Never Alone, Always Running

La Inizio

Jessê and another boy I recognized as Lucio instantly sprang up and sprinted out of the room, just as Allistor came up to me, despite coach's orders. His eyes were full of fear, something you didn't see in his eyes often. I heard Lorenzo's cries in pain as he realized who exactly had been shot, and that it was indeed his sister. Some of the other students were in tears, including myself.

Allistor was talking too fast for me to understand, but he sounded frantic and scared. Jessê and Lucio finally got back right as I felt myself slipping out of reality, but I instantly sprang up as soon as I saw the needles that would test me for FBD, along with the monitor that would display the results of the test.

Allistor held me still, trying to get me to relax as Jessê crouched infront of me with the set of needles, three in all.

"Hey. Relax..." Allistor breathed, but I'd gone into full panic. I hated needles. Ever since I had to be tested to return from France. I hated it. I tried to shake away from him, but he was far stronger than I. Jessê raised the first needle to my forearm, and Allistor covered my eyes with his tie from there on out. I felt it sear into my skin, and I let out a small cry as Lucio dropped his eyes to the screen in front of him.

"Negative."

Everyone let out a small sigh of relief, but the test wasn't over yet. I felt the second needle slide into my neck, and the pain was absolutely unbearable. Allistor's grip on me got tighter, refusing to let me escape the pain.

"Negative."

It was then the tie was dropped away from my face, and I saw that the last needle was dangerously close to my left eye, hovering there as Jessê looked at me apologetically. I closed my eyes and tried to pull away, but Allistor's strength kept me from going anywhere. I felt the needle push through my eyelid and into my eye, something I wasn't expecting in the slightest. I clenched my teeth together and dug my nails into Allistor's arm, letting out an exhausted sigh as the needle finally left my skin.

"Negative."

I heard the whole room let out a relieved sigh, and I finally opened my eyes again. But the relief was short lived.

"My e-eye... It's shot..." I said, covering only my right eye. The world was instantly engulfed in darkness, until I moved it away. I could feel blood dripping down my cheek from my blinded eye, but I could also see the look on Allistor's face, that was laced with rage.

I knew why I'd gone blind, and I could honestly say it was Jessê's fault. You were supposed to insert the needle into the center of the pupil, and since my eyes were closed, he probably missed the mark.

"I told ya I didn't like him lass, and now I'm gonna kill him, aye?" He said gruffly, releasing his grip on me and standing up with a crack of his knuckles. Jessê stood as well, and although I could tell Allistor was intimidated by him, he hid it with an emerald fire that was ablaze in his eyes.

Jessê remained with a nonchalant look oh his face, and he obviously had the upper-hand in the fight that was about to take place.

I could see Allistor pulling back to take the first swing, but Coach Elena quickly caught his hand and ordered both of them to stand down. Allistor didn't hesitate, pushing past Coach in fury and taking a wild swing.

"Take that ya wee bastard!" He screamed, but Jessê quickly retaliated. I wasn't about to let him hit Allistor, so I willingly dove in front of the punch. It connected heavily and solidly with my blind eye, and I felt it explode into a whole new level of blindness.

I cried out and fell back, but luckily Lucio caught me before I collided with the floor. Allistor instantly averted his attention to me, but I could feel myself slipping in and out of consciousness repeatedly.

"I don't f-feel too..." I began, feeling bile rise in my throat. "G-Good..."

I saw the nurse run in through the double doors of the gym, and as she did, I could see the wild look in her once gentle brown eyes. And as the doors swung open, I saw the aftermath of the hallway.

There were hundreds upon hundreds of them. Hundreds of Ferals. The way the nurse stumbled in, I knew she was about to be one too. I let out a sharp scream despite the searing pain all throughout my body, and it was then everyone noticed the same horrific sight I saw.

Outside of the gym, bodies of the innocent strewn an the floor, crimson splatters coating the once pure walls. Ferals, as far as the eye could see, feasting on the fallen without an ounce of guilt or any care in the world. Bodies, mangled and malformed, missing limbs, and some completely dismembered all together.

It was chaos from them out. Every man for himself, life or death. I felt Lucio drop me from his arms, mouthing 'I'm so sorry,' before running off in hopes of saving himself. I then felt a new pair of arms wrap around my waist, looking up to see Jessê with a look of panic in his deep brown eyes as he then threw the testing kit into his arms. He sprinted for one of the windows in a whir of adrenaline, and I took a heavy swallow knowing that all I could do is watch my life slowly slip out of my control. I knew this could very well be the end of my existence.

What Jessê did next shocked me even more. In a full out sprint, I could feel him bracing himself for the impact of ramming through the window, tilting his left shoulder towards it as he hurdled and dodged several bodies.

It was then a felt the sharp shatter of the glass around us, and I felt the pain of it soon after. Tiny shards found their way into my arms and legs, along with a few that sliced across my face. The campus and everything around us was a blur, screams fading in the distance as we ran along.

How was he still running? The expression on his face was blank and laced with sheer terror, eyes never making contact with mine. His legs moved with insane speed, as if powered by a jet engine.

And then, if only for a fraction of a second, mere moments, his gaze hit mine.

In those moments, I knew I owed my life to him. Although he took half my vision, I knew I'd be dead if it wasn't for him.

In those moments, I knew the world would never be the same. I knew all hell was about to spill over, and the real war was really about to begin.

In those moments, I realized we were fools to think we'd be safe. No one, no matter how sheltered, was ever safe.

Yet... In those moments, I knew nothing. I knew nothing of what would become of me, or who exactly this man carrying me was. My sense of knowing things, my security, was no more. Gone.

It was then I could hear Jessê, struggling to breathe as we pushed forward, until finally he had to slow his pace.

"I h-have asthma..." He panted, still running at a decently fast speed. This came as a surprise to me, considering his unrelenting force and skill on the field. I looked to his tattered jersey that had been shredded by the glass we'd burst through, along with the testing machine we'd brought with us. You think it'd be advanced considering the time period we were in, but it was quite barbaric. The war really sealed up any chances or hope for technological advancements.

He stopped a little outside of the campus grounds, breaths shallow and hurried. He ducked into the lush forest surrounding us, just to make sure no one would try to find us or hunt us down. I could tell his muscles were burning with pain, yet he never stopped moving, even if the pace had slowed drastically. The world seemed silent, no matter the sheer amount of death I knew was taking place. My mind had zoned out all the screams, until one scream cut through the dead silence like that of a knife through warm butter.

A scream so pained.

A scream I knew all too well.

The scream of a rose in a field of violets.

The scream of my best friend.

It was the scream of...

Allistor Breckenridge.