I felt someone bump my shoulder. "Rose," Dante said softly. "It's time to go." I opened my eye. I had been napping sitting up, similar to the way Drifter slept. Turning my head to Dante, I gave him the same despondent expression I'd had on for the past three days. I'd been stuck in the sleeping area for the entire duration of the trip due to my spontaneous diving exhibition. I was only allowed out to use the bathroom but even then, Dante waited outside the door and knocked periodically to make sure I wasn't drowning myself in the sink. My mind had stopped working altogether. All I did was eat, sleep and ignore Dante's attempts at conversation. Every so often, either Drifter or Wings had come in to watch me for a while so Dante could take a break but he had refused to leave the room. They had given up after the second day.
Dante watched me for a moment to see if I would change my behaviour but to no avail. I couldn't break away from the guilt that had consumed me. I barely slept at all. I worried I'd lose vision in my right eye but it seemed improbable to happen from a lack of sleep. However, the soreness of my eye and the heavy bag that had formed underneath it seemed to say otherwise. I slid my legs off the bed and walked over to the drawer opposite. Inside, I found my Runners' uniform neatly folded up. When I pulled it out, it still smelt a little like saltwater. The creases hadn't come out properly. If I had worn this back at Delta 2, I'd have copped a month of punishment. I glanced over my shoulder. Dante saw the clothes in my hands and walked out of the room. Once the door was closed tight, I got changed and left the spare clothes at the end of my bed in a heap.
I twisted the doorknob and stepped out into the white room. Judging by the noise, everyone was out on deck. I shuffled over to the steps and climbed up them slowly. On the deck, the watercraft crew had surrounded Prince. They were all talking to him in their own way. I could only pick up a few words but the rest seemed entirely foreign. Prince answered them in the same way they addressed him. Whatever he said, everyone seemed satisfied. Prince turned away from the people and walked towards the plank connecting the watercraft to land. I looked for the other Runners to go first before me. However, they all seemed weary of me. I saw them exchange glances after looking at the descending slope.
We departed the watercraft, Prince assuming his place at the front of the group. Dante pushed me to go next whilst Wings and Drifter brought up the rear. I knew I had no chance of leaping into the dark waters. At least not with Dante's perpetual hand on the small of my back. We stepped onto the dock and Prince turned to face the watercraft. The crew pulled up the plank and they started to float away. They waved wildly at us but only Prince waved back. Soon enough, the people on board were impossible to see. Prince smiled warmly then walked away, the rest of us tailing behind him
Once we were out of the docking area, Prince led the way into a small building. It was made out of grey corrugated metal and only had one large window facing the ocean. Inside it was empty, save one wall that had hooks holding keys. Prince grabbed one of them and chucked it at Wings. "You drive," he ordered. Wings caught the key deftly in his right hand. His face twitched slightly but he maintained his composure. "Yes, your highness," he sneered, only half-joking. He pressed a button on the end of the key and a distant beep rang out. We left the metal building, heading towards the source of the beeping. What we found was a vehicle quite different from the trucks I was used to. It was flatter and smaller with four doors. It also seemed to have two bonnets, one at the front and one in the back.
"Why aren't we running?" I asked then instantly regretted it. My internal decision to not speak in front of Dante had been refuted. I bit down on my lip. Now he was going to bother me more often. Dante fought to downplay the smile tugging on his mouth. "We can't run though the next area. You'll see why." Prince ran around the vehicle and jumped into the passenger seat. Wings made for the driver's door but Drifter placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked extremely worried. Wings just shook him off. "I'm okay. Don't worry about me. Just..." He tilted his head discreetly in my direction. I turned my head and glared at the ground. I didn't need their pity.
I was sat between Dante and Drifter in the back. The seatbelt only went around my waist so I put it on. Dante stuck his hand under the driver's seat and pulled a black plastic box out from underneath it. He opened the lid to reveal several gas masks. One by one, he handed them out to each of us. I stared at the multitude of straps on mine whilst the others put them on with no effort. Even Wings had no trouble, despite doing it one-handed to avoid moving his shoulder. Once everyone had theirs on, Wings started up the vehicle and drove speedily away.
