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natsuhikoshidou · 7 years

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Invisible Ch.5 - Stylish Situation (Summary) Part 2

the second half of chapter 5, in this half we learn about souhei’s dark backstory

Read Chapter 5 p 1 | Read Chapter 6

When they get back home, Souhei feels like he understands the reason why invisible people want to stay inside the city. Though the trip was short, it was really tense.

Seiji welcomes them back. He says they can hand the items out at the fire tonight, and then asks Souhei what’s wrong. When Souhei asks about the fire, Seiji just says “it’s fun”.

It was as Seiji said, that night, a large fire was burned on the rooftop of the Invisible City.

About 10 people collected in advance that were called for the preliminary arrangements. There were people rolling oil drums that made loud and rumbling noises, people bringing logs and pieces of paper, people preparing chairs and tables, people making food and so on.

When they realized that situation, immediately other residents appeared. They finally came late and diligently joined the preparations. Then, more other residents gathered, and in the blink of an eye, it became a large family of about 50 people. Then before he knew it a large-scale campfire had begun.

The fire went for a while, he heard a stiff 'go-n' noise. It was from the clock tower.

Souhei sits down and eats a ham and mayonnaise baguette that Jirou made. Seiji comes and sits next to him, asking him why he’s spacing out so much. Souhei just says he’s tired.

Seiji asks how it went. Souhei says it was hard, and then complains about not being told he would have to steal. Seiji laughs and says that if he told Souhei originally, he probably wouldn’t take the job. He explains that they don’t have any choice sometimes and that he’s sorry for not telling Souhei.

Looking over at the fire, he can see some men relaxing on reclining chairs, some playing mahjong, Shibata and his friends roasting fruit and marshmellows from fishing rods, some boys throwing firewood at burning oil drums and some girls burning trash from their rooms.

Seiji tells Souhei to be careful around the fire. If a fire goes of in the city, in the end the city is contained by the walls, so it could be really dangerous.

He sees that Riina is beginning to hand out some of the procured goods. Seiji says that because today’s his first job, he can leave it to her. Basically the reason they have a bonfire is because collecting all the residents in one place is easier than having to go around and hand everything out. The signal from the clock tower is a signal that the procurement is finished.

Shibata and Jirou come and sit behind them. Shibata asks about Souhei’s job.

Shibata spoke in a curious way.

"It was hard. But I think your job is more heavy labour, Shibata." Souhei answered, and turned towards Jirou. "Thank you for the sandwich. It was tasty."

"No need to thank me. I ordered some knife's whetstone. We're both the same here."

Then they start talking about if you could use skateboards for a procurement. Shibata seems bummed out when Souhei tells him that would be suicidal.

Then, a 30 year old man who was laying down sits up and begins playing some bongos. Everyone cheers him a little. Then a 20 year old woman comes over to him and begins playing the flute. It sounds mystical. People begin to dance around them. Seiji says it’s improvised.

Suddenly, Souhei remembers something. "Seiji, don't you play the guitar?"

Shibata makes a weird noise and Jirou grabs Souhei, telling him in a stern tone that that’s a taboo subject. Seiji gets up in silence and climbs down the ladder leading to the roof.

He didn't understand why, Shibata now answered.

"Though it's been quite a while, a story has spread from when Seiji was the lead singer in the band. Back then, there was a guy who persistently urged him to play the guitar. Seiji actually had a guitar. He hadn't ever been seen playing it, though. So, when he felt like 'this is kind of a bad atmosphere', he beat the guy up. He lost about 3 front teeth."

"It was a tragic accident." Jirou nodded. The fire was reflected on his bald head.

It's hard to imagine Seiji beating up another person. But it didn't seem like he was telling a lie.

Jirou tells him that, though they don’t know why, the mood seems to get worse whenever people talk about <<clouds>>. Souhei also remembers when they first met in the bar, when he mentioned it everybody went quiet. He wanted to apologize to Seiji.

Soon Seiji comes back up the stairs. This time, he has his acoustic guitar with him; it looks like he’s going to play it. Seiji makes his way between the flute and bongos as the crowd waits in anticipation. He manages to play it in time with the others.

More people begin dancing in a circle, stepping around in a circle, clapping, Jirou and Shibata jump into the circle too. However, Souhei could see that Riina was still sitting at the edge of the rooftop by herself.

At some point Seiji gives Souhei a notebook and pen, telling him that people will gather to purveyors so he can write the items they want down. Souhei is constantly interrupted during conversations, meals and reading by people who had things they needed him to get. People even come to his room in the middle of the night.

"Purveyors are popular." Jirou said looking at his state. "Well, Riina isn't though, cuz she's unsociable."

One day when he’s inside <<JIRO>> playing cards with Jirou and Shibata, there was something that stood out from the usual stuff he could get at the home center and shopping mall.

