Keira
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
I felt useless. Actually, I was pretty much the one causing more trouble and I felt horrible afterward. Wylan and Axelle did their part, seemingly ready for the random-ass danger that appeared out of nowhere. Axelle was smart for once in her life. Wylan was unreasonably nice to me, even after I glared at him for pulling me back earlier.
How was I supposed to know that this man was trying to kill us? How was I supposed to sense the danger the way Wylan did and deal with it as quickly as Axelle did?
I should've known that there was something seriously wrong when the Major told Axelle the stuff about her dad, and I should've been more alert when he told me my entire life story without hesitation.
He knew everything, but what did he know about Wylan? Wylan's dad was a scientist, didn't he say? Wylan's story was the only one that the Major didn't bother talking about which was probably because Wylan hit him in the head and got him on the floor, without a trace of consciousness.
We ran as far as we could, not bothering to check the directions to see where we were. At night, it was nearly impossible to see anything, and it was also colder than ever because the light was never here, the darkness brought even more chills. Axelle and Wylan definitely didn't know about this or chose to forget about it because they were shivering, even while running.
Axelle surprised me the most. She was holding that gun that she stole from the Verids earlier on her shoulder, which must hurt a lot. But she just ran almost as fast as Wylan, who was fast, but not a professional.
Running on these streets was something I knew how to do very well.
This city was our playground and our battleground, every corner, every alleyway, and every hidden passage was familiar to me. However, it was difficult to run through them without light to guide us. I navigated the streets with more ease than Wylan and Axelle, who followed the maze-like path that we took to get as far away from the Verids as possible.
Axelle asked, her breaths uneven from the exercise, 'Does anyone know a place to stay for tonight? We can't go home when the Verids are after us!"
We stopped momentarily in the middle of a corner that shielded two apartment blocks that were peeling on the sides. I remembered this place, it was near my old house before the Death.
Instead, Wylan spoke up. Unlike Axelle, his voice was steadier. "You can go home Axelle, but we can't," he said, pointing at me. "Madame Henderson's house is way too powerful for any Verid to attempt a break-in."
Axelle sighed. "Poor Baby Alissa. I promised her I'd be back in a few hours. Even Mama isn't home. She must be very lonely."
Wylan and I exchanged looks, at Axelle's sudden show of naivety.
"We nearly got killed, but all you care about is your sister being a little bit lonely at home? Are you for real right now?" I asked, my temper getting the better of me.
"She's not my sister," she replied morosely, "But that's not the point."
Whoever this Baby Alissa was, Axelle was hyping her up way too much for my liking. Wylan also looked slightly fed up, his eyes darting everywhere except anywhere near Axelle.
"We'll make a stop at my house, and then we'll take my father and we go to Axelle's house. It's the safest place in the entire country," Wylan explained, his voice strained but determined.
I nodded, satisfied with Wylan's plan. Axelle's house was by far the safest place we could go to. The only shadow of doubt in my mind was meeting the infamous Madame Henderson who seemed like an evil woman from what the Major said.
"Mama won't be home today, but she'll come back tomorrow," Axelle told us, "But Baby Alissa will be thrilled to have some visitors. She's been inside for so long. She'll want to see more people."
There she is again, talking about Baby Alissa. I hoped that meeting this small girl would be worth it because, from the way Axelle described her, this little girl was a ray of sunshine.
Yes, that was very much intended. Sunshine in a place of no sunshine. Very funny.
"Keira, could you get us to the market center again? I'm not entirely familiar with this side of town," Wylan asked and I nodded curtly. I stole a glance at the huge fences that rose thousands of feet. It was a little bit farther of course, and we couldn't see anything past it.
However, if you looked closely, the clouds covered the entirety of Veridonia, but on the other side, there were small twinkling things in the sky. They were like diamonds, shining. They were a part of the outside world, and I couldn't help but wonder, why didn't they have them here?
We continued our journey through the dimly lit streets. The darkness pressed in around us, and I took the less-known shortcut to the market as Axelle and Wylan followed me.
