Tally Marks

Chapter 4

    I opened my eyes slowly, allowing myself to adjust to the light filtering through the muddy windows. I continued to lay, not feeling very energetic; it felt as though any remainder of my soul had abandoned my body. I really didn't want to get up. I wanted to stay in this spot until the ground swallowed my shit truck, myself still inside. Finally motivating myself with the thought of cereal I very slowly sat up. My ears instantly began ringing and my vision went blurry; when was the last time I had anything to drink? Reaching underneath my seat I pulled out a half full water bottle and chugged its contents. I stretched my arms above my head and sighed when I heard a satisfying pop. My tiny cactus I had abducted the day before sat on the dusty dashboard, it's bright color seeming oddly out of place in my messy home. It made me kind of happy. Playing through flashbacks from last night in my head, I lifted my hand in front of my face. The tiny cuts had begun to scab over. I layed back down and continued inspecting my hand. Thirteen marks; I was running out of room on my middle finger. Stupid people, they just have to shoot anything that moves. I sat up again and crawled into the driver's seat, hissing when I hit my knee on the back of the seat.
   
     The sun hovered bright in the sky as I raced down the bumpy pavement. I wasn't sure where I was going, but when have I been sure about anything? In the mirror, my face was still speckled with dried blood and my hair in a messy pile on top of my head, tangled with knots. My eyes were dark and empty, as though they lacked a soul. My face was paler than it normally was and seemed too hollow, probably from the lack of food. I looked dead, and I felt like it too. The world around me was bright and silent, but inside my truck it was dark and loud. My violent music had been turned up as loud as it could go in an attempt to drown out the unwanted voices in my head focused on the road to distract myself from the memories of my mother threatening to take away my speakers if I kept playing my music so loud. I missed her.

    I kept driving for probably another hour before I was able to spot scyscrapers towering in the distance; what was left of them anyways. The bombs had wiped out most of the tall buildings, but a few of the unsturdy structures still remained standing. Of course no one ever went near them in fear of having one collapse on top of them, but they still looked pretty cool. The city seemed abandoned, but it was infested with gangs of rebellious Saviors, humans left behind or related to Saviors, and The Commander's men looking for things to shoot; preferably Saviors. I didn't question what I was doing here; I always ended up here every few months. I needed human interaction before I lost it and there was no way I was about to go looking for it at The Loonie Bin. I call it that for very good reasons. The only other place I could go is the city, thus here I am. I had a 'friend' here who always let me hang around. He controlled a gang of angry teenagers with destructive powers, myself being a part of his gang a while back.

    Crumbling structures instantly surrounded me and I had to drive more carefully to avoid rubble and giant potholes in the road as I entered the city. I was going to have to find somewhere to leave my truck if I actually wanted to get around without being shot at within two minutes. I slowly drove around for a few more minutes until I found a shaded allyway with a few dumpster bins. After parking my truck and doing my best to hide it from sight with the bins, I threw some supplies in my bag and headed out. The roads were confusing and it was too dark, despite the sun shining bright. Buildings randomly collapsed elswhere and I just hoped one wouldn't collapse on me. I wasn't exactly sure where I was going; the gang moved around constantly. My bag bounced against my back and the wind threw around my hair, making it messier than it already was. It was quickly getting colder as clouds began to appear in the sky, covering the sun. It wasn't long before the rain began to fall. Then it beacame hail and I was forced to hide inside a random store. It was a clothing shop. The large display windows had been shattered and mannequins thrown about, but most clothes remained, excluding sweaters and jackets. Browsing through the expensive fabrics, I looked down at my own outfit. A black bunnyhug paired with some matching black jeans, ripped and worn from use. Dried blood and mud stuck to my clothes from my many adventures. I think it was about time for something new. I continued my walk throughout the store and continued looking until I settled on a new pair of black jeans and a plain gray shirt. I couldn't find another bunnyhug so I had to stick with the one I came in with. Outside the hail had gone down and it was just raining again so I left the shop.

     The pavement was slippery and I struggled to stay upright as I roamed the streets. Whether it be the lack of sleep or just plain stupidity, I will never know what the hell I was doing in the middle of the street. Bullets hit the ground around me, sending dust into the air. I stood in shock for a second before the sound of gunfire made me completely aware of my situation. I bolted towards an ally across the street, listening to men yell behind me. Another round of bullets hit the ground and wall but still missed me. Thank god for their terrible aim. I ran into the alley, hoping I wouldn't slip in the mud. Right. Left. Right again. I turned the corners weaving back and forth, hopefully making me harder to hit. I kept running, my old shoes splashing puddles. The rain had stopped but the ground was still just as slippery. My chest heaved and my legs burned; one does not get alot of exercise in a truck. The other's footsteps began to become more distant as I ran and for a moment a thought I was going to be able to shake them. That was a very short lived moment. I turned another corner and was met with a dead end. I skidded to a halt and looked for a way out or somewhere to hide but couldn't find anything. I was screwed. I slowly turned around as the men caught up and cornered me.

  "Hey guys! I'm sure we can work something out that doesn't involve me getting shot, right?" I asked while hesitantly raising my hands above my head. They laughed, keeping thier weapons aimed at me. One of them spoke up, a mocking grin stretched across his face.

   "Well look at you, aren't you one terrifying Savior," that caused the others to laugh more.

   "I honestly would not taunt me if I were you," I suggested.

   "Oh," Another piped in, "it's threatening us now."

   "How about we show it what happens when scum like it threatens us," the men nodded, smiling like a bunch of chesire cats. They stepped towards me and I moved into a defensive position, my hands held out in front of me. I didn't want to use my curse but there was no way I was going to be able to punch through them. As they closed in on me I closed my eyes, focusing on the ground beneath me. I began to slowly raise my hands a little, preparing to launch the men into the air when a voice screamed my name.

    "Laila!" The men and I all looked up to see the source of the voice from the rooftops. Dozens of figures stood along the tops of the buildings surrounding the alley. As the men began to realize how outnumbered they were, they turned to flee from the alley but were stopped by a row of Saviors blocking their exit. The others dropped from their spots on the rooftops, howling like banshees. I smiled, these idiots always showed up at the right time. I howled along with them and tackled one of men, knocking his gun from his hands. We rolled around in the mud until I ended up on top. Taking advantage of my position, I began throwing punches, aiming straight for his nose. I grinned as I felt it eventually snap under my fist. He screamed and grabbed me again, rolling us over so he was on top. He looked at me with fury in his eyes and landed a punch against my jaw. I winced at the sensation, that was definitely going to bruise. He was about to hit me again but was thrown off by someone else. I jumped up a bit too quickly, but avoided falling over. Nearby, a Savior was being lugged by one of The Commander's men. I pushed him off and kicked his ribs as hard as I could. He groaned and covered his side with his arms so I aimed my next kick at his head. After a couple of blows to the head he slumped over, no longer conscious. When he didn't stir when I nudged him with my foot, I looked up to see if anyone needed any help. The men were laying in concerning positions on the ground minus two or three, who would most likely look like the others in a minute or two. My rescuers stood around chatting with one another, some bleeding, most bruised, but all okay. We had outnumbered the men by quite a lot. My jaw and fists ached, but I was otherwise unharmed. I stood alone, admiring everyone's work until a figure stepped towards me. His pale blond hair was stained with mud and he had a displeased look to his face. "You're an idiot. Do you ever think?" I just smiled, pleased we had found each other.

    "Now what would make you say such a mean thing like that, Nathan?"