Silver Lining

Who we are is based on so many immeasurable factors, so many uncalculated decisions. Can we truly ever say who we are meant to be?

If anything can change the outcome of our way of thinking, who we are and what we are meant to be are just adjectives to describe the fact we have no clue as to our purpose.

And Fate? Ha. Don’t make me laugh.

Some poor fool sold people a lie and they bought it with every penny in their pocket to save their sanity from the fact that we are helpless beings in a world we didn’t understand.

I guess what I’m trying to say is: being human is a made-up combination of moments, decisions and baseless emotions. All it takes is one disaster to change the person we once were. One significant missed opportunity. There can’t possibly be a grand plan for us.

Especially not when… Not when the world has corrupted into things of nightmares.

Homes replaced with shelters. Curfews in place of peaceful daylight shenanigans. Fresh pristine air choked with the smog of a mistake that went too far… Families shattered into fragments of survivors sharing a similar disaster.

A similar pain.

A similar fear.

This is not a life. This is surviving; repenting for the mistake that is humanity from the moment we took our first life, destroyed another’s home, their freedom.

The Accident that caused this destruction is our fault. What we lost is our fault. Earth took back what was hers from the beginning and punished us for hurting her. She changed us; some more than others…

“Reyla? Reyla. Sweetie, your food is going to get cold.” The sweetest old lady gently massages my shoulders from behind me. “Come eat child.”

I give her a tight smile and lightly squeeze on of her frail hands. “Thank you Mertha. I am coming.”

I watch as her eyes stray to the beautiful heart-shaped locket nestled in my calloused palm. I instinctively hide it beneath my shirt and let it hang from my neck.

Mertha pats my face affectionately. “Reyla, your parents…”

“I’m starving, what did you cook tonight?” I stand immediately to face her and spread a hard smile across my face as I distance myself from her arms… from her affection. I hold my gaze on the air next to her, letting myself shut down inside.

She reaches for me but thought better of it as she let her hands fall uselessly to her side. “I-I made your favourite. Come along, the others will raid the pot while I’m away.”

Noise abruptly bombards my ears; children crying, people shouting.

“It’s another search. Grab the children and get down inside the bunker! Any able-bodied person needs to help hide our valuables!” A man stood at the helm of our shelter; a broken-down building boarded up with scrap wood to keep out raiders. Bastian, our leader. The gatherer of the scattered ones.

“Good grief, did they not come last week? What more could they want from us?” I grit my teeth and lift up a young one that clings to my thigh.

A small terror works its way into my chest, tightening and constricting as it does more times than I ever had in my life before the Accident. My hands shake as I run with the child among the crowd down to the basement.

I set down the child as a young boy comes to take her down to the bunker.

I feel the ground trembling with the sound of army vehicles approaching. They’re here.

. . .

Back upstairs, I glance at Bastian who gives me a reassuring smile before addressing the seven of us. “Let’s find out what they want and get this over with quickly and peacefully. God knows we don’t need the trouble.”

Heads nod as five armed guys swing open the doors and walk into the building, surveying it.

“Bastian! Good to see you again. Been a long time, huh?” One of the men steps forward. A scar divided his face vertically and the grin on his face doesn’t match the malicious look in his eyes.

“It has. Why are you here? I thought they promoted you from the lap dog’s position.” Bastian’s smile also contradicts his distrusting gaze.

“I was. But something caught my attention that I wanted to come see for myself.” The man let his gaze roam around to the rest of us standing with Bastian. I feel my body tense up as his gaze falls to me. He smiles and I hold my head straight, staring at the wall ahead of me.

Bastian clears his throat. “Really? What was so interesting that you came all the way out here?”

“You know, we’ve heard rumors about the Accident causing changes in people.” My heart drops instantly. “Making ‘em… different inside. Freaks of nature.” The man walks around in a short circle around Bastian. “You can tell in their eyes, got some sort of silver in ‘em. Heard the government will pay a hefty price for one of ‘em.” The man stops and looks Bastian square in the eye. “Ever hear anything like that Bastian? They say they look just like you and me.”

Bastian holds his gaze.

My heart races and my stomach turns in a violent way for each moment that passes. I open and close my fists, their clammy feel making me uncomfortable.

There’s no reason for Bastian and the others to keep me hidden. I haven’t been here that long. I’ve been nothing but a nuisance to a lot of the people here. Keeping to myself and refusing their help. But they can most definitely use the resources this bounty will pay forward. They need it.

I’ll run.

I’ve survived on my own for a while before. I can do it again.

I’ve already planned to do that from the get-go. I wasn’t going to stay and be a burden, nor rely on them.

So, I’ll run.

I know most of the exits, like the one down the hallway to the right of me.

