Makoto threw a glance over his shoulder, his already thin lips narrowing further at the sight of the pursuers who were gaining on them.
Three men dressed in black and dark green with helmets pulled over their faces, hands securely wrapped around their guns. Their very big guns that were most definitely not set on stun mode; they were far past that now. A red band adorned their right biceps.
Makoto turned to look at the road in front of him, swallowing hard. If there were only three on their tails, that meant the others had broken off to try and surround them.
His fingers tightened around the smaller hand currently enveloped by his. Amanda was trying her best to keep up with his unbridled speed, her tawny brown skin flushed with exertion and hazel eyes slightly unfocused. Her springy, umber curls were whipping wildly around her face.
The Civilian Security had caught them unawares and they had only had enough time to grab their bags and dash out of the abandoned building, forced to leave some of their belongings behind.
His own jet-black locks were slapping at his cheeks as he ducked under stray branches and jumped over hidden roots. This was the exact situation he had wanted to avoid: entering the forest. There wasn't much of anything he could use to defend them from the CS in here.
His foot slipped on stray leaves and he would've gone tumbling had Amanda not wrenched him upright. Her free hand was braced against a tree trunk, breath labored. He bent over, trying to suck in some much-needed air.
Glancing back at the men closing in on them, he gave her arm a tug and they took off, his eyes scanning the ground more thoroughly this time. At this rate, they were going to get caught.
"A little help?" he asked her, voice strained.
"Okay," was her breezy answer.
"The tangible kind, Mandy!" he intoned when she did nothing.
"Okay," this time, there was a loud crack up ahead of them as a large oak splintered, branches and hefty chunks of tree trunk raining around them.
Makoto skidded to a halt, narrowly avoiding the shower, and released Amanda's hand, turning to face their pursuers instead. He spread his arms around him, palms angled towards the incoming men, and the bits of wood stopped mid-air. He counted to three, then swung his right arm forward, slicing through the air in a precise motion.
Half of the wooden debris behind him went flying at the men, who were forced to jump out of the way. Makoto had been hoping for that reaction and as he swung his other arm, the rest of the projectiles were sent in the direction they were diving.
The pained yelps and grunts were all the signal he needed before he picked up Amanda's hand again and dragged her away. He knew the men would eventually be up and following, but he hoped the two of them would be far gone by then.
I should've killed them. His chest constricted at the thought, fully aware that he would probably never manage to do it.
The two of them have committed many a crime in the few months they've been on the run - theft, breaking & entering, assault on CS officials and illegal use of their abilities -, but he couldn't bring himself to cross the line of murder. Even if it was to keep the two of them safe. The thought alone was enough to have his stomach roiling.
Not to mention, what would Amanda think of him, then? He couldn't bear the thought of being hated by her. Of being abandoned. Sweet, carefree, dreamy Amanda, his best - and only - friend for as long as he could remember.
Makoto's fingers tightened around hers as he veered towards a nearby slope, sliding down to reach a small stream. They both knelt on the muddy ground, staining their already filthy clothes. His jeans were brown to begin with so the stains were less visible than the ones on his friend's clear blue ones.
Makoto dunked his whole head into the stream, not bothering with how it looked - they hadn't all that much dignity left anyway, so why care? -, relishing the cool water on his heated face. He lapped avidly at the liquid, before quickly washing the dirt off his hands and cleaning the small cuts on his bare arms.
In their haste to escape, he had left his hoodie behind, now clad only in a black T-shirt with Metallica written on it in red. He didn't even like the band, he had just grabbed the very first item he'd found after breaking into a clothing store.
Beside him, Amanda was moving with a little more poise, gently sipping water from her cupped hands, the flared tips of her ridiculous flower shirt dipping into the stream. After rubbing her face clean, she ran a wet hand through her hair in a futile attempt to tame it.
Makoto shot her a sideways glance, thinking back on the simple bandana he had been forced to leave behind. It had been a worn, ugly blue one that didn't even look good on him, but nevertheless did its intended job of keeping his hair out of sight.
He tugged at the lock that hung limply right in the middle of his face, its tip tickling the top of his lips. The rest of his hair was just as lifeless, curtaining a slim face with a soft jawline, sharp nose, thin lips, and narrow, angular eyes.
He glanced at his blurry reflection in the water and sighed. He had never been handsome and months on the run with little food and even fewer opportunities to clean up didn't help his looks in the least.
The only one of his features that stood out were his eyes. He had complete heterochromia iridis: his right eye was green and the left one blue.
Amanda on the other hand, was still beautiful, even after losing a considerable amount of weight. She was the type of girl who was naturally plump and it suited her but was no less attractive even when thinner.
Her dark locks framed a heart-shaped face with full lips, a delicate nose and big eyes that were unfocused most of the time, as if she was seeing something no one else could.
Makoto grabbed his backpack and began rummaging through it, making a mental inventory of what they had. They never unpacked more than was necessary, in case they ended up in a mess like the current one, so what little food and water they had left were still inside, as was his only spare set of clothes.
They had, however, left the sleeping bags behind, which would be a problem sooner or later - Summer was ending and the nights were slowly growing cooler.
Makoto fished out his sole surviving hoodie and shrugged it on, pulling the zipper up over his narrow chest. He filled up one of the empty bottles and shoved it into his bag, mechanically dusting himself off as he stood.
Amanda mimicked him, absentmindedly wringing out the sleeves of her shirt. Makoto was scanning the underbrush, pondering their next course of action. He'd rather leave the forest and go back to the city, where getting food and clothing was easier, but he wasn't sure which way they'd come from anymore.
He climbed back up the slope, his feet slipping on the muddy ground. He turned around to give Amanda a hand only to find her halfway up, her steps more steady than his had been. A wry smile tugged at his lips as she stopped by his side. Trust Amanda to manage to look gracious even when ankle-deep in mud.
Her eyes settled on him and he only had a second to notice her gaze swimming into focus before she grabbed his arm and sharply wrenched him aside. He stumbled and landed on his knees, just as a gunshot rang through the woods.
He flipped over in time to see a red stain blossoming in the middle of her chest. Her legs buckled and she fell forward, the motion seeming to slow under Makoto's horrified gaze.
He jumped towards her, catching her limp body before it hit the ground. His eyes filled with tears as he stared at the blood seeping through her shirt.
"No, no no no no!" he begged, his hand pushing down on the wound. "Please, Mandy, don't!"
She rested her eyes on his face, a pained smile spreading over her lips. She raised a hand to lay atop his own, silently comforting him.
There was rustling behind him and the sound of stomping feet as the remaining pursuers closed in on them. Another shot, the bullet tearing into the back of his shoulder this time.
Numb to the pain, Makoto turned to face them, his free arm viciously slashing through the air. The men were sent crashing into the trees. Makoto focused his attention back on Amanda, who had closed her eyes, her breathing growing shallow.
"Stay with me, Mandy." he pleaded, his free hand joining the other to try and stop the bleeding. "Don't you dare abandon me!"
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Hello there. What do you think of the story so far? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Only one more major character left to introduce before the crew is complete.