I stared out the windscreen at the landscape. It was still a vast wasteland of dust but nothing that seemed to be toxic. I started to think maybe Prince was too lazy to run all the way. The ground wasn't bumpy but the car jolted enough times for me to believe it could have been. I peered into the front seat. Wings appeared to be struggling to drive with just his right hand. Prince seemed to notice too. "Come on Wings, even I can still drive decently with one hand," he groaned. His voice was muffled through the mask. Wings twisted his mouth into a snarl. "Yeah, but that's because when you drive one-handed, you use your dominant hand," he snapped. I sat there confused for a moment but then remembered back on the ship when he was writing in that notebook. He was using his left hand. Wings glanced up at the mirror above his head. "Dogs, help Pinks with her gas mask. She doesn't know how to put it on," he said. Dante looked over at me. "Huh. I would've thought you knew how through your secret recruit training," he laughed. I scowled. I couldn't see his expression behind the mask but if he was smiling before, he wasn't now. He took the mask out of my lap and held it in front of my face. "Here," he said, holding the straps away. I turned my head away defiantly. He sighed. "Rose, come on. Quit being stubborn." Wings kept looking back anxiously through the mirror. The vehicle slowed slightly. Prince suddenly punched Wings in the arm. Wings cried out, swerving dangerously. "Don't slow down, you idiot! I'm not prolonging our exposure just because someone doesn't know how to put on a mask!" He shouted. Wings continued to wince in pain as he sped up to his original speed.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who wants me dead," I said monotonously. "Rose, please," Dante said more urgently. I brought my legs up to my chest, placing my forehead on my knees. "Rose," he whined. Prince stuck his head around his seat. "Just leave her Dogs. If she wants to kill herself, let her. She's more trouble than she's worth, which is practically nothing. I don't need disloyal subordinates," he said flatly. "If you really want to keep her- and no offense Pinks but I don't see why he would- you're gonna have to use force." Dante clenched his fists. "Will you shut up? She's a human being, not some animal," he retorted. Prince just shrugged and sat normally. I snorted. "I don't see why you should say that now; you had no aversions to dragging me here against my will." He looked down at me again. "Rose..." he said sadly.
"We're approaching the site. I can't slow down or stop here, Dogs. You'd better get her sorted out quick," Wings called out, almost inaudible behind his mask. Dante held the mask out again, closer to my face this time. I just dismissed him by turning away. He sighed, defeated. "Drifter, please," he mumbled. Drifter looked up at the mirror. "Go ahead," Wings said. Instantly, Drifter hit my knees, triggering my reflex to kick. My legs shot out and Drifter held them down. I brought my arms up to my face but Drifter just pushed them against my chest. In a last attempt to evade the mask, I tucked my head into my left shoulder. "Just let me die! I don't want to be here anymore so just let me die!" I cried. Dante tried to press the mask onto my face. I thrashed about, throwing off his attempt. "I can't secure it properly unless she stops moving," he said to Drifter. Drifter shook his head frantically. "He says he can't do anything because he might break her neck," Wings translated, looking through the mirror.
My heart skipped a beat. A small, sadistic smile grew on my face. "Well, isn't that unfortunate?" I laughed. I felt Dante's hopeless stare behind me. "I give up then," he said. There was a clicking sound and a mask dropped at my feet. I gasped and turned around. "Don't-" I began but my voice was muffled by the mask that was shoved onto my face. By the time I realised what had happened, it was too late. Dante pulled me into his chest and fitted the straps around my head. As he clipped them into place, I pushed away. I fumbled with the buckles, trying to rip it off as he picked up his mask and put it back on. I had found the clips but couldn't figure out how to undo them. Dante grabbed my wrists. "You're terrified of the thought of people dying yet you will go to all lengths to take your own life," he growled. I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. He let go and sat back in his seat. I closed my eye. It wasn't fair. How did he still have that effect on me? There was no way I could still love him.
"Pinks," someone said. "What?" I groaned. "Take small breaths." Before I could ask why, the acrid smell of smoke filled my nose. I coughed and hacked. That definitely wasn't just smoke. "It'd be a lot worse if it wasn't filtered," Dante said. I turned to glare at him but something else caught my attention. Outside, the entire landscape was scorched. The ground had become a deathly black with tinges of orange and red. I realised they were flames feeding on the dry earth. The air was polluted with thick, grey clouds billowing towards what I could only assume was the sky. I was certain that if it were possible to see, all there would be to admire would be more of those sickening toxic clouds.
"It's worse than the dustbowl," I whispered. Dante nodded. "You know what makes it worse?" He muttered. I leaned in closer hesitantly. He sat back and pointed out the window. "See those burning lumps? What do you think they are?" He asked. I shook my head. He hesitated, unsure of whether to continue. In the end, he mumbled a single word to me. "People."
