Mark of the Quills

Chapter Two

I sprint through the dark alley, constantly bumping into walls. The only visible light comes from the red, neon strip on the police hover bikes, hivvers. When I am within reaching distance from the break in the pipes, where my warm, cooked meal is wedged, I slip on the lubricous street. The street is covered in all sorts of unwanted specimens such as broken glass, trash, chipped cement, shards of steel, and cracked computer parts. I suddenly wince with pain, and release an inhuman scream. Before I could examine my injury, and determine what caused the pain, I was disrupted by a piercing sound of a bullet, ricocheting off the wall centimeters away from me. Oh no, the police heard my scream!

"Get him!", yelled a mysterious voice, most likely belonging to a policeman.

Bullets showered over my head as I ran away. I now take back my earlier statement about sprinting. NOW I AM SPRINTING! My brain is trying to process, but I am hallucinating from the loss of blood. Every step I take reminds me of the pain in my knee. It is almost unbearable. However, stopping is not an option. Gray, everything is gray. Gray, black and white dots seem to consume the image of the street. I am unaware of my precise location, or the direction to my home. How can I possible find my way home? And if I miraculously find home, what if the police follow me? No, I can't go home. Not now. The gray transforms into spiraling colors, everywhere, and strange shapes. My head is spinning. Has the earth's rotation accelerated immensely? Suddenly a strong arm grabs hold of me. I let out yet another scream.

"Be quiet! Do you want them to know?"

I distinctly remember that voice. Perhaps it was the man who shouted, to aware the squad of my presence. No, I know this voice. And who is the "them" he is referring to?

"Who.....?," I being to ask, weakly.

"You are in no condition for speaking. You will pass out any minute".

And, as the harsh voice predicted, unconsciousness began. The image before me transformed into a black abyss. I then, lost all feeling in my limbs. On the bright side, I can't feel the pain anymore. The rest of my consciousness left soon afterward.

Suddenly, a bright light interrupted my oblivion . My mother's soft face appeared through the lambency. Her face radiated with immeasurable light, as if she transcended from heaven. Her impeccable face, without blemish, had an almost inhuman perfection. Her soft brown eyes shimmered, as if they were made of polished glass. They expressed her affections for me. For once in an eternity, I felt completely loved again, a feeling I have long desired. Her long, brown hair flows gracefully down her immaculate face, each strand perfectly placed, and untouched. Her sheer beauty engulfed me in enchantment. My weightless body, then began ascending towards her image. The feeling is truly indescribable, one's body lifted effortlessly, nearing the presence of their soul desire. I am consumed with utter tranquility. Life appears to be momentarily perfect. I came to believe nothing could be perfect, but the quietude of this trance beacons me. I decide not to question it. Her face moved closer, as my body lifted towards her's. I could feel the softness in her face, and the love in her eyes. I reached out to touch her smooth hair, but instead of feeling her thick strands I felt immense pain. Blood raced through my body as I plummeted to the ground. My mother's face instantly transformed to a collage of my worst nightmares. Darkness fell on me, propelling me to the ground with an immense force. Terrified, I screamed in agony. My lamentation echoed as it descended into a bottomless pit. Pressure, immense pressure weighed me as I subsided, gaining pressure and agony every centimeter. As the substructures of the pit became visible, they began to occlude, capturing me in the presence of my nightmares. The walls moved rapidly. If inanimate objects had the capacity to malice, I would assume these were plotting to kill me. The walls began pressing me , pushing me towards the phantasms. Their menacing growls bellow through the hollow structure, resounding as the waves unite, constructing a sound unbearable to the ear. My ears, nearly bleeding from the beating sound, projects the beat of my heart as it races faster and faster. The sound continues to grow until my eardrums burst. Suddenly the room goes deathly silent. The creatures emerge close enough to see the dents in their face. Their spherical heads are long and blank. Their massive, fiery eyes are literally incinerating. Their mouth sits incoherently below their nonexistent nasal cavity. Their alpine figure is covered in tubular filaments, edged with spikes. Their nails, aciculate and extensive, scratched me. All blood rushed towards my wounded cheek, as white blood cells attempted to heal the cut. My tormentor's eyes widen, and elbows raise, as if they were pleased by my pain. I widen my mouth to unleash a scream, but nothing comes out. My damaged ears are still unable to decode sound. It is then I notice no one is here to hear my scream. Apart from the monsters, I am completely, utterly alone. Just the idea of detachment causing my fear to grow exponentially. But how is this possible? These creatures are merely a figment of my imagination. Their existence is impossible, or is it? A dream. It must be a dream. I then recalled my incident with the police, and my knee injury. I must have lost a lot of blood.

