Fish line (Dark Romance)

CHAPTER 6

After my bath, I dried myself with my old clothes and changed into a clean set. I dipped the dirty clothes in water to start washing them with scented soap. While doing so, I sensed someone nearby. It was him, poking around in the soil with a stick. I could tell he had something on his mind, but he seemed unable to express it. I left him to his thoughts, knowing he would talk when ready.

"I heard some rumours," he said softly.

I stood up to squeeze the clothes. "Nick, you know I hate rumours," I said, avoiding his gaze.

"But this one is true," he insisted, blocking my path.

I moved past him to lay my clothes on a rock to dry. "Please just listen," he pleaded.

I sighed and turned around. "Listen? What good have rumors in Centro City done for us?" I asked, grabbing my pants to lay them out.

"But this one is different," he said, trying to convince me.

"So you said last time," I replied, ignoring him.

I heard him sigh as I finished laying out my clothes and started walking up the mountain.

"I said, 'Whatever this rumor is, just forget about it,'" I told him. Suddenly, he grabbed my arm tightly.

"This rumor is about getting us out of here," he said urgently.

"I don't want to listen," I replied, pulling my arm away.

"Will you listen?" he shouted, getting angry. "This is about us getting out of here!"

I turned to face him, my anger rising. "The last time you told us about a rumor, we almost got our organs harvested, and your mother almost exchanged for a potato."

"I think you've got it all wrong," he said, taking hold of my hands. "This isn't about finding an airship to rescue us. It's about finding fertile land."

"Fertile land?" I asked, intrigued.

He nodded eagerly. "Yes, land that can support life. Can you imagine? We could start over there, build our own home, and start a farm. It's possible."

The idea sounded interesting but also too good to be true. This world was almost beyond repair. Could there really be such a place? I had always distrusted rumors.

"You have to believe me, Nero. This is true. All we have to do is follow the red teeth-"

"Wait, hold on," I interrupted. "Did you say red teeth? Are you crazy?" I shouted.

"No, wait. Listen-"

"Listen? You stole their meat, Nick! Now you want to follow them to a crusade," I shouted.

"I bet this friend of yours is also a 'red teeth'," I said when he tried to avoid my gaze.

"I can't believe you talked to 'red teeth'! This time, they won't just harvest our organs, they'll roast us alive and eat us," I poked him.

"No, that won't happen," Nick defended himself.

"What makes you so sure? For all we know, the little bird might have already told them about you, and he'll be the one to lure us into their trap," I argued.

He shook his head. "Nope, Cage is not like that."

"So he has a name," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Oh, seriously, not now. I thought you weren't jealous," Nick teased.

"I'm not," I defended myself. By this time we had already made it to the spot where we slept. I picked up the bag that contained the food for Nick's mom. I was about to leave when Nick blocked my way again.

"I promise you, this time will be different, and Cage is someone I trust."

"He is a red teeth, and every red teeth sticks together," I said firmly.

"I told you you can trust Cage! Why is it that anytime you tell me you trust someone, I believe you, but when it comes to me, you don't believe me when I tell you this person can be trusted," Nick said.

"Because every person you said you trust always puts us in danger," I shouted.

He was about to say something, but I raised my hand to shut him up, signaling that I was done with the conversation. I walked around him and made it to the exit.

As I stepped out of our secret passage and secured it, I was hit with a horrible smell. There was feces on the ground, and nearby lay a dead person. As we walked further, I saw more dead bodies. The red teeth had left corpses everywhere, yet Nick wanted to go on an adventure with them. I sent him a look, but he was too busy staring at the dead bodies in the streets.