Soon we reached the market, and the emptiness of it was familiar to me even if it wasn't familiar to the others. The stillness was unsurprisingly beautiful, and I knew that there was nothing that could be of danger to me now. Apart from the Disease of course, which was probably killing me from the inside.
Wylan took charge from there, and I took the gun from Axelle, noticing her slight falter as the sprint changed to a run. As brave as she was, she wasn't strong enough to hold onto the gun for that long. She gave me a small smile of gratitude as I held the gun on my shoulder, positioning it so it didn't rest on my shoulder bone.
Wylan led us through the more rich part of the city, where the middle and upper classes lived. We arrived at Wylan's doorstep, a modest yet sturdy structure that reminded me of my old house. It was very similar to this one, but it was painted green when my brother was obsessed with artistic nonsense.
Wylan pushed open the door and ushered us inside. The inside of the house was dimly lit, the flickering glow of the candles being the only source of light in the entire house. Wylan's dad was sitting in the middle of the room, his feet on the floor. He looked up and smiled at his son, but suddenly his expression changed when he saw Axelle and me behind him, with me holding a gun.
"Son, what happened? Who are they?" he asked Wylan, struggling to get off the floor. Wylan ran over to help him and pointed at us.
"That's Axelle Henderson and this is Keira," he explained as his dad narrowed his eyes on Axelle. I understood why Wylan had to say Axelle's full name. The Henderson part held a lot of importance.
"Father, we need to leave immediately. A Major Verid was going to detain us to get you and Madame Henderson in trouble for selfish reasons," Wylan explained as Axelle nodded.
His dad's gaze swept over us, lingering on each of our faces in turn. "How does this girl have anything to do with this?" he questioned Wylan curiously because Wylan very conveniently made it seem like I was randomly pushed into this mess.
"Well... she is actually um—" he began, but I cut him off.
"My brother was taken to the mental facility for the protests a few years ago. My parents were killed as punishment," I told him emotionlessly as everyone's eyes burned on me.
How tragic.
"Father, the Verids can come here and it won't be very safe for you here. Let's pack some things and leave," Wylan pressed as his father's eyes searched the room.
"But Wylan, my life is here. All the experiments. Everything."
Wylan's father hesitated, torn between his safety and the life he had built within these walls. I could see the conflict etched upon his face, much like the conflict that my brother's face had days before he went outside to his death.
They say he was taken, but was it a better fate than death? I'd rather think of him as dead.
★・・・・・・★
"Kee? What do you think is wrong with this place?" he asked, fiddling with his paintbrush as I poked my nose into Crime & Punishment. It was a difficult read, but I was getting through it.
"This place? Veridonia? I mean, the Disease is science-y. Not my thing. But if you want my opinion on the punishment..." I smiled, as Miles added more paint to the canvas. His use of the blacks and the grays was getting on my nerves a bit, but sure look, he was exploring a new artistic shade.
Miles turned around and for the first time in my entire life, I saw fear and dread in his eyes. "Do you think there's someone outside?"
I laughed. "Don't be silly. Remember the nuclear attack? Yeah? The outside world is just covered in uranium blasting powder or something. Did you not read the paper? No one, not even Superman could survive outside."
Miles sighed. "Do you believe them?"
I didn't answer him and I wish I had because that was the last time I ever saw him again.
★・・・・・・★
They were not the same conflicts. One destroyed my brother's life and this one destroyed Wylan's dad's life work. Both were not the same. But ultimately, it was a conflict that ultimately tore me apart from the rest of my family.
The authorities should've killed me too. At least, I would be with them in one way or the other.
"Father, please," Wylan implored, his voice tinged with urgency. "We can't stay here. You can't stay here. The Verids will find us, and kill us."
At that moment, I saw that Wylan cared so much. He had lost someone or something too. He knew what the pain felt like, wishing we were gone with them too. Was it his mom? Or someone else?
Dwelling on the past wouldn't change our present reality. We were in danger, and we could die.
Wylan's dad regarded his son for a long moment, the weight of his decision probably impacting everything. Finally, with a resigned sigh, he nodded.
"You're right, Wylan," he conceded, pushing himself to his feet. "We'll leave. But where are we going?"
