The Exiles (1st Draft)

Fin

~I apologize for how annoyingly fast this story is. I was excited to post it and it hasn't yet been closely edited. Hope you enjoy anyway! :D

Angel

Fin

    The wall seemed much bigger from the outside. It stretched out around the city with its ugly, dark greyness. Heat waves rolled off it, making the land ahead squiggly.

   I crawled over to a small patch of shade that quickly disappeared. My skin was a burning red. My mouth and throat ached from dryness. My eyes finally adjusted to the brightness as best as they could.

   The land went on for… forever as far as I could tell. It rolled in lumps at points then flattened back out. The sky wasn’t a dome. It was a very pale shade of blue. An enormous bright ball of light consumed most of it, causing sporadic fires over the grounds.

   I struggled to breath the heavy air. Sweat made my clothes stick to my dust covered body.

   I don’t know how long I lay there, helpless and alone. I just waited to die really. I couldn’t scream for help, I could hardly move,  and I couldn’t go back inside the protection of the dome.

   I closed my eyes and curled up, trying to ignore the pain and emptiness I felt.

   The hot orb of light slowly dimmed. I looked up. It was disappearing behind one of the lumps. The blue in the sky turned red and orange. Even still, I couldn’t directly look at it.

   As it continued to change to a dark blue, I realized it was like the dome. Scheduled night and day. Thankfully, night was beginning.

   I was able to relax a bit as the air slightly cooled and the stinging rays disappeared. The medications the officers shoved into me still hadn’t worn off yet and I was still somewhat groggy. I ached everywhere with the burns from the intense heat.

  Everything was so silent. Quieter than nights in the dome. This must be what pure silence sounds like.

    There was a scuffle near to me. With unexpected speed, I sat up and glanced around. There was nothing. Nothing at all but the wall behind me.

    I stood to leave. There was nothing here for me. They wouldn’t ever let me back inside. I needed to find water or food or even just a place to stay so the daytime light couldn’t hurt me.

   The burns hurt worse with movement but I forced myself to walk.

   I heard the shuffling sound again followed by an angry growl. What growled? Nothing human.

   My eyes flashed around and I backed away from the sound. Two blood red eyes shone angrily in the darkness. Then a row of vicious teeth. It barked at me in a raspy and threatening way. It wasn’t human. It walked on four legs instead of two and was covered in matted black hair that was only in patches.

   I didn’t know how to react so I ran. It chased after me, screeching and snapping. My lungs immediately ached along with the rest of my protesting body. I ran faster than ever before, barely staying ahead.

   I went over one of the lumps, slowing as I did. They were harder to climb than the flat ground. The thing caught up to me quickly, pouncing and pinning me down.

   I held my hands on its shoulders, trying to keep its teeth from my face. I screamed with panic. It was stronger than I was and would soon best me. It was a horrifying way to die and definitely not my first choice.

   Its claws raked against my face, causing my arms to stop shoving it to shield my head. I clamped my eyes shut expecting to be eaten alive until a shot rang through the empty air.