The Redeem: Chapter 7
#5 of The Redeem
Previous Chapter : http://www.sofurry.com/page/230165/
Uploaded early because I'm unsure if I'll be able to use the internet this Saturday. Family stuff! Enjoy guys (...and girls)!
As always, kergiby and I appreciate all questions comments, and helpful criticism.
And as a final note, the next two chapters will posted by Kergiby. Our devious plans demands it! I'll post 2 chapters afterwords, and updates will return to normal.
A cool breeze roused me from my sleep. At my back I could feel his breathing, warm and heavy. My white knight held me closely and securely, protecting me from the cold desert air. Smiling, I brought Jason's arms closer to me and took in his scent. It wasn't all that pleasant...but it wasn't all that bad either. I grinned to myself at my luck. My mind was reminded of that time when we were caught in the rain. Jason had smelled much better back then, but he'd done the same under the covering of the large sycamores near the school.
"Jason! Mom is gonna kill me if she sees me all wet!" My heart beat nervously at the thought of invoking mom's wrath. She had always held the power in the house. As the drizzle began to pick up strength, Jason led me to the cover of a pair of sycamore trees, their dense foliage providing a nice spot for us to take cover from the quickening showers. As we sat their listening to the rain pound the ground all around us, and laughing at our predicament, I began shivering. "Dammit, this drizzle got me all cold." I brought my arms to myself and began trying to warm myself.
I shivered for a little while before Jason cleared his throat and said, "Um, Iz?" He licked his lips nervously, "Let me try something..." A quaver in his voice was evident, as if he was embarrassed or something. Scooting closer to me, he placed his warm arm over my shoulder, and brought up the warmth of his chest. If I remember correctly, I think Jason was blushing at the time, too. Thinking back, I guess it made sense that this was the moment Jason saw me as something else. It was kinda funny to think that I only Jason as a friend back then...but no. That's a lie. I saw him as something more. I didn't love him yet, but I knew he was always looking out for me.
Now, in this strange, forgotten place, I felt the same emotions I felt for Jason back then. I opened my eyes to look up at him. Gingerly licking his cheek, I saw a something...or someone, out of the corner of my eye. Turning around I caught a glimpse of a hulking, large shape, and as I blinked to clear my eyes of the sleep, the figure disappeared.
I moved further closer to Jason and shivered, not from the cold, but from the fright. Were the bandits already on the move? I shook Jason a bit, and waited for him to respond. He slowly was roused from his sleep, and with sleepiness evident in his voice, he muttered "Hmm?"
I tightened my grip on his hand and hurriedly told him, "I just saw something...I dunno what it was. I-it's gone now, but I think the bandits are watching us again..."
Jason's eyes opened suddenly, and I felt him bring me closer in a protective grip, as if any moment from now I could be snatched away. "No one is going take you from me. I'll beat any fucker that tries. Just go to sleep. I've rested enough. I'm going to keep watch."
I nodded to him, but added, "I don't feel anybody anymore. They're gone. Sorry for waking you up...I was just kind of scared." I felt Jason's arm tighten around me. We cautiously kept an eye out, but soon, Jason and I slowly drifted back to sleep. A while later, I was awoken by Jason; the sun already a few hours out.
"Isaac, we should get walking before we lose our guide." He let go of me, and I smiled to him. His scent had started to cling to me, and it was quite honestly...alright.
I stretched a bit and yawned. Looking back at Jason, I could see he was grinning. Then I saw it, the mischief in his eyes. I knew that look. It was the look he gave me whenever he had something sort of shenanigan in mind. I frowned at him, "What?"
Jason shrugged innocently, saying, "Oh...nothing...I was just thinking." It was then that I saw my shirt was up, revealing my flat belly, and I saw Jason's grin reveal his intentions. He wanted to tickle me!
Taking a cautious step back, I said "Jason...don't do it." I tried not to giggle, but just the thought of Jason tickling me was making me laugh. I wasn't all that ticklish, but Jason knew just exactly what spots made me laugh. I turned to run away, but Jason was too fast. With a quick lunge, he tackled me from behind and we both fell into a pile of laughter.
