Kituki is just trying to get by after being abandoned as an infant. Due to a law passing before she was born she has to hide her heritage. Now someone wants her dead, a strange Grishi comes into her life and takes her away from her home, and anything that was left behind was burned to the ground. What's going to happen to her now?
“Kituki!” Ishikawa called me from the front of the store. I bounded to the front, giggling happily with a large smile on my face.
“Yes Mr. Ishi?” I asked almost bouncing from the attention.
“Would you mind sweeping the store for me? I’ll handle the sales and the heavy stuff.” He asked with a smile.
“OK!” I turned and ran for the broom in the utility closet. I grabbed the broom and made my daily rounds of the store. A few hours later Ishikawa gave me my payment for the week’s work. I ran out of the store chuckling, carrying one of my many dolls with me on the way home. It was getting dark so I decided to take a faster way home. I’m still a good forty years away from being able to stay out after dark.
Heading between two buildings, I bounded up the sides of them up to the rooftop and ran along towards the southern Shingtagu homes. As I bounded over I saw the landlady looking around, as if she lost something. I landed just a few feet away and smiled at her.
“Ah! There you are Kituki, I was beginning to think you got lost.” She smiled looking over at me.
“Nope! I just got held up at Ishi’s store. Here miss Landlady!” I handed her my payment for this week’s job.
“Are you sure Kituki? I mean, it’s your entire week’s pay. I wouldn’t want you to go hungry trying to keep up with the rent. You’re just a young girl. Barely eighty years old.”
“I’m sure!” I said running into the building. Later that night, I was looking up at the stars outside my window, trying to think of a life with a mother or a father. Trying to imagine what it would be like to be loved, to be able to show the world who I am. “That stupid law…Because of it, I have to hide my heritage. I don’t even know who…or where my parents are. People said I appeared in the middle of the night one night with no explanation. Someone left me here in Miss Landlady’s care. ” I thought to myself.
My name is Kituki Hameda, or at least… that’s what I’ve been told. I’m Eighty Years old, still a young girl with a lot of future ahead of her. I don’t know how I came to be an orphan in this world or why my parents gave me up to live alone. But I’m here now and making the best that I can. My room is a one room apartment, with not much more than a bed covered in my many home made stuffed animals and a mirror in a corner. The bed itself is covered with a sheet that’s been mended a few dozen times.
I stood up from the window I was looking out and looked at myself in the mirror with the hood of my father’s robe down. The image looking back at me was a little Grishikular girl, who had rabbit ears on her head, white fur covering her body, and a fox tail poking out of the tattered black robe behind her, white hair flowing down to her behind, red eyes that somehow showed innocence in them, and a sad smile of loneliness. She was no taller than Two foot five inches. The robe she had on had several patches showing the decades of use. I turned around, closing the windows and blinds so I could take off my robe. Pulling it off revealed a pink dress that left my arms exposed. “Oh how I wish I could show people this.” I did a few twirls before getting tired and turned in for the night.
The next morning, the sun shone through the pink curtains waking me up with its brightness. I opened my curtain and looked out the window. Shingtagu is a trading town where Grishikular, Druswar, and Grishikleer live. It’s a must stop for traders, and consumers alike that want to get a great deal on anything or to stock up for a long journey. I’ve been here for a long time, and watched my friends grow up and die, leaving their children to run their stores and businesses. They were good friends, but because they were Druswar, their blood line made them mature much quicker. So I was left alone, that much sooner. Everyone has their own lives to live so I don’t bother anyone much anymore. The dolls are the only friends I have left.
Getting ready for the day, I pulled on my robe and pulled up the hood to hide my ears. I ran out the door with my stomach growling, and carrying my favorite doll with me. “I think
I may have to use that skill today. This is the third day in a row I haven’t had food…” I thought. “I really don’t want to…maybe tomorrow.” I instead made a detour to the park on the north side of town. Looking around for kids I realized they must still be with their parents learning to survive. Sighing, I walked around town bored. “There’s nothing fun to do...”
Passing by the north gates, I looked outside to be met with the endless sea of trees. At first glance I thought I saw a traveler coming, but looking back I saw nothing. “I must be really bored to imagine things.” As I was thinking my stomach growled telling me to feed it soon. “I guess I can’t help it. It’s either that or I starve.” I wandered to the trade district of town.
As soon as I got there, I used magic to bring my doll alive, and had it dance around in the street, climb people, and jump from shoulder to shoulder. The Grishi that had gathered were laughing and enjoying themselves. While they were busy with my doll, I was trying to pickpocket someone when he pulled away suddenly and the pouch pulled off his belt. He turned around to find his missing belt pouch and found me holding it yelling angrily at me.
I took off running with the pouch no sooner than I was discovered. The doll managed to jump off someone as I passed and onto my shoulder. I ran into a bar, making my way through it, and out the back of the kitchen. From there I ran along the back alley ways only to look back briefly to see if someone was following me. Satisfied when no one was, I jumped up to the roofs to look for a suitable place to get food.