When in <<JIRO>> he asks where Seiji is. He’s noticed that Seiji likes to keep to himself most of the time, he shows up at meals and the fire, and then he leaves.

Suddenly, the door opens and two people come in. One is the chubby blond guy from the fight, who we learn is called Takehito, the other is Seiji.

It turns out Takehito needs calcium carbonate. He works in a field that grows vegetables. It turns out that calcium carbonate can be mixed into the soil to keep it in good condition.

Jirou acknowledges you can get it from the home center, but ideally they need a lot of it. Souhei nods and says it’s fine. Everyone seems shocked, but Souhei says he knows where he can get some.

Souhei and Riina decide to leave at nighttime. The place they’re going to isn’t that far away. It’s near Hachiougi park and Souhei’s house; it’s Souhei’s middle school. No lights are on in the school building.

Riina seemed like she has no idea where they were. They climb up the fence; Riina in one jump, Souhei with a few climbs.

The school’s sports grounds are completely empty. It’s strangely peaceful. They head towards a prefab hut towards the side of the grounds which hadn’t changed since Souhei was last there.

There was a padlock on the door. The key is in the staff room, but getting into the building would be tricky. Riina hands Souhei a rock, he swings it down on the metal part which holds the padlock. It makes a large noise, but it didn’t seem like anyone nearby heard. He hits it a few more times and the padlock finally comes off.

Inside the shed is pitch black; Souhei remembers that there was a flashlight hanging in it somewhere. When he finds it and turns it on, looking at all the sports equipment makes him feel nostalgic.

Immediately, he finds the 6 large bags of calcium carbonate. There’s a field marker machine next to them.

"How?" Riina said from behind. "What?" "How, did you know?" "...I'm not sure if I said this before, but I was in the track and field club. I used this prefab hut almost every day. So it remained in my memories. Calcium carbonate is used to draw the white lines on the sports grounds- however it seems like they used caustic lime a back then."

Souhei soon begins to remember Hijiri. Then, with that, he remembers some other painful memories, the pencil case opened with holes and the desk thrown out in the hallway, Mizuguchi's words and the broken accessory, his other classmates, and then Haruka.

Riina asks if he’s ok. For the first time, she looks a little worried. Souhei didn’t notice, but he's breathing heavily and sweating. She asks him what happened- seeing Riina worry makes him feel a little glad, considering she usually doesn’t express her emotion.

"I just remembered something a little bad..."

Souhei sucked in a deep breath, and breathed out thinly. Just that alone made him feel calm.

"Tell me." Riina said. "---Tell you?" "Yes, It will make you, feel better."

Souhei realized that nobody ever said anything like that before. He couldn’t confide in other because he didn’t have anyone to confide in. But now Riina asked to hear it; he opens his mouth to talk, but then-

Za za za za za... they both hear the sound of someone’s feet outside getting closer to them. Riina signals for him to turn the flashlight off. Souhei does and drops it on the floor, but that was a bad idea.

Because the light went out, the people outside were now aware that someone was in there. Immediately a middle-aged, casually dressed man and a security guard enter the shed. The normal man demands that whoever’s inside leaves.

The problem wasn’t about them being seen; the shed is not very large and there is sports equipment on all the walls stacked up to the ceiling. Souhei backs up to the wall as much as possible, the security guard is right in front of him, picking the flashlight up. Souhei thinks about running.

The security guard and the other guy, who turns out to be teaching staff, talk a little. In the end they guess some kids got in and ran off somehow. When they turn to leave, the teacher touches Souhei’s arm. As he panics, Riina jumps out in front of the two men.

She then kicks the teacher. He falls over, knocking a hurdle over with a loud crash. She then picks a bag of calcium carbonate up slowly, right as the security guard points his flashlight right at her.

"...It's floating?"

It seemed totally careless. Riina spun the bag she held in both hands, applying centrifugal force she threw it at the security guard's face.

The security guard was hit in the nose, falling with upright posture, he didn't get up. Souhei peered at where that body fell. His eyes were wide open to their whites and his mouth shook. The teaching staff was breathing too. It's unclear where he was hurt, but they both couldn't do anything.

After that Souhei pulls both the men outside the shed, hoping that maybe the security company would get worried after a while and come looking for them. He puts the flashlight by the security guard, just in case.

Riina is really shaken up, worrying about if she exposed invisible people. Again, her face lacks expression, but she can’t hide her anxiety.

Souhei thanks her for saving him, and assures her that they’ll probably think it was something else. If they don’t tell anyone, there won’t be any problems.

On the way home, Riina still seems to regret her actions. Because of this, Souhei thinks it might help if he tells her his story from earlier. It might make her feel better about her mistake.

