Fifteen ✔

7

I woke up just as the sun was beginning to rise. Ivris came to my door in a rush.

"Get dressed," she looked down the hall, "quickly."

"Why?"

"Just do it!" She shouted.

She didn't bother to close my door when she ran down the hall towards her room and I got dressed as quickly as I could. (A pair of black pants and a green shirt.)

Ivris was back almost as quickly as she was gone. She eyed my outfit, nodded and gestured for me to follow.

We were running down the stairs before she turned into a small door and crouched to get inside. I followed once more.

We crouched our way down a small and narrow hall way until she turned to me.

Her eyes held so much emotion, so many stories, but the one emotion ringing out now was sorrow.

I put a hand on her shoulder as a way to convey that it would be okay. Whatever it was, it would be okay.

"What's going on, Ivris?" I asked her with such sincerity.

"The Wes-." A loud boom went off outside and he eyes went wide, "The Westerners are attacking."

"Is it because of me?"

"Possibly. It's completely possible that the Southerners could have contacted the Westerners. But I don't understand why they would attack us? No one knew I was a Northerner and I was the only one seen with you."

"Then there has to be another reason."

"Unless there is no reason. They're the Westerners and there is a war.. This could be them just wanting to dispose of one more Eastern ally."

"I'm sure that's likely. What is this place?"

"It's a secret pathway. It leads to outside. These are scattered all over the place."

She turned back and continued her path. Before we met a small door.

"Get ready to run, or fight. Whatever suits you," she said from ahead of me, "If you're running, go to the woods and keep going until you find a building, everyone else will be there."

She opened the door and crawled out before jumping to her feet and running towards a man. She threw him to the ground with such ease. A woman ran up to aid her fellow soldier.

The woman held a knife and was about to lunge at Ivris. I crawled out and ran as fast as I could towards the woman.

I slid on mud and grabbed at her knees in a vain attempt to save my friend.

"Ivris!" I shouted as the woman fell face first towards her, with her knife ready to meet skin.

She rolled out of the way and the blade merely nicked her arm. She moved her body so that she could use her hands to push the womans blade into the mans spinal cord. She then pulled out the blade, grabbed the woman by the hair and slit her throat.

She stood up and held out a hand to me, "Thanks," she smiled and handed me an unused knife.

I gladly took it and turned as I heard foot steps. I got into a fighting stance and was ready as the stranger arrived.

"Easy, Koni, he's a friend," Ivris said from behind me, "Hey there, Darren."

"I got here as soon as the attack started. Where's Kale?"

"I hope they were able to get the maternity ward out in time. But I have no idea. I woke up only about an hour before the attack."

"We don't have time for this!" I reminded them as some guy about my age ran up, swinging a knife in my direction.

I dove to the left when he was too close for comfort, then I grabbed his hair and buried my knife into his back. He fell, lifeless in front of me, and I took my knife back from his still warm body.

I wiped the blood off my blade and onto my jeans. Ivris was knocking a woman down before easily bashing her head into a rock. Darren was no where to be seen.

We fought and fought, taking down many Westerners, while some Northerners fell around us. It was difficult to distinguish between who was friend and who was foe. Ivris told me to attack the people in red, avoid the ones in green. Or to look for stripes and attack that, leave alone the circles.

Soon there was more shouting coming from the front of the building. A blue eyed man walked through the shouting crowds and climbed onto a higher rock.

"You all thought I was dead and replaced me with my apprentice? My student? Then start wrecking havoc on the peaceful group? Have you all gone mad?"

The man looked furious, as he shouted at the people. They all looked dumbfounded.

"Sno, sir.." A woman spoke timidly, "He.. He told us you were dead.."

"He lied to you. I'm clearly alive. He let the power go to his head and removed me from my place the moment I got sick. He took over and completely changed the direction that I was leading. After I had gotten better he kicked me out of my home and told me that if I ever came back he would bomb the entire hotel."

"He leads us now. We like his direction."

"Because, you're monsters," the man said quietly, "You're all monsters."

"You killed an innocent woman because sh-"

"She wasn't innocent. She killed my sister, my twin, with little to no reasoning," he stated before looking at the ground, "now stop this madness. Go home."

The crowd was silent for only a moment, merely enough time for the group to collectively take a breath. Soon they were all shouting things. All different things. Some screamed profanities, others screamed his name, there were some saying "You're not my leader."

He looked up at the sky before looking back down and shouting, very loudly, authority dripping from his every word, "Silence! You petulant children! I may not be a leader to all of you anymore but for those of you who want a more peaceful life rather than just breaking things and killing people for no reason, come with me. We'll make our own group. We'll go far from the Westerners tyranny."

Mumbles scattered across the crowd as they thought over his proposition. After a moment everyone left. All but 2 young people, one boy and one girl.

"Did she really kill your twin without reason," the girl said to him before looking at the boy protectively.

"Yes. It's a disgusting world we live in."

"We'll stay with you. I almost lost my twin last year. It was the hardest thing we've been through. Besides.. Besides losing our parents."

"I'll keep you safe."

Ivris stepped forward, "Thank you," she said to the blue eyed man.

"You're welcome," he said before turning away.

"Wait. Let me, us, repay you. Stay with us. It's not safe out there for you three to be alone. It'd be a nice life here. And it seems like you might want revenge on the Westerners."

"I want them to stop ruining what beauty is left in this world."

"The only way to do that is to take down the leader. You knew him, trained him, we could use you."

He turned back with a grin on his face, "Alright, we have a deal then. You can count me in."