I gasped, which was a really bad idea. My lungs filled with smoke and I coughed violently. "We're almost there; hang in there Pinks," Wings said. I continued to gag on the endless supply of burning flesh. "What happened here?" I forced out between splutters. "Last year, this town was being taken over. The resistance was too strong for the aggressors so they decided if they couldn't have the land, no one could," Dante replied. I stared. "Last year?" I said, shocked. He nodded. "It was a well-populated place surrounded by trees. There's so much fuel that the fire hasn't died yet." I went to say more but the toxic gases continued to flood my system. All I could do was hack it out. "Try not to cough. Just keep your head down and take small breaths," Dante said firmly. For once, I listened and placed my head on my knees.
It felt like forever that my head was down. Every so often I would turn my head sideways to look outside then instantly regretted it. The sight beyond us became more horrific with every peek. I began to cough less but my chest burned. After what seemed like eternity, Dante placed a hand on my shoulder. "We're here," he said. I sat up and looked around. Behind us was the deathly landscape. To my left it continued into oblivion. On the right, there was another corrugated metal building. Straight ahead was a broken down city. Everyone except Wings stepped out of the vehicle. I clambered out after Dante then stretched up to try and release the clips again. He swiftly grabbed my hands. "Not yet. We need to get further away from here first." He removed his hands and I let my own drop to my sides. "You can just tell me," I snapped. Wings drove off to park the vehicle. When he returned, Prince signalled for us to follow him. "Alright Runners, let's move!" He shouted and ran into the rubble. It was difficult to run at full pelt since my lungs were full of smoke. It also didn't help that there were steel beams and cracked concrete obstructing my path. Eventually, it got easier and I learned to navigate the wreckage. Glass crackled under my feet and the debris seemed to become denser the further we went.
Prince slowed down to a halt in what appeared to be a random spot. He reached up and unclipped his mask. He gasped, inhaling fresh air. The others copied him, unclipped their masks with ease. I struggled with the clips again, trying to figure out how to take it off. Dante took my hands in his and guided them to the buckles. I pressed them and unwrapped the straps. The air was so clean that I stood there for ages taking in as much as possible.
We stored the masks in a box under a fallen sign. Prince looked over us expectantly. "Everyone okay?" He asked. Dante and Drifter nodded. Wings stepped forward. "I don't feel too well," he said. Looking closer, he did look paler than usual. Prince nodded. "Take Pinks with you." I shook my head. "I feel fine," I piped up. He ignored me. "That was your first time going through scorched territory. They all say they'll be find but they never are." With that, he dismissed us with the flick of his wrist. Wings placed a hand on my shoulder and guided me away from the group.
In a little clearing about 50 metres away from the others, he stopped. He still had that backpack slung around his shoulder. I was surprised. I thought we had left it on the watercraft. "It'll take a bit for your stomach to react but it's best to just get it over with," he commented. I raised an eyebrow. "What?" In response, he grew even paler then quickly turned and threw up in a bin. I recoiled in horror. I leaned against a nearby building and shut my eye, waiting for him to finish. After several minutes, he stood up and came over to me.
"Sorry about that," he said. I looked up and he seemed better. He pulled a water bottle out of the bag and washed out his mouth. He spat out the water then drank a few mouthfuls. "It's awful, I know. But you'll feel better afterwards." That's when I felt it. A fiery bubbling sensation burned through my stomach and up my throat. I turned and gagged, my insides searing with pain. I retched violently into a bin, expelling the contents of my stomach and the noxious gas I had inhaled. Once I'd thrown up everything, I coughed up bile until I could barely stand. My legs gave way and I toppled backwards onto the ground. It hurt so much. To my surprise and horror, I started to cry. Wings walked over and patted me on the back. "It's okay, Pinks. It's okay," he said gently. He helped me to my feet then passed me a bottle to wash my mouth out with. Even after several mouthfuls of water, the acidic taste still lingered.
We returned to the others, who were still standing and showed no signs of nausea. "All good?" Dante asked. Wings nodded. Prince motioned for us to keep moving. The broken city became harder to navigate as we went deeper. A few times along the way, I tripped over debris I believed to be non-existent or further away. I reached up and touched my empty eye socket.
