The Perfect Machine: Kingdom Of Glass (GxG

10. Take a deep breath

We went out with a rucksack with a portion of bread, a couple of jars of beans, a water container, and a blade. Clare wouldn't let us go without it. So, I put the sword into the backpack along with the other items.

I stumble behind a house with a lot of trash in the way as I hold onto Harlow's hand. It's hard to move around as I need to control Harlow as well. We have to be quiet but also quick.

We can't lose daylight and we can't be captured. I am not going to the military, and I know it's not a place for Harlow. I don't know what they were thinking about when they pick her.

As we reach the edge of the house, I peek through the corner. The men are searching through every home to be able to find us. The screams give away their location every time to our advantage.

I tighten the grip around Harlow's hand as I pull her after me to the next house. We stop for a second and lean onto the brick wall to breathe.

"Are you okay?" Harlow whispers.

"Yes, just terrified," I answer with a nervous chuckle.

"Close your eyes and take a deep breath," She tells me, and I do as she says. I let the air out and feel my muscles unwind underneath my skin. My heart stopped pounding against my chest and settled to controlled thumping.

"Thank you," I grin, and a small smile appears on her face. Her short, dark hair has gotten somewhat of a mess alongside the breeze. It suites her well, though. Her eyes remain shut still and I don't understand why she keeps them close. It must take a toll of energy to do so, or maybe she is just used to it. I don't know.

"We need to keep moving," She says and I shake my head to wake myself up.

"Yes, of course," I grab her hand again, and we keep on moving behind homes to get away from this place.

After a long walk and slipping ceaselessly from the region, we are currently in the quiet of the evening. The sun is on the way to settle behind the town up ahead. I figure we should camp up there, perhaps hinder the thirst and the protesting in my stomach.

"There is a place further up, I think we can find ourselves a spot to lay down," I tell her, and she nods to my words.

"Are you okay?" I ask as I detect that something may be off. She hasn't been holding onto my arm the previous hour. On the other hand, we have been strolling on the road with sand underneath our shoes. There is nothing but dead nature around us.

I have always desired to travel further north to see trees, grass, and rivers. Scotland still has most of the earth's beautiful creations. The war between England and The Green Empire prevents me from getting that experience, unfortunately. I envy the people in Scotland as they tend and care for the land. They have fought the drought and the heat for years to hinder and slow it down. It sounds by the rumours that they have managed to do so. Still, the government doesn't feed us information and knowledge about other countries as they should. We have been kept in the dark for so long.

"Yeah," She says.

"Okay," I shrug it off. Not long after, we are in town as we wander through it, bidding our faces in the hoodie. We pass a few shops with food and equipment. I would love a proper meal at the moment, but not that I have ever had one.

Harlow and I go to the side as a man and a lady affectionately intertwined their hands walk past us. As we continue, I stop before a structure without any lights in it. I gaze into the wrecked window. There is no indication of anybody.

"We can stay here," I say and reach out to grab her hand but to find it covered with the sleeve.

"Are you cold?" I wonder, and she shakes her head. I snatch her by the sleeve to assist her inside.

A sofa in the living room turns a smile on my face. I pull Harlow after me and fall into the comfort of sitting. The dust flies in every direction causes us to cough. I kick off my shoes as my legs are in so much pain, and my feet are sore.

For a short moment, I close my eyes and lean my head back into the dusty sofa. I feel every muscle in my body lose tension and stress.

Harlow's movement next to me causes me to open up my eyes. She messes around the backpack and then picks out the sword. She starts to chuckle with a pleasant smile on her face.

"What?" I wonder and raise my eyebrow.

"This is not a sword. It's a katana,"

"It looks like a sword to me," I shrug.

"Yeah, well it is, but there is a slight difference," She keeps sounding amused.

"Fine," I'm too tired to care at the moment. My belly screams for food, and my throat is dry as sand.

I grab the backpack, pull out the bread, and tear it in half—one piece for me and one for her. I bit into the softness and enjoy every taste I take from the bread and feel my belly eventually starting to calm down.

"Where are we going?" I ask because I feel lost. We have no plan or idea of where we are heading. At least I don't. I could go home to my parents, but I'm scared that they will catch me if I do. It's a prominent place for them to look for me. I will put myself and my parents in danger if I go home. I can't do that to them.

"What do you mean?" Harlow asks.

"I mean, where should we go? Is there anywhere we can be safe from being hunted down?" I sigh as I rub my aching head. The lack of water has left me somewhat dehydrated.

"For now, we should just try and not get caught, and maybe try and survive," She says, and I almost want to laugh at her words.

"I guess we can try that, yeah," I smile as I look at her. The darkness makes it hard for me to see her features.

She is terrific in a wealthy manner, her skin is pleasantly conditioned, and you can see it through the clothing. All those years in the Army must have turned her body into a machine. She has a significant advantage because of her height as well.

I always saw myself as skinny and short, but now I feel even smaller when I compare myself to Harlow. With the absence of food and nourishment that my body required as the years progressed, I haven't had the option to put on much weight nor muscle.

The government has spent a fortune on the Army the past few years. Now I can see where the money went.

"How was it like being in the Army?" Harlow seems to be taken aback by my sudden question.

"Well, it all depends on a lot of certain things," She shrugs. "You will experience various tests for a month; at that point, they will place you into the area that you fit best, and you will wind up working and propelling yourself in that class until they send you out," She clarifies.

"Which section were you in?" I ask, and she turned her head in the other direction.

"It's alright, we don't have to discuss it," I lay my hand onto her arm and give her a comforting smile, although I realize she can't see it.

"Let's just rest for now."