”Mr. Ishi always has yummy foods! Though with what I just did, going back would just mean I’d be starving again.” I sat there for a while, afraid of facing the consequences. I must have passed out because next thing I know, It was after dark and I was waking up. Realizing how late it was, I started running home along the roof tops. Before I jumped, I saw strange guards asking a civilian a question. “What’s going on?” Taking a few smells of the air revealed that the guards were dogs.
I watched them for a while and used my rabbit ears to listen in.
“Are you sure you haven’t seen a Grishikular girl, Sir?” queried one of them.
“I’m positive. I wasn’t even aware there was one living here,” The frightend man responded.
“So you do know!”
“No! I swear!”
“Don’t lie to us! Do you know what happens to those who lie to us?” The apparent leader growled.
“N-no! Don’t hurt me please!”
The leader didn’t listen and in one smooth motion, grabbed the man’s neck lifting him off the ground. The man struggled desperately to survive but his efforts were futile. With-in minutes, the man stopped moving completely. His lifeless body was thrown to the ground, like nothing more than a rag doll. “Next time, you’re asked something, don’t lie.”
I waited till they left, and kept waiting for a while. “Is…he sleeping?” I jumped down from the roof careful to be quiet and made my way over to the body. A few quick sniffs told me he wasn’t alive. I was so scared that I ran back up to the rooftops and slept there for the rest of the night. The earlier images replaying in my head again and again.
I woke up later in the night unable to sleep anymore. Still scared to move, I peered over the edge. A group of Grishi gathered around the dead body and where gossiping amongst themselves. I didn’t care what they were saying. I just wanted to get away so I just ran across the rooftops making a detour home.
I landed on a roof outside my home, and wanting to be careful, took a few good sniffs of the air around me. I didn’t smell any dogs nearby so I quickly made my way inside and collapsed on my bed, my heart beating fast. “Who were those dogs?” I contemplated all possibilities, but my mind kept wandering to other things. I finally gave up and pulled out one of the dresses I’ve been making for a while, as well as my sewing kit.
The dress was a light blue color with white frills along the all the openings. A bow tied in the back of the dress just at the waist so it would fit the curves of anyone who wears it. The entire dress was made to look elegant but durable at the same time. “I can’t wait to finish this, it looks sooo cute,” I smiled to myself as I was sewing. I found myself wondering how my mother would feel if she saw this. I immediately stopped sewing at the thought. I sat there for several minutes trying to imagine a mother, but no face matched the name. I finally slapped myself out of the trance and went back to work, thinking only of the project in my hands.
A few hours later I replaced the dress in my closet. ”Just a few more hours and I’ll be done!” I chuckled to myself happily. Looking out the window, I realized I hadn’t been to Ishikawa’s today. The prospect of running into those five guards that killed a man for not having the information they wanted scared me, so I didn’t want to venture outside my four walls yet. “What if they ask me for the information I didn’t know? Are they going to kill me too?” I thought about that for a while before I finally succumbed to sleep. I woke up later to find myself covered in a light blanket. Some food and water sitting by my bed with a note was sitting next to it. Picking up the note I saw that it was from the landlady. It read:
Dear Kituki,
I saw you were home today after staying out for a day and a half. I hope you find this meal acceptable. I wanted to get it to you while it was warm but you had already fallen asleep.
Signed,
Vera
“Thank you miss Landlady.” I ate the meal without much fuss. It wasn’t delicious, but at least it was filling. I took off everything down to my underwear, making sure to properly hang up the robe, and dress so it didn’t wrinkle too much more. I then laid down to sleep the rest of the night in my own bed.
While I was sleeping I had a nightmare. The dogs had found me and started interrogating me about my parents. When I said I didn’t know they stabbed me with a sword. Each time they asked me a question I didn’t have the answer to it. They slowly made the cut bigger to each of my answers. I was writhing in pain begging for them to stop. They just laughed and started cutting my fingers off one by one, all the while telling me to make my screams loud enough to make the dead rise up.
I woke up in a cold sweat, feeling my stomach for a wound of any kind or blood. When there was none I was relieved, but I broke down crying, hugging one of my dolls tightly. It took a while for me to finally calm down, so long that the sun was starting to shine in my window onto my curtains giving the room a pinkish tint.
I got up slowly and pushed myself to get ready for work for the day. Though more than anything I wanted to disappear at that moment. I finished getting ready and made my way to Ishikawa’s. Every second that passed felt like minutes, fearing that Ishikawa would yell at me for not even showing up yesterday for work.
“Ah! There you are Kituki. I was worried when I saw Enforcers walking around yesterday and you didn’t show up for work,” Ishikawa greeted me as I walked into the store.
“Sorry Mr. Ishi. Enforcers?” I queried.
“Um..Nothing. Never mind. It’s not important. Can you sweep the store for me while I handle the customers?” He turned and walked away before I could give my answer.
“Um…sure…I can do that…” I responded, wanting to take my mind of things I busied myself with my normal routine at the store. Making sure I didn’t have time to think. After a few hours, I had completely forgotten the incident and soon was back to myself.
The sun was going down as I left Ishikawa’s grocery store headed for home. Half way there, I heard a familiar voice that made me stop in my tracks in fear and head for the rooftops again. Listening in, I managed to pinpoint where they were and watch without being seen.