"Tell me" Riina said.

What am I doing like this. As Souhei thought that he opened his mouth.

"When I entered middle school, I immediately joined the track and field club. I had been fast since I was young, and since everyone said I should use that, I wanted to try it out. When I said I was joining a club, my childhood friends Hijiri and Haruka joined it together with me- but the girl Haruka became the manager.

Ever since I was a freshman I ranked at the top in city tournaments. Because I grew faster than everyone else, that might have worked to my advantage. The event was called 100 meter hurdles, it's a competition where you run and jump over obstacles. Hijiri - who specialized in 200 meter sprint - was also fast, since we went into our second year, he got good results."

On the road, a roar of a large truck raised up and passed by. Souhei continued the conversation.

"In the middle of our second year Hijiri was appointed as the head of the club. That guy had leadership skills, naturally because everyone trusted him. Of course I didn't complain. I don't have the ability to lead others. The autumn tournament went by smoothly. But if you saw from the results, it wasn't that we were doing well. Back then Hijiri told me often "I'll absolutely go to nationals for the spring tournament".

Then winter ended, it was before the tournament. If we lost here we would both retire. So whatever happened, we had to win. That's what me, Hijiri and Haruka thought. However an accident happened during practice that day. That day, the baseball club and soccer club had a tournament and a practice game, so they weren't on the school sports grounds. The two didn't have club activities, the grounds were hogged by the track and field club. So we exerted ourselves too much. Everyone was delighted and called it "the perfect day for practice""

Riina walked in silence. However Souhei knew that she was absolutely listening to the story.

"When club activities start we do the necessary stretching, all the members do easy training. When that ended it finally changed to practice for each competition. There usually wasn't enough practice for Hijiri's competition, the 200 meter sprint. Because the three club activities are always crowded together, competitions that use the track for a long time inevitably are only able to practice around the first start- but that day it had been widely used. So before I started my own practice, I decided to to go around and help out. I stuffed the tools we used for training in a box, while I held that I crossed the sport grounds. Then I planned to bring it to the prefab hut from earlier.

I left from the shed, immediately Hijiri and the other team members doing the 200 meter sprint began running. They formed a straight line once they started from the curb- then, Hijiri fell."

Souhei was quiet for a while. He still remembers the sight of Hijiri falling back then now. After rolling like a scrap of paper, his hollow eyes looked towards midair.

"When you leave off at full speed something like falling over is really dangerous. Hijiri actually hit his head, and was immediately taken off by an ambulance. Haruka and I should have followed it together. However, there was something we realized we had to do no matter what."

"Something you realized?" Riina said.

"...Yeah. The moment Hijiri fell, we saw something shiny fly out from his feet. We wanted to make sure what it was. We found it immediately. It was a whistle usually used for practice. That little guy-"

Souhei formed a small U-shape with his index finger and thumb.

"-that should have been in the box I put away in the shed. When I crossed over the sports grounds, it's obvious that the whistle fell out of it. Hijiri stepped on that and fell over- that's what happened. Something like an obstacle falling out is something that shouldn't happen. I should have been more careful. Hijiri ended up fracturing his ankle, in the end, he couldn't participate in his last tournament. That's the cause of why I'm hated by him."

Riina spoke immediately.

"That's not, something you can help. You're innocent, Souhei."

Souhei raised his head. He wasn't sure if this was the first time she called him by his name.

"...I certainly am innocent. But this wasn't a simple fracture. It seems hard to heal from something like an ankle fracture, moreover despite that the after-effects still come and go. Even though it healed so he can run a light amount, he still can't run at full power."

Riina closed her mouth. Souhei continued.

"But, at first, Hijiri wasn't angry. I apologized, and he even laughed because it couldn't be helped. 'Because it's a pain don't tell the other members' he said. I couldn't believe it. Something like laughing and forgiving me, who injured him. At the hospital bed he told me 'when we go into high school I'll become a manager'. Though I betrayed that too."

"What do, you mean?"

"My family isn't that wealthy, so it took all my effort to get into high school. The tools for club activities and excursions to tournaments cost some money. It's difficult to get a part-time job when you're in school. So, when I graduated from middle school, I finally realized I had to be frank. 'I can't continue track and field in high school' is what I said. However I felt I was taking it a little lightly. Somewhere in my heart, I felt I wasn't sure if he would forgive me again-"

Souhei continued.

"-But it was no use. It was the first time I saw Hijiri mad like that. 'I thought I could trust you.' he said. 'You betrayed me.'. If I could do it, I would have. The part of Hijiri that couldn't run wanted to run too. But it was impossible..."

Then when Hijiri becoming injured became well-known recently, Souhei became persecuted in the classroom. They were completely Hijiri's allies. When he was finally aware of the bullying towards him, and then when he understood the reason for their actions, Souhei thought it was only natural. Clearly Hijiri was the victim, and he was the bad guy.

