I Am A Flyer

The Crossfires

Was this really a good idea?

Tarrod glanced at the sleeping form sprawled in the passenger seat beside him. The small boy looked so peaceful when he was asleep, like a innocent child. But the truth of it all was - he had been marked by them. Which only meant one thing. They would be looking for him. And when they found him, they'd take him back, disregarding the safety of whatever civilians had been nearby.

But the tracker was gone. Surely that meant that they wouldn't be able to find him, right?

Tarrod sighed, and focused his attention on the road. He was driving a old pick-up truck. Two of his gang were in the cramped back seat, and the rest where riding in the box. The gang hadn't really been fond of his decision to take the strange boy with them, but Tarrod was the leader, and what he said was law.

Ah, well. His brother would know what to do. Jerrick happened to be the leader of the largest gang in the city, the Crossfires. It had nearly two thousand members, each wearing the blood red arm band around their left biceps. Since Tarrod was 'too young', to be part of the gang, as he was only seventeen, he had started his own group.

I'm not too young! He scowled. It's not like I'm some kind of wuss to go take part in street wars. I don't need protecting!

"Tarrod?"

"What is it, Jamil?" Tarrod glanced up into the cracked rear view mirror, seeing the dark-skinned youth who had just spoken.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Jamil said, nervousness apparent in his usual stoic gaze. "I've seen one of 'em flyers, before, and he was some kinda monster. This kid might just bring them in like flies, and we could all be killed!"

Tarrod let out an annoyed sigh. "I don't know, Jamil. That's why I'm taking him to Jerrick."

"But didn't yer brother say not to bother him for the next few days? 'Cos of the fight?" The other teen in the truck asked.

"I'm sure he won't be too mad," Tarrod grumbled. At least, he shouldn't. Not when he sees what I'm bringing him...

The interior of the vehicle fell into a uneasy silence. It lasted for sixteen minutes, then was broken by a weak moan. The limp form in the passenger seat shifted, and became awake. Droopy eyelids lifted sluggishly, revealing tired black eyes.

"Huh?"

"Awake, now?" Tarrod looked at the boy, wincing inwardly as his gaze swept over those infamous marks on the boy's face.

The small boy blinked, yawned, and winced. Then he looked straight ahead, out of the front window. "Yeah." His voice was soft, timid; not something one would expect from a doomed flyer-to-be. "I'm Jett," he added.

"Tsh. Tarrod," Tarrod was a little skeptical, but it was pretty obvious that this Jett was no threat. It probably wouldn't hurt to give out his name, and such. "I'm taking you to my brother. He's the leader of the Crossfires."

"Crossfires?" Jett wondered, then grimaced as his dry throat threw him into a fit of coughing. Tarrod watched him out of the corner of his eyes.

"It's the city's largest Gang," the teen proudly stated. "I'm going to be part of it, one day, me and my boys."

"Oh. . ."

"Tarrod!" hissed Jamil. "Don't tell him everything! What if he's -"

"Shut up, Jamil," Tarrod growled. "What's a half-dead shrimp gonna do? Just sit quiet, all right? We're almost there, and then we'll let my brother deal with it."

Jett gulped. Brother? A leader of a huge gang, whatever that was? He hoped this guy they were taking him to was a nice person. A very nice person.

A few minutes later, the city came into view. Jett could only gape in wide-eyed awe. He had been in one city before, but this one was even bigger! Towering skyscrapers, huge, rusted steel girders from old, broken buildings - this place had so many people and cars! But what truly caught Jett's eye was the fact that old and broken seemed to be mixed in with the new and advanced. Nobody had bothered to tear down the crumbling buildings, while they built new and better ones right beside them. And same with vehicles. Both new, streamlined cars traveled down the crumbled or newly paved streets with the old rusty trucks.