iiLoKii
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- Posted: Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:59:37 +0000
I know its a wall of text, Im tired of spacing and pressing enter in certain parts so, Im just looking for input on how you like the story, not the format.
A book Im working in a series of what Im planning to be three books Union of Shadows: Falling to Dust, Ashes to Ashes, Martyrs and Tyrants.
*Do not steal or otherwise copy anything from this text, any use of names, or similarities between real human beings is strictly incidental, any copying whatsoever is plagiarism.
Disaster isn’t always natural, but either way, its disaster.
Chaos and crime spread like flame when there is nothing left to combat them, and in a city with no hope to gain redemption from the evil that has been dealt upon it, crime and destruction find freedom to wreak havoc on all that exists in its path.
Of course, no matter what hand is being dealt, it doesn't come without a dealer. The Reds are the largest and most ruthless crime organization that rules the weakened city, killing and setting fire to anything and everything without remorse, their reach slowly spreading throughout the rest of the world, their sole purpose being to take it over, going to such lengths as eliminating the law as far as the very corners of the nation.
And with members numbering in the thousands and getting larger every day, it takes everything in the power of the rebel nation to try and break the chain of destruction, and take down the most feared crime boss in the nation.
Now seeming to be the only possible answer for the crumbling city- and the world -rebel survivors known as the Shadows begin to number close to the Reds. Their unity and loathing of the Reds working as a driving force to risk their lives within every breath they took.
But keeping any order amidst the chaos, and even some of the Shadows committing treason, and leaving to become Reds from fear for their own lives, is nearly impossible. Especially as the Shadows members dwindle, due to the mindset of, 'survival of the fittest', leading to bitter betrayal.
It is up to fate, and the fury of two clashing armies; rebels and murderers, martyrs and tyrants, angels and demons, as to who will survive and gain the upper hand once more, or how long it will be before the entire world Falls to Dust.
Constant chaos, harsh reality, and the fact that everything may crumble and blow away like dust, still isn't enough to crush the will power of those determined to change the world. Being one of the rebel Shadows, meant to rescue the broken soul that was the world, I would know.
It definitely wasn't easy. Around every corner, there was a risk. Be it a murderous Red, or your luck just running out, there was no such thing as being safe, especially in the state the world was in.
Part of being a Shadow was being willing to risk your own life to save the innocent. Many could say it depends on the situation but, no one is sure how to perceive the way we go through with our duty. We die as we live, and live as we die; martyrs.
Yet another privilege of being part of the rebel nation, you are meant to deal with any Red you can get close to. Hide, kill, and remain hidden in the shadows. The necessities to keep your self from being picked off by the filthy hordes of Reds that were just itching to get into a fight.
It's sickening; Reds line the alley’s as if they were invincible. It's only because they know we can’t take them all down at once. If you attack a Red with others within even a hundred yards, your chances are as past being slim, they're non-existent.
And there I stood, waiting against the wall near the entrance of an alley, acting as bait to lure in any Red that was cocky enough to try and make a move.
They're all sick...
My thoughts weren't far off. By what all of the others said day after day, discussing the manner in which our own have fallen by the hand of a Red, we at least attempt to find methods to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Pfft. Not likely.
None of the others really approved of my methods of dealing with Reds; even if it was efficient, it was dangerous, and definitely not orthodox.
Standing near the entrance to any dark street or alley was considered a death wish. I really didn't mind... After all, I was among some of the most skilled assassins that had found their purpose with the Shadows.
So I ignore what they say, find crowded street corners, catch the eye of a Red, and nonchalantly wander over to the entrance of an alley, where I stand waiting, loathing the very air I breathe for the fact that I shared it with the Reds; the filthy tyrants and criminals that were too corrupted by what they thought at the moment to notice what the hell they were about to get themselves into.
Out of the corner of my eye I'm able to see a wiry looking man, a Red, with a long coat, dirty blond hair, and a malicious smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth, edging closer to me with every other Red or brave civilian that passed him.
Bingo.
As soon as he's close enough that he could reach out and touch me, I turn on my heels and start walking down the ally at a mildly fast pace, easing a bit of hurried panic into my steps. Sure enough, the Red follows me, lengthening his stride at an attempt to catch up with me; a helpless civilian trying to avoid confrontation.
The fact that he was catching up so eagerly made me sick, and almost laugh at the ridiculous lengths a Red would go to.
What an idiot…
I round a corner, breaking into a run down the ever darkening alley way, the Red's steps getting louder and more frequent behind me. Finally, I come to a dead end, letting out a gasp when I see the wall.
C'mon...Make it convincing.
I back up against the cold brick wall, hearing a chuckle from the Red that had me cornered.