The sun began to set and the remains of windows began to glow with evening light. Prince skidded to a halt. I stopped next to him and bumped into his shoulder. "Why are we stopping?" I asked. He grinned. "We're here." I looked forward and realised what I had failed to notice the first time. In front of us was a large brick wall that extended further than my eye could see. Prince scaled a nearby building and the others copied him. This was it. Beyond that wall was the thousand people Prince promised to protect. One of them would be Stevie. He'd see me and the terrible things I'd done.
"Pinks!" Prince called out. I glanced up at him. He looked down at me, smiling. "Believe me, you'll regret it if you stay there," he said cheerfully. I reached up and touched my empty eye socket again. There were so many reasons to die but none of them were good enough to actually allow me to do so. These guys jusy wouldn't let me. And what for? A broken person? I stood there, trying to understand their motives. I once had a blue eye. I once had blonde hair. I once had people who knew me as 'Rose Kennedy'. Now, I had none of those things. All those traits were destroyed by the people I ran with. They would take my secrets to the grave. Despite everything, I decided to face Stevie. If he hated me, then so be it. I'd make it Prince's responsibility to fix that. I quickly climbed up the building to meet up with the others.
At the top, we crawled across a board that bridged the gap between the building and the wall. Prince detached his arm band and threw it over. We all did the same then removed our bandannas and held them in our right hands. Suddenly, I could hear voices. A thousand of them chattering excitedly. Prince stepped off the board and onto the wall first. Wings and Drifter stepped up next to him, followed by Dante. I could hear the shouts and cries of the people below us. The Runners turned around to face me.
"Come on Pinks," Prince smiled.
"Don't be afraid," Dante said encouragingly. Drifter nodded, grinning from ear to ear. I already knew what Wings was going to say before the words even left his mouth.
"No hesitation."
I stepped forward and they split through the middle. I looked down and gasped. I didn't notice the masses of cheering people. I didn't notice that they yelled louder at my appearance. All I saw was the world I thought I'd never get to see. Directly below me was a large expanse of grass, greener than the bandanna I wore. Stretching out from it was an asphalt road lined with trees. Their branches were abundant with red and gold leaves that crackled as the drifted to the ground. Either side of the road were small buildings, some acting as houses and others as communal places. Even they radiated with vibrant colour. They were made up of all different textures and materials. Striped fields filled with little buds of pink, red, yellow, green and all sorts of colours were dotted around the area. In the background loomed a massive mountain, the top of it hidden by clouds. There were even live animals, something I'd been denied the privilege of seeing for so long. I almost fainted at the sight. It was more beautiful than I could describe. I was so overwhelmed, I didn't realise the crowd had fallen silent.
"My people!" Prince's voice echoed. "I cannot express how happy I am to come back and see you're all well. As you would have noticed, we have another Runner among us. She will help me assure your safety." Everyone started cheering again. I looked over at Prince. This was the happiest I'd ever seen him. However, a pressing issue finally pushed itself to the front of my mind. "Say, um, Prince?" I said. He turned to face me. "Yes?" I glanced down at the ground several metres below us. "How do we get down from here?" He looked down too and laughed. "That's the fun part." Without any warning, he jumped off. My eye followed him down and saw he had landed in something part of the crowd was holding. "You next," Dante said. My heart skipped a beat. Taking a deep breath, I let myself plummet from the wall.
I hit the springy surface and bounced up slightly. Arms reached out to help me off it. I took the closest one and let the person pull me away. Once my feet touched solid green ground, I smiled at my shoes. "Thanks," I said gratefully. "You're welcome," said a familiar voice.
I froze. I knew this person. Despite the fact he wore grey shoes similar to mine, blue ripped pants, a dark red long-sleeved jumper and brown hair down to his collar, I recognised him. Looking down at me was a face I hadn't seen in more than a year. "Stevie!" I screamed and threw my arms around him. He hugged me back even tighter. "It's been too long," he said softly. I nodded into his shoulder, my eye tearing up. He pulled away and looked me up and down. "What happened to your eye?" He asked in shock. My smile immediately faded. "It's a long story," I mumbled. He stared at me for a moment then sighed. "So, you became a Runner," he said quietly. I nodded. He turned around just as Dante hit the ground. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments then Stevie turned away. "I thought..." He began but I cut him off. "Don't worry about it," I said. He hugged me again. "I'm so sorry Rose. I wanted to save him too," he said, his voice cracking. We stood there in each other's arms, happy to be reunited. However, that was the last thing anyone would've thought if they had seen us.