Streets of Shadow

Streets of Shadow Ch. 1 + Copyright Notice

Chapter 1

I ran down my street, a backpack swung over one shoulder. I knew what I did was risky, but I had the house key, and I wasn’t going to leave anything I could use to rot away. All around me, I could see the ships, which blocked out most of the sky, so I kept to the shadows lining the sidewalk, ducking behind anything I could. Thankfully, the moon was also blocked, so most of the street was lined with shadows. Up ahead, I could hear the rumble of trucks coming, but doubted they would see me where I was, so I didn’t bother stopping, hurrying as fast as I could towards the end of the street. Being wanted by the majority of the population didn’t help, and I wasn’t surprised by the unit they had set up around and inside my house. Only, they hadn’t really expected a sixteen year old girl to be able to take them down so quickly. I snorted lightly, not bothering to be quiet in the dark and deserted street. Even aliens were sexist.

The trucks I had heard had now reached the end of the street, but instead of going past like I thought they would, they turned and began driving towards me. I freaked and looked around frantically, before swinging myself up into the nearest tree, edging out onto a thick branch. God, I hoped it wouldn’t snap. The trucks drove by slowly and I had a feeling I knew who they were looking for. My breath was coming in loud short pants, so I struggled to calm them as I suddenly wobbled on the branch a bit. I bit my tongue, trying to prevent the very colourful word from escaping my lips. One of the guards was scanning the house next to me just as the branch I was on wobbled, and I froze as his head snapped to the side to stare at the tree I was in. Oh god, oh god, oh god, I thought frantically, squeezing my eyes shut for a fraction of a second before looking around me, for something, anything that could help me. The voice of the soldier floated over to me as he signalled them to stop, and I risked a look behind me. Sitting nestled away between two branches was a bird nest, a small grey bird that I didn’t recognise sitting watching me, its head tilted to the side. I flicked out my foot, startling it and making it peck at my shoe. As I kicked out again, it finally got the message and flew up out of the branches. I held my breath as the guards mumbled to each other from the truck, nearly dying of relief when I heard the truck start up again.

After what seemed like ten billion years, I dropped lightly to the ground and sprinted to the end of the street, flicking my hair out of my eyes. I ran across the road and dove into the bushes. Brushing a spider off my shoulder and looking around, I sighed with relief as I realised there was no one that could have seen me. I struggled out of the tumble of branches and brushed myself off. My cheek was stinging so I raised a hand to it and lightly dabbed at the sore part. When I pulled my hand away, my eyes widened and I saw it was slick with dark blood. Ugh, as if being a girl wasn’t giveaway enough, now I had to be a girl with a huge gash in her face. Only the converted men were allowed to be on the surface. The women had to stay above, where they were safe from ‘the shadowed’. Meaning me and every other person who escaped the arrival. I glared up at the ships and grabbed the bottom of my top, using it to wipe away the blood from my cheek. I grimaced as it stung, knowing it would probably get infected. Breathing out heavily, I got moving again, knowing if I stayed still for any longer they’d probably find me. I’d be no good to anyone if I was dead.

As I walked I wondered who else might still be alive. Only those who were classified as ‘Shadowed’, ‘Low Intelligence’ or ‘Unwanted’ were killed right away. Everyone else who was smart or beautiful were kept alive, only to be mind washed and sent to live above. Thinking about this made me think back to my SOSE lessons. My teacher had been explaining WWII to us, and she gave us an example of how Hitler had been thinking by saying, “Let’s say, for example, if I killed all of you except those who were blonde with blue eyes.” Of course, back then we all laughed when Erin, the only girl in the class with blonde hair and blue eyes, sat up a bit straighter and smiled smugly as a joke. I guess what was happening now could be WWIII, except it was all one sided. No one was fighting against them.

The bushes a few metres behind me rustled lightly and I turned slowly to look at them. I probably looked like an idiot, staring into a bush, but I could’ve sworn I’d heard whispering. No other sound broke the silence as I stared, so I stumbled of, keeping my eye on the bushes as long as I could, before turning and running into the night.

*

“Oh, can we please just talk to her?” the first voice, a girl, whispered.

“No! We can’t be sure until we’ve watched her a bit longer. I know you want to talk to her, but not until we’re sure it isn’t a trap. She could be one of them,” hissed the second voice, a boy this time.

“Oh, come on! She doesn’t have the tattoo and her name is printed in every wanted list across the world. You know Skye, she wouldn’t let that happen to herself!” the first voice hissed back.

“Just because she doesn’t have the tattoo, doesn’t mean she isn’t one of them,” the second voice said, “And... And sometimes you don’t get a say in what happens to you! No, we are going to wait. I won’t take that sort of risk, it doesn’t matter who it’s for.”

-----------

Copright  © 2011 Helena Tilley

All Rights Reserved.

COPYRIGHT: This story, 'Streets of Shadow' including all chapters, prologues/epilogues and associated content (ie fanfics, teasers and content within blogs, social networks and eReaders) is copyrighted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights are reserved by the owner and creator of this work (HM Tilley) and any unauthorised copying, broadcasting, manipulation, distribution or selling of this work constitutes as an infringement of copyright. Any infringement of this copyright is punishable by law.

Punishments include but are not limited to:

A fine of up to $150,000 for each work infringed.

Infringer pays for all attorney's fees and court costs.

The Court can impound the illegal works.

The infringer can go to jail.