Souhei didn't tell Riina up until Grade 11 Set 5. It didn't matter what he says, he didn't care to tell any more of this extremely miserable story.

She was quiet. From her profile lit up by the city lights, he couldn't perceive which emotions she held after hearing that story. However, Souhei regretted a little, wondering if he might have made it excessively dark. He wasn't sure of if he should have told this story.

The two return home at around midnight. Most of the residents Souhei knew are awake and greet them. As they pulled out 4 bags of calcium carbonate, everybody cheers. Takehito is also thankful, and hugs Souhei.

Seiji greets them. He seems surprised. When Souhei told him they got it from the school, Seiji seems worried about them getting caught. Souhei laughs, saying it they didn’t and that it was easy.

After that, he eats some food Jirou made and heads off to his room. Just as he's about to go in, Riina says to him:

"I don't think, you're bad, Souhei." "...Eh?"

She looked over to him intently.

"Thanks, for, today."

He felt she was thanking him for keeping the affair in the hut a secret. But the one who was saved was him. I should be the one thanking you- when he tried to say that, he noticed blooming on Riina's lips was a faint smile. It was truly small, and it seemed like if the wind blew it would disappear, but she definitely smiled.

While he watched absentmindedly Riina returned to her room, as Souhei stood there for a while.

#invisible #kemu #kemu voxx #pandora voxx #riinas so cute holy shit

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rubyhollow · 7 years

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“Destination, Book 1: The Fall of Man” Chapter 1 (rewritten)

07-14-17

CHAPTER 1

Every step she took burned like the roaring fires she had been seeing for months now. In the heat of the summer sun, she had still not found a balance between keeping covered to avoid sunburn and keeping cool enough to avoid dehydration. It seemed like the sweat poured from everywhere. She could feel it on her head, in her armpits, in her knees, and she could even feel the little drops that trickled all the way down her back into her pants.

Sirena felt like she had been walking for months now. She only knew that wasn't true because there was no way that this scorching heat could last that long. Although she had no destination, she kept walking. She had grown tired of looking for friends and only finding empty houses and disappointments. Everyone she knew had vanished. Sirena was alone. 

The few people she had come across were essentially useless. They were scared, and had next to no survival skills. Normally, they were begging her for help. She would do what she could, then sneak away before they could follow her. Something inside her had prepared her well for the way the world had become. She didn't want to be alone, but somehow that was preferable to having others dependent on her. 

She carried with her only what was necessary. Her cargo pants were weighed down with the smaller items; a knife, can opener, flashlight, and a few lighters she had picked up along the way. She wore a long-sleeves, white t-shirt. She had heard white reflected the heat from the sun. A baseball cap shielded her face. In her backpack, she carried her favorite flannel shirt, a change of socks, a light blanket, a phone charger, and a phone. There was no service anymore, but whenever she found a working car with more than a little gas in it, she would charge it up to play games and listen to music. It made the lonely nights less miserable. 

It had been several days since she had found a salvageable car. Most were out of gas, totaled, or too burnt from the riots. Her phone was quickly losing battery, so she hoped to find a car soon. Until then, she would walk, melting into the ground. 

Nighttime was on its way, and with it, the rumbling thunder of a storm. Tonight she would have to find a building to sleep in, which wasn't always as easy as she would like it to be. With so many buildings having been burned down, most others were locked or completely trashed. Sirena tended to stay in smaller towns, anyway. They weren't as hard hit by the riots and gangs generally stuck to big cities. Up ahead, she saw a gas station that looked like it had been neglected for quite some time, possibly even since before the riots started. It had old fashioned pumps and a rickety sign out front that almost demanded customers to pay inside. In fact, it almost looked like the town had built up around this little gas station. Next to it was a bank with glass windows all the way around, and the rest of the street was lined with grocery stores, fast food restaurants and strip malls. The only pride the little building had to boast was that it was the only gas station she had seen so far in this town. This was likely the only reason it had survived for so long. 

Before going in, she would check around the outside, like she did with every building she found shelter in. Around the side was a '72 Chevette, painted an annoying orange color that reminded her of the shirt she wore for picture day in fourth grade. The car was empty, of course, in terms of content and gasoline. In the back of the store were dozens of trash bags which had been ripped open, either by animals or people, looking for food. On the other side of the building were bushes and trees which had grown up so much that she could barely squeeze through. On that side was another door, but even if anyone could get access to it, they would find that it was securely locked from the inside. At last, she decided this building was safe. 