"Please..." I mutter, milking the pathetic tone I added to my voice. A smirk flashed across the Red's face, and he cockily took a step closer.
That's it...come here you sick son of a-
Within the blink of an eye, he's right in front of me, barely a foot away from me, smiling a sinister and expectant smile. I have to force my self not to lash out at the grinning face that was now only inches from mine.
"Hi there sweetie," My stomach lurches; these Reds were all the same. I try to make my face look as scared as possible, and his face twists into a harsh bit of laughter. The sick, bitter laugh made me want to plug my ears.
It was working; he was letting his guard down. As he stood there laughing, distracted in his own malicious amusement, I had time to reach to my belt, and pull out the four inch dagger that I kept on it, holding it in my hands behind my back, waiting while the Red regained his composure.
The same sickening grin is plastered to his face and once more I beg with as much pathetic pleading as I could muster, "Please," His face is the same, and he reaches his hand towards his back pocket, saying, "Sorry hon-" at that moment I whip the dagger around in front of me, side stepping the Red as I tripped him forward, right where I wanted him.
He was only able to try and regain his balance for a heartbeat, before I flashed out the blade once more, making a clean, deep cut on the front of his throat, I could feel the drag on the knife as I pulled it swiftly across his neck, and when I did, the blade was stained crimson within an instant.
He made a choked gagging noise, and I stepped back, wiping the blade on his coat as he slunk to the ground, looking up at me with a definite but involuntarily fading hatred, right before I turned, as casual as if I were leaving a public building, and continued my way back down the alley.
On my way back the way I had ran from the Red, I shoved my knife back into its leather pocket on my belt, making it back to the entrance of the alley without a scratch. I let out a relieved sigh and lean against the corner of the brick wall, stretching with my arms out in front of me to relieve tension, and I give a startled jump when I hear a voice speak to me.
"Lunai!" The voice calls as I jump. I look over, at the sound of my name, my heartbeat evening out once more as I recognized the voice. I look over to see a tall, thin teenager, with blood red hair and hard features, looking to be about seventeen.
"Aio, you scared the crap out of me!" I look at him as an amused smile crept into his expression. Aio was a fellow Shadow, and one of my best friends.
"Why do you keep doing that?" I ask, and he chuckles.
"I don't, 'keep doing that'," He laughs again. "You're just easy to scare." A challenging smile mingles with the amusement in his face, and I give an indignant gasp and cross my arms like a petulant child,
"Easy to scare?” I let out a bit of contradicting laughter. “Look what we do to stay alive," I say, motioning with my shoulder to the streets crowded with civilians and cocky Reds.
"Okay, okay..." He says putting his hands out in front of him in an exaggerated, joking expression meant to calm me down. I roll my eyes. He sees me flash the exasperated expression, and adds, "Not easy to scare... But very easy to startle." He smiles again, and I punch him in the arm, and he lets out a laugh, not seeming phased the slightest bit.
"C'mon, we've gotta head back soon, it's getting late." I say, starting to walk past him and he lets out a snort of laughter and looks over at me. "Since when has being late ever stopped you?" He's chuckling.
"Since I decided I didn't want to piss off Derron," I say in a matter-of-factly tone, adding “He's as irritable as hell..."
Aio gets a thoughtful expression on his face. And he smiles a crooked smile.
"You have a point; no one in their right mind would get on your brother's nerves," He shrugs casually adding,
"Unless they want to die..." I immediately laugh, totally agreeing with him.
"I'm with you on that one." I yank on his arm briefly, getting him to start walking next to me in the direction of the Shadows hideout. I walk faster, trying to match Aio's stride so we could get back quicker, and he looks over at me, noticing what I was doing, an amused smirk crawling across his expression, and he breaks into a run and I say, my voice squeaking as I sped up next to him, "Not cool, Aio!" He laughs and slows down, though still walking at a quick pace. We keep our speed for several blocks.
The streets were cracked, and most of the buildings were boarded up and falling apart, and the ones that weren't held small groups of Reds that found the location suitable for their needs, even though they usually hopped buildings on a daily basis. Life was hard, even for murderers.
We slow down when we get to a street corner, the green sign was bent, and the blocky white text on it was hard to read. But I already knew what it said; we were at the corner of 9th and Jefferson. And directly to the left, about four blocks down, was the Jefferson subway station. It hadn't been used for as long as anyone could remember, but it was a vital part of the Shadows' existence in more ways than one.