“I’m sure you don’t want to anger the claws of the council, just tell us what we want to know.” Said the dog leader.
“I told you, I don’t know anything!” The woman being interrogated yelled.
“Worthless!” The leader yelled slapping her to the side. “Kill her, liars don’t deserve to live.” He said walking off while one of the other dogs stabbed a sword through her stomach. She cried in pain for only a moment before the sword was pulled out and stabbed through the head, killing her instantly.
As soon as the woman was dead the rest of the dogs followed their leader in search of whoever they were looking for. “This is not good. If they keep this up, they may just kill the entire town.” I thought to myself as I moved away from the body. I slowly made my way home making sure I wasn’t seen by those dogs as I jumped from roof to roof.
By the time I got home, those thoughts of fear were invading my mind again. I went inside and hid under my bed with a doll and fell asleep there. The same dream as before came again. This time, my jaw was cut off, as well as my arm. Each cut only an inch apart. I was scared and begging for mercy.
I woke up banging my head against the bed above me, screaming in fear. It took me a full minute to calm down. I curled up with my doll in my arms, squeezing it tightly. I refrained from thinking all together. It was hard to do but staring at the same spot on a wall seemed helped me some. “Those dogs are really starting to scare me,” I thought every so often.
I must have been staring for hours because eventually the sun started shining into my window. I slowly crawled out from under my bed, looking around. When I was content that no one was here to kill me, I got ready for the day. Sighing, I walked out the door, scared to see those dogs again.
As I was walking to Ishikawa’s I felt someone watching me, but when I looked around no one was looking in my direction. Taking a side path, that feeling still followed. So I jumped up to the roof tops and looked around one more time, trying to spot something out of place. The feeling quickly subsided though so I kept to the rooftops as I continued heading for work.
By the time I reached Ishikawa’s store, my nerves were so much on edge, that when Ishikawa called my name I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“Are you ok Kituki?” Ishikawa asked me.
“Y-yeah! I’m fine Mr. Ishi! Why do you ask?” I responded with enthusiasm.
“You just seem different than usual. Something happen at home?”
“No, Mr. Ishi. Everything is fine.”
“Well, alright. Sweep the store for me please Kituki?”
“Sure!” I smiled, running for the broom to sweep out the dirt that has been dragged in from outside.
Later on in the day I was stocking shelves when a woman tapped on my shoulder. When I screamed and jumped, she went backwards into another shelf, knocking it over. It caused a chain reaction, till all the shelves were knocked over up to the wall, and inventory was all over the floor, broken, and now useless.
“OH! I’m so sorry! You surprised me and I knocked over the shelves.” The woman said, trying to help pick up the shelves so we could get to the fallen food.
“It’s my fault, I’ve been in a daze all day.” I replied trying to lift the shelf. Unfortunatly I was too small to move it.
“Kituki, I think you should go home for today.” Ishikawa voiced, lifting the shelf.
“But Mr. Ishi-“ I got cut off.
“You’ve been distracted all day, I’ll clean up the mess, but this will be deducted from your pay. I’m sorry Kituki.”
“Yes Mr. Ishi.” I responded sadly, walking out the door and heading home.
I walked to the park and sat down in a wide open grassy field. Looking around there was no one nearby, so I could relax and rest for a bit. Lieing back, I fell asleep, keeping myself alert to move, should someone find me.
I must have fallen asleep faster than I anticipated, because the next time I opened my eyes, the sun had set and it was pitch black, save for the lights from the town. I got up and headed for the lights slowly. It felt like someone was following me again, so as soon as I could see well enough to move without falling over, I ran for home.
When I got home, I collapsed on my bed and just laid there. “This is bad… I don’t know who to trust…” I thought to myself. I was broken out of my thought process when I smelled something burning. Standing up, I saw my closet was on fire and it was quickly spreading throughout the room, trapping me in the middle. Thinking quickly, I grabbed my emergency bag and my favorite doll that I couldn’t live without.
I pulled up the floorboards revealing a tunnel made long ago when I was bored, and jumped down into it. Following the tunnel out I reached out to street level, and went to leave when I saw the Dogs standing outside arguing with the Land Lady.
“What gives you the right to burn down my property?” She yelled at the leader.
“We are the Enforcers. Arm of the Council of The Tribes. We have word that a Grishikular was here, and our orders are to find it, and kill it. And we will kill anyone that stands in our way.” The leader responded. My home collapsed as he was talking. “Search the remains. We want to be sure we got her.” All but two of the dogs went to stop the fire and search the remains.
Suddenly one looked my way and turned to the captain, before a figure swooped in and knocked him out.
“Who the hell are you!?” demanded the leader.
“Aww. You don’t remember me….how disappointing.” The figure responded.
“Kill her!” He commanded. The other dogs drew their weapons and charged the tall woman. She dodged with ease, hitting each of them once with her staff.
“Please, I’ve seen Druswar stronger than you..” She grinned. “You’re nothing but mangy mutts.” The leader drew his weapon and slashed at the woman. She grabbed the wrist with one hand, pulling him down to the side, and spun around, throwing him on to the other three dogs, knocking one more out.
