Brian looks at the road as the scenery passes him by quickly. Blurs of green: grass. Blurs of color: cars. Blurs of brown: trees. The sun beat down on his back softly giving warmth to his body. The cycle cuts through the air smoothly and the engine hummed slightly as the two cycles made their way side by side down the highway as the only moving vehicles. The helmet fit his perfectly, as they always did, and his clothing was rippling against his body as the wind beat down on him from behind Stanton. The familiar upset feeling in his stomach though seemed to grow with every passing second.
“Guys where exactly are we going?” as Cole’s voice comes through the speakers in their helmets.
“I have no idea,” Stanton says as he steers around another abandoned car, “What exit Brian?”
“Third one,” Brian says. Stanton had been listening to Brian’s direction since they left New York City. He wasn’t really sure why they were listening to him, but Stanton said that he had a feeling they were going in the right direction, “You guys do know I get lost all the time right?”
Cole looks to the left quickly over at them as Stanton turns to his right and looks at Cole.
“Ah to hell with it,” Stanton says as he kicks his cycle into full ignition and takes off faster down the highway as Cole does the same.
“What do you think is going on up there?” Cole asks looking up at the sky briefly before focusing his attention back on the street as the two cycles cut quickly to the right taking the third exit off.
“You think it hit there?” Brian asks looking up.
“Possibly,” Stanton says.
“I always wanted to go up there,” Cole says.
“You’ll go soon enough,” Stanton says.
Brian smiles inside of his helmet and shakes his head slightly.
He had never felt more free in his life.
Two cycles fly down the New York City street quickly flying past Jackson as he goes to cross the street. The familiar soft green glow comes from underneath them and is about the only thing he could make out about the cycles features from the speed they were going at. Rooks, who knew, at least he was sure they were still out there. The wind coming from off the cycles moves his hair softly before he watches them travel down the rest of the length of the New York street. He turns his attention back to crossing the street as he looses sight of the cycles around a corner.
“Crazy men,” he says softly before jogging across the street to an apartment building.
Jackson walks into the apartment building and makes his way over to the back stairwell, put there in case of emergencies when the elevators weren’t working…well they weren’t now. He trudges up the stairs for five flights carrying a white plastic bag in his right hand. Thank God they didn’t pick out a higher apartment. When he finally reaches his floor he pushes the door open and steps into the hallway looking around for anyone else who might be there. There were some real sick fucks out now. He walks down to the forth door on the right and pushes it open stepping into the apartment.
“I’m back!” he yells closing the door behind him and walking farther into the apartment.
It was a good size place. They didn’t want to pick out a big penthouse to stay in because they figured there was a good chance that those would be the first to be raided. The music from another room floated out into the living room loudly and Jackson shook his head. Could the girl ever go a day, no a minute, without drawing attention to herself. The living room was big it had a screen mounted on a wall and a leather couch with matching recliners facing it. It was decorated by someone who was probably very into the trendy things in life, but hell at least it had three bedrooms, a kitchen and two bathrooms with running water.
“Did you get the food?” Pilar asks walking down the hallway.
“Yup, had to fight for it though,” Jackson says holding out the white bag as she walks up and takes it.
“Did you get the medicine?”
“In there,” Jackson says motioning to the bag.
“Thanks,” she says fishing into the bag and taking out a small light blue pill bottle before putting the bag and the rest of its contents onto a coffee table.
“Welcome…where’s Eli?” Jackson asks.
“His room,” Pilar says turning around and walking back down the hallway.
“Wonderful thanks I get,” Jackson says shaking his head and collapsing back down onto the couch.
Pilar opens the top of the bill bottle as she walks down the hallway and turns into the first door on the left, “You doing better hun?” she asks looking at Nick who is stretched out on the bed staring up at the ceiling.
“Dandy,” Nick says in a somber voice.
“Take these,” she says walking up to the bed and holding out two small light blue pills in her hand.
“What are they?” Nick asks turning his head to look at them.
“They’re for your head ache,” she says.
“Fine,” Nick mutters taking them and putting them in his mouth and swallowing them dry.
Pilar looks down at him and frowns, “You really should get up and walk around. It’s not healthy to sit around so much.”
Nick looks at her and shrugs.
“You want something to eat?”
“Sure…why not.”
“You gotta come in the kitchen then,” she says before turning on her heels and walking out of the room.