We kept a casual pace, and Aio had his hands jammed in the pockets of his jeans as we anxiously headed down to the subway station. As we approached, the boards blocking the entrance were no shock; they had been there for as long as the subway had been shut down. So we avoided the entrance as we usually would, going around the little green map booth on top of the raised concrete platform that covered the entrance to the subway. We went around the corner of the next street, stopping in the middle of the furthest alley, looking at a grate on the side of the street. I sigh, always hating the way we had to get back into the hideout.
It wasn't because it was in a sewer, heck, there wasn't anything left down there; it was just a tunnel. I didn't like the fact that it was so dark down there, it would be easy to get yourself lost in the tunnels.
I look up at Aio, saying, "You first..." He rolls his eyes and bends down towards the ground, but in the opposite direction of the grate, and I didn't realize what he was doing until he straightened back up, an old, dirty coin in his hand, and a smirk on his face.
"Heads you go, tails I go?" He says, proposing that the chances decide who goes first, and I agree quickly, not wanting to stay in the open any more than I wanted to go into the tunnel. "Okay, just flip it already," I say quickly, Aio immediately flips the coin into the air, me cursing it silently the entire way it fell to the ground. It hit the ground with a tiny tinkling noise, and it was turned up on tails. I breathe a relieved sigh, looking at Aio and smirking.
"Heh, your turn." I chuckle and say, still smiling.
He sighs. "Fine you win... again..." He inches reluctantly towards the grate, and twines his fingers around the bars, carefully lifting it with a scraping screech, making me flinch at the noise. He shoves it off to the side, and sits on the edge of the opening, and slipping down, it barely wide enough for his shoulders. I hear his feet hit the ground, and him call, "All clear."
I sit on the edge, not wasting any time, jumping blindly into the dark after hanging from the edge of the grate so I could pull it shut, the drop being a good fifteen feet, but we had gotten used to jumping off of things during all the times we had to make hasty escapes or hide from Reds.
I hit the ground without flinching and walk to Aio, able to tell where he was because I could hear him breathing.
Suddenly, without warning, a bright light flashes up from his hand and I jump back. It was fire, a lighter to be more exact. I look at him with a curious smile, "Since when do you carry a lighter?" He shrugs and says in a matter-of-factly tone, holding the square metal lighter out in front of him, "Since I decided to take it from a chain smoking Red that was passed out on a street corner."
I laugh, my voice echoing, Aio's response had sounded just like mine from earlier.
"C'mon, if we don't get back soon Derron'll flip..." I say, lowering my voice so it doesn't echo as much.
I can see Aio nod in the dim but helpful light the lighter gave off, and we walk forward at the same pace we were on the streets above, sidestepping the various items and trash that littered the bottom of the dried up sewer.
I'm thankful for the light, because every time I went down here, I had trouble counting the other tunnel entrances, running my hands against the walls in the dark down to the edge of the seventh tunnel.
But with the light I could see the seventh tunnel down, and I nudge Aio, him looking over, his shoulders relaxing and looking obviously relieved that we were almost back.
I head over to the tunnel, but stop at the entrance instead of going down it. Aio feels along the wall near the bottom, and I hear the familiar scrape of steel against brick, and I cringe. Aio had moved yet another grate, a grate that lead downward even further than the tunnels we were in now. I sigh. Why was it that every time we had to get somewhere, we had to crawl through various openings? I look over at Aio, and he slumps his shoulders and sighs, knowing I meant for him to go first.
Reluctantly as before, he slips through, barely fitting his shoulders, same as before, and drops about fifteen feet from the small ledge he had sat on, same as before. I look down, and I hear an exasperated sigh, and Aio say, "Lunai...It's clear..." I scrunch my face up at his tone and say quietly, "Shut up..." and drop into the tunnel below, pulling the grate shut skillfully as I dropped, and the very fact that it was a deeper tunnel made it seem darker, and making me feel claustrophobic.
Aio flips the lighter open once more, and within one try, and we stick close to the concrete wall of the small tunnel. It was about eight feet high and roughly ten feet wide.
None of the Shadows really knew who made the tunnels or why they were even here, maybe someone had shipped illegal drugs or weapons through the city, it was a capital city after all, but they were vital for us to be able to survive. I keep my hand on the wall and walk behind Aio, looking over his shoulder into the darkness.
The silence and the eerily dim light the lighter gave off was hovering over my senses; making every little drip of water, or rat scurry, sound like a train wreck. We walk for what feels like about twenty blocks. These tunnels were long; no one had ever tried to make it to the end...Without consequence at least.
When we finally stop, I'm frozen to the bone, shivering from the cold, and the fact of where we were. Aio hands me the lighter, and I hold it up so I could see him; pulling one loose board at a time from a pile of boards stuffed into a huge gap in the wall, the jagged edges of the concrete opening dripping with condensation.