A-and if I can’t make it there, I can escape upstairs and use the fire escape at the back of the building…

“No. No, I can’t say I’ve heard that rumor before.” Bastian break out a smile. “But we can’t believe everything we are told, right Nicholai? Sorry you wasted all that gas to get here. But you know I’ve never been the gossiping type.”

I almost double over as confusion and relief floods my veins.

Why? Why didn’t he rat me out? Doesn’t he understand what that guy, Nicholai, said? They’d get so much resources!

“Well, that’s a crying shame. I was hoping I could split the profits with you and your gang of gypsies if you could help me out.” Nicholai steps closer into Bastian’s face. “You sure now? Think real hard old friend.”

Bastian pats Nicholai’s shoulder. “Wish I could help you out buddy. It was nice seeing you.” He turns away. “Come on kiddos. We got hunting to do tonight.”

I glance back at Nicholai whose permanent smile is missing. “Yeah. You too Bastian. You too. Let’s go boys.”

. . .

“Everything alright Reyla?” Bastian pats my back as we walk home from the hunt. A doe and a couple wild birds in tow. Wildlife has overrun most of everywhere now, even cities.

“Why?”

“Hmm? Why what kiddo?”

“You all need the resources. Why didn’t you turn me in?” I grip hard on the necklace around my neck.

“You didn’t ask to be different Reyla. You went through what everyone else has, maybe more. You’re family now. We don’t sell out family.”

I stare at him.

He smiles down at me. “Everyone feels the same way. We know you’re having a hard time. We won’t kick you out for it. We’ve all lost a lot since the Accident. Why would we purposely lose more?”

My eyes sting and my heart aches. Silver streams leak down my face.

“No, no, no. Come on now.” He soothes as he holds my shoulders. “Those tears will give you away if any outsiders saw them.”

“It would indeed!” A familiar bone chilling voice shouts.

Nicholai and way more soldiers seep out of the forest trees.

Bastian slides in front of me as I swipe at my tears in absolute fear.

Oh God. Oh God, no.

“Bastian. I thought we were friends.” Nicholai put his hand to his chest in mock offense. “Yet here you are, keep this little freak of nature hidden from me. Planning to keep the bounty to yourself, huh?”

“There will be no bounty. We are not giving her up, she’s family here. So you can go about your business and leave us alone!” Bastian keeps a stern and level voice despite the hand holding his gun.

Nicholai chuckles and then wipes the smile clean off his face. “No. No, I don’t think I will, old friend.”

He pulls out a gun and shoots.

I scream and Bastian drops his gun.

Blood quickly seeps down and through his clothes, dripping into a puddle in the dirt. The shot hit his shooting arm.

Oh God. Oh God, please.

Bastian grabs my arm and shoves me away. “Run Reyla! Run!”

Everything inside me panics.

“Don’t stop, keep running!” One of the others shout at me. Another gun shoots.

I flinch and take off.

“You little witch! Get back here!” Nicholai’s voice fades as I weave through the trees and undergrowth.

Why? Why me?

The people from the shelter flashes in my mind. “What good are these memories? I can’t help them!”

Mertha’s kind smile echoes in my head. “No! Leave me alone! I can’t help you!”

'Reyla sweetheart. Go help your father. I have a present for you when you’re done.'

“No!” I cry out helplessly as the wind whipping my face.

The ground shakes and the sky spills horrible tainted red rain and smoke. 'Reyla! Reyla run! Don’t stop!'

Silver tears flow down my face. “Mom… Dad…” I trip on a root and fall on my hands and knees.

I hear another gun shot… and screams.

Bastian’s face flashes in my mind. ‘You’re family now.’

Instinctively, I clutch the locket beneath my shirt. ‘My strong girl.’ My mom gives me her heart-shaped locket, our family photo nestled inside.

Shakily I stand. I let the tears continue to run as I take a step back into the direction of Bastian and the others. I shouldn’t go back. I should care about my self-preservation, keep running deeper into the forest where I won’t be seen. But my feet keep moving me forward.

What is it about us humans?

The trees speed by me in blurs as I run. My mind longer controlling my body as I pull out the gun tucked in the back of my pants.

That despite knowing we cannot survive long…

Their screams get closer. “Give me the little freak!”

Despite that we are weak, helpless and serve no purpose…

I burst back into the clearing aiming the gun in hands. “Let them go!”

We still can’t seem to lay down and die?

. . .

There are those who would steal for the sake of the thrill. And there are those who would do unimaginable things when there is no one there to stop them.

But here?

My eyes glow a bright silver and a hum radiates through the overgrown forest.

Here, we protect what is most precious to us because we can’t help but survive!

The air gets thick and the same red rain smoke from the day of the Accident covers the entire area. I can’t see anymore, but the shouts and screams I hear speaks volumes.

When it clears, shrubs in the shape of the soldiers are all that are left behind.

I clutch my locket as Bastian comes to enclose me in his arms. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

To Be Continued…