The Edge

empty dreams

Tyson looked at Eris, who was asleep on an old mattress. Her shirt had moved so that her scar was showing. It had only been a few weeks since the bandage had come off, so it was still very sensitive. She had been sleeping on her stomach ever since she came to the shelter, and it had taken a while for her to fully trust Tyson. Tyson knelt down and pulled the blanket over Eris's back and carefully put it down so as not to hurt her. He went over to the broken window of the abandoned warehouse that they had resided in. Outside, he could see the lights of the Slums in the distance. The Slums was a large area outside Crates' walls, which was thickly populated with the criminals and mentally deficient people that Crate didn't want. The place was packed with makeshift shacks and tents. Tyson remembered how they were kicked out of the shelter after the owners found out they were Runts, so they were hopping from place to place. But they had decided they would run away from the city and live in the in the old farms which lay on the far outskirts of Crate. Living there, they would be safe from the Council and start a new community. Tyson knew how to farm, and so did Eris. Since they were still young, Tyson being eleven and Eris being ten, they hadn't thought about the journey. Getting through the slums would be a long and difficult task. Most of the streets in the Slums were covered in gunk, which was a mixture of mud, rubbish, and human waste. This was going to be an issue, especially with Eris's barely healed back, and that's not mention the thousands of people who were either horrible criminals or mentally troubled psychopaths.

While trying to find a better way, Tyson came across some bandits who called themselves the Yellow Jackets. They offered a safer way out of the city, but of course, they wanted something in return. Tyson remembered giving them a bunch of food cash ins. The food cash ins were small tags that the people of Crate could earn and trade in for food. It wasn't the best currency, but the Yellow Jackets accepted it. So now they were going to travel under the Slums. The Yellow Jackets knew how to access the network of tunnels and sewers that spread under the whole city. They had given Tyson a way into the tunnels, so now Eris and him were on their way to the location. Once the sky darkened them, they took shelter in the warehouse, Tyson took the first shift to look out while Eris slept, and it stayed that way. He didn't want to wake Eris up even though he had promised her. He wanted her to get the rest she needed. Once the smog skies brightened, signaling day, Tyson gently shook Eris awake.

Eris woke up to William gently shaking her awake. He quietly told her that they needed to get Mina. Her questions of why were blown off, and she was told to dress quickly. Once she had gotten dressed into her Edgerunner uniform, she went outside to see that all the others were waiting for her. They entered the tunnel, where William handed them masks to protect them. They started down the tunnel where William explained what was happening. The Council had found out about Mina being a spy and were sending in Hounds to arrest them. Now, they needed to get her to safety before the Hounds arrived.

Today, Tyson had gotten the day off. It was not unusual for runners to take a day off here and there, but what wasn't usual was every runner not being allowed to leave the camp. That morning, everybody was woken up and told to go outside. They weren't even given time to get dressed, so everybody was standing in their pajamas. There were hushed whispers everywhere as two large trucks came down the road, which led to the drop-off. Out of the trucks came ten people. They were all dressed head to toe in black padded uniform with their face masks. The only thing different was the blood red sash that crossed over their right shoulder. Blood-Hounds.