He finally gets the last board up, and takes the lighter back, crawling through the opening he made over the precariously piled up boards and dropping about four feet from the top onto asphalt ground on the other side. "Lunai," He says, and I see his hand reaching over and I grab it, hauling myself over the top of the boards, making sure to pile them back up, sealing the entrance. "Thanks..." I breathe when I'm finally over the side, and Aio just nods, flicking the lighter closed, for around the next few corners there was no need for it.
We round five corners; left, right, right, left, right, having memorized the route, and finally, exhaling gratefully, we round the last corner.
The small opening to the tunnel we are in opens up sharply into a massive tunnel that was who knows how many feet high, maybe about a hundred, and about a four lane high way wide. There were huge steel beams and concrete supports holding up the concrete roof.
The tunnels were huge, and without a doubt man made, maybe not for the purpose of the Shadows, like, anyone could’ve foreseen the world falling into this situation, that was evident, but they were here. Something many of us always said, ‘Why ask about it, all that matters is that its there.’
The tunnels did go under almost every street as far as the edge of the city, giving plenty of room for what the behemoth tunnel contained; hundreds, and hundreds, nearly a thousand, of Shadows. There were Shadows lining the sides of the tunnels, leaning on the sides casually and talking, or sitting at wooden hand built shacks, which were also abundant, and served many different purposes. Some were even seen inventorying the various weapons that were handed out for defense when we left the tunnels. And there was light coming from torches and lamps or grates that filtered light from above.
"Do you think Derron will notice that we're late...?" I say to Aio sheepishly, looking up at him. He shrugs and looks into the large, talking crowd expectantly. "I don't know, maybe he'll let you off easy this time-"
"Lunai Miahl!"
Crap.
Derron's angry yell echoed off of the walls of the tunnel, making it seem smaller. I look over at him, more irritated at the fact that I would have to listen to him, rather than afraid of him because he was angry.
Several Shadows are staring and snickering as Derron strides over to Aio and me, standing there, pathetically awaiting the rant that was brewing within my pissy brother...
Derron was tall, a bit taller than Aio, and had jet black hair that covered his eyes, which were a kind of brown that looked more like red; almost like my pure red eyes. My long, unusually snow white hair didn’t match at all, I looked nothing like I was related to him. And he looked to be about twenty five.
He was tense, and he had good reason to be. Being out this late was a death wish, among other things, Reds being more active at dusk.
He finally gets up to me and Aio after what seemed agonizingly long, and says in a harsh but low volume tone, "What did I tell you about being out this late, Lunai?" I shrug like a child with no definite answer, or just afraid to answer.
He sighs and continues to me, "You're sixteen; you should've been acting more responsible than this a long time ago."
I was getting irritated. But I knew Derron was just concerned, so I dealt with it, not prepared to get in an argument with him.
"Sorry..." I hear Aio say. Derron just looks over at me and I sigh and mumble, "Fine, I'll be more careful, alright?" I hated being treated like I was twelve, or irresponsible.
He straightens up, his expression staying the same, and he puts his fingers in his mouth, whistling loudly, in unique pattern of differentiating tones, and I see a familiar face pop up from behind the counter of a shack down the tunnel. I wave and he waves back, his spiky golden hair falling in front of his face as he came enthusiastically over to Aio, Derron, and I, his childish enthusiasm was odd for a nineteen year old, but not unwelcome.
"Hi Lunai, hey Aio,” He looks at Derron’s scowl and chuckles to us, “Pfft, you get busted again?" He says cheerfully, and I can't help but smile at his infectious enthusiasm.
"Hi Tuck, and yeah." I chuckle nervously.
"Hey Tucker." Aio echoes, smiling too. Tucker nods and turns to Derron, who says without waiting for Tucker to say anything,
"Tucker I need you to make sure we have enough supplies to last us the rest of the week, before we have to go back to the outskirts again, okay?" Tucker nods, and says, sounding as if he were a loyal dog, ever content with being helpful to anyone who needed him,
"No problem, boss."
A book Im working in a series of what Im planning to be three books Union of Shadows: Falling to Dust, Ashes to Ashes, Martyrs and Tyrants.
*Do not steal or otherwise copy anything from this text, any use of names, or similarities between real human beings is strictly incidental, any copying whatsoever is plagiarism.
“We will not be put under…
We are a nation of martyrs. We are a union of Shadows. We are a legion of angels. We will not fall to the ones who are damning us as we breathe.
We will not stop for the very fact that they curse our existence.
We will not give in after all we strove to save.
We will not surrender to demons.
We will defy those who defy us.
We will not lose our faith.