A bell rung as Sirena opened the door. It was clear that this place had already been raided for food. Shelves were knocked over and the floor was littered with plastic wrappers and empty bottles. The air smelled of the rotting food that had thawed out in the freezers. It wasn't ideal, but this would be home tonight. She took off her backpack, and took out her things. She found the cleanest spot, which was behind the counter. She put on her flannel, laid down, and pulled her blanket over her body. She closed her eyes and hoped for dreams of better days. 

Her eyes shot open. The sunlight shone through the windows. There was no such thing as a good night’s sleep anymore. No slow mornings. She stood up, rolled up her blanket, and blinked her eyes for a moment. They burned from lack of sleep. The morning was still chilly, so she pulled her flannel tighter around herself, rubbing her arms for a jolt of warmth. She walked over to where she left her things the night before, but seemed to have been mistaken. Her things were not there. She looked around and spotted her backpack in the opposite corner. Her mind was foggy. She walked over and put the blanket in her backpack. She slung it over her shoulder and thought about the day ahead. Her goal was to find a car and water by the end of the day. She walked to the front of the store, and just as she put her hand on the door, she heard the engine of a car coming down the road. She ran back behind the counter and ducked down, peeking over enough to watch the car drive by. They slowed down. Shit. Why are they slowing down? Shit! Are they stopping? The green pick-up truck threw up dust as it came to a screeching halt. Three men jumped out, each with at least two weapons. The men looked dirty and unkempt. They opened the back of the truck and pulled out a fourth man. This man was bound with rope at his hands and feet, and he had a bag over his head. He was well dressed, but had clearly become closely acquainted with the business ends of the other men’s weapons.

When they pulled the bag off his head, Sirena expected to see a slobbering, tearfully apologetic man. Instead, she saw a bold-faced, stoic man, like the marble statues she had seen in museums long ago. She admired him. At the same time, she wondered what this man could have done to get himself into such a situation. She could hear the men talking, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. They were prodding the kneeling man with their guns, tearing his clothing with their knives, and kicking dust up into his face. The man was unbreakable. Finally, what she had been anticipating, happened. The blonde man took his gun and hit the man with it in the face. Instantaneously, blood started gushing from the mans brow. Sirena winced. She was morally torn about what her next move should be. She wasn’t sure if she could just sit back and watch this man get assassinated before her eyes. On the other hand, she was fairly certain she couldn’t take on three heavily armed men, and wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to help this potentially dangerous man, anyway. The blows to the mans face and head were coming faster, and he would be dead soon if the assault didn’t let up. She turned her back and ducked back behind the counter. She could still hear the blows landing. She needed to figure out what to do, and she needed to figure it out quick.

Two gunshots. Sirena knew the man was dead. It took all of her bravery to peer back over the counter. What she saw, she wasn’t even sure was real. The man, who was barely recognizable from the beating he had received, was fighting one of the armed men with incredible ferocity. The two other men lay in puddles of blood on the ground at his feet. At last, he pulled the mans knife from his hand and slit his throat with it all in the same motion. With that, his third foe slumped to the ground.

She needed one of those guns. She had never found one that had much ammo in it, and seeing as there were several here, she could only assume that he had access to more ammo as well. She stayed hidden, hoping that maybe he would run away and she could follow him. She peeked over the counter once again. Instead of seeing him run away, Sirena caught a quick glimpse of the man coming into the gas station just before she ducked back down behind the counter.

She listened intently, observing what the man was doing without watching him. She heard the rifling of plastic food wrappers followed by loud, obnoxious chewing. She heard the man take heavy steps around the store, opening and closing refrigerator doors. She heard another wrapper, and more chewing. The next sound she heard was the cocking of a gun. Looking up, she saw the man staring down at her from over the counter. With his mouth full of some over sugared pastry, he demanded, "who are you?" As he spoke, pieces of cake and icing flew out of his mouth. She stood up slowly, watching the barrel of his gun follow her the whole way up.

Again he asked, "who are you," this time having swallowed his mouthful of cake. She look at him with uncertainty. Mere minutes ago, she had been intimidated by this man, afraid of him even. Now, he looked like a blubbering idiot with a gun.

"I'm just the girl trying to figure out who you are."

The man wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "What's your name?"

"My name is Sirena."

The man eyed her cautiously. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just sleeping man. I don't mean any harm." Sirena was still holding her arms in the air, but they were starting to get tired. She lowered them a bit.

The man glanced around the store. He jerked his head toward the window. "You saw that?"

Sirena lowered her arms completely to her sides. "Yeah. I saw that."

The man watched her, but with a sudden movement, he pulled up his shirt and tucked his gun in the waistband in the back of his pants. He returned to rummaging for food through the store. Sirena watched him, confused. He payed her no mind, not even acknowledging that she was there anymore. After shoving several handfuls of packages of food in his bag, he raised himself off the ground, and walked out the door, the ring of the bell echoing in Sirena's ears.