Nick stares at her as she leaves the room and frowns. Tricky little bitch to say the least. Halfling or not she was smart as all hell. His headache was going away slowly now and the pain in his stomach for food was growing. He hadn’t eaten since the last time he was with Brian at the restaurant. The beat of the song Eli was listening too was sinking through the wall that he shared with him now. Maybe it was a good idea for him to get up and eat something.
“Damn,” Nick mutters throwing his legs off the side of the bed and standing up. He stretches slightly before yawning and making his way out of the room and into the hallway. His brain was still pounding in his skull and all he wanted to do was lay around and sleep.
“Morning,” a voice says from behind him in the hallway and he looks over his shoulder as the smaller green eyed Halfling Eli walks past him at a faster pace.
Nick nods slightly at him in acknowledgment, but doesn’t say anything as he continues down the small hallway.
“Look whose up finally,” a voice says from on the couch as Nick sees the end of Jackson’s head look at him. He could see his brown hair to about the middle of his nose and that was it the rest of his body lay hidden behind the couch’s back.
“Why am I here?” Nick asks him as Eli looks at them both from his seat at the kitchen table where he is pealing an orange.
“Ask her,” Jackson says motioning with his head towards behind Nick.
“Why am I here?” nick asks turning around and looking at Pilar who is sitting on top of a counter top.
“It was either this or you die,” Pilar says.
“Who are you to play God,” Nick says to her.
Pilar stares at him and frowns.
“You should have just let me die,” Nick says dryly.
“No can do buddy,” Eli’s voice chirps up before he takes a bite into his orange.
“What?” Nick asks turning to face him.
“Can’t just let a person die,” Eli says.
“You’re the ones that left me in the first place,” Nick snaps.
Eli looks at him calmly before shrugging, “Everything happens for a reason.”
“Everything happens for a reason my ass,” Nick mutters, “I’m leaving,” he says turning and walking towards the door.
“Wouldn’t go out there,” Jackson says from the couch as Nick reaches the door.
“Why?” Nick asks.
“Do you really want to know what’s out there?” Jackson asks.
“Can’t be much worse then what I already saw,” Nick mutters.
“He wasn’t the first,” Pilar says to Nick, “and he won’t be the last.”
Nick turns around quickly and begins to walk over to her in long strides, “You don’t know what I see when I close my eyes ok. You don’t have to see that play over and over and over again. You don’t know,” he snaps at her.
“You’re right,” she says, “but I’m the one who lives it not you. I can’t even go outside this building without fearing for my life…you can.”
Nick stares at her green eyes before looking down, “I…I…I just want to go home,” he says softly.
“Don’t we all,” Eli says before biting into his orange again.
“So what do I do here then,” Nick asks.
“I don’t know,” Pilar says, “It’s better then being out there though.”
“We need to find Kevin,” Eli says.
“And how are we supposed to do that?” Jackson asks from the couch.
“We need to find Nails,” Pilar says hopping off the counter.
“That crazy lunatic,” Jackson says tumbling off the couch and standing up, “Hell no. First off we’ll never find him and second off if we aren’t sitting ducks now we will be when we find him.”
“We have no other choice,” Pilar says.
“Whose Nails?” Nick asks.
“Frickin psycho of a Halfling,” Jackson says walking up to them.
“His name is Cal Simmers,” Pilar says, “We call him Nails for various reason.”
“Cal Simmers,” Nick says.
“Yeah why?” Eli asks standing up and walking over to the three.
“Cal Simmers…his younger brother is Hayden right?” Nick says.
“Tacks,” Pilar nods.
Nick smirks and shakes his head, “You’re never gonna find those two.”
“Why the hell now?” Pilar asks getting agitated.
Nick looks at her, “I know where they are.”
“Then show us,” Eli says.
Nick shrugs, “Alright” he sighs and points up.
“Ah hell,” Jackson says.
AJ looks over his shoulder as a truck begins to gain speed on him, “Jor, I’m being tailed,” he says into the microphone in the helmet.
“I’m coming over,” Jordan’s voice says into AJ’s ears.
AJ takes a sharp onto a smaller street and presses the cycle’s acceleration petal for all that it is worth. He looks over his shoulder again as the truck turns the corner and the end of it hits the far wall slightly. He had gotten himself into a great position now. He just had to run into a group of humans armed with guns and a hatred for Halflings. It didn’t help that he was riding a cycle with the Rooks emblem on it either. AJ takes another sharp right down another small alley as the truck struggles with the turn slightly, “Oh shit,” AJ mutters as he looks forward and sees a large overturned bus in front of the exit out of the alley. He pulls up hard and the cycle skims above the outside of the bus as it climbs upward before straightening out again once it reaches the side of the bus.