We will not fall into the hell of our enemies grasp.
We will not fall to dust.”
We are a nation of martyrs. We are a union of Shadows. We are a legion of angels. We will not fall to the ones who are damning us as we breathe.
We will not stop for the very fact that they curse our existence.
We will not give in after all we strove to save.
We will not surrender to demons.
We will defy those who defy us.
We will not lose our faith.
We will not fall into the hell of our enemies grasp.
We will not fall to dust.”
Union of Shadows
Falling to Dust
Kristen Norman
Throughout our lives we Shall
All fall to Dust...
All fall to Dust...
In the darkness we're blind and We
All fall to Dust...
All fall to Dust...
With no justice we're Lost.
We all fall to Dust.
We all fall to Dust.
We all fall to Dust.
Falling to Dust
Kristen Norman
Throughout our lives we Shall
All fall to Dust...
All fall to Dust...
In the darkness we're blind and We
All fall to Dust...
All fall to Dust...
With no justice we're Lost.
We all fall to Dust.
We all fall to Dust.
We all fall to Dust.
Disaster isn’t always natural, but either way, its disaster.
Chaos and crime spread like flame when there is nothing left to combat them, and in a city with no hope to gain redemption from the evil that has been dealt upon it, crime and destruction find freedom to wreak havoc on all that exists in its path.
Of course, no matter what hand is being dealt, it doesn't come without a dealer. The Reds are the largest and most ruthless crime organization that rules the weakened city, killing and setting fire to anything and everything without remorse, their reach slowly spreading throughout the rest of the world, their sole purpose being to take it over, going to such lengths as eliminating the law as far as the very corners of the nation.
And with members numbering in the thousands and getting larger every day, it takes everything in the power of the rebel nation to try and break the chain of destruction, and take down the most feared crime boss in the nation.
Now seeming to be the only possible answer for the crumbling city- and the world -rebel survivors known as the Shadows begin to number close to the Reds. Their unity and loathing of the Reds working as a driving force to risk their lives within every breath they took.
But keeping any order amidst the chaos, and even some of the Shadows committing treason, and leaving to become Reds from fear for their own lives, is nearly impossible. Especially as the Shadows members dwindle, due to the mindset of, 'survival of the fittest', leading to bitter betrayal.
It is up to fate, and the fury of two clashing armies; rebels and murderers, martyrs and tyrants, angels and demons, as to who will survive and gain the upper hand once more, or how long it will be before the entire world Falls to Dust.
Chapter One
Constant chaos, harsh reality, and the fact that everything may crumble and blow away like dust, still isn't enough to crush the will power of those determined to change the world. Being one of the rebel Shadows, meant to rescue the broken soul that was the world, I would know.
It definitely wasn't easy. Around every corner, there was a risk. Be it a murderous Red, or your luck just running out, there was no such thing as being safe, especially in the state the world was in.
Part of being a Shadow was being willing to risk your own life to save the innocent. Many could say it depends on the situation but, no one is sure how to perceive the way we go through with our duty. We die as we live, and live as we die; martyrs.
Yet another privilege of being part of the rebel nation, you are meant to deal with any Red you can get close to. Hide, kill, and remain hidden in the shadows. The necessities to keep your self from being picked off by the filthy hordes of Reds that were just itching to get into a fight.
It's sickening; Reds line the alley’s as if they were invincible. It's only because they know we can’t take them all down at once. If you attack a Red with others within even a hundred yards, your chances are as past being slim, they're non-existent.
And there I stood, waiting against the wall near the entrance of an alley, acting as bait to lure in any Red that was cocky enough to try and make a move.
They're all sick...
My thoughts weren't far off. By what all of the others said day after day, discussing the manner in which our own have fallen by the hand of a Red, we at least attempt to find methods to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Pfft. Not likely.
None of the others really approved of my methods of dealing with Reds; even if it was efficient, it was dangerous, and definitely not orthodox.
Standing near the entrance to any dark street or alley was considered a death wish. I really didn't mind... After all, I was among some of the most skilled assassins that had found their purpose with the Shadows.
So I ignore what they say, find crowded street corners, catch the eye of a Red, and nonchalantly wander over to the entrance of an alley, where I stand waiting, loathing the very air I breathe for the fact that I shared it with the Reds; the filthy tyrants and criminals that were too corrupted by what they thought at the moment to notice what the hell they were about to get themselves into.
Out of the corner of my eye I'm able to see a wiry looking man, a Red, with a long coat, dirty blond hair, and a malicious smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth, edging closer to me with every other Red or brave civilian that passed him.
Bingo.