He started packing large notebooks and files from the cabinets inside a suitcase. Wylan proceeded, helping his father. My curiosity was piqued as I had expected him to pack more memorable things, like some type of heirlooms or photo albums but I was wrong. Wylan helped his father pack files, documents, and books.
"We're going to Axelle Henderson's house, Father," Wylan said and just like that, his dad dropped his books on the floor.
"We're going to Madame Henderson's house? Are you crazy, Wylan?" his father's voice echoed across the whole room as Axelle awkwardly kept her gaze on the book that just fell to the ground.
"Father, it is the safest place to be right now," Wylan explained. "No one will dare enter her house."
Wylan's father hesitated, his expression a mixture of disbelief and concern. "Madame Henderson's house. That's the safest place for me and you to be? Wylan, that woman destroys everything around her."
I initially believed that Wylan's dad was just hesitant to stay in the house of the most powerful woman in Veridonia. But this was more, it was a grudge.
But why?
Axelle's voice became slightly higher-pitched than usual. "Mama won't be at home until tomorrow at least. You can stay there for tonight before we find you new lodgings."
Wylan's jaw tightened, his resolve unyielding. "I understand your concerns, Father. But trust me, Madame Henderson's house is our best chance at staying safe. We don't have time to argue about this."
However, something about this just wasn't sitting right with me.
I cleared my throat, "Sorry sir, if you don't mind me asking...why did you say that Madame Henderson destroys everything?"
Wylan was swift. His dad barely opened his mouth before Wylan said, "Father, we need to get going immediately, otherwise, the Verids will get here."
I blocked the entrance to the front door, the gun in my arms spread out like a shield, blocking the door entirely. Axelle hesitated, her eyes widening as she moved back.
"No one is leaving until you tell me," I said as Wylan glared, his eyes burning into mine. Would I actually shoot? I didn't know but I needed to know what Wylan's family was hiding.
Wylan's dad's gaze shifted between us, a flicker of apprehension crossing his features. He seemed torn, caught between the urgency of our situation and the weight of his own secrets. Wylan knew, he knew that something was up and at that moment, I didn't see the caring Wylan.
Finally, after a tense moment of silence, Wylan's father let out a heavy sigh, "Very well," he began, his voice tinged with weariness. "You won't stop. Melissa Henderson and I used to be friends. I was friends with her husband."
My grip on the gun loosened, my eyes darting from his to Wylan's to see if they were lying. I narrowed my eyes, sensing there was more to the story than he was letting on. "What does that mean?" I pressed.
"Melissa Henderson reported her husband to the authorities for treason and he disappeared after that. Along with hundreds of children. Take from that what you will."
Melissa Henderson, the infamous Madame Henderson, had once been a friend. And yet, she had betrayed her own husband, reporting him to the authorities for treason.
"And the children?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, my mind racing.
Wylan's father hesitated, his gaze dropping to the floor as if unable to meet our eyes. "They were taken," he said quietly, his voice trembling. "Disappeared without a trace, just like her husband. Some say he took them outside the fence but that's...that's impossible."
The pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. Madame Henderson's rise to power was built on betrayal, but she wasn't at the top of the food chain. She was one of the reasons of course, and now we were going to seek refuge at her house.
Axelle hadn't said anything so far, and her face was searching the room for something that I couldn't point out. Her expression blank, she kept her eyes on the ground without looking either of us in the eye. Her family history was as horrible as mine was and I couldn't help but wonder...how much did Madame Henderson hide from her daughter?
"We have to go," Wylan said suddenly, his voice firm. "We can't stay here any longer. The Verids will be on our trail soon."
We stepped outside into the evening once more, now as dark as midnight. The darkness easily swallowed us whole, enveloping us. This darkness was the safest place for us, where we could disappear without a trace. Darkness was my hope, my resolve, my calm. The light had only ever shown me pain.
I also knew that the darkness wouldn't last as long as I wanted it to.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙽𝚃: 𝟸𝟺𝟿𝟶 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂
𝚃𝙾𝚃𝙰𝙻 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙽𝚃: 𝟷𝟹𝟺𝟿𝟼 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