The Runner (Part I of the Runner Series)

Chapter 4

Normally I would head straight to the pawn shop, but given the fuss I kicked up back at the courtier's house, I think it would be wise to hold onto my spoils for now. I'll have to try and sell them later once some of the heat has died down.

The dull pain in my knee is all but forgotten as I head in the direction of the tavern. I leap effortlessly from rooftop to rooftop, bypassing the crowds below and travelling with a speed that may as well be flight.

There is beauty to be found among this desolation. The world before the Burn boasted skyscrapers and greenery, but our simple, sturdy structures serve a greater purpose: survival.

The world wasn't always this way—oppressively warm in the daytime and cold at night, harsh with gusting sand and ceaseless drought. Years ago, the earth was rich in variety, ever-changing in season. The way my father told it to my brother and me, the Burn was an inevitable result of humanity being consumed by greed and selfishness. We dug and hollowed out our planet, depleting our resources and spilling toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. Over time, the sun's light grew brighter, gradually incinerating our planet's once-fertile environment until every semblance of civilization was completely eradicated in an event we call the Great Burn.

The harsh climate that settled upon us post-Burn wreaked havoc on our technology and power sources, driving people against one another and forcing them into the desert with all of its murderous intent.

Most of humanity perished within the first few years of the Burn.

Most, but not all.

Some of our ancestors survived by banding together and constructing a settlement, while others chose to remain in the Wastelands and live in roughshod tribes. The first group of survivors built up the walls of their camp into what eventually became the City, while the shadowy Wastelanders retreated further into the unknown, taking up arms and battling us endlessly over the desert's scant resources. It isn't known what originally caused the Wastelanders and the City dwellers to split into two distinct camps, but a couple of hundred years have served only to intensify our differences.

Two hundred and nine years have passed and some semblance of society has returned. The original City has expanded beyond the great, glass Palace and the fine noble homes that were first erected around it, now encompassing what was once a refugee camp. The descendants of the City's first settlers live in the inner district, nicknamed the Court, while the rest of us occupy the crumbling outer area known as the Commons.

Robbed of the old ways, we rely on the history books preserved by our ancestors to learn and rebuild. Our city has long outgrown the reach of its walls and now much of our wood, food and water is provided by traders — brave travellers who make long, dangerous treks into the Wastelands to collect from the nearby oases. The remainder of our materials are extracted from the earth, pried out of crumbling underground caverns. Hundreds of common men make the journey to our quarry every day, armed with their shovels and pickaxes. It is a hard, dangerous job suited only to the City's strongest. Those who venture outside the safety of our wall take their lives into their hands. The peril of sudden dust storms, blistering days and freezing nights pales in comparison to the dangers of coming up against our most dangerous enemy: the Wastelanders.

I roll out of my last jump and stride to the ledge, perching and surveying the endless landscape before me. Miles and miles of twisting alleyways stretch out in every direction, with the low, sun-bleached buildings jutting up between them. From the ground, the City can appear like a maze, full of dead ends and confusing turns, but up here, it all makes perfect sense.

Turning so that my legs are dangling over the edge of the roof, I adjust my grip and climb down to the ground. Landing among a cloud of sand, I push the wayward strands of hair back from my face and stride through the door of my favourite tavern, the Beacon.