After that, with smiles on our faces, we dusted ourselves and began to walk through the desert. As Jason and I recalled good memories, the walk through the desert felt just a little bit less tiresome. It was sometime after noon when we saw it. "J-J-Jason? Do you..." I rubbed my eyes to hope I wasn't seeing a mirage. At a distance of about 5 miles I could see large buildings, and I knew...we had found a city.
"Isaac...I...I can't believe it. It's a city!" With hope in our hearts, the walk the city felt like nothing. Here and there in the desert I could notice shrubs and a few patches of green grass. Beneath the dust, I noticed another sign of civilization...a road. I could have sworn I was floating. Every now and then, I skipped, twirled and hopped, the joy invading my heart. Jason simply laughed and took my hand. The last mile, Jason gripped my paw and with a large grin on his face, pulling me as he ran. Our laugh could be heard all around.
We soon reached the outskirts and found...nobody. All around there were stores and businesses, some with neon signs lit that said open. I looked at Jason and shrugged. Where was everybody? The streets were all eerily silent. Stoplights went through their scheduled changes, and every now and then, a piece of trash could be seen dancing in the wind. The only noise we could hear was a low hum coming from the center of the city. At the distance with a large, blinking, red light, was a plant of some sort. Its light felt like a beacon, as if we could find some answers there. I was about to point the plant out to Jason, but then I saw a store. Staring at it for a bit, I remembered several things, and looked at Jason for a bit before looking back. What I was looking at was a shoe store. I looked down at Jason's raw pads, looking calloused and red, and without a word took his paw into mine and dragged him over to the store. Caught off guard, and his focus thrown off, Jason tried to stop me and asked "Where are we going Iz?" with a curious smile on his face.
Looking at him with a simple smile that revealed nothing, I said "We're going to get you something." As we walked into the store, we were welcomed by all sorts of footwear on display, as well as the chime of a small bell above the door. I heard Jason inhale at the sight, and told him, "Let's pick a pair out!" Jason nodded like a child in a candy store and began to pad about the place. As Jason looked around, I called around the store. "Anybody here? ...Please answer!" There was silence, and I looked back at Jason who simply shrugged. "We're gonna take some shoes unless you come out! ...Anybody? ...H-hello?" The store remained silent except for Jason's shuffling. Sighing, I turned back to Jason. "Guess they're on the house." I grinned guiltily.
Looking about, I saw simple sneakers, dress shoes, and...a pair of boots that I just had to have. Moving them from the display, I lifted them to the sunlight and admired them. They were 8 inch boots, with pull on straps that facilitated their pulling on. They were teak colored, and quite simple in design. I felt the material, and admired the smooth roughness that almost guaranteed a strong resistance to the sand. I was tempted to sniff the inside of the new boot, but refrained from doing so. I was happy that the boots were lace-less, and instead I looked at the heel and felt the rubber grip of the boots. On the stand where the boots had been on, I saw a card and read out loud: "Water resistant full grain leather. Waterproof membrane construction. Padded ankle locking support. Triple stitched. Leather pull loops. Kevlar toe guard. Safety steel toe cap." Smiling, I looked through the boxes under the display and found one my size. "I found a pair I like! What about you Jason?" I looked back to see Jason's content smile, a pair of black boots at his feet. They were biker boots, and I smiled at Jason's face. The boots were glossy, and had 4 straps that ended in four silver buckles, running down the length of the boot at every quarter, with the last strap wrapping around the base of the foot. I laughed a bit, they definitely were his style. I still complimented them saying, "They look like they were made to kick ass, Jase!"
Jase lifted his leg up so I could get a better look. "Right!? That's what I was thinking too!" His face displayed so much happiness at the new boots that I couldn't tell him that they didn't look comfortable for running. Besides, if he was happy with the boots, who was I to tell him to pick another?
