All That Remains

04. Elias

Elias watched the girl's retreating back, debating whether to follow her, or let her be.

Something about her fascinated him. Despite her harsh, sarcastic words and tough exterior, he suspected that she was actually a kind person. One who had been hurt by the world they lived in. If he went after her, he could learn more about her, maybe find out where she stayed and if there were others like her.

Maybe Eli, Eden and Emmanuel could even join them.

If he didn't, he would never know her story, which in the grand scheme of things, shouldn't matter to him. But, Eli couldn't shake the feeling that their paths were meant to cross at some point, as though it was fate that brought them both to the same building.

Follow her? Stay behind?

The former finally won out, and he pushed the gun into his waist band, scrambling quickly after her. Grass crunched loudly beneath his feet as he attempted to catch up to her. "Wait, you didn't tell me your name!"

"Why does it matter?" She turned around at the base of the stairs, a smirk on her lips as she saw the gun poking out of his pants. "You should really keep that out."

"I told you mine," he insisted. "And it's deserted around here. I don't think I need it."

Her almond eyes widened, disbelief colouring her features. For the first time, Elias noticed that her left one was two different colours; the lower half was a light brown and the upper half was an ocean blue that matched her right.

Heterochromia. He had learned about it in school.

She heaved a loud sigh, her eyes all but rolling out of her head. "Look kid, this isn't the movies where The Risen move slowly and give you plenty of time to react. This is real life, and they probably move faster than you. Keep your gun out."

He bristled, resenting the fact that she had dared to call him 'kid'. She was definitely a similar age to him, possibly even younger. Her condescending tone and snarky manner made him second guess whether coming after her had been a good idea after all. "You don't have yours out."

"I don't have one." she answered. "But I do have my trusty dagger." She patted her side where, sure enough, a metal handle poked out of her belt. He didn't understand why it was okay for her to store her weapon there, but not for him. With that, she turned around again, placing one foot on the first step.

"Look." He grabbed her shoulder before she could go any further, forcing her to face him. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to know your name."

"Why?"

It was a good question, one he didn't know the answer to. Maybe it was because of her long hair and ivory skin? Or possibly the unusual colour of her eyes and constellation of freckles that littered her nose? But Elias knew it had nothing to do with her looks, though she certainly was very pretty. It had everything to do with the strange fascination he felt. He needed to know more about her, to understand why she was the way she was; so cold and sarcastic.

Did she lose someone, like him?

Before he could answer, she slapped a hand over his mouth, stepping back into the shadows behind a pillar and dragging him with her. The move was unexpected and swift, catching him off guard. His spine hit the heavy cement, sending shockwaves of pain coursing through his back.

He grunted in pain, determined to open his mouth to protest, despite her hand blocking it. She shook her head quickly, raising a finger to her lips, her eyes wide with fear. It took a moment for Eli to understand why. His heart leapt into his throat as he heard the commotion that was coming from just outside.