The dog leader was so angry I could hear him growling from where I was hiding in the shadows.. “Grab the fallen and retreat!” he ran off with his two remaining men picking up the unconscious and running off after him.
The Land Lady went over to talk to the woman. While they were talking I could see the woman accurately for the first time. She looked proud, and confident while she talked to the Land Lady, Almost like a wolf would. Her hair was pitch black and down to her butt, her tail poking out from her robe, with an elegantly designed wooden staff in her hand.
I stood there, looking around for a way to leave without being seen. As I started to move, I heard the woman call out, “Let’s go! It’s time to leave!” I turned back and she was staring right at me.
“You better listen to her Kituki.” The Land Lady said looking this way. I slowly stepped out of the shadows, scared out of my mind. “What does this woman want with me?”
The woman leaned down a picked me up with one hand, placing me under her arm.
“Wait…what are you-!” I started to say before she took off running faster than I’ve ever seen someone move, jumping over buildings without straining herself. I grabbed on tightly to her robe, to make sure she didn’t drop me. Everything went pitch black again as we left Shingtagu. But that didn’t stop her. She kept running despite the lack of visibility, I was in awe.
Eventually she stopped running and put me down. I heard her walk off and rummage in the bushes, stopping every so often for some reason. The woman came back and I heard a bunch of wood hit the ground. Seconds later a fire was started and I could see again for a short distance.
“Who are you?” I asked her, but she didn’t respond. “What do you want with me?” Still no response.
After a while of trying I eventually gave up and sat there staring into the fire thinking. “Why won’t she talk to me now?” I wondered. I looked over at the woman to find she had laid down. I hugged my doll tightly, and curled up a short distance away from the wolf.
My dream was pleasant for the first time in a while. I was naked in a field of flowers. The sun was shining, and the view was beautiful. I was out playing and dancing in the field, happy as can be till I saw a figure in the distance waving for me. I ran closer to it, and the figure started to become clearer. But before I could make out the figure though, the dream ended.
I was woken up when the woman roughly pushed me away from her. A quick look revealed her hair was glowing white on the underside. I didn’t think much about it at the time, but I didn’t see it the night before.
“Ow! That hurt!” I reacted, holding a hand where she had pushed me.
“That’s what you get for trying to sleep next to me.” She scoffed and walked away. Leaving me wondering how far away I had to sleep to not sleep next to her.
I stood up and looked around. The morning sun was shining through the forest trees. There was a huge crystal blue lake next to me, and off in the distance, exactly on the other side of the lake, was Shingtagu. I was amazed how far we had traveled in just one night. “Wow…I knew Shingtagu was big, but it looks like a pebble from this distance.”
Looking around I realized the woman had walked off and quickly sniffed around to catch up with her. I took one last look behind me at the only home I’ve known for years, and ran off to find the woman.
Language for A Tail of Two Bloods
Druswar: Tainted blood
Grishi:Animal, or of animal blood
Kleer: Altered, strange or Different.
Kular: Of shared blood.
Lauwdyn: Purest of the Pure
Keep in mind this is all I have for now. =3 since it's a work in progress. I thought people might want to know someof the words I'm using so they can understand it in the story.
This world reeks. I’ve been here for three months and in that time I noticed that everyone here is pretty much a zombie. Not the average everyday eat your face zombie, more like they just shuffle about and don’t really pay attention to their surroundings or each other. Turns out they’re being controlled on top of that, I just don’t know how yet.
I came here from another world, another dimension if you would, called Sarlian. Where we all have free will and were prospering from it. We were studying other ways of travel and teleportation. I volunteered for an experiment and that’s how I ended up here. In this forsaken world called Irias. The technology is the same but they aren’t doing any experiments here. They aren’t even growing. It’s as if the entire world stopped moving. Even the kids aren’t playing. I have to find the root of this disaster….somehow…. I’ve been looking through libraries and different books in the old ruins around the city. They all point to an experiment being done several years ago. The last one attempted. But they don’t say what it was supposed to do or where it was held, Or even if it was related, but I need to find out.
I really want to go home to Sarlian, back where everyone is. But that isn’t an option, not while this world is decaying as it is. There’s a tower in the middle of the city that everyone seems to avoid. I’m going to check there next. I’ll report my findings here when I do. If for some reason I don’t make it back, I hope someone finds this diary and picks up where I left off. Save your world, do something different. Open your mind and think, start growing, start experimenting, start living! If you can do that, then already you are different than the others.
Kiranim Silvanae
I sighed and closed my diary and placed it in my bag, placing it on my shoulder. While I did write that note, I didn’t intend for anyone to find it yet. I had to have my diary with me just in case. Walking over to the window and pulling up my hood I stared out over the city of decay towards the tower. The tower was impressive standing over 200 stories tall, the top of it loomed high in the sky glowing green as a symbol. A symbol that stated you are owned. The answers I’m looking for have to be in that tower….. they have to be.
I made sure all my stuff was packed into my pack and securely fastened on my shoulder. Leaving the room as I found it, I made my way towards the roof. After selecting my path I started jumping from building to building across the city towards the tower.