"Wait!" She called after him. She quickly ran around the counter and threw the door open, running after him. "Hey, come back!"

He faced her, still chewing his food. He stared at her blankly.

"I need a weapon," she said finally.

The man blinked at her. "Like... a gun?"

Sirena looked down at the guns on the ground, then spoke in a tone that she might use with a young child. "Yeah. A gun."

The man walked over to the guns and gathered them up off the ground. As he passed her, he muttered a quiet, "no," then continued on his way to the truck. He pulled open the passengers side door and threw in the guns, at least ten or so.

"Oh, come on. You can't carry all those!"

A smirk showed up on the man's bloody face. He cocked his head to the side as he spoke. "I don't need to carry them. I have a truck." The man walked past her again and grabbed the keys off the ground. Silently, he walked to the driver side of the truck, opened the door, and got in.

Sirena strode over to the open window. "Fine," she smiled, "I'll just hitch a ride." She stepped up on the wheel of the truck and hopped into the back.

The door opened, but the man did not come out. "Get out," he called from inside the cab.

"Give me a gun," she answered. She heard a heavy sigh from the truck, and the door creaked open the rest of the way.

The man stepped out and leaned on the side of the truck. "Please get out of my truck."

Sirena crossed her arms. "Gun, please."

The man walked to the back of the truck and opened it. "Get the hell out of the truck."

"Not until I get a gun," Sirena yelled.

All of a sudden, the man jumped into the back of the truck, grabbed her leg, and started pulling her out of the truck. "Get off of me!" she screamed. He pulled her shoe off, and with her other foot, she kicked him in his already bruised and swollen face. He groaned and backed off as he grabbed his face in pain and she jumped out of the back of the truck and ran into the drivers seat and quickly locked the doors. She looked out the rear view mirror and saw the man throw her shoe before he walked over to talk to her through the window.

She looked up at him. "Asshole."

"Get out of my truck!" He yelled at her.

"That was so childish." She shook her head. "Go get my shoe!"

"You go get your shoe. I don't care if you have it!"

Sirena leaned back and lovingly caressed the pile of guns in the passenger seat. The man instantly puffed up with anger. "Leave those alone!"

"I want my shoe back!"

He smacked the window angrily and started walking back toward where he threw her shoe. After a few minutes, he was back, shaking her shoe in the window. She smiled up at him and unlocked the door. He opened it quickly and threw her shoe back into the bed. Standing in the open door, he stared at her, waiting for her to get out. Slowly, she stood up, defeat on her face. Shaking her head once more, she said, "asshole."

"Ok, well 'asshole' is letting you ride in the back."

Sirena climbed into the bed of the truck and leaned against the cab, arms crossed once again.

He got in the truck and took off quickly, then just as quickly slammed on the brakes, causing Sirena’s head to hit the window she was leaning against. Grabbing her head, she turned around and saw the man laughing in the truck. She leaned around and shouted through the window as they sped up once more, “asshole!”

After that, the man seemed to drive with caution. It was a smooth, and somewhat relaxing ride. For much of the drive, she stared at the back of the truck and watched the dust fly up behind them. She had been staring into space for so long, that it took longer than it should have for her to notice the vehicle that was driving up behind them. Instantly on her toes, she leaned forward to get a better view. As the car got closer to them, she saw two people in the front seat.

Knocking on the window, she alerted her companion. “Hey asshole, we have company!” He flashed his eyes up into the rear view mirror just in time to see a gun slip out of the passenger’s side window.

“Oh, shit!” Sirena threw herself onto the bottom of the truck bed as bullets flew over her head. The truck started to swerve back and forth and Sirena’s body was being thrown around in the back like a ragdoll. Calling into the front of the truck, Sirena asked, “think you wanna give me one of those guns now?”

Sure enough, the back window opened and a rifle came crashing onto her chest. She did the best she could to aim it without looking, then gave a quick peek over the back of the truck and fired. She did this several times before she was able to successfully hit something that made the car stop. She honestly didn’t know whether she hit the car or one of the people inside it, but at that point, what mattered was that they were no longer being shot at.

The truck kept moving for several more miles until it stopped and the two of them jumped out.

“What the hell was that?” yelled Sirena angrily. Before she demanded a response, she noticed that the man was grabbing his neck. “Were you hit?”

He pulled his hand away to observe the amount of blood on it. “Nah, I’m fine.”

Sirena crossed her arms. “You’re not fine. You need help. Your face is so swollen that the fact that you can see well enough to drive is a miracle.”

“I’m fine and I don’t need any help.”

“Why don’t you let me drive? Take a break and get some rest.”

The man puffed up. “That’s-“

“It’s a good idea, is what it is!” Sirena shot back at him.