As soon as he's close enough that he could reach out and touch me, I turn on my heels and start walking down the ally at a mildly fast pace, easing a bit of hurried panic into my steps. Sure enough, the Red follows me, lengthening his stride at an attempt to catch up with me; a helpless civilian trying to avoid confrontation.
The fact that he was catching up so eagerly made me sick, and almost laugh at the ridiculous lengths a Red would go to.
What an idiot…
I round a corner, breaking into a run down the ever darkening alley way, the Red's steps getting louder and more frequent behind me. Finally, I come to a dead end, letting out a gasp when I see the wall.
C'mon...Make it convincing.
I back up against the cold brick wall, hearing a chuckle from the Red that had me cornered.
"Please..." I mutter, milking the pathetic tone I added to my voice. A smirk flashed across the Red's face, and he cockily took a step closer.
That's it...come here you sick son of a-
Within the blink of an eye, he's right in front of me, barely a foot away from me, smiling a sinister and expectant smile. I have to force my self not to lash out at the grinning face that was now only inches from mine.
"Hi there sweetie," My stomach lurches; these Reds were all the same. I try to make my face look as scared as possible, and his face twists into a harsh bit of laughter. The sick, bitter laugh made me want to plug my ears.
It was working; he was letting his guard down. As he stood there laughing, distracted in his own malicious amusement, I had time to reach to my belt, and pull out the four inch dagger that I kept on it, holding it in my hands behind my back, waiting while the Red regained his composure.
The same sickening grin is plastered to his face and once more I beg with as much pathetic pleading as I could muster, "Please," His face is the same, and he reaches his hand towards his back pocket, saying, "Sorry hon-" at that moment I whip the dagger around in front of me, side stepping the Red as I tripped him forward, right where I wanted him.
He was only able to try and regain his balance for a heartbeat, before I flashed out the blade once more, making a clean, deep cut on the front of his throat, I could feel the drag on the knife as I pulled it swiftly across his neck, and when I did, the blade was stained crimson within an instant.
He made a choked gagging noise, and I stepped back, wiping the blade on his coat as he slunk to the ground, looking up at me with a definite but involuntarily fading hatred, right before I turned, as casual as if I were leaving a public building, and continued my way back down the alley.
On my way back the way I had ran from the Red, I shoved my knife back into its leather pocket on my belt, making it back to the entrance of the alley without a scratch. I let out a relieved sigh and lean against the corner of the brick wall, stretching with my arms out in front of me to relieve tension, and I give a startled jump when I hear a voice speak to me.
"Lunai!" The voice calls as I jump. I look over, at the sound of my name, my heartbeat evening out once more as I recognized the voice. I look over to see a tall, thin teenager, with blood red hair and hard features, looking to be about seventeen.
"Aio, you scared the crap out of me!" I look at him as an amused smile crept into his expression. Aio was a fellow Shadow, and one of my best friends.
"Why do you keep doing that?" I ask, and he chuckles.
"I don't, 'keep doing that'," He laughs again. "You're just easy to scare." A challenging smile mingles with the amusement in his face, and I give an indignant gasp and cross my arms like a petulant child,
"Easy to scare?” I let out a bit of contradicting laughter. “Look what we do to stay alive," I say, motioning with my shoulder to the streets crowded with civilians and cocky Reds.
"Okay, okay..." He says putting his hands out in front of him in an exaggerated, joking expression meant to calm me down. I roll my eyes. He sees me flash the exasperated expression, and adds, "Not easy to scare... But very easy to startle." He smiles again, and I punch him in the arm, and he lets out a laugh, not seeming phased the slightest bit.
"C'mon, we've gotta head back soon, it's getting late." I say, starting to walk past him and he lets out a snort of laughter and looks over at me. "Since when has being late ever stopped you?" He's chuckling.
"Since I decided I didn't want to piss off Derron," I say in a matter-of-factly tone, adding “He's as irritable as hell..."
Aio gets a thoughtful expression on his face. And he smiles a crooked smile.
"You have a point; no one in their right mind would get on your brother's nerves," He shrugs casually adding,
"Unless they want to die..." I immediately laugh, totally agreeing with him.
"I'm with you on that one." I yank on his arm briefly, getting him to start walking next to me in the direction of the Shadows hideout. I walk faster, trying to match Aio's stride so we could get back quicker, and he looks over at me, noticing what I was doing, an amused smirk crawling across his expression, and he breaks into a run and I say, my voice squeaking as I sped up next to him, "Not cool, Aio!" He laughs and slows down, though still walking at a quick pace. We keep our speed for several blocks.
The streets were cracked, and most of the buildings were boarded up and falling apart, and the ones that weren't held small groups of Reds that found the location suitable for their needs, even though they usually hopped buildings on a daily basis. Life was hard, even for murderers.
