Day 7: Continued

Keeping my eyes peeled for giant, man eating human hybrids, the trek across the city became more difficult with the torrential rain fall. Mud seeped through the cracks of asphalt, suctioning the bottoms of my boots to the ground. Each step was a workout in itself. Thunder bashed overhead, making me duck down as if something were to hit me.

The city of the Old World was unique, buildings climbing sky high, as if trying to break through the atmosphere. Were these the buildings people tried to make their lives in? So..spaced apart, so far from one another? Where was the community?

I ran the index finger of my left hand against the glass of a building with a sign on it that read "Wellroad Enterprise." It was cold, black with the mirror image of myself looking back at me. I didn't see myself enough these days--not recognizing the small freckles that had popped up over this past summer, or the light silver scar that...--something jumped above the head of my reflection, disappearing before I had the chance to turn around. Without hesitation I aimed and fired, blowing out the window just below where the thing was. Before I knew it, I was running towards the valley of homes--somewhere that felt safest to me. My heart yearned to return to my real home, where there was no protection because there was nothing to run from. Nothing to hide from.

I rounded the corner of the last street before my feet hit grass. Actual Old World grass, as tall as I was but it gave me shelter. I hit the mucky ground, mud clinging to my jacket like honey to a spoon. Holding my breath, I tried not to move for fear of the tall grass giving away my hiding spot.

Foot step, foot step.

One

more

heavy

footstep

and...

I'm up and sprinting across the valley towards the nearest house. While I wasn't 100% sure whether or not someone was behind me before, I was sure then. I had no idea who or what was following me: human hybrid, monster, some sick.....thing left over from the Old World, chasing me down to assure that I and all of my kind got the Old World sickness and became one of them! Right as the front of my left boot hit the bottom step, someone grabbed my free leg and jerked it out from under me. I lost my balance, smashing my head against the corner of the red brick stairs.

'Or maybe they were white,' I thought,
'Blood is red.'

I felt myself slip into a peaceful darkness, like in calm sea waters I drifted down to the bottom of my mind, lying comfortably amongst my thoughts. None of which had anything to do with my capture. Only once did I feel a pang of worry--when I opened my eyes to find a...soldier? following my captor from atop the buildings. He saw that I saw him and for a brief second I could've swore that he smiled, placing a finger to his lips, shhhh'ing me as a mother would to calm a hyper child. 

I don't think my mind could handle it all because I felt the cold chill of the water rise up to greet my stressed mind with open arms, the icy tendrils of relief ran across my forehead as real as anything I'd ever felt.

"Sleep..." He shhhh'd once more.
And I did.
-Jemma