“That’s…” the anger faded from the man’s face. “That is a good idea. Fine. But this doesn’t mean I like this idea.”

Sirena shrugged. “You don’t have to like it.”

After moving the guns into the bed, the two of them got back into the truck, with Sirena in the driver’s seat. The man seemed tired, but he didn’t sleep.

“How far do I go?” she asked.

“Until there’s no more gas left,” he answered her weakly.

Sirena glanced down at the gas gauge and saw that they had almost a full tank of gas. They would be able to drive for some time. “Wait, how did you manage to get a truck with a full tank of gas?”

The man closed his eyes and leaned the seat back. “Trust me, it’s not worth going back there for a full tank of gas.”

Sirena expected there to be more to that story, but more never came. They sat in silence for a few minutes as Sirena decided what she should say next.

“So, what’s your name?”

“Wow,” he mused, “I’m impressed. I was completely convinced that you thought my name was ‘asshole’.”

Sirena smiled, “I just call them like I see them.”

In the seat next to her, she heard a hearty, genuine chuckle. “My name is Allister.”

“Allister?” she repeated. “What are you, a nineteen-forties detective?”

“Oh, very funny,” he responded sarcastically. “but, your name is Sirena.” He paused, thinking she may catch up with him, but she didn’t understand. “so, serene, calm, quiet. You don’t fit the bill.”

Somehow, Sirena felt as though Allister had meant this as a compliment. “What does Allister mean?” she asked.

Allister breathed a heavy, tired sigh. “Royal fuck-up.”

After that, Allister fell asleep, and Sirena was able to put all of her focus on the road ahead.

Hours later, the truck began to slow. She sat up to peek at the gas gauge. Empty. She let out a sigh and threw her head back on the seat. It had felt so good to cover so much distance without moving a muscle. Allister, who had been awake for some time now, got out of the truck and slammed the door. She got out and walked to the back of the bed where Allister was gathering supplies out of the truck. Allister stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her. He examined her.

“I’ve heard of a place,” he said, finally breaking the hours of silence. “Supposedly, it’s safe. Full of people who never got caught up in all this mess. You can come with me, if you like, but it might be dangerous. Your choice.” He turned and went back to his packing. She watched him for a moment, then looked up the road ahead of them. It looked long, endless even. She had no other options, no destination, nowhere else to go.

“Why are you inviting me? I thought I wasn’t your responsibility.”

“Fine,” he shrugged. “Then don’t come. I don’t really care either way.”

“What’s it called?” She asked.

“Skylight. Probably named by a bunch of hippies, but it sounds good enough to me. You in?”

“Where is it?”

“California.”

Astonished, she caught her breath. “Are you kidding? It would take us months to get there! You realize that’s on the complete other side of the country!” She didn’t know exactly where she was, but she knew she hadn’t covered that much ground from where she started in Virginia. She gaped at Allister like he was the wildest thing she’d ever seen. He turned to face her once more, still calm as ever, but now with a glint of annoyance in the way he looked at her. “I said it could be dangerous,” he reiterated. “I did not say it would be quick, or fun, or not absolutely miserable, but that’s where i am going. Now that you’re fully informed, make your decision. Last chance.”

Sirena cupped her face in her hands and let out a massive sigh. She was starting to get a little aggravated with him as well, but she knew she had no other choice. “Fine. Yes. I’ll go.” She exhaled the words. Allister shut the back of the truck and walked to the front, but before he continued, he leaned across the bed toward her like he might actually say something friendly for the first time since they’d met. He stared deep into her eyes, and she awaited his next words like candy. His face became stern.

“No complaining.”

Even after the few hours of air conditioning from the truck, she had already forgotten how hot the days were. She had shed her flannel shirt and tied it around her waist. She dragged behind Allister. For the first time, she took a long, hard look at him. She had noticed before that he was well dressed, but now that she looked at him, she noticed that everything he wore was name brand. Not only that, but aside from his own blood covering them, all of his clothes looked clean and in great condition. His hat looked like it was probably a favorite. It was well worn and the brim looked like it was bent well beyond its limit. It was the same ugly orange as the car she had seen at the gas station. He carried the large duffle bag which was filled with supplies from the truck. It looked so heavy that the bottom might bust out.

He looked back at her. He did this occasionally, making sure she was still with him. There was kindness in him, for sure, but it had been buried deep. She wanted to be able to have a friend, and thought maybe that could be Allister, but she would have to wait. They had finally reached the top of the first massive hill. Her legs were throbbing. She turned around, and she could still see the truck miles away in the distance. Seeing the truck made it seem like they had not covered any distance at all.