We slow down when we get to a street corner, the green sign was bent, and the blocky white text on it was hard to read. But I already knew what it said; we were at the corner of 9th and Jefferson. And directly to the left, about four blocks down, was the Jefferson subway station. It hadn't been used for as long as anyone could remember, but it was a vital part of the Shadows' existence in more ways than one.
We kept a casual pace, and Aio had his hands jammed in the pockets of his jeans as we anxiously headed down to the subway station. As we approached, the boards blocking the entrance were no shock; they had been there for as long as the subway had been shut down. So we avoided the entrance as we usually would, going around the little green map booth on top of the raised concrete platform that covered the entrance to the subway. We went around the corner of the next street, stopping in the middle of the furthest alley, looking at a grate on the side of the street. I sigh, always hating the way we had to get back into the hideout.
It wasn't because it was in a sewer, heck, there wasn't anything left down there; it was just a tunnel. I didn't like the fact that it was so dark down there, it would be easy to get yourself lost in the tunnels.
I look up at Aio, saying, "You first..." He rolls his eyes and bends down towards the ground, but in the opposite direction of the grate, and I didn't realize what he was doing until he straightened back up, an old, dirty coin in his hand, and a smirk on his face.
"Heads you go, tails I go?" He says, proposing that the chances decide who goes first, and I agree quickly, not wanting to stay in the open any more than I wanted to go into the tunnel. "Okay, just flip it already," I say quickly, Aio immediately flips the coin into the air, me cursing it silently the entire way it fell to the ground. It hit the ground with a tiny tinkling noise, and it was turned up on tails. I breathe a relieved sigh, looking at Aio and smirking.
"Heh, your turn." I chuckle and say, still smiling.
He sighs. "Fine you win... again..." He inches reluctantly towards the grate, and twines his fingers around the bars, carefully lifting it with a scraping screech, making me flinch at the noise. He shoves it off to the side, and sits on the edge of the opening, and slipping down, it barely wide enough for his shoulders. I hear his feet hit the ground, and him call, "All clear."
I sit on the edge, not wasting any time, jumping blindly into the dark after hanging from the edge of the grate so I could pull it shut, the drop being a good fifteen feet, but we had gotten used to jumping off of things during all the times we had to make hasty escapes or hide from Reds.
I hit the ground without flinching and walk to Aio, able to tell where he was because I could hear him breathing.
Suddenly, without warning, a bright light flashes up from his hand and I jump back. It was fire, a lighter to be more exact. I look at him with a curious smile, "Since when do you carry a lighter?" He shrugs and says in a matter-of-factly tone, holding the square metal lighter out in front of him, "Since I decided to take it from a chain smoking Red that was passed out on a street corner."
I laugh, my voice echoing, Aio's response had sounded just like mine from earlier.
"C'mon, if we don't get back soon Derron'll flip..." I say, lowering my voice so it doesn't echo as much.
I can see Aio nod in the dim but helpful light the lighter gave off, and we walk forward at the same pace we were on the streets above, sidestepping the various items and trash that littered the bottom of the dried up sewer.
I'm thankful for the light, because every time I went down here, I had trouble counting the other tunnel entrances, running my hands against the walls in the dark down to the edge of the seventh tunnel.
But with the light I could see the seventh tunnel down, and I nudge Aio, him looking over, his shoulders relaxing and looking obviously relieved that we were almost back.
I head over to the tunnel, but stop at the entrance instead of going down it. Aio feels along the wall near the bottom, and I hear the familiar scrape of steel against brick, and I cringe. Aio had moved yet another grate, a grate that lead downward even further than the tunnels we were in now. I sigh. Why was it that every time we had to get somewhere, we had to crawl through various openings? I look over at Aio, and he slumps his shoulders and sighs, knowing I meant for him to go first.
Reluctantly as before, he slips through, barely fitting his shoulders, same as before, and drops about fifteen feet from the small ledge he had sat on, same as before. I look down, and I hear an exasperated sigh, and Aio say, "Lunai...It's clear..." I scrunch my face up at his tone and say quietly, "Shut up..." and drop into the tunnel below, pulling the grate shut skillfully as I dropped, and the very fact that it was a deeper tunnel made it seem darker, and making me feel claustrophobic.
Aio flips the lighter open once more, and within one try, and we stick close to the concrete wall of the small tunnel. It was about eight feet high and roughly ten feet wide.
None of the Shadows really knew who made the tunnels or why they were even here, maybe someone had shipped illegal drugs or weapons through the city, it was a capital city after all, but they were vital for us to be able to survive. I keep my hand on the wall and walk behind Aio, looking over his shoulder into the darkness.
