“So they’ve been building this thing for five years?” Oliva asked as she looked up at the tallest building she’s ever seen. “It’s a little big dontcha think?”
“The way The Elites works, it'll never be finished.” snorted Max. I smiled and playfully elbowed him.
“ Hey, what’s up with that guy over there?” Oliva asked as she pointed with her thumb to a man standing a few feet away chewing on his cuticles and picking at his painted black nails.
“Don’t worry about him,” I smiled.
Oliva whispered “He’s creepy.”
I sideyed her and whispered back, “Not really.”
We stood looking up at the tower knowing we had only a few hours before the search lights would skim across the night sky. Right on cue Rusty drove up and the group piled into the truck. Oliva asked why they were leaving that creep behind? I took a deep breath and assured her he would be waiting for them. We drove south towards an abandoned strip mall with crumbling buildings that were used as shelters for the runaways and the forgotten. Rusty parked the truck next to a car repair building that had been converted into a residence. Oliva’s jaw dropped when she saw the man they left behind, leaning against the building, chewing on his cuticles and picking at his painted black nails. I looked at her and mouthed “Told ya.”
The man mumbled something as he walked past us and disappeared into the tall scratchy grass. We followed him to the tall electrified fence; Nik had disabled sector 525’s fence years ago along with the alarm that goes with it; nobody has ever noticed it’s offline.
The fence has a hidden door cut in it that leads to the heavily wooded expanse with a path that leads to the wilderness. We headed out to collect items that are considered illegal to bring them back to be sold or traded. This time we were out to get the small items that could fit in our packs or be easily carried.
As it was getting close to sunset and we all met by the gate with our heavy packs and easy to carry boxes. As I looked to the skies, I noticed a faint shimmer of the lights coming on; we couldn’t wait for our companion any longer. If the lights caught us we would be jailed or removed from the state. I looked back at the door and sighed; I knew my friend would be okay.
My belly is so hungry it hurts. My siblings keep pushing me away from our mother; she doesn’t even seem to care. No matter how hard I try or how loud I cry, they just push me away. I don't deserve abandonment and starvation just because I'm the runt.
One day they got bored and thought it would be enjoyable to pick their little sister, so they surrounded me, growling and hissing so loudly that it hurt my ears. They swatted and lunged at me, baring their teeth. I yelped in pain, but our mother barely stirred, showing no concern for me. However, one of my siblings told the others to leave me alone. They turned and, with their milk-filled bellies, waddled away.
I crawled to a darker corner under the porch we call home. I'm afraid of the dark, and it can't get any darker than this. It’s cold and damp here, and it smells like mold, a toilet, and death. I looked over at them living in their dry, sunny, and warm spot. I hate them.
My whimpers must’ve been heard by one of the passersby because one of the loose boards above me lifted and my mother and siblings ran away, but I was too weak to escape.
A shadow fell over me, blocking out the moon’s light, and a warm pair of hands reached in and wrapped themselves around me. I wasn’t afraid; I felt safe. They gently lifted me and held me against their chest, their heartbeat steady and slow, lulling me so quickly into sleep that I didn't notice when they bent down to pick up my protective brother and put him in their hoodie’s pocket.
I must’ve been dreaming that I was flying because I felt the wind in my fur and a swishing noise. Our footsteps were now louder and faster as we ran through the woods to escape a moaning smell of death, our footsteps became louder and faster. A woman said we had to reach the fence before they caught up. I’m pretty sure that whatever that dog was barking at must've been what we were trying to get away from.
We came to a sudden stop, and a metallic scraping noise made my ears perk up. The person’s heartbeat was still slow and steady as we stepped through a hole in a chain link fence and into what looked like an overgrown field. I heard the door in the fence being secured, the crunching footfalls and the smell of stagnant water. We quickly dove into the tall, scratchy grass when a light swept across the night sky above us. We hurriedly moved forward, only to duck into the grass when the light illuminated the darkness again. We slowly made our way to a dimly lit, broken concrete road. I heard a woman say “See ya tomorrow Uncle. I can’t wait to meet the new kittens.”
It felt like forever to me, but we finally reached our destination, and a door quietly creaked open. With a flick of a switch, the overhead fluorescent lights hummed to life. My rescuer dropped the pack they were carrying, removed my brother from their pocket and gently placed him on the floor and sighed deeply. They then lifted me up so we could see eye-to-eye, and they smiled at me. Our noses pressed against each other's, and with an even wider smile, they grumbled, “Welcome home, Del. I’ve missed you so much.”