Sirena closed her eyes, caught her breath, and wiped the sweat from her face. She began walking again, but paused. Allister was gone. Her eyes sprinted back and forth across the road, looking for some sign of her companion, but she saw nothing. Her stomach turned, and her heart drummed in her chest. She whimpered. Being alone was something she was used to, but not something she was happy to return to.

Just then, a man appeared out of the bushes to her right. It was Allister. He zipped up his pants and threw the pack back over his shoulders.

Sirena crouched down and put her head between her knees, breathing long and hard breaths of relief. She regained her composure. Lifting her head, she saw that Allister had come to stand right next to her. She wiped her eyes and stood up. She looked at him, expecting to see judgment in his eyes. Instead, she saw a tiny smile.

“You good?” He asked, putting a comforting hand on her arm. She said nothing, only nodded. He pat her arm, then began walking, this time slowing his pace and keeping the gap between them closed. Sirena smiled to herself. For the first time in months, she had a friend. Although she had finally started to feel comfortable around Allister, that is, she no longer thought he hated her, she still remained quiet most of the time. She could tell he wasn’t the talking type. Occasionally, she would fall a few paces behind him so she could study him. He gave away little about what may have been on his mind. He was always looking straight ahead. In fact, sometimes she had to focus extra hard to be certain he was even blinking.

Sirena was only sure of one thing, and that was that she wasn’t sure of anything about this man. As she thought about it, she decided maybe she had been too trusting. She still had no idea why he had been in trouble with those men, or how he was able to take all three of them down with his bare hands. She considered the pros and cons of asking him about it. It could turn out to be something very bad. It could turn out to be nothing at all. He could choose not to give her any answers. She decided there was no harm in trying.

“Allister, can I ask you something?”

“I’d prefer you didn’t,” he quipped.

She paused, but only for a moment. “Who were those men? The ones who-”

“Sirena.” Allister had stopped walking.

“I’d like to know who they were. And I’d like to know why they were trying to kill you.” Sirena saw a look descend upon Allisters face, but it was a look she didn’t recognize. It seemed to be a mix of pain, fear, and a dash of pride. He stared at the ground for awhile, then looked up at her.

“Why do you need to know?”

“I don’t need to know, I just want to. I want to know what kind of person you are.”

Allister threw his head back and let out an exasperated “Christ.” He gave a small chuckle and looked back at Sirena. “Look,” he said. “All you need to know for now is that I am not a danger to you. What happened back there involves something a lot deeper and messier than anything you want to get into. I suggest you leave it alone. The time will come, and you’ll figure it all out, but that time is not now.” He started walking again, but Sirena stayed put. Allister had only gone a few feet before he turned around to face her. He cocked his hip to the side and hooked his thumbs on the strap of the duffle bag laying across his chest. He looked like a mother disappointed in her misbehaving child. Sirena stood facing him with her arms crossed. She wanted answers.

“You’re unbelievable,” he groaned.

She approached him. As she got closer, she realized for the first time that he was quite a bit taller than she was. As she got almost toe to toe with him, she looked up at him with great intensity. “I am a girl. Do not ever mistake that for weakness or cowardice. I survived for quite some time with no help at all. I’m not here because I need you. With that said, I plan on making this journey with you. I plan on having your back in times of trouble, and plan on expecting the same from you. But do not think for a second that I will continue one more step if I do not fully believe, right here and right now, that I can trust you with my life. I want to know what happened with those men. I want you to tell me everything I should know about you. Is that clear?”

Though they were already almost nose to nose, Allister leaned in even more. He said nothing. He looked at her in a way that made her feel vulnerable. Sirena felt that she should look away or step back, but she knew that’s what he was expecting of her. She remained motionless, meeting his gaze with equaled strength and ferocity. Finally, his face broke into a smile. This was not like the half-assed smiles that she had seen before, but it was genuine and full of satisfaction.

“Well,” he boasted, “you’ve got two choices: get the hell over it, or stay here. My story. My business.”

She scoffed at him. She was in disbelief. Every time she thought she had chipped away a layer of him, he seemed to harden up even stronger than before. And now what should she do? She had made an idol threat. She would stay with him whether he told her his story or not. He knew his way around in this world. He was strong, that’s for sure, and she didn’t need to provide for him. For now, he was the perfect friend, though she used that term very loosely when referring to him. Now she would look weak to him, which she hated. She had to be tactful about how she approached this.

“So what you’re saying is you don’t want me to come with you.” Allister was rifling through his pack for something.

“I honestly couldn’t care less.” He pulled out a pair of binoculars.

“Ugh. Whatever.” She gave up. He probably didn’t even care enough to notice whether she seemed weak or tough. She was done trying to predict his words and actions. There was no use.

#book #novel #fiction #adventure #story #read #write #writer #author #ruby hollow #destination #the fall of man #young adult #dystopia #dystopian #sirena #allister

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