LINEAGE: From the Ashes (The Lineage Series ) #Book1

CHAPTER ONE

I held the knife in my trembling hands. It felt cold. fear rose

inside of me.
What am I doing this is insane!

panic gripped me, every fibre of my being was telling me, begging me to stop, to just trow the knife away and be done with this.

But I had to do this. I need to do this for Beatrice.

I tucked the cold metal into my jacket's pocket. My eyes searched around to see if anyone saw me, there was no one paying attention.

My colony forbids low rankers to own any type of weapons. Perhaps that's why most of us are so poor. We have nothing. And what we have we fight for, its a hard life but we survive Most of us that is.

I pick up my pace passing some guards on my way, I stare at the ground trying not to draw attention to me. The only thing on my mind is making it to the outskirts. to the camps.

The rain collided with my body hard, causing me to shiver from the cold, I coiled myself into my jacket trying to get warmer.

"Adam!" A voice called from behind me, I looked towards my left and saw a short boy running towards me splashing mud with every step he took.

"Tommy go home," I snapped trying to ignore the boy as he began matching my fast-paced steps. He was wet all over from the rain. But the wide smile on his face told me that he didn't care that he was wet or walking in the rain with nothing but a sleeveless shirt and pants.

"Come on Adam I want to come with you, where are you going such a hurry?" He huffed trying to keep his breath steady.

"Home." It wasn't a lie. But it wasn't the truth either.

"Then I'll come with, I've got nothing better to do."

He was always so persistent. I grew impatient, This was not the time for games, especially not with Tommy.

He was a nice kid, that everyone knew, but he was also a thief. Actually, most of us are thieves, but Tommy was exceptionally well at never getting caught, which is good but right now there were guards everywhere and the last thing I want is to attract attention.

Without even knowing it I placed my hands in my jacket, I feel the cold knife caress my bare skin, my heart picked up speed.

"Tommy, go home, I'm not in the mood for trouble," I said pulling my hand out of my pocket and ruffled my hair with it.

"I'm not trouble I'm..."

Tommy just go home! " I shouted, I instantly felt guilty, his face dropped I saw traces of tears in his blue eyes.

He didn't say anything else, He just turned around and walked away towards the shelters, kicking mud with every step he took. I watched him disappear before I began walking again. This was for the best. I knew I had hurt his feelings but I couldn't let him get into trouble, he wouldn't last a week if he got sent away.

I should apologize later I thought. but what I was doing was dangerous.

When the virus began to spread, more and more people died. We were at the brink of extinction, for those who survived they were forced to pick up the broken pieces of a broken world. And that's how the Rank was created. It was a way of creating something new, to create a community, to create peace.

Half a millennium later the Ranking has now become a broken system. a plague that consumes this colony. You get ranked by your skillset. What you have, or what you can do for the Council.

I'm not ranked and therefore I have no privileges, That's why I steal. I steal to survive. just like Tommy, just like all of us.

The rain had stopped, I walked towards the forest. The smell of wet sand hit me, the trees look greener, an after effect of the rain. I slowed down enjoying my walk. I've always loved walking this path. The calmness of the forest takes my mind off of everything that's going on in my life.

I walk farther and farther into the forest taking great care as to not trip, then I saw it, a fallen tree, a way to the camps.

I jumped over the tree.
Once I have been here. I came with Beatrice to get some medicine for Tommy when he was sick, back then he was only 2 years old. I remember looking at the makeshift tents that surrounded us and the smell of filth and rot. it smelled horrible, it still does.

I remember Beatrice telling me to stay outside a tent while she talked to the man inside. I waited for a long time. She did return though, but she wasn't the same. her dress was torn, her body was shaking but her eyes, her eyes were cold, she had to do what she had to. We all do, eventually.

The sound of voices brings me out of my thoughts. The camps came into view in all its filthy glory. I stood for a moment to stare at the sight. it's full of people walking around. there were torn makeshift tents all around, Laughter and screams rang through the air.

This place always made me nervous. Beatrice always called it "Hells playhouse"

I didn't understand it back then but now I see why. You can lose yourself here. This place has a way of turning the purest of hearts cold, like Beatrice, it either destroys you, or it damns you.

I made my way through the crowd occasionally bumping into someone, I try and take deep breaths, I haven't been here that long but I already feel suffocated, I forced myself to think of something else that would calm my nerves.

Shawn, Beatrice, Tommy

I kept repeating these names, the names of the only people I have in this world, the people I'm doing this for.
If I get to sell the knife I'll be able to get us to valleys, an area of the colony that's better, we could have a life, we could even get ranked. We could finally have a chance to be happy.

I saw a group of grown men drinking under a large grey tent to my right. I stop, this was it, this was the place Shawn told me about. A grey tent in the middle of the camp.

I stood at the entrance, the men who were drinking and talking wildly hadn't noticed me yet. I wonder how can they not notice me? I am wearing a large green coat after all. I cleared my throat.and then there was silence. All eyes were on me now, I felt nervous, I crossed my hands bringing them closer to my chest all in an attempt to stop them from shaking.

There were two large lamps Illuminating their faces, one in the middle of the big table, the other one dangling by a string.

"I'm looking for Rudy," I said, I hated how my voice sounded so weak. I shouldn't let them know that I'm scared, shouldn't let them see me as weak or they'll take advantage of me and I don't want that to happen, no, I won't let it happen.

A tall old man stood up. He was taller than most of the men here, he had on a long torn trench coat, his face was full of dirt but I could make out that he had a crooked nose, perhaps from being broken one too many times. He had a cane with him and his hair was more white than grey, meaning that the wrinkles on his face weren't from a hard lifestyle but of old age.

"Who wants to know?" he said, his voice was low and hoarse.

"Word is that he's the guy to go to if I want some...payment."

"Well, then your out of luck kid the guards took him away a week ago,"

"They took him? where?"

He came closer too me, I could smell the decay on him, I felt my stomach lurch.

Hold it in Adam.

"He was taken to..."

The sound of gunshots rang in the air. There were people screaming and running, I didn't understand what was going on until I turned around and I saw it. just one in the crowd, a black uniform. The guards.

I ran. I needed to get out of here, I didn't want to be taken away.

I pushed passed people, some falling and screaming but I didn't care, I just wanted to leave. if I could just get to the treeline I could lose the guards, maybe hide till they left. My breath came in labored huffs

come on come on just a little bit.

I kept thinking to myself. as I saw the path in front of me.

Something hard hit me on the back, I fell to my knees, I felt my vision get blurry, I felt pain and hands, hands trying to push me to the ground but before I could even react, my body went limp.