was gone.
Artemis sighed, covering her face in her hands. She would have to wait until tomorrow to retrieve it, assuming no one took it. Artemis entered the house, dropping herself onto an old lumpy couch. The first thing she noticed was the silence. Sitting up, she called out into the house.
"Guys? … Let me guess, not here again?" Her only answer was a loud knock at the door. Artemis jumped up and dashed into the entryway. She opened the door, about to shout at her roommates for abandoning her, but they weren't the ones at the door.
"Here for inspection," One of three soldiers grumbled.
"Oh, I don't know if they're awake yet, just give me a-" But before Artemis could make an excuse, the soldiers barged in.
"Ok, I'm just going to be honest with you, I don't know where-"
"Artemis." The girl whipped around to see the boys; sitting on the couch she had been on moments before.
"But…" Artemis trailed off, her mouth hanging open. One of the soldiers pulled up a file on a digital tablet.
"Everyone's accounted for, lets move." The soldiers exited, slamming the door behind them. Rob started laughing.
"You shoulda seen your face!" The kid wheezed through his giggles.
Artemis clenched her fists. "Yeah, real funny! I almost died today- twice! Thanks for filling me in on the rules of this place!" She seethed. Dick stopped laughing.
"Sorry Artemis, I guess we really didn't get to explain yesterday, but we wanted to let you get some rest." Roy said.
"Basically, the rules are curfew eight AM to eight PM, and get home when you hear the sirens. Oh, and don't piss off the soldiers." Richard bumped Wally, who pushed the younger boy away.
"And who's the guy with the red mask?" Artemis asked. The rest of the boys seemed to freeze, but Roy just sighed.
"There's this gang of vigilantes. They stand to help those in this community that cant help themselves, but they haven't been very popular lately."
"And I can see why! Because of them, security is becoming more strict." She said, throwing up her hands.
"But without them, the guards can just get away with anything they want." Conner grunted, crossing his arms over his chest.
"So are these 'vigilantes' good or bad then?" Artemis asked.
"They're just trying to help," Wally sighed.
"Sounds like a good way to get killed," Artemis muttered. "When will I be able to go back out? I need to go get something."
"Not until tomorrow, at eight AM. Sirens signal the early end of curfew, so we're stuck here til' tomorrow morning." Rob replied.
"Great," Artemis hissed. Without another word, she ascended the staircase. Upon entering her room, the refugee gasped. Her rusted red toolbox was sitting on her bed. She ran over to it, running her hands along its rough sides. As she picked the case up, however, her heart sank.
It was too light.
Fumbling with the latches, she flipped the lid open. Her bow and quiver where there, but there were no arrows. A folded piece of paper was coiled around the bowstring. Artemis snatched the paper and opened it, staring at the message.
What is an archer without arrows?
Useless.
Center of town. Midnight. Follow the main road. Try not to get lost this time.
Artemis crumpled the paper in her fist. "I'll show you exactly what an archer without arrows is- Angry and lethal," The archer hissed under her breath.