The Tag Bearer

Chapter 14 - A Thief No More

I feel like a bird. No. A feather. Weightless and free as I tumbled down into the depths of the Froskost, the wind flushing by my ears. I was free. Finally, free.

I closed my eyes, unable to scream or breathe, my body filling with a strange sense of relief as I waited for the hole to break my fall. The end would be brief; quick and snappy - just the way I wanted to go. It was my decision, and mine alone. It wasn't a Drone's or Officer's choice, nor was it Sergeant Hill's or Matthew's choice. It was mine.

A smile reached my ears. Death. So simple. So luxurious. A fate that was surprisingly calming, but was not designed to last, for in that brief moment of pleasure, a strong hand wrapped itself tightly around my wrist and jolted me out of my blissful state.

I jerked upright and out of the inner abyss of my mind; swaying suspended in mid-air by a single thread. My mind was a mess of confusion, and vertigo filled my head, making it swim in circles like the fog surrounding me. It obscured my awakening view and only granted me darkness as a gift in return. My eyes soon followed the swirl of fog upwards.

"I told you, we could make a deal," he heaved, slightly out of breath. His icy blue eyes had lost their humorous glint and his stout nose and creamy tanned skin swam in and out of the haze like he was a hologram. He looked upon me with great concern, his eyebrows furrowing like he suddenly cared about me.

"Fuck you!" I grumbled, now angry that the world had a personal vendetta against me. "Let go of me!"

He said nothing but blinked blankly down in my direction. I began to thrash against his grip, scraping my knee violently against a sharp rock. I cursed myself in pain as I jerked more violently, trying to break free from his grip. But against all the strain I placed on his arm, the bounty hunter still managed to keep his grip on me.

"LET GO OF ME!" I shrieked, trying to break loose and fall into the depths of the Frokost.

He didn't say anything and instead began to wince me up like I was a bucket in a well. The sharp edges of the rocks dug into my frozen skin like cat claws, ripping at my exposed flesh. Grunting, he dragged my helpless, thrashing body up and over the boulder. I pulled against his grip, resisting the best I could with my heels, but he only dragged me closer to him.

"You can't do this! Please!"

He pulled me away from the edge and down the rock face, all against my screaming protests. He was going to sell me back to Sergeant Hill - I could feel it in my bones. The mere thought scared me enough to wish that he hadn't bothered to save me at all, but no matter what I did he drew me in closer.

I could smell him as my nose reached his damp shirt. A mixture of the dew and his sweat, sweet like melting sugar. His warmth was oddly comforting against the cold and I tried to resist it, not wanting to let myself be reeled in.

"Come on," he said as he gently as he could, his arms furling around me to keep the heat in. "I'm not going to hurt you."

I felt myself relax into his arms, but my mind pulled in the other direction. I could feel myself giving in - slackening. He gave me the strange sensation of feeling secure, but not suffocated; something few had managed to achieve since the war began. I was not the type of person to get close to people, or hug them, yet here I was, trying to save my life whilst a stranger hugged and cooed softly at me.

I tried to pull away from his embrace, but he held fast.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

I didn't say anything, my body shrinking into his.

"I might be a bounty hunter for the government, but even I think stealing little girls is too much."

"I'm not little," I argued into his chest, sniffling a little with the cold.