As both Jason and I walked to the door, we briefly paused to consider our actions. Both Jason and I looked doubtful as to taking a step outside. We weren't thieves after all. I considered our situation for a few seconds and told Jason, "As much as I hate stealing, if nobody is here to claim this stuff, I'm not gonna feel bad about taking them. I would definitely find some way to pay if somebody was here. And if anybody ever bills us for this stuff, I'll pay them back." Jason nodded and we both took a step outside the store in our new footwear.
I looked at our shabby clothing and noticed how out of place they looked in comparison with our boots. "I think that we should look for more people, and if we can't find anybody...we should stock up on as many useful things as possible, and leave. If the city is empty... it's for a reason. We should be more careful from now on and keep an eye out at all times."
Jason nodded. "I agree...I'm getting the creeps just being here."
Looking at his torn pants and sweat stained shirt, I pointed down the street and said "Shall we get new duds?"
Jason smiled and took my hand, simply saying, "Let's do it!"
We walked for several hours, checking out the street side stores, picking clothes and taking items that seemed useful. Despite the fact that we now had a large load to carry, we were feeling confident about our chances to survive in the desert. Even with all the focus on bringing only the necessities, I couldn't help but to take a few things that I had desperately missed, like lemon candy, and cherry lollipops. I noticed that Jason had also taken a tiny little sketchpad and few pencils. I found it a bit weird that he would get something like that, because for the life of me, he was never a good drawer. Still I said nothing, as a pocket in my new messenger bag was bulging with candy, as well as...THAT. That pocket could have been used for another small med kit, or another jug of water, but I too understood the need to have...personality. As long as I had the THAT hidden in my pocket, I could also claim to have a part of my living soul here in the land of the dead. After grabbing food, medicine, and water, as well as some other necessary supplies, I felt ready to take on this world...with Jason.
By now, Jason and I have found a new pair of clothes, and we ditched the bedraggled clothing we had when we got here. I had chosen a fresh, white long-sleeve with a small thunderbolt drawn on the ends of the sleeves, a red sleeveless hoodie depicting a white sun, as well as a pair of blue, breezy jeans. I had decided to carry another change of identical clothing, and I suggested to Jason that he do the same.
Jason had picked a light blue tank top with loose-fitting khaki shorts. When he walked out of the dressing room, I laughed and remembered that at school he had enjoyed dressing like that. The one thing I noticed was the wrap-around attached to his tank top. It looked like a scarf, but had enough rigidness to cover his neck and part of his face. "Pretty sick Jase! Reminds me of old times..." The phrase rudely fell between us, and I realized that they had made Jase feel uncomfortable so I quickly added "...the good ones."
Jase nodded to this and simply said "...Yeah."
The last thing we got to complete our ensembles was eyewear. We walked into a shop and both picked out a pair of airfoil goggles, to provide cover from the sun as well as wind. Mine were round, and dark shaded with white frames, and could be altered to be worn like normal sunglasses. They came with a small pouch that could clip on to my belt hoops.
Jason got foldable goggles, with orange, triangular shades that reflected the sun beautifully. It was sort of funny to me to still be able to see his blue eyes through the colorful shades. With a grin reflecting his inner confidence, Jason and I walked out of the market district, our bodies heavy, but our hearts light.
"We've got all we need to go...but we need to check on last place." I said, looking at the blinking red beacon at the distance.
"That large humming building, huh? Weird how it's the place sound is coming from in the city." Jason said, nodding toward it.
After giving the place a good look, Jason and I began to make our way to the plant, which was a long walk. It seemed to be in the center of the city, and as we made our way to it, we noticed the city take an older look, as if we were walking back through the ages. As we got with a couple city blocks, the hum of the power plant became slightly louder, and started to feel like a low growl. Taking Jason's hand in mine, we crossed the street and approached the large complex.
The place itself was surrounded by a large mesh wire fence, and from the front looked quite plain. If it didn't have a few active smoke stacks, and wasn't humming, it could have easily been mistaken with a warehouse. I looked at Jason, and gave his hand a gently squeeze. "We give the place a quick look, and if we find nothing, we leave. I'm starting to feel like we're over staying our welcome here." Over in the horizon, the sun had started to dip, and the sky had started gain the beautiful hues of twilight. The blue was being swallowed by purples, pinks, and reds, and I gave the sky a longing look before we found a viable entrance to the plant. The entrance was protected by a tall iron fence, but lay open, almost invitingly. Maybe there were refugees here? I smiled and considered how nice it might be to see other people here. Maybe they wouldn't be as hostile as the bandits had been. I certainly hoped me and Jason never turned that way.
