A frown formed on Wander's face as he gazed upon the havoc the soldiers were creating. The little star nomad wasn't much of a frowner unless something was in his presence that bothered the creature. His eyes gleamed as they continued to stare down soldiers who were walking by, marching citizens to an unknown destination. Deep inside the furry orange ball was telling him to jump out from behind the bush and save all of the strangers. But his mind was telling him otherwise, as well as Sylvia. The two had been hanging low for several hours which felt like years to the duo. Dodging corners, hiding in tight places and trying to stay incognito until the ghost was completely clear.
The sky darkened as heavy and thick clouds began to roll overhead. The sound of thunder in the distance echoed through the city, shaking and rattling what was left of buildings. The vibrations traveled down empty alleyways and bounced off of brick walls. Rain started the pitter-patter sounds when the drops would hit everything below. Small rivers formed next to the curbs and collected down in the sewers. The sounds of boots splashing in puddles were heard faint. Tires from vehicles were making sound against the wet pavement.
Wander and Sylvia both blended in with the background, while the walls and the streets were also a witness to the power hungry leader and his orders. Flashlights shined down the street, monitoring the citizens and their hard labor. The leader watched closely as the last and final piece of the replica of himself was completed. Sylvia motioned Wander to be quiet.
"What do YOU MEAN YOU NEED A BREAK?" Hater raised his voice. The Zbornak quietly moved a few leaves and branches out of her way until the meetup was visible. Raindrops slowly ran down the tops of leaves and dripped onto the hiding nomads. Flashes of lightning brightened up the street, followed by a loud and eerie boom.
"What are we going to do?" Wander whispered, "We're surrounded."
"The only option is to just wait it out." Sylvia replied in a hushed tone.
"It DOESN'T mean that when you're TIRED that DOESN'T automatically mean you need a break. There are NO BREAKS. NONE!"
In the bushes, Sylvia's fists began to clench and ball up. She was on the edge of jumping out of the bushes and kicking his bony little butt. Wander frowned at the harsh words that were emitted from the leader's mouth.
Drops of sweat and rain fell off of the prisoner's face and calluses began to form on his crafty hands. He looked up to the empowered ruler and feared of what he might do. His brown colored eyes made contact with the pure evil neon green eyes. Hater looked down at the prisoner who was begging and pleading for mercy.
"Get back to work," Hater scoffed, "you better be done by the time I get back. If
not..." Hater paused and motioned his thumb across his throat, a gesture meaning death. The prisoner's eyes widened at the sight and immediately got back to working on the desired statue. Wander and Sylvia continued to watch. Hater began to walk away from the incomplete replica and then decided to turn around and give the prisoner one final glare, before disappearing into the thick smoke with his first in command by his side. Other soldiers held their ground and watched the prisoner construct more features onto the Lord Hater statue.
"Ugh, we are never going to get anywhere without these losers nearby. Do you have any idea, Wander?" The blue Zbornak asked while viewing the outside from the bush.
Wander looked around inside the bush and on the floor. He squatted down and found a brick that was submerged in dark rainwater that was mixed with the soil below. Orange furry hands grabbed the brick and he began to tug on it, not too hard or too soft. Just enough force to get it out of the ground without making any sudden movements and sounds. The brick slid out of the earth and he held it in his hand, bits and pieces of mud fell from his hand.
"I think I may have the answer." Wander whispered. Sylvia eyeballed the brick and smiled.
"Clever." Was her response. The brick was passed on to Sylvia who was motioning for Wander to quietly move towards the edges of the bushes. Suddenly, the brick was tossed outside of the bush, gaining altitude, and fell and hit the ground near the soldiers.
"What was that?" A startled soldier remarked. The prisoner stopped crafting for a couple of seconds before returning to his work before the evil ruler returned. The startled soldier slowly walked in the direction of the noise. The rest of them began to follow or look in that direction.
Wander slowly and quietly moved out from the bush and turned a corner without being seen. It was now Sylvia's turn. Wander motioned her to hurry up and come on, but he suddenly disappeared behind the corner with a worrisome look. The watchdogs had turned around, shining the flashlights inside that given direction. Sylvia froze in place.
Wander's heart rushed as he thought he was spotted by the guards while his body was pressed up against the white bricked wall behind him. He wiped off the sweat and sighed in relief. His mind then was set on trying to find a way to get Sylvia out of the situation she was currently stuck in. His eyes shifted down and saw that there were many bricks at his feet. Pointing above him, his pupils spotted the missing bricks and pieces of the brick wall above him. He grabbed one and threw it above the wall, later hearing a faint thud as it hit something. The soldiers turned their attention away from the prisoner yet again and aimed in the direction of the noise. Sylvia used the distraction and quickly maneuvered her way towards her best friend, turning the corner quickly, reuniting.
"Whew, that was a close one." Wander pointed out.
"Yeah, I know. Come on, let's hurry up and get out of here. It's far too dangerous."
The duo quietly ran down the alleyway, dodging dumpsters filled with old garbage bags, trash and junk. The moon above them would disappear behind dark grey clouds. Power lines crowded the streets, so were abandoned cars.
Wander gained knowledge of his surroundings and began to question if this all was a dream or if it was really reality. It was scary to think if were any of the two. If it were a dream, was this a sign of some sort? Or was it really happening? Wander didn't know the answer to this. It didn't matter how many feet the traveler and his steed ran, there was no escape from Hater's soldiers. It was endless.
They could run, but they could not hide.
It was endless like Wander's conscious. His mind was a subspace of blackness just like the universe. He floated and saw these multicolored orbs of light. Mesmerized, Wander began to follow their patterns and he reached out and one landed on his finger.
"What in the world are these?" Wander had thought. They danced around the star nomad and then vanished. "Wh-what?"
"Wander!" Sylvia poked Wander and he snapped out of his trance. "Stay focused, we got another batch of eyes nearby."