The silence and the eerily dim light the lighter gave off was hovering over my senses; making every little drip of water, or rat scurry, sound like a train wreck. We walk for what feels like about twenty blocks. These tunnels were long; no one had ever tried to make it to the end...Without consequence at least.
When we finally stop, I'm frozen to the bone, shivering from the cold, and the fact of where we were. Aio hands me the lighter, and I hold it up so I could see him; pulling one loose board at a time from a pile of boards stuffed into a huge gap in the wall, the jagged edges of the concrete opening dripping with condensation.
He finally gets the last board up, and takes the lighter back, crawling through the opening he made over the precariously piled up boards and dropping about four feet from the top onto asphalt ground on the other side. "Lunai," He says, and I see his hand reaching over and I grab it, hauling myself over the top of the boards, making sure to pile them back up, sealing the entrance. "Thanks..." I breathe when I'm finally over the side, and Aio just nods, flicking the lighter closed, for around the next few corners there was no need for it.
We round five corners; left, right, right, left, right, having memorized the route, and finally, exhaling gratefully, we round the last corner.
The small opening to the tunnel we are in opens up sharply into a massive tunnel that was who knows how many feet high, maybe about a hundred, and about a four lane high way wide. There were huge steel beams and concrete supports holding up the concrete roof.
The tunnels were huge, and without a doubt man made, maybe not for the purpose of the Shadows, like, anyone could’ve foreseen the world falling into this situation, that was evident, but they were here. Something many of us always said, ‘Why ask about it, all that matters is that its there.’
The tunnels did go under almost every street as far as the edge of the city, giving plenty of room for what the behemoth tunnel contained; hundreds, and hundreds, nearly a thousand, of Shadows. There were Shadows lining the sides of the tunnels, leaning on the sides casually and talking, or sitting at wooden hand built shacks, which were also abundant, and served many different purposes. Some were even seen inventorying the various weapons that were handed out for defense when we left the tunnels. And there was light coming from torches and lamps or grates that filtered light from above.
"Do you think Derron will notice that we're late...?" I say to Aio sheepishly, looking up at him. He shrugs and looks into the large, talking crowd expectantly. "I don't know, maybe he'll let you off easy this time-"
"Lunai Miahl!"
Crap.
Derron's angry yell echoed off of the walls of the tunnel, making it seem smaller. I look over at him, more irritated at the fact that I would have to listen to him, rather than afraid of him because he was angry.
Several Shadows are staring and snickering as Derron strides over to Aio and me, standing there, pathetically awaiting the rant that was brewing within my pissy brother...
Derron was tall, a bit taller than Aio, and had jet black hair that covered his eyes, which were a kind of brown that looked more like red; almost like my pure red eyes. My long, unusually snow white hair didn’t match at all, I looked nothing like I was related to him. And he looked to be about twenty five.
He was tense, and he had good reason to be. Being out this late was a death wish, among other things, Reds being more active at dusk.
He finally gets up to me and Aio after what seemed agonizingly long, and says in a harsh but low volume tone, "What did I tell you about being out this late, Lunai?" I shrug like a child with no definite answer, or just afraid to answer.
He sighs and continues to me, "You're sixteen; you should've been acting more responsible than this a long time ago."
I was getting irritated. But I knew Derron was just concerned, so I dealt with it, not prepared to get in an argument with him.
"Sorry..." I hear Aio say. Derron just looks over at me and I sigh and mumble, "Fine, I'll be more careful, alright?" I hated being treated like I was twelve, or irresponsible.
He straightens up, his expression staying the same, and he puts his fingers in his mouth, whistling loudly, in unique pattern of differentiating tones, and I see a familiar face pop up from behind the counter of a shack down the tunnel. I wave and he waves back, his spiky golden hair falling in front of his face as he came enthusiastically over to Aio, Derron, and I, his childish enthusiasm was odd for a nineteen year old, but not unwelcome.
"Hi Lunai, hey Aio,” He looks at Derron’s scowl and chuckles to us, “Pfft, you get busted again?" He says cheerfully, and I can't help but smile at his infectious enthusiasm.
"Hi Tuck, and yeah." I chuckle nervously.
"Hey Tucker." Aio echoes, smiling too. Tucker nods and turns to Derron, who says without waiting for Tucker to say anything,
"Tucker I need you to make sure we have enough supplies to last us the rest of the week, before we have to go back to the outskirts again, okay?" Tucker nods, and says, sounding as if he were a loyal dog, ever content with being helpful to anyone who needed him,
"No problem, boss."