***Note from Author****
This is just a proof of concept right now. I don't know if it's something I will continue with yet or not. If it's good enough I'll see about forming it into a full fledged story. After so long of staying in stalemate I wanted to do something. So I did this. If you want me to continue it let me know. I'm planning some TG stages later in the plot line, but I don't want to plan too much with out an idea if I'm going to continue this or not.
Kitten.
This world reeks. I’ve been here for three months and in that time I noticed that everyone here is pretty much a zombie. Not the average everyday eat your face zombie, more like they just shuffle about and don’t really pay attention to their surroundings or each other. They’re brainless, not undead like people think zombies should be. Turns out they’re being controlled on top of that, I just don’t know how yet.
I came here from another world, another dimension if you would, called Sarlian. Where we all have free will and were prospering from it. We were studying other ways of travel and teleportation. I volunteered for an experiment and that’s how I ended up here, in this forsaken world called Irias. The technology is the same but they aren’t doing any experiments here, they aren’t even growing. Even the kids aren’t playing; it’s as if the entire world stopped moving. I have to find the root of this disaster….somehow…. I’ve been looking through libraries and different books and science magazines in the old ruins around the city. They all point to an experiment being done several years ago. Heck between now and then it looks like there wasn’t anything else printed. So I’m going on outdated material. But the ones that I have read all point to the same experiment. Sadly they don’t say what The Experiment was supposed to do or where it was held, Or even if it was related to what was happening now. But I need to find out, it’s the only way I can get the world moving again.
I don’t have near the scientific knowledge to recreate the experiment that brought me here, much less understand how they did it. I honestly took part in it because I thought it was a cool idea to be one of the first people to be teleported, my name might not go down in history but I’d always have that knowledge you know? But I figure if I can get someone to recreate that experiment I can get home… only problem is the Zombie people. Why must this be so hard?
I really want to go home to Sarlian, back where everyone is. But that isn’t an option, not while this world is decaying as it is. There’s a tower in the middle of the city that everyone seems to avoid. I’m going to check there next. I’ll report my findings here when I do. If for some reason I don’t make it back, I hope someone finds this diary and picks up where I left off. Save your world, do something different. Open your mind and think, start growing, start experimenting, start living! If you can do that, then already you are different than the others.
Kiranim Silvanae
I sighed and closed my diary and placed it in my bag, placing it on my shoulder. While I did write that note, I didn’t intend for anyone to find it yet. I had to have my diary with me just in case. Walking over to the window and pulling up my hood I stared out over the city of decay towards the tower. The tower was impressive standing over 200 stories tall, the top of it loomed high in the sky glowing green as a symbol. A symbol that stated you are owned. The answers I’m looking for have to be in that tower….. they have to be.
I made sure all my stuff was packed into my pack and securely fastened on my shoulder. Leaving the room as I found it, I made my way towards the roof. After selecting my path I started jumping from building to building across the city towards the tower.
As I got closer to the tower, I noticed a patrol of drones flying around. They’d surely see me if I kept going so I dropped down to street level, kicking my feet off the walls as I did so to slow my descent. I never learned how to fight back on Sarlian, I never had to. Instead in my youth in the city I learned Free Running.
There was usually a group that gathered someplace in the city and they sent out messages to those that found them, was a sort of elite group that only allowed specific people in. Free Running wasn’t very popular in the city. In fact it was frowned upon as a dangerous activity that should be banned. The city council never did anything however. They’d discuss it and every time it ended on the same note, they could never agree. So it continued.
I found one of those groups by accidents and I guess I impressed them because I found out about them by pure accident, by stumbling upon one of their meeting places by falling in through the roof. I wasn’t spying on them I swear, the patch of roof I landed on just happened to have nothing supporting anything more than its own weight. So the second my food hit it, I went in.
Now I’m only 11 years old at the time, so you can imagine the looks on their faces when a little girl not only falls through the roof, but also manages to have a major panic attack and like a cornered animal does everything she can to try and get away. The leader Jeril, I never learned his last name so don’t ask, starts laughing. Apparently he found the whole thing amusing because even grown adults had a hard time finding them and here a little girl finds them by accident apologizes and starts to try and climb away.
From there Jeril just took me under his wing, and had the other group members teach me how to really free run. When I finally got it down, I felt like I was flying. I really wish Jeril were here now though, he’d think of a plan.
Shaking my head I turned my attention back to slipping by the drone’s surveillance. Unfortunately there was no way I could. Why did there have to be so many? I started to retreat when two drones started down the alley I was in from different directions. I tried to look for a way out but there was none, not even a door to break into or a garbage bin to hide in. Then they saw me, it took a second or two for the drones to recognize that something was out of place, but when they did alarms started blaring from the tower.
I broke into a run, staying on the street. I didn’t want to give them any idea of exactly what I could do, which admittedly wasn’t much in the first place. Heading away from the tower I noticed the zombie people, turning towards the tower and started shuffling towards me, as if to impede my path as much as possible.
