"Our world is bad, but the outside is much worse, Axelle!"
In the confines of Veridonia, surrounded by hills and streams, a deadly plague has claimed the lives of every child under the age of 18. For years, three teenagers-Axelle Henderson, Wylan Co...
"Get in. Get in. Yes, bring them here," a voice called out into the dawn, the light slowly fading away out of the fence. The large 3-meter wall stretched out into the sky, the ending invisible. He stared up, his eyes squinting as the moonlight turned to sunlight—outside the fence.
They were all young, some of them babies. Their faces were covered with translucent shields that hid their faces from the Death. Nearly a thousand shadows danced along the towering walls, cast by the flickering torches that were the only light source. Everyone was desperate. This was the only time they could run.
Everyone huddled in the darkness, their forms obscured by the thick veil of dawn that would soon forever be dark. A woman came into view, and she clutched her stomach and carefully threaded through the crowd of children to reach the man with the key in his hand.
"You aren't bringing Axelle with you?" the woman asked and he shook his head.
"No. She's safe here," he stated, his voice lost in thought. "If she wants to make that decision when she's older? She can. I left her what she needs."
The first rays of dawn filtered through the dense canopy of clouds, but outside the fence. Everyone watched in awe as the light rose, much further than the towering wall, casting a long shadow on Veridonia.
The man looked at the woman and hesitated, "You should come with us, your child will be safe." He looked at her large stomach and the woman smiled.
"I've had my time, and I can't leave Wylan here with his father."
The man nodded, understanding the pain of leaving a loved one. He was leaving everything too.
"Veridonia's air is killing," she said, "But your wife made sure that your daughter would be safe. And you still want to go?"
"That'd be true, yes." He nodded, looking at the large key in his hand. "I'll open the gate, and then take it back to the Council."
"You want to leave your family," the woman asked, "Don't you love them?"
"I love her, which is why I'm doing this."
The children followed him on the journey and the woman walked slowly behind, her eyes searching the surroundings carefully. The man clicked the lock and handed it to her as they all made their way in. It took at least ten minutes for everyone to be inside.
Then, she locked the door again.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙽𝚃: 𝟺𝟶𝟷 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂
𝚃𝙾𝚃𝙰𝙻 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙽𝚃: 𝟺𝟶𝟷 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂
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