I stared over at a large clump of papers dusted over and crinkled from exposure to the elements, pinned to a forgotten security booth, from where I could envision a male canine in a security uniform, giving access to the facility. "One sec, Jason." Moving closer to the booth, I quickly skimmed over the papers and saw that it was a list of names, with numbers and extensions. I briefly wondered how many of these people still lived and spotted a phone on the wall. Picking it up, I placed it near my ear, but heard nothing; it was dead. Sighing I turned to Jason and frowned. "Nothing here worth of use." I told Jason.
Jason shrugged and said "Oh well. Let's head inside."
I nodded toward him and walked through the large parking lot to the front of the building. With Jason closely behind, I cautiously opened the door to the building and with a muted squeak looked on. The inside was spacious, and painted in neutral colors, soft chocolate browns and steely blues as the center piece colors of the room. It looked like a waiting room, and from behind a large desk, I could spot several unused chair. From inside the facility, the hum was evident, sounding like a machine growling to life, but still easily cut through with our steps and voices. "It's like the place is growling softly at us, I joked. Jason laughed a bit spotted a door on the side of the large waiting room. "Let's look in here." he suggested. A small gust of wind was sucked out of the room as Jason opened the door, and we saw a dimly lit location, the place lit by red lights, giving a the walls a very creepy look. I was reminded of blood and shivered violently for a second, and I hoped Jason hadn't noticed. Pushing the thoughts from my head, I took a step forward through the door. "Aren't these...emergency lights?"
"What do you mean, Jason?" Jason pointed to the bands of red bulbs that illuminated the room like a photography studio, and up at the where large lamps held fluorescent light bulbs that were turned off.
I stared at the bulbs for a few more seconds before merely saying, "Weird." As we walked further down the hallway into the rusty darkness, the place started taking a slightly dank and airless feel, and a warm humidity of the place increased with every step, forcing me and Jason to pant. "It's so hot." I panted, and Jason nodded, feeling the heat get to him. Poor fluffy bastard. I giggled to myself and heard the sound of my steps take a different tone. "Looking down, I saw that the hallway opened up to a large catwalk with railings on the side to prevent people from falling. Through the grates on the floor I could see more emergency lights of the same color, as well as large cables that passed through the floor.
Off at the distance I saw it: a pair of emergency lights move. Slowly shifting directions in the dark, I started walking toward them, the lights blinking every now and then. What was going on there? I had been walking for a while before I realized that I'd lost track of Jason. I turned back and saw...nothing. Jason was gone. A deep sense of dread began to fill me. "J-Jase?" I said aloud, hoping he would hear me.
"Iz?!" Jason exclaimed, realizing that I wasn't near him anymore. Turning around several times, I spotted him a little farther off, and as I moved toward him, I bumped into a railing. I guess in my distraction, and the dim settings, I hadn't noticed that the catwalk split into two directions. "I'm over here!" I yelled and waved my arms until Jason spotted me.
"How'd you get over there!?" he yelled a little anxiety evident in his voice.
"I got distracted and took the other side of the catwalk!" I yelled back apologetically.
"It's fine!" Jason yelled back. "Let's just backtrack and find ourselves back at the split in catwalk!"
"Okay!" I answered back.
Turning back, I saw a lot of red lights...more then I remembered. Suddenly I realized that few of them were blinking...in pairs. "JASON! THOSE AREN'T LIGHTS! THOSE ARE EYES! RUN!" I yelled and turned as I heard a lot of growls and primal howls go of inside the plant. I heard brisk steps begins to chase after me, and I ran back from where we had come from, getting further and further away from Jase. As I caught a last glimpse of him on the other side of the catwalk I silently prayed: please be safe.
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