“AJ, where are you?” Jordan’s voice asks.
“Coming down 67th now,” AJ says as his cycle hits the open street again.
“Fuck,” Jordan mutters.
“What?” AJ asks as he hears an engine behind him and he looks over his shoulder as Jordan races by.
“Move. Move,” Jordan yells and waves his right hand for AJ to follow him.
AJ moves to catch up with him as he sees another truck pull up behind them, “You’re just frickin wonderful Jordan.”
“I didn’t see them,” Jordan says as the two cycles head down the street side by side, “We’re not gonna be able to loose them.”
“Is that the Hartford Law building ahead?” AJ asks.
“Yeah…why?” Jordan asks.
“It comes out near the port right?”
“Yeahhhh,” Jordan says.
“Follow me,” AJ says as he moves in front of Jordan and takes the lead pushing his cycle to climb to 130 mph.
“AJ. AJ. You have got to be kidding me,” Jordan says as AJ drives his cycle towards the building and plows through one of the front glass windows heading into the building as Jordan follows close behind. He weaves his way through the hallways and finally sees the far wall of the building approaching. He leans forward on the cycle and plows through another window coming out on a street that snakes along the cost of the city. He hears glass shattering again behind him as Jordan comes through before catching up to him and flying by his side.
“You’re fucking insane,” Jordan yells at him.
“Hey I lost them didn’t I,” AJ says calmly, “Is that a ship?” he asks looking ahead of him as a ship pulls into the docks.
“Yeah, but…but whose driving it,” Jordan asks, “You think maybe…maybe other places were fine?”
“I dunno,” AJ says, “Let’s go check it out,” he says as the two of them head towards where the ship is docking.
“It’s a luxury liner,” Jordan says as they get closer to it, “There are people on the decks.”
AJ looks up at the decks of the ship and sees a mass of people staring down at them and out at the city itself.
“Lets say hi then,” Jordan says as he slows down his cycle as they approach where the ship is lowering its plank.
“Wait,” AJ says stopping next to him and scanning the crowd, “There’s no Halflings.”
Jordan stares out from under his helmet…no bright eyes shone back at him, “Maybe its just one of those kinds of ships.”
AJ stares at the people as they slowly get off the ship, “They’re all young,” he says as he hears Jordan sigh heavily, “It was worth a try,” he says looking at Jordan from under his helmet before turning back to the crowd and locking eyes with a young man about the same size as him with longer brown hair and deep blue eyes. He had a chiseled face and his body was built in the same fashion as AJ’s, but a little bit thinner.
“You know him?” Jordan asks AJ.
“No,” AJ says shaking his head as a younger taller curly haired man walks to the other man’s side, “Never saw him before in my life.”
“Hmmm,” Jordan says, “Go ask him.”
“Nah,” AJ says, “Not worth it,” he says starting up his cycle again.
“You sure?” Jordan asks as he starts up his cycle again.
“Yeah,” AJ says pressing on the gas as his cycle lurches forward again towards the crowd. He flies through a large break in the crowd with Jordan close behind him following the street along the docks, “Jordan.”
“Yeah.”
“What did we come out here for again?”
JC watches as the two cycles with the green glow coming from under their hover pads take off down the street. He looks at the broken windows on the stores along the docks and looks at the cars littered on the roads. Nothing was different. He could tell that already. The faces of the other passengers on the boat mirrored his own. Nothing was different. They had gone from one city to another and there was no difference. It was all for nothing.
“Now what?” Justin asks him as JC snaps back to reality and looks over at him.
“I…I dunno. Go to my parents house I guess,” Josh says.
Justin nods, “Where’s that?”
“Few blocks from here,” JC says putting his hands into his pocket.
“We gotta walk then?” Justin asks.
JC nods, “I don’t know how to hot wire a car. You?”
Justin shakes his head no.
“We better get going then,” JC says as he begins to walk down the street from the docks and the scroll moves from side to side in the waistband of his pants with every step. It was going to be a long walk.
Justin’s face was turning from every direction to another as the two of them continued to walk down the street taking everything in. JC took it that he had never been to New York City before. It was a shame that he hadn’t seen it before all this. They had been walking for the past forty-five minutes now and they only had about a block and a half left to go. JC’s leg muscles burned though. He had probably pulled something when he was running down the streets of Israel and it didn’t help that he had been on a boat for so long. Justin didn’t show any signs of fatigue though. He was still walking with the same long strides. JC wished he had longer legs right about now. He wished that and that he had actually taken up exercising before this. JC’s stomach was growling by now too. He had eaten hardly anything on the boat ride over and his stomach was protesting for food now. They would find something to eat in the apartment hopefully. If not they would have to go out and look for something.