******************************

When I awoke G-man was sitting beside me, concerned.

"Nat, are you ok? What happened out there? Why were the cops after you?"

It was them when I realized the source of the mysterious voice.

"G-man, you saved my life ?"

"Now don't get sobby on me. Just tell me what you were doing out on the street at night".

"I was retrieving food, when I slipped. The police must have heard my scream. How long have I been in a coma?"

"About two hours."

"I need to call my father. He must be incredibly worried, and hungry".

I snatched my holophone from my bloody, pocket, pressed a button, and a screen appeared in the dark abyss, the floating keyboard, illuminating the lightless room. Then, I noticed I was in G-man's small shack. They had no room for me, yet he was kind enough to risk his life for mine. Taking care of five kids is enough, more than enough. He didn't have to take care of an injured Nat too.

"Dad, this is Nathaniel. On my trek to dinner I slipped and injured my knee. The police discovered my wondering and proceeded to chase me. Benjiman managed to liberate me. I apologize for the delay, my injury lead to loss of blood, which caused me to fall unconscious. I am recovering, now, but am not in the condition to travel back home. I will return home as soon as possible. As for diner, I suggest you eat the scraps we stored in the cabinets , for occasions like this".

"Nathaniel, are you alright? Are the police still after you? What injury? "

"Mr. Gram," G-man spoke commandingly into the phone, "your son is not in the condition to participate in straining activities, such as answering your questions... "

At this point G-man snatched the phone and proceeded to inform my father about my condition.

*****************************

Now, under the propor light, I examine my cut. My left knee is punctured with shards of glass, a inch tall, centimeter thick, steel rod, and coated with dried blood. I am not sure how to treat this. Clearly, pulling the shards out would cause bleeding, and may be detrimental to the tissue. It depends on how deep the cuts are. Once free from specimens, the knee may be exposed to unwanted bacteria from the filthy street material. I am unaware of the city's current medical situation. Regardless, a hospital may be useful.

"G-man, are their medical facilities currently operating in the city?"

"I'm not sure. I'll call Lil. She should know".

When G-man said he would call Lil, I wasn't expecting the shouting I heard from my resting area. Lil was on the phone, but they were both angry.

"I thought we talked about this Benjiman! We have to keep a low profile. And here he is, sneaking around at night, getting caught by the police. If we take him to the hospital, which we aren't suppose to know about, they will surely ask how he got the injury. And what do we say then? Oh, he was sneaking around, stealing food and getting chased by the cops. No big deal. How is that conversation going to go? Not to mention the fact that we are technically in rebellion with the Quills right now, despite our efforts. I'm sure they would love to dispense of their little rebels right then and their..." Lil screamed.

When anyone calls Lil, G-man or me by our real names, than something is horribly wrong. Also, Lil and G-man have been talking in private? Why is everyone hiding things from me? First, my father failed to inform me about his run-in with the government. Then Lil and G-man keeping secrets about who knows what. Not to mention the numerous secrets kept by the government. What ever happened to trust?

********************

"Nathaniel". He stated, utilizing the full-name approach.

"Yes Benjamin?" I respond, countering the attack.

"Lil will be over in a few minutes to examine your injury. We will decide what to do with it then".

"Usually, I would concur, however, the police are swarming the streets, and my presence surly added to the chaos. It is incredibly unlikely Lil will arrive here unseen".

"Oh... I will contact her on the change of plans then".

As usual, Lil's stubborn character overpowered logic. She insisted in coming. She will surely be caught. Why must everyone insist on exacerbating the situation? One problem is difficult enough to solve.