Deciding not to test fate, I turned and hurled myself through a store window. Landing on the inside I rolled to my feet and ran through it to the back, looking for an exit. Instead I found myself in a utility closet with a sewer drain. It looked just large enough for me to slip into, so really what choice did I have? I closed the door to the closet and locked it, proceeding to pull off the drain cover.
Then I started to hear banging on the door, along with the sound of a saw. I really don’t have much time! Springing the cover free I hear the door cut down and fall in the closet. Looking over I see drones and the zombie people making their way toward me. Without waiting, I slide into the drain pulling the cover over the drain with me so they can’t follow easily. Hitting the sewer I broke into a sprint in a random direction, being careful not to slip. I had to work my way to the outer ruins of the city. It’s the only way I will survive this.
A few hours later I took a chance and moved out of the sewers through a broken grate on the edge of the city. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting by trying to break into such an ominous looking tower, I mean really you’d have to put ‘does secret things here’ on a sign above it to make it any more obvious. Combing through the ruins, I looked for a place to sit down and relax. I was tired of Free Running for a while. The zombie people really didn’t make it any easier to get away either. Heck my note prediction almost came true.
Finding a partially collapsed house I walked inside, pulling down my hood as I did so, and looked around. Everything was pretty much destroyed only thing left that was actually usable was a couch and a few chairs. Pulling off my pack and setting it next to the couch I laid down. I’ll have to find some food after a brief nap.
Waking up about an hour later I sat up and stretched. What happened next however is something I’ll never forget, I stood up from the couch and grabbed my bag. There was movement behind me, I turned around only to see a foot slam into my face sending me reeling backwards over the couch. I never even got a look at my assailant. Before I knew it I was picked up and thrown against a wall. Then they started to pummel me in the face. I tried to protect my face, but again, I don’t even know how to fight. What was I going to do? Finally I sat there dazed, fighting to stay just on the edge of consciousness as they grabbed my bag and started to riffle through it. Throwing the necessities I had gained on the ground. Finding nothing they were looking for they threw the bag on the ground and walked back over to me and started to pat me down. Then they noticed I was still awake.
“Seems you’re more resilient than I gave you lot credit for…” the voice said. How? How did they retain their mind?
“Hold on….you’re different…You’re not like the others….who are you? ANSWER ME!” they screamed before bringing their foot down on my stomach hard. I screamed in pain but was otherwise unable to answer. Really, I’m not like the others? What was their first clue, the fact I had a bag and a diary? “Fine, I’ll get my answers…. Sparrow this is hawk, I…“ At that point everything became hazy and I blacked out.
*****Authors Note*****
So This is the first chapter, and kind of an opening to the world, to really give an idea of what's happening over a wider area. I also wanted to explain why when the other humans of the planet are still in one piece, does Kiranim retain her mind upon arriving. That will be explained in future chapters. I also reworked the intro a little bit to help make it flow better.
Further more, I want to thank you for your feedback, if you have any comments on how I should handle it, I will certainly take that into consideration, and I do appreciate it. and finally, I thank you for your patience as I work to mold this world with my mind. ^^
The Decaying World
Chapter 2: Hawk and Sparrow
Name: Unknown….
Species:Human
Gender: Female
Hair Color: Brown.
Eye Color: Green
Height: 5’1”
Weight: 98 lbs
Age: aprox. 22
Background: Unknown….
Family: Unknown….
DNA analysis complete. Awaiting command.
Hawk grunted as he slammed the computer console. He had spent atleast an hour in front of the med-bay computer trying to find something out about this mysterious girl. Here she was, the one who managed to avoid the Wave, and he didn’t know how. Originally he figured it was a minion of the tower but nothing about her said she was. “Another mystery I’ll have to solve… maybe her book holds some clues?” He put it in the lock up hours ago. Sparrow promised she’d take a look at it, but she had other things to take care of. So he wasn’t surprised it hadn’t been done yet. He locked down the computer and stepped away from it.
After checking on the girl in the cage, who had been unconscious due to a combination of drugs and rough treatment, he stepped out of the room. As he walked down the corridor to the Labs, he wondered if there was one girl who avoided the wave, were there others?
Hawk didn’t have time to dwell out as he walked into the Labs. Stepping inside he put in his personal id code to unlock the door.
“Oi! Sparrow!” He called out stepping in.
“Oh good, you’re here Hawk, Did you get any information from her in medbay?” A girl responded, looking over. Her long black hair was tied into a low ponytail, going over her well worn labcoat, as she typed away at her lab computer. On it flashed many different designs of things she had been working on.
“Unfortunately the Med-bay computers had no ability to Identify her, or even where she came from.”
“What do you mean? Everyone is in the database, Maybe the computer just had an error.” Sparrow surmised, looking back at him quizzically.
“Not her. She doesn’t exist apparently.” Hawk answered, walking over to the lab computer and pulling up the information from the database. The girl in the cage appeared on a picture in there as well as several bits of information. But the information was still well incomplete.
“Well then we’ll have to look through her things. I’ll do that in a bit. Too much to do so little time.” She sighed leaning back in her chair. “Oh by the way, The scanners picked up another event. Just like the last one.”