“You know we’re never gonna find this person,” a voice says from a head of them and JC sees a group of four young people walking down the street three males and one small female. Two of the males were tall probably around Justin’s height and one of them was shorter only about an inch or two taller then the girl who was walking latched onto one of the taller males with brown hair. The thing that struck him the most was that one of the males, the smaller one, along with the girl were wearing sun glasses while the taller blond male had his blue eyes showing and the taller brunette had his deep brown eyes showing.
“We’ll find him,” the taller brunette says to the shorter brunette male.
“Nick knows where we can find this guy Falco right Nick?” the shorter brunette says to the blond male Nick.
“Yeah,” Nick nods, “I can find him.”
“We’ll be fine boys,” the girl says as the group approaches Justin and JC.
“Where exactly are we going?” Justin asks JC looking up briefly at a skyscraper as his left ankle rolls and he falls into the girl and knocks her off her balance.
“What the hell is your problem,” the taller brunette snaps at Justin as he picks him up by the collar.
“Jackson let him go,” the girl says lifting her sunglasses off her eyes and staring at him, “He didn’t mean anything.”
JC looks at the girl then back at the guy as he lets Justin go. Justin had a far off gaze in his eyes though as he stared at the girl intently and his eyebrows wrinkled together, “C’mon Justin.”
“Let’s go we need to find him as fast as possible,” the shorter male says as he begins walking down the street again with the taller blond male.
“We’re coming,” the taller brunette says looking at Justin one last time, “C’mon Pilar,” he says putting an arm around the small girl’s waist and walking down the street as she pulls her sunglasses back over her green florescent eyes.
“Justin. Justin,” JC says as Justin continues to watch them walk off, “Justin!”
“Huh?” Justin asks turning to look at him.
“You ok?”
“Yeah. Yeah,” Justin says turning back around as they continue to walk down the block.
“What you never saw a Halfling before?” JC asks.
“No…no I have. She…she just looked familiar,” Justin says, “Really familiar,” he says to himself.
AJ looks at the floor of the Brower’s living room from his seat on a couch and twirls a coin over the top of his knuckles.
“You ok?” a voice asks and AJ looks up to see Kevin.
“Yeah,” AJ says looking up at him as he takes a seat next to him.
“You sure?” Kevin asks as his purple eyes glow.
“I dunno,” AJ says, “I feel like I need to go back out.”
“Why?”
“That’s just it I don’t know why.”
Kevin looks at him and shrugs.
“I dunno. I saw this guy today getting off the boat Jordan and I were talking to you about and he just looked so familiar. You know that feeling,” AJ asks looking at him.
Kevin nods, “Very well. I met a lot of the people I know because of that.”
“I dunno something is telling me to go find him,” AJ says twirling the coins over the back of his knuckles.
“Don’t go out at night,” Kevin says, “Try tomorrow. I’ll go with you if you want.”
AJ nods, “Alright.”
“I’m not driving through a building though ok,” Kevin says standing up again.
“Alright,” AJ smirks as Kevin begins to walk off, “Kevin.”
“Yeah,” Kevin says stopping.
“What was with the red rain?” AJ asks looking at him.
“I honestly don’t know,” Kevin sighs.
AJ shakes his head, “Ok,” he says as Kevin begins to walk back into the kitchen from where he came.
Brian stares up at the stars above him and smiles, “Never saw stars before,” he says from where he is stretched out on the grass.
Stanton looks over at him from where he is lying and shakes his head, “You ok Cole?” he asks his brother.
“Fine,” Cole says looking up at the stars, “You think the people in the stations are ok?”
“Yeah,” Stanton says, “Everything up there is computer controlled.”
“Are we safe here?” Brian asks.
“Hopefully,” Stanton says, “Otherwise…damn we’re screwed.”
Brian looks up at the stars again as his eyes start to close. You can’t see stars form the city. There was always too much light coming from the buildings before. This though…this was beautiful.
“I don’t trust that kid,” the man in the black cloak with the green eyes says to another young man beside him.
“Why is that?” the man says.
“I don’t know.”
“Lance you need to trust him.”
“No,” Lance says, “I don’t know why, but I can’t. I think we should send someone else over there to watch him.”
“Give him some time Lance then we’ll see.”
Lance nods, “Fine, but if he does anything to jeopardize this…kill him”
