The Corrupted (Completed - editing)

Chapter 13 - "Withdrawals"

My boots are worn, scuffed and covered in the dry dirt below me. My head throbs, vision blurring. I see the skyscrapers ahead. I'm close.

I have to keep going. I can't stop, I'm too close. I soon find myself crumbing under my own weight, the pressure to go on growing to be too much. I stop, sitting down against an abandoned car on the empty highway. Taking out a can of preserved fruit, I crack the lid and tip half its contents in my mouth. I hadn't eaten nor drank anything in a while, which explains my fatigue and dizziness. I'm hoping once I get this food down I should be okay.

The sweetness surprises me at first, causing me to cough up some of what I had just eaten. I set the can down after eating most of it, taking a moment to observe my surroundings. It had been a long walk from the safe house, and after a day of walking and camping out in abandoned cars, I was almost there. I could see Simon's red dot coming closer and closer with every step I took.

I look around me, skyscrapers slowly replacing my typical forest surroundings. This seemed to work in my favor, because there was nowhere something or someone could hide. I look down at the road below me, noticing the cracks and small patches of greenery sprouting through.

"Be the weed growing through the cracks in the cement, beautiful - because it doesn't know it's not supposed to grow there."

The quote echoes through my head, a smile tugging at my lips. I find myself brushing my finger against the small plant, admiring its strength and beauty.

I chug down the rest of the contents in the can, taking a moment before standing up and dusting off my clothing. I look down at the phone in my hand, but before turning it on I notice something. Something in the reflection of the screen, behind me.

Without any sudden movements, I pull out the handgun from my back pocket, whipping around to face the thing that was watching me. I'm met with a masked person pressing a gun to my head.

"Put down the gun." The gunman mumbles, their voice muffled by the mask.

"I'm gonna have to say no." I smirk, jumping out of the grasp and pulling out a knife tucked safely in my boot. Before the person can blink, I throw the knife, watching as it lands next to the attacker's head and into the steel of the car.

"You missed." The attacker says, keeping the gun pointed at me.

"Maybe I didn't want to hit you." I say, keeping my right hand behind me, where my gun was safely secured.

The attacker lowers their gun, taking off their mask. Golden blonde hair topples out, falling just above their waist – her waist.

"You're alone?" She says, stuffing her mask into her back pocket, gazing at me with curiosity.

I nod, keeping my hand above my gun.

Her smile causes her face to light up, and I watch as she slings her gun over her shoulder by the leather strap. She was stunning.

"The name's Zoe. You're lucky I have a soft spot for people like you." Zoe says, ruffling her hand through her hair.

"People like me?" I question, wondering what she was talking about.

She looks at me, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah. You're Eve, number 586. Government escapee."

<><>

"How do you know my name?" I growl at her, retrieving my knife from the car, tucking it back in my boot.

Zoe laughs, running her hand through her hair. "You're kidding, right?"

I glare at her, picking my backpack up and slinging it over my shoulder.

"Eve, your name is on the wanted list. You have a bounty on your head." She looks at me as I stop and stare at her in disbelief.