“Where at?” Hawk questioned turning towards the map.
“32 by 58, looks to be some sort of farmland.”
“All the way out there? Why?”
“Well that’s what you need to go figure out isn’t it?”
“I’ll get right on it then. By the way, while I’m out check through the girl’s things.” The last leader ordered turning towards the door.
“You don’t need my help?” the raven haired girl asked
“I do, and you can do that by doing what I told you to do hours ago.”
“I’ve been busy with your suit!”
“And I thank you for that, but that could have waited as well. I don’t have to spend all day in the suit, my skills are good enough to keep me-“
“STOP!” she suddenly screamed, anger written on her face. Her demeanor suddenly serious compared to the laidback behavior she was just exhibiting.
“You still holding on to that? Look Lillian, He’s gone! The brainwashed masses took care of that! He’s now one of them.”
“That doesn’t mean you can go out and do the same thing as him!! He said the same thing to me and he got swarmed! You’re not going without your suit! Ever! End of discussion!....” she screamed then quietly mumbling while looking away, “I can’t lose you too… Not like that.”
“Ok ok, I won’t ever go without my suit on any mission. Ok? You’re not gonna lose me.” Looking back at the map, Hawk studied it. “You know, Alpha and Beta are out that way, I could stop by and do a little investigating, see how they are faring, or if they fell like Omega and Zeta did.”
“Ah that’s right! I forgot about them! It’s been a while since we’ve been able to contact them!” Sparrow said, back to her usual carefree attitude. Hawk knew that it was all an act, something Sparrow put it to cover up the pain of losing her friends and family, hoping one day she’ll get them back. He didn’t blame her for it though, if it kept her going for another day he didn’t mind.
“I’ll get right on it, I’ll see you in a bit Sparrow.”
With that Hawk left the room, leaving Sparrow by herself. After a few moments of sitting, trying to keep herself together she got up and left the room heading for the lockup.
*********
I don’t know when I woke up, all I knew, was I was sitting in a cage in some kinda lab. The room around me looked like it was held together. For a moment I was confused at how I got there, then I remembered the man who attacked me. Guess I was a prisoner now. I had to find a way out.
Looking around I spotted the lock to the cage, I didn’t have very good lockpicking skills, or any at all so that was out of the question. There was no key nearby either. Ooooof course not. Kicking it didn’t get me anywhere either, either than to help me vent frustration. And screaming for help, as stupid as it was, got me no results. Why do these things always have to be so hard? Sighing I sat at the back of the cage and just stared at a wall.
“Interesting, so you have given up?” A voice said, coming out of seemingly nowhere. Either I’m going crazy, or someone is in this room with me. And I really hope I’m not going crazy. I’ve only been conscious for an hour!....I think…There’s no sky or clock to judge. I looked around outside the cage but found no one. Yup, going crazy. Dang it, I thought I had until I was an old lady until that happened. “Little miss, can you hear me?” The voice called again.
“He-hello?” I hesitantly called out, unsure if what I was hearing was true or not.
“Ah good, I was beginning to think one of my circuits fried.”
“Tell me about it…wait, Circuits? Who are you?”
“My creator has dubbed me the Virtual Assistant Logistic. Or V.A.L. for short, however my users just call me computer. And to answer your question, yes, circuits as I am an AI.”
“Ok, that answers some things. Since we’re going to be playing ask and answer, you ask a question now.” I responded trying not to pass any boundaries with my new company. If I’m going to be stuck in a cell I’d rather have someone or something to talk to, plus I might get some more answers.
“Very well I refer to my first question, have you given up on trying to break out?” She asked me. So she was watching me the entire time I’ve been awake, should have expected that. Then again I don’t really know what’s going on so I’m rolling with it.
“Ah, yeah. There’s no point, No key for the lock, the bars are solid, no lockpicking skills what so ever to speak of. In Otherwords, I am captured, and am forced to do your user’s bidding.”
“Seems like a conundrum doesn’t it?”
“Yeah…..Hey, that was two questions!” I realized pointing a finger in a random direction of the voice.
“So it was.”
“My next question is why I am in this cage?”
“You were captured by the one known as Hawk when he found you in the outer ruins in the city. In my opinion force was not needed, but he is being very protective of what he has.”
“Ok and where am I?”
“That is classified.” Val stated simply. “until we know you further we cannot trust you with the knowledge. What is your name?”
“Kiranim Silvanae, which you would have found in my diary. I assume you still have it?”
“Affirmative. You give us permission to read this diary?”
“Not like I have much of a choice, If it gets me out of here then I’m all for it. And can you tell Hawk not to beat me up anymore? I am not a fighter.”
“Ah, That is good to hear.”
“Final question, since I’m not going anywhere, can you stay and chat instead of hiding like you did before?”
“Depends on what my users decide, but for the time being, I can.”
Not wanting to get lonely I talked with val for hours, forgetting I was in a cage at the mercy of whatever was holding me here.
***************
Note from Author: SOrry this took me so long, i've been dealing with alot of stress as of late, as in my recent Blog on here showed, And I didn't know where I wanted to take this, so I let my mind take it for me. Sorry it has a lot of talking scenes in it, But it's litterally the first time I had talking characters in the same room. VAL is also something I've been wanting to use for a while. But never got a chance to do so.
