Days Since Incident: 1,095
Time: 16:37
Place: Corner of Tennent Rd and Newman Springs Rd
Climate: 71°F
“Hector?” Rayn asked in confusion. All eyes turned to Grae, who was being held by Doc. There was a brief moment of silence, as if Grae was meant to explain how she knew this man. But the first to break the silence was neither Grae, or Hector, but the female civilian from before.
“Grace?” She asked, cautiously moving past the two confused males. Grae limped out of the row, and for a split second, it looked as if the two former acquaintances would embrace. Just as the female civilian was a few inches away, Grae pulled out a gun and aimed for her head. The group grew more silent, the only sound came from the female civilian’s rapid heartbeat.
Grae remained calm, ignoring the intense pain from her injuries. The female civilian’s eyes grew wide from fear, and bitter understanding. “I see some things never change, huh?” She asked.
“You’re damn right Kayla.” Grae responded. Neither female moved, allowing the tension to grow exponentially. After a few minutes, Rayn stepped in front of Kayla, raising one hand to gently force Grae’s gun down. She reluctantly dropped her gun, and fell into his arms. She softly muttered an apology, as she placed all of her weight onto him.
“Auto, continue to the checkpoint.” Rayn ordered. Auto, without hesitation, ran back to his seat, and continued the ten minute drive.
The air remained silent as the bus continued on. The Outriders kept their eye towards Hector and Kayla; questions ran through their head. Rayn remained equally as quiet. He hated the feeling growing inside him: it was a mixture of jealousy and rage. He couldn’t help but glare at Hector.
Hector had to have been around five foot seven, with black shaggy hair. Due to the current predicament, he was reduced to saggy skin and bone. His skin was a pale, grayish color, and his eyes were a washed out black. There was no appeal to Hector, even Rayn could see that. Compared to the two, Rayn outdid Hector by a long shot. And Grae was far closer to Rayn than Hector, so there was no chance of her leaving him. It was obvious that she hated Kayla and Hector, but he wanted to know why. He wanted to know what type of history the three had, and he wanted to know badly.
He hated feeling like this. Though he has only known Grae for four years, she meant everything to him. They’ve been through too much, and he cannot imagine having all of that taken away. He didn’t like this situation at all…
They finally reached the checkpoint; Auto slowly maneuvered the bus through thick layers of trees, empty husks of buses and vans, and barb wires. In the small clearing, there were two medium-size shipping containers with eight padlocks attached to each.
The bus came to a stop next to the shipping containers. Before anyone had a chance to get out, Captain Rayn ordered, “Check your partner out. If there is a scratch, have Doc or I check it out. If there is a bite, you know what to do.” After a long pause, Rayn looked at the civilians. “Male Outriders are to inspect the male civilians once they’re done. Females are to do the same. Kill them if they resist, or if they’re bitten.”
Hector and the rest of the civilians couldn’t help but glover at Captain Rayn. They followed the group of Outriders out of the bus, who began pairing up. They separated, and went to the far corners of the enclosed space. The civilians stayed close to the front of the shipping containers.
“I can’t believe it’s Grace.” Kayla whispered to Hector. Hector kept quiet; his mind kept on replaying the last time he had seen her...and what he had done to her. This was going to only get worse. Though he was against it at first, his small group needed to get away from them.
Rayn, Doc, and Grae remained in the bus. Grae’s whimpers could be heard, and it was unsure to the civilians and Outriders if she was going to make it. Ron and Mike, who were chosen partners, felt the sickening judgement, and impending punishment awaiting them.
Auto walked past them, waiting for Rayn. He remained partner-less, due to an accident a few months back. Until he found a replacement, he was stuck with whoever was extra.
All of a sudden, a loud scream broke through the silence. Everyone turned to the darkened bus, recognizing Grae’s scream. Mike and Ron’s heart dropped.
After what felt like hours, Captain Rayn came out with a bleak look. He walked towards Auto, Mike, and Ron, his patience at the point of breaking. He walked up to Ron and Mike, and grabbed both of their throats. He had to control his anger and strength, but he wanted them to know how close they were.
“If you pull this stunt again...I will skin you both alive.” He threatened menacingly. Though both men had the ability to breath, they felt their lungs close. They didn’t utter a response, but instead, swiftly nodded their heads.
Rayn finally released them, and turned to Auto. “Let’s go.” Auto followed after him, but not before giving both Ron and Mike a “you were so fucking lucky” look.
Doc came walking out of the bus, followed by Grae. She was now wearing a black tank top, walking a bit straighter, though it was obvious she was still in a bit of pain. There were a few small bruises on both arms, and it looked like her stomach was bandaged.
Mike and Ron nearly fell over each other as they raced towards Grae. Doc managed to stop them with one look, before they got too close. “Captain, I am so sorry! We promise it won’t happen again!” They screamed in unison. Grae couldn’t help but feel an instant headache spring up.
“It’s fine, we will discuss this later. Finish inspecting each other.” She said calmly, despite the sudden urge to rip their mouth off. ‘They talk too much.’
Hector, Kayla, and the rest of the civilians kept their eyes on Grae. Though they weren’t aware of the extent of her injuries, they were both surprised and shocked she was ok. A part of Hector wished she would turn to look at him. But as she stumbled towards the shipping containers, she didn’t even turn to their direction. Her focus remained on the task at hand: unlocking the left container.
“Captain Rayn, all Outriders are clear.” Tobi said. The Outriders regrouped in front of the civilians. Their eyes began to carefully inspect each one, eventually falling towards the one civilian who remained huddled in the far corner.
“Let’s get this started.” Captain Rayn said, with an air of impending doom.
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