Sparrow sat at a table in the cafeteria reading the girl’s diary. She was quite the information gatherer. If the diary was anything to be believed, Kiranim grew up in another world. Homeless but still finding a purpose in life. This thing call Free Running. Which, up till now, kept her safe and out of trouble. This Jeril seemed to have a positive effect on her. The more she read, the more engrossed in the girl she became. Until the point she didn’t notice Hawk behind her.
“You’re really into that diary.” Hawk announced his presence, causing sparrow to jump. “Sorry.”
“Don’t do that!” She was trying to catch her breath as she looked at him.
“I said sorry. Anyways, Find anything useful?”
“Yeah, It appears she’s not even from this world, which explains how she avoided the wave, and even now not under its effects. Sarlian is the name of her world she’s trying desperately to get back to. Even though she’s homeless she found her purpose.”
“I see. Does she have a name? and how did she end up here?”
“According to this Diary, Kiranim Silvanae. And as to how she got here, There was an experiment on her world that she volunteered to test.”
“A kid volunteering to test an experiment?” Hawk asked, not believing it.
“Yeah I know, But Val believes it and is integrating the information into her databanks as well. Those two are really getting along.” Hawk smirked turning back to the diary.
“Yeah I still find that a bit odd, that she sees Val as a friend instead of a computer.” Hawk rubbed the back of his head questioningly.
“Even though I am nothing but 1s and 0s does not mean I don’t have feelings Agent Hawk. How did your mission go?” Val piped in knowing Sparrow forgot about the mission.
“Ah, nothing to report. The readings are there, but it’s like nothings there. THeres debris around but if something was there it’s not there any longer.”
“Like teleportation?” Sparrow asked looking up.
“Seems to be. If that’s the case…”
“Then there are holes being torn in the fabric of reality. Bringing things in. I detect nothing missing otherwise.” Val continued.
“But if something’s coming through…..This girl…..Kiranim, their world was experimenting with teleportation. If that’s the case Maybe this Jeril came through looking for her. The way she writes about him, he was like a father figure to her.” Sparrow put the diary down and stood up looking at hawk. “And if he did, then we have to find him before anyone else does.”
“Why?” Hawk asked, seeming indignant.
“Because if someone’s coming through from another world. Then they’re being lead into a trap in this world. Into the pain and suffering that takes place. You’ve seen what the Wave does. It not only controls people, it turns their brain to mush so only their lower faculties are running. They become puppets! Pawns in a greater game!”
“and if the tower finds out and sends their minions to that world….” Hawk thought getting his mind on track.
“Then that entire world becomes like this one. And the Tower gains control of not two worlds, but an infinite number of worlds.” Val finished.
“If that’s true….then who ever came through if it was a person needs to be found. And warned.” Came a 4th voice. Sparrow and hawk turned towards it to find the girl, standing there outside of the cage. How did she get out? She was locked safely in it.
I looked at the two people infront of me. According to Val they were her….users….I don’t like that word. I prefer friends? Coworkers? Do AI have coworkers? Val is too much like a person to be an AI….so then what is she?
“But um If something came through and Val can track the Events….couldn’t she track a person’s signature that come through?” I offered.
“She’s right.” The one I believe to be sparrow offered as she looked at Hawk. “I mean that’s how we tracked her down. What we thought to be anomaly turned out to be her.”
“Yeah but how did she get out of the cage.” Hawk asked growling at me and moving to grab me. I shrank back when val chimed in.
“I let her out. I saw no reason to leave her in there any longer, as you only told me to keep her in there until we got the information on who she was.”
“Technicality!” Hawk looked up at the ceiling. Sparrow laughed.
“She’s got you there. Anyways, Kiranim is it? I assume you know how we are, considering you just spent 3 days chatting with Val in med bay.” Sparrow asked smiling at me. I nodded numbly. “Good then introductions are not needed. Val, can you do as she suggested and scan for any biological signatures that may have appeared there?”
Val didn’t respond which I took to mean she went off to do her ordered task. Sparrow offered me some food which I gladly took. Hawk wandered offsomewhere, I assume to do some work but it’s equally likely to be some sulking. He seemed to be the type who likes to be in charge, from what I saw. But I don’t have much experience in that regard. And I didn’t dwell on it too much. My top worry right now was what was going to happen to me. And if someone did come through from the otherside, was it Jeril? I have so many questions and no answers.
Elsewhere, the lone being hunkered down in a cave away from the cold. He had just narrowly avoided being caught by these strange people. They didn’t really appear to be capable of thought to him. So just as quickly as he found his way into the city, he found himself outside of it. Deciding to check it out tomorrow when it was daylight. His Free Running ability should give him the chance to avoid trouble for the most part. But would he find what he's looking for? Only time would tell.
Authors note:
Sorry for the length of the story, it's been a trying month. But we got progress! and a new person enters the field! Comments are as always appreciated, and This time, I wanna take your predictions on where the story is going. Thanks!